The daunting highways leading into Portland looked like plates of spaghetti on Google maps. So, we pulled off about 10km from the city centre for breakfast, to fill up with petrol and study the route to Avis, in case Google malfunctioned. All went well however and Evan picked us up and took us to their apartment.
Karen, Nina and Evan at the fruit and vegetable market.
Our first impression of Portland was of a modern and clean city with not much city traffic, once off the highways. The lack of traffic is due to an efficient public transport system, called Trimet – trains, trams and busses. A $5.25 day ticket will take you anywhere you need to go in Portland. Just S-W of the city is Marquam Hill.
Aerial tramway up Marquam Hill to the hospitals.
For some strange reason the city planners decided that Marquam Hill was the ideal location for not one, but three hospitals. The biggest, the OHSU (Oregon Health Services University) is huge and covers all facets of health care training. Then there is the Shriner Children’s Hospital where Karen is currently working, and finally the US Veterans Hospital for US service personnel.
View fro the aerial tramway towards downtown.
Karen and two other Australian Orthopaedic Surgery Registrars, Benji and Sarah, live in modern apartments next to the hospital. When we booked our apartment nearby, we didn’t realise how steep this hill was when walking to Karen and Evan’s apartment, This challenge and more long walks in the city, resulted in painful left calf muscles for me, which by the end of the week was excruciating. Fortunately, we also discovered the aerial tramway which lower station was a block from our accomodation and took four minutes up to the hospital.
Outdoor BBQ facility at Karen and Evan’s apartment.
We however explored much of the city and a bookshop called Powell’s City of Books, which covers an entire city block over four floors and is the world’s largest independent bookstore. Back in 1982 the Portland Building was completed – the first example of Postmodern Architecture by Michael Graves – is still looking impressive after refurbishment in 2020.
Main entrance to the Portland Building, Portlandia above.
Rear of building – it covers an entire block and houses the city administration.
Early Saturday morning Karen and Annie dragged me to the OHSU emergency room where after triage, ultrasound and a MRI scan, my sore calf was diagnosed as a partially torn Achilles tendon. I walked out in a cumbersome boot on my left lower leg, which I have to wear for two months – aargh!
The ridiculous boot.
On Sunday we celebrated Karen’s 37th birthday with coffee and pastries in the morning and a BBQ with her fellow registrars in the evening. A good time was had by all after meeting Benji from Sydney and Sarah from Canberra.
Birthday coffees.
Three generations.
Birthday BBQ – the family.
After a lovely week of catching up with Karen, Evan and Nina– who’s is developing in leaps and bounds, we caught an Uber out to the airport on Monday morning, for our flight to New York. Having hobbled all the way to the departure gate, the lady at the gate insisted on booking a wheelchair for me at Newark Airport NY. Just as well!
Leaving San Francisco over the Golden Gate bridge.
On Sunday 8th September we picked up a car at Avis and headed north out of SF to see the Redwood forests enroute to Portland, Oregon. Our first day was quite a long drive with a stop in Sausalito for coffee on the waterfront, before turning off Interstate 101 to take the old no. 1 coastal route. This twisty scenic drive was quite hectic, so we rejoined the 101 at Santa Rosa, driving through miles of vineyards to Mendocino. We arrived at the Seaview Motel in Fort Bragg at 6pm, after 200miles.
Sausalito waterfront.
I couldn’t resist this cutie – a Sausalito poodle with a Tina Turner hairstyle.
The motel room was so well appointed and spacious after the small hotel room in San Francisco, that we decided to stay for two nights to explore the area. The same afternoon a group of classic British Triumph sportscar owners arrived with 14 cars, mainly TR4, TR5 and TR6 models. In my view the TR4 model is still the prettiest.
Next morning, after discussing all things Triumph and comparing engines, a red TR4A has to jumpstart a blue TR6.
Mendocino streetscape.
Mendocino clifftop walk. The trees battle against the Pacific Ocean winds.
From here, we headed north along the coast to rejoin US-101 at Leggett, before turning off onto Route 254, the famous “Avenue of the Giants” through the Redwood forests. Our first stop was at Myers Flat to look at the “drive through tree”. Then, the Founders Tree at Founders Grove, where we did a 5km hike through the forest. A narrow, twisty road took us to the 10km Big Trees Loop trail, where we were gobsmacked by the Giant Tree, The Tall tree and the Flatiron Tree.
The drive through tree.
The Founders Tree. You do the metric conversions!
A fallen tree, showing the root system.
Some background on Redwoods.
The Giant tree.
