Mendocino and Eugene, OR

Are you going to be in Portland on Sept. 28?   If so, you might want to consider checking out the Watkins Glen thing at the Grand Lodge in Forest Grove:  GBB (GD tribute), One Way Out (ABB tribute), and Chest Fever (the Band tribute).  $15 (cheap). No shortage of good music up here pretty much every night of the week.  Hopefully you will catch some good shows on your way up.

Whirled Pies is the best venue in Eugene 

scheduling seems to have always been sporadic, at best

Ain't no party like a black sheep party

My favorite restaurant in Mendocino. Nice place to stay too..

https://stanfordinn.com/ravens-restaurant-mendocino-about-us/

As Bss wrote, Whirled Pies can be good. The Eugene Weekly (online and paper) has entertainment listings and cover a lot of what's going on.

When do you plan to be in Eugene?

I live in Corvallis, so don't frequent the small Eugene venues, but I go to WOW Hall shows a lot, so another place in Eugene to keep an eye on (shows rarely over $35 after fees).  The McDonald theater and Hult Center also have great shows from time to time.

https://wowhall.org/

https://mcdonaldtheatre.com/

https://hultcenter.org/

https://whirledpies.com/calendar/

If you happen to make it to Corvallis,  the Old World Deli, Common Fields, Bombs Away Cafe, Majestic and Whiteside Theaters have some good shows.  

Thanks for filling out the Eugene scene, Noodler. Are you coming down for Hot Tuna at the McDonald on Monday?

Good to know when you're planning to be here, Don.

Hi Judit!  Wasn't planning on seeing Hot Tuna, on a budget these days...   but as to Eugene shows, I am going to see Bonnie Raitt at the Hult Center on Oct 8th!!!  I'm really stoked that BEAT added a second half to their tour, so seeing them at the McDonald Theater Nov 23 (most i've ever paid for a concert ticket, in fact, more than most speeding tickets i've had, LOL).  The Stinkfoot Orchestra is at the WOW Hall on Nov 22!   My new bands last gig for a while is this Weds at Common Fields in Corvallis (Sept 18, 6 - 8pm), this time we're doing all the originals, only a handful of covers. (Band member has surgery on a finger soon, glad we managed 8 gigs in 4 months, not bad starting from scratch)

Clarification: for anyone thinking of Hot Tuna, it's not this Monday, it's the 23rd.

Hot Tuna seems to be my one big draw show every year, but as you can see, Don, there might be lots going on when you're here.

Congratulations, Noodler for putting 8 gigs together in 4 months! Nice job! (And good luck to your band mate on his/her finger surgery.)

As you said, venues in Berkeley are pretty easy to find, but here are a few that might be a bit off the radar, mostly jazz venues...

The Back Room. It's a really small, locals jazz venue right off University. Very low-key, comfortable and not expensive.

https://backroommusic.com/

The Ivy Room. A basic bar/nightclub with small but often interesting acts.

https://www.ivyroom.com/#/events

Freight & Salvage. You're probably aware of this one, but it's also a nice, easy venue in the heart of Berkeley, with different, eclectic acts.

https://thefreight.org/

California Jazz Conservatory. They don't do a ton of shows here, but it's VERY intimate with excellent acoustics and good jazz acts, right across the street from Freight & Salvage.

https://cjc.edu/

The Sound Room. This one is in Oakland, but it's also a very small, very cool jazz venue.

https://www.soundroom.org/

Are you taking pch all the way from Marin to Florence?

Education is over-rated.

Just go with the flow (and a decent map).

I should be more specific; pch means pacific coast Highway, but this technically is only one southern portion of what makes up CA 1. 

around drive thru tree in southern humboldt, CA 1 becomes us 101 and continues north mostly along the coast to the Olympic peninsula 

the coastal route from Marin to Florence Oregon (then east on 126 to Eugene) will be a really spectacular trip

this is some of the harder-to-get-to coast and definitely worth the effort. So much cool stuff to see and learn.

Hwy. 1 from SF to Leggett, where it meets 101, is very slow and curvy, especially if you get behind an RV or 10. Allow for extra time, compared to how it looks on the map.

Pretty scenic though.

>>>>Would be white knuckles on the wheel nervous riding on the cliffside.

Yeah, we did that route coming south last year.  Curvy road with no shoulder or guardrail and 200 feet drop off straight down to the ocean.  Is scenic though.  Just keep you eyes on the road.

I would amend what BSS said, suggesting taking HW38 at Reedsport, instead of 126 in Florence.  2 reasons, the Dean Creek Elk preserve, and the fact that the Umpqua river is a quarter to half mile wide, making for a spectacular drive most don't know about.  

Cape Arago SW of Coos Bay (sunset bay, shore acres, etc), is also worthy of an hour or 3...   

yeah I don't disagree with that

Between the two routes inland, umpqua highway is the more scenic route 

I was just trying to keep them off the interstate 

there's always a tradeoff

No worries, but if you take the Florence route, you might want to check out "Darlingtonia state park",  our only state park dedicated to our native carnivorous pitcher plant!  (We have other carnivorous plants, but they don't get parks, lol)

https://stateparks.oregon.gov/index.cfm?do=park.profile&parkId=81

101 from Reedsport to Florence is pretty nice also.

While both Hwy 38 and Hwy 126 from the coast are beautiful, Hwy 126 is a narrower canyon (more shady) and Hwy 38 is more open (more sun). (You will most likely be driving away from the sun.) Both have lots of trees, but I remember that 126 has more clear cuts; they're interesting, but not necessarily attractive methods of forest management. Hwy 126 has the Siuslaw River, lovely but disappearing into the narrower canyon, and Hwy 38 is more farmland along the Umpqua River. I agree with Surfdead that Reedsport to Florence is nice.

Bss's idea of keeping off I-5 (the interstate) is a very good one except if you want a 4 lane drive rather than narrow 2 lanes at the end of the trip (assuming you're arriving in Eugene at the end of that day's drive). I like Hwy 38 better because of the farms and the more open feeling. I can't remember any food on 38 between the coast and I-5, there is on 126.. Hoping I haven't confused you.

Oregon is beautiful.

The route's a bit different now than what Hank describes, but I'm thinking the scenery is much the same.

Hank Williams - California Zephyr

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYiDFbVN4K0

Damn, you can see the doom loop of that ruined city from that photo.

Sad.

Don, as you'll obviously be driving up Hwy 1 through Stinson Beach tomorrow, you might want to

consider making a right at the 4-way stop when you get into town, and driving about 3 minutes up to 

where Garcia's old house was/is....(it's totally different now, of course).....He was there from '70 to about '75.....

18 Avenida Farralone. Last house on right.

     The road dead-ends with public parking right there, you won't be bothering anyone, as it's an entrance

to open space and the Willow Camp Fire Trail. You will see that the view from there is pretty special, which

is why I recommend it....

     Have a great trip!

Looks like fun so far Don! Marshall Store on tomales bay is a good stop for lunch just fyi.

actually might be the best food til mendo

And in Eugene on Tuesday, too. But that's another thread…

I will say that having you and Mrs. Nod here was a pleasure.