Adventures On the Road

This Screams Tourist

18 04 2013

Sometimes you just have to be a tourist. And on an early Saturday morning, that was one of those days. Kick yourself out of bed and stumble on over to Hoboken, NJ to already see a line up forming in front of Carlo’s Bake Shop (from the reality show Cake Boss). Here we thought the early bird would get the cannoli, but alas, so did the tour bus that was heading back to Ohio. I would hate to see the sugar high and the inevitable crash that will follow for all those people on the bus, considering the huge boxes of pastries they were carting out of the bakery.

An hour later we made it out, unscathed, with boxes filled with pastries that were heavy with cream filling. Chocolate cannolis, a lobster tail, a hazelnut cream puff and a California Fruit cheesecake. Delicious!

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Tags: Food, Sightseeing, Travel
Categories : New Jersey, New York City

The Other Side of the Hudson

14 04 2013

Sometimes you get so caught up with the bright and shiny, the hype and the frenzy, the minute details, that you forget about the big picture. And nothing puts that into perspective than staring across the Hudson River, looking at the iconic skyline of New York City. You see the city as a whole and can picture all of the tiny moving parts, the people, the taxis, and the decisions that are being made within.

Skyline view from Hoboken, NJ

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Tags: Life, Photography, Sightseeing, Travel
Categories : New Jersey, New York City

Next Stop: Somewhere New

9 04 2013

After four years of traveling around the US, I have made it to 41 states, and have realized that the country truly isn’t that big. But with that being said, 4 years of travel included a lot of the same roads travelled to a lot of the same places.

So it was a great opportunity to travel some highways and byways and get…not lost…but rather find some new places to explore. Traveling up the Eastcoast from Jacksonville, FL to Newark, NJ we managed to stretch out the 900 mile drive into three days of travel. And I discovered a couple places that I had never been to before.

First Stop: Savannah, GA (and when you say it, you have to say it like you’re from the south)

A cute little downtown area that has a downtown shopping/outdoor plaza that reminds me of Faneuil Hall in Boston. Lots of outdoor parks and some great eating opportunities.

Our intention was to have some good ol’ southern home cooking at Paula Deen’s Lady and Sons restaurant.

But after seeing the line up, and not being able to get a reservation for another three hours, we started asking around, to see if it was worth the wait. Turns out, the locals don’t think too highly of the place and at the first mention of the restaurant, their faces started pinching up like they had eaten a sour grape. So I can’t give the restaurant or its food a fair review, but I can say that the locals love their BBQ, and sent us to a little hole in the wall place called Angel’s BBQ that you might have passed by if not for the little BBQ flag that hung outside its door. And for dessert, tiny morsels of tart sweetness with key lime cookies from Byrds.

The best part, they have a sampling station at the front of the store so you can try out flavours from chocolate chip and chocolate macaroon to lemon, key lime, peach and apple crunch.

Second Stop: Myrtle Beach, SC

What can I say, it was dinner time. And before we even made it to the Myrtle Beach city limits we started seeing signs for roasted oysters, stuffed clams and other delightful treats. We made it as far as The Hot Fish Club in Murrells Inlet, a restaurant that has a history dating back before the civil war and who’s first club house was located on a place called Drunken Jack Island (who doesn’t love that!). Fresh gulf shrimp, Alabama oysters (coming for a Pacific NW’er, I can say they had a great taste), Seafood Paella, Lobster Pot Pie and key lime pie for dessert. Yum!

So needless to say, by the time we rolled into Myrtle Beach, SC it was dark and I’d had a couple glasses of wine, so I can tell you nothing about the beach. I assume it is glorious and the reason why so many people were walking the streets that were filled with All-U-Can-Eat Seafood Buffets (some of them boasting up to 200 items) and surprisingly, one after another, giant neon/fluorescent lit beachwear stores and each time there was a store so bright it hurt your eyes, it was followed by a huge, elaborately built mini golf course. What is going on Myrtle Beach? It was nothing like I expected, and kind of reminded me of Niagara Falls (the Canadian side), which considering it has been named the ‘Honeymoon Capital’, surprisingly has a lot of Ripley’s Believe It Or Not type places, wax museums, and gaudy souvenir shops.

Third Stop: North East, MD

I don’t know that this little east coast town would have ever been a destination for me, if Nathan hadn’t stumbled upon it 7 years ago. He always thought he’d make it back around, it just took him a little while. Cute main street and a great casual seafood place, called Woody’s Crab House. Their specialty: Hard Shell Blue Fin Crabs – pride of the Chesapeake Bay. Too bad they’re scared of cold water and the waters are cold in Maryland right now….brrrr. So, we’ll have to find another opportunity to visit North East, Maryland, hopefully in less than seven years.

All in all, a great little road trip. Fun to see new places and to have those places surprise you. I love to plan things, but there’s no way that I could have planned the meandering trip that we had along the coast. Sometimes it’s best to just let things happen and let the trip find you.

