Archive for the 'Further Afield' Category
We were hoping to write several blogs during our stay but we had no access to the internet. In
fact, we had no access to a phone either so we were more or less cut off from civilization as we know it. It was kind of nice.
The main purpose for the trip was the wedding of my youngest daughter, Lizzie, to Ric on April 26th. The ceremony took place in Arundel, which is a wonderful town in West Sussex just five miles from the coast. Right in the middle of the town is Arundel Castle, which is the home of the Dukes of Norfolk, and it is everybody’s ideal castle. The River Arun flows through the town and a walk along the banks is beautiful at this time of the year, especially with all the little ducklings.
It rained the day before and the day after the wedding but on the Saturday it was warm and sunny. Lizzie was a radiant bride and it was a wonderful day. Lizzie and Ric are now on their honeymoon in Orlando, Florida.
We managed to get a lot done in the week we were away. On the Monday we drove to Taunton to visit my mother, brothers and sister (plus their spouses/partners) and stayed overnight. Wednesday we drove to France with my son Rob. How can you drive to France, I hear you say. Well you drive to Folkstone in Kent and then drive the car onto the train, which then transports you through the Eurotunnel to Calais. On Thursday we visited the Weald and Downland Open Air Museum in West Sussex which was amazing and on the Friday we drove to Guildford to have an evening pub get together with our friends. Early Saturday we were on our way home.
May 21 2008 | Further Afield | 1 Comment »
Just a quick note to say we’re off to England on Thursday. Margaret’s daughter, Lizzy, is getting married in a beautiful town called Arundel.
We’re also going to see Margaret’s Mum and head over to France for a day taking the shuttle under the Channel.
We hope to post a little but we’re not sure how much internet access we’ll have.
Anyway we’ll be back May 3rd.
April 22 2008 | Further Afield | No Comments »
It’s been over a week since we returned from our mammoth road trip and it’s time to review what we liked, disliked and what we would do different.
We were on the road for 16 days and traveled just under 4,000 miles. That is an average of about 250 miles a day, which is some going. We drive a three year old Toyota Prius and it performed brilliantly. It suffered a couple of dings and a small chip in the windshield along the way but apart from that it is as good as ever. Plus of course we got very good gas miles. One thing to note though is the lack of Prius sightings outside of California and Oregon.
Hard to pinpoint our best moment. The appreciation of the sheer size of the Grand Canyon must be near the top of the list but if I had to pick the best it would have to be when we were down among the hoodoos in Bryce Canyon.
We stayed in ten different hotels, mainly Best Westerns. There was one Holiday Inn Express and one Holiday Inn and two independents (Panamint Springs, Death Valley and Safari Motor Inn, Boise). Most of them have blurred into one in my mind but several are worth a second mention. The best one by far was the Best Western Coral Hills in St George, Utah. Not only was it the cheapest one but it had the best facilities, especially the balcony. Second best was the Safari Motor Inn in Boise. Idaho. It was nearly as cheap but it had no balcony. The friendly staff on reception and the closeness to Boise downtown were definite pluses. Panamint Springs Resort in death Valley will be remembered for it’s bamboo four poster bed and it’s amazing location. The worst hotel was the Best Western High Country Inn in Ogden, Utah because we had to change rooms due to the heating not working and the disturbed night due to noisy trains and the loud knocking on the door to the next room after we had fallen asleep.
The best meal we had was at the Rocking V Cafe in Kanab, Utah. We enjoyed the varied menu, the wine, the tasty food and the friendly service. The art gallery upstairs was the icing on the cake. Our second best meal was at Pair in Boise, Idaho. Here the food and wines were delicious and the service was good but the ambiance was just not as good as the Rocking V Cafe. Hard to say which was the worst meal but we had quite a few bland and unexciting combinations.
Each state was different and memorable for a variety of reasons. The most striking impression of Nevada was its bullet riddled road signs. Arizona will be remembered for the vast Navajo lands and the Grand Canyon. Utah was the most spectacular, with its wonderful red mesas but, looking at the state from another angle, it was almost impossible to get any decent coffee here. What we did have was very weak. Idaho was the biggest surprise. We were expecting to see the marvelous sights in Utah and Arizona and we were not disappointed. In Idaho we were not expecting much at all but what we did see was fine and Boise was an unexpected pleasure. Oregon we have been to before but only the western side. We were surprised to find the eastern side was barren and uninteresting. Then of course there is California. Most of the places in California I visited on this trip I had been to before, apart from Death Valley. There is no other place like Death Valley and it was a unique experience. I would love to visit in the spring time when the wild flowers are blooming, especially after a wet winter.
