The Pacific Northwest

I recently returned from a week-long trip by car from Napa Valley, California to Seattle, Washington.  So many observations:

* There are A LOT of wineries in the Napa / Sonoma, California area.  I assumed they numbered in the dozens, but it's actually in the hundreds.  You can't tour / taste at all of them, but you can at most.  There's a stretch on the main road through Napa where they're lined up like suburban strip malls, one after another.  Also, did you know you can make white wine from pinot grapes?  Me neither.

* As expected, there are incredible, cliff-by-the-ocean vistas along the Pacific Coast Highway in northern California.  There are also some crazy, hilly, twisting routes that can get annoying after a while.

* Apparently it's a thing for cyclists to make epic, multi-day trips from north-to-south along that highway.  I saw dozens of riders hauling heavy gear who were navigating those crazy roads,  There were also plenty of signs to make drivers aware of them.

* It's also apparently a thing for campers and RVs to make the same north-to-south camping trek, and there were many camping and RV parks along the road for them to stay at overnight, or longer

* Farther north in California, especially just south of the Eureka area, the road becomes a long, winding stretch over and through small mountains, thick with tall trees.  There isn't much civilization along this stretch, and what small 'towns' you see aren't ones you're likely to spend a lot of time in.  Let's just say if I had to summarize the area in a word, it would be "Uni-bomber-like."

* Once the highway crosses into Oregon, the cliffs along the ocean turn into sand dunes, and beaches become more accessible.  (For golfers like me, don't forget to stop at the famous Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, the most Scottish looking course in America.)  Again, lots of campers and RV parks, but now you start to see some boats and marinas   When you can't see the ocean, all you see is trees.  Tall trees.  Everywhere.

* It was this area that I finally realized something about all of the towns in northern California and southern Oregon, at least the towns large enough to have schools.  The school buildings were sad.  Never saw a single one that looked newer, and most of them looked like re-purposed buildings that were decades old.  It's basically the opposite of the big new schools you see in Iowa, ever since we passed what became a statewide sales tax levy for school infrastructure.

* Oregon definitely rivals Colorado as the most cycling-friendly state.  There were bike lanes everywhere, not only in big cities like Eugene and Portland.  Many signs warned about cyclists being present.  There was even a bridge where a cyclist could push a button, setting off a warning light to let vehicles know there was a cyclist on the bridge.

* The entire state had a laid-back feel, but somewhere between the rural Oregon coast roads and the interstate-connected cities of Eugene and Portland, the culture changes from laid-back country to laid-back hippie.  Both seem slow-paced, but I preferred the relaxed, knit-stocking-cap wearing hippie vibe.

* The drive from Portland to Seattle would be unspectacular, if it weren't for seeing Mt. St. Helen's and then Mt. Rainier towering to the east.  The weather was so good, it was no problem seeing Mt. Rainier the last few days of the trip.

* At the famous Pike's Place Market in downtown Seattle, there is more fresh fruit, seafood, and flowers than some people might see in their entire lives, all reasonably priced.  And yes, I saw them throwing fish.

* Seattle isn't technically on the Pacific Ocean, but the Puget Sound makes for lots of shoreline, with beachfront real estate and great views.  Like Portland, I found it to have friendly people, and it seemed easy to get around.  Also:  lots of coffee shops with people wearing layers of dark clothes.