Cats and Trails and Garden Tales
Musings on cats, travel, gardens and life
Home Again, Home Again from a Wonderful Road Trip
You may have noticed I was off the grid for the last week or so – then again, maybe you didn’t as I tried to stop by occasionally when internet was available. (You wouldn’t think there’d be a problem with cell service in the wilds of California, but you’d be wrong.)
Anyway, it’s good to be back home after our first real vacation of the covid era. It was done safely and according to the rules – Bob’s fully vaccinated and I figure I’m at 80% after my first Moderna shot. So off we went, equipped with plenty of masks and sanitizers and common sense too – for a nine day road trip down the West Coast, through the Redwoods and to recently opened San Francisco.
Oh what a great time we had! The weather was perfect – blue skies and sunshine and temperatures climbing every day. We enjoyed ocean beaches, giant trees, wildflowers, lighthouses and wildlife along with a fun weekend exploring San Francisco. I’ll be sharing more about it in the coming days after I settle back into ordinary life at home. In the meantime here’s a foretaste.
Oregon Coast
This is Coquille Point in Bandon, one of my favorite coastal towns. There were seals and sea lions resting on the rocky ledges in the distance but I’ll save that for later.
Redwoods
No matter how many times I see these magnificent trees I’m impressed just the same.
California Coast
There’s so much to show you from the California Coast but for now you’ll have to settle with Mendocino, a charming town that rests on a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
San Francisco
Finally there’s San Francisco, a city I could visit again and again and probably will, where the natives were happily out in the sunshine after being cooped up for months. We carefully joined them on Fisherman’s Wharf.
There’s lots more to tell but that will do for now.
~ Susanne
Cats and Trails and Garden Tales 
Great images!
Thank you so much! 🙂
You are most welcome! 🙂
Great photos! We were at Tomales Bay just north of San Francisco and NO cell service at all…it’s was freeing in a way!
Thanks John! Yes indeed! I thought I might post something along the way but was surprised by limited or no cell service. It did rather take the pressure off and give me a real break! 😊🌞
Beautiful photos! I loved the redwood shot and the lovely boat photo.🌺
Thank you! 😍 We had such a great time and I took so many pictures it’s hard to select just a few to post. But there will be more coming!
Great, I look forward to seeing more of your travel photos! 😊
Nice trip. Nice of you to take us along.
Thank you so much! I’m glad you enjoyed it.. More to come. 😊
I love the California coast and San Fran. Hope to get back again sometime.
Yes, so much to see and do! 🙂
I’m glad you had a good trip and good weather. I look forward to seeing more photos.
Thanks Graham. There’s nothing like a road trip down the coast especially with good weather.
Looks like a great trip. I can’t see the name Mendocino without thinking of this.
“She had that
Camarillo brillo
Flamin’ out along her head,
I mean her Mendocino bean-o
By where some bugs had made it red”
Best wishes, Pete.
It was a great road trip especially under blue skies and sunshine. Mendocino is a charming town surrounded by the beautiful Pacific Ocean. Not sure the song does it justice! 😉
When I heard that Zappa song (which I truly love) it was the first time I had heard the town mentioned. 🙂
Ahh. I’m not that familiar with Zappa’s music though I did just listen to the song. I’d heard of Mendocino for years but visited for the first time 5 years ago. It’s a bit off the beaten path so you have to really want to get there!
What lovely photos! Thank you for sharing them!
Thank you! So glad you enjoyed them!
What was your experience in San Francisco about the homeless population? I have heard quite a bit but have not known anyone who has been in the city recently. I have friends in Portland who will no longer go downtown.
I’ve been to San Francisco many times and there has always been a homeless population. I didn’t notice any more on this trip than previous ones. We spent most of our time on the Wharf and at Union Square, as well as on an open air tour bus and had a wonderful time.
Great to know. I know that it has always been there but didn’t know if it has had the same effect as in Portland. Even our daughter who does outreach to the homeless is scared by the scene that has developed downtown.
It’s probably different too when you’re on vacation.. we went to all our favorite places in San Francisco without any problem at all. In fact, even with the bus tour, I put almost 20,000 steps on my fitbit, close to 8 miles, the most ever!
Seattle and Portland both have issues right now which is sad, and there’s lot of negative press about downtown Seattle. But I worked downtown for so many years there’s no way I’d be afraid to go there.
I think it has just been this year that the violence on the streets in Portland has escalated making her afraid.
Sounds like a wonderful trip! I’ll look forward to seeing more in the coming weeks 🙂 We loved Bandon although we only spent one night (decades ago) – great to see it again!
Thanks so much! We love Bandon too!.😊