tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38353101650193642752024-03-13T19:52:10.611+00:00 HOME AND HIGHWAYSEllieHomeandHighwayshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16445878921597919736noreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3835310165019364275.post-65257406778801172502016-05-24T15:27:00.004+01:002016-05-24T17:08:21.579+01:00Road Trip Diary: The Desert <div style="text-align: justify;">
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<b>Day 65</b><br />
<b><b>Big Bear Lake to Desert Hot Springs</b></b><br />
<b><b>Tuesday 7th July 2015</b></b><br />
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Following on from our awesome lunch in the kitsch Peggy Sue Diner's, the two-hour drive through the desolate desert brought us to Desert Hot Springs. We were staying in a <a href="https://www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/2419024">mid-century condo</a> in a little complex with a pool overlooking the mountains. This was one of the first AirBnb's we had booked when we were planning our trip after I fell in love with it online and decided it was too cheap to pass up- only around £130 for all 4 nights! It was a beautiful studio apartment, decorated with amazing vintage furniture and cool decorative touches that ticked all our boxes.</div>
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Desert Hot Springs would probably be described as Palm Springs slightly sleazier, down-at-heel neighbour. It's a little more gritty and not as pretty but we were looking for a well-priced base for our time here and this was perfect. It has all the amenities you need and is only a short drive to everything you would want to see in the area. </div>
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<b><b>Day 66 </b></b><br />
<b><b>Desert Hot Springs </b></b><br />
<b><b>Wednesday 8th July 2015 </b></b><br />
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Today was our chill out day, we wanted to lounge by the pool and soak up the sun, drink beer, eat ice cream and generally do and see nothing! We drove to the supermarket to pick up some supplies where I discovered <a href="https://eatcoolhaus.com/">Coolhaus</a> Sammies - ice cream cookie sandwiches - and we stocked up on Big Wave hawaiian beer for the evening ahead.</div>
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<b>Day 67</b><br />
<b><b>Desert Hot Springs</b></b><br />
<b><b>Thursday 9th July 2015</b></b><br />
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After a very lazy Wednesday, we wanted to cram a lot in to this day so we left the house at 7am to drive to Joshua Tree, first to the national park and then to Yucca Valley.</div>
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The Joshua Tree National Park is a truly beautiful and serene place. We seemed to be the first people there so drove in alone and parked up in the already scorching heat to wander around and explore. I could have stayed there for hours, looking at the strange rock formations and the even stranger insect life that lives in such an environment. We stopped at the visitor centre and the Joshua Tree market shop on the way out whilst noticing more quirky details that seem to inhabit the desert - the rainbow bus for example!</div>
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Yucca Valley and, more specifically, the stretch of the 29 Palms Highway that rolls through Yucca Valley is home to an amazing group of artisans and retailers that make up an incredible local community. I'd heard about a lot about it through Instagram and made sure it was on our 'must do' list. We stopped for food at the Ma Rouge Coffee House, which sadly I've just learnt had to shut a couple of months ago due to a greedy landlord. It's a massive shame because we enjoyed the food and iced teas we had there and it was the perfect little pitstop in a sprawling desert strip.</div>
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I had two shops on my list to visit- first up <a href="https://www.facebook.com/HoofAndTheHorn/">Hoof and the Horn</a>, a beautifully curated clothing and lifestyle shop with an impeccable eye for amazing design. Secondly, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/thiswaytotheEND/">The End,</a> an insanely gorgeous vintage shop with huge brightly coloured murals adorning the outside walls and rails and rails of the loveliest vintage treasures and locally designed fashion, accessories and jewellery. I ended up (no pun intended!) spending a small fortune in the latter!</div>
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We headed back to the apartment to freshen up and have a little rest as we were headed to Pappy and Harriets that evening for dinner. The one thing we did notice in the desert is that it really is impossible to get anywhere without a car. Not just an inconvenience or difficult, impossible. Pappy and Harriets is a saloon based in Pioneertown, about half an hours drives from Desert Hot Springs and basically in the middle of nowhere. It's an old movie town, created for the backdrop in a bunch of westerns and comprises a 'high street' of wooden shops, houses and a ranch at one end and at the other sits Pappy and Harriets, a saloon which bizarrely has a reputation for hosting some of the best intimate music gigs on the West Coast- Arctic Monkeys, Queens of the Stone Age etc have played here in recent times. Due the car issue, Ed had to drive so couldn't have a drink and there wasn't a decent gig on whilst we were there so we grabbed an early dinner, played some pool and soaked up the quiet atmosphere in a place that obviously knows how to party.</div>
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<b>Day 68</b><br />
<b>Desert Hot Springs</b><br />
<b>Friday 10th July 2015</b><br />
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We headed out early again and drove through the desert, past the plains full of wind turbines and into the refreshing mirage that is Palm Springs, home to the rich and famous and many, many beautiful houses. We drove around for a while when we first arrived, gawping at all the amazing properties but then I spotted a sign for a thrift store and we spent the next couple of hours hopping from shop to shop, where I bought some incredible vintage clothes for a few dollars. <br />
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We stopped for lunch and juice, had a walk around the busy strip at the centre of Palm Springs and stood in awe as the biggest Motorcycle crew I'd ever seen rode past. I started filming it (below) but it just went on and on, much longer than my video shows, it was like being an extra in an episode of Sons of Anarchy.<br />
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The last stop on our desert list was dinosaurs, very big dinosaurs, in the middle of nowhere. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cabazon_Dinosaurs">The Cabazon Dinosaurs</a> to be exact, a brilliantly odd roadside attraction originally built to promote the now-closed diner next door. You can climb them, take photos in them, visit the shop inside one's belly, what more could you want? There's a separate museum and gift shop which we wondered round for a small entrance fee, but really it's just the huge model monsters you should bother with.<br />
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The desert was both mine and Ed's favourite place of the whole trip, the quietness of it, the strangeness, the way the community thrives somewhere that is seemingly impossible. We were sad to leave but happy knowing we would definitely be back someday, back to the dust and heat of the desert.<br />
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EllieHomeandHighwayshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16445878921597919736noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3835310165019364275.post-78070631542076092132016-05-04T21:44:00.002+01:002016-05-12T13:21:34.971+01:00Road Trip Diary: Big Bear Lake and Calico<div style="text-align: justify;">
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Today marks one year since we jetted off to America for three months and can you believe we still haven't written all of our blog posts about it?! Efficient we are not. </div>
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We're coming to my favourite part now though, the desert and our first stop on the way there: Big Bear.</div>
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<b>Day 64</b></div>
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<b><b>Santa Barbara to Big Bear Lake</b></b><br />
<b><b>Monday 6th July 2015</b></b><br />
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Moving inland from the Californian coast over the San Bernardino Mountains felt like a new stage of our journey. Looking back now, after having nine months to contemplate, it definitely felt like we were moving into the last part of the trip, the beginning of the end and a return back to routine and normality.</div>
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It sounds melancholy but as our trip headed from the sea to the mountains in the south east of California and skirted the eastern fringes of Los Angeles, it slowly dawned on us that we only had 16 days left.</div>
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We climbed the 2,000 metres above sea level up the winding Highway 18, aptly named the Rim of the World Highway. Throughout the journey we received emergency alerts on our phones from the local authorities warning us of flash floods but apart from a few puddles we didn’t encounter anything. Big Bear and its corresponding lake are big players during the winter season when it becomes the ski destination for Southern California. During the summer though, it was quiet and had the air of an out of season holiday village. We parked up at our motel, a sort of ski chalet with motel rooms called <a href="http://www.honeybearlodge.com/">Honey Bear Lodge</a>, and walked down the street into the centre of town. </div>
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We ate ice cream by the lake and took in the view and the sunshine and decided to drive to the local Ralphs for a couple of microwave meals for dinner. Not all travel is glamorous, especially when you're on a budget!</div>
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<b><b>Day 65</b></b><br />
<b><b>Big Bear Lake to Desert Hot Springs</b></b><br />
<b><b>Tuesday 7th July 2015</b></b><br />
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We left Big Bear early as we knew it was going to be a scorcher, somewhere in the 90's Fahrenheit wise and we wanted to visit Calico, a tourist trap mining 'Ghost Town, just outside Barstow on Interstate 15. For $8/adult, you'll gain entry to a once-prosperous town that was abandoned after the silver they were mining lost its value. It was bought up in the 1950's by theme-park mogul Water Knott (him of Knott's Berry Farm fame) and restored to some of it's former glory.</div>
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It feels quite authentic, even though some of the signage is a little bit too theme park-esque and the attention to detail in some of the buildings- the dresses hanging in one of the stores look like Edwardian originals- is impressive. All in all, definitely worth the entry fee but be warned: if it's a hot day, the climb up to the top of the hill is a killer!</div>
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For lunch we headed to the famous pastel Peggy Sue's diner, a few minutes away from Calico on the aptly named Ghost Town Road. Firstly, look at it. It's bloody amazing and just as kitsch and weird inside as it is on the outside. It's typical diner food but decent prices, portions, the epic surroundings, dinosaur park and revolving cake cabinet make it a memorable stop if you love any of those things!<br />
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We headed off to find our next stop and that's where we'll pick up from in our next post...<br />
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EllieHomeandHighwayshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16445878921597919736noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3835310165019364275.post-34758803396724979142016-03-16T21:27:00.004+00:002016-05-02T14:26:47.109+01:00Road Trip Diary: Stars and Stripes and Santa Barbara<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #444444;"><b>Day 61</b></span></span></div>
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<b>San Luis Obispo to Santa Barbara</b></div>
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<b>Friday 3rd July 2015</b></div>
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On our way out of SLO we stopped at <a href="http://rubyrose805.com/">Ruby Rose</a>, a beautiful vintage shop full of carefully handpicked goodies and <a href="http://www.antiquecenterslo.com/">The Antique Center</a>, a large vintage mall (basically lots of different sellers in one place) both on the main road, Monterey Street. Both are definitely worth a stop if you’re of the thrifty persuasion- I bought the black cheesecloth dress I’m wearing in the photo below for $20 and I hardly took it off for the rest of the holiday.</div>
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We drove along the coast to Pismo Beach but it was heaving and we couldn’t spot any where to park so we made the decision to drive on to Santa Barbara and enjoy our early arrival there by getting drunk on happy hour wine- hoorah!</div>
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Santa Barbara is a much more pedestrian friendly town than others we had visited on this trip so we made the most of it and walked everywhere whilst we were there. Our <a href="https://www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/1763596">Airbnb</a>, perched on the top of a hill overlooking the pretty suburbs and the ocean in the distance, was a retro caravan in the garden of the owner’s main house. It was an excellent location and we were only a short walk down the hill to State Street, a wide main high street designed in the Spanish Colonial revival style that SB is so famous for.</div>
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It’s modern though and very laid back, there’s a Forever 21, a J Crew, an Apple store and various other chains, restaurants and bars scattered all the way along the main stretch until it reaches the promenade and the beach.</div>
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As I’ve already mentioned, our excellent but accidental timing meant it was happy hour and boy, do they go hard for happy hour over here. We took full advantage at a little Italian bar on State Street, watching people finishing work for the long holiday weekend and lapping up the cheap wine.</div>
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We had no idea where to go for food so had a quick search online for the best places to eat, a quick scan at some Tripadvisor reviews and found an amazing Mexican restaurant- <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g33045-d468910-Reviews-Los_Arroyos_Mexican_Restaurant-Santa_Barbara_California.html">Los Arroyos</a>- down a quiet side street. Apparently it’s where the locals choose and for 6pm on a Friday that was evident. It was busy but we found a couple of vacant stools by the door. It was our first proper Mexican food of the trip and it was SO good. We ate steak burritos, chicken quesadillas and drank Pacifico until we were stuffed.</div>
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<b>Day 62</b></div>
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<b>Santa Barbara</b></div>
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<b>Saturday 4th July 2015</b></div>
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I truly had no idea what to expect from Independence Day. It’s such a major holiday for Americans that I was worried it would all be slightly baffling to a pair of Brits, but it was truly one of the best days of the trip. We’d looked up what was going on locally beforehand so we knew about a main parade, a huge beach party and a fair, so decided to spend the day wandering around, taking in as much as we could.</div>
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Firstly, the parade. People had essentially camped out for it- blankets and chairs and tables were all laid out on the sidewalk hours and hours before it was due to start and people just waited. It’s obviously a big deal for a lot of people which made it feel quite special. We somehow found a spot to sit on the kerb and watched the whole thing like genuine citizens, float after float of charitable groups with banners, historical re-enactment troupes with guns, all sorts of classic cars and the most amount of stars and stripes I have ever seen. The enthusiasm was infectious; this wasn’t some sort of damp UK affair where everyone looks a bit embarrassed to be there. People were cheering and smiling and their cheer didn’t waiver until the last musket blank rung out and people moved away to their next holiday party.</div>
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I definitely underestimated how busy it would be- we were starving after the parade and couldn’t find anywhere with a short enough queue so ended up with a crappy Starbucks Panini and a serious crowd headache. We walked down to the beach where the crowds dispersed out slightly and spent some time at the skate park, watching little kids trying not to be wiped out by bigger kids and then some time on the sand, listening to local bands play and sitting in the sun amongst big family groups barbecuing and playing games.</div>
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I’d seen an advert for a free concert in the grounds of a historical house on the way back to our Airbnb so we stopped off, sat under some huge palm trees and listened to a classical recital and ate some food from a local. We stopped off for booze on the walk home, deciding that trying to find somewhere to go for drinks that night might be too much of a challenge, plus we already had the perfect hilltop firework watching spot. We watched the sun go down and the sky light up again as hundreds of fireworks went off across the city.</div>
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<b>Day 63</b></div>
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<b>Santa Barbara</b></div>
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<b>Sunday 5th July 2015</b></div>
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Everyone and their Mother was out for brunch, likely all nursing hangovers from the revelry the night before, so we queued with the best of them at <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g33045-d525484-Reviews-Tupelo_Junction_Cafe-Santa_Barbara_California.html.">Tupelo Junction</a> and ate our weight in avocado and eggs. Well I did, Ed had a morning burger which was very odd, but needs must and all that.The rest of the day was spent shopping and relaxing and nothing much of note. In summary, I loved Santa Barbara. I can't tell if it was partly due to the holiday atmosphere, seeing everyone enjoying themselves and taking part in the celebrations complimented our time there but it's such a chilled city, with everything you could need within easy (walkable!) reach. Go, eat Mexican food, watch the skaters and soak up the sun.</div>
</span>EllieHomeandHighwayshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16445878921597919736noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3835310165019364275.post-13577177101001755462016-01-13T19:21:00.002+00:002016-01-13T19:55:57.304+00:00Road Trip Diary: Madonna Inn, San Luis Obispo<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/23084175512/in/dateposted-public/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;" title="IMG_5113"><img alt="IMG_5113" height="683" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5657/23084175512_29cb7dfeff_b.jpg" width="1024" /></a><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12.1px; line-height: 24.2px; text-align: justify;">Day 59 & 60</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12.1px; line-height: 24.2px; text-align: justify;">Carmel Valley to San Luis Obispo</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12.1px; line-height: 24.2px; text-align: justify;">Wednesday 1st & Thursday 2nd July 2015</span><br />
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The Madonna Inn is a pink palace of perfection. That is, if like me, your idea of perfection is a hotel with individually designed rooms and hyper-kitsch interiors in multiple shades of salmon, carmine and coral.<br />
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A bit of history before you start thinking this is some new hipster venture in the vein of the Ace chain: the original Inn, complete with the famous white faux Swiss cladding, was opened in 1958 by local entrepreneurs Alex and Phyllis Madonna with money from their construction and cattle businesses. Initially built with 12 rooms, by 1960 the hotel had 40 and today they have 110, each with its own name and style. The rock-effect Caveman is one of their most popular room requests- think underground Bond villain lair chic. Located on a strip of arid hillside in San Luis Obispo, the Madonna Inn is a west coast treasure and a tourist trap but it's also a conveniently located stop on a Pacific Coast drive.<br />
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Without hesitation, I would say that this was the stay I was most excited about. Ed didn't feel quite the same because it’s an expensive stay for a road trip on a tight budget- the cheapest room is $199/night. Not extortionate but more than we had factored in for most nights. I had a minor tantrum at the thought of not staying there, especially after driving past it on our 2011 trip and Googling <a href="http://www.madonnainn.com/features.php" target="_blank">photos of the rooms</a> obsessively ever since, so Ed kindly relented and we initially booked one night and then increased it to two when we realised we had saved money on a few other motels later down the line.<br />
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On arrival we were allocated Floral Fantasy, possibly the pinkest, tackiest room of the whole bunch. I was ecstatic. Again, Ed not so pleased but he got over it. Everything in the room was monogrammed with their logo and the miniature toiletries, soaps and various other freebies were all hastily shoved in my suitcase.<br />
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There are a few things you might need to get over to fully enjoy the Madonna Inn. Firstly, it's a weird place. On the first night whilst we sat in the bar, a class of locals attended a sombre tea dance next to us and it felt very much like we had ended up in an episode of Twin Peaks or The Twilight Zone, either of which we would have been very happy with.<br />
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Secondly, it's expensive. We only ate in the much-photographed Gold Rush restaurant on one of our nights because a steak cost nearly $50. To be fair to them, for that price you do get a whole host of sides so I'd advise skipping appetisers/starters unless you're famished. It was good, solid, tasty food and you're paying for the setting as much as you're paying for dinner. For dessert, we ordered a couple of slices of their famous cakes and I could have happily grazed my way through a whole pink champagne signature bake. I mean, <a href="http://www.bakesmart.net/bsol/madonnainn/order.php?CatalogID=5ABB7DCC-2171-AB4E-ABF2-194AB8573863&ProductID=5EC4E0C9-08D1-49CB-877D-650B594D4F10" target="_blank">look at it!</a> As penance for our blow out, the next night we ate at a terrible IHOP on a nearby strip mall and I cried into my syrupy pancakes for more glorious champagne cake.<br />
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Thirdly, its a wonderful place and it's ageing well, but it's a bit shabby around the edges. Nothing awful - our room was spotlessly clean - but it's not a modern build so a few areas look like they could do with a lick of paint. If you can get past these points and you will love it.<br />
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We spent our next day lounging by the beautiful pool, drinking coconut slushies from the pool bar and napping. If you're not lazy like us you can play tennis, go horse-riding (something I truly regret not doing), take a hike in the hills and/or partake in their onsite wine tasting.<br />
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I could have stayed there a week but Ed was itching to get to Santa Barbara so we spent our last evening in the bar nestled on pink cushioned stools on the pink floral carpet whilst we drank pink strawberry cocktails and then retired to our pink bed in our very pink bedroom. Perfection indeed.<br />
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EllieHomeandHighwayshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16445878921597919736noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3835310165019364275.post-79693776895009412202015-10-13T18:00:00.000+01:002015-10-13T19:57:12.165+01:00Road Trip Diary: Charming CarmelDay 55<br />
San Francisco to Carmel<br />
Saturday 27th June 2015<br />
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After 3 days of San Fran life, we couldn't wait for some peaceful time away from the hustle and bustle of the city and it's streets.<br />
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We only spent one night in Carmel on our last visit so this time we booked two nights in Carmel-by-the-Sea and two nights in Carmel Valley, a 25 minute drive from the coast. We decided to split our time because Carmel (the coast one) is beautiful but quite small. Spending 4 nights there would be a bit much so we decided to go inland.<br />
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Carmel-by-the-Sea is a funny place, full of vacationing rich Americans meandering around quaint fairytale cottages, shops filled with designer junk and a hundred galleries flogging very average-looking art. The only thing that most people know about Carmel is that Clint Eastwood was the Mayor for a while and this odd little fact still draws a lot of people to the town. He's the ex-owner of the <a href="http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g32172-d360675-Reviews-Hog_s_Breath_Inn-Carmel_Monterey_Peninsula_California.html">Hog's Breath Inn</a>, a pub & restaurant decked out in wooden mock-tudor style decor. It feels a bit down-at-heel considering it's posh neighbours, but serves decent drinks and has a great outdoor terrace.<br />
Carmel is chilled but touristy, fellow Americans love the chocolate box cottages and scenery and it has some great bars and restaurants.<br />
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Before our dinner that evening we visited the <a href="http://www.cypress-inn.com/">Cypress Inn</a>, a beautiful hotel and bar co-owned by none other than the inimitable Doris Day. We drank a couple of expensive cocktails in their garden and lazed in the sun for half an hour before heading off for food.<br />
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I will tell you now, if you EVER visit Carmel (either Valley or By-The-Sea) the best place for dinner is <a href="http://dametracafe.com/">Dametra Cafe </a>and <a href="http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurants-g32172-Carmel_Monterey_Peninsula_California.html">Tripadvisor and it's thousands of reviews agree</a> with me. The food is Greek, the music is live and loud and interactive and the ambience is warm, hugely friendly and just thinking about the whole thing almost brings a tear to my eye. We experienced it four years ago without making a reservation, where we just managed to get a table. Four years later and the place is a lot more popular so I was so relieved to have made a reservation a few days before. If you're going to go, my only advice would be to book as soon as you can and order the moussaka, you will not regret it and you will cry thinking about it a few months later.<br />
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Day 56<br />
Carmel<br />
Sunday 28th June 2015<br />
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Too much red wine and one of the most beautiful spots in coastal California? Oops.<br />
We drove over to Point Lobos feeling a bit delicate but the fresh air and the views soon perked us up.<br />
The car park area was full as we got there a little after midday so we parked along the road with loads of other people and walked treacherously past the traffic to the entrance- at least we saved the $10 parking fee! <i><b>Top tip: get there early! </b></i><br />
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Point Lobos is essentially a rocky outcrop, surrounded by a forest and even though it was quite overcast when we visited, it was stunning. The colours and patterns in the rock, the hundreds of seals and otters we spotted and the views from the cliffs were all pure magic and very soothing for a couple of hungover idiots.<br />
