Sonoma: Get out your forkscrews!

Finally some wifi!!  We’re already in Santa Cruz and I can finally post our Sonoma passage!!

Highway 128 took us from the coastal region of Mendocino to the arid foothills of Sonoma.  Vineyards everywhere, as you probably already know.  I mean everywhere!! We are camping at the Sonoma County fairgrounds (full hookups for cheap), and taking Cisco to the very dog-friendly wineries that we’ve visited.  The food/wine pairings we experienced were phenomenal, thus the Sonoma lexicon, “forkscrew”.

Our trip through this area has been so enhanced through connections and introductions, from our wonderful B’ham friends, Paul and Cheryl Meyers, who lived in this area for many years.  We began our wine sojourn on Thursday, meeting Rick Sayre, the Rodney Strong director of wine-making for that well-awarded winery.  Rick was packing to leave for New York to accept the Wine Enthusiast award for best American winery this coming week.  He took us on an hour tour of the extensive production facility, and we learned so much about how the grapes are grown and why reserves, really are reserves (quite labor intensive).  This winery actually takes infra-red photos of the vineyards to determine the thickness of the foliage and the density of the grapes.  Quite interesting.

Today, Friday, we met with another of the Meyer’s friends, Dick and Nancy Lammerding, who own vineyards close to Dutcher Crossing winery.  Dick flew with Paul on United Airlines for years, so those two have some history.  We tasted some awesome whites there, and a lovely Pinot Noir that I think will have a home, back home!!  From there we took a short jaunt down the Dry Creek Road to Mazzucco winery, and enjoyed some wonderful zins (Dick’s favorite!).  After many stories with Dick’s wine-server, Joe, and fond farewells, we promised to get together again, either in Bellingham, or Santa Rosa, whichever comes first.

I’m very sorry for the terrible drought that California is experiencing, but selfishly, this sunshine is addictive to me!  Tomorrow we head down to Santa Cruz for a few days to explore.  We never know where we are staying, so sometimes it’s a surprise, but so far, we’ve not gotten ourselves kicked out anywhere!  Thanks for following!

Mendocino and Fort Bragg

We are 3 nights on the Mendocino coastline, enjoying the rugged scenery, and visiting the fun little boutiques in Mendocino.  We’re camped at a woodsy (Cisco and my favorite kind of camp) place between Fort Bragg and Mendocino.  Cisco would rather be tied up to the picnic table and watch the passers-by than come inside with us, so as long as he’s quiet, we’ll let him do his sentinel thing.

Mendocino Hotel

This morning we got up early and joined a few other folks to go out whale watching.  It was perfect timing, since they are migrating south from November through April.  We found a pod right away and drifted south with them for a couple of hours.  They are so graceful and move so closely together, they almost look like a water ballet in progress.  The light was so bright on the water, it was really hard to take photos, but we have great memories of the sun reflecting off the dorsal fins and tails of these incredible creatures.

So close!

RVing is an interesting way to see the country, I am finding.  Some camps are very rigid, with lots of rules and oftentimes, people who tend to stay close to, or inside their motorhomes.  Others are a bit more relaxed (like the one we’ve been staying at here), and people are out walking their dogs and stop to talk.   We met a great couple with a 10 month puppy, very Cisco compatible, from the Sonoma Valley.  And maybe hook up there later?

Teresa and Cisco at glass beach

Tomorrow we move inland to some very special, up close and personal tours of some famous wineries from some locals.

Eureka!! (and Arcata)

Arrived in Arcata yesterday to spend time with my niece, Lynn, and her family, for the past 24 hours.  We enjoyed dinner last night (on Lynn–she just got a nice raise!) at Rita’s, and I do have to say they make pretty damn good margaritas, with extra lime and 100% agave, if you ask.  Lynn and hubby, Chris, adopted two little sisters about 3 years ago when the girls were very fragile, from an at-risk background.  Today, they are thriving, loving, 4 and 6 year-olds who “adore” their aunt and uncle (their words), and puppy, Cisco!

Our family after a Redwood hike

Today we took a two-hour hike (with helpful strollers if needed) into the 2nd growth Redwood forest that is a community forest located on acres of hillsides overlooking Arcata and Humboldt State University, where Chris is a math professor.  I was more than pleased that I could take the steep without loosing my breath, and impressed that our 6-year old grand niece was able to run/walk most of it herself.  Of course the two dogs were in Redwood heaven!

Again, the weather gods were with us.  One guy out walking his dog in the rv park today said, “Well, we didn’t get summer last summer, and it’s finally here”.  We’ll see if it holds!

We move south tomorrow.

