Don't Be a Miserable Squatter: Essential Tips for Your Astoria Trip

I feel like Astoria should be one of those places I only need to visit once. And really, did I actually need to go at all? Yet, despite the terrible weather and the unpleasant fishy smell and the undesirable hiking, there's a pull on me to go back again in the future. I wouldn't want to live there, to be sure, but maybe a ten year anniversary trip to commemorate my book, or something, would be fun. Regardless, I thought I'd document my learnings for future travelers to Astoria, myself included. 

Before You Go

Learn the history before you go. Of course I'd be remiss if I didn't promote my book, "The Miserable Squatter’s Guide to Manifest Destiny." Other good ones depending on what part of the history you want to read about include "Astoria: An Oregon History" by Karen L. Leedom, "Kanaka" by Tom Koppel, and "Astor: The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty" by Anderson Cooper and Katherine Howe. For good visuals, I recommend the Postcard History book "Astoria" by  Andrea Larson Perez, and "Astoria: An Adventure in History" by John Goodenberger which is hilariously illustrated by Roger McKay. 

The Grotto (and Labyrinth)

If flying into Portland, I highly recommend the stop here, exactly as I did. Would not change a thing. The Labyrinth was so unexpectedly experiential, I'd be interested in hearing what others feel and experience on their own journeys. 

First Stop: The Column

I would definitely recommend starting at the Astoria Column (drive, don't walk like I did), especially if the sky is blue and visibility is clear. I suggest this mainly because you get the free passes to all the other museums with your parking fee, so it’s a money saver in that regard, but also because it's a quick drive up and the parking pass is good for days, so you can keep returning as I did for different views (day/night, gloomy/clear). 

If the weather is good and you're up for a hike, do the Cathedral Tree Trail just off the parking lot. The forest is gorgeous and the views on a clear day could be really cool. 

If you think you'd like to sit and enjoy the views, bring a towel with you to wipe off the chairs (even on a clear day, it is a generally moist environment, so better to have the towel and not need it…). 

You can buy a little glider at the gift shop. If you're up for a climb, go up the windy stairs to the top, I'm sure the view from up there is amazing and probably unobstructed. You'll be able to see the ocean on a clear day. 

Other Recommended Places

Definitely visit The Heritage Museum and Flavel House Museum. I am not a museum person and I thoroughly enjoyed both of these, especially knowing the stories behind the artifacts I was seeing. 

Your visit to Astoria is not complete without stopping at the Fort Astoria / Fort George park. There's no admission, and there's really not much to do there, so just go on your way to something else, it'll take five minutes, twenty if you really push it. 

I didn't visit the Film Museum but if you are a film fan or Goonies fan, it is undoubtedly a good place to stop. There are also a couple shops / businesses that are Goonies themed if you're interested as well. 

Grab a tea, a loaf of sour dough, and/or lunch at the Blue Scorcher Bakery and Café. It was so good, I went twice for the grilled cheese. The chai tea was "all spice, no sweet" as the barista told me, and it delivered! 

Fort George Brewery had great pizza, great beer and a great atmosphere. Definitely a good stop. I didn't make it to the Astoria Brewery, but it would be on my list if I went back. 

Where to Stay

I noticed a place called the Cannery Pier & Spa when looking at a map or something, and it seemed like a cool place to stay potentially. 

That being said, I cannot say enough about where I stayed. The historic Captain Johnson house hosted by John on Airbnb was absolutely perfect. It was cozy inside, the bathroom was perfectly operable (and I'm very judgey about bathrooms), the toiletries were lovely, the bed was comfortable, there was furniture for sitting, eating and working, a kitchenette for preparing and storing food, TVs with streaming, board games and notably Goonies-themed games which might have been fun to play with others, especially fans. It was walkable to food, shops, sites and museums, and parking was no problem (unless your parallel parking is rusty - an opportunity to practice!).

General Recommendations

As far as solo trips like this goes, I should have brought my portable tripod because there were a few times I wished I could have someone take a picture of me instead of my usual selfie, and there wasn't always someone around (and I don't really like to ask people - lol). Especially at the Astoria Column, it would have been nice to capture different angles. 

As with walking most places, I would definitely recommend varying your routes when you can, go up one street and back down on another, and also varying which side of the street you walk on. I noticed more historic markers this way, and more details like lovely flowers and different scenic views. 

As a bonus, Pokemon Go actually helped me identify a headstone I hadn't realized was there, so it pays off to play Pokemon Go as one way of exploring a new place. 

Gloom, Goals and Grilled Cheese: My Astoria Journey

For the week of Thanksgiving, since I am not a turkey-stuffing-gravy-kind of person, I did something a bit out of the ordinary for me, but it was glorious because it was 100% for me. I took a solo trip to Oregon, flying into Portland and then driving to and staying in Astoria. Inspired by what started as an AI-generated rabbit hole of curiosity which had spewed out the makings of an obscure non-fiction historical book, I wanted to spend time in the place I had written 20,000+ words about, visit the museums, see the places, feel the cool, damp environment, and grasp additional interesting anecdotes and tales to further develop my manuscript. The trip, though, was so much more than what I could describe. But here is my attempt, anyways. 

I did the things, to be sure, and ate the foods, with delight. But the emotional journey and ups and down, the growth in reframing inconveniences as opportunities instead of small catastrophes, sort of mimics the story of Astoria, and I pulled from the perseverance of the people who survived the unthinkable to manage my emotional tribulations. 

The trip had been planned for months, as is my way, but a number of factors had me in a state of stress prior to departing. For one, I had multiple challenging personnel issues at work that were weighing heavily on my mental state and taking up a lot of my thinking capacity. While I know I am not seriously considering quitting, it does seem like if I could find a way to make the same comfortable living with writing, that would be far more preferred. Romantically, I've been in a weird purgatory state that I suppose is largely self-imposed, or at least, I could break out if I really wanted to, but for some reason, I'm stubbornly allowing myself to reside in that space even though I find it hugely unpleasant. But even if I could bring myself to do it, breaking out of that state would not instantly solve the underlying pain of being single and not wanting to be. My ever-present ambitions in constantly changing topics and talents provides rabbit holes for me to utilize to feel productive while actually procrastinating on actually finishing whatever I've set out to do. 

So as I finished packing the night before my flight, and even as I drove to the airport, I was aware of the intrusive thoughts and my heightened stress level, both of which needed to be calmed for this trip to have the significance I wanted for it and to achieve my objective: finish and set for publishing my manuscript. 

Two mimosas into the flight, I was starting to feel a little bit better, and when the flight attendant apologized for running out of champagne, I switched to a red wine to round me off before I had to sober up for the drive. The alcohol and first class service helped take the edge off for me, and I settled into the book I was reading for additional info on my subject of study. 

