road trip: a little shoppy shop, a little noshy nosh

 

flowers on the side of the road and fancy toast

We left before the sun was fully up to head out to Chico for a few days of exploration. Leg stretches are a good thing when you're on the road. Leg stretches with added wildflowers are even better. Lovely little fiddlenecks dressed in morning dew always make me smile. 

As always (how did I gt so lucky?) the fella waited patiently while I took far too many photos of wee yellow wildflowers, after which we did a tick check, because tall grass and deer. No ticks, phew! ! 

Our first stop was a mid- breakfast bite at Good Day Lucille in Modesto. I found its niftiness online and it did not disappoint. The staff was super sweet and friendly, and you could tell they had a crew that enjoyed each other and the locals. 

My breakfast toast may not look like much, but I kept thinking about it all week, it was THAT good! Locally made bread with mascarpone, homemade strawberry jam, and a granola sprinkle. SO GOOD! 

 

slumber party in the driveway

We slept in the van in the driveway to see if she would be comfortable enough or if we needed to add anything. Mister made screens for the passenger windows so we could get some circulating air without mosquitoes. The bed is comfortable enough. More so than sleeping on the ground in the tent. The only catch is my tiny bladder. I'm gonna have to cut off the beveraging around 5pm...methinks...also...epic bedhead! 

meet vera

Did I tell you we bought a van? Meet Vera. Vera CamperVan Beethoven. A Transit Connect, to be exact. Yep, the same type of vehicle we were trying to get back in 2010. It only took us seven years.

We weren't originally looking for a passenger van but this one had the right price, was in the grouping for the year we wanted, had pretty good mileage, and was local! The only downside, is that it is black. I swear I feel like THE EYE when I am driving it...which doesn't happen often, as I'm a weirdo with car anxiety and have to take baby steps when driving a new vehicle. If it was me on the bus with Keanu, we'd all have crashed and there would have been no movie.

The first thing and the main thing that the mister did was build the platform. The whole point of the van is so we have something to sleep in without having to pitch a tent for a day. The platform is to create a level place for the camp pad to go so we can catch some ZZzzzzzzs....under the platfor there are three compartments. The center compartment is for the camp chairs, with the other two to house boxes and bags. We left one passenger seat in place as it folds flat enabling us to put the platform on top. This way, if for some reason we need to transport someone we can.

I found a foam pad on Amazon for $10 that fits perfectly on top of the camp pad. It all stays in place with the road trip sheet holding it in. See the chairs there?  Things are happening.

And because, the mister is the mister, we hit up JoAnn's for some sun fabric to create an awning to sit under for rain or shine. Luckily there was a sale and I have a teacher discount card so it cost us just under $50 for the fabric...outdoor fabric is expensive! Yikes! The poles are bamboo pieces we found in Los Osos. We are nothing if not frugal.

So, there you have it...here's to new adventures!

big trees, tiny mushrooms

Back in November we road tripped ourselves up to Eureka...we stopped along the way at a variety of places, but I think my favorite was Founder's Grove with all them loverly Redwoods! I am a forest girl at heart though I think I love the forest more than it loves me...cough, cough, wheeze, wheeze...here are a few sights from our wander....

and then there was the accordion festival....

The mister and I have not been to the Accordion Festival in ten years so we decided it was time we took a mini road trip up north. We loaded the car up with a few snacks, beverages, and tunes, and hit the road.

 

But first, lunch at Jimtown Store in Healdsburg, California (aka Napa Valley, where there are more wineries than you can shake a stick at). The driving was slow but the gas prices were great! It had been about eight years or so since we visited Jimtown so it was a must see in my book (the food is fantastic!) We chowed down on burgers that were so good I am still thinking about them (the pickels made them). I had many glasses of the best hibiscus tea ever. After we ate, there was a quick wander around the shop where while I forgot to pick up a jar of those amazing pickles, I did pick up two enamelware mugs to replace our fire king on camping trips.

Our digs for the weekend was at your average run of the mill Motel 6 that charges you $5 for wifi! The rooms were clean but that service fee is stupid. We said no thanks to that and hit up both Starbucks and Burger King for an instagram fix each day. It helped that the motel was in the same parking lot as a Black Bear Diner which is where we fueled up for breakfast.

I had to be at school on Monday so we only hit up the festival for one day. One very long, music-filled day. It was great! We picked up a nifty contraption to use when sitting to help ease back pain and all that jazz. The guy selling them did not have a card or website and I can't find anything like it online right now but when I do I'll let you know. It went around your waist and looped over your knees using your own body weight to counter balance your position so your back would not hurt. The mister and I paired off throughout the day and our backs felt great! I also got a nifty wrap-a-round skirt dealio that doesn't actually wrap around me but is ruffely and will look nifty with jeans, and boots. Kinda steam punky a la jek.

So many great acts and interesting people to see. There were accordions everywhere of course and I am happy we made the trek up for it. It was really crowded though and some of the people used up way more space than they should have and that may have make me a little bit cranky but overall it was a great day.

There were food vendors, candle makers, parasol sellers and more. There was a dance dance set up for polkaing and waltzing, and there were various other acts scattered about the grounds. We're thinking this may be a neat place for the mister to peddle his ukes at next year. 

We ended the day with a delicious Vietnamese dinner and some fresh fruity Paletas from fru-ta. Woke up early the next day for a quick bite at Bovine Bakery before heading south to IKEA in Emeryville so that I could pick up a shelf for the classroom. Phew! More Cotati pics to follow!

summer road trip: lunch in flagstaff

We left Tara's to head up to the Petrified Forest. We stopped in Flagstaff for a leg stretch, wander and lunch. Lunch was had at Cafe Pickles where the staff was super friendly and the food perfect for a road trip. Mister got a deep fried hot dog (hey, we were on the road) and I got a cuban sandwich. We did not however, get deep fried pickles. I'm thinking maybe we should have, you know, in the spirit of the road trip. Sigh.

After a walk around back to the car, we got back on the road and headed towards some dark skies. Yay! It had been HOT in Arizona and yes, we knew it was going to be, but still...it looked like ran was in our future, onwards to the Petrified Forest!