Merry Christmas from Florida

Billy and I are in Florida this week celebrating Christmas with his family. Merry Christmas!Kayaking at Thousand Islands in Cocoa Beach, FL on Christmas Eve day

Seattle Day 7 - July 3, 2009

For our second day in Seattle, we had a lot on the schedule. Our first stop was the Boeing Plant in Everett. It is a good idea to make reservations prior to your trip to ensure that you are able to actually tour the factory. While in the factory you are able to see them building 747s, 777s and 787s. Billy and I find factories fascinating so this was a great way to spend our morning. There were no cameras allowed in the actual factory so no pics for us. After we were done with the tour, we checked out the Future of Flight Aviation Center.
We picked up some lunch from Other Coast Cafe in Ballard. It was crazy busy, so we took our sandwich to eat on picnic bench near the Ballard Locks. We attempted to join up with a ranger-led tour, but we ditched it after a few minutes because the ranger was super boring. The locks were fairly crowded; we did get a chance to see them open and close the locks. The salmon ladder was extremely crowded, but there wasn't much to see since it was the season for salmons to be traveling.
For our evening, we tried to get dinner at a sports bar across from the Space Needle after Billy completed his mission of finding free parking, but it was closed due to a power outage. Our next attempt was at a small Greek restaurant across from sports bar. They were not able to handle the number of people so we did not get waited on, and we left. Finally, we ended up at a fast food taco place. It wasn't great, but it was food. We then made our way over to Key Arena to see The Bravery and Green. The line to get in was extremely long so Billy ventured off to try to find a shorter line. I didn't have my cell phone, and the line started to move quickly once he left. Luckily he left me with my ticket, so I borrowed a phone from some people behind me to let him know I was going in. We met up at our seats. The Bravery opened up, and I enjoyed them while Billy wasn't impressed. Green Day's show was basically a repeat of the American Idiot tour with some of their new songs. I love Green Day, but I think that I will be taking a break from their shows.
After the show, we called it a night.
Daily Reviews
Boeing Factory Tours in Everett - 5 stars
Pros: Very informative
Cons: No cameras on the tour

Ballard Locks & Salmon Ladder - 5 stars
Pros: Interesting
Cons: Crowded

Seattle Day 6 - July 2, 2009

Day 6 took us to Seattle. Billy and I packed up our room at Lake Quinault and grabbed some breakfast from our selection. There is not much to be said for the drive to Seattle; we drove through depressing little lumber towns. One high point was that we got to go through Aberdeen - where Kurt Cobain of Nirvana was from. Their city slogan is Come as You Are.

Once in Seattle, we tried to grab lunch at Salumi but it was closed. We settled on Central Station Deli. It reminded me of other generic sandwich shops like Panera Bread, Corner Bakery, etc. After our bellies were full, I made Billy stop by the Panama Hotel for a photo op. My book club had read On the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford, and the Panama Hotel is integral part of the story. I would love to spend more time at the hotel which has since been converted into a tea shop with Panama Hotel paraphernalia, but I did not want to bore Billy.
We then checked into Sheraton. Billy lucked out by finding street parking so we didn't have to pay to park at the hotel. After relaxing for a little while, we ventured out on the monorail to go to the Experience Music Project and Sci-Fi Museum. It is free on the 1st Thursday of the month. I was really excited because they were having special exhibit about Jim Henson at the Sci-Fi Museum. We got to see on the Sesame Street facade and I even got to be a Kurt Cobain Muppet. My favorite part of the Experience Music Project was the section on alternative music. The interactive area is probably cool, but it was too crowded for us to actually check it out.

On the monorail
Billy seating on the stairs of Sesame Street

Me with the Kurt Cobain Muppet
Experience Music Project - guitars

We then walked over to Sculpture Park and saw some great views of Elliot Bay. We spent a little bit of time walking down the path towards the waterfront. After checking out the sculptures, we took advantage of the free streetcar and headed south.

It happened to also be free entrance at the Seattle Art Museum that evening. We enjoyed walking through the galleries while hearing the band play downstairs. It had a very hip vibe to it.