Upon arriving in Portland, I was fighting travel stress as I walked the long corridors of the airport to the rental car center. Avis had my car ready for me but it was an EV, which instantly gave me range anxiety knowing the distance I'd be traveling. I tried to change my car on the app but, as is typical of Avis, the app didn't want to log me in and sent me through a spiral of infuriating technical issues that didn't need to be at all. I finally gave up and decided to take the chance on the less than 300 mile range, and I'd figure out how to charge it in Astoria if needed. Or I'd let myself be stranded and have another reason to hate Avis. (I only use them because that's what my company uses so my points are through that. Otherwise, I much prefer National.) 

(Partial) Day 1: The Grotto (and especially the Labyrinth) - 12,191 steps

Before heading to Astoria, I had planned for myself a quick stop to the nearby Grotto. I don't recall how I had originally learned about this place, but it was a very short drive from the airport and I figured it'd be good to stretch my legs before the drive. The Grotto itself was very cool, but not as dramatic as I perhaps had hoped. I spent most of my visit wandering the Upper Gardens which features lots of religious sculptures and places as well as gorgeous trees and a small stream. I knew I wanted to do the Labyrinth, so I headed straight there, stopping only occasionally to take in the fresh air or snap a scenic photo. 

There were two women there when I walked up, one was sitting while her companion was walking the Labyrinth. I gave her space while taking a few pictures on the side, and once they left, I embarked on my Labyrinth journey. 

I assumed the labyrinth would wind around the outside and eventually nearing and then entering the center. Instead, it actually took me quickly right next to the center, and then out again. I noticed that there were a lot of sharp switchbacks right away in rapid succession. As I continued on, the distance between the switchbacks lengthened. I imagined this was by design, a way of calling our attention to the quick turns as we got into the groove, pulling us out of our intrusive thoughts. The walk felt more meditative as the long stretches grew longer. When I made it to the center, I did feel a bit transformed, and certainly calmer, almost feeling achieved (even though all I had done was walk on a given path). My desire to capture the moment prompted a quick selfie, after which I returned my phone to my pocket and allowed myself to focus on the nature around me for a few moments. When I was

feeling better, I started my journey back out, following the path in reverse. The long lengths between switchbacks gradually becoming shorter made me think it was like the Labyrinth was slowly bringing us back into this world, gently waking us up and reminding us of the real things via the twists and turns. As I was so engrossed in my thoughts and feeling about the labyrinth, a leaf falling near me caught my eye and honestly startled me as much as the sudden appearance of a bear would have. I laughed a little at myself and continued on. At one point, I had a dread of being lost, which is sort of hilarious given its just a flat layout of stones and I could easily just walk off at any time. But I was certain for a moment that I had somehow mistakenly gotten on the wrong the path and was now headed in the wrong direction. It was quickly resolved though as I continued and realized I was nearing the beginning. 

What a weird experience! Or rather, set of weird experiences, as there were so many emotions felt along a relatively short and exteriorly uninteresting journey. As I walked away towards another part of the garden, I considered that I wouldn't want to walk a labyrinth regularly, at least not of that scale, because I didn't like the switchbacks; they halted my movement in a way that actually felt unnatural and uncomfortable for my hips. But the meditative state achieved by following a pre-established path so that I didn't have to think about things like watching cars at street crossings or making decisions about which way to go could be recreated in other ways. 

The rest of the gardens were beautiful but I didn't have much to note, other than overhearing a passing woman say to her friend that she felt like she was in Twilight, which I totally understood. We were, in a way, since much of it was filmed in Oregon. 

My drive was through wet, foggy conditions, and my thoughts were haunted by the rapidly decreasing range on the car. I would definitely have to charge it before attempting to drive back to Portland. I tried to put this unnecessary anxiety out of my mind. As I neared Astoria, I caught sight of a huge lumber enterprise, which I knew had been one of the supporting industries during the time of interest in the book I was writing. As I glimpsed the modern operations, I tried to imagine what it looked like in the 1840's to 1860's, and was wholly impressed with both. 

I found my AirBnB easily; an iconic historic home built towards the end of my period of interest, and close to the sights and museums I'd be visiting. Utilizing my rarely exercised parallel parking skills, I got the car in place just outside the house, entered with my code and brought my things in. The bathroom and bedroom were upstairs, so I left my backpack and a few things in the living room downstairs and took the rest of my stuff up the tight, awkward staircase. Since it was already dark and late, I was in for the night, and a little exhausted to be honest. I passed out easily and awoke early the next morning on my own. 

Day 2: Fort Astoria, Heritage Museum and Maritime Museum - 16,352 steps

It smells like fish. The minute I stepped out of the house the smell hit me, and it is not a smell I enjoy in the least. 

My body didn’t seem to get the memo that I could sleep in. After a little more than 6 hours of sleep, I was ready to go. I am a morning person, to be fair, but I wouldn't have minded a little extra sleep without an alarm to interrupt. Nevertheless, I had a lot to do and I was excited to get going, but the museums didn't open until later in the morning, so I decided to walk to the public park that marks the spot of the original Fort Astoria. On my way, I noticed a shop called Ohana which made me wonder if the owner's heritage was part of the Kanaka laborer who migrated from Hawaii and were so foundational to the origins of the town and its industry. 

I knew what to expect from the park - it was a very modest structure with a mural depicting what you could imagine Fort Astoria looked like in 1811, complete with a dog playing. While I was taking some pictures and appreciating the environment, a woman and her dog came along and started playing fetch, so the dog unwittingly reenacted the mural in the background. On the backside of the sign has a map of the fort's plans. One of the things I wanted to make a note of was the placement of the Hawaiian's quarters, outside the fort. The memorial to Ranald MacDonald is there too, telling a 
bit of his strange story, both in English and in Japanese.

Always attracted to water, I then made my way down to the coastline of the great Columbia River. It was a drizzly, overcast day so the view wasn't that great, but the low clouds gave it a spooky look and, well, it was fitting considering the theme of my book being that this place is miserable, cold and wet. I discovered a little park dedicated to the Nordic heritage of many immigrants to the area, and browsed the displays, ensuring I found all 6 "hidden" trolls (they were not, in fact, very hidden at all). 

While walking around the town, I was absolutely endeared to the fact that the trash cans were all decorated to mimic various brands of canned fish and salmon, referencing the boom time industry when Astoria was the world's capital of salmon canning. I also noted some historical buildings which I had become familiar with the stories I had read, especially in the Haunted Astoria book which was disappointingly void of strong evidence of ghostly presences. 

