Vail CO, Port Angeles WA & Vancouver Island

It was September 12, just over 2 weeks after we arrived home from Paris. Yet here we were, off again. The main event driving our trip to Vail was the wedding of Pat's niece Alyce's son Riley. 

Last spring when we initially learned of the wedding, we thought it would be a great opportunity to visit our friends Peter & Peggi in Denver. Yet when we checked with them, we learned they planned to move to Port Angeles. (Their new home is on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State, just across the Salish Sea from Victoria BC.) Not to be deterred, we decided to visit them anyway, despite the necessary "detour".

We booked an AirBnB in East Vail Village and planned a couple spare days for exploring. In case you haven't realized it by now, Pat is pretty addicted to shopping for clothes and jewelry at boutiques in resort areas. She finds they offer a more unique and stylish collection than large chain stores. Vail offers a fine selection of boutiques, along with a pretty good selection of restaurants. Oh and there are also some interesting daytrip options..which we had to pass-up. Guess we should have booked a couple more days. 

An unanticipated bonus of this trip was the opportunity to combine visiting with family with exploring an area where most of us have never lived. We've shared several wonderful international trips with Riley's grandparents, Jim & Sandra, trips to Thailand/Hong Kong, Morocco, Southern Africa, Australia, and Argentina/Chile but that last trip was 7 years ago. And now we had this unexpected opportunity to "travel together" again.  

Aside for the 1 hour plus wait for our rental car in Denver, all went smoothly. Even that wait was amazingly fine due to the range of conversations we had with our fellow travelers.

We've always enjoyed the roughly 2 hour trip from Denver airport to the mountains. It has beautiful scenery and no matter what the weather (typically snowing in our experience), we were looking forward to skiing. In this case the drive was especially beautiful with sunny skies and numerous groves of aspen in their full golden glory. 

Our apartment was fine, although a little funky...it was down from ground level with a large window to the back looking out to Gore Creek. Inside there was a sturdy bench in front of the window that serves as a step to get to and through the window to the back sitting area. Other than that it was a typical wood paneled ski lodge with appropriate decor. And it was a short walk to idyllic East Vail Village with its mix of shops and restaurants along with sufficient alpine architectural touches of a ski village to suggest that you are in Europe. 

Pat's brother using our "back window" entrance

Keeping with the European Alpine setting, we chose to dine at Pepi’s which features Austrian cuisine. Jaeger Schnitzel (veal medallions with mushroom sauce, cabbage, and asparagus) for Bill, Pat Käsespätzle Allgäuer Art (Spätzle, a rustic homemade noodle, with shredded Swiss & Gruyère cheeses and crispy fried onions. Very nicely accompanied by an Austrian red blend...our second choice wine because they were out of the Blaufrankish. Luckily when we returned a couple days later, the Blaufrankish was back and very fine.

Friday was our primary shopping day and it was quite a success. Still, Pat was frustrated because it was a great success for Bill. He found the long sleeved T-shirts that he likes so much, a hat, and shoes). Pat came home empty handed. We did both enjoy lunch at Mountain Standard, where we shared a split lettuce wedge (with crispy prosciutto, Maytag blue cheese, puffed farro - think popcorn, and avocado) and a blue cheese burger with a mix of fries and onion rings. Pat liked her Nitro Milk Stout and Bill his Dead Guy Ale. 

After lunch we connected (by phone) to Pat's niece & entourage enroute from Maine but now approaching Vail. We arranged for 8 of us to have dinner La Bottega (brother Jim & wife Sandra, niece Alyce & hubby Bill, their oldest son Cam and his wife Erica). The two of us shared and enjoyed porcini filled raviolis and a baby arugula salad with pancetta, pine nuts and parmigiano.

When we checked with the tourist office about which nearby towns would offer the best shopping, the recommendation was to visit the River Walk shops in the town of Edwards, 20 minutes from Vail Village. A fine recommendation it was. Pat found 3 shirts and Bill found one as well. Fortunately, given the full prices, several were on sale!  We lunched at Main Street Grill enjoying a cabernet / pinot noir blend wine with Grilled Caprese Salad (Grilled Romaine, sliced tomatoes, Buffalo mozzarella, basil, balsamic reduction and oregano vinaigrette dressing - yum!).

