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San Juan Island, Washington

Introduction

It had been a long time since my wife and I had been to the San Juans Islands, so a trip to Friday Harbor on San Juan Island seemed like the ideal early fall getaway that we were looking for. The San Juan Islands lie in the Salish Sea north of Puget Sound in Washington, and east of British Columbia’s Vancouver Island. There are four main islands that are served by ferry – Orcas, Shaw, Lopez, and San Juan. San Juan Island is the largest and most populous of the islands.

We drove to Anacortes, Washington from our home in the Portland area and spent some time that afternoon exploring the town and the nearby town of La Conner, one of my favorite small towns in the Pacific Northwest. We boarded our ferry the next morning for the hour and a half trip through the islands to Friday Harbor. We spent the next four days getting reacquainted with the many charms of the town and the island.

Getting There

Most visitors to the island come via the Washington State Ferry System. There are interisland ferries that depart from Anacortes and stop at all four of the main islands, and an express ferry that runs between Anacortes and Friday Harbor, bypassing the other islands. Check the ferry website for schedules and to make reservations. Reservations aren’t absolutely required – a few spots are left for people without reservations – but reserving a ticket in advance is the only way to guarantee that you’ll get on. Even then, ferries are sometimes cancelled due to weather or other causes. Our ferry to Friday Harbor was delayed for an hour and earlier sailings that day were cancelled due to the lack of a full crew.

The other ways of getting to San Juan Island are by private boat, water taxi (passengers only), or airplane. There are several water taxi services that operate from various mainland ports to Friday Harbor and Roche Harbor (and to other islands, including those not served by the ferry system). And Kenmore Air has a limited schedule of flights from Boeing Field in Seattle to Friday Harbor Airport. Kenmore Air and others also operate seaplane flights to Friday Harbor and Roche Harbor.

Getting Around

If you’re just interested in exploring Friday Harbor, you don’t need a vehicle. It’s a small and very walkable community, and there is plenty there to keep you occupied for at least a couple of days. So, you can save some money by leaving your car behind in Anacortes and buying a passenger only ticket on the ferry. Water taxis will cost as much, or more, as taking your car on the ferry. I didn’t check into flight costs, but they are almost certainly much more expensive than the ferry.

Even without a vehicle, you can still get around the island via the San Juan Transit bus system that stops at Roche Harbor, English Camp, American Camp, Lime Kiln Point State Park, and several resorts, wineries, and other attractions on the island. Uber and Lyft also operate on the island.

Another way to get around is by bicycle. Bring your own or rent from one of several rental shops in Friday Harbor. Roche Harbor, on the north end of the island, is less than ten miles from downtown Friday Harbor. Other destinations are even closer. The easiest way to get around is by car, of course. We brought ours. The cost for the round-trip ferry ride from Anacortes was about $75.

Friday Harbor

Friday Harbor is the commercial center of the San Juan Islands and the only town of any size. Although small in size and population, Friday Harbor is chocked full of interesting places to visit and things to do, regardless of your particular interests. There are several interesting museums, dozens of cafes and restaurants, small shops of all kinds, and many places to take in the views of the harbor and the surrounding islands. A number of companies offer whale watching cruises. Others offer scenic flights on floatplanes. And kayak tours, both day and multi-day trips, can be booked through several companies in Friday Harbor.

There is no shortage of places to eat in Friday Harbor. For breakfast and lunch, I can personally recommend both Rocky Bay Café and Tina’s Place. For dining with a view, go to Downriggers on the bayfront. Classic Italian food can be found at Vinny’s Ristorante. Vegetarian and vegan food can be had at Mike’s Café and Wine Bar. For quality craft beers and upscale pub food, try San Juan Brewing. For seafood in a casual dining space, check out Friday’s Crab House. We ate at all of those, and all were good. But that’s just a sampling of what Friday Harbor offers. I wish we had had a few more days to sample more of the town’s eateries. What’s a vacation for, after all.

If you an art lover, The San Juan Islands Museum of Art features visual artworks from local and regional artists. On a slightly different note, The Whale Museum has exhibits featuring native arts and the marine environment with a focus on education and environmental protection. You might also want to visit the Arctic Raven Gallery.

We stayed in a vacation rental about a five minute walk from downtown Friday Harbor, but there are many other lodging options in Friday Harbor and around the island, from luxury hotels to budget friendly cabins and cottages. A full list of available accommodations of all types can be found on the San Juan Islands Visitors Bureau website, as well as a comprehensive list of things to do and sights to see.

Roche Harbor

Roche Harbor, located on the north end of the island, was once the site of the largest lime deposit in the Pacific Northwest, and a large lime plant. Since the closing of the lime plant, Roche Harbor has morphed into an upscale resort community that is one of the most visited sites on the island.

The resort consists of a hotel (the historic Hotel De Haro, built in 1886), a large marina, three restaurants, a grocery store, several shops featuring local artisans, tennis courts, a heated outdoor swimming pool, and nicely landscaped grounds. Besides the hotel, resort accommodations also include historic cottages and modern luxury houses.

San Juan Islands Sculpture Park

Near Roche Harbor (I think it’s actually part of the resort), the San Juan Islands Sculpture Park is a must see if you’re at all interested in sculpture. There are over 100 works of art (it seemed like many more) spread out over the twenty acres of the garden. Plan to spend at least an hour here. We spent more than that and still didn’t see it all. Admission is free, but donations are requested.

The Pig War

The 1846 Treaty that set the boundary between Canada and the United States didn’t specify whether the boundary was meant to be Haro Strait, west of San Juan Island, or Rosario Strait, east of Lopez and Orcas Islands. Both England and the U.S. claimed the islands and both British and American settlers resided on San Juan Island, mostly in peace. But in 1859 an American settler shot and killed a pig that had strayed onto his land. The pig belonged to an English company. That act almost started a war.

Tensions between the American and British contingents led both England and the U.S. to send military forces to the island. From 1859 to 1872, when the boundary dispute was finally settled in favor of the United States, the island was jointly occupied by both forces. No actual combat occurred, and no one was injured in the Pig War. The sites of the two country’s military installations are now part of San Juan Island National Historical Park.

English Camp

The British military outpost was located on Garrison Bay, on the northwest corner of the island not far from Roche Harbor. Only a few of the original structures remain. One of the barracks now houses the English Camp Visitor Center. Lots of interesting history there in a beautiful setting. I highly recommend stopping in.

American Camp

The American forces were located on the south end of the island about five miles south of Friday Harbor. Like at English Camp, few of the original structures remain, and only one of the structures is in its original location. Unlike English Camp, American Camp is located away from the water, on an open ridge top overlooking the water on both sides of the island. The visitor center here is much larger than the one at English Camp and is in a modern structure. More interesting history here, in a different but equally beautiful setting.

My wife and I did a short (1.7-mile) hike here. Starting at the visitor center, we first hiked east to the Parade Grounds and Picket’s Redoubt, then south to the edge of the bluff overlooking the shore. The trail then took us west along the bluff with nice views of Eagle Point and across Haro Strait to Vancouver Island. We took a short side trip down to the water at Grandma’s Cove before returning to the visitor center.

South Beach and Cattle Point

South Beach, just southeast of American Camp, is also part of San Juan Island National Historical Park. Cattle Point, just outside the park boundary, is the southernmost point of land on the island. Neither are particularly remarkable, and Cattle Point Lighthouse (our destination after visiting American Camp) isn’t as attractive or iconic as Lime Kiln Point Lighthouse (pictured below). But the views of nearby Lopez Island and some of the smaller islands between San Juan and Lopez are nice, and there are some good trails in the area. In fact, if you’re looking for a little longer hike than the one we did at American Camp, it’s possible to hike from the American Camp Visitor Center to Cattle Point. The out and back hike is about seven miles. A slightly shorter hike (4.3 miles) to Cattle Point begins and ends at the Jake’s Beach Lagoon parking area.

San Juan County Park and Lime Kiln Point

The west coast of San Juan Island is prime whale watching territory, and the island’s west coast is rugged and wildly beautiful. San Juan County Park has a small campground and a boat ramp on Smallpox Bay.

Lime Kiln Point State Park has a scenic lighthouse, trails along the shore, and is one of the prime whale watching sites on the island. Both offer views across Haro Strait to Vancouver Island and the northeast suburbs of Victoria. Unfortunately, there were no whales in the area when we visited.

Zylstra Lake

Until 2015 Zylstra Lake was privately owned and surrounded by farmland, and it has only recently been opened to the public. It is now owned by San Juan County Land Bank and managed under a conservation easement by the San Juan Preservation Trust. We thought it might be an interesting place to explore, and the trail around the lake looked like it might be a good hike. Both of those proved to be true. For more information and a description of the hike, click here to view my hike-of-the-week post.

Conclusion

On our final evening on the island, we drove to the Westside Preserve, just south of Lime Kiln Point, to watch the sunset. We didn’t see any whales there either, but the sunset was beautiful and a nice way to end our stay.

The next morning, we caught our ferry back to the mainland, fought our way through Seattle area traffic, and returned home, refreshed and ready for our next adventure.

Posted October 12, 2023 by Alan K. Lee

All photos © Alan K. Lee

Key West and the Florida Keys

We all need to get away from home on occasion, sometimes far away, and the Florida Keys are about as far from the Pacific Northwest as you can get and still be in one of the fifty U.S. states – Honolulu is closer to Seattle than Key West is. And the Keys make for a great winter getaway. My wife and I had a great time in Key West on our only visit and I would love to return to someday.

The following was originally posted on this site a couple of years ago. I checked all of the links, but things can change, so check the Keys News website for current information if you’re contemplating a visit in the near future.

If you are thinking about a visit to Key West, the first thing you should do is track down a copy of Jon Breakfield’s book “Key West: Tequila, a Pinch of Salt and a Quirky Slice of America.” Breakfield and his wife were living in Scotland and took a winter vacation to Key West one year. Two days into their visit they decided not to go back to Scotland. Breakfield’s book is an absolutely hilarious account of their first year in Key West. It’s also a good introduction to the Key West culture and works as a weird sort of travel guide. After reading the book, you’ll probably want to visit The Bull, a bar on Duval Street, and the Whistle Bar, which occupies the floor above. The Whistle Bar has a wrap around veranda that is one of the best people watching perches in Key West. Both figure prominently in the book. And if you’re really adventurous, you might even want to venture up one more flight to the clothing optional rooftop bar called The Garden of Eden.

Key West is a quirky place, and nothing exemplifies that better than the city’s tongue in check secession from the United States in 1982. After the Border Patrol set up a roadblock on the highway between Key Largo and Miami (to stem the flow of drugs into the country via the Keys), creating huge traffic backups and inhibiting island residents from commuting to jobs on the mainland, the mayor and city council of Key West decided that if the Border Patrol was going to treat them like they were a foreign country by setting up a de facto border crossing station, they would become one. Thus was born the Conch Republic. The move was pure political theater (the mayor “surrendered” to the commander of the naval air station at Key West the day after declaring the Conch Republic’s independence), but it resonated with the anti-establishment sentiment common among island residents, and the spirit of the Conch Republic persists to this day.

Duval Street is the main drag in Key West. It’s lined with bars and restaurants, galleries, gift shops, and much more. You can eat your way down one side of the street and drink your way back up the other, if you’re so inclined. You’ll probably meet fifty other tourists for every local, but everyone will be having a good time and you won’t care that it’s not the real Key West.

Besides Duval Street, another major tourist draw is Mallory Square and the daily Sunset Celebration. Key West is known for its sunsets and didn’t disappoint on our visit. And every evening about two hours before sunset dozens of artists, crafters, food vendors, and street performers of every stripe congregate at Mallory Square to hawk whatever it is they’re selling to the tourists gathered there to watch the sunset. It’s weird, wild, and enormously entertaining. And then there’s a beautiful sunset to cap it all off.

Key West has plenty of places of interest beyond Duval Street and Mallory Square, too. The Hemingway House is another major tourist draw. Get there early if you’re going or buy your tickets online. The line was around the block both times we thought about taking a look. The Audubon House, Key West Lighthouse Museum, Eco-Discovery Center , Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park , the Mel Fisher Maritime Museum, and the Key West Aquarium are all worth a visit.

If you just want to hang out at the beach, Fort Zach Park has a nice swimming beach (with an adjacent bar). South Beach at the end of Duval Street also has a beach bar and grill. Higgs Beach is four or five blocks east and has a nice beach for sunbathing and swimming. And across the street, Astro City Playground is a fun place for kids to play. To the east of Higgs Beach are C.B. Harvey Memorial Rest Beach (no bar or other amenities) and Smathers Beach. Dog Beach, a couple of blocks east of South Beach, is literally for the dogs – a dog friendly, off leash park.

Key West has dozens of fine restaurants. All of the places we dined at were excellent. We had a couple of great breakfasts at a place called Camille’s Cafe, but it appears to be closed. Blue Heaven, Cafe Sole, and a Cuban restaurant called El Siboney all had excellent food. We also lunched at a couple of Duval Street eateries (whose names I’ve forgotten) that were very good. The Lobster Shack, The Flaming Bouy, Louie’s Backyard, Sarabeth’s Kitchen, Santiago’s Bodega (tapas), Cafe Marquesa, The Cafe (vegetarian), Ambrosia (Japanese), and B.O.’s Fish Wagon (fresh and very affordable seafood) are all highly rated, also.

Nature lovers will want to check out Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservancy, Indigenous Park, Key West Nature Preserve, and Key West Wildlife Center.

If you’re interested in fishing, Trip Advisor lists more than two dozen fishing charters and tours. If scuba diving is your thing, Finz Dive Center, Captain’s Corner Dive Center, and Lost Reef Adventures all offer diving tours and are highly rated.