Finally, the museums were open. I headed to the Heritage Museum first, paying the inexpensive admission price. By now, I had been wandering for over two hours, so spotting the bathroom, that was my first stop. That's probably an unnecessary detail, but I've written it and that's that. 

The first set of exhibits were most applicable to my book - the beginnings of the town as a fur trading post. While I had already learned quite a bit in my research and reading, the exhibits did a good job of making the historical knowledge visual and tangible. Pelts from various animals were on display with encouraging signs to touch them and choose your favorite. I was surprised at some of the textures, and found I like the ermine the best. 

The coat of arms for the Hudson's Bay Company was displayed, and I had to look up the Latin, which meant "a skin for a skin." I thought it was funny and maybe a little foreshadowing, given what happened at Fort Astoria / Fort George over the years in the name of the fur trade. 

I studied the list of crew and passengers aboard the Tonquin which was the first crew to land and settle in Fort Astoria. Captain Jonathan Thorn, I knew, was a terribly mean leader. I found it interesting that under the crew, two names were

listed with the title simply of "boy," one of them was a James C. Thorne. I wondered if he was the captain's son, but could find no reference to James or any connection anywhere else. It was one of many dead ends I would pursue. With so little historical records of Astoria, many of these people are just a name on a list, their stories lost to all but imaginations. 

The leader of the overland expedition was Wilson Hunt, and seeing his portrait, it was obvious why the more outdoorsy types along for the trip were skeptical of his pathfinding - he was definitely a business man and not a journeyman. 

The presumed oldest headstone in the Pacific is in the museum, belonging to Donald McTavish who drowned in the treacherous river just months after arriving in Astoria to take over Fort George. I was curious why the headstone wasn't in the Pioneer Cemetery, but perhaps its just its claim to being the oldest that makes it a museum piece. 

There were a lot of familiar portraits and some great maps illustrating the insanity of Astor's quests. I also enjoyed the Indian artifacts there, as the items traded are often hard to imagine or absorb without visuals like these. 

In a bit of a jarring transition, the next set of exhibits were much more modern - talking about Clark Gable's theater debut in Astoria and the filming of the Goonies in the 1980's. 

Redeemingly, there were separate rooms focusing on various topics. The first of these which I entered was about the indigenous people and their way of life prior to the European colonization. I'd been thinking recently about how getting out in nature is a prescriptive cure for general sadness, and what is lost in our modern lives by being cooped up in sealed buildings instead of living as these people did, so it was timely to see models of what that looked like. 

Going upstairs, I was greeted by the hilarity of the sinful side of the town: prostitution, gambling, and bars. Apparently, Astoria was known to be the best red light district in the Pacific region! Good on them. I really enjoyed the recreation of the bar known as The Louvre. 

There was another room full of early photography and film artifacts and information, with more Goonies memorabilia. 

There was another room dedicated to the lumber industry which took root (pun intended) near the Columbia given its dense population and ease of floating logs down the river. This area also talked about berry-picking and butter churning, including an eye-catching model of a dog-powered butter churn. 

One of the final rooms I went into dealt with discrimination and racism, including artifacts from the local KKK and a map of where discrimination took place. It talked about the Chinese laborers who did a lot of the brunt work for the early canning efforts, the Hawaiian Kanakas who made up a large portion of the populating in the fur trading days, and celebrated the first black-owned business in town. 

I looked at the many books on offer, skimming several of them, and also noting some archival publications. I purchased a book and a few postcards and headed out for lunch. 

The Fort George brewery, tempting me with beer and pizza, was not open for another few hours, so I popped into Blue Scorcher Bakery and Café and was not disappointed! They made loaves of sour dough bread there and had on the menu a grilled cheese made on sour dough, which sounded like the perfect thing, along with a chai tea, to warm up. It was so good, I went back later in the week. I noted, too, that there was an EV charging station across the street, which would be very convenient since it was a short walk from the house and I could grab a bite at either the bakery or the brewery. 

On my way to the Maritime Museum, I got a good little laugh at a couple punny store names - B Serious Music Store and Bach n Rock. While not punny, I also thought it was funny that the adjoining store advertised, "CDs, Tapes, Incense." That seems perfect. 

While I had a very narrow focus, and therefore didn't spend a ton of time on the modern parts of the museum, I did really enjoy the life-sized models and mannequins posing as fisherman, showing the nets and tools of how it might have looked back in the 1800s. My ticket came with an entrance onto the lightship Columbia which was closing soon, so after looking around for a short while, I headed outside to redeem my lightship tour. It was cool to be aboard a ship like that, as it always is, but I was feeling my motion sickness quickly, so I didn't linger longer than necessary. I went back to the museum and spent a little more time in some of the other exhibits I hadn't seen yet. After perusing the books and gift shop there, I was pretty exhausted, so I headed back to the house for some downtime. 

I went out to the Fort George Brewery for dinner, and as I was locking up, the greeter cat, Annie, came out to see me. I had brought my laptop hoping to do some work on my book while eating and drinking but the wait for the tables was pretty lengthy and the bar was open, so I instead sat at the bar and used my phone to do some archival searches. After dark, the model fort was list up with Christmas lights, so I took a few pictures on my way back to the house. 

Day 3: Wet Thanksgiving Hike to the Astoria Column - 12,767 steps

I had a Thanksgiving morning perfect for my style - leftover pizza (and I really treated myself by reheating it, too!) and watching the parade in bed. My sister and nephew were at the parade and were cheering on the NAU band whose membership included many of my niece's friends, so that was fun to exchange pictures and videos with my sisters and niece. After the parade, I showered and got ready for my day's adventure. 

When I stepped out, I noticed happily that the fishy smell of yesterday was noticeably absent. Whether that was because of the rain or due to the reduced commercial fishing activities, or a combination of both, I was appreciative. 

I had estimated that the Astoria Column was within walking distance when I planned my trip, and having seen a sign on one of the nearby intersections directing to it, I decided I'd try to find my way without my usual aide of GPS navigation. It was another drizzly, gloomy day, but I figured I was dressed for the weather and I had nothing better to do since most places were closed, so let's go! 

I was successful in finding my way with the helpful signage, but I had not anticipated how uphill the whole journey would be. What was worse, once I got on the road for the park, there was no sidewalk, so I had to carefully walk on the edge of the road and ensure I stayed out of the way of cars coming down the winding road in dark and rainy conditions. Definitely not ideal, and I would not recommend doing that. I considered multiple times turning around and getting my car, or calling an Uber to take me the rest of the way, or maybe at the top I'd make a friend who could take me at least down the hill back to the sidewalk. Tired and in a pretty glum mood, I caught something out of the corner of my eye.

