Sorry all, but I needed to catch my (bad) breath, before I could complete this epic story. Ok, where were we????? OH yeah, we woke up in Eagle, CO....picture this, cold, no snow, but it could of but didn't. I got walked around the neighborhood on a short leash, because Lisa, our hostess, mentioned that there are "bears and bobcats" in the neighborhood....WHAT THE HECK???so I stayed close to dad and did my duty as quickly as possible. We had a peanut butter and toast breakfast, took some pictures of the now observable mountains that surround the Hammond's abode, the New York MT range, to be exact, and left with some elk jerky that Dave Hammond had hunted, cleaned and prepared (it tastes like steak au poivre).
Mom decided to go through the car wash, so we could start out fresh and shiny. NICE,we got on the highway, adjusted our eyes to the truly amazing views that are abundant in Colorado, the steep hills, mountains framed by millions of pine trees, and snow capped peaks!!!!HHMMMMMMMMMMMM....So it wasn't surprising, no it was a little shocking actually when we hit, about 30 miles out, near Vail, a roaring snow storm..windy, fairly good visibility though.....but the clean shiny car was history, as was high altitude, beautiful sights, nice friends, and lastly Colorado.
Now we knew, that the next phase of the trip, Nebraska, was a long way, about 662 miles from Eagle to Omaha, or about 9 hours 7 minutes. From a dog's point of view, this drive was borrrrrring. Same old cornfields mile after mile, and then it started to rain, until it hit the windshield at an alarming rate and a pounding sound, rattling the car, and you all know me, that I hate that exact sound and I start to tremble and usually need a beer or pina colada. Well I toughed it out folks! The rain is the only thing that stood out in Nebraska, as this was the first time we weren't driving in sunshine the whole trip, our first dreary day. We didn't make it all the way to Omaha, but managed to plow as far as Lincoln, the state capital, find a hotel, and search for a good steak dinner, this our last night away, before we arrived home. Ma and Pa found a steak house all right, they made good Maker's Mark Old Fashions, and the remains of the filet and rib eye became my dinner for the next two days. I love Nebraska!
Back on I-80E, headed for home, a mere 560 some miles to go, the trek through Iowa was equally uneventful....we were tempted to seek out the sights of Madison County, you know, those bridges..in Winterset, where Meryl and Clint had that fling while her family was at the state fair....we passed it up 'cause we had a bee in our bonnet for a Steak and Shake lunch that was advertised on a few billboards, just as our stomachs told us it was time for something "bad". Dad had NEVER been to a S&S before, but mom had and it peaked his interest considerably. I got left in the car again and watched them trot into the gates of grease and heavenly shakes..you gotta try the Caramel and Apple Shake, it's the BOMB!!!! The burgers ain't bad either. They came back for me and to my surprise, we walked to the Petsmart for a toothbrush and Breathe Spray since mom couldn't take it anymore....at least I got a chance to unwind in the long stretch of parking lot before I was tortured by mom in the car, she actually brushed my teeth and squirted breath spray at me until I couldn't stand it anymore!
Then it was clear sailing from then on, across the Mighty Mississippi River, through central Illinois, missing Chicago rush hour, and cruising onto I-94 into Michigan. This ended a trip that included eighteen states total, over 5500 miles and alot of gas, ten different hotel-motels, no-tels, 3 car washes, countless rest stops/areas, lots of truly gorgeous natural terrain, and not once in that 17 day span did we see another Michigan license plate until we got back to Chicago. Well now we all can cross this trip out West and back, off our bucket list. Hope you all got a chuckle or two from the adventures of the road warriors, as Brandon called us, early on. Next on the agenda will be a list of Worst and Best of trip, stay tuned for that tomorrow.
Love to all,
Barclay and J&J
I'm so happy to be back home, as is mom...dad wishes he were still cruising the Interstate...so nice to come back to our bountiful little garden, still brimming with tomatoes and peppers and fragrant herbs, Grandma took good care of it along with a few others...we really appreciated your time and effort, thank you so much. As for me, I can't wait to get back to my routine of walking along Lake Boulevard, getting groomed every two weeks and riding in the car with dad for short rides.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Saturday in the City, Sunday on the Ocean, Monday in the Car
Mom and dad got up early and decided that their walk would be to Mitch's so that they could say good mornin' to me and Mitch, but mainly to walk me. We had a great walk around the park that's situated in front of Mitch's apt building on Eddy Street. It was a beautiful sunny day and I was happy to see them after our first night being separated..I slept on Mitch's big king-sized bed...I think he's crazy about me though. They left me again so they could shop, they hit Macy's and Banana Republic....there was talk that I was going to be sent home FedEx, due to the lack of room in the car. Some reorganizing was done and I'm still in like Flynn!
