Jacksonville, OR to Portland, OR

Amy let me drive her car back to Larry’s this morning so I could get my stuff together. She is going to drive Kern and I to Portland this afternoon.

We made our way to Uncle John’s, where Larry had some heavy Bloody Marys ready for everyone. We snacked on breakfast before heading up to the Britt to help clean up. That didn’t take to long, and straight after it was back to Uncle John’s for lunch and then goodbyes.

Amy, Troy and I left at 3pm, headed for Portland. The drive up is beautiful, with magnificent views of Mt Hood and Mt St Helens. All up it takes only 5 hours to get to Portland, where we check into the Portland Hostel not far from Amy’s place. Later, Amy takes us up to a lookout that gives a panoramic view of Portland and its four surrounding mountains. We all had dinner at a Thai restaurant in the northwest section of the city, to be followed by a quiet, alcohol-free night (the first in a while) back at the hostel.

Jacksonville, OR

Someone woke up a little nervous this morning. All things considered, though, Naags is holding up extremely well. I can’t wait for this afternoon – should be awesome. Another spa last night must be holding back the hangovers – whatever it is I wish I could have it all the time.

I went into town and met up with Lewy, Jane, Beno, Darv, Darren and Emily to have lunch.

Preparations at the wedding were done at Larry’s before going to the Britt via Beno and Jane’s cottage. It is here that I first meet Amy. I was awestruck, and unable to speak. But she snobbed me. Not a god sign, but things can only get better from here.

The weather today is perfect, not a cloud to be seen. It’s not hot by any means, but no sign of the cool, wet weather we have been having – a great day to be married outside. The ceremony was held on the grass in front of the stage. As the groomsmen (Cisco, Josh, Kern and Luvo) waited with the minister, Mr and Mrs Nagle were the first to appear, followed by Fabrizio and Mrs Neuman (who hasn’t stopped smiling for the last week). The bridesmaids walked down the isle, one by one, and through the crowd. Lastly was Casi –who looked radiant - and her Dad. The ceremony felt peaceful and very loving – with teary bride and bridesmaids included. When the bride and groom kissed a loud cheer was to be heard – not an unhappy person to be found anywhere. As the wedding party went off to have photos taken, guests milled around the seated area to start on drinks and nibblies. There were around 130 people at the wedding and I’m pretty sure I met all of them. Everyone got on well, beginning what was to be an awesome night (especially for me). I’m on a table with John G, Sadie, Mira, Jonathan, Matt, Darren and Amy (which was a set up by Casi, as I later found out). Just before dinner, when the Nagles returned, the large doors on the stage were drawn back to reveal the semi-outdoor dining area. Dinner was a buffet, with salmon and steak, with wine provided from John G’s vineyard (very handy having him at your table. Glug, glug). Once the band started the tables were cleared and everyone was dancing – including a Britt-long conga. The night ended with Amy and I slow dancing as Chris and Casi left in a vintage car.

Casi & Her Dad Walk Down The Isle

Naags & His Groomsmen Wait

Mr & Mrs Nagle

Coasty Boys

Reception Dinner @ The Britt Jacksonville, OR

Lewy, Me Naags, Luvvo & Kern With Our Host Larry

Amy, Benno, Jane, Darv, Me & Belinda Between The Wedding & The Pub

Amy & I On The Night We Met

From the Britt we headed back to the Bella Union to kick on. I think Chris and Casi were the only people from the wedding who were not there.

Once the pub closed we headed to a house party a few blocks away.

In the early hours of the morning I walked Amy back to the cottage where she was staying. What a night – and I wonder what will come of Amy and I?

Jacksonville, OR

Unsurprisingly there is a late start for us today.

I slept through breakfast and was woken up in time to be told we were headed for Uncle John’s. When we got there Naags and the boys tried on their suits. Once all adjustments were sorted, Naags took us (Jane, Beno, Josh, Belinda, Darv, Luvo, Kern, Fabrizio and I) for a hike up through the Britt Amphitheatre, where the wedding will be tomorrow, and the surrounding hills of Jacksonville.

Jane, Beno, Darv and I got lunch from the local supermarket while the wedding party went to Medford to get the final touches on their suits.