Late afternoon, we arrived tired and scenically overloaded at Eureka on the coast. Our Travelodge Motel was a block away fro the beautiful Old Town, where we spent the next morning admiring the well preserved Victorian buildings on 2nd and 3rd streets. The Carson House and Pink Lady mansion were outstanding. The Carson family moved to the Bay Area in 1940 and by 1950 the house was in disrepair.
The Victorian Carson House.
The Carson family offered the house to Eureka City for $1, but they declined the offer and decided to demolish the house. A group of concerned citizens clubbed together and offered the family $35,000 for the house including the contents and artworks. Today it is a private club for those citizens, whose sole purpose is the preservation of the house!
The Pink Lady mansion.
Victorian office building.
Our journey continued north through the Humboldt State Forests until we stopped at the Lady Bird Johnson Grove Trial. The 7km hike is truly spectacular, particularly on this day, when there was a thick, eerie mist covering the tops of the Redwoods.
Lady Bird Johnson grove.
Annie cut a tree.
Finally, a Redwood canopy looking up.
The next stop later that afternoon, again knackered after all the walking, was in Crescent City’s Beachside Inn motel. For dinner we had tasty turkey and salad wraps from the nearby Safeway supermarket, washed down with a bottle of Australian Lindeman’s Chardonnay. Cheaper than the Napa Valley wines and cheaper than in Australia! How does this work?
At 10:00am on Thursday 11th September we crossed the state line from California into Oregon and filled up with petrol in Brookings, where the petrol is cheaper than in CA. The regular unleaded price per gallon is equivalent to $1 per litre here – In Australia, usually nearly $2/litre. Not complaining, we drive an EV back home. We arrived in Gold Beach at 11:00am, too early for our motel, so had a late morning hearty breakfast at the Indian creek Cafe. Annie went for a coast walk to soothe her hamstrings, while I chilled, planning the rest of our trip.
View from Annie’s coastal walk.
Friday was an easy three hour drive to Florence through beautiful plantations, but no longer redwood trees. The main timber species found on the Oregon coast are Douglas fir, Sitka spruce, and pine trees. Forestry plays an important part in the Oregon’s economy – we frequently passed trucks laden with timber logs and some timber sawmills with mountains of logs and sawdust outside.
The most amazing thing for us to see, was the large number of RV’s on the road. These ranged from caravans as we know it in Oz, to what they call fifth wheel caravans which hitch onto the load tray of a ute (called a truck here). These trucks are usually 6.6 litre, V8 monsters. I can only imagine what their fuel consumption must be.
A fifth wheel caravan.
The fifth wheelers however, pale in comparison to the camper vans that look like municipal busses in Oz. Imagine the stress driving and manoeuvring these behemoths. Their engines must be enormous, because they cruise at the regular 60mph speed limit (100km/h). At the local regular petrol price of around USD1/litre (down to 50c/litre further inland!), I suppose its not too much to pay, if this vehicle is your home. Nine times out of ten, a camper van like the one below, would also be towing a car – not a Mini, but big Jeeps or trucks!
A camper van – a complete house on wheels!
While researching our trip along the coat of California and Oregon, we soon discovered there were dozens of RV or caravan parks in or near every town. The cost of renting a RV was much higher than a car and when we realised that the overnight charge for a campsite was about the same as a motel room with bathroom in every town, it was a no-brainer to rather use the motel option. Motels are cheap, but a standard room has two queen size beds which is a bit of a waste on us. Occasionally we were able to get one king size bed.
You could have a party in here.
Walking along the Oregon coast to the Heceta Head lighthouse.
Starting the walk from the road bridge at the river mouth.
The Heceta head lighthouse.
For our last two days on the road we stayed at Lincoln City and Cannon Beach, with walks along the way. I must say the coastal scenery in Oregon is beautiful and the roads a pleasure to drive on. We drove into Portland on Monday the 15th of September and dropped off the car (a Jeep Compass) at Avis, where Evan picked us up.
Lincoln City: pumpkins for sale at the Safeway supermarket.
Cannon Beach: houses in Oregon are mostly clad with Western Cedar shingles.
A clever conversion on a Daihatsu half loaf delivery van.
Inspiration for our garden.
Eight days and 901 miles (1,350 km) travelled and having met very friendly people, we were delighted with the road trip experience. We will report later on the next leg of our trip.
The month of August was relatively quiet, cold and wet. Our first sail outing in a while was on the 16th August to the Basin for a BBQ with the Sail Cruising Division. We had a good turnout as the sailors were keen to get out and socialise again.
