Trip to the Fossil Beds In OR

First night me and Katherine headed to John Day OR. I drove thru the 84 to get to Oregon from PA so I seen a bit of this country north of here. seeing this desert with snow on it was gorgeous. There were windmills along the road making this drive so fantastic and kind of dream like. All the snow, clouds and windmills made it seem like I was driving thru an animated movie. I pulled over several times to get some pictures (here).

Katherine booked us a spot in John Day OR first night so we actually drove past the fossil beds and trails that we would be visiting on the next day. Oh I forgot to mention on the drive we stopped at a restaurant Egg River Cafe, really good food.

At John day we stayed at a Best Western, which was great not too many people traveling to John Day on a snowy weekend so we had the city to ourselves and the locals. Such a nice city and everyone is so nice. I have learned that cities that get covered in snow seem to be very nice and helpful to others. We ate at Grubsteak, which was just delicious. I put away some food that night, I go thru hunger modes which I have been asked if I do eating contests.

The next day we drove out of John Day with no problems and no chains. Smooth driving all the way to John Day Fossil Beds National Monument. This place makes your eyes melt with how gorgeous it is. You stand at the side of a valley surrounded by mountains with rocky outcroppings (pic). I felt like I was in a movie like Silverado, that part where they are looking for Kevin Costener's character but, Danny Glover's character has him hidden away in this cave. There are so many trails and marked for mileage. We decided to take an easy trail on this very cold day. I got to say having the right gear in cold weather makes it so much better. I am rolling snow pants, my Obermyer jacket, and furry Ugg boots. In heaven in the cold.

The trail was gorgeous (pic here). There a few bubbles with fossils in them letting you know all of this is a dig site. I had to put my camera down and enjoy the sites. It is so easy to get caught up in taking pictures as this place is mesmerizing. The silence of a cold day and snow beneath your feet. The sound of the wind thru the canyon trail it is all so very peaceful and has to be experienced thru all of your senses rather than viewed thru the tiny screen of a camera.

The road to the painted hills is about 15 min off the main road but very worth it. They were covered in snow but still magnificent. Again the peacefulness of this place can almost be overwhelming.

Pronghorn resort is where we stayed that night. Wow is the word that comes to mind, again I felt like I was in a western movie like Silverado. The road up to the resort is winding and surrounded by low level trees. The resort itself is pretty and fits into the surrounding area like it has always been there. The staff at the front desk is the friendliest. The gym at this place is fantastic with everything working and in a good configuration. I was able to watch UFC fight noght as I worked out which was the best. The restaurant was divine,  The wait staff recommended scallops which were cooked to perfection. The atmosphere made date night with my girlfriend the best.

The drive back to Portland was full of snow chains and sliding vehicles. I am 40 and for the first time in my life I got to drive with snow chains. This was so much fun and kind of hair raising, a kid driving ( 18 or so) a truck with no chains slide right into a snow embankment right in front of me. I am driving a toyota car so in no way do I have the tools or the vehicle to help him. I had to keep going as there was a line of people behind me itching to go faster than the 20 I was going. At points I could no longer see the road. Me and my girlfriend kind of had a laugh as well because I forgot to fill up at the last station and we were running low on fuel. 

We made it thru with no issues and with new stories, with tons of laughs and peaceful moments.

Seattle

My girlfriend Katherine wanted to show me the sites of Seattle Washington. We booked an Amtrack train from Portland to Seattle which is a two fer for me since I have never been on an Amtrack and never been to Seattle. It was a crisp morning when we started out, we put all our stuff in my one very nice luggage bag that I purchased in Pittsburgh ( love this thing).

The train ride was such a fantastic ride. The view out the window was spectacular. I had no idea how pretty the Pacific Northwest is. The travel was easy and relaxed, I had time to sketch and talk with Katherine. When we arrived at Seattle we were rested and ready to explore. First stop was this waterfall garden and then onto a lunch spot. Katherine loves Mediterranean food and she knew the exact spot to take me, Cafe Paloma. The food was delicious and light, the place itself was so fun, and the staff was so great.

After our wonderful lunch we went over to our hotel to check in, The Loews Hotel 1000. I was blown away by the room. We up scaled to a better view which was the right choice. We had a view of the ocean and a Ferris wheel. The Ferris wheel was lit up with Christmas Lights and holiday cheer. The bathroom has a glass wall so you can soak in the large bathtub ( made for two) and watch tv or enjoy the view of the room and the ocean. The bathtub is crazy that fills from the ceiling. It is an absolutely amazing room that is worth every penny on a romantic get away.

