Pack up the Car!

ATLANTA, GEORGIA : APRIL 2011 : LODGING + DINING

2011-04-30T17:00:00.000-04:00

Atlanta Accomodations :

We went to Atlanta because my husband was presenting at a conference was held at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis. With 50 floors it claims to be the largest motel in Atlanta. The photo is looking up at the balconied hallways. It’s probably best that we didn’t stay at this motel as Scott is afraid of heights and wasn’t thrilled about riding in the glass elevator to attend a meeting there.

I however enjoyed riding the glass elevator and walking around one of the floors. While we were up there I noticed this: I think the shadow on the building looks like a man wearing a hat and reading. And since this conference was for college English teachers, I thought it was appropriate.

We actually stayed at the Motel 6 which is catty-corner to the one where the conference was, and there was an entrance on the same side as our motel so we were only half a block away. Our motel had free parking in their underground parking garage and free wireless. It was located less than a mile from Centennial Olympic Park, the Georgia Aquarium, Inside CNN Studio Tour, World of Coca-Cola and the Children’s Museum of Atlanta.

Atlanta Dining :
Because we went to Turner Field one night we didn’t have to get many meals in Atlanta. We had hoped to get something at Underground Atlanta but weren’t in the mood while we were there and instead ended up eating at Gibney’s Pub which we enjoyed (and were able to watch part of the Brave’s first home game of the season).

To read about attractions on Atlanta, click here.
.

ATLANTA, GEORGIA : APRIL 2011 : ATTRACTIONS

2011-04-30T16:54:00.002-04:00

Part of the Atlanta skyline reflected in the pool at the Atlanta Botanical Garden.

We went to Atlanta so my husband could present at a conference there. While he was working, I was able to take in some of the sights. Unlike Louisville, the conference location last year, I didn’t find Atlanta very walkable.

And while there were several attractions less than a mile from our motel, the ones I was interested in were five miles from the motel, so I drove to them. I didn’t really enjoy driving in downtown Atlanta, especially around rush hour, but it wasn’t too bad because I had a GPS system. And although she seemed to misplace me a few times, I always got to where I was going.

Atlanta Botanical Garden : this was by far my favorite place in Atlanta, so much so that I have 72 photos from there (I actually took more than that but I deleted some). I won’t put all of them on this blog but if you like plants or being in nature and you’re going to be close to Atlanta, I’d recommend stopping for a visit.

I was there in early April during their extravaganza of tens of thousands of blooming tulips (one of my favorite flowers).

They have a 600-foot-long canopy walk which is 40 feet high and allows you to walk through a woodland area up in the trees.

The extensive children’s area has lots of hands-on learning areas and when I was there they also had docents doing activities with the kids. Oh how I wished I the 8-year-old me could have experienced this!

The large conservatory was then filled with wonderous plants including some Cissus plants. The "vines" that you see hanging in this photo is actually their aerial roots.

Part of the conservatory has a large area dedicated just to orchids.

I thought that the Japanese Garden was colorful and also peaceful.

Many of the formal garden areas such as the Trustee’s Garden had walls and gazebos that made the gardens even more enjoyable.

= = =

Atlanta History Center : includes the Atlanta History Museum; historic gardens; and two historic houses, the Tullie Smith farm and the Swan House.

The Atlanta History Museum has exhibits about the Civil War, and Atlanta’s role in the Civil War and the Civil Rights Movement, the Centennial Olympic Games and Southern Folk Art.

The gardens include native plants located in a former quarry on the property, an Asian-American garden, a rhododendron garden, a colonial vegetable garden at the Tullie Smith farm, and formal landscaped gardens around the Swan House (photo above).

The Tullie Smith Farm includes costumed docents and a tour of the house and out buildings.

The Swan House is an elegant mansion built in 1928 for the Inman family who were the only people to live in the house which was donated, along with much of the original furniture, to the History Center. You’re not allowed to take photos inside the Swan House but I got some good shots of the outside.

Tours of both the farm and the Swan House are included in the admission price but you have to schedule your tour when you buy your tickets. The tours fill up quickly so it’s suggested you arrive early. The tours are offered every half hour but each tour also lasts for half an hour (or more) and are about a 5 minute walk from each other so you shouldn’t arrange them back-to-back. I spent several hours at the center and still felt a little rushed.

= = =

High Art Museum : The art museum spans three different buildings that are connected on two of the five levels, which was a little confusing to me. I was mostly interested in the special Toulouse-Lautrec and Friends exhibit, which was on the Skyway (top) level of the Anne Cox Chambers Wing.

After viewing that I followed the skyway into the other two buildings which, luckily for me, featured contemporary art, modern art and folk art, all of which I enjoy. As I descended in levels, I moved back through art history, which was less interesting to me. I was a little pressed for time so I didn’t spend as much time in these levels.

Their website stresses the importance of reserving tickets and that special exhibits are timed so you can only enter during the time on your ticket, although I must have gone at a slow time because I didn’t have any problem getting in and no one checked the time on my ticket.

And while they allow photography of some exhibits with special permissions, they don’t allow those photos to be used in blogs or other on-line places so I didn’t take any photos of the art inside the buildings.

= = =

Turner Field : This year one of the conference vendors hosted a party at Turner Field, so Scott was able to go visit this attraction, which was on the top of his list of things to see. There wasn’t a game that night (and actually the party was the night before their first home game of the season) but we got to eat and drink in one of the VIP boxes overlooking the field.

They also had the batting cages and pitching games open so Scott took several turns at bat hitting baseballs and also throwing pitches to measure your throwing speed (didn’t care about accuracy) which he seemed to really enjoy.

= = =

Centennial Park : You might remember a few years back that Atlanta hosted the Centennial Olympics. Part of the area has been turned into Centennial Park. The evening we were there they had a free concert in the park and there were lots of families enjoying the park. There were several fountains, sculptures and public art in the park.

= = =

Folk Art Park : Courtland St. bridge over I-75 near Ralph McGill Blvd. (no relation). This was very close to our motel and we stumbled upon this intersection that had several pieces of public folk art.

The first permanent outdoor tribute to folk art, the park was completed for the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games.

It currently seem to be in a state of disrepair and also a place where some homeless people hang out, although it seems that there are a few groups who want to make some improvements to the park, so hopefully that will happen.

= = =

Underground Atlanta : this area was inadvertently created during the 1920s when construction of concrete viaducts elevated the street system one level to permit a better flow of traffic. Merchants moved their operations to the second floor, leaving the old store fronts for storage and service.

In 1968 the five-block area was declared an historic site. Many significant architectural features survived from original storefronts. One year later, Underground Atlanta opened as a retail and entertainment center. In 1980, the it was closed due to construction of the rapid transit but was reopened in 1989 and aimed at preserving and revitalizing the center of Atlanta.

Back in the 1990s my one and only business trip was to Atlanta for computer training and I remember going to a comedy club in Underground Atlanta and I really liked the architecture.

Unfortunately it seems that Underground Atlanta is yet another victim of the economic downturn and while we were still able to enjoy the unique atmosphere, many of the shops were closed and the ones that were open seemed to sell a lot of trinkets. Hopefully it will turn around in the future.

= = =

A short trip outside of Atlanta :

Arabia Mountain Heritage Area : located 20 miles east of Atlanta and features some large rock outcrops and is also home to several rare plants that are unique to these granite outcrop environments. In the spring, pools of red plants called Diamorpha can be seen for great distances.

We arrived early and parked in the small south parking lot, which was full by the time we left. The rock outcrops start right beyond the parking lot. The best time to go is when it’s overcast because there isn’t much shade.

There are rock cairns (piles of stones) that mark the path. The elevation doesn’t seem that high but there was a nice view from the top of Bradley Mountain.

= = =

Marietta Square : Marietta is located 20 miles north of Atlanta just of I-75. Marietta Square is a quaint little downtown area with unique shops and restaurants, and on Saturday mornings from April through November they have a farmer’s market.

The highlight of this detour was eating at the Australian Bakery where they feature Aussie Meat Pies. I had the chicken vegetable pie and Scott ate a spinach and feta breakfast pie, which was similar to quiche and we shared an apple slice (a pastry) that was very yummy!

