Day 9 - Century City, LA, CA

We spent the day exploring, a drive along Sunset Blvd and then up at the Getty Center seeing a number of the exhibits there. The rest of the day was low-key hanging out at the pool, bumbering in the neighbourhood and having a boo in the lounge.

Day 8 - Hancock Park, LA, CA

We stopped off at the place for coffee in Santa Barbara, The French Press on State St. After a pit stop there, we carried on into the Los Angeles area continuing along Hwy 1, past the Santa Monica Mountains, Malibu and Santa Monica.

We spent the afternoon putzing around Abbott Kinney Blvd in Venice, a stop at Zin Patisserie, and then spent a super evening with family friends in Hancock Park.

Day 7 - Santa Barbara, CA

Before leaving Santa Cruz, we stopped off at a fine coffee place in Opal Cliffs called Verve. Great coffee, yummy cookie.

We travelled south and made our way through Monterey and Carmel and made a pit stop at Barnardus Lodge And Winery in Carmel Valley. Had a tasting of yummy Chardonnays. The place was beautiful.

We ended up driving along Hwy 1 past Big Sur and then cut through Los Padres National Park to check out San Antonia de Padua, one California's original Spanish missions.

From there, we head to Santa Barbara and ended up at a place called El Capitan Canyon, an eco-resort with deer and frogs everywhere. Ribbit.

Day 6 - Santa Cruz, CA

We've travelled south with a stop first at a Sonoma Winery called Porter Creek (in Russian River Valley). Yummy.

Next headed to San Fran with a stop at the Ferry Building where we had some delicious coffee at Blue Bottle Coffee Co.

Saw lots of fog along the way (and great vistas) but good to get out of it!

We then cruzed back along Hwy 1 through Half Moon Bay before landing in Santa Cruz.

Too cold for surfing but did make it to Dream Inn where we hung out at the groovy bar.

Heading to sleep with the sound of crashing surf...

Day 5 - Healdsburg, Sonoma County, CA

We made it to Sonoma to a place called H2. The drive was stellar, a winding road from the Shoreline Hwy to Healdsburg, California. The main event is the wine but the local beer is quite good (Racer5 from Healdsburg). Have taken to the pool as well as the bikes through the small town doing a little exploring. Weather super!

And this from the pool where I dreamed about long laps but instead opted for newspapers and magazines.

This pic was taken from Stewart, last view of the California coastline for another very windy 48 miles.

This one from a circle route aroud the vineyards.

Day 4 - Mendocino, CA

The lost Coast line of California... We have travelled back to the California coast to Mendocino and have ended up at the John Dougherty House in the Water Tower, a beautiful spot with views of the coast. We had a super meal at the MacCallum Inn. We walked to the the Mendocini Headlands State Park which has amazing views of the coast with natural rock bridge formations.

Mendocino is a super village with wonderfully preserved Victorian buildings, most of the town has been added to the National Register of Historic Places. The town's history dates back to the California Gold Rush. It is known for its water towers (a source of fresh water based on a gravity system still in use today) and windmills from the late 1880s. A bonus is that the beer here is $3!

Day 3 - Avenue of the Giants, CA

We made it to the Redwood Forest just in time to pitch a tent beneath the Avenue of the Giants, which is one of the 1,000 Places to See Before You Die.


And here is a shot of the Avenue of the Giants whilst driving in the convertible with the roof down.

The location is in Humboldt National Park, with the largest remaining old-growth redwoods in the world, this 31-mile portion of old Highway 101 runs parallel to Hwy 101.

Huub is Yogi and I'm Boo Boo.

Finally, the evidence that we went camping! Here Gary getting dressed in the blue chambers.

We had a pit stop in Old Town Eureka, CA (think Victorian buildings) at a place called Eureka Books and later that evening at a restaurant called Avalon.

Quite good! No Redwood Curtain here.

Day 2 - Bandon Dunes, OR

Oregon Sand Dunes! We are now on the Oregon Coast, having spent a lazy day travelling through Oregon wine country, with stops at Dundee, a sub-appellation of the Willamette Valley, and along the Oregon Coast. Gorgeous. 

We stopped at Devil's Churn at Cape Perpetua and Heceta Head Lighthouse on Hwy 101.

The Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area is amazing and we have found ourselves at Bandon Dunes, a golf resort with deer roaming about.

Day 1 - Newberg, Willamette Valley, OR

We have been travelling south through Washington with stops in Fairhaven and Seattle, down through Olympia along the I-5 until Portland.

We have now arrived in the Willamette Valley in Oregon, time for some vino!

It's gorgeous here and looking forward to enjoying some time at our lodging, the Allison Inn and Spa in Newberg, OR. We had a yummy tasting from a winery called Memaloose from the Columbia Gorge, its name from the Chinook Indian tribes who used to lay the bones of their dead on open pyres on Memaloose Island in the middle of the Columbia River. The Inn is in Newberg, just southwest of Portland.

We drove through Old Newberg which was built in the late 1800s, named after Newburgh, the Bavarian hometown of one of the first settlers. The Kalapuyas were the main Indians in this area prior to settlement. We saw some beautiful industrial bridges along our route, including the Steel Bridge in Portland built in 1912. Dinner tonight was amazing!

This place is stunning, incredible views. It is so quiet!