Saturday, August 2, 2014
Odometer: 2078
Having gone through the brochures available at our hotel, we weren’t sure how to spend the day. There were some rafting trips and similar expeditions, but they are relatively far away, and we had tickets to see A Comedy of Errors at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival this evening. So we just had breakfast and headed to Ashland to look around.
Musician in Lithia Park, Ashland
We were greeted with all sorts of interesting shops: several bookstores, a kitchen and home gadgets store, clothing, etc. We had a very enjoyable day exploring downtown Ashland and strolling through Lithia Park adjacent to the Shakespeare Festival buildings. We stayed until about 4 pm so that we would have time to return to the hotel, clean up, and have dinner before returning for the show.
Because we expected crowds in Ashland just prior to the evening shows, we had dinner near our hotel in Medford at McGrath’s, a fish restaurant chain reminiscent of The Fish Market restaurants near home.
We then drove back to Ashland, arriving in plenty of time for the performance. The production of A Comedy of Errors was an adaptation set in the Harlem section of New York City in the 1920s, the mistaken identity the result of freed slaves being separated following reconstruction. It was a creative and fun adaptation that also taught us about some of the challenges facing African-Americans at the time. This was far from the stuffy Shakespeare that I have often come to expect.
Overall, Ashland was a delight. We expect that we will be back before long.
Mileage today: 49 miles
This article is part of a series about our recent driving vacation to the Pacific Northwest. To see the introductory article in the series, click here.
Friday, August 1, 2014
Odometer: 1891
After packing up our campsite and taking a short hike in LaPine State Park, we drove the relatively short distance to Crater Lake National Park, and it was a beautiful day for our visit. After a brief stop at the north rim, we spent more time at Rim Village, including lunch at the snack bar and a little browsing in the gift shop. We then walked over to Crater Lake Lodge, another classic national park hotel, and wished we had lunch there. I don’t remember having seen the Lodge on previous visits, and it was closed for extensive rebuilding at the time of our 1993 trip. There was an informative exhibit on the history of the Lodge showing the reconstruction process.
Registration desk at Crater Lake Lodge
Following our visit to Rim Village, we continued to a viewpoint further south and took a short hike to another viewpoint to see the Phantom Ship, a small island in the lake, before continuing our trip to Medford.
We decided to stay in Medford as a jumping-off point for visits to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, since hotel accommodations there were tight. We wanted to see some of Medford as well, so for dinner, we went downtown to a restaurant located in the former train depot. Medford’s downtown is quite pleasant, about as one might expect for a small city of that sort.
Mileage today: 187 miles
This article is part of a series about our recent driving vacation to the Pacific Northwest. To see the introductory article in the series, click here.
Thursday, July 31, 2014
Odometer: 1682
Columbia River from Maryhill Museum of Art
Leaving The Dalles, we backtracked to Maryhill Museum of Art, back across the Columbia River in Washington. We initially were only going to drive by, but were drawn in by their grounds and excellent sculpture garden, which reminded us of the Cantor Sculpture Garden at Stanford. There were also excellent views of the Columbia River and Mount Hood.
Stonehenge Memorial
Nearby was a reconstruction of Stonehenge, which was built by local philanthropist Sam Hill as a memorial to local soldiers killed in World War I.
We proceeded back across the Columbia and south on US 97. The road was desolate, the landscape more reminiscent of the Mojave Desert (minus the cacti) — basically not a lot to see. Celeste suggested the name for today’s blog post — Nowhere — based on the scenery on the road. We got an enjoyable late lunch at an Italian restaurant in Madras, Oregon, and drove on to Bend.
Just north of Bend is Tumalo State Park, where Kenna’s family had stayed when she was young. Unfortunately it was full, so we continued south through Bend toward LaPine, where AAA says there are several campgrounds. We started with LaPine State Park, and, lo and behold, there was space available. Facilities at Oregon state park campgrounds are excellent so we consider ourselves fortunate to be here. There were more families than we have seen at the previous campgrounds, but our tent feels dwarfed by the many very large RVs around us.
Mileage today: 209 miles
This article is part of a series about our recent driving vacation to the Pacific Northwest. To see the introductory article in the series, click here.
Wednesday, July 30, 2014
Odometer: 1448
Mr. Rainier with Emmons Glacier
After breakfast, we packed up camp and went back into Mount Rainier National Park via the Sunrise entrance station. After a long uphill drive with many scenic views, Sunrise was a typically good National Park visitor center. The ranger suggested a hike that was supposedly about 0.6 miles each way, but which turned out to be a little closer to a mile, which aggravated Celeste’s sore ankle a bit. The hike gave us a good view of the Emmons Glacier, which had receded quite significantly in the 21 years since our last visit. We had hiked from the campground to the tip of the glacier in 1993; that would clearly not have been practical any more.
After the hike, we drove down to White River campground, which also has a picnic area, for lunch before heading out.
