Pacific North West

During the Spring of 2023, April and I both took advantage of her week-long vacation to embark on a road trip to the Pacific Northwest. While April was already familiar with the region, it was my first time visiting. With a list of google locations a mile long starred on our maps, we set off on this 9 day adventure with high hopes and an open mind.

Driving North - Day 1

The trip started off well. We awoke at 3am on a Saturday to a colder than expected morning. We had ten hours' worth of driving before we made it to Portland. After 4 hours, we made it to our first stop: a glass bridge.We arrived there just in time for sunrise, and I was able to capture a few good photos. But this is where the first of several major problmes began.

This is one of the last photos I took with my beloved Mamiya 7 before it shutter winding mechanism failed. For all practical purposes the main camera I brought for this trip was down for the count even before the vacation started. While I was obviously upset, I tried to look on the bright side and hoped that being limited to one camera would be beneficial. So I packed the Mamiya away and kept the leica at my side for the rest of the trip.

We rotated drivers and headed to our second stop, an Air and Space Museum directly south of Portland. A museum that is famous for housing the Spruce Goose, the gigantic brainchild of the eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes. It was too large to get a good photo of the aircraft because of the way the museum was laid out, and if I’m honest, I was still reeling from the loss of my mamiya so it was difficult to focus on photography. None the less, I had a great time seeing the many aircraft that so fascinated me as a child.

No more than an hour later, we made it to Portland where we checked into our hotel for the next two nights and hit the town!

Our first stop was dinner at Dutches Brewery, where I had the first of 37 drinks on this vacation. Next, we bought some books that the world-famous Powell’s Book Store, and eventually made an impromptu decision to go across the river and check out a few local recommendations. The night got a bit out of hand, and after about a half-dozen drinks I ended up bumming cigs off of strangers at a bar for people much younger than the two of us.

Day 2 - Rain

The next morning was mercifully overcast. We were unable to get out of bed at any reasonable hour due to the fun of the previous night. When we were finally awake, I decided to go get coffee while April got dolled up in one of her favorite pink dresses. Afterward, we walked around downtown and made our way to the waterfront to take photos with the cherry blossoms. Unfortunately, due to the wet grass April slid down a muddy hill and got covered in mud. Luckily for her, the roll of film with all of the photos from that morning was somehow lost and her embarrassing spill will never be seen.

Not having a firm plan for our time in Portland, we spent the rest of the day aimlessly wandering around in the rain, getting wetter and wetter as the day progressed. By the end, we decided the only thing that could warm us up was more beer and pretzels. So for the second night in a row we ate dinner at Dutches Brewery.

Day 3 - Travel

Our third day was another travel day. We left Portland at around 10 after grabbing some doughnuts and seeing a few last sights. Our plan was to get to Forks, WA by nightfall where we would set up camp. To make a day of it we decided to go the coastal route despite it being a few hours longer.

By the end of the day we had our fill of beaches despite the grey skies. Our day was wet and cold and our final destination was doubly so. Not wishing to set up a tent, we grabbed a lodge in town and cooked Raman for dinner. Since we were sleeping in the home town of Bella Swan, we decided to watch the first twilight movie as we fell asleep.

Day 4 - Hoh

Our plan was to go backpacking in the Hoh rainforest, but it ended up being far too cold. Rather than freeze in a tent, we went on a short day hike and spend the rest of the time preparing for our famous outdoor cooking.

You’ll have to trust me on this one, but the photos do not do this place justice… The amount of greenery was unbelievable. The water in the streams were as clear as crystal. While the trees were smaller than the ones we are use to in California, the beautiful moss drapery gave them an almost angelic vibe. Every surface was covered in a thick green blanket, severl feet thick in some areas. On several occasions we saw wild elk grazing in the forest. At some point they came close to the visitors center and we saw a ranger go out with a paint ball gun to scare them off.

