Showing posts with label Pacific Northwest road trips. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pacific Northwest road trips. Show all posts

Monday, June 30, 2014

WAWeekend: Canal cruising the “Venice of the West”

In need of a shot of the beach, we headed to Washington’s Ocean Shores on an early spring weekend. Actually, I was researching an article about this place on the coastline of the Pacific Ocean; the place once envisioned to be the “Venice of the West”. That story appeared Sunday, June 29th in the Seattle Times but here's a bit more temptation for you:

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Back in the 1960’s developers had a plan to turn this entire peninsula in southwest Washington into a California-style resort home development and built 23-miles of canals (to provide more waterfront lots, some say) and also because they hoped to attract boating enthusiasts to the area.

The development never quite took off but the city that was created as a result of the project now attracts some four million tourists each year. They flock to the area for birding (some 280 species) and the beach – a six-mile long stretch of flat, drive-able (it is a state highway in places) beach. 

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We’ve visited on a couple of previous occasions but like so many who visit, never have gotten far from the beach. We had no idea how much the area has to offer outdoor enthusiasts. Researching articles does make one focus a bit more closely on places.
 
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One of the most delightful discoveries was the maze of fresh-water canals that link to Duck Lake, both located just a couple miles back from the beach. An even better discovery was the company that rents electric boats so even those of us “Boatless in Seattle” folks can enjoy the waterway that winds past homes and wooded areas that front the canals.
 
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These electric boats put along at 5 mph, which is good for this ‘no wake’ zone. . .and it was about the speed a ‘land-lubber’ like myself could handle when it came my turn at the wheel.

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Owners Tom and Nancy Kimzey take you out for a brief training session to make sure you know how to navigate the waterways and even more importantly how to dock the boat when you return it!

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You can rent these cute little cruisers by the hour or half-day. (There are no restrooms aboard but there are back at the boat company headquarters.)

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If you are headed to Ocean Shores make it a point to go cruising on the canals – you’ll be glad you did!  To reserve a boat call 360-289-0487 or 360-790-2623, www.oselectricboat.com 

We are back in Greece hoping to put a new twist on an old tale for you! (For my blogger buddies out there, I apologize that I've been a bit scarce but internet has been spotty at best.  I'll be back visiting your posts as soon as I am more fully 'connected'.) See you then and thanks to you all for today’s visit!

Sunday, June 8, 2014

WAWeekend: Paintin’ The Town ~ Toppenish

With the apparent return of Spring in the Pacific Northwest, we are resuming our WAWeekend feature highlighting some of our favorite Washington State places:
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Yakima River Walkway - Yakima
I grew up in Central Washington’s Yakima Valley; about a 30 minute drive from today’s featured town.  Three decades ago this small farm and livestock center was simply a town you passed en route to the Tri Cities on the Columbia River or points further south in Oregon.

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Wine grape vineyards that have put the Yakima Valley on the map were still in the infancy stages. That ‘Washington Wine Road’ that now brings thousands to the area these days was just a plain old highway.



There was no reason to go to Toppenish unless you were employed at the huge U and I Sugar processing plant located just outside town – sugar beets were a big crop around the area back then.
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U and I Sugar Plant remains - 2010

Then the sugar plant closed in the late 70’s. The town’s crime rate was high, its mid-century buildings run-down and graffiti-covered. And then a group of enterprising folks had an idea. . . fast forward. . .

Toppenish 2014: "Where the West Still Lives"


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Toppenish, now with a population of some 9,000,  says it is the place "Where the West Still Lives". It does - in the old west murals - some 75 of them on buildings in its revitalized downtown – so many, that the tourism folks have created a map to help visitors find them all (a link is provided below).

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The first weekend in June each year a new mural is created during the town’s Mural-In-A-Day celebration. A 5k fund-raiser run kicks off the event, and then spectators watch from bleachers as a new mural is created.  This is the Mural Weekend in that small town and the newest creation, number 76,  will be installed at the U and I sugar plant – it will greet visitors arriving in town from the exit off Interstate 82.


