San Diego Sights with Sis

As I made my way back to Oregon, I decided to go home with my sister to San Diego. I had been to this city a few times, but never really gone anywhere besides the mall and my sister’s neighborhood. (I had lots of nephew time to log!)

My sister has let me photograph her family ever since she was pregnant with my hunk of a nephew. We were kicking ourselves for not taking some in Hawaii the week before, but we made the best of it by going to Seaport Village.

It’s downtown San Diego on West Harbor Drive and Pacific Highway, featuring a lovely boardwalk, restaurants, shops, and a gorgeous view of the harbor and Coronado Bridge.

This bridge is crazy, by the way. It’s over 2 miles long, curving over the San Diego Bay, towering 200 feet above the water. It’s quite an experience, especially driving over it in the evening.

My nephew gladly sampled the local cuisine for my photo shoot.

After a week in Hawaii without a smidge of a sunburn, an hour in California, we were tomatoes.

Next stop: Balboa Park

As the nation’s largest urban cultural park, Balboa Park boasts 15 major museums, performing arts venues, gardens and the San Diego Zoo. The grounds are open 24 hours a day, which is convenient as it covers 1,200 acres. We were headed to the Spanish Village Art Center, but I had to snap a few shots of the beautiful buildings just outside the entrance.

This was a beautiful little spot! There were tiny shops full of local artists and knick knacks. My nephew loved the colored pathway, stepping only on the colors he liked.

There was a cute little food truck outside with ice cream and hot dogs where we ate lunch. Just before leaving, my nephew saw an awesome looking tree that we just had to take photos with…

It was a relaxing week after such a busy one in Hawaii. I loved spending so much time with my amazing nephew! I was not his favorite person in Hawaii, mostly due to being out of his environment and around all new things. Nearly as soon as we touched down back in California, Auntie was cool again!

Tokyo Disney on New Year’s Day

So technically, we didn’t go to Tokyo Disneyland, with the castle and the princesses and parades. We went to the more adult park next store called Disney Sea. After comparing the two, the rides I wanted most to ride were there. Plus, it was New Year’s Day, and I figured Disneyland would be more crowded.

First impressions, everything was so pretty. Everything looked brand new! This park has been around for 14 years and it looks incredible. Pluto was even there at the gate to greet us!

The view as you enter is the great Mount Prometheus. It has a ride inside it, as well as a role in the night show, Fantasmic. It also periodically spits fire.

We explored American Waterfront, which includes Toy Story Mania!, the Tower of Terror, as well as a mishmash of American-esque culture, architecture and restaurants.

 

Instead of The Twilight Zone being the driving theme of this ride as it is in the U.S., they decided to go with an explorer theme (mimicking the park’s attractions) basing it off a man named Harrison Hightower, a shady guy who stole artifacts from all over the world, landing him a spooky cursed item. It was fun, smart, and hey, they avoided paying royalties to CBS!

We went inside Uncle Scrooge McDuck’s (a gift shop) and tried on a few silly things.

Silly was sort of a theme for us.

There were tons of old presidential propaganda posters everywhere.

Duffy the Disney Bear is HUGE here. There’s an entire store devoted to it. There’s a zillion different outfits, accessories, you name it. These were very old bears being displayed by an old man. He graciously let them model for me.

A view of Mediterranean Harbor

On Mysterious Island (where the mountain is) are two rides and a restaurant. This is the gift shop for 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

We made reservations for Magellan’s, a super swanky place, for lunch!

While we waited for our time, we explored the fortress around the restaurant.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Lunch was delicious. We splurged and got the four course meal, which made us feel a lot like Jack Dawson in Titanic. It was very good.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Next, we hopped aboard the Disney Sea Electric Railway to get to Lost River Delta, the land where our next ride was. On the way, we passed over Port Discovery where the water rides are. The ride below is called Aquatopia, and it looked to be a sort of bumper cars on the water. IT WAS COLD PEOPLE. Why those people risked getting wet was beyond us.

Lost River Delta had the ride I was most excited for, Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Crystal Skull. I didn’t get to ride it in California, which was a huge bummer, because I wanted my mom to ride ‘my ride.’ I say it’s mine because it has the same ride path and vehicles as Dinosaur: the ride at Disney’s Animal Kingdom in Orlando, where I worked for two years.

Indiana may have been running around, but all I heard was Dr. Seeker yelling, “Abort! Abort!” in my head.

