Back to "Normal"

Well, I've been home for a week already. A lot of people (well, mainly co-workers and my mom) have asked me what the best part of my trip was. The thing is, I honestly don't know! I LOVED Bryce and Zion National Parks. I literally was awestruck by the beauty. But then I drove the Pacific Coast Highway and thought, "Nothing beats this." Then I saw whales off of the Oregon coast and could hardly believe what I was seeing. Then I met my new "niece" Maryn and that dwarfed everything else. So. . . I like to say, "It was all good." I'd do it all again in a heartbeat. . .

It's been good to be back in a "normal" routine. I feel renewed after just being away from it all for a while. Other than when I had surgery a few years back, this was the longest time I've had in 10 years of working full-time. I need to get away more often. So. . .

My wheels are already turning coming up with my next adventure! :)

A Glimpse of the Past Few Days

Malinda and I. . . I'd say we still look no older than 25. :)


The whole gang at West Beach by Deception Pass. We enjoyed a yummy picnic.




Livy and Gina. . . this was take two. Check out take one below. :)




Take One -- Silly Uncle Gene

Baby Maryn. . . she is so sweet! I especially like her little chin. :)

Sorry for the lack of updates these past few days. Here's a quick summary of what went down. . .

Sunday -- I enjoyed an amazing service at Mars Hill in Seattle. By about 2:30pm I arrived at Josh and Malinda's house. It was so great to see them and the girls. Gina and Livy haven't changed. . . they've just grown a lot taller! Maryn is absolutely precious! I'm so thankful that I could meet her so soon.

Monday -- We laid low. Malinda did some schoolwork with the girls. I was on baby-duty which was fine by me. :) In the afternoon, we went for a hike on the trails near their house. The girls had me running! "Aunta Becka, you're a fast runner!" (said by Livy). If I'm fast, I'd hate to see slow. :)

Tuesday -- We had lunch at a nearby park and then went on a field trip to a Hummingbird Farm. It was actually quite boring, but the kids seemed to enjoy themselves. In the evening, we joined Uncle Gene and Aunt Shari at West Beach near Deception Pass for a picnic. It was a gorgeous evening! We had a great time!

Wednesday -- After a tearful goodbye, I headed out. Aunt Shari mentioned that I might enjoy Leavenworth. A city in WA that is all Bavarian-style. The drive to Leavenworth was beautiful. I really enjoyed strolling the streets and browsing all the little shops. It reminded me so much of Austria. I finally found a hotel in Ontario, OR where I got some much-needed sleep.

Thursday -- Today was just a driving day. I'm settled into a rather dumpy little hotel in Salt Lake. My flight is at 0800 tomorrow. I'm ready to go home, but I have had such an amazing time! I think my final mileage tally will be about 3700. Crazy, huh? Today was the first day that I was sick of driving. The rest of the time I truly enjoyed it. :)

I'm not sure who's reading this since no one ever comments :P but thanks for checking in and sharing my adventure with me. I think there will be another one again soon!

The Oregon Coast

The day started out extremely dreary. . .but check out the light on the lighthouse! Never would have seen that if the sun was shining! Isn't that beautiful? Click on the picture to see a better/larger view.



Somewhere in Oregon. . . things are looking a tad brighter!



I saw several whales right along the coast! I could have watched all day. . .

Haystack Rock near Cannon Beach, OR. It is HUGE!

I had a great day! It started out very dark and dreary, but once I was north of Newport, it started to brighten up. I also saw whales today! I was so excited! I snapped a few pictures, but they don't really capture how cool it really was.

I met a friend/fmr co-worker in Cannon Beach for lunch. It was fun to spend time with someone besides myself! :)

Tonight I'm in Seattle. I'll attend Mars Hill Church (unrelated to Mars Hill in Grandville) in the morning and then head up to Anacortes to spend a few days with Josh and Malinda and their three kiddos.

More pics here. . . >> http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=143837&id=666759082&l=ee016da58f

Sightseeing on the fly. . .

I left Tiburon at about nine this morning. I planned on a 9 hour drive to Coos Bay, OR. Unfortunately, soon after I left Tiburon my "change oil" light came on. After calling Enterprise, I had to find a place to get this taken care of. I'll admit to being a tad annoyed. This wasn't part of my itinerary for the day. . . :) Anyway, Enterprise wanted me to find a Sears, so I stopped in Redding, CA. It took one hour and twenty minutes for them to change my oil. I finally arrived in Coos Bay about 8pm.

The scenery in northern CA and southwest Oregon was amazing though. I snapped some pics as I drove. :)

Tomorrow I head up the Oregon coast and will meet my friend Lindsey for lunch.

Sunny San Fran. . .

These pics are in reverse order. :) This is the view as the ferry left San Francisco. It was a bright and sunny day. I got too much sun (again).


Fisherman's Wharf



Me on Lombard Street

Alcatraz.

The view of Tiburon from the ferry deck.

