Oregon - Oct 2024

After we left Seattle, we drove down to Oregon where we first spent a few days in wine country and then the weekend with Patrick and Donnell.

Hillsboro, OR

On our way to Hillsboro, we stopped in Portland to have lunch with Dave, a former colleague of Keith's from both Aimco and LivCor.  We ate at Shalom Y'all - a great middle eastern place.  We shared a few dishes for the table -- all very good; the best was the chicken kebab plate. 

Lunch with Dave at Sharon Y'all

We arrived at our AirBnB mid-afternoon and got settled in and relaxed for the rest of the day.  We stayed here for four nights.  The place is amazing and one of the best we have stayed in.  It's located on a small farm in Willamette Valley with great views of the valley.  It had two bedrooms with a medium sized open kitchen / living room.  It was very nicely appointed and super comfortable and the owners left us a dozen of eggs which we had for our breakfast each morning.  The only downside is that there is no oven but we did not need it. We would definitely stay here again! 

Our AirBnB

While here, we did the following activities:

Chehalem Park Hike -  Did a 8 mile, 1K elevation gain hike that took 2.5 hours.  Gradual up and down hill through a forest.  It's the closest hike to where we were staying so we ended up doing this three times.

Dinner with Becky and her husband, Diego, at Andina, a great Peruvian restaurant in Portland.  The food was good but not as flavorful as we had hoped.  We shared several dishes for the table.  

Dinner with Becky and Diego at Andina

Wine Tasting - We first went to Domaine Roy, a winery we had visited with Mark and Alicia on a prior trip.  We really liked their reds so decided to return. They have a really nice tasting room with a back patio that has views of the vineyard.  Our tasting included four wines but we ended up tasting a few extras.  We really liked their rose, chardonnay and several of their pinots.  The host was also very knowledgable and nice.  We bought a few bottles - one we drank back at our AirBnB and the others were for us to give away to people we were staying with.  We then went to our favorite winery in the area, Penner Ash, where we sat on the Adirondack chairs enjoying a taste of the rose while we waited for our table to be ready.  We then sat inside and tasted several of their pinots as well as the riesling.  You just can't beat the views at this winery - truly gorgeous.  Since we had been here several times, we ended up not getting any of the wine, even though they were all very tasty. We ended the day back at the AirBnB, sitting on the Adirondack chairs in the backyard with views of the valley and we enjoyed one of the bottles of wine along with cheese, pate and crackers that we had picked up at Red Hills Market, a great gourmet grocer and sandwich place in Dundee. 

Wine tasting at Penner Ash

Banks Vernonina Trail - Becky had suggested this trail so we went there to do a walk - great trail that used to be a railroad track.  

Banks Vernonina Trail

Lunch with Jim and MaryAnn at WildFin American Grill, a great seafood restaurant located in Beaverton. We shared a great salad and a fish dish.

Tualitin Hills Nature Park - This is in Beaverton - we stopped here after lunch to do a walk.  Nice trails that are about 4 miles.

Lunch at Mac Market - Located in McMinnville, we stopped here on the way to Harrisburg.  It has a few places inside - we had a salad and each a slice of pizza. 

Harrisburg, OR

We stayed at Patrick and Donnell's place in Harrisburg for two nights.  We arrived Friday mid-afternoon and got a tour of their place which is amazing.  We had seen it before the remodel and the difference is just stunning.  We also got to see their two adorable girls! That evening, we had dinner at their house - yummy Dungeness crabs.

The next day, we went to meet Donnell's parents and got a tour of the hazelnut farm - it was great to see the trees behind the brand - D's Nutz! Her parents were super nice so it was great to meet them as well.  We then went wine tasting at a winery where they are members - Walnut Ridge.  We sat outside on the patio and enjoyed a flight each and then got a bottle that we shared.  

Wine tasting with Donnell, Patrick and the girls

That evening, they dropped off the girls at Donnell's parents house and we did a progressive dinner/bar crawl through town, hitting all the 'hot' spots.  We first went to 99 Grill where we had a beer, wings and tater kegs (large tater tots mixed with cheese and bacon).  We then went to 36 Spices (their local Indian place) - concerned with a recent health inspection score, we just got a beer and some naan.  We played a few rounds of pool and the surprise of the evening was some really cool shots that Keith made! Our last stop was the bar next to their house, The Voo, where we had another beer, roasted chicken and French fries.  While certainly not a healthy evening, it was fun to explore the town and meet some of the locals.  

