moab, utah

Anders and I just returned from a two week road trip through the SW. We started in Moab and made our way to Telluride, Santa Fe, Albuquerque, Page, Las Vegas and Palm Springs. It was an incredible trip with a lot of different landscapes. I thought I would post some of the photos here (I know! It has been awhile! Hi!) starting with our first stop, Moab, Utah.

 

We were only there a short while (two days to be exact), but we managed to cram a lot in. While the town of Moab doesn't have a ton going on, the scenery is breathtaking and it was one of my favorite places on the trip. Here is what we did:

• Hiked to Delicate Arch Rock in Arches National Park
• Drove to Dead Horse State Park at 6am to watch the sunrise over the Canyonlands
• Visited Castle Creek Winery. They have a movie museum that showcases all the films that have been made in the area!
• Drove the scenic Hwy 128 and pulled over to check out the incredible Fisher Towers
• Hiked to Morning Glory Arch, one of the longest natural bridges in the world!
• Ate a delicious breakfast at Eklecticafe

 Hiking to Delicate Arch in Arches National Park

 

 Delicate Arch

 

 Scenic Hwy 128

 

 Visiting Castle Creek Winery

 

 More from Hwy 128 with a stop at Fisher Towers

 

 Sunrise at Dead Horse State Park

 

 Overlooking the Canyonlands

 

 The red rocks during our hike to Morning Glory Arch

 

 A bit of color in all that desert

 

 A desert hare!

 

 It's a bit hard to photograph, but Morning Glory Arch is one of the longest natural bridges in the world.

 





long beach

Anders and I took a long weekend and headed out to the coast. Long Beach sits very close to the Oregon border, and it is the cutest little beach town! It has a lot of charm, great restaurants and a lot of outdoorsy things to do. I highly recommend this little town if you are looking for an easy coastal getaway. Here are our recommendations!

Stay: 

Adrift Hotel - this is an eco-friendly lodge that sits right on the beach. They rent bicycles to guests for free, have a cute restaurant with live music most nights, a game room with shuffle board and ping pong and lots of board games and DVDs for your use. Also, it's dog friendly!

Do:

Bike or walk the 8 mile boardwalk along the beach! You can also drive your car straight onto the beach, which is fun

Hiking at Cape Disappointment state park is a must. There are a lot of trails, but we chose the Cape Disappointment trail, which is easy and around 4 miles long. It takes you to the lighthouse at the mouth of the Columbia River and past Fort Canby that you can explore. It's set up to give you a lot of history about the fort. 

Eat:

Cottage Bakery & Delicatessen - THE BEST DONUTS ON THE PLANET. They are so good that I made Anders stop there again on our way out of town.

Captain Bob's Chowder - get the smoked salmon chowder!

Laurie's Homestead Breakfast House - huge portions, delicious food, lots of character

edmonds beach

A cold and cloudy day didn't stop the pups from having the best time ever at Edmonds Beach!