Coeur D' Alene, Cataldo and Wallace, Idaho

After spending the night in Spokane, we got up in the morning and headed east to Coeur D' Alene, Idaho.  How exciting to cross another state border!

We headed to Coeur D' Alene lake and went to the boardwalk for a walk on the lake. It is a floating boardwalk on a beautiful, natural, freshwater lake.  We walked the boardwalk and enjoyed the fresh air and the mountain vistas.  The lake was so calm and pretty.  I expected to see some birds, but there really weren't any, except for a few seagulls in one little area. After our stroll, we drove down to the Wolf Bay area and drove around that area of the lake for more beautiful views.

We were hungry for lunch and stopped at a BBQ place in town that had a smoker out front that smelled so good we had to stop!  They were just pulling a tri-tip out of the smoker, so that made our choice easy: the tri-tip sandwich with 2 sides.  I had the BBQ beans and red potato salad, and Bekah had the mac n cheese and green beans.  It was the best BBQ we have had in a long time!

We left Coeur D' Alene and headed east to Cataldo next.  This town has the oldest building in Idaho! It is a Catholic mission established by Father DeSmet, a Jesuit priest.  The mission was built in 1850 from cedar logs pegged together without the use of nails, and covered with wild grass adobe by Father Ravalli and two Brothers along with the natives. The Visitor's Center there was fascinating.  They had extensive information on the Coeur D' Alene natives, their way of life, their clothing, and their beliefs.  They had relics from Father DeSmet, and his life story too.  I could have spent much longer reading everything they had there. They made it so interesting with visuals and sounds.  Their displays of the clothing and other articles from the natives were just incredible, with all the extensive bead work.  They unfortunately didn't allow any picture taking. We also toured the mission itself.  It was fascinating with the adobe very visible in places.  The mission is still used today occasionally by the local Catholic tribes people for special ceremonies.  The rectory was also open for touring, and we found that interesting as well.  The kitchen was fun to explore with the rules of eating such as  "Don't use the tablecloth to wipe your mouth"!

After that mission exploration, we headed to Wallace.  There we wanted to see the Mining Museum in an old, historic, silver mining town.  Alas, the museum was not open on the weekends, so we decided to stay until Monday.  There we found great places to eat, an inexpensive place to stay, and explored the town itself.  We took a tour of the town and found out a lot of the history of the town and its buildings.  The town was originally built in the 1800s.  But there was a great fire in 1890 and most of the town was destroyed and had to be rebuilt.  So this time, masonry was used instead.  Most of these brick buildings remain today, others were built in the early 1900s. There is an interesting Bordello Museum we wanted to tour also.  Evidently, this building was a bordello until 1988, but the museum is only open in the summer.  We also found out that the movies "Dante's Peak"(1996), and "Heaven's Gate"(1979), were filmed here.   As it turns out, we were glad to have spent the weekend here.  Rebekah caught a cold, and was glad to have a day to spend in bed.

Once, a North Korean satellite crashed out of the sky into town, so this little spaceship is there to remind of that momentous occasion.

On Monday, we toured the Mining Museum. It was a fascinating look into the world of mining. There were many displays depicting the life of a miner, displayed as if we were in a mine shaft, a job I could never do! There were several displays of the ore, and what the ore is used for as well. The local mines here produce more silver ore than anywhere else in the US. They also produce several other minerals. It was a great museum. I'm so glad we stayed to see it. On our way out of town we stopped at the town Visitor Center to see the outdoor display of mining too. There they reproduced a mine shaft, and drilling tools used by miners. 

From here, we headed East to Northwestern Montana!

O Canada!

We ventured into into Canada and spent a day in the Vancouver area.  We found the border crossing nothing like the many crossings into Mexico we have experienced in the past!


First we went to Stanley Park and took a horse drawn carriage tour of the park.  We really enjoyed the tour, listening to the steady clip clop of the horses hooves, while keeping warm under our lap robes. We learned a lot as we heard the driver tell us the history of the park, about the horses, the trees, the statues, the totem poles, the bridges, and the areas of the park like the famous seawall, the rose garden, Deadman's Island,  and more.  Part of the movie Rise of the Planet of the Apes was filmed here too. Lord Stanley who the park is named after, is the same person who brought the Stanley Cup (in hockey) to Canada.  We also chased some Canadian geese in the park, and looked at a salmon creek, although they don't run until the fall.


We headed into downtown  and went up the Vancouver Lookout to see the entire city spread out below with the snow capped mountains surrounding it.  The Lookout is similar to the space needle, in that it is a 360 degree round viewing shape, but it sits atop a skyscraper.

From there we headed out to Burnaby, which is an area just east of Vancouver.  There we visited a village museum.  The city took many of their old buildings and built a village using them.  The village was really fun to explore.  They had an old school house completely filled with desks, and a chalkboard with assignments, a church no bigger than a chapel with a beautiful stained glass window, several houses of all different sizes, all kinds of shops, a bank, and more.  They also had a scavenger hunt, which we completed, and turned in at the General Store for a treat!

