Short Trips
This town on the west coast of Vancouver Island is literally at the end of the road.
April 20, 2006
Short Trips
I've visited the Columbia River Gorge several times but never managed to tour what many tourists have touted over the years as the most scenic part of this geologic wonder. That would be the stretch on the Oregon side beginning at Cascade Locks (near the Bonneville Lock and Dam) and ending at Crown Point (Vista House) on the historic, narrow, winding Columbia River Highway.
April 13, 2006
Short Trips
PORTLAND, Ore. -- OK, when I was in elementary school I don't remember ever having a television in my classroom. I vaguely remember chalkboards, nagging teachers and very high ceilings in the aging Tacoma building -- but no TV.
Just for authenticity sake, the McMenamin brothers decided not to put televisions in their historic Kennedy School classroom lodgings in Portland. The intrusion, they figured, would ruin the experience they were after.
March 23, 2006
Short Trips
A couple of weeks ago, a small, collapsible chalkboard sign on the sidewalk in front of Abracadabra and Summer House -- two quaint gift shops on Water Street in downtown Port Townsend -- said it all, "Think Spring." Well, spring blossoms next Monday, March 20, so it's time for Northwest travelers to "Think Port Townsend."
March 16, 2006
Short Trips
Sometimes a delayed Valentine's Day gift can be even more special than getting a gift on the real day -- especially when a spa is involved.
Young Simon Carrier, who waits tables at the Bearfoot Bistro in Whistler, B.C., worked Valentine's Day this year. So, for a delayed celebration, he and his Chilean girlfriend, Fernanda Icaran, decided to spend a night at the Tigh-Na-Mara Seaside Spa Resort in Parksville on Vancouver Island for what Simon called "a little spa action." Overnight was all the young couple could afford.
March 9, 2006
The "Tillamook Burn" story just burns to be told.
It's an extraordinary tale of a series of devastating forest fires in Oregon, the last of which occurred more than 50 years ago. The story is so dramatic that in 1991 the Oregon Legislature mandated that the story be told.
March 2, 2006
Short Trips
To Maryann Spahr, the small brightly colored fishing float she found on the ocean beach just south of Grayland was the crown jewel of the small collection in her Raymond home. Twice a month she bundles up and ventures to the coast with her faithful Labrador, Abbey, to test her beachcombing skills in the driftwood piles and ocean grasses. She considers the trips important for her -- and her dog's -- mental and physical health.
February 23, 2006
Short Trips
STEVENSON -- When it comes to the state's popular tourist destinations, Stevenson is hardly mentioned. I would venture that three out of four Washingtonians probably have never even heard of the small Skamania County town in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area.
Wind surfers who frequent that part of the gorge probably know it slightly better.
February 16, 2006
Short Trips
Northwest weather sometimes can ruin even the best-laid plans. The almost daily deluges lately can wash away travel plans faster than you can shout "Please stop raining!" A couple of weeks ago my plans were swept downstream -- literally.
The day started gloriously for this time of year -- partly sunny, broken, white puffy clouds, with the temperature hovering in the mid 40s. Rain, however, was in the forecast. How far out wasn't clear.
February 9, 2006
Short Trips
I noticed recently that one of my colleagues, along with some friends, camped in the snow at Paradise in the shadow of Mount Rainier and wrote about how much fun it was. She heralded how relaxing it was -- no crowds or noise, plus the sheer beauty of it all.
Guess what? It also was cold, wet and icy, and Mother Earth was covered with five feet of snow. It was so cold her group woke up in the middle of the night with a layer of frost on their sleeping bags. She said her water bladder even froze. I bet that's not all that froze.
February 2, 2006
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