Seattle Trip Journal
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ON THE ROAD: San Francisco To Seattle Now that I'm between work projects, I decided to travel up to the pacific northwest. My friend Ruth joined me for the first leg of the trip and we spent a week meandering up the coast and through Oregon on our way to Seattle. This photo journal shows some of the snapshots we took along the way. CLICK on any image if you want to see a larger version. Here, the Jeep is pictured after the many upgrades I made in the months before starting the trip. It's starting to look very different from when I first bought it. I've come to find there is no shortage of things you can add to a jeep!
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HEALDSBURG, California Before we even got under way, Ruth and I stopped in Healdsburg which is not too far from where I lived in Novato. I wanted to do some wine tasting before I left the area for good. This wine country is in the same vicinity as the well known Napa and Sonoma valleys where many wines are made.
RELAXING AT A WINERY: Ruth chose a nearby winery that was on our way while we were exploring the vineyards by car. The tasting consists of five different wines... and you can enjoy them while lounging and viewing the peaceful scenery.
THE VINYARDS: Even though it was technically off-season during our visit, the country side is still vibrant and captivating. This photo is a typical sight while traveling the narrow country roads that thread the valley.
THE WINES: For tasting, you get to try several wines for $5. They don't fill the glasses very much, but by the time you're done tasting all the wines, you've pretty much had the equivalent of a large glass of wine... And you feel the effects! Then, all the wines start tasting good no matter what they give you.
MY TRAVEL COMPANION: Here, Ruth enjoys some shade while sampling one of the varieties of wine. Even though the temperatures this time of year can get chilly, this particular day in January was quite warm while standing in the sun, so the shade was welcome.
ENTERING THE WINERY: A simple gated arch entry into the winery which leads to a cozy courtyard...
INSIDE THE WINERY: After passing through the arched gateways, you pass through this courtyard and you instantly begin to relax - even before drinking the wine.
INSIDE THE WINERY: The wineries are great places to relax and enjoy the country side. This particular winery had no shortage of views and we were free to enjoy all of them.
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ON THE ROAD AGAIN: After leaving Healdsburg, Ruth and I covered a lot of distance heading up to northern California. Our trip was fairly unstructured but, ultimately, we wanted to spend more time in Oregon, so we hit the road and made some tracks. California is a much larger state than you realize when you need to drive it along its length. This is a photo that Ruth took as we made our way up to north part of the state. CLICK the gallery pages BELOW to continue...
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CRATER LAKE, Oregon: After driving well into the night, the next opportunity that I had to take photographs was in Crater Lake, Oregon. This is a national park that features a volcano that blew it's top 7000 years ago. It left a giant cauldera which eventually filled with water. The lake is quite large and is almost 2000 feet deep. But the water clarity is amazing - around a 100 feet of visibility. The record is 140 feet of visibility. This shot only shows about one third of the entire lake.
CRATER LAKE, Oregon: Here, Ruth and I pose for a tourist shot. What's interesting is that we are standing on 9ft of snow. Many of the pathways, signs, and walls were completely covered and you really need snow shoes to get around. Fortunately, this area was pretty hard packed due to all the visitors. (Although, we only saw about six people total while we were there.)
CRATER LAKE: Don't let the smiles and fun fool you.... it was REALLY cold, and I got a sun burn on my face from all the reflected sunlight off the snow. Otherwise, it was beautiful.
LEAVING CRATER LAKE: Crater Lake is fairly remote and is surrounded by very small towns that have a few hotels and a roadside market. I grabbed this shot when Ruth decided she was hungry for a sandwich. Apparently, this shop was an original Pony Express stop and the same family still runs it from that time.
THE OREGON COAST: After leaving Crater Lake, Ruth and I headed towards the coast of Oregon. The coast was one of the things we really wanted to experience on this trip because it is noted for being particularly stunning. After spending some daylight hours traveling through the picturesque coastal towns, we were greeted with this amazing sunset... as if Oregon was saying, "Welcome." We pulled over to a roadside state park (of which there are MANY) and enjoyed the last light.
SPENDING THE NIGHT: Ruth and I decided the best way to experience the coast was to spend the night on it!... Ruth snapped this gorgeous shot shortly after we arrived at our beach-side campsite located within a state park.
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SPENDING THE NIGHT IN STYLE! Even though the Jeep was replete with camping gear, we could not resist the comfort of a yurt while camping on the beach. Fortunately, it was the off-season, so there was plenty of vacancy. The yurts were located just a short walk from the beach pictured above.