Next, we headed to Arabian Coast. An Agrabah themed land. It was beautiful!!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

We didn’t feel like riding rides, but if we had, Jasmine’s Flying Carpets was there!
Instead, we headed for Mermaid Lagoon in search of dessert. (well, I had another search in mind). Yes, I found my secret treasure trove, full of whose its and whats its galore, most importantly, my Prince!!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

The line for Ariel was super short, plus the caramel popcorn cart was right next to it.
It was fate.

Freezing our butts off (if only), we headed back to American Waterfront to get a good seat for Fantasmic!. Now I had seen it at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, but this show was incredible. It was done on the water, with stunts, and fireworks, and dancing, and DRAGONS WITH HUGE AMOUNTS OF FIRE. I was thoroughly impressed and almost forgot how cold I was.

I left for South Korea the next day. We shared our last ramen together at the airport. It was a wonderful trip and I can’t wait to return! We plan to go to Kyoto next time, and perhaps even The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios Japan!

I can’t believe I can now say I’ve been to Korea and Tokyo. Is this real life?

This postcard represents my ‘horizons being broadened’ with Mt. Fuji on the left, and Namsan with Seoul Tower on the right.

1989 Mother Tour Comes to a Close

We finally made it!! Our beloved home State of Oregon!!!

Yes, I did screech my tires, pull over and run up to the sign and hug it.
We had fun in California, but nothing quite compares to the ocean air, the fresh water, the incredibly nice people…

Almost as soon as we crossed over the border, I stopped at Dutch Bros. I couldn’t wait to get an Iced Kicker! As I finished paying, the teenage girl handed me my coffee and said, “How are you doing today?”

I almost started crying. I missed this! People actually caring about others. She was considerate and polite and didn’t even realize how rare of a find she was in this country, let alone her age group. Once again, Oregon proves its worth.

My Mom loves the old bridges in Oregon, so she decided to sketch one out to paint later.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This was going to be our last day traveling. We left Arcata that morning and ran through the redwood forest. All that was left now was to enjoy the Oregon Coast line on the way up to Florence. There was no way I would be driving to Oregon and not getting a bowl of Mo’s Chowder…but that comes later.

What I had initially planned, months before this whole trip, was to visit as many light houses as possible on the California/Oregon coast. I failed miserably at this. I overbooked myself, thinking I could do a zillion things, but driving eats up so much of the day!

We did manage to see one, Cape Blanco Light house, located just outside Port Orford, Oregon.

It’s part of Cape Blanco State Park, home to the windiest, steepest, gravelliest roads ever.

Another attempt at watercolors, this looks almost identical to one I did…when I was seven.

As we climbed further north, my Dad kept calling, asking when we would be home. He was getting very impatient since we were a day behind schedule (thanks a lot San Francisco).

But we couldn’t help pulling over to soak up as much of this gorgeous coastline as we could!!

I’ve always loved how outrageously graphic Oregon warning signs are.

We even stopped at a bookstore in Gold Beach, Oregon. It was a dollar sale, how could we resist?? We ended up buying a book on tape to keep us awake. BEST IDEA EVER. I can’t believe we hadn’t been doing this the whole time instead of playing the alphabet game a billion times (and Taylor’s 1989 album of course).

Driving through trees and misty corners gets a little creepier when you’re listening to Stephen King’s book Salem’s Lot read to you in very convincing voices. (it’s about vampires)

Luckily, we escaped from King’s creepy clutches by reaching Mo’s!!

We’ve been going to Mo’s for over twenty years, because it’s that good. The clam chowder is the reason you come; the service, atmosphere and clam strips are why you stay.

Because we are the nicest people ever, we brought a case of chowder base home for my Dad.

After a very long day of driving, we finally made it home to Central Oregon. I was so happy to see my Dad and my brother again!

This was an incredible trip. I wouldn’t have changed a thing about it. Although we had some hang ups and wished we could’ve stayed longer in places, every moment spent in that car with my Mom was wonderful. We hadn’t spent 15 days straight with each other for almost ten years! Not only did our mother-daughter relationship survive, but I think our friendship as two women really grew.

Travelling together really tests a relationship. You experience a lot of discomfort and discover new things that may annoy you about a person. It can also show you how they handle a crisis, what kind of music gets them in a good mood, and it reveals the goofiness that exhaustion brings, creating the best jokes on the planet.

