Thursday, July 12, 2012

Going From Zero to Sixty in Two Days

Tuesday was travel day as we left Medford, Oregon and drove to Sonora, California. No major stops along the road but we continued to find things of interest.  In the shadow of Mount Shasta is Shasta Lake, where we took a potty stop (not in the lake, you silly person--in the rest area!). It was a gorgeous surprise and a houseboat haven.  I definitely could spend a week there.


Cameron, via Yelp, discovered a divine dinner locale as we traveled through Sacramento. The Magpie Cafe was one of those trendy, socially conscious restaurants that one would expect in California--and the food was marvelous! Having fallen in love with the town, we wandered a bit and topped off the evening with some gelato before travelling to our hotel in Sonora.
On Wednesday we made up for the monotony of Tuesday.  While others were sleeping or showering, I wandered through the town. Sonora was a gold rush town and at one time was considered for the capitol of California.  The town had a quaint historic edge, a kind of funky, shabby chic. As I wandered about at 7:30 a.m., none of the shops were open and I was very content to simply window shop. One of the stores that caught my eye was "Shameless Cupcakes."  As I was reading about the store in its window flyer, the owner, Donyl, opened the door and welcomed me in. It was one of those love at first sight things (in a kindred spirit kind of way).  :)


 She had been baking since 2:00a.m. and yet her energy was so joyful and giving...and then there was her cupcakes! Yum to the max--and a lifesaver in an adventure we had later that day.  If you are ever anywhere near Sonora, you NEED to check out her shoppe (and bring me a cupcake)!
Next stop, Yellowstone and what an amazing stop it was. In some ways, it was the Ultimate stop on this Ultimate trip. The following pictures share why.  See if you can figure it out by looking at them:











Yup! We pulled over in the park to look at one of the amazing views and when we went back to the car, we discovered we had locked our keys inside. Thank goodness for the kindness of strangers.  The gentleman in the last picture was our hero of the day. Car mechanic during work days, angel on his days off!
Back in the car, Donyl's cupcakes revived our spirits, as well as some of the sights of Yellowstone.



Kelly and I found a cool stream to be the perfect panacea...


Made it to San Francisco. We had a lovely dinner in Sausilto, watching the wall of fog in the bay.
 



2 comments:

  1. These car keys seem to be a recurring theme in this adventure :o) Enjoy California it is a wonderful state.
    Have a great day.
    Always, Queenie

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    1. CA was fun. Thinking of you lots now that I am in your state!

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