Ready to collapse from lack of sustenance, Bonnie and Clyde (store robbers) headed down to the Fisherman's Wharf to meet up with Rob and Goran for some late lunch,. They ended up at The Slanted Door, a Vietnamese restaurant that dad especially likes. The foursome said their goodbyes and mom and dad walked back up the steep street of California which mom captured on video in between huffs and puffs, it's like mountain climbing.....it's one of the hardest streets to walk up. Then dad came to walk me again, I thought he forgot me, Mitch went to work, and I was all alone. Both dad and I fell asleep on the bed. Dad needed to rest as he and the boys were planning to partake of some more cocktails tonite. AND they did, but not as many. Mom stayed at the hotel and got some much-needed rest.
We all got up bright and early, said goodbye to Mitch and and left our beloved San Francisco behind and started off down the coast towards our next destination - San Simeon and the Hearst Castle. The route got very interesting as soon as we departed from I-5 South and headed into another winding, scary ride up and down mountains, while gazing down at fog shrouded valleys. We started weaving in and out from the ocean until we got almost into Monterey and spotted surfers suiting up and pulled up to watch, but no one got in the water and surfed??!?!??!We continued to drive into town which literally wraps itself along the ocean, and found an inviting hotel restaurant that had some killer seafood dishes and had some crab, salmon, shrimp, and oysters, all served by a cute Siberian waitress who won dad and mom over with her personality, she speaks three languages for god's sake! Dragging themselves to the car they finally walked me and we traveled down to Carmel to sniff out Doris Day, who we heard still lives down there. We didn't find DD but we stumbled upon some sweet ocean side compounds that mom drooled over , dad too! Big Sur was wavy and sunny and then we were almost totally engulfed in fog as we motored mere inches from the certain death we'd have experienced if the car swerved to the right. The craggy, rocky shore line was right below and I'm glad mom was driving(she was too).
We' almost arrived in San Simeon, when we spotted a bunch of, what looked like big, grayish logs, they weren't, they were elephant sea lions, god knows we had to stop and gaze at them along with dozens of other car loads of people.
We arrived at a "Bates Hotel" looking place across the street from the ocean and went out to buy a delicious BBQ chicken and rib dinner and settled in to watch the emmys. Next morning mom and dad went through the drab, foggy, and cold streets to find the Hearst Castle in San Simeon. They watched a 45 minute IMAX movie retelling the story of William Randolph Hearst and waited for the tour bus to deliver them at the castle steps after a 5 mile winding and panoramic drive up the mountain. The mansion, castle, whatever you want to call it....is truly a magnificent creation. The luxe of the luxe in every way, just the building and the hauling of materials up this steep mountain boggles the mind! The tour included the pool(s), the dressing rooms and private apartments that dignitaries and movie stars alike shared, the dining room, with the longest table EVER and the billiard room, the humongous living room, statues galore and stories to go with each of the features.....it was quite an experience, never to be forgotten.And while it was foggy and cold at sea level, the mt top was sunny and quite hot, in the high 80's.
Back at the "Bates"....I was fetched and we headed out across the Southern California wine country, think "Sideways", and as we climbed the mountain, the temperature did too, into the high 90's, it was sweltering all the way to Las Vegas, where we ventured our way to a Holiday Inn that David Moy had reserved for us, actually in Henderson.
It had been a very long, hot, tough day, especially for mom, who stated she "was ready to go home and sleep in my own bed." So no dinner and no ride along Las Vegas Blvd to see the STRIP. We did glimpse the hotels the next morning and waved good bye, had breakfast at the Omelet House and chatted with our TMI waitress and tooled it out of there and decided the next stop would be Eagle, Colorado, the home of Grandma Schrubba's late best friend, Mary Ann Norton Johnson Morris' daughter Lisa Mary Johnson Hammond and her husband, Dave. When we called them that morning to say we were on our way, Lisa was giddy with excitement, we were excited to see her as well since it had been 16 years or so since we'd last laid eyes on her . Mom and dad grew up with her and used to babysit Lisa and her younger brother Kenny.
