The Pacific Northwest

Ian has been working in Portland lately so we thought it would be fun to take a trip to Seattle over Labor Day weekend.  This was one of those trips where we had researched a bit before, but didn't have any specific plans for housing, activities, etc.  We just explored.  The first stop was the quaint town of La Connor.  We stayed at the historic La Connor Channel Lodge.  This was our view.  

We ate at the Nell Thorn Restaurant and ate the most delicious Salmon.  I still dream about it....

We spent some time at Deception Pass.  

The views were incredible.

We literally ate our way through Whidbey Island on this trip, frequently stopping at farmers markets, produce stands, and cheese factories.

When we had eaten ourselves sick, we took the ferry back across to Mt. Townsend.

Ian found a Bed and Breakfast for us to stay at near Mt. Townsend that was a working farm called the Solstice Farm Bed and Breakfast.  It wasn't anything fancy, but the couple who ran it were very nice.  Breakfast was from their farm - eggs benedict and lamb sausage.

Ian was very excited to show me the farm and all the animals. 

We eventually made our way down to Lakewood where Alana and Steve have just moved.  We had a lot of fun seeing their apartment and picnicking along the coast.

We spent some time at American Lake near the army base up there jet skiing and kayaking.  

Alana and Steve were definitely more adventurous than we were on the kayak.

We had a fun day in downtown Seattle as well.  The Space Needle offered the best view of the city and lunch there wasn't too bad either.

We spent some time at Pikes Place Market.  Around the corner, is a place called bubble gum alley.  Seriously gross!  We added a few more pieces of gum to the wall.

Morro Bay

Ian and I took a quick weekend trip up to Morro Bay to celebrate the end of his first year of business school.  Morro Bay is a sleepy little town on the west coast about 2 hours north of Santa Barbara.  We took our bikes up with us and rode along the beach.

On our bikeride, we saw seals in the harbor.

I always love visiting Morro Bay because it gives me an opportunity to slow down and appreciate the simple things in life.

An Escape to Portland

Between work and school, Ian is gone a lot.  We had a very rare weekend when he could take off work for a few days and he didn't have school.  Because he currently works in Portland, we decided to spend the weekend there.  It was heavenly.  Hiking, waterfalls, good food, sleeping in, time to talk and be together made the long weekend heaven.  Admittedly, the following post is a photo dump of some of the trip highlights.

A kind friend let us stay in her beach house for a few nights in Netarts.

It was beautiful.

We toured the Tillamook Cheese Factory.

Walking along the beach.

Eating clam chowder at Mo's.  A staple here.

Looking at tide pools.

I love this picture of Ian.  He loves the outdoors and anything adventurous.  It was his idea to jump to this rock as the tide was coming in.    

We visited Fort Clatsop where Louis and Clark and their team waiting the winter out before returning home. 

Along the Washington border are many, many waterfalls.  We hiked to several waterfalls with wonderful vistas.

I am so lucky to be married to this guy.  He is so good to me.  Life is good. 

Relaxing by the Coast

After the Ragnar Relay, Ian and I spent an extra day or so in Napa Valley.  We took a drive down to Point Reyes National Seashore.  The roadsides were filled with berry bushes.  We ate our fill of blackberries along the way.

Great views.

I guess Ian and I have a thing for hiking up and down a lot of stairs after we run the Ragnar.  Last year we hiked Hua Shan in China only a few days after the Ragnar. (click here to read more about that adventure.)  This year we decided to hike down a few hundred steps to the Point Reyes lighthouse.

The views were beautiful.

  

July 4th on the Western Slope

Before we move to California, Ian and I have been trying to check things off our bucket list in Colorado.  For July 4th, Ian's parents and brother Evan were nice enough to meet us in southern Colorado for a few days.  On our way down to Durango, Ian and I stopped at Sand Dunes National Park.  It was what you might imagine, hot, dry, and very sandy.  

Ian was especially excited to see the Sand Dunes.  

I was especially excited to get out of the car for a little while.

We finally made it to Durango and met Ian's family for a BBQ and parade watching. Apparently the original Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory is located in Durango - we couldn't resist.  I sure am going to miss this place when we move.

Our group took a day to tour around Mesa Verde.  I hadn't been there since I went with my family in 4th grade.  

On a tour of the balcony house, we had to climb these really steep ladders - my legs were definitely shaking as I have developed a fear of heights as of late.  Some parts we had to climb through really tight spaces.

A view of their dwellings in the balcony house.

There was a hike to some petroglyphs that we enjoyed.  

In case you're wondering, my brother in law does have a boot on his foot because he had surgery two months ago.  And yes, he hiked several miles with us, went up and down ladders, and even participated in this jumping picture.

I just really like this picture of Ian.  What a handsome man.

The Animas River runs through Durango so we thought we would raft it.  

The rapids got a little rough in places and Ian was in his element.

The Western Slope of Colorado has many mining towns tucked away amidst beautiful mountain vistas.  It was a perfect day driving through these towns and enjoying the beauty.

A section of the highway from Durango back up to Glenwood Springs is called the Million Dollar Highway.  It cost $10,000 per mile to build.  Sure glad they have improved the million dollar highway since this picture was taken. 

Our group happened upon the Russell Stover factory outlet on our way through one town.  All chocolates were an additional %50 off the outlet prices because the store was moving.  It was heavenly.

One of my favorite stops was in Paonia, CO.  We happened upon the town's cherry days festival.  We tried their cherry soda.

We stayed at The Living Farm Cafe and Hotel.  Breakfast was organic, fresh from the farm.  Yum.  

We all enjoyed picking cherries in the morning.

Brad (Ian's Dad) was especially in heaven.  We all ate ourselves sick eating cherries.

We ended the trip by hiking Hanging Lake near Glenwood Springs, CO.   

I will sure miss these mountains when we move to California.  Thanks for a fun trip Finlays!