But enough of sailing – this is after all a sailing and travelling blog. So let’s start travelling.
Annie and I spent some time on the internet and booking.com organising visas, accomodation and rental cars for a trip to the USA, Canada and New Zealand during September and October. We’ve been everywhere, but believe it or not, not the USA! (or Russia)
We flew out of Sydney to San Francisco on the 3rd of September. Fortunately for you, we can’t bore you with selfies of us sipping champagne in the first class lounge, because we still fly economy. The risk of a sumo wrestler sitting next to you!
The Bart system – still modern today and very fast.
Arriving in San Francisco, I was excited to ride on the Bay Area Rapid Transit system (BART). The system was brand new in 1974 when I did my thesis for a degree in architecture (An integrated transport hub for mainline trains, underground rail, busses and a parking garage for cars). I received information from various underground systems from around the world – the most comprehensive information I received was from BART.
Union Square.
We checked into an hotel close to Union Square, which is central to the city. Our first day out, we explored by foot, covering 12.5km up and down hills – SF is famous for its steep topography and cable trams. A nice downhill walk through the financial districtgot us to the Port of San Francisco, from where we followed the shoreline past all the piers to number 39, which is the famous Fisherman’s Wharf. We stopped for lunch there and I had my first clam chowder, which was delicious.
Main entrance Port of San Francisco.
Looking across the bay with the Bay bridge behind us.
Model of Alcatraz island at Pier 35.
Looking out to Alcatraz.
Fisherman’s Wharf.
Then, up and down the hill back to our hotel for a shower, snacks and a bottle of tasty Napa Valley Chardonnay. What was clear after our day out and seeing the locals, is that SF is the world capital of alternative genders – but everyone is laid back and accepting. I was happily humming the lyrics of the Kinks 1970 hit Lola:
Well, I’m not the world’s most physical guy
But when she squeezed me tight, she nearly broke my spine
Oh, my Lola
Well, I’m not dumb, but I can’t understand
Why she walks like a woman and talks like a man
Oh, my Lola……
Fisherman’s Wharf – another view.
Saints Peter and Paul church on top of the hill.
The other interesting thing about SF, is the many driverless Waymo electric robotaxis on the road. There are currently more than 300 of them in service and they are quietly and efficiently doing on average, 4,300 trips per day currently, accounting for 23% of the taxi market share in SF. The whole fleet are Jaguar electric vehicles.
A Waymo robotaxi.
Clearly, nobody behind the steering wheel.
The next day, we took the Big Red Bus hop-on, hop-off essential day tour, to rest the legs. This was an excellent way of covering all the popular areas including the Haight Ashbury area where the hippies hung out in the late sixties. I used to dream of being there for the summers of peace and love, but it was hard enough paying for Uni, never mind travelling.
Beautiful “Painted Ladies” on the way to Haight Ashbury.
Turning into Haight Street.
Jimi Hendrix’s pad.
Having played in a band at school and being a bit of a music tragic, I followed the SF scene with Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Jefferson Airplane, the Grateful Dead, Santana, Crosby, Stills etc, all home grown SF musicians. This time around, I was humming Scott McKenzie’s 1967 “Summer of Love” hit, San Francisco:
If you’re going to San Francisco
Be sure to wear some flowers in your hair
If you’re going to San Francisco
You’re gonna meet some gentle people there (and so on)
The Transamerica Pyramid completed in 1972.
San Francisco City Hall. The United Nations Charter was signed here in 1945.
Passing th harbour front again – interesting sculptures.
On Saturday our second last day, we tried the cable car (tram) system. For $15, you can ride the trams of the four lines for 24 hours, San Francisco’s cable cars were invented by Scots-born engineer, Andrew Smith Hallidie in 1873 to overcome the city’s steep hills, which horses struggled with on the wet and slippery cobblestone roads.
The central powerhouse and museum – the heart of the cable car system. Four lines run out from this powerhouse.
The four sets of winding wheels with their electric motors in the powerhouse.
From here the cables head out into different routes.
San Francisco’s cable cars work by being pulled along by a continuous, underground 32 mm steel cable, rather than having their own engines or exposed electrical cables. The longest looped cable on the California line is 6,600 (6.6km) long. The cable is moved by giant winding wheels in the central powerhouse. A crew member, the gripman, operates a lever to open and close a clamp (grip) on the car, which bites onto the moving cable to pull the car forward.
A friendly driver or gripman.
Annie stepping off a tram.
The same tram at the bottom of the hill and the end of its loop.
