3,600 Plus Miles

Yep, over 3,600 miles and one incredible road trip! I am home. I drove home from Eugene, OR today, and before I even stopped at my house I drove over to see Amy and Eva and get the biggest hugs ever! I am glad to be home but loved my trip! Morro Bay is still calling my name to return . . . who knows. Who ever knows. Hope you enjoyed the journey. I most certainly did!

Love & Fire

Left Ben & Jeni's home this morning and headed north on I-5, expecting another very boring day. But, Ben gave me an idea to try something a little different and rerouted my drive today. I was pretty excited. So off they sent me with a wonderful sign and lots of love!

Christina & Ben

Ben, Jeni & Annie

Christina and Tahoe John
When I got up this morning there was a box of donuts on the table. John heard me mention last night how much I love French crueler donuts, so he got up and went and bought some this morning! What a sweetie!!!

On the road again!

 

Castle Crags

 

About an hour north of Sacramento I was feeling good and rarin' to go, until I saw a flashing road sign that said "I-5 North closed in 25 miles due to wildfire." Now what?? Drove on for a little bit and decided to pull into a gas station in a little town and top off the gas tank in case I got stuck in a really long detour. The guys at the gas station were great. I bought a real live paper map - oh, how I have missed reading a real map!!! - and we looked at my alternatives. Filled up the car, bought a huge bottle of cold water and some snacks and headed out not quite sure of what lay ahead.

 

 

A couple of miles up the road I was relieved to read another flashing sign that said "I-5 North open - expect delays - slow down." Awesome! I wouldn't have to take the route that had me spending an additional 2 hours on the road. As I got closer to the place where the freeway had been closed, I could see and smell the smoke.

 

 

As I drove by I could see why the freeway had been shut down. The fire was right on the side of the freeway and had even jumped over to an off-ramp. It appeared that it had just been contained as there were firefighters still on sight with their hoses.

 

Mt. Shasta

I've only seen this mountain with snow on it. I was shocked to see it so "naked."

Shasta Lake is very, very low. I saw only one houseboat moving on the lake.

 

I got off of I-5 in Weed, CA., and took off over the Siskiyou Mountains on Highway 97. It was really hot outside - thank goodness for air conditioning. I finished listening to Inferno on audio book and started listening to another - Where Did Bernadette Go? Just north of another little town (Chemult?) I turned onto Highway 58 to head back west towards Eugene and I-5. Highway 58 is a beautiful drive! But at one point I got a little worried - when I saw this . . .

 

I knew right away that those were not regular clouds. Those were fire clouds. A massive wildfire just over that hill. I had no idea where the road I was on was taking me - away from it or towards it. But I seriously freaked out when suddenly a helicopter was hovering right over my car as it was positioning itself to dip it's large tarpaulin bucket into the river for some water. Then I drove through smoke.

 

 

It was all quite surreal. But the highway veered away from the smoke and before I knew it, it was all behind me. There was another area of highway further south that I had driven through earlier in the day that had charred trees and grass for miles and miles. Northern California and Southern Oregon must have taken quite some wildfire hits this season.

 

 

Once I was past this fire area, and drove deeper into the Willamette Forest, I was loving the green density all around me. I felt like I was truly driving back into the lush Pacific Northwest.





My "First Time" at In & Out

Dinner tonight was my treat so that I could show my gratitude to my wonderful family - Ben & Jeni Johnson - for letting me stay for a couple of nights to rest up before my last push home. They could have chosen anywhere they wanted to go, and they chose In -n- Out Burgers because they knew Annie would eat there. I'd never been to In-n-Out so I was kind of excited to see what it was all about.

In-n-Out in Elk Grove, CA

 

In-n-Out party of six! Nephew Ben and his wife (my "niece") Jenilynn, their kids Annie and Sam, and my niece Christina. We were waiting for the seventh member of our group - John, Christina's friend from Tahoe - but he didn't make it here until after we got home. We had so much fun!

