The Road To Portlandia - Day 4

Day 2 - we crossed the border into Oregon along the 101. There was a sign welcoming us into the state - but we kinda missed it. It was surrounded by brush and trees and there was a line of our fellow tourists waiting to get their photo taken near it. We bravely pushed on about a mile to the tourist welcome center. It seemed as if some higher power had noted our crossing and had pushed the switch to change to weather from 65 bright sunny and prefect to 50 overcast rainy and sad. 

It seems as if southwestern Oregon has been hit hard by the economic downturn. We passed village after shit hole village that had one or two points of interest, but overall just ruin. Images from Breaking Bad came to mind and warnings from my friends back home that lived in Oregon came readily to mind. This was truly the land of meth. Or at least the dramatization of thee above.

The milage according to google was only 40 miles to our next destination - how could that possibly take 2 hours?! Then I understood. The road is schizophrenic. It goes from a regular highway to a rural road and then everything in between. Along the way the speed limit changes at the drop of the hat. From my training in the rural midwest, this meant speed traps. Places where the local economy was support by ticketing poor unfortunate bastards who were not able to bring their cars from 65 to 35 in the 10 seconds allotted.

But, I guess there is a reason for all these changes. The 35 MPH limit makes one come down to a crawl and see all that the locals have to offer. There are tourist traps like to others! Fossil stops, sea lion stops, helicopter ride stops, and the near ubiquitous statues of big foot. Alas, we were on a budget and we had to get in some good time an mileage.

We had it in mind to make it to the dunes. The area begins near an industrial city named Coos Bay and goes up all the way to a town called Florence. Coos bay still retains all of its industrial feel. There are house that look like they have been abandoned and buildings that are boarded up. We pushed on. We got to Reedsport - which is in the middle of the sand dunes. Torrential rains prevented us from doing anything other than bedding down for the night. We did go to a local restaurant called Harbor's Light which was quite impressive however.

We got in some good sleep at the Best Western. The next day the weather changed and it was suddenly spectacular and beautiful again! We headed for the sand dunes. We had the entire beach as far as the eye could see to ourselves. I can't explain how good this was. Its one of those things you just need to explore. I'll shut up now and just let you look at our pics.

Ok back again. Something happens when one enters Florence, OR. The sense of urban decay and death disappears. We no longer feel like we are in the land of Meth. The cities are cute with historial city centers. The shady motel is replaced with the local chamber of commerce tourist info center. Florence leads the way. We wandered the old city and got in some amazing coffee at the local grind. The city straddles some of the last set of dunes and this is a great place to get cheap gas.

We made it a bit past the town and kept heading north. We made it to the Heceta Lighthouse. We made it in the middle of fly mating season. The place was just covered with them. We were feeling too well to let that slow us down.

Ok, so north of that is a place called Newport. We read about it in a travel magazine. It was heralded as one of the best beaches in Oregon. Granted, it was cute and the scenery was beautiful, but it was also kinda dead and a huge let down.

Well, it was getting late. We got back in the car and 3 hours later we were in Portland!!

The Road To Portlandia - DAY 1

" we are getting up early honey. . . " The thought wavers in my head as I fall asleep slowly. Ceasar, the larger of the two cats that we have, jumps on the bed and finds a small patch to do his paw paw paw thing. He's finding a place to get comfortable and his purring sounds his accomplishment at endeavor. 20 lbs of fur ball comes to rest at my hip. Its like sleeping with a bowling ball. I'm exhausted from several days at work and Maria has not yet begun to pack. "we are getting up early . . . z.z.z.z. "

 6:30 am - there is no f'n way I'm getting up. I slam the iPhone to shut it up and drift back into an uneasy guilty sleep. Maria shifts about and soon she's sound asleep as well. Our Oregon road trip thus begins. We finally hit the road around noon after we have gotten the house cleaned up. Snacks are prepared and we have over packed our bags. I feel like a rookie again as I crush too many clothes into my small suit case - roller deal. We're late, but it doesn't matter. The sense of being on vacation is beginning to set in . . . but slowly.

 We start up the 101 and the contiguous cities of southern Marin county give way at first to relatively flat cow and sheep grazing land. This is replaced by the rolling hills and of to our left are the mountains. These are the final borders between us and the Pacific. Its dry season in cali. The hills that pass us are a brilliant shade of yellow, brown, and mustard. A fire hazard, but a pretty one at that.

 After an hour or so we arrive at that strange comfort zone border near Santa Rosa. Up until now, we know the area pretty well from repeated use. Its only past this that we get into that unknown area where the roads get narrow and winding. At first it is a little unease, but this is meant to be a road trip. I did, however, do my home work. I buzzed the area on Google earth. Found the hot spots on tripadvisors and cross referenced these with the likes of Yelp and Urban Spoon. I've got all the apps of a true digital age conquistador. But we are 5 hours behind and the spots I wanted to stop at, are left on the way side.

 That said, the country up here is beautiful and compensates for my lack of will power to over come the fact that I'm not a morning person. There is one ace up my sleeve. We still have time for one hike, there is some amazing hike territory coming up, and I have a significant other who loves hiking no matter what.

 Thus before the sun sets, we arrive at Humbolt National Park near Eureka, CA. The setting sun casts intricate shadows and illuminates the park. Maria is in heaven. She loves nature and I'm beside myself in seeing that blissful smile on her face.

 After getting in a short hike we are forced to hit the road as day light fades. The 101 at this point presents a challenge. It goes from a rural road to a major highway and back again. The speed limit changes at the drop of a hat and the road is strewn with speed traps and cops eager to meet their quota. Its this very highway that meanders down from the mountains to the shore at Eureka.
We drive briefly through the city and I get an eerie feeling about the place. Maria feels it too, I can see the expression in her face. Its not just the dank smell of dead fish in the air but the strange burn out feeling of the town. Its as if this is a city that has seen better days, but is trying too hard to hold on to its diminishing assets. There are signs that point away from the sketchy areas of town to the "old city" as if this solace. We drive through quickly.

