Crater Lake

I may have mentioned my son is in college in Oregon, so we've driven to and from there multiple times over the last few years.  On one of these drives, I took a side trip over to Crater Lake. 

It really is as beautiful as the picture, and it's easy to stand at the edge of the cliff and just stare into it for a long time.  There's some sort of a boat trip on the lake, but I don't care to ever take it.  I'd rather just stare into the lake from above.

Walla Walla Onions

We passed through Walla Walla, Washington during July's whirlwind road trip to Missoula and back in six days. According to the locals, it is the new "Bend, Oregon" - a town that is relatively far removed from anything else, but that is kind of hip and cool. We only stopped for lunch there, but the downtown was way more than just okay.

I've long been aware of Walla Walla for two reasons:

1. My college roommate's boyfriend (now husband of many years) attended Whitman College in Walla Walla, and in those days we often referred to him as Walla Walla. (Side note: The official mascot of Whitman College is the "Fighting Missionaries" which, although controversial due to its implied imperialistic bent, did inspire one of the all time great college cheers: "Missionaries, Missionaries, We're on Top".  Oh, how I wish I had looked harder for a Whitman College postcard!.)

2. The sweet onions. There are three well-known brands of sweet onions: Walla Walla Sweet Onions from Washington state, Vidalia Onions from southern Georgia, and Maui Onions from Hawaii. I imagine in onion circles there is much debate over which is sweeter, better, easier to cook with, etc. as well as the potental for significant trademark infringement and branding issues.

Anybody have an opinion one way or the other? Does an onion debate even exist?

Oh, Deer

My friends Duke and Sandy are traveling throughout the US in their luxurious motor  home, on the way to "winter" in Coronado (San Diego), sending postcards along the way.  This one comes from their meanderings along the Blue Ridge Parkway, a 469 mile road through western North Carolina and Virginia.

The Blue Ridge Parkway isn't just a road, it's both a National Parkway, described by Wiki as:  "...a protected area in the United States ... given to a scenic roadway and a protected corridor of surrounding parkland...(which) .... often connect cultural or historic sites" and an All-American Road, which is the designation for the most scenic roads in the National Scenic Byway System.  There are 99 National Scenic Byways and 27 All-American Roads, located in 44 states (all except Hawaii, Massachusetts, Nebraska, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Texas), with a listing here.  The requirements for a National Scenic Byway are listed as well.  I've traveled on at least pieces of almost 30 of the 97 byways, which for a self-professed road tripper doesn't seem like many.

Oh, deer.  The postcard describes this animal as "deer fawn".  Nothing more - not white tail deer, mountain deer, red deer, nothing.  I suppose that's the end of the animal series, then.

The Jackalope

I've just returned from a fast and furious road trip from San Francisco, CA to Missoula, Montana and back.  2200 miles in six days.  As my friend Evelyn (who traveled with me) and her Moroccan husband, Hassan, would say, "wow wow wow".

There were several highlights including touring the Botero exhibit at the Reno, Nevada art museum (alas, they had no postcards of Botero's work); winning $70 on the slots in Jackpot, Nevada (if you click on the link, you'll see a picture of the casino); attending two parties in Missoula, Montana - one for my friend's 60th birthday under a full moon, complete with an incredible performance by Dan Hicks playing with the Mission Mountain Wood Band; driving along the Salmon River (the river of no return) through the Sawtooth National Recreation Area (spectacular);  visiting Crater Lake National Park (Crater Lake has the bluest water you've ever seen); staying with friends from high school, one in Genesee, Idaho and two in Bend, Oregon (always a treat); and last, but not least, finding a Jackalope postcard in Twin Falls, Idaho.

From the back of the postcard:  "The Fabulous Jackalope of North American.  Jackalopes are the rarest animals in North America.  A cross between a now extinct small deer and a species of rabbit, they are extremely shy and wild.  They possess the ability to mimic and their cries often sound human and tuneful.  Probably from hearing cowboy songs on lonely night watch.  None have ever been captured alive and this is a rare photo taken at their feeding grounds in the high country."  Not the best description of the Jackalope ever, but not bad.

