Pacific NW driving trip, September-October 2010
(Note: Full reviews of all the restaurants we visited are on our food review site, http://exegesis.yolasite.com/)
Oakland to Oregon: North on I-5
We drive often but not very far, living in the San Francisco Bay Area. So it was a bit daunting to contemplate a 2000-mile round trip, up to the Pacific Northwest and back again. As a straight shot, it's only 849 miles from Oakland to Seattle. But why rush when one is retired? So when we signed up for an Alaskan cruise out of Seattle, it was our chance to spend a little more time in places we've only flown over before.
As the organizer, I can't imagine making this trip without the help of the Internet. With the help of several travel and search websites, it was easy to pinpoint the best choices of where to stay and eat, even in the most rural areas. I used TripAdvisor.com, Yelp, and of course, Google. Close friends agreed to house-sit while we were gone. We packed up the car and began our travels north.
Because we wanted several days in Portland, that constrained our travel going north on I-5. No scenic loops on 199, just the decision of whether to make the first stop Redding or Red Bluff. The latter city turned out to be a great choice because both the hotel (Hampton Inn Suites) and restaurant (Los Mariachis) were terrific. The food was amazingly good, with seafood dishes that really wowed us. The prices were rock bottom. When we are in the area again, this is a 'must do.'
The drive on I-5 North up to Grants Pass OR is so much prettier than I-5 South from the Bay Area that it's like two different worlds. Up this way it’s forested hills, graded curves, and lovely scenery. There's an impressive mesa formation even bigger than what we saw in New Mexico, the starkly impressive Castle Crags, and the cloud-shrouded beacon of snow-capped Mt. Shasta that looms up suddenly.
Above: Our first look at Mt. Shasta
Below: Colorful Victorian in Grants Pass, OR
After the first day, we learned to take regular advantage of the rest areas to loosen up stiff muscles and walk around. We were pleased to discover the beauty of the Collier Rest Area and Visitors Center, the last CA rest area before the 68-mile slog into Oregon. It's a long parkland of green lawn and picnic tables alongside the Klamath River. It can be reached by travelers in either direction, and is definitely worth planning to include in any trip on I-5 in Siskiyou County. Like all rest stops, though, it’s not recommended once the sun goes down; at night these places become unsafe for anybody.
Grants Pass is a traditional stopping point between Portland, California, and the Oregon coast. It’s cheaper than Ashland although not as picturesque. There's some interesting things to do here, but sadly it'll have to wait until we have more time on another trip. Still, we had some time to walk around the Old Town area, with its cluster of Victorians, before having a good dinner at Blondie’s Bistro.
The I-5 drive into Portland is not as interesting, the mountains giving way to the broad valley where the Willamette River bisects the city. Still, that means it's relatively flat and easier for walking than Seattle or San Francisco.
Portland, Oregon
Seattle's perennial rival, Portland is a river-based town, bisected by the Willamette River running north-south to divide the eastern half from its western counterpart. Like Seattle, I-5 runs right through the heart of the city and is thus subject to horrendous traffic jams, as it's really the only way to easily travel a long north-south trip.
We were fortunate to get a great room at Riverplace, a newer hotel right on the McCall waterfront park. It’s close enough to downtown to walk, but away from the busier streets. With secure valet parking, it’s ideal to get out to the neighborhoods using your own car. Being book-lovers we had to visit Powell’s. This is like a devout Catholic going on pilgrimage to Lourdes. It's the largest independent bookseller in the West, with a huge used/new sci-fi section. A massive multi-level store, it's organized by color of the rooms for specific categories. If we lived in Portland we would be here every week! As it was, we carried out two bags of books to our already overloaded car. Ah well, at least they were all used books and cheap, LOL.
We were lucky to catch a 2-for-1 admission to the Lan Su Chinese Garden, in the heart of Portland's otherwise tiny Chinatown. It's a marvel, and a wonderful way to pass an hour or so. Here's a photo of its moongate, inside one of the garden's "rooms".
