Thursday, June 5, 2014

Final Thoughts

June 5, 2014.  Home sweet home.
You know, I always love to go on a trip.  There's always some adventure to experience, places to see, things to do, and to eat good food.  But, in the end, there's no place like home.  I always enjoy getting home and sleeping in my bed.

The flights home went just fine.  The 3 hour layover at San Francisco turned into a 5 hour layover, due to delays by United (I'll try to avoid them in the future).  But once on the final leg home, the flight was a bit bumpy, but it went well.

At RDU, we disembarked, went to the baggage carousel, and in just a bit, our luggage arrived.  Called the GF and she picked us up and we went home to Clayton.  Got home about 1am, so we were tired but happy to be back.

Over the course of 13 days, we drove 2,651 miles with the rental car.  It was an adequate car, but lacked some punch once underway.  But it gave us no problem or cause for concern, so all was good.

The weather was just wonderful.  Only a couple bits of rain, and they came at times when it didn't interfere with our activities.  I think the trick is to carry an umbrella so it won't rain.  We both carried one, and they fended off the clouds and rain very well.  We also lucked up on very little fog along the way.  The Pacific coast is famous for having cool, foggy days anytime of the year, and we had just a little fog a couple of days.  We could still see the ocean, so it was very light.

Food was good everywhere we went.  I think Big Sis had one meal she didn't like; I think the pigeon strutting around, casing the joint and us, was part of the reason she was not fond of the meal.  Mine was good, but I didn't like the pigeon trying to get my food, either.  Otherwise, all the meals were good, and some were excellent.  I think the brunch of eggs and razor clams might have been my most unusual and one of the best meals of the trip.

Scenery was unreal.  From the cliffs over the Pacific to Mt St Helens to the huge trees, the scenery was simply beautiful.  I think my favorite spot was on the dirt road near Crescent City, CA, where the ferns covered the forest floor and gigantic redwoods formed a canopy over the land.  It felt like being in a sacred place; so peaceful and calm.

Alcatraz was a great visit.  Listening to the voices and noises in the earphones provided by the NPS, seeing how the inmates lived, and realizing just how isolated they were on the rock made me appreciate freedom again and made me thank my mother for teaching me right from wrong.  I would not like to be locked up in that place.  I'm sure it was cold all the time, and the cells are so small.
 It was a good place for the worst of the worst criminals.

And, again, Big Sis was such a pleasure to travel with.  We talked about childhood and growing up in our family, things each of us did.  Laughed at the things that we did for which we never got caught.  And wondered together about a lot of people from our childhood--where they were, how they were doing, and how their lives had been going.  She is such an easy traveler, she doesn't complain, she gets ready to go in a hurry, likes adventure and doing goofy things, and truly is a great person to travel with.  I am so glad that she agreed to go to Alaska ten years ago when I asked her if she was interested in going.  We've now spent 10 weeks together on the road, and still actually like each other!  That's pretty amazing, in my opinion.

I"ve posted a few pics in this final post, just to let you see one last glimpse of what we saw on the trip.  I'm hoping we'll be on the road together again in 2015!  Ciao....