It was going to be a 662 mile drive to Eagle, and the drive was exceptional as we dived into Arizona for a while then Utah with its towering sculpted rocks and gorgeous colors. The sky was as dazzling as the scenery so thank god the time passed in as pleasurable a way as possible. It took a shorter time driving than Lisa and Dave thought it would(dad likes to drive around 90 when mom dozes off.)We arrived about 8:30pm in Eagle, it was cold and dark and our GPS lady gave us the wrong side of the street as we wound around the hillside where Dave Hammond had built a big, beautiful home high above Eagle. Well we couldn't locate the address we had so mom got out and asked a neighbor who actually taught English to the Hammond's daughter, so we found them!
It was like mom and dad at the door when we saw them. We all had a wonderful reunion, Lisa prepared some cheese and crackers and ELK jerky..it was yummy! While Dave poured wine , we chatted ,until one by one, just Lisa and dad and me were left chatting about old times until about 2:00am....that Lisa sure has some hum dingers!!!!!!!!
Dad is so tired he's going to finish the rest of the trip tomorrow, adios amigos.
Love to all,
Barclay,J&J
XOXOXOXOXOXOO
Ready to collapse from lack of sustenance, Bonnie and Clyde (store robbers) headed down to the Fisherman's Wharf to meet up with Rob and Goran for some late lunch,. They ended up at The Slanted Door, a Vietnamese restaurant that dad especially likes. The foursome said their goodbyes and mom and dad walked back up the steep street of California which mom captured on video in between huffs and puffs, it's like mountain climbing.....it's one of the hardest streets to walk up. Then dad came to walk me again, I thought he forgot me, Mitch went to work, and I was all alone. Both dad and I fell asleep on the bed. Dad needed to rest as he and the boys were planning to partake of some more cocktails tonite. AND they did, but not as many. Mom stayed at the hotel and got some much-needed rest.
We all got up bright and early, said goodbye to Mitch and and left our beloved San Francisco behind and started off down the coast towards our next destination - San Simeon and the Hearst Castle. The route got very interesting as soon as we departed from I-5 South and headed into another winding, scary ride up and down mountains, while gazing down at fog shrouded valleys. We started weaving in and out from the ocean until we got almost into Monterey and spotted surfers suiting up and pulled up to watch, but no one got in the water and surfed??!?!??!We continued to drive into town which literally wraps itself along the ocean, and found an inviting hotel restaurant that had some killer seafood dishes and had some crab, salmon, shrimp, and oysters, all served by a cute Siberian waitress who won dad and mom over with her personality, she speaks three languages for god's sake! Dragging themselves to the car they finally walked me and we traveled down to Carmel to sniff out Doris Day, who we heard still lives down there. We didn't find DD but we stumbled upon some sweet ocean side compounds that mom drooled over , dad too! Big Sur was wavy and sunny and then we were almost totally engulfed in fog as we motored mere inches from the certain death we'd have experienced if the car swerved to the right. The craggy, rocky shore line was right below and I'm glad mom was driving(she was too).
We' almost arrived in San Simeon, when we spotted a bunch of, what looked like big, grayish logs, they weren't, they were elephant sea lions, god knows we had to stop and gaze at them along with dozens of other car loads of people.
We arrived at a "Bates Hotel" looking place across the street from the ocean and went out to buy a delicious BBQ chicken and rib dinner and settled in to watch the emmys. Next morning mom and dad went through the drab, foggy, and cold streets to find the Hearst Castle in San Simeon. They watched a 45 minute IMAX movie retelling the story of William Randolph Hearst and waited for the tour bus to deliver them at the castle steps after a 5 mile winding and panoramic drive up the mountain. The mansion, castle, whatever you want to call it....is truly a magnificent creation. The luxe of the luxe in every way, just the building and the hauling of materials up this steep mountain boggles the mind! The tour included the pool(s), the dressing rooms and private apartments that dignitaries and movie stars alike shared, the dining room, with the longest table EVER and the billiard room, the humongous living room, statues galore and stories to go with each of the features.....it was quite an experience, never to be forgotten.And while it was foggy and cold at sea level, the mt top was sunny and quite hot, in the high 80's.
Back at the "Bates"....I was fetched and we headed out across the Southern California wine country, think "Sideways", and as we climbed the mountain, the temperature did too, into the high 90's, it was sweltering all the way to Las Vegas, where we ventured our way to a Holiday Inn that David Moy had reserved for us, actually in Henderson.