It was now time for dinner at Serious Pie. Once we arrived at the restaurant, we had to wait for about 20 minutes for getting a table, but it was worth it. It is a very small space with large tables that seat 6-8 people; you are seated next to others at the same tables. The pizza is thin crust and quite yummy. I also partook of the gelato for dessert. Two thumbs up in my book! Back to the hotel for us to relax for the evening.

Daily Reviews
Central Station Deli - 4 stars
Pros: it was open, tasty sandwiches and cookies
Cons: had to get a key for the bathrooms

Experience Music Project & Sci-Fi Museum - 4 stars
Pros: FREE!, Jim Hensen special exhibit, interesting exhibits about all types of music
Cons: Crowded

Sculpture Park - 5 stars
Pros: well-groomed paths, great views of Elliot Bay, unique sculptures
Cons: none

Serious Pie - 4 stars
Pros: yummy gelato, tasty pizza pies
Cons: wait time, likely to sit as a table with others

Day 5 – July 1, 2009

Today was a low key day for us. We started off our day by stopping by the Quinault Mercantile across the street from the lodge. The Mercantile is a combination of a store and a quick serve restaurant. I chose the pancakes for breakfast, and Billy opted for a breakfast sandwich. They were fairly busy since they are one of the only games in the area. We noticed a sign that said the business was for sale. Hopefully, somebody will pick the opportunity to keep this place in business.

We relaxed on the hill outside the lodge with views of the lake during the morning. We then got in the car to go around the lake and take a walk through the Quinault Rainforest. This area is a lot more secluded than Hoh Rainforest; there were only a few other families at the rainforest when we were there. The walk is a great one for someone who has a minor injury due to the groomed trail and the lack of elevation change.

On our way back to the lodge, we stopped by the largest cedar tree. This hike is fairly short and simple, but definitely more difficult than the rainforest walk. It does include a slight elevation change with groomed trail and some stairs. There are few offshoots that people have worn in a new trail, but you can always find the actual trail. When you think you see a big tree, keep going because that is not it. The largest cedar tree is just a little further.

Once we got back to the lodge, we decided to rent a canoe. We spent about an hour on the lake. We thought we could make it to the other side, but it is a lot further than it looks. More relaxing was in store after canoeing.

For dinner, we went to the Salmon House because there were tons of choices in the Lake Quinault area (dripping with sarcasm). It ended up being a great choice for dinner. The décor was straight out of the 80s and brought back more childhood memories for the both of us. The food was surprisingly good – I had the garlic prawns and Billy dined on the blackened salmon. One drawback for us was the sun was in the process of setting so it was rather warm even with the shades pulled down.

After trip back in time, we returned back the lodge and got ice cream from the Quinault Mercantile. We called it an evening and relaxed in the lodge.

Daily Reviews

Quinault Mercantile – 5 stars

Pros: food cost less than food at the lodge, quick, food is tasty

Cons: not a lot of options in the store area

Quinault Rainforest – 5 stars

Pros: Not too many other people, accessible from Lake Quinault Lodge, restrooms on site, easy walk/hike

Cons: Ranger station not open

Salmon House – 4 stars

Pros: cheaper than the lodge, 80s flashback, decent food

Cons: frozen vegetables, heat from sunset

Day 4 – June 30, 2009

Goodbye Lake Crescent! After waking up, eating breakfast and taking a stroll around the property, we checked out of the Lake Crescent Lodge.

After driving along Lake Crescent, we stopped at the Fairholm Store at the west end of the lake to pick up items for lunch. They have a limited supply of items, but you can find something if you are not too picky. We finally settled on bread and salami; we already had mustard from our Hurricane Ridge picnic.

Our next stop was Rialto Beach. As we approached the beach area, the clouds got lower to the ground. When we got out of the car we were greeted with chilly winds. I only had shorts on because it hurt to have pants on my knee wounds, but I finally decided to put on some more layers to warm myself up. We took advantage of one of the picnic tables located near parking lot to eat our self-made sandwiches. We then took a peek of Rialto Beach. We only stayed for a few minutes to take a few pictures and catch in the scenes but the wind was too much for us to handle and we had to catch low tide at Second Beach.

