We’ve had a fun and exciting week exploring the Pacific Northwest. Specifically, we explored Seattle WA, Portland OR, Mt. Saint Helens, and enjoyed a weekend at a beach house in Depoe Bay, OR. View my gallery of happy snappies or read more for the full report.
In Seattle we decided to forgo renting a car and instead got around by public transportation. As some sort of compensation, the Wife rented us a nice fancy limousine ride from the airport. The limo even had free wine and beer. The limo took us to our guest apartment at Seattle Pacific University, which was our way of economizing on lodging. The apartment did not have a lot of amenities nearby, but it was in a safe area and it was right on a bus line. We generally made breakfast in the room, took lunch with us in the mornings, spent the whole day in the downtown area (which is well-served by public transit) and did not return to our room till evening. The apartment was right near a canal and bike path. We didn’t use the bike path, but there were wild blackberries growing on the path, which made for some nice dessert.
Our first full day started at the Center for Wooden Boats. We didn’t arrive early enough to reserve an actual boat trip, so I found it a bit of a letdown. Next we headed for Seattle Center, where we bought a CityPass and explored the Pacific Science Center, which is a huge science museum, and the Experience Music Project (EMP). Son enjoyed trying out some real instruments.
The second day we spent at the waterfront including the Seattle Aquarium, a harbor tour, and a walk through Pike’s market and Ye Olde Curiosity Shop. Afterward we went back to Seattle Center for a dip in the fountain. Our third day in Seattle we headed for the Museum of Flight, which was quite enormous, with an impressive collection of vintage aircraft. The Museum of Flight was big enough to spend most of a day whole day exploring.
That evening we went downtown the the very quaint and hip Pioneer Square neighborhood. I loved that neighborhood, it has a very Soho New York kind of vibe. Daughter lost her tooth on the bus back to the apartmtent.
Day Four found us taking Amtrak to Portland, where we visited an old childhood friend of the wife and her family. She took us to one of Portland’s amazing public pools, which was located at a high school. The pool had a sizeable water slide, nice shallow kiddie area with water spouts, and a “lazy river” that allowed you to drift with a current into a round whirlpool. It was a really impressive pool.
Day Five we explored the Oregon zoo by day. It’s a large and impressive zoo, with a robot dinosaur exhibit that Son appreciated. I think it was actually the same robot dinosaur exhibit which we saw at our own local zoo a while back, but the kids were excited nonetheless. That evening we went to the Oaks Amusement Park, which calls itself “one of the oldest continuously operating amusement parks in North America.”
Day Six we headed to the coast, where we had reserved a weekend beach house rental. The house was just down a short road from the beach, and the kids took delight in getting all sandy and wet. The sand there is interesting, much grainier and chunkier than Eastern beach sand.
Day Seven we spent exploring the coastal town of Depoe Bay, which is famous for its whale watching. We caught a glimpse of a grey whale or two off the coast, but did not spring for the whale watching cruise. Later we headed to Yaquina Head Lighthouse, which was my first trip to a west coast light. That evening I returned to Yaquina Head for a sunset shoot.
Day Eight was our last day in Depoe Bay, which we spent at Fogarty Creek State Recreation Area. The kids had a lot of fun splashing on the surf as the Wife looked for Agates in the sand. On the way home we stopped at some outlet stores, as Son needed new shoes.
Day Nine we headed north for Mount Saint Helens National Volcanic Monument, a last-minute addition to our itinerary. It was a fascinating experience, to learn how the landscape was devastated by the eruption in 1980, and to see how life has slowly been returning. The volcano itself still ejects puffs of steam on a regular basis. The highlight, for me, was walking a short trail to the Johnston Ridge Observatory from a nearby observation point. It was a short hike and physically not difficult, but somewhat precarious because it was a narrow trail along a very steep ledge.
We stayed overnight in the small nearby town of Kelso, and I got up in the middle of the night to watch the Perseid meteor shower. We returned home the next day, basically flying all day.
