Friday, June 28, 2013

Road Trip: Eugene to the Redwoods


  Date       Stop   Odometer    Location                                        Time

6/14/20130208891Eugene, OR9:00 AM
6/14/20131209036Drain, OR9:36 AM
6/14/20132209130Bullards Beach State Park, OR1:34 PM
6/14/20133209160Port Orford, OR2:25 PM
6/14/20134209253Florence Keller C.P., CA5:30 PM

From Cory's travel journal (revised)

6/14/13

On our way to Redwood today. Our hosts made us a great breakfast while we packed the car.  We got on the road about 9AM.  We had a map snafu when I misread the road names on our way out of town.  We first got on the wrong road, then were on the correct road going the wrong way.  We ended up (finally) on I-5 on our way South.  The only change this made to our route was that we would meet the 101 (Pacific Coast Highway) in Reedsport instead of Florence, no big.  We stopped for coffee in Drain, OR on our way over to the coast.


Stopping for coffee on our way out of town in Drain, Oregon

1:34PM- Just leaving Bullards Beach SP in Oregon near Bandon.  We had a great lunch that we purchased at Safeway in Reedsport, 50% off day-old sandwiches!  We ate on a windswept Pacific beach behind a pile of driftwood that made for an ad hoc windbreak.  After eating, we walked to the COLD surf and got our feet we (and numb.)  


Stopping for lunch at Bullards Beach State Park, Oregon

Cory eats a sandwich behind a pile of driftwood and eats a sandwich at Bullards Beach State Park, Oregon

We continued to the historic lighthouse on the park lands.  It was open to visitors.  We walked the steps to the lighthouse top and got the interpretive tour from a nice local park volunteer.  We walked around the tide pools on the rocks, took some pictures, and got back on the road.


A lighthouse on a point on the bay at Bullards Beach State Park, Oregon

Rocks protrude from the blue water off the beach at Bullards Beach State Park, Oregon

8:15PM- Back at the campsite at Florence Keller County Park in CA.  We arrived at the Redwood info station and found out a few important things.  One was that most of the campsites and the State and National Park were taken.  The ones remaining cost $35!  We chose the local county park.  $15 a night, baby!  We're still in a redwood grove.  These trees aren't QUITE as large because this forest is a little younger than the big boys.  

Campsite is set up at Florence Keller County Park, California

Old redwood stumps at Florence Keller County Park, California

A path leads through the small redwood grove at Florence Keller County Park, California

A mossy redwood stump at Florence Keller County Park, California

On our way out of town, we wanted a drink so we stopped at BK and waited in the LONGEST drive-thru line in California History...or maybe we were just tired.  Once we were set up at the campsite we took a scenic drive through some old growth Redwoods at the Jedediah Smith State Park.  We were on a gravel road through the park called Howland Hill Road.  We took a bunch of photos of the huge trees and some banana slugs (awesome!)  Now we are back at the campsite after our scenic drive and a nice short stroll on an easy trail.  Tomorrow we head South!

More photos below.


Cory hugs a giant redwood tree at Jedediah Smith State Park, California

Frog poses at Jedediah Smith State Park, California

A fallen tree shows its rings with Frog at Jedediah Smith State Park, California

Sara hugs a giant redwood at Jedediah Smith State Park, California

Sara hides and peeks out of protruding tree roots at Jedediah Smith State Park, California

A banana slug makes its way across a fallen stump at Jedediah Smith State Park, California

Sara poses between two giant redwoods at Jedediah Smith State Park, California

Several half-fallen trunks stand in Jedediah Smith State Park, California

A fallen tree partially covers the path at Jedediah Smith State Park, California

Water boils on the charcoal chimney at Florence Keller County Park, California

Coffee brews at Florence Keller County Park, California

A banana slug stretches the antennae at Florence Keller County Park, California

Thursday, June 27, 2013

Road Trip: Rest day in Eugene

From Cory's travel journal (revised)

6/12/13


Rest day at J&J’s place.  We were slow moving in the morning, so those who had to work went to work in a cold rain while the rest of us took it easy and felt guilty for it J  We watched a Louis C.K. comedy special followed by the latest comedy special of Aziz Ansari.  We worked on some blog posts (you’re welcome) and did all of our laundry from the first week on the road.  We went out to lunch with the poor devil who had to work after our night at Shuryuken League.  Upon arriving back home, we finished laundry while watching episode after episode of Kitchen Nightmares.  Netflix does funny things to people. 

Our hosts were making Pad Thai for supper, which requires some prep work.  Once the prep was finished, we learned a new game, Dominion.  This is a deck-building card game of strategy, wit, and those moments when you feel fully capable of physical violence against loved ones.  We played a short game before supper, and another after we ate delicious Pad Thai.


After dinner and games, we were craving some dessert.  We got some tasty ice cream, did some blender experimentation with the contents of some mysterious glass bottles, watched some Parks and Recreation (Netflix!) and went to bed.