Tourism drives Key West’s economy and there is no shortage of available accommodations , from luxury resorts to whole house rentals to budget motels and inexpensive Airbnb rentals. We went the Airbnb route and found a reasonably affordable room in Old Town. But the closer to the historic district and Duval Street, the more expensive the accommodations become, and the longer ahead that you will need to make reservations. It’s an advantage to stay within walking distance of Old Town, as parking is limited, but if you have a car and don’t mind spending some time looking for a place to park, staying in the New Town section or on Stock Island can save you some money. Key West is bicycle friendly, has a public transit system, and taxis are readily available (some with bicycle racks), so driving into Old Town is not strictly necessary, even if you are not staying close by. Uber and Lyft are also options.

The bottom line is there are as many reasons to visit Key West as there are tourists visiting. It’s a great party town and a great place to lounge on the beach and soak up the sunshine, but it’s much more than just that. Key West is soaked in history, has a great food scene, has great fishing and diving, and is located in an incredibly beautiful natural setting.

The other Florida Keys have their own attractions, too, and the drive from Miami to Key West is an attraction on its own.

Key Largo is the closest of the keys to the mainland and many of the residents commute to the mainland, but it has many attractions that draw travelers, too. It’s the self-proclaimed “dive capital of the world” and home to the world’s largest artificial reef, among other attractions. If fishing is your thing, Islamorada bills itself as the “sport-fishing capital of the world.”

There were a number of other interesting places in the Keys that we stopped at on our way to and from Key West. One of those was the National Key Deer Refuge on Sugarloaf Key. Key deer are tiny – not much bigger than a German shepherd. Another stop we made was Bahia Honda State Park, which has a nice swimming beach and clear waters in multiple hues of blue.

The Overseas Highway through the Keys is an engineering marvel and driving it is an amazing journey, even if you don’t stop at any of the Keys along the way. The Seven Mile Bridge itself is one of the main attractions in the Keys.

If you’re contemplating a visit, flying to Key West is an option, but I’d do as we did – fly to Miami or Fort Lauderdale, rent a car, and drive the Overseas Highway. Visit the other Keys and go diving, snorkeling, fishing, or just find an uncrowded beach and soak up the sunshine away from the crowds. And, of course, take in Key West and all it has to offer. You won’t regret it. And while you’re in Florida, the Everglades are only a short drive from Miami.

Originally posted by Alan K. Lee on August 10, 2018. Updated with Covid-19 info December 14, 2020. Updated and expanded September 15, 2023.

All photos © Alan K. Lee

Isle of Man

Even though my only visit to the Isle of Man came almost twenty years ago, at the end of an almost month-long vacation to Scotland and England’s Lake District, the three days we spent on the Isle of man were memorable.

The Isle of Man lies in the Irish Sea, halfway between Liverpool and Belfast. My sister in law had visited the island previously and thought we would like it, so my wife and I added it to the itinerary for our 2006 trip to England and Scotland. And I’m glad we did. The Isle of Man is a very interesting and charming place, and certainly one of the most unique places that we have visited in our travels.

Not quite an independent country, the Isle of Man is officially a Protectorate of the United Kingdom. The UK is responsible for the island’s defense and representing the island in international affairs. But the Isle of Man is not actually a part of the United Kingdom. The island’s parliament, which has been in existence since the 10th century, governs all domestic matters, and the island has its own legal and political systems and its own currency. (The British Pound is also legal tender on the Isle of Man, but the reverse is not true, as I found out when I accidentally tried to pay a bar tab back in England with an Isle of Man £20 note. The barkeep was not amused, to say the least.)

Getting to the island is relatively easy. It is no more than a 30 minute flight from any major city in the UK or Ireland. We, however, traveled to the island by passenger ferry from Heysham, England, which takes about two and a half hours. Ferries from Heysham and Liverpool run year round. In the summer months, there are also ferries from Belfast and Dublin to Douglas, the capital and largest city on the island.

Getting around on the Isle of Man is also easy. There is a government run bus system that covers the entire island. And since it is a small island, only roughly 300 square miles in size, all of the towns on the island are within about twenty miles of each other. There is also steam powered railroad running between Douglas and Port Erin in the south, and an electric railway running between Douglas and Ramsey in the north. And there is even an electric railway running to the summit of Snaefel, the highest peak on the island.

We stayed in Douglas and spent most of our time on the island exploring the city, but we also ventured to Peele, on the west coast, by double-decker bus, and to Port Erin by the steam train. Neither of us had ever ridden in a double-decker, and the train was one of a kind. I’m not sure which was more fun, riding in the front seat of the upper deck on the bus, or riding the little steam train on its leisurely journey to Port Erin.

On our train ride we met a local gentleman who was happy to pass on some of his knowledge of the island and its history. We found the Manx people to be friendly and welcoming.

The Isle of Man has an interesting history. It has been ruled by the Celts and the Vikings, and it has, at various times, been part of Norway, Scotland, and England. But the Manx people have a strong sense of their own identity and have managed to maintain that identity for more than a millennia, regardless of who ruled the island. Tynwald, the Isle of Man parliament, is one of the oldest, if not the oldest, in the world. And human occupation of the island goes back to at least 6500 BC.

The Isle of Man is known for the short-tailed Manx breed of cats. The island is also the home of a four- and sometimes six-horned breed of sheep, and a population of red-necked wallaby, which have become established on the island after escaping from a wildlife park. We saw many of the odd looking sheep, but no cats or wallabies, sorry to say.

Motor sports fans know the island for the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy motorcycle races. For two weeks in May or June, the island becomes one giant racetrack. The TT, as it’s known, was first held in 1907, and is probably the most famous motorcycle race in the world today.

The Isle of Man was a popular tourist destination for a good part of the 20th century. But the advent of cheap flights from Great Britain to southern Europe led to a significant decline in the tourist industry. Today, the economy of the island revolves around banking, insurance, online gaming, and information technology.

While the Isle of Man might not be a tourist destination in its own right, at least for those of us from North America, we thoroughly enjoyed our time there, and I would like to go back someday. It has been some time since we visited, but given the island’s long history, I doubt that its essential character has changed much over the past seventeen years. I’m sure it remains a worthy addition to any trip to Great Britain or Ireland.

Originally posted by Alan K. Lee, December 4, 2020. Updated and re-posted August 28, 2023.

All photos © Alan K. Lee

Fort Stevens State Park, Oregon Coast

Introduction

Fort Stevens State Park is one of the most popular and most visited parks in Oregon, and for good reason. It includes a nice beach with good clamming at low tides, a freshwater lake with two picnic grounds, hiking trails, abundant wildlife habitat (including that of a resident herd of Roosevelt elk), a shipwreck, a large campground, and more. And it has an interesting history.

History

From 1864 to 1947, Fort Stevens was an active military base, one of three forts at the mouth of the Columbia River built to protect the entrance to the river. After decommissioning, the fort became the property of the Army Corp of Engineers. In 1975 ownership was transferred to the State of Oregon and became part of Fort Stevens State Park. Many of the concrete gun batteries are still present and open to the public. The park also includes a military history museum, and tours of an underground WWII-era portion of the fort are available.

Fort Stevens State Park was created in 1955 after Clatsop County gifted a parcel of land south of the old military base to the State of Oregon. The state expanded the park several times between 1955 and 1975. The addition of the grounds of the historic Fort Stevens brought the park area to its present size of 4300 acres.

In addition to its military history, Fort Stevens State Park is also part of Lewis and Clark National Historic Park.

The Park

Today, Fort Stevens State Park includes a campground with almost 500 campsites (174 with full hookups and 302 with water and electricity). There are also 15 yurts, 11 cabins, and a hiker-biker camp. The campground has bathrooms with flush toilets and hot showers.

There are two large picnic areas on the shores of Coffenbury Lake, a 50-acre freshwater lake that is sheltered from the strong winds that can make the beach a less than pleasant experience at times. The lake has a boat ramp (non-motorized craft or boats with electric motors only), and the lake is stocked with rainbow trout. It also has a variety of warm water fish, including largemouth bass, and is occasionally stocked with steelhead.

The park includes a nine-mile-long bike path, six miles of hiking trails, four miles of ocean beach (part of 15 miles of uninterrupted beach stretching from the south jetty of the Columbia River to the town of Gearhart), two miles of Columbia riverfront beach, and four miles of marshland along the Columbia River Estuary.

Wreck of the Peter Iredale, October 25, 1906. Sourced from Wikimedia Commons.

The Shipwreck

One of the unique features of the park is the shipwreck still visible on the beach after more than a century.

On a foggy night in October 1906, the Peter Iredale, a four masted, steel hulled sailing ship, was blown ashore four miles south of the entrance to the Columbia River by a strong west wind. All 27 crew members were rescued unharmed, but the ship could not be salvaged and has remained on the beach ever since.

The wreck has deteriorated over the past century, but a surprisingly large amount of the hull remains intact. I visited the wreck at low tide in August (2023) and took the photos shown here. (My family camped at Fort Stevens a number of times when I was growing up, but in those days the wreck was buried in the sand, and I don’t remember it being visible on any of our trips there. It wasn’t until fairly recently that I first saw the remains of the ship).

Getting There

Fort Stevens State Park is located near Astoria, Oregon. From Astoria, take US Hwy 101 south across the New Youngs Bay Bridge. Just south of the bridge turn right onto Ore Hwy 104 (E. Harbor Drive). Follow Hwy 104 through downtown Warrenton and follow signs to the park. From the south, take Hwy 101 north, turn left onto Ore Hwy 104 just south of Warrenton, and follow signs to the park.

Nearby Attractions

The area around the mouth of the Columbia River has many interesting places to explore in addition to Fort Stevens. The Lewis and Clark Expedition, the first Americans to explore the area west of the continental divide, reached the mouth of the Columbia in 1806. Members of the expedition built Fort Clatsop, where they spent the winter of 1806-07. The exact location of the fort is unknown, but a replica of the fort, part of Lewis and Clark National Historic Park, is located a few miles east of Fort Stevens where historians believe the fort was located. For hikers, the park features a 6.5-mile trail from Fort Clatsop to the Pacific Ocean at Sunset Beach.

In 1811, John Jacob Astor’s Northwest Company established Fort Astoria at the site of the present-day town of Astoria, the oldest American settlement west of the Rocky Mountains. Astoria is an interesting as well as historic town well worth visiting on its own.

North Head Lighthouse, Cape Disappointment State Park

Besides Fort Stevens, there are several other parks in the area. Cape Disappointment State Park is located on the Washington side of the Columbia River. It’s the site of Fort Canby, another of the forts that guarded the mouth of the river. Fort Columbia Historical State Park, a few miles inland on the shore of the Washington side of the river, is the site of the third of the three forts.

Ocean fishing trips can be booked on charter boats at the port town of Ilwaco, on the Washington side of the river across the four-mile-long Astoria-Megler Bridge from the town of Astoria.

Conclusion

Whether you’re a camper, beachcomber, history buff, fisherman, hiker, wildlife enthusiast, photographer, or sightseer, Fort Stevens State Park and the immediate area has something for everyone. And the Long Beach, Washington area north of the Columbia, and the towns, parks, and beaches of the northern Oregon coast also have a lot to offer the traveler. It is no wonder that the area is one of the top tourist destinations in the Pacific Northwest.

Posted August 13, 2023 by Alan K. Lee

All photos by and property of the author, except as noted

Hug Point State Park, Oregon Coast

Hug Point State Park

Located near the coastal town of Cannon Beach, Oregon, Hug Point’s unique blend of beaches, tide pools, interesting and unusual rock formations, caves, and waterfall make it one my favorite spots on the coast. The headland also blocks the prevailing northwest wind in the summer, so it’s often quite pleasant there when more exposed beaches are uncomfortably cold.

Besides being one of the nicer and more interesting beaches on the Oregon coast, Hug Point also played an interesting role in securing Oregon’s beaches as public property more than a century ago. Before the coast highway (US 101) was built, the beaches were important transportation routes. In the case of the small community of Arch Cape, located about five miles south of Cannon Beach, the beach was the only route in or out of the town. And travelers had to get around Hug Point, which was difficult for horse drawn carriages and wagons. They had to “hug the point” in rounding it to keep from getting into water too deep to negotiate, even at low tide.

Early motor cars had even more of a problem getting around Hug Point than carriages and wagons. To make the traverse easier and safer, someone blasted a primitive roadway into the face of the headland. Legend has it that it was done by a man after he had lost his new car to the rising tide while trying to navigate around the point. But who actually built it, and when, remains unknown. There are photos of the finished roadway dating to 1915, but there are no surviving records of the roadway’s construction.

In 1911 Oswald West was elected Governor of Oregon, partly on the basis of his campaign promise to protect Oregon’s beaches from private development. The Oregon State Land Board had begun selling tidelands to private investors as early as 1874, but there was widespread opposition to that practice among the populace in the early years of the 20th century. West made the case that the beaches needed to be kept in public ownership to preserve access to coastal communities such as Arch Cape. In 1913 the state legislature agreed, passing a law making the entire coast from California to the Columbia River a state highway. To learn a little more about this often forgotten bit of Oregon history, and Hug Point’s role in it, click here.

The Oregon Beach Bill , promoted heavily by then-Governor Tom McCall, further cemented public ownership of Oregon’s beaches. Passed by the state legislature in 1967, the bill made all coastal lands up to sixteen vertical feet above the low tide line property of the state, and preserved public beach access up to the vegetation line.

