Inn at Spanish Head

Inn at Spanish Head

Hallway Decor

Sunrise from the beach

Hi there!
This past weekend April and I got away thanks to a friend on a long overdue getaway.

We did not go to far just a hop over to the Oregon coast to Lincoln City and home to Inn at Spanish Head..

The inn is nestled on one of the best beaches there is to find in Lincoln City. There are a few things that make this inn not your run of the mill hotel. When you arrive at the hotel you will find a small parking lot to unload your car into. Parking is through a very windy tunnel.

Check inn &Tunnel to parking lot

They do have valet parking as an option and shuttle from the parking lot. The first thing you will notice is the lobby is on the 9th floor, you will have to go down to your room, that took a little getting used to. The second thing about this hotel you should know is the hotel is a condo unit owner owned type hotel, what this means to you is each unit is maintained and stocked by the owner so the accommodations do vary from updated to a very shale we say retro feel. You may ask to see the room first if you want to be sure what you are getting. There is also everything from a studio to complete suites available.

Studio suite room 338

The room we got was a super cute studio room 338it was like you would find in a normal hotel room but with a full kitchen, all the rooms do have kitchens and everything you will need. There is daily maid service, coffee , towels and the normal hotel services you would expect.

Indoor hot tub

This hotel does boast a 10th floor restaurant, Fathoms which has the best view & peanut butter pie you have to try! They serve some great dishes, the vegetable pasta pesto primavera was excellent and plentiful. I recommend having desert first with their Boyd's coffee, its so much more enjoyable when your not stuffed from dinner. If shes working we also recommend you ask for Jan she sincerely cares about your dining experience and made the evening more enjoyable she was great. Get there around 5 for the early bird menu to save some cash.

The hotel has a arcade, pool and indoor hot tub which as we have found in most hotels goes greatly unused. They are open till 10pm so take that late night swim the pool is heated but cool , the hot tub is just that hot .

Pool

We dragged a couple of chairs into the hot tub area in the morning and relaxed for hours without seeing a person , there is towels by the pool and hot tub so you wont need to bring any from your room . If you work out the gym is on the same level as the pool but only consists of an elliptical, bike and stair climber so plan on jogging the beach. On the up side they do keep a 5 gallon jug of water in the gym so bring your water bottle and fill it to save money on water.

Color abounds

It is the first hotel I have ever seen that also has water fountains on site as well .

The hotel lights the beach at night so even the nighttime view is great. It does get a bit windy so bring glasses to keep the sand out of your eyes, the nights can get stormy and windy too so if the sound of wind gusts and waves keep you up you hay want to bring ear plugs. Our second night was really stormy, with the fire going it made for a romantic stormy night.

We do recommend the inn for a weekend getaway or just to enjoy the Oregon coast make reservations the place is a hot spot.

If you are a snacker bring those with you the hotel doesn't offer much along those lines. If your in the mood for pastry's head over to Capt Dan's Pirate Pastry's voted #1 in Lincoln city for the best Marion Berry turnover in town. If your looking to stock up stay away from the IGA supermarket it is VERY overpriced on everything...

Till we see you next time,
Happy travels!
Tim & April.

Coffee and a Kiss on the beach

Fathoms 10th floor bar

Fathoms 

Beach time

Time for music

Sunrise on the beach

Grass spots

Solitude in the bar

Gazing out the 10th floor

Don't take those stairs!

Sunny morning , rare in Oregon 

View from room 338

Right on the beach view from 338

Coffee bar

Bagby Hot Springs

Hello It's Tim & April!

This weekend finds us in a new place,

"Bagby Hot Springs", Bagby is one of Oregon's many hot springs. This is our first trip to this hot spring , the hike is an amazing well kept 1 1/2 mile hike with easy grades and so much to see , it runs along side a creek for alot of the trip , the water is crystal clear with many access spots and deep pools if you don't mind the cold water. What you should know about bagby- The water is hot! 134 degrees so

you will need to mix it with some cold creek water (buckets are provided) ,also there is a good chance you are going to see some naked people there are two areas to soak one is a public area where clothes are optional and people do use that option, there are five private soak rooms with hand made tubs made from a single log ,as well as a large 6 foot round tub a little further up the trail for a group. Go early! getting there early is a great way to get a soak log fast, it seemed like alot of people showed up in the after noon , this is a 24 hour use area so you can soak after dark, bring candles, we heard it does get a Little rowdy on the weekends at night even though alcohol is not allowed.

The place is amazing and pretty but of course there are people who have carved into the walls and not cared for the place like you would hope other than that the place is worth the hike and walk , it is way out in the woods so pack water and lunch.

