San Francisco to Bellingham, WA

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Tuesday, December 29, 2009
I headed to the city on BART (a metro train in San Francisco area). It was a nice if cold morning as I arrived to Embarcadero station in San Francisco financial district. My first objective was to visit Coit Tower that offers 360 degree views of San Francisco. On may way there I met a tourist from Japan and we walked a couple blocks together since we were headed in the same direction.

Before long I reached Coit Tower and took the elevator to the top. Yes, the views were spectacular but I was disappointed that the look out windows had glass... After snapping a couple pictures I headed down the tower and then down the hill in the direction of Pier 39 where I was supposed to meet Brianna and her parents. On my way down I ran into a bunch of parrots hanging out in the trees and making all kinds of noise.

Brianna and I went to a house of mirrors--a place where you have to find your way in seemingly endless hallways. Later we visited a Marine Mammal Rescue and ate at San Francisco's oldest restaurant called Tadich Grill. Following the delicious dinner, I went out to a pub with Brianna in Walnut Creek.

Wednesday, December 30, 2009
As I got up on Wednesday morning I decided to head north faster then previously planned. I originally planned to spend a couple days in Redding on my way north but now I was itching to make my way north to be with my cousin Don and his fiance. Brianna offered to keep me company on my ride from San Francisco to Redding and it was a delight to have her along.

After a quick stop in Redding, I headed north as far as I could before stopping for the night. I had a former co-worker who lives in Portland and I called him up asking for shelter but he already had guests from out of town. I ended up spending the night in Salem--the capital of Oregon--an hour south of Portland.

Thursday, December 31, 2009
Most of my Thursday was spent driving to Bellingham--I left at around 10 am and reached Bellingham at around 4:30 pm. I made it just in time for a movie we went to see in a small arts theater. We saw The Road which is an apocalyptic dark tale of the end of the world/civilization. The movie left us in a gloomy mood but only until we arrived to Boundary Bay Brewery where a few beers and a big plate of nachos got us in the mood for celebration. The start of the New Year was marked with a lowering of a keg (much like a lowering of a crystal ball in New York).

Friday, January 1, 2010
Lotte made a delicious vegetarian breakfast the first morning of 2010 and then we headed to the Birch Bay where my cousin Don participated in a "polar bear dip" in the freezing waters of the Pacific Ocean. He totally amazed me by staying in the water for about 5 minutes--much longer than anyone else who went into the frigid waves.

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