I love the eroded sandstone rock formations found at Hug Point. The layered sandstone of the point has been warped and folded by tectonic processes and eroded by wind and water into fantastic formations. The tidewater rocks are covered in green algae and seaweed, barnacles, and mussels. The rocks, sand, colorful vegetation, waves, and ever changing light make for great photo opportunities.

Hug Point State Park is located about five miles south of Cannon Beach. The point can also be reached from Arcadia Beach State Park, about a mile to the north. It’s an easy day trip from the Portland area, but there many other attractions in the area, so many visitors spend a weekend or longer in the area.

The nearby towns of Cannon Beach, Seaside, and Manzanita all have numerous motels, BNBs, and other accommodations, as well as many restaurants and cafes serving fresh seafood and other locally sourced foods. Astoria, located at the mouth of the Columbia River, is both the oldest European settlement and one of the most interesting towns in the Pacific Northwest.

The nearest campgrounds are at Nehalem Bay State Park, about ten miles south of Hug Point, and Fort Stevens State Park, about 25 miles to the north. There are also numerous RV parks all up and down the northern Oregon coast.

Hug Point is one of the nicest beaches on the northern Oregon coast, especially for families, and because of that it can be quite crowded in the summer, even during the week. But if you’re looking for a quiet beach where you can find some solitude, you can sometimes find Hug Point nearly deserted on week days after Labor Day. And Fall offers some of the best weather on the coast. Winter days are frequently wet and windy, but those days have an appeal of their own, and some of my best memories of the coast are from stormy winter days where I had the beach entirely to myself.

One note of caution, though. If you go, pay attention to the tides. The waterfall and caves that draw most of the visitors to Hug Point State Park are nestled between Adair Point, immediately north of the beach access, and Hug Point itself. At high tide it can be difficult or impossible to get around these two points, so it is possible to get trapped between them.

Originally posted January 8, 2019 by Alan K. Lee. Updated and re-posted May 10, 2021, and July 20, 2023

All photos © Alan K. Lee

Edinburgh, Scotland

Edinburgh

The City

When my wife and I were planning our first trip to Europe, Scotland was the destination we settled on, and we were not disappointed. Beautiful wild lands, castles everywhere, friendly people, 1500 years (or more) of history – that trip had everything. And Edinburgh was where we spent the most time. Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland and the historic heart of the country. It’s a beautiful and fascinating city, and no visit to Scotland is complete without spending at least a day or two in Edinburgh.

That trip was more than 15 years ago and some things may have changed greatly since then, so I won’t go into much detail as to what to do, where to stay, where to eat, what things cost, and so forth. But there’s much to Edinburgh that is timeless, and undoubtedly has not changed in the years since our visit.

Central Edinburgh is divided into the Old Town and the New Town. The Old Town includes Edinburgh Castle, the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the Royal Mile connecting the two, and the area to the south. The New Town stretches from Princes Street Gardens, directly below the Castle, to Queen Street Gardens and the adjacent area to the north. The Old Town is the historic center of Edinburgh, and also the site of the present-day Parliament. As far as the New Town goes, new is a relative term since construction of the New Town began in the 1760s.

Both the Old Town and the New Town have their charms, and both deserve at least some of your attention. We spent most of our four days in Edinburgh exploring the Old Town, so I’ll focus on that part of the city.

Edinburgh Castle

Built atop a volcanic outcropping called, appropriately enough, Castle Rock, Edinburgh Castle dominates the skyline of the city. The first castle on Castle Rock is thought to have been built in the 12th century, but none of that structure remains. The oldest remaining structure in the Castle is St. Margaret’s Chapel, dating to the mid 13th century. Most of the other remaining structure dates to the 16th century or later.

At the Castle, history and legend abound. You can visit the Great Hall, where the Scottish Parliament once convened, and Queen Mary’s Bedroom, where Mary Queen of Scots gave birth to James VI. You can see the Scottish Crown Jewels in the Crown Chamber, tour the French Prisons, and see the huge five-ton cannon known as Mons Meg. Plan to spend several hours at a minimum exploring the Castle.

The Royal Mile

The Royal Mile begins at Edinburgh Castle and runs downhill to the Palace of Holyroodhouse. I was surprised by how much there was to see and do in that mile long stretch. We spent most of two full days exploring it.

Just below the Castle, the Overlook Tower and the Camera Obscura are worth a visit. The camera obscura casts a fascinating real-time revolving image of the surrounding area onto a circular table. Nearby is the Scotch Whisky Heritage Center where you can learn about the making of Scotch Whisky and sample a variety of different whiskies.

Although we didn’t go inside, St. Giles Cathedral, also known as the High Kirk of Edinburgh, is a magnificent structure that predates most of the structures in Edinburgh Castle. The cathedral was built between the late 14th and early 16th centuries. Entrance to the cathedral is free, but a small donation is requested.

One of the attractions of the Royal Mile are the “closes,” underground passageways that were once narrow streets or walkways between houses. The upper floors of some the houses were demolished and the lower stories used as foundation for the Royal Exchange, built in the mid 18th century, leaving the closes below ground. Some of the closes remain as passages between the Royal Mile and the streets to the south, and organized tours of some of the more subterranean closes, such as the Real Mary King’s Close, are available.

Other attractions of the Royal Mile include the John Knox House, the Writers’ Museum, the Huntly House, and The People’s Story, a museum housed in the historic Canongate Tolbooth, built in 1591.

You will also find the Scottish Parliament buildings at the lower end of the Royal Mile near Holyroodhouse. Their contemporary, modernist design stands in stark contrast to the traditional and historical structures around them. And while I in fact like the design, to me they look out of place in their setting.

The Palace of Holyroodhouse

At the bottom of the Royal Mile lies the Palace of Holyroodhouse. All that remains of the original palace, built by James IV in the 16th century, is the North Tower. Most of the existing structure was built by Charles II about a century later. Adjacent to the palace are the ruins of the nave of an Augustinian abbey built in the 12th century.

The Palace of Holyroodhouse is the official residence of the Monarchy in Scotland, but the palace is open to the public when King Charles III is not in residence. We did not tour the interior, but it comes highly rated. You can visit the Throne Room, the Picture Gallery, and the King’s Bedchamber, and Tour the King James Tower, where Mary Queen of Scots lived. For more information, check the Royal Collection Trust website.

Arthur’s Seat. Photo by Claudel Rheault, sourced from Wikimedia Commons

Adjacent to the palace is Holyrood Park. Here you can climb to the top of the 823-foot-high Arthur’s Seat where you can get a panoramic view of Edinburgh Castle and the city beyond.

Beyond the Old Town

The most striking features of the New Town are the Princes Street Gardens, pictured above, and the Scott Memorial, pictured below.

We didn’t make it to Queen Street and Queen Street Gardens, but the photos I’ve seen and the guidebook descriptions make me think we missed something there.

A little farther afield in the West End, though within easy walking distance of the New Town, is the Scottish Gallery of Modern Art, one of Edinburgh’s many museums. After days of being immersed in ancient history and medieval art, it was nice to see something more contemporary.

On the walk back we discovered a path along the Water of Leith that took us to Dean Village, a charming little community that dates to the 12th century. (The Bald Hiker website just published a post on the Water of Leith walk – all 13 miles of it. Click here to view the post).

On our visit we stayed at an old hotel just east of Calton Hill. With its many monuments, including the Nelson Monument and the Lincoln Monument (which is in fact dedicated to Abraham Lincoln), Calton Hill is one of the more scenic and picturesque locations in Edinburgh. From the top of the hill you have a panoramic view over the city and to the Firth of Forth and the Port of Leith, where the Royal Yacht Britannia, once Queen Elizabeth II’s private yacht, is berthed. Since its decommissioning in 1997, the yacht has been open to the public.

Festivals

Edinburgh is not completely lost in its history. It has a modern, contemporary side as well, and it is a city of festivals. The biggest and most famous is the Edinburgh International Festival, held every August. Running simultaneously with it is the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in which anyone and everyone is given free rein to put on whatever kind of performance they choose, wherever they can find a place to perform it. The Fringe bills itself as the largest artistic festival in the world. And if that were not enough, there is a film festival, a jazz festival, a television festival, and (some years) a book festival that also run simultaneously with the International Festival.

Conclusion

I don’t know if we’ll ever return to Edinburgh. I would love to, but traveling to Europe is not something we can do every year, and there are probably too many places that we have not yet visited for us to be retracing past steps. If you have not been to Edinburgh, though, I highly recommend that you visit at some point, if possible. It’s a wonderful place and visiting is a much richer experience than I can convey in words and images. And Edinburgh was just the beginning of our travels in Scotland. Look for an updated post on the Isle of Skye, and perhaps one or two others down the road.

Originally posted by Alan K. Lee, September 16, 2020. Updated and re-posted July 10, 2023.

All photos © Alan K. Lee, except as noted

Astoria, Oregon

In 1811, barely five years after the members of the Lewis and Clark Expedition had become the first Americans to explore the area, John Jacob Astor’s Pacific Fur Company established Fort Astoria near the mouth of the Columbia River. The fort was sold to the North West Company only two years later and renamed Fort George, but the establishment of Fort Astoria (along with the earlier presence of the Lewis and Clark Expedition) gave the fledgling United States claim to the territory. In 1846 the Oregon Treaty gave possession of the area to the United States and the following year the first U.S. Post Office west of the Rocky Mountains was established in the growing community of Astoria.

Astoria is rich with history and filled with interesting places to explore. It’s also close enough to the Portland area to be an easy day trip. On my last visit, my first stop was the Astoria Column, atop Coxcomb Hill. The 125-foot-tall tower was built in 1926 to commemorate the history of the area, specifically the discovery of the Columbia River by Captain John Gray in 1792, the Lewis and Clark Expedition of 1804-1806, and the establishment of Fort Astoria in 1811.

Construction of the monument was first proposed by Ralph Budd, president of the Great Northern Railroad. It was designed by architect Electus Litchfield, and funding was provided, at least in part, by descendants of John Jacob Astor. The exterior of the Column is decorated with a spiral frieze painted by sgraffito artist and Italian immigrant Attilio Pusterla depicting fourteen events in the history of the area. The Column was listed in the National Register of Historical Places in 1974.

After my stop at the Astoria Column, I had lunch at Fort George Brewery, then spent an hour or two along the waterfront. The Astoria River Walk, an asphalt and boardwalk bike path and walking trail, runs for three miles along the riverfront. In the summer months, the Astoria Riverfront Trolley, a1913 heritage streetcar originally from San Antonio, Texas, runs along the river next to the River Walk. Cost to ride is $1.00, or $2.00 for an all-day hop on, hop off pass.

Replica of Chief Concomly’s burial canoe

Astoria was the first American settlement on the Pacific coast, but of course the real history of the area goes back much farther. The people of the Clatsop Tribe have lived in the area for at least a thousand years, and the area may have been first settled by early Native American peoples as long as 10,000 years ago.

For most the city’s history, the fishing and shipping industries were central to Astoria’s economy. Below the soaring arch of the Astoria-Megler Bridge, Martime Memorial Park honors the many men and women that had been involved in the fishing and seafaring trades during their lives.

Columbia Lightship, Columbia River Maritime Museum

Maritime Memorial and Astoria-Megler Bridge

About a mile east of the Maritime Memorial, the Columbia River Maritime Museum is one of Astoria’s premier attractions. The museum houses a 30,000-item collection related to the history of fishing, shipping, and naval activities of the area. At the CRMM you can also tour the lightship Columbia. Other historical attractions in the area include the Flavel House Museum, a Queen Anne style Victorian mansion built by sea captain George Flavel in 1885, and a replica of the blockhouse of Fort Astoria, the first structure erected in Astoria.

Present day Astoria’s economy is more centered on tourism than fishing or logging. There is a thriving arts community, the weekly street market (Astoria Sunday Market) draws people to the area in the summer, and there is a growing food and drink scene.

For beer lovers, Astoria Brewing, Fort George Brewery, Rogue Pier 39 Public House, and Buoy Beer Company, and Breakside Brewery all offer topflight craft beers and pub food. Reach Break Brewing and Hondo’s Brew Pub are smaller brewers that get high marks, as well. The Pacific Northwest Brew Cup Festival, held in late August at Heritage Square in downtown Astoria, offers craft beers from more than two dozen brewers, as well as food from an assortment of food trucks. Admission is free.

As for cafes and restaurants, Bridgewater Bistro serves up New American cuisine in an old cannery building on the waterfront. Street 14 Cafe serves locally sourced foods for breakfast and lunch. For seafood, try Bowpicker (fish and chips served from a converted fishing boat on Duane Street), or the Silver Salmon Grille on Commercial Street (occupying the space that housed the Thiel Brothers Restaurant for fifty years). Ethnic foods can be found at Drina Daisy’s Bosnian Restaurant, Fulio’s (Italian), Tora Sushi Lounge, Himani Indian Cuisine, and Plaza Jalisco Mexican Restaurant.

Gull and old pilings along the riverfront

Quality coffee houses include Journey’s End Espresso and Kick Ass Koffee, both located near the bridge in the Uniontown District, Coffee Girl, next to Rogue Pier 39 Public House, and The Rusty Cup on Commercial Street in the historic downtown section.

If you’re planning an overnight stay, luxury accommodations can be found at the Cannery Pier Hotel, in an old cannery building on pilings over the water, and the Elliot Hotel (both $300+ per night). Lloyd Hotel and Astoria Riverwalk Inn both get good reviews and are priced mid-range. For bargain accommodations, try the Astoria Crest Motel or the Astoria Rivershore Motel. (The historic John Jacob Astor Hotel, pictured above, is now an apartment building).

