The Totally Radical West Coast Tour

6.20.09-7.6.09

After much contemplation, Jon Newman and I decided to take a trip out west. In the end we chose to take a road trip along the California and Oregon coasts because I had never been to either state before and this trip would mark Jon's first visit to the coast. Since Jon's parents (Carol and Leon) were already planning on vacationing in LA for a few weeks to visit family, we all thought it would be a great way to spend time together while discovering something new.

I should also mention that I was serious about the contemplation of our final destination. We created a list of places we would like to go, and I must say that it was quite diverse. Potential travel destinations included: Iceland, Vancouver, the moon, Brazil, Japan, and so many more.

My flight from Buffalo to Cleveland was very memorable because it was the first time I had ever had to board a plane by walking out onto the runway. Also, I was in the first row. It was nice to have more leg room but I had no idea I was assigned to sit in the emergency exit row. I'll have to pay more attention next time.

View from the window of my Cleveland to LA flight.

We stayed two nights in LA's San Fernando Valley with Jon's Aunt Gwen and Uncle Richard. Carol and Leon would have done had their flight not been delayed a day.

When I arrived in LA, I was greeted by Jon and his Uncle Richard. Before returning to his house, Uncle Richard gave us a short tour of LA. He knew the roads very well all because of his training as a taxi driver back in high school. The next day he took us on a longer tour all over LA. We drove along Topanga Canyon Road and stopped at the top to look out across the entire valley below. We drove through the old Spanish sections, Hollywood, Belair, Malibu, and past the entrance to China Town.

LA Intersections

The Famous Grauman's Chinese Theater

LA's Union Station is located in the middle of the old Spanish section of the city near Olvera Street.

Here, you can see a fenced off portion of Union Station. Many movies and TV shows were filmed in this station because of it's old time appearance. Some of the more memorable media include: the TV show 24, Pearl Harbor, and Star Trek: First Contact. As I walked through the high wooden ceilings and beautiful marble floors really made a strong impression in my mind.

Even the station's original seats were still in use.

Uncle Richard also pointed out these trees, pepper trees.

If you dry the seeds they become pepper corns! I liked the fresh, spicy smell of the leaves and seeds.

Jon and Uncle Richard walking through the Olvera Street Market.

I would like to dedicate this picture of Disney Hall to my former apartment mate, Lauren.

With the help of this tram, office employees didn't have to worry about breaking a sweat on their way to work.

Valley View from the Top of Topanga Canyon Road

This is Jake (also known as Jakie), Aunt Gwen's dog.

Aunt Gwen's garden complete with California Poppies.

Packing Up the Ford Escape (our rental car)

Bamboo

Jon, Aunt Gwen, and I just before leaving for the Big Sur area.

Before we arrived at Kirkwood Campgrounds, our first campsite located 15 minutes from Big Sur State Park, we stopped for a quick bite to eat at a restaurant along the coast. The patio view was definitely worth the chilly sea breeze.

We also stopped to take a look at a wildlife refuge area.

Jon

Looking Through the Tall Grass

Wind Surfers

Past the wildlife refuge area, there was a beach designated for elephant seal watching. I was amazed at the chance to see these wild animals up close and not in a tank. If you look at the picture above closely, you will see that one of the elephant seals is waiving!

Fending Off Elephant Seal Territory

After leaving LA, we stayed at Kirkcreek Campground for one night. The campground had very little amenities but was located right on the coast.

After setting up camp, we took a trip down to the beach. Since the tide was out, we had the opportunity to see quite a few sea creatures as well as a vibrant sunset.

Pink and Purple Sea Stars

Here is a Green Sea Anemone that looks rather deflated without the salty water surrounding it. Too see what it looks like under water, click here.

Kirkcreek Sunset With Hiker's Marks

Kirkcreek Sunset

In the morning after breakfast, we hiked down to the beach again. If you look closely you can see two specks: Jon and his father, Leon.

In the early morning and early evening a thin mist drifted along the coast.

Jon and I

My father passed on a Smithsonia article featuring Big Sur and this Inn was one of the few mentioned. Luckly, we happened to notice the collection of cottages as we were passing by on the road. The restaurant sign was also appealing to our hungry bellies.

Haedrangae

My Granola Cereal with Berries

Group Shot from left to right: me, Jon, Leon, and Carol.

Misty Redwoods

Jon bought a Gerber knife for the trip. Here, he's showing the shamrocks (they were purple on the underside) who is boss. :)

After brunch, we were sure to stop at Peiffer Big Sur State Park. We hiked the Valley View path to the top.

Stellar Jay

After leaving Peiffer Big Sur State Park, we stopped at a beach along Route 1 just south of Carmel, our next stop. The flowers were so colorful: yellows, oranges, and pinks. This beach was one of my favorite stops throughout the entire trip.

