Michael here. We're nearing Christmas-time in 2012, but I wrote up this trip summary as we drove from San Francisco all the way home, just at the conclusion of our trip, while memories of our experiences were still fresh.. Albeit a bit blurry in some cases. Just kidding.. But seriously. 

Anyway.. I left everything following the trip's theme song exactly as I wrote it in the car.

I I look back on this trip as being something of a turning point in my life. I definitely came home with some new perspectives on a wide variety of  things. I travelled more than I ever have in my life, and saw beautiful scenery and many interesting locations that offered alternative lifestyles to those of Temecula or San Diego. Perhaps it was these alternatives that opened my mind in a variety of ways, or maybe being on the open road for such long periods of time brought me to a realization of how truly vast this world is.

To be honest, I was not overly thrilled that I had committed to the trip a few days before we set off. I knew that we would be away from home for a fair amount of time, and I suppose I was a bit intimidated by that. I was also not looking forward to spending extended periods of time in the car. Just a few hours into our trip, though, when we walked along a hill overlooking the coast in San Onofre, and proceeded to have an awesome day at Venice Beach.. I knew that we were going to have a great time.

Navigating the streets of Portland into the A.M. after an amazing night at a festival, parking in Seattle ("He's driving on the sidewalk!") and going on to have my first bar experience there.. Even just staying at a hotel in good ol' Seatac.. And so many others.. These are things that I will never forget, and there are no people I'd have rather experienced them with. 

To Robbie and Nick, I love and respect you guys more than you could ever know, and look forward to many more BroTrips and crazy memories created in the future!

- Michael

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We’ve just set off from Mormor’s house, and are on our way back to Temecula. I will do my best to summarize our trip in chronological order! 

Firstly, though, Robbie, Nick and I would like to personally thank: 

Rush, for allowing us to stay with him in San Louis Obispo, and showing us to a nice breakfast in the morning. 

Uncle Dennis, for having us at the cabin in Guernville and providing food, hospitality and  firsthand demonstrations on how to dominate the game of Bocce ball. 

Aunt Carol, who helped with directions throughout the trip, showed us to a great dinner at Joes of Westlake, and had us over for dinner on the final night of our trip.

Mormor, who was an amazing hostess during our time in San Francisco and Daly City.

With that said, I’ll begin...

Road Trip

We left just after 1:00, with our departure reawakening the age-old Manbert “long-trip” ritual. Uncle Rush, Aunt Katie, Elise, both of my parents and even Mormor threw leaves and grass all over our windshield! Not even post-graduation party hangovers could quell our excitement as we set off Northbound, towards Seattle. 

Our first stop came in Palos Verdes. After having driven along the Pacific Coast Highway and seen an array of cliffside mansions - each unique and distinguishable in its own way, as is apparently customary in the area - we stepped out of the car at a point that overlooked a beautiful beach and seaside, as well as the Trump golf course. 

Palos Verdes

Although we were ultimately heading for San Luis Obispo on our first day, we opted to make what we thought would be a brief stop in Venice Beach. Hungry and desperate to find a restaurant in which we could watch game three of the NBA Finals, we crossed the bridges over the Venice Beach Canals, which, as I was told, were modeled after those that can be found in Venice, Italy - hence the name “Venice Beach”. 

We emerged from the canals and their clusters of uniquely designed waterfront homes and set foot on the main strip of Venice Beach. It was immediately apparent that Venice Beach was a place in which many... questionable purchases could undoubtedly be made. We walked for a fair amount of time, taking in what was truly a strange place inhabited by even stranger people - before we knew it, we were nearly two miles from the car. It was hard to believe that such a place could exist less than two hours from our home! We grabbed a bite to eat on the way back, and our meals could generously be described as mediocre. As Robbie put it, “the first stops were awesome, but the first meal was terrible.” Words cannot clearly depict many of the ridiculous things we saw, so I’ll allow some of Nick’s pictures to illustrate our interesting trip to Venice Beach.

Canals behind Venice Beach

Having misjudged the distance from Temecula to Rush’s place in San Louis Obispo, we set off from Venice Beach around 7:00. Robbie’s GPS considerately took us through a narrow mountain pass in the darkness, and we arrived in SLO around 11:00 - much later than anticipated. With Rush having to take a final at 7:00 the following morning, we opted to relax, and ended up having an enjoyable, albeit low-key, night in San Louis Obispo. We awoke the next morning and were shown to one of Rush’s favorite places to eat, where we drank coffee and ate what turned out to be absolutely delicious breakfast burritos. We ate at a table outside of the restaurant, and, in what would be a recurring theme throughout our trip, the weather was perfect. After many laughs with our cousin Rush, we said our goodbyes and departed for Aunt Carol and Uncle Dennis’ cabin in Guernville. 

