Dori’s Travel Adventures

After enjoying some fresh eggs for breakfast, we stopped at a local hotspot for freshly made donuts – Pip’s.   Donuts are not my kind of thing.  However these donuts are made to order and fresh as can be.  We got six different flavors and I must admit that they were quite yummy.   Collectively we had no trouble polishing off our dozen and a half even though we had all just eaten breakfast.

 

With Kate at the wheel of her red Toyota Matrix, we were off for our weekend get away.  Our first stop was to see Little Crater Lake in the Mt. Hood National Forest.  It is named after Crater Lake   because the water is clear and blue just like its namesake.   It was amazing how you could see 45 ft. to the bottom.

Next we were off to the Newberry National Volcanic Monument.  The Newberry Volcano is the largest volcano in the Cascade Range.  This volcano first erupted about 400,000 years ago and created lava flows covering 1,200 square miles  which made lava tubes and over 400 cinder cones and vents during its active times.  The last eruption was 1,300 years ago.

Over first stop was the “Big Obsidian Flow” which was formed during the youngest lava flow 1,300 years ago.    Obsidian is a natural  volcanic glass similar to the glass in our windows.  The lava flow was immense and pieces of the black shiny obsidian rock were everywhere.  As we walked the jagged path, I got a little nervous.  With caution in mind,  Frank and I opted for a very short hike  along the interpretive trail while Kate and Dan did the full loop.

Next we were off to East Lake nearby.   We were hoping to kayak there but the wind was pretty strong, so we decided to wait for a  better opportunity.

Paulina Lake was our next stop.  There we took a short hike along the lake’s rim.  Both lakes are located near La Pine, Oregon.

Leaving the falls, we went to the Best Western in La Pine.  After supper at a local Mexican restaurant we called it a day, and headed to our respective rooms to relax and unwind from touring.   Tomorrow we hope to explore more in the Newberry Volcanic area.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Since Kate and Dan both had to work today, Frank and I were on our own here at the urban homestead.  Frank was armed with his kindle so that suited him just fine.

At 8:30 I set off for the Columbia Pool for their aqua aerobics class.   On the way I noticed how dry the grass was.   Portland has a wet season from September until March, then a dry season.   Kate told us that it hasn’t rained much at all this summer.

 

On the way home I noticed how creative Portlanders are with their grass strips  between their sidewalk and the street.  After all, why would you waste good gardening area?

 

After Kate and Dan got home from work, they suggested we all go for a scooter ride.   Portland just got Lime, which are battery powered scooters.    They work a lot like the rent a bike programs.  With the app, you can track where the nearest scooter is, go pick it up and off you go.  Kate and Dan went and gathered two scooters.   Then after a very brief instruction time, Frank and I tried out the scooters In front of Kate’s house.    I thought riding the scooter  was  a blast, but Frank did not share the same sentiments. So after snagging another scooter, Kate, Dan, and I were off for a 5 mile adventure around their neighborhood.   I loved our ride except for a bumpy section on a bike trail by the Columbia slough.

After eating pizza at a nearby restaurant, we ended the evening around a fire pit that Dan had made.  It was a great way to end our second day in Portland.

 

My phone alarm buzzed at 3:15 am. Time to get up.  Frank and I were heading to the Philly airport for a flight to Las Vegas then a second flight on to Portland to visit our daughter Kate and her friend Dan.    Travel went without a hitch.

Since both Kate and Dan were at work, I used my Uber app and selected driver Ben to take us to Kate’s house.

Once we arrived we let ourselves in and made ourselves at home.

Then it was on to the menagerie.    

After supper Kate and Dan wanted to take us to their closest neighborhood brewery.  On Thursday nights, you can get a growler of one of their beers for just $10.00.   Little did we know what we were about to see!

Spending the rest of the evening at the house, we enjoyed a pie of Kate’s homemade rubbarb custard pie.  We were entertained by the cute antics of our grand cats, Freddie and Scarfy.

Stay tuned for more Portland adventures tomorrow!

 

How could it be Friday already?  It is amazing how fast vacation days fly by.   All of my comrades were ready to head for one last day on the beach.   Anyone who knows me well,  knows that sitting on the beach is not my first choice.  So today, I decided to spend relaxing on the deck of our condo.   The view of the ocean and lagoon was gorgeous.

There was a diary in the condo  for guest to fill out about their week.   I wrote an entry then caught up on my emails and reading.