On their return we went up to the Britt to help set up everything for the reception for tomorrow. On our way back we, fortunately for him, ran into the very lost Lewy, and guided him in the right direction.

Our night out tonight was at a local bar, the Bella Union. While the rehearsal dinner was held upstairs, other guests kicked the night off downstairs, only to be joined by the others later in the evening. Thanks to the wedding guests the bar was packed. A local band, Leadfoot, played all the crowd favorites and made for an awesome night. Catching up with everyone, Chris and Casi’s wedding, mixed with San Francisco’s own version of the Coasties is making this weekend one to remember.

San Francisco, CA to Jacksonville, OR

Today is a driving day. We are heading to Jacksonville, Oregon – the venue for the Nagle wedding on Saturday. We pick up some people at the Nagle hotel, and headed over to Andy’s place, where everyone was distributed to cars. I am with Andy, Peter and Michelle. The drive takes 8 hours and we have a ball. Naags’ friends have been nothing but friendly and gracious to me since I’ve been here, and this trip is no exception.

After a lunch stop and a missed turn off on the highway we arrived in Jacksonville around 6pm-ish and went to Casi’s Uncle John’s place, where the party seemed to be starting to brew.

After a quick meet and greet, and a reunion with Jane and Beno (who I haven’t seen for 2 years) we went out to Larry’s place. Larry is a Neuman family friend who is kindly putting up the Aussie boys for the weekend. And to call Larry a character is an understatement. An ex-Arizona State Trooper, Larry greeted us in full cowboy regalia – boots, flanno, chaps and ten-gallon hat – with a big “Howdy!” We were shown to our sleeping quarters – Fabrizio (Naag’s best man) and I have scored the outstanding John Wayne Suite.

But now – time to party and celebrate.

An open fire BBQ in the backyard, complete with bails of hay, cowboy hats for all and a bucket of tequila. (Can you say hangover?) We were in for a huge night. The highlight as definitely the Chris Nagle Matrimonious Trio (Naag’s, Andy and Ali), who entertained the crowd with everything from Johnny Cash, the Rolling Stones and Men At Work, and kept us singing in good voice. The party didn’t finish once the masses left, as Larry put the spa on and we had a impromptu Aussie bucks night, which basically involved a bunch of drunken blokes having a good old laugh. At 5am I was happy to get to bed.

Jane, Darv, Kern, Benno @ Luvo @ Larry's

Chris Nagle Matrimonious Trio

The Boys, Together Again

Party @ Larry's in Jacksonville, OR

San Francisco, CA

This morning started with a drive around San Francisco with Naags, Josh and Belinda. We did the Full House / Mrs Doubtfire / Ocean Beach tour again before driving aimlessly around the city.

Naags had to do some immigration stuff so dropped us off around 12pm. I took this time to relax and get some laundry done.

When he came back we went for a quick beer and feed, before he went to the airport to pick up Kern and Luvo. I waited at the flat as both Lewy and Darv arrived. By the time Naags got the others back from the airport, we were ready for a big reunion night out. We picked up Josh, Belinda, Darren (a mate of Naags’ from home) and Emily (Darren’s partner) and headed for Shanghai Kelly’s, with a quick food stop on the way. At Kelly’s we were joined by Paul and Cisco and drank into the early hours of the morning.

Sunset From Naag's Roof Looking @ Golden Gate Bridge

San Francisco, CA

Up the hill, behind the hostel, is Coit Tower. This tower is kind of shaped like a hose nozzle. San Francisco local eccentric, Lillie Hancock Coit, financed the 70-meter tall building in order to express her obsession with fire, and as a memorial to firefighters who worked endlessly during San Francisco’s earthquake in 1906.

Coit Tower, San Francisco

From here I walked across town to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Highlights include; a collection of modernist paintings by Matisse, Picasso, Miro and Tanguay: black and white photographs by an Austrian woman by the name of Germaine Krell – whose main focus was people and steel structures (interesting combination); and a retrospective of a local artist, Sol le Witt, whose work involved mainly squares and squiggles. (I know my description sounds basic, but it was fascinating work). For me though the best part of the museum was the two Dali paintings side by side. “Oedipus Complex” and “Unsatisfied Desires” are paintings that I have read about, so was overjoyed to actually see them.

