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Suivez-nous dans notre aventure le long de la Côte Ouest, de Vancouver à San Diego ! Follow us on our southward adventure down the US West Coast, from Vancouver to San Diego! Meagan, Mathieu & JHO le taxi
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  • 6kkilometers
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  • Day40

    Homeward bound - Portland Part 2

     November 15, 2019 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    Our last stop was in the "weirdest" city, Portland! We were here last year for Easter and loved the vibe. We first tried a delicious flight of beers from Rogue Brewery. Then grabbed a spicy green curry from one of the classic food trucks Portland is known for before heading out.

    Notre dernier arrêt sur le chemin du retour: Portland ! Une étape brève mais qui rappelle des souvenirs de notre première escapade états-unienne à deux, lors du weekend de Pâques il y a plus d'un an et demi. Après avoir fait le plein d'une volée de bières artisanales de chez Rogue Brewery, nous avons finalement donné corps à notre promesse de revenir déguster/engloutir la fabuleuse street food qui fait le renommée de la capitale de l'Orégon. Notre curry thaï n'a pas fait long feu !Read more

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  • Day39

    Homeward bound - Crater Lake, OR

     November 14, 2019 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C

    Another long day of driving but we managed a few hour stop at the famous Crater Lake. A deep lake (~600 m) formed from the collapse of Mazama Volcano after it spewed lava then sequentially filled with snow and rain water over 7700 years! We hiked up to Garfield Peak and had some beautiful views of Union Peak (SW of Crater) and Mount Scott (West of Crater). We ran down the peak before the cafe closed to get some hot chocolate and enjoyed it while walking towards Wizard Island.

    Une nouvelle longue journée de route, mais heureusement édulcorée de quelques heures passées sur le rebord du fameux Crater Lake, dans l'Orégon. Un lac profond formé par l'explosion puis l'effondrement du gigantesque volcan Mazama, après qu'il ait déversé ses mètres cubes de lave alentours, il y a près de 7700 ans. Depuis, les pluies et neiges successives l'ont rempli d'une eau claire et limpide, pauvre en sédiments, qui lui donnent son intense couleur bleue. Nous avons rapidement avalé la rando jusqu'au sommet de Garfield Peak, d'où nous avons pu contempler Union Peak (au sud-ouest) et Mount Scott (à l'ouest) dans le couchant. Un gentil footing en descente pour atteindre le chalet et son chocolat chaud tant désiré, que nous avons ensuite dégusté sur un petit mile, le temps d'atteindre un beau point de vue sur Wizard Island.    Read more

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  • Day39

    Homeward bound - Deschutes Brewery

     November 14, 2019 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 4 °C

    Meagan's dream come true: visiting her favourite brewery in Bend, Oregon. Best citrus, hazy IPAs. Ever. In particular, Fresh Squeezed and Fresh Haze. We also enjoyed a delicious vegan mushroom pizza with "Good Planet" mozza. An excellent treat for the way back!

    Le rêve de Meagan enfin réalisé : visiter sa brasserie artisanale préférée, Deschutes Brewery à Bend, OR. Les meilleurs citrus et hazy IPA du monde. Carrément. En particulier la Fresh Squeezed et la Fresh Haze. En plus, nous avons accompagné ça par une pizza végane aux champis trop bonne, avec de la végé-mozza "Good Planet" qui dépote. Une belle récompense pour toutes ces heures de route !Read more

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  • Day38

    Homeward bound - Lake Tahoe, NV

     November 13, 2019 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C

    Although a large portion of the day was spent driving between gorgeous mountain regions (actually drove behind Yosemite) we were able to make a single stop. Lake Tahoe is shared between both California and Nevada. We first stopped at a local brewery on the Californian side for some brews. Then hopped over the state line to Nevada Beach. It was a huge beautiful beach, definitely a place to be in the summer.Read more

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  • Day37

    Homeward bound - Death Valley, CA

     November 12, 2019 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    A destination that Natasha swore by, Death Valley. It holds a record breaking temperature of 57°C, is the lowest point in the Americas (-86 m), and an absolute gem. There are salt fields, swirly mountains, dunes (our favorite) and next to a town called Beatty! The silence was something Natasha noted and it really was deathly quiet, a unique experience. We really wished we could have spent more time here.Read more

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  • Day36

    Balboa Park

     November 11, 2019 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    Another lazy day was spent checking out Balboa Park home to many muesums, the world's largest outdoor organ and the famous San Diego Zoo. Although we didn't get to see any of these things we did check out a pretty cool Rose and Cacti Garden. Then we enjoyed the last of the sun drinking local beer on the lawn.Read more