When Janet and the two Linda’s returned from the beach, Linda P.’s  shell bags were bulging.   It was low tide and the beach was loaded with shells.   Even though Linda had packed up a big container of shells the night before, she just couldn’t resist adding to her collection today.

After everyone got cleaned up, we headed to Snook Inn for our last night’s dinner.   This seafood restaurant is along the Marco River at the end of Bald Eagle Drive, Olde Marco.  We ate outside under a covered patio.   It was a casual restaurant teaming with customers. There was a singer with a guitar providing  live music.    I ordered steamed shrimp and left just enough room for a slice of key lime pie.   All in all a great way to finish out our week in Southwest Florida and Marco Island.

We were taking an Allegiant  flight from Ft. Meyers airport at 6:50 am.   That meant getting packed, washing the beach towels and running the dishwasher before heading to bed by 9.   We set our alarms very early.   Our goal was to leave at 4:30 am. I am happy to report that all  four  of us were ready in plenty of time.   We  were on the same flight to Charlotte and then went on two different flights to finish our travels back to Allentown and Harrisburg.    We all arrived to our final destinations without any problems.  We all agreed that we had had a great relaxing fun week at Marco Island.    Who knows where we four college friends will wind up next year?

We got up bright and early.  Linda P. and I had booked a Dreamlander boat tour of the Ten Thousand Islands.   These are islands off the coast of southwest Florida. The part just south of Marco Island is called Cape Romano.  Almost all of these island are uninhabited.

When we were getting ready to leave Linda P. could not find her wallet.  She looked everywhere to know avail.   Finally we had to leave, but we asked our two friends if one of them would call Joey’s when  they opened to see if they had found a wallet.   Linda decided not to worry.  Hopefully the wallet was there.  Linda H. promised to message us if it was found.

Arriving at the Goodland Boat Park,  we walked to the docks.  Brandon, our driver, greeted us and helped us climb aboard.   We were the only folks on this two hour tour.

After playing with the dolphins, Brandon took us on a tour  through the Ten Thousand Islands which are mostly full of mangroves.   We eventually came to Cape Ramona and the Dome House.   The Dome House is an abandoned modern house that is located south of Marco Island.  It was built in 1980 by Bob Lee, a retired oil producer as a vacation home.  The house was made up of six wide domes which made up the rooms of the house, some of which were two stories.  It had three bathrooms and three bedrooms and was 2,400 square feet.   The house was self sustaining, with solar panels for power and a back up generator.  The home was hit by a hurricane  in 1992.   Lee sold the home in 2005, but shortly thereafter is was hit  by Hurricane Wilma which disabled it’s foundation.  Hoping to rebuild the house, that owner failed  to get the needed permits.  The ruins now serve as a reef which attracts a variety of marine life.  After Hurricane Irma hit in September of 2017, two of the western-most domes fell into the ocean. We could see the dome tops just below the water’s surface.

There is ocean now below the dome house.    Brandon pointed out a beach in the background behind the domes. He explained that the sand has all  relocated there after the hurricanes.   It really made an impact  as to the  fragility of these islands and shore lines.   Guess there is merit to that saying that a  foolish man builds  his house  upon the sand.

 

Returning from our boat tour, we found a message on my cell phone.   Linda’s wallet was at Joey’s!  Boy, were we relieved!   We celebrated with drinks- a Diet Coke and beer.  (Guess who had the beer?) We stopped at Joey’s for the wallet on our way back to the condo.  Everything was still in it!  Hooray!

That afternoon we spent some time at the beach. I found more shells and even two sand dollars right along the water line.

After cleaning up, we went to DaVinci Italian Restaurant for dinner.  Several waiters came simultaneously to deliver our four meals.  My linguine with red clam sauce was delicious as were the meals of my companions.    After dinner, we explored a few shops.   Our greatest find was this beautiful sunset.  What a great way to end another day on Marco Island!

 

Wednesday, May 23rd  was a  beach day.   All  of our days had possible thunderstorms in the forecast.  Usually the rains held out until mid-afternoon.   Beach days were pretty typical.  Janet and Linda H. were always at the beach a lot longer than Linda P. and me.   Janet loves the ocean and Linda H. loves to read and take long walks on the beach.   I cover up with sunscreen and then with my beach coverup to avoid sunburn, and Linda P. hunts for shells constantly.  We two restless souls usually returned to the condo  much sooner that our comrades.