After the museum I walked back to the hostel to transfer all my stuff to Naags’ place. We spent the afternoon with Andy and Ali, who had come around to play guitar, which they will be doing at a pre-wedding party this weekend.

Later in the night the four of us picked up Josh and Belinda and went to play basketball (I am so useless at that sport). Better still we went for a couple of beers at a local pub to celebrate Anzac Day.

Reno, NV to San Francisco, CA

I woke up stiff and sore, as a Daewoo Lanos is not much bigger than my old 121, so although I slept well, it has been a long time since I was that uncomfortable.

I restarted my trip early in the morning on another pleasant day. Mind you, with no radio, this is a long trip. The drive was relatively uneventful except that I got pulled over for speeding on the south side of Lake Tahoe. I was doing 50 mph unknowingly in a 35 zone. The cop was nice enough to let me off with a warning.

Came into San Francisco via the Bay Bridge and checked back into the Green Tortoise before taking the car back to the airport. Once again I was on the bus back into town. This time when I got off I immediately started with the tourist thing and wandered the streets. I went looking for the Cartoon Museum, but could not find it.

That evening I caught up with Naags and his family (Mr & Mrs Naags, Josh and Belinda, and Chris' Uncle Graham and Aunty Wendy) at an Italian restaurant right near the hostel.  Had an early night tonight, which is a blessing after the last week.

Las Vegas, NV to Reno, NV

I went and had lunch with Dave & Melissa and 2 of their friends from New Jersey, Jennifer and Eddy, at the Hard Rock Café (surprise, surprise). The 4 of them collect Hard Rock pins and met a couple of months ago at a convention in Stockholm. The afternoon was spent trading pins and catching up before Dave left for work and I went to pick up my ride back to San Francisco. I left Vegas at 6pm and made my way via Reno. Just after 1am I stopped the car in a rest area just outside of Reno, and crashed for the night.

Las Vegas, NV

The Spooners are working today, but I have the car still, so I decide to drive out to the Hoover Dam, on the Nevada / Arizona border. I studied the dam in high school, so this was going to prove how much I remembered. It takes near an hour to get there from Vegas, through Boulder City (the city built specifically to house workers and their families who built the dam). Once I got there, I can’t believe the amount of people milling around. I park on the Arizona side. The Hoover Dam blocks the Colorado River and has created Lake Mead to the north. The lake sits in Boulder Canyon and on a beautiful day – like today – is full of people enjoying the water. You can walk across the top of the dam, which I did, taking many photos. From the Nevada side (the state line runs down the middle of the dam) you can take guided tours down inside, and to the bottom of, the dam – which I also did. The tour takes you to the bottom of the dam to give you a whole new perspective of this man made monument. After the tour finishes there is an exhibit and film about the construction process, which I wandered through. After a few more photos, I started making my way home. I’m so glad I drove out here even though I didn’t remember a lot of the school stuff; I learnt a whole lot more.

Hoover Dam from the bottom

The Hoover Dam

Lake Mead, Formed By Hoover Dam

Back Of The Hoover Dam

The downside to driving is that you can’t take in al the views, which is a shame – but a sacrifice for the convenience.

When I arrived back in Vegas, Dave was at the house (not needed at work) so we took the car back. While back at Thrifty I asked if they needed a car taken back to San Francisco. They do - so tomorrow I get a free car to take back to Naags’ instead of suffering the long bus trip back. Thrifty dropped us off at the Hard Rock, where Dave and I had dinner and a few drinks. When Melissa joined us we headed for another bar – The Double Down – where we played pool with friends of their, Stefan and Robbie, and a couple of local girls. We stumbled home at four-ish after another great night out.

Las Vegas, NV

Up early this morning to head to Thrifty, where we picked up a car to use for the next 2 days. We left from there to head west to Red Rock Canyon. This is a small National Park with some of the most beautiful, arid mountainside scenery I have witnessed. The rocks' redness is caused by the amount of iron oxide in the hills. We walked along one of the trails, which took us around an hour and a half. We thought that it may lead us to the top and we would get a view of Las Vegas. In actual fact, the only way to the top is via climbing with ropes, so we settled for the trail. We also drove around the park’s 13 mile road, stopping at various spots to take in the surroundings. I took a few photos, which, more than likely, will not capture the magnificent surroundings in the beauty that it deserves.