What would we do differently? Over to you Tom…..
Oh boy, what would we do different? Hmmmm, we saw a lot of rock. Now it was all different and all beautiful and in the southwest that’s pretty much what you’re going to get but I wonder if we could have somehow broken it up with other scenery. We could have skipped Arches but that wouldn’t have added any time really. Maybe more time? We took two weeks but three would have been nice, especially if we could have planted ourselves in a nice location with great accommodations for a few days to recharge. Yellowstone would have been nice and it was in our original plans but when we realized how much there was to see we scratched it.
I agree with Margaret, Bryce Canyon was magical. Walking down among the Hoodoos was real special. The flash flood situation at Canyon de Chelly was exciting (I can say that now). I wish we could have seen all of the canyon. Oh well next time.
October 17 2007 | Further Afield | No Comments »
8 a.m. 45 Degrees. Bright and clear
Tom and I wake at 6 and we get up and have our showers. We spent a very comfortable night here. All is quiet in the rest of the house and we try not to disturb anybody. Coffee is brewed and ready and while Tom drinks it, we stand out on the deck to watch the sun rise.
Dirk came down at 7 and started to prepare breakfast. He’s a great cook and we enjoyed our sausage patties, eggs and French toast. Maria came down as breakfast was being served but, before she could start on it, Jacob woke up so she went to deal with him. Jason came down just before we left to say goodbye.
At 8 we were on our way. We enjoyed our short stay at Running Y and we are looking forward to our next visit in December.
It is a beautiful day. We head south on Highway 140 then turn south on Highway 97 until it joins I5 at Weed. In the distance we can see some of Mt. Shasta but the top is covered in cloud.
The first part of the journey us through the Klamath Wildlife Area. Egrets and herons were patiently waiting for breakfast in the shallow waters at the side of the road.
At 8.30 we crossed into California. Soon after that we drive through the small town of Dorris. We leave farmland behind us and start to climb, passing Mt. Hebron and Deer Mountain and we are back into pine forests. Mt. Shasta is getting nearer all the time. I d0n’t think we are going to see the top of it today.
There are a lot of trucks on this road - and it’s a Sunday! Mitch told us that a lot of trucks take this back route to avoid the long, steep grades on I5 through Grants Pass.
At 9.30 we roll into weed. After a restroom stop, where I read on a newsstand that the Ducks lost to Cal yesterday, we are on our way again and soon join I5 going south. Mt. Shasta is still hidden. The cloud shrouding it is smooth and looks like a spacecraft.
We cruise downhill towards Shasta Lake, drinking in the beautiful scenery. The level of the lake is well down. At 10:25 we cross Shasta Lake.
Between Shasta Lake and Ref Bluff the scenery is reasonable but below there we enter the top end of the Central Valley, where it is very flat and there is not much to see. I call this the boring bit but, you know, it is not as bad as the road between Vale and Bend we did on Thursday. At least it is freeway and we do not get stuck behind trucks and R.Vs.
After another restroom stop north of Corning, which by the way was filthy, it is just a short haul to I505. Soon after that we join I80 and we are into familiar territory.
We arrive home about 3, tired but happy. It’s great to go on vacation but it’s wonderful to be home again.
October 13 2007 | Further Afield | No Comments »
There could be some delay in our posts. Margaret fell and fractured her wrist the other day. It’s not serious but her right wrist is in a brace and, of course, she’s right handed. Hunting and pecking with her left will slow things down a bit.
I’m working on a photo gallery of our road trip so stay tuned. It should be up in a few days.
October 12 2007 | Further Afield | 1 Comment »
10:15 a.m. 55 degrees. Chilly
Today is the big college football game between the Oregon Ducks and the Cal Bears. The television coverage started at 7 but the game does not start until 12:30. It’s going to be quite a game as the Cal Bears are favorites to win but it is here in Eugene in front of a very enthusiastic home crowd so it is going to be really exciting.
