Canada, Eh!

So, we went to Canada the other day.  We only stayed for right around 24 hours, but we can officially say we’ve been there now.  Other than having to convince the Mountie in the booth that AL stood for Alabama, not Alaska, crossing the border was pretty simple since we actually remembered our passports this time.  We noticed a few immediate differences as we crossed the border.  The accents were many and various.  We never knew what we would hear when someone opened their mouth.  Also, the metric system is awful!  It took a while to figure out how fast we could go, and we still don’t know how much gas costs.  What kind of gas price is 136.9?!

Our Tiny Little Plane!

We went to Whistler, British Columbia for one reason and one reason only.  I had somehow convinced my acrophobic husband to climb aboard one of the tiniest planes we have ever seen, and soar high above glaciers and ancient volcanoes.  I’m still shocked that he agreed to fly anywhere when not necessary, but he was very brave.  Once we reached the end of the dock on Green Lake, we had to stoop to even fit through the plane’s door.  We had to sit single file inside, which made it hard to squeeze each other’s hand when we were scared.  I really wanted to ride shotgun when the pilot offered it up, but I couldn’t take that joy from the little old man sitting in front of me!

Lake Garibaldi (1-Mile High)

The ride up was not bad at all actually.  We enjoyed unbelievable views of mountains, glaciers, and a mile-high lake.  We had seen plenty of waterfalls so far on the trip, but as we flew over Mount Garibaldi, we got to see our first (and probably only) icefall, especially in June!  I was soaking it all up, taking a million pictures (just like my momma taught me), and loving every second!...but then we turned around.  I guess maybe we were against the wind, or something, but the ride back was sheer misery, even for me.  I tried to sike myself out and say it wasn’t even as bad as riding an Arkansas interstate, but who was I kidding…it was bad.  I haven’t been that nauseous since the time I ate a fried Snicker bar before getting on a Peanut Festival ride!  In fact, I am proudly vomit-free since 2006, but I almost lost that status all over Whistler!

Ok, enough about that.  It was rough, but we are both so glad we did it.  There is no other possible way we could have seen what we saw up there.  And now that we’ve seen it, we can’t imagine missing it on account of fear.

Unfortunately, if it’s not winter, then there is not a terrible amount of things to do in Whistler.  So, after our plane ride, we enjoyed afternoon nap time, and woke up in time to watch mountain bikers fly down a course while we ate supper.  Then…back to bed.

We Were Glad to Be Back!

Everyone knows vacation can be a lot of work.  So, Canada was a bit of a rest stop for us before the last leg of our trip.  We enjoyed a great time of relaxation, and headed towards Spokane, WA for a layover night before reaching our next true destination.  On the way, we stopped at the North Cascades National Park, and checked out some waterfalls, lakes, and dams.  However, it was nothing compared to what we were about to see.

Next Stop – Glacier National Park!!!

Our Pilot...His Name Was Daniel!

Icefall!!

Do We Look as Nervous as We Were?

Mount Garibaldi

Our Tour of Washington

I could really get used to this whole waking up to the sound of waves crashing on the shore thing.

Sunset from Kalaloch Campground at Olympic NP

We spent a couple of nights in Olympic National Park in northwest Washington.  This may be one of the most diverse parks we have been to yet.  We set up camp at one of the parks’ beach campgrounds. The first morning, we woke up (late as usual...we are really getting spoiled) and drove to the only rainforest in the US.  Yeah, I said it… rainforest!  We (Daniel) had a few hikes planned for us in the Hoh Rainforest.  There were two main reasons, however, for us not completing much of said hikes:

1.) The land-of-the-lost-sized bugs were about to carry us away. Literally, I felt something land on my leg and when I looked down, I was alarmed to see a prehistoric looking horsefly fully shadowing my calf.  So it didn’t take us long to realize that in Olympic NP, the size of the bugs is directly proportionate to the size of the trees...which by the way are ridiculously huge.  

Mount Olympus (in Olympic NP) covered in clouds

2.) Once we got a pretty good ways down one of the trails, we met up with a group of about ten or so hikers going back the opposite way.  They didn’t seem to be on a peaceful stroll through breathtaking scenery either.  They were on a mission. The lead guy did slow down, however, to ask us if we saw the bear just a minute ago...which we had not.  Apparently, Mama Bear and Baby Bear were hanging out right off the trail not far in front of us.  The guy even said that Mama had stood up when they came by.  She never charged or got aggressive or anything but, seeing how we were only two lone hikers without the strength in numbers that they had, and Daniel was carrying a big bottle of sweet nectar (Mountain Dew…actually, I’m not supposed to say that since he’s a dentist now...He didn’t swish it, I promise), we turned around.

