blog

July 11, 2017

A Trip to the Pacific Northwest

Let me start out by reminding everyone that I am not a landscape or a nature photographer. While on this trip, I actually did meet one, and he put these images to shame! As soon as you pull off to an overlook, there they are, with their expensive tripods and $25,000 lenses longer than the bed of a truck. It’s a different art, that’s for certain. All of us photographers are passionate about different genres. For me, that’s people, but while on vacation I couldn’t help but be moved by the majestic landscapes that were surrounding me. The Pacific Northwest is unlike any other terrain I’ve seen.

We started in San Fran again, but journeyed north this time. Before our northern trek began, we visited a couple places in SF that we didn’t get to see last time. Lombard Street was a must. Be aware that if and when you visit, it will be completely littered with tourists just standing on the street ignoring traffic. While the homes along this street are huge and dreamy, I can’t imagine living on it, not with that many retired couples from Iowa and middle school field trips on my doorstep.

Next was Seattle (it was actually cheaper to fly from SF than to drive and return your rental car in a different city). This city has been on the top of our travel list for a while. I, of course, wanted to do the touristy things like see Pike Place Market and get a drink at the first ever Starbucks, so hubby obliged. And wow, all the fresh flowers a girl could ever hope to swoon over. They just kept coming. And the food. Too many choices. My suggestion would be to NOT go at Noon, like we did, because after walking around for a couple of hours it was much more manageable to get around after 2 pm. Starbucks will be crowded, and the people working there will be mildly hating life, but just go anyway, for selfie’s sake.

We actually stayed in a tiny little seaside town a little over an hour outside of Seattle, and it Did.Not.Disappoint. Using Airbnb can sometimes leave you wondering what situation you’re about to walk into, but our backyard ended up being the Olympic Mountain Range along one of the 3 zillion bays in that part of Washington, and we did not mind walking into that one. We actually had a night in Seattle planned but cancelled it and stayed here an extra night, because it was just so breathtakingly beautiful. We currently live in Chicago, and well, the flat lands can leave you yearning for some texture and depth. This place delivered our heart’s longings and then some. I told our neighbor that we originally came from the Blue Ridge Mountains, he laughed a little and said around here they call them hills, but that driving through them in October sure is pretty. That much I did agree.

A day trip to Mount Rainier was quite a sight. It’s a volcano, actually, so I’m thinking to myself it’s probably due for an eruption and I’m sure I’ll have the pleasure of being around for that. I’m running out of adjectives to describe the scenery here, so again I’ll just say that it was a stunning view. Hiking was going to be tough since a good part of the trails were still under snow, so we took a trail through The Grove of the Patriarchs. These trees were like, 1000 years old. I’m sure I learned in the seventh grade how they figure those things out, but I can’t remember now. If we ever go back, I’d love to camp the night and spend more time on different hiking trails, the one just wasn’t enough! Hubby almost took a trip last year to climb the mountain/volcano (he’s so adventurous, I’m more of a couch person), but thankfully he did not because you know, people die. Kiddy trails for us!

We’d heard Oregon was nothing short of beautiful, so we had to make a quick trip through there as well (although it was hard to leave our seaside oasis for a day). On the way to Portland, we made a pit stop at Cannon Beach (Goonies anyone?). Since it was June, I was fully expecting a beach to be warm and toasty by that time, with gals all lined up in a row sun bathing, but I guess the Pacific doesn’t work like that up there. I had to remind myself that this was not the coast of North Carolina, and there were not going to be any local seafood shacks containing souvenir t-shirts that say “Party like a Pirate” while Zack Brown Band plays in the background and everyone smells like Banana Boat and Aloe Vera. It smelled like the beach, you know that briny, salty, fishy smell that hangs in the air, but without the humidity you could walk away without it lingering in your hair for the next 72 hours. One could get real used to the west coast.

Portland was a really cool town I thought. The food was terrific, and I could have gotten lost in Powell’s bookstore for hours. I wish I had taken more photos to share, but I seriously did not take one except for some phone shots of our amazing Airbnb. My favorite takeaway though were the roses, in fact Portland is called “The City of Roses” and for good reason. They were so lush and gorgeous, and seriously everywhere! If you visit, don’t leave without getting breakfast at Trinket right off Division Street. It’s a tiny little place, but a truly tasty experience. Worth the wait!

It really was an amazing trip. I’m the type that if left to my own default, would just hop on a cruise ship to somewhere tropical, but thankfully my hubby encourages me to explore new places that I’d normally never give a thought to. If you’re on the fence about what domestic trip you’d like to take next, I’d highly recommend exploring the Pacific Northwest! There are so many ways to see it and countless more sights that we didn’t have the chance to visit. I’m sure it won’t be our last trip.