After Burnaby, we headed back into downtown Vancouver and went to Canada Place, which is the convention center.  They have a display of native made art, totems, and a cedar canoe which were interesting to look at. 


We then stopped at a souvenir shop.  Rebekah got a magnet and I got a bell.  I had decided to collect bells like my grandmother had.


After Vancouver, we headed back to the US.  We stopped at a Kangaroo farm. It was a cute little farm that had all kinds of animals.  They advertised and posted signs for tours, but the woman there said everything was too muddy from the recent rains and snow and didn't want to give us a tour but we could wander around and look at the animals, so we did. There were chickens, a huge turkey, many peacocks, some guinea fowl, some very curious lemurs, some kangaroos, and even some lamas that we could see. 

We headed south for a ways,  and then started our path east! We traveled all the way across the farmlands of Washington, and stopped for the night in Spokane.

Pike Place Market delights, a Troll, Geeks, and a Waterfall

On Sunday, we spent some more time at the Pike Place Market, and had a blast! We split a "Vermont" crumpet covered in maple butter, cream cheese, and nuts. It was absolutely delicious! We enjoyed watching fish and crab being thrown about, tasted salmon jerky, then tasted and bought some garlic and pepper smoked salmon. It will make some delicious sandwiches! We admired some beautiful flower bouquets, and wished we had a place to keep them.  We bought half a dozen assorted mini donuts to nibble on as we walked. They were hot, fresh, powdered sugar, cinnamon sugar, or sprinkled donuts. Yum! Eventually, we stopped and ate a wonderful grinder and the best, freshly made cannoli we have ever had for lunch.  We also bought a handful of clams and mussels to steam, and later bought some assorted small new potatoes and baby artichokes. Those will make a great dinner!  We stopped at a bakery and got several different kinds of cookies and sweets. We also went to a Russian deli, but they were out of pierogis.  We were so disappointed. Guess we'll just have to return tomorrow!

We returned to the motel worn out from the walking and eating!  We spent the evening working on our scrapbook until we ran out of gluesticks. It is really fun to put the pages together and remember the fun we have had so far.

We woke up this morning and had some delicious bakery items and donuts for breakfast from the market yesterday.  A great way to start the day!  We headed back to Pike Place Market to see if there were pierogies today.  Success!!  We got some potato and cheese ones freshly made for us, served with spiced shredded carrots, and a salad of beets, potatoes, and cabbage in a vinagrette.  It was divine! 

From there we headed out into the crazy world of the Washington freeway system where slow moving trucks drive in the left lane.  (Yes, the fast lane).  Where sometimes the carpool lane is on the right.  Where there are left exits and right exits, you just have to know (or have a gps tell you) which side your exit is on.  The good thing is that people actually let you in to a lane when you signal, for the most part. 

Our first stop today was the Freemont Troll.  It is a sculpture of a troll under a bridge.  It took some doing to get to because of construction, but we made it!  The troll was much larger than we had imagined.  His fingers were almost as big as me!  We took our pictures there, then watched some grandparents take pictures of their grandchild with the troll while we ate our lunch.

Next we headed to the Microsoft Visitor's Center.  They have on exhibit the founder's of Microsoft as they were back in the 1970's in Albuquerque, and as they are today.  Only Bill Gates stayed with the company, and is today still involved with it, although on a lesser scale than he used to be.  They had many early technological inventions on display, like the vcr, the cell phone, the tv, the desk top computer, the camera, the walkman, and more.  These were compared to today's products.  It was very interesting to see.  We also had a lot of fun with their newer inventions on display.  We played video games with Kinect, and other games too. They had a fun screen that was flat like a table top that was touch sensitive that we also played with.  After a tour through their gift shop, we left feeling excited and geeky.

From there we headed to Snoqualmie Falls Park to see the waterfall.  It was a beautiful drive.  The skies were gray, but so clear we could see the mountains covered in snow, and it was such a pretty sight.  When we arrived at the falls we could hear the rushing sound of the falls.  We walked to the observation platforms and gasped at the sight.  It is an awesome waterfall!  The mist was coating us in a soft spray that was cold and wet, but made the experience magnificent!  There is a lot of construction around the falls right now.  They are building a new hydroelectric plant at the top of the falls.  Also, they are rebuilding the trails and the lower part of the park.  But we got to see the falls!  I can't wait to show you the pictures!

We stopped in a little town for some yummy bacon cheeseburgers and fries at the local drive in!  Their sign said they specialize in grease, salt, sugar, and caffeine!  Signs like that would never go over in So Cal would they! We had a good laugh while we enjoyed our dinner!

