Road Trip!

I'm reading this book by William Least Heat-Moon that speaks to the reasons why people hit the open road...to escape from something at home, for pure discovery or ?... If you are visual, appreciate fine details, and are curious about the way other people live, eat, talk and think and are stimulated by new words and thought-provoking circumstances, then you will find this a very good read. I'm intrigued because Jon and I went on a parallel journey, but further north and using the greater freeways. Most of all, I'm amazed we have driven 4600 miles. Here's how it went:

Wed 9/28: depart HNL 9:15pm
Thu 9/29: arrive LAX 5:40am
drove to Grand Junction, CO (808 miles)
Fri 9/30: drove to Kearney, NE (626 miles)
Sat 10/01: drove to Iowa City, IA (370 miles)
Wed 10/05: drove to Chicago, IL (224 miles)
Thu-Sat 10/6-8 ACP Medical Conference at Wyndham Chicago
Sat 10/08: drove to Morton Grove, IL (17 miles)
Mon 10/10: drove to Sioux Falls, SD (580 miles)
Tue 10/11: drove to Cheyenne, WY (670 miles)
Wed 10/12: drove to Billings, MT (453 miles)
Thu 10/13: drove to Coeur d'Alene, ID (524 miles)
Fri 10/14: drove to Seattle, WA (311 miles)
Tue 10/18: depart SEA-TAC 7:30am
arrive SLC 10:30am
depart SLC 11:25am
arrive HNL 2 pm ..and went to work!

Jon and I celebrated the end of our road trip with a 5-star meal at al Boccalino's last night, rated Seattle's #1 Italian restaurant. All in all, we agree it's been a fabulous experience...and, in spite of the original reasons for doing this road trip, what we found most rewarding was seeing old friends and family that we would have not gotten to see without making this journey. We will be back in Honolulu at 2pm on 10/18. Note: the cheapest gas we found was $2.65 in Austin, Minnesota and the most expensive gas was $3.44 in Glenbrook, Colorado.

OK, this is the last tourist trap thing we do in Seattle. We learn that the "new Seattle" was built up by moving enough dirt to fill Panama Canal twice from the mountains towards the sea, 3 years after the big fire of 1889. We actually go underground and see the old storefronts, junk used to fill in the gaps...and lots of rats. What is really astonishing is that a major metropolis is built on these shaky foundations! It doesn't smell too good either. We learn a lot but are glad to come up for fresh air.

We catch a cruise boat to an island 8 miles out in Puget Sound. The reason I want to see this place is because it is the resting place of Chief Seattle, who believed in peaceful relations between red and white man. We are greeted by the natives with steaming hot bowls of clams in broth and instructed to throw the clam shells on the path. Being so cold out on the water, we love this heartwarming welcome! Almost everybody else opts for a salmon dinner and dance show at that point, but Jon and I take off on a "little hike" around the island, and somehow found ourselves going around in (large) circles ("hey, haven't we seen that clump of trees before?") so we got in 2 hours of walking. When we were almost back to the lodge, Jon saw another sign for a "nature walk" but I had other nature calling so we diverged. I got to see a wonderful Indian garden with cool artifacts behind the village and Jon barely made it back to the boat in time when the horn sounded.

Today we walked to Pike's Market Place, and enjoyed a blast to the senses: displays of fresh seafood and flowers as well as sampling of the regional offerings: cherries,
cheese, preserves and hot sauces. Then we caught the monorail to the Space Needle and enjoyed a panoramic view of the city. Next was a visit to the Science Fiction Museum (Night of the Triffids! R2D2, Yoda and the Alien!) and finally, the Music Experience Project (Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan and much, much more). On our way back, we spotted a Pumpkin Experience hosted by Starbuck's (did you know Starbuck's started in Seattle?) and took pictures with a 300 pound carved pumpkin and enjoyed some pumpkin pie spice latte.

This is the last leg of driving before we head home for Hawaii..and I can not believe we have covered almost 4500 miles. The highway is bumpy and grooved from semis grinding in their tracks so Jon tries different things to find some sort of comfort zone. Good jazz on the radio is much appreciated! We are seeing more snow capping the mountains and the Columbia River and Snoqualmie Pass provide fodder for the shutterbug (moi). Our hotel is right in Pioneer Square across from the wharf and we head out for a walk before it gets dark...finding our way to Cutter's Bayhouse for Quillence and Eagle Rock oysters, and a fresh salmon dinner with cous cous salad and roasted peppers.