So choose your co-pilots wisely. Make sure your personalities will compliment each other. If you are a planner, and your friend likes to wing it, communicate before you start driving what kind of schedule you’d like to keep. If you’re on a budget, but they want to wine & dine the whole way, that needs to be addressed as well. It can all go swimmingly as long as you both communicate everything you expect from the trip.

Beginner’s Road Trip Checklist:

• killer mixtape (books on tape highly recommended)
• good co-pilot (must be willing to chat it up when it’s dark)
• road snacks (nothing smelly or crumbly)
• water water water
• general plan of where you wanna go. (this can be wibbly wobbley)
• Zero Expectations, just a goal to HAVE FUN!!!

1989 Mother Tour – Northern California

Napa Valley

My Mom was very new to the wine-tasting life. Luckily, she had the perfect tour guide with years of experience. (wink-wink)

Our first stop was Domaine Carneros, a very swanky Chateau.

We felt pretty under-dressed, but tried not to let it bother us.

The view was spectacular. My Mom seemed to be favoring the sweeter Whites while I am a dark Red fan. I had to take it slow though, this was only the beginning!!

We bought some little mementos, took some photos and went searching for the next one.

A very rough watercolor of the grapes.

Per a recommendation from a local, we went to Cornerstone Sonoma.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

It was like a mini wine lovers town! (the town was mini, not the lovers)
They have five wineries, restaurants, and beautifully designed gardens. It was the perfect lunch spot. My Mom enjoyed sipping my White wines and squinching up her face at the Reds.

Finally, our favorite, Chateau Montelena Winery

If you haven’t seen the movie Bottle Shock, stop right now and rent it.
Trust me, Alan Rickman and Chris Pine (with long hippie hair) are a dream together. And it’s all about wine! This wine to be precise:

Back in the day, France was still considered the authority on all things wine, especially Chardonnay. It wasn’t until 1976 during a Paris Tasting Competition that the Chateau’s 1973 Chardonnay took first prize, showing to France and the world that California was officially in the wine game. You can read about it here, but really, just watch the movie!!!

We loved all of the wines. This could have been because it was our fourth tasting of the day, but they were all very delicious! And our server was very kind, given the fact that we came in twenty minutes before closing. (he could’ve been flirting. Ooh yes, let’s say he was!)

Sad to leave our beloved wine country, we headed back towards Route 1 and the beautiful Pacific Coast Highway. The Mountains were so beautiful to drive through.

We ended up in a Denny’s in Eureka, California and it was very late. After a very strange meal with angry old men banging on the windows, we decided to look into a hotel for the night. Google Reviews was a life-saver. One reviewer recommended a hotel by saying, “This place is great, as long as you don’t mind having meth dealers next door.” We decided Arcata might be a better town to stay in.

Mom found a pretty postcard she wanted to practice painting. I am so lazy and minimalist with this, but she really commits!

We only had one more stop to make before we reached Oregon, and that was the Redwood National Forest. We took a detour off of Route 1 onto the Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway.

It was here we entered Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park.
It’s perfect if you want to keep driving, but pull over every once in a while for a short hike to get the blood flowing. And that is exactly what we did. Drove a few miles, jumped out, ran in the woods, took photos, ran back, did it again.

Pictured below is Big Tree who is  1,500 years old, 304 feet high, 21.6 feet in diameter, and a circumference of 68 feet. Pretty dang impressive.

This park has cabins and a campground available. So I will definitely be visiting this area again in the future.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Next up: OREGON!!!

 

1989 Mother Tour – Southern California

We had finally made it to the West Coast!! The end was drawing near, but California had so much fun in store for us!

First stop San Diego

…to stay with my sister and her family. I had been missing this nephew of mine hardcore. I hadn’t seen my partner in crime in nearly 9 months!!

We couldn’t wait to start making trouble.

Obviously, the first thing we needed was rest. Driving really takes it outta you. Sun, sand, and warm air was the only cure we needed.

This bug is getting so huge. I had a really hard time saying goodbye to him, knowing he will be so much bigger the next time I see him. He’ll know more things, have seen more, and maybe, just maybe, not want as many kisses from Auntie anymore…

But we didn’t want to focus on that. Instead, we focused on injury #3.

All Mom wanted was to enjoy her book and eat her sandwich, but the seagull didn’t feel that was an option. He decided she didn’t want it enough, swooped down and snatched the entire sandwich from her hand.