 I particularly like the description from the Wiki: "... it is said to be a hybrid of the pygmy-deer and a species of "killer rabbit". Reportedly, jackalopes are extremely shy unless approached. Legend also has it that female jackalopes can be milked as they sleep belly up and that the milk can be used for a variety of medicinal purposes. It has also been said that the jackalope can convincingly imitate any sound, including the human voice. It uses this ability to elude pursuers, chiefly by using phrases such as "There he goes! That way!" It is said that a jackalope may be caught by putting a flask of whiskey out at night. The jackalope will drink its fill of whiskey and its intoxication will make it easier to hunt."

It's Postcard Friendship Friday, and if any of my fellow postcard people would like a jackalope postcard, let me know.  I have a few extra.

Tavira, Portugal

When I was traveling in Spain and Portugal in April, we rented a car and drove through the southwestern corner of Spain, along the Algarve in Portugal, and up through the Alentejo to Lisbon.  We stopped one afternoon for coffee in Tavira, an old Roman town in the southeastern corner of Portugal. We weren't there at quite the time of day shown in the postcard, but not much earlier, and we had coffee at a cafe just a few steps from this bridge.  It was quiet and uncrowded - the perfect spot for a brief respite.  By all accounts, once the summer season commences the town is packed with vacationers from all over Europe, like the rest of the Algarve.

One event the Portuguese continually referenced was the earthquake of 1755.  From the Wiki on Tavira: "Like most of the Algarve its buildings were virtually all destroyed by the earthquake of 1755. This earthquake is thought to have reached a magnitude of 9 on the Richter scale and caused extensive damage throughout the Algarve due to shockwaves and tsunamis. The earthquake is referred to as the Lisbon Earthquake due to its terrible effects on the capital city, although the epicentre was some 200 km west-southwest...."

Whenever I drive through a small town like this, both in and outside the US, my mind wanders:  What are the people like who live here?  What is it like to live so isolated from a big city?  What would my life be like, if I lived here? Even a stay of a few days cannot provide answers to these questions.   I am fascinated by the history, whether long ago (the vast extent of the Roman Empire, the Moors' impact and influence on the Iberian Peninsula, the devastation of the earthquake of 1755) or more recent (the Estado Novo of Salazar), and intrigued by how the addition of incremental bits of history adds a level of perspective and understanding to my existing knowledge.  At the same time, I am often amazed  at my ignorance. 

Return Road Trip - Mt. Shasta

My first and very quick road trip of the summer to pick up my son from college was an up and back from San Francisco to Eugene, Oregon, about an 8-9 hour drive each way.  It was a long two days of driving, and included rain storms, rainbows, freshly snow-covered moutains, and a lot of highway patrol cars, on the lookout for speeders.  Mois?  No,  I was very careful.

One of the  highlights of this drive is Mt. Shasta, pictured above.  One the way north, it was cloud-covered, as it often is.  One the way south, cloud-shrouded as well, but the clouds parted for just a moment. [New art form:  I've been experimenting with the concept of drive by shooting  - pictures that is - by holding my cell phone/camera out the car window and clicking as I drive by.]  There was actually fresh snow on this mountain as well as those around it.  Amazing for mid June.

Mt. Shasta is of spiritual significance for multiple groups, from the Indians who believe "that Shasta is inhabited by the spirit chief Skell who descended from heaven to the mountain's summit"  to Harmonic Convergence  followers who "described Mount Shasta as one of a small number of global 'power centers.'"   My favorite legend is that of the Luminarians, superior beings who inhabit Mt. Shasta, in underground cities.  Climbers and hikers, trapped by weather on Mt. Shasta, occasionally claim to have been saved by these beings.

I'd like to meet a Luminarian someday, just to hear what they have to say.

Oregon

About to take off for the first road trip of the summer, this one a very quick one to pick my son up from his freshman year at college at University of Oregon in Eugene, Oregon.  He hasn't been home for almost six months, and I can't wait to see him.  Eugene is about an eight hour drive from here and while I won't get as far north as Mt. Hood, a postcard from Oregon seemed an appropriate choice for the day.