If you want to see more photos, you can do so by clicking here.

To read about some Atlanta accomodations and dining, click here.
.

KNOXVILLE TENNESSEE : APRIL 2011 : ATTRACTIONS

2011-04-12T14:55:00.010-04:00

World's Fair Park : On our way to Atlanta (post to come), we decided to stop in Knoxville overnight and check out some of the sights. Way back in 1982, my sister’s gymnastic group was invited to perform for almost a week at the World’s Fair which was held in Knoxville that year. I had hoped that when we visited the World’s Fair Park in downtown Knoxville I’d actually recognize some of the places. With the exception of the Sunsphere which was used in most of the promotion materials, I didn’t recognize anything.

World’s Fair Park is a nice little area downtown where they have a pond, an amphitheater, walking paths and the Sunsphere, which has been reopened. It’s open daily April-October from 9 am-10 pm and November-March from 11 am-6 pm and it’s free to go up. We went up during the day and then went back at night to see the city in the dark but unfortunately there are several lights on inside the observation deck so we didn’t really see much at night.

One memory I have from the World’s Fair was that they had a "new technology" that allowed them to put on a Laser Light Show every night. I also remember there was a 4-foot tall ketchup bottle that passed out pickle-shaped pins. We didn't see any laser lights or robotic ketchup bottles on this trip, but I still have my pickle pin.

The Knoxville Museum of Art : is a small but nice art museum with some permanent collections and several rotating exhibits. I was fortunate that the Knoxville Watercolor Society was exhibiting there during our visit as I really like watercolors.

The museum literally looks over World’s Fair Park and is open Tues.-Sat. from 10 am-5 pm and Sun. 1-5 pm. Admission is free but donations are welcome.

Market Square : is a little area in downtown Knoxville with a closed street that has several restaurants and shops.

Market Square is adjacent to a nice little green space named Krutch Park which boasts a pond and some water play fountains.

There are several public art pieces located in Krutch Park including this red piece which I didn't get the title of.

Knoxville Botanical Garden and Arboretum : this little gem sits on a ridge-top 5 minutes from downtown Knoxville surrounded by an urban community. Since it is April and has been a pretty cold winter in Ohio, visiting the gardens was very relaxing.

The gardens are a magical place with whimsical round stone buildings, stone-sided greenhouses and secret garden paths and alleys and features distinctive stone walls and buildings. The buildings even had curved doors. I'd love one of these for a painting studio.

The site is located on the former property of the Joe N. Howell Nursery and the C.B. Howell Nursery and features distinctive stone walls and buildings constructed by Joe Howell's employees. The Howell family's nursery business was originally established in 1786 and the Gardens represent a significant cultural landscape in Knoxville's history. They even have an area where they are growing bamboo which was neat to see.

Knoxville Botanical Garden is open to the public from sunrise to sunset, 365 days a year. Admission is free.

KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE : APRIL 2011 : LODGING AND DINING

2011-04-12T14:45:00.000-04:00

There are several motels in downtown Knoxville and many more a few miles out. There are several at exit 108 on I-75 just north of downtown and at exit 378 on I-75/I-40 east of downtown.

---

Patrick Sullivan's Steak House in Old City...we didn't eat here but I liked the photos of the "ladies" in the upstairs window.

Old City : There were two areas where we ate. The first was in the historic Old City which is in downtown Knoxville. This is where the nightlife and there are several clubs and restaurants (some which don’t open until late so check hours before you go). We got New Jersey style pizza at DaVinci’s Pizzeria and Calzones. We asked what makes a pizza New Jersey style and were told that it was the owner’s mother’s recipe and she lives in New Jersey. It was good no matter what state you’re in or from. Old City is located near the intersection of N. Central St. and W. Jackson Ave.

Market Square : The other area we ate in was in Market Square in downtown Knoxville. There is a little area with a closed street that has several restaurants and shops. We ate wonderful lunch at the Market Square Kitchen which sadly will be closing at the end of this month.

Reminders of our trip to the west coast

2011-01-21T09:45:00.004-05:00

One of the 10 waterfalls at Silver Falls State Park in Oregon.

At the beginning of this year, when I took down the mini-calendar we had on the fridge, I noticed that the photo for Dec. was one of the waterfalls in Silver Falls State Park. The photo on the calendar was the same waterfall as the photo I took this summer when we were at Silver Falls State Park, although the photo on the calendar was taken during the winter.

I flipped to the front of the calendar and it's titled "Scenic Landscapes." As I looked through it, three of the other months used photos of places we were at this summer! There were photos from Crater Lake, Cannon Beach and the coast of northern California. When I picked the calendar last year I had no idea that we'd be going to California and Oregon that summer.

The calendar for 2011 has roosters on it...I wonder if that means something?

CALIFORNIA / OREGON RECAP

2010-09-14T13:34:00.012-04:00

Pam and Scott with a redwood tree in "Avenue of the Giants" in nothern California

If you’ve been reading the posts as I’ve posted them, then consider this the epilogue. If you’re just now finding this blog and plan to read the entries below, consider this the prologue.

Winery in Napa Valley

We went to the west coast back in July. We flew from Dayton to Chicago to San Francisco, rented a car and drove north to Seattle, and almost three weeks after we left, we got on the plane in Seattle and our first layover was back in…San Francisco.

Here are some random notes and photos that didn’t really fit in the other posts.

Public artwork in downtown Seattle

Airplanes and Horoscopes : I’m not a big fan of flying, and the last time we’d flown was before 9/11, so taking off our shoes and opening up the carry-on with the laptop was new for us. While sitting in the Dayton airport waiting for the first leg of our trip, I was trying to distract myself by doing the crossword puzzle. Scott pointed out that my horoscope read “Get out of town with a favorite person. You both need time off to rejuvenate and refresh. Spending time outdoors replenishes your spirit.”

My ginger ale can on the flight to San Francisco. At least I hope it's ginger ale.

Local Pronunciation : Apparently we’ve been mispronouncing “Oregon” all of our lives. People who live there pronounce it “OreyGun.” I was corrected by Oregonians more than once. (And for those of you who live in the Dayton area, how do you pronounce the historic area downtown near 5th Street? Say it without thinking and you probably call it the "OreyGun" District.)

Also the river that runs through Portland is “Willamette” and rhymes with dammit, and the nice little park on the west side of Portland is “Couch” and rhymes with “pooch.”

View of the Columbia River at Bridal Veil Falls in Oregon, looking across to Washington.

Gasoline : Oregon is one of two states (that I know of) that don’t allow you to pump your own gas. The other state is New Jersey. Scott really prefers to pump his own gas, so when we visited the Columbia River Gorge area and crossed over to Washington to see Beacon Rock, we made sure to fill up the gas tank before returning to Oregon.

Does anyone know what time is it? I don't...the motel in Portland didn't have a clock.

Clocks : Maybe we’re just not that hip and maybe most travelers have cell phones or other devices that they use as alarm clocks. Two of the motels we stayed at (both in Oregon) didn’t have clocks in the room.

A few of the thousands of windmills we saw driving from
San Francisco to Yosemite.

GPS : When we reserved the rental car, there was an option to also rent a GPS unit. Since we were going to be gone for almost 3 weeks, it was cheaper to just buy a GPS unit, which I wanted anyway. We got it before we left on our trip, took it out for some test drives, and then programmed the locations of the motels we were staying in.

When we got off the plane in San Francisco and turned it on, it took about 15 minutes before it finally realized that we weren’t in Ohio anymore. I had expected this since other people have mentioned it. What I didn’t expect was that it was speaking in another language! Something screwy in the programming, or some baggage handler playing a joke?

Overall we were really glad to have the GPS, although I did still pack some state maps, which we used on occasion. The GPS had some trouble knowing exactly where we were when we were in downtown in San Francisco and when we were outside of Silver Falls she wanted us to turn on a road that was market “No Outlet.”

And as much as we loved Portland, I do wonder about the bridges. There are several bridges that cross the Willamette River which runs through downtown Portland, but there are only TWO bridges that cross the Columbia River which separates Oregon from Washington. When we were driving north to Seattle, there was an accident and traffic was backed up at one of the bridges. The GPS suggested an alternate route crossing the other bridge, but everyone else was doing that also, so that bridge was also backed up. I pulled out the state maps and the next closest bridges are 30 miles east or 30 miles northwest.

