Last week I finally ventured out to the Pacific Northwest. I’d been wanting to head out ever since Brenna moved there, and my only regret is that I waited so long.
I left MSP at 6:45 the morning of Sunday the 17th, landing at SeaTac at 8:45 thanks to the magic of air travel and time zones. Brenna and her boyfriend, Taylor, picked me up and after a quick stop for snacks, we headed out for a day-long road trip. Starting in Tacoma, we headed north and eventually hit Hwy 101 to drive the Olympic Peninsula Loop.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BkKKWjLB34U/?taken-by=trinalobax
We made two stops: one at Second Beach, where we hiked about a mile (uphill both ways!) through the forest and ended up at the ocean.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BkKK3j6BR2b/?taken-by=trinalobax
The second stop was at Hoh Rainforest, which involved another one mile hike, through the Hall of Mosses.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BkKLKLPhliT/?taken-by=trinalobax
(if these aren’t showing up as slideshows, click though!)
We pulled over at Ruby Beach, which was stunning, and then finished the trip with a stop at the bar. Of course!
By the time I got to bed I had been up for over 24 hours. Not on purpose! It was worth it for the adventure. It also means I slept in on Monday morning, so Monday was Tacoma day. Aside from getting the impulse tattoo (which is actually on my left shoulder), I spent most of the day walking around, popping into coffee shops and various little stores. Brenna lives in the north end of Tacoma, which is a sweet little neighborhood in walking distance to a lot of cool shops, a cute park, and not too far from the waterfront at the bottom of a big ol’ hill. So, yeah, I walked around, stopped for a couple snacks, went to the Museum of Glass, and hiked back up hill in time for dinner and the bar. Vacation!
Tuesday I woke up at an obscene time and couldn’t get back to sleep. Once the sun came up I headed out and took the commuter train into Seattle. I got there a little before 9am, so I had a couple hours (for coffee, obvs) before all the touristy stuff opened and it got busy. I checked out the Curiosity Shop and was the first person on the Great Wheel when it opened. After wandering across downtown, I hopped on the monorail to the Space Needle.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BkOnWGWBriF/?taken-by=trinalobax
I walked back down through Pike Place, picked up a souvenir for Darren, and got on the first train back to Tacoma. I was tired! I stopped by a grocery store and picked myself up a little picnic to enjoy in Wright Park. Later, we went back to Hank’s for drinks and pizza.
My flight out on Wednesday didn’t leave until about 5:30, but after a late breakfast and one more souvenir shop, I was ready to head out. I took the bus to the airport (so this trip involved travel via car, plane, train, light rail, monorail, and bus), kicked it there for a while, stuffed my face with Qdoba, and about 45 minutes before departure discovered that Delta had assigned me a premium seat. Score. I watched Lady Bird on the flight, had second dinner, and landed at MSP at 10:45.
What a delightful adventure. It was so great to spend time with Brenna (who is an excellent host), and also do some solo exploring. I need to take more of these mini-trips.
fearlessly, myself. 