On the trail to Second Beach

Second Beach was next on our list. We found a parking spot even though there are a limited number of spaces. We trekked down the trail to get to the beach. It was a well groomed trail with steps for much of the descent. As you leave the trail you are greeted by loads of drift wood that you must scramble over to get to the beach. It is fairly easy to get across because you can choose numerous routes. The fog was extremely thick as we walked onto the beach. It was a surreal experience to see the fog breezing by even though at times you could not see more than a few feet in front of you. Billy made sure to time it just right so we were there during low tide which gave us an opportunity to check out the tide pools. During low tide be sure you keep your eyes on the water as the waves will still approach closely in the tide pools. We were able to see starfish, urchins and other sea invertebrates. After checking out some of the tide pools at the north end of the beach, we headed in the direction of Third Beach. After walking aimlessly in the fog, we headed back to the car to venture on to the Hoh Rainforest.

The drift wood you must climb over to get to the beach

Second Beach

Billy at Second Beach

As we approached the Hoh Rain Forest area, we get the typical feeling of being in other National Park areas. The parking lot was crowded, but we were able to find a spot fairly easily. It is amazing to see the change in scenery from our earlier adventures. We started off with the Spruce Nature Trail and then checked out the Hall of Mosses. We would have done more, but my knee was not in the best condition for hiking. Billy was disappointed that he did not see any elk. We enjoyed seeing the different trees and other fauna in the area . As we were leaving Hoh Rain Forest, we checked out the largest cedar tree in Washington.

Phone at Hoh Rain Forest Area

Hall of Mosses Trail

Billy at the largest cedar tree

Now it was time for us to go to the Lake Quinault area. As Billy drove, I called the Roosevelt Dining Room at Lake Quinault Lodge to make reservations (they are required to dine there). The drive was fairly easy and non-descript in many areas due to the logging companys' removal of trees. There were some very beautiful sites of the ocean to counterbalance the blight of the forest removal. As we approached the Lake Quinault area, we knew we were in northwest Washington because we saw a bunch of men standing around a dead black bear hoisted up on a forklift.

Billy checked in to the Lake Quinault Lodge in the gift shop/reception area as a I waited in the lobby. We then unloaded our stuff into our room. I was quite a sight walking up the stairs with my bum knee. After settling into our room, it was time to go to the Roosevelt Dining Room for our dinner reservation.

We were seated at a table by the window with gorgeous views of the lake. We were there just in time to see the beginning of the sun setting over the mountains behind the lake. Breathtaking! For dinner, I chose the clam chowder along with the seared tuna appetizer – yummy. Billy had Frogmore Stew which he thought it tasted like spaghetti sauce on potatoes. We shared a fruit cobbler for dessert; it was huge and tasty.

Lake Quinault Lodge at twilight

After dinner, we walked/limped around the hillside area beside the lake. Then we settled down in the lobby area to read and relax for a little while. The wireless Internet was not working.

Another great day in the Pacific Northwest!

Daily Reviews

Fairholm Store – 2 stars
Pros: It is the only store in the area.
Cons: Not very many choices.

Rialto Beach – 5 stars
Pros: Lots of parking, nice bathrooms, quick walk as well as handicap accessible, interesting landscape
Cons: Not an actual con, but the weather is unpredictable – it was cold when we were there.

Second Beach – 5 stars
Pros: Not super popular because it is not as easy to access due to the short trail and logs, beautiful beach with lots of opportunities to explore
Cons: Worst smelling pit toilet-be sure to go to the bathroom beforehand

Hoh Rainforest Area – 5 stars
Pros: Lots of different options for different experience levels
Cons: Parents who don’t teach their children about trail etiquette; it is off the main road

Roosevelt Dining Room at Lake Quinault Lodge - 3 stars
Pros: Views of Lake Quinault; some of the food was tasty
Cons: Frogmore Stew was a disappointment; expensive

Lake Crescent Lodge Review

In short: Spectacular, isolated location and scenery with summer camp quality lodging that does not include a lot of amenities. It includes a goofy but not over the top expensive restaurant.