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Tags: Random Life, Sightseeing, Spring, Travel
Categories : Eastern Seaboard, Maryland, North Carolina, Savannah, South Carolina

Jax Beach @ Sunrise

7 04 2013

Our last morning at Jax Beach I was tempted to sleep in, but when I saw the whispers of pink peeking into our room through the patio door, well it was enough for me to throw on some clothes and grab the camera. With Nathan gone to pick up the rental car, and mistakenly taking both room keys, I was momentarily swayed….will I be able to get back into the room if I leave……or should I just take my chances? With the pink creeping in further and now with touches of orange…..screw it…..let’s go. Hopefully the front desk will understand I just couldn’t miss this sunrise.

I apologize in advance for including so many photos but…there were just too many to choose from!

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Tags: Nature, Photography, Spring, Spring Break, Travel, Weather
Categories : Florida, Jacksonville

JAX Beach

5 04 2013

Jacksonville, Florida. An unlikely vacation spot and a place that I wouldn’t have necessarily picked, or a place that I would have thought that I would be spending any real time in. But, low and behold, Easter Weekend comes a calling and Jacksonville Beach looks like the perfect place to slow down after a week of traveling.

Picture a white sand beach with sand so fine that it’s like a fine spun sugar. Even if you get a layer of sand on your legs, you don’t even feel it! But truly the best part about this beach is that it wasn’t that busy. I don’t think you could go to another Florida beach (Daytona, Miami, etc) during Easter Weekend/Spring Break and have as much space to yourself as at Jacksonville (Jax) Beach.

This beach trip reminded me of all of those beach family vacations that we went on when I was young. Let’s just say, I was an avid shell collector. I think I spent most of my beach vacations hunched over staring at the sand, picking through the seashell mounds scattered on the beach at Sanibel Island and hunting for petrified shark teeth on the black sand beaches of Hawaii. I’m pretty sure I even had a shell book as a reference guide on what I was looking for on the beach. Well, I wouldn’t say this was as full of treasures as those other beaches, but you can’t stop a shell collector from collecting! I walked up and down that beach in the morning, weaving in and out of the way of the tides. The only thing that distracted me from the shells were the sandpipers scurrying back and forth with the tides beside me. They fascinated me! I followed them around for a while and when I saw that they were actually digging up little butterfly shells and feasting as quick as they were, well, I was amazed that they knew where to dig to find their breakfast and could do it so quickly before the next wave came up.

On the hunt for seashells and stalking some sandpipers

All in all a great stay. Our beach base was the Hampton Inn, which was situated right at the beach so it was the perfect way to enjoy the beach and their beachfront tiki bar. It was only a quick walk down the beach to get to the main drag of restaurants. Once you hit the pier, you know you’re close!

JAX Beach Pier

Flock of Pelicans overhead

Sunset at Jax Beach

A great weekend getaway with a killer view of sunsets and sunrises. Now you know where to go if you find yourself near Jacksonville, FL.

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Tags: Nature, Photography, Sightseeing, Spring, Spring Break, Travel
Categories : Florida, Jacksonville

Just like Rules…Routines are Meant to be Broken!

2 04 2013

There is something comforting and familiar about routine. I’ve spent the last few weeks establishing a pretty good rhythm of learning spanish, working out, knocking out puzzle after puzzle, doing a little bit of work, and of course…. stalking seal pups. But just like rules, routines are meant to be broken. And it was definitely time to shake up the grey, drizzly weather of Seattle.

So off to Vegas I go, for sunshine and Vitamin D, and some much needed quality time with Nathan. As I landed in Vegas, seeing the sun glinting off the Mandalay Bay, I thought, ‘finally. Some sunshine. I can’t wait to feel that warmth on my face!’. But as we’re used to in the Pacific NW – sunshine does not mean warm! It was still cold with the wind whipping my hair around me. And, I took a look at the weather forecast in Seattle, and wouldn’t you know – sunshine….every day and 60+ degrees, which in Seattle terms = heat wave.

Well nothing knocks out the routine like landing in Vegas and seeing a car hauler driving down the road, and knowing that that’s your ride. A strange thing to see a big truck and know that that type of vehicle is your most familiar mode of transportation criss crossing around the country.

Nothing normal about the week that we just had. We spent the weekend hanging out with some of the feistiest, sassiest women I have ever met. Yes, they were in their 70’s but you would think you were watching the antics of the best of friends in the early years of university (before that last year when you start panicking that you need to figure out what you’re doing with your life). It was so great to see all that energy and craziness.

We started the week drinking Landshark and soaking up some rays puttering around Lake Havasu.

Landshark Spokesman

But once we hit the road it was a blur of saguaro cacti reaching out their arms in strange angles in the desert as we passed through Arizona. On a side note: I just started reading ‘The Host’ by Stephanie Meyers and we drove past Picacho Peak – what a coincidence!

Wednesday morning was a 2am wake up call in Deming, New Mexico and watching the sun come up over the hillside early in the long drive through Texas.

