USA, Pt. 3 - Seattle and the Pacific Northwest (WA & OR)
USA Part 3: Seattle and the Pacific Northwest. Road trip around Oregon and the Redwoods forest (California).
Flickr Album - USA, Pt. 3
38 days. THIRTY. EIGHT. DAYS.
That sounds (and feels) like an eternity to us now. Yet, this was the amount of time we spent in Seattle all up (minus a few days here and there for some side trips).
We both were very much looking forward to our stay in Seattle for a number of reasons. First, it is where Alex's brother - John - lives with his girlfriend Sofia. It would be the perfect opportunity for us to spend some quality time with them. Secondly, it would set the record as the place we stayed the longest in our whole trip - which means unpacking our bags, having a home and settling down. We even bought full-sized shampoos for our stay! Luxury, I know...
So here's our account for our time in Seattle and the Pacific Northwest region.
Seattle, WA
Siblings reunited
We couldn't have been better received by John and Sofia. After picking us up from the airport, we all went to the very traditional Salvadorean Bakery for our first meal, followed by a trip to a traditional Costco to stock up on some goodies. Having travelled with carry-on luggage only, it was quite a feeling to shop family-sized products, knowing we'd have enough time to go through it.
The day after we arrived the four of us headed off to another American tradition: The Pumpkin Patch & Corn Maze, something we had no idea existed until now but is apparently a big tradition that takes place prior to Halloween. This was a really fun morning, mainly for the novelty of it all. We drove out to Bob's Corn and Pumpkin Farm, an hour north of Seattle where we met up with some of John and Sofia's friends. Although mainly geared at children, with lots of family friendly activities, it was still fun for us grown kids as we walked around the pumpkin patch, finding the perfect pumpkins, and got supremely lost in the corn maze (it was a lot bigger than we thought! You actually get a map at the start, it took us around an hour to get out). We didn't expect to have such a different cultural experience here in the US but that morning we really enjoyed doing something we don't get back home.
Picking pumpkins in the pumpkin patch, walking in the corn maze and around the attractions
Exploring Seattle
Rooftop barbecue at our Seattle HQ
With John and Sofia working during the week, we were left to ourselves to explore the city, which we did at a very slow pace, since we had time on our side for the first time. This was quite strange for us at first as we really had to consciously slow down and be okay with doing very little or even nothing. After being on the go for quite a while it was both really good and a challenge to take it easy - yes, a tough problem I know!
We hit the main spots in Seattle during our first few days, and got a good feeling for the city. Living in Capitol Hill, the "cool" district with lots of bars and restaurants, we could pretty much walk everywhere. We visited the Aquarium, the Museum of POP Culture, the famous Pike Place Market, got up close to the Space Needle (too much money for us to go up, so we had to make do with this) and walked around the various neighbouring boroughs.
Fernando finding his dream store in the neighbourhood
Seeing Arctic Monkeys
Checking out Pike Place Market and the famous chowder
More sights: the famous Space Needle and the Museum of Pop Culture
Of course, because we had such a long time here, I (Fernando, obviously) decided to buy a second hand bike. After sussing out the local market and bike shops, I found one for $120 in an okay condition and adopted it. Being a Seattle born bike, it was named Jimi Hendrix, honouring one of my favourite artists also born in this city.
Exploring Seattle with Jimi
The weather was definitely not the best for cycling, as it was usually cold and wet, but I managed to get some cheap gear to keep me warm and dry (thank you, outlets!) and get a good few rides in, seeing a lot of Seattle and its surrounds with Jimi.
Weekend trip to Portland
Enjoying dinner out in Portland
Our second weekend in Seattle saw the four of us hitting the road and going to Portland. Only four hours away and in tax-free Oregon, it was a good choice for a quick getaway. We enjoyed an afternoon at the outlets (on the Oregon side, of course) and a night out on the town. The highlight was the small hike we did to the Latourell Falls in the Guy W. Talbot State Park, east of Portland. The hike was made particularly spectacular thanks to the amazing fall colours (something else don't get back home to such an intense degree).