A couple of interesting historical notes. The world’s first cable TV system was established in Astoria in 1946 by Ed Parsons, owner of radio station KAST. And one of Clark Gable’s earliest acting gigs was at the Astoria Theater, where he met his first wife, Joan Didion, in the early 1920s. Astoria has also been the filming location for a number of movies in recent decades, including The Goonies, Kindergarten Cop, Free Willy, Short Circuit, and Come See the Paradise.

On my way out of town that afternoon, I stopped at Fort Clatsop, part of the Lewis and Clark National Historic Park. In November 1805 the Lewis and Clark Expedition (the Corps of Discovery) reached the mouth of the Columbia River after an 18-month journey from St. Louis. In December they constructed Fort Clatsop, southeast of Astoria, near the shore of what is now the Lewis and Clark River (formerly called the Netul River). The thirty-three members of the expedition wintered there from December 7, 1805 until March 22, 1806. The fort was abandoned when they left to return east, and nothing remains of it today. Its exact location is unknown, but historians are confident that it was in the immediate vicinity of the replica of the fort that is part of the historic park. From the fort there is a short trail to the bank of the river, and a 6.5-mile trail that leads to the ocean at Sunset Beach.

Other attractions in the area include Fort Stevens State Park at the mouth of the Columbia on the Oregon side, and Cape Disappointment State Park on the Washington side.

Originally posted 11/22/18 by Alan K. Lee. Updated and re-posted 4/6/21 and 7/3/23.

All photos © Alan K. Lee

Florence, Italy

In 2018 my wife and I had the great pleasure of visiting Florence, Italy. It was the final leg of our 2018 trip that also included visits to Cinque Terre, Lucca, Pisa, and Siena.

There is probably no other city in the world where history, culture, and art intersect as strongly as they do in Florence. Walking the streets of the old city center, you are walking the same streets that Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Galileo, the Medicis, and Machiavelli walked. You are literally walking in their footprints. That’s a very powerful and pretty magical connection. Never mind that there are tens of thousands of other visitors walking those same streets.

If you an art aficionado, you have a problem here – you simply can’t see everything worth seeing unless you have an unlimited amount of time to spend in Florence. There are dozens of galleries, museums, and palaces, and hundreds, probably thousands, of statues and other significant pieces art scattered around the city. Many of Florence’s churches have impressive art collections, as well. We visited many, but by no means all, of the major galleries in our four days there.

The two most acclaimed art museums in Florence are the Uffizi Gallery and the Galleria dell’ Accademia. The Uffizi has the most extensive collection of Italian renaissance art in existence, and the Accademia is home to Michelangelo’s David. Though very crowded, both are absolute must sees if this is your first visit to Florence.

Statue of Orpheus, Medici-Riccardi Palace

The Duomo Museum is also highly worth visiting, and the Bargello has the best collection of early Florentine sculpture. The Palazzo Medici-Riccardi and the Palazzo Vecchio both also house significant works of Florentine art. The Galileo Science Museum, the Museum of San Marco, and the museums in the Palazzo Pitti are also highly recommended by the guide books. We weren’t able to visit any of those, however.

The history and culture of Florence is intimately tied to the Catholic Church, and many of the city’s churches are among the major attractions of Florence, including the Church of Santa Maria Novella, the Santa Croce Church, the Brancacci Chapel, the Medici Chapels, the San Miniato Church, and, of course, the Duomo cathedral (officially the Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore) and the Baptistery (the oldest structure in Florence, built in the eleventh century).

Construction of the cathedral started in 1296, but the nave wasn’t finished until 1420, and the dome wasn’t completed until 1436. (The Lantern that tops the dome wasn’t added until 1472). The dome of the cathedral is by itself one of the wonders of Florence. When the cathedral was designed no one had any idea how to build a dome spanning 150 feet, especially one that began 180 feet off the ground. Nothing like it had been built before. No one knew if it could be built. Filippo Brunelleschi, who both designed and built the dome, had nothing to guide him. He literally had to invent the engineering techniques and much of the equipment needed to construct it as he went. It is still the largest masonry dome in the world. The Florence Inferno website has more information on construction of the dome. There is also a fascinating episode of the PBS series NOVA depicting the building of the dome that I highly recommend. There is a link to that at the end of this post.

Entrance to the Duomo cathedral is free. Because of that and because the cathedral is one of the most prominent attractions in Florence, the lines are long – many blocks long when we were there. The cathedral opens to the public at 10:00, except Sunday. Mass (which is open to the public) is held at 10:30 on Sunday, and the cathedral opens for public tours at 1:30. A €15 combo ticket gets you into all of the other Duomo attractions, including the Campanile, the Baptistery, the Duomo Museum, and the climb to the top of the dome (which also requires reserving a time in advance).

City view from the top of the Duomo dome

Since we were climbing the dome, we skipped the long line to get into the Duomo cathedral. Climbing the dome does not get you into the main floor of the cathedral (except for a small roped off area as you exit), but does give you a birds eye view looking down on the altar and the 500 foot long nave from halfway up, and gives you an up close view of Vasari’s magnificent painting that covers the dome’s ceiling. And the view of the city from the top of the dome is spectacular, especially if you’re there near sunset, and makes the 463 step climb definitely worth the effort.

After our dome climb, and a short rest, we climbed the Campanile (bell tower), also known as Giotto’s Tower. While the view of the city is essentially the same as from the cathedral dome, from the Campanile you have a great view of the dome itself. The 414 step climb to the top of the bell tower is slightly less taxing than the climb to the top of the dome (unless you climb them back to back like we did). If you just want a good view of the city, the more sensible option would be to just climb the Campanile and skip the dome, but climbing both is certainly doable for most people.

We stayed at an Airbnb rental near the city center, and walked everywhere we went. All of the major attractions of Florence are within easy walking distance of each other. The closer to the center of the city the more expensive hotels and other accommodations tend to be, of course, so staying outside of the center and taking a taxi or bus in makes some sense. (Even if you have a car, I would advise not driving into the city center). Our Airbnb was reasonably affordable and only a ten minute walk to the Duomo, though, so that is also a good option to consider if the cost of accommodations is a concern.

There is just too much to Florence to cover here. If you’re planning a trip, do your homework (Rick Steves’ guide to Florence and Tuscany is a good starting point), pick the sights you have to see, and plan accordingly. But also leave time to explore the city, especially areas away from the Duomo, the Uffizi Gallery and the Ponte Vecchio. Sample the local cuisine (the food was very good at every place we ate, so don’t be a slave to guide book recommendations), drink some wine, and get a feel for the city. Visit the Pitti Palace (closed on Mondays) and the Boboli Gardens in the Oltrarno area south of the river, take in the sunset from the Piazzale Michelangelo (also in the Oltrarno), or just wander at random. You will find interesting, artistic, and historical attractions wherever you go.

There is simply no other place like Florence. If you are contemplating a trip to Tuscany, Florence has to be at the top of your list of places to visit. And you should spend enough time there to get a real feel for the city. There’s just too much history, too much art, and too much of the soul of Italy there to not experience as much of it as you can.

I don’t know if we will ever return to Tuscany, but there is still much to see if we do, in Siena, Lucca, and Pisa as well as Florence. And the hilltop villages in central Tuscany that we did not make it to on this trip beckon.

Click here to watch the NOVA episode on building the Duomo dome. To view other posts from our trip, click on the links below:

Cinque Terre Lucca Siena

Originally posted 11/4/18 by Alan K. Lee. Updated and re-posted 8/24/20 and 6/20/23.

All photos © Alan K. Lee

Mount St. Helens

The 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens was one of the most significant natural disasters in U.S. history. Everyone knows about the eruption, but a little history is in order here, I think.

Mount St. Helens had been dormant for 123 years until it awoke in March 1980. On March 15th a series of small, shallow earthquakes were recorded, centered below the summit of the mountain. In the days that followed, more quakes occurred, the largest a magnitude 4.2 quake on March 20th.

Mount St. Helens, May 17, 1980. Photo by Harry Glicken, USGS/CVO. Sourced from Wikimedia Commons.

Between March 25th and 27th 174 earthquakes greater than magnitude 2.6 were recorded, the largest a magnitude 5.1 quake on the 27th. The first eruption, also on the 27th, opened a new summit crater. The north flank of the mountain also began bulging outward, with the bulge growing 5-6 feet per day. More eruptions occurred over the next week few weeks. By April 7th the new crater measured 1700 by 2300 feet and was 500 feet deep. By mid-May the north side of the mountain had moved outward by 400 feet and the summit area had begun to collapse.

Mount St. Helens, May 18, 1980. Photo credited to U.S. Geological Survey. Sourced from Wikimedia Commons.

At 8:32 a.m. on May 18, 1980 a magnitude 5.1 earthquake caused the north flank of the mountain to collapse in the largest landslide ever recorded. A few seconds later the mountain erupted in a lateral blast that devastated an area as far as 20 miles from the summit and felled 230 square miles of forest. The blast superheated the waters of Spirit Lake instantly, causing a huge secondary steam explosion. This secondary explosion was heard as far away as San Francisco (but, interestingly, was not heard in the Portland area).

Mount St. Helens from Johnston Ridge, August 2018

The eruption sent an ash cloud 12 miles into the sky. In the Yakima Valley, northeast of the mountain, the ash cloud completely blocked the sun and noon was as dark as midnight. Ash fell as far away as Minnesota. The energy released by the eruption was estimated to be equivalent to 24 megatons of TNT, more than 1400 times the energy released by the atomic bomb that destroyed Hiroshima in World War II.

Pumice Plain between Johnston Ridge and the crater

At least 55 people were killed in the eruption. The official total is listed as 57, but two people on the list who were reported missing after the eruption may not have been in the blast zone that day, and three others who are not on the official list may have been. Two of the most prominent people that died that day were Harry R. Truman and David A. Johnston.

Eighty-three year old Harry Truman owned Mount St. Helens Lodge on the shore of Spirit Lake. He had lived there for more than 50 years and refused to leave when the area was evacuated. He was a colorful, locally well known character who had lived an eventful life and had become something of a celebrity in the months leading up to the eruption. He was buried by the initial landslide.

David Johnston was a highly respected geologist and volcanologist. He was camping near where the Johnston Ridge Observatory is now located. He was the first to report the eruption. “Vancouver! Vancouver! This is it!” he radioed the USGS office in Vancouver, Washington just before he was hit by the blast.

Also killed in the eruption were photographers Reid Blackburn and Robert Landsburg. Blackburn’s body was found in his car at Coldwater Camp four days after the eruption. His camera was found later, but the film was not salvageable. Landsburg’s body was found seventeen days after the eruption. His camera was found inside his backpack under his body. The film in his camera survived and the photos he took before the ash cloud engulfed him provided some of the most dramatic and scientifically valuable photos of the eruption.

Thirty-eight years after the eruption, when these photos were taken, the area between the new crater and Johnston Ridge still looked much like it did when I first visited the area some 25 years before. Trees were beginning to regrow on the north side of the ridge, though, and shrubs and wildflowers were abundant. The land is recovering, but it will be generations, perhaps centuries, before the forest returns to anything like it was before the eruption.

The Johnston Ridge Observatory is a good place to begin an exploration of Mount St. Helens. At the observatory you can view interpretive displays and videos, and get information about the mountain, the eruption, and area hiking trails. The observatory is located at the end of the Spirit Lake Highway (WA 504). To get there from the Seattle area, travel south on I-5 and take WA 505 (Exit 63) through the town of Toledo to the junction with WA 504. From Portland, take Exit 49 off I-5 at Castle Rock. Johnston Ridge is approximately 50 miles east of I-5. There is an $8 parking/entry fee, payable at the observatory.

Wildflowers along the Boundary Trail on Johnston Ridge

One of the best hikes on the mountain is the trail to Harry’s Ridge, which begins at the Johnston Ridge Observatory. Total out and back mileage is about eight miles and total elevation gain is about 1000 feet. Check out my Harry’s Ridge Hike post for a more detailed description of the hike. You can also hike into the heart of the blast zone between Johnston Ridge and the crater. Check the Johnston Ridge Observatory website, linked above, for current information.

Another one of my favorite Mount St. Helens hikes is the Lava Canyon Trail on the southeast side of the mountain. Distances and elevation gains vary depending on how far down (or up) the canyon you go. You don’t have to go far down the trail from the upper trailhead to see some of the most spectacular waterfalls in the Pacific Northwest, though. The initial section of the trail is ADA accessible and everyone can view some of the best waterfalls. Again, check my blog post on Lava Canyon for more details.

Both the Harry’s Ridge and Lava Canyon hikes are among the best in the Northwest. They are very different, but both are incredibly beautiful and relatively easy hikes, and both can be done in a single weekend. But even if you’re not a hiker, visiting the Johnston Ridge Observatory and taking the short ADA accessible trail at Lava Canyon are more than worthwhile for everyone. And anyone who has not explored the mountain should do so at some point. It’s an unforgettable experience.

Originally posted March 27, 2021 by Alan K. Lee. Updated and re-posted June 19, 2023.

All photos © Alan K. Lee, except as noted

Siena, Italy

Siena, Italy is a hilltop city in Tuscany, about 30 miles south of Florence. Siena was a medieval rival of Florence, on par with Rome, Genoa, and Venice. It ultimately lost out when Florentine forces captured the city in 1550. Florence became the political and cultural center of Tuscany, and Siena languished for centuries. But Siena’s loss is the visitor’s gain. While Florence flourished, Siena remained much as it had been in 1500, and the historical center (“centro storico”) retains much of its medieval character.

