Day 5 - Staying put

After a rather a large evening with Rhos and Andrea, we were happy to hang in Santa Monica for the day and not drive more miles down the highway. We slept in and had a full-on breakfast in the hotel rather than our usual granola, yogurt and coffee. The cappuccinos were yummy, and we meandered up to the room waiting for things to open up here in Santa Monica. Since we had already discovered some of the Route 66 sites, we headed over to Santa Monica's 3rd Avenue Promenade. I remember going to a funky little bookstore here with Faye Allen years ago. We had a great time ransacking the shelves. It is also where the Peace Through Music phenomenon started over 20 years ago. The Promenade is much more upscale these days, but a great place to people-watch.

An absolute highlight of the day was visiting the famous McCabe's Guitar Shop. It is known for selling all kinds of guitars to people who really know how to play. Rumor has it that George Harrison bought all of his ukulele's here. We sauntered in with the goal of buying some guitar straps for my new guitar. Did that. However, one of the store clerks was very gracious and spent a lot of time with us. We played expensive guitars, old guitars, twelve string guitars all the time being serenaded by someone who was just sitting on a chair and creating magnificent sound. We told him how good he sounded, and he quietly just said 'thank you'. 

        

After McCabe's, live music seemed like a good plan, but after some research we realized that Sunday is not the day for it. Our dogs were barking, so we snoozed and read and eventually went down to the hotel bar to order some bigtime drinks. Surprise, surprise, the new Seattle hockey team, the Kraken, were playing in the 7th game of the playoffs. Excellent. We watched, we sipped, we wondered, AND WE WON!

And so, after another enchanting day, we are ready to put our heads on the pillow. Humming tunes in our head, thinking of tomorrow's excursions and realizing that we are only one quarter of the way on our journey. Have we the stamina to see this all through?

Stand by me (Peace Through Music) Playing For Change | Stand By Me | Song Around The World

Day 4 - Pismo Beach, CA to Santa Monica, CA

Pismo Beach was still socked in with a cool marine layer of fog. It didn't bother the surfers, who were taking advantage of an easy swell. A pokey little coffee shop in town got our motors runnung and we were off down Highway 101 to Van Morrison's Down the Road I Go. The fog played coy the whole way as the highway and the coast wandered closer and farther apart, through Santa Barbara and Ventura to Calabasas, where we cut over to the Pacific Coast Highway at Malibu and finally to Santa Monica.

The kind folks at La Meridien Delfina welcomed us with a glass of bubbly and settled in to take stock of our situation. You know you're in LA when even the kids are deadly cool. Meet Wilder.

The hotel was about 8 blocks from the Santa Monica Pier, which one vendor described as a scene from the movie Airplane. Evangelicals, Hari Krishna, street musicians and a pretty fair cross section of the entire human race. One exception was the brawny boys at Muscle Beach; maybe cool fog was incompatible with strutting.

At the pier, we found what a vendor enthused was "the real end of Route 66, where the original travelers from Oklahoma came to dip their feet in the Pacific Ocean." After further research, we found at least six such "real" ends to Route 66 and another declaring pointedly that there was no beginning or end, only termini, because one could start and finish at either end. We are learning that Route 66 is not just a road to be traveled, but a quest - an ideal. We saw pictures of a seeker digging through tumbleweeds and brush looking for pieces of old pavement that would prove an old road grade was part of the original route. Um, we aren't doing that in our sedan.

The evening was a special treat - dinner with Rhos and Andrea Dyke. We first met them in the '70s (?!?!) in Calgary, all fresh-faced and squeaky in our first post-undergrad jobs. We haven't been in touch nearly enough, and the night turned out to be a large one. After several bottles of wine, we had solved most of the country's political problems and were starting on the rest of the world, when their son, Lancelot, got home from a Dodgers game and brought some sense to the evening.

Lancelot has studied and traveled Route 66 over several years and had tons of advice, such as not getting too hung up on the real and original route. He told how he was nearly stuck when the road frayed from asphalt to dirt to corn field. It's starting to sound like the dream of a '63 Corvette down the open road should really be something like a Unimog. Our Mazda will have to do.

License plate count - Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Kansas, Minnesota, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Nevada, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee. Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington. And from Oh Canada - British Columbia and Quebec. 

Today our book recommendation comes from a guest. Andrea worked in a small independent books store in the LA area for several years. I asked her if she could recommend a book and her eye popped open wide and she said "Yes, I do have a book to recommend."  The kindness of strangers is a memoir about showbiz from the early 20th century. It begins in the theaters of Vienna, Prague and Berlin and ends in the golden years of Hollywood in the 1930's. Sounds like something to put on my Libby wishlist.

Our musical selection of the day celebrates Ventura Highway, which we flew down in the afternoon. This rendition features Hector Telez Jr., playing with our beloved Raul Malo of The Mavericks on bass guitar, and his son on drums. Nice!!

Ventura Highway (By America) - Hector Tellez Jr. feat. Raul Malo (Quarantune #27) - Bing video
By the way, no driving tomorrow, we get to sleep in!!