Goodbye Oregon, Hello Washington!

Unfortunately, the USB cable for the camera broke, so we can't upload pictures for right now.  We ordered one, since they are only available from the manufacturer.  We will add pictures when we get the cord! So stay tuned!!

 We planned on visiting some sites within the Lewis and Clark National Park where they discovered the Pacific Ocean and camped for the winter.  We fist visited Fort Stevens on the coast, and stopped to look at a shipwrecked wooden schooner.  But there were gusty winds and driving rain and we couldn't stay out of the car long enough to really explore the wreck.  We were soaking wet and cold within a few minutes, so it was off to the next stop!

We headed to the Fort Clatsop visitor center. Lewis and Clark, and the Discovery Corps built the fort up away from the beach with hills protecting them from the gusty ocean winds. The visitor center described the area and the conditions the Discovery Corps had endured during the winter they were there. There was a full scale replica of the Fort built to specifications from Lewis' journal. Nothing remains of the original, which rotted away. It was a very small fort with tiny little rooms.

Next up was the Astoria Column in the city of Astoria, Oregon. The history of Astoria was depicted in murals spiraling up the outside of the column. You can climb the 120 steps to the top where they have a viewpoint, but due to the pouring rain and low visibility, we decided against it. Instead we ate a picnic lunch in the car and admired the view of the Columbia River below.

We said goodbye to Oregon for now, and crossed the four mile long bridge over the Columbia River into Washington!

Continuing on in the Lewis & Clark National Park, we drove to the interpretive center just north of Ilwaco, Washington. This was the most inclusive description of their journey that we have seen so far. The displays included details from their departure from St. Louis to their arrival at the Pacific Ocean and every stop along the way. There were details about the people, food, animals and plants they encountered. We could have stayed longer, but they were closing.
The next day we went to the Pacific Coast Cranberry Research Foundation on the Long Beach Peninsula. The museum was closed, but we took the self-guided walking tour. We found out that cranberries grow on red colored vines, and they only flood the bogs to harvest the fruit in October.  There are several different kinds of cranberries, but there are two kinds that are the most common.  Most of the growers in the area grow for Ocean Spray.

Tacoma was our next destination.  We checked into a motel and spent the next day doing things like laundry, going to the dry cleaners to get Rebekah's coat cleaned because it was stinky from the campfire, getting pictures developed, grocery store shopping, trying to find a camera cable, etc. It was a productive day for the most part!

The next day we went to the Museum of Glass.  Here they have an interesting area where you can watch them making things.  While we were there, they made a forest green plate with white swirls on the back side, and white on the rim of the plate.  It was really fascinating to see how much work went into the process. They also had galleries of items made from glass.  This month they were featuring goblets in one of the galleries.  I never saw so many different kinds before!  In another gallery, they had globes with flowers and other plants inside of them all made out of glass. 

There was a beautiful bridge outside the museum, called the Chihuly Bridge of Glass that spans over the freeway below and connects to the University of Washington.  It had a display of vases in the first half that glowed with the light.  Then there were some funny looking blue bubblegum colored cotton candy looking trees in the middle.  On the second half the bridge ceiling was covered in pieces of colored glass of various shapes and sizes that made for an interesting display.  Chihuly is from the Tacoma area, and is well known.  He designed the ceiling display in the Bellagio in Las Vegas, and many others.

Today we came to Seattle and went up the Space Needle for a look at the city! It was grand! I was excited to see Puget Sound, some ferries, and the city below.  Here is a shot of us there!

 
 After such an exhilirating time in space, we went to the Pike Place Market,  Now that was a driving experience!  The street is for cars and pedestrians alike, and the people wander everywhere!  I had such a difficult time trying to manuever into a parking place with people meandering around the front and back of the car as I was moving!  But eventually, we parked and became one of the crazy pedestrians ourselves. We had some coffee at the first Starbucks, some delicious Russian piroshkies (a potato, mushroom, and onion, and a beef and cheese),  a Turkish "kebob" with chicken, lettuce, tomato, onion, and yogurt sauce all rolled up in a soft, warm pita, and a Turkish spinach and feta cheese pastry. At a French bakery we enjoyed macaroons, a marion berry tart, bought a baguette and a brioche and a croissant for breakfast in the morning.  We have plans to head back to the Market tomorrow to do some more food exploring, and see the famous fish throwing!

Columbia River Gorge Area and Beyond

After Portland, we headed east. We visited the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center in the Dalles. We had a lot of fun there with the hands on exhibits. We learned about the Lewis and Clark expedition through the Gorge and how they survived and traded with the natives. They also had the history of the county from the Ice Age to the present including all the animals, plants, and people, which was fascinating. There was a raptor presentation where a red-tail hawk and a kestrel were brought out for us to admire up close. 

