Today we joined our friends, Rich and Laura, on a drive to Lincoln City on the central coast of Oregon. The good thing about traveling with them was that we were driving as passengers in their car but the bad news was that we weren’t riding our bike. It was over 30C (86F) in McMinnville when we left but by the time we arrived in Lincoln city it was 58F (14.4C) (quite a difference) and it was foggy. We wanted to take a drive south along the coast but the traffic was very heavy and after sitting in it for a while we stopped for lunch. We ate at the Blackfish Café, an excellent little eatery where we enjoyed some of the best clam chowder we’ve had as well as pasta, calamari and grilled fish tacos. Laura and Rich had eaten at Moe’s before, a “famous” seafood restaurant in these parts, and wholeheartedly endorsed the Blackfish Café over Moe’s as the much better dining experience.

After a short walk on the beach (the fog and wind made for a very cool day) we headed back inland to the warmth of the Willamette Valley. We decided to go for a walk around McMinnville before our next eating venture, dinner at La Rambla, a great tapas restaurant downtown. Fortunately, tapas are appetizer-size plates of food which allows the diner to try several different choices of food. Because we had decided to go to a show at 6:30 and we were still somewhat full from our lunch, small plates of food were all we needed. Mmmmm….delicious!

A few weeks ago, Jay had called me to recommend a movie, An Inconvenient Truth, one he felt should be mandatory viewing for everyone and tonight it was playing in the small, old theatre in downtown McMinnville. If you haven’t seen it, I agree with Jay and cannot recommend it enough. Whether you are an Al Gore fan or not, this film gives us all something to think about and in my opinion, should make us all aware of what we, as human beings are doing to Mother Earth.

We had a full day of feasting…feasting on great food, the beauty of nature, the company of good friends and some vital information that will not only affect our children but all future generations….another great day!