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Published: August 21st 2010
So I haven't been that great at keeping up with the blog on this trip; too many late night drives to motels and early rising mornings to head out to the next spot! Here's a recap of what I've done since I last posted....
Sat: I headed out to Columbia River Gorge, and got there at a decent hour, car packed and everything! I saw the octagon house both from a distance and close up, got some good views of the gorge, and made my way to Multinomah Falls. Was quite pleased to find a penny press to add to my ever-growing collection too! I headed out around lunchtime (actually an hour later than I had intended) but then saw an outlet mall on the way out. Another hour and $150 later, I headed to Crater Lake. Crater Lake was gorgeous! Deep blue water, neat land formations in the middle of it, and a setting sun. What more could you ask for? I wish though that I had gotten there sooner; there were spots within the park that I didn't get to, which I wish I had. Oh well. Drove through the pitch blackness to my motel and got there around 10:30pm. A bit late, but fine.
Sun: This was an interesting day, mostly because of the weather. I left Medford, OR in 80F weather (shorts, tank top) and drove down to the northern part of California to Redwood National Forest. Who knew that it would be 20F colder there than in Oregon? Glad I had a fleece jacket handy! BRRRR! Saw some really tall and really large (around the trunk) redwoods, and even drove my car through one! Saw a huge statue of Paul Bunyan and Babe, and pressed another penny or two. I drove up Hwy 101N toward Coos Bay, OR, and found myself driving through really foggy patches, and then into sunny patches. The temperature fluctuated quite a bit too! Unfortunately, this also made for a bit of a late arrival at my motel, but I was still able to hit the 24h Wal-mart anyway. 😊
Mon: I drove up the coast along Hwy 101N, and found myself encountering the same fogginess, and temperature fluctuations. I did see the Oregon Dunes, got stuck in a LONG traffic jam (stopped on the highway with nowhere to go for over an hour) and stopped at Sea Lion Caves. Glad I had a long zoom lens for my camera, because those sea lions were not all that close. This drive was much longer than I had anticipated, and I arrived at my motel around 12:30am. Another late night!
Tues: I drove from my motel into Olympic National Park. I think though that I took the wrong route to get into the park, because the parts I saw first were not all that interesting to me. I also (unfortunately) followed my GPS's poor directions that led me to a road that was closed due to construction, and I had to turn back to the main highway, losing about an hour in the process. I did get up to Forks (where the Twilight books are set) and did some touristy sight-seeing related to that. I drove out to one of the beaches that I had seen some cool photos from, and it was quite foggy out that way. Drove up towards Hurricane Ridge and Port Angeles (the places most people hit first) and found it too dark by the time I got there to do more than stop at the McD's to use the washroom. Got stuck in another traffic jam (due to construction) along the way, but this time only for about 15 minutes. Drove toward Seattle, and got to my motel in Sea-Tac around midnight.
Wed: I returned the rental car, and walked to my hostel. This time I stayed in a location MUCH further away, and it was a LONG walk with my luggage. I left my luggage, went to get some tea and a bite to eat, and wrote a couple of postcards. Then I headed down to Pioneer Square where I took some photos of the old buildings and wandered around. I hadn't realized that a lot of Seattle was built during the gold rush, for the merchants selling to the gold diggers before they headed to Alaska. I also discovered the Underground Tour was nearby, so I did that tour. Basically, Seattle was settled on mud flats, and they had huge issues with mud, the tides, and inappropriate plumbing with the new toilets they had shipped in. The city burnt to the ground in the 1890s, and the merchants went to rebuild before the city was ready for them. The city decided to build around the buildings that were already in place, and built roads and sidewalks a story above what was already there. This left shopkeepers to use their first floor as their new ground floor, and there was a whole city grid left behind under these new constructions. The tour was great, and I really enjoyed all the potty humour and puns used in the presentation of the material. I also went up Smith Tower to see the city at sunset, and I stopped in a Pike Market. I saw a few flying fish, but didn't manage to get anything with my camera.
Thurs: I arrived in Vancouver by bus, and headed for my hostel. I then headed out to see the city, and I walked around downtown, through Gastown, and down by the waterfront. I also headed out to Kitsilano beach for some swing dancing. I'm really glad I did, because I had a great time! Free dancing, outdoors, with nice people -- what else could you want? By the time I got back to my hostel (around 11pm) my roommate was already asleep!
Fri: Today I went to Capilano Suspension bridge with Zeekid and Mahrukh, other guests at the wedding I'm attending tomorrow. We walked on the swaying bridge, through the treetops, and took lots of photos. It was an enjoyable afternoon, but definitely not worth the admission fee they charged. We also headed to the rehearsal dinner, and got to see the bride and groom, and the wedding party. After the dinner, Mahrukh and I headed to La Casa Gelato, and ice cream place rumoured to have over 200 flavours. And they did! I got taste tests of about 8-10 different flavours before settling on Banana Fudge. I may have to go back there before I leave Vancouver!
That's it for now. Sorry for the long entry, but I think I left it a little too long....
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Dave
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La Casa Gelato
What was the weirdest flavour of gelato they had there? My friend, Haya, makes her own ice cream, and she once made candied bacon flavour. Ewwwwww! If you go back to La Casa, you should get a taster spoon of their weirdest flavours!