It had been a very long, hot, tough day, especially for mom, who stated she "was ready to go home and sleep in my own bed." So no dinner and no ride along Las Vegas Blvd to see the STRIP. We did glimpse the hotels the next morning and waved good bye, had breakfast at the Omelet House and chatted with our TMI waitress and tooled it out of there and decided the next stop would be Eagle, Colorado, the home of Grandma Schrubba's late best friend, Mary Ann Norton Johnson Morris' daughter Lisa Mary Johnson Hammond and her husband, Dave. When we called them that morning to say we were on our way, Lisa was giddy with excitement, we were excited to see her as well since it had been 16 years or so since we'd last laid eyes on her . Mom and dad grew up with her and used to babysit Lisa and her younger brother Kenny.
It was going to be a 662 mile drive to Eagle, and the drive was exceptional as we dived into Arizona for a while then Utah with its towering sculpted rocks and gorgeous colors. The sky was as dazzling as the scenery so thank god the time passed in as pleasurable a way as possible. It took a shorter time driving than Lisa and Dave thought it would(dad likes to drive around 90 when mom dozes off.)We arrived about 8:30pm in Eagle, it was cold and dark and our GPS lady gave us the wrong side of the street as we wound around the hillside where Dave Hammond had built a big, beautiful home high above Eagle. Well we couldn't locate the address we had so mom got out and asked a neighbor who actually taught English to the Hammond's daughter, so we found them!
It was like mom and dad at the door when we saw them. We all had a wonderful reunion, Lisa prepared some cheese and crackers and ELK jerky..it was yummy! While Dave poured wine , we chatted ,until one by one, just Lisa and dad and me were left chatting about old times until about 2:00am....that Lisa sure has some hum dingers!!!!!!!!
Dad is so tired he's going to finish the rest of the trip tomorrow, adios amigos.
Love to all,
Barclay,J&J
XOXOXOXOXOXOO
Saturday, September 19, 2009
I Found My Heart in San Francisco ...arf arf arf arf!!!
Friday we arose to cool temps but by the time we packed up and hit the road in less than 2 hours later, it was in the 90s again. Apparently we hadn't hit every winery that mom and dad had planned to visit so about 3 minutes after we left El Bonita, our honeymoon hotel, we stopped again at the Sattui Vineyards ......to shop at the cute little deli/wine store and to take adorable pictures of me walking amongst the wisteria and fountains....and if I say so myself, I'm pretty photogenic!
Just when I thought it was safe to lie down and get comfy we stopped again!! It was just across the street at the Dean and Deluca store which turned out to be good for me....Dad loaded up on some choice desserts, including a Chocolate Babka that weighs about 5 pounds, some Spanish chorizo, some Fleur de Sel Caramels, Black Truffle BBQ sauce , and some Argentinian Dulce de leche. Mom was the smart one who won my heart when she bought prepared foods like salmon and edemame with a sesame peanut sauce. That salmon sure hit the spot later in the car when mom shared it with me. We had an hour on the road until we hit San Francisco. Sf Is dad's favorite place besides NYC and he was driving and very excited to be going to his second hometown. As soon as we could make out the skyline of SF mom started taking pictures and as we crossed the Bay Bridge she got some amazing photos....watch out Annie Liebowitz!
We zoomed into town and zoned in to 1090 Eddy Street and Gough where a scene from Vertigo was filmed in the 60s and also the residence of our good friend and Uncle, Mitch Bendel. Mitch was trimming the hedges as we drove up and that's when I met him for the very first time. We parked our car in his garage and took his to Cafe Flore where we sat outside in the sun and had a lunch and I was used as bait to draw in all the millionaires that might walk by and be my step-daddy.
After lunch, Mitch drove us around the city for a bit as is his tradition, then we headed out over the Golden Gate Bridge and into the headlands so we could take pictures of me and all of us together. It was a glorious day and we all took in the incredible view of the bridge and the very clearly defined skyline of SF.
It was finally time for mom and dad to check into their hotel , The Intercontinental, Mark Hopkins, the home of the famous bar, the Top of the Mark. Our friend David Moy, graciously secured a couple of nights at the SF landmark so we could enjoy luxurious accommodations, well that is two of us. NO DOGS ALLOWED...can you believe that? The joint is very well appointed and we got a upgrade to a corner room overlooking the entire city with ocean and bridge views. I unfortunately had to stay at Uncle Mitch's which ain't so bad either. His apartment is perched in the Western Addition on Jefferson Park overlooking City Hall and most of the city, plus he has very good taste and the place rocks with exceptional decoration and lots of green plants. Plus Mitch seemed to dote on me more than mom and dad, so all that attention I got was very much appreciated.
