Raincharm’s Weblog

Today was a travel day. Not too long in the end. Five plus hours from Crescent City to Mendocino. Primarily along Highway 101, and Highway 1.

Spectacular views. Rugged coastline, beaches, even a few dunes. And redwoods! Again. Including the Big Tree.

Highway 1 is the slightly shorter route to get to Mendocino. It is also some of the most intense driving I have done on a sunny, dry day. Through the redwoods up and down and incredibly windy. Curves labeled for 15 and 20 mph, even one at 10 mph. And cars/trucks going in the opposite direction would appear at the last moment. And no shoulder to speak of. Luckily, there were few cars going our direction, so I didn’t feel any pressure to push my comfort zone. And this went on for miles. Roughly 22 miles by my map reckoning. It was lovely and terrifying at the same time.

I kept thinking that we needed to travel back along this route on Sunday, near the beginning of a 14-hour trip, possibly in the dark or rainy conditions. We have since consulted a map and found a slightly less imposing road that is estimated to add only 16 minutes to our trip home. I’ll take it just to save the mental exhaustion.

We are staying in the Trillium Inn and Restaurant in Mendocino. It is a converted house. There are just 2 rooms on the second floor of the inn, and the restaurant is a small upscale place. We chose not to eat there because today is the 1st game of the World Series, and no TVs.

A local bookseller suggested the Pattersons Pub would be a good place to eat and watch the game. We headed over about game time, finding a table in their outdoor patio. We have come to this area to support our good friend at a memorial for his brother and his wife/significant other. Both having passed. Mendocino is about 30 minutes north of Elk, where they lived. Our friends are staying in Elk proper, but asked, via text, where we were. We told them the pub, and they surprisingly said they were on their way. And further to say hello to his brother.  ….. We looked around and spotted a likely suspect at an adjacent table. So we asked their name,  and sure enough. We ended up in the middle of dinner with members of the family from all sides of the gathering.

It was amazing, unplanned (by us), and really good to meet them today in a less emotionally charged setting than the remembrance gathering is likely to be.

And the Dodgers pulled out the win over the Yankees in the 10th. With a grand slam. We had returned to our room before the game ended, following along on our phones. We’re not really rooting for either team. Maybe I’ll go for the home team for each game, so the fans will be happy.

Mid vacation, and we’re in the same place for a few days. Walking around, doing jigsaw puzzles with missing pieces, and laying low a bit.

Carl has been fighting a cold/sinus infection(?) since we left. So after our morning excursions yesterday, we hung out in the AirBnb. Reading, a bit of cooking so we could eat in for a change, and working over the puzzles available in our place.

The puzzles were … interesting to work on. The first professed to have 300 pieces, although it was more like 90. No edges at all, and most of the brightly colored pieces were absent.

The next, 750 piece puzzle had about 740 available

We did get out this morning and walked along the roads near the shore. We went down to sea level and looked at rocks and some tide pools. They were not as colorfully inhabited as those at Cannon Beach.

Add 1 more bird to our list, an osprey. Again, no pictures.

After seeing sights along the shore, we hoofed it to a diner type restaurant for lunch. I was really in need of sustenance when we arrived, and I am now happy to be just hanging about again. Almost at 11,000 steps for the day. Who knew I wasn’t in shape for a vacation.

Baseball has been largely absent since we left Dunsmuir. A restaurant worker did bring up the juxtaposition of my Mariners jacket and Carl’s Yankees shirt. This was the day we arrived from Dunsmuir. And this worker is pulling for the Dodgers, we are in California after all. The World Series doesn’t start until tomorrow, but we came across several Steve Garvey election signs on our walk.

Tomorrow morning, we will pull up stakes and hit the road again. South once more.

The shoulder season. School is in session and it’s not winter yet. This is our first trip in several years that did not include at least a day with family. Although we will be meeting up with some of our baseball family on Saturday.

We are just over halfway through this vacation, although I am not sure we should count the last day as vacation. Our trip is taking us south for 7 days, and then back in 1.

So far: Cannon Beach, Oregon for 2 nights; Dunsmuir, California for 1 night; and now Crescent City, California for 3 nights. It’s easier to count nights spent in a location than days – which can include hours of driving between stops. Other than driving to a grocery store this morning, once we have reached a location, we park the car and walk.

The first day was about 4-5 hours driving. It rained most of the time. From really hard to barely needing the wipers. We headed south on I-5, then turned right towards the coast at Olympia.