Our drive to the cabin was quite smooth, and we arrived earlier than we had anticipated. With Uncle Dennis still at work, we took in what has become one of our favorite places to visit - the Russian River, countless redwood trees, and OFRC, or Odd Fellows Recreation Club. Reminiscing about great times past that had taken place at the cabin, we relaxed until Dennis arrived. When that time came (around 6:00), we had drinks and headed down to play some bocce ball - a game that has become somewhat of a cabin-trip tradition, and one in which Uncle Dennis had previously proven himself to be a formidable opponent. With Robbie and Nick teaming up against Dennis and I, we ended the night of Bocce deadlocked at 1-1, with an inevitable game 3 of the series scheduled for the following night. We headed back to the cabin and cooked steaks that Uncle Dennis had picked up. Coupled with mashed potatoes and perfected with mushrooms and a nice dessert, we were treated to a first-class steak dinner on the first night of our stay at the cabin.

Day two at the cabin began, and, with Uncle Dennis at work, Robbie, Nick and I decided to go hiking. We found a scenic trail and walked for about a mile or so, only to be spat out at the main road again. Retracing our steps, we made our way back to the cabin and down to OFRC, where we played basketball and football before spending a fair amount of time at the beach along the Russian River. With Dennis set to get home from work around the same time as the previous evening, we decided to make dinner. Robbie and Nick both suggested that we make chicken skewers. We agreed it would be a good idea and headed to the market, picked up ingredients, returned to the cabin and began cooking. When all was said and done, we had ourselves a delicious dinner. In a brutal depiction of the food chain, we watched in shock as a hawk ate a live crow in a tree directly above the table on which we were eating. Blood-spattered black feathers rained down upon the deck to the point that we were forced to eat elsewhere! In a somewhat cannibalistic display that was apparently reminiscent of a 70’s nature show that both Uncle Dennis and Mormor would eventually recall, the hawk casually finished his meal as crows dive-bombed him from various angles, to no avail. Following our eventful dinner, we again headed down to the bocce court with drinks in hand. In our championship match, Dennis and I would emerge with a decisive victory in which Dennis went extremely clutch, scoring a Bocce with four consecutive precise shots to win the game. We made the walk back to the cabin in the pitch-blackness that enveloped the forest, and played poker for the remainder of the night. Despite his terrible poker face, Nick would eventually amass an insurmountable supply of chips for the victory. 

We awoke the next morning, packed our things, and set off for Jedediah Smith campground, which lies near the northern edge of California. After a beautiful drive up the 101 along the California coast, we arrived in Crescent City, had a meal at a diner, and made our way to the campground. We pitched a tent, and, heeding a great deal of warnings from signs and people alike, made sure to put all of our food into a designated “bear locker”. We decided we would set off for Portland in the morning, rather than stay another day at the campsite. Drinks were had as we listened to music around the bonfire. Tired from the day’s drive, we opted to go to sleep a bit early in preparation for the forthcoming drive. It was at this point that Nick and I realized that we were farther from home than we had ever been! There was still much ground to be covered, though, as we headed towards Portland and, eventually, Seattle.

Our first stop in Oregon played to stereotype - in desperate need of fuel, we found a gas station and stepped out of the car and into the convenience store, in which men with and without teeth cracked tall cans of Coors Light at 10:00 AM. Exiting the store, they proceeded to drive off on their lawn mowers, which they had apparently driven from their houses. Following a beautiful drive through Grant’s Pass and Southern Oregon, we arrived in Portland ready for a good time. We would eventually make our way downtown to watch Game 5 of the NBA Finals, in which the Mavericks scored a dramatic victory much to the delight of a wild crowd at Buffalo Wild Wings, which seemed to double as a sports bar in Portland. After the game, we toured a downtown scene that, due to the fact that the Rose Festival was in town, was crazy and featured some interesting individuals.  Our night preceded a two-mile walk back to the hotel in which we were staying. Crossing a bridge over the Willamette River, which splits the city of Portland in two, we made our way through a seemingly “bad” area of downtown before arriving at the hotel without incident. 

We opted to check out the Rose Festival on our second night in Portland. First, though, we toured the Portland Art Museum, in which we managed to gain VIP access to a car show that featured some amazing vehicles from times past. When all was said and done, the three of us agreed that we would begin painting. Rather than discuss what kinds of art we saw, I will again allow Nick’s pictures to do the talking. 

Our second and final night in Portland began, and we had fun at the apartment before heading into town. We made a stop at one of the famed Portland food trucks, and had Italian food the likes of which I had yet to experience in my life. Upon arrival, we got our tickets and gained entrance to the Rose Festival, and within minutes we were in the front row of a decent-sized concert that was taking place. We would eventually take a ferris wheel ride that allowed us an amazing view of the entire city of Portland. We left the Rose Festival, and, after an eventful night in downtown, we managed to flag down a cab that would take us back to the hotel just after 4:00 AM. 