Sorry there are no photos from this day.  We were tired!  Good thing we got all that rest this day, because the trip gets more exciting from here.

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Road Trip: First full day in Eugene

From Cory’s Travel Journal (revised)

6/12/13

Retro logging out days in Eugene.  On our first full day, we got up and got ready for the big bike ride.  The night before, we had been up watching a movie, and I had fallen asleep.  It’s difficult to stay awake even for a great movie with the pace we have been keeping…

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Gettin' Croaked: Frog takes a brewery tour

Frog (not us!) took a cycling brewing tour of Eugene and Springfield, OR.  He (not us!) rode a bicycle to all these breweries and sampled the local flavors.  Below is his (not our!) photo essay from the day.

Frog posing with the flight of beverages at Oakshire Brewing in Eugene, Oregon
Oakshire Brewing Co.

Frog poses with the flight of beverages at Ninkasi Brewing in Eugene, Oregon
Ninkasi Brewing Co.

Frog poses with the flight of beverages at Falling Sky Brewery in Eugene, Oregon
Falling Sky Brewing

Frog posing with the flight of beverages at Hop Valley Brewery in Eugene, Oregon
Hop Valley

Frog poses with the flight of beverages at Plank Town Brewery in Springfield, Oregon
Plank Town Brewing Co.

Frog enjoys a cold beverage at Plank Town Brewery in Springfield, Oregon
An unshaven stranger helping Frog with a drink.

Frog poses with Bingo cards and the flight of beverages at Rogue Brewing in Eugene, Oregon
Rogue Brewing with our Bingo cards

Frog poses at First National Taphouse in Eugene, Oregon
First National Taphouse, home of the beers priced by demand.
Beers are listed on a big stock ticker with current price
and its recent price trend.
That's it for that (ribbit) night.  Keep reading for more stories!

Monday, June 24, 2013

Road Trip: Spokane Valley to Eugene


  Date        Stop   Odometer   Location                                          Time
6/11/20130208541Spokane Valley, WA9:40 AM
6/11/20131208593Sprague, WA10:36 AM
6/11/20132208688Kennewick, WA12:25 PM
6/11/20133208711Oregon Welcome Center12:55 PM
6/11/20134208735C&D Drive In- Boardman, OR1:21 PM
6/11/20135208865Multnomah Falls, OR5:07 PM
6/11/20136208875Portland, OR5:27 PM
6/11/20137208991Eugene, OR7:30 PM

Total trip miles: 2353

Cory and Frog pose with the Oregon welcome sign


We made it to Oregon.  Follow the jump for travel notes and photos.


Friday, June 21, 2013

Road Trip: Heading out of Glacier

Leaving Glacier National Park after a scenic drive through the park.  Heading to visit family in Spokane Valley, WA.

 Date       Stop    Odometer   Location                                        Time

6/10/20130208094Glacier National Park9:05 AM
6/10/20131208153St. Mary- GNP12:21 PM
6/10/20132208272Lakeside, MT3:42 PM
6/10/20133208412Superior, MT6:15 PM
6/10/20134Kellogg, ID
6/10/20135208541Spokane Valley, WA7:30 PM

Sara is rolling up our orange Coleman tent at Two Medicine in Glacier National Park in Montana

Leaving Glacier National Park.  We are hoping to see the famous Going-to-the-Sun Road through the park. Follow the jump for the journal entry and more Glacial photos!


Thursday, June 20, 2013

Road Trip: Big Day at Glacier

From Cory's travel journal (revised)

Sunday, 6/9/13

7:39AM Mountain Time- We are getting ready for breakfast in what is surely the coolest place on earth.  We are surrounded by snow-dotted mountains on all sides and are set up in sight of deep, blue, glacial Two Medicine Lake.  The lake is fed by snowmelt which can be seen cascading down the mountainsides and into streams in the valleys below. 


Pray Lake near the campsite at Two Medicine at Glacier National Park in Montana
View from the campsite

Making oatmeal on the chimney stove at Two Medicine at Glacier National Park in Montana
Making oatmeal in the charcoal chimney stove

Eating oatmeal and peaches at Two Medicine at Glacier National Park in Montana
Great breakfast after a 30 degree night in a tent

Trail head at Two Medicine at Glacier National Park in Montana
One of the trail heads
Follow the break for the rest of the entry and many more photos.


Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Road Trip: Traveling to Glacier

Travel day two:  Theodore Roosevelt National Park to Glacier National Park

Date       Stop   Odometer    Location                                        Time

6/8/20130207545TRNP8:30 AM
6/8/20131207577Montana Welcome Center9:08 AM
6/8/20132207649Circle, MT
6/8/20133207698Wolf Point, MT11:45 AM
6/8/20134207758Rest stop, Glasgow MT1:05 PM
6/8/20135207892Havre, MT3:30 PM
6/8/20136208067Glacier National Park7:00 PM

Frog poses with a Montana welcome sign reading "Big Sky Country."

