NW Trip '12 - Day 16

6/17/12 - Day 16: Well, there's not much to this day, but for good measure and for closure, I thought I'd add an entry. We decided to sleep in a little since we were up late the night before enjoying all that Vegas had to offer (not really, just blisters on our feet). We grabbed Starbucks in the hotel on the way out and began the 9+ hour journey back to Albuquerque. The good thing about the trip from Vegas to ABQ is that the roads are straight/flat for the most part. The bad thing is that it takes NINE HOURS!! 

We broke up the trip by stopping in Flagstaff for lunch at the Cracker Barrel. We also got a chance to talk to our respective fathers since it was Father's Day!! After some brief conversations and bellies full of food, we finished the rest of our drive to ABQ. We arrived into town around 8:30 and hit Taco Cabana for some quick tacos before we went to pick up our sweet puppy from her dog-sitter's house. She was excited to see us, which was surprising; I didn't think she'd remember us after 2 weeks! 

We arrived back at our apartment around 9:30, unloaded what we could, and passed out. 

1 year of planning, 2 weeks of traveling, 7 cities and 8 national parks visited, 5300 miles driven, and we made it. We made it. We saw every state in the western/northwestern United States (with the exception of Alaska) and visited another country. We drove flat, windy, gravel, dirt, foggy, and rainy roads. We drove 10 + hours some days and 2 hours other days. We drove on cliffs 10k feet up and we drove through creeks along coastlines. We saw deer, elk, moose, bison, bear, bird, and mosquito. We went from desert to lakes to forests to plains to mountains to beach. We were happy and healthy some days and we were sick and grumpy other days. We made it. Would we do it exactly like this again? No, we wouldn't. But do we regret it? No, we don't. What an incredible experience. It's one we will tell our kids and grandkids about. We'll remember it forever!

NW Trip '12 - Day 15

6/16/12 - Day 15: The first half of our last full day and night on the road was about 50/50. The morning was breathtaking. Well, I guess the evening was too, but not in the way one would think. I woke up early (while Cari continued to sleep) and drove up to Glacier Point, which is an unbelievable overlook that gives great views of the entire valley, multiple waterfalls, and Half Dome (pictured above). The early morning sun made things a little hazy, but the rubbery feeling in my legs while looking out over the cliffs and vast expanse of the valley made the drive and the time well worth the lack of sleep. Once I got back, Cari was ready to go, so we had breakfast at the dining hall across the street again and hit the road.

We backtracked a little, heading west before changing direction northeast through the park. We drove through the Toloume Meadows section, and we took a few pictures on the way out. We escaped the mountain passes unscathed and were back on flat desert nothingness on the way to Las Vegas. We stopped for lunch at a random roadside cafe on the way once we arrived in Nevada where I had a roast beef with green chile and Cari had some fruit and a cheeseburger. It was definitely "roadside cafe"-type food, but we managed, as we've been doing for most of the trip. We made it to HOT, sunny Las Vegas in the late afternoon, found our hotel (the Tropicana), checked in, parked, and changed in our pretty nice room on the 20th floor. 

We had been to Vegas last fall for a night, and we decided to go to same place where we ate last time, which was a little Mexican restaurant inside the Venetian near the man-made canal. We took a cab there, found the restaurant, and had a burrito/fajitas and a couple of margaritas. After dinner, we decided to walk down the strip back to the hotel, which ended up being a lot further than we thought. We stopped at the Bellagio for the fountain show and didn't stop again until we got back. 

I have to say a few things about Vegas. I know a lot of people like the city, but I also know a lot of people don't read this blog. Or...maybe 2 people have ever read this blog. Regardless, Vegas makes us sad. It's truly unbelievable to me that sex, alcohol, and gambling attract so many people to one place. I certainly understand the appeal to go once and experience it, and I know the food is good and the shows are entertaining, but I believe the majority of people that go are not there for the food. We've walked the strip twice now, and the amount of nudity, drunkenness, and yes, even child exploitation is appalling. There is desperation in the eyes of almost everyone in that city. Cari and I have decided that if we do go back, it will only be to sit by the pool, enjoy some good food, and see a few shows; but I think we could probably get that at a number of places. Anyways, that's my venting session, and it's also my encouragement to pray for the people who truly enjoy those things. I'm not perfect, but being in Vegas really makes me run towards the Lord more than I do on an average day. 

Aaaanyways, up tomorrow and home for good!

NW Trip '12 - Day 14

6/15/12 - Day 14: I can't speak for Cari, but I struggled a lot the next two days with my emotions. I desperately wanted to be done traveling. Almost two weeks staying at a different place each night takes a toll on the body (physically, emotionally, mentally). I wanted to be home with familiar sounds, smells, roads, friends. However, we literally spent about a year planning this trip. It's good realizing that all the planning, all of the excitement, and all of the effort put into the trip paid off, but tough knowing that the trip was coming to an end. Either way, I set my mind to ensure that we made the most of the next couple days, starting with Day 14!! 

