Last Stop on the Roadtrip

We arrived into our final roadtrip stop, Roanoke, Virginia, after 8 hours of driving, receiving big hugs from Carolyn and Gary (Kristen’s sister and her sister’s boyfriend) just in time for the clock to strike midnight (east coast time) - signaling Carolyn’s 24th birthday. Fueled by the stories we had to tell, we recounted a few of the highlights of the trip, since we hadn’t seen each other in over 6 weeks, before hitting the hay like two sacks of rocks. Not even Sadie the dog sleeping between us (on a double bed, no less) could keep us from our slumbers.

After rising rather early to the smell of coffee (Carolyn is a nurse and wakes up early on her days off), we made breakfast for the group - eggs with veggies from the previous night’s roast Carolyn had made in celebration of our arrival. Shortly thereafter, we packed up our three cars and caravanned our way north on Interstate 81, careful to keep our speed in check by using cruise control (Kristen was ticketed last summer on that highway and totally learned her lesson).

On a whim, we pulled off the highway at Markham, VA, which is home to Hartland Orchard. Kristen’s family has gone apple-picking almost every year since 2006 at this orchard, so we couldn’t pass up the chance to get a half-bushel, play lacrosse with the picking claws, and take in some of the warm mid-atlantic sun. Also, it was a way to prolong our roadtrip by another hour or so. The trip was coming to an end quickly, and we wanted to savor the last few tens of miles as much as we possibly could.

Climbing in Colorado

The second pinnacle of our roadtrip (if there can be such a thing) was spending time in our possible future-home-state of Colorado in the summertime (a first for Kristen). Adding to the awesomeness was a chance to meet up with two of our friends and fellow climbers, Berto and Bern, who live in the area. Bern took the four of us to an awesome cliff in Golden, just a ten-minute hike from the roadside parking area.

Bern

Berto

We aren’t super comfortable lead climbing outdoors, so we let our friends start off, and then belay us as we top-roped. We got to send four different routes, ranging from 5.8 to 5.10 in difficulty, which, for us, definitely boosted our confidence a tad for our next outdoor climbing trip.

Afterwards, we soaked our feet in the cold creek just down the hill, and then drove into the historic downtown of Golden for some eats. Not far from where we were, the Coors factory, the largest single-site brewery, churns out millions of gallons of watery beer each year. Bern insisted on taking us to D’Deli, a cool little gourmet sandwich shop on the main street, with such sandwich names as The Oinker, Maui Waui, and The Jackwaggon. Bern and Berto both got a Buffalo Chicken sandwich, while the two of us split a Prime Time and Piggly Wiggly.

D'deli sandwiches

For dessert, even though we were already full, we made a stop two doors down at Golden Sweets for delicious homemade ice cream. We both fell in love with the same sample and each got one scoop of the coconut chocolate chunk. Delish!

Coconut Chocolate ice cream in Golden

Thanks to Berto and Bern for showing us a great time (and climbing spot)! Hope to be back soon.

Bozeman and More Family Time

Kristen is lucky enough to have family in the beautiful city of Bozeman, Montana, which is where her mom grew up and most of the family has remained. Who can blame them? It is a stunning outdoorsy town which has maintained a lot of the historic sites and neighborhoods that make it a gem. Plus, it’s perfectly located a few hours from, arguably, the best national parks in the country: Glacier, Yellowstone, and Tetons. Also, the weather started changing for the better the closer we got to Bozeman, such that when we arrived we were greeted with a warm sun. Our first stop was Grandma Ruth’s old house, which is where Kristen’s mom grew up, and is just down the road from the elementary school they attended (which now is home to artist studios and galleries, we’re told). If and when that house goes on the market, we’d consider buying it - no joke.

Grandma Ruth's house - This is where Kristen's mom grew up!

We unpacked our stuff into Kristen’s cousin’s house, set up the tent to air out and cleaned up and got ready just in time to get together with the rest of the family. Loren finally got to meet Aunt Roxie, Uncle Jack, (cousin) Jess, her husband Carl and their two adorable kids, Annie and Eric, and enjoyed dinner together on Bozeman's historic downtown strip at Bacchus Pub.

Kristen ordered her standard fish and chips, while Loren got to enjoy a burger with avocado and bacon. We also splurged and ordered moscow mules, delicious cocktails with vodka, ginger beer, and lime. It was great catching up with the family, and they gave us some insider tips on other good spots to check out in the area.