All in all it was a good trip, but it's always good to be home again.

CORVALLIS OREGON : JULY 2010 : DA VINCI DAYS

2010-08-20T11:26:00.017-04:00

Killer Klowns from Outer Space, Graand Kinetic Challenge entrant

When we started planning this trip, it was because I wanted to be in Sisters, Oregon on July 10 for the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show. We also wanted to go to San Francisco, see the redwoods and the coast, and also go to Portland. While researching, I discovered DaVinci Days, a festival held in Corvallis that honors Leonardo DaVinci. And part of this festival includes a Kinetic Sculpture Race called the "Graand Kinetic Challenge" (yes, 2 'A's in Graand). This sounded intriguing and it was held the weekend after the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show, so we decided to extend the trip a few days and check this out.

Scott with some "interactive" intergalactic artwork

This was a really fun event (although I might be a little bias as the weather was really nice). In some ways it seemed like a science fair for college students and you could say that it was a festival for geeks, but it was really entertaining.

The event is held on the campus of Oregon State University. Most of the events took place inside the green space that is between 14th St., Monroe Ave., 11th St., and Jefferson Ave. The performances, food, and exhibits were all here, and there is an admission charge.

This is "Astro Chicken" (I'm not sure what all the sparkles are, but the automatic focus on the camera seemed distracted by them) part of the community art section that was located outside the festival area, in the green space just east of the main area.

The community art was made by individuals and groups before the festival and then displayed during the weekend. The theme for this year was “Space Odyssey.”

Unlike the community art, the sidewalk chalk art was created on Saturday while we watched. It was amazing how deep some of the colors were.

Registered participants are given a box of chalk and a concrete square and have three hours to create a sidewalk masterpiece.

West of the main area was the Grand Prix Electrathon. Electrathon race vehicles run on standard car batteries. The competition is based on speed and energy use.

Racers compete for the greatest number of laps around the 0.8 mile racecourse in one hour without recharging. There are specific specs the cars and the batteries have to meet in order to compete.

They had several hands-on exhibits geared towards kids that allowed them to learn that science can be fun, and there were exhibits promoting eco-friendly building, composting and alternative-fuel vehicles. There were several places at the festival that had trash bins, and also recycle bins and composting bins. Volunteers were there to teach you what can be recycled and what can be composted. The food vendors used plant-based plastics that will eventually compost.

There were also several performers including Rhys Thomas, a comedian and juggler who uses humor and juggling to explain gravity, centripetal force and air resistance.

The Main Event : The Graand Kinetic Challenge

Black Tie Affair, 2010 Grand Champions

A Kinetic Scupture is defined human-powered amphibious all-terrain works of art. It’s art on wheels.

Zorba the Zuke, won 1st place in the time category (2 hrs, 1 min) and 1st place in the engineering category

And the race is much more than a race. It is an unusual art show, a presentation of a team song, a parade and pageantry.

Blue and Fuchsia Giraffe, won 3rd place in the time category (3 hr, 44 min) and 3rd place in the engineering category

The race itself is run in different legs but requires racers to ride over 10 miles of city streets, over a man-made sand dune, across 3000 feet of sun-dried, clay pasture, through 200 feet of deep, thick, sticky mud, and down 2 miles of the Willamette River. All of this under pedal power, and usually in costumes.

Lobster Claus, won 3rd place in the pageantry category, top judges favorite, and best bribe

Of the 22 plus entrants, only 8 of them actually finished the race. Why do they do this? “For the glory!”

Kozmik Karavan

References :

To see more of my photos of DaVinci Days, go here: Corvallis and DaVinci Days on Flickr.

If you're interested in how some of the Kinetic Sculptures are put together, with comments on their construction, go to FiddlesWithBikes on Flickr. He is also the creator of the Kinetic Sculpture "Visualize Whirled Peas" which took 3rd Place in artistry.

Some other Kinetic Sculpture Races :

The annual World Grand Championship is held in Humboldt County, CA (Ferndale) on the last weekend of May.

The East Coast Championship takes place in Baltimore, MD in May.

The Kinetic SkulPTure Race is held in Port Townsend in October.

The Kinetic Sculpture Race takes place in Ventura, CA in October

The Kensington Kinetic Sculpture Derby happens in Philadelphia, PA in May.

Corvallis Lodging and Dining :

We stayed at the Rodeway Inn in downtown Corvallis and again we were in a great location. Since we were in Corvallis for the DaVinci Days Festival, we wanted a motel within walking distance and the one we stayed at was .75 of a mile away. The back of the motel faces the Willamette River and the Riverfront Commemorative City Park which runs along the river. Had we been able to stay the whole weekend and saw the river part of the Kinetic Sculpture Race, they would have gone down the river right across from the motel.

This is also where you can find the funky boutiques, upscale restaurants and bars, and the Saturday Farmer’s Market.

The Farmer’s Market didn’t just have the locally-grown produce you’d expect, you could also get crepes and pancakes. We got some tayberries, which are a cross between a blackberry and a red raspberry, and very yummy.

We also ate at the DaVinci Festival, and it wasn’t your standard food fair, there was ethnic food and also a salad with chicken, strawberries, cranberries and nuts.

PORTLAND OREGON : JULY 2010 : ATTRACTIONS

2010-08-17T20:14:00.014-04:00

We really liked Portland, and found it easily walkable. Our motel was located just south of the Nob Hill neighborhood, east of Washington Park and a mile from the river. We were up a slight hill (nothing like in San Francisco), which gave us some good views of the city.

We were near several parks including Couch Park (above) and Washington Park. We drove through Washington Park but didn’t have time to really get out and explore it. It’s huge, and it also connects to other parks, which makes it seem even larger.

While we were walking we saw lots of interesting things including these brightly painted houses.

And several pieces of public art. This one even looked cool when the water wasn't on.

This one reminds me of the round, pink typing erasers with a brush on the end. And while there's are to see by just walking around Portland, there are also places to view more formal art.

Portland Art Museum : I must confess that we didn't go see the art at the Portland Art Museum as I wasn't especially interested in the special exhibits they had while we were there. I had a more personal reason to go there. I went to go to the gift shop because I was hoping to find some key chains or something with their initials (PAM), but they didn’t have anything like that.

Museum of Contemporary Craft : They were installing a new exhibit, so there wasn’t much to see, but the stuff in this gift shop was nice, although no key chains with their initials, either.

===

People’s Food Co-op : I even found public art at the People’s food co-op. This is a tree on the outside of the building (where they also have vegetation growing on the roof).

And here’s what the tree looks like on the inside with the light shining through the colored bottles. Now I'm trying to think of where we can do this on our house.

It’s always great to reconnect with old friends while on vacation, especially when they’re willing to show you the city and some of their favorite places. This is us with Todd (he and Scott knew each other at Wright State U.) and this is the food co-op where he’s a member. You can buy food there even if you aren’t a member.

===

Oregon Museum of Science and Industry : OMSI is really cool. They had some brain teaser puzzles that I enjoyed trying to solve, and lots of hand-on exhibits for kids of all ages including a replica of the Gemini space capsule that you can actually sit in. (At one of the motels a few nights earlier we saw “Apollo 13” which is one of my favorite movies.)

Scott explaining black holes to Einstein, or maybe he's telling him what he wants for Christmas.

The special exhibit at OMSI was about Einstein, which I was interested, although it did involve a lot of reading.

===

If you’re a quilter or a seamstress then no trip to Portland is complete without a stop at the Fabric Depot, which has 1.5 acres of fabric. I bought 1 full-yard and 14 quarter-yard cuts, and was only in the store for 1.5 hours. (What a patient husband I have.)

When I was getting the information about Portland together, it didn't seem like a lot. Then I realized that this part of the trip was about food and local beers. Be sure to check out my post on lodging and dining in Portland, and you'll also learn which places our friend Todd likes to go.