We woke up early in San Francisco after a great birthday evening and walked through the ghetto to get to Dottie's True Blue Cafe for breakfast. We were at a disadvantage with not really knowing the city. As a result, we found out quickly which areas were good to stay away from, but unfortunately, we found out the hard way. Regardless, we made it safely to the cafe and met up with our good friends Nate and Susan from Raleigh, NC! Nate was in town for a work convention, and Susan had flown out the night before to join him. They were kind enough to sacrifice sleep to see us. We had a great breakfast (lots of good home-cooked food) and fun conversation before walking back to the hotel the safe way. :) 

We packed up, checked out, and hit the road by about 10 a.m. The drive out of the city wasn't too bad, and we were on the interstate for a while. Unfortunately, the flat/straight road didn't last long, and we hit yet another incredibly windy road with big hills. We battled the road for a little while and stopped at a quaint little cafe on the top of one of the hills about an hour outside of Yosemite. The food was average (hamburger for me, ceasar for Cari) and the service was poor, but it was the best place...no, the only place to stop. 

Back on the road towards the park, the drive was incredibly scenic and rewarding. The road into Yosemite was along high cliffs (which we had actually gotten somewhat used to) and offered some amazing views of the forests and valley floor. Of course, we stopped along the way to take pictures of El Capitan (large exposed granite rock face) and Yosemite Falls (pictured above). The park was very commercialized and felt a little more developed than we prefer, but it was so large and beautiful that, given the amount of tourists each year, it probably couldn't function well any other way. We parked at the visitor lot and walked the almost one mile to the visitor center where we watched the "Spirit of Yosemite" video. After the short film, we took the shuttle to the hotel because it was pouring. Check-in went smoothly, and I got Cari settled in our rustic, but convenient hotel room before I made my way back to the car to pick it up and park it at the hotel. See what I mean? Lots of roads and shuttles and bus schedules -- not exactly what I think of when I think "national park." 

When Cari woke up, we went across the street to the "food court"-type dining hall for dinner. I had a cheese steak and fruit and Cari had spaghetti/meatballs. Neither dish was exactly superb, but it was a cheap meal and again, convenient. After dinner, we went for a fantastic walk to the base of Yosemite Falls (Cari let me climb on the rocks a little bit) where we took some pictures, walked along the nature trail, and let our food digest. We also come out of the woods in enough time to see the sunset red on the face of Half Dome. It was a beautiful sight and the great conversation rounded off a perfect evening. We even had a TV in our room (which was actually pretty rare for most of the national park lodges/hotels), so we watched a little bit of that before turning in!

NW Trip '12 - Day 13

6/14/12 - Day 13: Happy birthday to me!! After a rough drive the night before, a day in the city with my beautiful wife was the best birthday gift I could ask for. We grabbed Starbucks for breakfast in Fort Bragg and hit the road (if only I had a dollar for every time we sang "on the road agaainn...")! Since we drove a little further the evening before, the short drive to San Fran was a welcome change. We only had to stop for one bathroom break (and ironically, it was for me!). Since we were coming from the north, we got to drive over the Golden Gate Bridge on our way into the city, but we stopped on the north side at a scenic overlook to take a few pictures (see above). It was a little hazy, so seeing downtown as more than a shadow was difficult, but it was still a great sight to see. 

We drove in and found our way downtown to our hotel, the Intercontinental, where we were able to check in early. We splurged a little for our hotel decision despite booking on Hotwire, and it was a little fancy for my taste. But it was definitely nice to stay in a less-rustic place than we had been the past week and a half! Not only that, but my parents had shipped a yummy birthday treat of homemade cheese biscuits which were waiting in our room upon arrival! Our first stop was lunch...Chipotle to be exact! We walked to a 5-story mall and ate a much needed lunch. "Since we were already therrrrree" (can't you hear Cari saying that?) we walked around and shopped for a little bit. Next, we decided to head to Alamo Square Park, the site of the intro of Full House. 

We started walking towards the park and began to get into a very shady part of downtown. I think Cari even saw a drug deal go down. Needless to say, we hailed a cab the first chance we got and made it there much quicker than we would have walking. The park was beautiful and gave some great views of the city, so we just hung out, took lots of pictures, and enjoyed some great people-watching. After an hour or so, we hopped in another cab and went to Fisherman's Wharf, Pier 39, where Cari had planned a birthday dinner. We had a little time before dinner, so we went to Hard Rock Cafe for drinks (for me) and a big plate of nachos! We also had a nice pre-dinner walk around the pier and a great happy birthday conversation with my parents.

