San Francisco outing

How cool is it when the owner of your company sends your department away for the weekend to bond as a team?  Ernie Segale, owner of Segale Travel, is one of those owners and treats us VERY well.   Our weekend getaway to San Francisco was a chance for us to bond as a group, check out hotels who want our business, and experience new activities.

4 of us drove into San Francisco while 2 others took Amtrak from points beyond.  The Amtrak girls were very impressed and rejuvinated our thoughts of train travel.  We met at the Handlery Hotel and lunch in their Daily Grill Restaurant..... delicious crab cake sandwich with sliced fruit.  Since we all like to walk and Segale Travel is dedicated to a Health initiative we took off from the Handlery and walked down to the ferry building and continued along the embarcadero down to Pier 39.  It was a gorgeous day to walk and enjoy the sights of the city!

After a refreshing beer we boarded the Neptune for our wine tasting boat tour. As we sailed out and under the Golden Gate Bridge, around Alcatraz then to the Bay Bridge and back to Pier 39, we tasted local wines or beer.  Melissa and Kevin are fun hosts that enjoy showing their guests a good time.  Local business, local owners, local wines and a great time was had by all.  Dinner at Scoma's which is always delicious and our night concluded back at the Handlery.

The Handlery Hotel has always been a favorite.  1/2 block off Union Square, a swimming pool, onsite parking, historic room in old San Francisco type decor and then their deluxe rooms which are more modern and offer more amenities.  All this at a decent price, especially compared to the large name hotels in the area!  

Sunday morning we were hosted for breakfast and a site inspection at the Hotel Nikko which is in the same area.  VERY impressed with the hotel and especially the rooms.  Rooms are very modern with floor to ceiling windows and splashes of bold colors.  Huge breakfast buffet for $24 with American and Japanese foods... it was a great value for hot and cold choices and many of them!   I now have a new favorite at the next price point.

Another great weekend of experiences!!

 



https://www.corporatetravelagency.net/
http://sf.handlery.com/
http://www.hotelnikkosf.com/
http://www.sanfranciscobayboatcruise.com/
http://www.scomas.com/

Las Vegas Road trip

Who takes off on a motorcycle road trip in Feb???  Well, for the past 3 years it has been us.  :)  We love an adventure and love to find roads that we have yet to travel and this trip was no exception.  We take off and head to Bakersfield for the night enroute to Las Vegas.  Our Valentines dinner consisted of Hooters wings at 11pm which was exactly what we wanted.  LOL  A quick overnight in Bako and visit with an old friend and off we headed across the desert.

Our reason for Vegas was an old friends wedding.  1st wedding for my 50 yr old friend.... definitely a reason to celebrate!!  Wedding chapel in the Bellagio hotel and party bus for the reception!  What a great way to party with your friends and cheaper than buying everyone dinner!  Who would have thought that a bunch of middle aged fat people would enjoy stripper poles, 80's music, vodka cranberry and cruising the strip... well, my friends of course!  Kind of funny that our kids have done the party bus excursion but this was our 1st time.  It definitely won't be our last!
Our party bus with the Big Daddy!
http://www.partytourslasvegas.com/las-vegas-limousines.html#.UTLTSzDqmQw

We stayed at The D Hotel in downtown Vegas on the Fremont Street experience.  It used to be the Fitzgeralds Hotel and is decorated in old Las Vegas charm.  Nice rooms, comfy beds but still the old a/c and heat units and the caulking in the bathroom could use someone who prides themselves on perfectionism!  Having said that, the location is fabulous, the slots and gambling minimums are far less than what you get on the strip, and they are home to the dancing dealers.  I would definitely stay here again but it's not for everyone, but comparing $69/night to $369/night it was an easy decision for me!
http://www.thed.com/

We did try the new BurGR restaurant at Planet Hollywood.  This is Gordon Ramsey's restaurant and the food was great and the service even better!  It's exactly what you would imagine from a Gordon Ramsey restaurant.  AND you must order the truffle, parmesan french fries... they are the best in life!!
http://www.planethollywoodresort.com/restaurants/ramsay.html#.UTLT2DDqmQw

Activities in Vegas included an excursion out to Lake Las Vegas which was great to see but I was a bit disappointed that this area isn't finished in development.  We drove through Lake Mead National Park which  was beautiful scenery and ended at Hoover Dam.  The last time we were at the dam the new bridge was not complete so it was exciting to walk on the new bridge and look down (scary!) at Hoover Dam.  What an awesome sight!!  We drove over from Nevada into Arizona and then back and then went down to drive over the dam.  All these experiencing are even more awe inspiring on the bike.  Open air and sunshine!!

Our drive back to Northern California included a detour through Death Valley. So this is another place that I've always wanted to go and now cannot wait to go back.  The scenery is so dramatic.  First you go up, up, up and then down, down, down.  Sands dunes, salt flats, and tall mountains surrounding you.  It is the hottest, driest and lowest place.  It is a land of extremes.  Another national park that is awe inspiring riding on the back of the harley and being able to take it all in and put my senses on overload!  The lowest sign we saw was 190 feet below sea level, but again, I cannot wait to go back to experience all that this park has to offer!

Washington State

So Randy picks me up at the Seattle airport and we start driving east to visit an area that he had fallen in love with and wanted to share the beauty with me.  We drive over the snowy pass and end up in Eastern Washington in an area know for it's laid back way of life and outdoor activities.  Deep canyons, frozen lakes,  and dramatic landscape carved thousands of years ago from a flood and waterfalls.  Gorgeous!  Like a mini-Grand Canyon!

We stayed on Soap Lake which is a mineral lake with said healing powers.  The Notaras Lodge was our home and who would have thought that this cute log cabin hotel would be cheaper than the "nicest place" in Ephrata!  Pleasantly surprised and feeling like we found ourselves a "find"!  Each room is themed and decorated accordingly.  We stayed in the "honeymoon suite" which was a large room with straight on views of Soap Lake.  A little European charm and the bath tub offered regular water and mineral water direct from the lake.  Of course, I opted for a mineral bath and it was sooooo soft and a little treat.  The Notaras Lodge has a restaurant across the street, Don's Restaurant which we enjoyed with the company of our nephew and his girlfriend.  They also have the last Speakeasy in the state, The Soap Lake Businessman's club!

Our road trip led us taking the truck mudding and meeting new friends in the area.   We then headed up north to visit my mother in law.  Through our travels we drove through Leavenworth, WA which is the most adorable Bavarian town.  We stopped for Starbucks and I fell in love with the town.  Many cute shops, restaurants, bakeries, wineries, hotels and all with the feel of being in the alps.  Darling town at the base of snowy mountains.  The whole time I was planning a girls getaway in my head because this would be the most perfect little town to bring my girls to.

We continued up to Sumas, WA and had a quick visit with family before I flew out of Seattle and Randy continued to drive home.  Fast trip but we got alot accomplished!