Best of the Northwest: May

When do you know summer is almost here? For me, it’s when I have actual edible veggies to harvest from my garden. Right now, it’s arugula for every meal–in salads, on pizza, in pesto. I also look for the reopening of the North Cascades Highway, a harbinger of summer trips to the sunny Methow Valley […]

A Respite at Timberline Lodge

Timberline Lodge

I looked out the wood-framed window panes from my tweed-upholstered armchair. Yep, we were at timberline. Where the lodgepole pines ended, permanent snowfields began. From there, a dense cloud cover obscured everything skyward, including the top of Mount Hood. We were on Mount Hood. Timberline Lodge is an iconic Pacific Northwest landmark, and hailed as […]

Stressed Out? You Need a Holiday Getaway in the City

Have you experienced any of the following in the past week? Hives. Elevated blood pressure. Insomnia. Swearing like a sailor. Increased tolerance to caffeinated beverages. See, I knew it. What you need is a getaway. An emergency pre-holiday getaway. I know, I know. Who has time? The key is to just drop everything, right now, […]

The Chemainus Inn

The town of Chemainus on Vancouver Island is famed for it’s beautiful murals and professional Chemainus Theatre that puts on six shows a year. It’s only about an hour north of Victoria and 20 minutes south of Nanaimo, so it’s an easy stop if you’re touring the south end of the island.  And if your […]

Deluxe on a Budget Near Victoria’s Inner Harbor

Victoria’s Inner Harbor is a fun, bustling place to be. Small houseboats and big, fancy hotels line the harbor, backdropped by the striking Baroque revival Parliamentary buildings. Street strollers gather to watch mime artists or listen to bagpipers. The harbor itself, small as it is, hosts fishing boats, foot taxis and big ferry boats as they go to […]

STAY: River Run Lodge

River Run Lodge offers quiet, comfortable accommodations just a short walk from the wild and scenic Deschutes River.

STAY: Blue Bucket Inn

Enjoy the Oregon Out-Back in the middle of a working cattle ranch. From beautiful green meadows to sage brush, mesas, rim-rock, pines,and wildlife, experience the peace and vast landscape of this high-desert ranch. Full country breakfast, hiking on existing roads, access to Malheur National Forest, and fishing in nearby reservoirs. Children 10 and over are […]

Every City Should have a Bluebird Guesthouse

The following Trip Report is a guest post by Brian, my significant other. Thanks, Brian! I’m a transplant to the Pacific Northwest and I still have quite a bit of exploring to do in this lovely corner of the world. So when I heard from my old Chicago friend, Steve, that he was planning a […]