Pacific North West Honeymoon Adventure | Travel Photography | Newlyweds
Okay, friends! Buckle up!
I’m so excited to share with you our Pacific North West travel moments from our honeymoon earlier this month! We were there April 4th to April 11th — the perfect amount of time to explore unknown land. We got to see some of the most beautiful landmarks; both well known and some of the quieter local only type places.
Before we get into the fun stories and details of specific moments, I will say we knew going in April could either be a complete wash or it could be a monopoly of weather conditions. We packed for sunny days, rainy days, cooler days. We wanted to cover all our bases and I am glad we thought ahead because we encountered it all!!
Over the course of a week, we stayed at three different Airbnb’s – that was the best decision for sure! We are much more Airbnb type people than hotels – we like to feel at home even when we’re on vacation and Airbnb does just that. On the way there we flew a direct flight with American Airlines from Charlotte to Seattle and then our return flight was from Portland to Charlotte; we rented a car so we could go wherever we wanted – also another great idea! Alright, alright, let’s dive in!
Our first stop was Seattle!
Our first Airbnb was in the cutest beach town called Alki Beach Park which is about 15 minutes on a good day from the center city of Seattle. We started our mornings (we were up and out by 7 because our bodies hadn’t adjusted to the time change!!) with coffee and breakfast from Ampersand Cafe which was right along the coast! With coffee in hand, we walked along the shoreline, watching the ferry and people swimming!! Absolutely crazy if you ask me but hey to each their own! The water was crystal clear! The views were stunning – the picture below features the Olympic Mountain range with spectacular views of Puget Sound!
The World Famous Pikes Place Market!
What’s a trip to Seattle without visiting Pikes Place Market aka the Public Market Center and all it’s amazing food vendors, arts, crafts, and community!! This was a bucket list item for me and I know Tyler enjoyed himself too! We got there right as they opened which a suggest doing so you can find parking!
The Public Market Center is famous for being one of the oldest and largest continuously operating public markets in the United States. With fish markets, fresh flower vendors, cider, you name it and it’s probably there! Also walking distance to the original Starbucks if you’re into that kind of thing 😉 No, we didn’t go in but we did walk by a couple of times!
We shared a cup of chowder from Seattle Seafood Chowder (there are multiple so this one was set up outside the actual market on the deck looking over the water!), a grilled Halibut sandwich (Google was our best friend trying to find the BEST Halibut but I’d say the place we went was pretty great!) and we both enjoyed a cup of hot apple cider! The perfect food sample of the Washington culture I’d say!
We hopped on the iconic Seattle Ferry!
After walking around Pikes Place Market and exploring a few shops in Downtown Seattle, we decided to hop on a ferry and head over to Bainbridge Island. For all you pickleball fans out there, did you know Bainbridge Island is the home of pickleball?? Like it originated there in 1965!!! Anyways, the ferry ride was about 35 minutes one way; it’s a great way (and one of the only ways) to visit Bainbridge Island. Bainbridge Island is a little town with lots of restaurants, local arts and crafts, and attractions geared toward tourists but, you can live on the island!
Clearly, I didn’t take too many photos on my Pentax film camera from the excursion so you’ll just have to imagine this part of the trip! I think I have more on my disposable camera but I haven’t had those developed yet, oops! Guess we will have to have a part two! 🙂
Bye Seattle, Washington – Hello Seaside, Oregon!
We got into Seattle late Friday night and had all day Saturday to explore! Not knowing if the rain would actually happen, we wanted to pile a lot of exploring into Saturday’s plans and I am glad we did. When we woke up on Sunday it was overcast and a storm was most definitely on it’s way. We packed our bags, grabbed coffee and breakfast at Ampersand and after a walk along the shore, we made our way down to Seaside, Oregon!
The one, the only, Haystack Rock!!!
It was rainy when we arrived and we had most the day to explore before checking into our next Airbnb, so we made the most of it by grabbing lunch, walking around, and then we traveled 15 minutes South to the one, the only, Haystack Rock!!
As a photographer, visiting Haystack Rock was absolutely on my bucket list!!! If you’re not familiar, Haystack Rock is a 235 ft-tall sea stack in Cannon Beach, Oregon. The monolithic rock is adjacent to the beach and accessible by foot at low tide. No matter what time of year, Haystack is absolutely incredible!!! The fact that you can walk almost right to it is so cool – we went multiple times while we were staying in Seaside!
We happened to be there while there were bald eagles on the very very top of Haystack!! It’s hard to see but I’ll include a photo below! There were so many people observing the eagles; it was fun to use binoculars and try to get the best view!
Meet Astoria, A Sleepy Little Town!
Astoria is the first city you enter once you cross the Astoria–Megler Bridge! This bridge is the longest bridge in Oregon and is also the longest continuous truss bridge in North America. How cool is that? And we got to see it from a few different viewpoints. We also drove over it but we don’t need to talk about that (I am terrified but we made it!).
What we did in Astoria, Oregon!
One of the locals secret hangout spot is The Astoria Column. The column is the greatest escape that provides the best views of Astoria! The column is a physical representation of the region’s history, particularly its early settlements and the impact of key events like Captain Gray’s discovery of the Columbia River and the Lewis and Clark expedition.
Before we made the trek up to the column we went to Broder Strand; a scandinavian style cafe! We throughly enjoyed ourselves and got a latte togo! The weather was so unpredictable this day so we made the most of it. We went to the Columbia River Maritime Museum, walked around downtown, and just enjoyed time together!
Visiting Ft. Stevens State Park
Together, Tyler and I enjoy going to museums so when we were at the Maritime Museum, we learned about Ft. Stevens State Park and how it is home to a shipwreck so we had to go visit! It is also one of the nations largest campgrounds!
After walking the shore and seeing a few others drive their vehicles on the beach, we decided to do the same! Tyler very much enjoyed this where as I was terrified – I didn’t want the worst to happen aka we get stuck in a rental car on a public beach and have to work our way out of the situation. But, alas, we made it out and headed back to the Airbnb before dinner.
Our last major outing in Seaside, Oregon was Ecola State Park
We love to hike and explore by foot so we knew we wanted to go on a hike while we were in Oregon so Ecola State Park made the list! The weather went from straight sun to misty overcast but that made for a fun hike. We did about two miles across two different parks within Ecola!
If you’re a movie buff, you might recognize the views! The Goonies and part of The Twilight Series was filmed at Ecola State Park. The trails were absolutely stunning – tall pine trees, sparkling light, views to see far beyond a ground view would give you! On a guaranteed good weather day, I’d highly suggest heading to the State Park, packing a lunch, and enjoying the trails!
Alright, I can keep going here but decided to do a Part Two! Thanks for tuning in to Part One of our Honeymoon Adventures! I love being able to share film photography from all my adventures with you all. This one adventure being extra special since it was with my husband!!!! Ahhh! Still not used to calling him that!! It’s the best.
Until Part Two, xoxo Madalyn
Credits: Majority of photographs taken on Pentax 645 (unless obviously taken on an iPhone, hehe) and developed by The Find Lab; my favorite film developer!
