West Coast Road Trip: Snowy Roads to Portland and South

Snow, fog, sleet, and rain beautify the evergreen mountains, but make for mindful driving conditions.

Our plan was to drive from Nevada City to Portland with one overnight in Ashland, OR.  Plans were thwarted by snow and a closed Interstate-5 freeway near Mount shasta.  We stop in Anderson, CA near Redding, for the night as we figure our plans.  We take a detour West to 101 to avoid the high Sierra snow stopping in Eureka to see Niki, and another night in a random Best Western before we finally make it to PORTLAND!  Just in time for Christmas with the Grovers.

memorable Christmas Eve with the lovely Grover family

Charlie and Javier

Amelia and Javier

Thanks so much to Chad and Anna, and Frani, Mike and Martha for hosting us.  Martha was our first roommate in our Glen Park Cooperative in San Francisco.  Frani takes us home hunting. We also meet up with Amber and Ethan for delicious tea.  We wish we could catch up with our Portland friends more often!

Multnomah Falls near Portland, OR

We take a hike to the top of Multnomah Falls.  We visit Columbia Ecovillage as a potential place to live, and join for dinner.

Community dinner at Columbia Ecovillage in Portland, OR

This co-housing community grew out of retrofitted apartment buildings and a farm sitting on 3.7 acres.

Happy chickens at Columbia Ecovillage in Portland, OR

After happy reunions and meetings in Portland we drive south stopping in Ashland, a cute college town.  Breakfast at Morning Glory, hearty and delicious, fills us up for a long safe drive to San Francisco, without any road closures.

  Hcalling friends with an old-school phone at Columbia Hotel in Ashland, OR

Mount Shasta awes us with its snowy white peak floating above trolling hills of scrubland.

We make it in time for a New Year’s Eve Party hosted by Matthew and Sheila.

May it be a

Happy

Healthy &

Prosperous

2013!!