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We headed back after a picnic lunch in the forest and grabbed some ludicrously good salted caramel ice cream from the <a href="http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g32172-d2659266-Reviews-Carmel_Bakery-Carmel_Monterey_Peninsula_California.html">Carmel Bakery</a> - with scoops so big we had to ask for bowls and spoons - and watched the sun set over the fairytale rooftops from our balcony.<br />
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Day 57<br />
Carmel<br />
Monday 29th June 2015<br />
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Monterey Bay Aquarium is not cheap but it is worth it. Sadly, because it's so popular, discount codes (like I mentioned in <a href="http://www.homeandhighways.com/2015/09/top-dollar-10-money-saving-tips-for-usa.html">my last post</a>) are hard to find so we paid full price but not once whilst we were there did I regret the $40 we each spent on tickets.<br />
It's huge so make you sure allocate at least half a day to it, if not a whole day so you have time to wander the shops and the wharf.<br />
We spent most of our time lurking around the sea otter tank because sea otters are my spirit animal. I'd be perfectly content lying on my back in the sea, whacking shellfish against a rock all day and holding hands with my fellow furry friends to make sure we didn't float too far from each other. They are incredibly beautiful creatures, elegant, dexterous and very playful. We'd seen them as tiny specks of fur out at sea along our coastal drives but seeing them up close was fantastic. Ed managed to sneak off and buy my birthday card from the gift shop and at the end of August, after being home for just over a month, he surprised me with a 'There are plenty of fish in the sea, but I <i>otter</i> be with you' card which made my heart melt and ache to be back there.<br />
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After some lunch at a forgettable tourist restaurant in the wharf, we left Monterey and the Aquarium to head inland to Carmel Valley and to a hotel I'd been really looking forward to, the retro <a href="http://blueskylodge.com/">Blue Sky Lodge</a>. As we pulled up I spotted that the pool was empty and being repaired and the whole place looked a lot more tired than in their photos - pretty disappointing. The check-in staff didn't seem to care much so we asked for our money back and hopped back in the car and onto Expedia to see if there was anything else available in the area. It was late in the afternoon, it was over thirty degrees and we just wanted a bed to crash onto and a pool to cool off in. Luckily, we spotted the <a href="http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_Review-g32173-d80876-Reviews-Country_Garden_Inns-Carmel_Valley_California.html">Country Garden Inn</a> just down the road and pulled off to see if they had any vacancies. I'm not sure if it was our charming British accents or the wad of dollars in my hand but the proprietress gave us a big suite with a discount which ended up being cheaper than the previous motel. Big win.<br />
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For dinner, we drove to the local Safeway and bought fresh baguettes, tomatoes, cheese, pickles, chocolate and wine and sat outside our room in the warm evening sun playing cards and drinking until the moon and the bats came out to play.<br />
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Day 58<br />
Carmel<br />
Tuesday 30th June 2015<br />
We rose early to take advantage of the buffet breakfast and realised that we had the pool all to ourselves so made the most of it by spending the majority of the day lounging next to it. Carmel Valley is a beautiful place, full of wineries and rolling, parched hills. It's quiet and has a subdued community feel but decent restaurants are only a short walk away so it almost feels like one big resort.<br />
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We peeled ourselves from our sun-loungers just long enough to find some lunch and explore the main shopping area where, somehow, I managed to find a hidden thrift store with vintage treasures and we grabbed lunch at a grocery shop where the checkout guy though we were French, much to our amusement. Americans are funny.<br />
After all that excitement we headed back to the sanctuary of the pool where we napped and read and ate for the next few hours. A holiday within a holiday.<br />
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The Inn offered free wine and evening snacks every night so we wandered up to reception and had a chat with the hotel owners about where to eat that evening, drank a couple of glasses of free local wine and browsed the menus for some restaurants- such a good idea to promote nearby businesses.<br />
After recommendations from both the owners and another vacationing couple, we decided on <a href="http://www.caferusticavillage.com/">Café Rustica</a>. It was brilliant - not too expensive and with a huge open kitchen and traditional stone pizza oven that churned out fresh pizzas at a rate of knots. It was packed so we were lucky to get a table and it just showed how popular it was with the local community to be that busy on a Tuesday evening! We walked back along Highway 1 feeling full to the brim, a little tipsy and excited for our drive to San Luis Obispo and the legendary pink and resplendent Madonna Inn.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="false" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/20554606919/in/dateposted-public/" title="IMG_5017"><img alt="IMG_5017" height="534" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/628/20554606919_35422800cf_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>EllieHomeandHighwayshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16445878921597919736noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3835310165019364275.post-31293634940625325602015-09-02T18:43:00.000+01:002015-10-13T18:56:42.843+01:00Top Dollar: 10 money saving tips for a USA Roadtrip<a data-flickr-embed="false" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/21099010391/in/dateposted-public/" title="imageMS1"><img alt="imageMS1" height="667" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5699/21099010391_15b86f3d84_b.jpg" width="1000" /></a><br />
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I'm not ashamed to admit it that I like saving money. Prior to our road trip and privately to myself, I decided I would be content with spending up to $500 over our budget. Taking into consideration the length of our trip and that the budget might be needed to cover any number of eventualities, I thought this was reasonable but I still loathed the thought of over spending. After getting home and doing the math, I was a very happy bunny to learn that we actually managed to come under budget by nearly $700 (around £450) so wanted to share some of the ways we managed to do it.<br />
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Our daily joint budget was $80 per day including all food and drink, but not gas or lodgings. That's around £26 per person for three meals and all activities each day - sounds pretty tight for a holiday doesn't it? We definitely didn't see this as a budget trip and we wanted to have some great experiences, luxe meals and boozy nights so this was a tall order but with a bit of help from the internet and a little ingenuity we gained some excellent tips for saving money whilst travelling the States. </div>
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<b>1) Store Card stock up</b></div>
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For lunches, we usually bought food from the big supermarkets you find littered along the roads- Safeway (known as Vons in California), Ralphs, Trader Joes, Rays Food Place etc. A few days into the trip, I was getting a bit frustrated at all the signs for 20% on lunch and deli food and selected toiletries for loyalty/store card holders so I sheepishly asked one of the cashiers if we would be eligible as non-US residents. She cheerily handed me one, explaining I didn't need to send off the application form and, instead, just swipe the card at the checkout. This seemed to be the same story in each shop we requested one. They aren't quite the same as the schemes in the UK - most of them will give you up front discounts instead of points - but this is so much better for travellers who won't be around to long enough to clock up a worthwhile amount of points.</div>
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Also, for the days we were staying in self-catering Airbnbs and apartments, we stocked up on wine and beer from these stores as the savings were pretty huge - around 30% off bottles of spirits and a few dollars off six packs of beer.</div>
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<b>2) Stay loyal</b></div>
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As soon as you start planning your trip, sign up for all of the newsletters and loyalty schemes you can find for the big hotel and motel chains - Motel 6, Holiday Inn, Days Inn, Knights Inn, Best Western, Doubletree Hilton, Marriott, Comfort Inn etc. You'll hear about discounts and special offers for free nights in time to see if they'll suit your dates of travel. </div>
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<b>3) Cash back, cash out</b></div>
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We found <a href="http://www.expedia.co.uk/">Expedia</a> to consistently have the best rates and discount codes but also the best cash back rate with <a href="http://www.quidco.com/user/113080/2083517/">Quidco</a>. We secured 12% cash back (the % varies from week to week) on nearly all of our hotel bookings. I received my first £60 payment a few days ago (with another £20 still to come) so it can take up to 8-12 weeks to come through but after a holiday is always when you need an extra bit of cash. <a href="http://www.quidco.com/user/113080/2083517/">Quidco</a> is one of my all time favourite money-saving websites and I use it as my homepage for online shopping. I've clocked up nearly £200 in cash back in the last year alone! With Expedia you're also able to claim Nectar points on all bookings, so I also managed to rack up around £40 worth of points alongside the cash back!</div>
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<b>4) Be creative with 'breakfast'</b></div>
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This might be a controversial one and is somewhat frowned upon but I thought I'd throw it out there anyway. Buffet breakfasts in decent hotels are plentiful so make the most of them. I'm not saying fill your boots with cereal and mini pots of jam, but pre-packaged bagels, muffins and fruit make for a great on-the-road lunch when there aren't many other (attractive) options. If you don't feel comfortable taking anything, just eat as much as you can to keep you going until dinner time!<br />
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<b>5) Have Uber fun</b><br />
In the bigger cities when most money saving opportunities are fewer and further between, saving money on nights out is actually easier. Sign up for Uber (the taxi service) whilst you're out there and if you're using another mobile number (see my next point) you can sign up twice (or once more if you're already signed up in the UK). Doing this means you can effectively refer yourself and everyone else you're travelling with to exploit the referral bonuses plus the free first rides you'll get if you're a new user. The free first rides in the US are also of a higher value, for us it was up to $20. If you sign up using my promo code <b>fviuy </b>you'll get £10 credit (FYI, so will I!) and then you'll be able to start earning referral credit too. For nights out we found this invaluable and didn't end up spending any money on taxis as we managed to keep all the rides within the credit we'd earned.<br />
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<b>6) Three to talk</b><br />
This was my favourite discovery, all thanks to a tip-off from my brother who used it whilst in Berlin. If you're planning on visiting for longer than a couple of weeks, we found the best deal on mobile minutes and internet was from Three. <a href="https://www.three.co.uk/Support/Free_SIM/Order">Request a free SIM</a> from their website, activate it and top it up with £20. With this you buy a £20 All-in-One bundle which will give you 300 minutes, 3000 texts and all-you-can-eat data which will last for 30 days. You can then use this existing data abroad thanks to their Feel at Home policy. Sadly they have put the price up slightly as it was £15 when we used it but considering some of the other networks charge £5 per day to use your existing data abroad, it's a bargain. You will need to have an unlocked phone however, so this could cost you an extra £10-20 depending on your network.<br />
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<b>7) Extra credit</b><br />
For longer trips, it's worth taking out a specialist credit card. I'm not your financial advisor so don't make any decisions based on my situation, but we signed up for the Halifax Clarity card which we read about on <a href="http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/credit-cards/travel-credit-cards#bestbuys">Money Saving Expert.</a> I won't go in to it too much here but they're obviously only for people who are good at money management as they will need promptly paying off weekly/monthly. The card saved us a lot in transaction and conversion fees but if the credit card isn't for you, the link above has a very handy list of the best other debit/credit cards to use abroad. Just as a side hint, I would highly recommend taking a credit card with you to the USA. Most hotels and motels will ask you for one on check in for incidentals and to secure the room against. Some will now take debit cards, but they will 'ring-fence' an amount of money just in case which can take up to 10 working days to be released- not ideal if your card is your only source of money!<br />
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<b>8) America The Cheap</b><br />
If you're planning on visiting a fair few National Parks, do a bit of research and find out how much each one is. If the total comes to over $80 or if you plan on visiting the same one more than once, you're probably better off buying an <a href="http://store.usgs.gov/pass/index.html">America The Beautiful pass</a>. They're available at the entrance of most of the NP's and they allow you entrance into all of them for one year. It doesn't cover Navajo Nation or other Native American governed reservations like Monument Valley as they are looked after and managed separately. The usual cost for each National Park daily entrance fee is $20-25 so you could save if you're visiting any more than 4 or 5.<br />
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<b>9) Buddy up</b><br />
Ed's favourite website whilst we were in the US was <a href="http://www.gasbuddy.com/">Gas Buddy</a>. Type in a city or zip code and it will find you the cheapest gas price in the area. Not that we actually needed to save money on petrol. We budgeted £1000 for gas but realised soon in to the trip that this was a vast overestimate because, compared to us unlucky Brits, gas prices in the US are almost half what they are here. We clocked up nearly 7,000 miles and in total spent just $535 (£350) on gas. Madness.<br />
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<b>10) Use your head</b><br />
Just because you're on holiday doesn't mean you can't do what you normally do. Before I book tickets for any attractions or events, I always search for discount codes or offers online that might make them a bit cheaper. San Diego Zoo is an expensive day out at $48 a ticket, but I knew it would be worth it and that we didn't want to miss out. After a couple of minutes looking online, I found a 10% code <a href="http://www.retailmenot.com/view/sandiegozoo.org">here </a>(still valid!). Also, sign up for Groupon and Living Social whilst you're out there or change your location if you're already signed up. When you get to a city or area, have a look to see if there any are deals nearby which could come in handy. We found drinks offers for nights out and some great local dinner deals.<br />
<br />
And that's it! Ten of our top tips for saving money on your next USA road trip. If you have any others to add, feel free to share them in the comments below.<br />
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<br /></div>EllieHomeandHighwayshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16445878921597919736noreply@blogger.com69tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3835310165019364275.post-74408963552743955642015-08-21T08:00:00.000+01:002015-10-13T18:59:52.360+01:00Road Trip Diary: San FranciscoDay 52<br />
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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Sacramento to San Francisco<o:p></o:p></div>
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Wednesday 24th June 2015<o:p></o:p></div>
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We were excited to escape the heat of
built-up Sacramento for the cool, misty bay awaiting us but apparently it
didn't want to let us go without a fight. On our way out of the city, I asked
Ed to stop at a local Goodwill and, as if the car sensed Ed's disapproval, a
warning light sprung up on the dashboard. After much grappling with the manual
we discovered it meant some sort of electrical failing and it recommended we to
take it to the nearest dealer. After a quick change at the local Alamo, we were
now onto our fourth (and I’m pleased to say final!) car.<o:p></o:p></div>
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On the approach to San Francisco, we
stopped off at the Golden Gate Bridge, heaving with tourists. We drove up to
recreation area to get some better views and were SO thankful that it was a
totally clear afternoon with not a cloud in the sky. Last time we were here, we
could barely see the tops of the bridge so this was a real treat. It’s an
obvious tip, but to have the best chance of seeing the bridge, aim to arrive in
the afternoon after the fog has had a chance to clear!<o:p></o:p><br />
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The drive across into San Francisco was
fantastic and we made it to the Haight district to find our Airbnb for the next
three nights. After a bit of paranoia about finding a space in a city known for
its notoriously difficult street parking, we somehow found one a couple of
blocks away within the first ten minutes of looking and after the deciphering
the restriction signs, left it there for the next 3 days.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The <a href="https://www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/209514"><b>Airbnb</b></a> was a traditional Queen Anne Victorian home, just a few minutes from the Haight-Ashbury junction. San
Francisco is not a cheap city, but you should know that already. We couldn’t
find a single affordable hotel in the Haight neighbourhood that we were set on
staying within walking distance of. Luckily we spotted a modest but beautiful
room in this huge converted house, complete with bay window and high ceilings,
but it was the location that clinched the deal.<br />
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That evening we went out for some drinks and
food at a couple of hilariously pretentious bars on Haight Street, which I
liked but Ed took an instant dislike to. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="http://www.sparrowbarandkitchen.com/"><b>Sparrow Bar</b></a> was cute but they’d run out of draught beer and the
staff were a bit odd, <b><a href="http://www.alembicbar.com/">The </a><a href="http://www.alembicbar.com/">Alembic</a></b> which made incredible cocktails but was quite
expensive and then <a href="http://www.magnoliapub.com/"><b>Magnolia Pub and Brewery</b></a> for some decent English-style
draught beer and a couple of burgers. After so much cheap booze on this trip,
the prices in San Fran came as a bit of a shock!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Though these places had come highly recommended via the internet,
we much preferred the dive bars that we spent the rest our booze money in for
the next couple of nights - chilled, cheap and cheerful!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Day 53<o:p></o:p></div>
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San Francisco<o:p></o:p></div>
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Thursday 25th June 2015<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="http://gussmarket.com/market-locations/haight-street-market-san-francisco/"><b>The Haight Street Market</b></a> is a local institution which
opened in 1981 and has a great selection of fresh food, full meals and a deli,
plus a great coffee place just inside the doors with fresh croissants. There
are some tables on the street so you can eat your breakfast and people watch
for an hour or so, which is exactly what we did each morning.<o:p></o:p></div>
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We last visited to San Francisco in 2011
and had ticked off many of the sights then including Alcatraz, so even though
it was brilliant we decided to give it a miss this trip. We wanted to have a
casual walk around the city, seeing things we hadn’t seen last time. We grabbed
the bus downtown and decided to head to City Lights, the well-known Beat
Generation bookshop and then walked to down to the bay, past Fishermans Wharf (we
learnt our lesson last time with this place - not that pleasant, too touristy)
and headed to the little beach near Ghiradelli Square for some ice cream. We decided we couldn’t
miss the chance to go on the cable cars again even if we had ridden them a few
years ago, so queued up for an hour or so and when it was our turn to board,
realised we were going to be hanging off the side which was amazing fun.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br />
Back in Union Square we did a bit of shopping and then remembered
one of the bars I had read about would be opening soon. We climbed up to the
Fairmont Hotel within which is hidden the <a href="http://www.tongaroom.com/"><b>Tonga Room and Hurricane Bar</b></a>. It’s
hard to describe this adequately because it was so bloody amazing and one of my
favourite places in San Fran, but it’s basically a Tiki bar with a huge pool in
the middle and where every half hour or so, thunder sounds and ‘rain’ pours
down around the pool. The best thing about it was the happy hour. When we
arrived at 4.59pm there was already a medium sized queue forming, waiting for
the room to open. I had no idea it was so popular until slightly after 6pm when
we were happily seated and I looked out the door to see a huge line of people
still waiting to be seated. They had a brilliant happy hour menu, with large
cocktail bowls for around $15 for two people and an all-you-can-eat Asian buffet
for $10/person. Perfect kitschy fun after a long day on your feet, but be sure
to get there early! Happy hour is from 5pm-7pm.<br />
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Day 54<o:p></o:p></div>
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San Francisco<o:p></o:p></div>
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Friday 26th June 2015<o:p></o:p><br />
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Today was the first day of the whole trip that we both felt pretty
crap. Either the cocktails the night before had been stronger than previously
thought or spending a month and a half on the road was finally taking its toll
on us. I was so lethargic and my motivation was below zero, so only when we
heard the amazing news that the US Supreme Court had legalised same-sex marriage
did we even feel like crawling out of bed. What a place to hear the news! It’s
something I’ll remember for the rest of my life, the whole city seemed to buzz
with happiness.<o:p></o:p></div>
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We walked over to see the Painted Ladies - a famous row of
Victorian-era pastel houses with a view of the whole city behind them but were sad to see one of them was covered in scaffolding. They still looked pretty so we snapped some photos and walked back to Haight Street to spend some time looking in all of the vintage and thrift shops. I actually took a load of my own things to <a href="http://www.buffaloexchange.com/"><b>Buffalo Exchange</b></a> as I was getting a bit fed up with some of the clothes I'd bought out with me and I ended up getting about $40 in exchange credit - another great idea if you're doing a long trip and fancy some new pieces! </div>
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As for recommendations, both <a href="http://www.shopwasteland.com/"><b>Wasteland </b></a>and <b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Held-Over/160121597341953">Held Over</a> </b>were the best we visited with huge selections and pretty cheap prices, <a href="http://www.relicvintagesf.com/"><b>Relic</b></a> was full of beautiful hand-picked, really special items at a higher price point but still affordable.<br />
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Still feeling a bit rubbish we decided to head back for a nap and then popped out later for some food and drinks to take back to the room. I'm still full of regret for spending our last night in San Francisco curled up in bed watching Netflix but what the body craves, the body gets and we wanted to be fully refreshed for our drive to Carmel the following day...</div>
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<br /></div>EllieHomeandHighwayshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16445878921597919736noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3835310165019364275.post-54794390475277236142015-08-19T09:15:00.001+01:002015-08-19T09:26:11.761+01:00After the Adventure: 10 positive actions to ease you back into daily life<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/20705960471/in/dateposted-public/" title="instax4"><img alt="instax4" height="657" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5736/20705960471_3200ae7948_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
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<br />
<br />
In a few days it will be a month since we flew back to the UK, leaving the sunshine and dust and our surreal bubble in America behind us. To say the past few weeks have been a whirlwind would be an understatement. To fill you in, if you aren't familiar with our situation, we bought and exchanged on a house in March 2015, stayed in our London flat until we finished work at the end of April, moved all of our worldly possessions into the new house and then, a week later, jetted off for three months to the west coast of the USA for the biggest trip of our lives.<br />
<br />
Our first week back, the last of our sabbatical, was spent covered in paint and in a state of constant mess. My wonderful family had painted the dining room whilst we were away but there was still an epic amount to do, so we rolled up our sleeves and threw ourselves into the work, jet lag and all. I'll talk about the house in future posts as, of course it is the Home in Home & Highways, but for now we still have six or seven travel blog posts to publish, everything from San Francisco (coming in the next couple of days) to San Diego and the magical desert between.<br />
<br />
The inevitable lows of returning to normal life have hit us hard. We are both (sadly) back at work now, so coming to terms with the daily commute, grey skies and lack of In-N-Out Burger has been a struggle. We decided to put together a list of positive actions for getting back into the swing of post-adventure life for those of you who, like us, just want to hotfoot it on the next flight out of here.<br />
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<b>1) Sharing is caring</b><br />
One of the things we've found most therapeutic since coming home is sharing our stories but, big disclaimer here, nobody likes hearing other peoples endless travel tales and those 'had to be there' anecdotes- it can be pretty dull. However, most of our family and friends followed our journey and asked to see our favourite photos and share our highlights. Reliving your favourite moments will allow the trip to sink in and properly cement itself in your mind if you've been on the road for weeks.<br />
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<b>2) Relax</b><br />
We didn't have baths in a lot of the motels we stayed in and there is NOTHING like coming home to your own creature comforts. If you can, exploit the things you've missed whilst travelling. Take an hour long bath with a good book and music playing with no risk of annoying fellow travellers or hosts and revel in using all the products you couldn't fit in your toiletry bag.<br />
