Between spring and summer classes, Dylan and I decided to do a trip to France and it was fantastic . We flew in to Paris for 2 nights, took the TGV to Bordeaux for one night, then rented a car to drive southwest and all around including the cities of Guéthary , Toulouse, Cazals, Tours, then back to Paris. Paris actually somewhat disappointed the first go-round. I had this romantic picture in my head of what it would be, as I'm heard a lot of people experience. It was certainly grand. Grander than any city I've seen. But it was a big city with lots of traffic... I should've expected this but for whatever reason I was picturing what Bordeaux actually wound up being- charming, romantic, pedestrian streets, flowers everywhere, more bikers, more dogs, lots of greenery... But I certainly enjoyed the strolls (even through the rain), people watching at cafes, and exploring all around. Returning to Paris at the end of the trip left me with a better impression; we stayed
In pure Dylabby fashion, we had a very informal plan to head east to see the Painted Hills, John Day Fossil Beds, John Day River, and desert time, but then as we were packing up the car that morning, we changed our plans and decided to head north to Colchuck Lake in Washington. More chance for seeing the Northern Lights? Autumn colors? Less chance of rattlesnakes biting our dogs? Those were a few of the random reasons that were thrown out there. We booked a hotel on the drive up for Wenatchee, WA near Leavenworth-- Leavenworth was crazy expensive, later to find out the Oktoberfest reason why. And booking camping in Washington is not fun. If anyone has tips that don’t involve having to book 6months (or even a month) in advance or having to do a whole lottery to get a permit, please let us last-minute travelers know. We did get a good stop in Leavenworth for some German beers, people watching, and a beautiful river walk right in town, and a lovely sunset dinner view. The next morning,