We are delighted to see houses all decked up..many have carved jack-o-lanterns already and we have even seen some electronic decorations as well as very large displays in front yards and porches. Even the stores go all-out w/ decorations, costumes,make-up and even housewares. I love it! We have passed warehouses selling nothing but Halloween stuff up here. Back at home: our invites for a Halloween wine-tasting ("dress and drink") have been sent out so we have a celebration of our own to look forward to!

We are visiting Debbie Stuart here in Coeur d'Alene, who lived w/us for 2 yrs when we first moved to Oahu from Kauai. It was one of those arrangements that turn out to be a "win-win"...I needed someone to pick up the kids after school and she needed a place to live while finishing up her nursing program at UH Manoa. Of course our association turned out to be much more significant than that. She is now a CNM (certified nurse midwife) and nurse doing a crazy rotation between Seattle and Spokane but her home is in Idaho. As we drive up Mill Avenue my eyes gravitate to a cute little house on a large lot surrounded by maple and horse chestnut trees. The ground is covered with mounds of golden leaves which somehow makes more sense and sensation to me than a neatly-raked yard...and she appreciates me saying so. We go to the Wine Cellar for dinner and live blues, and catch up over cajun catfish, butternut ravioli, pork tenderloin (shared family-style) and of course, le vin.

The state line for Idaho is way up in the mountains and our custom is to honk the horn whenever we cross a state line. Soon we see a beautiful, glimmering lake below us and have a definite feel of the Pacific Northwest terrain and climate tickling our senses. Up to this point, all the trees have been gold and yellow...now, we are seeing more and more leaves turning red. It's gorgeous.

Brrr...I've learned from my pharmacy school days in Oregon that if you are cold before it rains, then you should stop where ever you are when those raindrops start coming down. I happened to be driving at the time and it also reminded me a little too much of the times I hydroplaned my S-2000 on H-3 in the wind and rain. No hesitation in getting off I-90 and pulling in to the first friendly parking lot which turned out to be Carino's Country Italian restaurant. How nice to find a fireplace in the dining room and we sat right next to it, ordering the most exotic things on the menu (of course): jalapeno garlic tilapia and Italian wedding soup. Guess what Missoula is famous for and is happening right now? "Testicle Festival" (rocky mountain oysters again, I think) !

The terrain turns craggy and dry as we come up on this copper mining town. We pass Gold Creek, shimmering w/reflections of trees turning yellow and it is definitely an array of Kodak moments. This is a good time to mention that more than 90% of the photos I've taken were done thru a window or hanging out of a window at 80 mph...

If you ever find yourself hungry near Billings MT, do not go to Jake's Steak House but cross the street and stop at this classy place for a delectable array of fusion appetizers, soups, salads, pastas and libations. Jon and I were impressed with their deft blendings of Asian, Southwestern and European cuisines. For example,what I called "Montana's version of sashimi": steak tartare served with wasabi sauce and spring vegetables on an Oriental platter. And my dinner choice: chicken in Thai coconut sauce with hot red peppers over penne pasta. Pretty interesting, huh?

Oh boy..by now I'm beginning to tire of being all cramped up with stuff packed around my legs...but all in all..the NSX is pretty comfortable, especially with the neck cushion Jon stashed behind the passenger seat. We pulled up to BW Ponderosa Pine Inn and there are psychedelic rams in the lobby. Jon raises his eyebrows to show he is skeptical of my choice of accomodations but our room turns out to be the nicest we have had yet, thank you very much. There are 2 cowboys waiting in line to be checked in and we learn there is a rodeo starting tonite...the desk clerk whips out a map to show us where to find it, as if there is absolutely no doubt that's what we want to do tonite!

I remember that someone asked me this when I was in Yellowstone before (7th grade). Last nite we passed between Crow and Northern Cherokee Indian reservations as we entered Montana. On the map, I see"Pompey's Pillar" and "Battlefield of Little Bighorn" and feel that there is so much I need to learn about what happened out here in Custer's frontier. p.s. I read a book about the artist Frida Kahlo when I was in Iowa City..and later told Jon that I thought I was beginning to look like her?...appearances can be so "suggestible"...

We are staying with Dr. Steve Beer and his wife Shannon in their well-appointed home on Iron Mountain Road. There is snow on the ground as their 3 young sons greet us and give us the royal tour of the house: indoor pool, guest floor with bar and pool table and a guys recreational haven you won't believe (shooting gallery, etc!) Oh yeah: Jon gets to park the NSX next to a real stuffed giraffe. I also got some beautiful pix of the Wyoming sunset and moonscape as we came into Cheyenne, complete with Canadian honkers (geese) flying in V-formation.

