After a particularly long stretch of foul weather, including a week of snow and ice storms, we were coming down with a slight case of cabin fever. So, despite the cold and rain (this is the Pacific Northwest, after all) we decided to head over to Whidbey Island for a short hike at Deception Pass State Park. We hiked from West Beach to Goose Rock, and this has definitely been one of my favorite hikes so far (I just wish it were a little longer). The scenery is absolutely stunning – a combination of driftwood-choked beaches, small offshore islands, and old growth forests.

The rest of the photos are here.

On New Year’s Eve we took the Clipper to Victoria, British Columbia. Victoria has been on my to-do list ever since we’ve arrived in Seattle and I figured the extended New Year’s weekend would be a good opportunity to finally make the trip up there.

We left early Saturday morning and after a comfortable three hour ferry ride, arrived in Victoria. Our hotel was just a short walk from the downtown area, where we spent most of our time. There is stuff to do in Victoria, like visit the famous Butchart Gardens, but I’m not really the garden going type, so we spent most of our time walking around with the occasional pub stop. We had brunch at Canoe Brewpub, where I had poutine for the first time in my life. Fries covered in cheese curds and gravy – yes, it is as wonderful as it sounds, especially when paired with a Red Canoe Lager.

We spent the evening at Garrick’s Head Pub, which was really laid back and served the local Dough Head Gingerbread Ale. We also smoked a Cuban cigar, because Canada is the land of freedom.

British Columbia Parliament Building

Victoria is known for its afternoon tea, especially the afternoon tea served at the fancy Empress Hotel, and since I acquired a taste for those delicious finger sandwiches and scones during my time in London, I was determined to have afternoon tea in Victoria. The Empress is ridiculously expensive, however. $47 for tea? WTF? So instead we went to the Venus Sophia Tea Room in Victoria’s Chinatown. It was half the price of the Empress, and did not disappoint. They have a million different teas to choose from (Monk’s Blend was pure heaven) and the sandwiches, scones, and sweets were delicious. I would highly recommend this place if you are looking for a great afternoon tea in Victoria.

After tea, we took a long walk through Holland Point Park and Beacon Hill Park.

Looking across the Salish Sea toward Port Angeles, Washington, USA.

And then, prior to heading back to Seattle on the afternoon ferry, we ate more poutine.

I love snow. Probably because I grew up in a place where the average winter temperature is 74 degrees, so I never had the whole winter wonderland experience. We woke up to our first snowfall of the year here in Seattle. It doesn’t snow here very often, so the entire neighborhood was outdoors throwing snowballs and sledding down the city’s many hills (and, of course, there were plenty of idiot drivers out). Here are a few shots I took on a walk around our First Hill neighborhood.

View from our apartment. It started to come down pretty heavily around noon.

One of the great things about living in the Pacific Northwest is the hiking. Yes, the east coast has hiking, but nothing that compares to what we have on the West Coast (in fact, I am hard pressed to come up with anything the east coast does better. Subway systems, maybe).

Back in October we hiked the Snow Lake Trail, located in the Snoqualmie Region an hour’s drive from Seattle. The hike was eight miles roundtrip, and not very strenuous, especially considering how quickly we seemed to gain elevation. This supposedly one of the most popular hiking trails in the region, but since we went in October when it was a bit chillier, it wasn’t very crowded.

At about 3.5 miles in, once you reach the ridge, you are greeted by the sight of this beautiful alpine lake:

One of several waterfalls

By the lakeshore

And what better way to end a long day of hiking than by visiting the local brewery? The Snoqualmie Brewery and Taproom is located not far from where we went hiking, so we ended the day with a giant plate of nachos and delicious beer sampler:

This fellow was standing in the middle of California State Route 1 while we were driving from San Francisco to Eureka, California last year as part of our 1,500+ mile road trip up the West Coast. While the vast majority of California State Route One is devoid of livestock, this particular portion wound its way through miles and miles of dairy farms. With its beautiful rolling hills and proximity to some of the best coastline in the country, it is no wonder that California is home to the happiest cows in the country.