Upon waking up the next morning, we departed for Seattle, eagerly anticipating our arrival at what had been our ultimate destination since we had begun planning for our trip. A three-hour drive was all that stood in our way, and, after having been in the car for an average of eight hours a day since departing from Temecula, it was over in no time. We managed to book a room in a hostel of sorts, called the College Inn. Featuring dorm-style living and a communal bathroom/shower area, it sat not a minute’s walk from the University of Washington, and had a very European feel to it. Prior to checking in to the hotel, we toured Pike’s Place Market. We saw a lively fish market that is apparently quite renowned along the West Coast (probably more for its atmosphere than product), as well as a vast array of shops and bazaar-style fruit markets. Yet again, I will allow images photographed by the three of us to illustrate the day. 

We returned to the hotel after having literally walked for hours, at which point we headed over to the University of Washington campus, which was obviously very well-funded - featuring a sort of gothic, almost medieval style of architecture that brought images of Europe to mind. We again had some laughs in the hotel before heading to the College Inn Pub, which Nick and I both managed to gain entrance to despite our ages. We shot pool and tried various beers while talking with locals and non-Americans alike. After yet another long night, we made our way back to the hotel.

We checked out of the College Inn the following morning, and headed to a well-known park that overlooks downtown Seattle. We took a good deal of pictures, as the view featured a great look at the Space Needle and the tallest buildings that Seattle had to offer. We then made our way downtown again and saw, among other things, the original Starbucks, a variety of street performers, brightly colored spray-paint murals, the tallest building in Seattle (the Bank of America headquarters), and some great views of the Seattle harbor. Unable to get a room for a second consecutive night at the College Inn, we stayed at a hotel in Seatac, which is named as such due to the fact that it is between Seattle and Tacoma, Washington, respectively. We hung out in the hotel and watched game six of the NBA Finals, which saw the Dallas Mavericks and Dirk Nowitzki emerge victorious over the Miami Heat. In doing so, both the Mavericks as a franchise and Nowitzki captured their first NBA titles. We would then head to a concert that Robbie had found out about, which featured two very talented bands. We had all agreed that people were definitely a bit different in Portland, and Seattle did well to reinforce such thoughts. We headed back to the hotel, and prepared for the Southbound drive that would take us to San Francisco, and, eventually, home. 

Not much can be said for the following day, other than the fact that we were in the car for fifteen straight hours. Making our way from Seattle to San Francisco in one day, we arrived at Santa Ana Avenue and Mormor’s house. After a long drive, we talked and laughed in the kitchen for an hour or so before falling asleep rather quickly. 

We awoke to something that had previously been missing on our trip - a great breakfast.  Mormor made coffee and english muffins before Robbie, Nick and I combined to make eggs and oatmeal for the three of us. We would then head into downtown, and eventually make our way to Chinatown. I will again let pictures depict an event rather than describing it, as Chinatown featured a huge amount of things to look and laugh at. 

After walking through Chinatown for a couple hours, we made our way back to the car and drove throughout downtown. We arrived at the Presidio, a famed army base that functioned in the early 20th century, and continued to the Golden Gate Bridge. Although we had been unable to get a tour of Alcatraz, we had a nice view of the infamous prison from under the Golden Gate. Having planned dinner with Aunt Carol, Colleen and Mormor, we headed to a restaurant called Joe’s, about which I had only heard good things. The service was mediocre at best, much to the dismay of an angry short man with a group eating at a table adjacent to ours. We had a good laugh at his expense, and, despite a long wait and subpar waiting service, enjoyed a great dinner. More importantly, we also thoroughly enjoyed one another’s company - it was great to be with family. A Giants victory capped the night as we saw Brian Wilson close out the Diamondbacks at Mormor’s house before going to sleep.

Our second and final day in San Francisco, and of our trip, for that matter, began with a trip into downtown via BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit). Properly equipped for a good time in town, we headed to Union Square and boarded the Duck bus, which would take us on a tour of the city that featured a drive straight into the bay, as the vehicle doubled as a boat. We saw various landmarks around the city, and eventually sailed directly into McCovey Cove and saw AT&T Park, home of my San Francisco Giants. Following the tour, we were dropped in Union Square and decided to again board BART in order to visit Berkeley. Unfamiliar with BART and public transit in general, we got off one stop too late. With our destination being UC Berkeley, we walked through the city and met some interesting people, to say the least. We saw the famed Berkeley hippies and toured what was, unsurprisingly, an amazing campus. Already short on time, we headed back towards the BART station and boarded our train. Little did we know that it was taking us in the wrong direction! After what we referred to as a BART disaster, we finally arrived back at Mormor’s house to take her to dinner at Carol’s. Steak, potatoes, mushrooms and corn served as an amazing dinner, and, again, we had a great time with family. Yet another Giants victory capped a great night. We returned to Mormor’s house and slept in preparation for the drive back to Temecula. 

...And here I am. Having begun writing this summary a bit after leaving San Francisco, we are now nearing the Los Angeles area. Although I did my best to summarize our trip on a chronological, night-by-night basis, the truth is this: no amount of words or piece of writing can truly do justice to the experiences we’ve all had on this trip, and the memories that have been created.