It was a deer, and it was watching me from behind some shrubbery. I grabbed my phone and took a couple pictures before I realized I had three, no four, deer, watching my from various vantage points. After taking a few more pictures, I was definitely encouraged. This is why we walk in nature. Something like that could easily be missed while driving. And the close encounter was so cool. 

I happened to be listening to an audiobook about the healing effects of walking through the woods, so I tried to channel my thoughts towards breathing in the piney foresty scents, imagine the fresh air healing my asthma. I had inadvertently forgotten my little Belle bag that has my hair bands, chapstick, and most importantly, my inhaler. So I had to be conscience of my breathing, but thankfully, I had zero asthma-feeling issues through all this walking and hiking up and down the hilly town. 

The road takes a turn that reveals the Astoria Column in view up a steep grassy hill. While the road continues around the hill and up, it was clear that many people had taken the more direct unofficial path up the grassy hill. I opted to stick to the road, but it was a neat view to see the destination. Neat, or tormenting? We'll go with neat. 

Finally arriving at the top, I admired that the view would probably be pretty good on a clear day. There are winding stairs up to the top of the column, but considering both my exhaustion and the lack of a view, I opted out of that climb. I also noticed a trail, but again opted out of that. After capturing some pictures, I used the restroom and headed back down the hill, now very cold and wet through my pants. At least it's down hill, right? I mean, yes, but those quads definitely got a workout from the steep hill down. 

The Pioneer Cemetery was along the way, and while I had noticed it on my way up, I decided to stop on my way down and check it out. Unfortunately, there are not too many headstones anymore, and I didn't spend a ton of time there, wanting to get out of the rain. 

Back at the house, I debated taking another hot shower to warm up, but opted to have my ramen and sit under my bed covers. The chill was deep, though, and it took me longer than I expected to warm up. Nevertheless, I got a lot done on my book, incorporating the new things I had learned from a running checklist I had used to take notes. 

Looking closer at what my host left for me, I noticed there were several passes to the museums which I had already been to, as well as one for the Flavel House Museum. I was bummed I hadn't realized they were there before paying for admission, but it wasn't a lot of money and I figured I'm helping the local economy or whatever. 

The host also had left out, either intentionally for me or as a usual thing for his guests, books about Astoria. I was familiar with one of them, and had deemed it out of scope so I hadn't read it in depth. But since it was there, I spent some time perusing sections of it. The Haunted Astoria book I had already bought and read was there, so I didn't need to look at that one. But there were a couple others about Astoria and the greater region which I also skimmed through. It was surreal reading one book which detailed historic homes still standing today, and realizing 
one of the entries, while entered under a different name for some reason, was the address of the house in which I was sitting. 

There were also some sweet treats left for me by my host, so after finishing my work for the evening, I rewarded myself with a turkey-shaped chocolate - the best kind of Thanksgiving turkey if you ask me! 

Day 4: Bubbles! Flavel House and more - 11,257 steps

The Flavel House Museum was the last museum I intended to go to, and it was a short walk from the house. So, I figured I'd have an easy day - just the museum and charging my car, and other than that just finishing up my book. Sunshine poured through my curtains as I got ready, and it occurred to me that maybe I should go back to the Column (driving, not doing that hike again). 

On my way to the museum, something caught my eye. It wasn't a deer this time, but it took my brain much longer than it should have to process what I was seeing. At first I thought it was a light, no, two lights. But they were floating and revolving around each other? A sprite? Maybe there is some supernatural activity here. No, it was a bubble. A big one, to be fair, but just a bubble. In fact, there were a dozen, fairly large in size, floating from some unseen origin. I watched as several more made their way over the buildings and tried to capture some sort of artistic view of them in front of the Flavel House, to limited success. Turns out, bubbles are hard to photograph, and especially because they don't behave predictably. 

The museum was great! It started with a 13-minute video which I ended up watching a couple times because there was so much detail I wanted to note. The Flavel family history was a little bit beyond the focus on my research, so I had known only a little bit about it, but I was fascinated by the stories and visuals in the video. The house was perfectly splendific. It was old-timey and luxurious, exactly as you'd want to see for a millionaire retiring in the late 1800s. I thought it was interesting there were paintings of ships on the Columbia in the downstairs "public" areas where guests may have been entertained, but in the bedroom, there were more natural scenes void of ships. I especially enjoyed the instruments and the

chaise lounges in the womens' bedrooms. The wallpaper in the dining room and some of the chandeliers could easily fit into my modern décor aesthetic. Near the end of my tour, I found the bathtub, which was near a window with trees outside - a bath with a view - I like their style! 

Checking the weather forecast, it looked like I had about an hour of clear skies before the gloom would return, so I got my car keys from the house and drove up the hill back to the Column. I was charged $5 for parking which also came with a free pass to all the museums I had already paid to visit. Do'h! 

Rubbing salt in the wounds, the view was absolutely AMAZING up there. I had missed all of this yesterday when I had worked so hard to climb that hill - this view would have definitely made it feel more worth it. Ah well, I was glad I got to see it anyways. I had read more about that trail I had noticed yesterday, so I thought I'd give it a go, but as I started down it, the mud was a bit thick for me, so I opted to turn back. With the gift shop open, I browsed it and found a few things to buy as gifts and a commemorative ornament for myself. 

I took my car to the EV charging station - which was now full. A quick search found there was another one a little but further away, not as ideal, but I needed to get this sorted and didn't mind a "little" extra walking. I was able to plug in and, hilariously, the $10 credit I had preloaded and never used on my Blink account in 2011 was still there. All in all, it would take $10.99 to charge the car, so my card was charged for the extra $0.99. 

I debated trying a new place for lunch, but had enjoyed that sour dough grilled cheese so much, I decided to go back to the bakery for more of the same. This time, I also purchased a dessert and a loaf of asiago sour dough to take with me. None of which disappointed in the least. 

Tracking the slow charge of the car, I decided it would be a while, so headed back to the house on foot. The Arizona State rivalry game with Arizona was on shortly after, so I turned that on and continued edits on my book. Based on an estimate of how much charge was needed and the rate at which it was charging, I determined that half time would be a good opportunity to walk to get it and drive back. As I got near the shoreline, I noticed the Astoria Column was glowing. Since my pass was technically good still, I decided to drive back up to see it at night. The car was just barely fully charged when I arrived - I had nailed the timing! I drove up to the Column, took a few pictures, and realized I had nothing else I wanted to do there, given it was dark and there were no more views to see. As I headed back down the hill, my headlights caught the most chill buck with huge antlers just hanging out in a lawn. Back at the house, I finished watching the game and worked to get my book into review. 

Though ASU had started strong, they fell apart and UA won. I submitted my manuscript to be published. Mission accomplished, I rewarded myself with another chocolate turkey. Why can I not eat it without going for the head first? 