And now a bit of background on the 1906 SF catastrophe, which destroyed the cable car system: The 1906 San Francisco earthquake, which struck on April 18th 1906, was a catastrophic event that triggered a three-day fire from broken gas lines, destroying over 80% of the city, leaving around 250,000 people homeless. The earthquake destroyed over 500 city blocks, leaving 28,000 buildings in ruins.
Caused by a violent rupture along the San Andreas fault, the earthquake damaged infrastructure, including the crucial water system, which prevented effective firefighting efforts and allowed the ensuing fires to consume the city. While the death toll is estimated to be around 3,000 to 3,500. The disaster led to major changes in building codes, improved disaster response, and a dramatic, rapid rebuilding of the city, although the disaster also exposed social inequalities.
Afterwards, I nearly busted my gut walking up this section of Lombard Street – twisting because its so steep.
After the cable car rides, we walked to the Tenderloin Museum in Eddy Street.The term “Tenderloin” was originally applied to vice-ridden districts in cities like New York and later San Francisco, where it was said that police officers could afford better food (like tenderloin of beef) on bribes, than they could earn on regular salaries. This museum is very informative, but the surrounding area lives up to its reputation: drug addicts living on the pavements, openly using meth and fentanyl.
The tenderloin museum entrance.
People living on the pavement just outside the museum.
After a busy and wonderful time in San Francisco, on Sunday the 7th September we picked up a car at Avis and headed north out of SF to see the Redwood forests of California, enroute to Portland, Oregon. We will report back after our visit to Portland. Cheers for now.
May to August is the hibernating season for retirees in Sydney – and probably for retirees everywhere south of latitude 34 degrees south, in the Southern Hemisphere. We start this post with an old photo of Michelle our daughter, during her 49er FX sailing days in her early twenties, to remind us of warmer sailing days, which is not too far away.
Restored Art Deco interior at the Haydn Orpheum.
May was a relatively quiet month with less sailing (only to Akuna Bay) and less socialising (the John and Yoko movie retrospective show at the Orpheum theatre) in early June. With regular visits to Summerhill to see our granddaughter Nina, we stayed active – Annie helping Karen where needed, once a week.
Karen and Nina 28 June 2025.
When Harry met Sally? – No, when Paddy met Nina.
The annual Vivid Sydney Festival of Lights came around again in June. We haven’t been for the last eight years and decided to make an evening of it by taking the B-Line express bus to and from the city. The weather was clear, albeit chilly, but we stayed warm by walking a 9 km circuit form Wynyard station through Martin Place and the city to Circular Quay, then Barangaroo, on to Darling Harbour and back to Wynyard.
Martin Place – The Main Post Office building.
Circular Quay, Museum of Contemporary Art and the Harbour Bridge. (I can’t believe my old phone took this photo!)
Barangaroo – New office buildings
Winter solstice was on the 21st June, after which our daylight hours gets longer.The reality is of course, that the months of July and August are actually colder. But, our garden’s growth slows down – so my gardening activities also slow down. I did however manage to continue walks and cycling with the aid of gloves and warmer underwear, but Annie braved the cold gym she attends six day a week. We also started playing pickle ball with friends on Wednesdays and Fridays in Avalon, weather providing – good exercise, sociable and fun.
Winter Solstice walk to Long Reef Point.
Long Reef Headland next to the golf course – irreverent Aussie humour.
The Sail Cruising Division had a pleasant mid winter Outback BBQ lunch at PAC on the 12th July. Annie won a bottle of wine for her barn dancing moves. It was great to catch up with Michelle, who came to visit on the 13th July, after launching her Pasifika Wayfinders youth program in early July.
Michelle and her favourite and only niece, Nina
Karen and Evan packed up their rental in Summerhill and put everything into storage, before flying to San Francisco on the 22nd July. Karen will do a six month registrar placement in paediatric orthopaedic surgery in Portland, Oregon. We trust that Evan and Nina will have fun and support her.
Saying Bon Voyage to Karen, Evan and Nina on the 22nd July.
We had the annual Madison Way “Christmas in July” lunch at Ross and Heather Allan on the 26th July and caught up with our longest-standing Sydney friends.
Well, that sums up the quiet winter months here in Sydney. Watch out for our Spring 2025 post!
Since our last post, much has been happening in our family. First up, Karen our daughter and her husband Evan, welcomed their first child Nina Quinn, on the 6th February after an induction by her obstetrician, at North Shore Private Hospital,
Evan, Karen, first time Granny Annie and Nina.
Nina’s first bath – screaming blue murder!
We attended Graeme Smith’s 80th birthday party at the Middle Harbour 16ft Skiff Club on the 15th February.
