Pike Place Market, Snoqualmie Falls, and Alpental Ski Area

After a wonderful first day exploring the Seattle area we decided to venture out a little further than the Seattle proper for our next full day in Washington.  Our first stop was to settle a score at Pike Place Market!  The last time we were in Seattle we went to the market on a Saturday - the most crowded day to visit and we didn't get to try Piroshky Piroshky!  So, this time we decided to go as early as possible on a Sunday morning.

View from observation deck at Pike Place Market

Pike Place Market is Seattle’s public market and one of the country’s oldest farmers markets. The market encompasses nine acres from Pike St. north to Virginia St. and from 1st Ave west to Western Ave. The Market’s historic arcade, winding alleys, stairways and lower levels offer a multisensory experience of sights, sounds, tastes, aromas and textures.  Like we mentioned above, our first stop was for breakfast at Piroshky Piroshky where we noshed on cranberry and apple rolls and poppy seed piroshkies while strolling through the market.  We didn't get to enjoy coffee at Seattle's first Starbucks due to the long line out the door so, you know there will be a 3rd visit back to the market to settle that score!  Once the crowds started to gather in the market we decided to cruise on to Snoqualmie Falls.

The gum wall/alley

Pink Door Restaurant

In case you don't know which restroom to use, just check the floor

Snoqualmie Falls is a 268-foot waterfall in the northwest United States, located east of Seattle on the Snoqualmie River between Snoqualmie and Fall City, Washington.  If the falls and the Salish Lodge and Spa look familiar it is because they were both featured in the tv series, Twin Peaks!  

After leaving the Snoqualmie area we followed the Snoqualmie River to Denny Creek Campground hoping to hike to Franklin Falls.  The Denny Creek Campground is located on the Snoqualmie River and is one of the oldest Forest Service campgrounds in the forest.  In this area you can walk to nearby Wagon Road Trail, Franklin Falls Trail and Denny Creek Trail, which enters the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. Unfortunately, the trail to Franklin Falls was still closed for the season. We explored the area for a little while before heading up to the Alpental Ski Resort.

Alpental is synonymous with skiing in the Pacific Northwest. Its deep-rooted history and legendary terrain make the mountain a bucket list item for skiers and riders. The area provides some of the steepest and deepest runs in the region. Snow still covered the area in late May and the low lying clouds made the area appear magical.  A few people were hiking up the mountain in the snow and it was fascinating to watch them disappear as they gained higher elevation.  

Exhausted from our day of exploring we headed back to our home base, Embassy Suites, in Lynnwood, Washington. Our next on our itinerary.. North Cascades National Park!

Washington State (The Return)

The Covid Virus and our responsibilities at home had us busting at the seams to get out and enjoy another adventure so in May 2021, we returned to the beautiful state of Washington to do a little more exploring. Fortunately, our flight on American Airlines, was not delayed and we arrived in Seattle right on time.  Unfortunately, the car rental agencies are NOT located within the airport. After a 30 minute wait for a shuttle to get us over to Enterprise we finally drove away from the airport and headed to our first destination - Discovery Park.

Flying over Mt. Rainer

Discovery Park is a 534-acre park on the shores of Puget Sound in the Magnolia neighborhood of Seattle, Washington. It is the city's largest public park and contains 11.81 miles of walking trails. United Indians of All Tribes' Daybreak Star Cultural Center is within the park's boundaries.

West Point Lighthouse at Discovery Park

After walking off our lunch at Discovery Park we headed to Shilshole Bay Marina to get another view of the Puget Sound and to drool over the amazing sailboats and yachts.  

Yes, that's a seal or sea lion at Shilshoe Bay Marina

Shilshole Bay Marina is located right on the Puget Sound and is a great marina for every kind of boat from kayak to mega-yacht. This marina is widely regarded as the premier boating and sailing center of the Northwest.

We chose to stay at an Embassy Suites located in Lynnwood, Washington, which is a suburb of Seattle.  This central area was the perfect location for "home base" while we explore Edmonds, Washington.

Edmonds is a city in Snohomish County, Washington. It is located in the southwest corner of the county, facing Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains to the west. The city is part of the Seattle metropolitan area and is located 15 miles north of Seattle and 18 miles southwest of Everett.

Love a place where you can get both power tools and vodka!

Robert Lang Recording Studios in Shoreline, Washington.  Nirvana, Foo Fighters, Dave Matthews and more recorded here!

We enjoyed a delicious dinner, al fresco style, at the Salish Sea Brewing Company and then headed over to Bracket's Landing North to watch the sun go down.  The amazing sunset views were a great ending to the first day of our 2021 adventure!

Next stop - Pike Place Market and Snoqualmie Falls!

Portland, Oregon

In the summer of 2020 we found ourselves returning to our favorite vacation spot, Portland, Oregon. Sadly, this return visit was for that dreaded four letter word - work!  

First work....if that's what you call it!  We are actually wedding photographers and don't really consider what we do work, especially when we are photographing a beautiful wedding at the lush Bridal Veil Lakes Event Venue located along the Old Columbia River Gorge Highway.

With "work" out of the way, and we met up with our life long friends, Bill and Jill.  This was their first time visiting Oregon and we had many beautiful spots to show them! 

Meeting Jill and Bill at Council Crest Park in Portland to start our journey

We drove through the old Columbia River Gorge Highway to the small town of Cascade Locks, Oregon.  Cascade Locks is situated at the very heart of the Columbia River Gorge, where the mountains tower up to 4,000-feet above the river, and waterfalls tumble from the heights to reach the river near sea level below. Surrounded by stunning natural beauty, you can relax, slow down a bit, and take in the grandeur.  That's exactly what we did! We slowed down and enjoyed a delicious lunch and an adult beverage at Thunder Island Brewing by the Columbia River and then toured the old locks (hence the name).  After one last stop at the Eastwind Drive-In for ice cream we moved on to the next site on our itinerary, Mount Hood.

Mount Hood, Oregon, offers scenic recreation ranging from camping, hiking and fishing to nearly year-round skiing. Being from Texas, we are always amazed that people are still skiing on Mount Hood in the middle of July.  We roamed Timberline Lodge with Jill and Bill and threw a couple of snowballs at each other!

We left the snow covered mountain and headed west to the Oregon Coastline stopping at Cannon Beach, Oregon.  Cannon Beach is a charming village by the sea where you can savor the culinary bounty of the Pacific Northwest, stay in luxurious accommodations that are right on the beach and explore the many art galleries and quaint shops making their home in town.  Again, we stayed at the Schooner Cove Inn and from our hotel lawn we could view the magnificent Oregon icon, Haystack Rock.  

A short drive north of Cannon Beach is the town of Astoria, Oregon.  With Victorian-era homes etched into hills overlooking the Columbia River, this picturesque settlement (the oldest west of the Rockies) is a port city with Scandinavian flavor. Astoria is surrounded by forests, three rivers and great local brews. We showed Jill and Bill the Gooney House and the Astoria Column before making our way to the pier for lunch at one of Astoria's breweries, The Astoria Brewing Company.

It was a sad day when we had to leave our beloved Oregon and head back to reality.  Stay tuned for our 2022 vacation when we travel with Jill and Bill, again, to Scotland!