We traveled to Siena by train from Lucca. The train station in Siena lies at the base of the hill. Taxis are readily available to take you up to the main city, and there is a shuttle bus, also. The other option is a long series of indoor escalators (beginning in a shopping mall across from the station), which is what we took. From the top of the escalators it is a short walk to the Porta Camollia gate in the old city wall.

Our arrival happened by chance to coincide with the 2018 running of the Mille Miglia (“Thousand Mile”) classic car rally, which was passing through Siena that day. The city was full of old, and some not so old, exotic cars. Being a bit of a car guy, that was an unexpected bonus for me.

We found our Airbnb rental without a problem, but actually getting in took a couple of hours. The building door code that we were given didn’t work, but a resident let us in. The key was supposed to be in the door to our unit, and it was, but our unit was off a hallway that was behind a locked door. Calling the management company got us nowhere. Eventually, my wife made an international call to Airbnb back in the States, and they contacted the local people, who sent someone out to let us in. How they expected us to get past that locked door is beyond me. Another example of “this is Italy,” I guess. But once settled in, the rest of our visit was thoroughly enjoyable.

Piazza del Campo viewed from part way up the City Tower

The cultural hearts of Siena are the Piazza del Campo and the Duomo di Siena. Both are within a few blocks of each other, making it easy to get at least a taste of Siena, even if you have only part of a day to spend there. Siena, at least the centro storico, is easily walkable. Vehicles are restricted to residents, taxis, and service vehicles. The hill top is roughly Y-shaped, with the three limbs radiating out from the Piazza del Campo (sometimes called Il Campo). The streets are narrow and winding, much like Lucca, and it isn’t difficult to get lost. But if you have a good map and are paying attention to where you’re going, it’s not difficult to find your way around.

Church of San Domenico (Chiesa di S. Domenico)

Climbing the City Tower (Torre del Mangia), adjacent to Il Campo, will give you a birdseye view of the city and help you orient yourself. The tower is 330 feet tall and the climb is about 400 steps, so you need to be in decent physical condition, but the exertion is worth the effort, if you can manage it.

The Piazza del Campo is the civic center of Siena, and has been since the 13th century. It’s a great place to just sit and people watch, drink a glass of wine or pint of beer, and relax between your explorations. City Hall (Palazzo Publico) faces the plaza and houses the Civic Museum and provides access to the City Tower.

Directly across the plaza from City Hall is the Fountain of Joy (Fonte Gaia). The original fountain was built in the early 1400s and was a source of clean drinking water for the residents of Siena. What you see in the plaza is a copy, but the original fountain can be seen at the Santa Maria della Scala museum next to the Duomo, where it was moved to preserve it.

The Piazza del Campo is also the site of the famous Palio horse races that are held every summer. Each horse represents one of the 17 contrades (neighborhoods) in Siena and competition between the contrades is fierce. Winning the Palio is a very big deal in Siena.

The Duomo di Siena, a few hundred yards west of Il Campo, is the religious heart of Siena. Built in the 1200s, the cathedral predates Florence’s grand Duomo. Plans to expand it to surpass Florence’s cathedral were scuttled by the Black Death that killed a third of the population in the 1350s. The expansion plan was never revived, but even as is, the Duomo is still plenty grand.

Original stained glass window from the Duomo, displayed in the Duomo Museum

A woman we met in Cinque Terre earlier in our trip told us that the Duomo in Siena is the second most beautiful church (after the Vatican) that she has ever seen. I don’t know if I would go that far, but it is definitely impressive and worth a few hours, or even a half a day, to see all that it offers. The Duomo Museum and the cathedral are absolute must sees if you’re visiting Siena.

We spent most of our two days in Siena wandering around with no set agenda. It’s just a magnificent city, and everywhere you go you will find something worthwhile to see or do. There are lots of interesting little shops and art galleries, scenic streets and alleys to explore, and of course, plenty of cafes and restaurants for you to sample the local cuisine. We largely ignored the guidebooks and just picked cafes that looked interesting to us, and we didn’t have a bad meal at any of them.

Chiesa di S. Maria di Provenzano (left) and Basilica di S. Francesco (right)

One of our wanders took us to the Basilica di San Francesco and the adjoining Oratoria di San Bernadino. Both the buildings and grounds are strikingly beautiful, and we lingered for what seemed like hours. And I’m sure there are many other churches in Siena that are just as beautiful. In fact, I don’t think there is anyplace in the centro storico that is not beautiful.

If you’re interested in the history of Siena, the Civic Museum, the Duomo Museum, and the Santa Maria dell Scala museum are must visits. And if you are interested in the art of Siena, be sure to check out the Pinocoteca Nazionale and the Museo dell’Opera Metropolitana, both near the Duomo.

We were able to explore only a small fraction of the city, but Siena is so beautiful and so charming that we would love to return some day and spend more than just two days there. While Lucca has a very interesting and largely authentic centro storico, Siena’s is equally interesting and authentic, and it’s burnt sienna colored brick buildings and dramatic hilltop location make it more beautiful and give it more charm than Lucca. And while it doesn’t have Florence’s art and cultural heritage, I would pick Siena over Florence if I could only revisit one.

Our trip to Italy began with five days in Cinque Terre, followed by two in Lucca. Following our visit to Siena, we spent another five days in Florence, soaking up the history, art, and culture of the city, and literally walking in the footsteps of Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo. Trip of a lifetime.

Originally posted October 10, 2018 by Alan K. Lee

Updated and re-posted April 18, 2021 and June 11, 2023

All photos © Alan K. Lee

Sitka, Alaska

by Alan K. Lee

Sitka, Alaska is located on a protected harbor on the western shore of stunningly beautiful Baranof Island in Southeast Alaska. To the west of the city many small islands dot Sitka Sound, and Mt. Edgecumbe, a dormant volcanic cone, rises 3200′ above the sound on Kruzof Island. To the north and east, Harbor Mountain and Mount Verstovia tower over the city, forming a dramatic backdrop.

My most recent visit to Sitka came in 2018 when my wife and I flew there to visit a friend of hers who had recently moved back to Sitka after having lived in Portland for many years. It had been more than twenty years since we had last visited, but not a lot had changed in those two decades. The town was a little bigger, maybe a little more touristy, but still a low key, relaxed place where people don’t lock their car, and usually leave the keys in it without fear of it being stolen.

Southeast Alaska is not traditionally considered part of the Pacific Northwest, but they are close geographically, are similar ecologically, and have closely linked cultures and histories, so I’m going to stretch the definition of the Pacific Northwest a little and include Sitka in the Northwest Destinations category here.

The weather in Southeast Alaska is always chancy. On our first visit, there were low clouds blocking views of the surrounding mountains the whole time we were in Sitka, and the only sunshine we saw on our two week trip was in Ketchikan on the day we flew in and again on the day we flew out. But this time we had sunshine and blue skies for most of our four days in Sitka.

Sitka is an interesting and unique blend of Native American, Russian, and American cultures. The Tlingit people have inhabited the area for thousands of years. The name Sitka derives from the Tlingit name for the area, Shee Atika. In the 1740s Russians began exploring the area, and in 1799 Fort St. Michael was established at the present site of Sitka. The Tlingits burned down the fort in 1802, but the Russians returned two years later and forced the Tlingits out of the area. The Russian community of New Archangel, which became Sitka when the United States purchased Alaska from Russia in 1867, was founded in 1804 on the site of the destroyed Fort St. Michael. In the early 1820s some of the Tlingit people returned to the area, and there is still a Tlingit community in Sitka today. The Russian influence is also still present in modern Sitka. St. Michael’s Cathedral is an active Russian Orthodox church.

In town, the Sitka National Historical Park (locally known as Totem Park) is a must see, as are the Alaska Raptor Center, St. Michael’s Cathedral (built between 1844 and 1848), the Russian Bishop’s House (1842), and the Sitka Historic Museum. The Sheldon Jackson Museum, the Sitka Sound Science Center, the Lutheran Cemetery, and the Russian Cemetery are also definitely worth visiting. Sitka is a very walkable city, and all of the above are within easy walking distance of the city center. It’s also a very bike friendly city, and renting a bicycle is a good way to get around town. A few miles outside of town, the Fortress of the Bear, a non-profit refuge for orphaned cubs, offers close up views of brown bears, if you are so inclined.

If you’re a fisherman, Sitka offers world class salmon and halibut fishing in the offshore waters. The Sitka Salmon Derby is held every May and June. The inland streams and lakes also offer quality fly fishing opportunities. For hikers, there are several trails that begin in Sitka, from the relatively flat Indian River Trail to the much steeper Verstovia Mountain Trail and Gavin Hill/Harbor Mountain Trail. Other hiking trails begin north and south of the city. Kayaks and boats can be rented in the city, and Sitka Sound looks to be a kayaker’s paradise.

Flightseeing, ATV tours, hiking tours, city walking tours, car tours, kayak tours, and wildlife boat tours are all available in Sitka. On our trip, we took a sightseeing tour of Sitka Sound that was nothing short of incredible. I would highly encourage anyone who is planning a visit to find the time to do the same. We saw dozens of sea otters up close, probably fifty or more bald eagles, many other seabirds, seals, dolphins, humpback whales, and a pod of orcas, all within the space of about three hours.

Sitka is also a very arts oriented town. In addition to numerous galleries in the city, the Sitka Jazz Festival is held every February, the Sitka Summer Music Festival is held in June or July, and the Sitka Fine Arts Camp and Arts & Science Festival for young artists is also held every summer. Other festivals include the Sitka Seafood Festival in August, The Alaska Day Festival (celebrating the transfer of Alaska from Russia to the United States) in October and the Sitka Whalefest in November.

Sitka, despite its remote location, is relatively easy to get to. Alaska Air has non-stop flights daily from both Portland and Seattle, making it possible to visit Sitka on a long weekend. If you have more time, Sitka is a stop on most Alaska cruises. And Sitka can also be reached by ferry, which is how my wife and I traveled there on our first visit. Check the Alaska Marine Highway website for schedules, fares, and other information. Other useful websites include Visit Sitka , Travel Alaska , Welcome To Sitka , and Trip Advisor.

On our 2018 trip to Sitka we also visited Ketchikan and Juneau. The weather was so bad in Ketchikan that I took few photos and didn’t post anything from there. The weather was better in Juneau. Click here to view my post from Juneau.

Originally posted July 30, 2018. Most recently updated May 30, 2023.

All photos © Alan K. Lee

Lucca, Italy

by Alan K. Lee

Lucca was the surprise of our trip to Italy in 2018. Our primary destinations were Cinque Terre, Florence, and Siena. I honestly had never heard of Lucca before we started planning that trip, but the guidebooks and online reviews made it sound interesting, so we added it to our itinerary, and I’m glad we did. The following is an updated and slightly edited version of a post on this site from 2018.

Lucca, Italy is a modern city of about 85,000 people, located about ten miles northeast of Pisa and 40 miles west of Florence. But the old walled city was what my wife and I came to see. Lucca has one of the most intact medieval city centers you will find anywhere in Europe. The historic center, or centro storico, is relatively compact, easily walkable, and almost unchanged from medieval times.

Lucca is an ancient city, founded by the Etruscans, probably on the site of an earlier Ligurian settlement. It became a Roman colony in 180 BC. Little remains of the Roman city, though. Most of the old city is of medieval origin, but some of the streets date to the Roman settlement, and a hint of the Roman amphitheater can be seen in the Piazza dell’ Anfiteatro. The popular Piazza San Michele occupies the site of the old Roman forum.

Lucca became an independent state in 1160 and retained its independence for 500 years. In the Middle Ages Lucca grew rich from the silk industry. Banking was also an important source of wealth for the city. More recently, the city was conquered by Napoleon and given to his sister Elisa Bonaparte Baciocchi in 1805. It later became part of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, then the Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont, and finally the modern Italian State in 1861.

One of the attractions of Lucca is the medieval city wall. Lucca is one of the few ancient cities in Europe with an intact wall. The wall is a wide earthen structure faced with brick, constructed between 1550 and 1650. The top of the wall is now a tree-lined park with a wide pedestrian/bicycle path. The 2.5-mile-long path is a popular walking, jogging, and cycling path.

Bicycles can be rented for about €5/hour or €20/day at several shops in the old city. Riding or walking the wall is a good way to get a view of the city, and a good place to people watch, too. You will see many locals, as well as fellow tourists, walking and riding the walls or just relaxing on park benches. There are also several places where there are tunnels inside the structure of the wall that are surprisingly interesting and well worth seeking out.

Inside the walls, the old city has many fine old churches, plazas (piazzas), palaces (palazzos), and villas. Getting around can be confusing, as the streets are narrow and lined with tall (4-6 story) buildings, and some much taller towers that block out any visual reference points. On a cloudy day it can be difficult to orient yourself. You may come out onto the street and have no idea which way is north. A city map and a good guidebook are essential. Rick Steves’ guide to Florence and Tuscany has a chapter on Lucca and is a good reference. His walking tour is a good way to see the major sights.

We wandered around without a set itinerary and got lost on several occasions. Wandering aimlessly and getting lost has a certain appeal, but one time we couldn’t find the side street where we had left the bikes that we borrowed from the owner of the Airbnb we were staying in. Eventually we figured out that we were on the opposite side of the city than we thought we were. We retrieved the bikes and rode back to our rental, but only after walking almost all of the 2.5-mile wall.

Some of the major attractions in Lucca are the Piazza San Michele and the Church of San Michele (Chiesa di San Michele), the Cathedral Museum (Museo della Cattedrale), the Guingi Tower (Torre Guingi) and Villa Guingi, the Casa di Puccini (the birthplace of the opera composer Giacomo Pucccini), the San Martino Cathedral, the San Giovanni Church, the Church of San Fediano, the Pallazzo Mansi, and the Palazzo Pfanner. All of these are described in the Rick Steves guide, as well as other guidebooks.

