Adjusting to a Different Pace

This is the first view that we saw when we arrived 12 days ago at Valencia Avenue. I am not fooling myself. Leaving New York was really hard (while in New York). Starting anew in Northern CA is not difficult. I'm sure it will present its challenges but so far feels like a vacation. The views, food and myriad of options for outdoor recreation is unmatched. In just under 2 weeks I have also had the chance to see a lot of old friends from back east so it has certainly made the transition easier.

We departed Elko, NV and really struggled on that last 8 hour leg to San Rafael. We encountered scary and somewhat dangerous people at all of our NV gas/rest stops. We approached a Starbucks around noon on our last day and pulled over. We filled the gas tank one last time and treated ourselves to 2 dirty chai lattes. Soon enough we entered Reno. We had to pull over and see what it was all about. Again so many scary humans. Approximate time spent in Reno - 9.5 minutes.

After Reno we worked our way up into the Sierra region and through Lake Tahoe. We arrived at the CA state line and still had a decent ride ahead.

Jenni and I were tired, dirty and overwhelmed by the drive but upon arriving at my house we dropped our bags and began unpacking boxes. We were like robots. Two women in a house full of chaos after a week of chaos. We needed structure. Neither of us even had a glass of water until the kitchen and dining room looked livable. I don't think Jenni will be buying us any glassware for upcoming holiday gifts. She must have spent a whole 90 minutes unpacking just our glasses.

Once we realized our level of delirium both Bi and Dave were home. We made a huge meat and cheese plate and cracked open wine to enjoy the first night on stable ground and in a new place. Jenni and I went outside and toasted our accomplishments. A cross country drive covering 13 states in 6 days with a cat. Visits with family and friends. Hikes. Walks. Brunches and dinners. Rain, snow, sun and wind. Maybe even a little speeding ticket. Just a tiny one:)

We drove down to Larkspur (also in Marin) and the 4 of us had dinner at a little Italian spot called Picco. It was such a fun night. Dave and I were finally in the same state again after 2.5 weeks and the move was over. We just had to enjoy ourselves and the company of some of our best friends.

Stewie is settling too. He loves the vast amount of space and the fact that there are birds outside of every window.

We kicked Jenni's first San Francisco visit off with a meal at Mission Chinese and a very fast visit to Fisherman's Wharf. It was a true tourist hell but what is better than listening to and watching sea lions? These guys are ridiculous and I could honestly watch them for hours. All three of us were lingering and enjoying the sounds and sights wondering if the other 2 were willing to stick around longer.

Here's a quick clip of their sound. It's insane. Some of them just swim around and jump on top of their sleeping friends. Others are total hams looking directly at the camera and posing. This old guy above is our favorite. He has to be 100 years old.

We toured Baker Beach and had margaritas at Tommy's. We drove down Lombard Street and walked around Cow Hollow. Jenni kept commenting on how everything looked like Italy.

The above photos were taken by some strangers at Baker Beach. Strangers who were fully dressed. We witnessed our first selfie stick at Baker Beach. There was a couple sitting on a picnic bench and they were taking actual selfies holding the camera out with a hugely long selfie stick. It was a professional device. Luckily this was the strangest thing we saw at Baker  Beach. I forgot to let Jenni in on the fact that it's clothing optional. Note the lack of nudes in the background.

On Sunday Jenni made a reservation at adhoc up in Yountville so we woke up early and headed to the Napa valley area.  I have never been to a Thomas Keller restaurant but it will be hard to return and not eat brunch. Brunch is like a big hug and this meal was worth getting up early for.

We finished the afternoon with a few hours at Dave's favorite - Silver Oak. We took a tour and drank delicious reds. We enjoyed the stunning grounds at Silver Oak and the incredible space.

Our last stop was in Sonoma at my favorite - Domaine Carneros. We each had a glass of bubbles and some cheese to hold us over. We were headed way south to Alameda for family dinner with Dave's Aunt Carol and his cousin Anne.

For Jenni's last few days we tried out local Marin restaurants. Got our nails done at a vegan and all organic nail salon. Yes - the polish is vegan. We are in California.

Jenni cooked an incredible dinner for us and we had Bi over. It was his first day of work at his new job and we all celebrated. We had a lot to celebrate. We even cracked open the bottle of Silver Oak that Bi had given us as an anniversary gift in 2011.

We took the ferry in on her last day to try out my new commute. No offense to my NJ friends but this sure beats driving down 78 West.