Ten years of planning went into the creation of this magnificent Ming Dynasty replica garden. The workmanship is exquisite; the landscaping mature. It opened in 2000 after 65 Mainland Chinese craftsmen spent 18 months on-site building the five buildings and installing the gardens. A display case shows the simple hand tools they used - a world away from our power tools and laser gadgets!
I'm stunned by the stone and tile floors done in the traditional Chinese patterns. They are seldom seen in the U.S. The entire garden is paved with these exquisite traditional designs.
Above: Postcard scan showing Teahouse and the different pebble tiling designs
There are also magnificent specimens of the prized Chinese 'landscape rocks' from Lake Tai near Suzhou, Portland's sister city. Large specimens are sited beautifully throughout the garden, and there's more of them than I've ever seen anywhere else. These limestone rocks are fragile, as they're formed by the action of wind and water on limestone. They have naturally sculpted, twisting forms that evoke the deep spirituality of Nature.
Although people talk about visiting Portland's Japanese Garden, I'm glad we took the advice of TripAdvisor reviewers and came here instead. It's rare to find an authentic example of Chinese building and landscaping in the US. This is an absolute 'must see' for anyone interested in seeing the beauty of a formal Chinese garden, with Ming period buildings.
I wish we'd scheduled a longer stay in Portland, but we will definitely come back to enjoy what's becoming a sophisticated and vibrant city. We didn't have time to visit the Columbia Gorge area, so another trip is definitely called for. But for now, it's back in the car and north to Seattle, WA.
Cruise to Alaska, late Sept 2010: Holland American Zaandam out of Seattle
We stayed overnight at Hotel Max in Seattle before taking the cruise. Dinner at the Georgian in the Fairmont Hotel was a disappointment, but breakfast at Lola, one of the Tom Douglas restaurants, was excellent. In the morning we schlepped over to the ship Zaandam, an older and smaller ship carrying less than 1500 passengers. Ships sailing from Seattle actually go around the outside of Vancouver Island, something I didn't realize when I was doing the cruise reservations.
The captain warns that weather is going to be a problem. For those doing future planning, the least rainy months are May and early September - my mistake!
Sadly, high seas and rainy weather do cut short our actual port time, and most days there wasn’t much to see. The ship is poorly laid out, although service staff is excellent. The food is surprisingly mediocre, and the hideous Muzak everywhere drives us crazy.
But Glacier Bay is magnificent, and to see big pieces of ice calving off is thrilling. The ship can get really close because it’s so small, and the overcast clouds means we see the glacial ice turn a vivid turquoise. In Juneau we go whale-watching, and see a pod of orcas swimming alongside the boat for several miles, plus several humpbacks.
At the Mendenhall Glacier it rains, however, so it’s a quick, short visit. The glacier is retreating so fast, in 1933 the Visitor Center was built right at the foot of it. It’s now over a mile away, across Mendenhall Lake. We discover there are blue bears! – also known as glacial bears, whose coat is a mixture of cream and brown, to better blend into the glacial ice.
We’re glad to leave the ship and meet up with our friends Mel and Christie, who are flying into SeaTac for a week’s vacation in Seattle and Victoria. This is their first time here, although we have visited many times over the years. We hope the weather stays good so we can show them what a fun city Seattle is for visitors.
Above: Turquoise ice color at Glacier Bay, Alaska
Below: Stuffed Glacial Bear at Mendenhall Visitor Center
Seattle WA with our friends Mel and Christie
I chose a B&B in Capitol Hill, just north of downtown Seattle. The 11th Avenue Inn turned out to be a wonderful choice, located in a walkable gentrifying neighborhood with great restaurants and easy access to buses. We went on the Pike Place Market tour, which was so much fun we returned two days later to spend the entire afternoon there. The Argosy Cruises' tour of Lake Union and Lake Washington was beautiful and serene, the weather excellent. Both combine to make a great start on an enjoyable vacation.
