Quack quack

And so begins our very long trip home. If all goes according to plan, we should be home by 7:00 tonight. But first, lets recap our big day in Seattle.

Yesterday morning, Ryan and I spoiled ourselves with room service and breakfast in bed. I've never ordered room service before so it certainly was a treat. Scrambled eggs, toast, pancakes, potatoes, and orange juice, with tiny ketchup and jam bottles. I almost took one to bring home and looking back, I should have.

After breakfast we headed down toward Pike Place Market for our behind the scenes food tour. We met our group at market theater which had gum all pver the wall outside from people to had to get rid of it before going into the theatre. Our tour guide, Brad, took us to about 7 or 8 of the best shops in the market and allowed us to cut the line to sample their goods. We tasted tea from Market Spice, smoked Salmon from the Fish Market, chowder from Pike Place Chowder, and a crab cake from Etta's, to name a few. We got to see the men at the fish market throw a 15 lb salmon across the display cases. During the tour, we also stopped in front of the first Starbucks which had a line about 100 people long. Not sure why people think that coffee from that location will be any different than any of the other 170 Starbucks in Seattle, and yes there are 170 Starbucks in Seattle.

Next we walked over to the Space Needle and I "manned up" and rode the elevator to the top. I did it with my eyes closed but did it nonetheless. Once at the top, the view was amazing. You could see both the Cascade and Olympic mountain ranges, and all across the city. Included with our space needle ticket was the Chihuly blown glass exhibit. I was dying to go to this because I have seen Chihuly's work before. He made the beautiful glass ceilings in the Bellagio in Las Vegas and has a few pieces in the Borgata in Atlantic City. Chihuly's artwork really is amazing. His use of color and space is incredible. I know I sound like an art snob but his art brings it out in me.

We then quickly headed across the street to Ride the Ducks. This 2 hour tour in an amphibious vehicle drives you all around the city giving history and pointing out landmarks then drives straight in to the water and boats around for a great lake view of the city. While in the water, we saw the floating house used in Sleepless in Seattle, which of course thrilled me to no end.

Finally, we hopped in a cab and visited the Seattle Public Library. I was excited for this part of our journey because I had heard so many things about the architecture and modern design. The escalators were lit up bright yellow and floors 7 through 10 were spiraled rows of books you could continuously walk through.

By this point my legs were about to fall off from all the walking but we had a 1 mile walk back to the hotel. Luckily, to take my mind off my feet, we had a beautiful sunset over the Olympic mountains to watch on the walk back.

This trip has been one Ill never forget. I am so thankful for the opportunity to travel and thankful for someone to share it with.

Ferry boats!

Sunday was our longest travel day yet. We were on the road from about 10:00 to 5:00 with a few pit stops. We left Sol Duc Hot springs after breakfast and headed to Hurricane Ridge, a spot in the Cascade Mountains where you can see Seattle on one side all the way to the ocean on the other, as well as some of the snow capped mountains to the south. The drive up to the parking lot was terrifying. 17 miles of winding narrow roads, much of which didn't have guardrails. But after a long, slow ride, we finally made it to the first lookout. We hiked the rest of the way to the top of the mountain to get some of the coolest views yet.

Next, we hopped back into the car to head for the ferry to Seattle. After another 2 hour drive, we arrived in Kingston to discover the ferry to just north of Seattle was delayed 2 hours. We sat in line for about ten minutes until we decided to drive 2 hours around Puget Sound toward Seattle. We figured if it was going to take 2 hours, we might as well be moving. So we turned around and started heading south. Luckily, we ran into another ferry departure site that ran directly to Seattle, and with no wait! So we headed straight for it and were the last car loaded on the ferry, another stroke of luck!

The ferry ride was so much more fun than I thought it would be. There was a flock of seagulls following the boat and eating pretzels from the hands of some people over the side. When we got close to shore, the views of the skyline were breathtaking. We quickly unloaded from the ferry and went straight to our hotel.

For our last hotel, and our 2nd anniversary, we chose something a little more special. We are staying at the Edgewater Hotel on Pier 67. Yep, our room hangs out over the water. The room is all decked out in a woodsy theme with stone all over the bathroom and a fireplace. We have a small balcony the overlooks Elliot Bay.

