We are now in Long Beach, Washington, just across the river from Astoria, Oregon. Our hotel is an ocean front hotel--just about 12 units. It is very nice, near the walking trails, has free movies and games in the office, free bikes to rent for that ride along the beach, and good location. Our room is beautiful, with a fireplace, jetted tub. There was even a fresh rose and chocolates on the bed.
We traveled up through several Oregon coast communities. Tillamook was one we just had to stop at to check out the cheese factory. There were tons of people there, getting the free samples, buying ice cream and burgers at the cafe, and seeing how cheese is made. Not a plug, but I still think Cache Valley cheese in Beaver and Gossners have better cheese.
Tomorrow we travel back to Newport with a few stops along the way. I've always wanted to see the Lewis and Clark historic sites here so that will be one of our stops. We also saw a set of outlet stores so that will be another stop on the way back. Then there was a fruit stand that had fresh artichokes just outside of Hemlock. So we have plenty of things to see tomorrow.
We found out our RV park in Newport does have Internet access, but charges for it. So we may not be updating for a few days.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Oregon Coast, Part 1
We are sitting here at a campground just outside of Crater Lake in Oregon. Talk about a beautiful lake! Wow. We will post pictures later.
Yesterday was day 1 of the trip, from Provo to Reno. Thankfully, everything went well and the trip was uneventful. We saw some of our favorite flowers, you know, the kind shaped like orange barrels? Well, Nevada has lots. After we got to the RV park, we fixed rice and stir-fry. Yummy. Great selection of cable TV in the park but no Internet access.
Today as we left Reno, we were stuck in traffic for almost an hour as there was a very serious traffic accident ahead of us. We finally made it through and found a alternate route to Crater Lake. The road was narrow and steep but was it ever pretty. I love forest therapy!
So now we are at the Diamond Lake RV Park. Trying to decide what's for dinner. And trying to entertain ourselves. We are really roughing it tonight--no TV reception at all. Good thing we brought along the box of DVDs, puzzle, games, books, crafts. They might not have TV reception but they do have Internet access. I guess it's not too rough out here.
Tomorrow we make our way out to the coast and up to Newport for the next 4 nights. I'll update tomorrow.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Chicago - Part 4
The last of our posts from the Chicago trip. Here are a few more shots from the buildings from the river cruise.
Sears Tower looms over the city.
The Merchandise Mart is still one of the largest buildings in the city.
A shot from the river looking up one of the branches.
More buildings.
Among the interesting sights in Chicago is the Chicago Tribune Building. We posted the top tower, an interesting example of Gothic architecture. But it is the ground floor I found fascinating. They have rocks from every state and a number of countries and historic sites throughout the world. Here are some examples:
Great Pyramid in Giza Egypt
Yes, they have rocks in North Dakota.
Hans Christian Anderson home
Salt Lake Temple
Sears Tower looms over the city.
The Merchandise Mart is still one of the largest buildings in the city.
A shot from the river looking up one of the branches.
More buildings.
Among the interesting sights in Chicago is the Chicago Tribune Building. We posted the top tower, an interesting example of Gothic architecture. But it is the ground floor I found fascinating. They have rocks from every state and a number of countries and historic sites throughout the world. Here are some examples:
Great Pyramid in Giza Egypt
Yes, they have rocks in North Dakota.
Hans Christian Anderson home
Salt Lake Temple
Finally, a couple more pictures of us. me in front of the skyline and DeeAnn at the Planetarium.Saturday, July 18, 2009
Chicago - Part 3
Chicago is known for it's famous architecture. Not only do they have some of the nation's tallest buildings, but they have a great variety of design. To walk down the street you see styles from several decades of design and influences from all over the world.
One of the museums we saw was the Adler Planetarium. We don't have lot of pictures from inside, but this was taken from inside the aquarium, looking out towards the planetarium.
One of my favorite tours is sponsored by the Chicago Architectural Foundation. It's a boat ride through the Chicago River with a docent from the foundation to narrate. A great history lesson and wonderful insight into archecture, design and creativity. That's what we did our fifth day.
The river is a great way to get around the city, at least for the tourists.