Climbing the 220 steps of the Torre Guinigi gives you a good view of the city and you’ll find an interesting little grove of trees growing on the summit of the tower. This was the first of our tower climbs during our trip. More would come in Siena and Florence, culminating with our back-to-back climbs of the Duomo and Campanile (Giotto’s Tower) in Florence (both 400+ steps). Lucca once had 160 towers like the Torre Guingi, all private residences of wealthy merchant families. Only a few remain. A combination ticket that gets you into both the Torre Guinigi and the Clock Tower costs less than €10. Most of the other attractions in Lucca are similarly inexpensive, mostly between €5 and €10.

There are no shortages of places in Lucca to get a good meal, something we found true everywhere we went in Italy. There are some fine dining establishments that are recommended the guidebooks, but we found the sidewalk and piazza cafes that are so abundant all had very good food at surprisingly affordable prices. It’s hard to go wrong, wherever you choose to dine. Gelato is serious stuff in Lucca, too, as it is everywhere in Italy.

If you’re visiting Tuscany, Lucca should be on your itinerary, even if you only have an afternoon to explore it. Siena is prettier, and Lucca doesn’t have the history or art and culture of Florence, but it is more authentic and much less touristy, and has its own appeal. You won’t regret it.

For more on our 2018 trip, check out my posts on the wild beauty of Cinque Terre, the art, history, and culture of Florence, and the beauty and charm of Siena.

Originally posted September 17, 2018. Updated and re-posted April 14, 2021 and May 21, 2023.

All photos © Alan K. Lee

Bayocean Peninsula Hike

By Alan K. Lee

Bayocean Peninsula Hike

Where: Tillamook County, Northern Oregon Coast

Type: Out and back beach walk or loop hike

Distance: 3.6- or 7.7-mile loop hikes or out and back hikes up to 8.2 miles

Elevation gain: Minimal

Difficulty: Easy to Moderate (depending on length)

Map: Google Maps

Guidebooks:

100 Hikes: Oregon Coast by William L. Sullivan

120 Hikes on the Oregon Coast by Bonnie Henderson

Oregon’s Best Coastal Beaches by Dick Trout

Oregon Coast Hikes by Paul M. Williams

Overview:

Bayocean Peninsula separates Tillamook Bay from the Pacific Ocean. The peninsula runs from the mouth of the bay south for five miles to Cape Meares. I’ll describe two loop hikes that include a beach walk and a return on the bay side, but out and back hikes on the beach or the bay side of the peninsula are also options here.

Bayocean Peninsula was once home to the resort community of Bay Ocean Park. A century ago the town had a large hotel, what was billed as the largest natatorium (indoor swimming pool) on the west coast and 2000 residents. But the ocean reclaimed all of it. Today, nothing is left of the town. See my Bayocean Peninsula post for more information.

The peninsula is now an undeveloped county park. There has never been a campground, but in the past backcountry camping was permitted. That has changed, however, and overnight camping is no longer allowed.

Getting there:

From the town of Tillamook, drive west on Third Street (Ore Hwy 131). After crossing the Tillamook River bridge, turn right onto Bayocean Road toward Cape Meares. At milepost five, turn right onto the old south jetty haul road (sometimes called the Dike Road) and proceed to the trailhead parking area.

Trailhead:

The trailhead parking area has space for about 25 vehicles. There are chemical toilets but no water available. There is a $10 Tillamook County day use fee, payable at the trailhead. An alternative trailhead is the beach access in the town of Cape Meares about a mile west of the Dike Road turnoff. There is no parking fee, but also no facilities. Add about 1.8 miles to the distances listed above.

The hike:

From the northwest corner of the Dike Road parking area, follow the trail through the dunes to the beach and turn north. In a little over a mile, look for a sandy draw between forested bluffs. Here you have a choice. If you follow the draw inland, a trail will take you through the spruce and pine forest to the bay side of the peninsula. From there you can return to the trailhead on the old jetty haul road for a 3.6-mile loop hike.

Or, continue along the beach until you reach the south jetty at the mouth of Tillamook Bay. You’ll be rewarded with one of the least crowded beaches on the entire coast. You might have the beach to yourself even on summer weekends.

From the jetty you can return the way you came for 7.2 mile out and back beach walk or complete the 7.7-mile loop hike by following the jetty inland to the old jetty haul road and following it back to the trailhead. The road is rock and gravel with some sandy stretches. It runs along the bayshore, with good views of the shore and bay, with a couple of stretches in the pine and spruce forest of the peninsula interior.

Note: At the time of this update (April 2024), the north end of the haul road is closed to the public due to jetty construction work, so the longer loop is not possible. The construction work does not affect the beach or the Bay Ocean Park townsite.

Look for ducks and geese on the water and shorebirds along the water’s edge. This is one of the best birding areas for waterfowl on the coast.

Near the end of the hike look for a sign labeled Bayocean Townsite. Here a trail leads toward the beach to the old townsite. The trail loops south through what was then the bayfront (the whole peninsula has shifted a couple of hundred yards to the east and much of the old townsite is now under the waves), then returns to the haul road, where there is an interpretive display that tells the tale of the town and its demise. From there, return to the parking area. (If you started at the town of Cape Meares, hike from the Dike Road parking area through the dunes and return to Cape Meares on the beach.)

Other area attractions and activities:

The beach walk south to the base of the Cape Meares headland provides an up-close view of the ocean waves crashing against the rocky headland, and Cape Meares State Scenic Viewpoint, on top of the headland, provides spectacular ocean views both north and south, one of the best whale watching spots on the coast, a lighthouse dating to 1890, and the spectacular Octopus Tree, a many trunked Sitka Spruce.

Farther south, Cape Lookout offers more hiking options, including a unique hike to the tip of the cape, which extends two miles into the Pacific.

If you want to quench your thirst after your hike, stop at the Pelican Brewing pub on First Street in Tillamook or de Garde Brewing a block south at the corner of Second and Ivy. Tillamook is also home, of course, to the famous Tillamook Cheese Factory, one of the most visited tourist destinations in Oregon. And Tillamook is also home to Blue Heron French Cheese Company.

Originally posted April 26, 2023. Most recently updated April 18, 2024.

Savannah, Georgia

by Alan K. Lee

Savannah, Georgia is one of those iconic Old South cities that are on many people’s bucket list, and for good reason. It’s a beautiful city, and would be worth a visit just to see Forsyth Park and the 22 park-like Squares in the Historic District, with their live oaks draped in Spanish moss. Throw in a lively riverfront, hundreds of antebellum brick buildings and Victorian homes, interesting museums and art galleries, and dozens of fine dining options, and you have a place worthy of more than the day and a half that we had to explore it.

Savannah was the final destination in a trip that also took my wife and I to Asheville, North Carolina, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Chimney Rock State Park, N.C., and Charleston, South Carolina.

Savannah is an old city, founded in 1733. It was the first European settlement in Georgia, and the city’s history is an important aspect of its spirit and culture. Walking around in the Historic District, it’s not hard to envision yourself in another, long past, era.

The entire Historic District was named a National Historic Landmark in 1966. The Savannah History Museum, itself a National Historic Landmark, is a good place to get a taste of Savannah’s long history. It’s located in the Savannah Visitor Center on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. Other history museums of interest include the Davenport House Museum, the Owens-Thomas House and Slave Quarters, and the Ralph Marks Gilbert Civil Rights Museum.

Savannah is a very walkable city. Guided walking tours of the Historic District are available for about $25 per person. There are also guided bike tours and public carriage tours available at similar rates. Private carriage tours run $100-125 for two people. Hop-on/hop-off trolley tours run $30-35 per person. Ghost tours are also a popular option for visitors.

We opted to wander around on our own (but probably missed out on a lot of interesting information about the city). A good place to start a walking tour of your own is Forsyth Park, a 30 acre park at the south end of the Historic District. Its most notable feature is the Forsyth Fountain, but there is a lot more there to see. Enjoy the park’s gardens, paths, monuments, and the fountain, then head north toward the river and take in some (or all) of the 22 Squares and innumerable historic buildings, churches, and Victorian houses.

Some of the more interesting structures in the Historic District include The Pirate’s House, mentioned in Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island, the city’s oldest building and now a popular restaurant, and The Olde Pink House, another of the city’s oldest structures and also a highly regarded restaurant. Not quite as old, but equally interesting, the Mercer House (officially the Mercer-Williams House Museum) was the site of the 1980s killing of a male prostitute that inspired the book (and movie) Midnight In the Garden of Good and Evil.

Near the north end of the Historic District, City Market is a four block area of restaurants, galleries, shops, bars, and offices that is something of a destination in its own right. Get a frozen daiquiri to go (yes, it’s legal in Savannah) at Wet Willie’s and make your way to River Street.

The buildings along River Street were once cotton warehouses. Today they house shops, restaurants, bars, and art galleries. River Street has its share of tacky gift shops, but it also has some interesting boutiques, antique shops, and art galleries. Among the many restaurants are Vic’s On the River, Huey’s, The Shrimp Factory, and Joe’s Crab Shack. If you need a frozen daiquiri refill, there’s another Wet Willie’s on River Street.

There are no shortage of other places along the river to wet your whistle, including The Warehouse Bar and Grill, Dub’s Public House, The Cotton Exchange Tavern, and a couple of rooftop bars, Top Deck Bar and Rocks On the Roof. And there are more restaurants and bars on Bay Street on the top of the bluff.

Along the riverfront, check out the World War II Memorial, the Savannah Waving Girl statue, the Olympic Yachting Cauldron from the 1996 Olympic Games, and River Street Market Place. Take one of the Savannah Belle ferries across the river to Hutchison Island. There’s not much on the island of interest except the Westin Savannah Harbor Hotel and the Savannah Convention Center, but the ferry will give you a good view of the waterfront and the golden dome of City Hall on the bluff above River Street. And the ferry is free.

River cruises are a popular tourist activity in Savannah. Savannah Riverboat Cruises offers lunch and dinner cruises, a Monday night gospel cruise, and sunset and moonlight cruises on their two large sternwheeler-style river boats, the Georgia Queen and the Savannah River Queen. Dolphin Magic Tours guarantees that you will see bottlenose dolphins “or your next cruise is free,” which is not worth much if you’re from the west Coast and are only in town for a day. But their reviews are generally positive. We didn’t have time to take either of those tours, but I’m sure that both would be enjoyable

There’s much to see and do in Savannah that time didn’t allow. We had to skip many things. We checked out only a couple of the city’s art galleries, for example, and didn’t make it to other nearby destinations such as Fort Jackson and Tybee Island. Savannah would definitely worth another and longer visit if it were a little closer to home, but who knows, we may be back someday to take in what we missed on our first visit.

Originally posted January 24, 2020. Updated and re-posted April 15, 2023.

Charleston, South Carolina

by Alan K. Lee

Charleston, South Carolina and Savannah, Georgia had been on my bucket list of travel destinations for a long time. So, when my wife and I decided to visit Asheville, North Carolina and Great Smoky Mountains National Park, taking a side trip to Charleston and Savannah seemed like a sensible addition to our itinerary. It wouldn’t add much expense and, being only 100 miles apart, we could get at least a taste of both cities in the limited amount of time we had. (To see my post on our visit to Asheville, click here).

We drove from Asheville to Charleston on a Sunday morning and spent the afternoon wandering around the historic center of the city. It’s older and more traditional, more Old South, than Asheville, but no less charming – lots of wonderful old houses and buildings, in all conditions from newly renovated to literally falling down, often the one adjacent to the other.

The oldest surviving structure in the city, the Middleburg Plantation House, was constructed in 1699. Spanning more than three centuries, the architecture of Charleston includes Georgian, Federal, Greek Revival, Gothic Revival, Italianate, Queen Anne, Charleston Single House, and Art Deco style buildings and houses.

We found a wonderful restaurant, the now closed Hominy Grill, not far from our Airbnb for dinner that evening. The menu featured fresh, home-style food taken wonderfully upscale. Winner of the 2008 James Beard Award for Best Chef Southeast, we found it to be just a great place to eat. Actually, the food was wonderful everywhere we ate in Charleston. It would take a long time to sample all of the many acclaimed restaurants in the city. The annual Charleston Food + Wine Festival brings thousands of tourists to Charleston each March, and food tours are popular year around.

While many people come to Charleston just for the food, there is much more to see and do in Charleston, of course. There are walking and carriage tours of the city, and plantation and garden tours. Fort Sumpter, where the first shots of the Civil War were fired, is a short distance outside of town. You can learn some of the history of the area and see the city from the water on a boat tour of the harbor. The city has a number of outstanding museums, including the Charleston Museum, the Nathaniel Russel House, and Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim. And there is much more to see and do, more than we had time for in our three days in the city.

We spent most of our second day in Charleston exploring more of the historic center of the city, then ended the day with a trip to Folly Beach, about ten miles south of the city. Near the center of the small town of Folly Beach, Folly Beach Pier extends more than 1000 feet into the Atlantic Ocean. Folly Beach County Park lies at the west end of the island. At the east end, Lighthouse Inlet Heritage Preserve offers a more secluded beach about a quarter mile walk from the end of East Ashley Avenue with a view across the water to Morris Island Lighthouse, which is surrounded by water just offshore from the westernmost point of Morris Island.

The next day we made the short trip across the Ravenel Bridge to Shem Creek Park in Mount Pleasant. The park encompasses a large salt marsh where Shem Creek meets Charleston Harbor. There are extensive boardwalks that allow you to get out in the marsh, and nice views across the harbor to downtown Charleston. It’s a nice place to get away from the city for awhile and rest your feet. And after all the walking around Charleston that we did the previous days, my feet needed a rest.