Path Down to the Beach

Jon Laying on the Warm, White Sand

The beach seemed to go on and on.

Leon and I

Large portions of seaweed would was up on the beach. The thicker, air filled portion of the seaweed stalk acted like an inner tube to keep the plant afloat.

If you look closely you can see a sea otter floating rocking around in the waves.

Beach Tide Pool Oasis

Handstands

Jon's Toes/Seaweed in the Sand

Jon's picked wildflowers for me.

Jon and Gerber

The Fruit-full Lands of California

I enjoyed trying to guess what type of fruit trees and crops passed us by during our long drive up the coast.

Even though we relied heavily on the Garmen GPS, it was nice to look at the map from time to time.

We stayed a night at the Hofsas House in Carmel By the Sea, a cute artisan village not far from Monterey. After Carmel we headed to Yosemite for three nights. Because we were unable to get a campsite in park (most reservations are made at least a year in advance), we found the next closest one. Bass Lake was located about 30 miles west of the south entrance of Yosemite National Park.

Bass Lake

The statue was a little shorter than me, about 4.5 feet.

Our Enormous Statue

Me climbing our enormous statue.

Jon and I built this sculpture along the beach. Jon did most of the heavy lifting. ;)

Tunnel into Yosemite State Park

This image of the valley was my first impression of Yosemite.

Plaque at the Overlook

Jon and I

El Capitain in the Distance

Mesmerized

On our first day in Yosemite, Jon and I decided to hike up to Nevada Falls and back down to the lower falls known as Vernal Falls. The climb to Nevada Falls was quite steep but the views were amazing.

Switchbacks are a good thing.

Nevada Falls from the Distance

Almost to Nevada Falls
(I'm standing on the ledge to the right.)

Top of Nevada Falls

Looking Over the Edge at Nevada Falls

The water was cold but refreshing after our 4 mile hike.

Interesting Tree Roots at the Top of Nevada Falls

The same tree also had interesting bark.

There was an overlook right at the edge of the falls with the only thing holding you back was a wire fence. Both Jon and I were afraid to even approach it.

The Merced River flowing over Nevada Falls, through the valley, and onward to Vernal Falls.

Side view of Nevada Falls taken on our descent.

Orange Break along the Merced River

As we hiked back down to the base of the trail we passed Vernal Falls. The mist from the falls was carried by the wind where it coated the path and you with a fine, refreshing spray.

Vernal Falls

On our second day in Yosemite we obtained a Wilderness Pass to go on an overnight backpacking trip. The Wilderness Pass was free and we rented a mandatory bear canister for $5. We were instructed to put anything that smelled into this canister, lock it, and then place it at least 100ft away from our tent. Here we are loading up our packs for the 6.2 mile hike to our campsite at Ostrander Lake. We tried to stick to this rule: your pack should weigh no more than 25% of your body weight.

Backpack on Legs

On our way to Ostrander Lake we passed through a whole variety of landscapes.

Jon spotted this strange plant. We think it might be a member of the fungus family but are not completely sure.

Ponderosa Pine

Me

Ostrander Lake seemed to be glistening just in time for our arrival.

We made sure to splash our faces, toes, and hands with cold lake water.

Setting Up Camp

Sunset at Ostrander Lake

Except for some boy scouts we passed along the way that were headed for a campsite a few miles pask Ostrander Lake, Jon and I were the only ones camping there that night. It was very peaceful and we had a chance to see some great wildlife including a marmot and a buck. Luckily, we did not happen upon any black bears.

In the morning just before we started our hike back, we were sure to take a hike to the other side of the lake.

Sheila vs. Gecko
(I wasn't really as scared as I look in this picture. I was just surprised at how tame the gecko was.)

Gecko Up Close by Jon

Gecko Snout

Jon and I at Ostrander Lake

This pine cone we found was as big as my head!

There must have been a fire here at some point because all the trees were charred.

This picture was taken just a few 100 feet from the trail head. By this point, our bodies were very tired from all the hiking we had done: 12.4 miles for this backpacking trip and close to 10 miles the day before on our trip to Nevada and Vernal Falls. It was nice to sit in the grass and watch the fish swimming in the shallow pond.

After our backpacking trip, we felt that we had earned a stop at one of the more touristy outlook points called Glacier Point. In this picture, you can see Nevada Falls and Vernal Falls.

Half Dome was formed when the last glacier passed through. The rock face was cut leaving the sheer cliff seen today.

Carol, Leon, Jon, and I

After Glacier Point we pressed onward to our next destination: San Francisco. We were all looking forward to a hot shower and real food. As we drove back toward the coast we passed hills and hills full of wind turbines. Some of the turbines seemed very old while others appeared quite modern.

