This trip has many names:
1. A summer road trip up the NorthWest coast:
2. 2-3 mos. on the road;
3. 2-3 mos. on the road, extended to a year-long exploration of the US;
4. Poking around small towns, concentrating on history of place, architecture, old stuff, photography, getting some exercise, and living in a 17ft. Ford campervan with the minimum of stuff.

The first days are filled with adjusting to life on the road. getting fed and securing a campsite. Organizing the camper, and trying to find everything I brought with me.


I am camped 2 miles north of St Helena the little upscale California town, that can support an artistic chocolate shop.

The houses go for $102 mil. There are several large art galleries, and more than one good resturant.
The weather is terrific, hot in the afternoon, and cooling down at night. The vinyards are green and the countryside is a soothing sight in the eyes of a city dweller.There was an excellent dinner last night at the Market Resturant, and a stonemason emigrating from Italy in 1901 was the great grandfather of my dining companions. The walls of this resturant were from stones excavated in 1890.

The Campground, Boothe Napa State Park is at the edge of the valley in the woods, and I can’t hear the cars! AND, there is a swimming pool and showers. Maybe I should just stay here for the summer. It is so quiet and beautiful.
The Napa Valley Coffee Roasters, the fine free wireless coffee shop wehre I’ve been spending most of my time seems to have more Macs than PCs and some Ipods as well. There are plugs around all the wall tables, so I can go “home” with fully charged computers, cell phone. There is a curious system for the free wireless. You ask for a password and logon, and it is good for an hour. Then you have to go up to the counter and get another one. No problem, you can get as many as you want, but you have to keep going up to the counter.
I spent the day working on business, and trip plans, bit hope to spend tomorrow sightseeing and taking pictures. After some consideration, St. Helena won out, and the Oregon coast will have to wait until another time. I’ll stay here till I have exhausted all the fun things to do, and mosey up the north coast to the top of CA.At that point, i’ll just go inland, and drive to Portland and Seb’s Bar Mitzva on June 21st. It should take me about 2 days of driving 4 hrs. each day.