 

(Partial) Day 5: Leaving Oregon (Weird) - 7,034 steps

I didn't have anything else I needed or strongly wanted to do, so I let my morning be a little slow, eventually getting ready and packing up to leave. Driving out of Astoria, the song "I'll be Home for Christmas" was playing on the radio, and for some reason, a deep sense of nostalgia for the town came over me. Even though I had focused on only a portion of the history and hadn't fully explored the restaurants and shops a local might, I had come to learn the town's streets and history in a very tangible way, the stories almost feeling like memories to me now. 

On the edge of the downtown area, I was less familiar, having only seen it once as I was coming into town days earlier. I noticed cute houses just past the Co-op that somehow reminded me of the adorable boxy houses in Krakow, Poland. 

I reflected on my journey and what I would do different (that blog to follow). Getting an EV rental car was a result, I recalled, of choosing the "surprise car" option instead of selecting the type of car. The range anxiety I had built up upon realizing I had an EV was, in hindsight, an unnecessary stress to save a little money on the rental. Or, maybe, I thought, it was a small opportunity to solve a problem, and feel accomplished and learn something from it. And, it got me out of the house just a little bit more. I wouldn't have gone to the lit up Astoria Column at night had it not caught my eye on my way to get the charging car, and I wouldn't have seen that gloriously chill buck laying in a yard. I still don't think I would have chosen it without a plan for charging ahead of time, but sometimes making the best of less than ideal situations brings unexpected blessings. It was a bad idea to save a few bucks, but it brought me the joy of seeing a different kind of buck. 

Here's the link to my book! 

Chasing the Aurora: Chena Hot Springs Resort

I stumbled upon this place while researching tours to check off Life List #7: See an Aurora. I was on the fence about booking a multi-day tour with the premium price it punched, versus winging it and not having the complimentary aurora phone call in the middle of the night. But as I perused their itineraries, I stole shamelessly what sounded like fun - including and probably most importantly, the Chena Hot Springs Resort. Now, those tours only did a day visit or one night stay, whereas doing it on my own meant I could stay for multiple nights. So when I finally decided to make the trip, that's exactly what I did. Unfortunately, the rooms with bathrooms were booked up except for one or two nights so I ended up mixing and matching a little - one room for one night and another room for two more nights. But, that afforded me the opportunity to stay in two different lodges, albeit similar.

Before even arriving at the resort, I got pretty excited because the lady at the rental car counter told me she goes regularly for an evening soak, dinner at the restaurant and aurora viewing after. And she said the Northern Lights had been great recently, which I was thrilled to hear, of course. Anyways, always a good sign for the locals to praise a place.

Getting there from the Fairbanks Airport was quite easy in a rental car - its mostly straight on one road for about an hour through wooded landscapes spotted with ponds, lakes and rivers. Signs warn of moose, horses and even dog sled teams.

The first thing that impressed me when I pulled in through the one-lane bridge was how little it felt gimmicky or tourist-trappy. It was sprawling and there were a couple well-placed signs directing where to go, but other than that, it could almost have been a private residence or a simple small business from the looks of it.

I checked in easily and was given a real key (not a key card), which I actually prefer because I've had too many instances of the key card getting demagnetized or just not working and it's such a hassle! I decided to check out the lodge and locate my room before lugging all my stuff in, so I stopped in at the Moose Lodge first. My room was on the second floor so I walked the length of the floor hoping to find an elevator. With no such luck, I knew I'd have to carry my suitcase up the steps. Not my favorite thing to do, but that's why I packed lightly. Actually in hindsight, since I'd be moving rooms after the first night, I should have just packed what I needed for the one night into my backpack. But I wasn't really sure what I'd need in all fairness, so here we are.

 

The hallway was very warm, like they were overcompensating for the cold by pumping extra heat into the lodge. I wasn't going to complain, though. I did think it was funny when I got to my room and the fan was on and the window was cracked. I got settled into my room and responded to some messages while I debated what to do first. But it was clear, I couldn't wait to get into the hot springs! I slipped into my bathing suit but then faced a funny dilemma - how does one dress appropriately to go swimming but also not freeze while in transit to the pool when its 44 outside? So I basically put back on the clothes I'd been wearing all day over my swimsuit.

After signing the required waiver, I got my towel and headed to the women's locker room. I wasn't sure what I could or should bring into the pool with me, so I left my phone and pretty much everything in the locker, bringing just a bottle of water and the towel. I showered in my bathing suit real quick and then headed outside - wow that's a cold walk! I made it worse by going to the wrong way despite signs that are fairly clear - I got myself to the outdoor hot tub first and it was quite crowded and not what I wanted anyways, so I got myself turned around and headed to the big outdoor hot spring pool.

Stepping in, the water was HOT! It turns out, the whole pool is not that hot, but by certain rocks it is much hotter, including the ramp entering the pool. The pool was very large - probably 4 or 5 times the size of my backyard pool. There were maybe 20 people in there in their little groups and it felt very spacious. What I didn't expect was that the floor of the pool was loose rocks. Not pokey, thank goodness, although some parts were harder.

The soak was glorious! Getting out was rough because you have to once again subject yourself to the biting cold of the outdoors, and those tiny towels were not blocking any of the wind. I decided at a later time that the key was just to soak in the heat for so long that your body maintains the heat and is happy for the cool, crisp air.

After showering, I headed back to my room to get ready for dinner. The restaurant does not take reservations and the wait has been consistent in my experience here, but there is thankfully plenty of comfortable seating in the lobby, bathrooms and a gift shop to make the wait time more bearable or even productive. The food is pretty average - not bad but not anything to rave about. But they have a wide selection, which is great, and you're kind of a captive audience with very few options (if any - I couldn't find any on Google) nearby. If you're on a bit of a budget, it is definitely worth it to bring your own food, especially non-perishable items. There is a microwave in the Activities Center, although the rooms do not have fridges or microwaves.

I was so tired I could barely stay up to do anything, so I called it a night but set my alarm clock for 1:30 am with hopes of seeing the Northern Lights then. I got up dutifully when my alarm went off, although I could see nothing promising out my window. I took my car keys and drove out about 8 miles or so to one of the trailhead parking lots to see if I getting away from the resort would yield any sightings. However, not being totally committed, I was wearing flip-flops and did not have too many layers on, and I got cold quickly. It didn't help that in the total darkness next to the woods, hearing noises behind me totally creeped me out - is it a bear? A wolf? So I gladly got back in the car, but rolled down the window and sat there for a little while longer to give myself a little more time to see something. No dice, and not really even sure if I was in a good position or "doing it right", I gave up and headed back to the hotel. I crashed back into bed with my next alarm set for 6:30.