Once we gave up on the hikes, we got back in the car and headed for, you guessed it, another beach.  Ruby Beach is probably my favorite beach of the whole trip!  Its giant climbing boulders, rock caves, rumbling waves and collision with Cedar Creek earned it this prestigious recognition.  Oh yeah, and the wildlife there was pretty incredible…we saw a BALD EAGLE just hanging out in the wild! We didn’t get to stay there too long, though.  We only had time for one chorus of “This Land is Your Land” and a few minutes of gawking before we got hungry.  I know, it sounds like a ridiculous reason to leave but, we have learned the hard way that if either one of us lets hunger progress to hanger…things can get pretty dicey.  So, especially on a trip like this, we have to nip that in the bud pretty quick.

The next morning we had to get up and hit the road early because we had a date with some whales in the San Juan Islands. We boarded the boat at 10am and didn’t come back to shore until around 4pm.  In between those times, we hung out with two humpback whales and at least eight different killer whales.  One of the killers even brought us a seal right up to the boat before he (warning-weak stomachs please skip ahead a few lines…) ripped it to shreds! There was definitely some wild shark-week action going on.  It was pretty disgusting to see the water turn red like that but, at the same time, it was so cool to see nature take its course out in the wild.

The Original Starbucks

From there, we checked in for a couple of city nights, and not a moment too soon.  So thankful for a place to do laundry…I was really starting to look like a hobo!  We have loved being in Seattle.  I have seriously never seen so many coffee shops in all of my life and I don’t hate that.  We, of course, had our morning coffee at the original Starbucks, visited the Starbucks Reserve and checked out all of Pike Place Market including the gross, giant, headless fish that were being tossed to and fro at one of the seafood stands.  We later saw one of those (fully intact) fish golden-fried to crispy perfection resting in Joe’s birdbath of a plate at supper.  It was great to be able to meet up with another survivor of the UAB School of Dentistry class of 2015 all the way across the country.

Mount Rainier from Seattle (over 70 miles away!)

We are starting to get a little sad because we know that our trip is on the downhill slope.  But we still have a ton of stuff packed into this last week and a half!

Next stop – Oh, Canada!!

Humpback Whale Tail

Seattle Skyline

Pike Place Market - Before...

...After

Mountains, Oceans, and Waterfalls

Drive, drive, and drive some more.  That’s about all we have done the last 3 days!  We have seen some pretty cool things along the way, though.

Otter Point State Park in Oregon

When we left the Redwoods, we headed on up the coast on US Highway 101 to check out the rugged Oregon beaches and coastline.  And let me tell you…they are rugged, but oh so beautiful!  We got a late start from the Redwoods, and didn’t make it to Oregon until around lunchtime.  We stopped at many points along the way, including one state park named Otter Point.  Most of the Oregon coast is littered with random rocks jutting out of the ocean, and this park was no exception.  However, the rocks here were especially large, and one of them actually created an arch which ocean water flowed through!  However, if you are ever in the area and decide you want to go to Otter Point, you should know that it is pretty difficult to find.  There are no signs from the main highway, and the path leading to the beach is very narrow and kinda creepy…but it’s worth the payoff at the end :)

Thor's Well...at Low Tide :(

We continued on up the coast, and came to a place called Cape Perpetua.  There is a feature here that Cadie found on Pinterest called Thor’s Well, which is a large hole/tunnel in the ground on the beach.  During high tide, it spews water out like a geyser and is supposedly quite a sight to see.  We weren’t there during high tide…and when it’s not high tide…it’s just a hole in the ground with some water in it.

Foggy View of Mount Hood

We concluded our coast tour by heading on over to Portland, OR to catch some z’s.  The next day was full of more driving, but in a different direction.  We were headed over to Mount Hood and the Columbia River Gorge!  It was a little rainy and cloudy when we left, and we did not see much of Mount Hood.  But what we did see was pretty spectacular!  An 11,000 foot stunner, full of snow, standing majestically in front of our car upon rounding a bend in the road!  Fantastic.  (It wasn’t till the next day that I realized you could actually see this mountain from right outside our hotel…clouds really fog things up!)

Columbia River From an Observation Point

After driving around Mount Hood, we headed over to The Dalles, OR to begin our drive back towards Portland along the crystal-clear Columbia River, which divides Washington from Oregon.  Side Note…don’t eat at Sahara Pizza (unless you like to see flies and spiders and smell a musty waiter while eating).  We began our drive along the Columbia River Gorge, and along the way saw multiple waterfalls, the river from up high, and distant views of Mount St. Helens in Washington.  At the end of the drive, we hopped over to Washington and got to spend some quality time with family that we do not get to see very often.  They were awesome hosts, and we really appreciated their company and hospitality!