For dinner, we went to the Crabhouse, where Cari had reserved a great table by the window where we could watch the sun go down. She had a shrimp cocktail and I enjoyed the fish and chips. The food was great, but we were still a little full from our nachos, so we didn't nearly eat all of it. After dinner, we walked to the end of the pier and watched the sunset between the Golden Gate Bridge (to the left) and Alcatraz (to the right). We took a few pictures of the sunset and the sea lions close by, ate some Chinese donuts (yum!), and grabbed a cab back to the hotel where we called it a night!

NW Trip '12 - Day 12

6/13/12 - Day 12: I woke up early and drove back up from our cabin at to Crater Lake to take some morning pictures. The weather the day before was chilly and windy, and I wanted to see the lake when it was calm and sunny out. I'm glad I sacrificed sleep to do so, because the lake was even more beautiful in the morning under a bright sunny sky. After taking a few pictures, we grabbed some breakfast snacks at the nearby general store and hit the road (again...).

The drive through southwestern Oregon into northern California was just as incredible as the drive the day before. Oregon officially makes the list of "beautiful states to drive through!" We stopped in Crescent City for gas (> $4.00/gallon...yikes!) and lunch at the Harvest Cafe, which was the top restaurant on Tripadvisor. It seemed to be a local homecooked food type of place, and despite the bad service, the food was pretty good. I had a grilled ham and cheese and Cari enjoyed a BLT without the T (a "BL," if you will). 

Full of food, we drove south on 101 through the Redwood National Forest. We stopped on the way to the visitor center and took several pictures next to the colossal trees. Taking pictures with the trees was a little more difficult since it's hard to get an entire tree into one shot, but we managed. We got to the visitor center, bought a postcard, and saw lots of male elk grazing in the field in front of the building (and lots of dumb people getting as close as they could for a good picture). Our next stop after driving through more of the forest and along the coastline was Fern Canyon, which was recommended in our Fodor's National Park book. About 90% of the drive to Fern Canyon was dirt or gravel, and the first part looked like another scene out of Jurrasic Park - very dark drive through forest with huge trees and eerie moss hanging from everything. The road was barely big enough for one car, so we had to use the pullouts when there was another vehicle approaching. Once we made it through the forest down to the beach, we drove along the coast for a few more miles, having to drive through some flooded  creeks (only about a foot of water though). Finally, we arrived at the trailhead to Fern Canyon. 

The hike was short, but was not very well marked. We found what we assumed to be Fern Canyon, which was a creek bed with high walls on both sides covered in different types of ferns (hence the name, Fern Canyon). We walked over rocks and rotten boards down the creek bed for about a half mile, enjoying the scenery and taking some pictures before turning back. It was a beautiful area and a fun hike overall! We didn't have much time to do anything else, so we continued through the park down the Eureka and ate dinner at a wine bar/bistro. The food was excellent, but the service was such that we felt like we didn't fit in (especially in our grungy hiking clothes). 

After dinner, we had a rough drive down to our cottage in Fort Bragg - we took a long, EXTREMELY windy road toward Route 1 and then made it to the beach. The drive along the beach would probably have been nicer in the morning, but it was somewhat terrifying not being able to see the ground/water below, driving along cliffs, and knowing we were a hundred feet up. We got to our cottage pretty late and stressed out, but enjoyed the friendly service and the quaint, but very nice accommodations. San Francisco in the a.m.!

NW Trip '12 - Day 11

6/12/12 - Day 11: We got up, showered, repacked, ate breakfast at the hotel, and hit the road on a rainy Portland day (good riddance!). On our way to Crater Lake, we stopped at a McDonald's for lunch, which actually seemed to settle well. We enjoyed a beautiful drive through Oregon -- lots of green trees, rivers, lakes, and (the key) very few windy roads. We arrived at the entrance of Crater Lake National Park around 3:00 and were greeted by a rather unfriendly park ranger. Good thing we had cash since their credit card machine was down! 

A large amount of the rim drive around the lake was closed due to multiple feet of snow (seeing a trend here?), but we did get to drive around the West Rim Drive for a good amount, stopping for pictures at all the major overlooks. The lake was spectacular and one of my favorite sights on the trip. It was a color of blue that I have never seen in nature before, and despite the cold and the snow on the ground, we had a great time driving around and taking pictures. We stopped at the gift shop for a few souvenirs and some veggie soup for Cari's afternoon snack! On our way down towards our cabin, we made a quick restroom stop at the visitor center and found out that all the hiking trails were closed. There wasn't much to do in the park, but again, the views were incredible and being that this was day 11 on the road, we were okay with that. 

We checked into our very rustic cabin near the campground, unpacked, and put some beer on ice. Cari took a nap while I checked the maps for our trip to the Redwoods tomorrow, looked over pictures, and journaled a little. Once she woke up, we went to eat at the on-site restaurant across the parking lot from our cabin. The staff was very friendly despite the relatively low volume of guests, so it was a good experience. I had a phenomenal fettuccine alfredo with chicken and Cari enjoyed a large stuffed baked potato. After dinner, we went back to the cabin and played some card (Go Fish and Old Maid) before turning in!