day seven: oregonia to california

Today was the official day of Food Redemption. After a particularly awful cheeseburger last night in Portland (we failed to heed Jeff's recommendation for dinner because we really wanted a burger instead- BIG mistake), we totally redeemed ourselves by taking his breakfast suggestions today...Kenny and Zuke's Deli (home of the infamous "Body by Pastrami" t-shirts), followed by a perfect cappuccino and almond biscotti from Stumptown Coffee Roasters. I'm here to tell you- this morning we hit one out of the park. My zucchini, tomato and swiss omelet at Kenny's was absolutely stellar. Mom had cheese blintzes topped with fresh fruit compote- seriously, when did this become a food tour of America?? Oof, it's starting to feel that way (*burst*)...

At the peak of my post-breakfast culinary high, I was excited to try out Stumptown for a couple of reasons: it's owned by Matt Lounsbury, a fellow Wittenberger who (and this is entirely unrelated) assisted in my first rappeling experience, even though quite honestly he probably doesn't remember it, but I do since I practically needed pushed over the edge of the cliff. That's neither here nor there, but Jeff (a friend of Matt's) has been talking up Stumptown for a while now, so I was pretty geeked to try it. And it did not disappoint. There was even a tiny and beautiful latte art heart in the foam. And the biscotti - oh my, all I have to say is, "nom nom."

Leaving our breakfast utopia behind us, we headed south on I-5 out of Portland. The drive was awful in spots because it was downpouring for most of it. Twisty mountain roads + rain + giant logging trucks = a white knuckle driving experience. But we made it in one piece and ended the evening at a tapas restaurant and wine bar in Redding, California where we had the most amazing dish EV-ER. It was a baked cheese pastry consisting of melted Spanish white cheese, quince, and puff pastry drizzled with a balsamic reduction. Oh. My. Word. It was amazing. Pair it with a Malbec and voila- instant heaven on earth.

During the journey today, I started thinking about people (as I typically do, especially on long car rides), and that led me to some serious musing over connectedness in general. I think it all started with the Body by Pastrami shirts in the Portland deli, and remembering that when I was in New York a couple of weeks ago, Ben showed me a picture of a woman wearing one of those shirts. I couldn't believe how crazy it was that I somehow ended up in that very same deli today, all the way across the country, completely by chance. And that led to me feeling overwhelmingly grateful that I've reconnected with old friends recently. I even found out (while at breakfast at Perkins in Spokane) that my friend Megan just had her second baby- and I didn't even know she was pregnant. I regret how I've been too busy, too complacent, too "whatever you want to call it" to make a consistent effort to keep in touch with all of the people who matter to me. I have my immediate circle of friends who I talk to regularly, but outside of that, somewhere along the line it has become shamefully easy to let a day, a week, a month, a year go by without making an effort. And I want to stop that... because these recent experiences with people who matter to me are memories I would have missed out on had I not taken that first step and made an effort. In our daily lives, it's all too easy to just go through the motions and take the beaten path- we don't contact people because it's too much work, or maybe we decide ahead of time that they won't be able to get together anyway, so we just let relationships go, and they slowly and sadly fall by the wayside.

I hope in the coming days, months, and years I continue to change that course. I hope that if someone crosses my mind, I'll actually pick up the phone or send an email rather than thinking, "I should really contact them sometime..." It's not difficult, and you never know, it could lead to a phenomenal experience, a new memory, or a reconnect that both people need more than they know. Seize the opportunities to let people know they matter- that's my thought for today. Chew it over with some cheese and puff pastry.

Onward to San Francisco tomorrow, our final destination...

day six: seattle v. portland

I'm super tired tonight so I'm going to make this brief. Here are today's pics- it was a great opportunity to experience Seattle and Portland back to back, literally in the same day. I was able to compare these two cities which prior to this week had been kind of "mystical faraway lands" in my head...I wasn't sure which I would like better, if either, but I have always felt like I would really enjoy living in the Pacific Northwest so I've had a lot of curiosity about these two cities in particular.

Seattle blew my socks off yesterday and this morning. I felt instantly connected to it, and very comfortable there quite quickly. Last night's exploring about town on my own left me feeling confident navigating around this morning (and I directed us to Lola for a spectacular brunch of spinach and feta omelets, fried garlic potatoes and cucumber lemonade). There was something so quaint about Seattle, and something so familiar, that it just felt like home.

The drive to Portland down I-5 took about 3 hours (in traffic) and it wasn't incredibly scenic, just a lot of cars, and a lot of highway. Our hotel here is a Kimpton hotel called the Hotel Vintage Plaza and it's by far my favorite place we've stayed so far. Everything is right up my alley, from the Italian restaurant downstairs called Pazzo (which had delicious tiramisu) to the wine bottle decor. It's an older building that feels new because they have done an extremely good job maintaining it and keeping it current. Very classy.