 

The dancing queen Christina

"What??" Ben passing out the goodies

Princess Annie eating her "cheese on the side."

Sam wants Mama's protein burger.

Could we possibly be having any more fun??!! Love the hats!

 

Burgers were really good . . . Christina and I had two! The only difference between her and me, besides about 100 pounds, is that she will dance her extra burger off!! And speaking of dancing, we had the most fabulous, far-out dance party on the back porch when we got home. Christina had glow-in-the-dark, flashing rings, I had music on my laptop, we cranked up the bbq and had s'mores made with M&Ms and danced our buns off. So much fun!!!! Now Annie and Christina are having a campout in the backyard. I can hear Ben playing his guitar and all is well with the world.

 

Good night sweet Sam . . .





Feeling the Love in Sacramento

I left Los Angeles yesterday and drove the six hours north on I-5 to get to Sacramento. I was fighting sleep the whole time. The drive was hot and ugly and boring. I guess I just got so spoiled while driving on the coast. But arriving in Sacramento at the Johnson home was just what I needed! Ben (my nephew) and his wife Jeni (I call her niece) welcomed me with open, loving arms, gave me their master bedroom and bathroom as an oasis, and fed me a delicious dinner. I got to hold baby Sam for the first time, and I played with 4-year old Annie. What a treat!! And a true surprise - my niece Christina (CJ), who lives in Manhattan, came for a visit also! What fun! We went to bed late because we were talking and looking at pictures from my trip.

Jenilynn & Baby Sam

Christina, Annie, Jeni, Ben & Aunt Sally
Sam was in bed already.

I slept in this morning, ate a yummy breakfast, took a long shower, and now I'm just hanging out on the couch, ready to take a nap. Lovin' life and family right now!!

Thank You Dear Friend

The most time I spent in one place on this fabulous road trip is at 1541 1/2 Silver Lake Blvd., Los Angeles, where my good friend Corey resides. He is a died-in-the-wool bachelor who lives in a tiny little apartment on one of the busiest streets in this area. But being the good friend that he is, and has been for 15+ years, he opened up his private sanctuary to me when I was in the area. I brought in one large suitcase, one medium suitcase (full of girly things), and a whole bunch of small bags full of shoes and magazines and books and beach things, etc. Well, I've been living out of my car for two weeks - what do you expect? I put some of the aforementioned girly things in his bathroom and hung sweaters and blouses in his hallway. I take up space in his fridge with berries and veggies and water bottles. I hog outlets for my computer and phone and fan. In other words, I don't just "take up a tiny corner," and he has been such a sweetheart about the whole thing.

In those 15+ years we've never spent this much time in each other's space before. I cannot tell you how much it has meant to me to have a guy who truly values his "alone time" and his "own space" agree to spend so much time with me. He took a couple of days off work and played around in Santa Barbara with me, including going to the Mission, which I'm sure was not on his top 10 things to do. Then when I got to Los Angeles we spent a day at the Huntington Library and Gardens, had a picnic at Point Vicente Lighthouse, the fabulous John Williams concert at the Hollywood Bowl, the surreal experience on Catalina Island, two rootbeer floats and many, many meals, and today we had lunch and went to a movie together. We stayed up nights watching Sherlock Holmes, an interesting vampire movie, and talked and talked and talked. I got really mad at him once and I'm sure he was ready to kick me out at least once. We have laughed so much and debated non-stop and probably worn each other out emotionally. But this friendship has lasted through up and down, in and out, forwards and backwards, and we continue to evolve not only as friends but as individuals.

Thank you Corey, from the bottom of my heart, for your graciousness in letting me invade your space, for your intellect, for your humor, not so much for your potty mouth, and for your friendship even when it gets hard to be my friend. I love you dearly. Until we meet again, we will always have  . . . Olaf. "Do you wanna build a snowman?"

Bucket List? This one could have stayed in the bucket.

