Whitewater Rafting on the Gallatin - Image courtesy of Geyser Whitewater Expeditions

I had the pleasure of attending college at Montana State University in Bozeman, MT – surrounded by beautiful mountain ranges and access to endless outdoor activities. During my time in Bozeman I went on numerous camping trips, explored Yellowstone, hiked dozens of trails and skied the Bridgers. But one activity I never got a chance to do was whitewater rafting. I know, shame on me!

Fast forward three years later (has it really been that long since I graduated?) and I finally got an opportunity to go thanks to our good friends Hailey and Joey. Hailey and Joey are fun-loving explorers. Outdoor enthusiasts, you might say. They have shared many adventures together from skiing in New Zealand and hiking in Hawaii to rafting in the Gorge. So it was only fitting that they celebrate their marriage at Big Sky Resort where they shared many special memories.

The day before the wedding the couple invited their entire wedding party on a whitewater rafting trip with Geyser Whitewater Expeditions. Needless to say, I was stoked. When we arrived at Geyser, we were fitted with wet suits and booties (we had a late summer so the river was extremely brisk from fresh snow melt). We took a bus down to the river and went through a quick safety briefing before launching our raft. We were warned that the occupants in the front of the raft would take the brunt of the rapids and had a much higher probability of falling out. So who do you think sat up front? An overly excited me!

We had an excellent guide named Seth who was both personable and knowledgeable about rafting, wildlife, and the entire area in general — which came as no surprise once we found out that he spends the entire summer guiding on the river (sometimes twice a day) and the winter operating a ski rental business. He had us smiling and working as a team the entire way down the river…even through deep rapids that pushed my entire body back into the raft and threw freezing water in my face. What a rush!

Like any good adventure business, Geyser places photographers at various points throughout the river to capture snap shots that can be purchased when you return from your trip. As we watched a slide show of our photos, it was easy to see that I enjoyed myself because I was literally smiling from ear to ear in every…single…picture. My face hurt but in a good way. Too much smiling is never a bad thing.

Whitewater Rafting Tips

1. If you’re lucky enough to visit beautiful Big Sky during the summer, choose Geyser Whitewater Expeditions for an unforgettable day on the river.

2. If you plan on purchasing pictures, purchase on location. I just purchased a copy online (which I will share when I receive it) but I wish I would have purchased in person because they had better deals/package options.

3. Be brave and take a seat up front. Secure your feet and enjoy the ride!

San Juan Islands - Courtesy of San Juan Islands VB

Over Memorial Day weekend I finally penciled in a visit to a place that has been on my list since I moved to the Pacific Northwest: the San Juan Islands. I remember seeing an amazing photograph of dozens of  islands stretching into a mountainous horizon (similar to the image above) on an Alaska Airlines flight back to Montana. That photo is what landed the islands on my list and it didn’t take long to decide that I needed to see them in person.

So on Friday afternoon of Memorial Day weekend we loaded the car and headed north to catch the last ferry out of Anacortes. The only thing I knew about ferries was from what I had seen on Grey’s Anatomy. And I knew that this ferry probably wouldn’t be as carefree and romantic as crossing the Sound with McDreamy so I did a little research on my own. Everything I had read suggested that we get there at least an hour in advance, maybe even earlier because it was a holiday weekend.

We followed the recommendations to get there early and landed a spot on last ferry out of Anacortes…just in time to watch the sunset disappear into the horizon. The ferry brought us to Orcas Village on southwest side of the horse-shoe shaped island (the spot on the map that says “Ferry Dock”). We stayed at a cute little campground called the West Beach Resort on the northwest corner of the island. On the map it looks like a long drive between the ferry and the resort but it was a quick six miles.

On Saturday morning we drove to Eastsound – the largest village on the island – to checkout the local farmer’s market and Bite of Orcas (a scaled down version of Bite of Oregon). We tried our first oyster shooter, enjoyed some wood fired pizza, and a rhubarb upside-down cake before browsing through some of the local shops. The rest of the afternoon was spent at the dock of our resort fishing and drinking a beer…or two.

