Spring Break in Colorado

My husband had another vacation back to back, and we didn't want to waste it so we booked a trip out to Colorado to visit my grandparents and meet my sister out there as well. We flew into Denver, rented a car and made our way south to Larkspur where my grandparents live. We would be out there for a total of 4 days/ 4 nights and wanted to make the most of it. The next day called for sun and 70 degrees, so we took the chance to get outside and do some hiking we went to Roxborough State Park, a little SW of Denver, and hiked Carpenter Peak- 6.4 miles and 1000 elevation gain. This hike started in red rocks and made it's way up into the trees with some mountain views. Hiking in Colorado is so different than the PNW. Overall much more dry, more lowland hiking options in winter/spring, signs warning you of rattlesnakes and mountain lions.. minor details. DSC05843DSC05867DSC05868DSC05872DSC05887DSC05891

The next day my grandparents got hit by a blizzard, 7 feet of snow and loss of power for half the day. We took the time to chill, read, and get a little slice of winter. Later that evening when it cleared up we headed down to Colorado Springs and hiked through Garden of the Gods a bit. This was our second time there and still really enjoy it.

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Saturday I had plans to meet up with a long distant old blogger friend (and local hiking expert), Courtney. She took us on a hike west of Denver in Loveland Pass. I would have never known where to hike at this time of the year and how to navigate avy conditions there, so very thankful we had our own personal guide. The goal of the day was to make it up to Mt. Snikatu- 3.5 miles/ 1673 elevation gain. We donned our packs and headed out for the day. Just as we were getting going we saw a group of people doing what was some backcountry-skiing-para sailing type thing. One of the craziest things I had ever seen! The steep climb continued and the views of the peaks around unwrapped themselves to us. I was blown away with the mountains there and how exposed and massive they were. This hike was a ridge line hike meandering until we finally made it to the top. This was the highest we had ever hiked to at 13,234 feet. I loved loved loved this hike so much and wanted to soak in and explore those mountains forever, but at last we had to head back and make our way back to civilization. Not before stopping for some food and local beer in a small mountain town on the way back though. The next morning we headed back to Seattle, but it only left me wanting to explore Colorado so much more. I could definitely see us living there someday.

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A Weekend in Vancouver, BC

Ever since we moved to Seattle we wanted to make it up to Vancouver, BC with it being under a 3 hour car ride away. It took us almost two years to make it up, but we finally found the chance, grabbed our passports and hit the road. We booked an Air BnB for the weekend just outside of the downtown area to save on costs a bit and arrived late Friday night. Even just crossing the border you notice how everything is different from MPH to kilometers per hour, to new accents and a different culture. The exchange rate was in our favor up there- we noticed food and drinks were a good deal but clothes and other items came out to be about the same price comparatively. Saturday morning we woke up and went to the public market, tried lots of food, then made our way to Capliano Suspension Bridge. This insta-famous spot is very picture worthy and something we wanted to just once. It is a big tourist spot and the prices match that. Overall a beautiful place to walk around. I really enjoyed it.

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The rest of the day we explored the city, ate many of the local delicacies, and took in the "foreign" land. Sunday we woke up early to explore some of the mountains nearby. I find it extremely hard to find local hiking information for places other than Washington. WTA will always be the best. I researched, asked some people I knew up there, found the local avalanche reports, and even asked some locals in person. A lot of work to figure out one snowshoe trip! We went to Cypress Mountain about 35 minutes from Vancouver. We got lost where to start based on two different websites recommendations, but eventually found the right trailhead for Hollyburn Mountain. This hike was 6.2 miles/ 1500 in elevation gain. We wore microspikes up and snowshoes down. There was lovely weather going up until we got closer to the summit, then in true PNW fashion it was socked in with no views. It was still a really fun hike and nice to explore new mountains. After this we made our way back to Seattle. I would love to go back and explore more of Vancouver and the mountains surrounding it, thank goodness it's so close!