We returned to Vail and joined Jim & Sandra for a walk to the Barbara Bush Alpine Botanical Gardens. Being late in the season, the gardens weren't as colorful as they might be but we enjoyed wandering the paths. One striking feature was the group of whimsical "Stickwork" structures, a community project made of a variety of willows under the direction of Patrick Dougherty.

We returned to the apartment to relax before going to Vail Brewing Co to meet the bride & groom and our fellow wedding guests, a stimulating group. Luckily we got there early enough to have some quality time with Riley and two of his running mates that we had met on our US trip in 2015. As the party got busier and louder, we moved on to dinner at Pepi's with Jim & Sandra. Thinking back to the some lovely meals in Paris, we started with the "heirloom tomato salad with burrata cheese". Pat followed this with the Jaeger Schnitzlel (the dish Bill had on Thursday) and Bill chose the Roasted Venison Loin. We paired these with a very fine Austrian red wine from Blaufrankish grapes, the wine they were out of two days before. It was as fine as we hoped, so we were glad we gave them a second visit.

Sunday morning we picked up Jim & Sandra at their hotel and went to West Vail Village  for a ride on the Lionshead gondola to top of Vail Mountain. In addition to admiring the view as we walked around the top, we also enjoyed watching folks on "a raised alpine coaster, the Forest Flyer that winds its way 3,400 feet down the mountain".

Upon our return to the base of the mountain, we had lunch at the Tavern on the Square. Bill had the wild boar quesadilla (braised wild boar shoulder, roasted apples, cheddar, spicy sofrito & dolomite pine syrup) and Pat had the "Forestiere" flatbread (forest mushrooms, brie, sage, pecorino & roasted garlic) with glasses of Prosecco,  

After lunch Pat left the others for a quick sprint of the nearby shops. Browsing a rack of tops, she was mildly interested in one piece and checked the price. It was several thousand dollars! For some reason she chose not to get it. She didn't even bother to check it out further.  

The wedding ceremony was on an island in the middle of Vail Golf Club with a back drop of yellow Aspen on the mountain sides. The walk down to Wedding Island was along a paved pathway sprinkled (by nature) with yellow aspen leaves. Nothing like have mother nature replace the need for a flower girl!

We observed that this was the most fit Wedding Party in our experience. Riley & Sara are both pro-runners, as are several of the wedding party. And those who aren't pro-runners are either former college runners or simply very fit (including most of the guests actually). We enjoyed the reception even though it was the first wedding we've been to where there was little or no music from the 60's or 70's...oh dear, finally showing our age. Aside from that, sigh, we really enjoyed our conversations with ever so many of the guests. We were particularly amused by one of the cakes. It was printed like a newspaper announcing the deal "inked" by Masters (Riley) & Sutherland (Sara). 

On Monday we took a leisurely drive back to Denver for our flight to Seattle on Tuesday. We shopped in Dillon and Denver sandwiched around lunch before heading to our hotel. 

Peter and Peggi had directed us to take the light rail from the Seattle airport to get to the Bainbridge Island ferry. It seemed straightforward. And all went well, ok, pretty well. Getting from the light rail to the ferry, we passed up a turn that likely would have taken us to the ferry without any stairs. Instead we managed to go all the way down to water level and found ourselves with luggage, facing a long staircase. We are usually totally self sufficient but when a couple young ladies offered to help with the bags, we thanked them kindly and accepted the assistance. When we got to the top, they turned around to head back down the stairs. Somehow it hadn't occurred to us that they went totally out of their way to help us. Very nice!

We arrived at the ferry a few moments before sailing time. What we hadn't realized is that the ride to Bainbridge is maybe 45 minutes and then the drive to Port Angeles is roughly 2 hours (a bit shorter if you aren't caught up in the traffic from the ferry.) So, bottom line, contrary to our expectations, P&P do not live near Seattle. In fact the closest city is Victoria BC, roughly a 90 minute ferry ride away. Still, it was all worth the trip. Just eyeopening. 