Follow the jump for the journal entry of our travel day and photos.

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Road Trip: Theodore Roosevelt National Park

Day one on the road.  Sioux City, Iowa to Theodore Roosevelt National Park (TRNP)

   Date      Stop  Odometer    Location                                          Time

6/6/20130206638Coralville, IA12:30 PM
6/6/20131206707Flying J Waterloo, IA1:55 PM
6/6/20132206784Webster City, IA3:27 PM
6/6/20133206849Early, IA4:45 PM
6/6/20134206900Lawton, IA
6/6/20135206913Sioux City, IA6:30 PM

Follow the jump for the day's journal entry and lots of photos!


Monday, June 17, 2013

Road Trip: Leaving Home

Day zero on the road: Coralville, IA to Sioux City, IA.

Maybe you saw the post about packing the car.  If so, check out the photo of the fully packed vehicle.  Please note the happy passenger with the huge guitar in his lap.  That was quite literally the only way we could get everything we needed out of the house.  Please note that not everything you see in the car is going on the long road trip.  The first leg of the trip (we'll call it day zero) was taking our road trip equipment and our Ireland bags out to the house.  We had to drive about six hours with this fully packed thing...

Cory is loaded in the car with boxes and bags piled up on his lap in the passenger seat.  The back seat is piled to the roof of the car

With the way we had it packed, Sara was the only one who could drive.  The driver's seat could not move back to accommodate the longer legs of Cory.  The little engine that could was really chugging getting up to speed, and we had to stop a little bit more than a normal Sioux City trip.  Below is a revised entry from our personal travel journal.

Date        Stop    Odometer   Location                                       Time

6/6/20130206638Coralville, IA12:30 PM
6/6/20131206707Flying J Waterloo, IA1:55 PM
6/6/20132206784Webster City, IA3:27 PM
6/6/20133206849Early, IA4:45 PM
6/6/20134206900Lawton, IA
6/6/20135206913Sioux City, IA6:30 PM

AmericInn Coralville 10:22AM

Watching The Price is Right and waiting for checkout time.  We are killing time here as long as we can.  Closing on the house is scheduled for 11AM, so we are just waiting for the word that it is final.

We got the last of our stuff loaded into the car and took a nice walk to kill some time.  We even found a nice shortcut between two roads we used a lot, and on the last day in town!

Coralville Public Library 11:55AM

It's official!  The house is sold.  Our Realtor called and confirmed a minute ago.  We were sitting in the library waiting for the call.  Boy did it feel good!  Before she called, I checked out a few new books on me Kindle.  We got the car loaded much more comfortable for this fide.  Now I just have the guitar sitting on my chest with no bulky computer bag or plastics tubs of food pressing on me.  I guess when we leave the bank today, we will officially be on our road trip.  We hope the new owners will enjoy the trip as much as we did.

Early, IA 4:45PM

Just stretching.  My chin hurts from the guitar bumping it all afternoon.  It feels good to stretch out in the grass by the gas station. 

Early was the last entry in the journal that day, but rest assured we made it safely to our destination and got the car repacked, just with road trip supplies this time.  Lots of miles and lots of smiles to come.





Friday, June 14, 2013

Road Trip: Follow The Frog!

Check out some of the travels of our friend, Frog.  Below is a sampling of where our little buddy has been so far.  Many more photos of Frog and text descriptions of our travels yet to come.  Enjoy!

Frog poses before the AmericInn sign and the Coralville water tower
The hotel in Coralville after we packed up the house

Frog sits on the front step of our family's home in Sioux City, IA
After day one of driving, Sioux City, IA

Frog poses before a South Dakota Welcome sign with the Mount Rushmore heads.
Chillin' with the Presidents

Frog poses on a fence post at a rest stop in North Dakota
Yup, we're in North Dakota now

Frog with New Salem Sue, The World's Largest Holstein Cow in North Dakota
Mooooove over, Iowa!  The World's Largest Holstein Cow lives in  New Salem, ND!

Frog poses on a butte at Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota
Theodore Roosevelt Nat'l Park

Frog poses in front of a figure of Theodore Roosevelt at Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota
...Didn't I see you on a Mountainside?

Frog poses in front of a picture of a mountain goat on a Montana welcome sign.
Hey, buddy!  Anything good in this state?

Frog poses with the Glacier National Park welcome sign
Turns out, there is!

Frog poses before Pray Lake at Glacier National Park in Montana
This is the view from our campsite at Glacier.

Frog poses on the bank of Two Medicine Lake at Glacier National Park in Montana
Looking for friends near the campground

Frog posing with a map of Going-to-the-Sun Road at Glacier National Park in Montana
The main road through the park on our way out.

Frog poses on a fencepost near St. Mary Lake at Glacier National Park in Montana
St. Mary Lake in Glacier