Destinations

Olympic Peninsula: Above the Clouds at Hurricane Ridge

If you are visiting the Olympic Peninsula, the Olympic National Park will probably be at the top of your list. Of course going up to Hurricane Ridge is one of those must-do activities in the park. We have been to Hurricane Ridge a few times over the years, but it was time for another visit. I had looked at the weather forecast and decided that Sunday would be a good day to travel up to Hurricane Ridge. (My daughter thinks…

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Olympic Peninsula: Port Ludlow, Port Townsend, and Old Forts

The Olympic Peninsula is a large part of the state of Washington. However, we had never taken the opportunity to really explore it. We have visited a few areas, but never spent a lot of time in the region. This year as we approached fall, we wanted to get some more traveling in. However, all of our original ideas fell away as COVID seemed to be everywhere, and we didn’t want to take too much risk traveling. Finally we concluded…

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The Calming Oasis of Seattle’s Community Gardens

In many cities there are large botanical gardens to explore. The Pacific Northwest is blessed to have a number of such excellent, well known gardens. These include the sweeping Bloedel Reserve on Bainbridge Island, the Seattle Japanese Garden near the University, and the Rhododendron Species Garden in Federal Way. However, it is also good to take note of the smaller community gardens throughout the region. These may not be so large and well manicured, but they can offer an opportunity…

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Lessons Learned While Traveling With My Dad

After our Interlude in Iceland, I asked my daughter Andrea to write a blog post about traveling with me. I thought my readers might be interested in a different perspective on my travels. She agreed so below is her post about our trip. The photos are also hers with a little editing from me. Enjoy. It had been over a year since I had added a stamp to my passport, and I was itching to get away. Iceland hadn’t been…

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Iceland Interlude: Returning to Reykjavik for Final Days

Saturday started out with a bit of a drizzle as we prepared to make our way back to Iceland’s capital, Reykjavik. When we entered Iceland, we didn’t stick around the capital as we had so much to see, but now we would head there for our last few hours in Iceland. As I was packing up, I kept hearing this loud sound from behind our cabin. I looked out the window and saw this fellow looking for food with his…

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Iceland Interlude: Glaciers by Land and Sea

Friday morning we decided not to push ourselves for an early start. We had a glacier tour scheduled for 3:30 in the afternoon, and we felt we had plenty of time to make it there. It was nice to relax and not feel in such a hurry in the morning. Trips like this, where there is so much to see and do, can become tiring. Once we got going we didn’t go too far at first. Just a few miles…

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Iceland Interlude: Over, Under, and Behind Waterfalls.

Thursday morning we woke to mostly cloudy skies, but we saw a few patches of blue sky so we had hope that maybe the day would not be all gray. Today we would be traveling east with a number of waterfalls on our list. We packed up our car and headed out. Before we got too far, we drove to the other side of the river from our cabin to see a waterfall. If you love waterfalls, then Iceland is…

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Iceland Interlude: Hiking Success in Landmannalaugar

We woke up Wednesday to the usual grey skies. We packed our backpacks as today we were going on a hike. Andrea had booked a hike up into the colorful mountains of Landmannalaugar. It would be an all day adventure. After my near accident yesterday, I wasn’t sure if I should be going on this hike. However, when I woke up and moved around, I didn’t really feel much pain, just some stiffness so I thought I would be OK…

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Iceland Interlude: The Wonders of the Golden Circle

Tuesday morning dawned with gray skies just like yesterday. Today would be another busy travel day with lots to see so we got up, packed our bags, and left fairly early. Our destination was the Golden Circle, Iceland’s best known tourist area. However, before we left. we drove to the nearby town of Borgarnes to get some breakfast and fill up our gas tank. Tank and tummies full, we were on our way. Two days before we had crossed the…

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Iceland Interlude: Sites of the Snæfellsnes Peninsula

The previous night’s blue skies had disappeared by the next morning, and we awoke to gray, cloudy skies on the Snæfellsnes Peninsula. A peek out the window revealed that the local sheep were resting in front of our cabin. Things seemed quiet and peaceful, but not all was as it seemed. Andrea had awakened before me and decided she wanted to go back to the beach to do some beach combing. As she was going down, the birds from the…

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