Last night we had dinner at SixSeven, the restaurant in our hotel. The food was amazing. We each started with a salad and bread. I had the apricot glazed pork shoulder with a side of lobster mac and cheese. Ryan had cedar plank salmon with potato purée. We shared an apple tart for dessert. This delicious food was enjoyed at a table next to the windows overlooking the sunset. Although it was still a bit cloudy, we did get to see the sun sun set over some clouds and I finally got that picture I've been wanting.

We only have one more day to enjoy Seattle until we must return home. But we intend on packing our one day to the fullest!

Ruby ruby ruby ruby

As I write this, we have no cell service so it won't be posted until we get to Seattle on Sunday but we have done so much, I have to write it down before I forget. Friday, we had our first driving hiccup as we left the Shelburne Inn. Usually, Ryan drives and I navigate, and only get behind the wheel on a long stretch of road. Well, Friday morning I decided to drive since we were following highway 101 all the way to our next destination. So Ryan tells me to turn left and just follow that road. Twenty minutes later, we get to the end of the peninsula and realize we weren't on highway 101 but were on highway 103 and had to turn around and drive twenty minutes back to the Shelburne. Apparently, 101 had a junction and turned right about a mile before the Inn. So after a forty minute mishap, we were back on track and learned that Ryan should drive and I should continue to navigate.

Our journey took us to Quinault National forest where we finally got to stretch our legs and do a bit of hiking. We hiked a rainforest nature trail where we saw some of the biggest trees in the area. Some were over 100 years old and 200 feet tall. Then, we continued on our way to Kalaloch Lodge where we stayed for the night. I was really hoping to get a view of the sunset since it was our last night on the coast, but alas, the fog was so thick you couldn't even see the water from out ocean view room. We decided we were there so we weren't going to let a little fog stop us. We took a nice walk on the beach bundled in our sweatshirts and jackets. After our delicious dinner in the lodge dining room, we played Yahtzee in our room until bedtime.

This morning we departed Kalaloch lodge for Sol duc hot springs. Our first stop of the day was Ruby Beach in Olympic National Park. This turned out to be one of the highlights of the trip for me so far. Although again, it was so foggy that you couldn't even see the water from shore, we were determined to walk the beach because all of the books said this was one of the best sites to see ocean life. And it did not disappoint! Fortunately, it was low tide so as we walked along the shore and peered into the many tide pools, we saw hundreds of sea anemone, starfish, urchins, and hundreds of thousands of mussels. I was shrieking in excitement like a little kid. I guess I always thought those sea animals were tropical and not so abundant in cold water but I was certainly wrong.

After dragging myself away from Ruby beach, we drove through Forks, WA. We didn't stop here but I thought beared mentioning because it was the setting for the Twilight books and was definitely trying to capitalize on its new "fame." Everywhere you look in Forks there is a sign for Twilight tours or Bella's Cafe. It just struck me as funny.

Finally, we made it to Sol Duc hot springs and almost immediately threw on our swimsuits and went to the springs. It's not really what you might think of when you think of Hot Springs but there were 2 large pools filled with genuine hot spring water that were more like hot tubs without jets. But the water in them smelled of sulphur and felt soapy to the touch. I may not be painting the prettiest picture here because it really was nice and the water really did take away all aches and pains just as they advertise, it was just a little different than I expected. They also have a large regular swimming pool that we swam in for a couple of hours, so we really wore ourselves out. After swimming, we hiked to the Sol Duc falls and back and enjoyed a nice light dinner of salad at the resort restaurant.

I have to apologize for the lack of photos taken on this leg of the trip. I took a ton with the real camera but only a couple with my iphone, so I'll have to upload them when we get home. Tomorrow we head for Seattle, our last stop on our epic journey, on our 2nd wedding anniversary. I am really sad for our trip to end but I'm excited to be celebrating 2 years together in such a fun city!

Roses are red, and pink, and orange...