The hotel is within walking distance of the art museum. The SAM was having the Andrew Wyeth exhibit when we visited. We also walked on over to the Library which has such an amazing building. Take the time and take the elevator to the top floor and walk down the gentle ramp down to the bottom floor. The library is such a wonderful look at form and design, it meshes practicality with art-form so beautifully.

For dinner we walked down to the pier and happened upon Elliots Oyster House. Really nice place to eat with a wonderful view. The oysters were delicious and the fish oh yum. I have no idea what they did to the portabello mushroom but oh my it was the best thing on the dish. Me and Katherine usually share our dishes and the kitchen split the dish for us which was fabulous.

The next day we went on the usual coffee run and again we went over to split a cupcake from this awesome cupcake spot which also has the tastiest macaroons I have ever had. Trophy Cupcakes was so delicious I knew that all the work outs and careful diet was for this bite of tasty cake in a cup. Then I had the macaroons and my love of cookies finally found its home. If you do anything in Seattle make that day your cheat day and go grab a cupcake. Share that cake with someone you love and then get the macaroons and eat those cookies yourself. I got a box of 18 to bring back and share which was one of the hardest things I have done in my adult life.

With such a wonderful adventure behind us we left on the Amtrack train that brought us in on Sunday.

Leaving Pittsburgh

I have grown to love the city of Pittsburgh, its people and its overall feel. It is a gorgeous city with old structures and even older streets. I had a wonderful life in Pittsburgh, had a wonderful girlfriend native to Pittsburgh. She showed me around and introduced me to its gorgeous sunsets and splendid city views. 

The art scene in Pittsburgh is amazing and so open to new artists. I was welcomed by some truly amazing artists. Joktan is an local artists I truly admire. He not only has the most amazing artwork I have ever laid my eyes on but, he is out there doing murals and got a whole art movement going on. He welcomes artists in and helps give artists a voice. I learned a lot about the hussle aspect of the artist from Joktan. I recommend going to Mad Noodle on Carson street in Southside. Joktan has brought together several artists with a variety of styles to display their skills on the walls of this delicious restaurant.  

I will miss Pittsburgh, its gorgeous skyline and very friendly people. I will of course miss someone I loved.

Pymatuning Lake

Sunset at Pymatuning lake

My girlfriend wanted to do a quick camping trip with her kids. Their first camping trip we figured we would take them to a place we have been before. The campground is awesome right on the lake and during the week there were only a few campers. Very kid friendly.  Only issue we had was there is some kind of carp die off going on so a bit smelly in some areas close to the water. My girlfriend has a Tepui roof top tent that has an annex so she and her two kids slept in the tent. I had a comfy bedroll in the annex. So very cool man I love camping.

Anguilla

With all the damage reports from hurricane Irma I have been thinking about my trip to Anguilla and St.Maarten. It was so beautiful, I stayed at the Four Seasons on Anguilla during their off season at the end of July. It was so magical. My girlfriend's family invited me to go and we had the good fortune of being bumped up to their large five bedroom villa. It was absolutely gorgeous. More pictures here

The facilities were amazing and the staff were incredible making sure everything was lovely. We had a rental car so I got to drive a bit on the wrong side of the road ( for me). Every beach was incredible, every restaurant and little shop amazing. 

We had golf carts to drive to the hotel and to the restaurants it was really cool. Since I like to work out I ran from the villa to the gym. Oh man the gym is pretty nice has alot of great equipment that was well maintained. Water and towels at the gym with seperate rooms for cardio, lifting, and floor exercise.   

Kakslauttanen

The resort we stayed at (link here) kakslauttanen was magical. It was so snowy and cold, I have never been that cold in all my life. It got down to -4 C. I am so glad me and my girlfriend got snow gear. I personally spent what I thought was too much money for cold weather gear. Every penny spent was worth it and yet I was still cold. I purchased these ugg boots for men called Butte ( I didn't catch em on sale). These boots were warm and yet the reindeer ride I was so cold. When the clouds parted and the aurora was shining I had to periodically get into the tent that was set up and get next to the fire. 