Day 3 - Sacramento, CA to Pismo Beach, CA

 

Rested and recharged, a hearty breakfast of granola and espresso in the hotel room, and we're off for the coast, listening to Mark Knopfler's Down the Road Wherever. Staying with the musical theme, we didn't get stuck in Lodi (how could Fogerty get stuck there - it's so flat, flat, flat that the gentlest breeze would blow him into the next county) and we got through Salinas, Lord, without letting her slip away. But when we got near the Pacific, we rolled in with the Beach Boys. It's strange how well we remembered such forgettable tunes.

The entire drive today impressed on us California's incredible agricultural bounty. After the heavy weather this past winter, even the slopes of the Diablo Mtns were green and lush, probably for the first time in years. ShastaCalifornia poppies dotted pockets of purple lupin as if Monet had thrown paint against the spring green grass. The fertile farmland along John Steinbeck Highway near Salinas made us imagine how the jaws of the dustbowl farmers of the '30s must have dropped when they first crossed into this valley.

Another milestone - we said farewell to Interstate 5 and won't travel it again for the rest of this trip. From Oak Street in Vancouver, BC, down Highway 99 to the Canadian border then south through Washington, Oregon and California to San Ysidro and on in Baja to Tijuana, this highway has figured large in our North-South travels on this trip, but through much of our lives as well. In Travels with Charley, Steinbeck remarks that the interstate highways are fine for traveling long distances, but you don't see anything on them. He is right that the towns and cities are mostly invisible, but the countryside is unavoidable and stirs the imagination more than most anything else. There are oddities though, we saw a sign for a corn maze, but the corn wasn't knee-high yet. Maybe they cater to chihuahuas.

Driving toward Salinas, we could see the chilly Pacific fog bank above the hills like gauzy fingers grabbing the heights, trying to pull itself into the warmer interior valleys for relief. We finally rolled into Pismo Beach, to a chilly 59 degrees - quite a change from near 90 just inland. But the Pacific - what a beauty!

At the recommendation of dear friends, Dick and Judy, we stayed at the Shore Cliff Hotel, which is perched on the cliff beside Highway 1. It is gorgeous, even though the marine layer limited the view. We were early for check-in, so we walked the beach, waded with the gulls and curlews and soaked in the ocean air.

There were surfers (surfer girls) in the shore break, which reminded me of Trevor vainly trying to teach me how to catch a wave south of Sydney, Australia. The surfer girls were doing only slightly better than I did, but they had the benefit of a real surfboard instead of an inflatable surf matt. 

When we finally checked into the hotel, we were greeted by a hopeful gull peering at us through the balcony door. I was going to toss him a cashew until I saw another hiding around the corner. Greedy beasts.

Speaking for greedy beasts, we sauntered next door to the Ventana Grill for dinner. It is also perched on the cliff, and we were graced with a gorgeous view of the water during our meal.

Today's tally was 329.1 miles, which has taken us about 1080 miles from home. Only 4000 more to go.

License plate count - Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Kansas, Minnesota, Montana, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington. And from Oh Canada - British Columbia and Quebec. 

After listening to the words of John Steinbeck describing his tour across America with dog Charley, we thought of other artists who have captured the essence of California. Who better than the photographer Ansel Adams. His book about California is breathtaking. Borrow it from your local library and think of us as we spend the next few days in the region.

Again, we leave you with a musical interlude. This brings me back to the days of Cathy and Jim and their dance parties at our house in the 60's. California Dreamin' by the Mamas and the Papas.

The Mamas & The Papas "California Dreamin'" (September 24, 1967) On The Ed Sullivan Show - Bing video

Day 2 - Grants Pass, OR to Sacramento, CA

 

Three States and counting - California, here we come! This map (like it, Deb?) shows today's 324-mile route (520 km). As we've come south, the weather (for David) has steadily warmed from a cool 60 degrees in Seattle to around 80 in Grant's Pass. But Califormia's Sacramento Valley really brought it on - 95F (35C). It was odd to see a lot of snow still on the hills with such warm temps. 

We started the morning with coffee and a walk along the Rogue River in Grant's Pass. Along the way we discovered some Canadians loitering among the homeless humans in a state of live and let live. The little fluff balls numbered about the same as the number of kids in our family. No wonder they are considered a pest down here.  

Soon after we were southbound again on I5. After the luscious, green rolling hills of Oregon, dotted with wineries, sheep and flowering fruit trees we climbed up into the Klamath Mountains, weaving through trucks, trucks and more trucks. Slowly the lower valleys of Yreka, Weed, Redding and Red Bluff crept up on us. Lunch was at Siskiyou Lake Park, reminiscent of the Cariboo and lunches we have had camping in British Columbia. However, the star of the show was Mt. Shasta. We have followed the trail of volcanic mountains all the way down the road: Mts. Rainier, St. Helens, Hood, Mt. St. Helens, McLoughlin, and Shasta have dominated the landscape. California poppies and lupin were scattered everywhere. There was shocking evidence of forest fires, but also evidence of food belt that is California. The horizon was dotted by drifts of dust as we watched farmers till their soil. We passed miles of olive trees, nut farms and all kinds of crops too new to identify.