PORTLAND OREGON : JULY 2010 : LODGING + DINING

2010-08-17T19:55:00.006-04:00

The motel we stayed at was in a great location. We stayed at the Park Lane Suites and Inn, on NW King St., close to the Nob Hill neighborhood. We were in the Inn across the street from the suites, and it looked like it was furnished entirely with Ikea items.

===

Portland food carts : There are several places in Portland where they have lunch carts set up. The "pod" at Alder and 10th was walking distance from our motel. Scott wanted to stay in Portland for a month so he could try all the different food carts. The day we were there he wanted noodles but they were out so he got curry instead and kept raving about how delicious it was. I got a kabab from Ali Baba's Turkish Kitchen & Kebabs and while it was good, it was the Turkish baklava that was unbelievably good. I don’t think I’ll ever eat baklava again because I’m afraid I’ll just be disappointed that it’s not as good as this was.

People's Food Co-op : If you already read the Portland Attractions post, I mentioned that we went to the People’s Food Co-op where our friend Todd is a member. Aside from selling healthy and organic food, they strive to sell locally-grown food, and even post photos of the farmers who grew the food. And even though we weren’t members, we could still buy food. Scott got some red raspberries that I ate before we even got to the car.

Blue Moon : the Blue Moon is one of the many pubs owned by McMenamis Breweries. Scott got a sampler board which he enjoyed, and he also really liked the veggie wrap he ordered.

Lucky Labrador : Todd took us to the Lucky Labrador, the Quimby location. They brew their own beer but don’t bottle it, so you have to go there if you want some. Scott again got a sampler board and he really liked these. I had the pear hard cider which was pretty good. We got the Greek pizza, but it was unmemorable.

Hash Restaurant : Todd also took us to the Hash Restaurant, which is only open until 3 pm, so don’t plan on going there for dinner. Portland is big on breakfast, and that’s what we had. You know how upscale restaurants bring a bread basket for the table to share? Here they brought out a yummy scone for us to nibble on while we waited for our food. The food was fantastic, but was most notable was their blueberry lemonade, which might be a seasonal thing.

Want to know what to do in Portland besides eat? Check out my post on Portland attractions.

OREGON COAST

2010-08-12T16:13:00.018-04:00

We drove out to the Oregon coast, and started at the most northern point of Oregon and headed south. Our first stop was in Astoria, which is one of the oldest settlements west of the Rockies, and a key port that Lewis and Clark explored.

We climbed the 164 steps to the top of the 125-foot high Astoria Column. The exterior of the column shows a bas-relief sculpture depicting the history of the area.

The column is located on top of a hill and offers views of the Pacific Ocean, Columbia River, Saddle Mountain and the Clatsop Plain. The suggested donation is $1 per car.

===

We headed south on US-101 and drove to Cannon Beach, which is a large, sandy beach, good for walking and making sandcastles.

Haystack Rock is a 235 feet tall monolith and is one of the largest "sea stacks" on America's Pacific coast. The rock is home to nesting seabirds in the summer and marine invertebrates all year long.

===

We continued driving south on US-101 and stopped at an overlook and saw this scene. I was very interested in the colors in the water: greenish closest to the shore, a lighter blue and then a deeper blue, and the purple where the cloud sits, obscuring the horizon. The clouds on the left side of the photo drape over the beach, like someone came along a “frosted” it with the cloud. I’m not sure where this photo was taken, but it was on US-101 somewhere between Cannon Beach and Depoe Bay. (Click on the photo to see a larger view, then click the Back button to come back to the blog.)

===

We continued south to Depoe Bay, where we stayed the night and also visited the Whale Watching Center.

Three miles south of Depoe Bay is Cape Foulweather. The building in the picture is the gift shop.

We also stopped at Devil’s Punchbowl State Park, in Otter Rock.

The punch bowl was probably created by the collapse of the roof over two sea caves.

===

Our final stop on the Oregon coast was at Sea Lion Caves, north of Florence. There are some stairs and then an elevator that take you down into the world’s largest sea cave, where you can watch the sea lions in their natural habitat. It’s a little smelly but still worth the $12 admission fee.

Lodging and Dining :

Crown Pacific Inn Depoe Bay : I picked this place because of the way it looked on the website. It had weathered shingles and balconies that faced the ocean, with just a road and trees between us and the ocean. It’s rocky here, so not actual beach access.

They also had fireplaces in the rooms, although it wasn’t cool enough for that, and also a hot tub. Close enough to walk to the Whale Watching Center, gift shops and restaurants.

===

Morris Fireside Restaurant, Cannon Beach : We ate breakfast here and I enjoyed both the food and the ambiance.

While we were in Depoe Bay, we enjoyed some ice cream flavors that we don’t find in Ohio. We liked both the Marionberry Pie ice cream and Mountain Huckleberry ice cream

To see more photos of the Oregon Coast, go here: Oregon Coast on Flickr

Waterfalls in northwest Oregon

2010-08-08T20:21:00.014-04:00

There are 2 great places to go to see waterfalls in northwest Oregon, the Columbia River Gorge and Silver Falls.

Wahkeena Falls

Columbia River Gorge : The western entrance to the Columbia River Gorge is at Troutdale, 20 minutes east of Portland. We exited SR 84 at Troutdale and followed the signs for the Historic Columbia River Highway (aka 30). It took us about 4 hours to drive the first 30-miles because we stopped to see the view lookouts and stop at 5 of the waterfalls. Most of the waterfalls can be seen from a short walk from the parking areas. I found that “The Best Gorge Map,” which I requested a copy of before we left for our trip, was a helpful resource for this area.

Our first stop was at Vista House, an octagonal stone structure which was built between 1916-18 as a memorial to Oregon pioneers, as a comfort station for those traveling on the Historic Columbia River Highway and as an observatory.

The Vista House offers amazing views looking down the Columbia River, and also of Washington state, which is on the other side of the river.

There is a visitor’s center, a small gift shop and bathrooms at the Vista House.

Next we stopped at Guy Talbot State Park and see the first waterfall along the Historic Columbia River highway.

A trail underneath the Historic Columbia River Highway bridge leads directly to the 250’ tall Latourell Falls.

Even the many bridges along the Historic Columbia River Gorge are picturesque.

Sheppards Dell Falls is the next waterfall along the highway.

The path is short and the view is worth it.

Bridal Veil Falls is located in Bridal Veil State Park. The lower trail takes you downhill to the base falls and is about a mile round, and is a little steep coming back. There is also a short, level trail that takes you through a prairie and offers view of the Columbia River.

Wahkeena Falls is the next stop. Wahkeena is a Yakima Indian word meaning “most beautiful.”

The most well known and popular spot is Mulnomah Falls. It is very tall and picturesque, with a lovely little stone bridge part way up. There is also a large restaurant and gift shop here.

We continued on to Cascade Locks and instead of going the rest of the 50-some miles of the Historic Columbia River Highway, we took the “Bridge of the Gods” toll bridge over the river and into Washington state. We headed back towards Portland, west on highway 14 which goes parallels the other side of the Columbia River. We stopped at Beacon Rock, the core of an ancient volcano. There is a steep, mile-long trail to the top but it was getting late in the day so we didn’t hike it.

---

Silver Falls State Park : this park is near Silverton, Oregon, and is an hour and a half south of Portland. It has a 9-mile trail aptly called the “Trail of 10 Falls” that takes you to 10 waterfalls. I wasn’t up for a 9-mile hike, so we started at the South Falls Lodge and walked 1 mile and back, going to what we thought might be the two more scenic waterfalls.

South Falls is 177 feet and is located fairly close to the South Falls Lodge, although the trail was steep at times. If you look close at the photo, you can see people on the trail.

You can walk behind South Falls.

Lower South Falls is 93 feet and almost a mile from South Falls.

You can walk behind Lower South Falls, also. You can see some people in the upper right corner of the photo.

To see more photos of Silver Falls, go here: Silver Falls on Flickr

To see more photos of the Columbia River Gorge, go here: Columbia River Gorge on Flickr

Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show

2010-08-06T14:00:00.002-04:00

Finally, the reason we decided to take a trip out west! Sisters, Oregon, is located just inside the Deschutes National Forest, and while it isn't in the mountains, it is named for the Three Sisters mountains located near by.

