holiday

Perhaps we're a little odd. Instead of heading south to escape wintry weather we opted to go north this Christmas. Anxious for the start of the Bay Area's rainy season, we longed to explore rain-drenched temperate rain forest. And since we'd been vaguely thinking of taking a leisurely drive up the coast since we moved to California in 2004, this seemed like as good a time as any.

We took advantage of a "storm watchers" special and booked two nights at a cozy bed and breakfast in Pacific City, Oregon.



An unseasonably warm and dry morning allowed us a stunning forested hike with ocean vistas.




On our second day we toured (actually we just ate the free samples) the Tillamook cheese factory and walked to a small waterfall.



On our way to Seattle, we stopped for a glimpse of the Portland temple.




We were "blown away" by spectacular views of the Columbia River Gorge.




The Krumpermans took us on a fantastic whirlwind tour of Seattle. Our day began with a stop at water works park and a visit to a local troll's lair.











Next we saw the highlights of the zoo, including two brown bears and a family of gorillas (Ian's favorite). After touring Pike's Place Market, (and sharing some very tasty doughnuts) we visited the aquarium.







A single night at a bed and breakfast in Chilliwack and a day exploring urban parks in Vancouver, satisfied our cravings for adventure and Cadbury chocolate.