I have an affinity to national park hotels and lodges. So when we planned our vacation to the Olympic Peninsula, I was excited about staying on the national park property. Overall, I really liked the Lake Crescent Lodge and property. You check-in at the main lodge that houses the lobby, gift shop, restaurant and a small amount of guest rooms on the second floor. There are other guest room buildings on the property along with the cabins, which must be booked well in advance. We received a room in the Storm King Motor Lodge. The rooms are straight out of the 70s with possible 80s flair. To me, it is part of the charm and brings back memories of 4-H camp. We had a full size bed along with 2 run of the mill motel chairs, and a small desk that worked well for holding our food. The bed and bath linens left something to be desired. The bathroom met our needs but there was nothing spectacular about it. The best part of our room was the view of Lake Crescent from our patio door.

The restaurant on site is average, but I would recommend going for one evening just for the experience. Get there early to get a table by the window for gorgeous views of the lake. Even though the wait staff likes to tout that they have chef, the food resembles food that you would eat at any generic restaurant. I was not blown away by any of the dishes.

The main lodge is quaint and reminds me of yesteryear. There are many tables and chairs in the lobby and the sunroom area with access to checkers and other games. We even had the pleasure of enjoying a fire in large fireplace under the Roosevelt Elk head.

The property is quite inviting. Adirondack chairs line the shore of Lake Crescent. There is also a long dock that provides you with beautiful views of the lake and surrounding scenery. There are row boats for rent but no canoes or kayaks. There are a few hiking trails that you can pick up at the property.

I would definitely stay at the Lake Crescent Lodge again as well as recommend it to others. I would like to see updates made to the guest rooms and a few more amenities added. It served the purpose of providing us a place to sleep with the charm of the surrounding area.

Pros: National Park charm, access to hiking trails, easy driving access to Port Angeles, beautiful environment, cozy lodge

Cons: lack of updates/renovations, few amenities, average restaurant, expensive lodging rates

Day 3 – June 29, 2009

We woke up to the alarm ready for our day of adventure. We got dressed for our day outdoors, and we ate a quick breakfast with our goodies from Wal-Mart. We headed towards Port Angeles to meet up with our guides at Adventures through Kayaking Outfitters. Billy opted for the kayaking and mountain biking tour and I happily followed along.

When we arrived, we were greeted by Don. We were outfitted with all of the clothing (wetsuit, booties, windbreaker) we needed for kayaking. You will want to bring a bathing suit to put on under all of their gear and definitely use the restroom prior to putting the wetsuit on. After our entire group (it was a mom & daughter joining us for the morning kayaking) was suited up, we head out to the Freshwater Bay with Mark, our kayaking guide. Because I’m a big chicken, I wanted to be in a tandem kayak with Billy. The water was so smooth in the bay. After practicing a few of the basic maneuvers we ventured out into some different cove areas. While we were out and about, we saw different wildlife and vegetation: bald eagles, starfish, various types of seaweed, river otters, ducks, and other types of birds. The water started to get a little too choppy so Mark decided it would be best to head back to Freshwater Bay and play around in there. I was pleased with his executive decision; did I mention that I am a chicken? Once we were back in the bay, we kayaked around some rocks and took the obligatory pictures. The Olympics provided a beautiful backdrop. Our morning of kayaking was awesome – very knowledgeable and friendly guide, great views, perfect weather and lots of opportunities to see wildlife.