Their spacious cliff top home is complete with a view from the living room of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, deer passing back and forth, and Canada. Before we continue, time for a geography lesson. We bet you think of Seattle as being on the Puget Sound. It is. But as we noted, Port Angeles isn't all that close to Seattle. Port Angeles is on the Strait of Juan de Fuca which is part of the Salish Sea, an "inland sea" that encompasses Puget Sound, the Strait of Juan de Fuca, the Strait of Georgia (bordering on the Vancouver, BC) and the San Juan Islands.

We were surprised to learn that their new home comes with new neighbors (Rob & Kim) that were old Denver neighbors. What a pleasure to be sharing dinner with them again! Peggi contributed the pasta and peach pie, made with a secret ingredient...shhh, it's vodka!. Apparently substituting vodka for some of the liquid in the pie crust makes the crust easy to handle while coming out nice and tender. Knowing our love of sparkling wine, Peter started things off with some fine Cavas. Thank you Peter! Other fine wine followed but unfortunately we neglected to take notes...

On Wednesday, we (Peter, Bill & Pat) had lunch at Togas Soup House. Bill had the pork schnitzel sandwich with corn & red pepper cream soup; Pat had smoked salmon chowder with a fresh salmon ciabatta sandwich. All was excellent. Thanks to Peggi & Kim for the recommendation. 

Decorated tree stump on the shore trail

To work off lunch Peter took us for a walk around downtown Port Angeles (the couple blocks with shops and restaurants are on each side of the oneway streets through town). Then we continued down to the shore trail where we enjoyed the views and munching wild blackberries.  OK, we'll be honest. We know that: "Port Angeles and Sequim (pronounced Squim) offer a wonderful off-highway mostly paved trail called the Olympic Discovery Trail that takes you past exquisite views of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, the Olympic Mountains and through the rural country side." We don't know when and if we were actually on this because we had the luxury of Peter guiding us around. 

Later, while lounging around the house, we observed a doe and two fawns nibbling the flora along the cliff edge. This was the first of several we spotted, and kept seeing as they wandered back and forth feasting on the cliffside. Then it was off to Rob & Kim’s for a delicious dinner featuring freshly smoked salmon. 

We got up and around a little earlier the next day and we hikers went off to the Dungeness National Park to explore Dungeness Spit. Huge driftwood logs rested on the beach providing nice ambiance for a pleasant walk and a few photos.

We returned to Port Angeles where Peggi joined us for lunch at Next Door Gastro Pub. We both chose fish & chips (3 pieces of ale battered fish, cilantro slaw, house tartar sauce) with fries for Pat and hand cut potato chips for Bill.

After lunch the four of us had a private visit at Camaraderie Cellars. The tasting room is decorated with assemblage art featuring wine barrel staves, wine bottles, grape vine whorls, and other wine themed items. Aside from the tasting facilities, it features comfy seating around a cozy fireplace that invites you to linger and continue chatting with owners Don & Vicki Corson long after you have enjoyed their generosity in sharing wonderful bottles to taste. Our tasting included the 2016 Cabernet Franc, 2012 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon and 2012 Malbec, followed by Quadra...an after-dinner sipper of aged Tempranillo with a bit of Port added. Perfect with a chocolate truffle. All were very fine, no wonder P&P joined the wine club there.

Bill & winemaker Don Corson

That evening we went to Straits Slice Pizza Company for salad & pizza (nice thin crust pizza with sun-dried tomato, roasted garlic & sausage).

On Friday we were off to Vancouver Island and Victoria. Kim provided the transportation to the Black Ball Ferry terminal in Port Angeles. Thanks Kim! Peter had booked us into the very conveniently located Marriott that sits just behind the renowned Fairmont Empress Hotel and is only a short walk away from the Victoria ferry terminal. 

