We live in an amazingly diverse country and there is nothing better to remind one of that than a road trip. We're on a road trip right now and as I write this I am suffering from one of the downsides of travel: insomnia. I don't know what it is - the first night in a strange bed, road fatigue, too much food and too little exercise - whatever causes it I suffer from it. My beloved husband sleeps through most of my insomnia while I pull out headlamps to read by, headphones to listen through, and journals to write in. Eventually I will go to sleep, late, and stumble my way through the next day fueled by caffeine and whatever events the day brings. I'll sleep again. Sleep has always been one of my strongest allies - sleep has never failed me until recently and I miss the sleep I could always count on but *knock on wood* this hasn't lasted past a night or two.
We're driving and visiting our way through Northern California, the Pacific Northwest, Idaho and Nevada. It has been a blast. We've already seen so many microclimates, so much country, so much road. It is so good to get out of one's bubble. We miss our animals and home and the comfort of our day to day lives but it is so liberating to be on the road. Nothing to do but look out the window and talk to each other while we drive from place to place, and then there's the discovery of a new place or a revisiting of a long-lost place, the reconnection with family and friends, the meeting of new people.
We stayed in a hotel with an aviary and birds rescued from fire-ravaged country... this one in Red Bluff, California. There isn't anything like walking out of your room in the morning and hearing the chirping and whistling of a colorful menagerie. We thought highly of whomever keeps this aviary so clean and cheerfully painted, with all these birds and their perches, feeders, and houses.
Best Western Plus Antelope if you want to see it yourself, along with the pond stocked with enormous koi.
We never know what kind of food we'll find on the road, but having Yelp and a smartphone has helped. We knew we'd want to sample some local beers and wines on this trip and Yelp led us off the freeway and into Roseburg, Oregon, to the McMenamins Roseburg Station Pub & Brewery. We weren't so sure about Roseburg at first, but the historic train station and the excellent beer and curry peanut soup won us over.
I've only visited one other McMenamins location, the Kennedy School in Portland, but this company is on to something. Taking these historic buildings and remaking them into viable business establishments that invite people into them again is wonderful (in my opinion). And the good beer and food doesn't hurt either.
One thing that stands out so far on our trip are the barns in Washington and Oregon. There is some beautiful country in the northwest and there are many many amazing barns. From new gorgeous horse barns to weathered old barns leaning precariously and being swallowed by the lush plant life of the northwest.... there is a barn for every taste. We don't build barns like this in California... maybe we don't need them with all the sun we get, but there is a barn around every bend in Washington and Oregon.
There's glimpse of what I'm capturing on this journey, but there's plenty more. I feel sleep coming on finally, so this post will have to end and I'll try to continue it when more fully awake. Meanwhile, start planning your own road trip!
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