Sunday August 31

I was so excited for this day as it was the day to spend on Catalina Island. It's something I've wanted to do for so long. Corey had never been either, so we planned the whole day. We left L.A. at 8:30 a.m. and got back home around 9:30 p.m. so it truly was an all day event. BUT not what we expected. Talk about a tourist trap! And trapped indeed. We were on an island!!

Started out by taking the Catalina Express from downtown Long Beach. We upgraded to the Commodore Lounge with more comfy seats and a free beverage. The ride over to the island took an hour and it was pleasurable. I finally got to see the Queen Mary close up since we went right past it in the Long Beach harbor. I also got to see Point Fermin Lighthouse from my seat on the boat.

Our "ride" to Catalina Island

The Queen Mary

 

Upon arriving at Catalina Island I have to admit that I found the whole environment to be absolutely beautiful! The water was gorgeous, filled with white yachts and sailboats, and fabulous little houses tucked into the streets and up the side of the hill. A little representation of, let's say Monaco or Greece. I was so excited to be able to spend the day in this "magical" place. Upon closer inspection, it was so crowded with tourists and beach bunnies. There were cute shops and restaurants and everything was packed. Of course it was. It was Sunday of the Labor Day weekend and it was hot and it was Avalon.

My first views of Avalon

 

The famous casino (not really a casino)

Yachts and sailboats and fishing boats, oh my!

The 'hood

The people.

There are shops and restaurants on Casino Ave, then a walkway, then the "beach."

 

Our plan was this:

1. Avalon Scenic Tour - recommended to do to get to know Avalon; booked and paid for ahead of time.
2. Eat lunch.
3. Rent a golf cart and drive around the island. Well, drive around Avalon and get some good pictures; visit the Casino and tour the ballroom and theatre and museum; drive up to the Wrigley Memorial and the Chime Tower.
4. Walk around town. Possibly go on the Icons of Avalon Tour with wine tasting (for Corey) and possibly go on a Dolphin Quest.
5. Glass Bottom Boat Tour - something I've always wanted to do; booked and paid for ahead of time.
6. Embark our Catalina Express at 7:00 p.m. for our journey home, having spent a really fun, adventurous day on Catalina Island.



So off we went on the most ridiculous scenic tour I've ever been on. I could not understand a word the bus driver/tour guide was saying. She must have been about 80 years old and talked like she'd had a stroke. The couple in front of us on the "bus" were rolling their eyes as much as we were. She sounded very scripted and honestly, I couldn't tell if she was joking half the time or what! She literally kept yelling at the tourists in golf carts, calling them idiots and morons through her microphone headset, loud enough for them, and us, to hear! At one point we drove past the pet cemetery and stopped to watch a family climbing up the path to bury their dead pet. For crying out loud, can we say inappropriate??!! I was able to get one or two good pictures from the top of the hill but mostly thanks to some guy on the other side of the bus. She literally only stopped twice for us to stand and take photos. I'm not sure I learned one single thing about Avalon. It was a joke! A surreal experience.

The house where Mr. Wrigley used to live.

Our tour guide, Becky, told us she blindfolded her husband and took him up here once as a surprise. But she also told us she put him in cement shoes and he's at the bottom of the ocean.

I think I heard that right! Geez!

 

After that waste of time and money tour we went and found a cool looking place for lunch. The atmosphere of the joint was fun - eating peanuts and throwing the shells on the floor (they stole that from some other restaurant I've been at). Corey was craving a burger and he said it was good. I had a plate of linguini and scallops which was large enough for 4 people. The sauce was alfredo and it was good, if not a bit under seasoned. The scallops were from a can, small and most definitely under seasoned. I put a dollop of parmesean cheese on every bite. And our server barely spoke, English or otherwise, and was quite grumpy. The best part of lunch was the view and the root beer float.