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3) Remedy your routine</b><br />
Yes, the whole point of your trip was to get away from the chores and humdrum of daily life but, hopefully, you've returned from your travels reinvigorated. Taking back control of your routine and assessing what works and what doesn't with fresh eyes will empower you to eliminate some or all of the bad habits you might have fallen into prior to take off.<br />
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<b>4) Do your favourite things.</b><br />
There are always things to be missed on a long holiday. I missed my family, my friends, good strong tea (and a kettle!), fish and chips, a haircut and colour, the British news, Sainsbury's food shops and cuddles with my best friends daughter Molly. Since being back I've made time to enjoy nearly all of these and I appreciate each one so much more since coming home.<br />
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<b>5) Play your soundtrack</b><br />
We've been listening to our road trip playlist a lot since coming home. At first it made me sad as I couldn't stop thinking about being back on the open road but I realised this can only be a good thing. It's helped us to remember silly conversations and funny, weird stories all linked with a particular song that were too 'small' to write down. It's these forgotten moments and the accompanying soundtrack that fill in the gaps on a trip and will stick with you for years.<br />
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<b>6) Treasure your mementos</b><br />
If you're anything like us, you've returned with a bag full of mementos and souvenirs from your time away. Make sure you don't stuff them into a drawer and forget about them- this will only make you feel guilty months down the line when their significance has evaporated. Spread them out on the floor one evening and organise them. Be serious about what you want to keep- do you really think you'll want to frame that ticket stub from a ten minute bus trip you took in Seattle? For the special pieces, frame them, scrapbook them or do like I do and keep them safe in a box to pour over and use at a later date.<br />
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<b>7) Streamline your photos</b><br />
We came back with over 10,000 photos which is not only ridiculous but also unmanageable. Will you ever show anyone that many photos? Will you even bother to look at them yourself if you've got thousands to wade through? The curse (and blessing I suppose) of digital photography is that there isn't a limit to how many we take. Firstly, delete all the blurry, accidental or duplicate shots. Then try and keep only one or two from each set or a couple from each 'event'. If you can't bear to delete any transfer them all to an external hard drive and categorise them by day or week. Have your favourites printed. They'll be much more of a joy to look through later on if they are organised.<br />
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<b>8) Socialise</b><br />
Don't mope around at home. Get back into your social groups, organise meet ups with friends, catch up on everything you've missed and do some of the sharing I mentioned in point 1. We felt a bit isolated when we came home but soon settled as we realised that everyone was the same and nothing had really changed.<br />
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<b>9) Start something</b><br />
Decorating the house kept our minds off the depressing fact that the trip we'd been planning for a year was over. Start a blog, sign up for a class, learn a language. If you just need a new obsession, start a series (or 9) on Netflix or start the first book in a trilogy. You need to love something as much as you loved planning and taking the trip. Or, alternatively...<br />
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<b>10) Move onto the next</b><br />
If all else fails and you just can't get through the day without daydreaming of beaches and desert and blue sky, the only thing guaranteed to make you feel better is to start planning your next trip. If your savings are back to zero, start organising ways to build them back up. Start researching (= spending endless hours on Pinterest) destinations, times of the year and attractions. Now that you've successfully planned and survived one trip, you are the best person to organise your next. Write down everything you loved and hated about the last one so even when you look back with rose-tinted glasses you'll have a list to remind you how much you loathe 6am wake-up calls, night flights etc.<br />
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I hope something on this list helps, whether you've been away for a couple of weeks and feel a bit blue or if it's your first time back on home turf for a year. There is nothing quite like the bump back down to earth you get after an adventure. Here's to the next!<br />
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P.S If you have any more tips for getting back to reality, feel free to share them in the comments below!<br />
<br />EllieHomeandHighwayshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16445878921597919736noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3835310165019364275.post-29723729385846716512015-07-18T04:20:00.001+01:002015-07-22T04:48:33.628+01:00Road Trip Diary: Wine Country > Sacramento<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/19705855356/in/dateposted-public/" title="IMG_4485"><img alt="IMG_4485" height="534" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/285/19705855356_5238bd1322_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
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<br />
Day 46<br />
Miranda to Vallejo<br />
Thursday 18th June 2015<br />
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We entered a black hole of driving. Eight hours on the road with a couple spent on the winding, nausea-inducing California Route 1 north of Fort Bragg which forces you up hills at an excruciatingly slow place and then back down them on tight switchbacks which made me cling to the seat. We've got used to long car journeys now though and our playlists and snacks and regular drive-thru Starbucks trips keep us happy.<br />
<br />
We had a brief reprieve from the car to stop at Glass Beach, it was quite out of our way but it has been on my to-see list for quite some time and it was very much worth the extra hour. Between the early 1900's and the late 1960's local residents, along with many other coastal communities, established a water dump site. It's a little bit hard to imagine people thinking it was ever a wise idea but they eventually realised it might be bad for the environment so they cleared away all the things that would degrade. The glass that had been dumped stayed however and over time it became smooth from the natural tumbling effect of the ocean and washed back up on the shores of the local beaches. Glass Beach is now a very busy tourist attraction and on the day we visited it was full of people, but you can see why. A beach with almost no visible sand, only the glistening white, brown and green pebbles of glass. Every handful was a kaleidoscope of colour. They recommend that you don't collect from this beach as they are worried about the glass diminishing over time but when we were there we saw a lot of people taking a few pieces. Also, get there early if you're planning on visiting, the crowds reach peak at lunchtime.<br />
<br />
When we finally got to Vallejo, at 5pm, we were shattered. We only had the energy for dinner at an Olive Garden (sort of like Pizza Express but not as nice, FYI) and an extortionate drink at the hotel before crashing into bed.<br />
<br />
Day 47<br />
Vallejo<br />
Friday 19th June 2015<br />
<br />
One tip: don't come to Vallejo, we made the mistake so you don't have to. Unless you're into theme parks, because there was a massive Six Flags right next to our hotel and you could literally walk over the road to it. We made the decision to come here because: a) we originally had an Airbnb booked for Sonoma but it was tiny- everything in Wine Country is SO expensive - and it didn't have a pool and b) the temperature was forecast to hit 35C whilst we were there so we wanted a pool. We had a look on Expedia and the <a href="https://www.expedia.com/Fairfield-Hotels-Courtyard-By-Marriott-Vallejo-Napa-Valley.h4028.Hotel-Information">hotel we saw in Vallejo</a> was only a little further out, nearer to Napa, with a gorgeous king size room, cheaper than the Airbnb and with a big pool. We didn't linger on the fact that the local area was a dump.<br />
<br />
It wasn't a big deal and we spent our first day recovering from the driving by just slumping by the pool for most of the day, doing some much-needed laundry and eating dinner at a particularly shady branch of Denny's (<i>top tip: if in doubt, order the veggie burger, this has saved me in many questionable establishments)</i><br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/19111139633/in/dateposted-public/" title="IMG_4493"><img alt="IMG_4493" height="534" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/336/19111139633_3945e26874_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
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<br />
Day 48<br />
Vallejo<br />
Saturday 20th June 2015<br />
<br />
I can't quite get my head around Napa Valley. It's an incredibly beautiful place, all rolling hills and Tuscan-style buildings and along the main road there is just vineyard after vineyard, each one with a grand sounding name - Domaine Chandon, Chappellet, Castello di Amorosa etc etc. It was all a bit too much for us two whatever's-cheapest-in-Tesco tasters, so we googled for one with onsite food and picnic area for convenience and found <a href="https://www.vsattui.com/">V. Sattui</a>.<br />
<br />
It's set out around a big courtyard and gardens and inside a large stone building, I signed on for the six tastings for $15 whilst Ed stood nonchalantly by as the designated driver. That's the main thing I'm confused about - does everyone just drink and drive when they come here for their romantic weekends away? There were so many cars and everyone looked a bit sozzled. Even though it's only a relatively small amount of wine, I was certainly a little bit tipsy when I'd finished and declared their Riesling the best I'd ever tasted (read: the only one I'd ever tasted but man, it was good). We bought two bottles for our travels and $54 later (it isn't cheap this Napa wine) we headed to the busy gardens for some lunch. I'd definitely recommend Sattui, purely for the Deli and the weekend BBQ. The food was excellent and we sat on the lawn and ate our freshly grilled chicken and barbecued pork sandwiches.<br />
<br />
We went back to the hotel and had another couple of hours by the quiet pool and then popped to the gas station across the road to buy dinner. I call it dinner but it was definitely the least nutritious meal we've had so far - instant noodles, Pringles, a shit ton of candy and some soda. We had a bed picnic and watched a film and it was glorious.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/19543881868/in/dateposted-public/" title="IMG_4514"><img alt="IMG_4514" height="548" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/527/19543881868_8e56a2b5a7_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/19110996473/in/dateposted-public/" title="IMG_4524"><img alt="IMG_4524" height="1600" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/370/19110996473_21adf0c28b_h.jpg" width="1067" /></a>
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/19543833568/in/dateposted-public/" title="IMG_4559"><img alt="IMG_4559" height="534" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/260/19543833568_814f38659c_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/19724673722/in/dateposted-public/" title="IMG_4566"><img alt="IMG_4566" height="534" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/270/19724673722_d6341c38fa_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/19736507221/in/dateposted-public/" title="IMG_4572"><img alt="IMG_4572" height="534" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/561/19736507221_d1eaedd9b5_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/19545253069/in/dateposted-public/" title="IMG_4576"><img alt="IMG_4576" height="534" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/285/19545253069_f0c58961f0_c.jpg" width="800" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
Day 49, 50 and 51<br />
Sacramento<br />
Sunday 21st, Monday 22nd and Tuesday 23rd June 2015<br />
<br />
Sacramento is the state capital, with it's glimmering golden landmark bridge, capitol building, old town and sadly, like many big U.S cities, a large homeless population.<br />
We spent the first afternoon wandering downtown, spotting the street art, getting iced teas at <a href="http://templecoffee.com/">Temple Coffee</a> to keep us cool and relaxing at the motel pool when the heat became just too much.<br />
<br />
Monday was much better, we felt refreshed and ready to explore so we headed to Old Sacramento. <a href="http://www.vagabondinn.com/california/vagabond-inn-sacramento.aspx">The motel </a> (not a recommendation by the way - terrible breakfast, even gave it my first ever bad review on Expedia) was in a great location only a five minutes from there. Old town is a neatly preserved historic state park which still operates like a normal part of the city with restaurants, shops and bars, only it's much prettier. We took photos of the shop fronts, the excellent typography on the railroad signs and the cute yellow school house.<br />
We headed back there later on for dinner at <a href="http://www.ten22oldsac.com/">Ten22</a>, a mediocre affair with zero atmosphere, and then for a final few drinks at Back Door Lounge, a proper velvet-lined dive bar hidden away on Firehouse Alley. When we walked in it was almost totally empty and it stayed that way for most of the night. We sat at the bar and ended up chatting to a couple of locals for an hour whilst the bartender kept the cheap margaritas and beer flowing. We talked about all the weird and wonderful differences in language between England and the U.S, a popular topic of conversation for Americans who think the fact that we say 'brilliant' (everyone we have met has commented on this!) and courgette instead of zucchini is hilarious.<br />
<br />
On Tuesday the weather was unbearably hot, almost 38 celsius, but we decided to persevere with our sight-seeing so we walked downtown to see the State Capitol building. Across the country, these buildings are strangely similar in style, there's even a funny Washington Post article about the few that don't fit in with the aesthetic <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/govbeat/wp/2014/11/20/state-capitol-buildings-that-dont-look-anything-like-state-capitol-buildings-ranked/">here</a>. We got talking to a guide who kindly offered to give us a personal off-plan tour of the rooms which was really fun and informative. It was a good way to pass a couple of hours and we headed back to the motel pool to soak up some more sun before heading off the next morning.<br />
<br />
We still can't decide if we loved Sacramento or not. Not enough there to hold our interest really. I think we managed to see the main sights in three days so I can't say it's somewhere we'd plan to return to if we did the trip again, however, it's a great place to stop off for a couple of nights if you're doing a tour of California and I'd recommend it to other trippers!EdwardHomeandHighwayshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02111723026032812147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3835310165019364275.post-23748932604587720812015-07-03T06:37:00.000+01:002015-07-03T06:37:28.840+01:00Road Trip Diary: Crescent City & Miranda - Redwood Country Day 42<br />
Florence to Crescent City<br />
Sunday 14th June 2015<br />
<br />
This drive along the last stretch of Oregon coast was beautiful, full of scenic stop off points to allow us to gawp at the beaches and rocks jutting up out of the sea.<br />
Crescent City signified our return to California and the second chapter of our trip. From here on in, we're staying in California. We're making our way down to San Diego and then up to Los Angeles where we'll fly home from on July 22nd.<br />
<br />
We booked our <a href="https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1034624">Airbnb in Crescent City</a> purely for the incredible reviews but the promise of a complimentary homemade sourdough pizza might also have had something to do with it. Patree's home at the end of a small street was painted all of the colours of the rainbow and came with three beautiful cats including Uncle Steve, the matriarch (yes, female) of the trio.<br />
<br />
Patree turned out to be one of the sweetest, most knowledgeable people we've met so far on this trip. Twelve years ago she'd left her home in Ohio and moved to Crescent City because she wanted to be nearer the Redwoods. As simple and as pure as that, the Redwoods were calling her and she answered. Since then she's become an expert on the gigantic trees, their history and significance in local Native American lore and was kind enough to share with us the best places and trails to see the finest examples.<br />
<br />
As promised, after dumping our bags and settling in, Patree cooked us the most amazing feta, spinach and sun-dried tomato pizza, we drank some beers and chatted about our trip and the life she'd made for herself in Crescent City. A lovely evening, full of cheer and another reason Airbnb works so well when they have hosts like Patree.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/19363186762" title="IMG_4198 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4198" height="534" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/4/3801/19363186762_e9a1142883_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/19373638331" title="IMG_4178 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4178" height="534" src="https://c4.staticflickr.com/4/3852/19373638331_d32fcf5cc1_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/19363446702" title="IMG_4184 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4184" height="534" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/348/19363446702_a9ebfb7b19_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18748909033" title="IMG_4196 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4196" height="534" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/4/3703/18748909033_930b3075dc_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/19343264976" title="IMG_4438 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4438" height="534" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/334/19343264976_eb603acd64_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<br />
<br />
Day 43<br />
Crescent City<br />
Monday 15th June 2015<br />
<br />
Under cold grey skies we left early for the trees. We'd noted some of Patree's tips about the area and headed for Jebediah Smith State park via Howland Hill Road, a deserted dirt track with the best access from Crescent City to the biggest Redwoods. We came across more cars along the route and stopped of for some photos next to some of the biggest fallen trunks we'd ever seen.<br />
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We parked in Stout Grove and wandered amongst the giants, hugging numerous ones for the full 'woah' effect. It's incredible to think they are some of the largest trees on earth, just touching them feels very magical.<br />
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We made the short drive to the <a href="https://www.treesofmystery.net/">Trees of Mystery</a>, a roadside attraction on Highway 101 signposted by a two huge talking statues of Paul Bunyan and his ox Babe, a Californian legendary figure who features in lots of local tall tales. For the $15 admission fee you get a trail through a huge array of Redwoods and Redwood carvings, a ride on the brilliant cable car up to the top of the ridge and back again and entrance to the End of the Trail museum, a brilliant collection of artefacts and information about the local Native American tribes. It was a great deal and we spent a couple of hours there, then ate our leftover pizza for lunch.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/19369548715" title="IMG_4231 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4231" height="534" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/4/3741/19369548715_65fb25eb53_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/19373586371" title="IMG_4243 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4243" height="1600" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/420/19373586371_f2cb65a7e5_h.jpg" width="1067" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/19181935078" title="IMG_4278_5 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4278_5" height="534" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/402/19181935078_55d1c42b96_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/19369491785" title="IMG_4287 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4287" height="534" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/393/19369491785_e2e062e9bd_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/19371580925" title="IMG_4294 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4294" height="534" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/395/19371580925_e4ec91e9d7_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/19345471296" title="IMG_4301 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4301" height="1600" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/4/3793/19345471296_a058db2880_h.jpg" width="1067" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18746905004" title="IMG_4308 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4308" height="534" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/409/18746905004_ccfe1fc03d_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/19363240972" title="IMG_4431 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4431" height="533" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/498/19363240972_65968387c9_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/19183260059" title="IMG_4365 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4365" height="534" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/536/19183260059_20ac35b6e6_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/19373474761" title="IMG_4382 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4382" height="534" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/304/19373474761_9ba1838ce2_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18748767923" title="IMG_4394 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4394" height="534" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/4/3881/18748767923_800b2f45fd_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/19365526052" title="IMG_4397 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4397" height="534" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/336/19365526052_78b0c52e2b_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/19363258952" title="IMG_4416 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4416" height="1600" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/281/19363258952_dd2ea12b1a_h.jpg" width="1067" /></a><br />
<br />
Day 44<br />
Crescent City to Miranda<br />
Tuesday 16th June 2015<br />
<br />
We bid farewell to Patree after another her glorious breakfasts of homemade breads (some of which she packed up for our lunch) and coffee and got back on the road. We stopped in Eureka to get some lunch and we'd tasted a beer at Patree's that was brewed here so we called in at the <a href="http://www.lostcoast.com/">Lost Coast Brewery</a> to pick up a six pack of the delicious Tangerine wheat ale. I also managed to find an amazing vintage shop, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Little-Shop-of-Hers/108754845819110">Little Shop of Hers</a> on the main street. It was exactly the type of vintage shop I wished existed in the UK, a massive selection sorted into styles, excellent quality, priced very reasonably (see: cheap!) and best of all, a big range of sizes. If you happen to find yourself in Eureka, make sure you add it to your list.<br />
<br />
We were desperate for some sun as for the past few days, it had been cloudy and chilly but as we drove through the Avenue of the Giants en route to Miranda, we could already feel it warming up.<br />
The Avenue is essentially a really long road lined with Redwoods forests and is full of places to pull over to get a better view.<br />
<br />
We were staying at <a href="http://www.mirandagardens.com/">Miranda Gardens</a>, an old-school resort on the Avenue with the cutest individual cabins, a great pool and a camp fire each night, all surrounded by the epic trees. The sun was out in full force when we arrived so we dropped our bags, put our swimwear on and got down to the pool quick sharp. We had it all to ourselves, something we've found at a lot of the motels we've been to weirdly, and soaked up every last inch of sun before it sunk behind the forest.<br />
<br />
Calling Miranda a town might be a bit of a stretch, it was more like a couple of shops and a restaurant covering a short length of road, so that meant we had limited options for dinner. The only eatery was the inventively named <a href="http://www.avenuecafe.biz/">Avenue Cafe.</a> We've eaten in some pretty sketchy places on this trip and I thought this might turn out to be another one but they served us some very good calzone, pizzas and beers for a decent price.<br />
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We sat outside our cabin as it got dark, drinking our tangerine beers, playing cards and swatting away the mosquitos.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/19183168939" title="IMG_4441 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4441" height="534" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/314/19183168939_69d8e4117e_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/19181720638" title="IMG_4474 2 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4474 2" height="534" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/433/19181720638_4a696a7a19_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/19369339685" title="IMG_4460 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4460" height="534" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/399/19369339685_80a47b94e9_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/19181683130" title="IMG_4469 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4469" height="534" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/518/19181683130_35b8da259a_c.jpg" width="800" /></a><br />
<br />
Day 45<br />
Miranda<br />
Wendesday 17th June 2015<br />
<br />
And repeat. No, really. We basically did the same thing today. We ate the excellent complimentary breakfast, changed into our swimwear and sat by the pool until lunch time when we crossed the road to get lunch from the food mart. We've taken to eating like I used to when I went to France on family holidays- a baguette, cheese and fresh tomatoes. It's cheap and not necessarily nutritious but it is easy (when you don't have a kitchen or the associated utensils) and it's delicious. I've had real difficulty adjusting to the food here, buying things in supermarkets is fine but when you have limited options, I've found getting fresh, healthy food is really hard. We really are spoilt in the UK. I don't think people necessarily notice it when they're on a two week holiday and have the budget to eat out for lunch and dinner, but because we're having to be savvy it's more of a challenge.<br />
<br />
We spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing at the pool and then headed back over to the cafe for dinner and more pizza! The motel was so relaxing and I'd recommend it to anyone in a heartbeat. We watched the campfire burning, played some more cards and chilled out so hard, I wasn't sure how we'd get back into the swing of things over the next few days, but I'm sure some wine tasting in Napa might help...EllieHomeandHighwayshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16445878921597919736noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3835310165019364275.post-18386565193119715072015-06-22T04:45:00.001+01:002015-07-03T06:37:49.929+01:00Road Trip Diary: Astoria > Florence, OregonDay 39<br />
Port Angeles to Astoria<br />
Thursday 11th June 2015<br />
<br />
Port Angeles was the most northerly place we would visit this on trip (sorry Canada but we will visit one day, it's just the Ferries are too expensive!) so it was now the beginning of our return trip south. It feels a bit peculiar to think that, after around 1000 miles over the course of the next 7 days, we would have journeyed all the way to just north of San Francisco.<br />