Next to train travel, road trips are one of my favorite ways to travel. If embarking on your own road trip, always make sure that your motor insurance is valid and up-to-date (in many states, proof of insurance is required by law). A policy that includes car breakdown cover is also very worthwhile to have, as you may find yourself stranded in the middle of nowhere if your car encounters mechanical difficulties. Carrying one of these policies definitely ensures peace of mind.

A short video of Yellowstone’s Plume Geyser erupting:

Created in 1922, the Plume Geyser is one of Yellowstone’s youngest geysers. It erupts every hour, often surprising (and splashing) whatever unsuspecting tourist happens to be passing by.

This past weekend we took a daytrip to the Hoh Rain Forest in Olympic National Park, which is a four hour drive from Seattle. I’ve wanted to visit the rain forest since we arrived in Seattle two months ago and figured we should do it while the weather was decent (as it turned out, “decent” was an understatement – it was 80 degrees and clear skies on Saturday).

On our way to the rain forest we stopped at the park’s Kalaloch Area, which features several miles of unspoiled beaches. I was surprised how warm the water was – I expected it to be much, much colder.

We continued onward to the Hoh Rain Forest where we hiked (well, more like strolled) the Hall of Mosses and Spruce Nature Trails. The Hoh Rain Forest is one of the largest temperate rain forests in the United States and receives 141 to 165 inches of precipitation per year. The forest is incredibly beautiful and unique, featuring large bigleaf maples and Sitka spruces draped with thick clumps of moss and a floor of lush ferns.

After our short hike through the rain forest, we headed back to the coast for a quick stop at Second Beach. I had heard good things about this particular beach, and it did not disappoint. To reach the beach from the parking lot, you must hike a .7 mile trail through lush, green forest, but eventually rays of sunshine penetrate the thick canopy and the trees begin to thin out, treating you to some spectacular coastal scenery.

We had a long drive back to Seattle that evening, but stopped at 8th St Ale House in Hoquiam for dinner. After a long day enjoying the great outdoors, what could be better than a pint of beer and fish & chips?

The rest of the photos are here. Enjoy!

Continued from Part I…

We were up around 6am on the morning of our second, and only full day, in Yellowstone National Park. We wanted to get an early start and visit a few more of the park’s attractions before the roads became clogged with the multitudes of RVs and trailers that crawl slowly along the park’s roads.

Our first encounter with park wildlife that morning was this impressive elk, who was enjoying breakfast on the side of the road. Check out those antlers!

Yellowstone Lake:

Another bison:

Rapids:

Yes, more bison:

Forest stretching for miles:

Tower Fall, 132ft drop:

We went hiking later that day but had to cut our hike short when we encountered a bison near the trail. He started coming towards us, so we decided to turn around and head back where we came from. He continued to follow us for a few minutes but eventually stopped, so thankfully this post won’t include any details on what it is like to be gored by a bison.

With our hike cut short, we headed to the mud volcano and sulfur cauldron area to check out some more of Yellowstone’s geothermal features.

The giant elk, again. This was the third time we spotted this guy. The first time was actually at night, when he was crossing the road and we were driving back to our camp (that encounter was a bit scary – thankfully we did not hit him).

Our campsite. Overall it was decent, but the campsites were very close together.

The campground was located on the shore of Yellowstone Lake:

Once we returned to camp that evening, we cooked a pot of chili, kicked back with a few beers, and sampled some bison and elk jerky (the bison was delicious, elk was so-so). Since we had a long drive to Spokane the following morning, we turned in early and drifted in and out of sleep, occasionally awakened by the howls of a nearby pack of wolves.

The rest of the Yellowstone photos are here.

During our 3,000 mile drive from Washington, DC to Seattle, we stopped in Yellowstone National Park for several days. It was my first visit to Yellowstone, and yes, it truly is deserving of its reputation – an incredibly beautiful area of our country.

Prior to arriving in Yellowstone, however, we purchased some bear deterrent. I had no idea this stuff existed, but I received an email from my mom insisting that we purchase some because a hiker had recently been killed by a grizzly bear in the park. While we were in Denver we stopped at REI and picked up a can of “Counter Assault Bear Deterrent”. At $46 it was a bit pricey, but better safe than sorry, I suppose.

