Today was such a long, crazy and jam-packed day that I don't even know where to start...
I guess in the morning would be a good place, yes?
We woke up to our alarms this morning, which was a step up from yesterday. We knew it was going to be a full day so we hit the road running bright and early. The Columbia River Gorge (and waterfall central) was up first on the days docket.
Breakfast on the road: a banana. The views the whole way were just incredible!
It was just a short drive from Portland - 30 minutes or so - to the Bridge of the Gods, where we crossed the Columbia River.
Almost immediately upon crossing the pretty sketchy bridge, there were waterfalls. Waterfalls are my favorite!! I actually didn't even know about this place, but Shannon kept insisting that we go, knowing how much I love them. (She had been before.) I would have been SO sad if I missed all of this beauty!!
This is where we found out Wembley was scared of heights. Look at her face as we leaned over the railing of the waterfall!
It was whirlwind tour, but we hit most of the waterfalls that were along the road. I mean, how could you not when they are right there and so accesible!
We didn't have a ton of time though. Our end goal was to make it to Vancouver. By tonight. And we had several other places to hit along the way. So...off we went. In to Washington.
Mid-morning snack: hard boiled eggs. Trying to be healthy on this road trip!
Our next stop, per Shannon's insistence, was Mount St. Helens. Now the waterfalls totally impressed me. But Mount St. Helens? Not so much. I guess the history of it all was pretty interesting, and the fact you could still see so much of the devastation from the eruption so long ago. But overall, the waterfalls easily won in my book.
That might have had something to do with the fact that the road to get close to it was still closed for winter. So this was our view... after driving an hour out of our way.
Wembley helped us drive back to the interstate, and lunch was almond butter and a banana on three day old bread. Trying to be healthy AND cheap on this road trip!
We made it to Seattle around late afternoon, and went directly to the Pikes Market. Shannon hadn't ever been before, so it was finally my turn to show her around some place!
There was just too much going on for poor little Wembley. Too much stimulation. She was out of her body, barking and acting very aggressive towards everyone. And there are a LOT of people to act aggressive to around there! Needless to say, the trip to the market was cut pretty short because we couldn't control that little beast! {And to top it off, she decided to stop and poop right in the middle of the street in front of the market. It was too funny to not get a picture of!}
Since we didn't spend as long as expected at the market, we had time to let Wembley run off some steam in a more calm environment. We found a grassy field at the University of Washington campus, and called my *Uncle Mike to come meet us there. (*: not technically an uncle, just a good friend of my parents). Mike teaches at the university and was just a couple of blocks away, so it worked out perfect to get to catch up with him!
Somewhere along the line, Shannon spotted a canoe and decided she wanted to go in one. How she's never been in a canoe before is beyond me, but she swore she hadn't, and that is a travesty. So, yeah, we all piled in one canoe and took off.
Miss Wembley wasn't done wrecking our day in Seattle yet. She continued freaking out on the canoe, barking at the water, trying to attack the paddles, and attempting to commit suicide as she jumped out of the boat on a leash. We decided to cut the paddle trip a little short and pull up to an island to calm her down. And that was quite the experience. Shannon didn't even have a paddle - her sole duty was to contain the dog, so it was Mike and I trying to maneuver it...which went about as well as these pictures show.
About the time we were enjoying our time on the little island, Shannon remembered that I had to go pick up my passport at the UPS store before they closed at 6. It was already 5. Ooops!
So we rushed back to the shore, dropped off the canoe, jumped in the car, and fought rush hour traffic to get to the UPS store. I got there in time, but man, that would have really put a damper on the day if I had forgot to pick that up!
We stopped at an amazon book store, just because I'd never been to one, but it really wasn't that cool. Barnes & Nobles is way better.
Uncle Mike insisted on treating us to dinner before we hit the road and continued our journey north to Canada. Ivan's fish bar was the winning choice, and it was a fantastic pick! Fresh salmon, reasonable price, and a view on the water!
Wembley also wrecked dinner by barking incessantly and insisting on being fed salmon under the table. She's so cute, but man, she really ruined a few things today. ;)
We finally dropped Uncle Mike off and hit the road again...much later than expected. We were making pretty good time, until we stopped for gas (got some super Unhealthy snacks) and then realized there was an outlet mall just up ahead.
Shannon and I have always been dangerous when it comes to shopping. We are horrible influences on each other and can always convince ourselves that yes, we do in fact need three more pairs of Lululemon pants.
The best part was the outlets closed at 8 and we got there at like 7:45. We literally ran from Nike to Helly Hanson to Lulu, and did some pretty solid damage in a matter of 15 minutes.
Admitting defeat for the day, we realized we just weren't going to make it to Vancouver. Not even to Canada, actually. We were tired and decided to just call it a night in small-town Washington -- I don't even remember where we were.
As Shannon went to check in at the hotel, I started unloading the car. And when I turned around, my suitcase (on four wheels) was just rolling away through the parking lot. (And Wembley was half way gone, too.)
We successfully snuck her in to the hotel with no barking and no human encounters.
Have you ever seen a dog who crosses her paws like this!? It just kills me every time.
Tonight I got my own bed in the hotel, which was an improvement from the past two nights of sharing with Shannon AND Wembley -- who insisted in sleeping in my spot.
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