I have lived most of my life in southern California where it doesn't get that cold. It gets pretty cold up in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The Mojave desert not so much. When I was a kid it snowed a foot deep out in Lucerne Valley CA but still nothing like Finland. The coldest I ever got was 0 degrees -20 with the windchill in Ft.Sill Ok. Kakslauttanen is just cold all the time in February.

Preparation and seeing the Aurora made it all worth it. Venus was in the night sky during our adventure in Finland. It was so bright I thought it was a man made light tower on some mountain. It seemed like a distant spot light. The night sky in Ivalo was majestic. 

We only stayed one night in the glass igloo. Then we switched over to the queen suite for three nights. It has a private sauna and this SoCal guy was in it a lot. It has this shower by this very large bathtub. I have never felt so pampered in my entire life. The doors on this place (actually every place) are those big freezer doors. It keeps so warm in there. The room has a jacuzzi on its own private deck. Me and my girlfriend went in it at night when the temp was a -1C. We couldn't stop laughing it was so cold. The water was nice at 80F but it was just ridiculously cold. We kind of had to do it in our birthday suits to say we did it. We ran back in as fingers were sticking to things 

Ivalo

My girlfriend showed me this picture of glass igloos in the snow. It was a brochure to a glass igloo hotel deep in the arctic circle. We started talking about how cool that would be and how much I wanted to see the Northern lights. We ( my girlfriend and me) flew in to Helsinki on the 12th of Feb.

Helsinki was the best. We stayed in the Hilton located right here next to the ocean. It was amazing to see as the sea would freeze people would walk out onto it. According to one of our cab drivers "crazy" people. 

We took a ferry to Suomenlinna, which is this island fortress. It is so pretty and the museums are as fantastic as their restaurants. The sunset was just jaw dropping. The ferry ride back as it was becoming night time was incredible. The ice on the water being broken and pushed aside as the lights of the city started to come on.

We continued our journey up north, way up north. We landed in Ivalo. Oh my word you should go to this hotel they have glass igloos so you can watch the Aurora at night. It was snowing on that night for us but, the following night as we were on a reindeer sleigh ride when the sky cleared for a display of the northern lights. It was magical.  We went on a dog sled excursion which was fantastic. I got to drive first then my girlfriend. We were allowed to pet the dogs at the end. The smile was on my face despite the cold. Oh and protip when they tell you to take the extra heavy clothing do it. I had on so many layers of high quality snow gear on that I didnt think I would need it. The staff politely insisted and so many thanks that they did. I could feel the cold thru all their equipment and mine.

We went back to Helsinki for another day before the return trip home. We went to a grocery store there and quickly learned how different things are even as they are the same. This was a once in a lifetime journey for me, spending it with my girlfriend made it epic. If you have are planning a once in a lifetime trip go to Ivalo and see the Northern lights. The people there are the friendliest it was contagious. I wish I could thank each person I came across they made it special. Oh and the guy that runs the Northern Lights Tank excursion, awesome dude you have to meet him. 

Niagara Falls

What an amazing adventure, pictures here. 

Me and my girlfriend were talking and I mentioned I have never been out of the country other than Mexico. I mentioned how I had a new passport with no stamps on it. She asked if I have ever been to Niagara Falls. "Uh nope, always wanted to go".

So we drove up to Canada oh and it was so much fun. The drive was great, I got another state under my belt. Buffalo is a very pretty city all the brickwork, it truly is amazing. I still like St. Louis more but that is another story.

I booked a hotel with a large bathtub (cause I love big bathtubs) which was at the Wyndham. Really nice hotel, the staff was great and the view was ok. It is a short walk to the falls and really good restaurants.

I missed my opportunity to go on a helicopter when I was in the Army (long story), so my girlfriend mentions that there is a nearby company that does this. She isn't the biggest fans of helos. The Niagara Helicopters  had quiet aircraft and very fast. They are flying several all day so the wait time isn't that much. The views (look at my pinterest pics) are stunning. The pilot takes long banking turns so even my girlfriend had fun. You can purchase a photo at the end which of course we did. 

We had lunch at Elements on the Falls which has a wonderful menu. My girlfriend and I tend to eat lighter meals and their menu had an assortment of light and great tasting foods. The view is magical. We had a table near the windows and the falls are a hundred feet away.

Canada was great. This trip made me want to see other parts of Canada like Toronto. From the Skylon tower you can see it