Once we got home, we were all a bit sleepy. We stayed up long enough to catch the tail end of Obama’s DNC speech, and then retired to bed, happy to be inside and under a down comforter!

Even with intentions of waking early, we slept in a tad and had just enough time to have coffee and some homemade molasses oatmeal bread before riding the family cruiser bikes down the street to Roxie and Jack’s house, a quaint bungalow that they’ve restored beautifully. Roxie, Jess, and the kids had to head over to MSU to meet with an entomologist to identify a spider they'd found in Roxie's basement (turned out, their fears were warranted: it was a hobo spider, which delivers some nasty venom known to cause necrosis)!

Aunt Roxie and Uncle Jack

Spider in a jar

From there, we rode to the Cafe Francais des Arts, where we enjoyed another caffeine boost and split a crepe with egg, ham and onions (sans fromage). To wrap up our Main Street tour, we made a quick stop at the Vargo’s Jazz City & Books store (no photos allowed) and then a trip to The Co-op grocery store to stock up for the road.

Breakfast Crepe

By the time we got back to Jess’s house, it was much later than we’d planned for. We had a bit of fun with the kids on the trampoline, and then hugged everyone goodbye. We hit the road, thinking what a great place Bozeman seems for raising a family. Yep, we could definitely live here!

Eric and Annie on the trampoline

Fun on the trampoline

Jess and the kids

Thanks so much for having us, Jess!

More Cool Spots in SanFran

One of the must-sees in San Francisco is the City Lights bookstore. Again limited by our parking meter, but this time with only 30 minutes of time. We stepped into the literary landmark independent bookstore, famous for progressive politics and beatnik-era poetry flourishing. The store felt like stepping into a sort of functional museum, with photos documenting much of the historically significant figures and events, and their relation to the bookstore. Transfixed by the thousands of book titles, which in this age of post-Borders Bankruptcy seemed like such a treat, we could’ve stayed for hours. But, our dinner date across town beckoned us. We left with only mental notes about the next books we want to read.

The dinner date which was the last on our agenda for the day was with Loren’s RISD classmate and fellow graphic designer, Jared, and his fiancee Shannon (also a RISD alum), in the super hip Mission District. Once we met up, we set off on what was to become a great night of long walks and good food. Ironically, it seems that we walk more when we’re in cities than even in National Parks.

The Mission

Dinner was near the Castro district, at a place called Starbelly, where Loren and Kristen shared a tomato soup and chicken dish - still a bit full from the ramen from the afternoon, but never able to pass up good food.

Tomato soup and grilled ham and cheese at Starbelly

Chicken at Starbelly

We even paid a visit to Hot Cookie, steps from the famous Castro Theater, for some cookie dessert. (Though, let it be known that the cookies were not, in fact, hot.)

The Great City of Fog and Hills

Having driven from sunny Sonoma Valley, we were struck by two things upon our arrival into San Francisco: first, it was freezing; second, it is damned hilly! But few things could shake us of our excitement. We were, after all, in the city for which Kristen has felt a certain mangetic pull (despite never having actually visited).

Our friends Sean and Ellen have an apartment in Russian Hill, a super hilly neighborhood where parallel parking seems like such a gamble (do you over compensate for the hill and slam into the car up the hill from you, or are you too slow to accelerate and roll into the car downhill?) that the city has allowed for perpendicular parking in the hilliest sections. This perpendicular parking thing is a little strange; it seems like the car will just tumble over onto its side and then roll down the rest of the hill. Also, there’s the danger that when you open the door, everything in the car will just spill out, including you. Once we remembered how gravity works, we were fine, and we soon learned that the great hills offer great views of the city. As an added bonus, the hills also act as a buffer to keep riffraff out of the neighborhood (shopping carts packed full of personal belongings don’t fare well going uphill).

After we’d unpacked, the four of us set off on the bus to head over to the Marina, where festivities were under way in celebration of the America’s Cup, a set of world-class sailing regattas to be hosted in San Fran through 2013. Part of the celebration included a free concert by Dr. Dog, a music group with such a classic sound that they’ve been compared to The Beatles, and who Kristen and Loren have seen both at Bonnaroo and the 930 club. The music was great, and the people-watching was even better; armed with some sweet potato fries, we were set to enjoy both shows.