Red Rock Canyon, Las Vegas

We drove back towards the city stopping at the Las Vegas Art Museum, which is exhibiting works of Salvador Dali (my favorite). The exhibition was mainly of lesser-known works of his, but it was still incredible. There are drawings, paintings, photos and sculptures, as well as a tapestry of his “Persistence of Memory” painting. Most of this exhibit was done when Dali was older than 70 years, but there wasn’t anything there that wasn’t unbelievable. The main painting was “Visions of Hell”, which is one of his “double image” paintings. The painting was originally done to be placed in the cathedral in Fatima, Portugal. It was there that 3 local girls were said to have seen a vision of Mary, who asked the girls to complete tasks in her name. One of theses was to build the church. Because of this, believers, who come hoping for the return of this vision, regularly visit the cathedral. Roberta and I went to Fatima 2 years ago when we were in Europe, which made this painting al the more exciting to see. I’m so glad that we caught this exhibit (or even found it in the first place) as the more of I see of Dali’s work – the greater my fascination becomes.

Dave and Melissa took advantage of having a car and did some shopping on the way home.  Tonight is there 7 year anniversary, and they are going to see Sigfried & Roy tonight at the Mirage. I drove them there and in doing so, got my first experience at driving the American way (on the wrong side of the road). I thought I did OK. Only a couple of times did I turn on the windscreen wipers instead of the blinkers, and it didn’t matter that I kept looking for the handbrake and almost opening the door. At 10pm I met them and Kendra at the Hilton, where we went to dinner at Benihana’s – a Japanese restaurant – for dinner. Here the chef cooks all the food in front of you at your table. We had the most delicious meal and afterwards went for a night out in the Hard Rock. A great night was had by all.

Las Vegas, NV

Started the day off with a walk to the Barbary Coast casino, where they gave a free shuttle ride to the Gold Coast (west of the main strip). Once again from there I walked over to the Rio, but this time to see an exhibition about the Titanic. With the audio tour, I got a detailed description of all the artifacts that were on display and how the Titanic was built. Unfortunately it told very little of what happened on the night of sinking. Nonetheless it took me over 2 hours to walk through and was well worth the effort. From the Rio I walked back to the Imperial Palace casino, as they have an Automobile Collection Museum. Here there were about 350 cars ranging from1920 vintages to Kombis and celebrity’s cars ie Elvis, Marilyn Monroe and a Popemobile. I wouldn’t call myself a car buff, but these were some finer vehicles. And price? All the cars on display were for sale, though the cheapest was around $200,000 – the most expensive was closer to $2 million.

I picked up a snack for dinner on the walk back home. Once there I had a shower before walking over to the Hard Rock to do in Vegas what everyone is there to do – gamble. I sat at a blackjack table and was up and down all night. At 2 am I left (after 4 hours) only $20 the worse.

Las Vegas, NV

On my own for most of today as the Spooners are working. Although before Dave started we went and watched a movie, Extreme, at the Imax at Caesars Palace. This was a good surfing, skiing and climbing movie, and the projection is onto a huge dome-shaped screen, which fills your whole line of sight. This gave the movie the effect of you being involved in the action.

Once Dave went to work I went to the Bellagio’s Gallery of Fine Art. This is a small gallery containing works of Miro, Picasso, and Monet, to name a few. There was also an audio tour, which outlined all the works, making for an educational and enjoyable afternoon.

I walked back to the condo and enjoyed the air-conditioned comfort.

When Melissa came home from work we walked over to the Hard Rock Hotel to have a late meal. Dave joined us soon after – but it wasn’t long before we headed home for a couple of drinks in the spa.

Las Vegas, NV

Breakfast (?) at 2pm at the Hard Rock Hotel before Melissa & I (Dave had to work) headed back to the Strip to look through some more casinos.

We started at Caesars Palace – a fairly flash place with a Roman theme.

We walked up to The Mirage, which had a dismal white tiger exhibit.

