Lost With My Friend

Sunday, November 22, 2009

Sunday, November 1, 2009

We pointed the mother ship south after our Olympic Peninsula experience and stopped in Portland, Oregon to regroup for a few days. While we were there we caught up with some of Toni's extended family. Chris and his wife Nita gave us a great tour of this vibrant metropolis where the old and new are juxtaposed in a symphonic style that is pretty unique.

Regrets to Frank and Cathy, we hope to see you along the road since Portland didn't work out. We look forward to meeting up again one day.

From Portland we headed east into the Columbia River Gorge. Our good friends Rhys and Kelly have created a beautiful home there that sits above the headlands across the Gorge from Hood River, Oregon. Surrounding their home are timbered hills interspersed by meadows, orchards and vineyards that erupted with fall colors during our visit. Good timing.

The community is filled with an eclectic group of baby boomers that seem intent on enjoying friends, food and the pursuit of wind. This is windsurfing central after all and as well known among those enthusiasts as Jackson Hole is to the ski world.

A surprising bonus for us was the number of quiet, nearly traffic free, paved roads that provided us lots of scenic road biking miles.

We are giving the Gorge a ten on our travel meter but of course friends are ninety percent of any adventure. Thanks Rhys and Kelly for a wonderful time.

Saturday, October 31, 2009

Portland and the Columbia River Gorge

Toni, Chris and Nita in Portland

Rhys and Kelly's back yard

Vineyards and orchards above the Columbia

The mighty Columbia River Gorge

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Kayaking the sea stacks in La Push, Washington

Empress Hotel in Victoria B. C.

Royal British Columbia Museum Totem display

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Around the Olympic

Fair weather and incredible scenery met us at every turn during our tour of Washington’s Olympic Peninsula. Rain forests of old growth Cedar, Douglas Fir, Red Alder and giant ferns crowd the roads and trails giving one the feeling that a hobbit will appear at any time.

Port Townsend, lying on the passage between the Strait of Juan de Fuca and Puget Sound, kicked off a very memorable trip. This town is the essence of quaint having held firm against the big box stores and brand name hotels. Instead it is a mom and pop burg with a sailing heritage and a non-profit school where kids or adults can learn the art of building wooden boats.

Next stop, Port Angeles where we took the Coho ferry to Victoria, Canada for a day trip. The unexpected surprise there was the Royal British Columbia Museum that overflowed with native art ranging from intricate stone carvings to totem poles hundreds of years old. Unfortunately the ferry returned before we could experience “High Tea” at 4:00 at the Empress hotel. We did get a chance to gawk at the magnificence of this historic treasure however.

Sekiu, a sleepy little fishing port was our last stop before Cape Flattery on the northwestern tip of the peninsula. Here we got our sea legs, kayak style, paddling out into the Strait and riding the incoming ocean swells. Adrenaline extraordinaire.

Then it was onward to La Push, located on the western coast of the Peninsula. Waves from the Pacific pound the endless beaches and break against fortress like sea stacks. Seals, sea lions and native Quileute fishermen compete for the salmon that make their run to spawn in the Sol Duc River. Tide pools abound and the beach extends a far reach when the tide recedes. Had to caution Toni about the additional weight the collected sea stones would add to the already burgeoning mother ship. Here, seals and sea lions peered at us in our kayaks wondering about these strange intruders.