Yesterday we journeyed on from Portland to Seaview, WA. On our way out of the city, we stopped at the International Rose Test Garden. At the garden were hundreds of varieties of roses, and even spotted a couple that we grow at home. The garden was beautiful and made for some great photos. I can't wait to print some out for home. After leaving the garden, we drove to Astoria, OR for lunch and some sightseeing. We enjoyed seafood at a little restaurant on the Coquille river and then drove up to the Astoria column. The column is a landmark built atop a hill that overlooks the town. They have a tradition of selling balsa wood gliders that you take to the top of the 150 foot column and release them into the wind. Of course this idea appealed to Ryan so he shakily climbed the hundreds of steps to the top and released his glider, which subsequently flew only to the edge of the parking lot. This did mean that we could hunt it down and bring it home. While Ryan was brave and went up top, I kept my feet firmly planted on the ground.

Our next adventure took us to Shallon Winery where we met the one man operation, Mr. Paul van der Veldt. At nearly 90 years old, he ferments about six varieties of wine. We toured his 600 square foot facility and tasted each kind of wine, and purchased a couple to bring home. He was a sweet old man who really took pride in his work and was genuinely interested in his visitors. He also told us to call him "anytime within a 50 mile radius" if we needed a dining recommendation and gave us his card.

Next we made a quick pit stop at the coast guard/ maritime museum in Astoria and then headed North to Seaview. We Checked in to the Shelburne Inn around 4:30, just in time to visit the beach for a bit before our 6:00 dinner reservation. We drove to the beach access which allowed us to drive right on to the beach. We parked and walk through the COLD ocean water with our pants rolled up and took lots of pictures. We saw several crab carcasses washed ashore and I even picked up half of a sand dollar. As many times as I've been to the beach, that was my first sand dollar, even if it was broken. After about a half hour, we drove back and had a delicious dinner at the Inn followed by a glass of wine and some free entertainment at the bar.

We went up to bed early last night because we have been listening to Gone Girl on audiobook while we're driving and yesterday we got to a part where we both just couldn't wait to see what happened. So last night we plugged in the iPod and listened for probably an hour before falling to sleep. Now we are about 3/4 through and hope that we'll be able to finish before we get home.

Also, our next destination is Olympic National Park where the cell service is quite poor, so forgive us if our posts are less frequent.

Voodoo magic

Today was such a crazy day. This morning we woke up and went to the diner next to our hotel for a quick breakfast. After all of this eating out we've had to do, I was happy just to have some yogurt and an apple to give my tummy a break. Then, we went right out and began walking the city. Unfortunately, we were a bit early because we quickly discovered that most shops didn't open until 10 am. So we killed a half hour at Powells Books again before the other shops opened. We went to West Elm which I had always wanted to go to since I peruse their website all the time. Then we went to a couple of local home decor stores and a paper store. My favorite was a place called Crafty Wonderland. It was the definition of Portland quirkiness and I loved it! We also stopped at a spice shop with all kinds of spices, teas, salts, and seasonings. While walking we saw probably 50 or more food trucks of all different ethnicities. Although we didn't try any, they all looked good and became very busy at lunch time.

For lunch we made a quick pizza stop which turned out to be awesome. Sizzle Pie had delicious thin crust pizza organized into vegan, vegetarian, and meat eaters. My vegetarian spinach, feta, hazelnut and cranberry pizza was to die for and Ryan's "porky's revenge" was pretty good too. After lunch, we intended to head to a salvage store called "Hippo Hardware" but got sidetracked by VooDoo Donuts, the Portland staple that was on our Bucket list. So since we were right there, we hopped in line and waited just 20 minutes to order our VooDoo doll donut and maple bacon bar. Both were soo good and certainly worth the wait. Then we trekked 20 long blocks over to Hippo Hardware in search of some pretty glass doorknobs for our house. Well we found some but they weren't nearly as cheap as we'd hoped they would be so we left empty handed and trekked 20 blocks back to the hotel.