Our drive took us over a couple of mountain passes and by a ski area, and then down to Yakima and then south. It got quite warm, up to about 104° according to the car thermometer, although it tends to exaggerate. When we got to our intended camping spot, Maryhill State Park, it was full, and without much in the way of alternatives, we drove across the Columbia River to The Dalles, Oregon, where we stayed in a very pleasant and quite new Fairfield Inn. Dinner was at a downtown pub where we were able to sit outdoors and avoid being over air conditioned.
Mileage today: 234 miles
This article is part of a series about our recent driving vacation to the Pacific Northwest. To see the introductory article in the series, click here.
Tuesday, July 29, 2014
Odometer: 1322
On the way out of Seattle, we drove by a few of the local colleges. First was Seattle Pacific University, a small college in the Queen Anne neighborhood of Seattle not far from our hotel. Then we drove to the University of Washington, which has a large and park-like campus in the northeast part of Seattle. Finally, we drove by Northwest University, a small Christian college in Kirkland that a friend from church is attending. It’s of course impossible to evaluate schools by driving around their campuses, but it gave Celeste some points of reference for when she does begin looking at colleges in earnest.
Roasting hot dogs at Silver Springs Campground
We then drove to Sunrise, on the eastern side of Mount Rainier, stopping in Enumclaw, a pleasant town that reminded us of Angels Camp (California), for lunch. When we got to the Sunrise entrance gate, we were dismayed to learn that the campground, White River, is full. Kenna and I had a memorably good stay at White River in 1993, and we have been hoping to share that with Celeste. After consulting with the ranger and with a National Forest visitor center just outside the park, we found available space in the Silver Springs Campground in the national forest nearby. The campground was wonderful and very similar to White River, including proximity to a stream we could hear in the night. We bought some firewood and roasted hot dogs for dinner. A wonderful night of camping!
Mileage today: 126 miles
This article is part of a series about our recent driving vacation to the Pacific Northwest. To see the introductory article in the series, click here.
Monday, July 28, 2014
Odometer: 1322
Today was the second of our planned no-driving days. Following Celeste’s night on the couch, she arose and turned her ankle getting up. Nevertheless, we started off with a short walk to the Space Needle, which was a great introduction to Seattle. From there we went to the adjacent EMP (Experience Music Project) Museum, which describes popular music history, with (of course) an emphasis on Seattle’s significant role. From there we took the Monorail downtown for lunch.
Instruments on display at the EMP Museum
We walked south from Downtown to the Pioneer Square district, and toured the Klondike Gold Rush Visitor Center, operated by the National Park Service. Returning to downtown, we had coffee at the original Starbucks before returning on the Monorail and back to the hotel.
Today is Celeste’s birthday, so we made reservations at a nice restaurant in Pike’s Place market for dinner. The dinner was quite good, but not remarkably so (for example, I was expecting a more flavorful sauce on my pork chop). Not seeing a dessert on the menu that inspired us, we walked along the waterfront back to our hotel, getting ice cream along the way.
It was a good day, and we saw a lot, but our feet and Celeste’s ankle are tired. And it’s time to do laundry.
Mileage today: 0 miles
This article is part of a series about our recent driving vacation to the Pacific Northwest. To see the introductory article in the series, click here.
Sunday, July 27, 2014
Odometer: 1244
We drove to Seattle via Bainbridge Island, which we were curious about because a few friends had moved there in the past. The road to the ferry didn’t show us that much of the island, but what we saw was very nice. We took the 11:30 am ferry to Seattle. It’s a gorgeous day, with views of downtown Seattle with Mount Rainier in the background.
Celeste tries the SR-71 cockpit
A friend of Celeste’s had recommended the Museum of Flight, and it was early enough that we went there next. Located at Boeing Field, the museum celebrates Boeing’s role in aviation history, although not exclusively Boeing. Being adjacent to a sizable airfield, there were several significant aircraft on static display, including a Concorde and one of the 707-style (VC-137) “Air Force One” aircraft. Indoor exhibits ranged from early aviation history (I learned that the Wright Brothers aggressively enforced their broad patents until World War I) to the space program, with many smaller aircraft, including an SR-71. We all enjoyed the museum a great deal.
After checking into our hotel, we found a nearby Irish-style pub for dinner. We returned to our small suite and set up the pull-out bed for Celeste, only to find that one side was broken, probably by a child jumping on it. We requested and received a roll-away bed, only to find that it had a similar problem, and an uncomfortable mattress besides. Celeste slept on the couch; it’s unfortunate that the hotel didn’t catch the problems.
Mileage today: 78 miles (+ferry)
This article is part of a series about our recent driving vacation to the Pacific Northwest. To see the introductory article in the series, click here.
Saturday, July 26, 2014
Odometer: 1116
Hurricane Ridge Trail
We decided to stay in the hotel for two nights, so we didn’t have to pack this morning. We had a simple breakfast from our camping supplies and headed up the Hurricane Ridge entrance to Olympic National Park. The visitor center at Hurricane Ridge is typical of National park visitor centers: picturesque, well-managed, and staffed with rangers who know what to recommend to whom.