Linda P. and I came back from the beach around 1:00 pm, got cleaned up and headed for the Winn Dixie to pick up a few more groceries.   We even did our hair and put on make-up! Then coming out of the grocery store,  failing to take our umbrellas,  we got caught in a downpour.

We decided to go to Joey’s Italian restaurant that was right across Collier Blvd from our South Seas Tower for supper.   We ordered a flat bread pizza with roasted red pepper and onion.    Janet and Linda decided to share a cheese- cake for dessert.  While our pizza was delicious, the cheesecake was not!   Made with  homemade ricotta, it was watery and had a lumpy texture.   Guess they should have ordered the cannoli.

Returning to the condo, Linda P and I offered to do some laundry.  We thought it would be easy. Of course there was trouble.

The laundry room was right next to our condo.   We had to load money onto a card that  we would use to feed into the machines; $1.50 for the washer and 50 cents for 16 minutes with the dryer.   All was going well until we went to switch the laundry to the dryers.   There was  water gushing out all over the floor in front of the two washers.   At first we thought it was coming from the machines.   Then  Linda saw water dripping from a pipe at the ceiling.  Going to the tenth floor laundry, we saw there was water all over the floor here too. On to the 11th floor, there was no water.  Knowing the leak was from the 10th floor,  we called the emergency number.     The  answering service worker didn’t seem to know anything about our condo or who to call.   We had our doubts about anything getting resolved.  However,  later that evening  a fan was blowing in our  laundry room.   When Linda finally went to take a bath around 11, our  water was turned off; she only got about an inch of water.   What a night!  Then in the middle of the night we heard water gushing in  the bathroom. Linda jumped out of bed and turned off the spigots.   What excitement!

So much for a relaxing beach day!  Maybe tomorrow will be better!

With Linda P. behind the wheel of our big boat Nissan Pathfinder and me riding shot gun with my I- phone’s GPS, we were off to Sanibel Island.    The drive was about an hour and a half.  Ever since Linda Psomas and her husband Tom had been to the island,  all we ladies had heard  was how wonderful Sanibel was for finding shells.   Janet, Linda H.  and I couldn’t wait to witness this bountiful supply for ourselves!

Our first stop was the Visitors Center and then we headed to Lighthouse Beach.  While the beach was nice, we DID NOT see a lot of beautiful shells.   In fact the sky was somewhat unsettled and at times,  dark and cloudy.  Linda assured us it would be better on another beach.

After that Linda P. drove us west on  the island stopping at Island Inn, the hotel where Linda and Tom had stayed,  for a quick trip down memory lane.    Next on to Captiva which is a little island  to the north connected with a bridge over Blind Pass.  When we got to Bowman’s Beach the tide was coming in.   NO AMAZING  SHELLS here either.   So, it is a mystery where they all went?  Or were all of these long-told tales just fish stories?

At this point our peanut butter and jelly sandwich lunches were wearing thin.   We headed for the Dairy Queen we had passed when we first came onto the island.   (Sanibel passed a law forbidding chains and a ban on any buildings higher than two stories, but  one Dairy Queen and one Subway were grandfathered since they were here before the law in 1974. )

J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge was last on our list.  We were late to tour the educational building but opted to drive through their sanctuary.   It was raining but we still saw some pretty cool birds who didn’t mind the rain at all!

 

After our refuge drive we decided to  call it a day.  We headed back over the causeway linking Sanibel to the mainland.   The causeway  was opened in May of 1963 replacing a ferry service  and was improved in 2007. This causeway’s opening resulted in an explosion of development  until the city of Sanibel passed laws to restrict growth fearing the loss of their quiet, small island feel.   Campared to Marco Island, Sanibel and Captiva are more laid back with smaller homes, cottages and hotels.   I especially marveled at the biking paths that covered the island.   No wonder Linda  and Tom have such fond memories of Sanibel Island.   Too bad the shells disappeared!

Upon our return, Janet, our head cook, whipped up spaghetti and meat sauce  with garlic bread, salad, and fresh cantaloupe.  A delicious meal to end a long day of exploring Sanibel Island.    We’ll have to have a relaxing beach day tomorrow!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A vacation is never complete without a trip to Urgent Care.  I am happy to report that this time it was to a dental office.   Linda Hasson’s tooth was bothering her ever since our flight.   Looking up dental offices on our phones, she found one that could see her at 9am.  After an X-ray, it turned out that the pressure from the plane caused her aching tooth.  Given a prescription for an antibiotic, we then found a Publix with a pharmacy.   Our ailing comrade took  one and in a short while was feeling much better.

