United States

Our Pacific Northwest Road Trip: Part 1, The Oregon Coast

by Sarah Novak on August 23, 2011

Nick and I started our 8 day Road Trip in the Pacific Northwest on Sunday.  We left from Bend, Oregon in our borrowed mini van (thanks to the in-laws) and motored our way west to the Oregon Coast.  We spent our first night in Newport and enjoyed the best fish and chips the area had to offer.  On day 2 we continued up the Coast to our end point of Lincoln City, Oregon.  Along our route, we pulled off frequently to enjoy the beautiful scenery.  The shots above and below were taken at Cape Kiwana.

I can’t get over how intense the sand dunes are here.  We are talking VERY LONG beaches here people…

My favorite roadside stop was at Cape Lookout, where we got a great shots of both Nick and I.  Who doesn’t love a dramatic coastline??

Although disappointing because we couldn’t find the promised lighthouse, I love this shot I got at Cape Mears.  Nick and I saw lots of parallels between this type of coastline and what we saw in New Zealand.

The hands down most exciting stop of the trip for me thus far was the Tillamook Cheese Factory.  As you may know, I was the Cheese Buyer for SuperTarget for 2 years and I developed quite the fondness for cheese.  And even though I got to tour many a food production facility during that time, I am still awed by the magic of watching cheese go from start to finish.  Definitely put this on your to-do list if you’re in the area (although I must admit, the walls of people were intense).  My crowd-averse husband definitely deserves a nod for hanging in there with me, despite being in his own personal version of hell.

Here’s a shot of me enjoying my Centennial Grilled Cheese, made with aged cheddar from 2009 (their 100th year of operation).  It was mouth-wateringly good and well worth the 30-45 minute wait (Nick didn’t initially agree, but thank goodness I have some extra pregnant-woman leeway at the moment).  Once that settled in my tummy, it was on to try a Tillamook Ice Cream cone.  Thank the Lord I’m not lactose intolerant because boy oh boy do I love me some dairy products!

And here’s one final shot of us heading over the Columbia River into Washington State.  If you want to see the full gallery of pictures, feel free to click HERE.  I’ll write again in a few days once we get internet again…

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A Recap of Week 2 in Bend, OR

by Sarah Novak on August 22, 2011

What a fantastic second week in Bend, OR!  We got to check out a couple of the hot spots including Smith Rock (top 3 photos) where rock climbers do their thing.  Unfortunately we went at a time of day when not many were climbing, but the beauty of the place was still impressive.

So cool to catch a glimpse of the moon during the day!

These final 4 pictures were taken atop Mount Bachelor which can be seen from my in-laws deck.  We got to go to the 7000 ft point, as the summit (9000 ft) is only open in the winter when ski season is going on.  In the shot above you can see both the 3 Sisters Mountain Group on the left and Broken Top Mountain on the right.

This is the Summit of Mount Bachelor and YES, that is snow!

Here’s a great shot of the Novak family!

And I managed to find the cutest little puppy to hang out with!  Sorry for the brevity, but we just started an 8 day road trip with just the 2 of us!  It’s been FOREVER since we’ve had any alone time and we’re relishing this pre-baby opportunity to chill.  Only 2 weeks to go til we land in DC and 2 months (hopefully) til little Nia comes into the world!  My how time is flying!  Stay tuned for upcoming posts from the Oregon Coast and Washington State…

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A Recap of Week 1 in Bend, OR

by Sarah Novak on August 16, 2011

We just wrapped up our fourth week of home leave (2 more weeks to go).  A week ago we transferred from Minnesota to Bend, Oregon to visit Nick’s parents.  This is my first time visiting the Northwest and WOW has it knocked my socks off.  Perfect weather every day, fit people as far as the eye can see and views to rival New Zealand… Bend definitely has it going on.

Bend is a relatively small city, with just 75,000 people living here.  What they lack in numbers, they make up for in charm.  This places just oozes culture.  Take the adorable Mill District, for example (pictured above).  It’s set right on the river and was converted from an old mill into dozens of cute shops and eateries.  Bike and walking paths abound and the river is always packed with tubers, swimmers, kayakers and canoers.  In fact, during a majority of weekends in the summer you will find some kind of race going on in the water.  This weekend we got to watch a Stand Up Paddle Board race (which was going to be followed up by a combined Dog/Owner Swim heat).

Here’s a beautiful shot I captured along the Deschutes River.  You can see the kayaks blurred in the background, along with a tent from the weekend’s festival.

Bend may not be big enough for the major leagues, but it has drawn over 50,000 fans to its minor league stadium this year, where the Bend Elks play.  We were lucky enough to join in the excitement of the last game of the season.

Not ones to waste time, Nick and his Dad scheduled a 2 and a half day Whitewater Kayaking Course for the first weekend here.  The first day and a half were spent training, followed by a full day tackling the rapids of the McKenzie River (class 2 and 3 rapids).  They came home exhausted but exhilarated.