I woke up the next morning and got ready to go back to the hot springs pool which opens at 7. I wasn't the first one in, but there were only about five or six of us for the first few hours of the morning. Having engaged in a conversation with a local, Rufus, who may or may not have been trying to woo me, I stayed in about two and a half hours - whoops! Instead of going back to my room to shower and get ready, I had brought a fresh set of clothes and toiletries with me, so I basically did all my getting ready there in the locker room. I never ended up using the shower in my hotel room!

Before returning to my room, I stopped by the Activities Center and booked the Aurora Tour from 9:30 pm to 2:30 am that night, as well as the Ice Museum tour for 1 pm. The latter would give me something to do while being "roomless", and the former gave me a much better chance of seeing whatever there was to be seen in the night's sky.

Back at my room, I packed up my stuff and brought it to my car just in time to check out of that room. I left my stuff in the car which actually was quite convenient as I didn't have to go all the way back to my room when I wanted to grab something or drop things off.  

I bought a soda and Gatorade from the cafe and hung out in the Activity Center which was actually quite entertaining and informative. The staff there were really knowledgeable and I learned that there is a dog sledding excursion but you can also just go to the dog yard and pet the dogs. They provided recommendations for hikes of varying lengths and abilities, and talked about the wildlife one may encounter. One activity I passed on but sounded somewhat interesting is the Geothermal Plant Tour.

In preparation for the Ice Museum Tour, I grabbed some extra layers and gloves from my car and returned to the Activity Center to pick up the tour there. The sculptures and architecture sculpted from ice was quite impressive, although to be honest, I was expecting more statues like the award-winning horse sculpture that was in there. Still, it was a fun time, and very cold, as promised. The optional add-on of an Apple Martini served in an ice glass was one of my favorite parts, perhaps because I was quite dehydrated from the hot springs soak that morning (Rufus had offered me water but I declined) and started biting my empty ice glass to get some water. Nevertheless, those of us with glasses partook in the tradition we were informed of, to take the glass out to the parking lot, make a wish, and throw the glasses down to shatter. 

I dropped a couple layers back at my car, and spent some time wandering around the nature trail and then to the dog yard. Unfortunately, the dogs we were allowed to pet were limited to those up for adoption and only if they showed interest. I walked around and most of them were just sleepy and bored looking. One seemed interested but when I approached to pet the pup he or she cowered away. Then one finally got excited about me and tried jumping on me. So I got her to jump up on the box they all have as a little home, and gave her lots of love. In trying to take a selfie, she gave me kisses.

Check in time is technically 4 pm but around 2:30 I headed over to the front desk and asked if it was possible to check in early and sure enough my new room was ready. My thought was to get settled and try to nap all afternoon so as to be able to stay awake for the Aurora Tour. I lugged my suitcase to the room in the far building for the Fox Lodges. Each building is just four rooms connected by one small corridor from the entrance. The nice thing is that there are no stairs. But the rooms are definitely more basic than the Moose Lodge. Still, it was sufficient and I was glad to have a bathroom. Of course, as it seems to go for me, I laid down for my nap and struggled for about two hours during which I don't think I ever got to sleep. I finally relented and got up. I went for a late dinner but started to get anxious as it got closer to tour time since I still needed to added my layers back on (and then some). It worked out, though, I had plenty of time and got to the Activities Center to claim a seat on the bench while I waited with 64 new friends.

I joke, but truthfully I feel I did make some friends on that long and exhilarating tour. First of all, humorously, during role call, my name was called, "Laura, party of 1," and the young woman next to me raised her hand, then "Laura P, party of 1," and I was acknowledged, although obviously I was the first Laura party of 1. Both of us were put into the Bear vehicle with the leading tour guide Alexi (I think?), along with Vanessa and Ethan from Kentucky whom I had met on the Ice Museum Tour earlier that day, a couple from Guatemala, a couple from Mexico City, and another couple. With a half hour trek crammed in these arctic tanks, and a half hour back, plus time in the yurt together, we definitely got to know each other. But I am getting ahead of myself.

So obviously we loaded into the little arctic tanks (I'm not sure what they're called but that seems fitting enough) and it was a bit of a bumpy ride with no snow to soften the lack of shocks. But it was warm
enough, especially with the body heat of my fellow passengers in such tight quarters. I think the worst part of the trip is that we were seated perpendicular to the direction of travel and going uphill, so I felt like I was using one oblique side of my abs only and it was wearing me out. There were bars on the ceiling which seemed secure enough, although I wasn't entirely sure if they were meant to be grab bars. But they were cold so you didn't want to grip them for long, plus gripping them puts your arms in an uncomfortable position and blocks your conversation a bit. Nevertheless, not a bad trip, and at least we can chalk it up to an experience!

I had no idea what to expect on this tour - if we'd be going to multiple spots, for example. Turns out, no, they just take us to a specific spot where they have two large yurts set up and nicely heated, with folding chairs. There were two portapotties which were spacious, heated and had nice smelly candles. Once they gave us the rundown, they set us loose to basically do what we wanted for several hours. They played music in the "main" yurt and served complimentary hot beverages and noodles at request. Obviously, the main attraction would be if/when the Aurora appeared, and they said they would make it obvious so we didn't have to be out there watching. We were allowed to bring our chairs out if we wanted. Once we were set loose, many people lined up for beverages or headed outside.

I decided to just sit for a bit and buckle down until I decided to do something different. I don't think it was ten minutes, maybe not even five, before our driver popped his head through the door and said, "Umm, yeah so the Northern Lights have started." So non-chalantly! I thought they'd be yelling it triumphantly!

It wasn't much when it started, but it lasted for the remainder of the time we were out there, putting on more of a show after midnight and even more so right as we left. The first few times I went out with my chair and set up my tripod and made a time of it. But it was really cold and getting colder, so each time I went in and back out again, I brought less, until it was just me and my tripod, leaving my bag and chair in the yurt. At one break from the cold, I had some hot chocolate, and another, I had the noodles, adding Sriracha to my liking. There were periodic meteors shooting also, which made me wonder what the chances would be of capturing one in my pictures of the Aurora.

Imagine my joy when, and I'm not even sure how this happened, my phone captured a one second video of the Aurora dancing and a meteor shooting! It was absolutely beautiful, and if I wasn't already elated from just seeing the Northern Lights, that just quadrupled my excitement. I was so excited when I saw it as I was looking at my pictures in the yurt, but then I looked around and didn't see anyone to share it with. Finally, some of my group came in and I got to show them what I had captured excitedly. They all agreed it was pretty awesome and we exchanged contact info so I could share it with them once we were back in a service area.