After a quick rest and a wardrobe change, we walked a couple blocks over to the Living Room Theatre where we watched a pretty good movie from comfy couches. I'd highly recommend "Now you see me" if it plays at a theatre near you. Next, we walked east about 10 blocks for dinner at Mother's Bistro. We found this restaurant on Tripadvisor.com and it did not disappoint. Good home cooking cooked by a mother of the month and complimentary cookies with the check. And as we were dining and people watching out the window, we noticed Cameron's book store across the street so we had to snap a picture. Cam, you didn't even know you owned a bookstore, did you?!

At the end of this exhausting day of walking and eating, we decided to head back to our hotel a little early. But the eating wasn't done just yet, we spoiled ourselves by ordering room service of a pint of ice cream from Salt & Straw, another Portland staple. The Sea salt ice cream with caramel ribbons sealed the best food day yet.

Tomorrow we hope to stop at a few places on the way out of town and then head to Astoria and Seaview, WA.

Gettin weird

Yesterday before we pulled out of Newport, OR and headed north on highway 101 again, we made one more stop at the Oregon Coast Aquarium. Even after going to handfuls of aquariums and zoos in my life, it never gets old. This one was pretty great with its interactive exhibits and feeding shows. We got to touch sea stars and walk around with puffins. A pretty great deal for $18.

After the zoo we drive up to Yaquina head lighthouse which was much bigger that Haceta Head lighthouse and even more windy. We didn't stay there for long and instead, headed up to Tillamook for a cheese factory tour. The Tillamook Cheese Factory was a stop we added at the last minute and I'm so glad we did. We got lunch in their cafeteria and then walk through the self guided factory tour. It was like any other factory tour but the free cheese samples and ice cream at the end were delicious.

After our rest in Tillamook, we got back in the car and headed for Portland. It was a pretty easy city to drive into and had no problems pulling right up to the hotel to get valeted. We settled in to our room and made a reservation for dinner at the hotel restaurant called "Imperial." Ryan had salmon a la plancha which was seared on both sides and was white instead of pink, and I had roasted chicken with greens After dinner we walked around town a bit and found ourselves doing some shopping. We stopped in Powells Books which was 4 floors of new and used books. I think we spent about an hour just browsing through the stacks. Then, we walked to Deschutes Brewery and shared a sampler of their brewers collection. By this time we were totally wiped out for the day and headed back to our hotel.

I guess something we noticed right away about Portland is that it is just as we thought it would be. The people are funky and hipster, there are bikes everywhere, they are very environmentally friendly, and a bit pretentious. At dinner the waitress was telling us how the cows were grass fed from Tails and Trotters farm. It was just like a scene from Portlandia. And Portlandians pride themselves in being weird. You see it on tshirts and billboards- which is kind of weird in itself. All in all though, it's a nice town and the people are very friendly.

I'll write another post for today since this one is getting long winded. Today was even more jam packed than yesterday.

Bandon dunes

Well hello blog readers. It is my turn to add a little to this trip memoir. The following post documents my experience this morning at Bandon Dunes Golf resort. Bandon dunes ranks on many lists as the #1 golf resort in the US. It has five courses on the property, 4 courses with 18 holes and one 13 hole par 3 course. I chose to go with the original course which shares the name of the resort. Luckily I had not yet adjusted to west coast time yet, and was wide awake at 5:00 am. This gave me plenty of time to sit down and eat an omelette filled with smoked king salmon at the gallery restaurant at the lodge. I picked up an excellent set of rental clubs (Titleist AP2 irons, 3 wood and 3 hybrid, along with a Taylormade R1 driver and ghost blade putter). The rental clubs included a 6 pack of balls and ended up being significantly cheaper than bring my clubs with me on the trip. After a little time at the practice range I was ready for my 7:50 tee time. I met my caddie, Dave, at the tee and was set to be playing with a father and son from England. After having booked this round of golf 6 months prior to playing I was a little jittery when I stepped up to the ball as it was finally here. I was able to calm down enough to hit a straight first drive and get a good start in front of a small crowd of people who had stationed themselves out in front of the lodge. I would like to be able to tell you that I went on to play the rest of the hole spectacularly, but unfortunately I can't do that. I hit my approach shot just short and watched it run a good 20 yards from the green. Now what ended up being the most unique and fun part of playing this course was that you could put from anywhere. On this shot I ended up putting 30 yards or so up a 12 foot hill to the green. After failing to make it up the hill multiple times, I finally got the hang of it and carded my first score of the day, a double par (8). I recovered nicely on the second hole with a par (3) and went on to have the best golf experience that I have had thus far. I will not bore you any more with details, but will just say that the course lived up to the hype. Everything from the setting along cliffs overlooking the pacific ocean, having a knowledgeable caddy to help me select the proper club and direction to hit the ball, and the course only being able to be walked made it a unique and unforgettable experience. I will post some pictures when I get a chance to download them from the camera. Emily and I will add the rest of the events from today in the morning. Thanks for reading. As I believe Ron Burgundy would say if he had a blog, you stay classy, planet earth.