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And these days, I’d be the first to tell you that a stop in this town is a must when traveling the Washington Wine Road through Central Washington. In addition to the murals, you’ll find close by:

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Yakama Nation Cultural Heritage Center - Toppenish
* The Yakama Nation Cultural Heritage Center (museum, restaurant and RV park);
* The Yakama Nation’s Legends Casino
*A Hop Museum (which is well worth a visit whether you are a fan of brewskies or not).

If You Go:

Tourist Information:  www.visityakima.com


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Follow this handy map of murals: http://www.visityakima.com/newSite/travel-maps/muralMapFrBk-web.pdf

Linking up with:
Weekend Travel Inspirations

Sunday, December 1, 2013

Pacific Northwest: Luxury for Less

When the Pacific Northwest winter weather is frightful you can find some luxury getaways with rates that are quite delightful!

No joke.

I’ve found a dozen good deals to be had for a fraction of the cost of  high season rates – all at high end places within a few hours drive of Seattle.  Today I tell you all about them in an article I wrote for the Seattle Times Travel Section.

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Some resorts provide rain gear - be sure to ask when making a reservation!
You recall we visited Tofino on Vancouver Island’s west coast in September and paid just under $300 a night at the Best Western. . .the deal I found for The Times at the luxury resort just down the road (a perfect place to do some winter storm watching) is amazing in comparison.

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We spent a few hours gazing at Saratoga Passage from our deck on The Scout's birthday trip

You may also recall me telling you about the road trip we took for The Scout’s February birthday last year when we ended up at a luxury resort on Whidbey Island, an hour’s drive/ferry ride north of Seattle.  Well, they’ve got the same great deals this year for mid-week stays.

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The Inner Harbour - Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
I didn’t overlook those fabulous city getaways or ways to find other deals there – I’ve included deals in resorts from Victoria, B.C. to Portland, Oregon; Seattle, Bellevue and Tacoma as well.

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View from Benson Vineyards -late winter, Chelan, Washington Wine Country
There are also deals to be had at luxury spa resorts and wine country getaways. 

Now that I’ve sparked the travel bug in you, head over to the Seattle Times to see which resorts and hotels are featured.  (And please note: there are plenty more deals to be had out there, but there was a limit to the number of words in print.)  Click this link to get to my article and happy winter wonderland travels to you!
We have some more money-saving travel tips for you on Travel Tuesday so see you back here then!

Sunday, September 29, 2013

WAWeekend: Roslyn ~ A Warm Welcome

Roslyn, a once-thriving coal mining town in Washington State is a place to peek into Pacific Northwest history. It is also a place where the warmth of welcome is the norm, not just some tourist promotion jargon.

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Building in Cle Elum, Washington
Roslyn and its next-door neighbor, Cle Elum, are about two hours drive from western Washington’s Seattle and an almost equal distance from the TriCities (Pasco, Kennewick and Richland) in south-central Washington. The mid-Washington location is one reason why my childhood friend, Mary, and I chose them for our one-day girl’s getaway last week. 
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The Cle Elum train station now houses a restaurant and historical displays
The two of us also have ‘history’ here  because we’d fallen under the area’s spell decades ago while college students. (Ellensburg, our old college town, is about 30 minutes drive from here.)

We were overjoyed to find that its magic was as powerful now as it had been, and it quickly wrapped us up all over again in its spell. . .

The Coal Mine Beginnings


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Tribute to Fallen Miners in front of the old "Company Store"
Roslyn and Cle Elum are tucked away in the state’s Cascade Mountains. The coal discovered deep inside those mountains was needed to fuel Northern Pacific Railroad trains.

The first coal was shipped from Roslyn/Cle Elum area mines in 1886. In fact, the worst coal mine disaster in the state occurred in May 1892 at the Northern Pacific Coal Mine No.1 when an explosion and fire in the Roslyn mine (burrowed some 2,700 feet below ground) caused the death of 45 miners. Mining continued here until the last mine closed in 1962.