Free Dr Dog Concert

Our hosts, Sean and Ellen

By the end of the music, we were all a bit shivery - it had to be in the low 50s, no sun, full fog, cold breeze. (As a quick sidenote, we learned that the Fog of San Francisco has a name, Karl, and a twitter feed. Apparently, Karl can be kind of snarky and a bit flamboyant, and most city dwellers both love and hate Karl. Thought that was cute and funny.)

Foggy marina

It was time for a hot meal. After attempting but failing to get a table at not one but two different German restaurants, each separated by a ten-minute taxi ride, we decided German food was conspiring against us. So we walked to the nearby restaurant Absinthe, and enjoyed a very delicious dinner. We shared a French onion soup, stonefruit salad, and a duo of pork, and were lucky enough to sample some of our hosts’ dishes as well.

Dinner at Absinthe

Charming Carmel and its Valley

The quaint and ritzy Carmel-By-The-Sea was our next stop along the California coast. Loren had been before and wanted Kristen to see it in all its glory. We drove through a few random neighborhood streets to get a feel for the residential area, where every single street is lush with trees and gardens and unique, just-the-right-size homes. We walked only a few minutes along the white-sand beach at the end of Ocean Avenue, as the weather was a bit nippy, and then proceeded to grab lunch, via high Yelp ratings once again.

Our choice was a good one; we ended up sitting outside at a cute bistro called Basil. In order to sample a few different dishes, we split two appetizers and one big salad. The shrimp plate and lamb meatballs were the winners.

Steak salad at Basil

Lamb meatballs at Basil

Shrimp at Basil

To take in a little more culture, we walked around and found ourselves at the Carmel Valley Coffee Roasting Company for coffee and (of course) blogging. It was the perfect place to just chill for a couple hours.

Carmel Coffee Roasting Co

Our next stop: Carmel Valley, the inland companion town to the chillier Carmel, with rolling hills and warmer weather. We arrived and unpacked at Sarah and Taylor’s house, a large but cute ranch-style u-shaped home, which wraps around a magnificently old live oak tree. Unfortunately, these trees were getting hit with an infestation of gross little caterpillars (soon to be moths), which were hanging from a line of silk literally everywhere. As soon as we arrived we walked right into them, and afterwards kept finding them on our clothes.

Oak worms in full swing

Turkeys at Taylor and Sarah's

After a wonderful dinner at a nearby Greek restaurant with the happy couple, we went back to their house to wind down and then hit the hay. Lovable black cats seem to be a theme on this trip. At four of the homes we’ve crashed at, there has been a really cool black cat living there. One of the cats at Sarah and Taylor’s house, Cowboy, got into our bed and went to sleep with us. He even came back the next morning and helped wake up Loren, cute little guy.

Taylor, Sarah, and Cowboy; our hosts

Sarah was at work teaching kindergartners, and Taylor was in the metal shop making art, so we set off to explore Monterey, an historic town known for its world-class aquarium and charming Cannery Row. But we were on a different mission; Kristen actually lived here for a year at age four when her Navy dad was in postgraduate school, and we wanted to find her old house. Her faded memory of the house at such a young age made it nearly impossible (“I think that’s it!” “No, wait maybe that one!”), but it was still fun to try.

Did Kristen live here?

Cannery Row in Monterey

Before heading further up the coast, we stopped in Sand City to see Taylor’s current sculpture projects, and Kristen lucked out with another Hawthorne family guided tour. We saw the super-cool loft apartment above the metal shop where Taylor used to live, and another gallery space filled with modern paintings, sculptures, and furniture.

RISD buds

From there, we shared a bowl of veggie soup, splurged on some delicious strawberry-rhubarb pie and savored a cappuccino at Sweet Elena’s, and moved on.

Sweet Elena's in Sand City

The Hawthorne Gallery in Big Sur

Just off of the super-scenic Pacific Coast Highway in Big Sur, the modern Hawthorne Gallery stands as an artist beacon. Loren knows the Hawthorne family through Taylor Hawthorne, a good friend from RISD, who majored in sculpture and who comes from a very talented family. We had to stop in and say "hi" at the gallery, which is owned and operated by Greg Hawthorne, Taylor's father, and the rest of the family. A renowned painter/sculptor, Greg moved his family to Big Sur in the 80s and since then they have labored to create a beautiful and serene estate, equipped with a gallery and sculpture garden, a guest house that is featured on the cover of a book (Handmade Houses), an incredible studio/work area, and a stunning house.