Since we only had a full day in San Francisco, we did our best to make the most out of it. Jon and I went to the California Academy of Sciences in the morning and participated in a citizen science program. Basically, we helped them survey their "Living Roof" for a series of plant and bird diversity studies they were carrying out. We learned a lot about the physical structure of the roof, it's benefits, and the native plants that inhabit it. Alana, our guide, was very friendly and helpful.

Afterward, we took a walk through Golden Gate Park and headed towards the Golden Gate Bridge. Just before getting to the bridge we stopped at this old decommissioned fort. In the picture above, Jon is standing in one of the artillery cabinet storerooms.

Pedestrian Path Underneath the Golden Gate Bridge

Besides going to the Golden Gate Bridge, Jon and I also stopped at Fisherman's Warf and made a point to ride the street car. The ride was pretty bumpy, but overall, it was enjoyable.

Redwood State Park was our next stop. Our campsite was located in the middle of a Redwood Grove. I also liked the campsite because there was a huge Redwood stump right in the middle of it! In this picture, I'm attempting to hug a Redwood. As you can see, it was very difficult for me to complete this task. ;)

Goya Plant?

The North Californian Coast

This is a succulent plant called Stone Crop. We learned this from our event at the California Academy of the Sciences.

I wonder how this perfect circle found it's way into the middle of this rock?

Redwoods can grow up to over 300 feet tall.

The banana slug was one of our (Jon and I) favorites. They are harmless to humas and basically just eat anything that looks good: fungus, rotting leaves, moss, etc.

Elk

Per suggestion of Jon's Aunt Nancy, we stopped at Stout Grove to see the Redwoods. It reminded me of Alleghany State Park's (in New York) Thunder Rocks trail. However, instead of glacier rocks, this was all fallen redwoods that you could climb around on.

Jon and I were practicing our bowling skills down this redwood bowling alley.

Banana Slug Snacks

Leon, Carol, and Jon

Interesting Bark

The four of us were excited to cross the Oregon line. I had been practicing the local pronunciation of Oregon for months ahead of time. For some reason people on the East Coast say "Or-reh-gahn" while people from Oregon say "Or-rih-gien". We learned that like New Jersey, it is illegal to pump your own gas in Oregon.

The coast looked similar to California and the people were laid back.

Our first Oregon stop was Siuslaw State Park. Our campsite was a short walk to a pretty beach with numerous sites.

Tidal Pools Filled With Tadpoles

Jon and I found a great spot on the sand to throw his frisbee around.

It was easy to become mesmerized by the waves splashing against the coastal rock ledges.

Sunset Splashes

"The Blowhole"

"Devil's Churn"

Oregon Sunset

On our way to Portland, we stopped in Corvallis to visit an old graduate school friend of Jon's father. Tom and his wife Glenda invited us in for the best Taco Salad I have ever had. Glenda showed us her beautiful garden and Tom took us to see his computer and electrical engineering lab at Oregon State University.

After our tour of Oregon State we headed to Portland, our final destination for this trip. Jon's Aunt Gwen and Uncle Richard would meet up with us in Portland the next day. The day after Gwen and Richard arrived, we all went out to Genie's for brunch. The food was delicious and I can't thank Tricia at Riverkeeper enough for suggesting it. If you look closely at the picture above you will notice two things: (1) Genie's! and (2) a pair of shoes on the telephone wire. I looked this up on Google, and sure enough, "shoe tossing" is a "folk sport" according to Wikipedia.

Jon and I did our laundry and then went for kaiten (revolving) sushi at Sushi Land.

I special ordered tamago (sweet egg) sushi because I couldn't find it on the conveyor belt. There were orders of salmon sushi where the salmon fillet was at least an inch thick. Sushi Land was amazing and both Jon and I wished that it would come to our respective cities, Atlanta, and now Ithaca.

Daifuku with Sesame Seeds

Waiting for the Street Car

By the end of my stay in Portland, I felt very comfortable with the city's public transportation system. It was convenient and inexpensive. All travel within the major downtown areas (also known as Fareless Square) was free.

Window Robots

There are over 32 breweries in Portland's city limits and many people consider it to be the Beer Capital of the World. Here is Rogue Brewery in all it's glory.

Aunt Gwen, Leon, and Jon

In addition, Jon and I made a point to visit Voodoo Donuts and at this amazing Lebanese restaurant. On my last day in Portland, I rode up Portland's Ariel Tram, which is the main form of transportation into the Oregon Health and Science University campus. I should also mention that we watched the fireworks over the river on July 4th. I was surprised at how long they lasted: almost 25 minutes.

This trip was amazingly unforgettable and I can't thank my travel mates enough for everything they did along the way!