Pacific Northwest and Maga-ville

MAGA Dallas

After finishing our fun few days in New Orleans we are making our way to the opposite corner of the US to begin the last leg of our holiday. On the way though we decided to break up the trip with a short stay in Dallas, Texas. There was nothing specific that took us there, we just wanted to see it and experience some middle America culture. Dallas was a nice enough city, but the highlight was undoubtedly the NHL ice hockey match between the Dallas Stars and the Philadelphia Flyers. The stadium was impressive - even with the cheapest seats in the house we had a great view and the game was fantastic fun.

We spent the rest of our stay just walking the streets and poking our head into the Dallas Art Museum. Nothing like the treasures we saw in Europe or New York, but some interesting pieces nonetheless.

Seattle

We kicked off our Pacific Northwest trip by flying into Seattle. 

After the obligatory visit to the space needle we popped next door to a glass exhibit by Dale Chihuly, wow oh wow we wanted to buy everything - in particular his chandeliers - but as they are over 2-3 meters tall probably not a great fit for our 3 metre ceilings.

The next day we drove out of Seattle and headed for Portland. We had wanted to visit the largest volcano in the US, Mt Rainier, but it was already too close to winter to head up there. We had to satisfy ourselves with the view of it we have from the space needle. Truly awe-inspiring, and a little disconcerting when you think that it is well overdue for an eruption. 

Portland, Oregon

We spent a day walking down the river crossing bridges, they claim they have the most bridges but I feel Brisbane has them beat.  We travelled on street cars and visited rare books in their massive bookstore, Powell’s. Brad was excited that they had a first edition of William Faulkner, but a little pricey at $4k. There was no sign that we could see of the ‘battlefield’ in Portland that Trump claimed was there - and was his reason for sending in the National Guard - and every local we spoke to about it just laughed. 

Cannon Beach

Our first stop on the coast was Cannon Beach. It was our first taste of the wild coastline we would travel over the next few days. The waves are truly spectacular - not for swimming though! The whole coastline is a tsunami zone and is disconcerting to realise just how far inland some of the waves have travelled in the past, and will again in the future. It is famous for the haystack rock, just offshore, and this kind of scene is typical of the whole coast. 

Tillamook

Further south we stayed at Tillamook. This is truly the middle of nowhere. Mountains on one side and inhospitable coastline on the other, no permanent settlement was established until the 1850’s.  Unfortunately we missed the main attraction: the county fair, held a few weeks earlier, which featured the Pig n Ford competition. This is where contestants have to race old model-T Fords around the race-track whilst holding a pig under one arm. Why the pig? No-one knows. Don’t believe us? Here’s the web-site:  Pig n Ford race

No trip to Tillamook would be complete without a visit to the local creamery (est. 1909) where they produce cheese and dairy products.  We were quite surprised with the number of visitors, obviously not a lot to do in Tillamook but it was interesting how they turned an operational factory into a tourist attraction. Over 1 million visitors a year.

Eureka

After travelling the entire Oregon coast we arrived in northern California and the town of Eureka. This was probably the prettiest section of coastline with the highway balanced between seething ocean and rugged cliff most of the way.

The Avenue of the Giants

Brad’s bucket list, and the main point of visiting this part of the world, was to see the giant redwoods, and it was worth it! These trees can grow nearly 100m tall, and can live up to 3,000 years. Just standing next to one is incredibly humbling. The road through the Humboldt Park is 31 miles long and winds its way between the redwoods and the river. We stopped at one point and went on a short hike - what the Japanese call ‘forest bathing’ - and it is truly good for the soul. Photos don’t do it justice. 

The only reason this part of the forest exists is because in 1924 a couple of local hikers, Laura and James Mahan, came across some lumber workers in the process of cutting it down. Some sort of dodgy deal had been struck with the state government and so these two set about stopping it. They succeeded and thanks to them the whole area is now a national park. This has been a constant theme in most of the natural wonders we have seen in our travels. They exist because at some point a couple of people decided it needed to be preserved and forced the authorities to do something about it. Kudos!

Calistoga, Napa Valley, Cailfornia

With just 5 nights left of our 4 month trip we made the call to spend them in luxury and relaxation.  So the Napa Valley seemed like a safe bet.  The first 2 nights we stayed in Calistoga famous for their hot springs and mud baths, way too cold for us as the temp ranges from 4 to 15 degrees, so we wandered around the town full of art galleries, wine tasting and food.  Tomorrow we drive only 30 minutes to Yountville and our last point of call to celebrate Thanksgiving and Bradleys birthday.

Yountville

The final stop on our travels. Christine wanted to do something special for Brad’s birthday, and it was. The room was luxurious, the staff were fantastic, and the food and wine was tremendous. Janine had recommended the Pinot Noir’s to us so we did our best to try as many as we could! Yountville is the go to holiday spot for well-off San Franciscan’s. It was a getting a little cold by now, but that doesn’t really matter when you are indoors by a fire sipping wine! It was a great couple of days and a wonderful way to end our trip and celebrate Brad’s 55th. 

Sorry for the sideways photos. 

Homeward Bound

So, after four months, ten countries, and approximately fifty different hotels and B&B’s, we are sitting in the lounge at San Francisco airport waiting for our flight home. When we both think of the places we have been; forests, lakes, mountains, oceans, museums, churches, galleries, restaurants, and wineries, it is, as always, the people we met along the way and those we planned the trip with before we left that we remember the most. Thank you to the Jaccon’s, our new friends, for their splendid hospitality in Bourron-Marlotte, and to our old friends, the Leighton’s, for their hospitality in Brooklyn. Also to our friends the Cleary’s, for a wonderful dinner in Manhattan and our Brissy mates for some of the suggested itineries. Those are the memories that will stay with us well after we have forgotten everything else.