Beyond the Mirage was Treasure Island. Like Excalibur, Treasure Island seems a bit childish for a casino, but by the volume of people inside, I must be wrong. Treasure Island puts on a twenty-minute show out the front of the casino. It is a pirate / acrobatic show which we had every intention of watching, except that it was cancelled due to the wind.

Next was Harrah’s – this is all the tackiness I had believed Vegas to be about. This place screamed all the kitsch that Vegas is portrayed as in movies. The whole place was so over the top I had to get out as quick as possible.

We also went to the Flamingo - another movie set favorite. Once again all the pizzazz outside  matched all the outdated décor inside.

We caught a shuttle bus to the Gold Coast Casino so we could walk across to the Rio. The Rio has a club on the 51st floor – The Voodoo Lounge – that has an outdoor balcony that gives the greatest view of the city. Unfortunately it was freezing, so after a beer we came back down and caught a cab home.

We got back at the same time as Dave and sat in the spa for the evening with a few beers.

Paris Hotel, Las Vegas

Las Vegas, NV

Understandably today was a late start. It wasn’t until about 5pm before we left the house and wandered up to Las Vegas Boulevard (The Strip). Here every casino has its own hotel, set of shops, restaurants, theatres etc. The Spooners both had the night off, so showed me around.

Our first stop was Ellis Island for dinner (or breakfast – as it was our first meal of the day).

From there we walked through the Bellagio. This casino is a fairly ritzy place, which, like every other casino, is full of poker machines and gambling tables. The best part of the Bellagio is a glass sculpture that hangs from the ceiling in the foyer that was created by Dale Chihuly. Who knew you could do that with glass.

Next up was Paris. Its external design has the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe and Parisian buildings. Inside the low ceilings are painted the color of the sky and gives you the feeling you are outside.

Next was the Monte Carlo – which was relatively non-descript.

After that was the spectacular New York, New York. This casino / hotel is built with a New York skyline, ie Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building, Brooklyn Bridge etc. It also has a roller coaster running around it – which today was closed due to high winds. Inside was like any other place.

Next – the MGM Grand – a monstrous green building with the MGM lion out the front. It is allegedly the largest hotel in the world. It also has its own fun park and 12000-seat stadium.

Through the Tropicana, with nothing to tell, and across to The Excalibur. This place seems like a kid’s casino with its castle exterior and fantasyland theme inside. I’m not sure why people would chose this place to throw away their money, but each to their own.

Next door is the Luxor – a pyramid with the Sphinx out the front. From the pyramid’s peak a light beams upwards, seemingly endlessly, into space.

Our last casino was Mandalay Bay, which is nothing to talk of from the outside, but pretty cool on the inside. We had a couple of drinks here before heading home. Tomorrow we will do the northern half of the Strip.

San Francisco, CA to Las Vegas, NV

An early start and a dash to the bus station to catch the bus to Dave and Melissa’s in Las Vegas. It wasn’t until I purchased my ticket that I realized that we were going via Los Angeles – 15 hours on a Greyhound. Beauty!

I slept most of the way to LA, so not much to report. Loved the Greyhound station in LA – Not! What a dodgy place. I spent an hour there before getting on the third, and emptiest, bus to Las Vegas. Another relatively uneventful trip until we hit Primm Valley, which is the first city you see in Nevada. It looks like something out of Star Wars – with a stream of headlights on one side of the road and taillights on ours heading into this over lit town – surrounded by nothing but darkness.

Half an hour later we headed into Vegas – which was a similar viewing experience to Primm Valley, but on a grander scale. Melissa was there to meet me with two of her friends, Mike and Kendra. They gave us a lift back to the Spooner’s, where Dave joined us for a drive up and down The Strip. What a bizarre and amazing place – like nothing else on Earth. Bright, flashy lights make night look like day. And people are everywhere – all the time. The tour finished with us having a late dinner at the Hard Rock Hotel (just behind the Spooner's apartment). After dinner we headed over to the Office Bar (a fave with the locals), where we met up for a drink with a few of Dave’s workmates – Juan, Willy, Tim and Nam. We stumbled out of there and into bed at the same time as the sun was rising. Ahhhh! Welcome to Vegas.