Greg was kind enough to give us a tour of the grounds. It's hard not to gush, because the entire family is incredibly talented and has the kind of vision and drive that form the foundation to immense success and happiness. To say that it was inspirational would be an understatement. We were a little too embarrassed to be snapping photos of everything, but the impressions will certainly last.

Happy Anniversary (to us)!

It’s fitting that on August 20th, our 1 year anniversary (+11 dating years anniversary), we drove along the most romantic highway (Pacific Coast Highway) to a romantic city (Santa Barbara) for dinner at a romantic restaurant (Jane).

Kristen's duck dinner

Loren's steak dinner

Our dinners were superb, and to top it off, two of the menu items shared a commonality with our wedding reception menu: white sangria, which we both drank and toasted to our happy marriage with delight; and coconut cake. Here’s the thing: Kristen was sort of bent on having the top layer of the wedding cake (which is, as you may have guessed, coconut) for the anniversary, but it would’ve been too difficult to keep cold for the 3 weeks of road that’d already passed. So, it was as if the stars aligned, and we ordered the coconut cake with big smiles while explaining to our server the significance. The server brought our cake out with an equally big smile and a candle in it. It was perfect.

White sangria

Coconut cake!

We stocked up with a bottle of red wine and drove to Refugio Beach State Park to set up our camp. Our spot was right next to the beach, and we could hear the surf. Stargazing was also surprisingly good there, and with the help of her Starwalk app, Kristen pointed out Pegasus, Scorpius, and the Little Dipper, along with the usual Cassiopea and the Big Dipper, before turning in for the night.

Apparently we got lucky, because the spot we thought was empty had actually been reserved 7 months in advance for two families, but they never showed. Phew.

L.A. in a Day

We arrived at Dan and Diana’s house in Echo Park, a neighborhood in Los Angeles, after a quick couple of hours in the car. It’s surprising how close things are in southern California. We set off shortly after emptying our car in their adorable house, and our first stop was down the street where Diana works at a non-profit writing and tutoring center called 826. The organization, founded in San Francisco by Dave Eggers, has multiple locations scattered across the country, with storefronts housing kitschy/funky things according to a theme; this one has Time Travel as its theme, and included a front window exhibit featuring a caveman and a robot. Seems like a pretty cool place to work!

From 826, we headed to Hollywood to do a bit of the walk of fame, passing stars in the sidewalk dedicated to Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon, Jim Henson, and a bunch of old-Hollywood names that we didn’t recognize. We also passed by some Banksy street art, which Loren was excited about after having watched the amazing street art documentary Exit Through the Gift Shop, by Banksy himself (which Loren strongly recommends). After that point, Hollywood Blvd became really touristy, with crowds of people pouring out of tour buses near the El Capitan theater, street performers and food vendors blocking the way. We made it as far as the Chinese Theater to take a look at stars’ handprints and footprints, then literally exited through the gift shop to get back to the car.

Banksy

(Sophia) Loren

El Capitan theater

Supply Sergeant

Dan and Diana drove us past mansions (including Brad Pitt’s estate) in an incredible neighboorhood, Los Feliz, up to Griffith Observatory, where we were a tad late for sunset, but the views were still breathtaking. It’s amazing to see how vast that city is. The observatory is a great spot in and of itself, with exhibits on the electromagnetic spectrum, celestial objects, a tesla coil that lit a neon sign wirelessly (by charging the air), and a huge pendulum that tells the hour of the day based on the rotation of the earth.

Griffith Observatory

Pendulum Clock

Watching the Pendulum

By the time we left the observatory, we were ravenously hungry. After driving back to Echo Park, we all walked down the street to a delicious neighborhood restaurant called The Park, just before the kitchen closed.

Grilled bone-in pork chop, fresh cranberry bean ragout, swiss chard cakes & nectarine-ancho chile jam

Hangar steak, toasted breadcrumb salsa, fresh cranberry bean succotash & heirloom tomato arugula salad

To cap off the night, we took a night stroll in the neighborhood to a spot with an often-filmed view of the LA skyline. Along the walk, we met (and pet) about 7 cats, most of which were probably strays, and all of which were super friendly. To say that we got our cat fix that night is a bit of an understatement.