The grown ups were going out for cocktails and dinner Friday nite as is their usual ritual on the first their night, you know, to kind of warn the town that their back and to get out of the way. They were joined by dad and Mitch's friend Wes, a Texan from San Antonio. He has a slight drawl , is very tall and liked me too, I think..we later fell asleep on the couch together. Well after much deliberation and cruising the Streets of San Francisco, hmmmmm, great name for a TV show.....the frolicking foursome went to a favorite, 2223 Market and had a round of cocktails and later some apps and later still some more cocktails and then they all came to see me cause I needed to get out and do my thing, that's when Wes and I fell asleep on the couch.....we woke up and they left me again, this time they went back for more drinking at Martuni's where Mitch is known to sing "Strangers in the Night " and other ditties from yesteryear. Our friends Rob and Goran, who live in the East Bay joined us for another drink and the evening continued to spin...Mom got tired, after all she drove over 600 miles, so they dropped her off at the hotel and the boys went to pick up another funster, Arnold Greenfield, an old friend of dad's and Mitch's. They try to keep up with him, he's only going on 89 years old, so it"s a big order. Arnold has probably seen every Broadway play and musical in NYC since the 60's or maybe even the 50's......Arnold I'm sure you'll let us know. WELL.....the car went down the steep street of Gough back to Martuni's where more cocktails were downed....how DO they do it? After closing down the bar the four horsemen of SF, Mitch, Arnold, Wes, and Dad scurried off to The Grub Steak another diner that featured on "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives" Mitch and Arnold have been going there almost every weekend since Mitch was in diapers!!!! They had their laughs,(that's when the crazies come in SF) and FINALLY came home to walk me, it was late, isn't 2:30am LATE?
It was great to back in the city that Tony Bennett helped to promote with his song, "I Left My Heart in San Francisco.
Love you all out there, more tomorrow,
Love,
Barclay, J&J
Thursday, September 17, 2009
We Love This Place (NAPA VALLEY)
dog gone it! so sorry there were several typos in the last "unfinished " post. My big ole paws hit publish before I had a chance to edit or finish. I'll try to do better.
Well, where were we....ahhh let me try to pick up the scent.....oh yeah toothbrush, bad breath....Good Boy!
Turning off I-5, we took the road to the Napa Valley and what a wild ride it turned out to be!!!!!!!!!!!We started the climb up the beautiful mountain, with it's sheer cliffs and roadways cutting a swath into solid rock....THEN, oh boy..the roller coaster ride begin with the cries of mommy telling daddy (A.J. Foyt Jr) to slow down, mainly because she didn't have a bottle of wine at the ready when we started our descent down into Calistoga. Every turn was 45 degree downward angles, with squealing wheels, er...maybe that was mommy, anyhoo...around every turn, just like the car commercials where they show the tire turning sharply on steep hills and canyons....actually this, according to our friend Mitch in SF, is where they film and shoot the footage. Every open space down the mt was better than the one before, giving us glimpses of vineyards and wide fields framed by the towering pines that hugged the road that guided us downward into the NAPA VALLEY.
We rolled into the quaint, folksy town of Calistoga, cruised it a bit, parked and we all walked around checking out the stores and numerous B & Bs that dotted the town.
Mom had her heart set on getting a mud bath so we made appointments for the next am.
Now all we had to do was get something to eat and find a place to sleep that night...the sun was setting fast folks.....food won out, of course, as dad had HIS heart set on going to Taylor's Automatic Refresher. He's been going on about it since he saw it featured on "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives", a Food Network Show. The anticipation was thick as we drove up and saw the crowd of hungry, growling, people clustered around this cute little drive-in with bikes of all shapes and sizes on top of the place. Picnic tables surrounded the joint and mom and dad rushed up to get in line, mouths watering, and ordered 1)an ahi burger, piled high with Asian Slaw, ginger wasabi mayo, seared rare on a toasted egg bun 2)Fish Tacos, which were Mahi Mahi in a spicy taco marinade, Mexican slaw, salsa, and jalapeno-cilantro sour cream 3) sweet potato fries, dusted in chili spice and a half bottle of wine.