I had a great relaxing day. The first ferry over to San Fran wasn't until 11:15, so I actually caught up on a little sleep. The ferry ride was relaxing. There was one stop before arriving at Pier 41, so the trip took about 45 minutes. I met a lady on the ferry who is from Cheboygan, MI. It was nice talking with her.

In San Fran I just started walking around Fisherman's Wharf. Like most big cities, there were a fair number of street performers and beggars. I had breakfast/lunch in Ghiradelli Square and then made my way to Hyde Street to catch the cable car. I rode the cable car all the way to the end of the line which is at Powell St. One of the cars broke down so I stood in a line for over an hour waiting to get on the return line. I made it back to Pier 41 just in time to catch the 4:05 ferry back to Tiburon.

Tonight I enjoyed a delicious dinner at Servino's. It is located right on the water and I was able to get a table on the patio. The food was good, but the dip for the bread was unbelievable. The waiter told me it is a mixture of balsamic, EVOO, dijon mustard, garlic, and chili powder. I think I'll be searching online for a similar recipe.

Tomorrow (Friday) I plan to just drive north to Coos Bay, OR. At this point I have no sightseeing planned for the day tomorrow, but that may change if I see anything along the way where I'd like to stop.

L.A. to Tiburon

Sure. . . you can have my autograph. :)


The 18th green at Pebble Beach.



The Pacific Coast



The sunset this morning. Yes, I was up early. 4:2o to be exact.

Several (50-75) elephant seals lined the beach.

Today I drove up to Tiburon from LA. It was a long day, but also a good one. The scenery along the Pacific Coast Highway (Hwy 1) was amazing. I especially enjoyed the elephant seals. Too bad you can't scratch the screen to smell them and turn up your volume to hear them. It was quite something.

Pebble Beach was cool too. I met a nice couple from England. They kindly brought me to the guy to have my picture taken with the "trophy". :) I bought a couple souvenirs there. . .a hat and a golf ball . . . both have the US Open 2010 logo.

I'm spending Wed. and Thurs night in Tiburon. Thursday I plan to take the ferry over to San Fran. I'll check out Fisherman's Wharf and Giradelli Square. And I think I'll take a cable car ride too.

Santa Monica Pier, Rodeo Drive, and Hollywood Blvd.

On Tuesday afternoon., Brian and Larissa and I headed down to the Santa Monica pier. It was a beautiful evening. Not too hot, not too cold. Then we went to Beverly Hills and Rodeo Drive. I felt completely out of place, but it was fun to see. The crosswalks were interesting because you can cross diagonally. Very strange. . . We enjoyed a delicious meal at The Cheesecake Factory in Beverly Hills.

Hollywood was something else. . . lots of strange people. We even saw Jesus. Well, probably not the Jesus, but a man who was surely made himself to resemble what many people picture Christ to look like. I checked out the handprints and footprints of the stars and we were able to visit Patrick Swayze's star on the Walk of Fame where there was a small memorial.

I was hopin' and hopin' that I'd spot a celeb, but no such luck. . . If I was famous though, I don't think I'd be hanging out on Hollywood Blvd. :)


Patrick Swayze's star is now a memorial.



Do I look like I belong on Rodeo Drive? I don't think so. . .




Santa Monica beach.




Santa Monica pier.

The past few days. . .

The view from Key Vista point in Joshua Tree National Park.


Unique rock formations in JTNP.



A Joshua tree.


Taken from the top of the Hoover Dam.

The new dam bridge which will help accomodate all the dam vehicles that visit the Hoover Dam. :)

Sunday morning I left St. George, UT about 8:45 a.m. The drive from St. George was amazing. I had to wind my way up and through a mountain pass and then down the other side. It was unbelievable!! I wish I would have stopped to take a picture, but pulling off the side of the highway didn't seem like such a good idea. . . :)

I took the back roads to get into Hoover Dam. There were points that I was unsure if I was heading the right way, but Hans (my GPS guy) reassured me that I was indeed heading the right direction. The Hoover Dam was impressive. The new bridge that is being built is pretty incredible too. I didn't take the time or pay the $$ to go through the visitor center, so I need to do some online research about the history of the dam.

I was going to drive through Vegas, but getting to the dam and walking across it took more time than I expected. My cousin Brian warned me that traffic from Vegas to LA can be slow and heavy later in the day on Sunday. So I just wanted to get going. I saw the city from a distance and could see the Stratosphere. Maybe I'll get to Vegas another time, but I don't really have a burning desire to do so. . .

The traffic was moderately heavy on the way into L.A. I was happy to make it to Brian and Larissa's by about 4:30pm. We just relaxed and had dinner and talked that night.

Monday I went to Joshua Tree National Park. It was just over a 1 1/2 hour drive. It was pretty, in a completely contrasting way to Bryce and Zion. On the way there I saw hundreds and hundreds of wind turbines, just lining the horizon. It was very windy through there, so using that wind for energy is a darn good idea. :)

Monday night Larissa and I went to this very cool outdoor mall kind of thing. Brian had back to school night at school. We had dinner on a patio and did a little shopping.