Billy kayaking in Freshwater Bay

Billy & I kayaking

When we got back to the shop, we changed out of clothes to get ready for mountain biking. We were greeted by Chris, our mountain biking guide. He was eager to get us on the bikes and out on the trail, but we had to eat lunch (it was provided with the package). After lunch, Don dropped us off at the bike trail. We poked around on the bikes at the drop off area to get comfortable then we headed out on the trail. This is where the adventure begins. Not a quarter mile into the trip and I fell off of my bike. Yes, Billy it was my fault. J I took my feet off of the pedals and it did make me wobble as I hit a grassy patch to the right of the trail. Man, this did not put a good taste in my mouth for mountain biking. I am proud of myself though because I never cried even though I really wanted to. Hey, I was the only girl there so I had to hold my own. After walking for a few minutes, I got back on the bike. I had Chris lower my seat because it was bothering me that it was so high.

One of my scrapes after falling from my mountain bike

Billy & me on the mountain biking trail

We eventually finished our biking/walking adventure probably twice as long as it should have taken us. I have to say that Chris was the perfect guide for a scaredy cat like me. He is very encouraging and is willing to give you as much time as you need to get comfortable. For anybody that is interested in doing this tour, I think you should realize that the trail is probably not meant for beginners who not very adventurous due to the fact there are quite a few switchbacks as you decline. Billy did great because he does not have the same sense of fear that I do. I’m not ruling out mountain biking, but I would like to try an easier trail.

Don picked us up at the end of the trail, and we head back to the store. After saying our goodbyes and invitations to comeback and see the Flaming Lips, we proceeded back to Lake Crescent for some relaxation.

Relaxing at Lake Crescent - what I do best

For dinner, we ate at Sabai Thai in Port Angeles. We had to wait for about 20 minutes for a table. Many of the restaurants are closed on Mondays. The wait was well worth it. I had some delicious Pad Thai, and Billy noshed on Thai Barbeque Chicken that was cold. We went back to the lodge to relax and retire for the evening after a stop at Safeway for some cookies.

Daily Reviews

Adventures Through Kayaking – 5 stars
Pros: amazing staff that was knowledgeable and friendly (Thanks Don, Mark & Chris!), small tour group, provided with everything we needed, lunch, great activities that allowed us to experience more of NW Washington.
Cons: Would liked to have gone on an easier trail for mountain biking

Sabai Thai – 4 stars
Pros: delicious food, prompt service
Cons: Thai BBQ Chicken was cold, 20 minute wait

Day 2 – June 28, 2009

What a great view to wake up to – Lake Crescent! Billy and I woke up at a more reasonable time this morning even though it started to get light outside around 4:30 a.m. We showered and enjoyed our breakfast of cereal sans milk and apples.

Marymere Falls was the first item on our agenda for the day. We picked up the trail on the Lake Crescent property. The trail was a luscious forest of Douglas fir and ferns. Be careful of downed trees. I was leading and forget to alert Billy to the downed tree, and he bumped his head because he was trying to change the date/time on the camera.

Walking on the Marymere Falls Trail...The tree that Billy bumped into is behind me to the right

Despite Billy’s bump, we were able to continue our leisurely hike. The trail was wide and fairly level with small rise and falls until we passed the two footbridges. As you approach, the sign for the Falls Loop I would advise go the opposite direction it recommends because I feel it is easier to go uphill with out steps and downhill with steps.

Go the opposite way of the sign. You will end up back at the sign after you view the falls.

Marymere Falls are quite a treat with two overlooks to view the dainty falls. After taking some pictures, we headed back to the room to complete our 1.5 miles hike without any injuries on the way back.

Marymere Falls

After we regrouped, we went to the Albertsons in Port Angeles to buy some deli meat and bread for lunch. With lunch in hand, we stopped by the ONP Visitor Center which is a letdown after visiting visitor centers in Yellowstone NP, but it had the necessary information and brochures. We loaded back to the car to begin our ascent to Hurricane Ridge.

Once we got to the top, we ate our self-created ham sandwiches at one of the picnic tables near the Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center. We had a spectacular view of the Olympics. We joined the ranger-led walk at the front of the visitor center at 2:00 p.m. Ranger Ron led a walk about competition versus cooperation of different species and animals in the park. As we walked, we met up with quite a few black tailed deer. After the walk concluded, Billy and I ventured to Sunrise Point to capture some great views of the area. The hike is fairly easy, but it was steep at points. It was definitely worth it.