An hour later, totally sated and ready to collapse we had to find a place to stay, its hard to find a dog friendly place in this little corner of the world. But the travel Gods were on our side as we rolled into a little motel called El Bonita, just down the road from the drive-in. Dad walked in a found out that the only room they had left was the Honeymoon Suite........usually priced at $259.00 a night, for us, $100.00.....with a catch,natch....no a/c. Did I tell you yet that the temperature was about 92 degrees? We were desperate, so we took it, lugged 50 suitcases up to the 3rd floor and opened all the windows, jumped in the pool, cooled off and congratulated ourselves on our great find. It soon cooled off and was a perfect ending to a great 10 hour driving trip.
We got up and departed for Calistoga for the mud bath experience at Dr. Wilkenson's Mudd Baths. Here's what happens, for all you novices out there. You get totally naked and you lower yourself into a rectangular shaped pit, brimming with black, stinking mud. Then the attendant pushes more mud on your chest as you lie back and rest your head back on a little pillow, while cucumber slices are placed over your eyes and a facial goop is smeared on your face. At least that smells nice. Then you just lie there suspended in MUD...for about 30 minutes,its very blissful in a way if you can get past the smell and the pressure of a lot of weight sitting on you and its a little claustrophobic as well. You also get a cold wet towel plopped on your forehead. Next comes a shower, followed by a soaking bath with jets for another 30 minutes, then an interlude in the steam bath...until you can't stand it any longer, 15 minutes tops for most.After, you're led to a booth to lie down wrapped in towels waiting for your 30 minute massage....of course you're jelly at this point, but its over and all is well with the world. Except..........you're starved, so we headed back to Taylor's Automatic Refresher and had the ahi burger again and Chinese Chicken Salad and a blueberry shake and a white pistachio shake....dad loves that place!!!!!! as you have guessed by now.
Now the wine tasting begins, so I got locked up in the room and by the way the a/c got fixed. The adults then hit the Clos du Val winery and the Silverado Winery...tasted, tasted, tasted and bought a slew of wines in various colors. It was fun but hot again, (94 degrees) so mom wanted to see the city of Napa so they headed down the road and traversed through Napa, Oakville, Yountville, and finally walked through St. Helena and visited several quaint shops.
Arriving back at the El Bonita, we walked a bit and hit the pool...now its time for bed and Project Runway!
Love to all, next stop, San Francisco to see Uncle Mitch, Zuni Cafe, Muir Woods and god knows what else.
Barclay J&J
Well, where were we....ahhh let me try to pick up the scent.....oh yeah toothbrush, bad breath....Good Boy!
Turning off I-5, we took the road to the Napa Valley and what a wild ride it turned out to be!!!!!!!!!!!We started the climb up the beautiful mountain, with it's sheer cliffs and roadways cutting a swath into solid rock....THEN, oh boy..the roller coaster ride begin with the cries of mommy telling daddy (A.J. Foyt Jr) to slow down, mainly because she didn't have a bottle of wine at the ready when we started our descent down into Calistoga. Every turn was 45 degree downward angles, with squealing wheels, er...maybe that was mommy, anyhoo...around every turn, just like the car commercials where they show the tire turning sharply on steep hills and canyons....actually this, according to our friend Mitch in SF, is where they film and shoot the footage. Every open space down the mt was better than the one before, giving us glimpses of vineyards and wide fields framed by the towering pines that hugged the road that guided us downward into the NAPA VALLEY.
We rolled into the quaint, folksy town of Calistoga, cruised it a bit, parked and we all walked around checking out the stores and numerous B & Bs that dotted the town.
Mom had her heart set on getting a mud bath so we made appointments for the next am.
Now all we had to do was get something to eat and find a place to sleep that night...the sun was setting fast folks.....food won out, of course, as dad had HIS heart set on going to Taylor's Automatic Refresher. He's been going on about it since he saw it featured on "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives", a Food Network Show. The anticipation was thick as we drove up and saw the crowd of hungry, growling, people clustered around this cute little drive-in with bikes of all shapes and sizes on top of the place. Picnic tables surrounded the joint and mom and dad rushed up to get in line, mouths watering, and ordered 1)an ahi burger, piled high with Asian Slaw, ginger wasabi mayo, seared rare on a toasted egg bun 2)Fish Tacos, which were Mahi Mahi in a spicy taco marinade, Mexican slaw, salsa, and jalapeno-cilantro sour cream 3) sweet potato fries, dusted in chili spice and a half bottle of wine.