 Heading further north, we arrive at the Kalmath River and the Requa Inn. Like most B&B's, this place looks amazing on the web site, but is ok in real time. I've come to expect the following from most B&B's
1) musty smell - like a wet dog has run through the place
2) old worn out books in the "main room"
3) doilies - lots of them

I'm not disappointed. I wouldn't usually pick a B&B - but the motels along the way (which are my only other choice) are really shady. Furthermore, I've been watching too much Breaking Bad lately and so every motel along the way looks like a meth lab / hang out at this point.

Well, I've seen some amazing country side. 101 is thus far not bad. I'm excited to see the Oregon Coast next. . . . better set my alarm for 6:30 AM. . . .. 

Anniversary and Renovations

House construction began on a Monday. The weather and our spirits were both excellent as the crew arrived. Coffee was allocated generously and then the hammering began. It started in the living room and soon spread to the dinning room. 

By this time, we had sold or given away a good deal of our furniture. This proved to be a great idea in that we didn't have quite as much to move about as the shredding of our carpets began.

I've always been curious about what lay beneath the carpets. In my mind, I was hoping a lost treasure map of some sort - or perhaps a rare painting - but alas it was a cement floor with no redeeming find. Yet, as I was recently learned in my dealing to procure a wooden floor, a cement basement layer means one needs to have an "engineered" wood - meaning that it wouldn't be just a wooden floor, but rather a composite of several layers with a final layer of real hard wood as icing. 

The Maa-ma came to visit and I felt bad that her time here would co-incide with construction. But she would be one of the first to see the work in progress and thus she also got a chance to see some of the work completed. She was a real trooper - and threw in her hand to help with packing and moving.

By day four the wood was progressing nicely. We had become pros at packing and moving the furniture. However, it is fatiguing when everything you own is packed into unfamiliar corners. Something as simple as brushing your teeth and finding the toothpaste, the brush, and the space needed to perform the task became a more difficult endeavor. Sleep was harder too as everything was covered in a fine layer of dust, and even the cats ran and hid at the sound of something dropped or a loud sound. 

That said, day 6 began early as all the others. We left to run some errands and made it a point to take our time to avoid the shrill sound of the saw blade and the ubiquitous hammering.

But when we returned, the house was silent and construction was finalized. Mission accomplished no? Not even close. The cleaning began and went on for a week. We had to purchase an entirely new entourage of equipment to dust and sweep.

Our vacuum was the first casualty. This was a Dyson that had finally lost its suction and so we had to run out and grab another. Over time, tranquility returned - albeit slowly. The kitchen was cleaned and we were able to celebrate a home cooked meal. Internet and wi-fi came on-line shortly there after, followed by the TV and netflix etc. Finally, the bedroom was put in order and we got a chance to sleep. 

 

We started getting the furniture back in place. Home once again felt like home. However, nerves were a bit frayed and it was time to do something other than home remodeling. It was time to find balance.

A TIME TO CELEBRATE

It was time to do some celebrating. It was the anniversary of our engagement and thus we headed into the city. We stayed at the Palace Hotel again. We were here for a convention in the past. I love this place. It is an old historical hotel that has a grand entryway and lobby. The rooms have high ceilings and it has windows that one can open.  

 This place reminds me of the places that my step father used to work in. I remember growing up running around in large hallways and finding all the secret passage ways in large hotels like this one.

On arrival to the room we heard someone using our shower. When I went to inspect, it turned out the that pipe above us broke and water was streaming through the vent shaft into our tub.

The hotel put us in another room on a higher floor with a better view and gave us a credit at the restaurant. A half hour later a complementary gift basket and bottle of wine showed up at our door.

They know how to make things better I guess.

Maria had made reservations at a sushi place that she had been craving to check out. So after getting "purdyfied", we headed out to Roka Akor. Its a bit overpriced, but the food was good and the atmosphere was excellent. What was really remarkable was the downstairs bar. The architecture was very impressive and hinted of deja vu. Then I remembered where I had seen this before. This was a near replica of a sushi place that Chase and I had been to in London. It was located near Regent Street in Soho London.  

http://www.rokaakor.com/locations/san-francisco/ 

We finished the night having a night cap at the downstairs restaurant and talking about our plans for the next day.

 In the morning after sleeping in till about ten, we slowly got our things in order and then went for a walk about the town.

 First things first, we headed to Union Square and got some coffee at Emporio Rulli. While it was a bit weak (I personally like Blue Bottle Coffee more) it hit the spot and we strolled about the artwork on display at the square.

Maria then took me to one of her old hang outs. Hotel Phoenix is located in the Tenderloin. Which for those who don't know SF is the sketchy area of San Francisco. As far as "ghettos" go, this one really isn't that bad - but one should still be careful here. Anyway, the hotel had a cool little restaurant and a band / DJ were playing the central courtyard. The music was a combination of lounge and hard house with a tribal African beat thrown in for good measure.

After getting our music kick in, we headed over to the Asian Art Museum for the Persian Exhibit.

 This was a no go as we only had a few minutes till closing, but we did get a chance to see the farmer's market next door. Maria LOVES these things and takes such delight and finding the right ingredients to her next gourmet creation.

She also loves to find fruit which I've never heard about and gets me to eat them.

Well that all said, we made back to Marin Co. Tomorrow is back to work. What an incredible weekend!

By the way - we are getting close to heading out to Portland. We need some suggestions for road trip music for the ride up there.