25th Wedding Anniversary Trip

 

#ROADWARRIORS

The trip is coming to an end and we're blazing back to Austin with brief overnight stays in WY, ID & CO. Charles is pulling 8 hr. daily drives and at this point we're anxious to get home. Saylor flew for the first time by herself back in Portland to attend Summer volleyball camp. She wasn’t nervous and has flown quite a bit with us as a family, but it was a big reminder of how quickly she is growing up!  Spending quality time together this way (RVing) was different and fun, rewarding in many ways, revealing things that only this unique set of circumstances could. Mostly we have gained a deeper appreciation for who we are as parts of the whole, right now/Summer ‘17.  Without a doubt, we have created some unforgettable memories and an unbreakable bond that not even 5,000 road miles can break!  I won’t go into detail about mishaps due to limited privacy or dealings with gassiness in the cabin, that will have to be chalked up to the saying what happens on the road, stays on the road.  But we hope you have enjoyed reading this blog.  It was supposed to be a chronicle of our journey where we took in all the day to day fun and shared the details with our closest friends and family.  I’m thankful we've had a safe trip  - the thanks goes out my amazing husband who took the care and had the fortitude to haul us around the Pacific Northwest and back again. To ask, would we do it again?  Well the answer is "hell yes!"

Golfing on a cloudy day with the beautiful Colorado Mts. for a backdrop

Happy kid!

A State of Adventure

Portland's a bustling city, said to be a lot like Austin, and faces similar traffic issues :(  So after a long day's drive and an RV site that didn't pan out, we decided to park the RV and stay at a Marriott in the city.  We've not been roughing it by any means, in fact most of the RV sites have had really nice amenities like pools, hot tubs & workout rooms, but the free continental breakfast, unlimited hotel ice and under-appreciated blackout curtains proved our decision to be a good one! 

After sleeping in, the next day we had lunch at the Old Salt Supperhouse. It was a hipster butchershop/deli/bar/bakery in the Alameda neighborhood. Pizza Jerk was across the street and we quickly picked up on seriousness of the food scene :)  

With a little bit of research we headed to Washington Park (with our bikes & Blu) to tour the Rose Test Garden.  It was a gorgeous sunny, cool day and we did a group tour where learned of and strolled through 10,0000 + and over 500 varietals of roses, which by the way are not named until after being evaluated for 2 yrs on 14 different desirable characteristics like plant habit, vigor, disease resistance, color, flower production, form, foliage, and fragrance.  It was interesting and gave us a new, deeper appreciation for roses. The kids stayed in that night and Charles and I had a nice dinner downtown at a restaurant called Trifecta - a local's spot for the scene, swanky cocktails & unique small plates.    

The next day we met up with a former colleague of Charles' from TWC, Manny Martinez & his wife Kim for a day of Oregon wine tasting.  We started at a tasting room in McMinnville for the Methvan Family Vineyard located in the Dundee Hills of the Willamette Valley.  Our Sommelier Will was part owner, highly knowledgable and set the tone for an epic day of all things wine! 

I could say so many things about the 3rd vineyard we visited.  If you're ever in the area, this is the one to check out!  https://www.domaineserene.com/Club-House

We ended the day with an amazing dinner at La Rambla - the paella was to die for!  We hit the hot tub as a fam that night, the kids watched the movie Goonies and we all crashed pretty hard!

The next 5 days were spent out in nature.  This is where the true beauty of Oregon lies and what has been our absolute most fun and favorite part of the trip.  Each day has been different, and physically exhilarating!  We did a 9 mi. hike along the rolling elevation of Salmon River then climbed to the top of Multnomah Falls @ 900' elevation, and then there was the ultimate surprise of finding snow on the top of Mt. Hood ski resort!  It was hard to believe we were having a snow-ball fight in July!!  Blu loved the snow too, but to find bluebonnets, the Texas State Flower in Oregon in the Summertime, was such a delight!  With all this being said, including the access to and level of difficulty of hiking, Oregon exceeded our expectations as being an outdoor mecca for fitness and adventure!  We hope you enjoy a few of the 100+ pictures we took in Oregon.  

Rose Test Garden
Washington Park
Portland, Oregon 

Domaine Drouchin Vineyard, Orego

Blu's first snow

Multnomah Falls

Climbing to the top of the falls = not easy!

Snow Fight
On Mt. Hood, Oregon
In July

Bluebonnets
On Mt. Hood
In July
In Oregon

  

So Over California...

...no not really...but we did finally make it to Oregon! After traveling the entire length of California, we finally made it to the OR state line.  It would be wrong not to stop and take a picture of the kids with "the sign", so we did.  Our first impression of Oregon was awe!  We pulled off into a day-use area of Harris Beach State Park and the view was literally breathtaking.  Austin's city slogan is Keep Austin Weird, well Oregon's state slogan as noticed right away, is Keep Oregon Green.  It may as well be clean and pristine too!  This first beach stop was amazing - secluded and full of beauty!  We've been collecting samples of sand from beaches along the route and the sand at Harris Beach SP is a beautiful charcoal grey.  Not because it's dirty, in fact I did not see a single piece of trash on the first 2 public beaches we've visited in OR thus far (Coos Bay being the other).  It is noticeably clean!  Our first over-night was at Coos Bay at a great RV spot called Oceanside. The rocky cliffs, misty waters, sea life and variety of camping options aside from RV's like lodges, tent-only areas etc. make this a really special place.  We had our 2nd "trip hiccup" here though - busted water line!  Pulling the RV between the trees at this particular spot was a tight squeeze and Charles ran over the spigot.  Thankfully Tye took a few pictures & videos, so we can look back on it and laugh.  Sure we will! :)  After flooding the neighbor out, we proceeded to un-hook (RV lingo) and head into town for dinner - seafood of course, and more clam chowda!  Before leaving the area the next morning - you guessed it - another "trip hiccup".  This time a minor side-swipe with another trailer.  Fortunately it was a junky, misc. hauler whose owner laughed about it and waved us on our way.  See pic :)  The drive further into Oregon was spectacular!  I've never seen so many roadside ferns.  The thick forests of Redwood Trees and the gorgeous green Umpqua River below made for a tranquil drive into Portland - our most awaited destination!!! We've decided to park the RV and stay at a Marriott Courtyard in order to get a good feel for the city and see what all the Portland hipster hype is all about. These Portlanders better bring it too! Charles and I are pretty big foodies and craft beer connoisseurs so we're really looking forward to this stretch.  Update on that to come...

