One thing we’ve learned from this three week lap around the Pacific Northwest is that there are endless little hidden gems – as well as some more famous spots – to visit in Oregon, Washington and Idaho.  But as we closed the loop, including a fabulous week travelling with Kathy and John, we knew that all our roads lead back to California. 

But the US is a big place full of distractions for the keen traveller. From southern Idaho we had three uncharacteristically long and draining days of driving ahead of us in order to get back to our home base.  The first day included a drive across the desert on a dusty road, spotting handsome pronghorn – a North American version of the antelope – historic cairns which marked the original emigrant trails heading out west back in the 1850’s and the stunning Shoshone Falls.

Our good weather and good luck with the old trusty Suburban ended also on that day as it began to rain with a biblical vengeance when we entered the vast desert state of Nevada and our trusty Suburban started leaking coolant at an alarming rate.  A motel in obscure Wells Nevada solved the first problem and some ingenious team mechanics between us solved the second problem.

Limping somewhat but still determined to finish, the Suburban was able to make the long drive westward across the mind-numbing Interstate 80 – normally a road we would avoid like the plague – which ended with us camping on Sardine Lake way up in the Sierra Nevada mountains in California. 

Our last day on the road with Kathy and John started at beautiful Sardine Lake with the jagged crags of the Sierra Nevada as a backdrop before the long and hot drive back to the family home in Salinas.  It had been a wonderful three week trip through the Pacific Northwest with highlights including our stay with my brother Ken and his wife Anne and their family up on Puget Sound and travelling a week with my sister Kathy and her husband John.  And on top of all that, we took in all the beautiful places and scenes that this region is famous for.  A very special treat.

By this stage we had been away from Australia for almost four months.  During that time Australia had elected a new Prime Minister, suffered through one of the wettest winters on record, endured numerous political scandals, celebrated sporting triumphs and watched the economy slowly find its feet after Covid.  And we had missed it all.

So for sure we were keen to get back to Aussie but with the last ten days of our around-the-world adventure we decided to split them evenly between our family home in Salinas and a condo on Russian Hill in central San Francisco.  Both experiences gave us more time with my family and the time in San Francisco in particular gave us a chance to see this wonderful city in a way we had never seen it before.

San Francisco is unique in so many ways, such as it’s iconic Golden Gate Bridge, it’s crazy steep hills, it’s cable cars, Alcatraz Island, the wonderful tourist mecca of Pier 39, the extensive Golden Gate Park, the ever-present fog and beautiful Victorian architecture – all of which make up the city’s special identity. 

Add to that a fascinating history which mixes it’s frontier foundation, base for Pacific exploration, strategic military bases, devastating earthquakes, progressive politics and multi-cultural environment and you end up with a city rich in surprises and rewards for any visitor.

Julie and I spent almost a week in San Francisco, exploring both old haunts and new corners of what locals affectionally call The City.  My unstoppable mother joined us on many excursions, making the whole experience very special. 

One of my favourite aspects of San Francisco is the fabulous Victorian architecture which you see everywhere. Often featured on steep streets, this hundred plus year old style is now synonymous with the city. Here’s a few examples…

Here’s a few more random shots of San Francisco – including the bison which have lived in Golden Gate Park for more than one hundred years.

Over the last four months we have recovered Tramp from storage and returned him to match fitness before extensively exploring Ireland and Scotland.  We then flew to Iceland and fulfilled a 40 year bucket list item by visiting this amazing island defined by it’s stunning volcanos and glaciers. 

We then flew to California and spent two months mixing it with family and friends and exploring the amazing states that make up the Pacific Northwest with an old family truck, borrowed camping equipment and a leaky tent.

And we’ve loved every minute  of it, proving once again our maxim that travel provides wonderful surprises every day and makes us all bigger and better people along the way.  How good is that?