1) Lake Sacajawea, Longview, Wa.
My grandfather lived in Longview, an hour north or Portland, and he walked around this lake nearly every day. More than 100 different varieties of trees circle the lake and he could identify them all. There are also two fountains, an island with a Japanese garden, children's playgrounds, and several bridges, including one that's just for squirrels. This is a great place to stretch your legs on a drive between Portland and Seattle. We aren't able to go for a walk because the rain is falling so hard that the windshield wipers are barely working on full power. But we do stop for cornmeal pancakes at the Pancake House at the south end of the lake.
2) Mount St. Helens visitor center, Castle Rock, Wa.
When Mount St. Helens blew its top on Sunday, May 18, 1980, I was watching cartoons at my childhood home in the South Bay. I was only 6 years old and I remember trying to read the ticker at the bottom of the TV screen announcing the eruption. I called for my parents and they immediately phoned my grandfather who lived less than 60 miles from the mountain. His front lawn was covered in a thin layer of ash.
I will never forget the day Mount St. Helens erupted and so I want to show my children the mountain. Unfortunately, it's pouring down rain when we drive by so we can only stop at the visitor center in Castle Rock. Here we watch an excellent video with footage of the blast and the massive mudslides that destroyed everything in its path. Exhibits show photos of the mountain before and after the eruption.
"Can they make it erupt again?" my 5-year-old says. "I want to see a real blast."
3) La Tarasca, Centralia, Wa.
That's Margarita Ayala in the photo above. She's from the Mexican state of Michoacan, where she grew up cooking with her family. Today, she's preparing the same home-style dishes at this restaurant in a funky, little town halfway between Portland and Seattle.
We read rave reviews about this Mexican restaurant on Chowhound:
La Tarasca is one of the best restaurants this side of Chicago. This place gives Rick Bayless a serious run for the best Mexican food in the US.
I don't drive between Portland and Seattle without eating a plate of carnitas at La Tarasca.Sounds too good to miss...
We split the carnitas (pictured above). The meat is moist and tender and comes with homemade corn tortillas, creamy refried beans made with lard, rice, and fresh salsa. Delicious.4) Point Defiance Park, Tacoma, Wa.
As we drive into Tacoma, an hour south of Seattle, the rain finally stops. We're ready to get outside and so we stop at Point Defiance that spreads across 700 acres overlooking Puget Sound.The park offers all sorts of attractions--a zoo with polar bears, hiking trails winding through old growth forest, a replica of an early-19th century European outpost, and Japanese, dahlia, lily, and rhododendron gardens. We decide to go to Owen Beach.
The rocky beach is covered in huge piles of driftwood. The kids walk along the logs and throw rocks into the water.
Next stop...Seattle.
Trip details: Day 7
Miles: 280
Hours in car: 4
Expenses:
- Gas: $33
- Breakfast: $15 (free at hotel, plus Pancakehouse)
- Lunch: $25.48 (La Tarasca)
- Dinner: $25 (Red Mill Burgers)
- Entertainment: $4
- Hotel and parking: $200 (Best Western Pioneer Square Hotel)
Trip totals
- Miles: 1,050
- Hours in car: 18
- Expenses: $1,188.61
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