We woke to another rainy day, but this was not too distressing since we were going to be in transit all day. Bob made us breakfast, then we packed up the car, made our farewells and rushed to make the Orcas Island to Anacortes ferry. Our timing had to be perfect in order to make all our connections and arrive at the Lake Crescent Lodge with a bit of daylight left to enjoy our accommodations and the setting. Unfortunately, due to long stops at some of the other San Juan Islands, we were late arriving in Anacortes. Our drive down Whidbey Island to the Keystone ferry landing for the 1:30 ferry, which would take us across to Port Townsend on the Olympic Peninsula, now became a race. Or maybe I should say an exercise in frustration, ... read more

...all 3 of you! ;-) So sorry I haven't been able to keep up with my blogging. I am just too busy to blog--which I guess is a good thing... Today I had to decide whether to spend 2 hours on Cannon Beach looking at the incredible tidepools and watching the sunset by Haystack Rock, or sit in our room blogging. You get the picture. Actually I have a few days worth written, but haven't always had good internet to upload text and photos. (Right now we're connected using Dave's Blackberry as a modem.) Maybe I'll get those entries on the blog site before we get home, but I'll probably talk to or see most of you in person before I catch up describing with our adventures in the blogosphere. Eventually I will finish it because ... read more

Today we took the perfect hike (suggested by one of the long-time employees at Alta Crystal), through a variety of terrains (forest, meadow, tundra, barren rock) in perfect weather, with perfect views of Mt. Rainier and the incredible Emmons glacier on the east side of the mountain. So much gorgeousness, it’s hard to describe! The only downsides were a very narrow section of the trail with a sheer drop-off and shale like rock surface—Dave’s height issues kicked in; heck, even I had a few “issues”! And then we passed through so many meadow areas of dried out, dead wildflowers, which would have been spectacular a couple of months earlier. Oh well—gives us an excuse to make a return visit during wildflower season! We finished off the day, relaxing by the pool and enjoying a cioppino dinner, ... read more

We checked out of the Timberline Lodge and drove to nearby Trillium Lake, which we’d heard was a photo opportunity waiting to happen. It did not disappoint, and we shot many a postcard-like photo of the lake with Mt. Hood rising above it in the distance. We took the 2 mile trail around it, and enjoyed the relatively solo trek through forests and meadows surrounding the little lake. Then we headed north, and as we came down in elevation, we entered the beautiful rolling hills of an agricultural area chock full of apple orchards and vineyards. Eventually we reached the Columbia River, which was impressive in size and scenery. Heading west, the first stop we made was at the historic Bonneville Fish Hatchery—which was a surprisingly interesting operation in a lovely setting. (Thanks for the tip, ... read more

I’m composing this first blog entry sitting on the window seat in our room at the Crater Lake Lodge, watching dusk arrive. The sky above the rim of the lake is tinged with pink and the normally vivid blue water has turned a steely gray. We just came up to our room from enjoying a glass of Tolosa Pinot and watching the changing light from the rocking chairs which line the patio behind the Lodge… Sounds so slow and peaceful, right? But of course that impression betrays the pace and the ups and downs (mostly ups) of the past three days. Let me summarize: Our 7 hour plus drive from SLO to the tiny town of McCloud at the base of Mt Shasta was relatively uneventful. We amused ourselves by trying to come up with the ... read more