By now it was late afternoon. We all wanted a little bite but since we had dinner reservations we also wanted something small but tasty. We passed up several recommended restaurants (we would all eat too much at those) and ended up at "The Victoria Public Market at the Hudson", located in the venerable former digs of the Hudson Bay Company. Note HBC, sometimes called "The Bay" appears to folks from the US, to be just another Macys. But it's history in Canada dates back to the 1600's and fur trading days. The department store days began in the early 1900's. The store is still doing well nationwide but some years back the Victoria store moved to a location in the heart of the newer shopping district leaving a great opportunity for development.

Wandering through the shops, we ended us choosing a sausage biscuit at the Victoria Pie Company. Very tasty and just enough to tide us over until dinner. Across from the Pie Co, P&P found some tasty Italian nibbles at La Pasta.

After our snack we explored a bit, mainly focusing on Chinatown and its alleyways.

Dinner was at Il Terrazo Ristorante (very Italian). B&P shared a starter, Formaggio de Capra (Hazelnut-crusted goat cheese, baked in an open flame oven and served on a salad of mixed baby greens with poached pear, sun-dried cranberries and a lemon, pear and port-wine dressing). A mouth full and very yummy. Bill followed with Polpette de Carne e Salsiccia (house made meatballs and chorizo, braised with tomato sauce and fresh basil served with spaghetti, arugula and grated pecorino cheese. Pat selected Melanzane al Forno (fresh pasta folded over breaded eggplant, roasted mushrooms, garlic confit, asiago and gruyere cheese, baked in a tomato basil cream sauce topped with spinach). For wine we selected the Rosso di Montalcino, a very fine wine with a better price tag then its "big brother", Brunello di Montalcino.

Victoria Day 2 began with a breakfast feast at Chez Cora. Pancakes with strawberry & banana topped with Creme anglaise for Pat; Bacon and eggs with blueberry pancakes for Bill. 

We all then wandered out to Fisherman’s Wharf. Along the way we noted the continuous stream of sea planes entering and leaving the harbor. A large fleet services basic transportation needs as well as sight seeing demand. At Fisherman's Wharf we enjoyed viewing and photographing the cute house boats, shops and restaurants (Including one featuring Mexican Seafood). 

Later we separated from P&P so Pat could work more on her shopping fix. We wandered the main shopping streets and ended up at The Hudson Bay Company. Later we met up with Peter and Peggy for lunch back at the Public Market. This time we all chose snacks from La Pasta. Then we wandered more through the shops and markets along the water front.  

Enroute to dinner from the hotel, we got a fine photo op of Parliament outlined in lights.

Dinner at Nautical Nellies began with a caesar salad with bacon followed by Coho Salmon with fingerling potatoes for Bill. Pat selected 3 side dishes all listed as intended to accompany one of the steak dishes. She ordered sweet potato fries, asparagus wrapped in prosciutto and grilled scallops. Our question: Where would you find room for the steak? 

Bill & Peggi at Nautical Nellies 

Next morning we had another breakfast feast, this time at Frankies. Bill selected Italian Hash while Pat chose Blueberry waffles. After breakfast we wandered solo exploring the shopping district some more.  Later Peter & Peggi picked-up our rental car and we headed north to the Cowichan Valley and its wineries. 

First stop: Enrico Winery. We liked the rosé both in sparkling and still formats. An unusual circumstance for us. We do like Brut Rosés (the sparkling wine) but still Rosés usually disappoint. We bought a bottle of the sparkling for later. One interesting feature here was the coverings over the grapes, kind of ghostly. Another was the bag they put the wine in. It features a map complete with all the wineries of the Cowichan Valley. Every winery we visited uses the same bags. Smart.

We arrived at Oceanfront Suites at Cowichan Bay and settled in enjoying the nice view of the marina from our room. 

Then it was out to explore. We walked along the Main Street, noting the bakery and cheese shops for later. We decided to have dinner at The Vine. We shared calamari and a bacon Caesar salad and followed those with a salmon burger for Bill and a savory crepe for Pat. For wine, we went with two local reds: Prevost 2014 (60% Marechal Foch, 25% Cabernet Libre, 10% Cabernet Foch, and 5% Merlot) and Pinot Noir 2015, both from Averill Creek. We all preferred the Prevost.