Our boat.
This building, right along the river, was featured in an old Steve McQueen movie. Vehicle parking on the lower levels with apartments on the upper levels. There is a nice marina along the river.
Soldier field, home of the Chicago Bears. It's along Lakeshore drive, so we saw it on the way to the museums and convention center.
Sear Tower from the river view.
The top of the Chicago Tribune Building.
More reflections. This time off the new Trump Tower.
Looking down the Chicago River with the buildings looming over.
One of the museums we saw was the Adler Planetarium. We don't have lot of pictures from inside, but this was taken from inside the aquarium, looking out towards the planetarium.One of my favorite tours is sponsored by the Chicago Architectural Foundation. It's a boat ride through the Chicago River with a docent from the foundation to narrate. A great history lesson and wonderful insight into archecture, design and creativity. That's what we did our fifth day.
The river is a great way to get around the city, at least for the tourists.
Our boat.
This building, right along the river, was featured in an old Steve McQueen movie. Vehicle parking on the lower levels with apartments on the upper levels. There is a nice marina along the river.
Soldier field, home of the Chicago Bears. It's along Lakeshore drive, so we saw it on the way to the museums and convention center.
Sear Tower from the river view.
The top of the Chicago Tribune Building.
More reflections. This time off the new Trump Tower.
Looking down the Chicago River with the buildings looming over.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Chicago - Part 2
Our second day in the city was spent visiting museums. We started with the Shedd Aquarium (see previous post) then visited the Field Museum of Natural History. Great exhibits and not half as crowded as the aquarium.
Reminded me of "Night at the Museum" movies. I wonder where they kept his fetch bone.
More exhibits from the Field Museum.
Skyline as seen from the museum campus.
The third day was spent on the trolley touring the city. We love the narrated tours, hearing about the history of the city, tourist attractions and getting a sense of the city. The only stop we got off at was the Sears Tower. Good thing too because when we got out the line was up the block and around the corner. maybe everyone wanted to stand on the new ledges that allow you to stand 3-4 feet out from the edge of the building.
As we went around the city we noted some very interesting reflections in the buildings.
The historic Water Tower, one of the few buildings that survived the big fire.
Hancock Tower was a few blocks from our hotel. It is the 2nd tallest building in the city. Best of all, there was a Cheesecake Factory restaurant at the base of the tower.
Views from the Sears Tower (now the Willis Tower--sorry, it will always be the Sears tower to us). Looking east toward the lake.
Another view from the Sears Tower, looking north.
Yet another view, this one looking northwest.
Yes, DeeAnn went up the Sears Tower and looked out. I took her picture but she didn't want it posted, so I'm not. But here's proof she made it up!. You recognize her, right?
More pictures from our trolley tour posted in part 3.
Reminded me of "Night at the Museum" movies. I wonder where they kept his fetch bone.
More exhibits from the Field Museum.
Skyline as seen from the museum campus.
The third day was spent on the trolley touring the city. We love the narrated tours, hearing about the history of the city, tourist attractions and getting a sense of the city. The only stop we got off at was the Sears Tower. Good thing too because when we got out the line was up the block and around the corner. maybe everyone wanted to stand on the new ledges that allow you to stand 3-4 feet out from the edge of the building.
As we went around the city we noted some very interesting reflections in the buildings.
The historic Water Tower, one of the few buildings that survived the big fire.
Hancock Tower was a few blocks from our hotel. It is the 2nd tallest building in the city. Best of all, there was a Cheesecake Factory restaurant at the base of the tower.
Views from the Sears Tower (now the Willis Tower--sorry, it will always be the Sears tower to us). Looking east toward the lake.
Another view from the Sears Tower, looking north.
Yet another view, this one looking northwest.
Yes, DeeAnn went up the Sears Tower and looked out. I took her picture but she didn't want it posted, so I'm not. But here's proof she made it up!. You recognize her, right?More pictures from our trolley tour posted in part 3.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Chicago - Part 1
Having returned from a very fun trip to Chicago. we realized we have a ton of pictures ( 176) to be exact--but not all are usable). Here are a few to start with.