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Southwest Roadtrip

My husband and I had never ventured anywhere in the SW before. With my mother-in-law living down there we took it as the perfect opportunity to visit her and make a vacation of it as well. We flew into Tucson, where she picked us up and we went right to In-N-Out. After that we went to a desert museum that was really neat. It showed all the animals and creatures and plants that are in the region. Never exploring the desert before it was really interesting to learn about the area. Also the desert is a terrifying place with all the creatures I don't like in once place. After this we headed to Saguaro National Park since I had researched it was close by. This day was also my first time seeing cacti for the first time and the ones in the national park were huge! It was fun exploring the park and seeing the all the different plants close up. So different from the PNW. dsc04333dsc04350dsc04358dsc04373dsc04381dsc04383dsc04401dsc04411_1dsc04418dsc04434

The next day we hiked on the Cochise Stronghold trail in the Coronado National Forest. So dry, sunny, and hot. Not used to any of those things!

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The next day we would start our road trip. We picked up are rental car in Tucson (reserve rental cars way in advance to get a cheap price!), and were on our way north. We swung less than 4 hours later we were in Sedona. Sedona is a pricier, tourist city so we did an Air B'n B here that worked out just fine. When we first got to Sedona we did some hiking on Bell Rock Pathway.

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After that we headed to Cathedral Rock- 1.5 miles/ 600 elevation gain. This trail was really interesting as it wasn't much of a trail a lot of the time and trying to follow it with certain markers. The payoff for views was beautiful.

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We headed to our Air BnB for the night and called it a day. We awoke early the next day in hopes of a sunrise hike (too cloudy, but still got an early start on hiking Devil's Bridge. We got to the trailhead and parked in the main parking lot. If you have an off roading vehicle you can take that another mile further down, but we had to walk to extra mileage. The hike was 4.5 miles and 649 elevation gain.We barely saw any people the whole time and had the bridge to ourself, which was a rarity. Such a beautiful natural formation. Sedona did us well. The hiking there was unlike anything I had ever done before.

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After this hike, we made our way towards Flagstaff, stopped for lunch and then made our way to the Grand Canyon. We pulled into the Grand Canyon and it was overcast and very cold. Even in the winter the Grand Canyon was very busy, so I can only imagine what it is like in the summer. We took in some views on the overlook areas and then checked into our hotel in the park. We made it out later for a bit of sunset over the park as well. Seeing the Grand Canyon for the first time literally took my breath away. The power and magnitude overtook me and humbled me. I have never felt so small in the scheme of the world before.

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The next day we planned a hike into the canyon and got an early start. We hiked the south rim to skeleton point- 6.6 miles and 4,069 elevation gain! To access this you need to take a shuttle bus that runs very often and will drop you right off at the trailhead. As I was putting on my microspikes (it was icy and snowy at the top) one of them snapped in half! Very unfortunate timing on that. Thank goodness it wasn't too icy and didn't need them for long on the descent. I have never hiked into a canyon before, so it's very deceiving having the easy part first and the harder part later. We made our way down and down and down "ooing" and "awwign" along the way. Every new twist and turn brought new views that were each a spectacle in themselves. We made it to Skeleton Point, ate some lunch, and then made our way back up. I had been starting to get a cold and this is really when I could feel it going back up. I felt really miserable on that part but just pushed through it. It had actually gotten really hot and I was down to a tank top at that point. It was awesome to see all the backpackers going down with all their gear to the bottom. I am definitely motivated to come back and hike rim to rim now. Another for the bucket list!

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After the Grand Canyon we made our way to Page, Arizona, where we would see Horseshoe Bend and Lower Antelope Canyon. We stayed at a really cheap hotel for 2 nights and did both of these things on one full day. For Antelope Canyon you need to made a reservation ahead of time and it is a bit pricey. I thought it was well worth it as it was super unique and beautiful. Horseshoe bend was pretty, but also very busy. These are worth the stop if they are on your route on a road trip!

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The next day we headed to Zion! We were both still not feeling good at this point, but were not going to miss the opportunity to do Angel's Landing- 4.4 miles with 2,073 elevation gain. As you get into the park you are surrounded with massive rocky mountains. We descended into the park and prepared to do Angel's Landing. This is a steep hike in itself, but then you get to the ropes. The trail climbs a narrow ridge line for about a .5 mile and the only support you ave are chains in sections you could otherwise fall right off. One of the most thrilling hikes I have ever done. My heart was beating out of my chest with anxiety, but I pushed through anyways and the views were worth it. Zion is very different from anywhere else I've been. The colors of the rocks and the formations are so captivating. I would love to go back to do some more exploring. We made it to a hotel about 30 minutes out of Zion and hit the hay.

