Driving East to Newport, Rhode Island

August 24~September 9

We’ve been in an electronic black hole. My PC laptop self-destructed….Rick’s Mac is schizophrenic…..the printer is having issues…..my camera is suffering from a droopy iris. This, plus the dreary landscape and long, long boring drive to Newport has put me in a snit. Bought a new laptop and trying to get in the groove again.

Leaving Chicago we made the short trip to Elkhart, IN…..why?....because that is where Tor was “born” and Rick wants to take a factory tour to figure out exactly how these coaches were made. We’re very surprised just how unfactory-like it looked. Very much like a cottage industry; a very successful cottage industry….guess that’s why Berkshire Hathaway bought it!

Stayed at Elkhart Campground (elkhartcampground.com) seemingly whose only reason for being is for the throngs of people who visit the huge number of RV factories here.

Stopped in Shaker Heights to visit my former sister and brother in laws from another life.  I'm so very fond of them and their daughter, great to see them after a very long time. Tried  to get Tor in their driveway, but that was a losing battle before it began.  Parked it in a large city lot.  Had cocktails in Tor so they could see it, then they took us to a wonderful, kind of funky restaurant, Felice Urban Cafe. The pictures I took are so bad that for everyone's sake, I'm not going to post them!

Trying to find a next stop that would be a fun place to stay for a couple of days rest.....thought the Poconos would be good......wrong!  Thought we could play golf and go to the Mount Airy Lodge, which I've always heard was a lovely old hotel.  Well, found out the hotel closed a few years ago and was razed to make way for a casino.  Looked at two places to stay; one was so scary we opted out....they other, Mount Pocono Campground (mtpoconocampground.com) at first also looks very scary, but if you can make yourself get past the "seasonal" sites, the others are bearable.  Went to the casino....gave back a lot of our former winnings.....but had good calamari and sliders at Red's Bar.

Just two more days to Newport!  Stop in East Lyme, CT at Aces High....have no idea why they call it that...(aceshighrvpark.com).  It's billed as a luxury resort....wouldn't go that far, but it is perfectly  fine and  probably a good base if visiting Mystic and New London.   It also offered Rick a chance to get out his fishing gear again! It was a good thing we weren't planning on fresh fish for dinner!

Finally get to Newport and it's so good to see our kids and their new home. We have a souvenir night...these from San Francisco Chinatown.

A lobster dinner.....Kelly really didn't eat all this, but it is her fav!

 

Spent two days on the beach...some "surfing".

Sand castle building.

Due to the Hurricane Earl which churned up the sea, we found the beach different each time.  One day it looked like a jellyfish farm with eggs all over the sand and in the water.

The next, a huge clam buffet for the seagulls who got very, very aggressive in attacking their prey.

Since we will be visiting here alot, we bought a season pass to the Newport Mansions operated by the Preservation Society.  We did two this time.....Rosecliff and Marble House. Unfortunately you can't take interior pictures, but the exteriors certainly presage what's inside.

The Newport Polo Club, located in the town of Portsmouth, hosts a wildly popular Internationsl Series.  We were lucky enough to catch the home team win over England.

Ian's favorite part is always the divot stomping and the half time football tossing on the field.

Dinner at 15 Point close to the polo grounds....pretty view but hugely disappointing....bad food and terrible service.

"Did" the shops in Newport twice.....adorable  and perhaps the preppiest town in the universe, which suits Kelly and me just fine....but mostly we just enjoyed our time with the kids.....Ian started his new school and soccer team....both seem to be working out really well....proud grandparents need to say he scored two goals in the first game!

The only disconcerting thing we discovered during our stay was that our visitor from Park City, "Stuart Little" not only didn't leave us weeks ago as we thought, but he also had a wife!   Had is the operative word because the traps we left in hidden compartments got them.  We also discovered they were setting up housekeeping under a floorboard and under the sink made of shredded toilet paper and paper towels, Q-tips and......rigatoni!  They're gone now but it still creeps me out!

I so hate to leave, but our great adventure is coming close to full circle.  We'll stop in Pennsylvania to see my mother, then back to Georgetown.