Stef and Cath Adelbert, Jenny and Graeme Smith, Annie and Dirk.
My two brothers Vanna and Peet, with Vanna’s wife Annemarie, arrived in Sydney on the 1st March for a two week visit. Despite the confused weather due to Hurricane Alfred, we managed to get out on Esprit to sail on the Pittwater
Vanna, Annemarie and Peet at the Basin.
Tour de Narrabeen lake.
We also managed some cycling trips and walks on the Northern Beaches. The twins brought along some photos of our sailing days in South Africa on our first Esprit in the mid 1970’s.
Esprit racing in the Minister’s Cup.
Good sail trim.
Nina had her first vaccinations at six weeks and she and Karen visited us for a sleepover while Evan was away in the Hunter Valley.
A smile for Ouma. (Afrikaans for Grandma)
On the 8th March RMYC held a charity event “Raft Up 4 Life” in Refuge Bay. Jim Parsons invited us to join him on his Bavaria 42, “Knot Again, which rafted up with 79 boats around “The Pearl” with two bands providing music. The largest event of its kind on the East Coast.
The Pearl – the centre of attraction.
The view from Jim’s boat.
We also had a visit from Derek and Nushin Lamb from London. We did a walk to Shelly Beach and had dinner at the Manly Skiff Club.
Derek, Dirk, Annie and Nushin.
Michelle came to visit Sydney for two weeks. She met her new niece Nina and then flew back to the Pacific islands.
Aunt Shelly and Nina.
Karen and Evan then went to Newcastle for a week to visit Evan’s family and catch up with some uni friends.
Doctors with babies: Emma with Paddy (12 weeks) and Karen with Nina (6 weeks)
We were planning to sail down to Sydney Harbour on Friday the 18th April for the Easter long weekend. I was officer of the day for the Sail Cruising Division until Monday the 21st April. However, Ex-Tropical Cyclone Tam located near New Zealand, generated powerful long-period swells that travelled across the Tasman Sea, reaching the Sydney coastline. Coinciding with the swells, king tides – exceptionally high tides – amplified the impact of the waves, leading to significant coastal damage. (At least eight people people drowned across New South Wales and Victoria).
The swells breaking on Sydney beaches (The Guardian)
Our group of sailors set out from the Basin at 10:00 on Friday the 18th, but then ran into massive swells off Barrenjoey Lighthouse. After discussing the conditions on channel 72, we did a quick turn around, surfed back into Broken Bay and sailed on to Refuge Bay, which we used as a base for a pleasant long weekend on the water. Apart from the festivities and music laid on for RMYC members on the “Pearl”, we visited Cottage Point and Akuna Bay. Some memorable dinners were held on the various boats over the four nights. All boats returned none the worse for wear to RMYC on Monday afternoon.
Paul, Annie, Robyn, Maureen, Ross, Dirk, Paul, Trish, Sandy and Bob at Akuna Bay.
Following ANZAC day on the 25th April, the Sail Cruising Division members attended the inaugural “Salty Cup Games” and Beach Party at Hallet’s Beach against the RMYC Cruiser Division (Motor vessels) for a fun day in the sun.
The Salty Cup athletes.
The games had two events: Finska and Boules. The Sail Cruising Division won both events, Annie clinching the Finska event by knocking out the no.11 pin to reach 50 points in the third and final game. The massive trophy was donated by the RMYC Cruiser Division – they have vowed to win it back next year.
Finska champ.
My birthday came around on the 28th April. Now 78, I am still the best-kept “body building” secret in Warriewood. Annie now has twice the man she married 38 years ago! Attached are historic photos of my thinner and more hirsute days in the 1970’s. (It’s OK if you want to laugh out loud)
Stoker on South African Railways, early 1970’s.
1974: My 6th and final year B. Arch. at uni.
Finally, you may recall that when Annie and I crossed the Pacific Ocean on Esprit a few years ago, we had Bob McDavitt from New Zealand helping us with our weather routing from Panama to Australia. Fittingly, on my birthday today, I received Bob’s latest “Weathergram”. In the attached link below, he describes the difference between the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), which we encountered between Panama and Tahiti, and the South Pacific Convergence Zone (SPCZ), which we encountered between Tahiti and Australia. Most informative and a must read for sailors interested in the weather.
With that, we have brought you up to date with our the news of the last three months.
With the sh*t flying as a result of Trump’s tariff wars, we are waiting to see if this madness will settle down, before booking our flights to the USA and Cuba for August. We’ll keep you posted.
