Santa Rosa Cemetery

Hanging out in a rainy Santa Rosa CA after checking out the cemetery where Nancy's birth grandmother's grave was recently located for us.

Yesterday was a long slog of a drive in pouring rain on winding Highway 101.  Got to Santa Rosa just after dark, checked into a hotel Hyatt to avoid the mud and rain in a campground, and ubered to the Russian River Brewery for a couple of Pliney the Elders, hummus with vegitables, Southwest barbeque chicken salad and a calzone (sausage, mushrooms, olives and feta).

The attached photos are of Nancy and I next to a redwood, and Asiago helping navigate from his perch in the truck.  Can you find Asiago climbing in the redwood tree?  Finally there is a photo of the cemetery where Nancy's birth grandmother, Lillian Chlarson / Diltz,

is buried.

Day 2 and 3:   (March 3 and 4)
Landed in Jedediah Redwoods State Park in northern California.  Scored the best campsite in the campground, next to the river and end of the campsites.  One can not help but marvel at the tall straight redwoods.  Correct that, enormously tall straight redwoods.  We took a nature trail walk.  We dodged numerous broken Tan Oak that apparently do not do well in the heavy wet snow that came through last week.
You can see Smith River from our campsite.
After our walk we spent a couple of hours with our neighbors.  They are from Mombay India.  She is a 737 pilot and they are coming to the USA to see some of the National Parks each year.  We suggested that they re-evaluate visiting Crater Lake NP.  The roads are closed due to recent snows.  Perhaps they would be interested in snowshoeing 3 miles to the crater rim...OSF Ashland plays sounded more enticing to them.

Today Nancy, Asiago and I headed into the redwoods to look for Ewoks.  Asiago insists he saw one.  I thought I heard a "speeder".  We had a nice walk and Asiago decided to climb some trees.  The last series of three photos is a panorama looking up a redwood with Nancy at the bottom.

After all that excitement we headed in to Crescent City for lunch at Port 'o Pints.  Excellent IPA's and Belgian Wit.  We both had a BLAST bacon lettuc avocado sourdough tomato sandwich.  With all the Ewoks Asiago said that we had to go to Java (the) Hut for espresso.

On the road March 2:
We motored down I-5 to Canyonville in Oregon the first day.  We hoped that the sports bar in the casino would show the Sounders soccer match.  No luck. We also learned why we do no like casinos...cigarette smoke.  Luckily we figured out how to stream the game on my iPad.  Sounders are looking good.  Nice crisp passing and movement off the ball to go ahead 4-1 when the streaming locked up.
It was a bit cold as you can see by the snow on the ground and the cold looking fishermen on the S. Fork Umqua River.  Notice how Asiago and the little Totoros are helping wash the dishes...big Totoro was having a beer!

We are on our way!
We have five Totoros to keep Asiago, Nancy and I safe, especially with all the flooding near Santa Rosa.  My first choice campground on the Russian River is under 12 feet of flood water.
Plans are made to be broken.

Getting ready for the road and introductions

On March 1, 2019 I will be heading out with my 1999 Alaskan Camper and 2001 F250 named "Black Bart".  Along the way I will be accompanied by two friends Asiago and Totoro.  Sometimes others will join us too.
Our plan is to leave the Seattle area, head down the coast, then head to Arizona.  From there we will follow the snow line through Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Colorado and end up in Old Faithful Inn old house on Memorial Day weekend.  Finally I will turn Bart westward to home.

"In every walk with nature one recieves far more than he seeks"  John Muir

Here is Asiago