We left early the next morning to drive to Oakland where we had to do a 3 day detour to TX for some doctor's appointments.  We stayed at a hotel near the airport and flew out early the following morning.

Washington - Oct 2024

After spending a few nights in Boise, we made it to Washington state.

Richland, WA

We stayed one night at Barbara's house (friend of Keith's family). She has a very large, nice home on a hillside that backs to one of the mountains in the area.  There are several wineries in the area but we unfortunately did not have time to visit any of them.  After getting settled in, we went to see her log cabin that has been under 'renovation' for several years and is finally ready to be rented.  It's a very nice place about 10 minutes from her home.  That evening, we went to dinner at Anthony's at Columbia Point, a nice seafood restaurant on the river.  We shared mussels for an appetizer and halibut for our main course. 

Visiting Barbara at her house

The next morning, we hiked Badger Mountain, doing two laps that took us 2 hours over 6 miles and 1.4K elevation gain.  It was a nice hike with views of the town below. There was no shade on the hike but since it was cool outside, we did not need it.  We cleaned up back at Barbara's and then headed out to drive to Seattle. 

Hike on Badger Mountain

Seattle, WA

We spent three nights with Kelly and Reed - two of which was on Vashon Island where they have a summer cottage and the last night at their house in Bellevue.  

We took the ferry to Vashon and arrived around 5:30 pm - Reed was there to welcome us with their dog Kala.  As we drove in, we were amazed and how 'unspoiled' the island was - really serene and not overly developed!  We got the tour of the house which is a really cute place with great views of the water.  Kelly got to the house about 45 minutes after us.  We walked down to the point to see views of Mt Ranier (it's rare to see it so we had to take advantage of the moment) and then we had dinner at their place.  Reed made a yummy salad and baked pasta dish and then we had berries for dessert which we had brought along with some wine.  

Mt Ranier from Vashon Island

On Saturday, Reed made us breakfast - eggs and toast - and then we set out for a day of sightseeing on Vashon.  We first drove to Maury Island Marine Park where we saw one of the wooden trolls and walked along the beach.  We then stopped to see the famous 'bike in the tree' which is a bike that was left against a tree and then the tree grew around it.  We also went to the Vashon Center for the Arts where we saw their current exhibit from an artist that featured scenes from around the island.  We walked around the main town for a few minutes and then had lunch at Camp Colvos where we sat outside and had a tasty salad and beef pastie.  

Walk on the beach with Kelly and Reed

We dropped Reed off at the house and then the three of us did a one hour hike at Shinglemill Creek, a nice undulating hike in the forest.  Our last activity of the day was wine tasting at Palouse Winery - they have a very cute garden in the back and the wine was pretty good.  We got a bottle of the Syrah to drink back at the house.  That evening, we got takeout from May Kitchen, their local Thai restaurant and shared a few appetizers and entrees - all quite good.  

Wine tasting with Kelly at Palouse Winery

On Sunday, Reed headed back early so we can do a long run with his son while the three of us took our time drinking coffee and having a relaxing morning.  We got a few savory croissants from Vashon Island Baking Company that we ate at the 'down' house - another house they bought a few houses down from the one we stayed in which needed some renovation but was caught up in some legal battles with one of the neighbors.  After we packed up, we drove to Bellevue and had a relaxing afternoon - enjoying their sauna for a bit.  That evening, they invited another couple and we had dinner at their place - Reed made a very tasty pork stew.  We also met one of Kelly's cousins (Shawn) and got to spend a little time with their son, Taylor.

View from Kelly and Reed's deck on Vashon

We left the next morning to drive down to Oregon. 

Boise - Oct 2024

After a week in Denver, we drove to Boise (12 hour drive) to spend three nights so that we could break up the trip before going to Washington state.  On our way there, we stopped in Twin Falls to see the beautiful Snake River Canyon and the Shoshone waterfalls - this is a site where Evil Knievel attempted to jump across the canyon in a rocket cycle but did not make it (he survived but did not make it across).   

Snake River Canyon

Shoshone Falls (at low volume)

We got to our AirBnB around 8pm after stopping to get some groceries.  The AirBnB is a small one bedroom at the top floor of a house with a separate entrance with external stairs.  It had a nice size living room/kitchen and while the place was not fancy, it was clean and cheap.  

While in Boise, we caught up on admin but also ventured out to do the following:

Corrals Trail, Bob's Trail and Highlands Trail Loop - Did this 3 hour, 9.5 mile and 1.7K elevation gain hike in the foothills.  The hike was really nice with views of the town below.  