Although today wasn't quite as long as yesterday, we were pooped by the time Sacramento hove into view. The hotel was on the Sacramento River, and we walked along its banks past fishermen and people living rough to the Old Town where we had fish 'n' chips at Rio's Cafe and watched part of the NFL draft (go 'Hawks!). 

We walked back to the hotel through the Old Town and learned that Fanny Ann's saloon was world famous - who knew!

And then we saw someone who must surely also be world famous. After some discussion, we decided not to stay for a massage. As we drifted by her, she mentioned, "let's get this show on the road."

License plate count - Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Kansas, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and Washington. And from Oh Canada - British Columbia.  

We leave you with a tune - something to just hum along, as you think of RnB driving through California.

Cayucas - California Girl (Official Music Video) - Bing video

Day 1 - Home to Grant's Pass, OR

 

T minus 2 minutes and counting. The trunk looks pretty jammed, but it's not nearly as tight as when we go camping. The house is ready to leave (well, until Jim and Nancy get here next week) and the bookings have been double- and triple-checked. We looked at each other and, recognizing that we always leave something behind, shrugged and backed out of the driveway.

There is something magical in just getting started - the act of faith, which brings a sense of wonder and trepidation, quickly followed by a growing (but false) sense of confidence as each small step leads to the next. Getting on to I5 South was so familiar, but new this time because of where we were bound. It seemed right to start with Don McLean's American Pie blaring through the speakers. A little further down the road, we started a few chapters of our first audio book, John Steinbeck's Travels with Charley. He sets a high bar for travel writing; we're hoping his inspiration will help this blog.

The fruits of preparation! Just before Vancouver and Portland, we stopped for lunch at the Battle Ground rest stop and dug into the bread, cheese and sopressata from De Laurenti's. The roar from the interstate and the lawn mowers kept our imaginations in check. This ain't Milano, Dorothy!

And then we were through Washington and into Oregon - the land of Birkenstocks and Pinot Noir. The little marks along the way, even the ones we've seen often, seem to mean something more. Here, just north of Salem, OR, is a bit of context to remind us that our BIG trip is pretty small potatoes.

Fueling isn't likely to get much love in this blog, especially with current gas prices, but our first fill-up in Roseburg, OR, was a wonderful throw-back - full service by the freshest-face young keener you ever did see. ("Actually, sir, it's not full service. We don't check your tires or your oil, but I love to clean windshields!") Why isn't this stuff on the news?  

423.7 miles after our start, we lit into Grant's Pass, a pretty little town that sort of reminds us of Anacortes except it's on a river instead of the Salish Sea. A friendly hotel and an even friendlier Bohemian Bar & Bistro, which has a sign in the corner proposing that "Bloody Marys are counted as a vegetable, right?"

Hailey treated us just the way you'd hope after a longish day on the road. She was excited that the weather had turned warm so she could get out onto the Rogue River with her new kayak. A great vibe.

Road trips are not complete without geeking out of the window and seeing where everyone else is coming from. Dad used to have us count the different license plates we saw along the road, I am sure this was to keep our eyes glued to the outside world rather than the cramped quarters of our station wagon. So, after all those miles our license plate count found cars from Alaska, California, Florida, Kansas, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, Texas, Utah, and Washington. And from Oh Canada - British Columbia. Stay tuned.

Factoids - We passed the largest grass seed community IN THE WORLD. 

Finally, our first Route 66 book recommendation of the day. Lots of great writers from Oregon, but a favorite is Molly Gloss; her first book, The Jump Up Creek, is a great place to start. 

The day before.

We've pulled together most of the stuff we need for the trip so the focus today was ROAD FOOD! Not Cheetos or chips; we figure we can get those at most any gas station along the way. No, we needed some real food, and where better than Pike's Place Market. Our dear friend, Carolyn, came along with sage advice, like "Hey, let's stand by the pig!"

We don't have refrigeration in the Mazda, so we passed on a flying 20-lb salmon, although we considered it. Instead, we went to the best Italian market in the area - De Laurenti's. Cheese, prosciutto, pate, baguette - now that's road food!

After sampling all the great Italian food, we were starving! So, we hit another Market icon, the Athenian, for a lunch of fish 'n' chips, clams, mussels and beer.

Here is the motto of the restaurant next to the Athenian - Lowell's. The story of my life.

Oh well. All that's left is to pack up, gas up and drive, drive, drive!

Planning

Ok, so anyone who knows us knows we are not planners. This is a new experience. I remember my brother Jim saying one time about planning for travel. "I drive to the TransCanada Highway, look left, then look right." That is my idea of preparing for a holiday. However, 6 weeks on the road, 22 different hotels, mooching off of a few friends, and wanting to stay in some vintage Route 66 motels, we decided planning was the better part of valour. And so, we have a spreadsheet - what could go wrong!!

Nine days out, but who's counting. The itinerary is set, the hotel rooms are booked and the dozens of last minute details are getting checked off. Oh, and the blog is started, such as it is. Woo hoo - we're getting close!