“Only you, Mom,” we all said

It was a perfect day with this little bug.

After a very tearful farewell, with many blowing kisses, we started out early for Anaheim, California.

Second Stop, Disneyland!!

My father went to Disneyland as a kid, my brother went as an adult. My sister went to Walt Disney World for her honeymoon, and I worked there for 3 years.

My mom was the only one to never have experienced the House of Mouse firsthand. I needed to fix that.

This was my first time as well, to Disneyland. I knew the basic Disney tricks to get us around quickly, but in terms of knowing about all the attractions, there were a lot I didn’t recognize.

I’d describe it as the better, even more kid-friendly version of The Magic Kingdom. In Florida, MK has around 13 rides that any child can ride. At Disneyland, they have over 20. Anyways, don’t get me started on comparing parks…

Another perk was Disneyland was celebrating its 60th Anniversary. I feel like these days, they have an anniversary for everything, but this one was actually legitimate. 60 is the Diamond year, so that was the theme throughout the park.

First thing we had to do was get our buttons. Mom got a First Visit and I got a Happy Birthday one, hey it was the following week…

She thought this was incredible and couldn’t believe I knew about it. C’mon Mom…(just stop by Guest Relations on your way in to get some, the building is usually labeled City Hall)

Next was the big reveal of the castle. I filmed her reaction. I’ve gotta say, I was a little underwhelmed. She probably thought it was charming and loved it. I’ve just been spoiled with the greatness that is Cinderella’s Castle in Florida, so Sleeping Beauty’s is kind of blah.

But unlike WDW, we got to go inside this one. Each corridor led to another part of the story, all self-led.

She didn’t care about Meet & Greets with Characters (thank goodness) or hitting every single ride. We picked a few areas and let the day plan itself. We rode Jungle Cruise & The Haunted Mansion and explored Tom Sawyer Island.

I couldn’t let my Mom leave this place without trying the glorious Mickey’s Premium Bar.

We got souvenirs for surprisingly cheap in a glassware shop. We each got mugs and engraved glasses celebrating the 60th.

Lastly, before we headed out, we watched the 60th Celebration Parade. If there’s one thing that Disney know how to do well (besides fireworks), it’s a parade.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

It really killed me that we couldn’t stay all day to see the fireworks show at night. It’s something I’ve always wanted to show my Mom.  I really regret not biting the bullet and delaying the schedule to stay an extra day so she could’ve seen it.

But we had a blast. We drove the rest of the day, ending in Santa Maria. We couldn’t go too far because we were meeting an old friend in the morning that we both hadn’t seen in ten years!!

I decided to try my hand at people this time and practiced with the parade dancers.

Independence Day

We met our friend for breakfast. She was my youth pastor and a wonderful friend growing up. I miss her council and complete non-judgmental understanding.

Seeing her again definitely made our morning.

We were aiming for Napa Valley, but my Mom really wanted to drive through San Francisco. This, my friends, was a HUGE MISTAKE.

Pier 39 is a mess on the fourth of July. Never ever go there. We drove for two hours looking for a parking spot. I finally had to admit defeat and take the day as a loss. It wasn’t all bad though. We got some beautiful shots going over the bridge.

We also spent the night with my sister’s in-laws who lived about thirty minutes outside the city. They took us up this humongous hill so we could watch the fireworks shows of all the surrounding towns.

Even though we lost a day, it was a blessing to see friends and family.

Next Up: Napa Valley & The Redwood National Forest!

Me: so many hours, I can’t even keep track anymore

Mom: 2

1989 Mother Tour – The Grand Canyon

After visiting the caves in the morning, we drove from Carlsbad to Tucson to spend the night at Red Roof Inn. What a refreshing stay compared to the horrors the night before. Comfy beds, clean bathrooms, and continental breakfast!

Rejuvenated and energized, we set off for Peoria, Arizona (just above Phoenix). Here we unloaded my car a little bit to make room for another Disney friend! We borrowed her tent and she hitched a ride up to The Grand Canyon.

Thankfully, they both followed my advice to set up the tent before we went to the canyon. I knew we wouldn’t want to set it up in the dark later. Amateurs.

We chose to stay at a KOA campground about an hour from The South Rim. (only because the speed limits are so low, and cops are everywhere). While setting up camp however, I realized we were missing a sleeping bag. Wonderful. That should be fun.