Along with many summer and recreational activities, Sisters is home of the Sisters Outdoor Quilts Show, a one-day show of quilts on the second Saturday in July.

They had over 1300 quilts for the show. Where do you put 1300 quilts? Everywhere! 1300 quilts is a lot…and I’m sure I didn’t see them all, although the number of photos I took might convince you otherwise.

Even more amazing is that all 1300 quilts get hung in 1.5 hours. They must do some serious planning with many volunteers for that to happen.

This is the Stitchin’ Post. Yes, it’s a common name for quilt shops. Yes, it’s big and they have a lot of fabric. Yes, there was a line to buy fabric. Yes, I bought fabric.

There are several events that happen the week before the show, including special displays. When we went in to one place to see the displays, I noticed that the sun was shining though the quilts that were hanging on the outside of these windows. And no, I don't know who that woman is.

I also got to see my quilt, Twilight Descends, from the back with light shining through, even though I used a black fabric for the backing. The downside of seeing the sun through the quilts was that it was sunny and hot. I know, it’s a dry heat, but it’s still hot in the sun.

The parts that cover the windows are made with a strong netting, so you can see through it and actually drive it. I don’t plan on making one any time soon. This car had a good parking space. Even though we arrived 15 minutes after the show officially opened at 9:30 am, we still had to park alongside the highway and walk a good distance. So if you're going to go, show up early, wear comfy shoes, and bring your sunscreen!

To see more photos of the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show, go here: Sisters Quilts on Flickr or visit my quilting blog For Quilts Sake.

Lodging and Dining :
We didn't stay in Sisters, although they do have several resort-types of lodging near by. They fill up quick, so plan ahead. We (and several other quilters) stayed in Redmond, with was half an hour away. Bend is also half an hour away, and it’s a little larger than Redmond, so it might have more options.

Crater Lake National Park, Oregon

2010-08-04T21:05:00.007-04:00

Crater Lake National Park is located in the southwestern part of Oregon. It was formed when Mt. Mazama, an active volcano, erupted and then collapsed into itself creating a caldera. The 5-mile wide caldera filled with rain and melted snow and is the deepest lake in the US.

When we got to Crater Lake, we stopped at the first overlook we came to. The view was amazing and the water was so incredibly blue. We ate a picnic lunch there, even though the mosquitoes were fairly aggressive (and the only mosquitoes we saw the whole trip).

Pam at one of the Crater Lake overlooks.

We stopped at several other overlooks, which all had spectacular views, and most have parking areas right there.

There’s only one place where you can get down to the water, and that is at Cleetwood Cove, and it’s a 1-mile walk down. This is also the only place you can get in a boat, which is a ranger-led boat tour. We didn’t do it.

Scott on the snow, on July 9.

As we drove further into the park, we noticed that the snow on the side of the road was getting deeper and deeper.

We had planned on driving the 33-mile Rim Road that goes around the caldera, and we made it almost half way around when the rest of the road was closed. I actually wasn’t very disappointed as the views we did see were so impressive, I wasn’t sure they could get any better.

Even though we were in the snow at noon, we drove 3 hours north to our hotel in Redmond, where they tied their record high of 98.

To see more photos of Crater Lake, go here: Crater Lake on Flickr

Lodging and Dining :

We didn't stay or eat at Crater Lake, although they do have a lodge and some food options, although I think they are seasonal.

CALIFORNIA COAST : JULY 2010 : ATTRACTIONS

2010-08-02T20:29:00.001-04:00

Pigeon Point Lighthouse

Pigeon Point : Pigeon Point is about an hour south of San Francisco along CA-1.

The beach at Pigeon Point Lighthouse

Pigeon Point is home to a 115-foot lighthouse, one of the tallest lighthouses in America. The lighthouse is currently closed to the public, but the grounds are open. There are also several beaches to explore in the area.

===

Shops in Sausalito

Sausalito : Sausalito is a quaint little town on the other side of the Golden Gate bridge. It has art shops and cafes and a nice view of San Francisco, unless there’s a lot of fog.

San Francisco is barely visible in the upper left of this photo

You can easily drive there from San Francisco, or if you’re adventurous you can bike across the Golden Gate Bridge and then coast downhill. There is also a ferry that goes to Sausalito.

===

The California coast north of San Francisco

CA-1 : Driving from San Francisco to Ferndale should only take 5 hours if you take US-101 N, but I didn’t want to drive up US-101 N, I wanted to drive along CA-1, which would take about 6.5 hours, not including time to stop and admire the amazing views or stop at the many state beaches and state parks. The GPS wanted us to drive US-101 N, but we were able to convince her it was our way or the highway.

===

Redwoods : Shortly after CA-1 joins OH-101 N is the beginning of the redwoods. Some of the redwoods have been turned into kitchy road-side attractions, but I like kitchy road-side attractions.

The Chandelier Drive-thru Tree

Chandelier Drive-thru Tree : Located in Leggett, there is a redwood tree that you can actually drive through. There was a modest admission fee, which isn’t mentioned on their website.

One Log House : located in Garberville, this is a house made using just one really big log.

Our rental car looks like a toy next to these trees

Avenue of the Giants : A 31-mile portion of the original Hwy 101, which now parallels the new US-101 N and goes through 50,000 acres of redwood groves. The south entrance is near Phillipsville and the north entrance is near Pepperwood. This is probably one of the most scenic drives I’ve ever been on. (CA-1 would also be in this list.)

The view from the top at Trees of Mystery

Trees of Mystery : Sky Trail! Cathedral Trees! Elephant Trees! A Giant Talking Paul Bunyan! Plus Some Really Big Trees! There is a little bit of walking, and some slight inclines.

We rode the sky trail (tram) up to the top and decided to walk down the 1-mile Wilderness Trail, which was really steep going down and then at some point actually started going uphill again.

You can get married at these catherdral trees

Cathedral Trees are when several trees have grown up along the perimeter of the living remains of the stump of a fallen redwood.

Scott and a really big tree

To read more interesting information about the redwoods, click on the “Redwood Trees!” tab on the Trees of Mystery web site.

Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox

The 49' 2" tall Paul Bunyan and his 35' tall friend, Babe the Blue Ox, wave and greet visitors. Paul can actually talk and interact with the kids who sit on his foot. The day we were there, his favorite expressions were “All right!” and “Right on,” so we think Paul might be an old hippy. And considering that we’ve been quoting him almost every day since we visited, I think he was one of the unexpected highlights of our trip.

The $14 admission includes the Sky Trail and I think it's worth every penny.

===

The hotel across the street from the one we stayed in

Ferndale : 21 miles north of the “Avenue of the Giants” is the Victorian Village of Ferndale. There are some hotels located in historic buildings and several gift and art shops. Of personal interest to me was the Itsy Bitsy Quilt Shop, and yes, I did buy some fabric there.

A UFO at the Kinetic Sculpture Museum

There is also a Kinetic Sculpture Museum, for sculptures created to compete in the Kinetic Sculpture Race. (You can read more about Kinetic Sculptures once I get the Corvallis post up.) There were several places along the west coast that advertised, but Ferndale claims to have held the first Kinetic Sculpture Race in 1969.

If you want to see more photos of the California coast, go to: California Coast photos on Flickr

Want to sleep and eat? Here's my post on lodging and dining along the California coast.

CALIFORNIA COAST : JULY 2010 : LODGING + DINING

2010-08-02T20:16:00.001-04:00

California Coast Accomodations :

Pigeon Point : Pigeon Point is about an hour south of San Francisco along CA-1.

The Pigeon Point Lighthouse

We stayed at the Pigeon Point Lighthouse Hostel. We didn’t actually stay in the lighthouse, which was closed to the public because of the condition it is in, but we did stay in what used to be the lighthouse keeper’s homes. We had a private room in what was more like a three-bedroom house, and we shared the living, kitchen and bath with two sisters and their kids. The hostel is part of Hostelling International, and the California website has a lot of information about the hostels and what to expect.

There are also lighthouse hostels at Point Montara, between San Francisco and Piegeon Point, and at Point Reyes National Seashore, north of San Francisco.