We were up at 6 a.m. and read the papers, which Mitch drove out to buy. Tom had his coffee so he was all set up.
At 8:30 the four of us went out for breakfast at ‘Ye Olde Pancake House’ in Eugene. Green and yellow - the Duck’s colors - were the predominant colors all around though I did spot one lone Cal Bear supporter in the restaurant.
We went back to Annie and Mitch’s house to load up the suitcase and we were on our way just after 10 after saying our fond farewells. It won’t be that long before we see them again as we will all get together at Christmas.
Our route today is not down I5. We have decided to take the scenic route via Oakridge. We go south on the freeway for about five miles before turning onto Highway 58 towards Pleasant Hill. Wonder whether we will have any rain today? There are quite a few clouds around.
The road runs along side the Willamette River and is bordered by pine trees. There are several reservoirs as well. As everywhere else, the levels are very low. The leaves on the deciduous trees are changing color so there is a lot of yellow and browns among the green.
As we head for the Willamette Pass, the road begins to climb and we hit snow at the side of the road and on the trees at 4,000 feet. At the summit the elevation is 5,126 feet and then we coast down hill past Odell Lake. The trees are a lot smaller on this side of the mountains. They obviously do not get so much rain here. The snow is gone too.
We merge onto Highway 97 and head south towards Chemult. Crater Lake is off to our right and we were thinking about taking a detour to see it but decided not to in the end. Tom has never been there but I have way back in 1999.
At Klamath Falls we are visiting Maria, a friend and ex work colleague, and her husband Dirk with two of their children - Jason and Jacob. They have a weekend cabin at Running Y Resort. They have invited us to stay the night, which will be great. Tomorrow will be our last leg of the road trip and we plan to start out early. There is lots to do at home to get ready for my return to work on Monday. Sigh…
I’m afraid I dozed off for a bit and missed some the journey. When I woke up, Upper Klamath Lake was on my right and were nearly at the end of today’s driving.
This is our first visit to Running Y and it is a lovely resort. Right on the lake and with lots of things to do. Maria and Dirk were not in so we went to the Lodge to wait. We sat in the lounge, overlooking the gorgeous golf course, with a glass of wine and watched part of the football game. The Ducks were leading by a short margin.
When we returned to the cabin, Maria and family were there. It was great to see them all again. After a guided tour we sat and talked and ate some pizza and then we talked again. Later in the afternoon we went for a drive to Klamath Falls and were shown round the town. Before we went back to the cabin, we paid a visit to the Big R Stores. This was a family-owned store selling everything that ranchers, farmers and homeowners would need, including a vast range of clothing for men, women and children. It was a fascinating place and I bought a great pair of jeans at a very reasonable price.
In the evening we all went for a tour around Running Y Ranch. We were impressed by the many sorts of homes there but what struck us most was the sense of spaciousness. This is where we are going to spend Christmas this year. Every other year Tom’s family meet up. We have reserved two cabins here for a week. Hopefully Maria, Dirk and the family will be here as well. I’m really looking forward to it as there is so much to do here. Watch out for our blog in the New Year.
After the tour, we had a very enjoyable meal at the Club House and were entertained by the artistic talents of Jason. He produced a number of recognizable and complicated drawings which for a four year old was amazing.
October 11 2007 | Further Afield | No Comments »
10:00 a.m. 45 degrees. Raining
For some reason, I just could not sleep last night and for five hours I lay awake. But no hurry to get on the road today so I was able to sleep in. Our journey today is only 128 miles.
It is not a very nice day. When we look out the window it was overcast. I went across to the front desk to get a newspaper and some of the complimentary breakfast and it was drizzling. As Tom was loading the suitcases into the car, it was raining.
We fueled up with gas. In Oregon you do not pump your own gas. We asked why at the gas station and were told that it a) it provides employment and b) a kid pumping his own gas blew himself up and since then the law was changed. I’m sure there must be more to the decision.