After breakfast of eggs benedict with salmon at the Oceanfront we headed out for some wine tasting and touring. We went north and stopped at Unsworth winery with its lovely grounds. We purchased a Rosé Charme de’ Lîles (a sparkling wine) and an Ovation (a Port style dessert wine). Then we headed to the town of Duncan, the self-proclaimed "City of Totems" and the smallest city (by area) in Canada. We wandered around viewing some of the many totems and checking out a few shops and then went to the Craig Street Brew Pub for lunch. We shared an artichoke spinach dip with chorizo and a philly cheese steak. Later we stopped at a local market and bought cheeses and a selection of salamis to eat in the room that evening. We enjoyed these with the Charme de’ Lîles and topped it off with the Ovation along with cookies that we had bought 2 days ago in Victoria. 

Above: Thunderbird with Dzunuk'wa (Wild Woman)
Below: Raven Stealing the Sun

Another day, more touring and wine tasting... This time we drove further north to Chemainus, a small town noted for its many murals depicting the history of the area. There are also a number of small shops and some interesting architecture. We had lunch at the Saw Mill Taphouse & Grill, a caesar salad for Pat and a pulled pork sandwich for Bill, and for a change of pace, we washed it down with beer.

After lunch we made two wine stops, Blue Grouse and Averill Creek. We found the wineries worth a visit now IF you are in the area but NOT yet worth seeking out. Still, based on our ability to predict the future, we'd say they would be worth checking in a few years after they have matured some. After all, we did enjoy the Averill Creek Prevost when we had it at The Vine a couple nights before.

We had dinner at the Cow Cafe, the restaurant at the Oceanfront Suites. Bill selected the Pacific Halibut & Chips with Cowichan Bay lager tempura, crisp coleslaw, house made tartar and grilled lemon. Pat opted for the Blackened Chicken and Prawn Fajita Salad (mixed greens, sautéed peppers and onions, rice, black bean salsa, roasted jalapeño guacamole with chipotle avocado ranch).

On Wednesday Peter and Peggi dropped us at the Victoria International Airport for our short hop to Seattle. We chose this route as it was quicker and far easier for everyone than driving back to Victoria, taking the ferry to Port Angeles, driving to Bainbridge Island... 

After settling at our hotel near the airport (not near Seattle downtown) our friend Lee (a GSB classmate & part-time San Migulense) picked us up for dinner at Chinooks at Salmon Bay, a Seattle Institution. We had a view of “the fleet” and other boats from our table. The Idilico Albarino wine from Washington State was a nice accompaniment to the meal:  shared Hearts of Romaine with Hazelnuts salad, Pat's Seafood Platter (Alaska lingcod, calamari, salmon and prawns with onion rings and zucchini slices) and Bill's Grilled Silver Salmon with hash browns & corn. We 3 indulged in a Huckleberry slump with ice cream for dessert. 

On our final day of this trip we took the light rail into downtown Seattle for some shopping and touring. For lunch we stopped at Il Fornaio for a little pasta and a bottle of Rompicollo, a Sangiovese and Cabernet blend.

After lunch we wandered toward the Space Needle passing Amazon's Glass Spheres (architecturally creative office space). We wandered around the Seattle Center enjoying views of some Chihuly glass flowers and Paul Allen's Museum of Pop Culture designed by Frank Gehry. After a short shuttle ride we walked along the waterfront before heading back to the hotel on the light rail.

Above: Amazons Glass Speres (office space)
Below: Gehry designed Museum of Pop Culture

Above: Chilhuly's giant glass flowers
Below: Space Needle

Our flight back had a small hiccup. Bad weather in San Francisco got us rerouted through Houston and we arrived in Mexico City a little later than expected. Not a problem since we were staying over night anyway. Next morning we were on our way to SMA. Shortly before arriving we came upon some slow traffic caused by a large number of riders on horseback heading into the city to take part in the Festival of Saint Michael (saint day).