Our final morning in Charleston we made a second stop at Hominy Grill for breakfast. On our way out of town we made a couple of stops not far outside of Charleston. The first was the Angel Oak Tree on Johns Island. This huge Southern live oak is estimated to be 400-500 years old. It’s trunk measures 28 feet in circumference, it’s 66 feet tall, and its canopy covers 17,200 square feet of ground.

After leaving Angel Tree, we made a second stop at Caw Caw Interpretive Center, another of Charleston County’s many parks. There are six miles of trails and boardwalks through a former rice plantation that is now marshland and swamp. The park is managed for wildlife, and is home to otters, alligators, deer, and other wildlife. Caw Caw is one of coastal Carolina’s birding hot spots. It’s also the site of the 1739 slave revolt known as the Stono Rebellion.

We had a great time exploring Charleston. It’s really a beautiful and charming place. But to really see all it has to offer, you need to plan for more than a three-day visit. For more information, check out the Charleston SC Visitors Guide and Discover South Carolina websites.

After our visit to Charleston, we made the two-hour drive to Savannah. To read about our visit to Savannah, click here.

Originally posted Jan. 20, 2020. Updated and re-posted April 9, 2023.

Sunriver Resort

by Alan K. Lee

Sunriver Resort in Central Oregon has become a favorite destination for my wife and I over the years. Even during the first year of the corona virus pandemic we spent the 4th of July holiday at Sunriver with my step-daughter and her family. That year was a little different – we cooked all of our meals at the house we rented instead of dining out as we usually do, for example. But the nature center was open (with restrictions), as was the marina and the stables. And there are miles of bike paths winding through the resort and residential areas, which we took full advantage of.

Sunriver Resort is located about 15 miles south of Bend on the site of the former Camp Abbot, a WWII era Army training facility for combat engineers. After the end of WWII, Camp Abbot was abandoned. Most of the buildings were demolished and the land was sold to private developers. The only remaining Camp Abbot structure is the former officer’s club, now the resort’s Great Hall. Of Camp Abbot’s 5500 acres, 2200 were added to the Deschutes National Forest and the remaining 3300 acres eventually became what is now Sunriver.

Sunriver is more than just a destination resort. It is also a planned community of more than 4000 homes and condominium units. Most of the residences are second homes, many of them available as short-term rentals. Sunriver also has about 1500 full time residents, a fire department, several parks, community water and wastewater treatment systems, a public works facility that maintains the roads, bike paths and parks, and an airport.

Recreational facilities at the resort include two public golf courses, two private courses open to resort guests, tennis and pickleball courts, several swimming pools, parks, and the large Sunriver Homeowners Aquatic and Recreation Center (SHARC). Sunriver Marina offers canoe and kayak rentals and guided rafting trips. And the Sunriver Stables offer horseback and pony rides.

In the winter, snow sports take center stage. Snowshoe and cross country ski trails are close by. Alpine skiers and snowboarders make up a large portion of Sunriver’s winter visitors, as Mount Bachelor, one of the Northwest’s premier ski areas, is only about a 30 minute drive from the resort. Mount Bachelor also has a Nordic center with more than 30 miles of cross country ski trails.

With 300 days of sunshine a year, Sunriver has much to offer the outdoor enthusiast. Hiking, biking, fishing, and river rafting and paddling are all popular summer activities. The Deschutes River forms the western boundary of the resort, and the river is wide and placid in that stretch, perfect for a leisurely float. And floating the river is a very popular activity in the summer. The river is often crowded with people enjoying the river in canoes, kayaks, rafts, and inner tubes.

Downstream of the resort, the river changes drastically, becoming narrow and raging as it cuts through an ancient lava flow. Scenic Benham Falls is only a few miles from the resort. A relatively flat paved bike path makes cycling from Sunriver to Benham Falls quick and easy. You can also drive there, but the bike path is shorter and probably faster. And there is a somewhat longer and more challenging mountain bike trail from Sunriver to the falls for the more adventurous.

The bike path continues on to Lava Butte and the Lava Lands Visitor Center, part of Newberry National Volcanic Monument. Also part of the National Monument, Newberry Crater (actually a caldera) contains two lakes, East and Paulina, and a large and fascinating obsidian flow. You can also drive to the summit of Paulina Peak on the caldera rim where you’ll look down into the caldera and take in the panoramic views of the Cascade Range peaks to the west, the ponderosa and lodgepole pine forests surrounding the caldera, and the sage and juniper lands of the high desert to the east. Newberry Crater is about 25 miles by road from Sunriver. (Look for a future post on this site with more information and photos of Newberry Crater).

Sunriver Resort makes an ideal base for exploring all that Central Oregon offers. Besides Newberry Crater and Lava Butte, other attractions in Newberry National Volcanic Monument include the Lava Cast Forest , and Lava River Cave.

West of Sunriver, the Cascade Lakes Highway runs parallel to the crest of the Cascade Range and passes close to Todd, Sparks, and Elk Lakes. Hosmer Lake, just off the highway, is a fly fishing only lake where motor boats are prohibited, making it ideal for paddlers. The highway also passes close by Big and Little Lava Lakes, Davis Lake, Cultus Lake, Crane Prairie Reservoir, and Wickiup Reservoir. For those seeking to get deeper into nature, numerous hiking trails lead from the highway into the adjacent Three Sisters Wilderness Area to the west.

While you’re in the area, I highly recommend that you visit the High Desert Museum, on Hwy 97 about ten miles north of Sunriver. The museum offers visitors a chance to see native wildlife up close, and to learn about both the pioneering history of the area and the culture and lifestyles of the Native American tribes that lived in the area for thousands of years prior to the arrival of white settlers. The High Desert Museum consistently rates as one of the top attractions in Central Oregon.

For those wanting a more urban experience, Bend is only about a 20 minute drive north of Sunriver. Once a small lumber town, Bend is now a fast growing city with a population of about 90,000. Besides being one of the West’s premier outdoor recreation centers, Bend also has many fine dining establishments, brew pubs, wine bars, boutique hotels, art galleries, and numerous specialty shops. I’ll cover Bend in more detail in a future post.

Sunriver itself has a variety of restaurants, a nice brew pub (Sunriver Brewing), a number of small shops, and many fun things for kids to do (think bumper cars and climbing walls). Most of that is concentrated in The Village, located near the main entry to the resort. The Lodge also has several restaurants, and there is a Mexican restaurant (Hola!) on the river next to Sunriver Marina.

Sunriver Resort offers a variety of rooms and suites in the Lodge and adjacent Lodge Village and River Lodges. More than 300 homes and condos in Sunriver can also be booked through the resort. Check the resort website for more information. Many other vacation rentals are available through VRBO, Vacasa, Airbnb, and Sunriver Vacation Rentals.

We’ve visited Sunriver Resort many times, and we will return again many more times, I’m sure. It’s a great place for the whole family, and Central Oregon is a paradise for people who love the outdoors.

Originally posted December 20, 2020. Updated and re-posted January 21, 2023.

Port Townsend

by Alan K. Lee

Port Townsend has long been one of my favorite towns in the Pacific Northwest. Port Townsend has it all – a beautiful setting on Puget Sound, some of the best preserved Victorian homes and buildings in the Northwest, an active maritime and boat building industry, a thriving arts community, fine food and drink, and a friendly populace.

Port Townsend bills itself as a “Victorian Seaport and Arts Community.” The town never became the major seaport that its early promoters envisioned it becoming, but the Victorian character of the town has been well preserved, and the arts community is thriving.

Although Port Townsend is no longer a player in the shipping industry, sailing and the marine trades, and maritime life are ingrained in the town’s culture. The hugely popular Wooden Boat Festival grew out of the revival of interest in wooden boats that began in the 1970s. The festival led to the creation of the Northwest Maritime Center, located in Port Townsend’s historic downtown. Today, the center conducts classes in sailing, maritime skills, and the traditions of maritime life.

Wooden sailing ships were key to the town’s early economy and history, and the boatbuilding and woodworking crafts live on in Port Townsend. The Northwest School of Wooden Boat Building in nearby Port Hadlock and the Port Townsend School of Woodworking help preserve and promote the skills that were so vital to the early history of Port Townsend.

While its history is important to understanding Port Townsend, the town is anything but stuck in the past. Modern Port Townsend’s vibrant artists community is a reflection of the town’s modern aesthetic. You’ll find outdoor sculptures scattered throughout the town, and more than a dozen fine art and craft galleries can be found in the historic waterfront section of town.

A variety of festivals throughout the year feature the performing arts. Music festivals include jazz and blues, ukulele and fiddle music, a classical concert series, and others, many presented by the Centrum Foundation. The annual Port Townsend Film Festival features more than 100 films presented in eight venues. The Key City Public Theatre puts on a Shakespeare In the Park series every August. The plays are presented on a “pay-what-you-wish” basis at Chetzemoka Park, on the waterfront a few blocks north of the historic district. And then there’s the steampunk lunacy of the more or less impossible to describe Brass Screw Consortium (aka Brass Screw Confederacy).

If you want to really understand what Port Townsend is all about, you need to delve into the town’s history, explore the town’s maritime heritage, and sample the town’s artistic leanings. A good place to start is the Jefferson Museum of Art and History in the 1892 City Hall building in the historic downtown area along the waterfront.

Take a walk along Water Street. It’s not hard to imagine what the town was like 130 years ago because most of the buildings you see today date from that period. Venture up to the bluff above the waterfront and you’ll find many Victorian era homes, most of which have been well preserved or restored. If you visit in the summer months you can tour the Rothschild House, which was built in 1868 and has been preserved intact for more than a hundred years.

Visit Fort Worden State Park. Most of the fort’s original buildings have been preserved, some as museum pieces, such as the Commanding Officer’s Quarters Museum, and some repurposed to meet today’s changed lifestyle, like the Taps at the Guardhouse pub. Visit Point Hudson Lighthouse and the aquarium at the Marine Science Center on the waterfront at Fort Worden.

The history of the area predates European settlement, of course, and you can learn a little of that through the 18 interpretive signs that describe aspects of the S’Klallam tribe’s history and culture along the číčməhán trail. číčməhán (pronounced cheech-ma-han) was a S’Klallam chief known to the European settlers as Chetzemoka. The trail consists of walking, cycling, and driving routes around the town connecting the 18 signs.

Even if you’re not interested in the town’s history, its maritime traditions, or the arts, Port Townsend is still worth visiting, if only to take in its beautiful setting and indulge in its food and drink scene.

Explore the waterfront, but venture inland as well. Take a walk around the Kah Tai Lagoon Nature Park, about a mile west of the historic district. And visit the Chinese Gardens west of Fort Worden. The trail along the lake there, and the connecting trails through the hills of Fort Worden State Park are very much worth hiking. (When we first visited, I was thinking the Chinese Gardens would be like the formal Lan Su Garden in Portland. But in this case the name refers to the 19th Century Chinese immigrants’ vegetable gardens, which, of course, no longer exist).

When you’re done with your hike, check to see if Taps at the Guardhouse in Fort Worden is open (it was closed in 2022) to quench your thirst with a good craft brew. Back in the historic district, I highly recommend that you visit Sirens. The atmosphere is casual and relaxed, and they have a good selection of craft beers, cocktails, specialty drinks, and wines. But the surprise for me was the food. The jambalaya that I had may not have been authentic Cajun fare, but it was one of the best meals I’ve had in a recent memory. Not your typical pub food by a long ways.

Other places to get a good beer include Quench Waterfront Kitchen and Bar, where you can get Hawaiian food as well as craft brews and cocktails. They also have a decent wine list. Also check out The Old Whiskey Mill in the historic district, and Propolis Brewing and the Pourhouse, both about a mile to the west. If you’re more interested in wine than beer, Vintage by Port Townsend Vineyards is a tasting room with an outdoor courtyard and some of the best wines around. Also try Alchemy Wine Bar. They have an extensive wine list and a bistro kitchen.

On the food side, Owl Spirit Cafe is a good place to grab a sandwich or burrito for lunch. If you have pizza in mind, try Waterfront Pizza. My go to spot for breakfast and lunch is Courtyard Cafe, on Quincy Street a block north of Water Street. A more upscale dining experience can be had at Silverwater Cafe at Taylor and Washington. There are many other places to eat and drink, too, of course. Check the Enjoy Port Townsend website for a more complete listing.

My wife and I stayed at the Water Street Hotel on our most recent visit, recently renamed the Monarch Hotel. Located in the ornate Victorian era N.D. Hill Building in the heart of the historic downtown area, the hotel features comfortable and nicely appointed rooms for a reasonable price. The N.D. Hill Building is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. There are a myriad of other places to stay in Port Townsend, of course, so check the Enjoy Port Townsend website (linked above) for more options. One note, though. If you’re planning to visit during the Wooden Boat Festival in September, book early. I wound up staying in Poulsbo after I made a late decision to attend the 40th annual festival in 2018 because there were no rooms available anywhere near Port Townsend. Poulsbo is a delightful town in its own right, though, so I was not unhappy about having to make the 30-mile drive to Port Townsend each day.

I’ve just scratched the surface of what Port Townsend has to offer. If you’ve never visited, I highly recommend that you go. I’m guessing that it won’t be your only visit.

Originally posted November 20, 2020. Updated and re-posted January 12, 2023.

Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin West

By Alan K. Lee

Many of us that live in the Pacific Northwest have a connection of one kind or another to the state of Arizona. Many Northwest retirees, like my parents, become snowbirds, escaping the Northwest winters by spending the colder months in the sunnier and warmer climes of the desert Southwest. Others, like my brother, escape at an earlier age. Most of the rest of us have vacationed at least once in Arizona, or at least have dreamed of doing so. My wife and I have both lived in the Pacific Northwest all our lives, but we’ve made many trips to Arizona over the years. One of our favorite places is Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin West.

Taliesin West is one of Frank Lloyd Wright’s most iconic creations. Begun in the same year that Falling Water, arguably his greatest creation, was built, Taliesin West was Wright’s winter home for the last two decades of his life.

Taliesin West was founded as the winter home for the Frank Lloyd Wright Fellowship, Wright’s school of architecture. It was always a school of architecture as well as Wright’s winter home. The Fellowship evolved into the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture, which conducted classes at Taliesin West until 2020, when it separted from the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, changed its name to The School of Architecture, and moved its campus to Cosanti and Arcosanti, Arizona.

Wright’s designs and his design philosophy had a profound impact on American architecture. He is without question the most famous American architect, by a wide margin. Ask anyone to name an architect and almost all, if they can name any, will name Wright.

Wright first achieved fame shortly after the turn of the 20th century for his Prairie House residential designs, and he was always more interested in designing homes for people than structures for businesses or government agencies. During the Great Depression he designed a planned community that featured simple, affordable residences that he called Usonian homes. Although his planned community was never built, many Usonian homes were. One of those, the Gordon House, is now located at the Oregon Garden in Silverton, Oregon, not far from my home.

Over his long career, Wright designed more than 1100 structures, 532 of which were built. But as famous and influential as he was, for much of his career he received few commissions. In the 1920s he made most of his income from writing and lecturing, rather than from his designs.

In 1932 Wright formed the Taliesin Fellowship, an apprenticeship program that taught not just architectural design, but also construction and “farming, gardening, and cooking, and the study of nature, music, art, and dance” according to the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation website.

The original Taliesin, in Spring Green, Wisconsin, was Wright’s primary residence for most of his life and also served as the campus of the Taliesin Fellowship. In 1934, to escape the often brutal weather in Wisconsin, Wright began taking his students to Arizona each winter.

Taliesin West began as the winter camp for Wright and his students. And it was an actual camp in the beginning. The students lived in tents for their first few winters in Arizona, and Taliesin West was an ongoing project for many years. Even after most of the structures were completed, for example, all of the windows were simply openings in the walls, without glass, for almost a decade.

Wright’s design philosophy was holistic, and humanistic. He saw houses as organic structures that should be built in harmony with their environment and in tune with their inhabitants. “It is quite impossible to consider the building as one thing, its furnishings another and its setting and environment still another,” he wrote. He believed that all had to work “as one thing.” There is a story, whether true or not I don’t know, that the purchasers of one of his early residential designs invited him to their home after they moved in and he was so appalled by the way they had furnished the home that from that point on he not only designed the structures, he designed all of the furniture (much of it built in), the lighting, the rugs, the artwork, and even the dinnerware that went into them.

The structures at Taliesin West reflect Wright’s belief that architecture must reflect the natural setting of the site. To that end, they were built using native stone and other materials harvested from the site. That, and the long, horizontal orientation and flat roofed construction help them blend almost seamlessly into the environment. Taliesin West would still be a beautiful and striking piece of architecture even if it was located elsewhere, but it would not be as in harmony with its setting as it is, and it would be a lesser work.

The grounds of Taliesin West are beautifully landscaped and feature many outdoor works of art by various artists. Wright saw architecture as the “mother” of all the arts, and art was an important component of his designs, as was the landscaping.

Wright’s work ensures his place in history as one of the architectural greats. Today, Taliesin West lives on as testament to that greatness, and as home to the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation.

Taliesin West is located in Scottsdale, Arizona, about 20 miles northeast of downtown Phoenix.

Originally posted November 26, 2019. Updated and re-posted January 7, 2022.

Kona and the Big Island

by Alan K. Lee

Kona, on the Big Island, was where I first set foot in Hawai’i, back in the year 2000. I will never forget stepping out of the plane and immediately being bathed in sunshine and enveloped in the warmth that is so ever present in Hawai’i. It wasn’t just that it was warm. The air felt different, not the suffocating humidity of summers in the much of the country or the oppressive furnace-like heat of the Southwest. Here it just felt welcoming. Two steps out of the plane I knew I was in paradise.

My first view of the Big Island was also memorable. Looking out the window of the plane at the Kohala Coast as we descended toward Kona, I expected to see lush green jungle, but instead I saw black lava fields and brown grassland. There wasn’t a tree in sight. The land looked more the high desert of eastern Oregon than what I envisioned Hawai’i should look like.

Saffron Finch, photographed in downtown Kailua-Kona

Kailua-Kona isn’t a desert by any means, but the average annual rainfall is a bit under 30 inches, less than Portland or Seattle. Parts of the Kohala Coast to the north of Kona get less than 10 inches of rain per year. In contrast, Hilo on the east side of the island averages more than 10 feet (127″) per year.

My wife and I have been back to the Big Island a couple of times since our first visit. Our most recent visit came in February 2019. After visiting my wife’s cousin and her husband at their home on Maui, the four of us took the short hop over to Kona to explore the Big Island. It had been 15 years since our last trip to Kona, so I was interested to see how much it had changed. The answer turned out to be not all that much. A little bigger, more traffic, maybe a little more touristy, but essentially the same as I remembered it.

After settling into our condo rental near downtown Kailua-Kona, we walked into town. It was hotter and a little more humid than I remembered it being on our previous visits, so our first stop was a local pub to get a cold brew. After slaking our thirst and having a bite to eat, we walked around the town and harbor-front for awhile.

Kailua-Kona still has a small town feel and the downtown area is compact and easily walkable. Many of the businesses that were there 15 years ago are still there. The shave-ice place that we discovered on our first visit is still there, although with a different name now. The town is worth a look, but it is often crowded with tourists, especially when there’s a cruise ship in port. When there is, it’s probably best to avoid the area. Fortunately, the attractions of the Big Island are numerous and varied, and regardless of what your idea of the perfect tropical vacation is, you can probably find it on the Big Island.

View across Kealakekua Bay to the Captain Cook Monument

We spent one morning at Kealakekua Bay, about 20 miles south of Kailua-Kona. On our last trip, my wife and I took a day cruise to Kealakekua to snorkel. That was one of the best snorkelling experiences I’ve ever had. This time we drove to Manini Beach, a pretty cool little park with a small sand beach, frequented more by locals than tourists. We would never have found it on our own, but the owners of the condo we rented put together an information book that had photos and directions to the park. Across the bay is a monument marking the spot where Captain James Cook was killed in 1779.

We spent two or three hours lounging and swimming at Manini Beach, then drove to the Place of Refuge (Pu’uhonua o Honaunau National Historic Park), on Honaunau Bay, a few miles south of Kealakekua, where we spent another couple of hours exploring. Pu’uhonua o Honaunau played a significant role in the lives of Hawai’ian people prior to contact with Europeans. If you have any interest in Hawai’ian history, this is a place you definitely should visit. Next door to the Place of Refuge there is also a very good (and popular) snorkelling access point called Two Steps. You are certain to find lots of colorful fish and sea turtles in the bay there.

Fish ponds at Kalahuipua’a Historic Park, Mauna Lani Resort

More native history can be found along the Kohala Coast to the north of Kailua-Kona. The Mauna Lani Resort has preserved a couple of features of native Hawai’ian life on their property. Kalahuipua’a Historic Park contains archaeological sites and preserves two ancient fish ponds. The ponds were originally shallow embayments that the native Hawai’ians walled off to raise fish for food. Over time the ground here has subsided, making the ponds deeper and larger than they once were.

Puako Petroglyph Archaeological Park, also on the Mauna Lani property, preserves an area of relatively flat, smooth lava, several acres in size, that is literally covered with petroglyphs. It’s about a 3/4 mile hike, but a quite incredible site, and well worth the hike, even on a hot afternoon. I’ve never seen another place with anything close to the number of petroglyphs that can be found at Puako. The entire Puako Petroglyph Archaeological Preserve covers 223-acres and boasts more than 3,000 ancient petroglyphs, some dating to 1200 AD.

Farther north, in the North Kohala District, Lapakahi State Historical Park preserves the ruins of an ancient settlement. Several of the structures have been recreated to give an inkling of what life was like in the village. The park also protects 1.5 miles of shoreline and off shore coral reefs.

Steam vent near the rim of Kilauea Caldera

We came to the Big Island not long after the end of 2018’s epic eruption of Kilauea. The volcano was quiet when we were there, but most of the rim road and almost all of the trails in the summit area were still closed. That was a big disappointment. I would have liked to get a close up look at how much the crater had changed since our last visit. From what we could see, the Halema’uma’u Crater within the Kilauea Caldera is now many times larger than it was in 2004, but we couldn’t get near enough to see down into the crater. The trails down into the Kilauea Iki Crater were also closed, as was the Thompson Lava Tube Trail. The Chain Of Craters Road was open, so we stopped and explored a couple of interesting areas of much older eruptions that we probably would have skipped if more of the summit area had been accessible.

Lava field off the Chain Of Craters Road

After leaving Volcanoes National Park, we drove to Hilo, looking for Rainbow Falls. Our navigation system led us astray, however, leading us down a private road that went nowhere. We backtracked to Hilo to reconnoiter. While there, we had a wonderful dinner at the Cafe Pesto. Our friends had eaten there before and their recommendation was definitely on target. After dinner we consulted a map of Hilo and found our way to Rainbow Falls with no trouble. Our previous visit to Hilo (in 2004) came in the middle of a months long drought on the Big Island, and Rainbow Falls was barely a trickle then. But this time the Wailuku River was flowing strongly and twin streams of water were pouring over the edge of the cliff. As impressive as it was, I couldn’t help but wonder how much more so it would be after a heavy rainstorm.

We made our way back to Kona via the Saddle Road that crosses over the divide between Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea. In 2004 this was such a bad road that rental car companies specifically prohibited taking their cars on it. But much work has been done on it recently, and it is now one of the better highways on the Big Island, and by far the quickest route between Kailua-Kona and Hilo.

Four days wasn’t close to enough time to do anything but scratch the surface of what the Big Island has to offer. There are beaches, of course, and snorkeling, golf, hiking trails, you name it. But even if you only have a few days, the Big Island is a great choice of places to visit. If you are thinking about visiting, a good starting point for your planning is the Big Island Guide website. It has tons of information on accommodations, dining, activities, sightseeing, the history and culture of the island, and much more.

No matter what your interests, I think it would be hard to have a truly bad experience on the Big Island, or any of the other islands, for that matter. Whether you choose to visit Kaua’i, Oahu, Maui, Moloka’i, the Big Island or Lana’i doesn’t matter. All of the islands of Hawai’i really are paradise.

Originally posted August 6, 2019. Updated and re-posted November 19, 2022.

Cesky Krumlov

by Alan K. Lee

Czesky Krumlov is a small city in the Czech Republic about 85 miles south of Prague on the Vltava River. The old town section of the city, with its well preserved Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque architecture and a castle complex that towers over the city, is one of the top tourist destinations in the country, drawing more than a million visitors a year.

You’ll see a lot of superlatives in descriptions of Czesky Krumlov: romantic, charming, magical, fairytale-like, enchanted, and so forth. If that sounds a bit Disneyesque, the town does have a bit of a theme park vibe. But it’s undoubtedly beautiful and the old town is ancient and authentic. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1992.

You’ll also see Czesky Krumlov described as unbearably touristy. Many of the comments I read on tourist forums recommended spending the night in the city so that you can see the city in the evening after the tour buses have left and in the morning before they arrive. My wife and I were there in early June, a little before peak season. There certainly were many other tourists there, but I wouldn’t call it unbearably crowded. And the beauty of the city and its undeniable charms would have trumped the detrimental aspects of any crowds, anyway, in my opinion.

The Cesky Krumlov Castle complex , with its Baroque Theater (one of only two remaining in Europe that are open to the public), is probably the biggest tourist draw. There are four different tours of the castle that you can take, all lasting from 45 minutes to an hour with adult admission prices of 180 to 280 Czech Korunas ($7 to $12 at current exchange rates).

Another top attraction is the 15th century Church of St. Vitus in the historic old town area.

Floating the Vltava River through town is another popular activity.

For my money, the best part of our visit was simply wandering around the historic center, walking the cobblestone streets and taking in the wonderful architecture, the beauty of the Vltava River that meanders around and through the town, and finding some of the charming and quirky things that set Czesky Krumlov apart. The old town area is car free and pedestrian friendly.

We didn’t do any of the castle tours or tour the Castle Garden. But our tour guide gave us a good deal of information about the town and its history, and we had plenty of time to just wander around the old town on our own. And that was enough to make it well worth the long bus ride from Linz.

Guided walking tours are available for about $40-50 per person, but you don’t need a tour guide to enjoy the sights. We spent only one afternoon in Czesky Krumlov (we were among those hordes that arrived on tourist buses), so we hardly experienced all of its charms. The only regret we had about our visit was that we didn’t have more time to spend there.

Everyone visiting Prague and/or Vienna (or doing a Danube River cruise) should consider adding Cesky Krumlov to their itinerary. It is an absolutely beautiful city and a wonderful place to visit. The guide books and reviews were right, too – you should spend the night there, if you can, and give yourself plenty of time to fully explore this fascinating town. More information about Cesky Krumlov can be found here.

My wife and I visited Cesky Krumlov as part of a Danube River cruise that we took earlier this year (2022) on Viking River Cruises. If you’re interested in more information about river cruising, check out the Viking website and our river cruising post.

Posted October 26, 2022