Ranger Ron at Hurricane Ridge

View from Sunrise Point

We went back to the visitor center to catch the 4 p.m. ranger talk. It happened to be led by Ranger Ron again. He told 5 different stories from the park with one of them being false. The audience had to guess which was not correct.

After our entertaining talk, we stopped by Hurricane Hill for a short hike. This is a super easy hike which would be great for beginning hikers. There is a gravel/paved trail the entire way. Billy and I only went as far the switchbacks because we wanted to grab dinner in Port Angeles and get back to Lake Crescent for the ranger campfire talk. Walking as far as we did was worth it because we had great views of the Olympics along with some animal sightings of deer and marmots.

Hurricane Hill

Black tailed deer on the Hurricane Hill trail

Once in Port Angeles, we decided eat dinner the Soho Asian Bistro. There were very few choices of restaurants because it was Sunday. Soho had a few groups already dining when we arrived. Billy had to go back out to the car to get our sweatshirts because it was quite cold inside. I ordered chicken lo mein, and Billy ordered Szechwan chicken which was pretty good which says a lot for Billy. The lo mein was tasty, but it could have used more soy sauce during the cooking process.

After dinner, we went back to Lake Crescent, but did not get there in time for the campfire talk. We went to the lodge to use the wireless Internet connection and relax. Another great day in Washington!

Sunset at Lake Crescent

Daily Reviews

Albertsons – 3 stars

Pros: Clerk allowed us to use the store card since we didn’t have one

Cons: none

Hurricane Ridge – 5 stars

Pros: Lots to explore, easy trails with the option to venture out to more difficult trails; interesting ranger talks; nice visitor center

Cons: Not a lot of informative displays/dioramas in the visitor center (We’ve been spoiled by Yellowstone).

Soho Asian Bistro – 4 stars

Pros: Billy actually liked his meal which is hard to come by, cute environment

Cons: Lo mein not as flavorful as it should be

Day 1 – June 27, 2009

A view of Mount Rainier before we landed in Seattle

Last night, we arrived in Seattle via SeaTac Airport. We stayed at the Radisson immediately off of the airport property. We spent more time waiting for a courtesy van to pick us up from the airport than it would have taken us to walk to the hotel. It was probably safer to take a van though.

As we settled into our room, Billy said they gave us the Priceline room. One wall of the room met up with the back of the elevator shaft, we heard a constant drilling noise throughout the night as the elevator moved to different floors. It was annoying yet manageable for one night. Since we hadn’t adjusted to the 3 hour time difference yet, we were up around 6 a.m. Then we began our search for breakfast, and we settled with going to Denny’s which is just a couple of blocks down from the hotel. Billy and I both ordered Grad Slams. The service was fine and the food was adequate to meet the needs of our hunger.

We went back to the hotel to freshen up for our drive to Olympic National Park (ONP). While we were getting ready, Billy phoned Budget to send a car to pick us up and drop us off at their off airport rental location. We ended up with a silver Toyota Corolla. The process was quick and painless.

To start off our journey, we stopped by a Wal-Mart Supercenter in Federal Way. We picked up some snacks and water to munch on throughout our trip. Finally, we were on our way to ONP. Around lunch time, we stopped in Sequim to eat at the Oak Table. We were seated immediately. I ordered the shrimp and avocado sandwich. It was absolutely delicious. Billy got the chicken teriyaki sandwich.

After our stomachs were full, we hit the road again for a short distance. Our next stop was Dungeness Spit. It was great to get out of the car and walk for a while. It costs $3 cash to enter the hiking trail area; they had a volunteer at the trailhead to remind people to use the envelopes for payment. We only had a five dollar bill, so the federal government got a few extra dollars from us. We journeyed down the gravel trail and were amazed at the sight of the spit from the observation decks. We walked around 1 ½ miles down the spit plus the ½ mile on the gravel path through the forest. Luckily, we ended up walking a little bit further than we planned because we were treated with views a seal pup. The baby seal was hamming it up while sunning itself. I was standing a little too close I came to find out later, but some fellow hikers approached and stood directly next to the seal. I was very disappointed by their actions. As we walked back the wind started to pick up so definitely wear layers or bring a jacket. Also, don’t forget to put on sunscreen. I got a little too much sun on my chest while Billy burned on the back of his calves.