The Northwest Improvement Company Store (‘the company store’), pictured above, was the hub of the Roslyn community back in the town’s mining heyday and today, just like the town’s historic district, is on the  National Register of Historic Places.

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Roslyn, Washington cemetery

The Roslyn Cemetery, founded in 1886, is an amalgamation of some 25 separate cemeteries and the 5,000 graves on this 15-acre wooded site represent some 24 nationalities.  The cemeteries reflect the far reach of the mines more than a century ago. Miners hailed from as far away as Poland, Serbia, Croatia, Lithuania, Germany, Slovenia, Italy and England.  Many of those miners rest in these cemeteries and their descendants still live in the small town.

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The Runner Stumbles featured this church
Jumping ahead to a bit more modern history, the Immaculate Conception Church that towers over the town was featured in a 1979 movie, The Runner Stumbles, starring Dick Van Dyke and Kathleen Quinlan, that was filmed in this small town.

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Northern Exposure was filmed here
Many of you – if you were followers of that quirky, but insanely popular television show Northern Exposure (1991 – 1995) that was filmed here -- will recognize this building as it was used in the show’s opening. Businesses report tourists still arrive because of it. And the cafĂ© is still serving up meals!

The People

I’ve long said that once a ‘place becomes people’ it becomes even more special than its history or fame has made it.  Mary and I met two such individuals in Roslyn, both deserving a mention:

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Joyce Welker of Dingo Wild Dogs of Roslyn
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Mary and Joyce posed for the shutterbug
Joyce Welker, is the owner/operator of a hot dog stand -  Dingo Wild Dogs of Roslyn - on the town’s main drag.  She was setting up for lunch as we walked past . . .the fact that we’d brought a picnic lunch didn’t deter Joyce. She was introducing a new pulled pork sandwich that day and told us that we had to sample it.  We visited with her for nearly half an hour. Next time we’ll skip the picnic!  

Her small kitchen/storeroom, behind the grill, is an old red rock mine scale shack (fitting for a mining town, after all).  She does her biggest business after 10 p.m. when the local bars close down their kitchens, she told us.  But for the non-night owls, she’s open Fridays and Saturdays from noon – 3 p.m.

We had, pardon the pun, one blooming good time – just around   the corner from Joyce’s on the other, of the town’s two, main streets:

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As we’d driven into town, I’d announced (as the shutterbug in the car), “We’ve got to walk back here so I can take a photo of that yard!”   By the time we got back, the owner of the house and creator of this masterpiece, was out working in the garden. She gave me permission to take a photo or two. . .then she invited us up onto the porch for a closer look at those baskets:

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RoslynDC2013 013By this point we were talking about ourselves, our husbands, her husband, their life and ours. 

She offered to show us  her back yard,where we continued visiting, and then  - because she decorates the yard for each season – she invited us in to her basement store room (think the elves workshop at the North Pole). 

By then it didn’t seem unusual at all when she invited us into her home to see a  few photos of her seasonally decorated yard (framed photos, newspaper clippings and awards).

RoslynDC2013 021Once inside we got around to  introducing  ourselves by name. 

When it came time to leave we each hugged this lady who only an hour before we’d not known, vowing we’d come back again when we could stay longer, have a libation and do some real visiting!




Not every visitor to these small Central Washington towns will meet our two new friends, but I know where ever you go and who ever you meet will likely greet you with that same small town warmth of welcome. We are certainly planning a return!

If You Go:


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For area information: Visit the Cle Elum/Roslyn Chamber of Commerce site by clicking this link.

Suncadia Resort, a large planned unincorporated community and resort complete with houses, condos, lodge and golf courses and  covering an area of 6,300 acres is nearby.

Roslyn’s Swiftwater Cellars winery is located on the Suncadia property near the historic Roslyn No. 9 Coal Mine.

