Pacific Coast Road Trip

We arrived in Vancouver at about 11:00 pm and went straight to the hotel to rest up for our first day of vacation.  The Coast Vancouver Airport Hotel was easy to find but I'm glad we only had to spend a few hours there.  Their keycard system was on the fritz so we had to be escorted up to our room.  When we made it inside, the walls were thin enough to hear highway traffic and other hotel guests.  Luckily we were pretty tired and fell asleep quickly.

We left our Vancouver hotel at 7:00 to catch the 8:30 ferry to Victoria.  A short cab ride brought us to the station and we were on our way to Swartz Bay.  We enjoyed the short ride in cool, breezy weather.  After arriving in Victoria, we found our hotel downtown to drop off our bags.  The Beaconsfield is a classic  Victorian bed and breakfast and we were met at the door by the inn keeper. 

A little too early to check in, we decided to take a Grey Line (double decker) bus to Buchart gardens for the afternoon.  The gardens were very impressive, even for a non-gardner like myself.  The entire city of Victoria seems to participate in gardening.  There were flowers all over the place, include $2 million worth of roses aligning the highway!

Once we returned from the gardens, we took some time to explore the beautiful hotel and walk around town.  After games and sherry in the Library, we made a fire in our room's fireplace and called it a night.

The ferry from Victoria to Seattle was a little crowded but got us there quickly.  We encountered classic Seattle weather - rainy and cool.
In Seattle, we saw the space needle and walked around town.   Pike Place Market was crowded but a fun place to get some fresh produce and people watch.  The Cheesecake Factory provided a nice dessert to end a busy travel day.

After picking up our rental car (a Mustang) we hit the road for Portland.  The drive took about 3 hours and was full of evergreens and big skies. 
In Portland, we stayed in the 23rd St. neighborhood at the funky Inn at Northrup Station.  Shopping was an adventure with a lot of quaint furniture shops and cafes. 
Shopping for almost 4 hours wore us out and by the end we were ready for a break.  For dinner we went to the excellent Ruth's Chris Steakhouse and relaxed over big steaks.  Returning to the hotel, we rested up before our first hike of the trip.

Our second day in Portland was centered around our hike at Multnomah Falls.  We drove 30 minutes to the park and started up the mountain for a 5.5 mile loop.  Our path took us past the upper falls and through a dense forest.  The trail picks up a lot of elevation and we had to stop frequently to catch our breath.
The further we went, the more secluded our hike became.  We left most of the other tourists behind at the upper falls and got to enjoy the sounds of the forest by ourselves.  The trail passes by and through several streams and waterfalls along the way.
By the time we made it back down to the highway, we were both tired and sore.  We drove back in to town and took it easy by catching a movie at the mall.

Day 6 was our travel day as we drove all the way from Portland to Grants Pass in Southern Oregon.  The drive was very scenic and we had a perfect sunny day to take in the sights.  We passed through mountains, canyons, forests and wineries.
The highlight of the drive was our stop in Crater Lake Park.  The road to the lake had me gripping the wheel as there is no shoulder and a sheer drop off on each side.  We were surprised to find out that one of the roads was closed because of snow, despite the fact that it was about 65 degrees in July!
The lake itself has uniquely bright blue water and is one of the deepest in the worth at 2,000 ft deep.  We considered staying at the Lodge for dinner but the staff there was a little snooty. 
We decided to press on and made our way to the Holiday Inn at Grant's Pass.

From Grants Pass we drove into Redwood country in Northern California.  We stopped for a hike at the amazing Stout Grove in Jedediah Smith Park.  The trees are like buildings and pictures hardly do them justice.   In addition to the towering trees, we hiked through a river with thousands of multi colored river rocks and clear water.
We drove on to the Fern Canyon in Del Norte Redwoods Park.  With ferns lining the vertical walls on either side, we were surrounded by misty greenery on all sides.  As a bonus, we spotted a few Elk on our way out of the park. 
The road to Fort Bragg was an adventure as it became dark outside.  Narrow, winding, hairpin turns kept us at about 25 mph max the whole way.

We spent a second day in the Fort Bragg/Mendocino area.  Halfway between the two towns, in Jughandle State Park, we hiked the ecological staircase.  Because of the area's unique geological history and erosion, each 1/2 mile hiked on the trail is like stepping back another 1,000 years in history.  The trail ends in the Pygmy forest, where trees and shrubs are stunted by the nutrient-poor soil.  A 100 year old tree that usually stands 150 tall may only stand 6 feet tall in the Pygmy forest.
For the rest of the day, we decided to board the Skunk Train in Fort Bragg for a tour of the Redwood forest in the area.  The old fashioned cars took us through a secluded area of the forest, only accessible by the train.  We stopped at a camp deep in the woods for a bar-b-que cook out.
Also in Fort Bragg, we stopped at the Glass Beach, where the ocean has turned an old garbage dump into a beach with buffed, round edged glass pebbles of all colors.

After leaving Ft. Bragg, we headed to the Little River for Kayaking.  We ate a picnic lunch on the bank of the river and observed the wildlife, including a family of seals.  We had to fight the tide on the way back but enjoyed our time in the sun and water.
The drive to Sebastopol was straight out of a car commercial.  We wound through wine country, passing through small valley towns and enjoying the contrast of yellow grass and blue sky.  Our Holiday Inn in Sebastopol was clean and roomy, and put us in close proximity to our winery tour scheduled for the next day.  Pasta Bella was an excellent choice for dinner, especially the green apple salad.

The Beringer winery offers daily tours and we joined the introductory course.  The tour combined an education on wine making and a history of Beringer's facilities and ended with a wine tasting.  The grounds were beautiful and we learned a lot.
The rest of the day was spent driving to San Francisco and settling in to our hotel.  The Westin St. Francis is a beautiful place, right in the middle of Union Square in downtown San Francisco.  After dropping off the car (we didn't want to pay $50 a day for parking) we rode the trolley cars down to Fisherman's Warf for In & Out Burgers and Ghiradelli chocolate.

By this time we needed a day to relax and veg out for a while.  We slept in, then walked around to do some shopping at Apple, Gap and Anthropologie.  For dinner, we went to Betelnut, a trendy Chinese food place with big portions.  It was nice to get away from all of the tourist traps in this part of town.
Back in Union Square, we grabbed a drink and dessert and went back to the hotel.

Our final day on vacation was spent in the San Francisco Bay.  We toured Alcatraz in the morning and Angel Island in the afternoon.  The view of the city from inside the harbor was great and we enjoyed reading about the history of the islands.
We were sad to leave San Fran and end our vacation but ready to get back after a long time away from home.