Joyce and I made the most of our girl time by scheduling RELAXING things to do.  We got Manis and Pedis, went to see the movie The Help, took long walks and went out to dinner one night.  It was nice to have some quality time to ourselves!

Since I put in a shot of Nick’s Mom, I thought I should throw in a picture of Nick and his Dad too.  Here they are on top of the Pilot Butte lookout.  Aren’t they a cute pair?

It’s tough to explain how breathtaking this scenery is because the pictures just don’t do it justice.  That’s the best I’ve got though, so it’ll have to do.  Above is a shot taken from the Lake Paulina Peak lookout which is part of the Newberry Caldera.  All of the formations in this area were shaped by the volcanic eruptions that happened long ago.

I’ll leave you with a beautiful shot of Lake Paulina Falls.  If you look towards the bottom of the shot, you’ll be able to catch a glimpse of a beautiful rainbow!

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Day 2 in San Fran: Our Foodie Experience

by Sarah Novak on June 30, 2009

slanteddoor
Honestly, I did nothing all day except eat on day 2.  And it was FABULOUS!  I love food and I’m not ashamed to admit it.  I don’t like to do it all the time, but a well-researched gem in a new city is a delicious splurge.  Here are my reviews of our picks.  First up for lunch was The Slanted Door, a Vietnamese restaurant in the Ferry building on Embarcadero.  Here are my ratings of it:

  • Price/Value: $25-30 a person for lunch w/o alcohol.  More for dinner obviously.  I’m going to give it a 3.5 on value, as you had to pay $2 a person for rice.  That seemed a bit tacky to me.  Why not just include it with the dish??
  • Food Quality/Taste: 4.5 stars.  Exceptional quality and taste.  Unique flavor textures and profiles.  We had caramelized prawns and vegetables, lettuce wraps, jasmine rice and clay pot chicken.  All were fantastic and very memorable.  The only downside for me was that everything came family-style and had to be ordered separately.  That made it more difficult to order because multiple people needed to all want the same thing.
  • Ambiance: 4 stars.  Very sleek and modern, which isn’t my favorite – but GREAT views of the bay!
  • Service: 5 stars.  Very attentive.  Our server automatically had a dish adapted so the vegetarian could enjoy it too.
  • Location/Parking: 5 stars.  Located right on the bay in the delightful Ferry Building.  Lots of transportation options to get there.
  • Overall Score: 4 stars.  Loved the food and service and location.  Wish it wouldn’t have been family style though!

garydanko

We wanted our last meal in the US to be highly memorable, so we booked a reservation with Restaurant Gary Danko, one of the most challenging tables to get in San Francisco.  It’s only a 65 seat dining room and rated as one of the top 3 restaurants, so we were happy to land a 5:30 reservation.  This is definitely a special date restaurant, as your minimum meal option is a $66 three course tasting menu.  Add a glass of wine and you’re minimally looking at $100 per person with tax and tip.  Here’s my review of the restaurant:

  • Price/Value: 3.5 stars.  They’re obviously selling out the dining room each night, so people are willing to pay what they’re asking.  For me though, in comparison to other restaurants with similar menus and food quality levels, I’ve been able to get more for my money.
  • Food Quality/Taste: 3 stars.  Nick and I have been debating this one since we got home last night.  While the food was beautifully presented and perfectly done, there wasn’t any “wow” factor to it.  The flavor profiles were fairly standard and the food choices were what I would have expected to see.  There just weren’t any surprises… yet on the other hand, it’d be hard to find something to complain about.  To give you an idea of what we had, our courses were: An amuse bouche courtesy of the chef, bread, appetizers, salmon medallions for me, scallops for Nick, a cheese course and a chocolate souffle for dessert.
  • Ambiance: 2 stars.  I was not a fan of the space or decor.  Ambiance is the most important thing for me, as I believe it sets the tone for how the meal will go.  It’s a conduit for conversation and good feelings toward the dining experience.  So why wasn’t I impressed?  We were crammed into a small dining space, I found it impossible to stay focused on my own conversation because of other tables on top of us, and the decor felt a bit outdated.  Nothing memorable about it.
  • Service: 5 stars.  Not a question in my mind.  Best service I’ve ever had at a restaurant.  Amazingly attentive staff that paid attention to small things.  They even brought us an additional plate of mini desserts with Bon Voyage written in chocolate to celebrate our last night here.  Another thing that impressed me was that a taxi had already been called for us right when we were paying our bill.  Impressive.
  • Location/Parking: 3.5 stars.  Not near the water, on a bit of a random street.  Seemed to be squished in to the location.  No parking except valet.  No idea if there was public transportation nearby, as we took a taxi.
  • Overall: 3.5 stars.  High marks for service and execution, but lacked soul.  Food was perfectly done, but not memorable.  Ambiance left something to be desired.  I don’t like being a sardine when I’m paying that much!

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