a western two-parter

If you know my family well, you know March means family vacation in Las Vegas time. But this year I added a Washington state bonus to my trip.

I flew to SeaTac on Wednesday the 27th, and took a rental car down to Tacoma. After checking into my AirBnB, I walked less than a mile down to visit a couple who I'd known back in college. The wife was my core group leader for three years, and the summer between my sophomore and junior years they let me live with them. They're great people. We ate dinner at a restaurant down on the water, and then chatted some more by the fireplace of their home overlooking the Puget Sound. It was great to catch up, and didn't feel like more than a decade had passed. On my way back to my AirBnB I stopped into my favorite little bar, the Parkway Tavern, and enjoyed a beer and missed the friends I used to go there with back in the day.

View from their house!

We used to play shuffleboard here.

The next morning I went for a 7-mile run down to the water and all the way to Ruston. I used to go for long walks from campus down along the water, and this was the number-one thing on my to-do list for my short Tacoma visit. It did not disappoint. Blue sunny skies and Mount Rainier visible in the distance!

Mount Rainier!

 

At the end of my run I stopped into a coffee shop where I used to love to get a scone. They didn't have the cranberry-orange I'd hoped for, but blueberry was a fine second choice. I ate my scone and drank a latte on the walk back uphill to my room. Then I had to quickly shower and pack up to check out by noon. I drove back to Ruston and got a bison burrito at Tatanka Take-Out for lunch. Feeling fortified, I next visited Point Defiance, a really neat big park. I took a short walk on Owen's Beach (and saw an otter!), then drove the 5-mile loop once through before finding a place to pull off and take a quick hike into the mossy and ferny forest. I also saw about twenty raccoons on the side of the road, which were cute but also a little creepy since there were so many of them. Luckily I didn't see any while outside of the car. After the hike I stopped into the Antique Sandwich Company for another latte. It was another reminder of missed friends.

Raccoons!

At this point my Tacoma time was over. I headed up the interstate to Bellevue, and went to
Sam and Allison's house to meet all their kids and catch up on the ten years that have passed since they moved away from Richmond. Josefina and her husband and baby also joined us. Allison and Josefina and I met freshman year of college and were in the previously-mentioned core group together. So good to catch up! At the end of the night I drove up to stay with Josefina in Lake Stevens, and the next morning I got to hang out with her and her cute little boy. We went for a walk by the water in Everett, then had lunch in Snohomish. And then all my Washington time was over and it was time to drive back to the airport, getting my only peek of Seattle while stuck in traffic.

I had been missing Tacoma and the Pacific Northwest a lot lately, so it was a lovely little visit.

After that whirlwind came a flight to Vegas and family time! I arrived Friday night, and after my parents picked me up from the airport we ate dinner at the barbecue place at our hotel. The next morning I hit the treadmill for a few miles, and then hung out with mom all day while dad went to the Nascar race. We headed down the strip and stopped at an outdoor spot for nachos and margaritas. Then we checked out the conservatory at the Bellagio. We went to Planet Hollywood (where I saw Gordon Ramsey at a distance, but in real life!) for a spin around the shops and a little slot time, and next we headed back to the Bellagio to visit the art gallery, where we were humorously underwhelmed by the two pieces on display. Eventually we met back up with dad, and enjoyed dinner at the Shops at the Forum. Then we headed back to our hotel and for the second night in a row I went to bed relatively early.

Art! (Apparently.)

More art. Forty-five seconds worth!

Sunday dad was off to the races again. Mom and I ate lox and bagels at the Carnegie Deli at the Mirage, and then ended up at Siegfried and Roy's Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat. We watched a dolphin training session, checked out a baby dolphin, and visited the lions and tigers. Oh my!

Four-year-old while lion brothers.

After all that fun we walked to the High Roller and took a ride. Had the pod to ourselves!

Next up we drove downtown and visited the Container Park for a bit, then grabbed dinner before going to see Sarah Brightman in concert. Dad got us box seats and it was a fun show! After the concert we finally got to meet back up with him, and he and I hung out a while walking around the Venetian and playing some slots until after 1am. Yikes.

Monday the three of us ate brunch at our hotel, then headed out to Red Rock Canyon. I always love going out there. We stopped at the red rocks and dad and I climbed around for a short bit, then we drove over to the Lost Creek Trail and all three of us hiked! Mom stopped at a boarded viewpoint, and dad and I continued on to the waterfall before turning back around.

After our outdoorsy fun we went back to our hotel and walked to the Venetian for dinner. Then we played a little there and back at Treasure Island before calling it a night. The next morning I hit the treadmill one more time before they drove me back to the airport.

Very thankful for my week out west!