Columbus Day Weekend

I was lucky to have Columbus Day off this year. Since Charles also had it off, we spent the weekend out of town. We drove up to Eureka to see what the northern coast of California had to offer. Our drive up took us through the Avenue of the Giants. It was wonderful driving through seeing and smelling all the redwoods. It really makes my heart happy to be around forests.

Eureka was a nice area to visit. Although, I was expecting something a little more picturesque. But I guess it used to be an industrial/mill town.

We ate at a bunch of places that Guy Fieri had been. I think only one place we knew beforehand that he had been to.

On the drive home, we took a different route. It was much curvier and had almost no places to stop along the way. Luckily, I did not get car sick. I have a tendency to do so on curvy roads. However, with the lack of bathroom facilities I did have to make other arrangements when nature called. That wasn't fun. I am not an outdoorsy person. 

Isn't this just the cutest little tree house?

Great little zoo in Eureka!

We were able to watch the red pandas at feeding time. They are so adorable!

Another place we really enjoyed in Eureka was the Botanical Gardens. They had beautiful flowers and nice trails.

We love collecting pictures of old churches. This one is in Ferndale which is a great Victorian town near Eureka.

A street view of Ferndale.

Back to Folsom

This past weekend we visited Folsom for a second time. Charles ran in the California International Marathon which began in Folsom and ended at the California State Capital in Sacramento. While in Folsom, we did some more exploring to include visiting the Folsom City Zoo Sanctuary. A lot of the animals were hiding or sleeping when we went, but we were able to see a bunch of different animals. My favorite were the bears. A couple of them were sleeping and they looked so cute. I just wanted to cuddle up with them and enjoy a nap.

Charles was hoping to finish the marathon with a Boston Marathon qualifying time (3 hours and 5 minutes or faster). He missed it by a little bit, but did set a new personal record. I am very proud of him!

Look at all those gorgeous feathers! When I was looking at this peacock, I was thinking how could people not believe in God when viewing these beautiful things in nature. How could that just evolve?

E-A-G, L-E-S, Go Eagles, Go!

Seattle!

For Charles' 30th birthday we celebrated with a trip! We flew to Seattle and spent a couple days before boarding an Alaskan cruise. Seattle was so much fun! We squeezed as much as we could into those two days.

You cannot visit Seattle without at least seeing the Space Needle. We did not visit the top, but it was neat just to see it from street level.

We also rode the Monorail. It only has two stops, but it's historic. Plus it was right near the Space Needle. The other stop isn't far from Pike Place.

Pike Place was interesting to see. It was so crowded, but had tons of great stuff! If I were a local, I would come here all the time to buy flowers. They were gorgeous and inexpensive.

Charles thought about riding on the Ferris wheel, but it was about $15 a person. We decided to skip it. Maybe next time! The area around had a bunch of piers with restaurants and shops to check out.

To get out of the rain (which didn't last very long), we visited the aquarium. It was a little pricey, but most are. They do offer a military discount...score! They had a part where you can pet a starfish. We also watched feeding time in one of the big tanks.

To have a great view of Seattle from all angles, you can visit the Sky View Observatory. It was a little cheaper than the Space Needle and higher up. We saw all of downtown (including the Space Needle), the water, the port, and everything in-between.

In the summer, we love visiting the local ballpark for a game. Luckily the Mariners were playing the second night we were in town. And it was even better because they had fireworks after the game. It rained a little at the end, but it was a good time.

One of our first stops was the Woodland Park Zoo. Since becoming a member of the Sacramento zoo, we can get into other zoos at a discount. This zoo is one of those discounted places. We had a lot of fun walking around and seeing the variety of animals. I was happy to see a bear. It was the only one we saw on our whole trip, including our time in Alaska.

The zoo had an antique carousel that we rode. It was a nice break from walking.

If you know we at all, you know I love watching Diners, Drive-in's and Dives on the Food Network. And whenever we're planning a trip I see if there are any spots that were featured on the show. In Seattle there were 6 places to choose from. For our first meal, I decided on Voula's Offshore Cafe. Our hotel was about 3 miles away and we decided to take a bus. But then we couldn't figure out where the bus stop was and started walking. And continued walking. I was not wearing the right shoes and was kind of grumpy and blistered by the time we got there. Plus, they had no pie. The food was fine, but I was a little surprised that it was featured on the show.

Our next food adventure of note was at Pike Place. We enjoyed some Russian pastries. They were quite tasty! The line was long and I was surprised that Charles agreed to stand in it, but it moved fast.

My co-worker, who used to live in Seattle, recommended that we try Ivar's. They have several locations in Seattle...some more fast food and some sit-down. We walked by Acres of Clams while near the Aquarium and decided to have lunch. I do not eat seafood, so this was mainly for Charles' pleasure. I just had a chicken Caesar salad. Charles enjoyed his food and the view was gorgeous!

Last, but not least, our hotel was amazing! We stayed at the Maxwell Hotel. Right away you are greeted with beautiful style and colors. I loved all the different patterns and mix of colors they use in the lobby. And I want a pineapple mosaic in my house now! The room was comfortable and the bed was plush and offered a wonderful night's sleep. I hope to stay in one of their hotels in the future.

Proud Member of the Sacramento Zoo

Earlier this week Charles and I both had the same days off. This hasn't been happening as much as I would like. To take advantage of this opportunity, we spent the night in Sacramento and did some exploring.

On the first day we toured the California State Capitol. It is a gorgeous building! We did not take any pictures, but it was worth the visit. It helps that the tour is free. The grounds around the capitol building would make a great picnic spot.

For dinner, we headed to the mall where they had a Johnny Rockets. I enjoy that place even though it is probably horrible for you. My burger and milkshake were tasty!

The next morning we headed to the Sacramento Zoo where we took a bunch of pictures. We enjoyed the zoo so much that we decided to become members. It did not cost a lot and you can get discounts at other zoos across the country if they are part of the same Zoo Association. Score!

We ate lunch at a Diners, Drive-ins and Dives spot--Dad's Kitchen. My pulled pork sandwich was tasty and just thinking about it is making my mouth water.