Jenni left on Tuesday night. We had one last meal at Wayfare Tavern. It was bittersweet but having her and Bi around was comforting. Now it's just me, Dave and Stew.

Here's a sampling of life since Jenni has gone home. Is this vacation still? I can't decide.

Incredible Mexican food in Oakland Friday night.

A view and clip from the Further show last Friday night at the Greek theatre. What an absolutely stunning venue.

A quick shot from China Camp State Park. Dave and I did a 6 mile hike on Saturday. This park has trails that lead to the street that we live on. We had to look out for mountain bikers and mountain lions.

A night view from our back porch here in San Rafael.

Views and adorable baby shots from my hike with my friend Kate and her incredible baby Harper at Tennessee Valley on Sunday.

We have been FaceTiming with friends and family a lot and getting used to the distance. I think we will be ready for visitors very soon. I have even had dinner with my closest New York bud Shachar and seen my old friend Meghan from Digitas. It helps living in such a desirable place and having Dave alongside.

One last view from the house. Visit soon.
XO Brie

We Have Reached Pacific Standard Time (barely)

We are camped out at a hotel  in Elko, Nevada. This is my first new state on the drive and our 12th since departing last Friday. It was a wild day driving up to Big Sky on our way out of Bozeman and we hit a snowfall. 

The day started with the agreement that we would not rush out of Bozeman. We both needed our rest. I checked in with work and we downloaded iOS 7 onto our phones. It was like Christmas! We took our time getting prepared to leave and watched some tv and rested. 

We had our trusty stuffed praying mantis that Dana gave us as a parting gift at lunch today. She is protecting us on the last leg to San Rafael. 

Big Sky was gorgeous as usual and the rainy weather provided incredible colors and views. Here's a view of the golf course on the drive into Big Sky. 

We could almost see all of Lone Peak. This shows our view and then a quick selfie that is a bit over exposed:( The peak is only hardly visible behind us. 

There was some serious snow. The flowers at the resort were not quite ready for it. 

Here's another shot from up at Big Sky. 

And another. 

Here we are with our feet in the snow. 

We bought a postcard for Ava and took our time driving out. Our next stop was West Yellowstone. We got gas next to a fellow New Yorker and began our journey out of stunning and magnetic Montana. The drive through Idaho proved to be pretty fascinating. Once we hit Yellowstone we were driving in slushy rain. We kept saying how crazy and diverse the weather has been on this whole trip. Idaho was wild and the sun was like a dream. I'm not sure we can top some of our views from this part of the journey. 

At some point true delirium hit and we discussed skipping our stop in Elko and trying to power through but that became increasingly more unrealistic as we approached the Nevada border. We hit it and pacific time and began to dream of a few hours sleep. Stewie also needed food, water and a breather. We don't have any photos of Nevada to share since we hit it in the dark. We did see a shooting star and the almost full moon lit up the sky and the interior of the car. 

Before hitting Elko we heard from Dave. He is in a sea of boxes and wanted to know if I could help him locate the remote to our sleep number bed in our guest room. Hilarity ensued as we tried to search for a needle in a haystack in CA while driving through Nevada. No such luck. 

The alarm is set for 5:00 tomorrow. Our last leg takes us across Nevada and out through Reno. We will drive right over Lake Tahoe and eventually into the Bay Area in early afternoon. It still feels like I'm just on a long drive. The full re-location will hopefully set in when I see my stuff in the house and see that Dave is settled. I'm excited and ready to start a new chapter in a calmer and more peaceful place. We have a house and access to so many amazing things. 

6.5 hours til we takeoff from Elko. One big (but not last) shout out to Jenni for making this journey with me. It is so great not being alone but most especially comforting to have her here. You have been so good to me and Stewie. You appreciate the beauty of the entire trip and the various characters we saw along the way. You also respect the huge transition that I'm about to make. It is much easier with you here. We have laughed a lot and I cannot thank you enough for taking time out of your own life and time away from Ava to make the trek. Let's make the most of your first visit to Northern CA. 

Until tomorrow . . . 

Back in Bozeman

Stewie never left a certain corner beneath my bed last night. I could hardly sleep. I was restless and worried about him. When Jenni woke up she hadn't slept well either. We couldn't figure out what was so uncomfortable about sleeping in this gorgeous place in the middle of the Big Sky. 

Look at this view from when I woke up this morning. 

We headed to breakfast and made several calls to find a spot in Bozeman that would let us check in early. We needed out of Chico. Once a room had been confirmed we decided to get out of there. 