While no film photos documented the creation, April and I made what is possibly the best clam chowder that the Hoh Rainforest had ever seen. Before we left town that morning, we stopped at a thrift store to get all the utensils we needed. Two pots, some silverware, knives, and a spatula. All of that somehow only cost $3.50. We started a fire in the pit, which was no small feat as the wood was so damp and the temperature so cold. We also had a gas stove to simmer the pot. We chopped and cooked for several hours, enjoying good beer and beautiful views. I made a roux over an open fire with left over bacon fat, and April worked hard to chop all the vegetables with a knife I had to sharpen with a rock. The results were magical and filled us with warmth and delight.

We had planned to scope out a campground after cooking but it had been lightly snowing all day and it was starting to add up. April and I made an executive decision to not camp that night either and instead drove even further north in hopes of finding a cheap hotel.

Day 5 - Islands

I awoke early on the fifth day. The night before, had found a cheap motel in another logging town. This town appeared to be much larger, having water access to Canada. The woman who checked us into the hotel was Chinese so April was able to communicate with her in her native language. She was in the process of cooking dinner when we arrived so the motel lobby was full with the smell of devious Chinese cooking.

I drove around town for an hour to take photos. Afterward, April and I grabbed breakfast across the street from the hotel to make plans for the day. We decided to take the ferry to the San Juan Islands and spend the day exploring. But first, we stopped at a jewelry shop where I bought April a pair of pearl earrings for her birthday.

After island hopping for a few hours, we drove back to the mainland in search of Tulips. While we didn’t have any luck, we did find a few fields full of these yellow flowers. We even asked around to see if there were better places to see tulips, but it appears we were too early in the year. Instead, we settled for a fancy steak dinner and then drove a few more hours till we were just outside of Seattle. We booked a cheap hotel on the way in but it was far from our expectations. It appears as if most of the residents of the hotel were living there full time. The room smelled of smoke and the bed felt as if people had removed most of the padding. Needless to say our night of sleep was not nearly as enjoyable as the previous ones.

Day 6 - Birth Day

It was officially Aprils birthday! We started slow, exploring antiques stores north of Seattle before heading to our Pod hotel near the Seattle water front. The hotel was a unique experience in and of itself. only a few hundred square feet in size, basically just big enough for a bed and a shower, but it was packed with technology. And most important to us, it was very comfortable and had a decent view.

After dropping our stuff off at the hotel, we decided to go out exploring the town. We started easy, going to a book store and then walked over to the Starbucks Bar for dinner. The bartender was very nice and gave us several great recommendations. We ended up going to a tiki bar that had a secret speakeasy that served extravagant drinks in unconventional vessels. I had a cocktail served in a wooden treasure box while April spent most of the night sipping out of a rice cooker. Once again things got a bit out of hand, so I’ll sum up the rest of the night with this single photo:

Day 7 - Fish

This was our only full day in Seattle. Despite the extreme comfort of the bed and my crippling headach, I braved the morning hangover and made my way to the waterfront markets. April wasn’t so willing and ended up sleeping in till about noon. I made my way around the city on foot, having my fill of coffee and snacks as I went.

April and I met at the first Starbucks and I drank a cold brew that had olive oil infused in it for some reason. After, we walked to the famous gum wall and then made our way over to the Seattle Art Museum. Not wanting to deal with parking and wishing to experience more of the city, we decided to walk everywhere.

We walked across a bulk of the city, starting in the waterfront area, then to the space needle, where we saw the amazing Chihuly Garden and Glass museum. We then walked up some hills to see this amazing overlook for sunset. A man we met at a coffee shop warned us about how steep the climb was, but having lived in San Fransisco for some time it didn't bother us. This spot must be well known for photography as it was crowded with cameras and tripods. My tiny Leica M6 felt very out of place here.

That night we had April’s birthday dinner at a very famous Sushi joint. We did Omakase, which was an experience of a lifetime. We briefly thought about going out for drinks afterwards, but decided we were wholly satisfied with the sushi and anything more would be too much. We made our way back to the hotel and called it a night, happy to sleep in the next morning.

Day 8 - The Return

We got a late start to the day, but we drove straight through. We didn’t stop till we got home at 3am the following morning. We split 16 plus hours of driving with April doing the lions share of it. Getting home, we both collapsed with little energy to do anything for the next week or two.