Today I'm at Panera using the wi-fi to do some updates. It is kind of overcast right now, and I'm hoping it clears off so I can do some relaxing by the pool. I'm meeting B & L later this afternoon so we can head to Hollywood and the Santa Monica pier.

Tomorrow I'll be leaving bright and early (~ 4:30) to head to Hwy. 1. I can't wait to drive the coast! I'll should be able to update again tomorrow night from my hotel in Tiburon.

Oh and FYI. . . I've already put 1100 miles on my car. Good thing the mileage is unlimited. . . :)

(I can't get this post to separate into paragraphs. . . sorry for the long, continuous text. . .)

More pics here. . .

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=142539&id=666759082&l=206d6e4b93

An ear-popping day. . .

Home sweet home for tonight in St. George, UT

Zion National Park -- The Court of the Patriarchs -- Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob



Bighorn Sheep!




Bryce Canyon National Park




Red Canyon in the Dixie National Forest

I'm tired after a long, but amazing day. Here's a quick summary of the day. . .

• The altitude at Bryce was about 9000 feet at the top. Hence all the ear-popping. And it was only 70-ish degrees.
• I drove 12 miles of hairpin turns on the way into Zion. I'll admit to being just a tad bit white-knuckled. At Zion it was 96 degrees.
• I witnessed a man peeing along the side of the road. Could have done without that! :)
• I passed a couple hitchhikers. One looked especially friendly with long hair and big bushy beard. I resisted the urge to pick him up. :)
• Bryce was beautiful, but I felt like I was just looking at it. In Zion, I felt like I was in it.
• Plan for tomorrow: Head to Brian and Larissa's in LA. Probably will see the Hoover Dam on the way and possibly do a drive-by of the Las Vegas strip.
  

More pics available here -->
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=141530&id=666759082&l=f9d864befb

The adventure begins. . .

My hotel room for tonight.

As the bald eagle looks on, doves were released in honor and remembrance of the victims of the 9/11 tragedy. I got a little teary-eyed.



There she is!! Isn't she cute?!




The view from the hotel parking lot.



My adventure has started! So far things are going great! Salt Lake City is beautiful! Tonight I'm staying in Sandy, UT which is just south of Salt Lake. After my flight arrived, I went and picked up my rental car (an '09 Impala). Then I headed out. I did a drive-by of the Mormon Temple. I always thought it was called the Mormon Tabernacle; guess I was wrong. :)

Then I head to the zoo to see the baby elephant who was making her public debut today. She lived up to all my expectations! Actually the zoo in general was very well done. I also enjoyed watching a bird show. Believe me, it was more exciting than it sounds. :) There were hawks and owls and eagles and doves and parrots and cockatoos. . . You get the idea.

I'm settled into my hotel for the night. The bed is looking very inviting. The week leading up to today was exhausting, so now I look forward to some good R&R.

Tomorrow, it's off to Bryce and Zion!

P.S. Hopefully I get better at posting pics. They were supposed to end up at the bottom of the post. Oh well. . .

It's coming up!

Plans are coming together nicely. I have my rental car reserved and have booked most of my hotels. I leave three weeks from Friday!

Stay Tuned. . .

The ol' blog has been neglected for a variety of reasons. I'm going to give most of the blame to Facebook. . . .lol. But. . . I have a plan. :) As most of you know, in September I'll be going on an adventure. I will be heading out west and will spend two weeks seeing the sights and spending some time with family. Anyway, my plan as it relates to the blog is this. . . my computer is coming with me, so I hope to give very frequent updates (daily or every other day) on where I am, what I'm seeing, and what I'm learning being out on the open road all alone. :)

The plans are starting to come together. My flight to Salt Lake City is booked. I continue to monitor rental car rates and am hopeful that they will drop some in the next couple weeks, so I can get a car secured as well. Tonight when searching car rental rates, I saw that I could rent a Jeep Wrangler. How cool would that be?! It was over twice the cost of a "standard" car. Oh well. . . Probably my biggest challenge in planning will be trying to find an affordable, yet nice, and safe hotel outside San Francisco.

So. . . as the time to depart draws nearer I will be doing more frequent updates. By sharing my tales of adventure and some pics, I'll be in essence taking all of you with me. :) I can hardly wait. . . .how about you?

Progress

Well, the title "progress" could be referring to a couple things. It could be because I'm finally updating my blog. Sorry to those of you who have faithfully been checking in.

But tonight, "progress" refers to Skip. Remember Skip? My mean not-really-neighbor, but lives in the same neighborhood guy? Tonight as I was shoveling (again! But that's another story for another day), Skip came walking by. Quite honestly at first I didn't realize it was him, so I said "hello". Then he stopped and started talking and I knew I could potentially be in trouble. Not because he's dangerous, more because he's rude. But "progress" comes in, because he was nice!! :)

And I learned that he made $170 today just by shoveling sn*w. Not a bad days' work if you ask me.