Washington was a definite highlight of the trip for us. The 9 days were some of the best so far, but we were excited to be returning to Oregon and the picturesque beauty of Astoria.<br />
The drive down passed without incident (lunch at Subway and another lovely chat with a local lady about Manchester after she heard our accents) and we crossed the border in to Oregon via the magnificent Astoria–Megler Bridge that spans the Columbia River.<br />
<br />
This was our last Airbnb until San Francisco and although we're at risk of repeating ourselves, we found another gem in the heart of the town. <a href="https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/711921">The studio at the back of Alex and Ian's home</a> was large with a beautiful antique wooden bed, a balcony, a lounge area and a set of windows along one wall that gave a full panoramic view of the river and the bridge.<br />
<br />
We decided to spend the next day exploring Astoria, so tonight we just wanted some good food and drink. We stopped at the <a href="http://www.fortgeorgebrewery.com/">Fort George Brewery</a>, a micro brewery well thought of by locals, for a few pints of pale ale, some pratting about taking photos and a couple of burritos, then left feeling suitably content.<br />
Walking around the streets and the hills that rise above downtown, it's easy to see what Astoria has to offer and it is pretty obvious why so many movies have been filmed here. It's a beautiful place, wide sidewalks, houses with kerb appeal and plenty of excellent eateries and bars. The houses and the bridge instantly transported us back a few decades and to a certain film in particular, The Goonies, but more on that tomorrow. We stopped for a couple of excellent scoops of ice cream from <a href="http://www.friteandscoop.com/">Frite & Scoop</a>, a little handcrafted parlour on the river front with flavours like Dirty Vanilla and Pretzel Crunch, and headed back to get some kip.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18836867310" title="IMG_4008 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4008" height="1600" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/524/18836867310_121cee9b0b_h.jpg" width="1067" /></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18837630629" title="IMG_4023 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4023" height="534" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/520/18837630629_c72afc12d4_c.jpg" width="800" /></a><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18403213323" title="IMG_4010 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4010" height="534" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/329/18403213323_48fcd8ecf9_c.jpg" width="800" /></a><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18402556843" title="IMG_4124 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4124" height="534" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/464/18402556843_6ce4f03f47_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<br />
<br />
Day 40<br />
Astoria<br />
Friday 12th June 2015<br />
<br />
Today marks our halfway point of our trip! Crazy stuff. We've seen so much and met so many great people over the past 40 days, it feels like only yesterday that we arrived in Vegas.<br />
<br />
We had a busy day planned so, after devouring the warm lemon and poppyseed muffins, coffee and orange juice laid on by our hosts, we headed out to one of Astoria's biggest tourist attractions- the Goonies house. We parked up by another location from a film, the Astor Elementary School featured in Kindergarten Cop. We were walking the same hallowed ground Arnold Schwarzenegger had once graced with his stature. We took the short walk over to the Goonies house, situated up a short dirt track, feeling lucky that we hadn't been here the weekend before when thousands of fans had descended on the town to celebrate The Goonies 30th anniversary. We were told by a few people over the course of our stay how chaotic it had been and what a nightmare it was for locals trying to get on with their normal lives.<br />
<br />
Following a quick trip to Safeway and buying lunch for later, we took the winding road up to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astoria_Column">Astoria Column</a>, a 125 foot tower that has 164 steps ascending to an observation deck with great views. However, the column itself was closed when we got there and the $2 charge for the car park was a bit cheeky considering but the views it offered of Astoria, the Columbia River and the surrounding countryside made up for it. We also learnt the story about the legend of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/?title=Thunderbird_(mythology">Thunderbird</a> and how it has been seen by locals for hundreds of years, alas no sightings for us during our stay, save for a few pretty impressive Bald Eagles.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/19026887271" title="IMG_4034 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4034" height="534" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/342/19026887271_2cc4e62f4f_c.jpg" width="800" /></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18997534646" title="IMG_4035 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4035" height="534" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/556/18997534646_2b9336d59c_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/19026833291" title="IMG_4043 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4043" height="534" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/467/19026833291_215038403d_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/19023553205" title="IMG_4046 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4046" height="534" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/552/19023553205_01d7d16a0f_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18997286926" title="IMG_4061 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4061" height="534" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/291/18997286926_ec37cae9a6_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18400913574" title="IMG_4063 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4063" height="534" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/388/18400913574_c622e223bf_c.jpg" width="800" /></a><br />
<br />
Cannon Beach is another location from the Goonies movie, remember the bit at the end when they all reunite with their families on the beach? That's this beach. We ate our lunch as the sea mist blew in off the gusty Pacific and took a walk down to Haystack Rock, a massive hill of stone jutting out of rock pools. Ellie loves looking for treasures in the sand, her head always looking down for something shiny. The beach was covered in these small transparent jellyfish with blue appendages we later learnt were sails. <a href="http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/04/150420-velella-jellyfish-pictures-california-beach-ocean-animals-science/">According to the National Geographic</a> they're called velella velella and millions of them have been washing up on the west coast due to natural phenomena.<br />
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Suitably wowed by another natural location we took a walk around the thrift and book shops in downtown Astoria and walked down to <a href="http://www.buoybeer.com/">Buoy Beer Company</a> on the waterfront. The beer was suitably epic as most of the beer we have tasted in the Pacific Northwest has been. We took our leave and spent the evening enjoying our room and watching the sun set behind the bridge.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18835670700" title="IMG_4076 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4076" height="534" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/519/18835670700_4de85c8f69_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/19026450951" title="IMG_4079 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4079" height="534" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/379/19026450951_8f2eedc784_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/19023321205" title="IMG_4094 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4094" height="534" src="https://c4.staticflickr.com/4/3920/19023321205_0291fb03e1_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18835603768" title="IMG_4098 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4098" height="534" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/552/18835603768_f2d1052a14_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/19017740202" title="IMG_4108 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4108" height="534" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/468/19017740202_a6fa214db8_c.jpg" width="800" /></a><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18401249544" title="IMG_4033 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4033" height="534" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/389/18401249544_54a83a060f_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<br />
Day 41<br />
Astoria to Florence<br />
Saturday 13th June 2015<br />
<br />
We drove on Highway 101, otherwise known as the Oregon Coast Highway, for nearly 4 hours today towards Florence- our next stop and our last in the state and the Pacific Northwest in general.<br />
<br />
We couldn't help stopping several times to take in the scenic sea views and some sea lion spotting so our journey ended up being a little longer than it should have been but we were in no rush. One of the big aims of this trip has been to live slowly and soak up experiences like this. Though the sun was out, the winds were keeping the temperatures down and it seemed like an age ago we were enjoying a drink in the heat of the Seattle evening sun.<br />
Our motel was cheap and had a very basic room and bathroom, a big change from our stay in Astoria, but this is why we mixed up our accommodation. When we're itching for some anonymity, a motel is a relief and when we can't stand any more impersonal beige rooms, a warm and friendly Airbnb renews us. <br />
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Florence was an odd place, a small main high street with some nice independent shops and a pretty marina but there didn't seem to be much life there. No bars or nightlife to speak of and someone told us afterwards that it's a retirement town, which sort of explains it. We didn't have anything planned for the evening and having walked the length of downtown Florence there wasn't a massive amount to do but luckily we noticed a cool-looking independent cinema, <a href="http://www.citylightscinemas.com/">City Lights</a>, just down the road from our motel. Since we had arrived in the States we couldn't wait to watch Jurassic World so we bought ourselves a couple of $9 tickets (can you believe we pay nearly double that in Sterling in the UK?) and some snacks and settled in to watch the film. The screening was intimate, with nearly every one of the seats taken and people seemed to get really in to it, even clapping at the end! Can't imagine that happening in the Swiss Cottage Odeon! We gave it 7/10 if you're interested, entertaining fare, needed more substance, rushed ending.<br />
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We had a chat with the manager and he told us the story of how he came to the town as a tourist, spotted the neglected and abandoned cinema and decided it would be his new project. He bought the building and totally refurbished the cinema, reinvigorating the old space and providing a much-needed culture hub for the town. They show quite a lot of indie films, get involved in film festivals and funnily enough, stream a lot of live broadcasts from the National Theatre in London. Random conversations with strangers produce the best stories!<br />
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And so, with heavy hearts, it's time to say goodbye to Oregon. We'll be back one day, I'm sure of it. Crater Lake was unforgettable, as was the whole of Washington State so I know this won't be our only visit to the Pacific Northwest. For now though, we're on our way back down the coast and we're going to California!<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/19023193335" title="IMG_4128 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4128" height="534" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/488/19023193335_6496f715e5_c.jpg" width="800" /></a><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18835516208" title="IMG_4131 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4131" height="534" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/349/18835516208_3926f9c2ea_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/19017663172" title="IMG_4147 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4147" height="534" src="https://c4.staticflickr.com/4/3904/19017663172_0a1cf5dc09_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18996913676" title="IMG_4153 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4153" height="534" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/388/18996913676_e8eaa86502_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/19017619632" title="IMG_4156 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4156" height="534" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/308/19017619632_2aa8661c6f_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18400555894" title="IMG_4160 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4160" height="534" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/426/18400555894_1cafc4bed4_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
EdwardHomeandHighwayshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02111723026032812147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3835310165019364275.post-23082631899914879902015-06-20T16:57:00.002+01:002015-07-22T04:48:13.319+01:00Road Trip Diary: Port Angeles, Washington<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18787596448" title="IMG_3745 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3745" height="534" src="https://c4.staticflickr.com/4/3707/18787596448_9e2285ec42_c.jpg" width="800" /></a><br />
<br />
Day 36<br />
Seattle to Port Angeles<br />
Monday 8th June 2015<br />
<br />
Our drives from place to place have varied between an hour to five hours, so we're getting used to long car journeys but we try and do a bit of research to see if there are any interesting stops on the way. One of planned spots, Port Townsend, received a glowing thumbs up from our Seattle Airbnb hosts Melissa & Abil.<br />
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Port Townsend's downtown area is full of Victorian buildings remaining from its gold-rush heyday and have all been restored to a beautiful standard. The town is a beauty of a thing and we spent an hour so walking by the bay, taking in all the independent shops and stopped off for lunch and ice cream at <a href="http://www.niftyfiftyspt.com/">Nifty Fifty's</a>, a retro-style Soda Fountain. The ice cream was some of the best we had so far, huge dollops of mint and cookies and cream.<br />
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We arrived in the afternoon sun to meet our next Airbnb host, Sharon, and her<a href="https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1178201"> early 20th century house overlooking the port of Port Angeles</a>. The view was something else and we could just see Canada rising in the afternoon fog over the Strait of Juan de Fuca, plus we spotted a deer resting in her garden a couple of days later. We had the whole upper floor of the house including a cozy lounge and Sharon made us feel at home with her kind nature and the delicious breakfasts she cooked us.<br />
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After a quick rest in our room and a perusal of the internet to see what was going on in Port Angeles, we took a quick walk to the main street downtown. It's a small place with a few antique malls and a little fantasy gaming store called <a href="http://www.animekat.com/">Anime Kat</a> for my inner nerd. We stopped off for the happy hour at a really busy bar called <a href="http://www.nextdoorgastropub.com/">Next Door</a> and ordered a burger and tacos, luckily we got there early as soon there was a queue out the door so we came to the conclusion it was a local favourite. We had a couple of pints of craft beer and took a tipsy stumble around the waterfront, marvelling at the huge murals, spotting a couple of seals and taking in the quiet evening streets in the setting sun.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18978354241" title="IMG_3664 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3664" height="534" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/330/18978354241_c27c739284_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18352777404" title="IMG_3674 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3674" height="534" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/457/18352777404_190df1a46d_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18978327591" title="IMG_3682 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3682" height="1600" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/497/18978327591_cc04f567a2_h.jpg" width="1067" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18789108179" title="IMG_3704 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3704" height="534" src="https://c4.staticflickr.com/4/3699/18789108179_68445f3e4f_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18969946132" title="IMG_3692 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3692" height="534" src="https://c4.staticflickr.com/4/3744/18969946132_66359358cf_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18969517062" title="IMG_3978 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3978" height="534" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/479/18969517062_859352ede1_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18948660226" title="IMG_3977 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3977" height="534" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/438/18948660226_380d600415_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<br />
<br />
Day 37<br />
Port Angeles<br />
Tuesday 9th June 2015<br />
<br />
Can you get bored of epic scenery, of snow-topped mountains and views that stretch for miles? Nope. That's my assessment after everything we've seen so far and today we saw some of the best. Olympic National Park in the Olympic Peninsula encompasses nearly a million acres of forest, shoreline and peaks, the most famous of all being Mount Olympus.<br />
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The drive to Hurricane Ridge, where the visitor centre is based, was winding and narrow at points but reaching the top felt like being on to of the world. The ridge looks out over the mountain range and after a little hike, from the opposite side you can see the shoreline and the cliffs of Canada. The steep sides of the ridge are also covered with black-tailed deer, which gave the whole place an air of calm and Ellie thought it was quite magical, especially when we spotted one of the famous Olympic Marmots, a fuzzy little rodent that is exclusive to this national park.<br />
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We decided to drive to Lake Crescent afterwards as it was another of the local sights on our list that Sharon had recommended we see. That's another great thing about Airbnb hosts, they usually know the area like the back of their own hand so they can give you the best tips on things to see! We made the hike to Marymere Falls, an incredible waterfall amongst the forest that you reach by climbing some very steep steps. Definitely worth it though, we just stood and watched it for a while as the mist rose from the pool.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18978286501" title="IMG_3725 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3725" height="534" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/348/18978286501_36ed146511_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18949025956" title="IMG_3739 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3739" height="534" src="https://c4.staticflickr.com/4/3937/18949025956_8fd72f38cc_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18969858092" title="IMG_3764 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3764" height="534" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/538/18969858092_5925274949_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18975220045" title="IMG_3786 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3786" height="534" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/557/18975220045_3916ae6fa6_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18978190381" title="IMG_3813 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3813" height="534" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/458/18978190381_b901c63ae5_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18969798602" title="IMG_3815 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3815" height="534" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/466/18969798602_73788b9baa_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18787467800" title="IMG_3821 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3821" height="533" src="https://c4.staticflickr.com/4/3798/18787467800_9be572ee87_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18354500363" title="IMG_3826 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3826" height="534" src="https://c4.staticflickr.com/4/3694/18354500363_2575402498_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18978117121" title="IMG_3840 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3840" height="534" src="https://c4.staticflickr.com/4/3908/18978117121_823621fd98_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18948830586" title="IMG_3886 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3886" height="534" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/287/18948830586_9933278542_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18948817296" title="IMG_3896 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3896" height="534" src="https://c4.staticflickr.com/4/3681/18948817296_12fc687c38_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18787415260" title="IMG_3871 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3871" height="534" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/509/18787415260_03b3db7ac5_c.jpg" width="800" /></a><br />
<br />
Day 38<br />
Port Angeles<br />
Wednesday 10th June 2015<br />
<br />
When I first met Ellie, almost 8 years ago, she was into Twilight and though she isn't the fan she once was she instantly recognised Forks, the small town where the saga is set.<br />
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After another amazing breakfast from Sharon, an omelette, fruit and a smoothie, much better than another motel 'buffet', we set off on the 90 minute journey. Forks wasn't quite what we thought it would be. The town has taken Twilight to heart, nearly every shop and cafe had some sort of reference to it but sadly we also noticed that half of these had closed down and the whole main street looked a bit neglected. It seems as though the vampires have finally lost their dazzling allure and Forks has taken the economic brunt of it.<br />
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We left Forks to visit our next Twilight location, not that we were doing a tour or anything. La Push Beach features heavily in the books and films, but the stunning First Beach is more than worth a visit for the stunning rocks and the rugged beach. The La Push Quileute Tribe have lived here for over 1,000 years and on Wednesday evenings they invite locals and visitors alike to the beach for a traditional storytelling session but we were sadly too early for it.<br />
We sat on the beach on a huge driftwood log as Bald Eagles circled overhead and juvenile sea gulls gave us pleading looks whilst we chomped onto our Safeway sandwiches hoping for crumbs. A lot of the beaches we have visited so far, including this one, have been eerily empty because it's still a bit chilly on the coast. We practically had the place to ourselves, just us and the crashing waves.<br />
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We headed back for a night in writing blog posts, drinking beers, reading our books and packing up our things ready to move on again in the morning to Astoria.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18787383108" title="IMG_3932 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3932" height="534" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/343/18787383108_a62f620ece_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18354379683" title="IMG_3935 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3935" height="534" src="https://c4.staticflickr.com/4/3703/18354379683_98db3b9c63_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18977948311" title="IMG_3953 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3953" height="534" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/561/18977948311_6dfd906745_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18948763576" title="IMG_3940 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3940" height="534" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/270/18948763576_ab00493bab_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18969567092" title="IMG_3960 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3960" height="534" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/535/18969567092_5300d606e8_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18969597442" title="IMG_3944 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3944" height="534" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/315/18969597442_ace64ef110_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18977991721" title="IMG_3942 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3942" height="534" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/413/18977991721_c5c9cc5ce8_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18354275023" title="IMG_3970 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3970" height="534" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/385/18354275023_3a9686b80f_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
EdwardHomeandHighwayshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02111723026032812147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3835310165019364275.post-65457299452639813982015-06-17T02:28:00.002+01:002015-07-22T04:51:30.247+01:00Road Trip Diary: Good morning Seattle!<div class="p1">
Day 33</div>
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Olympia to Seattle</div>
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Friday 5th June 2015</div>
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On our way out of Olympia, we drove to <a href="http://wolfhaven.org/"><span class="s1">Wolf Haven International</span></a>, a non-profit sanctuary for captive wolves and coyotes. For $12 per person you get a 50 minute tour with a volunteer guide- in our group it was only us and one other person which meant we got to ask loads of questions like proper nerds. They take in displaced animals and are actively involved with other organisations to roll out species survival plans, specifically Red Wolves at the moment.</div>
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The wolves were amazing and Wayne, our guide, was a no-nonsense, very black and white guy who told us some horror stories about people buying/stealing wolf pups and trying to bring them up in houses. People are genuinely unbelievable. It was hugely educational and that's their whole aim, making sure the world knows that the ecosystem needs wolves and that humans should never try and tame them.</div>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18848503955" title="IMG_3488 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3488" height="534" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5444/18848503955_4a65108d8a_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18843377352" title="IMG_3491 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3491" height="534" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5348/18843377352_db5edb88a1_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
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We had a lot to fit in to today so we jumped back in the car and made our way to North Bend, an unassuming little town which David Lynch chose to play host to his cult hit Twin Peaks. Ed and I are big Twin Peaks fans so this place has been on our to-do list since the beginning of our planning. We stopped off for damn fine coffee and cherry pie at <a href="http://www.twedescafe.com/"><span class="s1">Twede's Cafe</span></a> which, it has recently been confirmed, will be fully restored back to the Double R diner for the new series due out next year. We posed next the iconic mural out back by the dumpsters and headed to the road made famous in the credits shot. Just add a 'Welcome to Twin Peaks, population 51,201' sign and some barer trees and you're good to go.</div>
