As far as Northern Californian wine regions go,we have been to Sonoma and Napa before, so this time we headed to Healdsburg in the Russian River area to taste some Pinot Noirs. Our favourite was Roadhouse but at $85 a bottle, it had better be good. Further north it's a pretty drive up Highway 101 through the Mendochino wine area. We stayed over in a rickety old hotel in Mendochino which had a great view over the cliffs and the ocean. We soon found out that Mendochino is the marijuana growing capital of California and it's a rather alterntive community. We met a lot of potheads in the pubs, some just a little slow but others totally spaced out. Baseball finals were on on TV so we tried to make small talk about the game. "Oh, I don't know anything about sport" he says, "I'm just exercising my eyes!" We were invited to a private party by some youngsters, no doubt because Neil looks like he fits right in. We drank beer and listened to a few guys jamming on guitars and singing, while their pit bull kept trying to sit on our laps! The drive north into Oregon is through some awesome Redwood forests and the Applegate and Rouge Valley wine areas. We spent 2 nights in the Willamette Valley wine areas and tasted quite a bit of Pinot Noir. We happened to find ourselves in Eugene, Oregon, the track and field capital of the USA and hometown of Nike. The USA Olympic trials were taking place and we had dinner at Elkhorn Brewery. ( BBQ 22 ) I think we were the only non- athletes in the place. Then it was on to Portland, Oregon for the 4th July Riverbend Blues Festival and a great catch up with Lisa and David. The music was wonderful and it was so nice to visit the Fowlers in their hometown. (we know them from Thailand) Marijuana is legal in Oregon, so we just had to visit one of the many cannibis shops as part of our education. You can only pay cash and they will only sell you one edible per person per day. Funny thing is all the sales staff are high! You don't get to be drunk on duty in a liquor store, though?
Washington State's premium wine area is Walla Walla, so we visited for a few nights. It's a sleepy town but there are some pretty good restaurants and about half of the wine estates have their tasting rooms downtown, so you can amble from one to the next; tasting wines. Then it was on to Seattle for a few days. We loved the Chihuly Glass Museum and we found a pub that has over 1000 different spirits for sale. Perhaps my expectations were high, but I didn't really think Seattle was much of a city.
Maybe it was just because we had been on the road for nearly 3 months. That's a lot of miles covered and a lot of motel beds slept in!
Washington State's premium wine area is Walla Walla, so we visited for a few nights. It's a sleepy town but there are some pretty good restaurants and about half of the wine estates have their tasting rooms downtown, so you can amble from one to the next; tasting wines. Then it was on to Seattle for a few days. We loved the Chihuly Glass Museum and we found a pub that has over 1000 different spirits for sale. Perhaps my expectations were high, but I didn't really think Seattle was much of a city.
Maybe it was just because we had been on the road for nearly 3 months. That's a lot of miles covered and a lot of motel beds slept in!
Willamette Valley, Oregon
North Cali Coast
Blues Festival, Portland
Walla Walla Winery
Space Needle, Seattle
Chuilly Glass Sculptures
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