The next day we were all ready to see more of the island. The manager at our resort recommended a drive to the top of Mount Constitution for the amazing view or a hike around Obstruction Pass. We were up for both and had gotten a good start on the day so we headed towards Mount Constitution first. The closer our car climbed to the top, the foggier it got. When we reached the watch tower at the top of the mountain we immediately headed for the observation deck but found that it was just as foggy up there. We had heard so much about the view that we decided to wait it out and see if the fog would burn off. While the fog never completely cleared, we were able to get a nice view of BC and the surrounding islands.

Then it was off to Obstruction Pass for a nice hike on a trail that wrapped around the shoreline through beautifully colored madrona trees. The trail down to the shore itself was a bit rocky but we braved it to get a closer look at the dozens of bright orange starfish scattered across the rocks (visible from 25 feet above the shoreline). Seeing all of the boaters out on the water made us yearn to be out there. But since we didn’t have access to a boat, we opted for the next best thing: a kayak. When we got back to camp we rented tandem sea kayaks and paddled around the cove at the resort. The current was strong but it was fun to be out on the water. What an amazing weekend!

My Orcas Island Travel Tips:

-Don’t forget the regulator for your gas grill. But if you happen to land yourself in that situation, go to the Ace Hardware in Eastsound. There is a sweet old man there who’s full of wit and loves to tease. He will hook you up.

-Don’t leave any food out when you’re not around. Not even a sealed bag of POP chips. The black birds will be ALL over it.

-Always tie down your canopy well so it doesn’t catch wind and blow into your neighbors campsite…and break.

-Don’t lock yourself out of the car when you’ve got a ferry to catch. But if you do, prop the window open with a spatula from a fellow camper’s grill and attempt to use a clothes hanger to roll down the window. If that doesn’t work, contact the West Beach Resort managers. They will cruise on over in their four-wheeler and take care of business in less than ten minutes….on a holiday. Yep, they’re awesome.

-If you’re leaving Orcas Island on a Sunday (or Monday holiday), be prepared to wait anywhere from 4-6 hours at the ferry terminal. Bring cards or some form of entertainment.

-For those of you who think the inflight magazines are worthless, I would probably have to agree with you 80% of the time. But once in a while I find a really great article or image that sparks my interest.

-Go to Orcas Island, you won’t regret it!

More Orcas Island Photos

Oyster Shooters at Bite of Orcas

Rhubarb upside-down Cake at Bite of Orcas

Foggy View from Mount Constitution

View from Eastsound

Hiking Obstruction Pass

Fishing at West Beach Resort

Fishing at Orcas Island

View from Dock at West Beach Resort

Orcas Island Kayaking

Orcas Island Kayaking

Kai Kanani's Catamaran at Makena Beach

You will never forget your first taste of salty ocean water. It’s a bit of a shock. Or it was for me anyway. And that’s coming from someone who swam in salt water pools at state swim meets growing up. Someone whose mother made them gargle salt water when they had a sore throat. Maybe I had just forgotten over the years but that first taste of salty water on our early morning snorkeling trip to Molokini woke me right up.

I was a bit on the slower side that morning. We had to wake up early (like 5:30 a.m. early) and I’m not much of a morning person. And if you think getting up before 6 a.m. on vacation is bad…try getting up before 6 a.m. on vacation when it’s raining.  Thankfully the rain was not the kind of rain we’re used to in Portland. It was lighter and warmer.  But there was still a part of me saying to myself “what were we thinking…“

On our way to Turtle Town

We boarded Kai Kanani’s massive 65′ vessel and made our way out to Molokini – a famed dive spot that I had read about in every magazine, book, and website about Maui. Molokini is a partially sunken volcanic crater about 2 miles off the coast of Maui. It is shaped like a crescent which provides an excellent habitat to over 250 different species of fish. As we got closer to crater, the water seemed to change from a deep blue sapphire to clear turquoise. It wasn’t until I was staring at a school of bluefins swimming along the bottom of the ocean that I finally believed that Molokini has up to 150 foot visibility at times. It was amazing.

After about 45 minutes of snorkeling the crystal clear waters of  Molokini, we boarded and headed to Turtle Town. We were told to follow one of the guides if we wanted a better chance of spotting a green sea turtle. Within minutes of arriving at said Turtle Town, we saw a small turtle head pop out of the water in the middle of our group. The water in Turtle Town seemed a bit murky after snorkeling Molokini and with the large crowd we had a hard time seeing the turtle’s large body. We continued to explore the extensive reefs in search of a giant turtle but before we knew it we were being called back to board.