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We also popped to Snoqualmie Falls, which is also seen in the credits and was an awesome sight, just seeing it made me want to hum that theme music and dance in front of a red velvet curtain.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18660805320" title="IMG_3501 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3501" height="533" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5551/18660805320_a673848084_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18660745868" title="IMG_3505 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3505" height="534" src="https://c4.staticflickr.com/4/3918/18660745868_512ac3a125_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18848493455" title="IMG_3511 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3511" height="534" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5508/18848493455_08fbb97df1_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18660739148" title="IMG_3515 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3515" height="534" src="https://c4.staticflickr.com/4/3832/18660739148_30fa822509_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18227854073" title="IMG_3525 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3525" height="534" src="https://c4.staticflickr.com/4/3666/18227854073_fcf4c78cf3_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
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We arrived in Seattle later that afternoon to beautiful weather and a warm welcome at <a href="https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1772119">our next Airbnb</a>, a huge Victorian-era home in the Central District owned and run as a bed and breakfast by the lovely and amazing Melissa and Abil and their assistant Courtney. It was beautifully decorated and full of amazing vintage bits and pieces, which I loved. We got settled into our room and headed out for dinner at a local bar called <a href="https://www.facebook.com/theneighborlady"><span class="s1">Neighbour Lady</span></a> which had great salads, pulled pork burgers and a decent happy hour. <a href="http://www.chuckscd.com/"><span class="s1">Chucks Hop Shop</span></a> (a very busy, buzzing, fast-food style tap room) was on the way back so we took a look at some of the 50 (!) beers they currently have on tap and tucked into a couple before going home.</div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18662294689" title="IMG_3639 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3639" height="534" src="https://c4.staticflickr.com/4/3828/18662294689_4540c7ef06_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18225874394" title="IMG_3646 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3646" height="534" src="https://c4.staticflickr.com/4/3804/18225874394_6f62738da6_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18843329552" title="IMG_3652 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3652" height="534" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5545/18843329552_c82fdaefbf_c.jpg" width="800" /></a><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18851716441" title="1 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="1" height="400" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5504/18851716441_5a12336665_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
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Day 34</div>
<div class="p1">
Seattle</div>
Saturday 6th June 2015</div>
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The Airbnb was in a great location and only a block from a bus stop, which was $2.50 each for 3 hours travel. It took us straight to downtown and we got off on 3rd Avenue near Pike Place Market, one of the biggest attractions in the city. Its a huge working food market and is famed for it’s enthusiastic fishmongers, who literally throw the fish at each other. We also came across the Gum Wall, another of Seattle’s iconic sights. It started as a few pieces of chewing gum left by Market Theater-goers and escalated into an entire alley covered in brightly covered sticky stuff, some artfully moulded into tiny masterpieces and initials. The sickly sweet scent and hoards of people spitting their gum out made us feel a little bit queasy so we took a few a few photos and got out of there. </div>
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We were lucky enough to snag a couple of City Passes, a sort of voucher book for attractions, that another couple of Airbnb guests had left over because they had run out of time. We managed to get a free 1 hour harbour cruise which was a great way to see the city from afar in the sunshine. We also got a couple of free tickets for the Space Needle but more about that tomorrow. </div>
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Abil, one of the Airbnb hosts, worked as a tour guide at <a href="http://pikebrewing.com/">Pike Brewing Company</a>, a micro brewery nestled in alongside the market. Tours begin at 2pm on a Saturday and Abil gave us and the rest of the group a funny and fascinating look at the work that goes into their finest English-style craft beers. We drunk a couple of pints because it would have been rude not to and realised we were a bit knackered so headed back for a nap.</div>
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We’d seen that a band we both like, The Warlocks, were playing a gig at a venue called <a href="http://thelofi.net/">Lofi</a>, so we’d booked tickets a couple of weeks earlier. I’ve really wanted to see more bands here but trying to find them to coincide with our dates of stay is pretty tricky, so this was really lucky. We shared a drink with our hosts in their glorious garden before ordering a cab via my Uber app which I was thrilled to see still worked in the big cities and it seems to be cheaper here somehow, considering it’s already quite cheap!</div>
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Lofi was a cool little venue with a bar and club area and then another room for the bands. We saw Birdstriking, a noise rock band from China, who were ace and then The Warlocks who, considering they’d had all of their equipment stolen a few nights previously in San Francisco, played a great set. We got pretty drunk on the $5 dollar drinks, took advantage of the old-school photo booth and called another Uber to ferry us home to sweet bed, knowing hangovers were coming our way.</div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18662843289" title="IMG_5067 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_5067" height="534" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5613/18662843289_27ebe62d8c_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18851197031" title="IMG_3547 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3547" height="534" src="https://c4.staticflickr.com/4/3906/18851197031_4d3fd5d1c0_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18660727268" title="IMG_3568 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3568" height="534" src="https://c4.staticflickr.com/4/3812/18660727268_3b4b8ef6f8_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18822230836" title="IMG_3571 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3571" height="534" src="https://c4.staticflickr.com/4/3829/18822230836_f804276e9a_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18851189741" title="IMG_3591 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3591" height="534" src="https://c4.staticflickr.com/4/3871/18851189741_a31ab65803_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18822227496" title="IMG_3604 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3604" height="534" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5453/18822227496_ca03872733_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18661305850" title="2 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="2" height="400" src="https://c4.staticflickr.com/4/3922/18661305850_69c37b39f9_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
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Day 35</div>
<div class="p1">
Seattle</div>
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Sunday 7th June 2015<br />
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Our last full day in Seattle started with, as I predicted, a couple of hangovers. We decided to do the Space Needle and called an Uber because we couldn’t even hack the easy bus into town. Yikes. We perked up a bit after a couple of excellent muffins made from scratch and some strong coffee courtesy of our hosts. </div>
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The taxi driver was hilarious- he said he didn’t have many top tips for us apart from where to eat and was the second person to mention <a href="http://www.ezellschicken.com/">Ezell’s Chicken</a> so we made a mental note for later and got in the queue for the Needle. Then the next queue. Then waited an hour for our allotted turn. Then came back and queued some more. Then queued for the lift until finally after nearly two hours, we were at the top. The view is spectacular and we were lucky to have a really clear, fog-free day so we could see for miles, including another view of Mount Rainier, looking magnificent and snow-capped. Then we jumped in another queue to go back down. It’s definitely worth doing but if we hadn’t had the free tickets (it’s normally between $18-28 per ticket) and due to the queues, I think we would have considered one of the cheaper views available via the <a href="http://smithtower.com/">Smith Tower Observation Deck</a> which gets really good reviews. </div>
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We grabbed a hotdog after touching down and decided to make like proper, fully-fledged tourists and buy a couple of tickets ($2.25 each) for the monorail. It was built for the World’s Fair in 1962 and although the ride only lasted a couple of minutes, it was really fun and had the feel of a 1960’s sci-fi b-movie. It’s just over the way from the Space Needle too which makes it all very convenient. </div>
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We decided to try out <a href="http://www.ezellschicken.com/">Ezell’s Chicken </a>for dinner so got the bus back and walked a couple of blocks to the heaving chicken shop. After tasting it, I knew why it was so busy, this place is a neighbourhood favourite. This was good fried chicken. We ordered way too much and ended up full and happy and sleepy so said goodnight to our hosts and Seattle, ready to leave bright and early the next day.</div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18660776750" title="IMG_3611 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3611" height="534" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5467/18660776750_3446aac534_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18227836183" title="IMG_3621 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3621" height="534" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5531/18227836183_fd6acc8165_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18660770220" title="IMG_3627 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3627" height="1600" src="https://c4.staticflickr.com/4/3857/18660770220_dc111ac773_h.jpg" width="1067" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18228367783" title="3 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="3" height="400" src="https://c4.staticflickr.com/4/3694/18228367783_efbb017234_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18848452945" title="IMG_3656 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3656" height="533" src="https://c4.staticflickr.com/4/3674/18848452945_42df66ca84_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>EllieHomeandHighwayshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16445878921597919736noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3835310165019364275.post-26212911308412462452015-06-13T06:01:00.000+01:002015-07-22T04:52:22.614+01:00Road Trip Diary: Olympia, WashingtonDay 30<br />
Portland to Olympia<br />
Tuesday 2nd June 2015<br />
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It had been almost a month since our last Airbnb stay and we were missing sharing someone else's home, listening to their experiences and hearing their local tips. It beats any motel or hotel hands down. Our next Airbnb booking, <a href="https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/2502405">a secluded cabin in a forest setting in Olympia</a>, looked perfect after a busy few days in Portland.<br />
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We had been lucky with some awesome weather in Oregon so far (very unlike the pacific northwest apparently, although I think it gets a worse rep than it should) so we were not totally surprised upon leaving Oregon and entering Washington for the heavens to open and the temperatures to dip. We encountered some truly epic rainfall on the I-5 north and it was amazing and a little eerie to see mist shrouding the pine forests and mountains.<br />
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Our Airbnb host, Terry, lives on a road with a pretty recognisable name in indie rock and in particular riot grrrl. Sleater-Kinney Road is a long road that crosses Olympia and the band took their name from it after practicing nearby. Ellie is a big fan of Sleater-Kinney, so when we saw the cabin was on the same road, we took it as a sign!<br />
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Upon arrival, Terry quickly scooped us up in his ATV (all terrain vehicle- basically a beefed up golf buggy) and took us on a tour of his incredible land and property. He showed us his two idyllic ponds, the trails that weave through his land and the beautiful woodland that the cabin sits in. It was a fantastic experience, holding on for dear life as we rolled over tree roots and drove down steep trails, what a welcome!<br />
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He showed us round the cabin and got us settled in as we had stifled our excitement. He told us he likes to describe it as 'one step up from camping' but in reality it was so much better than that. It had been built so that the back was perched on a hill but the front stuck out into the little valley and was supported by stilts, so the balcony was at the mid-tree height. We loved sitting out at night, reading our books and hearing nothing but the birds and the stream at the bottom of the valley.<br />
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We settled down for the night with our microwave meal and our books. It was actually great to have no other distractions. We've got 80 days out here for goodness sake, we need some downtime!<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18537673468" title="IMG_3445 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3445" height="534" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/453/18537673468_d7f167719b_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18699494006" title="IMG_3235 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3235" height="534" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/384/18699494006_ea63ac8834_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18105162623" title="IMG_3229 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3229" height="534" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/502/18105162623_8154bc3c18_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18539179089" title="IMG_3464 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3464" height="534" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8833/18539179089_9f61013091_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18102687374" title="IMG_3495 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3495" height="534" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8846/18102687374_cfd7b7a5cc_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
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Day 31<br />
Olympia<br />
Wednesday 3rd June 2015<br />
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Having had a perfect nights sleep (hearing an owl hooting in the woodland is a perfect way for me to fall asleep) we made our way to downtown Olympia, but not before Terry, having done his research on our Airbnb profile which mentions Ellie is a huge fan of thrift shops, very kindly pointed out the local Goodwill. Ellie continued her US Thrift Hunt 2015 and picked up some goodies whilst I looked at the books.<br />
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Olympia had plenty of vintage and antique stores, <a href="http://dumpstervalues.com/">Dumpster Values</a> and Finder's Keeper's Antique Mall being our top picks for variety and value. By this point, after being dragged round the shops, I was hankering for some lunch.<br />
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In the lead up to planning our trip, we noticed that Olympia seems to have produced a multitude of bands over the past 20 years, from Bikini Kill to The Go Team and from Earth to Nirvana and I'm a huge fan of one particular band, Wolves in the Throne Room, who are a black metal band. Following some fanboy research, I discovered that the lead guitarist was a co-owner of a local cafe, <a href="http://obsidianolympia.com/">Obsidian</a>. On arrival I instantly recognised the David Bowie ambient track, we loved the stripped back modern decor and we tucked ourselves into a booth. I had an orange hibiscus tea and a bacon & goats cheese panini and Ellie had a cajun spiced dirty rice an iced latte. Coming to around $24, it was a great lunch with good, friendly service and a laid back atmosphere.<br />
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We still had time to kill and we wanted to walk off the food so we drove over to Priest Point Park, a small park next to one mile of saltwater shoreline. We lucked out as the tide was still out, which enabled us to walk out quite far on the mudflats. We were beginning to fall for Washington big time.<br />
We headed back to the cabin for another peaceful evening and had a great conversation with Terry about his life. We have been so lucky with hosts so far, they have been so kind and generous with their time and advice. He popped down later on to build a small fire for us to enjoy below the cabin and we spent the night toasting marshmallows and drinking beer.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18103128234" title="IMG_3298 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3298" height="534" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/337/18103128234_ef556b1880_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18699429976" title="IMG_3301 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3301" height="534" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8874/18699429976_1e78d3bf44_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18720747112" title="IMG_3354 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3354" height="534" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8869/18720747112_e1a1887a35_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18539429959" title="IMG_3347 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3347" height="1600" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8852/18539429959_860d07630c_h.jpg" width="1066" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18103035354" title="IMG_3330 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3330" height="534" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/380/18103035354_21495e0ef2_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18537927158" title="IMG_3310 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3310" height="534" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8863/18537927158_dc616570cb_c.jpg" width="800" /></a><br />
<br />
Day 32<br />
Olympia<br />
Thursday 4th June 2015<br />
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We got up early and packed the car up for a day visiting another National Park and though we had seen a lot of mountains and rocks already, we knew that the Mount Rainier National Park would be special. Obviously, we wouldn't be climbing the full 14,411 feet of this beast but they do have a visitor centre at 5,420 feet which we drove to and then made the short hike to some of the best views of the mountain and Myrtle Falls. The weather was initially cloudy but seemed to clear a little as we reached the trails and Rainier popped its head out to say hello, which was an awesome sight. Some things we've seen so far on this trip have seriously made our jaws drop and we added this to the list. Being able to see the pale blue of the glaciers shifting atop the mountain and the spring flowers blooming amongst the tiny streams flowing downhill are scenes we will never forget.<br />
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We stopped for lunch in the onsite restaurant, which was nothing special but convenient and watched as the mist rolled back in to the car park as we left.<br />
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We made another Goodwill trip en route home, thanks to Ellie's keen eye and went for dinner at Hearthfire Grill which sat right on the edge of the waterfront.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18699210146" title="IMG_3386 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3386" height="534" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8899/18699210146_339967df64_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18537751438" title="IMG_3381 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3381" height="534" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8875/18537751438_419816efe0_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18537774428" title="IMG_3379 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3379" height="534" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8835/18537774428_54aaf642bb_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18720727172" title="IMG_3374 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3374" height="1600" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8853/18720727172_f92acbc564_h.jpg" width="1067" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18720650222" title="IMG_3391 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3391" height="534" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/311/18720650222_60e4d8f4b8_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18537691068" title="IMG_3418 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3418" height="534" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/456/18537691068_9fe54073ef_c.jpg" width="800" /></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18720496902" title="IMG_3473 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3473" height="534" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/313/18720496902_e7b31c99d4_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
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<br />
We were truly sad to leave the cabin and Terry's hospitality (and his smiling face which you can see below!). If you ever find yourself in the Pacific Northwest, you know where to stay!<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18104663473" title="IMG_3478 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3478" height="1600" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/437/18104663473_c6d29d6e20_h.jpg" width="1067" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18728207961" title="IMG_3238 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3238" height="534" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8832/18728207961_d1455b00a7_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>EdwardHomeandHighwayshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02111723026032812147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3835310165019364275.post-64465417409970359402015-06-11T05:28:00.002+01:002015-06-11T05:28:58.176+01:00Road Trip Diary: Portland, weird Portland.Day 26<br />
Friday 29th May 2015<br />
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Portland! Home to the perennial bearded hipster, beautiful Instagram-ers and a million food trucks. Thanks to our love of Portlandia (look it up on Netflix and thank me later) this was one of our most anticipated stops.<br />
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We arrived in Portland Friday afternoon and were due to be staying in a crap motel north of the Willamette River for two nights and then a decent hotel downtown for two nights but after travelling around so much we decided to cancel them and go for a Holiday Inn near 23rd Avenue. This is the best thing we've found about Expedia, their cancellation policy is usually flexible, so we didn't lose any money. The new hotel was in a great location, had a pool and an amazing buffet breakfast that we took full advantage for four mornings. <i>Tip: A little bit naughty and considered by many uncouth, if you're on a budget try and discretely 'conserve' (i.e shove it in your bag when no one is looking!) some of the breakfast food. Individually wrapped fruit, muffins and bagels make for excellent cheap/free lunches. </i><br />
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We dumped our bags and promptly had a nap. Not very rock and roll but we were a bit knackered and wanted to have a fair few drinks and a night out. 23rd Avenue is a really long road packed with bars, restaurants and shops so is a really convenient place to stay near. We walked down 23rd, past the beautiful architecture and old wooden houses and found <a href="http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g52024-d439932-Reviews-Serratto-Portland_Oregon.html">Serratto,</a> a restaurant offering mid-priced Mediterranean fare. The staff were friendly and it had a lively, chatty atmosphere. A delicious mushroom risotto for me and wild boar pappardelle for him plus a few glasses of prosecco pushed us over budget a bit- around $85 for a shared starter, main, wine and tip but we knew we could claw it back another day.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18005039954" title="IMG_3221 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3221" height="533" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/515/18005039954_50b4351646_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18630296311" title="IMG_3153 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3153" height="534" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/501/18630296311_cd668f4ecc_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18005406634" title="IMG_3160 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3160" height="1600" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/340/18005406634_d44a7e36f5_h.jpg" width="1066" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18441866089" title="IMG_3165 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3165" height="534" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/315/18441866089_614f325834_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18601448636" title="IMG_3203 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3203" height="534" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8839/18601448636_feb9f2ccd5_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
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<br />
Day 27<br />
Saturday 30th May 2015<br />
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We hopped on the streetcar halfway down 23rd Ave ($1 fare for 2.5 hours of unlimited travel- pretty good!) and headed downtown. Portland is famous for a few things, mainly its hipsters, food and its weirdness. It's a standard small-ish sized U.S city with a few run down areas and some bright sparkling new ones. We walked to the Saturday market near the river which was huge- a mix of hippy stalls selling things carved out of wood/jewellery made from cutlery and food stalls selling something for every type of craving. The area was buzzing but we weren't hungry just yet so after a little walk along the river humming the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FE_9CzLCbkY">Portlandia 90's song</a> we stopped in at Stumptown Coffee for an iced latte and then on to <a href="http://lardosandwiches.com/">Lardo</a> for an incredible lunch of Korean pulled pork and kimchi.<br />
