California road trip #1

Last week I welcomed my mum to San Francisco and we began our 3-week road trip together. I'd cooked up the idea when first planning my travels and it's amazing that it's finally happening! So far we've covered many miles and enjoyed properly catching up with each other. Here are some of the adventures from our first week.

Thelma and Louise, (in a Toyota Prius)

My lovely STC colleagues bought me two tickets for a nighttime Alcatraz tour as part of my leaving present, so mum and I caught the boat from Fisherman's Wharf out to the island. The history of this maximum security prison is fascinating, and the tour was hugely informative, as well as a little spooky. We walked around the cells and heard about famous escape attempts and saw preserved artefacts and fittings which housed such notable prisoners as Al Capone and the Birdman of Alcatraz.

Alcatraz island from the boat

Original signage and 70s graffiti

Rows of cells

Prison hospital wing

I took mum back to where I'd stayed in North Beach for a classic Italian dinner at Francis Ford Coppola's Zoetrope restaurant. Over meatballs and red wine I marvelled at the catalogue of famous filmmakers and actors who had graced this room, while mum exclaimed that 'Caesar salad' had been invented on this very spot.

We also visited the de Young Museum of Art, where we were tickled pink to find a David Hockney piece in the foyer. All the way from Yorkshire, just like mum! I loved the landscape paintings here and some of the native American art was also fascinating.

Hockney's shots of Yorkshire

It was great to be able to meet up with my friend Neet one last time before leaving San Francisco. We discovered a lovely little bar called 'Two Sisters Bar and Books' where I had my favourite drink of the trip so far, a cocktail called Stout 'n' Spice, which consisted of wild turkey 101, ginger shrub and bourbon barrel-aged stout. Delicious. I then treated my mum to a 5-course degustation at RichTable, which had a special beer-matched menu on in honour of SanFrancisco Beer Week. Absolutely incredible food, and of course far too much of it.

And these were just the starters!

Finally it was time to bid farewell to this wonderful city. I have loved my time in San Francisco and already long to return. And what a splendid way to leave, to drive over the magnificent Golden Gate Bridge. Next stop: the wine fields of Sonoma Valley, where we enjoyed a wine tasting at the Sebastiani vineyards and wandered round the unique landscape. Vineyards in winter are probably not as impressive as they are in summer, being barren of grapes, but it was still pleasurable to drive among this distinctive region.

Farewell San Fran

Mum with a barrel load of red wine

Only one night in Sonoma, before road tripping south down the stunning pacific coast highway. Words cannot describe how impressive this coast is, nor photos do it justice. But we stopped every 5 minutes to try to capture it! I also enjoyed getting some driving practice in, first time on the right hand side of the road, first time on the US highway.

Beware: Carmel driving

My inner book nerd had to visit the National Steinbeck Center in Salinas, where I learned so many new things about the man, as well as fondly remembered some of my favourite things from his fiction. I hadn't realised he'd been a war correspondent, or that he'd lived in England and written about King Arthur. Nor that he'd travelled all round America in a modified truck and written extensive non-fiction about his fellow countrymen. So much more on my 'to-read' list now.

National Steinbeck Center

Inspiration for The Grapes of Wrath: real diaries of dust bowl migrants

We couldn't resist stopping for two nights in quaint, picturesque little Carmel-by-the-Sea, just south of Monterey. This cute little seaside town was captivating, although I did find it somewhat disconcerting that everything had my name written on it! Mum and I got house-envy gawking at the mansions on 17-Mile Drive, and we enjoyed a picnic on the beach at sunset on Valentine's Day.

Sunset over Carmel beach

Liz takes a selfie

Cheers!

On of the houses in Carmel

Carmel Bay Co

Many t-shirts with my name on

Carmel fridge magnets

Like, yeah, man

Big Sur was really where the impressive coastal views were. Driving down through the mist and sunlight was awe-inspiring and I'm already cooking up plans for a future California motorhome road trip.

The Big Sur coast line

Chick with rock

Sea Lions off Point Lobos

Dramatic views from the road

More awesomeness

"I'm so ronery..."

One of many mad cypress trees

We've spent the last two days here in Yosemite, (or as mum calls it, 'Yose-Might'), a raw, rugged part of the world with spectacular views on an unimaginable scale. I dragged mum up a steep hike to Vernal falls and we were rewarded with some splendid views and a hearty appetite. Dinner at the South Gate Brewing Company gave mum the opportunity to experience her first American burger, and me the chance to try some more Bourbon Barrel Stout, which may well be my new favourite thing.

Classic Yosemite view

Giant sequoia tree with pixie for scale

Here be bears

Intrepid hikers

Half Dome

Redwoods

6,000 feet above sea level

Another bloody fabulous view

Early pioneer cottages

Teddy Roosevelt: visionary

Already we have witnessed an incredible diversity of landscapes here in California. I think the word 'wow' has been the most uttered from our lips. From the dusty desert of the highway to the lush, giant redwood trees in Yosemite. The quaint cultivated gardens of Carmel to the giant 'boulder gardens' in the National Park. Even the working land, the farmland, is interesting, with uniform rows of pistachio orchard trees, cauliflowers, artichokes, in various phases of growth. Seeing the hills through a sudden blanket of mist, the coast in bright rays of sunlight, the desert with the warm glow of the dying sun, the snow on the tips of the mountains – each vista is a huge contrast from the last but just as breathtaking. Almost half way through my mum's holiday and already it's proving to be a truly memorable trip. And there's more to come!

