Victoria #2 (Full Blog Update)

Yes, time and access to a computer that works properly has caught up with me. It's Saturday already and coming up to the last gig on the tour. So - what's been happening recently?

LAKE TAHOE - Saturday:
It would have been silly to drive this close to Tahoe and not visit. Yes, OK it's beautiful, and I'm glad I drove by ... but we had to then find a motel in Tahoe which was very expensive ... and the food in the diners across the way was awful!!

However the drive over the Sierra Nevada mountains to Sacramento in the morning was fabulous; then a long dusty drive down across California with some good radio ... R&B on FM 101.5 intermingled with odd blasts of Mexican radio. Photos? just the one from the gas station, Davis, California (see below)

SAN FRANCISCO - Sunday/Monday:
Lovely driving back over the Oakland Bay bridge after a 30 year gap! (except no "Lay Down Sally on the radio..." like last time. Parked up in the shade in Golden Gate Park and dipped our toes in the Pacific. After a hot climb to the Cliff House to find it way! expensive, we got a great sandwich in Safeways.

Stayed the night at Fred's. Thanks to Fred and Sarah.

Following day booked into the Ocean Park Motel - still original 1930's small motel, super cool - that's the day I wrote all this up at the coffee bar on Polk Street.

ROUTE 101 NORTH - Tuesday:
Checked out of the motel in the fog. Drove up to Eureka ... loads of fog in patches every time we got near to the sea. The coast here is just beautiful; Isabella took some photos, and there's a video coming sometime (probably on YouTube) showing some of the route and some amazing bridges.

Pilgrimage Time: Yes, we drove down the Avenue of Redwoods ... 30 years ago it was just beside the road, but now the freeway goes off to one side. I finally got to revisit the same tree I visited all those years ago. (Got photo's and will put them up[ the next time I get to visit a computer with internet, when I have my USB lead on me)

Stayed the night in Arcata; nice motel, but in the middle of a truck-stop. Drove into Arcata downtown for food ... small town square with bored people sitting around, driving around, doing anything and doing nothing.

FLORENCE - EUGENE: Wednesday.
Sang "Crescent City" as we drove through Crescent City heading further north. The coast north got foggier, more dismal, so after driving through Florence and getting very depressed on Heceta Beach, decided to go back down and drive the Florence-Eugene Highway to Eugene.
Eugene is a nice city; walked across the park under the freeway for a good pint of IPA and a burger. So here we are back on I-5 and due to head north again. Starting to say goodbye to California.

OUT FROM EUGENE - Thursday:
Right - I-5 again heading North. Where to? I still would like to make Olalla Festival near Seattle if possible, so I say let's drive up to Port Townsend - stay there until Sunday morning (we have the ferry to Victoria, BC, booked)and then we will have time ti drive back down the Kitsap Peninsula.

However, the rain starts to really come down halfway up the Olympic Peninsula. As beautiful as it is, we HAVE seen a lot of trees and a lot of water ........ and suddenly Port Townsend isn't the pretty little town I had imagined and the idea of three days there seems NOT a good idea. "Hey, let's drive to Port Angeles ... it's too late for a boat tonight but we can go early tomorrow morning". It's really raining now and miserable.

In Port Angeles, we decide why not check out the ferry line, find out where and when etc. I drive in through the entrance gate and the guy says "You've got one minute ... the boat's going ..." so we pay our fare and drive straight on the last boat out!! The weather changes halfway across, the sun comes out, and we drive into an early evening Victoria feeling we did the right thing, and those Indian Gods have smiled on us YET again!!

Goodbye to the USA ..............