Southern Oregon Coastline

Hello traveling friends.  If you have a bucket list of scenic places to visit, you might consider adding the Oregon coastline in autumn or winter (maybe spring?).   Heads up: (The central coast would be something to avoid in the summer, for sure.  Highway 101 runs through the center of Lincoln City, Newport and most places south.  Unless you are in a hurry to get from the I-5 corridor to the coast, just skip those places and head to Yachats.)

My family (not-so) fame and fortune reside along these shores.  I am sure that as our airstream negotiated the hairpin turns,  I was able to identify the structure south of Cape Perpetua, south of Yachats, where my grandfather and grandmother started a little wayside restaurant on a precipitous cliff between highway 101 and the rocky coastline.   They served the best clam chowder on the main floor and lived in the sunny, window-lined viewpoint of the upper floor.  My sister, mother and I lived there for a summer after my grandmother became ill, and my grandfather went to Portland to take care of her.  At 10 years of age, I became infatuated with neck scarves worn by actresses back then, and to my dismay, one of them flew over the cliff into the great Pacific.  We’d climb down the trail each day to play in the surf, and for fun, take the bus up the coast to Newport for a “big time”.

The highlight of the central coastline is certainly the immense sand dunes that begin in Florence and hardly stop until you reach the Oregon dunes overlook just north of Bandon.  If we were just doing the coast, we’d kennel Cisco for the day, and be on a dune buggy for sure!!  Can you believe we think we need more time??!!  There are so many lighthouses, the Wild and scenic Rogue River, and so much more to explore.  We’ll be back.

As we traveled further south on this journey, I recalled my mom telling me she began her teaching career in Bandon, Oregon.  My mother was a Portlander, and began her post college (i.e. WW2) teaching career in Bandon, while dad was overseas in the Philippines.  She used to tell me she had to drive up and down the coast highway after dark, with the lights off, to prevent further attacks from the Japanese.

Brookings, Oregon, Harris Beach state park, has been our point of respite for the past two nights.  It is January 16, and we have enjoyed 70-degree weather, and beaches with few footprints.  I wonder what Cisco will remember of what has been unadulterated dog nirvana on the Oregon beaches.  If you are here, do NOT miss the Whaleshead Beach in the Boardman State Scenic Corridor!!  Absolutely miles of pristine beach with huge rock outcroppings, and no one but a few walkers and seagulls.

Good night and postings when we get to Eureka!

Really on the road again!

John & Cisco shucking oysters

It’s 11:00 am on Tuesday, January 14, exactly 2 weeks after we halted our airstream progress down the Oregon coast, to return to Bellingham, my lungs screaming with some sort of malady, first identified by x-ray in a Seaside clinic.  We returned to Bellingham, and after hours with specialists, we were given the all-clear, with accompanying miracle drugs, to continue our 3-month journey through the west.

We picked up our airstream in Portland, where we’d lovingly left it, to find it stowed and spit-shined (these guys are great!), and headed towards the Oregon coast.  We left Bellingham in a downpour two days ago, and arrived in Newport, Oregon yesterday, to clearing skies, a stunning winter surf, and miles of unobstructed beach.  We pinched ourselves as Cisco ran with wild abandon in  the surf, and strolled with the knowledge that our trailer held the makings of a warm dinner and cold chardonnay.

We scored a primo campsite, south of Newport , OR, in a pristine state campground called South Beach (do go there in  the off season–locals have it that MLK weekend will be crazy next weekend!).  The beach, a short 1/4 mile walk away from our campsite, spills out onto miles of shoreline and 5:00 sunsets.  There might be 3 other campers inn the campground today, if you don’t count the “yurt hosts”.  Yes, you can get a yurt here for $8/night.  Our more luxurious hookup , with power and water, costs a hefty $22/night!

Today we are headed to the Yaquina Head Lighthouse, and maybe an oyster farm for some local seafood.  And of course the local liquor vendor!  More to come!

Cannon Beach back to Bellingham

Hi friends,

A very Happy New Year to everyone!!  I’m attaching some awesome photos John took while we were in Cannon Beach visiting some good friends.  Needless to say, Cisco (and I) could hang out there indefinitely.  What a gorgeous stretch of coastline!

But with travel sometimes comes travail!  Maybe that’s why the words are so similar.  I’d been bugged by a persistent cough since Thanksgiving, but thought I could just gut it out. When we hiked Neahkahnie Mountain on Sunday, I was startled at my effort to breathe.  This mountain isn’t even as steep as Fragrance Lake, for heavens sake!  So I high-tailed it to a walk-in clinic in Seaside where they took some chest x-rays and did some heart monitoring.  When I faxed the results to my doctor’s office on Monday, I was told to come home for a CT scan.  So, that is set up for tomorrow.  I’ll keep everyone posted and hopefully this blog namesake (On the Road Again) will be true to it’s name.  Cheers, and send good thoughts this way!