An hour later, totally sated and ready to collapse we had to find a place to stay, its hard to find a dog friendly place in this little corner of the world. But the travel Gods were on our side as we rolled into a little motel called El Bonita, just down the road from the drive-in. Dad walked in a found out that the only room they had left was the Honeymoon Suite........usually priced at $259.00 a night, for us, $100.00.....with a catch,natch....no a/c. Did I tell you yet that the temperature was about 92 degrees? We were desperate, so we took it, lugged 50 suitcases up to the 3rd floor and opened all the windows, jumped in the pool, cooled off and congratulated ourselves on our great find. It soon cooled off and was a perfect ending to a great 10 hour driving trip.
We got up and departed for Calistoga for the mud bath experience at Dr. Wilkenson's Mudd Baths. Here's what happens, for all you novices out there. You get totally naked and you lower yourself into a rectangular shaped pit, brimming with black, stinking mud. Then the attendant pushes more mud on your chest as you lie back and rest your head back on a little pillow, while cucumber slices are placed over your eyes and a facial goop is smeared on your face. At least that smells nice. Then you just lie there suspended in MUD...for about 30 minutes,its very blissful in a way if you can get past the smell and the pressure of a lot of weight sitting on you and its a little claustrophobic as well. You also get a cold wet towel plopped on your forehead. Next comes a shower, followed by a soaking bath with jets for another 30 minutes, then an interlude in the steam bath...until you can't stand it any longer, 15 minutes tops for most.After, you're led to a booth to lie down wrapped in towels waiting for your 30 minute massage....of course you're jelly at this point, but its over and all is well with the world. Except..........you're starved, so we headed back to Taylor's Automatic Refresher and had the ahi burger again and Chinese Chicken Salad and a blueberry shake and a white pistachio shake....dad loves that place!!!!!! as you have guessed by now.
Now the wine tasting begins, so I got locked up in the room and by the way the a/c got fixed. The adults then hit the Clos du Val winery and the Silverado Winery...tasted, tasted, tasted and bought a slew of wines in various colors. It was fun but hot again, (94 degrees) so mom wanted to see the city of Napa so they headed down the road and traversed through Napa, Oakville, Yountville, and finally walked through St. Helena and visited several quaint shops.
Arriving back at the El Bonita, we walked a bit and hit the pool...now its time for bed and Project Runway!
Love to all, next stop, San Francisco to see Uncle Mitch, Zuni Cafe, Muir Woods and god knows what else.
Barclay J&J
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Californ...I.....A!!!!!!!!
Hi all,
All dogs need a rest, and I'm no exception. That's why there was a brief respite from the day by day trip experience. OK?............OK.
Tuesday was a girls day for Brooke and Mom, and a solo man-about-town day for dad. Casey worked so we didn't see him, he works for Radio Shack. Mom did some laundry early and worked out while Dad and I slept in as usual. We got up and went for a great long walk along the riverfront. We tried to do this everyday at least twice, and its a long walk so usually I can't keep up, so I ended up on his shoulders more than once...its a better view up there anyway.
The girls were planning a spa day and shopping, but couldn't find a spa with available appointments, so that was ditched and it was full speed ahead for the shopping district....get your full staff ready Banana Republic, SAks, Nordstroms, and Anthropologie, 'cause the gals are primed for plundering all available wares. Brooke had her girls properly sized by the undergarment staff at Nordstroms and she's now walking prouder than ever... Sissie you are the cutest thing ever anyway....xoxoxoxxoxoxo...Mommy bought some cool things as well but we rarely see those until she unveils them at social events. Then the two gorged themselves at an Italian restaurant, polishing off a bottle of red before staggering out into the glaring sunlight and more turning on and taking off of everything in sight, before staggering in and plopping down in the room and not wanting to move. Their last day together until Xmas was fun and memorable.
Dad's day was much simplier and he just took the trolley as far as he dared and walked the way back visiting Saks, and finding a few stylish items at Banana Republic. Starving, he stopped at Pizza Schmizza and had the best Thai slice ever!
We packed up so that would be done as we were leaving at 7:00am and settled in to watch a little telly before bedtime. Jeff watched the Big Brother Finale while Jill tuned in Biggest Loser and plopped down in bed with a half gallon of Chocolate Coffee Bean ice cream....oh the irony of that situation and all it implies....Mary Cooper I hope you're not reading this blog faithfully..Jeff did not have one single spoonful, he had VooDoo donuts instead!