Part of the reason Jon changed our route heading southwest was to pass thru Deadwood, South Dakota "where Western legends were made". Jon reveals he's related to Wild Bill Hickok (I think this needs to be confirmed! and....we later learn that the famous person he is actually related to is Buffalo Bill Cody) and I chuckle to myself that I could be Calamity Jane (having survived 2 hurricanes and a total house fire) We create our own drama by taking a shortcut towards Wyoming thru a remote mountain pass (85) and start to worry when the low gas indicator goes on and we are 90 miles from Cheyenne with no sign of life around. We are relieved to come up on the town of Lusk and more than happy to pay over $3 a gallon for gas!

We discover a funky drugstore/diner in Chamberlain SD that was touted by Reader's Digest as making the "perfect cheeseburger" and pies like Grandma used to make. More importantly, it's a family-run pharmacy and restaurant that looks out over Lake Francis Case, converted from a river. There's a lot of Lewis and Clark history here and Chamberlain is the last steamboat town. By the way, if you are looking for a gift in these parts, everyone tells you it should be "Black Hills gold".

Points of interest: unusual cloud formations, water towers and dinosaur remains! It got dark and cold quick so we decide to stop in Sioux Falls. The name of our BestWestern is "Ramkota" and we are curious what this means. My guess is it's the name of an Indian chief but I'll have to do some research. At any rate, we are definitely in the land of cowboys and Indians. Jon is stoked to finds walleye on the dinner menu and Moose Drool (stout) and Boulevard (unfiltered) beer on tap.

The Spam Museum is closed on Mondays but we get a kick out of the Gift Shop. Everyone here seems to know that Hawaii consumes more Spam than any other state!

It's time to make some tracks and Jon has plotted out a new route heading southwest. We leave Illinois around 10am
and aspire to drive thru Wisconsin, Minnesota, and South Dakota via I-90. I figure we will end up somewhere between Sioux Falls and Chamberlain tonite.

Aunty Doreen arrived from Barcelona this afternoon and we have arranged to meet her and her sister-in-law Sandy Glanville. We opt for Italian food and reminisce over many years with a bottle of chianti. Aunty Doreen even brings a cherished photo of me (8 yrs. old) playing cards with Uncle Jim Glanville...which provides the connecting link for our reunion tonite.

This was our sensory experience for today and due to the expansiveness of the gardens, we start with a tram tour. We view 6 different English walled gardens (similar to the style at Atherton Gardens on Kauai), checkerboard gardens, medicinal plants and herb gardens. My 2 favorite sections were the rose garden- featuring over 200 varieties of roses arranged from dark to light color on a sloping landscape creating a fading illusion...and the miniature train gardens which depicted key tourist attractions such as Yellowstone Park, the White House, Space Needle and the Hancock Building with motorized trains rolling past... cool! Last but not least, I got a pic of Jon with some humongous agave plants, which is used to make tequila. Trivia: there is a rose named after Julia Child..guess what color it is? answer: "butter yellow" (it's one of the roses shown here)

This is a big holiday in Chicago. Trivia: Kaiser Hawaii opts to commemorate Kamehameha Day (6/11) instead. Nonetheless, the influence of Al Capone and "the Untouchables" was a big thing here and we enjoy several related documentaries on the History channel.

Today is Jon's final day of conference and I have a busy day of walking up the Magnificent Mile and around the city looking for "omiyage" (gifts) to take back home. I'm organized enough to ship the gifts home, check out of the hotel, go to the Aquarium for 2 hours and meet Jon on time for our 4:30pm drive out of Chicago thru the beautiful suburb of Wilmette. We check in to the Morton Grove BestWestern and know we have to walk the cold streets to find a place to eat. Lucky for us, we stumble upon a Korean restaurant just next door and the food is right up our alley.

I've been to some world-class aquariums and I'm skeptical I can see anything new... but this place is amazing! The exhibits are more like terrariums, where you can see water life below and land life above and I definitely see/learn some new things. Displays are arrranged by geographical region in "Waters of the World" so it's easy to remember what comes from where. Some of the new creatures I get to see are the Puget Sound crab (looks like a red, bumpy rock), Tasmanian King and Japanese spider crabs (HUGE), and I also find the Beluga whales fascinating.