Dungeness Spit

A seal pup on the Dungeness Spit

Next stop…Lake Crescent Lodge. Actually, we had to stop by Wal-Mart in Port Angeles to get a decongestant for Billy’s dripping nose. Thank goodness for Wal-Mart! Now we were really on our way to Lake Crescent Lodge. As we drove from Port Angeles to Lake Crescent, we able to catch views of Lake Crescent itself as we got closer to the lodge. They scenery was absolutely gorgeous with mountains surrounding the glacial lake.

Lake Crescent Lodge

We quickly checked in at the main lodge (while Billy checked in, I tried to make reservations at the restaurant, but was told they are first come, first serve), and then we unloaded our stuff into our room in the Storm King Building. The room is straight out of the 80s or maybe even the 70s. It has wood paneling, a lovely floral comforter and gorgeous yellowish brown tile in the shower. Hey, I can’t complain we had a gorgeous view of Lake Crescent from our sliding glass door that opened up onto a patio area. Just be prepared that the rooms are less than desirable if you are used to the Ritz, but it met our purposes.Enjoying our patio outside of Storm King room

Billy and I dined in the Lake Crescent Lodge restaurant. I had the half portion of the fish and chips. It was yummy, and the portion size was perfect with 2 planks of fish. It is escaping me right now what Billy ordered. For dessert, we chose the three berry pie with ice cream. The pie could have used a little bit more sugar with the berries, and the crust could have been a little lighter.

As we left the dining room, we were surprised to see a storm brewing over Lake Crescent. We were planning on attending the campfire ranger-led talk, but there was a lot of wind from the storm. Just as we were sitting down in the lodge, we noticed that the ranger was also moving his talk inside. We were in luck! The ranger’s discussion was about the Elwha River restoration project. I would say he spoke more on the history of Olympic National Park with tidbits about the project. His talk was laced with ONP related songs to the tunes of other familiar songs, such as “Take Me Out to the Ballgame”…this was a winner for the kids.

Billy about to beat me in a game of Checkers

After making use of the wireless internet in the lodge, Billy and I called it a night!

Daily Reviews
Radisson at SeaTac – 1 star
Pros: close to the airport, free wireless Internet in room, Sleep Number bed
Cons: Priceline room next the elevator with annoying sound; low water pressure

Budget Rental – 5 stars
Pros: Picked us up at hotel directly across from airport, saved us the airport tax & fees; friendly staff
Cons: None

Oak Table – 4 stars
Pros: Waffle fries; shrimp avocado sandwich-Yum!; quaint environment
Cons: Expensive

Dungeness Spit – 5 stars
Pros: unique experience, easy hike, not very crowded after the initial entry area; baby seal sighting; beach & mountains = gorgeous
Cons: Non-manned fee station-must have the correct amount of money
Lake Crescent Dining Room – 3 stars
Pros: good views of the lake, not as expensive as the Roosevelt Dining Room at Lake Quinault
Cons: Flaky waitstaff, less than stellar pie & chicken

Lake Crescent Ranger Campfire Talk – 2 stars
Pros: Accommodating to the weather conditions; something to do
Cons: Not particularly on topic; oriented towards older people & children

Buenos Aires - April 3, 2009

Billy and I left our place around 4:00 p.m. to head to the airport on Marta. Our ride to the airport was pretty uneventful expect for a short delay due to another train breaking down and only leaving one set of the rails open for north and southbound trains. Check-in and security were smooth. Since we were at the airport two hours prior to our fly, we just hung out near our gate.Our flight to Miami ran smoothly. Billy and I watched Bolt; it was the in-flight movie. It is a very cute Disney film. We were provided with drinks and a small snack of pretzels, sesame chips and cheese sticks. We landed in Miami and headed to our gate for Buenos Aires. There was not much in way restaurants, so Billy and I opted for Pizza Hut. The pizza was not spectacular, but it hit the spot. We were hoping not to stay awake for the inflight meal

