I am back in the United States, but I didn’t find the time to finish the blog post I intended for this week. Instead I am posting a photo of what’s to come next week. This is a location I think is a hidden jewel in our region so be sure to come back next week to read all about it. Later in the year I will share where I have been for the last two weeks. See you next…
Destinations
Cruising White Pass in Washington down to Oregon
There are many ways to get to Oregon from Washington state. From Seattle, the obvious way is to head south on I-5. However, for this trip we were headed to Northeastern Oregon, and I decided we should go the scenic route over White Pass. Crossing the Cascade Mountain range, which runs north and south through Washington, is necessary if one wants to travel east. The main Washington route is I-90 which takes one all the way to Boston if one…
Continue Reading “Cruising White Pass in Washington down to Oregon”
Tillamook County Beaches on the Three Capes Byway
When we drove through Tillamook on previous trips, I never saw any beaches. The town is actually some distance from the ocean. I always wondered if there were any beaches in the area worth visiting. Monday was the day we were going to figure this out. We planned to drive the designated Three Capes Byway and discover what beaches existed along the way. Highway 101 goes along much of the Oregon coastline with beautiful ocean views. However, as it nears…
Continue Reading “Tillamook County Beaches on the Three Capes Byway”
Neskowin and Nestucca, Great Sites South of Tillamook, Oregon
We don’t usually go anywhere over Memorial Day weekend as we don’t want to fight with the traffic and crowds. However, this Memorial Day weekend would be a bit different. The last of my uncles died recently, and his family was having a memorial service for him on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend. The service was in Salem, Oregon. We decided to go to the service and then drive over to the coast to explore the Tillamook area. To…
Continue Reading “Neskowin and Nestucca, Great Sites South of Tillamook, Oregon”
An Unexpected Stay in Glenwood Springs, Colorado
As our journey through Southern Colorado was coming to an end, it was time to decide how we were going to get to the airport in Denver. That may not sound like such a big deal, but it turned out to be more difficult than one would expect. My initial plan was to return to Denver via a road that was not quite as far south as we had come, but would still be in the southern part of the…
Continue Reading “An Unexpected Stay in Glenwood Springs, Colorado”
Colorado Monument Offers More Amazing Sights to See
One of the important lessons one must learn about traveling is the need to be flexible. When I booked our hotel in the wrong town, we ended up closer to our next destination so we visited Black Canyon of the Gunnison a day earlier than planned. So with an extra day on our hands, I cast about for something to do. We decided to visit Colorado National Monument. Colorado Monument is a little over an hour north of Montrose where…
Continue Reading “Colorado Monument Offers More Amazing Sights to See”
Driving Along Black Canyon of the Gunnison’s Stunning Cliffs
To be perfectly honest I was not aware of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park until recently. However, it was a good one to add to our list of national park visits in Colorado. Someone told me it was like Grand Canyon National Park. To some extent that’s true, but the Black Canyon seems deeper and more narrow with its own beauty so it is worth visiting. We didn’t make an effort to leave Ourey very early. The…
Continue Reading “Driving Along Black Canyon of the Gunnison’s Stunning Cliffs”
Are We Staying in Telluride or Ouray, Colorado?
When I was planning for this trip, I was focused on the three national parks we would be visiting. However, I couldn’t help notice on the map that we would be traveling near Telluride. If you don’t know, Telluride is a ski resort often visited by the rich and famous. I thought why not spend a night there if it’s not too expensive? So I searched on my travel sites, found a room I thought was quite reasonable, and booked…
Continue Reading “Are We Staying in Telluride or Ouray, Colorado?”
Colorado’s Mesa Verde National Park Yields Amazing Vistas
They say timing is everything. We discovered that to be true in a number of ways as we visited Mesa Verde National Park in the southwest of Colorado. This was our second of three national parks on our agenda for this trip. It was quite a different experience from our visit to Great Sand Dunes National Park. The main focus of Mesa Verde National Park is preserving the Native American structures and sharing about their culture. Established in 1906, the…
Continue Reading “Colorado’s Mesa Verde National Park Yields Amazing Vistas”
The Four Corners and Canyon of the Ancients
When I think of the southwest Native Americans, I generally think of Arizona or New Mexico. However, it turns out that in southwest Colorado a large population of Native Americans lived and thrived. In many ways they had connections to those native groups in New Mexico and Arizona. Because of that The Four Corners has become a place where various native groups can come together. The Four Corners is located where four state lines all meet in the same spot.…
Continue Reading “The Four Corners and Canyon of the Ancients”