Ethan and Vanessa admired all my photos and were struggling to take decent ones holding their iPhone in their hands. I encouraged them to take my tripod and use that, and they were grateful at how much better their pictures turned out and even took some pictures of themselves. I joined them and they were able to get a couple pictures of me and then I did some better ones of them on my phone.

On the way back, those from my group who hadn't yet seen my pictures got to see them, especially the meteor one, and they all shared in my excitement. It was a bit colder so we turned on the heater and while some of them seemed cold still, I was quite comfy in my layers. We got back to the Activity Center and wearily bid adieu and I headed to my cabin to go to bed. I was surprised at how awake I was and that I hadn't nodded off once - I supposed to adrenaline of the experience had kept me going. I couldn't wait to post the pictures so I got the post started, knowing on the slow wifi it would take a while to post, and finally went to bed.

And well, mission accomplished! For the short remainder of my stay, I enjoyed more of the hot springs and the outdoor hot tub, ate at the restaurant and mostly kicked back in my room, reading, napping and writing.  

If you're considering a trip to the Fairbanks area to see the Northern Lights, definitely plan to come during the peak season. And if you aren't a fan of the cold, the hot springs resort is an incredible option. The tour was great, too! 

California Bucket List: San Francisco annd Bay Area

A California Bucket List could hardly be complete without some icons of "the city", "the Bay" and/or wine country. This trip was especially significant to Jaiman and I, because we had both gone separately before we knew each other, and I found some absolute gems I wanted to encore, while his trip was largely a bust in his opinion, so we had strong urges for different reasons to go back and do it right, and together. Moving to LA county afforded us the shortest road trip from home ever for us, so it was decided that we'd finally go! We picked a weekend and I took Thursday and Monday off (I have all Fridays off already) to make it an extended weekend. We did some rather unique things as well as some typical touristy things, and I hope this post helps you find some gems as well as prepare for what to expect in the touristy things.

 

Day 0 - Wednesday

We actually left Wednesday evening when I got off work, to break up the drive. It afforded us the opportunity to stop in Paso Robles, a last minute recommendation from one of my employees that ended up being a fantastic idea. I might go so far as to add Paso Robles to the California Bucket List - it made that big of an impression on me! We arrived pretty late and checked in to the hotel before venturing out for some dinner, so our options were limited. That ended up not being a problem at all, as it led us to The Alchemist's Garden, where the way-too-cool-for-me bartenders weren't the only ones brewing up amazing concoctions! Notably, they have a fancy setup for the absinthe Jaiman wanted to try, and my mojito cocktail was also quite delish. But the food was the most interesting, there. We started with a Sweet Potato Quasadilla which wasn't too sweet potato for me, and very cheesey. I got the Duck Chalupa with spicy slaw, and Jaiman got the Coffee Rubbed Skirt Steak with sweet potato mash. There were at least a half dozen other tantalizing options on the menu that we'd go back to try. And that was just one place in the picturesque downtown Paso Robles!

Day 1 - Thursday

I wanted to split up the drive for two reasons - for one, there was something very specific on Thursday evening that I wanted to make sure we go to (more on that later), and two, I was hoping to drive up the Pacific Coast Highway a bit, which takes a lot longer, but is so much more scenic. We compromised, and decided to drive direct to Santa Cruz, and take the scenic route from there. This allowed for an unplanned stop to get additional roller coaster credits in Santa Cruz.

The main planned event for Thursday was an adults-only evening at the immense immersive science museum, the Exploratorium. I had visited before, but during the day while they allowed those short people to run around. Given our dislike of other people's kids, we were both stoked to have an adult bevvy and kick it kid-free. Jaiman's only complaint: 4 hours was not enough time! And truly, it's the kind of place at which you could spend all day. We had no problem parking at a meter across the street, and booked the first entry time reservation to maximize our time (and still left wanting more). If I were to do it again, I'd have dinner before the event because the meal wasn't super special (although it did hit the spot after we worked up an appetite playing with the exhibits) to devote more time to the museum. I thought dining there would be nice with a view, but it was too dark to see much anyways. The gift shop is a lot of fun, too, but you could also do that outside of the limited adults-only hours to maximize time in the museum.

Day 2 - Friday

For Friday we knew we wanted to do Six Flags Discovery Kingdom. We have annual passes to Six Flags, so parking and admission were free, but if you have to buy one-day admission, this is one of the cheapest parks. The annual passes are good deals, though, if you're going to go to more than one park or go a few times, they pay for themselves pretty quickly. Labor Day weekend has the best deals.

Our focus was getting on the rides, which we were successful at early in the day, even waiting out the testing of Batman in anticipation of it opening. But unlike other Six Flags parks, this one has animals, too. We touched the rays, watched the sea lion and dolphin shows and laughed at the penguins waddling around. Unfortunately, we missed the land animals, they had gone in for the night by the time we made our way over there. So if I was going to do it again, I'd pop over there first thing and then worry about the rides, so I could see some giraffes!

The bag / loose item policy is always vague and often inconsistent for theme parks, so here's some ride-by-ride info to help you plan.
    • Superman - Had cubbies - Can only have one train so you're pretty safe to leave things
    • Batman - Had cubbies - the ride is loading / unloading continuously so leave items at your own risk
    • Medusa - Had cupholders, some people left hats and other items - Can run more than one train so leave items at your own risk
    • Kong - Had cupholders - Can have more than one train so leave items at your own risk
    • Cobra (family ride) - Had cubbies, but it's mild enough you can probably just keep things in pockets or a bag at your feet - Only has one train so relatively safe
    • Joker - Had big bins to hold items

That was also the order we rode the rides in, notably, Joker was closed almost ALL DAY... we wrapped up our day - we thought - with shopping and then literally were walking out of the final turnstile when we saw the Joker run - with people on it! The staff was kind enough to let us back in since we had just exited, but normally you would need a stamp. So, if you're interested in riding something that's been closed, get that hand stamp just in case. We couldn't believe how late it had opened, we thought certainly if it hadn't opened by two hours prior to the park closing, it wouldn't open at all that day. Six Flags showed us! Again, it worked out, and while that was the longest wait all day right around 45 minutes, we were grateful to snag that coaster credit.

For dinner, we drove over to the Fisherman's Wharf area for reservations at the Bistro Boudin. The food was incredible from start to finish. The Argentinian Empanadas appetizer could easily be an entrée, and they were served with beets and cauliflower which I really enjoyed as well as  a creamy avocado-cilantro mousse, which Jaiman really enjoyed despite neither of us liking avocado normally. I went with the Spicy Fried Chicken Sandwich, with amazing coleslaw which I don't usually like. Jaiman had the Angel Hair Pasta with Herb Grilled Shrimp.

