2 weeks, 3 coasts, Part 1: Pacific Northwest

How lucky was I this summer?  Gulf Coast, Pacific Coast, Atlantic Coast ... yep, that's a good way to spend July!

I only had a couple of vacation days in each place, but I made the most of the time I had.  Living in the Gulf Coast region, trips to the Pacific Northwest and then to New York City were just what I needed.

My friends, Dani and Richard, hosted me in the Pacific Northwest and shared just a touch of what they love about their home. We met up with friends Steve and Carol and ventured into Olympic National Park.

And yes, there was snow on the ground ... in July!


We stopped for a picnic in the magical spot ...




... where we saw some cute animals.

And we hiked some beautiful trails, including Hurricane Ridge, which is only appropriate for a Gulf Coast girl. We hiked through patches of snow, marveled at the glacier lilies and other other wildflowers, spotted more marmots than we could count, and enjoyed the views from the ridge.

The next day, we headed to another part of the Olympic Mountains. (Did you know that the Olympics can't sell anything that says "Olympics" outside of the mountains? Who knew the International Olympic Committee was so powerful?! More on that later!)

Along the way, we stopped at Sluy's Bakery in Poulsbo, WA, which was a delightful shop with delightful folks serving delightful bakeries. Truly!

And then we stopped by Olympic Cellars, home of Working Girl Wines - remember the "no using the Olympic name outside the Olympics? here's an example - - for another picnic lunch. With wine, of course.

From there, we went to the mouth of the recently un-dammed Elwha River. The scenery was beautiful, but I could tell by Dani's and Richard's reactions that it was very different than it had been in the past.
















Yet the wildflowers were claiming the new land for their own.




















We eventually made our way to Lake Crescent, where we hiked a lush trail down to the lake.


I was assured this trail was flat, and I was reminded as I was walking that "flat" can be a relative term. Truly, it was an easy trail to a beautiful lake.

I was so happy to be here with Richard and Dani!

Dani introduced me to the tiny, sweet deliciousness that is an Olympic mountain strawberry ...

... and to the more tart salmonberry.

We headed back to Dani and Richard's house for one more night before I ventured into Seattle for the working part of my trip. I was assured that this gorgeous flower in Dani and Richard's yard is invasive, but it was just too pretty to believe!

The next day, while Dani worked, Richard showed me the Seattle highlights:

*the stolen Lenin statue
 


*the Fremont troll















*the Space Needle (with the nearby Chihuly glass exhibit)

*and of course the famous Pike Place Market.


At the market, I stocked up on oils and vinegars...

... and Rainier cherries, Beecher cheese, and fresh bread. Dinner!

While there, I worked 8 - 4:30 each day, but I made the most of the long daylight hours and explored Seattle each evening. I gawked my way through the Chihuly glass exhibit, which was absolutely amazingly fantastic.

I went to the Space Needle next door and rode to the top.



I rode a big Ferris wheel. (And here's how it looks at night.)

I rode a duck boat and got to see things like sailboats and floating houses from the water side.
I toured the King Tut exhibit.

I took a ferry ride and watched the sunset.

And when we departed the island, it was nearly 10 p.m. and still not fully dark!

Of course, we ate lots of good food, too!

And I even got to share a meal and catch with an old friend, Kelly. I was happy to meet her family, too!

The summer fruit was fantabulous! I had Rainier cherries all week and even brought some home, but the other locally grown fruits were great, too. This peach was HuGe!

After my last day of work, my friend Vince drove up from Oregon to visit and show me the other national park near Seattle. The road to Sunrise Point had just opened a couple of weeks earlier. It's hard for us Gulf Coast folks to appreciate that a road was covered in snow until late June, but that's how it is there.   The mountain was mostly hiding in the clouds, but even so the scenery was just lovely.

I don't know when or if I'll ever get back to the part of the world, but I'm so glad I had the chance to visit.  It is a magical place, and I understand why so many of my friends choose to live there.

Grayton Beach 2012

This trip could be called Grayton Beach 2012, but it would more properly be subtitled "How Much We Could Squeeze Into a 3-night, 4-day Trip."

We left home Friday morning. We got a late start because I got something horrid in my eye and it took about 90 minutes to rinse it out. We finally got to our cabin in Grayton Beach late that afternoon.

After unpacking and settling in, we headed to Seaside to watch the movie "HOP on the lawn across the street from the beach. I have never seen so many people in Seaside as on this Friday night!


We also enjoyed the full moon shimmering over Seaside!


When the movie ended, we took a bike taxi back to our car. The biker was from Belarus and studies at ULM or Tech ... or at least he's on their water ski team!

After returning to our cabin at Grayton Beach, Drew and I took a moonlit bike ride. It was so bright that we didn't need our lights!


The moon positively glimmered over the sand dunes and the Gulf.


As a special treat, we were entertained by our own private fire dancer on our own private beach!




The next morning, I rode my bike to the beach (again) and noticed the signs encouraging protection of the dunes juxtaposed against the houses built right on top of them.


Lucky for me, however, a school (pod?) of dolphins swam by and distracted me! Here's one, just beyond where the waves were breaking.


We saw some pretty things! Like flowers ...


...and birds.

>


And we saw some interesting things, like a self-propelled flying machine ...


...and kites...


...and a beer can that even the Gulf did not want.


(Yes, it made its way to the trash.)

We ate at some really delicious restaurants, including the Great Southern Cafe in Seaside, Blue Mountain Creamery in Blue Mountain Beach, and The Red Bar in Grayton.


Drew and I paddled both Saturday and Sunday. Saturday, we began close to dusk and came in after dark, chased in by the fear of sharks and the worry of Granny, who was on the beach watching us. Sunday, we started earlier and had much more time to play in the waves. The water was so nice!



And of course, we did what every good Florida tourist does: we watched the sun set over the Gulf of Mexico. There could be a better way to spend an evening, but I'd be hard pressed to figure that out.




The last morning, I took one last bike ride to the beach and one last morning walk in the sand before packing up and heading home. I was delighted to find that someone had built a castle by the sea!


Alas, not even a magical castle could extend our trip, so we dropped the keys in the return box and headed back to reality.