After that we drove through the farm area in Hood River and stopped at a couple of places.  First was an Alpaca farm.  The man who raises them showed us how to spin yarn on a spinning wheel from their coats.  The yarn was softer than wool, and water resistant too.  So we bought a skein of natural colored yarn.  Then we went outside and saw the babies and fed some alpacas too!

Next we stopped at an apple/pear orchard.  We bought some fresh apple/pear cider and some cinnamon/sugar dried apples.  They were both absolutely delicious!

Our next stop was at a country store and bakery.  They sell jams and jellies made from local berries.  We tried them all, and bought a jar of Bumbleberry Preserves.  It is a mixture of Blueberries, Marionberries, and Huckleberries. We also picked up a jar of freshly made applesauce, which we ate for breakfast the next morning!  I wish we had an oven, because they had take and bake pies that looked so yummy!

We also went to Multnomah Falls.  It is the second highest falls in the USA, behind Yosemite.  We hiked up to the famous bridge at the break in the falls.  Even though it was raining, we loved it! 

From there, we headed across the Columbia River to Washougal, Washington and visited the Pendleton Mills.  We were too late for a tour, darn it, but picked up two pair of wonderful cashmere gloves for a great price!

We headed back through Portland, and stopped at the Waffle Window one more time (they had given us a coupon for a free waffle).  This time we had one with fresh fruit, granola, and vanilla yogurt.  It was scrumptious!

Then we headed west through the Tillamook State Forest, and down into the city of Tillamook.  It started to snow as soon as we arrived into the city. We got a lot of snow!! The weather man said it was 4-8 inches. We have learned that this is a very unusual occurance for snow to pile up, since this is on the Oregon coast.  In the morning, I had to dig out the car!

 

This morning we went to the Tillamook Cheese Factory for a tour.  We saw the production line, learned about making cheese, taking care of dairy cows, the different kinds of cows, what they eat, etc.  The best part was sampling the different kinds of cheeses, and fudge! 

Then we headed to the Blue Heron French Cheese Company, which was recommended to us by the motel host.  There we tasted different kinds of Brie, jams, jellies, mustards, and dips and had some lunch. 

After a filling day, we headed back to the motel for some R&R!

Portland, Day 2

We started our second day in Portland eating some Voo Doo donuts!  They are as good as we've heard! Here's a picture of what we got: the Voodoo Doll (filled with raspberry jelly), Old Dirty Bastard (raised donut with chocolate icing, oreos, and peanut butter), Maple Bacon Bar, Memphis Mafia (banana fritter with peanut butter, chocolate drizzle, peanuts and chocolate chips), and Apple Fritter.
Not pictured: Buttermilk bar and Portland Creme (Chocolate frosted & filled with Bavarian creme)

Then we headed up to the Pittock Mansion.  It was built by one of the pioneers of Portland.  He had come to Oregon on the Oregon Trail, and worked his way up in the Oregonion newspaper to finally become the owner of it.  He and his wife built the mansion and occupied it in their 70s in the early 1900s.  Their successive generations lived in it for years before it was sold to the city of Portland for only $225,000!  It was a beautiful mansion up on the hill overlooking the city and Mt. Hood.

the library

A bust of Pittock

the music room

even the hallways were glorious

the kitchen

 we loved the puzzle piece looking tile floor

part of the grand staircase

After such a grand house tour we were hungry, so we went to the Waffle Window for lunch.  There we had savory waffles.  I had the Three Bs waffle which was Brie, bacon, and basil served with homemade peach jam.  It was delicious!  Rebekah had the Whole Farm Waffle which was bacon, mushroom, spinach, chevre, and tomato on a waffle.  It was delicious too! Feeling full and satisfied, we headed to Powell's Books.  The store is a full city block, four stories high.  It was a huge store!  We could have stayed there for a day and still not have seen half the books there, but we concentrated on the classics, and the rare books.  It was a lot of fun.  We bought a couple of books for future reading and headed out into the rain.  It was finally a typical Portland rainy day!

 

Portland gardens

After hearing stories about Portland from my dad as a child, I have wanted to visit this city for a long time.  He lived here for part of his life.  I am so glad to be able to visit!

We had breakfast at Pine State biscuits.  I had the Reggie, which is a biscuit with fried chicken, bacon, cheese, and gravy.  It was delicious!  Rebekah had the Reggie Deluxe which included an egg.

After that hearty breakfast, we drove to the Japanese Gardens.  We walked through and enjoyed the natural plants and views.  Even though many of the plants were not in bloom, it was still beautiful.  We felt like we were in an Emporer's garden.

the view of Mt. Hood, and downtown Portland

From there we went to the Rose gardens.  They were larger than we had imagined, but all the roses were still cut back for the winter and none were in bloom yet.  We could only imagine how beautiful the garden would look and smell in full bloom. 

After all that walking, we went back to the hotel for a nice swim in the pool, and soak in the spa.