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That night we hung out on 23rd Avenue at the local bars- mainly <a href="http://www.mcmenamins.com/364-mcmenamins-tavern-pool-home">McMenamins</a>, <a href="http://www.lompocbrewing.com/lompoc-tavern/">Lompoc Tavern</a> and the <a href="http://pdxfireside.com/">Fireside</a>, all with great happy hours. We've found booze is around the same price here, if not slightly less especially in the aforementioned happy hours which are regular occurrences. Cocktails seem to be cheaper though, most have been around $8 (£5.16) for a margarita. <br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18441844029" title="IMG_3166 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3166" height="534" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/374/18441844029_b9f2cf373d_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18623236072" title="IMG_3200 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3200" height="534" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8892/18623236072_0d2bdf6b4e_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
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<br />
Day 28<br />
Sunday 31st May 2015<br />
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A little bit hungover today so we had a leisurely walk through the Nob Hill area to ascend up to Portland's famous <a href="http://www.portlandoregon.gov/parks/finder/index.cfm?action=viewpark&propertyid=1113">International Test Rose Garden</a> which was huge, 4.5 acres of fully bloomed roses of all colours and sizes, all setting off my hay-fever to a spectacular degree. I jest, it was beautiful and we stopped to smell almost all of them and carried on through Washington Park to see the statue of <a href="http://www.sacagawea-biography.org/">Sacagawea</a>. We each bought a donut at <a href="http://www.bluestardonuts.com/">Blue Star Donuts</a> on the way back thanks to a recommendation from the lovely Lil at <a href="http://whipuntilfluffy.com/">Whip Until Fluffy</a> and ate them on the steps of the Timbers Soccer stadium.<br />
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For lunch we popped in to <a href="http://www.traderjoes.com/">Trader Joe's</a>, another U.S revelation. It's basically a store where everything is own-branded and sold simply or with as little packaging as possible. You can fill your own jars and pots with all manner of produce, fill a growler (a term for a large ale bottle) with beer or top up your soap dispensers with peppermint hand wash. It's all a fair bit cheaper too. We bought some hummus wraps and ate them in a local park watching the world go by. We spent the evening drinking cocktails and beer at <a href="http://matadorseattle.com/location/portland/">Matador</a>, then on to <a href="http://southlandportland.com/">Southland Whiskey Kitchen</a> for a fine mac and cheese and plonking ourselves into bed just gone midnight.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18601623126" title="IMG_3170 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3170" height="534" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/457/18601623126_7e93e1135c_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18623328822" title="IMG_3175 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3175" height="1600" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8850/18623328822_99bced64f2_h.jpg" width="1067" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18441754699" title="IMG_3180 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3180" height="534" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/255/18441754699_441634a426_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18627886215" title="IMG_3190 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3190" height="1600" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/307/18627886215_4aba402f66_h.jpg" width="1067" /></a><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18007217683" title="IMG_3195 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3195" height="534" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/524/18007217683_409fe01182_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
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<br />
Day 29<br />
Monday 1st June 2015<br />
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Exactly two years ago, Ed and I got married. Today, we got a hangover. We were in dire need of that excellent hotel breakfast. Oops! Not the best way to start your anniversary. So far, we had been experiencing unusually decent weather in Portland but today, that came to an end. It was drizzling as we hopped on the streetcar to downtown and, equipped with appropriate weather gear, took in some more sights in the infamous rain. We spent a couple of hours browsing the shelves at <a href="http://www.powells.com/locations/powells-city-of-books/">Powell's City of Books</a>, which claims to be the world's largest independent book store. It takes up a whole city block and is like a huge department store for books. Ed loved it and we ended up buying a few to take the place of ones we've already finished this trip. We couldn't resist another trip to <a href="http://voodoodoughnut.com/">Voodoo Doughnut </a>so popped to one of Portland's branches and had to queue for a good half hour this time (it went quickly as I was distracted by their rainbow glitter wall) to get our Oreo topped delights. If we carry on like this, we'll turn into a pair of doughnuts in no time.<br />
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We had heard some good reports of a little Greek restaurant on 23rd Avenue called <a href="http://www.dorionw.com/">Dorio</a> so decided to head there for our anniversary meal. We needed to keep it reasonably cheap as Portland hadn't been kind on our wallets and Dorio was perfect. It was the best food I had tasted in nearly a month. We shared freshly cooked lamb and chicken skewers, tangy and fragrant spanakopita and a delicious moussaka, washed down with some very good house white, all for around $50.<br />
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Portland surprised me, it was a lot bigger and more spread out than I had imagined before. I thought it would be like East London, all tightly contained over a few main streets, but in reality it's pretty large. There's whole other districts we didn't get to scout out but we loved what we saw. It's not overly pretentious like some of the hipster vibes you get in other places and it's laid back like much of the pacific northwest. If you get a chance to visit, don't hesitate!<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18005123884" title="IMG_3207 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3207" height="534" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8859/18005123884_111e73c696_c.jpg" width="800" /></a><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18623207502" title="IMG_3201 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3201" height="534" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/354/18623207502_799ac39db8_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18005101674" title="IMG_3213 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3213" height="533" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/403/18005101674_17799184f0_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18623122282" title="IMG_3215 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3215" height="534" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8840/18623122282_9fa7242dfe_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18627707525" title="IMG_3217 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3217" height="534" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/445/18627707525_37a1f16460_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
EllieHomeandHighwayshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16445878921597919736noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3835310165019364275.post-3400219505217177582015-06-09T05:42:00.000+01:002015-07-22T04:53:13.489+01:00Road Trip Diary: Eugene, Oregon24. Bend to Eugene<br />
Wednesday 27th May 2015<br />
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Leaving Bend with heavy hearts we made our way to the next stop, Eugene. I briefly searched where our route would be taking us and the road going through the Willamette National Forest, one small part of the much bigger Cascade range, looked stunning on a smartphone screen but was even better in the flesh.<br />
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We briefly stopped at very cute little town named Sisters. Grabbed some bread rolls for lunch and some Pico de Gallo (we've become hooked on this stuff, it's a really spicy salsa) and I begrudgingly stopped at a local thrift store. Now, with any decent relationship there's a bit of give and take. Having a most beautiful and brilliant wife as I do, I have to put up with some of her loves/quirks which in this case is buying any old tat! Only joking, Ellie has a fantastic eye for some amazing bits, plus we hadn't stopped off at any thrift stores yet, so I gave in to her pleads. She came away with two belts and a t-shirt for a few dollars.<br />
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Slowly ascending into the forest, we stopped off at a viewpoint of the Mount Washington and the surrounding area which looked to have been caught by wild fire to take some snaps before carrying on to stop for lunch.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18440441559" title="IMG_3023 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3023" height="534" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8869/18440441559_aa38c99540_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18626590995" title="IMG_3031 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3031" height="534" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8834/18626590995_af83ae00e7_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18626566705" title="IMG_3037 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3037" height="1600" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/421/18626566705_098aa10f73_h.jpg" width="1067" /></a>
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We eventually saw a sign for a picnic area at a recreation area called Clear Lake in the middle of the Cascade range. We parked up and ate at a bench in the shade of the trees and had a walk by the beautiful lake, made so blue and clear because most of the water is snow run off. We watched some Steller's Jays fighting for crumbs, a swarm of butterflies at the waters edge and chatted with a hitchhiker who had seen Robert Plant the same night we did in Bend. Meeting people along the way has been one of our favourite parts of this trip so far, so many stories to hear.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18600193916" title="IMG_3051 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3051" height="533" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/458/18600193916_0994949a6f_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18628736161" title="IMG_3056 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3056" height="534" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8847/18628736161_79f1061892_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18628712431" title="IMG_3058 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3058" height="534" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/497/18628712431_abfa049c4a_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18600127166" title="IMG_3063 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3063" height="534" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/344/18600127166_72b6aee4aa_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18600100796" title="IMG_3066 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3066" height="533" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8876/18600100796_ae89825da9_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
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We didn't know what to expect with Eugene. It's conveniently placed between Portland and Bend and seemed a logical place to stop over. We dropped our stuff at our motel (America's Best Value Inn- probably our worst yet- noisy and just a bit crappy) and made our way into town. We had a few drinks downtown- lots of great bars and very chilled- then stumbled into a local Buffalo Exchange (a sort of thrift shop/exchange) where I came away with a sweet cowboy/western shirt and Ellie bought a couple of tops before making our way home, but not before taking in a Five Guys burger on the way back. We surmised that this was probably our best burger yet, beating even In-N-Out, which we thought was near impossible. All about the fries and the free monkey nuts.<br />
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25. Eugene<br />
Thursday 28th May 2015<br />
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After both having a rather poor nights sleep in the motel (a combination of the noisy main road and a stuffy room) we were eager to get out of the room so we drove to the top of Skinner Butte (no sniggering in the back you!) which offered a good view of the city before having a walk around Eugene.<br />
We bought ourselves a Voodoo Doughnut to enjoy in the afternoon before returning back to have a rummage in Buffalo Exchange again. Ellie, quick of eye, has the ever expanding suitcase which will have to be addressed at some point.<br />
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We had lunch at the Oregon Electrical Station, a beautifully restored train station which has been converted into a restaurant. We were welcomed in by the host who happened to be a fellow Englishman, the food was great- another burger for me and a chicken club sandwich for Ellie.<br />
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We still needed somewhere to eat our doughnuts, so we drove over to the Alton Baker park and sat on the grass under some trees. By this point it was only half two and we didn't fancy going back to the motel, so we hunted for local attractions. Luckily, we stumbled upon the <a href="http://www.eraptors.org/">Cascade Raptor Centre</a>.<br />
About twenty minutes from Eugene, it was a mere $8 to get in and we could wander freely, reading all about the backstories of the birds who lived there. Ellie fell in love with a snowy owl called Archimedes who pulled some excellent faces.
The centre's main aims are to rehabilitate and release orphaned, sick and injured birds of prey and to educate the general public, using the disabled/non-releasable birds as advocates and learning tools.<br />
They are doing such a fantastic job and, though it was sad to see so many permanently injured birds (reasons for non-release range from becoming too used to human contact to birds with brain damage and a couple missing eyes!), the efforts that they go to to release the healthy wild birds was very inspiring. I'm so happy we were lucky enough to visit the Centre and donate to their great work.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18628636111" title="IMG_3080 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3080" height="534" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8894/18628636111_63e07d53b5_c.jpg" width="800" /></a><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18005772033" title="IMG_3093 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3093" height="534" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/375/18005772033_7bb24de3a3_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18628604171" title="IMG_3101 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3101" height="533" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/358/18628604171_629f821192_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18626397795" title="IMG_3114 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3114" height="534" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/431/18626397795_5fb82e5d10_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18440216129" title="IMG_3126 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3126" height="534" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/530/18440216129_ec78756691_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18005722373" title="IMG_3129 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3129" height="534" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/386/18005722373_497f1a9606_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18628552641" title="IMG_3139 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3139" height="533" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/545/18628552641_cfec89372b_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18626340705" title="IMG_3141 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3141" height="534" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8828/18626340705_d960b2b059_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
EdwardHomeandHighwayshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02111723026032812147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3835310165019364275.post-24663005147881635692015-05-29T06:39:00.002+01:002015-07-22T04:51:52.737+01:00Road Trip Diary: Klamath Falls > Crater Lake> Bend20. Redding to Klamath Falls<br />
Saturday 23rd May 2015<br />
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We left Redding nice and early and drove north past the gigantic Mount Shasta just shy of the border with Oregon. We did some running commentary as we drove past it, googling and reading up about the possibility of it erupting and reminiscing about the volcano epic Dante's Peak. Classic.<br />
We took some snaps, stopped off in a town called Weed (real place!) for some food. If I'm not careful this blog will turn into a diary of the best kitsch signage across the west coast but I just can't help myself.<br />
We bid adieu to California for 22 days and said hello Oregon, the Beaver state!<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18219314471" title="IMG_2951 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2951" height="534" src="https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7740/18219314471_6f62843e0e_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18219337611" title="IMG_2948 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2948" height="534" src="https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7736/18219337611_c23080b891_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/17597527933" title="IMG_2945 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2945" height="534" src="https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7783/17597527933_ceef63ec05_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
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21. Klamath Falls to Bend<br />
Sunday 24th May 2015<br />
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Our first dud ladies and gentleman. Klamath Falls probably wasn't the best introduction to Oregon. Long roads full of crappy chain stores, a basic motel, nothing interesting nearby and only a Burger King next door for sustenance. We made it work but we were happy to get out of there and on to what we had been really looking forward to, Crater Lake.<br />
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Now this is is what we were expecting. Even the Grand Canyon didn't stir me like this place did. All the cliches- breathtaking, awe-inspiring (my face in the first photo below accurately depicts my awe), magnificent. It genuinely didn't look real, the clouds reflecting in the super blue and eerily still waters of the lake made it out to be some piece of photoshop tomfoolery but this was in my actual eyes! We stopped off numerous times on the way around, to see it from various angles and it was stunning from each one. I've never seen anything like it and just thinking about it as I write this gets me a little emotional. This was the Oregon I was expecting.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/17996544580" title="IMG_2973 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2973" height="534" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8766/17996544580_bcaa97d643_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/17998013219" title="IMG_2977 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2977" height="534" src="https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7743/17998013219_3990853a60_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18157703686" title="IMG_2982 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2982" height="534" src="https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7751/18157703686_8a5e0b99da_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/17563658833" title="IMG_2975 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2975" height="1600" src="https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7786/17563658833_f62250b9fa_h.jpg" width="1067" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/17563595273" title="IMG_2984 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2984" height="534" src="https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7732/17563595273_d49b27c44b_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18180621202" title="IMG_2987 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2987" height="534" src="https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7799/18180621202_325103dce4_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/17561676164" title="IMG_2969 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2969" height="1600" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8884/17561676164_793c04fc78_h.jpg" width="1067" /></a>
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We arrived in Bend late afternoon, dropped the car at the motel and walked through an area called the Old Mill District, a relatively new-looking development with a cinema, Victoria's Secret and a load of restaurants all set on the banks of the Deschutes River. As we carried on up to downtown, the setting changed. The familiar grid of an American town returned and the streets were lined with cute little wooden bungalows and porches. We reached downtown, full of independent shops and markets and by this point we needed some refreshment. Mine's a margarita, his a pale ale.<br />
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We stopped in at the Pine Tavern for their excellent happy hour ($5 margaritas!), moved a few doors down to Bend Brewing Company to try their beers and then headed back to the Pine Tavern for more beer, some happy hour bar food and to grill the waitress about how Americans 'do' bank holidays seeing as the following day was Memorial Day (much the same as us in case you were wondering). A drunken walk back to the motel confirmed we were both already big fans of Bend.<br />
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22. Bend<br />
Monday 25th May 2015<br />
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We rose late seeing as today, we didn't need to be anywhere until much later on- the doors for the Robert Plant gig didn't open until 5pm. We got a late lunch next the river before checking out the Les Schwab Amphitheater. It was very cute and almost British in it's quaintness- think a tiny little version of Hyde Park where everyone brings little lawn chairs and there's a white picket fence around the stage. As we were still too early we wandered up to the Deschutes Brewery and bagged four free delicious beer samples- a definite recommendation if you ever find yourself in Bend!<br />
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I'm a very big Led Zeppelin fan (me more than Ed) and I love his newer work with the Sensational Spaceshifters, so we had shuffled our itinerary around to make sure we were in Bend to coincide with Mr Plant. Unfortunately the amphitheater had strict rules on cameras with lenses (all cameras that weren't phones basically) so no photos but I can assure you he was awesome. His voice was top notch, the band were as brilliant as ever and he had perfect Englishman banter. The atmosphere was lovely and they played a great mix of old and new songs. I shed a few tears at Going to California, prophetic for us as it was, and I skipped home later on that familiar gig high.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/17996309878" title="IMG_3006 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3006" height="534" src="https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7745/17996309878_84df11327f_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/17561544654" title="IMG_3014 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3014" height="534" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8790/17561544654_ccf120fb5d_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18180562612" title="IMG_3013 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3013" height="534" src="https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7746/18180562612_0ac43f123c_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
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23. Bend<br />
Tuesday 26th May 2015<br />
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Waking with thumping headaches and yearnings for coffee, we drove downtown to Thump Coffee, voted best local coffee in Bend four years running and mentioned to us via a couple of personal recommendations. After a latte and bagel for me (both very good) and a cookie and americano for Ed, a little debate about which is better, the populist doughnut or the humble cookie, we took a walk around downtown Bend, browsed the shops and made our way back to the motel for a little nap*.<br />
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For dinner, we popped into the Old Mill District again for four courses at a seafood restaurant called Anthony's (salad, bread, starter, great fresh garlic prawns, cod fillet and a little fudge sundae all for the bargain price of $22 per person) and a final walk around the river.<br />
We were very sad to leave Bend. Loved the beer, all the people were really friendly and relaxed, the food had been the best we had come upon so far and the weather kept its promises. A brilliant three days all round.<br />
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*We are famous for our naps, especially holiday naps, but we are seriously lacking so far. Not many will believe it, but this was our first. Promise.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/17563578733" title="IMG_3003 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3003" height="534" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8774/17563578733_a41735e830_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/17996249128" title="IMG_3016 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3016" height="534" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8887/17996249128_85c42fe988_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
EllieHomeandHighwayshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16445878921597919736noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3835310165019364275.post-44017525491510610182015-05-24T05:45:00.002+01:002015-07-22T04:51:09.850+01:00Road Trip Diary: Sutter Creek > Grass Valley > Redding17. Fresno to Sutter Creek<br />
Wednesday 20th May 2015<br />
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Hands down, Sutter Creek has been our favourite place so far. It's an old gold mining town from the 1840's and many of the old brick buildings are still standing with their wooden frontages and pastel colours. It's now mainly a tourist town but was relatively quiet the days we were there due to it being midweek.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/17365572103" title="IMG_2854 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2854" height="534" src="https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7696/17365572103_ecc243c7dd_c.jpg" width="800" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/17799837579" title="IMG_2859 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2859" height="534" src="https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7789/17799837579_e3f37c3c61_c.jpg" width="800" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/17959616056" title="IMG_2871 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2871" height="534" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8859/17959616056_55a8c481c7_c.jpg" width="800" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/17365491843" title="IMG_2878 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2878" height="534" src="https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7686/17365491843_6144d1d3c1_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
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The weather was perfect, clear and warm, so we wandered the shops. Ellie loved it, full of antique malls as they call them here, a bit like an emporium with lots of different sellers under one roof and full of weird and wonderful things. We especially liked Lizzie Ann's Bubblegum Books, a second-hand book shop also crammed with vintage china and other random stuff. Ellie bought a couple of hideous vintage sweaters and a Sutter Creek patch and we carried on through the shops. <br />
