Friday, February 6, 2015

The Road to Baja Page 1

We set sail this morning, for points south.  With the amount of rain that was falling, it did indeed seem to be that we were traveling in something between a sail boat and a submarine.  Alas, it was just the Taco(ma) pickup. 

We planned on leaving around 10:00AM and make our first night's destination McMinnville, Oregon.  All packed and ready, we pulled out of the driveway precisely on time. 


Other than fairly heavy traffic and visibility that was limited to what I could see out of a swim mask and snorkel, we made it to our first destination without incident.  

The Evergreen Aviation Museum is home to the Spruce Goose.



 This is a beautiful facility with displays ranging from DaVinci's ornithopter to a Saturn Rocket and an SR71 Blackbird.  All beautifully housed within several rather new buildings. 



We finally pulled into McMinnville, thirsty and in need of accommodations.  If I were on a bike, traveling with my motorcycle amigo, we would have stopped for a beer or two before we saw the need to seek a room.  In this case, it seems that hotels outrank dehydration. On our second attempt, we found a spot about 3/4 mile out of downtown. 

Checked in, our only pressing task was to find libation and food. We discovered a very cool little town.  First off, there is no such thing as more friendly or helpful people.  Lots of shops, bistros, restaurants and brewpubs line the streets to the level that it's hard to decide where to start.  The delightful locals were quick to offer suggestions of their favorites.  

We took a rather scientific approach and visited several establishments, asking each of the bartenders for their recommendations.  We tallied the votes and followed the most often recommended to "LaRambla".  Spanish.  Truly a gourmet offering. 


 

True to the nature of McMinnville, we met more fabulous people there.  Besides taking some of their recommendations for dinner, we spent the remainder of the evening chatting with these delightful folk.  Had an excellent dinner too.  

We have made some friendships here that we hope will endure.  We'll be back for more at a later date no matter what.  

Tomorrow, down the coast and on to the next page. 




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