The Chatfield...with Apple Butter :)

We returned back to the hotel for a great night’s rest, and as usual, woke up late the next day…in fact we didn’t check out til after 10:30!  This was the day that we would be driving out of Oregon on up to Olympic National Park in northwest Washington.  But before we left Oregon, we had to stop at Pine State Biscuits.  We had to wait more than 30 minutes before we could get in the door, and we began to question whether we should even eat there, but suffice it to say that it was more than worth waiting!  Largest, and probably most delicious, biscuits we have ever eaten!

After breakfast/lunch, we headed out of Oregon for our next adventure…

Next Stop – Olympic National Park!!!

Otter Point Again

Beautiful Beaches

Lighthouse on the Oregon Coast

Us at Multonomah Falls Along the Columbia River Gorge

Multonomah Falls

From One Giant to the Next

AT&T Park

San Francisco may very well have been one of our favorite cities, and not just because we were out of the tent for a couple of nights.  Our first night there was spent at AT&T Park.  The Giants lost, but the view of the San Francisco Bay from the stands was incredible.

Our Third Anniversary was on June 16

The next day, our 3rd anniversary, was spent just roaming around & getting acquainted with the city.  We enjoyed sleeping in an actual bed so much that it was almost lunch by the time we were ready for the day.  We went to a diner just a few blocks from the hotel for breakfast (or lunch...whatever you want to call it), and it was awesome!  We even voted it the best breakfast burrito we've ever had.  From there we checked out all of the obligatory tourist sites: the twists of Lombard Street, Fisherman's Wharf, Pier 39, Union Square, Golden Gate Bridge, and Ghirardelli Square.  Oh, Ghirardelli Square!!  We each had our own gargantuan sundae for lunch...you're allowed to splurge on your anniversary.

Thanks for the recommendation Ryan and Ashley!

We spent the rest of the afternoon trying to walk off the sundaes so we could eat supper.  It seems like all we do is eat, huh?!  Well, naturally, we made it down to Chinatown for a delicious supper at the House of Nanking.  After we ate, we noticed a change in the city.  Most of the street attire turned into blue & yellow, and we heard random bursts of either distress or elation coming from each bar we passed by: NBA Finals, game 6.  We decided it would be cool to see how the city reacted to a championship, so we found a local place and cheered with them.  I think this was a very confusing time for Daniel because we cheered for the Warriors, but he also cheered for LeBron.  So...he was a busy guy during the game.  As the clock wound down, a dull roar all across the city crescendoed.  On the bus ride back to the hotel, "Go Warriors!" echoed through the crowded streets.  Well into the night, a guy was perched on the tippy top of the fire hydrant outside our room yelling, "WARRIORS!!" at anyone who dared to walk in his vicinity.  But even that couldn't keep me awake...

In reality...she barely made the squeeze :)

We got another late start the next morning, so we made a beeline for the Redwoods in Northern California.  We set up camp just before sunset in the company of a whole different kind of Giant...this kind much more deserving of the name.  The best way to describe the size of these trees is to say that I literally drove the Xterra through the middle of one of them and there was still the width of a couple of healthy Alabama pines on either side!  

After we had marveled at the Giant Redwoods for a time, we drove to the nearest town for, what turned into, dinner and a movie.  (Jurassic World was actually a good movie, but not necessarily advised right before you have to spend the night in some pretty prehistoric looking woods!)  On our way into town, though, if it hadn't been for the couple of people pulled over already, we never would have noticed the man lying halfway in the road!  I knelt down beside him and searched through my embarrassingly inadequate medical kit, which had actually came in "handy" at the Grand Canyon (we bandaged a man's hand up earlier on our vacation.)  I felt better once I was convinced he was coherent enough to tell me who he was and what had happened.  The paramedics arrived in full force just a few minutes after we did.  It wasn't until we were walking back to the car that I noticed his Harley about 20 feet over the edge of the twisted mountain road!  I guess it's true...you never know what is just around the bend.  Could be a deer.  Could be the victim of a deer.  Could be an Indominus Rex.  Lord willing, next up for us will be the beautiful Oregon Coast!

Next Stop - Portland, OR!!! 

I can't believe we ate the whole thing...

Lombard Street

Beautiful Bridge...Even in the Fog!

Alcatraz Island

Ghirardelli Square

These trees were insanely massive!

I'm serious....MASSIVE!