The next morning, Dan made a delicious egg scramble and bacon, and we saw Diana off to work. After a lazy couple of hours, we walked to the prize of the neighborhood, a taco shop called La Esquinita. $1.50 for a taco plus freshly made corn tortilla chips and three salsas. Spread the word, that place is perfection. Plus, it’s just a block or so away from Shepard Fairey’s gallery (he’s the artist responsible for the Obama “Hope” posters, and of OBEY fame; also a grad of RISD and a fave of Loren’s).

With our brief stay reaching its end, Loren and Dan picked some fresh fruit from the back yard’s fig and pear trees, and we added a fallen avocado to the stash as well. Echo Park, with your fruit trees and friendly cats and awesome suburban small-town feel, we love you. Thanks to Dan and Diana for the comfy couches and for showing us a great time!

Fresh figs and pears from the back yard

Dan and Diana

We drove out of Echo Park and made a stop where Loren’s grandparents lived, in Culver City, then drove out to Beverly Hills and down Rodeo Drive, before heading back out to the coast to catch the Pacific Coast Highway north.

Sunny San Diego

In desperate need of laundry, good sleep, and family time, we made it to sunny San Diego. The weather alone seemed like a refuge after the oppressive heat in Vegas and surrounds – with temps about 20-30 degrees cooler during the day, we were in heaven. On top of that, a beautiful sunset of oranges, yellows, and purples greeted us, and we let our guards down to have another vacation from our vacation.

Our timing brought us to the Thomson house in Rancho Bernardo in the final few days of summer vacation for our nieces and nephew. After sleeping in, we all packed into the van to head to Oceanside Harbor for some brief beach time (also doubling as a birthday party for a friend of the two eldest girls). It was great to sample a part of the Pacific Coast that isn’t quite as numbing as some spots up north (ahem, Oregon).

Loren and Hunter

Hunter destroying a sandcastle

Hunter on the beach

Despite the chilly water, we made our way into the waves... but didn’t completely submerge! We warmed up on the beach while watching our talented nieces, all gymnasts who can easily do back walkovers and handsprings at the water’s edge. Also entertaining was our nephew’s insisting on building a sandcastle, then promptly destroying it, with uncle Loren.

Evangeline

Loren, Marchelle, Kristen

The next day, we made it to Point Loma, which is a peninsula to the west of San Diego. With views of the cityscape and Coronado Island to the east, and to the west, views of the Pacific which are probably prime during whale watching season (Feb). A stop at the lighthouse and some tidepool exploration capped off our visit.

Hermit crab hunting

This rock looks like a camera.

From there, we broke with the group and went for lunch at a bar/restaurant near the park called Sessions Public, where we enjoyed happy hour specials on food and drink. A bit of indulgence (read: duck summer rolls) and overindulgence (read: calamari) put us over the edge, forcing us to nap before heading out on the town again for dinner.

Duck summer rolls

After our breather, we headed back downtown to Little Italy, where we happened upon a tasty restaurant, Buon Appetito, and later met up with friends at the most hipster bar we’d ever seen, Craft and Commerce. Taxidermy animals hung from the walls and ceilings, the bartenders wore suspenders, and they have a strict no-vodka and no-ketchup rule throughout the establishment. We ate it right up, even if it was a little overkill here and there.

Despite staying out late, we kept to our plan of visiting the nieces’ gymnastics practice before heading next door for some gym time of our own, to climb. Our youngest niece accompanied us and eventually became the focus of most of the gym, because she was both small and fearless! To say we were proud is an understatement. Once the older girls finished their gym session, they also joined in on the action, again with an audience exclaiming their natural ability and fearlessness. If they ever decide to stop with gymnastics, they could definitely pick up climbing!

Morgan showing off her chalking-up skills

That evening we grilled burgs and drank margs with a mishmash crowd, which included Loren’s high school geometry teacher (the short story is that the teacher’s daughter is Loren’s sister’s best friend from high school, who was also visiting).

We wrapped up our stay with a lazy morning, including watching the most recent episode of Project Runway and painting nails. It was such a relaxed visit, and so good to see the Thomsons, that leaving seemed unthinkable. But we turned North to head up the coast, taking solace in the fact that we'll soon return.