On our way to Yellowstone from Rock Springs, Wyoming (about a 5 hour drive) we drove through Grand Teton National Park:

Our first stop in Yellowstone was the Grant Village Campground, where we would be staying for two nights. After quickly setting up our tent, we set out to explore the park. We only had a little over a day and a half in Yellowstone (not nearly enough time if you want to do any substantial), so we tried to see as much as possible. Our first stop was the Upper Geyser Basin, where Old Faithful is located.

The park built these wooden walkways so you can walk around the basin and view the geysers up close. These visitors were caught by surprise when the geyser closest to them started erupting.

And, of course, the main attraction, Old Faithful. Instead of fighting the rest of the tourists for a spot on the benches in front of Old Faithful, we opted to watch it from a viewpoint in the middle of the Geyser Basin:

We continued onward to the Midway Geyser Basin. This basin’s Excelsior Geyser pool discharges 4,000 to 4,500 gallons of 199°F water per minute into the Firehole River.

There are over 3,000 bison in Yellowstone National Park. Here is one we spotted off in the distance:

Geothermal activity is everywhere:

We were also lucky enough to spot a grizzly bear from the safety of our car. Unfortunately, the photo isn’t that good, but it was still cool to see one in the wild:

Yes, I took a photo of every bison we came across:

Our final stop during our first day at Yellowstone was Mammoth Hot Springs:

And one last bison spotting before nightfall:

That night we arrived back at our campsite around 10pm (Yellowstone is HUGE!). The temperature dropped to 39°F which I definitely was not prepared for, so I didn’t sleep very well. Lesson learned: I need to purchase a much, much warmer sleeping bag…or just stick to camping at the beach in the summertime.

Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area, Wyoming

We arrived in Seattle nearly two weeks ago and have settled into our apartment with the exception that most of our belongings are currently on a broken-down truck somewhere in South Dakota. Yeah, I’m kinda regretting using Allied Van Lines to move everything, but it’ll get here eventually.

Anyways, some some selected thoughts from our recent road trip:

- Before traveling through the South (ie, Kentucky) check the NASCAR schedule, or else you might find yourself stuck in traffic for hours.

- My uncle in Illinois still makes the greatest BBQ sauce in the world.

- Drivers in Red Bud, IL have no idea how stop signs work.

- There is a Churchill Museum in the middle of nowhere, Missouri. Random.

- Columbia, MO has some damn good beer (see Flat Branch Brewery)

- I was amazed at how many wineries there are in Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri. Now this may be the California chauvinist part of me speaking, but, seriously?!

- Everyone said that driving through Kansas is horrible. I can see where they are coming from as far as the monotony of the drive, but I actually thought it was quite relaxing. I love cruising along with some good music.

- I am pretty sure I was the only person driving through Kansas with a surfboard.

- Colorado is incredibly beautiful, especially during thunderstorms. I loved Denver and Fort Collins (the breweries definitely helped) and could definitely see myself living in Colorado. Thanks to Liz, Nick, and Wrigley for their hospitality.

- State troopers in Wyoming don’t care if you pass them at 85mph in a 65mph zone.

- Yellowstone is really that amazing and deserving of its reputation. Photos will be up shortly.

- Buffalo meat should be served in more restaurants.

- My Xterra is a bug killin’ machine.

- There are only two radio stations in Montana. One plays country music; the other plays nothing but “Don’t Fear the Reaper” by Blue Oyster Cult.

- After driving for two weeks, I actually miss being on the road.

- I am very, very glad to be in Seattle while the rest of the country is experiencing a heat wave. Our temperatures here have been in the high 60s/low 70s.

- I can’t believe I actually left DC. This is truly a dream come true. I was actually shedding tears of joy as I sat in Beltway traffic on our way out of the metro area. It has been a long, strange, frustrating, and simultaneously wonderful decade in our nation’s capitol.

Oh, and it cost me $577 to drive across the country, just $30 shy of Cost2Drive’s prediction. Not bad.