New York, New York, Las Vegas

San Francisco, CA

Chris and Casi picked me up just after one to take me for a day of sightseeing. The day started with lunch at Jack In The Box (another Maccas / Hungry Jacks) on Lombard Street before we went to a couple of famous film sites. ie the Full House house and Mrs Doubtfire’s house.

We drove through the Golden Gate Park – San Fran’s Centennial Park – on our way to the beach. Back towards downtown we drove through the better areas of San Fran.

Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco

We continued on over the Golden Gate Bridge – with photo stops. We ended up in Marin at Casi’s mum’s place. Marin is a sweet town / community. I was surprised to see deer roaming freely in the area. We stayed here for dinner as one of Mrs Neumann’s friends turned up with food (she’s a chef) – salmon and mushroom – too good.

We left around 7pm and I was dropped off at the hostel to get ready for a party. I got changed and walked up to Chris and Casi’s to meet up with Jeff and Jill and then catch a cab to Amanda’s house. They were having drinks before heading out to a farewell at a club. We stayed until midnight as I started to flake out.

When I got back to the hostel I met the three guys I am sharing the room with, two Englishmen and an Indian. We sat up nearly all night talking shit.

San Francisco, CA

Another late start sees me wake up in time to walk down to Casi’s work and have lunch with her, Jill and Mike at a Vietnamese restaurant – Size. After lunch, Casi gave me a tour of her office. She has an awesome view of the city and the Bay.

I then walked down to California Street to catch my first cable car. I caught it all the way up to Grace Cathedral, which is a large gothic-style church. (It’s front doors are a replica of Florence’s Duomo Baptistery). A chat to the priest and some photos and I was off to the shopping district on the cable car – all of five minutes here I was back on the cable car headed towards Broadway.

Grace Cathedral, San Francisco

By the time I got back to the hostel I only had time to change and get back downstairs before Casi arrived to take me on our night out. We caught up with Naags and a huge bunch of their friends to go to the Blind Tiger, then Bings, then on and on for a great night out. It almost came to an end early when I got stopped for ID at a bar (me out of twenty of us), but not to be deterred, I went back to the hostel to get my passport and continue the raucous night until the early hours of the morning.

San Francisco, CA

Late start today. Woke up at 2.30pm, no wonder after last night, and jet lag kicking in.

Walked around to Fisherman’s Wharf today. It is a Darling Harbour style tourist center - San Francisco style. I walked around for a while before heading west to Fort Mason, where I had a superb view of the Golden Gate Bridge. From there I walked back to Naags & Casi’s place via Lombard Street – the world’s most crooked street. Had dinner at their place with Jeff and Jill. We spent the night just hanging out before I walked back down the hill to hostel and taking it easy for the night.

Lombard Street, San Francisco

Sydney, NSW to San Francisco, CA

What a flight! Thirteen hours of no sleep, only to be given the third degree by four different customs officers.

As I stepped out of the airport is started raining and it took me forever to find where I caught the bus. It was then I questioned, “What am I doing?” The bus into the city took about an hour and dropped me off in the middle of downtown. From there I walked to Pacific Tradewinds Hostel, only to be told it was full. Ended up at the Green Tortoise. I had to wait a while to check in – make sure there was another vacancy.

After checking in I decided to start with a wander around San Francisco’s Financial District. I thought I’d take a walk up to Naag’s place in Clay Street – bad idea – huuuuge hill. Not only that but no one was home. This I find out later is because Chris and Casi don’t live here anymore.

Columbus Tower, San Francisco

I walked back down to the hostel to try and get some sleep. About two hours later, Casi called the hostel – woke me up from a half-sleep – and told me she was picking me up from the hostel to meet up for a drink. So, finally, I met Naag’s fiancé. And if first impressions count, she is a champion. We walked up to a bar on Grant & Green and met up with a couple of their friends – Hamid, Jeff and Jill. Then Chris arrived. It has been over two and a half years since we last saw each other and it was great to catch up. We headed around Columbus to have dinner at the Steps of Rome – an Italian restaurant. From there we kicked on to Shanghai Kelly’s to party on until two in the morning. A great first night in the US, but I desperately need some sleep.