Days 10 (and 11) - SeaTac, WA - Conway, AR

We purposely booked a midday flight home so we wouldn't have to be rushing around in the morning to get to the airport.  Even with the extra time, we arrived early and buzzed through security without a hitch.  Near our gate, a cellist who plays (or played) with the Seattle Symphony was set up in a common area playing her electric cello.  It was so soothing and relaxing that I nearly dozed off right there in an airport seat (NOT the easiest thing to do).

Our inbound plane from Dallas was delayed due to weather and thus our outbound flight to Dallas was delayed too.  Our connection time was already a little tight, but this made it even more so.  I kept an eye on the weather and the timing and decided to just go with it and not worry about rebooking anything at that point.  We were soon boarded and on our way with Mount Hood and Adams off to our right, still covered in snow, but gleaming under the sun.  Even the mountains of Idaho were pretty!  I was able to see the Great Salt Lake before clouds obstructed further views.  Dallas was still dealing with weather/storms and by the time we got close, the pilots slowed us down just enough that we could sneak into our final approach just following a storm.  It did provide some really cool photos from my window seat, but quite a bit of turbulence too.

Upon landing, my American app notified me that our flight to Little Rock had been cancelled and we had been rebooked on an 8:30 pm flight Sunday night.  Gah!  I had no intention of spending and entire day in Dallas for no reason.  After getting off the plane, we stopped and some friendly gate agents where we struck up conversation and made the best of the situation.  After about 20 minutes, we figured out the best we could do was an early flight the next morning on United to Chicago, then an American flight to Little Rock.  Not great, but at least we were going to be home by noon.  We walked to the Hyatt Regency at the airport (being on-site sold us), got two rooms, and soon settled into a dinner at the hotel restaurant.  Before heading to bed, I checked to see the status of our bags (we checked them) and they had made it to Little Rock where they would be waiting for us the next day.

We both had to set alarms at 3:45 am in order to get to the airport in time to get checked in and get boarding passes.  Our flight for Chicago left at 5:45, which is really, really early folks.  We hit some bumps over Missouri as we flew over thunderstorms that had parked in the air, but we were soon on the ground at O'Hare.  Unfortunately, the helpful gate agents in Dallas made a snafu on Carolyn's ticket so we had to fix that with the ticketing agents in Chicago.  All was well in the end, but when you're running on little sleep and you're ready to be home, it just added to frustrations.  Finally with boarding passes in hand, we got on the plane bound for Arkansas.  Again, the storms over Missouri caused us to have some roller coaster fun mid-air; even our descent into Little Rock was fun.  We deplaned and then retrieved our bags from the American baggage office (faster than the baggage claim!).  Our parked car was ready and we were soon headed over the river and back to Conway.

This was an amazing trip.  Such sights, such fun, and such food!  I'm a traveller at heart and whenever I'm on the road, I'm often at my happiest, especially when I'm there with family and friends.  And when I return from trips, I'm always re-energized and ready to tackle the daily grind.  Time to start saving up vacation time again, but I'm already thinking, "Where to next?"

Day 9 - Hood River, OR - SeaTac, WA

A bright and mostly clear sky greeted us first thing at Hood River this morning.  After a Starbucks run, we drove through downtown before heading east.  At Mosier, we exited the interstate and returned to Highway 30, the Historic Columbia River Highway.  This scenic highway continued to impress us as it provided sweeping vistas, the chance to see an apricot orchard, and the ability to stop and really savor this sights all around us.  The highway ends at The Dalles, and after driving around their city center, we jumped back on the interstate and continued our trek east.

We soon turned north onto Highway 97 and very quickly came across a replica Stonehenge.  This version was built in 1929 by the same engineer who built the Columbia Highway.  It's meant to be an exact model, even including the horizontal lintels.  A wind turbine farm was also located nearby as the landscape changed from the river gorge into a scrubby, plains look.  Our journey continued across the Yakama Indian Reservation as we made our way to Yakima, and lunch.

With full stomachs, we turned the car back west.  When planning this trip, I really wanted to get up close to both Mt. Rainier and Mt. St. Helens, but unfortunately it's still so early in the season that the roads leading to them are closed.  Instead, we took a great road in between Mt. Adams and Rainier that went over the Cascade range at White Pass.  We had the opportunity to see Rainier in the distance, but she shyly hid behind layers of clouds the entire day.  Mt. Adams was quite lovely to see.

We soon turned north and found ourselves in Friday evening traffic coming into Seattle from the south.  After getting settled, we headed out for a final meal in Seattle, this time opting to visit West Seattle.  We ate at Duke's Seafood and Chowder on Alki Aveune, which is across Elliott Bay from downtown.  The dinner was fantastic and we were soon visiting two spots at which you could see the skyscraper skyline across the water.

Bags are packed and we're ready to go home, with some regret at having to leave this beautiful part of the country.  Here's hoping for easy flights!

Day 7 - Lake Quinault, WA - Astoria, OR

The Lake Quinault Lodge is old and as such, there are squeaks, creaks, and the rooms are heated by the original steam radiator system.  My room was in the original lodge on the 2nd story, which meant I constantly felt the need to walk softly as not to disturb those beneath me.  The lodge itself was amazing, full of charm, and I awoke with a wonderful view out my window.

We began the day with a drive around the lake where we passed Falls Creek, Merriman, and Bunch Creek Falls.  All three were flowing with snow melt and recent rains, making the air blow a chilled wind as I approached.  Along the way we were treated to an amazing look at the Olympic Mountains in the background while the Quinault River was in the foreground.  Old, old trees lined the path covered in the neon yellow-green moss to which we've grown accustomed.  We also found "Mongo the Mossquatch," a creation of a local artist.  After our tour, it was lunchtime so we returned to the lodge to dine in the Roosevelt Room, which hosted President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1937.

Our journey continued south down the Washington coast as the beaches changed into ones that more closely resembled those I saw in North Carolina last year.  Apparently digging for razor clams is a big thing here and one beach was littered with dead ones (and smelled horrendous).

We soon came across a planned community called Seabrook.  The neighborhood is very reminiscent of the Hendrix Village or Seaside, FL, but this one was kinda spooky.  The houses were very close together and everything looked planned, right down to the signs.  Honestly, Jim Carrey could have walked out any of the doors as Truman and we wouldn't have thought it odd.  The architecture was nice, however.

We snaked our way down into the southwestern part of the state and were soon approaching our final stop for today:  Astoria, Oregon.  This meant I have now scratched one more state off my "to-visit" list.  Only 3 to go now...I'm looking at you, the Dakotas and Alaska.  Our hotel is right underneath the Astoria-Megler Bridge, the longest continuous truss bridge in North America.  It spans the Columbia River and was featured in the movies Short Circuit and The Goonies!