Bar Trip Day 23

Today, Day Twenty-Three, was the final day of the trip. We left early from Derek's place, because the parking meter starts running at nine in the morning on weekdays. Since Derek lives so close to the Bay Bridge, we had no trouble getting on and finding our way to the other side of the San Francisco Bay. Since dad got to go to his alma mater on this trip, it was my turn.

There is a spot on Sproul Plaza which is theoretically not subject to the laws or jurisdiction of any human nation or state.

I used to be a regular near Sather Gate, when I used to "table" for the Chinese Student Union.

I used to have an Americano and a scone at Caffè Strada before classes. This time, I just had a cafe au lait.

When I started fifteen years ago, Underhill was a set of tennis courts above a parking lot. During my freshman year, the tennis courts were torn down, and Underhill was just a parking pit for several years. Now, Underhill is again covered, this time by a soccer field.

The dorms have grown, too. The dining commons has been relocated away from the central plaza of each complex of dorms, and new buildings have been added to each unit complex. I had to live in both Cheney and Deutsch my freshman year, because of renovations.

From atop the hill at the Lawrence Hall of Science, one gets a much better view of both Berkeley and the Bay Area.

Along the way to the freeway from the Lawrence Hall of Science, we encountered a stand-off between authorities and tree-sitting protesters. Word has it that the protesters were eventually removed from their perch.

Along the way, it seemed like locals were setting up shop near the mesmerized throngs.

We decided to take US Route 101 this time, so as to be able to get to Pismo Beach along the way. Why? To have clam chowder at Splash Cafe.

Pismo Beach is home to some nice views of the Pacific Ocean.

The locals like it, too.

Finally, we found our way back to Santa Monica Pier, which is where we "officially" started.

Icy Z has traveled 9,745 miles since leaving Santa Monica the first time around. There is also the extra distance from home to Santa Monica, adding about 40 miles to the total.

Hango was glad to see us back again.

This is the last video log entry of this trip.

Thank you for keeping up with this travelogue!

[Cross-posted from Between Worlds]

Bar Trip Day 22

This has turned out to be the penultimate day of this trip. Today, which is Day Twenty-Two, we headed south from Eugene, Oregon, to Grants Pass, where we hopped on US Route 199, which together with a long stretch of US Route 101 in Northern California comprises the modern Redwood Highway. Redwood trees depend greatly on fog or mist, as shown here along the California Coast:

With this access to water, redwoods can grow very large indeed.

When many redwoods grow close to each other to form a forest, the result is striking, indeed. It is a mixture of colors and shapes hardly visible anywhere else on this planet.

Icy Z, every bit the Fairlady, gets in on the act.

Better in color or in sepia?

Although all mature redwoods are huge, one particular tree has been designated as "Big Tree" in Prairie Creek State Park, which is part of the Redwood National and State Park system.

Afterward, we pushed ever farther south. We had originally thought we might stay in Santa Rosa so as to be able to get up early in the morning to get a picture of San Francisco, or at least of the Golden Gate Bridge. However, that would leave us too little time for tomorrow's final drive. Fortunately, Derek was able on short notice to let us crash in his living room, so we pushed on into the city. This is a view of the San Francisco base of the Bay Bridge, as seen from Icy Z, near where Derek's place is.

Check out today's video log entry for today's highlights.

[Cross-posted from Between Worlds]

Bar Trip Days 20-21

Our push toward the Pacific has come to an end. After our experience with Mount Rushmore, we began Day Twenty with a big breakfast:

From Cody, Wyoming, it was about 50 miles to Yellowstone. For much of that route, we were in the Buffalo Bill State Park, which covers the town of Wapiti, and the northern fork of the Shoshone River, which was lined with fascinating geological structures.

Finally, we arrived.

One of the first things we saw was Yellowstone Lake. At a particular point, Steamboat Point, dad discussed philosophy with a local.

The surface waters of the lake itself are bone-chillingly cold, despite the fact that hot vents steamed around the lake, as well as elsewhere throughout Yellowstone.

One of the delights was being able to meet the locals. Alvin and Simon turned out, but Theodore was probably asleep.

The Continental Divide snakes through the park. At the point where this picture was taken, the snowmelt in a shallow pool flow two ways. One way leads to the Columbia River, which flows into the Pacific Ocean. The other leads to the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers, which drain the entire American Midwest, spilling into the Gulf of Mexico.

