Our trip started with a bus ride from Vallejo, CA to charming Martinez, CA arriving at 6:30 pm to catch the 10:40 pm Amtrak to Portland, OR to pick up the Red Hottie (Harley!) where it has been stored. Because we had way too many hours to kill before embarking on the train, we decided to take the short walk to town and have some dinner. The streets were all closed off because they we having a Car Show! Behold our joy!
Bob Anderson - this is for you! 1962 Studebaker Gran
Turismo Hawk!
Below: He bought her this car new and still enjoy driving it around and showing it off!
After dinner and a few local brews at the Creek Monkey Tap House, off to the train station we go.
Well, first the train was over an hour late arriving, thus late leaving too. We knew it would not be a comfortable trip as we would have to sleep sitting up. Not only did we do that, but it was cold and the guy behind us was snoring like a chain saw!! At 6 a.m. the sun was coming up so we might as well also. Then I discovered that Amtrak sells nighty packs including a blow up neck pillow & blanket for 8 bucks which we would have loved to have. Whatever happened to good customer service? They could have made a fortune on all of us that weren’t in the sleeper car. Since we were returning via the motorcycle, we had packed lightly which did NOT include all those comfort items. The Observation car was just 2 cars away so that is where we spent the day. Coincidentally, 2 older gentlemen had volunteered to be “Tour Guides” on this day. What an education we got!
Mt. Rainier
Back in Portland we visited Aimee & Suzie, and Julie and John then headed to Lake Chelan in eastern Washington to meet up with Larry and Shelly. Also on our agenda was to find a marina in Portland where we can keep Le Chat Beaute’ this winter since we are NOW officially Snow Birds (yeah!) wintering in Crystal River and Palm Springs! Can you believe it?
Off we go to ride the Red Hottie back to Sausalito so we can tempt our fate with the California traffic! First stop, Swan Island, OR to see the dahlias.
A view of the "Sisters" in Oregon
Then on the back roads through the Mt. Hood National Forest and the Newberry National Volcanic Monument (it’s just a bunch of lava!). Crater Lake National Park was our next stop. There was a long line to get into the park, and our first “sprinkles” which fortunately didn’t amount to much except cloudy skies. Can’t have it all. Crater Lake is the nation’s deepest lake (1,943 feet deep) measuring @ 6 miles across at the maximum and 4.5 at the minimum. The tallest point on the rim is 1,978 feet above the lake which holds 4.9 trillion gallons – who measured that? I was always under the impression that the lake was created by a meteor (anyone else think that?). The truth is the deep basin is really the belly of an erupted volcano called a caldera. The volcano was originally the 12,000 foot high Mount Mazama that began erupting violently 7,700 years ago.
From there we continued south through Medford and Ashland (another charming town) in Oregon.
Then crossing the border into Californ-I-A we discovered Route 96! Route 96 was a very winding road that parallel’s the Klamath River providing MORE beautiful scenery. Great road for a motorcycle ride. Spent the night in Eureka, which is on the coast, and is an old fishing town and the location of Humboldt State University. The ride through the Humboldt Redwoods State Park was on the way to John and Marlene’s who live IN the Navarro River Redwoods State Park.
The 32-mile Avenue of the Giants winds its way through the park and was originally built as a stagecoach and wagon road in the 1880’s. Now known as Route 254. There are approximately 17,000 acres of old-growth coast redwoods including the 10,000 acre Rockefeller Forest – the largest contiguous old growth redwood forest in the world.
Avenue of the Giants
Marlene & John in the Mountain top gazebo.
Route 128 took us inland through wine country and past numerous wineries of names we are all familiar with. The land was no longer the lush forests of Oregon, but the dry desert mountains that California is famous for. The temperature heated up and I couldn’t wait to take off my jacket! Sweaty!
Our last stretch was to the Napa River where our friends Linda and Doug (s/v Aquadesiac) were so generous to let us leave Le Chat Beaute’ tied to their dock while we were gone. Thanks again!
Le Chat Beaute' leaving the dock!
If you have an opportunity – don’t miss the beauty of the northwest. Put it on your bucket list. It will take your breath away!