A 1.5 mile one-way hike to Hurricane Hill was recommended to us. It is a popular hike judging from the problem we had getting a parking space at the trailhead. The path was mostly paved (a bit of a surprise) and was quite sunny. We were expecting a somewhat more forested route. Along the way, numerous wildflowers were in bloom; this is definitely the right time of the year to visit. After considerable climbing, we were rewarded with a panoramic view of much of the Olympic peninsula, with clouds only to the north in the direction of Victoria, BC.
Marymere Falls
We stopped for lunch at a picnic area near the trailhead, then drove down the hill and to the west to Lake Crescent, where there was another (shorter) trail leading to a waterfall. Marymere Falls was small but reminiscent of some of the smaller waterfalls we saw last year in Iceland.
We made a short stop at the Lake Crescent Lodge for refreshments before heading back.
The lodge is built in the classic national park style, with lots of exposed timbers, craftsman architecture, and such. It’s a little smaller than most I have been to, but seems like a very nice place.
After returning to our hotel in Sequim, we checked in with Blondie’s Plate where we ate yesterday but they didn’t have tables available at any convenient times. We opted instead for a chain restaurant, the Black Bear Diner. Despite ordering their “smaller” plates, we got enormous portions of mediocre food, in many cases with a thick coating of gravy. Quite a contrast.
Mileage today: 128 miles
This article is part of a series about our recent driving vacation to the Pacific Northwest. To see the introductory article in the series, click here.
Friday, July 25, 2014
Odometer: 856
We got a relatively early start today, and drove to nearby Washougal, Washington for a tour of the Pendleton factory there. The tour was much as Kenna and I had remembered it from our 1993 trip, but it was all new for Celeste. After the tour, we spent some time at the factory store and Kenna and Celeste found some amazing bargains.
Continuing north, we stopped for lunch in Longview and visited the Nutty Narrows Bridge, a tiny bridge to help squirrels cross Olympia Way safely. We also stopped by a visitor center for the Mt. St. Helens volcano, but the one that was only 5 miles from I-5 charged admission, and we were short on time.
Washington State Capitol, Olympia
Going through Olympia, the capital of Washington, we of course stopped at the State Capitol. Again, there was pleasantly no security we had to deal with. After a short stop for ice cream, we continued up toward the Olympic Peninsula.
We intended to camp at a state park on the way to Olympic National Park, but several we tried were all full. It was getting late, so we called a hotel in Sequim that turned out to be full, but referred us to another that has just reopened after renovation. We called, and got a reservation.
The Olympic View Inn in Sequim was nothing fancy, but the recent renovation made it a nice place to stay. After checking in, we consulted Yelp for a dinner recommendation and found Blondie’s Plate, a local restaurant specializing in tapas (small plates). We each ordered one or two, and had a fabulous meal, the best of the trip so far.
Today’s mileage: 260 miles
This article is part of a series about our recent driving vacation to the Pacific Northwest. To see the introductory article in the series, click here.
Thursday, July 24, 2014
Odometer: 856
Today was the first of our no-driving days. The hotel shuttle was able to take us to the Max (Portland’s light rail) station, and it was a short ride downtown from there. Although we just had breakfast, we began at Voodoo Doughnut, which lived up to its reputation: not to be missed, and worth the wait in line. Then we went to the other Can’t Miss destination on our list, Powell’s City of Books. What an amazing place. We could probably have spent the rest of our vacation there. Celeste and I found relatively hard-to-find books we were looking for there, but we really had to control ourselves.
From Powell’s we decided to visit the Oregon Historical Society Museum, which gave us, as expected, an introduction to Oregon history as well as an exhibition on Abraham Lincoln. The admission cashier seemed truly distressed that she couldn’t give us some sort of discount, but we aren’t local county residents, veterans, or anything else discountable.
We had a pleasant late lunch at Elephants in the Park, a small glassed-in building in one of Portland’s park blocks, and then took advantage of a sale at the flagship Columbia Sportswear store. Later we talked along the Willamette River shore, past where the Oregon Brewers’ Festival was taking place.
Story Tree in the Library
The Portland Central Library was our next stop. While I really like libraries, I must admit being dubious whether a visit was worth our limited time in Portland. This one is. In addition to being a wonderful, classic library building, in the children’s department they have the most wonderful bronze tree sculpture integrated into the clerk’s desk, including characters and scenes from many beloved children’s books.
After the library, we walked a few blocks to the Presbyterian Church, an old church building replete with a very heavy, dark, sanctuary. Unfortunately we had arrived during a wedding rehearsal, so we couldn’t look around much. We returned to our hotel via the Max light rail, and had a picnic dinner of goodies from our camp cooler.
Overall, we loved the people, but were a little disappointed with Portland, and we’re not entirely sure why. The city seemed to be a little grungier than we expected. Portland clearly understands the problem, because there are many signs reminding people of their unobstructed sidewalk ordinance, and we did see police relocating at least one of the street people that had gotten in the way.
Today’s mileage: 0 miles
This article is part of a series about our recent driving vacation to the Pacific Northwest. To see the introductory article in the series, click here.
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