Sunday, October 10, 2010

Note To My Readers.

Dear Readers, Just to let you know, the Hawthornes are having a wonderful time Eating Our Way Across The Great U.S. Of A. The scenery is amazing, for lack of any other superlatives I should be using. The people we've met are so wonderfully friendly and giving. It's been a real pleasure and honor to travel through all these states and talk to so many people who are on their own journeys as well. And best of all, Mr. Hawthorne and I haven't caused serious damage to each other. Yet. For the down side, to me, I'm unfortunately about 10 days behind in blogging. This is due to all the different hotels we've been staying in and the individual internet services each provides. There have been a few hotels that have wonderful service and I could upload 4 pics to my blog in under 1 minute. However, this is not the norm. Most places take about 5 minutes, 10 minutes in some areas, to upload 4 pics. It can be quite frustrating. Plus, all the uploading, writing, and blogging is taking place after we've been driving all day and finally drag ourselves into a hotel for the night. I'm still loving every bit of it. I just wish I could have my posts up-to-date. Alas. That is not meant to be, try as I might. Just to let you know, we're in Fort Bragg, California tonight. Mendocino County. It's on the coast. I started this adventure by going to the Atlantic Ocean with Xmaskatie about 6:15 in the AM, Wednesday, September 15 (The day after Mama Hawthorne's birthday.) to get photos and videos of the sunrise. I so wanted to get a Pacific Coast sunset to mark our Western arrival and turning point. We arrived in Seattle on October 6 and immediately left (post forthcoming) and didn't get a sunset. We have driven down Highway 101, the Pacific Coast Scenic Route and uber-scenic it is. It's Saturday, October 9, (Well, actually, it's Sunday AM, 10/10/10) and we're on our fourth night on the Pacific Coast. I've yet to get a sunset due to fog/clouds/typical Pacific-Northwest climate/etc. We hadn't even planned to go into California on the coast - only Yosemite and Sequoia on the east, but hey, we're here trying to find a damn sunset over the Pacific. Don't think it's gonna happen. Had really high hopes today since the skies were blue and it was sunny all day, then we got to Fort Bragg about 5PM, crashed into the hotel, and BOOM - fog rolled in. I don't think Mr. Hawthorne will have much patience with the sun at this point. I read this in the local visitors' guide - "Mendocino County - 101 Things To Do":
Visit the South Coast's "Banana Belt" Mendocino's "Banana Belt" stretches south from Anchor Bay to Sea Ranch, and visitors can often enjoy warm and sunny weather while the rest of the coast is shrouded in chilly fog. The warmer weather and more frequent sunshine can be attributed to Point Arena: the protrusion of that western-most landmass- the closest you can come to Hawaii from the mainland- provides both fog-break and protective shelter for the coastline to the south. Take advantage of the banana belt's pleasant weather and clear blue skies with stops at some of the area's most beautiful spots, like Bowling Ball Beach or the mouth of the Gualala River, a serene spot ringed with redwood trees. Stroll the streets of the seaside villages of Gualala and Anchor Bay, and discover the region's rich maritime history. This area is just south of us. Maybe, just maybe, I can persuade Mr. Hawthorne to give the coast another chance for a sunset. Just to let you know what's coming up on my blog and to whet your appetite, here are some of my recent venues: Belle Fourche - center of the nation Little Big Horn Battlefield Pompay's Pillar Pictograph Indian Caves Beartooth Pass Scenic Byway Yellowstone Park, West Cody, Wyoming Yellowstone Park, East (Yeah, I got Old Faithful.) Glacier National Park And points inbetween and outside.
Please stay with me. I thank you.

7 comments:

dle said...

Wow...what an amazing adventure!!
My travel wish list is growing... thanks for sharing all this with us...

Anonymous said...

You're in my home state! I live in San Joaquin County and I doubt you'll make it here. The Pacific Coast Highway is beautiful and I'm sorry you're not getting sunsets. Will you be going as far as Carmel or San Francisco? Will you go to Hearst Castle (that is something to see)? Enjoy Cali!

Rosie Hawthorne said...

Hey NMOAC. Mr. Hawthorne and I gave up on the Pacific sunset.
We headed east this AM through wine country (Can't wait to post about this!) and are in Fairfield, Ca. tonight. Aiming for Yosemite and Sequoia.

Rocquie said...

Well I feel better. I have been following your trip and wondering how in the world a person could travel all day and still have the energy (and time) for all the blogging. You are doing a great job.

Rosie Hawthorne said...

Sage Trifle, after three+ weeks, I'm still going to bed on EDT - about 3 AM. I stay up that late and blog. I get up at Pacific Time - 3 hours earlier. And I don't know how it works except that it does. We've moved to a new place every night except for three - We stayed two nights in Nashville, two in Deadwood, and two in Kalispell, MT.
I just try to stay focused. Just wish I could stay in the present, blog-wise.

Anonymous said...

The wine country is beautiful in autumn. Did you see hot air balloons filling up the sky in the morning? It's an awesome sight! And I love the colors of the grapevines in the fall. It's gorgeous there. I'm glad you got to see it.
Fairfield as actually not far from my town. Enjoy the rest of your trip.

Mr. P said...

Looking forward to your future posts. Glad you are having a fun trip. Enjoy and be safe.