Hike at Latourell Falls
Halloween in Spokane
Another great American tradition that we got to experience was Halloween. This took us to Spokane, a city 4 hours east of Seattle, sitting just near the Idaho border. This was a really great experience for us as it took us to a part of the world we would otherwise never visit; Spokane is home to Sofia's alma mater, Gonzaga University, and where one of her good friends lives - the host of the halloween get-together. We enjoyed the afternoon walking around her old college and checking out the Zag's store: filled with every type of merch for the college imaginable. That night we enjoyed a great American halloween; a house filled with people dressed up, lots of games, and free flowing drinks in red cups (of course). It was a really fun night! Thank you Katie and Nate for hosting us!
Happy Halloween from Spokane!
Olympic National Park, WA
Mountains peaking out from the clouds
Ticking off our second national park of the trip, Sofia guided us on a day trip to Olympic National Park, while John was away in NY for the weekend. This gorgeous national park is a few hours drive from Seattle and completely exceeded our expectations.
It was a cold, cloudy day but we took the icy road up to the famous Hurricane Ridge, where we literally broke up through the clouds and got to enjoy the gorgeous mountain views from up there.
The drive up to Hurricane Ridge
The view from Hurricane Ridge
We were nowhere near well prepared enough to hike in those conditions, so we decided to simply enjoy the views and drive down to Lake Crescent. Once down there (and out of the snow), we enjoyed a pleasant hike through the forest and to a waterfall.
Hike near Lake Crescent
Hike near Lake Crescent
Road Trip around Oregon
Canada was high on both our lists, but true to the travel life, we were met with an unexpected hitch in our plans when Fernando's visa didn't come through on time. Waiting as long as we could, we finally had to make the decision to ditch our plans and do something different. A few people recommended the Oregon coast and we found a detailed blog post that travelled through the centre of Oregon that looked good, so with that and very little else - off we went!
1. Smith Rock State Park
The awe inspiring view of Smith Rock State Park
Our first stop was Smith Rock State Park. Costing only $5 per car, you drive up to this massive rock formation pretty much in the middle of nowhere, in the High Deserts of Oregon, and find yourself in another world.
Canyons, massive volcanic rock formations and a river all come together to create this little oasis. Hiking there is quite straightforward, with just a handful of hikes of varying distances, so we chose one that went up and across the rock, and looped us back by the river. The place is also a paradise for rock climbers, and we saw a lot of them around, some even doing free climbing with no rope or equipment.
Smith Rock State Park
Smith Rock State Park
Smith Rock State Park
2. Crater Lake National Park
Enjoying the view over Crater Lake
The only national park in the state of Oregon leaves nothing to be desired. The Crater Lake National Park was formed by a volcano that collapsed after a massive eruption about 7,700 years ago. This created a massive gap which was gradually filled with snow and rainwater, creating this amazingly blue lake. There was practically no wind when we were there, which made it very still and the reflections were just mind boggling.
Crater Lake
Crater Lake
Just putting Alex there to show it's real!
3. Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park
The beautiful Redwoods
After a long day of driving, we crossed the border to California specifically so we could see the magnificent Redwoods, "the tallest trees on earth" in person. This did not disappoint and was well worth the drive. Winding roads take you in between the huge trees with side roads to varying trails.
We chose to do the Stout Memorial Grove Trail as it was short (0.7 miles) and rated as one of the most popular, containing a dense concentration of old growth trees. Arriving early in the morning, we enjoyed the walk pretty much to ourselves, passing only one or two other people. This solitude really enhanced the experience as we were able to soak in the silent, powerful trees that towered above us.
Fernando for comparison
The river bordering the Redwood forest
4. Oregon Coast
Morning mist in Crescent City, CA
Having reached the furthest point of our road trip in California, it was time to make our way back to Seattle, and we decided to do so through the Oregon coast. With 2 nights left and about 860km ahead of us, we decided to break up the drive and stop at places that were highly recommended to us: Newport and Cannon Beach.