We stayed at the Embassy Suites Lakefront. It's a great hotel in a great location, a few blocks away from Navy Pier and close to Michigan Ave, also known as Miracle Mile, a mile of exclusive shopping. 2 grocery stores were within a block, allowing us to get some groceries to save a little money.
Embassy Suites is an interesting hotel. The "Sky Lobby" is about 8 floors up, located over a restaurant (PJ Clarks), movie theater, and bowling alley. It features the typical features of Embassy Suites, a grand atrium. Our room was on the 14th floor (floors started counting at the sky lobby).
One of the nice things Embassy Suites offers is a free breakfast that includes cooked to orders eggs, pancakes, pastries, cereal, hash browns, bacon and sausage, and juices. The hotel also offers a manager's reception in the evenings. The lobby was not exactly wheelchair friendly, but the breakfast was still good.
The room was great. A separate sitting room had a large pull-out couch, large flat-screen TV, desk, nice big bathroom, and bedroom. The room came with a microwave and small refrigerator which allowed us to bring back food from all those meals out.
This was the view from our hotel room. We love water views and could not get over the great view we had from the room.
Navy Pier is home to a number of restaurants, shops and docks. Walking along we noticed the dinner cruise ship Anita Dee II, perhaps named after Auntie Dee?
Our second day was spent enjoying the Shedd Aquarium, one of the best in the country. It is certainly the largest I have been in. We were lucky enough to get there right at opening so we didn't have large crowds to deal with, until about noon.
Great species are on exhibit throughout the aquarium.
Our next post will conclude the day at the Field Museum (natural history), and some pictures of buildings around the city.
We stayed at the Embassy Suites Lakefront. It's a great hotel in a great location, a few blocks away from Navy Pier and close to Michigan Ave, also known as Miracle Mile, a mile of exclusive shopping. 2 grocery stores were within a block, allowing us to get some groceries to save a little money.
Embassy Suites is an interesting hotel. The "Sky Lobby" is about 8 floors up, located over a restaurant (PJ Clarks), movie theater, and bowling alley. It features the typical features of Embassy Suites, a grand atrium. Our room was on the 14th floor (floors started counting at the sky lobby).
One of the nice things Embassy Suites offers is a free breakfast that includes cooked to orders eggs, pancakes, pastries, cereal, hash browns, bacon and sausage, and juices. The hotel also offers a manager's reception in the evenings. The lobby was not exactly wheelchair friendly, but the breakfast was still good.
The room was great. A separate sitting room had a large pull-out couch, large flat-screen TV, desk, nice big bathroom, and bedroom. The room came with a microwave and small refrigerator which allowed us to bring back food from all those meals out.
This was the view from our hotel room. We love water views and could not get over the great view we had from the room.
Navy Pier is home to a number of restaurants, shops and docks. Walking along we noticed the dinner cruise ship Anita Dee II, perhaps named after Auntie Dee?
Our second day was spent enjoying the Shedd Aquarium, one of the best in the country. It is certainly the largest I have been in. We were lucky enough to get there right at opening so we didn't have large crowds to deal with, until about noon.
Great species are on exhibit throughout the aquarium.
Our next post will conclude the day at the Field Museum (natural history), and some pictures of buildings around the city.
Saturday, July 04, 2009
Yard and RV
We have owned Harvey the RV for over a year now. We have a very nice cement pad (Clawson Remodeling) with water and electrical hookups. Now our challenge is to work on the back yard to make it look nice. With the help of Rusty (a former Miss Hofer victim) and 14-year-old neighbor Ian (pronounced "Yawn") we have made pretty good progress.
The latest project has been removing some clover and replace it with some pavers.
We also realized we have lots of pictures of Harvey in pretty settings and not many of the interior. So, here are some more. We should have some more in a few weeks of the mountains and coasts of Nevada, California, and Oregon.
The latest project has been removing some clover and replace it with some pavers.
We also realized we have lots of pictures of Harvey in pretty settings and not many of the interior. So, here are some more. We should have some more in a few weeks of the mountains and coasts of Nevada, California, and Oregon.
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