The Redwoods

Part of this trip is seeing the things you always hear about. The redwoods were no exception and they did not disappoint.

Portland

Our next destination after Tacoma was Portland, which added the 11th state to our list, Oregon.

We did a lot of hanging out in Portland. We stayed with a friend from OSU, Erik, and his wife, Jenny. It was a blast to stay with them. Thanks guys!

Seattle

Unfortunately Seattle is a very short post. We felt the best way to experience the city was to stay with a local, but luck wasn’t on our side despite our efforts. Without a host, we hit the highlights in a day.

We first went to the Seattle City Center, home of the World’s Fair in 1962.  Of course, its most famous landmark is the Space Needle.

Vancouver

Vancouver, British Colombia: our only excursion outside the US on this trip. To be honest, we didn’t give it much forethought, but traveling into Canada was quite a change.

Colorado Springs Day Trip

After our grand hiking adventure in SW Colorado, we drove back to Denver and opted to do Colorado Springs as a day trip.

From SRTE – Colorado Springs

Mt. Sneffels

Fresh from the Black Canyon we headed straight for some big “hills” with only a resupply in between. Glenn had suggested that we climb the highest 14er in the San Juan range but we were wary because of the first snow of the year. After asking a few Park Rangers, they suggested trekking the Blue Lakes trail, which coincidentally leads to the base of Mt. Sneffels. We started the trek knowing we would spend the night, but left the summit as a weather dependent option.

True to her past performance, Liz was barely able to walk after transitioning from pedal pusher to advanced pedestrian. We started walking very slowly, which worked out well for admiring the views.

From SRTE – Blue Lakes Trail and Mount Sneffels

Red Rocks Amphitheater and Park

We headed out of Denver last week to take a look at the famed Red Rocks Amphitheater and Park. I have to admit, I was a bit more impressed by the venue than I thought I’d be. They say it’s an artist favorite because of the acoustics, and I can see how it would be really cool to see a show there.

As a free city park, it’s pretty cool too. We walked around the main “hiking” loop and saw all sorts of nifty rocks.

Click on the photo to see more of our shots on Picasa, including a great Ben moment.