Day 3 - Saturday

After a late night, we slept in maybe a little too late, and groggily made our way back to the car for one of my favorite drives ever. The drive up to Six Sigma Ranch and Winery is quite a haul, but it is gorgeous, packed with windy, hilly, tree canopy-covered roads and mountainy landscapes. We saw two deer on the way back. Once you turn in, there is a 2 mile dirt road passing by the vineyards and sweeping views with opportunities for wildlife sightings. There are hiking trails at the property, they just ask you to check in with them. We opted for a low-key visit with the day's special tasting, seated on the patio eating street tacos paired with Sauvignon Blanc. As we indulged, we were treated to the sights and sounds of dozens of blue birds and woodpeckers.

I like Six Sigma Ranch in particular because of the namesake certication which has been a major enrichment and part of my career professionally. Also, my first experience here has been other-worldly. One of these days, hopefully I'll make it for an actual tour.

After buying a case to bring home (I was gladly upselled), we made our way to Lagunitas Brewing Company. I had tentatively planned both Russian River Brewing Company and Lagunitas, but given the late time of day, we only really had time and energy for one, and Lagunitas was my preference between the two. Partially because I'd been to Russian River twice and Lagunitas only once with a tour, and partially because I prefer their beers and knew their food would be off the hook. I was right, suffice it at that.

Day 4 - Sunday

We managed to get home Saturday night at a decent time so we could get up earlier on Sunday. Our first planned stop was the Walt Disney Family Museum. I had visited this museum on my first trip to the area 10 years prior, and I tell everyone going to the area about it for this reason: I am not a museum person, but this museum moved me to literal tears. Plus, it's about all things Disney: the man himself (and his family), the start of an empire (and how it adapted over the years), and the theme park projects. Mr. Disney's vision for EPCOT is immensely more elaborate than the park we've come to know and enjoy, and while his vision was not even close to realized, I still find a lot of inspiration in it.

The Walt Disney Family Museum is located very near the base of the Golden Gate Bridge, so for planning purposes, if you're going to be taking in the site of the bridge, this would be a great addition to that outing (or vice-a-versa).

We then ubered to Fisherman's Wharf to let our inner tourists out. Jaiman found a place called the Codfather at which he wanted to eat fish 'n chips, and I ate some of my own "chips" there as well. Jaiman ranked the fish very high in his taste, and that's saying something because he's quite picky in that arena. But the highlight for me, not being a fish eater myself, was the deep fried Oreos.

We wandered to Pier 39 and visited shops to our liking, most notably a Christmas store at which I found a Torii Gate ornament I just had to have.  We walked to the north west part of the pier to find the viewing area for wild sea lions. It was super windy and a bit chilly, but we braved the cold to watch and listen to the ridiculous creatures fight and bark and wrestle and cuddle.

Jaiman wanted to shop at a specific store in JapanTown so we decided to uber that way and maybe eat some Japanese food for dinner. We were a little unpleasantly surprised to find that there was a Cherry Blossom Festival that was just wrapping up when we arrived, so there were lots of crowds everywhere in JapanTown and we were too late to join in on the festivities. Nevertheless, Jaiman got into the store he wanted to go to, but they were sold out of many of the items he was interested in because of the festival. We had not brought jackets for the day, but it started to get a little chilly so we visited a Japanese grocery store and then ubered back to Fisherman's Wharf for dinner. We called it a night early, but had snagged reservations for Monday morning to go to Alcatraz.

Day 5 - Monday

I hadn't intended to do anything in town on Monday, just leisurely pack up and drive home. But instead, we got up early, packed up in a rush, checked out and left our bags at the hotel, then ubered over to the Alcatraz ferry terminal. It was a small boat over, so there weren't enough seats for everyone, but we managed to make the most of it by getting a look outside. It was chilly and rainy at the start of the morning, but the short hike up the hill to the prison got us warmed up and the sun came out by the time we finished the audio tour. The audio tour was free / included in the price - you can either use one of their devices or download the tour on your phone using the QR code and wifi at the dock. Jaiman opted to use their device while I opted to download it on my phone. I wished I had headphones, but it was just fine without. I stopped my tour to take lots of pictures. Unfortunately, Jaiman's tour restarted and there was no way to fast forward, so he missed out on the backend of the audio tour, but otherwise got most of it. After our audio tours, we walked around outside where, even though the sun had come out, it was very windy and chilly. We watched for birds and identified a few species, but the peregrine falcon alluded us.

Since we got back to the pier around lunch time, we opted to eat lunch before leaving town, so we trekked up a couple terrific San Francisco hills to a pizzeria Jaiman found on Google. "Sometimes you have to let Google take the wheel," he said. Google did not disappoint! We landed at Tony's Pizza Napoletana and were floored by the menu. It had so many different styles of pizza, let alone different and pretty unique ingredient combinations. We had Tony's Double Roasted Garlic Bread with cheese, Classic Italian Diavola pizza with hot red pepper oil (hot oil pizza, anyone?), and the Detroit Rosa. All were incredible, and I wish I could try about ten more pizzas!

Sadly then, it was finally time to turn south. We took the fastest route home to Palmdale, which took us through farmlands, and got home in time to unpack and unwind just a bit before going to bed. Back to reality Tuesday. All in all, it was a well overdue trip that lived up to our long-standing aspirations, and we are already thinking about our next San Francisco visit!

Planning Tips

1. Pick the main things you want to do, at least one per day, and then arrange your travel dates and activities around the specific activity restrictions. 
• Alcatraz tickets can sell out, so you may want to plan and buy those in advance. We lucked out, but had to stay longer than I expected on Monday as a result.  
• The adults-only Exploratorium events only happens every Thursday evenings.
•  The Six Sigma tours happen only on Saturdays. We didn't make it for a tour, but landed ourselves at an event anyways.
•  For difficult-to-get-in restaurants, look at what reservations you can get on OpenTable if it's available.   
2. Check for festivals / events that may alter your ability to visit areas and/or may be of interest to add to your itinerary. 
3. Then arrange other far-flung activities around geographic proximity. 
• The two breweries I wanted to visit (Lagunitas and Russian River) were both relatively on the way back from the winery, so we opted to them the same day (even if that did imply a lot of drinking - ah well, vacation, right?).  
• The Charles M. Schulz Museum is in the same area (Santa Rosa), so if that's of interest, you may want to plan that in.  
4. Finally, arrange the remaining items based on expected crowds.
•  We opted to do Six Flags on a Friday which would limit the crowd because some people would be in school or at work. Monday or Thursday would have likely been even better, but it was minimal on Friday so that worked out nicely.  
• We went to the Walt Disney Family Museum as soon as it opened on Sunday to minimize interactions with crowds, and then dedicated the rest of the day to the tourist stuff at Fisherman's Wharf.