Large Sea Turtle - Photo by Kai Kanani

My boyfriend and I were almost back to the boat when members of the crew started yelling at us to turn around. We looked behind us and a huge green sea turtle was swimming past the right side of our bodies. It’s algae covered shell must have measured at least 4 feet in length. For such an enormous creature it was amazing how graceful it swept by us. It reminded me of watching the sea lions glide up and down their cove at the Oregon Zoo. Such a cool experience. If you find yourself in Maui, don’t leave without looking up Captain Cary at Kai Kanani. The entire crew was fun and extremely knowledgeable and the experience was unbeatable!

My Molokini Travel Tips:

#1. Go with the early morning Express Tour even if you’re not a morning person. We were literally the only boat at Molokini so we had the entire area to ourselves.

#2. Keep an eye out for other marine life on the way out to Molokini. We were there in April towards the end of whale season but we were able to spot a whale and her calf.

#3. Wear shoes you can easily identify. Kai Kanani asks that you take off your shoes before boarding their beautiful catamaran. All shoes are placed into a large sack and emptied onto the beach at the end of the tour. I wore cheap, black Old Navy sandals (along with several other people) so they were difficult to pick out. I wear a size 6 sandal so mine could easily be mistaken for small children’s shoes. Who knows if I actually left with the shoes I wore in. Oh well!

#4. Don’t be ashamed to grab a boogie board if you need it. The waves at Molokini were choppy so it was nice to have something to grab onto.

#5. Enjoy every minute! Aside from the beautiful beachfront union of our two good friends Ben & Jackie, this was one of the funnest experiences we had in Maui!

Beautiful View from Turtle Town

The weekend officially began on Saturday morning with a stop at a local coffee shop called Flying M. Flying M is a laid back coffee shop in downtown Boise that I immediately fell in love with. I’m not a regular coffee drinker but I love a good coffee shop. Flying M, like many other coffee shops, rocks alternative music and features a rotating lineup of local artists. But there’s a few things that set Flying M apart from your everyday coffee shop. The first thing I noticed was something called an art-o-mat. An art-o-mat is a unique invention that gives retired cigarette vending machines a new chance at life. These old (and oftentimes banned) vending machines have been refurbished to vend mini works of art from water paintings to bronze sculptures.  In addition to the art-o-mat, Flying M has a small corner shop filled with funky, hard-to-find gifts that one yelper described as “things you don’t really need to buy but have to buy because they’re so super awesome.” Neither my friend nor I left the gift shop empty-handed so I must say I’d have to agree with said yelper.

After enjoying a coffee (for my friend) and a spicy chai tea (for me), we picked up the rest of our crew from the airport.  We immediately made our way downtown to the Capital City Public Market in search of some local produce. Coming from a city that frequently tops “America’s Best Farmers Market” lists, I wasn’t sure what to expect of this farmer’s market. But I was pleasantly surprised to find a large, well-organized market (much larger than I expected) filled with lively customers. Upon entering the market, we were quickly distracted by wine tastings, fresh squeezed lemonade, and stands filled with unique gifts like recycled beer bottle glasses and floating pond decorations. Despite all the distractions we were able to find some local spinach to pair with our freshly baked bread from Alpicella Baking.

We browsed the market until they started shutting things down for the day. The weather was so beautiful that we decided to stop for lunch on the patio at Bittercreek - a wonderful little ale house that focuses it’s energy on locally sourced food and northwest brews. Browsing through the drink menu, we recognized a number of Oregon brews on the menu (and even a few wines) that we’ve come to know and love. We spent the rest of the day catching up over drinks and spinach artichoke dip from our farmer’s market find.

If you find yourself in Boise, be sure to check out these great weekend finds!

Gino’s specialties consist of some delicous-sounding pasta’s but we just couldn’t bring ourselves to order a heavy dish like that. Hot soups and pasta’s were okay when it was rainy and dreary but we decided it was time for something a little lighter. We enjoyed a delicious vegetable salad with perfectly cooked and seasoned cauliflower, beets, and carrots along with a medium-rare skirt steak on a bed of arugula.

The delicious salad at Gino’s reminded me that I’ve been meaning to share a recipe with you. Our good friend Grant made an awesomely refreshing cucumber salad for us over Easter that would be perfect for a light summer side dish. Cool, crisp, and a little spicy.

