Reflections on a rewarding and enjoyable year, for which we are grateful.
In the spring, we decided to vanquish the last remaining traces of the color blue from our home. The kitchen had blue walls, a dark blue/gray vinyl floor, and baby blue countertops covering pale yellow cabinets. Behind the sink was a backsplash featuring lemons and other assorted fruits. Although not a color we would have chosen, we decided to keep the cabinets and replace the countertops and flooring with earth tones, while adding a snazzy backsplash made up of hand painted Mexican tiles. The best part was creating a new pass-through from the kitchen to the dining area. It opened up the room and added a nice touch.
This year we chose to go on our annual trip to Salida in late July, and boy was it hot! After checking into our favorite cabin at the bottom of Monarch Pass, we took the dogs downtown for a swim in the Arkansas River. Tonka loves the water, although he is timid in strong currents. Daisy stays by the shore but loves to splash and chase Tonka. Dave and I brought water shoes and joined the dogs in the river for a chance to cool down. Later we stopped for a beer and takeout at Moonlight Pizza then returned to the cabin to laze about.
On day two, after brunch at the Salida Café, with yummy food, sketchy service, and a pet friendly patio, we took a bumpy ride over rugged, rocky Marshall Pass, located south of Mount Ouray (elevation 13,961). The pass is named for Lt. William Marshall, who in the fall of 1873 mapped the route while making a journey from Silverton to Denver to visit a dentist, rather than have a blacksmith pull his tooth in Silverton. Here’s hoping Lt. Marshall had lots of whiskey on hand, because that’s a long trek on horseback. The summit of Marshall Pass is near the Colorado Trail, which on this day was filled with happy wildflowers, free range cattle, backpackers, and mountain bikers zooming along at breakneck speed downhill. The west side of the pass spills out onto Highway 50 near Sargents, Colorado, a non-descript town featuring a post office, a trading post, and no noticeable inhabitants.
After we finished our glorious trip overseas in 2014, Dave and I decided our next visit would be a little closer to home: the Oregon Coast. We didn’t have much of a plan until we met an Oregon native at our favorite local hangout. He directed us to the town of Seaside, on the northern coast. Dave’s sister, Barb, was interested in our trip plans and agreed to join us. We booked a fifth floor beachfront condo for late September and spent relaxing evenings on the balcony drinking local wine, watching beautiful sunsets, and listening to the surf. The weather was windy but otherwise nearly perfect.
Dave served as chauffeur for our day trips up and down the coast. Our first trek was to head north across the mouth of the Columbia River to western Washington, where we visited Cape Disappointment State Park. We hiked out onto the north jetty, which helps create a protected channel for ships into and out of the river. After being blown by wind back from the jetty to shoreline, we hiked a steep trail past the Cape Disappointment Coast Guard station to the lighthouse. The lighthouse keeper told us the day’s warm, sunny weather was unusual for the area, normally socked in by fog or subject to fierce winds, even worse that what we experienced on the jetty.
Everyone told us that we absolutely must visit Mo’s Restaurant in Cannon Beach in order to experience the best clam chowder in existence. Off we went, stopping first to hike along the beach and admire the breathtakingly beautiful Haystack Rock. None of us are big fans of clam chowder but Dave tried it and said it was mostly okay. After hiking up and down the beach and taking endless photos of Haystack Rock and the Needles, we were grateful for a chance to sit inside and watch beachgoers fly their kites. On the way back, we scoped out the site for the next day’s adventure: Indian Beach at Ecola State Park.
After first enjoying a late breakfast at the local Pig n’ Pancake, we headed south to Indian Beach to enjoy another warm, sunny day. Surfers in wetsuits weaved about in the waves; off came our shoes and socks and we waded into the cold Pacific waters. Waves splashed high as our knees at times, while up and down the beach we strolled, only stepping out to let our toes warm up before heading in again. On a rock outcropping off in the distance stood the former Tillamook Head lighthouse, known as “Terrible Tilly” because of its dangerous location. The lighthouse was decommissioned in 1957 and is now a privately owned columbarium. What a stunning place to leave your ashes for all eternity.
The next day we drove to Tillamook to tour the Tillamook Cheese Factory, where we sampled Tillamook cheese and Tillamook ice cream, purchased Tillamook memorabilia, and posed for photos with the Tillamook factory’s resident plastic cow. Cheesy, right? Then we were off to the coast again, this time to visit the lighthouse at Cape Meares and the nearby Octopus Tree. First we stopped at the beach in Oceanside, where Dave collected seashells and we wondered about the abundance of hillside homes for sale. The lighthouse headland offered spectacular views of the vast Pacific Ocean and the Three Arch Rocks, although alas, we could only see two arches.
Our last day was spent scurrying up the coast to catch a ferry from Bremerton, Washington, across the sound to Seattle. What a beautiful way to view the Seattle skyline. We spent the afternoon on a whirlwind tour of the waterfront: drinking margaritas and sangria at the Copacabana, strolling through the Pike Place Market, and riding the monorail to the Space Needle.
As dusk fell, we returned to the waterfront in time to see the Seattle Great Wheel lit up at night.
The next morning we headed home to begin planning our next vacation.
Gettysburg, anyone?
We hope this year treated you well, and as always wish you
Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, Peace on Earth
 |
| Debbie and Dave |
 |
| Tonka |
 |
| Daisy |
No comments:
Post a Comment