[travel] + [friends] + [sightseeing] Summer Travel ... Seattle + Vancouver

Hot off the heels of our midwest tour it was time to pack the bags again and head west! Long-time high school pals Rose (+ Trav + Adrienne + Wally + Raya) and Broke (Ernst + Elsa + Soph) settled in on the Pacific Coast - so what a great place to go visit. We picked Seattle - to spend time with Rose's little fam - with a ladies night up to Vancouver thrown in for good measure.

Rose and Travis are living the beach life on Alki Beach in West Seattle. Their cottage couldn't be cozier and more perfect for their family. Situated directly across from the beach, they've got access to the water, bike/walking trail and a two-thumbs-up view of sunsets over the sound.

Got a glimpse of what life is like with two working parents, two kiddos under the age of four and Raya the pup. Learned a couple things: avoid white clothing, patience goes a long way, us kid-less folks don't appreciate our sleep nearly enough and despite their mood-swings and messiness - kids are pretty awesome. // Oh and it's ok to let your kids eat a dozen donuts on the beach //

The city of Seattle sits on an isthmus (just like Madison!) between the Puget Sound and Lake Washington. It's a bigtime Pacific port - evidence of container shipping lines the sound. The Port of Seattle Seaport sits near Starbucks HQ, the Seahawks and the Mariners stadiums.  Now that my professional life focuses on industrial real estate, supply chain / logistics, it boggles my mind how goods get to consumers. It's a complex system to be sure.

A certain Starbuck's partner took me to see the new Starbuck's Roastery. The intention of the Roastery is to really experience coffee. We had the pleasure of doing a side-by-side tasting of the same coffee using three brewing methods: siphon, Chemex and pour-over. Gotta say that the Chemx brewed the brightest, cleanest cup. Loved every bit of this place. Can you believe the details? I'll let the pics speak for themselves. More here.

"We have designed a space that will heighten all the senses. This is a real-life Willy Wonka experience with coffee as the heart and soul, where customers will see coffee being moved through the roasting process right before their eyes."

- Liz Muller, VP of Concept Deisgn for Starbucks

Also got to meet some of Travis and Rose's social circle. They all met through PEPS (Program for Early Parent Support). This support system places new parents with others similar to themselves. For transplants to Seattle this is more than just about the kiddos, it's a social outlet and wellness group for the parents. Someone needs to bring this idea to Northwest Arkansas! Here's a little more about PEPS - http://www.peps.org/about.

After our quality time in Seattle we scooted north for a kid-free ladies night in Vancouver. A quick three hours later and we were in Canada, border crossing and all! Driving through the Pacific Northwest you really appreciate how beautiful that part of the world really is. The Douglas fir forests, the temperate weather and the soft breeze off the water made me feel a world away from Arkansas (I was!). Our hotel was situated smack dab in the middle of West Town - walking distance to Stanley Park, Gastown and Yaletown neighborhoods. The weather gods were good and gave us a perfectly sunny 75-degree day. We enjoyed the most delicious, inventive sandwiches at Meat & Bread al fresco in a public plaza before our afternoon adventuring. Fave was the corned beef with sambal gherkin mayo - I now follow them on Insta so I can remember the yumminess.

// found this cheeky little neighborhood map at www.mapurbane.com //

We explored the oceanfront and Stanley Park by bike - glad for the electric assist - who wants to break a sweat on vacation?! The park is 1,000 acres and is entirely open to the public. This is not a manicured, urban park dreamed up by a landscape architect, with the majority remaining densely forested. The bike path skirted us around the park's perimeter taking us precariously close to the water along the seawall, giving us views of the bay and rock face as we hugged the path. Our post-pike journey put us in search of a cold beverage. We popped into the Fairmont Pacific Rim hotel in hope of stealing our way up to the rooftop lounge - but our plans were foiled. The kind concierge recommended pressing on toward Gastown - a perfectly chill, urban neighborbood for our purposes. But first, let me rave about the Fairmont. If I have the fortune of returning to Vancouver, this is where I'm staying, period. Modern, luxurious and comfortable - I'm sold! Check out some more pics HERE.

"Lying on top of a building the clouds looked no nearer than when I was lying on the street."

Gastown is a step back in time when compared to the glassy, steely high-rises directly next-door. The cobblestone streets are lined with "hip" boutiques, touristy shops, bars and restaurants. After a failed attempt to get seated at a "too-cool" establishment, we wound up at Lamplighter tasting some local brews and muching on pretzels and mustard. Guess that's just the "Wisconsin" in us.

