San Mateo, California to Fort Bragg, California

Around lunchtime we started on our merry way North…trying all the while to avoid traffic. We did fare pretty well considering that there was yet more construction! Bah!

The highlight of our trip, though? We got to drive over the Golden Gate Bridge! Better yet, it was free of charge since we were going Northbound! Double yippie!

Near Ukiah, California, were getting pretty hungry and wanted to fill up our cooler…a quick stop at the Food Maxx left us happier than we expected. They had vegan lunch slices! Woohoo! We packed our cooler then made ourselves a sweet little picnic lunch in the parking lot before getting back on the road.

Our drive took us through Willits, home of the Skunk Train, then up and over a very large mountain on a very, very windy road. We were both glad when we got to the bottom. A short while longer and we pulled into our campsite at MacKerricher State Park right outside of Fort Bragg.

We set up camp, ate some dinner and had our first campfire of the season.

San Mateo/San Francisco, California

After saying farewell to our friends (old and new) we attempted to catch up with some of the group that was hanging out for an extra day or so. It didn’t happen. By the time we got to the Wharf, they had gone on to the Golden Gate Bridge and we were too far behind to catch up…so we hung out on the pier for awhile then caught the BART back to the airport and a shuttle from the airport to the hotel – public transportation, baby! It’s awesome!

On a side note: we went without our camera the entire time we were in the San Francisco Bay Area…call it laze, call it stupid, call it freedom! You may be able to spot us in some of the pictures that our buddies from CafePress took.

San Mateo/San Francisco, California

Darice once again left for CafePress, this time however, Matt got to sleep in nice and late. (The beds at the Hilton are unbelievable – you’ve got to take the opportunity when it arises.)

After the meeting, Matt met Darice near the offices (what a nice surprise) with Starbucks in hand (even better surprise!) and we headed back to the hotel with the rest of the group.

A quick break in the room and down the stairs we went to get on the party bus! A quick ride into San Francisco where we caught a glimpse of City Lights Bookstore and the bus dropped us off in front of Joey & Eddie’s.

Dinner was exceptional. The waitstaff paid special attention to the vegans (yes – there was another one with us!) and made sure we had exactly what we needed. After a ridiculous number of courses and a few glasses of wine we were taking our leave. Just as we were about to head downstairs, one of our waiters pointed out a familiar face at the bar…it was Sammy Hagar! (Oh yeah, he was with Christie Brinkley.) Our buddy Kristen (aka FoxVox) managed to get a picture from the sidewalk.

We both contained our enthusiasm and walked by him…all the while, trying not to stare. Once we were safely outside, Darice let out a school girl scream and tried to explain to the rest of the group that Sammy was at the bar. The East Coasters seemed more impressed by his presence than did the natives…evidently, Sammy ain’t their brand of whiskey. Oh well, it was a thrill for us. :D

After a short stroll, we ended up at Pier 39 (Fisherman’s Wharf) and enjoyed the sights. The sea lions were there and noisy as usual…but it was a bit hard to see them in the dark. We were picked up a few blocks away and taken back to the hotel for much needed rest.

San Mateo, California

Darice went over to CafePress headquarters and did her thing while Matt hung out at the hotel and worked online. At lunchtime we went to CPHQ together and Matt got a tour of the offices. Matt also functioned as the ‘Quiet-on-Set’ guy while Darice was being taped.

The evening that followed was fun and refreshing for us both. Drinks and finger food at El Toritos Restaurant were the backdrop for hobnobbing with the big-wigs. ;)

After we wore out our welcome at the restaurant, we (along with the other CafePressers) took over the hotel eatery and enjoyed a nice sit down dinner.*

* The answer for those of you who may be wondering: No, we can never get enough to eat. ;)

Reno, Nevada to San Mateo, California

After checking out (yes, we were in Reno for just one evening!*) we wandered over to a lovely little barista in the casino and got ourselves some coffee…it was pretty decent as coffee stands go – they even had soy milk and raw sugar! While we were waiting for our java, we took in the atmosphere…the large European fountains were over the top. Our favorite part, however, was the faux forest. The pillars were tree trunks and the ceilings were covered in fake limbs and leaves.

We found our way out of the city with ease. It’s quite small actually and the streets were clearly marked (something which one must never take for granted.) So off to the San Francisco Bay we went!

California was a treat! The highway winds in and out of tree covered mountainside. Route 80 was under construction in Cali too, so we were able to see things close up. We had to stop at an Agricultural Check Point – which looks like the border patrol you see passing between the US and Canada. The big question? “Do you have any fresh fruit in your possession?” Darice (being who she is replied, “Only some old apples that we need to get rid of.” This made the officer laugh and he asked more specifically, “…any cherries or citrus?” “Nope.” So we were waved through. (Guess we didn’t look as shifty as we once did.)

We stopped for lunch at ‘The Summit’ near Donner’s Pass – which got Matt to giggling and enjoyed some of the best salad and veggie burgers we’ve had in a while.

After more of Rt 80, we were nearing our destination and took a few smaller (yet well populated) California highways. The scenery was rather dull – golden to be exact. Rolling hillsides (dry from drought) with green bushes and trees were the signature memory, until we reached San Mateo. We got to take the San Mateo-Hayward Bridge, which was pretty darn cool – we had a bird’s eye view of the bay. :)

We checked into the hotel around 7:30pm, got settled, had a pretty low key night and went to bed nice & early.

* This is not the norm; at least that is our impression. All of the front desk employees were exceptionally confused by our one night stay. A note to travelers interested in Reno: Evidently there is a fee for just about everything, so our $50 room turned into an $80 room…no biggie, but it was a surprise.