Heading Home ~ Omaha

August 18 ~ 20



This is a very, very long drive. Today is the first all day drive in deadheading home. Stop in North Platte, NE whose claim to fame is the 500,000 sand cranes that descend on town each year during their April migration. We’re descending for one night only at the Holiday RV Park (holidayparkne.com).

Never been to Omaha; and while reading up on it, find it is billed as the eighth wealthiest per capita city in the country….guess when you throw Warren Buffet in the mix, it gets a bit skewed!

We’ll spend our rest day poking around town….I’ve plotted some sights that I think should keep us occupied for the day....we had a hard time keeping busy for just the afternoon.

The Chamber of Commerce or somebody has come with a really cute way to identify points of interest. Giant pushpins mark the spot.






Went to the Bob Kerry Pedestrian Bridge that connects Nebraska with Iowa across the Missouri River. It’s visually striking.

Rick is most intrigued, though, with the pretty substantial vibrations on the suspension wires. It’s not very windy, but the bridge is noticeably vibrating. Walk halfway across and figure we must have made it to Iowa.

The Old Market District is supposed to be “Omaha’s Jewel”. It’s a small attractive area with shops lining cobble stone streets. Find the shops surprisingly bohemian; nothing really interesting to us.

It’s too late to go to the zoo which I understand is very good. It’s too early to go to dinner, so we stop at the Upstream Brewing Company (upstreambrewing.com) for their happy hour; nicely priced drinks and a very good coconut shrimp appetizer.



The one thing we’ve really been looking forward to, is a great steak house. Two books, “1,000 Places to See…” and “Roadfood”, both recommende Johnny’s Café (johnnyscafe.com), supposedly an Omaha institution since 1922 located in the old stockyards. It was truly the worst meal I have ever eaten. Every single thing including the Chateaubriand was inedible. Not surprisingly, the waitress never asked us how it was, since our plates were nearly as full when we were finished.

Stayed at the "West Omaha" KOA (koa.com).  Not a fan of these places, but there are very few choices....at least this one had some premium sites that offered a nicer patio and furniture.  But to call this "Omaha" is a real stretch.....it's in Gretna and 23 miles from town.

Thank heavens we’re stopping outside Chicago tomorrow. Ready for some fun!

Pebble Beach

August 2 ~ 4

If Napa Valley is a wine lovers paradise,

Pebble Beach (pebblebeach.com) is golf in the kingdom!  Even if golf is an anathema to you, the famous coastal 17 mile drive from Pacific Grove to Pebble Beach is among the most stunning scenic drives imaginable.  First opened in 1881, the private road (fee of $9.50 per vehicle) takes you by enduring landmarks like the 250 year old Lone Cypress.

And while we managed to catch another cloudy, chilly day, the beaches still beckoned.

Bird Rock attracts not only its namesake, but also harbor seals and sea lions.

The seals also have one all to themselves.

The sinister Ghost Tree, bleached white by the wind, is an eerie stop along the route.

We pass Poppy Hills, Spanish Bay and Spyglass, (a wonderful course I was lucky enough to play a number of  years ago) then to mecca...The Lodge at Pebble Beach and with the magnificent finishing hole as a backdrop.

Lunch at the Stillwater Grill in the Lodge is the grand finale of our final days on the west coast.  It is wonderful.  There is a rather steep price for this pleasure, but at least they take the drive entrance fee off your bill.  If terrific food, combined with a great glass of wine, sitting overlooking the 18th green at Pebble Beach is your idea of heaven, you won't be disappointed.

Rick's Lobster Roll was stacked high with succulent meat.

My Dungess Crabcakes with Chipolte Sauce on a bed of jicama was near perfection.

The whole experience was capped off with a walk down the cartpath on 18th from green to tee and back.  This is one gorgeous place and I can almost see the images of Nicklaus, Watson, Woods...as a passionate golfer, this is sheer Nirvana.