Our 2nd wildlife spotting. Elk north of Cannon Beach. The next morning, they were walking down the main drag in the town. We did not see them, but did encounter their scat. The first wildlife we encountered was a deer in a small town City Park where we stopped to find a restroom. No pictures.

In all of our travels along the coast, there are tsunami warning signs with arrows pointing towards the hills. In Cannon Beach on the main road paralleling the shore, there was a blue line painted across the road to indicate you were now high enough to be safe.

The big attraction in Cannon Beach is Haystack Rock. At low tide, it can be reached without getting your feet wet. That is, if you are paying attention to wave action.

We walked out to the shore on our arrival. It was misting/raining, but not badly. We found a small bar called the Screw and Brew for dinner. It is named for the hardware store that it was, and still is, along with the brewery and scattered tables among the items for sale.

Haystack Rock also provides habitat for puffins, and their likeness is everywhere in town. However, they only stay for the breeding season, which is in the summer. So we had to content ourselves with statues and other art. We did see 2 bald eagles on top of Haystack Rock. The naturalist told us they are a big problem for the pufflings, as the parents fly away if an eagle is about, leaving the pufflings exposed.

After 2 nights in Cannon Beach, we left in the relatively early morning, in the rain, heading to Dunsmuir. Rather than take the quickest route (back to I-5 at Portland), we hugged the coastline until we reached Reedsport, OR.

Following highway 101, there was some traffic, but nothing too bothersome. We ended up following a loaded logging truck for a while. It was moving, so not even annoying. And then our direction giver told us to turn off 101 onto 53 and then the Miami-Foley road. This was confusing, but apparently a shortcut. The M-F road was not even big enough to have a number. This route was pretty devoid of other traffic but very windy roads through picturesque farmland and woods.

When we eventually met back up with 101, we pulled in behind the logging truck. … This 14-mile diversion (instead of 15 miles on 101) theoretically saved us 2 minutes. It was pretty, and we were the only vehicle. It feels like we would have blindly followed directions, leading us to goodness knows where. While my phone was giving us directions, Carl was trying to use his phone to see where we were being led.

While still along the coast, we stopped at Devil’s Churn and Thor’s Well. They are both locations with inlets where the waves put on a show. At Devil’s Churn, there were spouts and just powerful water. At Thor’s Well, the waves made a booming sound, like Thor’s hammer.

Once at Reedsport, we turned east, following the Umpqua River. We hit I-5 at Sutherlin and headed south. Aside from a much too complicated stop for gas in Medford, OR, the drive was uneventful. Do not get off at exit 30 and expect to find an obvious, close gas station.

Dunsmuir. A short, but important visit to commemorate both Babe Ruth and Carl’s friends, who introduced him to the field on prior trips south for Mariner games in Oakland. RIP Babe, Dan, and Dennis. Not really sure this should be termed “short” as it took more than 8 hours driving to get there.

The field is part of the Dunsmuir Botanical Gardens, right off of I-5. We found the Cave Springs Resort for lodging. They offered motel rooms, rustic cabins, and Airstreams. The options are all clustered together, also right off of I-5, and directly adjacent to the Dunsmuir Botanical Gardens. Fate. I think the real draw is proximity to a river for fishing and trails for hiking.

We chose an airstream because it had heat, which the cabins did not. I didn’t trust that mid-October would be warm enough to not have some sort of heat source. It was snug but manageable.

While at the field, a mother and her grown son stopped by, jumping off of the freeway on their way to LA. She was reminding her son of prior trips when they had stopped here because he was all about baseball as a young boy. They didn’t realize it was the 100th anniversary until they were there. As we were getting back on the road, there was another person on the field, with their camera set on a tripod. The townfolk all know the Babe Ruth story but had commemorated the anniversary during the summer.

Back on the road, retracing some miles along I-5, back to Grant’s Pass, Oregon. Then west again to the coast and Crescent City.

This was a long and winding road. But pretty. Sometimes harrowing.

Just before reaching Crescent City, we went through the Jedediah Smith Redwood State Park. We did stop for a short hike so I could say, “Wow!,” over and over and over again.

Finally, into Crescent City

We walked around a bit after arrival.  Down to the shore, and along the shore to the southeast by my reckoning. Not too much activity, which was fine for us. 

SeaQuake Brewing for dinner. A popular place. We shared some fish tacos and fish and chips. And walked back towards our AirBnb. About a block from “home” we stopped to watch the sun set.

Wednesday morning. Foggy with occasional drops.

Low tide allowed us to visit the Lighthouse. It wasn’t open, so we contented ourselves with walking around the edge, looking at the view and scouting for birds.

