Lake Chelan and Stehekin

Posted on July 12, 2019 by kenwehner

8 and 9 July 2019

Pic 2019-0709 01 Lake Chelan to Stehekin (69) e2
Before planning this trip, I had never heard of Lake Chelan. When looking for a place to stop along the Cascade Loop Scenic Byway, I realized this might be a place worthy of more than a quick stop. It was.

The Town of Chelan sits on the shores of the lake. It is a quaint, family-friendly vacation stop that captures quintessential small town America. Most of the activities center on the lake. There are plenty of good options but we could not resist eating at 60’s era Lakeview Drive-In both nights.

One popular attraction is taking a Lady of the Lake ferry up lake to Stehekin, 2.5 to 4 hour ride in each direction. Stehekin is a small resort town without road access. The only way in and out is by boat or float plane. The trip up lake between sheared mountain edges is reward enough. We only spent a short time in Stehekin, walking the lake side roads. Had I known I would have planned more time. For us, two nights would have been ideal. If we are fortunate to travel through this area again, we will certainly make a point to stop again.

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North Cascades National Park

Posted on July 10, 2019 by kenwehner

8 July 2019

Pic 2019-0708 09 North Cascades NP (9) e2
With a long rainy stay in Vancouver under our belt, we were rested, re-energized, and ready for the road and some sunshine. The day started slow. We let the worst of rush hour traffic pass and headed east to the border crossing at Sumas. The border took about 30 minutes but we avoided the volume at the I5 crossing and was rewarded with traveling south on relaxing and scenic WA Rt 9 to Sedro-Woolley. There we got lunch and fuel for the long haul on the Cascade Loop Scenic Byway.

The Cascade Loop Scenic Byway is a 440 mile loop northeast of Seattle. In the next few days we plan to drive about three-fourths of it, skipping the section clockwise from Everett to Burlington through the islands of Whidbey and Fidalgo. We started driving east on WA Route 20. The first section through the “rock and a hard place towns” of Concrete and Rockport to Marblemount was nice but I started to worry my research had failed me. When we entered the North Cascades National Park, my research was validated. We made countless stops through the park. If you only stop one place then Washington Pass Overlook Trail, a short trail with amazing views, is it.

On the eastern side of the national park is a small town with a ton of Wild West charm, Winthrop. It is a must stop and a nice place for a meal or a night’s rest along the scenic route.

We continued the scenic drive south on WA Route 20, 153 (Methow Valley Highway), and US Route 97 to Chelan, where we will stay to explore Lake Chelan.

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Vancouver, British Columbia

Posted on July 8, 2019 by kenwehner

3 – 7 July 2019

Pic 2019-0704 02 Vancouver Stanley Park (37) e2
After almost 2 weeks on the road, we settled down for several days in Vancouver. The weather was not as good as we had hoped but we enjoyed it nonetheless. Vancouver is a very livable city with plenty to do and see. It has a unique international flavor; more than half its population’s first language is something other than English. The public transportation system is above average and the elevation is close to sea level so it is easily navigated on foot. The Skytrain and river taxis are fun and convenient ways to get around town. If you get lost, not to worry, we found the residents to be extremely friendly and helpful. Like any big city there are few bad areas downtown but overall we felt safe most places we went. Avoid the area between BC Place and Chinatown.

Our favorite areas included Stanley Park, Coal Harbour, Gastown, Granville Island, West Vancouver and Lonsdale Quay Market in North Vancouver. Rain prevented us from renting bicycles, however if you have the opportunity to pedal around Stanley Park, we’d highly recommend it.

Clockwise:  View from Granville Island, Steam Clock in Gastown, BC Place, View from Granville Bridge, Docks near Kits Point, Olympic Couldron, Canada Place in Coals Harbour, Brockton Point Lighthouse in Stanley Park, and Science World

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Sea-to-Sky Highway to Whistler Mountain

Posted on July 6, 2019 by kenwehner

5 July 2019

Pic 2019-0705 05 Sea to Sky Highway (14) e2
The Sea-to-Sky Highway from West Vancouver to Whistler has the potential to be the highlight of a trip to Victoria and Vancouver. Unfortunately for us, the weather did not cooperate. The drive up and back was about 2 hours each way. We walked around Whistler and made several stops along the route on the way back hoping if we waited long enough there might be a break in the weather, no such luck.

Pic 2019-0705 03 Sea to Sky Highway (8) e2

Whistler is a world famous ski resort area, similar to some of ones we’ve visited in Colorado, and the site of many of the events for Vancouver’s 2010 Winter Olympics. We also stopped at Shannon Falls, which is an easy walk to the viewing platform.

Pic 2019-0705 04 Shannon Falls (4) e2

Shannon Falls

We were unable to do a bear viewing tour we planned on Whistler Mountain but we did stumble upon one black bear grazing near the Olympic Village. We also had to skip the Sea-to-Sky Gondola in Squamish and the Capilano Suspension Bridge in North Vancouver.

Pic 2019-0705 02 Whistler Olympic Park Road (4) e2

Despite how our day turned out, we’d highly recommend making this drive as any part of a visit to Vancouver. It might be the best part of your trip.

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Victoria, British Columbia

Posted on July 4, 2019 by kenwehner

1 and 2 July 2019

Pic 2019-0702 02 Victoria (18) e2
Victoria has been near the top of our travel wish list so we were especially excited to see it on the horizon from the deck of our ferry. It is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island, northwest of Seattle. The city is known for its European feel and temperate climate. We had the added benefit of being here on Canada Day when the city was filled with energy and excitement.

Three nights and two full days in town was a perfect amount of time for us. We enjoyed outdoor dining along the harbor, walking the shoreline to Beacon Hill Park, shopping on Government Street, visiting Miniature World, and being immersed in the Canada Day festivities. Victoria is among the many great places to visit in Canada.