So back to Tigertail Beach.   While we knew we could walk there from our condo we thought driving there would shorten our trek.  After paying eight dollars to park we soon  realized that it really didn’t save us any steps.  There were two ways  to the beach. One way was to walk all the way back to our condo and walk along the beach, or  we could wade through the lagoon.  Linda Hasson declared, “I am not going through that smelly lagoon!”, and headed back to our beach.  That left the three of us with the dilemma of what to do.  Of course Linda P and I opted to forge the lagoon. Deciding not to  miss the adventure Janet decided to join us, so off we waded. The water got up to our waists.  The lagoon bottom was squishy and uneven.   We held our bags high and managed to reach the trail to the beach without falling, a real feat.  We were proud ourselves!

 

After cleaning up from our Tigertail lagoon and beach adventure,  we went to Tin City  in Naples.  This is a speciality shopping area along the water front in Naples.  It is open air and reminded me of a farmers market.  The shops abound in four buildings with restaurants sprinkled in between.   We wound up eating at another Pincher’s restaurant right on the waterfront.   We topped off our seafood entries with key lime pie, creamy and delicious.  Tearing out  coupons from a tourist flyer, we  got them for free!

Again a fun day, full of firsts.   A visit to dentist, paying for an eight  dollar  parking spot we didn’t really need, crossing a muddy lagoon, finding shell trees and a live Florida conch along the beach, window shopping at Tin City and finishing off the evening with yummy key lime pie!   Life is good in Marco Island!

 

 

 

 

 

After a very long winter and a very wet spring, I was really looking forward to a trip to Marco Island, Florida with my college friends.   Since 2007 we have taken annual trips.   This year we decided on Marco Island.   My one friend, Linda Psomas,  has always shared her wonderful shelling experiences at Sanibel Island some 20 years ago. Since Marco Island is just a bit south, we thought it would be an ideal place to spend a week.    Finding a condo on VRBO, Linda made our reservations.  After booking flights to Ft. Meyers and reserving a car, we were ready for a sunny fun “girls” week.

Marco Island is the biggest barrier island in Southwest Florida’s Ten Thousand Islands area.  It is just south of Naples and has a tropical climate, with a distinct wet and dry season.   It’s wet season is from June to October. (We were hoping that  the rains waited until June.)  Spanish explorers gave the island the name La Isla de San Marcos after the gospel writer St. Mark.  The first hotel was opened in 1896 which is known today as Olde Marco Inn.   Clam Digging became the main industry in the Ten Thousand Islands area in the early 1900’s.  The Doxsee Clam Cannery flourished from 1911 until 1947.  Marco Island’s  big push to attract tourists started in the 1960s.  As a result the SS. Jolley Bridge, the causeway to get to the island,  opened in 1969. The biggest development took place in the 1980’s and 90’s. The estimated population of the island is around 18,000.

 

Janet Sanders and Linda Hasson met us at the Charlotte airport.   We were on the same flight to Ft. Meyers.  After we landed, we went to  pick up our car.  I thought I had reserved a small SUV.   Unfortunately it turned out to be a bit bigger-a Nissan Pathfinder.    Linda P. and I were the designated drivers and while we were not thrilled,  we decided to keep it.    We certainly didn’t have any trouble fitting our luggage in this monster!

Heading for Winn Dixie which was only about a half mile away,  we got in some groceries to hold us over until we made a bigger run on Sunday.

On Sunday morning after our coffee and breakfast on the balcony, we headed to the beach.   I have never seen a beach so wide.  Of course, Linda P. immediately went on her shell hunting.   She’s a shell-aholic!

After cleaning up from the beach, we did a bigger grocery run.  Next was finding a seafood restaurant.   Heading south on Collier Boulevard we found Pinchers whose logo was a Big Red Lobster.   Just as the logo implied, the menu was teaming with seafood.   We were all pleased with our selections.   No serious cooking for us; eating out is one of the highlights of our trips.

Returning to the condo with full tummies, three of us decided to catch the sunset.  Walking to the right of our condo, we walked along the  Tigertail Lagoon.

All in all, we had a great day exploring our condo and beach front.   A more in depth exploration of Tigertail Beach will be on our agenda for tomorrow.    Who know what new adventures await us?