This afternoon was delightful...we met an old friend of mine from college for drinks and a light late lunch next door to our hotel. It was so great to see Jeff and catch up since it had been about three years since I saw him last. He was also able to give us some recommendations on where to go and what to do in Portland. He told us to check out the Rose Garden and the city's Pinot Noir- apparently they have great Pinot here. We sat outside and had some afternoon cocktails and some Thai food, soaking up the sun and laughing for a couple hours until it started to rain suddenly and we said our goodbyes and parted ways. I then came upstairs and napped off the few brews I'd had, and got ready to head back out to dinner.

Overall I'd say Portland isn't my favorite of the two, but I also don't feel like I've seen a whole lot of it. Seattle just seemed clean and cool, trendy but smart, and full of places to go and things to see. Portland was pretty closed up- all the bars and restaurants were closed, but it could have been the holiday today- there just wasn't anyone around.

I do like that people get around here on bikes- it's seriously the bicycle capital of the Northwest. Everywhere you look there are people cruising by on bikes (some without brakes, which I think are called "track" bikes). Anywho....I said this would be brief, and now I'm even more tired and it's time to call it a night. Night y'all!

day five: not enough time

Seattle is completely awesome- it's like a hybrid of Manhattan and San Francisco, all rolled into one. I know I'm working backward today but I can't help it because this is where I am, and it's what is fresh and most relevant in my mind today. At the risk of this sounding like another "we started the day there, and ended up here" blog post, I'm just going to briefly say (for memory's sake) that we started out in Spokane and somewhere around 280 miles later we ended up in Seattle. There was a lot of nondescript flat Washington along the way, at least until we reached the Snoqualmie Pass area (where the scenery actually began looking more like Washington SHOULD look). Don't laugh, but I actually typed a Google search into my phone today that said, "Where the hell are all the redwoods?" It did not turn up any results- at least none worth sharing.

Some noteworthy things about my day in no particular order- please forgive the ADD tonight... Dinner at "serious pie." which consisted of an amazing buffalo mozzarella and tomato basil woodfired pizza, accompanied by Spire Mountain hard apple cider- YUM; Stopping to take some panoramic shots overlooking the Columbia River - this is where I shot the "Watch for Rattlesnakes" sign, which gave me a good laugh due to my whole theory that street signs often give us relevant life advice; I also picked a sprig off of a plant there, and I'm wondering what it is - it smells like some sort of herb that is used in a lot of spa oils- almost like eucalyptus it's both medicinal and fresh; Walking the streets of Seattle by myself this evening, chatting on the phone, with an "original" Starbucks chai latte, pretending to be a local (I even gave someone directions).

I walked down to Pike Place Public Market tonight, but most everything was closed up since it's Sunday night, so we're going to head back down there tomorrow (and watch them throw fish at people) and then have brunch at a highly recommended place called Lola. I did take a cool shot of the Public Market sign tonight, and then a couple hours later realized it looked awfully familiar...turns out it's almost the exact same shot as one of the stock photos on the Picnik homepage!! So cool that I didn't realize that until after I shot it and examined it more closely.

I so wish I had more time in this city, which quite honestly feels somewhat familiar already. I can't remember much else about my day, other than a magnificent walk/dinner/evening/marathon phone call in a city I will definitely make a point to revisit. Cheers from Seattle...

day four: post script

Ok, this morning (day five) I woke up and was messing around with more of the shots I took yesterday and I got so excited about a few of them that I had to post them as a P.S. to yesterday's blog. It's too beautiful not to share, and I hope anyone who happens to stumble across my blog today enjoys them as much as I do...

day four: soul food

Today was exceptional. Period. We began this morning leaving Great Falls on our way to today's eventual destination, Spokane, Washington- stops along the way included Browning, Kalispell, Glacier Park, and the Great Divide. In Browning, we drove past the hospital where Mom used to work 40 years ago; she pointed out where she used to live, and marveled at the way things had changed yet stayed so much the same. There were also more dogs in this town than anywhere I've ever been in my life- every yard had a dog, every truckbed had at least two, and they all seemed to know each other. Dogs would run along beside trucks, yapping at the other dogs in the truck. I also learned that there aren't any cats there because they, um, eat them. Hmmm. The other thing I noticed today is that the Northwest is rampant with what I refer to as "Espresso shacks"- which seem to be the startup business of choice. Get yourself a teepee, an old train car, a storage shed, or a camper, slap a homemade "Espresso" sign on the side, and you've got yourself a money-maker. You think I'm kidding about the teepee- I'm not. I saw one in Browning. Enough about that...moving on to Glacier Park...