Next up, Vancouver.

Victoria Harbor (top left), Water Taxi (top right), British Columbia Parliament Building (middle left), Christ Church Cathedral (middle right), and Fisherman’s Wharf (bottom)

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Olympia, Washington

Posted on July 3, 2019 by kenwehner

30 June 2019

Pic 2019-0630 06 Ferry to Victoria (3) e2

Port Angeles with the skyline of Olympic National Park

On our trek across Washington State we stopped for the night in Olympia. Today we planned to briefly visit downtown, drive up the Olympic Peninsula coastline, explore Olympic National Park, and take the ferry to Canada.

The day started as planned with a quick visit to the State Capitol Building and downtown. Olympia is a nice small town that served us well as a spot to rest and retool for a night. The State Capitol Building and surrounding grounds are worth a visit.

We had enough time to drive up US 101 to Port Angeles and visit Mount Olympic National Park before the 5:20 PM ferry to Victoria. The problem arose when I did not make a reservation far enough in advance and our only option was to wait in the first-come first-serve line. Fearing we’d miss the ferry if we didn’t get in line early, we skipped the national park and instead killed three hours in the Town of Port Angeles. Port Angeles is nice enough but after an hour and a half we got bored and went back to the ferry terminal. Ultimately all the drive ups appeared to make the ferry but we didn’t want to risk having to wait for the 9 PM departure.Travel Hint - Victoria FerryWe arrived in Victoria for a late dinner just in time for Canada Day celebrations tomorrow.

Washington State Capitol Buildings

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Mount Rainier National Park

Posted on July 2, 2019 by kenwehner

29 June 2019

Pic 2019-0629 16 Mt Rainier NP (7) e2
Mount Rainier National Park exceeded our expectations. We debated which we enjoyed more, the better known Rocky Mountain National Park or Rainier. Mount Rainier, at over 14,000 feet, is the tallest mountain in the Cascade Mountain Range and can be seen for miles in all directions. While the mountain is the main focus, the park has a lot to offer. We entered the park from the east side at Stevens Canyon Road and left on the west side at Longmire. There is plenty to see and do along the way but the main attraction is in the aptly named Paradise. Because we visited early in the season, snow still covered much of the Skyline Loop. We managed to do a little less than half the trail including Panorama Point and Myrtle Falls. The Paradise Valley Loop Road was closed due to a rockslide which was disappointing but a risk we took coming before Independence Day. Mount Rainier will be one of our highlights of the trip.

Mount Rainier National Park including Grove of the Patriarchs Trail (top left), Reflection Lakes (middle right), Skyline Trail (bottom left), and Narada Falls (bottom right)

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Columbia River Gorge, Lewis and Clark Highway

Posted on July 1, 2019 by kenwehner

28 June 2019

Pic 2019-0628 15 Lewis and Clark Highway (6) edit2

After driving the tourist route and I-84 on the Oregon side, we crossed the toll bridge in the town of Hood River.  On the Washington side of the river, we continued eastward along the Lewis and Clark Highway, making several stops along the way.  We had planned to follow the river all the way to Kennewick, but short on time, we took the US-97 shortcut to Yakima where we spent the night.

Lewis and Clark Highway

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Columbia River Gorge, Historic Route 30

Posted on June 30, 2019 by kenwehner

28 June 2019

Pic 2019-0628 03 Columbia River Gorge (5) edit2

The Columbia River Gorge is an area I have been anxious to visit for a long time.  It did not disappoint.  The Columbia River serves as the border between Oregon and Washington.  On the Oregon side, Interstate 84 travels along the river and rivals the I-70 corridor through Colorado as my favorite interstate drive.  But we didn’t come all this way to drive past quickly so we took Historic Route 30.  The western end of Route 30 starts in Troutdale, Oregon and goes eastward parallel to the Columbia River and I-84.  Along the route there are several lookouts, waterfalls, and hiking trails.  At Dodson we jumped onto I-84 to ride along the river.

Travel Hint - Multnomah Falls

Pic 2019-0628 05 Latourell Falls (7) edit2

Latourell Falls

Pic 2019-0628 07 Bridal Veil Falls (6) edit2

Bridalveil Falls

Pic 2019-0628 08 Multnomah Falls (10) edit2

Multnomah Falls

Horsetail Falls, Upper (top right and bottom) and Lower (top left)

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Portland

Posted on June 29, 2019 by kenwehner

26 & 27 June 2019

Pic 2019-0627 02 Portland (31) edit
Portland, named after the city of the same name in Maine, is the largest city in Oregon. It has several nicknames, Rip City, Stumptown, Bridgetown, and the City of Roses. We visited 20 years ago on a trip down the Pacific Coast. We were not impressed. Over the years Portland’s reputation as an up and coming city has been growing. It’s hard to find a similar list on the internet that does not include Portland, so we were excited to come back and see what all the excitement was about. I hate to report, we were not impressed this time either.

Portland compared to San Francisco or Seattle is an affordable West Coast option. Its motto is ‘Keep Portland Weird’. It has a thriving craft brew market, legalized marijuana, progressive politics, green environmental policies, access to nature, and bike lanes – lots of bike lanes. In short, it is Hipster Utopia. What they also have is terrible traffic, unpleasant weather, out of control homeless population, and crime. The downtown has a lot of energy and several vibrant districts. The parks and walking paths along the river are severely underutilized. Overall the city does not live up to its potential and certainly does not come close to the hype. Normally I take hundreds of pictures and share a few on this blog, but there was not much of the city worth sharing. If you want to find a home base from which to explore Oregon, Salem, Bend and Eugene are all much better options.

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