The real Windy City

Another fantastic day in Oregon. While Ryan relieved stress by playing 18 at Bandon Dunes, I enjoyed a relaxing massage which I certainly needed after that hike yesterday.

At around noon we met back up and headed into town for lunch. We had sandwiches at a little bakery and walked around the cute little seaside town. In fact, the original name of the town was "Bandon-by-the-sea" so that is still what is printed on all of the banners and flags around town.

We stopped in a few candy shops, one of which was visited by Rachel Ray on an episode of "$40 a day," called "Cranberry Sweets." Unfortunately, we didn't stay here long because it is pretty darn cold and windy and we are both beginning to worry that we didn't pack enough warm clothes.

After filling up with gas, we headed north on highway 101 which follows the ocean. This is supposed to be the most beautiful section of highway in the United States and it certainly lived up to the hype. We made a stop at the Haceta Head lighthouse and took a tour inside. From the lighthouse you could look out and with binoculars, see California Sea Lions sunbathing on the rocks at the edge of the ocean. Then we kept driving North for Newport, OR. Here we stopped at the Rogue Brewery for dinner. I was getting a little cranky at this point from so much driving but the food and beer at Rogue perked me right up. We each enjoyed a sampler of 4 beers while I had chorizo tacos and Ryan had fish and chips. We enjoyed our refreshments at a window seat overlooking the ocean. We finished with the most delicious cheesecake with a hazelnut sauce.

We stayed the night in a fairly nice Best Western and our luck continued when we got and ocean view room. But unfortunately, the fog was so thick again that we weren't able to see the sunset.

Today we are exploring Newport a bit more then heading to Portland where we will be for a few days.

From Crater Lake to Bandon Dunes

As anticipated, we awoke just in time for a beautiful sunrise over crater lake this morning. It's kind of sad that it took 27 years to get up in time to see the sunrise but it certainly was worth the wait to get to see it above crater lake for the first time. After savoring the early moments of the morning, Ryan and I ate breakfast at the lodge and headed out for a hike down to the water and a boat tour. The boat tour was probably the highlight of crater lake. It was about two hours of cruising around on the bluest water of ever seen. The water in the lake is comprised mostly of rain water and snowmelt, with some seepage from the rocks. And with minimal development there, the water is so clean and clear, you can actually drink it straight from the lake. It's even cleaner than tap water. And it's so clear we could see the bottom at over 140 feet deep.

After the boat ride we hiked up the caldera edge a mile at 11% grade which was exhausting and proved that we both are sooo out of shape. When we finally made it to the top, we hopped in the car and begun the 4 hour drive to Bandon Dunes. Halfway there we stopped at this little gem of a restaurant on the side of the road called The Steamboat Inn. Places like that are always a gamble but this one was great. Good homemade sandwiches and root beer in a frosty mug. I really wanted a slice of their homemade strawberry rhubarb pie but I didn't really want a trip to the hospital so I thought I'd better not.

At this point we were about 100 miles inland and 6000 feet in elevation and 95 degrees at 3:00 in the afternoon. 2 short hours later we were at sea level in Bandon and it was 56 degrees and misting. Since we couldn't see much because of the fog, we decided to take it easy and grab a bite to eat for dinner at a little pub next to the clubhouse. Then, we took a short drive to Bullards Beach state park so I could see the Pacific Ocean for the first time. It was every bit as gorgeous as I had imagined and oh the driftwood! It was everywhere. I really wanted to bring some home. I also had kind of hoped to be able to see the sun set over the ocean today but it was just to overcast. Luckily we have many more opportunities this week for that.