We did get to see Old Faithful. It was really cold while we waited for the geyser to erupt. When it actually did, it was difficult to see the water behind the steam.

On our way toward Mammoth Hot Springs near the North Exit, we ran into more locals, such as this buffalo.

Along the way, we saw Gibbon Falls, but no gibbons. After Niagara, though, Gibbon Falls is simply not as impressive.

When we finally got to Mammoth Hot Springs, we found that the waters were mostly dormant, making most of the terraces about as dry as Liberty Cap.

Nonetheless, there was at least one spring whose source waters were still in place.

On our way out, we finally met some elk. The rangers urged us along, but had nothing to say to this fellow who decided to cross the street without a favorable light.

As we left the park, there was a stone arch to send us on our way.

We got into Montana, and took Interstate 90 toward Spokane, Washington. We drove all night, taking small breaks here and there. We did not get much sleep; a Nissan 350Z is not a comfortable bed. Nonetheless, we did what we could as safely as possible. We got to the Columbia River Gorge, along the interstate west of Spokane, well before mid-morning.

As we kept pushing toward Seattle, we got glimpses of Mount Rainier in the distance.

Approaching Seattle meant crossing Lake Washington, first onto Mercer Island, and then into Seattle itself.

We paid for some parking in order to see Pike Place Market. Parking is very expensive downtown, so we could only afford 30 minutes. That meant most of our walk was rushed.

Because of the haste, I could not explore the brewery more than posing for this picture.

But I did feel a connection to this, the first ever Starbucks store.

The market is beautiful; unfortunately, we could neither see it all nor really linger on any one thing.

Finally, we called around and found our way to Lake View Cemetery, where Bruce Lee and his son Brandon are buried. We paid our respects. At first, given the effort it took to find the place, we were skeptical. After having seen the graves, however, and the obvious love and affection shown to the Lees, we felt touched in a way we hadn't thought possible. It was well worth the trip.

After our visit with the Lees, we headed south on Interstate 5, which we took to calling "the road home". We stopped by the University of Oregon for the sake of a cousin, and ended up calling it an early night here in Eugene, Oregon.

Before we sign off for the night, here is the latest video log entry.

[Cross-posted from Between Worlds]

Bar Trip Day 19

After a good rest last night, we began Day Nineteen by driving into Rapid City, South Dakota, and then heading south to see Mount Rushmore. Along the way, we finally managed to get a picture of the hay rolls; apparently, hay and cattle are bigger in South Dakota than corn and soya beans, which we had seen plenty of since northern Ohio.

As we neared Rapid City, we saw barren gray hills unsuitable for either farming or grazing. It was the Badlands.

Mount Rushmore is a stone's throw from Rapid City. You take US Route 16 up into the Black Hills, and go about 25-30 miles. From the road, Gutzon Borglum's monument to America seems no big deal.

Nonetheless, we decided to go in. There is no admission, but there is a fee for parking in a private parking lot. It's a rather nice lot, and it only costs $10 per car. Since we'd come all this way, we paid the fee and went in. We posed with some of the natives, since dad was born in the year of the sheep (which in Chinese (羊) could refer to either sheep or goat ...

... and I'm a Capricorn.

More than 60 years after his death, soon after which his son, who took over for him, declared the monument "complete", Gutzon Borglum stays close to the work for which he will always be remembered.

The amphitheatre is lower than Grand View Terrace and thus gives a better perspective as to just how huge the monument is.

Some friendly fellow tourists offered to help us commemorate this father-son road trip.

A final closeup of George, Tom, Teddy, and Abe.

Afterward, we decided to look for Crazy Horse. We found him, but were asked to pay $20 to see him. We decided that that was four times too much, so we turned around and got a shot of the Chief from the road.

After Mount Rushmore, we continued taking US Route 16 into Wyoming. As we approached Buffalo, we could see the beginnings of the Big Horn mountains.

At Buffalo, we decided to take the southern fork around the mountains. We've finally come to rest here at Cody, from where we plan to tackle Yellowstone tomorrow morning and early afternoon, before we head for Montana to get back on Interstate 90 in our push toward the Pacific.

Before I sign off for the night, here is today's video blog entry:

[Cross-posted from Between Worlds]