The food is terrific, and amazingly inexpensive. We loved Olivar, Andaluca, Cascina Spinasse, and Crush. If we had more time I would return to Etta’s, where we sampled terrific crabcakes on the Pike Place Market tour. Pike Place Chowder won our hearts, though, with a wonderful seafood bisque and a smoked salmon chowder.
The Underground tour was okay, not as good as the others, but with some interesting history of the city. The B&B was also near the REI flagship store and Elliott Bay Books, so we had a great time shopping. The REI store is amazing, with a lovely mini-park and rushing waterfall built between the parking garage and the two-story store. We are envious; the Berkeley store is small and ordinary compared to this.
Right: REI Co-op's man-made waterfall, Seattle WA
Below: Colorful sailboats racing on Lake Union, Seattle WA
Victoria BC and Port Angeles, WA
The drive from Seattle to Port Angeles can be done a variety of ways, but my favorite is to drive south around Puget Sound. It doesn’t take that much longer, and is so beautiful that it’s worth the effort. Both Christie and Carlos loved stopping at Hama Hama Oyster Company to scarf down a full pint of fresh extra-small oysters. The weather was so good we could sit outdoors at the picnic table, looking across the serene blue waters of the Hood Canal.
We stayed overnight at Port Angeles’ Rooster Hill Inn, which was adequate for an overnight stay. Catching the ferry in the early morning went smoothly, and the Albion Manor Inn in Victoria was incredible. Not only is it a beautifully restored Victorian, the rooms have opulent modern bathrooms that are large and very nice. Plus, innkeeper Don makes the most terrific breakfasts we’ve ever had! The location is convenient, and this place deserves its 5-star TripAdvisor rating.
Craigdarroch Castle is slowly being refurnished, and is much more attractive than the first time I saw it, although there are still a few empty rooms. It’s an impressive mansion, and with its Bay Area connection – son Alexander built Dunsmuir House in Oakland for his long-time mistress – an interesting way to spend an hour before having a cream tea at White Heather.
White Heather Tea Room turned out to be run by an ex-pat from Concord, CA, so we have a nice chat with her, and a generous "Big Muckle Giant Tea". Then we go into Miniature World, where everyone had a great time although we missed going through the Empress Hotel itself.
We go out whale-watching from Victoria Harbor on the Prince of Whales boat, and have a terrific time. It's far better than our Juneau whale-watching trip. The boats chase a transient orca for a while, although he never surfaces for us to take a very close look at more than his back and fin. However, the humpbacks put on an incredible show, even spy-hopping out of the water, and swimming within twenty yards of the boat itself.
Above: Miniature World display - even the rooms inside are furnished!
Below: Matisse Restaurant's iconic 'Icarus' in sugar cookie form
Even though we can see from the boat that it’s raining along Hwy 101 to Port Angeles, the weather cooperates for us and the sun even shines on the water. The boatride is smooth, the wind is calm, and the vistas across to the mountains inside Olympic National Park are incredible, with the snow-capped peaks rising above the rain clouds. All four of us are thrilled by what we've seen, and outside of missing lunch it was a 5-star experience!
The food was very good in Victoria, although one night was marred by poor service. What a big change from my first visit 25 years ago! Now there are many young chefs who are doing sophisticated (and sometimes expensive) menus. We have a wonderful meal at Matisse, whose French food is excellent. The custard dessert was decorated with a sugar cookie-cutout of Matisse’s “Icarus”, ciimbing a grid of spun sugar – gorgeous as well as delicious.
We’re sorry to leave Victoria, as there was no time to go to Butchart Gardens or even the Royal BC Museum, let alone driving out to the town of Nanaimo. All the more reason for our friends to come back another time to enjoy more of Victoria's and Seattle's attractions!
Heading back south: Seattle WA to southern OR
We drop our friends Mel and Christie off at SeaTac, but we remain in Seattle for two days to visit my relatives. We chat, then Carlos and I take my aunt and cousin out for Ethiopian food at Dahlak, the restaurant my brother James and I tried in 2008. It’s as good as ever and just as cheap as before, which is mind-boggling.
