Skamania Lodge

Sorry I didn’t get a post up yesterday! That’s why today—on a Tuesday (!)—I’m posting instead. The last time I posted on a Tuesday was my very first blog post! Anyway, today I’m talking about the awesome trip I took last weekend and a really cool place you should be sure to visit. 🙂 Disclaimer: my bun is pretty out of control in these photos.

I had Thursday and Friday of last week off of school, so my parents and I decided to drive to Washington for the long weekend. We stopped for lunch at the Riverside Restaurant, which was right on the Columbus River of Hood River, Oregon. If it wasn’t so windy/chilly, we would have sat outside on the deck and enjoyed the gorgeous view! I ordered the grilled cheese (with added bacon, of course) and clam chowder. They had gluten-free bread, which was awesome, and the food was really satisfying.

Then we crossed a bridge over the river and entered Washington, where we drove about half hour to our hotel, Skamania Lodge in Stevenson. This was SUCH a beautiful location!! We checked into our room and then *may or may not* have taken naps, only to wake up at 4 o’clock to go…ZIP-LINING! Zip-lining has been on my bucket list for a long time, and my parents surprised me with this little adventure. The course is right at the hotel, so we met with our tour guides/the rest of the group and then got started! (P.S. They also had a ropes course which looked super awesome and scary.)

We began by going over some rules and getting fitted for our harnesses, and then we climbed stairs to the first zip-line. Our tour guides, Hannah and Anthony, were great and made us feel super safe! I was a little nervous and they could totally tell, but they were really nice about helping me out. The first zip is short and slow, which makes for a great warm up run. Then the real fun begins!

There were seven zips in total, all throughout the forest surrounding the hotel, and each one was different—one was really long, one was super fast, we twisted on one, jumped backwards on another, did what the tour guides called “the sling shot”…It was SO much fun! I had a really great time and can’t wait to zip-line again.

Afterwards, we grabbed dinner at the less fancy of the hotel’s two restaurants. We ate outside, watched the sunset, and then made our way to the fire pit for a few minutes to watch the moon rise. It was a massive, full moon, and it was magical watching it rise over the forested hillside.

We decided to check out the outdoor hot tub and enjoyed a little late night soak in the great outdoors. Who else loves night hot-tubbin’? After that, we were baked and ready for bed. Or should I say… we were boiled? 😉

The next morning, we went for a run on two of the trails right outside the hotel. The forest is just so pretty :-). We then ate breakfast at the nicer of the hotel’s restaurants, and BOY was it delicious. I got the white cheddar omelet, which had little apple bits in it. I know that sounds weird, but trust me, it’s a party in your mouth.

After breakfast, we packed up and went to Issaquah, WA, for the rest of the weekend, where we caught up with some friends and family. We also spent Saturday at Salmon Days—an arts and crafts festival that celebrates the spawning of the salmon at the fish hatchery in downtown Issaquah. Gotta love those fishies—I know I sure do. 😉

I wore this particular outfit on Friday morning for breakfast at the lodge, the drive to Issaquah, and dinner with friends.

Needless to say, it was such a great weekend! I totally recommend a quick getaway at Skamania Lodge, or if you’re still a teen like me, ask your parents! It wasn’t overly expensive for a regular room. Zip-lining was kind of pricey ($100 per person), but my philosophy is to not spend a lot of money on clothes so that you can spend money on cool experiences instead. 🙂

Thanks for stopping by today and have a great Tuesday!

Miles of smiles,

Grace

Salmon Knit Cardigan: unknown (was a gift), $30 // Bohemian Dress: Arizona via JCPenney, $25 // Purple Knee Socks: unknown (also a gift), $12 // Brown Booties: DSW, $40 // Burgundy Blanket Scarf: H&M, $12