Awhile ago I mentioned that my wife and I are roadtripping the West Coast this summer and asked for suggestions . MANY of you responded with some awesome tips. Thanks to all. As a show of appreciation, I thought I would update you all on what we've decided. Here is our itinerary so far:

7/14: Arrive (noonish) at Oakland International Airport. Spending the evening and the following morning/early afternoon exploring San Francisco. Definitely having sushi as many times as possible. Leaving early afternoon on the 16th.

7/15: Arrive (late afternoon) in Napa Valley to enjoy a couple days of relaxation in wine country. Hoping to explore as many wineries as possible (still taking suggestions here), but Gundlach Bundschu is definitely on the list. You simply must try their Red Zin and their Cab. Leaving mid-afternoon on the 17th to head to the coast.

7/17: Arrive (early evening) at our campsite for the night at Wright's Beach on the Sonoma Coast State Beach.

7/18: Rising early to eat and hit the 1 up the coast. Totally pumped about this. Will stop somewhere for lunch on the way (suggestions?) before arriving at our campsite at Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park . We hope to do a small hike before kicking back and drinking some of the wine we bought in Napa.

7/19: Rise early and hike a little more. Drive around and admire the beauty this place before we head toward Ashland, OR. Arrive in Ashland (late afternoon), grab some dinner (suggestions?) and then catch Othello at 8:30. Staying at the Ashland Mountain House Bed and Breakfast for two nights.

7/20: Wanted to catch A Midsummer Night's Dream this afternoon, but it's already sold out, so we might just be relaxing at the B&B or wandering around town. Taking suggestions here too!

7/21: Leaving early for Coos Bay (the place of my birth) and heading up the coast once again. Haven't decided if we should stop at the Wildlife Safari on the way or not. My family went when I was a kid, so it's quite nostalgic, but I have a feeling it'll be one of those things that just isn't as cool as I remember it. Like Disneyland. Hoping to catch the Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport and then likely staying somewhere along the coast between here and Astoria. Suggestions? Hoping to visit the Tillamook Cheese Factory sometime today or early on the 22nd.

7/22: Arrive in Olympia, WA (late morning) to visit my best friend, his wife, and their new baby girl, Claire Marie.

7/23: Arrive in Gladstone (late morning) to stay with my grandmother (Nene) until we leave on Sunday the 27th. Things we hope to do while in Portland: Oregon Zoo with my nieces and nephew, the Chamber Music Northwest summer festival (options here include The Intimate World of Claude Debussy and the Grand Finale: French Favorites ), and the Oregon Brewer's Festival , and perhaps wandering out to Willamette Valley wine country (if our Napa supply runs low). Other than that we'll probably just be visiting family and collecting Blazer paraphernalia while we're in town. Speaking of which, does anyone know if you can hang outside the Blazer's practice facility and get autographs?

Man, this sounds like a heck of a trip. If anyone wants to throw out more recommendations for restaurants or other stops, particularly in Ashland and on the Oregon Coast, I'm all ears. I recall someone mentioning a good Mexican stop in Newport. This is the part of the trip that we haven't focussed on just yet. I also know there are a lot of new members to the site, so if anyone missed the previous diary and wants to contribute ideas to make this an awesome trip, I would very much appreciate it.

Also on a big side note: My wife has officially agreed to move to Portland next summer while I pursue graduate school at George Fox, so one wayward Blazer fan is coming home to roost!!!

Cheers

-bfan