Before going Jenni spotted some tee pees she wanted to photograph as inspiration. I visited the horses. My mom and I had a horse for years and I forgot how amazing those big creatures are. I met a half mule/half horse named Solomon. He was such a big love. Note the mule sized face and head. 

This guy snuggled me a bunch. I felt like I could take a huge deep breath when I visited them. What is more Montana than these boys?

We hit the road to Bozeman after Jenni coaxed Stewie out from under the bed. I'm not sure I could have done it. 

The ride to Bozeman was rainy but of course something to look at. Once checked in at a normal hotel Stewie seemed fine. I told Jenni perhaps the room at Chico had bad smells or maybe it was haunted?

Dana picked us up and brought us to her house. She kindly allowed us to do a huge load of laundry. We had lofty plans of driving up to Big Sky but the rain and the timing were both not working in our favor. We did a quick lunch at McKenzie River. Toured Jenni through Main Street and did a short but necessary hike up Pete's Hill. It began to clear up and we could see the Bridgers. It felt so good to look out at the old town. It is also strange to see how much it has changed since I was here 15 years ago. 

A quick (unchanged) view from our hike

Dana toured us around Black Bull where her husband Bert works. It's a golf community in Bozeman. Dave would go nuts over it. Luckily we will be much closer to Montana now and can hopefully visit more frequently. It really is one my my most favorite places. We mentioned to Dana that the hotel was creepy and she decided to finally tell us it's haunted. It's not just a little haunted. Everyone knows AND evidently there's a "white lady" who used to own it. Not only can she be found in a rocking chair in room #44 (not our room) but she has also been spotted playing piano in the lobby. Like in broad daylight. 

Thanks for letting us know after we checked out Dana. 

The moving truck arrived in San Rafael today. Dave has everything he needs but its all packed up in boxes. We are really looking forward to seeing him and all getting settled a bit in one place. 

We are back at our hotel debating what the last leg should be tomorrow new are open to suggestions. Salt lake? Elko, NV? 

Bi just called to check in on us. We can't wait to see him. I told him about our experience last night and Stewie's  behavior. He researched the hotel at Chico and said, "I'm really glad you both didn't read about this place before you stayed there. It's super haunted. There's a list of haunted rooms there. Tons of them. "

Off for Mexican food with Dana and her family. We are so lucky to have another home cooked meal. 

Signing off from gorgeous gorgeous Montana. 

Chicago in 12 hours. You can do it too.

We are in Chicago. It was a trek & we are hungry & tired but happy to all be settled. So many good food options and perfect early fall weather. 

Stewie has been great and is an incredible passenger. At least for leg 1. More tomorrow. Adventures here then off to Minnesota to see the Matters. Day 1 adjourned. 

- B

The 39th State and the Big Sky

Today was long. We drove 14 hours and it was a solid day of driving through nothingness in North Dakota until we hit Eastern Montana. It is so good to be back here but we have had strange weather. The plan was to drive 982 miles from  Minnesota to Bozeman, MT. We decided to get off the interstate early and book a night at Chico Hot Springs in A small town called Pray.

Oh and every time that Jenni drives, it rains. 

Here's a panoramic on the last leg of ND. We ended up at Roosevelt National Park. Pretty awesome. 

Selfie

I appreciated this sign. 

Stewie hoped to take over & get us to CA faster. 

One of the first gorgeous sights when we hit Montana. I took this from the front seat and out the back window but its a stunner. 

So then we pass Billings and we are getting closer to our exit and more delirious. A huge rain storm begins as soon as Jenni starts driving. Thank you Matt Matter for the rainex yesterday. It saved us. But Montana put on a beautiful show for Jenni's first visit. It was complete with pink skies. Purple reflections on the clouds. Lightning that lit up the area for miles and dark puffy grey clouds. 

We hit the Livingston exit and we had 23 miles to go. It seemed like we were driving right into the bad weather.  We arrive at Chico in a downpour. Jenni drives me to the registration desk and a crazy hail storm slams the resort. We couldn't move. It was loud, intense  and about 4 minutes long. Here's what we were left with. 

We ventured to the saloon. It sure felt like Montana in there. We had some dinner and a couple old fashioneds and headed out to Chico's hot spring pool. Here is where we ended a very long day. 

Touring Bozeman tomorrow's we are getting awfully close to CA. 

We FaceTimed with Ava and my mom. We talked to Mark Ferrandini. Anyone can call at anytime. I'm pretty sure we will be up for talking. 

Goodnight from Pray, MT.