The shops at Pebble are full of great temptations which we fully succumbed to. Did a quick drive through Carmel by the Sea.....a town straight out of central casting.  I wish we were staying longer, but this was just a day trip. 

We picked a place to stay, (coyotevalleyresort.com) which we thought was close enough to Pebble and San Jose where Rick wants to see some former work colleagues....turns out it was too far from either place to make any sense....it was billed as a luxury resort, it's fine but no where near luxurious and frankly it's in the middle of nowhere.

We'll find a place in San Jose tomorrow...the guys want to see Gigantor....looks like we're having another cocktail party in Tor.

San Francisco

July 29 ~ August 1

Have not "played" in San Francisco for over 20 years! Only business trips in and out. This will be a real treat.

Driving Gigantor across the Bay Bridge gave us quite a reintroduction to the city. The sun was out; the town sparkled. As we headed a bit south to Pacifica where we’ve booked a spot on the beach, the fog rolled in and the temperature dropped drastically.

The only saving grace of San Francisco RV Resort (sanfranciscorvresort.com) is the view. Smack dab on the ocean. And the ocean is getting closer all the time! They lost 10 feet of ground to erosion last winter and had to move the path back a considerably. The erosion is so bad, the beach is unreachable. But we’re perched high on a cliff and love the sights and sounds. Visitors even popped over to say hi.

We packed a lot in the first day. Golden Gate Park (golden-gate-park.com) first. Visited the conservatory, which was pretty, but not what we expected from a world class city.

These huge lilly pads, each about four feet across, were the stars. 

And loved the small outdoor dahlia garden…never knew there could possibly be so many picture perfect varieties.

Then to the Golden Gate Bridge; appropriately covered in fog.

The Presidio and socked-in beaches looking out towards Alcatraz gave us an opportunity for a brisk walk.

Then to areas we’ve never been….Haight Asbury and the Mission District. The Haight is a eclectic combination of beautifully restored Victorian homes, funky stores and a village still stuck in the Sixties.

The Mission District’s claim to fame is more than 600 street murals that cover its buildings and alleys. The short block, Clarion Alley, between 16th and 17th Streets off Mission Street is a great representation of the art form.....and they warn you everywhere...do not call it graffiti! 

The sun was bright and the temperatures perfect when we left town. Back at the ranch, a mere 15 minutes away, it’s still foggy and cold. We’re told they don’t see the sun again until September. Tres depressing!

Saturday mornings, area farmer’s tote their crops to the Ferry Building (ferrybuildingmarketplace.com) for a very vibrant market. Inside, permanent vendors sell wonderful, though very expensive, foodstuffs and other wares. The best part, though, was having brunch at the Market Cafe with a dear friend of mine from college. It’s been at least 10 years since I’ve seen Tom and loved catching up.

After brunch, Rick and I walked from the Ferry Building all the way to Ghirardelli Square, (ghirardellisq.com)  stopping everywhere in between. Went down the pier to see the sea lions piled on a dock in a group sun bathing.

To Pier 39 to take in all the honky tonk and cool double deck carousel.








I really don’t remember Fisherman’sWharf being so tacky. And we found it very odd that while there are many working boats, there is not a seafood market anywhere in sight. Sit a bit in Girardelli Square and watch the water, then catch a cab back to where we parked the car as we don’t think we have another 5 or 6 miles left in our feet.

We are finding these little microclimates so interesting. Perfectly lovely in town again….20 degrees cooler and fog in Pacifica.

Chinatown is still fun. We walked the hugely steep hills and stopped in many stores to pick up the requisite souvenir finding a great deal of variation in quality and merchandise. Am already regretting not buying one of the beautifully tailored silk jackets that were on “special sale”!

Enjoyed some street musicians then on to dinner.


R & G Lounge (rnglounge.com)  had been praised in several books as the best place to eat. It was packed with locals which we thought was a really good sign. Don’t know if they treated us differently than them, but our food was totally bland. What a disappointment.

Could spend weeks in San Francisco, but we are tiring of the travel and are on scenic-overload! We've made the decision to begin the long trip east....after one more important stop....Peeble Beach.