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We decided we deserved a nice meal after a few too many roadside burgers so we booked a table at a hotel restaurant called The Sutter. The whole front of the restaurant opened up on to the pavement and the warm breeze made a decent accompaniment to a lovely meal. Afterwards we sat in the bar trying to figure out baseball but sadly we're still none the wiser!<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/17365542373" title="IMG_2866 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2866" height="1600" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5346/17365542373_3e12018b19_h.jpg" width="1067" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/17798410410" title="IMG_2873 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2873" height="1600" src="https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7738/17798410410_6a4cf56191_h.jpg" width="1067" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/17959589676" title="IMG_2877 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2877" height="534" src="https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7744/17959589676_392ca932f1_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
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18. Sutter Creek to Grass Valley<br />
Thursday 21st May 2015<br />
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Awaking after a decent nights rest at Days Inn Sutter Creek, we had seen online that there was a pretty amazing antique shop right up our street, Gothic Rose Antiques in Placerville. A little bit incense-scented Camden market, it was full of black velvet and faux Victoriana but buried beneath it were a few gems. Some great old gothic medical equipment, taxidermy, household items and Ellie found a tarnished old star picture holder for $25 dollars. We had a chat with the really nice shop boy about Ye Olde England and how obsessed 'we' (as in the whole of the UK apparently) are with the royal family. We smiled, nodded a lot, said farewell and had a little laugh afterwards.<br />
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Placerville also had some pretty old signage and buildings, plus lots of odd references to the IOOF which we discovered later stood for the Independent Order of Oddfellows (pretty long winded to explain so have a <a href="http://www.ioof.org/">read here</a>). The chain link stands for 'Friendship, Love and Truth'.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/17985982935" title="IMG_2889 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2889" height="533" src="https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7782/17985982935_f4502c13ce_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/17982791662" title="IMG_2892 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2892" height="534" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5338/17982791662_57358e1db6_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/17798131978" title="IMG_2883 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2883" height="534" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8798/17798131978_264713222f_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
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On the drive to Grass Valley later on, we realised that in the 18 days we'd been in the U.S. I had already eaten 9 burgers. One every other day. Bloody hell.<br />
We drove through a town called Cool, which was cool. In fact, everything in Cool was named cool. Cool Cleaners, Cool Cafe, Cool Dentist, Cool Gas. Well played Cool, well played.<br />
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Grass Valley was another old mining town but was quite a lot bigger than Sutter Creek. We browsed the town centre and Ellie made me pose with an owl. We checked into the motel, had a lazy afternoon browsing the supermarket for a microwavable dinner to eat at the motel and grabbing a Starbucks where the barista told us she wanted our accents. People are really very nice here!<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/17982779162" title="IMG_2903 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2903" height="1600" src="https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7710/17982779162_88ff493edd_h.jpg" width="1067" /></a>
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19. Grass Valley to Redding<br />
Friday 22nd May 2015<br />
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We ate lunch at In'N Out Burger in a place called Chico (all we could think of was '<i>It's Chico Time!' </i>Such Brits) and I was now onto my 10th burger so I'm obviously aiming for a record!<br />
After arriving early at our stay in Redding, a motel called Thunderbird Lodge with an amazing sign, we looked up things near by to do and found Whiskeytown Lake so jumped in the car and drove a few miles down the road. The lake was huge, very peaceful and full of wildlife including a couple of woodpeckers and some local teenagers hanging out on the beach.<br />
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We found some more stunning signage the next morning near where we were staying- The Stardust Motel and The Americana Lodge- but sadly their neon looked the most impressive thing about them and both looked a bit run down.<br />
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Tomorrow, Oregon!<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18028495001" title="IMG_2909 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2909" height="534" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8886/18028495001_a28bdb876a_c.jpg" width="800" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/17407120303" title="IMG_2922 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2922" height="534" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8766/17407120303_6d775650c1_c.jpg" width="800" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/17407025963" title="IMG_2930 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2930" height="1600" src="https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7763/17407025963_dbdc1079c1_h.jpg" width="1067" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18028276021" title="IMG_2931 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2931" height="1067" src="https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7660/18028276021_77c5e67843_h.jpg" width="1600" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18001123186" title="IMG_2935 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2935" height="1600" src="https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7685/18001123186_4bc258f1cd_h.jpg" width="1066" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/18027335245" title="IMG_2937 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2937" height="534" src="https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7657/18027335245_cb50083d1c_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
EdwardHomeandHighwayshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02111723026032812147noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3835310165019364275.post-42940691240129868882015-05-23T04:04:00.000+01:002015-07-22T04:50:53.609+01:00Road Trip Diary: Death Valley > Bakersfield > Fresno13. Las Vegas to Death Valley<br />
Saturday 16th May 2015<br />
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After an amazing wedding on Thursday and a day nursing our hangovers by wandering the strip and napping on Friday, we were off to Death Valley. We had visited Death Valley in 2011 so we knew what to expect from the lowest point in North America and were really looking forward to the heat, the silence and some quality swimming pool action- they have a spring fed pool which is so much better than a chlorinated one.<br />
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Thanks to our obsession with The Weather Channel we also heard that there was a severe cold front hitting the Sierra Nevada area over the weekend and following week. We checked on Friday and the weather for Yosemite (which we were due to drive to after Death Valley) looked particularly miserable. Rain, temperatures in single figures and warnings of dangerous driving conditions were not what we had packed for. We were meant to be staying in a canvas tent and so sadly, we made the tough call to remove Yosemite and Lake Tahoe from the itinerary. We had to re-route from Bridgeport>Yosemite>Lake Tahoe to Bakersfiefld>Fresno>Sutter Creek>Grass Valley>Redding to allow us to arrive for our pre-booked motel in Bend, Oregon on Sunday 24th May.<br />
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We shared a coffee with the newly weds and their family before leaving Las Vegas for good. It would be 67 days before we would see a familiar face again other than our own mugs!<br />
Moving from the garish sights and loud noise of Vegas to the moonscape of the desert for 2 days was the perfect tonic for some sore heads.<br />
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Ellie spotted the Amargosa Opera House so we pulled over to take some photos. If you don't know the weird history behind it, have a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amargosa_Opera_House_and_Hotel">read here.</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/17798392058" title="IMG_2741 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2741" height="534" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8843/17798392058_94b1d0f50c_c.jpg" width="800" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/17982949782" title="IMG_2821 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2821" height="534" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5348/17982949782_9c91470b43_c.jpg" width="800" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/17363517174" title="IMG_2839 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2839" height="534" src="https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7678/17363517174_7d04a2c829_c.jpg" width="800" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/17982988442" title="IMG_2811 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2811" height="534" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8863/17982988442_9b926736db_c.jpg" width="800" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/17798504030" title="IMG_2813 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2813" height="534" src="https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7723/17798504030_8d8b53e764_c.jpg" width="800" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/17365695543" title="IMG_2772 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2772" height="534" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5321/17365695543_8c714c9a9f_c.jpg" width="800" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/17798337288" title="IMG_2783 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2783" height="534" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8795/17798337288_a361b6fabe_c.jpg" width="800" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/17986921021" title="IMG_2786 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2786" height="534" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5452/17986921021_2c82be9290_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
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Once we arrived at the Furnace Creek Ranch we quickly got changed, applied the sun cream for the 30+ degree heat and decamped to the pool. The ranch has everything you would need on site: three restaurants, a saloon bar and general store plus lots of other amenities. It is needed though as there is nothing close by that remotely resembles civilisation but this also means everything comes at a premium- the groceries are a lot more expensive, as are the restaurants, but for a couple of nights we didn't mind forking out a bit more.<br />
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We were staying in a little cabin which comes with it's own porch and rocking chairs which we took advantage of, playing cards and drinking some ice cold beers. It was lovely to sit outside and enjoy the heat. It was the first time it genuinely felt like a summer holiday as up until now the weather hadn't been as hot as we had expected.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/17365725923" title="IMG_2754 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2754" height="534" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5450/17365725923_bb383bb5d2_c.jpg" width="800" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/17365705593" title="IMG_2764 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2764" height="534" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5339/17365705593_011dace681_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
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14. Death Valley<br />
Sunday 17th May 2015<br />
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This was our lazy day. We woke early, got down to the pool before the heat got too high, put some laundry on (two weeks of dirty clothing!) and went back to video call my parents. We ate at the little saloon bar, drank beer and margaritas and then I suggested it was time for a couple of tequila shots, a decision I instantly regretted.<br />
We were sat outside the bar, being merry and playing rummy when suddenly the weather changed and a crazy wind picked up. It kicked up the sand and we had to scamper back to our cabin, trying now to get grit in our eyes. It was very weird to see it raining in Death Valley, where the hottest temperature on earth was recorded so we sat out in it for a few minutes, just to see what it was like.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/17799935209" title="IMG_2799 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2799" height="1600" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5323/17799935209_0f605b2589_h.jpg" width="1067" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/17798299798" title="IMG_2801 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2801" height="534" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5453/17798299798_0b26f3ae50_c.jpg" width="800" /></a>
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15. Death Valley to Bakersfield<br />
Monday 18th May 2015<br />
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We begun the new route to the north by making the four hour drive to Bakersfield. We hadn't done a huge amount of research into this journey so didn't know what to expect on the road. Leaving the long and winding road through the mountains that enclose Death Valley took longer than expected and once we reached highway 395, we had expected to find some towns en route to grab some lunch. However, mile after mile flew by and it became clear that there was nothing to see or anywhere to stop for food. Not to put down the views, but there is only so many times that the desert and hills that pepper this environment can impress.<br />
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It was driving over one of these hills on highway 14 to Bakersfield, that something that we hoped wouldnt happen, happened. A lorry speeding in the opposite direction kicked up a large stone which hit our windscreen with a loud bang. It made a star shaped crack and shook us up a bit.<br />
We finally spotted the Jawbone Canyon store and pulled in for a sugar hit and contacted our road assistance people who sorted it for us to swap the car in Bakersfield, which we did relatively smoothly.<br />
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We finally got to the motel later on, stopped by the pool for a bit and grabbed a couple of beers to chill out on the terrace. Three coach loads of French tourists then turned up and livened up the place a bit, all jumping in the pool in the dark and generally having a jolly old time.<br />
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16. Bakersfield to Fresno<br />
Tuesday 19th May 2015<br />
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Travelling north to Fresno we noticed the land changing. There were massive cattle farms, huge fruit producing fields and orchards and the flat landscape was very different to what we had been used to seeing.<br />
We grabbed an iced coffee and made our way to the hotel. On the way Ellie spotted a sign for a vintage furniture store. We made a quick turn off the road and stumbled upon New Vision. It was full of mid-century furniture and cute little knick knacks. After meeting the owners and having a friendly chat about London and our trip, we all took a few photos and a photo of us looking very British made it onto their Instagram feed.<br />
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Piccadilly Inn Shaw in Fresno was our next hotel. Greeted by a lovely big room, the pool was calling us and we spent a good couple of hours laying by it before grabbing a Domino's ($5.99 for a medium pizza here!) and retiring to bed.EdwardHomeandHighwayshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02111723026032812147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3835310165019364275.post-42629353438675688352015-05-21T01:48:00.000+01:002015-07-22T04:50:30.850+01:00Road Trip Diary: Neon Wedding Bells in Las Vegas<div class="p1">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/17843481982" title="IMG_2699 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2699" height="683" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8889/17843481982_5582a89af5_b.jpg" width="1024" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/17846981591" title="IMG_2652 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2652" height="1067" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8823/17846981591_60005c9a80_h.jpg" width="1600" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/17820978416" title="IMG_2631 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2631" height="1600" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5348/17820978416_f8a7d12f19_h.jpg" width="1067" /></a></div>
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10/11/12</div>
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Wednesday May 13th - Friday May 15th 2015</div>
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We’re not into gambling or yard-long slushy cocktails or Britney Spears (shocking, I know) but the opportunity to attend a wedding in Las Vegas was something we couldn’t pass up, especially the wedding of two such good friends, Kirsty and Paul.</div>
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We were staying at the same hotel we were in on our first night, Excalibur. Somehow, we managed to get a MUCH nicer room this time which made us so happy. The last one had been a bit of a dive and we were here for three nights this time. At about £50 a night, it's one of these cheapest on the strip. It's within walking distance to everything and apart from the weird smell everywhere, it's not that bad at all.</div>
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We arrived Wednesday afternoon and met up with the nearly-weds to have lunch at <a href="http://parkonfremont.com/">The Park on Fremont</a> (<i>Tip: highly recommended, very good chicken burger!)</i> and visit <a href="http://www.neonmuseum.org/">The Neon Museum</a>, a place I had been desperate to visit since we missed out on tickets last time we were in Vegas in 2011.</div>
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The museum houses a lot of the old neon signage from infamous casinos and restaurants in Vegas that have either rebranded or have closed down. We booked tickets in advance via the website for a mere $18. This gets you a one hour guided tour slot in the ‘boneyard’. <i>Tip: They are strict here- no backpacks past reception, no video or recording equipment and no additional camera lenses so bear that in mind if you’re planning a visit.</i></div>
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Your guide will talk you through the history of the signs, littered with anecdotes about Vegas, it’s residents and information about how the museum came to be. It was great but I did notice our small group didn’t seem to be listening that well, we were too interested in taking photos of all the incredible signs. This was the only awkward part- our guide was full of information but there wasn’t any breathing space to break away and take photos so we ended up having to do two things at once.</div>
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As a hardcore neon fan, this place was a dream come true. The are hundreds of signs all tightly crammed in to a relatively small space and the level of restoration is different on all of them. Some are in their original state and others have been fully redone with brand new LED lights. We're didn't visit at night (you can do a night time tour for a couple of extra dollars) so sadly didn't see any of them in their full glory, but the level of detail you can see in the day light more than makes up for it.</div>
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It is amazing how America is obsessed with neon signage. Every town and city we've driven through so far has at least one amazing example of neon artwork advertising everything from diners to gentlemen's clubs (Girls! Girls! Girls!) to gas stations.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/17224221444" title="IMG_2649 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2649" height="1067" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8870/17224221444_a15daf3c31_h.jpg" width="1600" /></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/17658820828" title="IMG_2655 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2655" height="1067" src="https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7731/17658820828_a9b70a14bb_h.jpg" width="1600" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/17843468892" title="IMG_2729 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2729" height="1067" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5346/17843468892_63c7942be1_h.jpg" width="1600" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/17658517888" title="IMG_2725 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2725" height="1067" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5448/17658517888_7b09d63690_h.jpg" width="1600" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/17846834071" title="IMG_2712 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2712" height="1067" src="https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7788/17846834071_5084111dce_h.jpg" width="1600" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/17658522788" title="IMG_2709 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2709" height="1067" src="https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7727/17658522788_cfc5dd7a5d_h.jpg" width="1600" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/17660091789" title="IMG_2685 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2685" height="1067" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5460/17660091789_20d65dac0c_h.jpg" width="1600" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/17846981591" title="IMG_2652 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2652" height="683" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8823/17846981591_2372c32921_b.jpg" width="1024" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/17820978416" title="IMG_2631 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2631" height="1024" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5348/17820978416_81b8e28e27_b.jpg" width="683" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/17660109479" title="IMG_2674 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2674" height="1067" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8785/17660109479_7e4037a621_h.jpg" width="1600" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/17843526642" title="IMG_2668 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2668" height="1067" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5346/17843526642_cc2f3a9355_h.jpg" width="1600" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/17226006833" title="IMG_2667 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2667" height="1067" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8785/17226006833_852b56ef07_h.jpg" width="1600" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/17658885610" title="IMG_2657 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2657" height="1600" src="https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7764/17658885610_735a49059f_h.jpg" width="1067" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/17843735042" title="IMG_2640 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2640" height="1067" src="https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7779/17843735042_4d45dc58df_h.jpg" width="1600" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/17846306815" title="IMG_2629 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2629" height="1600" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5346/17846306815_3eb86244bb_h.jpg" width="1067" /></a>
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The wedding on Thursday was truly epic. We were picked up from the hotel in an open top bus and driven to the Chapel of Flowers, not one of your usual little white chapels, this was really beautiful and away from the main strip so nice and peaceful. We jumped back on the bus after the lovely ceremony and were serenaded by Elvis as we took a tour of Vegas, provided with beers and wine and made a stop at the famous sign for photos. It was such a great way to see everything! We were dropped off at Caesars Palace and headed up to a private balcony at the Planet Hollywood restaurant inside. We ate our meal overlooking the strip which was very special- nothing like eating a good steak under the glow of neon! Then the usual wedding fun ensued- speeches, dancing and lots of laughter as the night wore on. Sadly no photos as I didn't take my main camera but lots on our Instagrams which can be found in the sidebar just to your right >><br />
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A brilliant day and a great stay in Vegas with friends but we were very much looking forward to our next couple of days. Some quiet time in Death Valley...EllieHomeandHighwayshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16445878921597919736noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3835310165019364275.post-72228674524038686192015-05-18T01:48:00.000+01:002015-07-22T04:50:14.890+01:00Road Trip Diary: Utah- Cedar City > St. George6. Page, Arizona to Cedar City, Utah<br />
Saturday 9th May 2015
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We left Page but not before the motel owner Budd gave us some letters to give to a few people in England, with just their names on the front. Apparently he met them when he was over in the UK a few years ago. After a little digging on Facebook it looks like we've found them so we'll make sure they get to their rightful owners when we return home. We stopped for lunch in a very cute little town called Kanab and Ed had researched lunch at a cafe called The Rocking V. Great vegetarian pitta thing for him and a monster of a grilled cheese sandwich for me. We could feel the temperature was already cooler than previous days, sitting at around 8 celsius. We drove from Kanab to Dixie National Forest, higher and higher until the landscape noticeably changed from red rock and desert plains to an alpine-like forest and lush farmland.<br />
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What we hadn't fully prepared for in our planning for this trip was snow and temperatures that we would normally expect in January in the UK. Slowly ascending the Utah State Route 14 up the Markagunt Plateau we started noticing snow piles on the side of the road. We stopped off next to the picturesque Duck Creek where Ed went mad as he spotted an Osprey flying over the creek and another osprey calling to its companion. The temperature was much colder -about 4 celsius now. I was starting to feel a little panicky on the descent to Cedar City, there was some ice on the roads but we stuck to around 25mph and made it down safely. The huge variations in climate has been the one thing that's really shocked us so far on this trip. The way it can vastly change across both short distances and short time periods is crazy.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/17468667932" title="IMG_2510 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2510" height="1066" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8740/17468667932_094844c9b8_h.jpg" width="1600" /></a>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/17761468221" title="IMG_2520 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2520" height="1067" src="https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7729/17761468221_439e0281b6_h.jpg" width="1600" /></a>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/17761425501" title="IMG_2536 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2536" height="1067" src="https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7782/17761425501_715fafbade_h.jpg" width="1600" /></a><br />