Leaving Seattle, the two of us stop in Portland for lunch at St. Honore bakery, which we enjoyed on the way up. The soup and chicken vol-au-vent are terrific, but we decide their quiche is not as good as our favorite, Parker-Lusseau in Monterey. Their breads are excellent, but since we’re traveling we can’t really take advantage of them.
Eugene is our overnight stop, and the Excelsior Inn turns out to be another terrific place. A 1912 building that was totally gutted and renovated in 1999, the bedrooms are just the way we like them: no frills or fuss, clean lines, handsome antique furniture but modern plumbing, joists and insulation. When you walk across the wooden floors there’s not a single creak. In addition, the restaurant is terrific. Excellent Italian food, with a wonderful pastry chef. Makes us wish we were staying longer, but alas, it’s off to the coast the very next morning.
Below: Southern coastal Oregon beach
The drive to the coast using Hwy 126 isn’t as pretty as I’d hoped. Half the drive is flat farmland and light industrial. Finally it turns scenic, with gentle curves and hills as we get closer to the coast. Surprisingly, the temps are very mild; there’s no cold coastal winds as we’re accustomed to in
The coastal
We make one stop at Gold Beach to photograph the Feline Inn, a small collection of shelters built for feral wharf cats outside town. They’re weather-beaten and crude, but it’s a nice quick stop to snap a few photos before heading out of
Below: The lighthouse across from Lighthouse Inn, Bandon OR
Below and Bottom: Feline Inn and its feral cats, North Jetty Road in Gold Beach OR
Driving through the Redwoods: Eureka to Mendocino and home again
We follow Hwy 101/1 down from Oregon into California again. Our first side trip is off Hwy 199, where Stout Grove beckons. It’s a twisty route past some small towns, and only a Forest Service map guides us there. A very short, but extremely pretty path from the parking lot offers a look at some of the huge fallen giant trees. Most of the park is third-growth, so although pleasant it’s not impressive.
We return to Hwy 101 and drive on. Once past the Klamath River Bridge with its iconic bear statues, we take the 10-mile scenic drive through ancient redwoods on
Eureka wasn’t a very interesting town. It has a flat, dead energy and the restaurants are adequate but not exciting. Going south we stopped in Fortuna at a wonderful rock shop, where we bought a couple of well-priced mineral specimens. Then we drove the whole length of the Avenue of the Giants, which was very enjoyable. There was hardly anyone on the road, and we could meander at 30 mph without feeling we were holding up traffic.
Below: Carlos standing beside a massive redwood stump
We stayed four days in Mendocino, returning to the Agate Cove Inn again, but in a different cabin (Amber) this time. Once more the restaurants were terrific. We drove to McKerricher State Park to hike through the sands, where I took a few photos. We also returned to the Mendocino Botanical Gardens, where we hiked some of the coastal trails. The dahlias were fading, but the tuberous begonias are magnificent.
Leaving Mendocino, we took Hwy 20 again back to 101 South. By taking 20 instead of 128, it's an hour faster yet still pretty. But Willits is a chokepoint, with 101 reduced to a single lane on each side, right through the center of town. Midday traffic was at a crawl. We stopped at a used bookstore and then at a rock shop, making purchases at both. Then we whizzed back onto a nice six-lane freeway as 101 opens up until you hit construction in Santa Rosa.
We first stayed at the Sheraton Petaluma during our Wine Country swing in early May. It's a great hotel, situated nicely between the Russian River/Geyserville/Sonoma regions. This gives us the chance to visit with our friends who live in the area. By this time, we were getting tired and thus took it easy, eating dinner one night in the hotel restaurant because we didn't want to drive anywhere.
One last lunch in Sonoma on the Square on the way home. The weather was pleasant, in the low 70’s, so we shopped a bit and then enjoyed the Brazilian-Portugese fare at La Salette. It was an excellent meal, and in less than an hour, it’s back home at last after more than five weeks on the road.
Fall colors of iceplant, McKerricher State Park, Mendocino CA
Sand caves on the beach at McKerricher State Park, Mendocino CA