Saturday, March 9, 2013

WAWeekend: Girls, Guys, Getaways

We're taking a break from our ‘tales’ to suggest a few travel ‘tips’ because Spring’s arrival in the Pacific Northwest is filling our inbox with great getaway ideas.

Here are four that will shake awake the travel bug from his winter’s hibernation:

Easter 'Chicks' Night Out in Seattle (or Portland) 

CashmereVictoriaBC 263Thinking about a Girls Getaway? Then take a “Peep” at this sweet package at the Hotel Vintage Park* in downtown Seattle.

(Note: It’s good only March 28 – April 2, 2013, so don’t ponder this one too long.)

The deal:
· 15% off their Best Available Rate
· Valet Parking
· Box of ‘Peeps’ Marshmallow candies
· Complimentary nightly wine hour, where local wine makers pour their favorite bottles

Reservations: www.hotelvintagepark.com
Rate code: PPEEPS

CashmereVictoriaBC 261*(the deal isn’t limited to girls and can be had at the  Monaco and Alexis hotels in Seattle and Vintage Plaza, Monaco Portland and RiverPlace in Portland)






Another Girls Getaway . . .

Iron Springs Alderbrook 2012 114The spa at Alderbrook Inn and Spa on Hood Canal is having a Girls Night Out - an evening of food, wine and pampering - Friday, March 22nd at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets are $60 and include 2 petit treatments (Express Skin Refining Glow, Clarisonic Facial Cleanse, Petit Facial Exfoliation or Clarisonic Back Cleanse), wine and light spa snacks.

Space is limited, so call 360.898.5520 to reserve your ticket today!

See What’s Cookin’ in the Yakima Valley this Spring. . .

Thanks to our friends at the Yakima Valley Visitor’s and Convention Bureau who tipped us off to this one:

The Yakima Valley's  La Maison’ Exceptional Cooking Experiences. The French-style home, on a hill overlooking the Naches Valley, is where the culinary classes – each limited to 12 guests – are held.

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The menus are varied and always include wine and food pairings, as well as extra cooking tips.   Don’t like those hands-on classes? No problem! These are so relaxed that you can participate in the preparations or just sit back and enjoy the wine and ambiance.

Among the classes this spring are: a  Japanese menu on April 12, and Mexican Cinco de Mayo menu on May 10, all menus paired with wines from Alexandria Nicole Cellars.

Haven’t been to Naches?  High time you visited that area just northwest of Yakima.  Head to Naches Heights where you’ll find  Naches Heights Vineyards and Tasting Room Yakima.

The Orchard Inn Bed and Breakfast in the area is rated the number one B and B in Yakima by Tripadvisor.com)

Take the Washington Wine Road to Chelan . . .

Chelan Nouveau – Two weekends, April 20 - 21 AND  April 27 – 28, 2013 - mark your calendars!

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The Lake Chelan Wine Valley’s 20 wineries will celebrate the release of "nouveau" white and rose wines. On the weekends listed noted above, you can sip and purchase the first of the spring releases including Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir Rose, Viognier and Riesling.

To view a complete list of wineries, wine releases, tasting room hours and special event activities planned at each winery click this link to Lake Chelan Wine Valley.

That’s it for this WAWeekend!  Let us know if you have been tempted by any of the four outings above. And if these types of ideas are helpful, let us know, and we will keep them coming. Come back soon for another Tuesday Travel Classic.

Have a great weekend – happy travels!

Sunday, January 6, 2013

WAWeekend: Romance in the Pacific Northwest


CelbcruiseMadrid 204With Valentine’s Day now only weeks away and springtime - that perennial season of love – not far behind, it’s not too early to be thinking about romantic getaways. Here are some ideas for Pacific Northwest snuggle spots:


Operation Romance:

What a great tribute to our military men and women from The Kimpton Hotels in the Pacific Northwest (The Alexis, Monaco and Vintage Park in Seattle and the Monaco, Vintage Plaza and RiverPlace in Portland)!

