A glimpse of the Oregon coastline.
Well, it’s been close to a month since I last updated. I had such good intentions of being more timely/consistent at doing this…but I guess not everything has changed!
After three weeks on the island, the rain got the best of us. Me… I could sit and write, and research, and do projects until the cows come back home…but Cecil paced like a caged lion hour after hour. It was too much going from 16-18hour days of harvest, to sitting here 24/7 staring at the rain pouring down outside. He’d just made up his mind to fly home for a few days, as the weather there sounded sooooooo good, when the forecast for Manitoba changed to snow, so that caboshed that plan. Finally, on November 24th we looked at each other and said what now? So, for the first time ever, we decided just to pack our bags and hit the road. Two hours later we were on our way south!
The coastal highway sights.
It was very strange having the freedom to just pick up and go…I don’t know any time in my memory when I didn’t have to sort out all the complexities of not knowing where I was heading, how long I’d be gone, or what I was going to do. We had said early on, that sometime this winter we wanted to take a road trip down the Pacific coast of Washington, Oregon and California. In an attempt to outrun the rain that had settled in here, we decided that that someday trip could happen now!
It was an amazing 2 weeks of driving the highways along the ocean, that you see in so many car commercials and movies. The weather through Washington state remained iffy, but half way through Oregon the sun came out, and stayed with us!
We hit a lot of interesting things that weren’t even on our to-do list. One was accidently landing in Forks, Washington for lunch the first day in the States. I’d heard a CBC radio show on the small town where the ‘Twilight’ series was born and continues to thrive. It blew my mind how someone writing a book about a place can assist in it booming into a tourist attraction. For folks at home, I’d compare it to Gladstone….small, several little business, but not much more than a lot of enthusiasm for the stories and characters created there who are taking over the imaginations of millions around the world.
A view of Alcatraz from Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco.
We saw the dunes of Oregon, drove through the redwood forest and drove the truck through a giant Redwood. We saw the Golden Gate bridge, Alcatraz across the harbor, and spent time on Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco.
Amazing sunsets along the way.
Some of the monarch of Pismo Beach, California.
. We watched surfers in California and found the eucalyptus grove where tens of thousands of Monarch butterflies make their way each winter to rest and reproduce and eventually die, only to have their offspring make the same journey north to Canada the following spring.
Most of the trip was enjoyable, but I’m a pre-planner, and there were moments where I really wished that we’d taken time to look at options prior to heading out…like the night we spent in Santa Monica…arriving too late to really find our way around, and ending up staying in a hotel on the strip that I’m pretty sure they use to film many of the CSI episodes…where bodies are found by the manager the next morning! And although I didn’t sleep a wink to speak of all night, we survived that one as well.
Hollywood Boulevard's Walk of Fame.
We spent a morning in LA, and found the Hollywood walk of fame, but were disappointed by it all, and being naieve Canadians, likely not in the best place at the time of day we chose to walk it. And worst of all, after putting on about 4 miles of walking (okay, maybe it wasn’t that bad…but it was a lot in sandles!) we never did find John Wayne or James Dean….so what was the point! Fortunately, to sooth Cecil’s frustration, we did come across Johnny Cash’s star….thank goodness. It was hard though for me to walk amongst such poverty and so many downtrodden people, coming from the world I live in. One man held up a sign that said “Make God happy, take a bum to breakfast”…then became quite belligerent that I hadn’t taken his picture to show the world what the real Hollywood Blvd looked like. He was probably right.
We drove through some of the Hollywood Hills, looking for the best view of the sign, and seeing the complete opposite of the poverty we’d witnessed on the street. Massive houses hanging from hills, a city bigger than a Lavenham girl can even imagine, stretching on forever in every direction. We never did get a good picture of the legendary sign, but decided after a few hours, it was time for we country mice to get back to something closer to our element. I’m sure that in years to come, we’ll think of all the things we should have looked at or for while we were there, but at the time, it was just so good to get back on the open road, to cleaner air, and the bubble we live in.
The "Bellagio" hotel, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
We headed cross country from there to take in the sights of Las Vegas Another place we’d thought we’d like to see one day. We lucked into an amazing rate at the Bellagio hotel, and made it our home base for the three nights we spent. We toured the strip, took in the sights, and even dropped a few dollars into the casinos. However, being two of the world’s worst gamblers, that didn’t hold our attention for long…and being that you can still smoke in the casinos of Vegas, I found that within a very short time, my head was plugged from the smoke…so off we went again!
While we were there we did take in Cirque du Soleil’s show “O”. “Cirque du Soleil weaves an aquatic tapestry of artistry, surrealism and theatrical romance in the timeless production, "O". Inspired by the concept of infinity and the elegance of water's pure form, "O" pays tribute to the beauty of the theatre - from the simplest street performance to the most lavish of operas - where anything is possible and where the drama of life plays itself out before our very eyes. World-class acrobats, synchronized swimmers, divers and characters perform in, on, and above water to create a breathtaking experience.” (as quoted from their website)… And boy, was it ever. I’d have to say that it was truly one of the highlights of the trip for me and a performance I’ll never forget!
sand art by an fellow on the beach at Santa Barbara, California
We headed for home through the central parts of the states, encountering snow, desert and mountains all in the course of a day. We hit Portland Friday night traffic in a rain storm….so that was a driving experience that Cecil would rather not repeat. And Finally, we returned to Canadian soil on December 5th, and settled back on our island. The sun followed us home, and I’m happy to report, continues to shine as I write this.
So that was the mad breakaway. It was a good diversion, and a change that was needed. I continue to really struggle with the holiday season looming ahead of us. The travel took my mind off of it for a while, now I’m settling back in trying to figure out what to do….what to do.
For now, I’ll try to enjoy the sunshine on the water, the hummingbirds at my feeder, and the memories of better times…and continue the walk through this!
Till next time,
Take care,
Lynda
No comments:
Post a Comment