Dinner at Kingyo Izakaya was a major highlight of the night in Vancouver. This is a spot that's not to be missed. Casual and affordable, yet creative and top-notch, Kingyo was amazing. It's in a smallish storefront on Denman, away from the fanciness you get a few blocks to the west. We enjoyed every single thing we ordered: deep-fried corn with soy butter, yellowtail carpaccio, black cod, kobe beef shabu shabu and my favorite, the Tantan noodles. We topped off the night exploring an Asian grocery up the block and took home some hard-to-find treats: Koala Yummies, Pocky sticks and bonito flakes.

We wrapped up our time in Vancouver with a morning stroll through Yaletown - a gentrified neighborhood with upscale condos, Yorkies and trendy eateries. We popped into a converted warehouse district and found a brunch spot, Flying Pig, with all the necessaries: champagne cocktails, caesars (that's evidently what Canadians call a bloody mary) and nouveau Canadian food menu.

The take away? It's an amazing thing to have such long-time girlfriends. 

These are the people that really know you. And it's a real blessing to get a chance to visit with each other despite living in three different states across the country!

[travel] + [outdoors] + [family] Summer Travel ... Northern Wisconsin

Travel has been the name of the game this past month in our household - bummer for the kitties and pup. But it's been pretty great for D and I to get outta town and outta the Arkansas heat. We happily have family and friends near and far, so it's a great reason to hop a plane and catch up with our loved ones.

First up is our trek up to Northern Wisconsin for a family...er...TOWN reunion in Washburn. It's "just a little town on a big lake" - a really big lake - Lake Superior. It's the largest, coldest and deepest of the Great Lakes (remember H.O.M.E), and has the biggest surface area of any freshwater lake in the world.

My mom's hometown, Washburn, is up on the tippy top of the state near the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. It's a remote and truly beautiful part of Wisconsin and is on many an outdoorsperson's bucket list of place to visit. We were fortunate enough to explore the lakeshore and sea caves by kayak - even though some rough waters tried to stop us. Our day started early at Living Adventure kayak and canoe outfitters a few miles north of where we were staying in Bayfield. They're a great operation with guides that give the right balance of instruction and information about the area.

// apostle islands national lakeshore //

We made it into "the crack", but couldn't meander through the rest of the sea caves thanks to some choppy waves dipping us up and down. Paddling along the shoreline, we spotted a soaring eagle landing on a huge nest - the size of a small car. Also caught a glimpse of skull rock - aptly named - and some breathtaking sandstone rock formations up and down the shore. Thanks so some unseasonably hot weather we cooled off with a dip in the normally icy waters of Lake Superior before loading up the boats and heading back. 

// sandstone formations // skull rock // the crack //

22 islands make up the Apostle Islands, and all but Madeline Island are part of the National Lakeshore. A ferry from Bayfield services Madeline Island and it's residents - a whopping 246 according to Wikipedia! We loaded ourselves into two carloads on the morning ferry over to the island for a day of exploring. Rain threatened but we lucked out with blue skies and sunshine. We divided our day into beach activities at Big Bay and in-town fun in La Pointe. Big Bay State Park beach is 1.5 miles with views over sandstone bluffs and calm waters of the bay. We braved the chilly water, skipped stones from the beach and enjoyed the sunny day. Beach Club in La Pointe was the perfect spot for a bite to eat and a enjoy a pint of Spotted Cow. The fish fry was the winner - both the white fish and the walleye were awesome. Pretty sure D and I ate our weight in fish during our time in Wisco...starting with the smoked fish at Everett's in Port Wing on the drive up from the Twin Cities. Our Madeline Island adventure rounded out with an early happy hour at Tom's Burned Down Cafe. It's junk yard meets Waterworld - eccentric might be the word to best describe this spot. But either way, it's awesome. The whole place is open air and everywhere you glance you're met with a witty quote or clever one-liner. Not a bad way to top off the trip to Madeline. 

And if you're up for experiencing a SWEET Angelfire website, check Tom's out http://www.tomsburneddowncafe.com/).

// ferry ride // big bay beach // tom's burned down cafe //

// more of tom's // madeline island ferry // rock skipping at big bay // fish fry //

Back in Bayfield we explored the beachy shops and cafes before heading to Washburn for the night. Big Water Coffee is a local roastery and cafe dedicated to some seriously good coffee. They also have a talented graphic artist handling their branding - love that kraken on the sea smoke blend. We missed grabbing the whitefish salad sandwich this time around at the Fat Radish but will be back in another five years in 2020! Joanne's Scandinavian is another great boutique for Scandinavian designed homegoods, footwear, clothing and artwork. They also carry the Oiva Toikka birds, collectible Finnish handblown artglass birds in nearly 400 species (my mom really nerds out over these). After some time poking around stores and lounging at Big Water we walked back to Winfield Inn for some time on the porch overlooking the lake. 