We are soon outside Bend and traveling north on Highway 20 towards Sisters. The town is named after the three mountain peaks nearby – North Sister, Middle Sister and South Sister or affectionately called Faith, Hope and Charity. The mountain we saw yesterday with a little bit of snow on it was South Sister and it is now covered with snow. The scenery is green pastures and farmland. Very pleasant after our horrendous trip yesterday.
Sisters was a cute little town but we did not stop. At least it has stopped raining now.
The area round Suttle Lake was thick pine forest but with deciduous trees amongst them which were showing their Fall colors. Parts of the forest though have been devastated by fire. At the top of the Santiam Pass, elevation 4,817, there was snow on the ground. The scene looked like a Christmas card with the all the pine trees covered in snow. Even the burnt parts looked better.
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October 10 2007 | Further Afield | No Comments »
8:30 a.m. 48 degrees. Chilly
Sorry no photos on this one. There just wasn’t much to capture.
We checked out and then walked into downtown Boise for breakfast. It was 8:30 before we hit the road. Traffic going out of Boise was light, not so coming the other way though.
Our route is Highway 84 north to the Oregon boarder. Around Caldwell there was a lot of road construction but it didn’t hold us up too much. The road construction lasted for 12 miles but finally we were through.
We are headed towards Bend but we may stop before we reach there if we see anything decent. On Friday evening we are expected in Eugene, where we will be staying with Annie, Tom’s daughter, and Mitch, her husband.
It is mostly farmland we drive through, with lots of cows, sheep, goats but mostly horses. Towards the Oregon border the cattle all but disappear and so have the houses. There is just wide open spaces. We did not see too many potatoes in Idaho. Isn’t Idaho famous for potatoes? Maybe it is the wrong season. Thought I saw a truck load of them but Tom said they were sugar beets.
Just when I thought we were stuck with the open spaces, small farms and cattle were back. At 9:20 we enter Oregon and soon we exit I84. It was time to turn my watch back to Pacific Time. Negotiating our way around the town of Ontario to Highway 20 was a bit confusing but we eventually made it.
This part of Oregon is pretty. Difficult to say why it is different from Idaho. Maybe it is because the grass is greener. What we did notice, though, there were lots of onions around, both on trucks and on farms where they were sorting them. There is even an Onion Avenue.
We pass through the small town of Vale and we are out into the country again. On the right we see large white buildings with two tall chimneys belching white smoke. In my Benchmark Oregon atlas I can see it is called the Eagle Picher Diatomaceous Plant. Tom thinks it is something to do with soil. Will have to check it out later. (Well Tom was right. It is a chalk like soil which is similar to pumice powder and is used as a filtration aid, insecticide, in cat litters and dynamite. It is also heat resistant.)
The road starts to climb and the hills begin to look dry but then we go downhill into Little Valley and all is green again. More hills and more arid landscape but the Malheur River is running alongside us. We drop down into Harper Valley and we are green again. We pass a field of sun flowers, which was a stunning sight.
Right in the middle of nowhere we pass a tree to our right covered in shoes! Go figure.
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October 09 2007 | Further Afield | No Comments »
6:09 a.m. 48 degrees. Chilly
Neither of us had a good night’s sleep. Just after we dropped off to sleep we were woken up by a thunderous knocking at the door. Tom got up to investigate. He didn’t open the door but looked through the curtain. There was nobody there. It was probably somebody knocking on the door to the room next to us. It is always difficult to get back to sleep after you have been woken up like that. Then I became aware of the freight trains passing nearby. Long rambling trains which blew their whistles constantly. On top of all that the bottom sheet on the bed was not quite big enough to be tucked in so it was all messed up. Oh, how I miss our own bed.
[Click on the image for a larger version]
It was really dark when we left and rush hour was under way. We got onto I15 going north and stopped at Willard Bay for breakfast. Afterwards we went down to the shore of the Great Salt Lake. By this time it was light so I got my first real glimpse of the lake, although Willard Bay is separated from the main lake by a breakwater. Nobody was around and we did not even get out of the car.
We found our way back to the freeway and continued north west, taking I84 at Tremonton. At junction 26 we turned left onto Highway 83 and headed towards two sites of interest. The first was the ATK Rocket Display. ATK manufactures the solid fuel for rockets and the Shuttle. On display they have various sections of rockets and missiles. ATK is a huge site in the middle of farmland at the north end of the Great Salt Lake. There was an information board there saying that nearby are two of the main overland routes the early settlers took; to the south is the California route and to the north is the Oregon trail.