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The next day we hit up Vegas for the first time and did all the touristy things, ate buffet food and saw a show.

This trip made me appreciate travel and the chance to explore new things even more. We haven't had the chance yet to travel much around the country and world. It's amazing to think this area is just another spec on the globe that is our planet. There is so much to explore and to take in.

"Where ever you go becomes a part of you."

Oregon Road Trip

 

The husband and two friends of ours from Minnesota flew out to join us on a 5 day adventure across Oregon. We had been to Portland and the Gorge previously, but were itching to see more. We found the perfect time to go at the end of June and planned from there.

Day 1: We drove from Seattle to Portland and stayed the night there. We explored Powell's Book Store, had Salt n' Straw ice cream (the BEST),  enjoyed some tax free shopping, and dined at Deschutes Brewery.

Day 2: We left Portland and took the scenic route past Mt. Hood. This area is gorgeous. I am sure there is lots of lovely hiking/camping in the area. We stopped at Trillium Lake that gave us a perfect view of Mt. Hood. After that we stopped at Smith Rock State Park and then made our way to Bend. Bend is a cute little town with great mountain views and breweries galore. We stopped for a beer before we continued to Diamond Lake. We made it to Diamond Lake before dark and sent up camp. Our spot was right near the Lake, everything was perfect except for the swarms of mosquitos.

Day 3: We woke up, ate breakfast, and made our way to Crater Lake! It was about 25 minutes from Diamond Lake, which was great. We drove up and went to one of the first look out points and it was breath taking. I have never seen something so blue in my life and the vast size of the lake is incomprehensible. It is something that truly everyone should see with their own eye. Such a special, unique park. We drove south around the lake as far as we could (part of the rim was still closed because of snow). After making it south we headed back north and east to the last section we hadn't seen. We did one hike at Crater Lake and it was the Cleetwood Cove Trail. This is the only way to get down to the water. It was only a 1 mile hike but the elevation coming back up was killer. At the bottom, the boys jumped into the frigged water while the girls soaked in the views. After this we headed back to Diamond Lake for another night. We enjoyed the sunset, ate some good camp food and played games.

Day 4: We woke up early to head out for a full day of adventure. We first went to Toketee falls which was 30-40 minutes from Diamond Lake. It is a relatively short hike to a beautiful waterfall. Oregon has Washington beat in the waterfall front for sure. Just down the road we then went to Umpqua Hot Springs. This was our first natural hot springs experience. It's a little hike up and you come out to this exposed cliff with a river below. On this cliff is about 6 small pools that starts with (unbearably) hot water dripping down to different pools (the temperature decreases a little with each pool). This was one of the coolest things I have experienced. I can't wait to go to more hot springs! After this we headed to the coast. We stopped in Eugene for Voodoo Donuts and made our way to Cape Lookout State Park. Cape Lookout juts out from the coast and is gorgeous. We camped fairly close to the ocean. I could hear the waves coming in as we went to sleep, so peaceful.

Day 5: We woke up and packed up for the last time. We headed to Tillamook next, a large dairy factory well known in the PNW. We toured the factory, sampled the delectable cheese, and then of course got ice cream before 10 AM. After this we then headed to the infamous Cannon Beach! This had been on our list for a long time as well and we were excited to finally get there. We drove down to the beach and ended up parking far from the haystacks, but it made for a nice barefoot walk down the beach. the only thing that could've made this any better was if it was a clear/sunny day. But atlas, those are hard to come by up here. We walked up to the haystacks admiring their giant size amongst the ocean and crashing waves. We explored the tide pools and the crabs and other little critters living amongst the shore. A stop at the coast would not be complete without some seafood, so we stopped for fish and chips at Cannon Beach. After this we started to make our way to Seattle passing through other small ocean towns (that I would love to go back and explore sometime).

Overall it was an amazing trip and so great to see so much of Oregon and it's beauty. Really gives Washington a run for its money.

The PNW continues to steal my heart over and over again.