As it was off season, it was fairly easy to find hotels in these towns. These two days were well spent in the car, enjoying the drive, listening to numerous podcasts and books, and enjoying meals and afternoons in small beach towns.
Our cozy hotel room in Newport, OR
Morning coffee on the beach, Newport, OR
Newport is also home to a number of sea lions and you can see them hanging out and sunbathing by the main city deck, which was quite a view as well.
Sea lions sunbathing, Newport, OR
Thanksgiving and a bit more of Seattle
Enjoy final moments together at Golden Gardens Park
After our amazing road trip around Oregon, we were back in Seattle in time for another very American tradition - Thanksgiving! We were both Thanksgiving virgins, so it was quite an experience to be here for it and we specifically planned to be in Seattle to enjoy it with John and Sofia. The date is just as important as Christmas to some Americans families, and they all make sure they spend the day with family, friends and their loved ones.
Some of John and Sofia's friends - Erik, Rob and Kaylen (and her cute dog, Peter) - joined us for a night full of food, drinks, games and fun. We made sure we expressed our gratitude, but also had serious amounts of turkey, mash and tequila shots. The boardgames did get very heated up, as you can imagine. It was a really special night that we are so grateful we were able to spend with such amazing people.
Our first Thanksgiving
With just over one week left in Seattle, we made sure to pack in as much as possible and make the most of our final days. We had read about the Amazon Go store concept and learnt about it from one of John's friends who works on the team (hi Poojah!) where you simply scan your account barcode upon entering and then take whatever you want and just walk out (currently there are only a few stores in the US - the first ones being in Seattle, where HQ is based). It sounded too good to be true so we were super keen to check it out. It was a really basic convenience store, in the middle of some Amazon buildings, so really it's just there to serve employees as they come in for a midday snack or quick lunch (sans human interaction), so we clearly stood out as tourists as we we took photos of the one chocolate bar we walked out with (and yes, we did get charged, Fernando received an email a few minutes after leaving). It was really cool to experience this new store concept first hand and we are excited to see how it develops.
Checking out an Amazon Go store
Another big company based in Seattle is Microsoft, where John works, so it was great that he was able to take us to the main campus (it's so large they have a shuttle to transport employees around). We got to see the treehouses, a cool outdoor concept for meetings and social gatherings, and checked out the welcome centre which has an area where you can play with all the different Microsoft technologies.
Exploring the (huge) Microsoft campus with John - and finding out how old Fernando really looks (38)
We also enjoyed 2 (well, two half-) games watching Michigan play. By the end we started understanding the rules but as someone who finds a 90min soccer game a bit too long, I don't know how much I can get behind a 4hour+ (!) game.
Watching the Michigan Wolverines vs. Indiana Hoosiers
Fernando still had time to checkout the local bicycle velodrome (his first time riding one) and we both had a lovely day out at Bainbridge Island with Sofia. We caught the ferry, had a great meal and walked around the little town.
Jimi at the Velodrome
Catching the ferry to Bainbridge island - and enjoying an amazing view of Mount Rainier
The final meal with all of us together was at a Mexican steakhouse, Asadero, followed by a quick drive around town, to see the smallest lighthouse we've seen in our lives (at the Discovery Park) and the local beach, Golden Gardens Park.
Final meal at Asadero
The smallest lighthouse ever seen, Discovery Park
And this brings us to the end of the longest leg of our trip. It is quite a feeling to settle down for a bit, literally get a loyalty card at the local supermarket and know your bearings. But we both feel ready to hit the road again. It was very special to spend such quality time with John and Sofia, since we live so far away and it allowed us all to grow closer together. We didn't get to see Canada which was also very high on our list, but we have no regrets. Still in the best Thanksgiving spirit, we can only be grateful for the lives we live and the love and joy family brings.
We're now off to our last destination in the US - the warmer city of Los Angeles. Alex has some more family there, so we're both very keen to wrap up our US stay in the sunny California.
For now, bye Seattle! It has been a true pleasure. And thank you to John, Sofia and all the new friends who made our time in Seattle so amazing.
Seattle and the famous Space Needle