I’m pretty sure we passed the lighthouse keepers taking advantage of low tide to get into town to run errands.

We have managed to identify some of the birds here.

Also on our list are raven, brewers blackbird, several small songbirds, pelican, either a common murre or common loon, and black oystercatchers. And a black cat. And starlings.

A quiet afternoon. Carl is fighting a cold and laying low.

You know you have been to a lot of ball games when a player recognizes you before you recognize them.

It’s still reasonably nice, light after work, and it wasn’t raining. We decided to take a neighborhood walk. Not long, like a weekend walk, but just stretch of the legs before dinner.

Carl and I had gone about 2 blocks and turned the corner. There was a guy mowing the parking strip, and as we passed, he said, “Do I know you?”

Carl said, “Do you play baseball? I’ve been playing in the senior league for a long time.” This is often the source of acquaintances.

The man replied, “No, but I played for the Mariners from 2006 to 2009.” He then introduced himself as Jarrod Washburn. A major league pitcher for 11 years, including his stint with the Ms.

He was mowing the lawn of the rental house where his daughter and her roommate, the daughter of another big-leaguer, Vince Coleman, were living. They both are on the UW track team.

Consistent presence over several years apparently gets you noticed. I mean, our seats are in the outfield, and he’s a pitcher. But the pitchers did spend time shagging balls during batting practice. At least back when they took batting practice while fans were allowed in.

Just kind of funny. He did ask if it was a good neighborhood…

Husky Football!

Our first football game in person in decades. The Huskies are playing Eastern Michigan University today. This is our warm-up game for next month when the University of Michigan comes to town.

The weather was very nice. A bit hazy, but that kept it from being too hot. High in the low 80s.

And off we went. On foot. The stadium is about 2 miles from our house, and we don’t have to worry about parking.

Stadium in sight. People arriving by car, bus, light rail, bike, and of course foot.

We got there early enough to walk around.  We’ve been around the stadium a lot, but I wanted to check that it was all, or mostly accessible. And it is 😃

There’s a lot to see around the stadium. The Pocock boat house from Boys in the Boat, for one. And, yet another way to get to the game. By boat  🛥. Not many stadiums have that option.

Finally, we found our way inside. The view from our seats, pre-game. There was even a flyover. 2 F-15s. No pictures, they were far too fast.

The view when several others felt compelled to stand to watch. So, for much of the game, we stood too.

The students in front of us seemed to have brought in their own libations. Mostly hard seltzers. But every time the Huskies scored, they each downed a fireball. And a few rows down was the man with the lollipops. Bags and bags of them.

Band day as well. The Husky marching Band was joined by a few thousand others from high school bands throughout the state. They covered the field.

The game started with EMU looking the better team, but perhaps the adrenaline wore off or they just got tired. Final score Huskies 30, EMU 9.

Then to walk back home. And it’s uphill. We could have taken light rail, but it’s likely the line to get onto the train would have taken about the same amount of time. A fun day, and at 13,000 steps, a reasonable amount of exercise too.

I think we’re ready for the BIG GAME next month.

Three day weekend with summer like weather. What’s a person to do? Walk, of course.

After spending the morning on errands, we set out with a plan to explore the wetlands next to the UW sports facilities.  Our trip started with a two-block walk to a bus stop.

Once at the UW stadium area, we scoped out the tailgating for the game later that evening. It was fairly quiet, but hours til kickoff. Don’t want to peak too early.  Veering west, we got away from the cars and next to the water.

Onto trails with occasional water views. Lots of waterfowl and very pleasant surroundings. Except it was HOT.

So are nettles and blackberry thorns!

As we departed the wetlands I was really feeling the heat and needed water. I wasn’t too concerned as the Center for Urban Horticulture loomed ahead. Just our luck, it was reserved for a wedding, and no, they had no water to spare.

A kind Samaritan who was parking only 5 hours before the start of the Huskies season-opening football game shared a sip from their water bottle. (Who starts a football game at 8 PM? Especially when the west-coast fans who may still be up to watch are blocked by a Comcast vs Big Ten Network fued.) That sip was enough to get us to a Burgermaster and a Vitamin Water XXX. I don’t really know what I expected, but it was too sweet for a repeat try. It did get us a good-sized cup that we filled with tap water several times and took with us as we trekked onwards.

Next stop was a brewery where a food truck serving, “the best egg sandwiches,” was supposed to be, serving. However, it turns out they were the morning truck, and the taco truck was just getting set up. Since we were there, Carl had a beer. And then we had some tacos, and another beer.