===

The Hotel Ivanhoe

This entry will cover both lodging and dining as the Hotel Ivanhoe, a beautiful Victorian hotel also has a restaurant and a saloon. The restaurant serves dinner on Wed. through Sun. and I can highly recommend the Ravioli Pesto. Seriously. I didn’t even have to read any further on their menu. Scott was able to take a beer from the saloon and drink it on the front balcony located outside our room.

Our room in the Hotel Ivanhoe

California Coast Pies : The morning after our stay at Pigeon Point we had breakfast at Duarte’s. I really enjoyed the eggs and potatoes, but it was the fresh olallieberry jam on sourdough toast that I really enjoyed. They also have olallieberry pie, which is why we went there in the first place. Since it was breakfast, we got a slice to go and enjoyed it later after lunch. An olallieberry is a cross between a loganberry and a youngberry.

Looking for something fun to do? Here’s my post on attractions along the California coast.

YOSEMITE, CALIFORNIA : JULY 2010 : ATTRACTIONS

2010-07-31T17:25:00.001-04:00

The view driving in to Yosemite

Yosemite : Just the drive in to Yosemite offers beautiful vistas as you drive along the very curvy and hilly road. There is a $20 vehicle fee, good for 7 consecutive days.

Half Dome

Many of the famous Yosemite sights such as Half Dome and El Capitan can be seen from the roads in the Yosemite Valley area.

Us in the Tunnel Tree

Tuolumne Grove : Since we entered the park from CA-120, the ranger at the entrance suggested we stop at Tuolumne Grove on our way in to Curry Village, where we were staying. This proved to be good advice since the parking lot there filled up quickly. The trail is 1-mile one way and is downhill to the grove and uphill back to the trailhead.

The trail took us to a beautiful sequoia grove including the “Dead Giant,” the first tree to be tunneled in the park. In 1878, a tunnel was cut through the already dead tree stump so that wagons could pass through it. The tree is approximately thirty feet in diameter at the base, and it has been dead for over 100 years!

Mariposa Grove and Merced Groves are also sequoia groves located in Yosemite.

Bridalveil Fall is easy .5 mile round trip, paved trail

Lower Yosemite Fall an easy 1.1 mile loop trail with views of both Lower and Upper Yosemite Falls

===

Jamestown : Jamestown is about an hour and a half from the main part of Yosemite.

View from the porch off our hotel room.

We decided to stay in Jamestown the night before we went in to Yosemite, rather than driving from Pigeon Point to Yosemite. Jamestown is a cute little western-style town. It has several shops that close at 5 pm, so we didn’t get to go in them.

To see more photos of Yosemite and Jamestown, go to: Yosemite photos on Flickr.

Want to sleep and eat? Here's my post on lodging and dining in Yosemite and Jamestown.

YOSEMITE, CALIFORNIA : JULY 2010 : LODGING + DINING

2010-07-31T17:23:00.001-04:00

Yosemite : There a plenty of lodging options inside the park, most of it pricey and booked far in advance. We were lucky to get a canvas tent cabin (wood floor, canvas sides and top) in Curry Village on short notice (7 weeks before).

The downside was that there are several hundred of these cabins in close proximity to each other, and unless you are staying in one of the motels or lodges, you have to keep all of your food and toiletry items in a bear-proof container located outside of the cabin. During the night we were awoken by the sound of a bear attempting to get in to one of the containers, luckily it wasn’t the one outside of our cabin.

There are many food options in Yosemite, ranging from snack shops to fancy restaurants. We ate at a breakfast buffet at the dining pavilion in Curry Village.

===

The hotel we stayed at in Jamestown

Jamestown : Jamestown is about an hour and a half from the main part of Yosemite.
We stayed at the Americas Best Value Inn & Suites Royal Carriage Inn. It was a cute, Victorian-styled hotel, and we had access to the second-floor balcony that looked out over the main street.
Unlike the shops, most of the restaurants are open past 5 pm. We didn’t eat at any of them, but did sit on the hotel balcony and listened to the live music playing at the restaurant across the street.

Looking for something fun to do? Here’s my post on attractions in Yosemite and Jamestown.

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA : JULY 2010 : ATTRACTIONS

2010-07-29T13:50:00.003-04:00

The Painted Ladies with the San Francisco skyline behind them

Before we even left for our trip, I ordered the “Visitors Planning Guide,” and while the guide was free, I did have to pay for shipping to have it sent to me, and it was well worth the price. There was a lot of information in the guide and some very nice maps, also.

The double-decker, hop-on, hop-off tours are always a good bet, and they also give you an overview of the city so you can decide what you want to spend more time at. They also offer other packages, so it’s worth a look before you go. (There are some other companies that offer double-decker, hop-on, hop-off.)

Mission District Mural

Mission District : The Mission District is full of fabulous murals. With help from the Visitor’s Center, we found a bus route to take us there, then spent part of the afternoon wandering around and looking at the murals.

Chinatown

Chinatown : the oldest Chinatown and one of the largest Chinese communities in North America, it's a fun shopping and dining area.

Golden Gate Park

Golden Gate Park : The park stretches for three miles and is larger than Central Park in New York City. It has more than 1 million trees, nine lakes, gardens, two major museums and a herd of bison. Yes, bison, although they weren’t as interesting to look at as I thought they would be.

The De Young Fine Art Museum, the California Academy of Sciences, the Conservatory of Flowers and the Japanese Tea Garden are all located in the park, although we didn’t stop at any of them.

Scott enjoying the view at one of the Presidio Overlooks

The Presidio : This former military base is now an area with expansive parks and hilltop homes. Because we were on a tandem bike, we entered at Arguello Blvd., turned on Washington and then on Lincoln, stopping at 4 scenic overlooks. It was mostly downhill here. There are great views of the Golden Gate Bridge.

The Golden Gate Bridge in the fog

Golden Gate Bridge : We biked across the 1.7 mile bridge. It was pretty windy but the views were spectacular, even with the fog. On a side note for graphic designers, the paint color on the bridge is PMS 173.

Lombard Street, the crookedest street in the world.

At Lombard Street looking east, the Coit Tower is in the upper right.

Coit Tower : Since I like to go up towers and look at the views, this might be my favorite place in San Francisco.

The view of San Francisco from the Coit Tower

===

Getting Around : If we hadn’t needed our rental car to drive to Pigeon Point and Yosemite before we got to San Francisco, we would have waited to get it when we left. It’s not easy getting around the city by car, and the parking is expensive and sometimes tricky on the hills. As it was, we had to pay for it to sit for the four days we were in San Francisco.

MUNI: There are many different modes of public transportation. The first four listed are operated by the MUNI (San Francisco Municipal Railway) system. There’s a lot of info, so you might want to do some research before your trip, so you don’t spend time figuring this out.

Turning the cable car around so it can head the other direction.

The cable cars run on a cable under the street and have one north/south route and one east/west route. There can sometimes be a long wait to get on the cable car, and the cost is $5 per ride.

The historic street cars run on rails and also have a trolley pole connected to an overhead wire.

Street cars have rubber tires and don’t run on a rail, but still have a trolley pole connected to an overhead wire.

The buses have rubber tires, don’t run on a rail and don’t have a trolley pole connected to an overhead wire.

The best bet is the MUNI passport. We got a 3-day pass for $20 that offered us unlimited rides on the historic street cars, street cars, buses and most importantly, the cable cars. We bought ours at the Visitor’s Center.

BART : The Bay Area Rapid Transit is more like a subway/elevated train. These go to areas outside of the city such as Berkley or the San Francisco airport.

There are also taxis and ferries.

Scott with the tandem bike

We rented a tandem bike (no way I could have kept up on my own bike) at Union Square then biked, uphill, to Golden Gate Park. Then we biked through the park, over to the Presido, then across the Golden Gate Bridge, which was exhilarating but also a little bit scary. We coasted down to Sausalito then took the ferry back to San Francisco and returned the bike.

If you’re not as adventurous as we are (OK, as Scott is), you can rent a bike at Fisherman’s Wharf, bike to and across the Golden Gate Bridge, coast down to Sausalito and then take a ferry back, and it’s about 8 miles mostly flat or downhill.

There are several companies that offer bike rental and have “Bike Across the Bridge” options.

Someone driving a GoCar down Lombard Street.

