Wednesday, August 7, 2013

Road trip!

We left Calgary the evening of August 1, 2013 and made our way to Golden, BC. We spent the night at the decent and affordable Rondo Hotel. The next day we went on to Kamloops. We thoroughly enjoyed Beat Nation a wonderful contemporary Aboriginal exhibit at the Kamloops Art Gallery. The exhibit was a eclectic mix of artists and medias; music, video, dance, clothing, neon, painting, carving etc. After Kamloops we spent a night in Chilliwack before heading over the border.

We spent Sunday in Seattle and checked out the vegan diner; Wayward Vegan Cafe , Vegan Haven; a lovely vegan store who's proceeds support a pig rescue, and Araya's Place. At the vegan store we picked up delectable snacks including Go Max Foods chocolate bars, and Earth Balance cheddar flavour popcorn. We spent the rest of the day walking through the surrounding neighbourhood.

Everything in Seattle was booked or super expensive so we opted for a campground in the nearby town if Kent. Big mistake. We spent a night that sounded like we were continually about to be hit by a semi, in our freeway ditch camp site, So we moved a little further out from Seattle, to Tacoma, and are staying in a cheap and cheerful motel.
Prior to heading to Tacoma we went into Seattle and enjoyed an amazing lunch and dinner at the vegan Plum Bistro. A sample of their menu:



CHIPOTLE PEACH TEMPEH & TOFU charred French beans, avocado puree, vino butter sauce G/F

In between we wandered down the waterfront, checked out Pike Place Market, and browsed antique stores. We got a bit lost on our way out of Seattle but we made it back to Tacoma safely.


We were pleasantly surprised with Tacoma! We stopped initially for the affordable lodging and the Lemays Car Museum. The museum is housed in a spectacular building and showcases a wonderful collection of vehicles.










We also enjoyed wandering around Tacoma looking at the buildings. We enjoyed the yummy raw vegan meal at AmeRAWcan Bistro.


Today we headed back to Seattle for a final trip (and more lovely dining at Plum Bistro). We checked out the Seattle Art Museum.




We enjoyed special Japanese fashion exhibit. The museum also had selected works of the phenomenal collection of Herb and Dorothy Vogel, who amassed their important modernist collection on their modest salaries as a postal clerk and librarian. The selected works at the Seattle museum were not my favourite but I am mesmerized by their story. It was appropriate that I stumbled across this statement, by Craig Damrauer, in the gift shop:

"Modern Art = I could do that + Yeah, but you didn't"

The couple were also the topic of the fascinating documentary, Herb and Dorothy;


After the museum we visited the Sea Shepherd Gallery and Educational Centre. "Established in 1977, Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (SSCS) is an international non-profit, marine wildlife conservation organization. Our mission is to end the destruction of habitat and slaughter of wildlife in the world's oceans in order to conserve and protect ecosystems and species.

Sea Shepherd uses innovative direct-action tactics to investigate, document, and take action when necessary to expose and confront illegal activities on the high seas. By safeguarding the biodiversity of our delicately balanced ocean ecosystems, Sea Shepherd works to ensure their survival for future generations."
Sea Shepherd is also featured on the popular show; Whale Wars. It was great to speak with the supporters and purchase a new hoodie, t-shirt, decals and a flag!

To check out our photos so far go to; http://www.flickr.com/photos/8751723@N02/ Tomorrow off to Portland!

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