We finally decided it was time for the uphill hike home. (Transit opportunities did exist, but with two transfers.) So we set off.

Did I mention it was uphill? This stretch is steep enough that they put ridges in the sidewalk. All total, about 13,000 steps and temperatures in the 80s.

Sunday, we learned our lesson and left in the morning while it was still in the 60s. Our walk was also on generally level terrain. Around Green Lake and into a few neighborhoods. And, continuing the prior days’ example, we stopped at a neighborhood joint for sustenance. Coffee instead of beer and scrambles instead of tacos.

I don’t know that I have ever been able to capture a spider web so perfectly.

Arriving home, 10,000 steps later, next to our front door. Temperature around 75. Home, sweet home.

Monday, technically part of the holiday weekend, our walk only garnered somewhere over 5,000 steps. And no food, except what we picked up at the grocery store.

Back to work tomorrow, but a nice weekend.

WALKS BETWEEN THE RAINDROPS

It has been fairly dry over the last several weeks. I know because watering the tomato plants is one of the almost daily chores. The raspberries and strawberries are done for the year.

Last night, we had planned to go to Movies at the Tower in the Seattle Maple Leaf neighborhood. The tower is a water tower, and this is either the 2nd or 3rd highest spot in Seattle. Hence the water tower.

The site also houses a 60 million gallon underground reservoir. But the movies take place in the lower portion of the park where the little league fields are located.

Maple Leaf Park is probably 1.5 miles from our house. A good walk, although it is an uphill incline the entire way. It is also on the bus line if we are tired.

The movie last night was Barbie, scheduled to start at dusk. Our plan was to walk up, enjoy the show, and bus home.

When the time to leave arrived, we bailed. Tired, plus the potential of rain later.

As it turns out, we made a good decision.  The Facebook group for Movies at the Tower posted this morning that they weren’t able to finish the movie.

This was not a typical Seattle rain storm. It had thunder, lightning, and drenching rain. The light show went on for several hours.

Today dawned damp, but sunny.

Eventually, we got out for a walk. Down to Lake Union. Really, the waterway between Lake Union and the Montlake Cut.

And then the long incline home. It was good to get out and about. Once home it was trash and recycle duty.

And then, the wind picked up and the rain came down. For a few minutes. Much more Seattle.

We are in our 3rd day away from Seattle. Fort Collins, Colorado this time. Here for our sister-in-law’s memorial.

Our contribution was getting things ready, set up, and teardown. That and, of course, commiserating with others, at least those we knew. It’s been 40 years since we lived here, and Jeanne was involved with a lot of people we never knew. What was fun was meeting and hearing friends from her high school days.

It was good to reconnect and spend some time with Carl’s brother (Jeanne’s husband) and his significant others. I think we will be back in a year to visit again. Hopefully, it will be driving instead of flying next time.

I do now remember how nice it was to live at altitude and visit sea level. Visiting altitude from sea level has meant early bedtimes. And just as we are starting to feel normal, it’s time to return to sea level.

Our house has vinyl siding. It’s relatively hideous, but replacement would be hideously expensive. As far as we can surmise from various projects, it covers asbestos laden shingles, which, in turn, cover cedar siding. Bits and pieces of these layers were uncovered on the back of the house during the 2016 kitchen remodel. As owner, I was in charge of asbestos removal and abatement.

The north side siding never sees the sun. 20 years of not cleaning the siding, especially in the areas behind bushes, allowed a certain level of dirt, grime, and moss to grow.

Today was the day the cleaning was initiated. A simple mixture of castile soap and water, sponges, and some elbow grease. There is still some staining, but the improvement was quite visible.

Maybe a light bleach for the staining.

What I didn’t look at was the higher elevations … If it requires ladder work it will be Jay’s Cleaning Service.

I was reading after I got into bed last night. Bedtime is the only regular reading time in my life right now. Sometimes, it only lasts for a few minutes, and other times, it can go for more than an hour. And then there are the nights when I could just keep on reading well past the time when I can get a reasonable number of hours of sleep. Carl will often chide me for staying up to late. Guaranteeing a tired tomorrow.

The latter is usually near the end of a book. Last night, I almost succumbed to that temptation. I am reading The Wager. The story starts with a group of characters all together, and near the conclusion, a small number are coming back together after having splintered into three groups during the course of the story. Who’s tale will be accepted is the crux of the ending.

But I decided to hold off on finishing the book. Probably only until tonight.

As I was getting ready to turn off the light I glanced past the foot of the bed …