Beating the Heat

I have discovered the perfect way to beat the 90 and 100 degree temperatures that we've been enduring here in the South.  Get out of town!!  Last week, LBeau and I did just that when we spent eight wonderful days in the Pacific Northwest, where the high never got above 75.  Here's a quick look at our trip with a few of my favorite photos.

After an early Tuesday morning flight to Atlanta, our Delta flight to Seattle was half an hour late departing (does anything run on time at ATL?).  But with the time change, we landed at Sea-Tac shortly after lunch and by 1:30, we were on our way to the Willamette Valley just south of Portland, Oregon.

Wednesday dawned crisp and cool, and we spent the morning driving through the beautiful countryside and touring the Domaine Drouhin winery, where we sampled some of the Pinot Noir that the Willamette Valley is noted for.

After a quick lunch, we visited the tasting room at the Carlton Winemakers Studio, where Jeff introduced us to some delicious organic wines.

Thursday morning found us on the road again as we headed out for a drive up the northern part of the Oregon coast.  The views from Highway 101 were magnificent. 

Beautiful rock formations…

Interesting lighthouses…

Dramatic drop offs…

And lots of these tiny espresso drive-ins.

Late that afternoon we arrived in Astoria, Oregon, where we had plenty of daylight hours left (it doesn't get dark until almost 10 p.m.) to visit Fort Clatsop and climb the Astoria Column, all 164 steps.  Unfortunately, LBeau will not let me forget that I made him stop part way up so that I could catch my breath.

Our hotel was right on the Columbia River and gave us a beautiful view of the Astoria Bridge, which spans the river into Washington.

Friday morning, we crossed the bridge and made our way to Bainbridge Island, Washington, home of our daughter-in-law Katie.  Her parents' home sits right on Puget Sound, where you can spend hours watching the boat traffic.

Once the fog burns off, you have a clear view of Mount Rainier in the distance.

And you might even get lucky like Brent and Matt with your catch of the day.  These red crabs from Puget Sound made a delicious addition to our omelet Saturday morning.

Sunday morning, LBeau and I headed out for a tour around the Olympic Peninsula with Brent, Katie and the grands.  Our first stop was Sequim, where the Lavender Festival was in full swing.

The view from Hurricane Ridge in Olympic National Park was spectacular, and the wildflowers were equally beautiful.

After a breakfast of French toast and more crab omelet, LBeau and I caught the Bainbridge to Seattle ferry Monday morning and headed south to get up close and personal with Mount Rainier.  Viewed from any angle, it is definitely a sight to behold.

 

Unfortunately, all vacations eventually come to an end.  We left Seattle Tuesday morning wearing blue jeans, long sleeve shirts and fleece vests.  It was 57 degrees.  We arrived in Birmingham at 10:30 that night.  It was 87.  I'm sure we looked strange to all of those travelers in shorts, t-shirts and flip flops.

If you plan a trip to Washington and Oregon, I would definitely recommend going in July.  Amazingly, we didn't have a single drop of rain.

Traveling is definitely one of my favorite things, so I’m heading over to Laurie’s blog party.  Y’all are welcome to join us.