You can checkout and download the recipe here but in the meantime, I’d love to hear your favorite salad recipes for summer. I’m counting on the sun sticking around here in Portland, at least for a few days anyway! Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

It began with my parents taking their pajama wearing children – begging for Disney movies and sugar – to the drive-in theatre only to fall asleep in the backseat and miss half of the movie. As we got older there were elementary school birthday parties and weekend outings where Mom and Dad became the ones falling asleep in the backseat. Then there was the typical middle school attitude of “just drop me off at the entrance and park as far away as possible from me and my friends” days. Until finally we reached the point where we were old enough to drive. Then there were date nights, stuffing friends into the trunk to get in free, and mad gossiping about who was at the theatre with who. Ahh, the lifecycle of a drive-in movie theatre.

Sunset Drive In – Plentywood, Montana

At one point in time there were over 4,000 drive-in theatre’s in America (reaching its peak in the late 50′s and early 60′s) but only 400 remain today. Some of the major factors that lead to the decline of the drive-in theatre include real estate costs, seasonality (especially for those of us in NE Montana where snow frequently shows its face in May), and limited operating hours (or “limited darkness” you might say).

The widespread availability of video rentals also took its toll on drive-in theatres but despite the fact that I can instantly stream a movie through my Wii, there’s still something about the drive-in that is special to me. Maybe it’s because it’s something I grew up with. Or maybe it’s just the feeling of nostalgia.  Whatever it is, I absolutely love the drive-in theatre. I was ecstatic when I found out there was a drive-in theatre still operating only forty miles away from my current city of residence.  My boyfriend and I went to the Newberg, OR drive-in last weekend and watched a double feature under the stars. The entire parking lot was filled with pickup trucks with blow up mattresses and blankets in the bed. Now that’s what I call a night at the movies. And who knows? Maybe one day I’ll complete the lifecycle and be that parent falling asleep in the back seat!

Wondering if there’s a drive in theatre near you? Visit Drive-ins.com for a search-able drive-in directory.

“Silly is you in a natural state, and serious is something you have to do until you can get silly again.”
- Mike Myers

I have to admit Mike Myers isn’t someone I would typically quote but it felt right for this post. Anyone who knows me knows that I smile…A LOT. If I’m not smiling then something is terribly wrong. I can be serious when I need to be but I love silly, corny things like dressing up for theme parties, pink cars, face-in-the-hole pictures at the zoo (or wherever I can find them), singing my heart out to any song on the radio (even if I don’t know the words), and lifetime movies.

So when my mom and sister came to visit me for spring break I knew that things were bound to get silly at some point. The second night they were in town, Keenan and I took them to a Trailblazers game that happened to land on St. Patrick’s Day. I had purchased green party beads and goofy headbands weeks before they arrived and we picked up matching Blazers shirts on the way to the game. When we arrived at the Rose Garden I was randomly stopped and asked to participate in a contest before half time. I was extremely hesitant at first but signed the waiver regardless. Why not? My fate was doing the worm inside a sleeping bag from one free throw line to the next in front of my family and 20,000 other people (that’s me in the middle). If that’s not silly, I don’t know what is.

Let me take that back. Silly is wearing the tacky bibs at Joe’s Crab Shack (even when you don’t have to). Silly is simulating a shark attack with the mini shark that once garnished your drink.

Silly is these furry monster bags we found at the Portland Saturday Market. How cute are these?

Being silly is an important piece of everyday life. It generates laughter which is said to be a strong medicine for the mind and body. Laughter can reduce stress, burn calories, relax the body, lighten your mood, and even protect your heart. So if you’re having a bad day or need a different perspective on things, have a good laugh. Follow Margo’s example…

Those silly bags above are hand-made by a creative woman named Margo or “Lady M.” Margo is the mother of two young boys who both suffer from Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Her company helps support her family’s financial needs and serves as an educational tool for anyone who wants to learn more about muscular dystrophy. She also makes adorable aprons in addition to the “Little Monster Messenger Bags” shown above. It is so refreshing to see a woman who has taken her son’s disease and turned it into an expressive and educational forum mixed with a little bit of silliness. Life can be serious at times but we can all use a little silly now and then.