We boarded our plane for Buenos Aires on time and took off after a short delay due to needing more time to load the baggage. As we took our seats, we noticed the unpleasant smell that permeated the entire plane…plane food. It has been a while since we have been on a flight in which they served meals. I fiddled with my in-flight entertainment system and decided to watch Marley & Me. I stayed awake long enough to see what they were serving for dinner (lasagna or chicken). Neither item seemed appetizing so I continued to watch the movie and fell asleep about halfway through it. I slept on and off for most of the flight. I woke up for good about 2 hours before we landed.

Breakfast was served about an hour before we landed. We received a croissant with yogurt and orange juice. It was quite tasty. I watched some more of Marley & Me, but then it was time to land so the movie stopped playing. Bummer…I guess I’ll just have to get it from the library to see the ending.

We were finally in Buenos Aires!

4th Floor Hotel Review - Reykjavik, Iceland

“Don’t do it – Definitely not worth the hassle.”

Review of 4th Floor Hotel by Billy. Also posted on www.tripadvisor.com

We stayed for the 4th Floor Hotel for five nights over the New Year’s 2008/09 holiday. I was originally planning on reviewing this hotel and giving two stars with the comment that it was half a step better than a hostel and that it wasn’t bad enough to leave, or else it would have gotten one stars. But not after the way I was treated at checkout.

The hotel is located at the far end of the shopping/dining district away from the center of town. The best part about the hotel was the OK breakfast, but show up early because they didn’t always replenish things that were eaten.

We are allowed to check in early, only after being argued with about how much our final bill was going to be. We were supposed to be there for six nights but our flight from Atlanta to Boston was delayed enough to missing the connecting flight to Reykjavik. As soon as we arrived back home I emailed 4th Floor and received this response, “Flight delayed noted. We will cancel the first night.” Great. On arrival though there was an disagreement about how to properly recalculate our total, although the amount was only about $6, I had wanted to divide and multiply to get the exact figure but the person working the desk only wanted to quote me a close enough number. I lost this disagreement, and it became the first of a long list of unhelpful, uncaring, aloof, and argumentative and disappointing interactions between both my wife and myself and the staff of the 4th Floor Hotel.
We booked a double room with shared facilities. I’ve done the whole three weeks backpacking in Europe thing and I’ve stayed in hostels with larger and nicer rooms than the 4th Floor hotel. (see my pictures) Looking at the floor plan, our room seems to be one of the larger ones, so I couldn’t have imagined being in a smaller one. There were no sheets on the bed, just a mattress cover and comforter. I thought we were staying in a hotel so we didn’t bring our own sheets. There was almost no storage. We wanted to put stuff on the upper left shelf but it was covered in a thick layer of dust. The two shared restroom facilities were small and never quite felt clean. Luckily my wife remembered to bring shower flip flops, which I hadn’t.

We booked the package that included the car rental. I originally booked the car because I didn’t fully know what to expect in Iceland, what are plans were for tours, and because we were originally planning on being there an extra day. It was also only about an additional $40-50 so I had decided to get the car package just in case. Because our trip was cut a day short, we only ended up using the car once in order to drive up to the Perlan and back. I figured about six Kilometers. Our package included 100km a day, for a total of 500km. But the staff had failed to both write down the mileage on the car from the person who had previously tried to check it and when I checked it out. Usually I snap a picture of the mileage when I get a rental car but this totally slipped my mind this time. At check out the staff tried to say that I had gone over the mileage allowance, and that they were planning to charge my credit card until they could further investigate. It took an extensive argument with the owner/manager to finally convince them we certainly did not go over the mileage allowance.

This final episode put the bitter icing on crummy 4th Floor Hotel cake, ending what was quite a disappointing stay. We had hoped a smaller facility would provide better service, but the only service and hospitality we received from the 4th Floor Hotel was quite poor.