It’s been a while since I’ve blogged…and I’m back! Normally, I take notes in my journal while traveling (yes, I have a travel journal) and carefully craft my blog posts. For this first blog back I decided I would just transcribe the notes from my journal. For context I will provide a little background. *Journal notes may or may not be in complete sentences. I will be transcribing as closely to the original entry as possible.
Who, What, When, Why, Where
This trip took place in the Pacific Northwest with the primary stops being North Cascades National Park and Walla Walla. As with most PNW trips my partner in crime was my best friend (his partner joined us for the Walla Walla weekend, graciously bowing out of the camping portion). North Cascades has been on the to-go list for a while and a besties camping trip was overdue. Walla Walla was determined to be location for a Memorial Day trip because wine and good food (this speaks for itself and if you need further explanation then I don’t know what to say). The two locations provided a proper life balance between outdoorsy and boujie.
Now that you have the gist the following are my journal entries and I will wrap up the blog with some ending thoughts.
Scribbling in the Journal
Day 1 (5/23/21) – North Cascades National Park
Camping at Colonial Creek Campground South (Site 93)
Note: Get firewood before getting to campground. It can be purchased in any of the towns leading into the park or people’s driveways – not sold in the park
The season officially opens tomorrow so today was good to show up and get a site. Plenty of camp/tent sites. Not too many RV/med-large trailer friendly sites. Maybe the North side of the road but that is still closed. We have a tent but prefer the hammocks. The weather is really nice – 60’s and 70’s – David got the fire going. For whatever reason I’m restless and my brain can’t seem to shut off. It’s annoying. Tomorrow some hikes.
- Thunder Creek Trail – 4miles roundtrip – Easy
- Pyramid Lake – 4.2 miles roundtrip – Moderate
- Thunder Knob Trail to be done before leaving – 3.6 miles – Moderately Easy
Brought a book: Engineering Eden by Jordan Fisher Smith
Day 2
First day of the season. Had to switch campsites from 93 to 94. 93 is better for hammocks but David is a genius and made it work.
Hike: Pyramid Lake – 4.2 miles roundtrip, 1,500ft of elevation gain, Moderate rated. People on the trail totaled 6 (apart from us)
Highlights: Saw a doe and black bear! Cute little fella.
David: I hope we see a bear.
Me: Why would you put that in the universe?!
1/2 mile later…David “Uhhhh…it’s a bear!”
Trail is basically Stairmaster 5.0. It goes up through pines and flattens in a forest environment with a creek – beautiful – then climbs again and ends at a small lake. Honestly, I’d turn around at the little waterfalls – the lake is underwhelming.
“This lake better be worth it” – The lake was not worth it
My lower back and feet are shot and the last 3/4 mile was just annoying. It took us 2.5 – 3 hours to complete – granted there were plenty of stops where I was huffing and puffing for air. David wins best hiking buddy award for not letting me quit and providing great encouragement/commentary.
Ate a late lunch at Mondo Restaurant in Marblemount – cute little place – good food and service. Coffee to-go was from a cute little drive through coffee shop.
Campground is Busy! We are not fans. Will do another hike tomorrow and then head back into the city.
Heard regarding pee-ing behind a tree: “There are too many people around, I have stage fright!”
Day 3 (5/25/21)
Night two was good. We had a fire and played cards (I lost again). There was a gaggle of girls in the site across from us, I have a feeling they don’t camp much as they were in and out of their vehicle locking and unlocking it with the alarm until 2am – they missed the tranquility of nature memo. David’s hammock ripped in the middle of the night. Site 93 never showed up (the jerks!). We hiked Thunder Creek Trail – easy 4 miles and scenic.
Drove Hwy 20 to Winthrop. So scenic! Beautiful drive. Saw another bear (this one was taking his time crossing the road). Ate at The Duck Brand, BBQ Duck Quesadilla was good 7/10 rating – too much bbq for my taste. Winthrop is a cute Western motif town. Shelia’s Ice Cream is divine! The drive back through Eastern WA was pretty – very agricultural with a high desert climate.
From Wilderness to Wine
Day 1 (5/27/21)
Left Seattle and drove to Walla Walla. Stopped in Prosser to do a tasting at Alexandria Nicole . Also stopped off the interstate at a HUGE antique/fruit stand.
Walla Walla is super cute. Staying at the Courtyard – 2 blocks from Main Street – convenient to walk. Dinner was at Hattaways – DELISH!!!! Lexi was our server – I had the pork collar – apps were duck pate, pimento cheese on crostini, and dessert was a chocolate torte. DIVINE! ALL OF IT!!!
Tasting was at Gard on Main Street – the Frejya was very good – a nice summer wine.
Day 2
Breakfast at Bacon & Eggs. I had thick cut back (drool), eggs, and pancakes (HUGE). Coffee was ok. Service was very good. We walked town and saw some houses for sale (including a B&B) then drove out to Grosgrain winery for a tasting. Very picturesque and delightful location. Late lunch was at Mercado in town – Cajun/Latin inspired pub-fare. I had Voodoo fries and Shrimp slider (more of a sandwich than a slider). Food was good – service was not. From there went to Time & Direction for a tasting- very funky and unpretentious.
Dinner was meats, cheeses, and hummus by the hot tub. Town was def busier as the holiday weekend approaching.
Day 3
Breakfast at The Maple Counter – food was excellent. Coffee from Colville Street Patisserie (pastries looked amazing – the coffee was very good). Drove out via the scenic route that took us by Stonehenge Memorial and Maryville Art Museum.
Beautiful drive along the Columbia River. Had lunch in Hood River, I got my fix for a good NY style pizza slice and in a funky setting of a movie theatre with seating that was indoor/outdoor overlooking the street. Hood River was super busy and buzzing with activity – we attempted to eat by the water but the wait time for most places was over an hour (and we were hunngry). Saw Multnomah Falls from the interstate (it was so busy they closed the exit) as we headed back to the city.
In conclusion
The weather for both of these trips was phenomenal! I would love to go back to North Cascades as there are soo many hikes to do and part of the park just wasn’t open yet given the heavy snowpack from the winter. I ABSOLUTELY was way too ambitious on the amount of hiking planned in such a short period of time. Also, I’m out of shape so I’m not exactly sure what I was thinking (David will be laughing at this). For a first trip it was perfect. Many thanks to my good friend Charis for her insight on the area.
Walla Walla was also fantastic. I really loved how walkable the town is. The tasting rooms are in a 2 block radius, making it easy to meander in and out of boutique shops, tasting rooms, and eateries. The tasting room and restaurant prices are reasonable and the atmosphere as a whole is very welcoming. Think CA quality but without the snobbery. Driving out to Grosgrain was a treat as it provides the “wine country” feel that many are looking and is in an area where if you wanted to drive from winery to winery you could. I loved that Grosgrain offered a house on property that was rentable (and at a reasonable rate). This trip we stayed at the Courtyard by Marriott, however the gents walked me through the Marcus Whitman Hotel. If you love historic hotel properties then this would be the property for you (and has a conference center if hosting an event here was your thing). In addition to traditional hotels, the town has plenty of Bed & Breakfasts that would lend themselves to a very boutique experience.
Find AJ 