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INSIDE THE YURT: The yurts were quite luxurious as far as camping is concerned. Here is a clumsy photo-stitch that I created showing the inside of the yurt. None of my lenses could capture the whole interior, so I took several shots and pieced them together. In this shot, Ruth relaxes on a futon folded into its bed configuration and there is a bunk bed on the right side of the room. The yurt has electricity and a heater too... nice!
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MORE OREGON COAST: After our overnight stay on the beach, Ruth and I continued our way up the coast and there was no shortage of vistas, lighthouses, and gorgeous scenery.
WALKING AROUND NEWPORT, Oregon: The town of Newport was a small, quaint town located right on the coast. Fishing and crabbing was clearly the main attraction. One side of the street is dominated by fish processing facilities, and the other side is lined with shops and restaurants. This shot shows a typical view along the sidewalks. CLICK the gallery pages BELOW to continue...
SPENDING THE DAY IN NEWPORT, Oregon: Ruth poses for a shot while we take a break for dinner.
AHHH, DINNER: Located just yards from where the fishermen unload their daily catch, Ruth and I decided try the local fish. My Niçoise salad with fresh albacore tuna was picture perfect and delicious. (The other people dining in the restaurant thought I was a bit weird for photographing my dinner.)
MT. HOOD NATIONAL FOREST: After leaving the coast, Ruth and I headed inland toward Portland and beyond to seek out Bagby Hot Springs. There were several hot springs to chose from in the Cascade Mountains, but we decided on this one based on local recommendations and the fact that I had seen it in an obscure independent film called "Old Joy". Ruth and I decided to camp (for real this time) at a campsite located at the trailhead of the hot springs. This shot is taken from our tent view. Overnight, it was a balmy 30 degrees, and it was so damp that our store-bought firewood refused to light - but it was cozy in our sleeping bags.
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THE MOSS FOREST: One of the things that I like about the forests of the northwest is all the green moss. It covers everything that is still enough to let it grow.
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ON THE TRAIL: Ruth snapped this shot during our hike. To get to the hot spring, we enjoyed a 1.5 mile walk through the forest on a well maintained trail. This was actually our second visit to the hot spring - we first took the trail out to the hot spring the previous night using flashlights. But we couldn't grasp the full impact of our surroundings until the next day when we returned to the hot springs for a second soak.
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BAGBY HOT SPRING: This is a shot of the hot spring and the structures which house the tubs. It's nestled deep in the woods and is free to the public. We read in a guide book that "nudity is to be expected". And they were right...
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BAGBY HOT SPRINGS - Japanese Style Tub Yes, it's HOT. The hot springs is channeled and diverted so that the several soaking tubs can be filled on demand. The water is around 130 degrees and it takes about a half hour to fill the tub. The open air structure houses several large Japanese style tubs (pictured here), and also some smaller private tubs which are made from hollowed out logs. The water is so hot that you also have to add several bucket fulls of ice cold water from the river to get the temperature the way you like it.
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BAGBY HOT SPRINGS - Log Tub This shot shows the very hot water flowing into one of the hollowed out log-tubs. These rooms were more enclosed and private - but still open to the sky so you can enjoy the surroundings.
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FINALLY IN SEATTLE: After leaving the hot springs, Ruth and I made the final leg of the trip into Seattle at night. After many enjoyable days together, this was the end of the trip for Ruth. We arrived at my friend Mark's place and she caught a flight back to LA so that she could return to work. Bye Ruth! Will miss you :-( I didn't take this shot as soon as we arrived. It took me a few days to figure out where to go to get this view. It wasn't the best night for the skyline shot I want, but it's a good place holder.
ACROSS THE PUGET SOUND And so my adventure begins in Seattle with my friend Mark. This shot is taken at Bainbridge Island located just across the Puget Sound from downtown Seattle. With several of his friends, we stayed out on the island for some amazing relaxation and down time. The days are gray, but not without beauty. CLICK the gallery pages BELOW to continue...
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CANOEING IN PUGET SOUND: The house in which we stayed on Bainbridge Island had both a canoe and a rowboat. I handed my camera to Mark one morning while we took the boats out for a short journey around the inlet. I said, "Just press this button..." ...Which he did really well.
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MY SEATTLE FRIEND, MARK: This is my friend Mark, who is originally from Pheonix, but seems to have adapted well to the northwest lifestyle and damp cold weather.
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A VIEW OF BAINBRIDGE ISLAND: The inlets along the island are lined with cozy beach houses and sail boats. Even on a gray day, it looks inviting. Here is a typical view while traveling the water ways around the island. More trip pics coming soon...!
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