Hike in Boise hills

Green Belt Trail - They have about 25 miles of green belt that winds along the river and through town.  Both mornings we walked/ran on this - it's a very nice trail.

The town of Boise was nice but we were expecting more rugged mountains nearby,  Instead, there were grassy hills near the town.  It's definitely a place we would come back to as we didn't really explore much of the area. 

Denver - Oct 2024

To kick off our West Coast roadtrip, we spent a week in Denver catching up with our friends there.  We drove from TX, taking about 12 hours.  We stayed at Sarah's house again where we took over her basement! In between meeting up with friends, we worked out a lot since we were trying to get back into shape. We also did a shopping spree at REI to stock up on more camping/hiking items. 

While in Denver, we caught up with the following:

Julie - Shawna had breakfast with her former colleague from Cigna at Sassafras.  It's a great breakfast spot in the Highlands - she had the yogurt with fruit and granola.  She also tried her first dirty chai which was delicious but then found out that they are high in calories so won't be drinking that one again!

Breakfast with Julie at Sassafras

Jeff - We had dinner at Jeff (former college of Keith's from LivCor) and Christina's house, along with their son Cam.  They had moved to Denver from Seattle 9 months prior and have a beautiful home.  Christina made all the fixings for burritos / taco salad.  

Dinner at Jeff and Christina's house

Ali - We had lunch with Ali at Flower Child, our favorite 'healthy' place in the area.  We each had a bowl which was delicious.  We then went for a walk with her around Wash Park, doing two laps and ended back at her house to take a photo with Pip, her adorable dog. 

Lunch and a walk with Ali

Elizabeth / Joe - We had dinner with them at Lucina, a great Latin restaurant not too far from Sarah's house.  We shared several plates for the table, all very tasty, while celebrating both of their birthdays and Elizabeth's retirement.   

Dinner with Joe and Elizabeth at Lucina

Shezelle - Keith had breakfast with her (former colleague from Aimco) at Hash TAG in Highlands Ranch.

Breakfast with Shezelle at Hash TAG

Kelly / Danny - We had dinner with them at Point Easy, another great restaurant not far from Sarah's.  We shared several plates - all very good except the branzino was just OK.  

Jen - Keith had breakfast at Breakfast on Broadway with Jen, a former colleague from Aimco. 

Breakfast with Jen at Breakfast on Broadway

Steve - Keith had lunch at Cucina Colore with Steve, a former colleague from Aimco. 

Erin - Shawna had lunch with her former colleague from BCBSNC who lives in the Springs.  They met at La Loma in Castle Rock, a great Mexican place with a view of the mountains.  Shawna had a yummy grilled shrimp salad.  

Lunch with Erin at La Loma

Sarah / Shikes / Cara / Chad - We had dinner with them at Sap Sua, a new Vietnamese place that had many accolades.  We shared a bunch of dishes for the table - all very tasty. 

Dinner with Cara, Chad, Sarah and Shikes at Sap Sua

Christy - Keith had breakfast at The Bagel Deli and Restaurant with Christy, a former colleague from Aimco.

Breakfast with Christy at The Bagel Deli

Greg - Keith had lunch with Greg, a former Aimco colleague, at Bacon Social House. 

Lunch with Greg at Bacon Social House

Drew - Shawna had lunch with Drew, founder of EYC and current board member at Flower Child.  She had another yummy bowl (Mother Earth). 

Athena / Chris - We had dinner at their house which was so much fun.  We started with cocktails and a few snacks and then had a great dinner of fig bruschetta, salmon, lentils, and broccoli salad and apple crisp for dessert which we enjoyed with some red wine.  

Dinner at Chris and Athena's house

Martin / Michelle - We had dinner with them at Angelo's Taverna, an Italian restaurant with lots of outdoor seating and also has its own winery.  We sat outside and shared a salad and a pasta dish - all tasty. And their wine was pretty good too.

Dinner with Martin and Michelle at Angelo's

Craig / Rita - We stayed at their house in Boulder our last night in the area, arriving mid-afternoon.  We went for a 2 hour hike on Mount Saints via Lion's Lair Trail - 4.6 miles and 850 ft elevation gain.  It was a nice hike with views of Boulder from the top. Back at their house, we relaxed outside on their back patio, enjoying a few snacks and then retreated inside for a yummy Indian meal made by Rita.  We left the next morning quite early to drive to Boise, the next leg of our trip. 

Mount Sanitas Hike with Craig and Rita