Calistoga and the Petrified Forest

 I could drive through vineyard country all day.  The geometry of the land is so pleasing…

 

Calistoga was a short motorcycle ride and Dan got to experience his first mud bath. The mud is mostly peat and hot water, mixed with some volcanic ash.  There is a bathtub full of the stuff and you could probably just lay right on top of it, but to get the most benefit, you have to wiggle and jiggle yourself into the muck.  It was hilarious!  The mud has been touted as having healing properties for ages, so we laid in it and found some zen.

 

We also visited the Petrified Forest which was excavated after being covered by a volcanic explosion around 3 million years ago.  The forest itself was discovered in the 1800s and has been owned by the same folks since the early 1900s.  There’s a great trail around the park, interpretive signs and maps and even a naturist who will tell you about the history of the area.  In 2017 a fire raged through the area, marks of which are quite evident today.  

Russian River

 We escaped the rainy redwoods and headed south into wine country along the Russian River. Grapevines grow wild along the river, but they’ll never produce fruit. Did you know a grapevine only produces grapes when it thinks it’s dying? We prune the shit out of the vine, the plant thinks it’s dying, so it produces grapes to propagate and send its seed off in hopes of survival.  Wild.

 

When you are literally surrounded by vineyards but don’t drink wine, the next best tasting is olive oil! Chacewater Winery and Olive Mill has a terrific sampling menu of various olive oils with sourdough bread bites. From the mild Manzanillo to the robust Tuscan and the flavored Blood Orange and Meyer Lemon, we enjoyed our olive oil journey. The shop carries local artisan fudge made with their olive oil, so of course we enjoyed that, too!

Battery Point

 Our luck with the weather allowed us to take a quick motorcycle ride around Crescent City. We walked the length of the B Street Pier and watched people stuff raw chicken into traps for later treasures.

 

The Battery Point lighthouse is old timey and open for tours - but only at low tide. We walked along the jetty for a bit, watching the waves crash against the hill supporting the lighthouse. Tons of birds, mostly seagulls, kept us company.

 

Dining at Elise’s Eatery was delightful! The best burgers and mountains of curly fries and onion rings! The mural on the wall depicting the lighthouse and the waves was really groovy, too. 

Shrooms dude

 While it was wet and rainy in the Redwoods, we were uninspired to go out on the motorcycle or ride our bikes outside of camp. Luckily, there was a fun walking trail around our campground we explored.  Lots of gorgeous ferns and moss-covered trees.  Oh, and ‘shrooms!

Then we saw giants…

 We spent a very rainy week in the redwood forest right on the Pacific Ocean. We got two great days at the beginning of the week and took full advantage with a motorcycle ride through the redwoods and a bike ride to the ocean. 

The Hiouchi Café has AMAZING breakfast options and the coffee is nice and hot! The redwoods on a motorcycle are simply gorgeous - we took a road that advises no motorhomes/trailers allowed, just because we COULD!

 

Our campground was incredible - towering redwoods and super quiet underfoot. It felt like nymphs could be around every tree and gnomes in every crannie.

 

 

Oregon - Part 2 - Eugene

When I was 9, my mom and I moved to Tigard, Oregon and I met a friend for life, also named Amy. We only lived in Tigard for that year, but Amy and I remained pen pals and then came Facebook with its reconnection possibilities, and we’ve visited in real life a few times over the last few decades. 

 

Amy and her awesome husband, Irik, live in Eugene and I wanted Dan to meet them both, so we booked a spot at a pretty little campground just outside town.

Amy and I took a hike at the Buford recreation area and saw the Cascade Mountains in the distance. It was a gorgeous day.