I was so excited. I had always wanted to see this giant of nature. Everyone had always told me it was a ‘see it to believe it’ experience. And I get it. These pictures don’t do it any kind of justice. It is just too massive.

It really makes you feel small, but not insignificant. I felt honored to be able to witness such beauty on this earth! It was quiet too. I envisioned people trying to hear their voices echo the whole time, but there’s no way you could hear your voice with how humongous it is.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

My mom was having heart palpitations watching all the tourists act so cavalier about dancing on the edge of a 5,000 feet drop.

Again, had it been just me and a friend, I would’ve taken a few more crazy photos closer to the edge, but I’m not stupid. I won’t risk my life for a good selfie. But to save my mom from heart failure, I stuck to the path for the most part.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

I wanted to stay for about a week. I wanted to kayak on the Colorado river. I wanted to hike down and swim in the secret pools James Franco found in 127 hours. But alas, the dreaded schedule.

We camped for a night, went to the canyon one last time, then drove back down to Peoria to drop off my friend. (It was here I realized the missing sleeping bag was hiding behind her seat. oops.)
This was our longest day of driving. We started at the top of Arizona and drove all the way down through Phoenix to San Diego. With breaks, it was almost 12 hours.

 

Next Up: California! (Disneyland!)

Me: 55+ hours of driving

Mom: 2

California Pipe Dreams

San Francisco. Land of the 49ers, Giants, and Harvey Milk!

It was a warm day in the year 2010 that my roommate at the time asked me to venture down south in hopes of fulfilling dreams of being the next American Idol. I only had one condition. We stay for a week.

I’m a realist, or a pessimist, depending on your point of view. I figured rather than hinging the trip’s success on the chance of making it on the show, that staying a week to explore the city regardless of the results would be the best plan.

I let her hope for the best, while I planned for…well…you know, the rest.

We brought along our friend to help keep us awake, and she had no problem agreeing to a week in California. The drive down was beautiful, full of excitement and of course no radio was needed because we sang the whole way.

My exposure to actual ‘cities’ had been quite limited up until this time. Portland was about as big as it got. So when we drove into the heart of San Fran, I couldn’t help but love it a little.

I soon realized however that this was a cement city. Sure there were parks here n there, and they were pretty, but I need my grass, and trees and bushes, and moss. I just need it.

We ended up staying with a friend of a friend’s mom. You know how that always works out. It actually wasn’t that bad, if you don’t take into account the ‘house bunnies’. No there weren’t retired Heffner rejects lying around, there were free-roaming rabbits that needed periodical cuddling. Free is free.

Audition day wasn’t until the middle of the week, so we started exploring.

 

There was a local park tucked away in a tiny neighborhood that had a cement slide. It was terrifying. There were pieces of cardboard to slide down on, so you know, perfectly safe. A few had some great messages.

This city is known for its perpetual fog, which I honestly don’t mind. Makes for fun photos in my opinion.

---

The local we were staying with took us to this fancy schmancy hotel claiming there was a special surprise inside. I felt like I owed money just walking through the lobby. It was incredible. We were led around a corner to a long row of elevators. There was a specific one and the elevator man knew exactly which it was. It rose quite quickly and as if a curtain was drawn, the enclosed space became windows and we saw the entire cityscape. It was beautiful.

The day came, or may I say, the very early morning came that we had to get in line for the American Idol auditions. We sat from 3am to let’s say 11 because I don’t actually remember. It was a while. And thank goodness it was just to get a wristband, because there would be no hope if I had to sing after no sleep.

 

And since we were already up, we continued to our next stop, the Golden Gate Bridge. As I said before, fog often obscures this incredible structure, but this day, there wasn’t a cloud in the sky, and the sun was shining bright.

Just a little walk from the bridge, we found a cave of sorts and some ‘ancient’ bath houses. Obviously we had to explore and model in them. We may have gotten a little too into it.

Near that were some typical tourist attractions. A replica of a palace in Versailles, a Camera Obscura, and that gorgeous California coastline.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Audition day came and went. It was fun for the few seconds we sang in front of a producer. Not much to be said for the hours we sat in the Giants stadium. We didn’t let it ruin the day though. We were off to explore Haight-Ashbury, drive down the legendary Lombard street and do a bit of shopping.

Sure, it would’ve been great to meet Nigel Lythgoe and that Seacrest fellow, but we still had fun. I was just happy for a road trip, and to see my Oregon mountains again.