// bayfield // big water coffee roasters //

// bayfield // winfield inn //

My mom and aunt's 45th high school class reunion was being held back in Washburn, so the rest of us went to a local supper club, the Steak Pit. Naturally, they offered ice cream drinks, in true supper club fashion - Pink Squirrel and Golden Cadillacs for us. Reminds me that I still need to watch the Supper Club movie - from 2012, visiting 50 supper clubs around the state.  Next up was a Washburn Homecoming classic - Souvenir Views at the catholic school gym (used to be at Big Top Chataqua - pics below of our Hawaiian night). Souvenir Views is an illustrated musical history of Washburn devised in 1983. It's fun to see my mom's family history intertwined with the town's history. Photos of my grandma at the library, my great uncle catching fish and Wendy and Wanda in front of DuPont Elementary. After Souvenir Views, we walked over to local hangout, Patsy's to cap off the night. Pretty standard to shut down the highway for a street party right? 

// washburn // souvenir views // patsy's // steak pit //

Our family really looks forward to getting together for Homecoming every five years. It's a unique thing to head back to such a pretty area of the country where our family has so much history and special memories.

// washburn homecoming 2015 // 

[travel] + [outdoors] + [history] Central Arkansas

What to do with a long weekend? Visit family, eat your weight in BBQ+catfish and explore Central AR of course.

day one

Explored D's hometown of Stuttgart (rice and duck capital of the world, no less). Saw the rice fields and mills, D's childhood church and school, and took in the slower pace of a smaller town. Even went to Mack's Priarie Wings - sponsor of the World's Championship Duck Calling Contest at Stuttgart's annual Duck Festival. Had some local insight in finding the best BBQ - Craig's BBQ in DeVall's Bluff. The secret is ordering the sliced BBQ pork sandwich (medium) paired with the cheeseburger. Both come with Craig's apple slaw...just wow.

// Must remember to work out when we get home.

day two

Ventured out to Arkansas Post National Memorial in Gillett to check out the first European settlement of the lower Mississippi (and home to Quapaw people, whom Arkansas was named for). Quick run-down of Arkansas Post's history: founded in 1686 by French explorer Henri de Tonti, Spanish gained control in 1763, U.S. took ownership as part of the Louisiana Purchase in  1804. Voila! And not to be overlooked, we ate catfish steaks and hush puppies in DeWitt at The Catfish Shack. Cornmeal breading, big pieces of fish, creamy slaw and tartar made for a perfect lunch stop.
The Potlach Conservation Center was next on the agenda. This place is special because of a teeny tiny little bird that they band and release - hummingbirds! We were able to talk with Tana, one of the educators and leaders of the banding program. Can you imagine the patience involved in catching and tagging these quick little guys?

Another southern meal at dinner - hot n' spicy shrimp boil at a local cajun joint. The waitress meant it when she said "don't let 'em touch your lips"! Another awesome meal, this time topped off with a shake at Stuttgart's Sonic. Perfect small town night.  // Must remember to work out when we get home (again)!

day three

Off to Little Rock for some history and hiking. But first, a quick donut and coffee fuel-up at Stuttgart's Daylight Donuts for my fave apple fritter. Then on the road!
Poked around the Arkansas State Capitol (reminded me of Wisconsin's) while the General Assembly was in session. A beautiful building finished in 1915. From there we popped over to the Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site. The nine students enrolled into LRCHS in 1957 by the NAACP, after the Supreme Court's Brown vs The Board of Education, changed the course of civil rights history. Even with the 101st Airborne at their side, those students endured taunting, abuse and worse for the span of their enrollment at LRCHS. Shows how far the US has come with equality and upholding the 14th amendment, and how far we still have to go.

The SoMa area of Little Rock is a new, downtown, urban district that is ready to explode with sustainable restaurants, art installations, community shops, and local flavor. We met a friend for lunch at farm-to-table Root Cafe and followed up with a scoops of sweet corn ice cream at Loblolly Creamery at the soda fountain in the Green Corner Store. Couldn't think of better fuel for our afternoon adventure...hiking at Pinnacle Mountain State Park.

The West Summit Trail rises to just over a 1,000-foot elevation in a three-quarters-mile ascent. Another puffer! It's a rocky path, but very well-maintained and very well-traveled (yep, spring break week means lots of families). Even the pup was able to scramble over the rocks to get the top. The views are breathtaking - Little Rock, Lake Maumelle, Arkansas River Valley and Ouachita Mountains. If we didn't have to scoot back to Fayetteville, we would have started later to see sunset. Instead we had time to toss the frisbee and play a little bocce ball before hitting the road. But in true explorer fashion we needed to make one last culinary pitstop at Arkansas' original Whatta-Burger, Feltner's. Fun spot, good burger, shake and fries!