We continued on the same road to the next destination - the Golden Spike National Historic Site. Once again we were able to use our National Parks pass. We arrived just at 9 as they opened and were their first visitors of the day. It was at this site the Central Pacific Railroad and the Union Pacific Railroad met and two golden and two silver spikes were placed there to mark the spot. The original spikes are on display at Stanford University in California.
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October 07 2007 | Further Afield | No Comments »
7 a.m. 36 degrees. Cold
Although the hotel has a complimentary breakfast, we have decided to drive to Park City to eat. It is very cold outside and there is more snow up on the mountains.
Our journey continues north on I15. Just south of Provo the traffic slows down. Of course it is Tuesday and it’s rush hour. We take Highway 189 through Provo. Brigham Young University is here. We are on the lookout for a coffee shop spot nothing at all. Imagine a town this size in California without a Starbucks on nearly every corner.
North of Provo we start to climb and drive through Provo Canyon. They are building a new road here but although we slowed down a bit we were not held up. There was a waterfall coming down the side of the mountain and it looked so pretty with the trees changing color. It was the first day of Fall yesterday.
Nearing Heber City we pass a hot air balloon. Although the sun is shining here, the temperature is just above freezing. I bet they are cold up there.
We pull into Park City Historic Center at 9 a.m. Now to look for breakfast.
Well that was disappointing. There are a lot of shops on Main Street but only one that served anything resembling breakfast. There were a lot of art galleries and collectible shops and some small boutique clothes shops plus lots of restaurants and bars but none of those were open. We had breakfast at The Main Street Deli but it was nothing to write home about and certainly not worth an entry in my breakfast blog. The only thing worth mentioning was the fact that my oatmeal was served in a polystyrene cup!
Behind the town the ski runs can be seen on the side of the mountain. At the moment there is just a light dusting of snow on the runs. Park City was one of the venues for the 2002 Winter Olympics.
We drove to Salt Lake City, which was just 30 miles away. This is the state capital of Utah and also home of the Mormon Church. We parked in Temple Square and visited the temple.
It covers 35 acres and there are many buildings on it. The main building is the temple itself. There is also the Tabernacle, two large visitors centers, a church, a huge conference center plus several other buildings. Everywhere you are greeted by young women, modestly dressed with long skirts and flat shoes and carrying the Book of Mormon. They are all called “sister” and are Mormon missionaries.
Every 15 minutes there is a guided tour of the site so we joined one of them. Our hosts were two very earnest young women who explained not only about the building of the temple and the tabernacle but also informed us of their beliefs. The last stop was the Northern Visitors Center, where we sat in front of a huge statue of Jesus Christ. At the end, our two guides sang the verse of a hymn and handed out cards which they wanted us to fill out.
Well, it was quite an experience but it did not persuade me to become a Mormon.
From the temple, we walked to the Gateway shopping mall. One of the entrances is through the old Union Pacific railway station. We couldn’t stay long as the car was parked at a parking meter.
From the city we drove north to Ogden. Tom used t0 live here in the 1970’s and he saw a lot of changes. There used to be countryside between Salt Lake City and Ogden but not any more. Also you used to be able to see the Great Salt Lake from the highway but I saw no sign of it. We found one of his old homes. The neighborhood had not changed much except the trees have grown.
We checked into the Best Western in Ogden. I am getting a little tired of living out of a suitcase.
October 05 2007 | Further Afield | No Comments »
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fact, we had no access to a phone either so we were more or less cut off from civilization as we know it. It was kind of nice.
We managed to get a lot done in the week we were away. On the Monday we drove to Taunton to visit my mother, brothers and sister (plus their spouses/partners) and stayed overnight. Wednesday we drove to France with my son Rob. How can you drive to France, I hear you say. Well you drive to Folkstone in Kent and then drive the car onto the train, which then transports you through the Eurotunnel to Calais. On Thursday we visited the Weald and Downland Open Air Museum in West Sussex which was amazing and on the Friday we drove to Guildford to have an evening pub get together with our friends. Early Saturday we were on our way home.
