Regular Scheduled Programming

After our weekend of excitement, it was time for Georgia to make her way across the country to Boston (east coast, boo hiss!), and so we've reverted back to our antisocial routine of books and coffee. I'm spending some time on the prairies with Annie Proulx, and if you're interested in the Cliff's Notes version of these short stories, let me just say that it is very hot and sandy, the people are very poor, and everybody dies. The end! I love the mythical quality of the plains and the West in America, and almost no one does it better than Annie.

Sunday on the Coast

We made a bit of a detour on our way back from Seattle so Georgia could experience some of Oregon's spectacular coastline. The 101 crosses from Washington back into Oregon at Astoria, which means you get to drive over this terrifying and impressive bridge. My photos really don't capture the size of this thing, so I suggest we turn to Google image search for a better look. Yikes, eh?

Once safely over the giant bridge, we made a few scenic stops at beaches down the coast:

In the town of Garibaldi, we found some (I think?) now-disused relics of the Great Northern Railway, and the Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad, which is a railway museum that runs train tours down the coast. Putting that on the list should we ever be up that way again!

 Trains are pretty big, as it turns out

Reading up on the Great Northern Railway is fascinating - turns out it was the only successfully completed,  privately funded transcontinental railway in US history. Who has that kind of money, I wonder? I think I would settle for having enough cash just to cross this huge and beautiful country by train. One day!

Seattle Weekend

After Twin Peaks, we headed back to Seattle for a weekend of delicious food and sunny days.

First order of business, dog signage

Coffee from Vivace

On Saturday morning, Paul & I went on the Safeco Field tour -

An historic Mariners moment

So empty!

The home plate from above historic moment

The back wall of the press box tends to catch foul balls 

 The official scorer's seat

 Ichiro!

 On the field

Sitting in Ichiro's seat in the dugout 

Cryptic inspirational notices in the dugout. I wonder what happened in Omaha? 

Obligatory post-game press conference 

On the way back to the car

After baseball geekery, we collected Georgia and made the compulsory trip to Pike Place Market, just in time for the Seattle Cheese Festival.

Did you not hear me say... CHEESE FESTIVAL? 

I was momentarily distracted from cheese by Gatsby-sized tipis. I think I'll have to try to make one of these when I get home!

Now, back to cheese

OSU apparently has its own cheese-making outfit. Who knew?!

Once we were completely cheesed out, we wandered into the market to watch the fish throwing (I didn't manage to photograph that, they're just too darn quick)... 

... and pick up some hot and delicious cinnamon doughnuts 

 Guardians of the doughnut

At this point I became a very slack photographer, so I have no evidence of delicious pho or the most amazing apple pancakes. However, I did manage to capture coffee with a friend before we set out for home on Sunday morning:

Black as Midnight on a Moonless Night

When I said I had something for the 90's cult TV fans, what I meant was...

We went to Twin Peaks! Can you sense the glee?!

This impressively thorough website gives a ton of info about various Twin Peaks shooting locations and that, coupled with Paul's expertise in the field meant we got to see quite a few sights from the show. We didn't find Special Agent Dale Cooper (or David Duchovny in drag) just hanging about up there, but fortunately no one was murdered by an evil raping owl/man psychopath, either. Win!

The site of the "Welcome to Twin Peaks" sign, a little more overgrown than it was in 1989.

Ronette Pulaski's railway bridge, no longer in use by the railway but open to pedestrian traffic and Lynch fans.

THE GREAT NORTHERN!!!!1111!!!!!! You guys! The Great Northern!!!!!! I was excited about this, can you tell?

Once we'd had our fill of the falls, we hit the road for North Bend, WA, to see The Double R Diner! This place has been operational as a diner before and since the show was filmed, but the interiors were destroyed by a fire in 2000, so sadly it no longer looks like Norma's Double R inside.

It may not have the original interiors, but it does have a wall of Twin Peaks memorabilia...

... including a signed photo of my favourites, Andy and Lucy.

Of course, it wouldn't be the diner from Twin Peaks if they didn't have the damn fine cups of coffee and...

... cherry pie! Diane, if you ever get up this way that cherry pie is worth a stop.

Mini Break Part Three - The Road Home

Once we'd had our fill of the mountain (and the wind chill), we hit the road back to Corvallis.

Despite its proximity to such a popular tourist attraction, the economy of Fort Klamath doesn't exactly seem to be booming. This dilapidated building was full of unfired ceramic animals, among other things.

The only open shop in town had coffee and also a kitten named Rocky, ready to greet us on the door step. 

Kitchens! 

Fantastic national park signage

 They do love a covered bridge in Oregon, that's for sure

Our role as Northwestern hosts has taken us to Seattle this weekend, so stay tuned for more adventures (and possibly more of those nachos)!