Three months after settling back in our Tiburon home we decided to dive into a road trip across Canada and then return via the USA. We leased a new hybrid plug-in Kia Sportage and took off on August 4, 2024. First stop was two nights in Ashland, Oregon, a city that blends a vibrant arts scene with a beautiful natural environment. It’s primarily known for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, but maintains a small-town atmosphere despite its cultural richness. We went to the Oregon Cabaret one night for a dinner show of Legally Blonde, spent a morning wandering through Lithia Park’s 93 acres and went to a vineyard outside of town for lunch. Need I remind you to click on the pic to see a bigger/complete shot of it?

In Eugene, we stopped to lunch with a high school friend, Mary Atkins, and Rick Griffin, followed by a drive to Portland, spending 3 nights downtown, not the best of locations. Portland is surrounded by natural beauty with proximity to both mountains and coast. We visited the superb and authentic Japanese Garden, drove along the south side of the Columbia river and hiked the north side of Mt Hood. We even caught up with two couples from Joe’s International Committee days.

Seattle, WA is another city that embraces nature in a big way. With Mt Rainier at its doorstep it is nestled between Puget Sound and Lake Washington, offering picturesque waterfront views and access to the Cascade and Olympic Mountains. Its mild, marine climate contributes to the city’s abundance of parks and green spaces. Summers are typically clear and warm and everyone seems to be outdoors lapping up the sunshine. We saw old San Francisco friends, wandered the streets of central Seattle and hiked Discovery Park and enjoyed a sunset dinner along the Sound at Ray’s Boathouse.

Our route from Tiburon to Vancouver