They roused me out of bed at 6:30 am and had a little breakfast and high-tailed it out of the Rose City and headed south down I-5 to California. Apparently it rained all day in Portland, so our timing was perfect. We encountered nothing but blue sunny skies all the way to our next destination, NAPA Valley. We had lovely views of Mt. Hood for miles and miles in Oregon....then we encountered the border of California and every car has to stop and the ranger at the border asks the question, "Do you have any plants or fruit in your car?". Well you know we just packed a huge cooler to the brim with a watermelon, grapes, a peach and some Honey Crisp Apples among other things and Jill, actress that she can be at times, replied "no". Dad kept his mouth shut as he really wanted those apples($3.99 A LB. @ Whole Foods) badly. I guess a little or big white lie won't condem anyone to hell.
The road to Cal. is beautiful and long.It runs like a ribbon through gorgeous mountain groups and we just happened to have the radio on which played a very moving symphony which seemed appros like a movie score that was written especially for the scenes we were witnessing.
******BTW I was a perfect little angel the entire trip today. I didn't try to climb in front with mom and dad and make mom wince when I opened my mouth to pant or yawn or breathe....My breathe isn't the greatest...I think I'm getting an early Xmas present, tooth brush!!!
All dogs need a rest, and I'm no exception. That's why there was a brief respite from the day by day trip experience. OK?............OK.
Tuesday was a girls day for Brooke and Mom, and a solo man-about-town day for dad. Casey worked so we didn't see him, he works for Radio Shack. Mom did some laundry early and worked out while Dad and I slept in as usual. We got up and went for a great long walk along the riverfront. We tried to do this everyday at least twice, and its a long walk so usually I can't keep up, so I ended up on his shoulders more than once...its a better view up there anyway.
The girls were planning a spa day and shopping, but couldn't find a spa with available appointments, so that was ditched and it was full speed ahead for the shopping district....get your full staff ready Banana Republic, SAks, Nordstroms, and Anthropologie, 'cause the gals are primed for plundering all available wares. Brooke had her girls properly sized by the undergarment staff at Nordstroms and she's now walking prouder than ever... Sissie you are the cutest thing ever anyway....xoxoxoxxoxoxo...Mommy bought some cool things as well but we rarely see those until she unveils them at social events. Then the two gorged themselves at an Italian restaurant, polishing off a bottle of red before staggering out into the glaring sunlight and more turning on and taking off of everything in sight, before staggering in and plopping down in the room and not wanting to move. Their last day together until Xmas was fun and memorable.
Dad's day was much simplier and he just took the trolley as far as he dared and walked the way back visiting Saks, and finding a few stylish items at Banana Republic. Starving, he stopped at Pizza Schmizza and had the best Thai slice ever!
We packed up so that would be done as we were leaving at 7:00am and settled in to watch a little telly before bedtime. Jeff watched the Big Brother Finale while Jill tuned in Biggest Loser and plopped down in bed with a half gallon of Chocolate Coffee Bean ice cream....oh the irony of that situation and all it implies....Mary Cooper I hope you're not reading this blog faithfully..Jeff did not have one single spoonful, he had VooDoo donuts instead!
They roused me out of bed at 6:30 am and had a little breakfast and high-tailed it out of the Rose City and headed south down I-5 to California. Apparently it rained all day in Portland, so our timing was perfect. We encountered nothing but blue sunny skies all the way to our next destination, NAPA Valley. We had lovely views of Mt. Hood for miles and miles in Oregon....then we encountered the border of California and every car has to stop and the ranger at the border asks the question, "Do you have any plants or fruit in your car?". Well you know we just packed a huge cooler to the brim with a watermelon, grapes, a peach and some Honey Crisp Apples among other things and Jill, actress that she can be at times, replied "no". Dad kept his mouth shut as he really wanted those apples($3.99 A LB. @ Whole Foods) badly. I guess a little or big white lie won't condem anyone to hell.
The road to Cal. is beautiful and long.It runs like a ribbon through gorgeous mountain groups and we just happened to have the radio on which played a very moving symphony which seemed appros like a movie score that was written especially for the scenes we were witnessing.
******BTW I was a perfect little angel the entire trip today. I didn't try to climb in front with mom and dad and make mom wince when I opened my mouth to pant or yawn or breathe....My breathe isn't the greatest...I think I'm getting an early Xmas present, tooth brush!!!
Monday, September 14, 2009
I'm getting to updating the blog, it's just that I'm worn out from too much walking and too many Pina Colada's. Stay tuned. Mom and Dad are going out to see the Japanese and Chinese Gardens today then a dinner at a Thai resturant. I'm gonna take a nap (no Chimi or Crazy Cookie here today) so I'll post the last 3 days. Love to all! B
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