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  • Day34

    San Diego - Casa de Natasha

     November 9, 2019 in the United States ⋅ 🌙 16 °C

    Our final destination south, Natasha! A best friend of Meagan's and PhD comrad. Funny enough, Natasha lives with another Natasha who also received her PhD at UVic (same group Mat worked for). We immediately caught up over pizza and beer at a local shop called Regents Pizzeria. We scooted around by bird (electric scooters) to a Speakeasy pub where we enjoyed delicious cocktails. The next day was a little rough so we chilled at Torrey Pines beach. That night we feasted on a delicious BBQ that Mat prepared for us with cupcakes for dessert. One of Mat's dreams came true the following day: surfing in Californian water. We spent a few hours on the water. Mat was a true surfer, standing up multiple times. Meagan on the other hand was tossed around like kelp. The three of us refueled with the best tacos in Pacific Beach called the Fish Shop. The rest of the time was spent in the hot tub, it truly felt like a vacation.Read more

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  • Day33

    Venice Beach - Everlasting Summer

     November 8, 2019 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    On our last day before reaching San Diego, we did not want to stop in Los Angeles. Because too big, too crowded and not nearly enough time to enjoy it fully. But we succombed to the temptation of a "quick" stop in Venice Beach, so iconic and only a small detour away from our route. A real good decision, definitely worth the 2h traffic jam! We were very happily surprised by the super chill atmosphere we found there, and not that flooded with tourists actually. We went along the boardwalk on the side of the beach, where all sorts of shops, restaurants, artists, muscle heads and weird people mingle together for a colorful cocktail of influences. We eventually reached the Santa Monica Pier at the north end and elected a spot on the beach nearby to enjoy the scorching 26°C of the afternoon. The water was finally at a decent temperature so we could immerge ourselves for more than a minute. Cool waves too, and Mat had a ball bodysurfing among them! As the sun lowered in the middle of the afternoon (Nov 8!), we took off, walked back on the boardwalk now a little busier and enjoyed a spicy poke before heading back into the traffic jam, direction San Diego, our final destination!

    Pour notre dernier jour avant d'atteindre San Diego, on ne voulait pas s'arrêter à Los Angeles. Parce que trop grand, trop de monde, et clairement pas assez de temps pour en profiter à fond. Mais nous avons succombé à la tentation d'un "bref" arrêt à Venice Beach, quartier iconique à juste un petit détour de notre route. Une excellente décision, justifiant aisément les 2 h de bouchons ! On a été agréablement surpris par l'ambiance très relax qui y règne, et l'endroit n'était pas blindé de touristes à vrai dire. On a parcouru le boardwalk le long de la plage, où se côtoient toutes sortes de boutiques, restos, artistes, bodybuilders et types louches. L'ensemble est un cocktail d'influences bigarré. On a finalement atteint le Quai de Santa Monica à l'extrémité Nord et choisi un spot sur la plage adjacente pour profiter des 26°C brûlants de l'après-midi. L'eau du Pacifique était finalement à une température décente pour que nous puissions nous baigner pendant plus d'une minute. De bonnes vagues aussi, et Mat s'est fait plaiz' à bodysurfer parmi elles. Quand le soleil est descendu vers le milieu d'après-midi (on est le 8 novembre !), nous sommes rentrés par le chemin inverse —plus fréquenté à cette heure—, avons dégusté un bon poke épicé avant de repartir dans les bouchons, direction San Diego, notre destination finale !    Read more

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  • Day32

    Pismo Beach

     November 7, 2019 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    After beers we were ready for a chill afternoon beside the water. We found a huge and empty beach in Pismo where we made tuna and cheese pancakes (Mat's invention) in front of the setting sun.

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  • Day32

    Central Coast Brewery - San Luis Obispo

     November 7, 2019 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    Before officially leaving the Central Coast we tasted some beers at the Central Coast Brewery. They offered many New England IPAs and even a Peanut Butter Stout. It actually tasted like PB!

    Avant de quitter officiellement la Central Coast, nous nous sommes rapidement arrêtés à San Luis Obispo pour une dégustation de bières locales sous le soleil de Californie, à Central Coast Brewery. Une bonne série de New England IPAs et même —au grand plaisir de Meagan— une stout aux arômes de beurre de cacahuète. Et c'en avait vraiment le goût !Read more

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