Read. Write. Listen. Create.

Winding the roads through the misty forests has always been my favorite part of the Pacific Northwest. This time I got to visit some new places along the way.

Starting off the journey in the Winnebago Roam we made it to Klamath Falls after a six hour drive. Don’t let the name fool you, there are no waterfalls in the city. The model of Winnebago we toured in has a built in wheelchair lift and ADA accessibility throughout the vehicle. It definitely makes traveling easier.

The next stop was Crater Lake. I visited back in 2005 with my youth group high school choir. It was a very sunny day when we visited in June. This time it was cloudy and started to rain right as we left, but it was still so beautiful.

Next, it was off to Bend where we were staying for the night and it just so happens to be the location of the last Blockbuster in the world. It’s like I planned this stop or something! We stopped in and browsed the isles a bit. This is a tourist attraction now most likely because of the documentary The Last Blockbuster, but it is so nostalgic it is worth it to stop and reminisce of years gone by! I totally recommend it if you’re ever in Bend, Oregon. And you can read my post about the documentary here.

We stopped in the small town, Sisters, Oregon named after the Three Sisters mountains nearby. This stop was recommended by our neighbor and it was a fun place to stop and get out of the car for a bit and have some coffee. After that we made it to the Hillsboro area and stopped for lunch at the Helvetia Tavern. Right next door is Roloff Farm featured in the reality TV show Little People Big World. I started watching it in high school so it was fun to finally see it in person. It was closed, but you can see the main farm sign and part of the farmland.

That night we stayed in Beaverton and made a quick drive through Portland to check out Powell’s City of Books. We drove by Voodoo Doughnut and the line was way out the door. There wasn’t any parking especially for a bigger vehicle, but we found a smaller Powell’s in Beaverton which was located in a mall. They had much better parking!

Next, we went to Snohomish, Washington and stopped in at Lamb and Company featured in the HGTV show, Unsellable Houses. Lyndsay Lamb, a real estate agent from the show was in and she thanked us for coming in on our way out after buying some shirts and a charcuterie board! We toured the town a bit and it was a cute place to stop.

The next day we went to Seattle where we scored a great parking spot right next to Pike Place Market. We stopped in to check out the fish and artisan goods being sold. We got Starbucks from the store down the street from the original because it had no line! Then, it was on to Astoria, Oregon where we had a great view of the bridge from our hotel. I had originally wanted to stay here because it is the town used in the movie, The Goonies, but besides its iconic film history, it had some very fun places to stop and see. Next time I want to stay longer!

While most of the stops centered around places I’ve seen on TV or movies, it was a great way to stop and see what other parts of the cities make them unique. Everywhere we went was accessible for wheelchairs. I’m not sure why that surprises me, but when you’re used to places you’re used to going, you forget how much is out there and how much has yet to be explored.