Working in cauliflower fields

Oregon

My hostel here in San Francisco is nestled among the strip joints, tattoo parlours and dingy speakeasies of a suburb called North Beach (don't be fooled, it ain't no beach) and I suspect that a couple of the gals in my dorm room are 'ladies of the night'. It's a rude awakening, this transition from a self-contained flat in Salem to a life of sharehouse living in the extreme: sneaking round a dark dormroom to avoid awakening fellow travellers; taking advantage of the free bagels and fruit salad each morning to be kind on the pocket; having random conversations with strangers and being cornered by stoner weirdos. All the fun of being a backpacker. I'm loving San Francisco so far, but that's a tale for another blog post. First, let me tell you about my time in Oregon.

Boarding the Amtrak

The train ride from Seattle to Portland, Oregon was one of the most beautiful train journeys of my life. The coastal Amtrak train is fitted with picture windows -- huge floor to ceiling windows out of which you can see the stunning countryside and water views. As we rattled past the amazing vistas I chuckled to myself as a loud Scottish woman attempted to photograph every last view, getting frustrated as trains got in her way, or the photo was blurred. Sometimes you have to just sit back and 'take a photo with your eyes'.

On the train I finished Steinbeck's classic East of Eden, a feat which I believe my friend Nick did on the same stretch of coast a couple of years ago. All 687 pages of the bugger. It was fabulous. Loved it. An epic family saga: my favourite genre. I've immediately started on a more digestible title of his: Cannery Row.

View from Nicole's dining room over Portland

I have to say I loved my time in Oregon. I was quite overwhelmed with the perfect balance of natural beauty and urban fun it presented, and I kept thinking that it felt very much like a place I could see myself living. When I arrived in Portland a friend of a friend whom I have never met before, Nicole, picked me up from the station and generously had me stay for a few nights. She took me on a fabulous hike through a place called Eagle Creek in the Columbia Gorge to Punchbowl Falls and we ticked the Twilight waterfall (Multnomah Falls) off our list too, in keeping with my movie location pilgrimage. Our hike was a little treacherous in places, with narrow pathways next to sheer drops, but served as a perfect vehicle for us to get to know each other. I found it fascinating how despite our seemingly disparate lives (Nicole is a surgeon) we had plenty of common ground to talk about.

Stunning Oregon fir trees

Nicole hiking in Eagle Creek

Punchbowl Falls

Our intrepid adventurer

Hiking with my fab host!

Multnomah Falls

The next day I explored the wonderful city of Portland alone. Oh how I loved Portland, and wished I could have spent longer there! Definitely somewhere I'd love to go back. Between the beer, vintage clothes stores, bicycles, BEST bookstore in the world and the plethora of bearded boys I think it's my number one place in America so far. Since then I've watched a few episodes of the hilarious TV show Portlandia, which sets it up fondly and knowingly.

Sadly I couldn't spend longer there as I had to head to Salem to stay with an old friend of mine from Uni. I hadn't seen Caroline since she left the UK in 2006 (just before I headed to Aus) but she's now build a wonderful life for herself, her husband Leon and their three rambunctious sons in Salem, Oregon. They kindly let me stay in their fab 'artist's studio' at the bottom of their garden and I was bewitched by the maelstrom that is their life. In the few days I was there we did so much! We braved the slippery ice at Silver Falls State Park, we climbed the volcano Mount Hood to take the boys skiing in the snow, they taught me to play Qwerkle and Mexican Train, I learned a myriad of things about parenting, in particular about parenting headstrong, gorgeous young boys, and I even got to go to a bouncy castle kids' birthday party! They were so generous to have me stay, feeding me and including me in everything. Not the last time on this trip I will be overwhelmed by people's generosity, I'm sure.

My 'studio' while in Salem

Timberline Lodge history (Jimmy Stewart!)

Silver Falls

Silver Falls State Park

My fab hosts!

Salem houses

Start 'em skiing young

Leon teaches Sebastian

View from Timberline Lodge

Timberline Lodge, as seen in THE SHINING

Caroline and Theo in the snow

View from Mount Hood

While in Salem, I continued to sample locally-produced craft beers and we even went to a food and drink fair where I got to try $1-tasters of a whole load of IPAs and porters, including one made by a friend of Caroline's, whose micro-brewery Salem Ale Works produced a delicious winter warmer, the Sleeping Marmot. We also tried out a new diner in town, ACME – Americans sure are good at diner food. I went for another epic 5-hour walk round the outskirts of the city, following my nose through woods and a huge park, while listening to Willie Nelson's autobiography Roll Me Up and Smoke me When I Die on audio book. I'm glad I kept my Audible subscription while travelling – audio books are great while on the road.

Salem Ale Works beer tasting

Vintage store in Salem

Discovery in Salem Park

Cameron's Koala Castle

Hangin' on Mount Hood

I'm still adjusting to the huge lifestyle shift of travelling. One of the things I need to get used to is the plain hard fact that I can't do everything. When I move on from a place there will always be things I haven't done, places I haven't seen, and I guess this is something I need to accept – and to just focus on what I did do and see. And not feel guilty for days spent relaxing, as this is just as important as consuming culture and scenery etc. Something to ponder...