| Home |
| Pacific Northwest Summer Road Trip 2007!: Recap | |
|
08/27/07 - Albuquerque, NM Summary of our 38 days, 23 beds, 2 countries, 8 states, 9 national parks and monuments and 7,300 miles on the road |
|
|
Now that we're back and finally caught up with all of the things
that require catching up with (including updating this website
and sorting through 1,000 or so photos) we wanted to put
together a short recap. Road travel can be hard on you,
and it's been nice resting up this week. It was hard on
our car too, as we had to buy brakes, 2 new tires, and a couple
of oil changes along the way.
It was definitely all worth it though - one of our favorite trips ever. One of the things that made it so great was the amount of time we gave ourselves, which led to a leisurely pace with time to take detours. We wanted to list our favorite sights and places along the way, but that's sooo haaard (we say in whiney voices). But we'll jot down a short list of a few of our favorites anyway. Favorite: Meals 1) Scotty's Table in Missoula 2) Scallops at Ivar's in Seattle 3) Dinner at the Edgewater in Seattle *Note, the grilled halibut burger at the stand in River Jordan on Vancouver Island earns honorable mention on Scott's list, while Caroline's fried oyster and halibut sandwiches at McNeill's in Port McNeill are on her list
Hotels 1) Westin Bayshore in Vancouver 2) Edgewater in Seattle 3) Crackhouse Brothel in Seattle (kidding - we'll say Boardwalk Cottages in Long Beach)
Cities 1) Seattle 2) Missoula 3) Victoria
Hikes 1) One mile sunset Canyon Overlook "hike" in Zion NP 2) Hike to San Josef Bay and beach walk on Northern Vancouver Island 3) Hike toward Inspiration Point by Jenny Lake in Grand Teton NP * Honorable mention goes to the hike down to Kachina Bridge in Natural Bridges National Monument
National Park 1) Zion National Park 2) Grand Teton National Park 3) Tie! Yellowstone & Bryce Canyon
Wildlife Encounters 1) Black bears & bald eagles of N. Vancouver Island 2) Elk of Dean Creek Elk Viewing Area near Oregon coast 3) The pronghorn & bison on the scenic drive through Montana's National Bison Range (though the bison crossing the road in front of us at Grand Teton was pretty cool too)
Scenic Drives 1) Combination of Hwy 89, Hwy 12 & Hwy 95 through Southern Utah 2) 101 down the coast of Oregon (& through Columbia River Gorge) 3) Drive from Montana's National Bison Range toward Idaho on 200 & 135
Great Spots by the Water 1) Sooke Potholes, Vancouver Island 2) Clark Fork River running through Missoula 3) Strawberry Hill State Park tide pools & sea lion watching on the Oregon coast * Honorable mention: The beaches by our home exchange in Metchosin on Vancouver Island
We enjoyed lots of our meals on this trip, and wanted to list a few more of our favorite food stops: Lunch at D.C.'s on B Street in Pueblo, Colorado Sausage rolls at the Dutch Bakery & Coffee Shop in Victoria The Sticky Wicket in Victoria Crumpets at The Crumpet Shop in Seattle's Pike Place Market Jai Thai in Seattle Fumiyoshi Sushi in Vancouver Smoked salmon at Irish Heather in Vancouver
And because we can't only be positive, here's our "Worst Of" list:
Worst Hotel 1) Fremont Inn in Seattle (lovingly called Crackhouse Brothel Inn by Scott) 2) Sleep Inn of Ogden, UT... with that delightful smell of death 3) Pioneer Motel of Port Hardy, N. Vancouver Island, although the kitchenette did come stocked with shot glasses!
Most Disappointing Meals 1) Dooger's in Long Beach, WA, known for their oysters. We'll remember them (yuk!) 2) Boathouse Restaurant in Vancouver 3) Signal Mountain Lodge in Grand Teton National Park
Most Touristy Places 1) Multnomah Falls in the Columbia River Gorge in Oregon 2) Old Faithful's noon explosion, Yellowstone National Park 3) Seaside, Oregon Scott was by himself in Seattle during the annual SeaFair festival there... which should definitely be on the list
Runner-up Edgewater Hotel - don't pout, #2 is nothing to scoff at! |
|