Texas Sunrise in ‘the middle of nowhere TX’

It seems crazy that you can drive all day and still be in the same state. Aside from the sparse sightings of Texas Blue Bonnets, the highlight of my day – I swear I saw a zebra eating hay in the Texas hill country. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it!

And just when you think that you’ll never, ever, get out of Texas, we hit the bayous in Louisiana, crossed over the 16 mile bridge over Lake Pontchartrain and made our way into Alabama.

Finally…finally, we found ourselves driving through the dark outskirts of Jacksonville, FL and wound our way to the oceanside at Jacksonville (Jax) Beach. Three days and 2200 miles later, we finally found our landing spot for some much needed R&R.

Such a different week than the ones I’ve spent the last few months, but strangely enough, I can’t say that it’s a week that I haven’t had before, or one that I’m sure to have again. Funny to see what becomes ‘normal’ over the years.

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Tags: Lake Havasu City, Nature, Random Life, Sightseeing, Travel
Categories : Arizona, Lake Havasu City, Las Vegas, New Mexico, Texas

Shamrock Luck

20 03 2013

A quick drive around the waterfront with my parents early this week, and we hit the jackpot. By far the best viewing of a seal pup resting on the beach that I’ve come across so far. So lucky! It took me over a year to finally see a seal pup on the beach, and here my parents saw one on their first visit!!

This is Shamrock…I caught her just waking up from her nap. Still looks a little sleepy, but luckily she doesn’t suffer from bed head!

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Tags: Animals, Nature, Photography, Seattle
Categories : Seattle

A Confession

17 02 2013

I think that it might be time to admit to a problem. At first I thought it was just a natural interest, maybe an infatuation, but I think it might actually be an obsession. I think I’m a Seal Pup Stalker!

West Seattle does a great job at protecting the seal pups that find their way to the beaches to rest and catch some sun for a while. They post signs, set up caution tape perimeters and have a ‘Seal Sitter’ keeping a watchful eye out for the pups. It’s taken me a whole year to finally see these pups. At first I would always see the caution tape, but when I peeked past the perimeter on my tip toes, I would never see anything. Either the perimeter was too good, or the seal pup had already gone back into the water.

I have finally FINALLY found them. First, it was just one seal pup, from behind, so really it just looked like a grey blob on grey beach rocks, but I still count it. Now, I’ve actually found their hang out!

Six Seal Pups, hanging out on an old decaying dock. They found their way during high tide and decided it was the perfect place to snooze for the day. This was the best energy boost pick me up, since I first discovered the Pixar blue bird video. I clapped at the seal pups and they looked right at me. Well, most of them were sleeping but there were two that were all cuddled up together and one in particular that seemed ready to put on a show.

So I clapped at them….for them…..spent a little bit too long watching them from what I have named the ‘Seal Look Out’. And eventually I was dragged away.

But I’ve gone back. Although I did check out the Seal Sitters blog to find out that seal pups have very good hearing. And to clap at them, is essentially harassing them. So now, I watch them quietly, most of the time. Although sometimes I can’t help it and I chirp and coo at them as if I was trying to get a cat’s attention (what do you expect from a person who grew up with cats?). I still feel a little guilty and look around for witnesses.

Since my six seal pup day, I haven’t had the same luck. Sometimes there’s one or two there, or I almost miss them because they blend in with the dock, sometimes they aren’t there at all. But, it’s addicting, to know that they could there means that I just have to check, just in case. The reward of seeing these seal pups is worth the extra half a mile walk, and I can’t help but be drawn to something that has the power to make my day. Can’t help but love these seal pups!

* I should probably make a note. The close up shots….zoom lens all the way out and cropped right down to nothing. I kept my distance…

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Tags: Animals, Nature, Random Life, Seattle
Categories : Seattle

The Hoover Dam!

4 02 2013

Can’t help but think about the Transformers movie and the fact that the All Spark is hidden under the depths of the concrete and water every time I’m at the Hoover Dam. But other than thinking about Optimus Prime and Bumble Bee while I’m taking in the sites, you have to admit, it is a pretty cool place to see. And of course, everyone gets a kick out of being right on the border lines of Arizona and Nevada, and experiencing two time zones at one time.

The new bridge: You can’t see anything unless you park and walk the bridge or you’re in a truck!

Setting up an instagram shot…as per usual

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Tags: Sightseeing, Travel
Categories : Arizona, AZ, Las Vegas

Tired of Being a Raisin

16 01 2013

As tough as it is to leave the constant (and guaranteed) sunshine of the desert in Parker, Arizona, I’m a little bit excited to have a little moisture in the air. To be honest, I’m a little weary of drying up like a raisin in the desert air. And surprisingly I miss falling asleep to the raindrops falling outside my window. I don’t know how long that will last, but fingers crossed the clear skys and high pressure system that’s hanging out in Seattle will stick around for a little while, or at least the skies don’t try to drown me out too quickly.

A couple last images of the clear desert skies, sun-kissed mountains and the Bill Williams River.