Go Cars : We didn’t do this, but it looked like a lot of fun. Rent a little “car” which uses GPS to navigate and also to narrate your tour.

Weather : Sure, everyone told us to wear layers and expect it to be cold in San Francisco, even in July. I even packed long johns, although I didn't really expect to wear them. Only I did. And I also bought a fleece jacket. On the 4th of July. So trust me, it can get pretty chilly in San Francisco, and other places that are along the coast in both northern California and also Oregon. I got a lot of use out of that fleece jacket!

To see more photos of San Francisco, go here: San Francisco photos on Flickr

Want to sleep and eat? Here's my post on lodging and dining in San Francisco.

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA : JULY 2010 : LODGING + DINING

2010-07-29T13:45:00.002-04:00

View from our hotel room looking north up Jones St. from O'Farrell St. You can see the line of people waiting to get in to Dottie's True Blue Cafe.

San Francisco Accommodations : We actually spent a lot of time trying to decide where to stay while we were in San Francisco. The Visitors Planning Guide (see San Fran attractions entry) showed the different neighborhoods and some of the highlights of each neighborhood. Once we narrowed down the neighborhoods we thought would work for us, we searched the websites comparing prices and amenities.

Some of the older hotels don’t have bathrooms in the room, instead there’s a shared bath in the hallway. We ended up at the Americas Best Value Inn & Suites at Union Square. The room was gorgeous, it had recently been renovated with hard wood floors (no gross carpet!), a king-sized bed, mini-fridge, microwave and yes, a private bathroom. The free wifi was a little iffy, although we were on the top floor, but we could usually get it in the lobby or in the hallway. We were in a corner room, so we had two windows with great views that looked onto different streets. Since the hotel wasn’t air conditioned, we were glad that we could open the windows and get a cross breeze. The street noise was a little loud.

And while the location was very close to Union Square, I wouldn’t feel safe walking around by myself at night as the pan handlers were very aggressive. Minutes after we checked in we heard a loud BANG out in the street and several minutes after that there were two dozen police officers in the area. I wasn’t worried, the noise didn’t sound like a gunshot, and I remembered that the date was July 3rd, so I figured it was just a firework, which was what the police must have decided also, as they didn’t stay long.

===

San Francisco Dining : There are many different options for ethnic food, especially in Chinatown and the Mission District. We had Blondie's Pizza one night, and another night we got fish and chips at Fisherman's Wharf.

===

San Francisco Pies : Mission Pie is called that partly because it’s in the Mission District and they serve pies, although Scott thought that "Mission: Pie" would also be a good name. Along with fruit pies, they also serve savory pies.

Mmmm. Pies.

The other reason it's called Mission Pie is because they have a mission, they are guided by a commitment to environmental, social and economic justice. One example is serving Walnut Pie instead of Pecan Pie because walnuts are grown in California while pecans are grown in Georgia and must be shipped to California.

Looking for something fun to do? Here’s my post on attractions in San Francisco.

HEADING FOR THE WEST COAST : JULY 2010

2010-07-27T20:35:00.011-04:00

For those of you who don’t know my husband, he teaches English at Wright State University. He often teaches summer classes, but when he told me he wasn’t teaching summer classes this year, I said that this was the summer we were going to Oregon. Why Oregon? Because on the second Saturday in July, the town of Sisters holds an outdoor quilt show, where they have over 1000 quilts hanging around the town. They have quilts hanging on porches, over railings and on the sides of the buildings. Sisters is located in the “high desert” where it’s sunny 300 days out of the year, they can feel fairly confident that it won’t rain on the second Saturday in July.

I didn’t want to just go see the quilt show, I wanted to have a quilt in it. The guidelines aren’t difficult, but they do only accept quilts over 36” x 36”, and I don’t have many that size or larger, so I made a quilt just to enter in the show. Once the quilt was finished and accepted, we started planning our trip.

Me and "Twilight Descends" hanging out with some other quilts at the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show

Since Sisters is 2200 miles from Yellow Springs, we decided that we also wanted to visit Porland and San Francisco. Then we found out that Yosemite National Park is less than a 4-hour drive from San Francisco, so we decided go there, also. While I was researching places to visit between San Francisco and Portland, I discovered that Corvallis, home of Oregon State University, holds a festival called “DaVinci Days” where one of the main attractions is a Kinetic Sculpture Race. And of course we wanted to see the Pacific Ocean in both California and Oregon, so we planned to have some time at the coast.

After deciding all these places were must-sees, we realized that our trip was going to take almost three weeks. Here’s what the schedule ended up as:

- Fly from Dayton to San Fran, stay at Pigeon Point Lighthouse
- Drive to Jamestown, stay one night there
- Go to Yosemite, stay one night there
- Drive back to San Francisco, stay four nights
- Drive along the California coast up CA-1, stay in Ferndale
- Drive to Oregon, stay in Grant’s Pass
- Visit Crater Lake, stay in Redmond
- Visit the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show
- Visit Silver Falls, drive to Portland, stay 3 nights
- Drive to the Oregon Coast, visit Astoria, stay in Seaside
- Drive south, stay in Depoe Bay
- Drive to Corvallis, visit the DaVinci Days Festival
- Drive to Seattle, fly home to Dayton

I plan on posting about the above places, including some of the 600+ photos we took, so check back in a few days!

LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY : MARCH 2010 : ATTRACTIONS

2010-03-23T19:05:00.003-04:00

Me and some public art with the Louisville skyline

I really loved Louisville, although I might be partially biased since it was the beginning of Spring and the first warm and sunny days after a long, snowy winter. I found the downtown area very walkable, although I did also take advantage of the covered walking tunnels that connected some of the hotels with the convention center. We were there so my husband could attend and present at a conference. Louisville has a large convention center and several of the hotels also have large meeting rooms. While he was attending the conference, I checked out the local attractions.

Dragon bike rack

West Main Street : Many of Louisville’s museums are located within a few blocks on West Main St. between 5th and 9th Street. This area was just under a mile from our motel and I walked it several times. I thought it was the most interesting section of the downtown. The street was narrow so one side of the street was usually shaded and there were several examples of interesting architecture, little shops and public art, including the posts that go around the sidewalk trees and the bike rack sculptures (the Visitor’s Center has a map of bike rack sculpture locations). There is metered parking on the street and most of the museums/attractions close by 5 pm so plan accordingly.

The building to the right with the baseball on it says
"Kentucky Mirror and Plate Glass"

Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory : A must for baseball fans and also very kid friendly. The factory tour shows how bats are made, but they don’t produce bats every day so you might want to check ahead of time. The museum is informative and hands-on and the architecture is interesting. Scott’s favorite part was the batting cages where you can hit balls using bats made to the specifications of certain baseball players. He used Ken Griffey Jr.’s bat and also Babe Ruth’s bat, which he really enjoyed. There is a fee for the tour and museum and a separate charge for the batting cages.

---

Glassworks Glassblowers

Glassworks : OK, this isn’t a museum and it’s actually on Market St. (behind the Slugger Museum) but it has art that you can see being made. It is home to 3 working glass studios including glassblowers who shape art from molten glass, flameworkers who use a torch to manipulate the glass into delicate pieces of art, and architectural glass designers who create large-scale sculptures. They offer a guided tours on Saturday and self-guided tours the rest of the week. I’ve seen glass blowers before, but never seen flameworkers which was interesting. I’d never heard of architectural glass designers, and while there wasn’t actual work to see, they had several small models of their larger works and that was really neat.

Model of the architectural glass sculpture at Main and 4th St. in downtown Louisville

They also have classes, quickies (not as in-depth as the classes) and walk-in workshops where you can create your own art. Most of the workshops require kiln firing and you have to wait a few days to pick up your art, so if you’re interested in doing this, you might want to do it on the first day of your trip, or you can have your art shipped to you. I made these 2 magnets and it was a lot of fun! If you want to take glass art home with you but don’t want to make it yourself, they have a gift shop with amazing glass art.

The magnets I made

Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft : This is an exhibition space that has different rotating exhibitions. There is a fee for the museum, but the gift shop is free. There were many wonderful items made by Kentucky artists in the gift shop.

