San Juan Island, like many popular summer destinations around Washington, is almost tourist-free in the winter.
December 4, 2008
For winter campers who don't want to brave the rain and cold in a tent
(and don't own an RV), Washington state parks offer yurts for nightly
rental. Some parks also rent simple cabins and even luxury
accommodations, including a historic lightkeeper's residence.
November 16, 2008
I abandoned my dream of an autumn European vacation and instead went to play close to home -- in Olympic National Park. It was a low-budget and gorgeous getaway on Washington's far side that cost me about $500 for the four-day trip including accommodations, food and gas from Seattle.
November 9, 2008
Gas prices are at record highs. Airfares are going up and up. The
exchange rate for the U.S. dollar is at record lows, making vacations
in Canada or Europe more expensive than ever. So how can you avoid bankrupting yourself on vacation?
March 23, 2008
LANGLEY, Whidbey Island — The hotel guest must have spent the afternoon there, snuggled in her wooden deck chair amid cushions and a blanket for a fresh-air nap. She was there when I arrived at the Inn at Langley and stepped out on my waterfront deck adjacent to hers. She was there when I left for a walk, and still slumbering peacefully when I returned.
June 21, 2007
Let me count the ways my family was injured during our ski vacation.
November 16, 2006
The Outing: Next time you go to Seattle's Pike Place Market, take the time to look beneath the surface.
Below the popular arcade of produce and craft stalls is an often-overlooked warren of about 50 small shops tucked into the lower floors of the Market's main building.
November 24, 2005
I zipped past them, a city girl driving too fast down an empty country road. The elderly couple, out for a brisk walk, waved cheerily anyhow.
That's what you do if you live in the slow lane on a place like Washington's Marrowstone Island. You wave at cars, even those driven by speedy strangers.
I smartened up and slowed down to better enjoy this tranquil island. After all, why was I hurrying? It's not like there's anything to rush to on Marrowstone, a six-square-mile island nestled near Port Townsend.
August 26, 2005
The outing: Port Gamble looks like a little town that time and geography forgot, a bit of unspoiled 19th-century New England dropped onto the shore of Puget Sound.
Founded in the mid-1800s by Maine lumbermen who came to harvest the rich Northwest forests, Port Gamble was a company town for mill workers and their families for almost 150 years. Since the mill closed a decade ago, it's morphed into a historic and easygoing tiny tourist town on the northern edge of the Kitsap Peninsula.
August 25, 2005
The budget outing:
The town of North Bend, sandwiched between ever-sprawling suburban housing and Interstate 90 traffic, doesn't spring to mind as a place for a nice, half-day outing.
But it should.
April 14, 2005
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