There aren't words to describe how remarkable and breathtaking the landscape was along the drive through Glacier Park. I've never seen anything as enormous and awe-inspiring as the Rocky Mountains up close. I've been to Denver a few times, and I lived in Telluride, but the Rockies seem puny when you're not actually in the midst of them- today, they commanded respect. Glacier Park was the most unbelievable sight I've possibly ever seen, and it reminded me how small and mortal we are. It was utterly humbling. The air in the mountains was so clean it was like breathing new life directly into my soul. Every breath I took today, and every sight I drank in was renewing, cleansing...grounding. I was also kind of ashamed of myself for not making a point to come out here before now, and that I have taken for granted the fact that it's here. I can't believe I've never greeted it before in person. I have always felt a deep connection to the earth, and I've always believed in the unique harmony of all living things- but today, I actually felt it resonate throughout my core. At one point in Glacier Park I was almost moved to tears by the sheer beauty of it, and I stood there stunned, speechless, knowing I could try to capture it on film but that I would fail because no snapshot could possibly do it all justice. I tried though, and I hope what I shot today conveys in some small way how incredible and truly great this planet is, and how lucky we are to call it home.

day three: to get to montana it turns out you have to go through your thoughts along the way

(Part 1)
I wanted to start today's post as early as possible for several reasons: 1) my laptop battery is absolutely awful and is about to die already so I wanted to get this up before it did 2) I'm falling more and more in love with the land and I'm so excited about it I had to start writing early 3) I took the most badass picture of a truck this morning that I'm pretty sure no other shots on this entire trip are going to be able to top it 4) I'm starting to develop this overwhelming sense of inner peace, and I'm so grateful that I was given the opportunity to take this trip. And when I'm feeling that way, my inclination is to share it :).

This morning we left Murdo, South Dakota on our way to Keystone, which is only about another 50 miles or so from where we are now. I'm unbelievably excited to see Mount Rushmore, and we've already started to see some of the Black Hills and infamous Badlands. It's completely awe-inspiring to see the natural formations in the land out here, and think about how different it is from everywhere else in the country. It's truly amazing. I'll check in later with pics from Keystone, but for now, here's a peek at some of our interesting morning sites...love, love, LOVE me some truck!

Day Three (cont.):
We had a beautiful driving day through South Dakota on our way to Mount Rushmore- blue skies, breezy, warm but not hot by any stretch. We drove through Keystone, which is without a doubt a town that should be in a movie set- no joke, it looks fake. It's like they plopped these little saloons, shops and bars in the midst of the mountains just to be a cliche. We drove through it, went up to Rushmore and stood in awe in front of one of the most amazing sites I've ever seen. It's incredible to think about the process of immortalizing those great men in stone. After taking some great shots (thank you, zoom lens!!) and getting a bag of rocks from the gift shop (because I'm still a nine year-old at heart who likes pretty colored stones), we went back down to Keystone for lunch. We literally followed our noses to a BBQ shack, which was actually a little closet off of a gift shop, and had bbq pork sandwiches and baked beans as we sat in the sun wishing every day could be spent eating bbq in the mountains, feeling the sunshine on our faces- without having to be anywhere else in the world right then.

Continuing on our way to Montana, we passed somewhat briefly through Wyoming (ugly! so sorry, Wyoming, but it's true...) and then we finally made it into Montana. Today we drove for almost 15 hours to get to Great Falls and we were completely exhausted (and I had the Jimmy Leg and a serious case of Travel Tummy) by the time we rolled into the Crystal Inn. I really wanted to finish this post last night but since I was more interested in climbing into the nice soft bed with the nice fluffy comforter, and finishing a warm fuzzy conversation via chat with someone "kinda awesome", the blog had to wait. Gasp. I know, I said it, the blog had to wait.

The good news is yesterday's trek gave me all kinds of time to think, and I did a lot of it. Unfortunately my laptop was dead so I wasn't able to jot down all the thoughts I had while we rolled down the ribbon of highway and through the plains into the mountains, but I want to try to remember them here because it was incredibly therapeutic. And I'd like to offer a special thanks to Adele for the background music that kicked my brain into gear last night as I watched the mountains and contemplated my life.

I've had a bit of time to look into my heart and think about relationships, especially those that have graced my life recently. And I use the word grace with some hesitation. I have a long history of involving myself in situations that give me a lot of anxiety and grief. I have chosen to be with (or pursue) people who don't have a whole lot to give to me in return. I know I've touched on this before because it's a pretty relevant topic for me. I also have a bad history of repeating myself, doing things the wrong way. (See the "Wrong Way" sign I shot?) It's like all my life people have been telling me, "Don't touch the stove, Annie, it's hot." Touch. Ow. And I do it again. I think I just keep hoping that because it's happened before, many times, that it's not going to again, because whose luck is really that bad, right? But as it turns out, as Tina says, "To have different, you have to DO different." So this is me, doing different.

I realized yesterday that I'm lucky. I'm so damn lucky...because there is someone who has graced my life lately with a presence that has gotten me thinking, and has gently pushed me toward a shift in my own thinking. (See my Yield sign above?). I realized I want to break the cycle. I want to stop guarding myself. I want to stop trusting the wrong people. I want to believe that someone can care about me and also not hurt me at the same time.

This beautiful presence in my life started out gently and quietly, but persistently, patiently, constantly, ever-in-the-background. And he has been honest and real, devoted and patient, sweet and thoughtful. He is a constant. And he has shown me what I deserve and how I should be treated and cared for. And the crazy thing is that I know he'll do it. There's no doubt in my mind that he means every word he breathes with every ounce of his being. And for that, I have renewed hope. And for THAT, I am forever, eternally, happily grateful. There is much love and hope in my heart today.

The journey continues, on the road and in the heart...