The view from our window at lunch

 

Then it was time to find ourselves a rental golf cart. They are all over the island, for tourists and residents alike. Hardly anybody owns a car on the island. We waited in line at the first rental place only to be told after being there for awhile that they were all sold out of rental golf carts. We'd have to wait an hour to try again. So we walked down to the other place, waited, and also got told that they had just sold out. And this girl was none to nice about it. Out of luck on driving around and exploring the island in a golf cart. We had tried to do an advance rental of a golf cart while we were at the terminal in Long Beach, but the computer would never let us complete the transaction. We couldn't print out anything . . . it was all so ridiculous.

 

We walked over to the casino, which I had read enough about to know that it was something Corey would enjoy - old Hollywood, art deco, etc. Nice walk along the beach (albeit hot) only to get there and find out that the last tour had departed at 2:00 and it had sold out. We could not just walk through it ourselves. Oh brother. There was another tour at 3:00 (Behind the Scenes) but it was sold out. We ended up paying $5.00 each to go into a tiny little museum and learn about some Hollywood stars - most especially Charlie Chaplin and Paulette Goddard - and their connection to Catalina Island. It was interesting, but was hoping to see and learn a little more about the actual casino environment.

 

While waiting for our next tour, we hung out at a little bar, talking about the superficiality of the whole Catalina Island experience. People were parasailing, snorkeling, scuba diving, exploring under the water in a semi-submersed submarine, zip-lining, sun bathing, kayaking, fishing, partying on their boats and paddleboards and surfboards, drinking, shopping, and driving their golf carts. Everything seemed to be done in "tour" mode for those of use visiting from the mainland, and the exclusive set were hanging out on their boats. It was all so plastic.

 

Up next: the Glass Bottom Boat tour. At least this time we could understand the tour guide, and he was knowledgeable and seemed a bit more genuine. But what a crock!! The only time we saw fish was when the guide threw fish food into the water!! It was a joke!! And the fish were not that interesting. I think maybe we saw three or four different kinds and they were all the same color, except for the orange ones, which we could see without going on a boat tour. It was the most ridiculous tour. I enjoyed watching the seaweed grow. Oh brother!

Wow, right?

 

We got done with that tour about 5:15, so we zoomed over to the golf cart rental kiosk to try one more time. Yay! We got a cart for an hour. The girl behind the counter was so unfriendly and when she gave us the map and told us where we could go (yes, we couldn't just drive around and do our own thing) she was totally thinking about something else as she was rattling off directions and drawing all over our map with a sharpie. I wanted to slap her and say "hey, we're real people ya know!!!"

 

I started out driving but realized right away that the cart wasn't really designed for short legs, so I let Corey take over. He seemed to have a better idea of where to go anyway. The coolest thing we did was pick up some golf cart hitchhikers, needing a quick lift to the helipad for their helicopter tour. They were nice people, finally!!! After we dropped them off, and with my very poor navigation, Corey drove along the ocean and then up the hill so I could get some good pictures. Bless his heart - I'm so glad he was my travel partner for the day because he was being far more patient than myself. We drove to the Wrigley Memorial - I really wanted to see it and see the views from the memorial - but you had to park the cart and walk up a hill and, of course, PAY to get in to see it even though you could see it from the gate. I just said "Forget it!!" We drove around trying to find the road to the Chime Tower but I could not understand the Sharpie directions, so we just kept driving around until our time was up. Oh well, at least it was nice to say we did it, and it was cooler riding around in the cart.

In our much coveted golf cart - $40 an hour

Views from our golf cart excursion.

 

We had about half an hour after we turned our golf cart in, so Corey did a little window shopping and walked on the semi-sandy, semi-rocky beach. The water was warm! Mercifully, it was time to go home! Tired and disappointed we just vegetated on the ride back to Long Beach. Well, at least we can say we know NOT what to do the next time - if there is a next time - we go to Catalina Island.





 

A Good Reason to be in Hollywood

Saturday August 30

The number one reason I came back down to Los Angeles / Hollywood after Morro Bay was to go to one of the best concerts I've ever been to. John Williams conducts the LA Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl and it is one fabulous show. I love John Williams movie music . . . Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Memoirs of a Geisha, ET, Jurassic Park, Harry Potter, Jaws, Schindler's List, Saving Private Ryan, Catch Me If You Can, War Horse, Lincoln, and so, so many more!