Number two on my list of spring break essentials is drinks. As I mentioned yesterday, there’s no shortage of food options in Portland and the same goes for drinks. With over 30 microbreweries in the metro area like Rogue, Bridgeport, and Cascade Brewing – many refer to this quirky city as beervana. Not a beer lover? Not to worry.There are a number of other options from swanky martini bars to local wineries and increasingly popular micro-distilleries.

While we didn’t sample any local microbrews on this trip, we did enjoy a few German beers alongside our delicious diner at Gustav’s – a German restaurant in northeast Portland. We tried a nice, light Spaten Munich Helles and Radeberger Pilsner (one of Germany’s 9 best-selling brews) from the eastern city of Radeberg, Germany. I’m always up for sampling new beers but I typically stick with the lighter to amber-colored brews. I would consider the Helles a good “beginner” German beer if you like to keep it light. It is one of the more well-known beers at Munich’s popular Oktoberfest which draws an average of 6 million visitors per year.

Aside from the beer, we enjoyed some really great martini’s during happy hour at Portland City Grill. This upscale restaurant, located on the 30th floor of the Bancorp building, offers gorgeous views of downtown Portland and Mount Hood (on a clear day). It is a bit on the spendy side for dinner but they offer a great happy hour menu which is no secret to the rest of the city. Happy hour is popular here…it starts at 4:30 p.m. and by the time we arrived at 4:45 p.m. there were no window seats left. We opted for a high top table off the bar which still offered us a pretty good view of the city. We sampled a few different martinis like a tangy sunberry martini and a sweet tiramisu martini with Vanilla Stoli, Bailey’s Irish Cream, Kahlua, and Godiva Original that could have easily passed for a dessert. PCG definitely tops my list for happy hours in Portland – great drinks, great food, amazing views, and a pianist that plays Billy Joel’s “piano man” as you walk out. Classic!

Join me tomorrow for our next spring break essential: silliness.

The first night my mom and sister got to town we met a good family friend for dinner at Tucci’s. This cozy little Italian restaurant in downtown Lake Oswego was only a quick jaunt away from our friends condo – which was nice because it was pouring rain! We had a good time catching up and the food was great. My mom and I both enjoyed a new york strip topped with grilled onions and a red wine reduction. The dish was served with  lightly breaded and fried potato fritters (similar to their risotto fritters I told you about a few weeks ago). Yum!

I worked a half day on Friday so we decided to meet up for lunch at Stanford’s for a few reasons (1) it’s super close to my work (2) they have smoked salmon chowder on Fridays (3) we had a coupon for a free flatbread pizza from the Shamrock Run. It was perfect!

After lunch we spent the afternoon shopping on NW 23rd Ave -  one of my all time favorite spots in the city. Since we were out and about early it was only natural that we find a great happy hour to round out the afternoon. There’s no better happy hour/view of the city than the 30th floor of the Bancorp building at Portland City Grill. We met Keenan here for martinis and a few light appetizers including kung pao calamari, sushi, and thai chili pot stickers before heading up to Vancouver for dinner at Joe’s Crab Shack on the waterfront. This day was as much about the views as it was the food.

Our last stop was my sister’s favorite restaurant in Portland: Gustav’s. My sister discovered this German restaurant on her last trip to Portland during Oktoberfest. She loved the place so much that she bought one of their hilarious lenderhorsen inspired t-shirts and wore it back to the restaurant for dinner. We had a nice, light Spaten Munich Helles before enjoying and array of sausage, fondue, spatzel, kraut roulade, and sauerbraten. All of the food was great but I have to say that the kraut roulade is my absolute favorite. I’m usually not the type to order the same thing at a restaurant. Now that I’m in the “big city” I’ve actually come to be the type that doesn’t even go back to the same restaurants unless I really enjoyed it. But every time I go back to Gustav’s I just can’t stray away from the kraut roulade. It’s just that good.

Join me tomorrow for a review of our next spring break essential….drinks.

This spring break I am happy to say that I had a MUCH better highlight than the traffic…my mom and sister came to visit for 5 days! I wasn’t able to take the whole week off but that didn’t stop us from enjoying our time together. While they were here we enjoyed all of the essentials of spring break:

#1. Food

#2. Drinks

#3. Silliness

#4. Party Beads

#5. Sun

As you can see, we didn’t get much of #5 but there was plenty of #1-4. Join me next week to hear more about our spring break together in Portland. Happy Friday everyone!