Photo Cred:  Tye Schreiber                                                 Photo Cred:  Shelby Schreiber

Harris Beach State Park

Coos Bay terrain

Coos Bay, OR

Roadside Elk Viewing

Golden Gate Park, Petaluma KOA, Santa Rosa CO & Russian River Valley

Saturday July 8th

Route from Costanoa to Petaluma: Venturing further North to California Wine Country

We made a pit stop to hang out in Golden Gate Park for the day.  We met up with our long-time friend from Austin Teri & her super cool hubby Jim Karrlson.  We celebrated Teri's youngest sister Christine's 34th birthday.  We biked across the park with Blu & the Yeti, stayed for the day at a nice private cove.  It was a beautiful day.    

Christine Hodsdon with the 99th Peacemaker Anytime Ale!!!

San Francsiscan friends bring wine - lots of it - to the park.   

A brief pass over Golden Gate bridge with the RV








Sunday July 9th

Wine Country - Shelbs & I visited 3 Vineyards today

1. Kendall Jackson
2. Martinelli
3. Hanna

Each had great service, engaging conversations with the staff and beautiful scenery. What’s not to love?  We both enjoyed learning more about the region, climate & distribution of California wine.  We purchased many bottles as gifts to bring back and share.   

More Dahlias

Martinelli Family Vineyard opened in 1910 (no relation to Martinelli apple juice)

 Artichokes in garden

Cabbage farms are everywhere

Kid-friendly RV spot near wine country - petting zoo, pool, arcade etc.

Costanoa (just North of Santa Cruz)

Thursday July 6th:

Moving up to Santa Cruz... Nice and easy 50 mile drive for a 2 night stay.

We stayed at a formerly private-owned KOA park called Costanoa.  It was spectacular - woodsy, spacious and had some nice features like bike trails for Tye, a hot sauna for Shelbs & Sayl and a camp site fire pit for Dad.  We stocked up at a grocery store in Santa Cruz so grilled burgers and had smores that night.    

Friday July 7th: 

We drove back south into Santa Cruz stopping at some scenic overlook spots and amazing beaches like the one below - Shark Fin Cove.

Carmel-by-the-Sea, Monterey & Moss Landing

Moss Landing is a small fishing town on the Central Coast about an 1 1/2 hr. from Santa Cruz.  We stayed at another KOA (Kampgrounds of America) site.  What is special about this place are a few things: the seals/sea lions that congregate here certain times of year, also the playful sea otters that forage then slumber close-by.  The RV site itself wasn't much to speak of - and some aren't (it's RV end-to-end, side-by-side, packed in) but being by another marina was nice and we even got invited to sail for the day on a huge catamaran from two Brothers who were meeting each other - one from Portland & the other from San Diego.  The locals are nice.  The main attraction is Phil's Seafood & Fishmarket!  We've been eating a lot of seafood as you can imagine, and this restaurant literally draws people from around the world.  (See pic below) It's an order-at-the-counter style place like many high-volume establishments, and within 15 - 20 min. of opening on a Thursday @ lunch (in the Summer granted) the line was easily 60 ppl deep.  It's one of those restaurants where every single thing on the menu looks like the best meal you will ever eat!!!  Charles and I shared the New England Clam Chowder in a sourdough bowl and their signature dish Cioppino.  We've gotta say it was a great value - loaded with seafood, more than enough to feed 2 people with a single portion-- it was pure seafood goodness!  2 days later we had lunch there again and ordered the exact same thing, this is why: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8W5S0_R7CEY
The surrounding farmland, in particular the artichoke & strawberry farms are another signature attraction of the area.  The farm stands with local, shared produce were as big as convenient stores.  We spent the 4th of July here and also our wedding anniversary.  Moss Landing isn't too far from Carmel-by-the-Sea & Pebble Beach Golf course where we had a wonderful ocean-view dinner at Roy's. We started with glass of Verve di Cliquot Champagne and a lobster sushi roll and the dinner got better from there. We finished with dessert & cappuccino which we hardly do and took a table-side pic to commemorate the evening.  Spending the past 18 yrs. married to Charles, has been the greatest pleasure and adventure.

We weren't able to watch much of a fireworks show for the 4th because Blu is terribly bothered by the fireworks but we walked down to the beach and witnessed a beautiful, long sunset with the kids. 

We spent the next day at Monterey for lunch on the Fisherman’s Wharf where Charles could not get enough of the clam chowder!  We ended our time in the area with a long bike ride through the Eucalyptus trees and beachfront.  It was a strenuous ride up a gradual path along the sand dunes but the weather is very windy and very cool.  I miss my hot yoga!