 

Besides being such a great concert, the fun begins earlier in the evening. Corey and I stopped at the grocery store and picked up some picnic items and then met some of his friends at the Hollywood Bowl to have a picnic on the lawn before the concert. I loved meeting his friends! What incredibly fun people and between the three guys, I was cracking up most of the time. Jordan and Corey have been friends for about 25 years and met when Jordan was at Pepperdine University and Corey was in some of his student directed productions. Jordan has also been in a couple of movies and was a semi-regular on Saved By the Bell. Jordan's girlfriend - Theresa - also joined us. She was really nice. Another friend of Jordan's and Corey's was visiting in town, from Boston, and he came to the picnic and concert also. Andy was a complete kick and I think I could hang out with him and just truly enjoy myself. I understand Andy had a small part in the movie Fight Club and probably has done some other things but he's pretty humble. Between Jordan, Andy and Corey, and two light sabers, they were constantly cracking jokes and quoting movies. It was so much fun!!

 

Jordan at our picnic spot. We had so much food! The boys drank a lot of wine.

People gathering at the Hollywood Bowl and having picnics all over the place.

Over 10,000 people came to this sold out performance.

 

Andy, checking out the people.

Theresa, Jordan, and Andy (with the light saber).

Finally, I was allowed to hold one of the sacred light sabers!

Andy getting all excited with his light saber.

 

Even though we had seats pretty high up, we could see the stage perfectly, and several large screens set up around the perimeter, as well as a very large screen over the stage. John Williams is a man of humility, so he didn't just stack the program with his songs. He gave us a variety of fantastic music to listen too. The acoustics were incredible. There was a young adult choir there from Stanford, and at one point a children's choir came on stage to sing a selection from Amistad, with the Philharmonic Orchestra as accompaniment. What a thrill for those kids!! And of course there were all the favorites: music from Star Wars, Indiana Jones, ET, etc. Mr. Williams came back for 3 or 4 encores numbers because we, the audience, would not sit down or stop clapping until we hear just one more of the classic John Williams selections. We went crazy with every encore piece!

 

I love the Hollywood Bowl! I love the way the stage lights turn different colors with the music.

John Williams honored movie director David Lean with a tribute of two selections from his movies. This one was the music from Lawrence of Arabia. I loved the way the lights turned to desert orange on the stage.

A tribute to the Olympics and the music of the Olympics. Again, check out the stage lights.

Dry Your Tears, Afrika from Amistad, with two choirs, the LA Philharmonic, and John Williams conducting. Fabulous!! Mr. Williams told the wonderful story about the composition of this song. So cool!!

The children's choir

 

Seth MacFarlane (creator of Family Guy) even came on stage to do a set of old school favorites, plus one selection from his movie Ted. He has a pretty decent voice and good stage presence.

 

And then, of course, the Theme from Star Wars starts up and the crowd goes ballistic! So many light sabers. When the orchestra began The Imperial March, again, it was a mad house and everybody kept the beat with their light sabers. It was so cool!!!

 

Corey very proudly holding aloft his light saber during Star Wars

 

The LA Philharmonic Orchestra was phenomenal!! Their sound was exquisite. One of my favorites was the cello solo performance for the selection Sayuri's Theme from Memoirs of a Geisha.

 Sayuri's Theme - breathtakingly beautiful! This performer lovingly and passionately drew every mournfully nuanced note from this piece. You could tell that he loves his instrument and the sounds he can coax it to make.





What an awesome experience. I had so much fun with Corey and his friends, and the concert was outstanding.

Earlier in the day Corey and I spent a little time in Hollywood, mostly to have lunch at the Hard Rock Café Hollywood, to find Robin Williams star on the Walk of Fame, and get me a root beer float. Perfect for a hot day!

So sad.

I can hardly wait to dig in!

Yummy! Sipping the foam off the top.

A very happy camper!!!