Those hotels are saying thanks to those who’ve served our country (or Canada) with a package aptly named, Operation Romance, which includes:

· Exclusive $99 rate (Friday and Saturday nights only)
· Bottle of wine from Maryhill Winery
· Nightly hosted wine reception
-Must show military ID upon check-in (good for active or retired, U.S. or Canadian military)
-Reservations: www.kimptonhotels.com rate code: OPR
-Good through March 31, 2013
Wedding Bells Ringing?

If you or someone you know is starting to plan a destination wedding –  on a beach, mountain, lakeside, or some luxury hotel -- then check out my article in today’s (1/6/13) Seattle Times:   Great Places to say “I Do!”
                                                                                     
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I can tell you  that it is chockablock full of ideas for some non-traditional venues that highlight the best of the Pacific Northwest’s outdoor backdrops!  Places like Cama Beach State Park, (pictured above) just 90 minutes drive north of Seattle or San Juan Island (below).

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No nuptials in your future? Doesn’t matter, the places I wrote about are perfect for romance – wedding or not!

Thanks for stopping by today.  Hope you’ll join us Travel Tip Tuesday when we tell you about being hit with (sticker) shock waves in Hawaii! Stop by our Facebook  page for more travel tales and tips.

Thursday, September 6, 2012

TPThursday: A Journey to Joseph, Oregon

Our summer road trip through Eastern Washington took us into Northeastern Oregon on State Road 129S. Signs along the way told us we were following the  “Old Nez Perce Trail”.

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The paved twisting, turning roadway clings to the hillsides as it winds through the Grande Ronde Valley and over a river of the same name.  Our route climbed to the summit of Wallowa Mountain, (4,693 elevation) and led us past  the Joseph Canyon Overlook . (A stop here’s a must for spectacular views and a bit of Nez Perce Indian history as well.)

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Our destination was Wallowa Lake, a couple miles beyond the town of  Joseph, Oregon,  population 967, named for Chief Joseph, leader of the Wallowa band of Pacific Northwest Nez Perce Indian Tribe.

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Born in 1785 and died in 1871 (the marker is incorrect), Joseph the Elder is buried at the north end of Wallowa Lake. The burial site is next to the 62-acre day-use Iwetemlaykin State Heritage Site.

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Joseph is  an eclectic mix of Old West and Arts Haven, and the last town before the road dead-ends at this five-mile long, one mile wide, 283-feet deep Wallowa Lake.

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Joseph is home to numerous art galleries and Wallowa County’s first arts foundry.

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There are many Bed and Breakfasts in town and other lodging nearby, but the only motel within its city limits was built by Walter Brennan, (1894-1974) an Academy-Award winning actor who owned a ranch in the area.

And eateries galore; especially if you want a Western-style meal (think hearty chuck wagon stick-to-your-ribs style meal.) 

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But our two favorites don’t have Western menus. We munch tapas and sip wine on the front deck of Calderas enjoying the mountain views. And a trip isn’t complete without a piece of home-made pie or an old-fashioned milk-shake at Mad Mary and Co. Soda Shop.

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From any street in town there are spectacular views of the Wallowa Mountains.

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If You Go: 


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Getting there:
 There are several ways to reach Joseph and Wallowa Lake that are more mainstream than the route we took.  (Our route began in Asotin, Washington just south of Lewiston on the map above – a road to small to show on this Bing map).

 
From Portland: It’s just over a six hour drive of 322 miles, 519 km.  Oregon’s Highway 82 from Highway 395 winds through Joseph before dead-ending at Wallowa Lake. 

You can link up with the Hell’s Canyon Byway (Highway 350) just a few miles from Joseph – it’s a spectacular 218-mile stretch of highway.

Hiking: The Wallowa Mountains are considered by many to be Oregon’s best hiking venue.  For a sample of hikes, click here.

Accommodations/Eateries: The Chamber of Commerce website will get you here and settled in quite nicely!

It's Travel Photo Thursday, so head on over to Budget Travelers Sandbox for more travel photos and trip ideas.

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