Frazier International History Museum and the Louisville Science Center : I didn’t get a chance to go to these museums which looked interesting. The Science Center looked like it was hands-on and kid friendly.

Pyro Gallery : This is an artist co-op gallery and they have rotating member exhibits in their first floor gallery and art from all members in their downstairs gallery. Lucky for me the two artists exhibiting this time, Bette Levy and Melinda Snyder, were both fiber artists with an emphasis on quilting, although I saw it during the last weekend of the show.

===

East Market Street : There are several art galleries including on East Market Street between Hancock and Wenzel Streets. There is metered parking and free parking on the side streets. Here are some of the highlights:

Joy Ley Antiques (left) and Flamerun

Flame Run : a glass studio and gallery where they demo glass blowing and also offer classes.

Muth’s Candies : A family-owned candy store. If you go, I’m fond of the Dutch Mints.

Joe Ley Antiques : antiques, architectural salvage, fountains, urns, mannequins (and spare parts), neon signs, stuffed animals (the kind that used to be real animals), sporting equipment, musical instruments, autographed memorabilia, circus, toys, Halloween creeps, all in an building that used to be an old, three story school house. It might be easier to list what they don’t have, although I can’t think of what that might be. If you need it, they probably have it.

Their pricing system is a little odd…when you enter they give you a piece of paper with “Brush Clean” written on it and the numbers 1-0 written below. If the tag reads “UH” that means it’s $35. If there another number after that, like -10, that is how much of a discount they’ll take off, so “UH-10” would be $25. I’m not sure I’d want to make it difficult for my customers to figure out the price of an item, but I guess it works for them.

===

Historic Louisville : is a few miles south of downtown.

St. James fountain in Historic Louisville

Louisville Historic Tours : they offer a few different walking and bus tours of Historic Louisville specializing in architecture or ghosts. If you’re lucky, you might even get a tour led by David Domine, who wrote the books “Ghosts of Old Louisville” and “Phantoms of Old Louisville.” (We did the “Grand Walking Tour” which we enjoyed quite a bit--thanks, Peter!).

The entrance to the Conrad-Caldwell House

Conrad-Caldwell House : This large, historic mansion boasts some impressive architecture, although I was very interested in the parquet floors which used several quilt block patterns. They have a virtual tour on their website but the photos don’t really do the house justice.

===

A few miles outside of downtown :

Historic Locust Grove : located a few miles east of downtown, this home is a National Historic Landmark on 55 acres of the original 694 acre farm established by William and Lucy Clark Croghan in 1790. Lucy Clark was the sister of George Rogers Clark, founder of Louisville and Revolutionary War hero. The large home was one of the first brick homes built in this part of the country, and there are several reconstructed out buildings on the property. Since this was the beginning of Spring and some of the first warm weather of the year, I found the location to be very relaxing.

---

Us at Churchill Downs

Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby Museum : both located a few miles south of downton. We were fortunate that one of the conference vendors hosted a party at Churchill Downs, and while there weren’t any horses there at the time, we did get free food and drinks (yes, including Mint Juleps) in one of the suites with fantastic views of the track. There are walking tours of Churchill Downs offered including a “behind the scenes” tour which sounded interesting. The Kentucky Derby Museum was closed due to reconstruction after a flood, but it’s supposed to open in April, 2010.

---

Howard Steamboat Museum & Mansion : located just across the Ohio River in Jeffersonville, Indiana, this 22-room brick home was built for James Howard, the owner of Howard Shipyard, by the steamboat builders that worked in the shipyard. It features original furnishings and stained glass windows and has several displays of model steamboats that the shipyard then made.

Falls of the Ohio : Being from Ohio, the name of this was a little confusing to us until we realized it was the Ohio River they were referring to. The falls are actually rapids that make part of the Ohio River very shallow at this spot, which is one of the reasons that Louisville was founded as the people traveling on the river had to either portage around the rapids or stop and wait for the water to rise. It also seems that there is a large fossil bed at this part of the river. Since it was Spring and between the snow melt and the recent rains, the river was up fairly high so we couldn’t see any of this.

The falls are a state park located in Clarksville, Indiana, just across the river from Louisville. There are walking trails and an interpretive center. Their website also notes that “some GPS units will direct you to a subdivision in Charlestown. If your device doesn’t place us along the river, enter the street address: 201 W. Riverside Dr., Clarksville, IN.” I noticed that Google wanted to take me to the Falls of the Ohio Foundation, which is also not located along the river.

Dee’s : This is a family-owned art and craft supply shop and it’s located a few miles east of Louisville and across from a mall. Since Louisville hosts the Kentucky Derby and fashionable women who attend the derby like to wear large, decorated hats, this is the place to get your supplies to make your hat. I’m not a hat wearer, but I was impressed with the amount of beads and scrapbooking items they had for sale. There wasn’t much of a fabric section, and since it was all half-price I suspect they might be downsizing it. This is my candy store.

Some of the other places that looked interesting but I didn’t get to were the Speed Art Museum (located on the University of Louisville campus) and the Carnegie Center for Art & History (located across the Ohio River in New Albany, Indiana).

LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY : MARCH 2010 : LODGING + DINING

2010-03-23T18:35:00.001-04:00

Reflections of other buildings in the glass of the Kentucky Center for Performing Arts

Louisville is only 3 hours from Yellow Springs, so we were wondering why we hadn't been before...but there's a good chance we might go back sometime!

Louisville Accommodations :
The Louisville Marriott Downtown and the Hyatt Regency Louisville are both connected to the Convention Center and although I only saw their lobbies and meeting rooms, they seem like nice, luxury hotels. The Galt House, which is also connected to the Convention Center also seemed really nice.

This is the walkway which connects the two buildings that make up the Galt House. The walkway has a lounge area with a bar that is also a giant aquarium.

We stayed at the Econo Lodge Downtown which was a budget motel. The car traffic was a little noisy, but it was clean, functional and close enough to the Convention Center that Scott could walk from the motel to the conference and back while I drove the car to the attractions.

---

The 21c Museum Hotel's limo that doubles as public art.

If money were really no object, I might have chosen the 21c Museum Hotel because it looks artsy and unique. It’s located in the museum district on West Main St. If you’ve stayed there, let me know what it’s like. They also have a contemporary art museum and a gift shop, although I wasn’t able to find it. If you really want some fun, you can rent the 21c Pip Mobile and drive around the city in a piece of art. I did find this, parked on the street. And no, it's not a typo, the pips are the little red glass pieces attached to the car.

===

Louisville Dining :
We were fortunate that some of the conference vendors had parties in the evenings so we didn’t have to pay for dinners some nights.

Inside Fourth Street Live.

Fourth Street Live: Located a few blocks from the convention center and connected by the covered walk ways, this is the place to go for nightlife. Part of the street is covered by a large, glass pyramid and the brick street is often blocked during events and weekend nights. They have upscale dining, fast food, a comedy club and a dueling piano bar (we didn’t go to either, so if you go, let me know what you think). We did go to the Ri Ra Irish Pub and got a generous order of fish and chips, and they have Guiness and Smithwick's on draft. Fourth Street Live is located on 4th Street (obviously) between Liberty and Muhammad Ali Blvd.

Louisville Pies :
Yes, pies have their own section. We only tried one, the Derby Pie (R) which I got at the A Taste of Kentucky store. It’s a pie with chocolate and nuts and it was yummy!

PACK UP THE CAR!

2010-03-23T18:10:00.000-04:00

Photo: Pam and Scott at Long Point State Park on Cayuga Lake in New York state.

Early in our marriage, perhaps as soon as the Honeymoon, we discovered that we are different types of travelers. I like to plan out everything ahead of time and he'd rather pick a direction and go. So we compromised. I'll see what attractions are there and we'll decide on a day-by-day basis which of those things we want to go see.

This blog is a reference for myself and for others. I'll include photos from our travels and also tips on attractions, lodging and food (including pies when appropriate). It might be a while between posts as we can only go on so many trips in a year, but I'll try to catch up on places we've been before this blog was started.

I'll include links to as many places as I can, but you'll have to check and see if they're still in business and what their hours and rates are.

If you've been to any of these places and discovered something we missed, add a comment!