Tomorrow we are getting up early for breakfast and Ryan tees off at 7 am while I get a massage. It's a rough life here in Oregon...

We made it to Oregon!!!

After 15 hours of travel, we finally made it to Oregon. And I swear one of these times my good luck with flying is going to wear off. We got up at 4:15 and got a cab to the airport at 5:00 for a 7:00 flight. When we arrived at Dulles, there was no line for check-in or security and we breezed right through. It was at that time we realized our flight was departing at 6:00 and was already boarding. Thanks Cheapo Air for the flight change notification. But I guess with a name like Cheapo Air, we shouldn't have expected much. So we rushed to our terminal and made it to our gate just after last call. Luckily, we boarded at the same time as a woman and her daughter who were not able to help with an exit row so we got upgraded to roomier seats. Yay for more legroom - okay that's what Ryan said, not me. Our flight to San Fransisco went perfectly but when we arrived at our next gate to Medford, OR, we discovered our transfer was delayed an hour. So between the early flight to the delayed transfer, our 1 hour layover became 3 hours. But all was well because that gave us time to eat and talk with a lovely gentleman from Australia.

When we got to Medford, we were surprised by smoke in the air. Apparently, they are experiencing severe drought and wild fires in southwest OR so we have to be a bit careful. With covered faces, we hopped in our rental car and drove straight to Crater lake. We decided to take the scenic route which was about 2 hours. I am amazed by the landscape here in the Pacific Northwest. As Ryan liked to say, it's "all pines all the time." The trees are super skinny and suuuuuper tall. I also saw a patch of Queen Anne's lace on the side of the road that was 15 feet tall! We drove through a farm that had at least 1000 cows grazing on dead grass. I guess I was expecting lush green landscapes but the pines are about the only green. Everything else is brown.

Crater Lake is gorgeous and our lodge sits atop the highest peak, over looking the lake. Somehow we got so lucky to get the last room in the lodge when we booked back in January and it happens to be lakeside! We just spent a while in front of the fire ( yes it is about 60 degrees here this evening) and finished dinner in the lodge dining room. I had filet and a crab cake ( did not even compare to MD crab cakes) and Ryan had a delicious rack of lamb. After an exhausting day, I am so ready for sleep but we plan to wake for sunrise tomorrow. It is supposed to be beautiful over the lake. Assuming we are still on east coast time, I'm sure it won't be difficult to get up. I'll leave you with a couple pictures from today.

Only 33 hours until takeoff

Packing is nearly complete. Kindle is loaded with books and magazines and iPod is loaded with music and audiobooks. Just a few more last minute items to add to one large suitcase, one carryon, a backpack, and a folded up carryon for the treasures we bring home. This time tomorrow we'll be (not) sleeping in DC in anticipation for our journey. I am soooo ready!

I'm so excited....and I just can't hide it

Welcome to our Travel Blog! In a little over a week, we will be leaving our home for a fabulous trip to the Pacific Northwest. We plan on soaking up as much as we can in the 11 day trip and reporting back on all of the beautiful sights we see and the delicious food we eat. Here is a rough schedule of our reservations and where we’ll be staying each night:

Aug 3 – Arrive in Medford, Oregon and drive to Crater Lake

Aug 4 – Head to Bandon Dunes Resort

Aug 5 – Head to Newport, Oregon

Aug 6 – Drive to Portland, Oregon and begin exploring that city

Aug 7 – Continue exploring Portland

Aug 8 – Leave Portland and head toward Seaview, WA

Aug 9 – Wander Washington and end up at Kalaloch Lodge

Aug 10 – Drive to Sol Duc Hot Springs

Aug 11 – Take Ferry to Seattle, WA

Aug 12 – Explore Seattle/Eat awesome food

Aug 13 – Depart Seattle for home 

We’ll be making numerous stops in between these destinations to make this less of a driving vacation and more of a DOING vacation. We can’t wait to share our adventures with you - check in frequently to see what we’ve been up to!