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7. Cedar City, Utah<br />
Sunday 10th May 2015<br />
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Not much to report from this day sadly. We were pretty tired and due to the cold weather and distance we decided to give Bryce Canyon a miss. I wanted to make sure Ed didn't start resenting the driving so we had breakfast in a tiny common room with other tourists and had a lazy day in the motel room whilst everyone else celebrated Mothers Day in America. We walked the deserted streets, with their pioneer-style facades. Two leather jacket wearing Brits looking a bit out of sorts. It wasn't the prettiest or most interesting of towns but it's a good stopover point.<br />
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8. Cedar City to St. George<br />
Monday 11th May 2015<br />
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We stopped off at Kolob Canyon on our way to St George and drove the winding road up to the viewing point and looked out over more epic rockery. We were a bit early for check-in at the motel so we pulled over at a park for lunch, along with a Softball team who kindly gave us some of their cookies.<br />
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Utah is famously a predominantly mormon or Church of the Latter Day Saints state, with around 60% of the residents being members of the church. This has effects on lots of rules and regulations in the state including ones like only being able to buy alcohol in licensed premises when ordering food and state-operated liquor stores, plus many more. They are pretty strange and you can find out more about them <a href="http://www.thrillist.com/drink/nation/utah-s-weird-liquor-laws-3-2-beer-zion-curtains-no-happy-hours-thrillist-nation">here</a><br />
We stopped by the beautiful St George Utah Temple, a huge all-white monument built in 1877 and still actively used by the local congregation today.<br />
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The <a href="http://www.expedia.com/St-George-Hotels-St-George-Inn-Suites.h1113928.Hotel-Information?semcid=13172-1_.001&kword=st_%20george_%20inn_%20suites!m.ZzZz.3350003753082.0.40834205672.st%20%20george%20%20inn%20%20suites.st_%20george_%20inn_%20suites&gclid=Cj0KEQjw-OCqBRDXmIWvveLE3_cBEiQAZWfImcGCdUyvFne9W1kMYCu1pCLKrP0NKDUoNbFdGgJc3KEaAtGv8P8HAQ">inn</a> was really nice, only costing us about £70 for two nights. It has a good sized pool which we took full advantage of since it was our first long period of warm weather and we ate at the Black Bear Diner, once again amazed and overwhelmed at the portion sizes and the waste that these places produce. We had a bit of an eventful evening after going to bed though. I woke up at about 2.30am to the sound of water dripping and assumed Ed must have left the tap on when he'd visited the bathroom. I woke him up and nagged him to go and turn it off, where he discovered the floor of our bathroom was flooded and there was water coming from the ceiling. We called the front desk and, very bleary eyed, were told upstairs had left their tap running. They very swiftly moved us to the room next door and we fell back to sleep.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/17734618346" title="IMG_2550 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2550" height="1067" src="https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7694/17734618346_b106e1050c_h.jpg" width="1600" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/17761328741" title="IMG_2560 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2560" height="1067" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5445/17761328741_91cf6e6d6c_h.jpg" width="1600" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/17758202432" title="IMG_2568 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2568" height="1600" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8871/17758202432_9dd9cb4319_h.jpg" width="1067" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/17574535299" title="IMG_2574 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2574" height="1067" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5466/17574535299_53123cb9d7_h.jpg" width="1600" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/17138264584" title="IMG_2585 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2585" height="1600" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8797/17138264584_473c69feca_h.jpg" width="1067" /></a>
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9. Zion National Park<br />
Tuesday 12th May 2015<br />
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I hadn't really known what to expect from Zion. I'd assumed it would be more beautiful rock and scenic views but I was blown away by it. You drive up through along a long road, full of tourist shops selling coloured glass and gemstones, through a couple of very pretty small towns- Springdale being one- and park up at one of the shuttle stops. The shuttle then takes you up through the bottom of the canyon and you can get on and off at many different stops. We left the shuttle at the Zion Lodge to do the Emerald Pools Trail, a nice easy hike to the waterfalls and small pools on the side of the canyon. It was incredibly green and shady and we spotted a few very serene-looking mule deer on the way back.<br />
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We jumped on the shuttle again and got off at the Temple of Sinawava to the the Riverside Walk, which again was stunning. We went off the beaten path and literally walked next to the river, dipping our toes in the water and fending off the local squirrels who wanted some of our packed lunch. We watched as some of the more seasoned hikers took to the water with their sticks and proper gear to hike The Narrows, a series of canyon walls very narrowly separated which apparently have spectacular light and scenes inside. We ended the day with a locally produced beer the the Zion Brew Pub (plus some onion rings courtesy of those pesky Utah drinking laws) and turned back for a much needed nights sleep- we were headed back to Las Vegas on Wednesday!<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/17761108081" title="IMG_2609 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2609" height="880" src="https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7789/17761108081_e9b0a8746a_o.jpg" width="1321" /></a>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/17760693225" title="IMG_2619 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2619" height="1600" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5328/17760693225_51c411e02e_h.jpg" width="1067" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/17177430303" title="IMG_2621 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2621" height="1600" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8739/17177430303_6eeb45c03b_h.jpg" width="1067" /></a>EllieHomeandHighwayshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16445878921597919736noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3835310165019364275.post-67036765972945584852015-05-10T04:36:00.002+01:002015-07-22T04:49:48.060+01:00Road Trip Diary: Las Vegas > Flagstaff > Page1. Departure Day!<br />
Monday May 4th 2015<br />
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We woke up in the South Terminal of Gatwick Airport, checked out of the Bloc Hotel and wheeled our bags down to Departures. <i>Tip: For around £59 you can stay the night directly in the terminal which, if you have an early flight, takes away some of the hassle of the airport process.</i> We couldn't wait to board the Boeing, watch some films, drink some gin and eat some neatly packaged plane food. So we did and it was ace. I seriously love flying, the enforced routine, the peace, the views.<br />
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We landed at Vegas' McCarran Airport, losing eight hours to the Atlantic and feeling all the worse for it. The immigration queue was immense, nearly an hour waiting for them to quiz us about our plans but I was so delirious that we were actually in America I didn't care. Another half hour in the taxi queue and we were on our way to the Excalibur hotel, a gaudy, faux-medieval shock to the system. I'd totally forgotten how bloody weird the Vegas hotels are. For one, people can smoke inside which they then cover up by pumping out strong floral air freshener. We ended up wandering around the hotel for a couple of hours and laughing at the absurdity of it all before going back to the room and falling into a very broken sleep.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/17284521009" title="IMG_2388 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2388" height="1366" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8852/17284521009_1fd3581281_k.jpg" width="2048" /></a>
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2. Las Vegas to Flagstaff, Arizona.<br />
Tuesday 5th May 2015<br />
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We got a cab to Alamo to pick up our rental car so we could get out of Vegas and into Arizona. We're back next week for a special wedding so it's not goodbye for long. Jet lag and Sin City do not mix well. We drove the 250 miles to Flagstaff and stopped off at the Hoover Dam for a very high altitude selfie on the way. The wide, quiet roads out of Vegas were great for Ed to get used to driving on the other side of the road and familiarise himself with all the road signs. <i>Tip: compared to picking up the car in a big city with huge freeways like L.A, it's a lot easier when you can quickly get out of the traffic-swamped areas.</i><br />
We stopped off for lunch in a little town called Kingman because Ed had done his research and found that this was our closest In'n Out Burger. Hands down, the best burger I've ever eaten. <i>Tip: Visit In'n Out Burger, a lot.</i><br />
We got to Flagstaff late afternoon and checked into our first AirBnb, a beautiful house overlooking the San Francisco Peaks range with a guy called David, his two dogs Wanda and Lilly and his hawk Coca. We drove to the local Walmart-bad idea- and wandered aimlessly around the aisles, amazed by the choice and confused by the look of most of it. Still very jet-lagged we settled on bagels, apples and cereal bars, headed home to eat our 'meal' and fell asleep watching Netflix at 8.30pm.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/17284538269" title="IMG_2394 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2394" height="1365" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8843/17284538269_56c54bef0e_k.jpg" width="2048" /></a><br />
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3. Grand Canyon<br />
Wednesday 6th May 2015<br />
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Another early morning for us. We grabbed some decent, strong coffee courtesy of David, had a chat about his life and got ready to head out to the Grand Canyon for the day when Ed asked about his hawk Coca. David went to bring him out and Ed did everything he could to hold himself together (I joke, but he is a huge Bird of Prey nerd) It was a pretty amazing experience, we both took turns to hold her and David taught us about the breed and background. We drove out to the Grand Canyon feeling joyous and arrived late morning to some epic scenes. The photos speak for themselves and the park, the visitors centre and the trails were all excellent. I think the altitude/tiredness made me feel a bit under the weather, so after a short hike and many, many photo opportunities including some with of the local squirrels, we jumped back into the car and headed back. We stopped in the centre of Flagstaff for an afternoon coffee, saw that it was a really cute university town with a heap of great shops, cafes and good signage and got sad that we had to leave the next day.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/17473982181" title="gc by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="gc" height="1067" src="https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7762/17473982181_d416e2de9b_h.jpg" width="1600" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/16850515153" title="IMG_2380 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2380" height="1365" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8863/16850515153_82a8029ad2_k.jpg" width="2048" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/17470823815" title="IMG_2363 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2363" height="1365" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8890/17470823815_24655cff37_k.jpg" width="2048" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/17470531311" title="IMG_2360 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2360" height="1365" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8894/17470531311_e258a80759_k.jpg" width="2048" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/17470475311" title="IMG_2403 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2403" height="1365" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8856/17470475311_cb54b268f7_k.jpg" width="2048" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/17283221860" title="IMG_2401 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2401" height="1365" src="https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7714/17283221860_b781ff4914_k.jpg" width="2048" /></a>
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4. Flagstaff to Page.<br />
Thursday 7th May 2015<br />
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We said goodbye to David and made the 2 hour journey to Page where we were staying at our first motel and seeing Horseshoe Bend and Monument Valley, another couple of scene-stealing backdrops. Horseshoe Bend was weird and amazing- no guard rails and tourists perched right on edge trying to get a good photo. It was beautiful though, the full eroded bend in the canyon and the bright blue of the river impossible to capture on a non-wide angle lens sadly. We had our first proper BBQ meal that evening, Big Johns Texan BBQ. Pulled pork on paper plates, sticky fingers, peach cobbler and locally brewed beers, all of it delicious.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/17284425029" title="IMG_2511 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2511" height="2737" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8890/17284425029_46d57bda7e_o.jpg" width="4108" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/17468660252" title="IMG_2505 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2505" height="2848" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8820/17468660252_2b7ee0f101_o.jpg" width="4272" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/16850419073" title="IMG_2503 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2503" height="2737" src="https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7696/16850419073_52c97617cc_o.jpg" width="4106" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/16850454533" title="IMG_2459 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2459" height="1365" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8801/16850454533_2a7b771447_k.jpg" width="2048" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/16850499503" title="IMG_2454 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2454" height="2048" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5463/16850499503_11cedbd8b5_k.jpg" width="1365" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/17282969298" title="IMG_2448 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2448" height="2048" src="https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7753/17282969298_c6bfe08976_k.jpg" width="1365" /></a>
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5. Monument Valley<br />
Friday 8th May 2015<br />
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We ate our breakfast of bananas and cereal bars (<i>tip: this is cheap and yum and easy</i>) and drove the 2 hours to Monument Valley on the Arizona/Utah border. It's located on Navajo owned land and is fully sacred to them which was fascinating to read about in the museum in the visitor centre. We learnt about the Code Talkers, a group of Navajo Indians who joined the World War Two efforts and used their native language as a code to evade the Germans, something which I've never heard about before. A huge sandstorm picked up and we waited it out in the car before driving back. The amount of driving was starting to take it's toll and we arrived back to the motel knackered, needing food and still a bit freaked out that we were actually doing this.<br />
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Tomorrow, on to Utah...<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/16848180964" title="IMG_2496 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2496" height="2848" src="https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7793/16848180964_d80bb1b468_o.jpg" width="4272" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/16848180624" title="IMG_2481 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2481" height="2848" src="https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7795/16848180624_84f29764f9_o.jpg" width="4272" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/17284457559" title="IMG_2491 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2491" height="2848" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8837/17284457559_e5b710cf26_o.jpg" width="4272" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/16848179034" title="IMG_2460 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2460" height="2790" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8742/16848179034_ac099efdb8_o.jpg" width="4185" /></a>
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<br />EllieHomeandHighwayshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16445878921597919736noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3835310165019364275.post-82213328803673646012015-05-04T09:00:00.000+01:002015-07-22T04:49:32.303+01:00Departing Shots<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/17147661349" title="info1 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="info1" height="1400" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7766/17147661349_d16e4396c7_o.png" width="985" /></a><br />
<br />
This is it. We're jumping on a plane in a couple of hours headed to Vegas to start our trip. We're currently feeling a few nerves but a lot of excitement- the butterflies are doing furious laps in our bellies. We're packed (me- a lot, him- not so much), we're organised (how many times can one person check their passports?) and we're coming for you America.<br />
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See you on the other side of the Atlantic!EllieHomeandHighwayshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16445878921597919736noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3835310165019364275.post-55406794810576581752015-05-03T22:08:00.000+01:002015-07-22T04:48:57.445+01:00The Most Anticipated<div class="MsoNormal">
Since we fly out tomorrow morning (AGH!), we've decided to each write a little bit on the parts of the trip we're looking forward to the most.<br />
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<u>Ed</u><br />
I've always been attracted to the wilderness. The silence,
the stillness, the beauty. The USA is a humongous place and the size of the country
allows for some amazing landscapes and natural parks. Seeing these places in films means you sometimes feel like you know them already, but it's not until you
feel the blast of the desert heat in Death Valley and stand underneath El
Capitan in Yosemite National Park that you realise it isn't anything like the movies.</div>
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When we visited California 4 years ago for a quick 2 and
half week trip round the state, Yosemite and Death Valley really stood out for
me, even though we only stayed a couple of days in each.</div>
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This time around, we really want to make the most of our time so we're spending longer and visiting more of the parks that we couldn't get to last time.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Utah, the epic scapes of the Grand Canyon, the heat
of Death Valley, the beauty of Yosemite, the Pacific Northwest's rugged coast
line, the grandeur of the Redwoods and barren Joshua Tree all really stand out as places we need to visit. There will be more along the way but these are the parks that we will be staying in or near.</div>
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Having lived in London for the past 6 and a half years the constant noise, amount of people crammed in to one place, the pollution
and the hectic activity of the capital can really get to you.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I appreciate that we won’t be totally
isolated from human contact in the parks and that most are easily accessible from
major cities so we will never be too far from towns and services. It's
fantastic that the US have these parks on their doorstep so this is the part I can’t wait for- getting out to the forests
& finally feeling that desert sun on my back.<br />
<br />
<u>Ellie</u><br />
Narrowing it down to just one place or thing that I'm looking forward to the most is quite difficult so, keeping that in mind, I'm choosing the whole of the Pacific Northwest. The misty, rain-sodden PNW might not be the part that sun-seekers would choose and I certainly do love some sunshine, but I'm pale, almost as pale as the vampires from a certain set of books set in Washington State, so always feel more at home under a canopy of trees.<br />
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Also, this is the home of some of my favourite music. The riot grrrl movement started in Olympia, Washington with, amongst others, Bikini Kill and slightly later, Sleater-Kinney. The latter are named after Sleater Kinney Road in Olympia, on which we're coincidently staying when we're there. Pretty stoked about that.<br />
<br />
Seattle and Portland are both cities I'm desperate to get to, I'm a big fan of Portlandia and I grew up watching Frasier so nerding out over the locations is high on my list of to-do's. The food and coffee scenes are famously legendary and I'm a BIG fan of both so you know, I'm sure we'll get stuck in!</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
EdwardHomeandHighwayshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02111723026032812147noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3835310165019364275.post-84937108043707448382015-04-22T16:36:00.001+01:002015-07-22T04:49:15.760+01:00Goodbye Little Home<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/17194724326" title="b12 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="b12" height="693" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7593/17194724326_aca7bbfb6b_o.jpg" width="905" /></a><br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
The view from our window for the past 6 years. </div>
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The battered brown door wasn’t inviting, neither was the narrow, dark corridor leading up the stairwell. We could already hear noisy floorboards and other peoples steps upstairs. The prospects were not looking good for this one. It was January 2009 and a nervous estate agent said goodbye to one couple leaving the open viewing and welcomed us in to what would become our home for the next 6 years, 2 months and 10 days.<br />
<br />
Oh sweet Jesus, the horror! So much wood, so much badly varnished wood. The imposing built-in bookshelves that covered one wall of the living room immediately brought to mind Ron Burgundy’s “My apartment smells of rich mahogany” quote.<br />
We had just come from seeing a tiny studio flat round the corner in Primrose Hill which hadn’t given us much hope and now we were being subjected to what was basically a first-floor wooden shed. The swinging Wild West style doors to the bathroom added a certain charm and it was quite cosy for a one bedroom flat with high ceilings, big sash windows and small rooms. Looking past the wood, could this be what we were looking for?<br />
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We had both moved to London the previous October, both to Finsbury Park but to different flats- Ellie to an airy, stylish flat which she shared with a lovely German woman but with a tiny bedroom and me to a dingy, dirty flat nearer the station shared with three others. Everybody has to start from somewhere but the constant toilet blockages, horrible living room/kitchen setup and stench of weed strongly motivated me to find somewhere else for us to live together. We already had best friends living in Chalk Farm so when we spotted a flat in Belsize Park for a knockdown price we had to have a look.<br />
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The flat viewing had not filled me with joy though. After saying goodbye to the agent, we went for a cuppa in Violettes Café and had a chat about what we had just seen. I wasn’t enamoured, however, Ellie has much keener eye than me and knew we had seen something special. She persuaded me that we could do something with the wood and was adamant we could turn it into our home. <br />
Three weeks later we moved in and begun painting the shelving and desk in the living room. It wasn’t a smooth process, what with all the moving and painting, but we slowly started to make it more homely.<br />
<br />
Over the past 6 years we’ve had drunken parties, mock Come Dine With Me competitions, watched scary movies with shrieking friends, hosted weekend Take Me Out nights, eaten hundreds of Dominos pizzas and had a sleepover to see how many people we could fit into such a small space (twelve as it turned out- three to the bed and nine to the living room). </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
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It’s funny how time changes your perspective on things. I never thought that I would ever live and work in London but the flat has been our constant and provided us with the home that we hoped it would. This flat will be a sad place to say goodbye to next week but we have brilliant memories to take away with us.</div>
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<br />
Goodbye little home.</div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/17013251937" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="b9 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="b9" height="683" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8696/17013251937_ca6f9018c0_o.jpg" width="873" /></a><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/17032909558" title="b1 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="b1" height="695" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8686/17032909558_144352022c_o.jpg" width="871" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/17218978702" title="b4 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="b4" height="693" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7681/17218978702_a704bd9136_o.jpg" width="889" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/17033144900" title="b7 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="b7" height="685" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7584/17033144900_926e7ec0bb_o.jpg" width="879" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/16600481103" title="b11 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="b11" height="679" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5349/16600481103_8e534d3c20_o.jpg" width="903" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/17218978392" title="b6 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="b6" height="689" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8811/17218978392_d8368aae27_o.jpg" width="875" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/17033145090" title="b5 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="b5" height="703" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8715/17033145090_91d5a558d6_o.jpg" width="849" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/17013252427" title="b3 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="b3" height="689" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5322/17013252427_a2f23c829e_o.jpg" width="883" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132468447@N06/17220112541" title="b2 by Ellie G, on Flickr"><img alt="b2" height="695" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8727/17220112541_eb384b555b_o.jpg" width="901" /></a>
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EdwardHomeandHighwayshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02111723026032812147noreply@blogger.com2