I have a large stack of Mt. Hood postcards, as the Mystery Sender has sent me several of them. These cards are probably a clue to  his/her identity; however I can't for the life of me think of anyone I know who grew up in Oregon, but lives in Los Angeles. Perhaps the postmarks, usually City of Industry and/or Santa Clarita, both in Southern California, are throwing me off. 

The mystery continues.....

New York City Skyscrapers, III

While these postcards from the 1915 "New York City Skyscrapers Souvenir Folder" don't focus on any particular skyscraper, they do feature well-known intersections surrounded by skyscrapers.  In the upper left corner, Wall Street, looking pretty much the same today, with the exception of the cars and the clothes.  In the upper right corner, Herald Square,  known primarily by most non-New Yorkers from the line in the song Give My Regards to Broadway where the singer asks "remember me to Herald Square".  The flagship Macy's Store is also located here.  Next up, lower left, the intersection of 5th Avenue & 42nd Street, dead center of one of the most expensive shopping areas in the world and the location of the New York Public Library.  Finally, in the lower right, Times Square, nicknamed the "intersection of the world".  and well-known for the New Year's Eve midnight countdown and ball drop, the theater district, and its seedy past. Around the time of this picture, it became the eastern end of the Lincoln Highway, conceived  in 1913 as the first automobile road across the United States, starting from 5th & Broadway (part of Times Square) and ending in Lincoln Park, San Francisco, 3,389 miles away.  The route has been streamlined over the years, and is now 3,142 miles long.   [Road Trip Bucket List!]

P.S.  It's Flag Day and Postcard Friendship Friday.  Check out the posting (as well as the other postcard people's postings) for an interesting history of Flag Day.   

Pacific Coast Highway

It's June 1st, and almost summer and my feet start itching to press the gas pedal and my hands feel  eager to grip the wheel.  Short or long, I love a good road trip.  Give me a Diet Coke and some good tunes, and I can drive forever.

This postcard of the Pacific Coast Highway, sent by the Mystery Sender, reminds me of road tripping.  As mentioned before (here and  here), I've traveled almost every inch of the PCH, but the Mystery Sender sets the story straight as to what exactly constitutes the PCH and what doesn't, in the message above.   "The officially designated Pacific Coast Highway is just a short stretch of a little over 100 miles of Highway 1, from Dana Point to Oxnard.  The rest of the highway is either the Cabrillo Highway or Shoreline Highway....The entire route is also designated as the Blue Star Memorial Highway."  

Whatever it's called, I love this road.   Even when there are faster routes, I'll often drive Highway 1 to get where I'm going, and it's a toss up whether I've logged more miles on the stretch from Dana Point to Oxnard, or from San Francisco to Santa Cruz.

This summer, I'll be picking my son up from college in June (road trip from San Francisco to Eugene, Oregon with a possible overnight in Bend), celebrating my mom's birthday in July (road trip from San Francisco to Pasadena, California), and picking heirloom peaches in July or August (road trip from San Francisco to Fresno, California).  If I'm really lucky, I'll make it to Montana for a party my friends are throwing in Missoula, with a few stops along the way (Jackson Hole, Wyoming?  Genesee, Idaho?). 

Road trip, anyone?

Route 66

My friends recently drove from St. Louis to San Francisco, and followed old Route 66 at least part of the way. This card is pretty typical of a contemporary postcard from Historic Route 66.

Anybody who knows me, knows that I am a major road tripper, long and short. As part of this passion, I've become a big fan of Road Trip USA. Route 66 is Route #11 on the website. I've traveled small pieces of it, but not a lot.

However, I have traveled 95% of Route #1, from Seattle through to San Diego (into Baja for that matter; it's just not called Highway 1 in Mexico); Route #9, the "loneliest highway in America" from San Francisco to Grand Junction, Colorado; Route #7, the Great Northern, from Everett, Washington to Kalispell, Montana; and Route #6, the Atlantic Coast, from Ocean City, Delaware to Charleston, South Carolina.

One of my travel dreams would be to drive on Route #10, the Southern Pacific to the East Coast, and follow Route #8, the Oregon Trail, back to San Francisco. Or at least a good portion of both of them.

What's your favorite Road Trip?