The hot spring was discovered in 1880 by a hunter....you guessed it named Bagby. The first cabin was built in 1913 and still stands today. There used to be a telephone switchboard located there at one time, in the 1920's the bathhouse was built. In the 70's a fire destroyed the place and it was rebuilt by the friends of Bagby in 1974.

You cant camp at the springs but there is an 8 spot campground further up the trail.

There are a ton of campgrounds in the area you'll see them on the drive up.

You'll also pass the Ripplebrook ranger guard station about 14 miles before the Bagby parking area , they do have wood , some snacks and a map I would recommend you get , note it is also $5 to park at the trail head for state park day use.

The soak is great , we went right to the spring & got a tub in about 15 minutes , there are toilets at the springs , plan on packing out any trash you bring. We went to the creek and found a nice smooth rock to have lunch on and soak our feet , take your time and enjoy the walk the bridges are great and there are so many trees and rocks to see look the the leaner's.

The drive to the falls is just as great following the river . Bagby is defiantly on our you should do list !

Oh ! and its free!

To get there go through Estacada on Hwy 224 go 26 miles to the Ripplebrook Guard station at the road 46 and 57 junction take rd 46 go 4 miles take the Road 63 fork go 4 miles take the road 70 fork go 6 miles to the Bagby parking area there are road signs .

Well that's it for this weekend, keep an eye out in two weeks well be celebrating our 11th anniversary for two days doing nothing but enjoying the historic Embassy Suites In Portland.

Till next time Happy Travels

Tim & April.

Green Peter Lake Oregon

Hi It's Tim & April and Tabi too!
This time we are off to do a little camping and boating this is the last run before we sell our trusty "Das Boot" at Green Peter Lake, Green Peter is located about 10 miles from Sweet Home Oregon in Linn County and only a short 79 miles from our hometown of McMinnville. The lake is nestled in the woods it boasts hiking, camping , boating , fishing, Picnicking and swimming .

We choose to stay at Whitcomb Camp Ground ,there is a charge, the spaces were nice and you have room for RV , trailers or Tents, you can reserve online, it does have bathrooms and water (that was kinda a funny color) but NO SHOWERS , it was a short 1/2 mile hike to the dock through some beautiful woods , you can camp many places along the lake for free if you choose .

Green peter is just past Foster Dam , also a great little lake , we found Green Peter to be a bit more private , the water was 74 degrees and most of the time we had the lake to our selves .

We like to go on the week days rater than the weekend feels like the lake is yours alone most of the time .

There are plenty of inlets to get away too and even if you don't have a boat its nice on the shore , there was plenty of wood washed up on shore for your nightly fires . Bring some bug spray there are alot of bugs waiting to drink your blood .

There is plenty of space to roam around the lake the mornings are a bit cool which was nice even on the cloudy days the sun came out in the afternoon . The lake is very long and very deep .

Pack whatever you need it is a ways to town and don't forget a camp shower if you want to wash up . Its a great place for families and kids right in the woods of the northwest . Those cold mornings make the bacon taste better! If your a boater you'll love the space to roam , speed limit is 30 MPH and their is plenty of room to tube swim fish and ski , Tabi tubed for hours . There is also a floating bathroom on the lake for you to use which was nice to have , the dam is worth a walk across the view is awesome .

Get out there and enjoy the rest of summer , in Oregon it can end in a heart beat so enjoy the sun.

Till next time

Tim April & Tabi!

Henry Hagg Lake Oregon

Hello once more !
This week we are off to explore and relax at "Henry Hagg Lake" a short 30 minute drive from our home town of McMinnville , Oregon and a stones through from Forest Grove, Oregon.


Henry Hagg lake is a Nice Fishing and recreation lake , it features some of the best small mouth bass fishing around as well as a dedicated high speed boating area , and by high speed the top limit is 30MPH.


There is a great hiking / biking trail that completely surrounds the lake 2 boat launch areas with a nice bathroom and picnic table areas , there is tons of access to the lake even if you don't have a boat and even food available at one of the launch areas.

The daily fee is $6 or you can get an annual pass too the area is day use only.

One of the great things besides it proximity to us and Portland are all the things you can do at this 1113 acres lake! There are over 15 miles of hiking trails and the lake is stocked with , Bluegill , Small & Large mouth bass as well as crappie , if you are like me and a little A.D.D. trolling is great year round here .

The water was over 70 degrees already and its only June .

Now there are some drawbacks and pluses to a visit here .
In the summer weekends it gets busy the water sports end of the lake gets like a choppy bathtub from all the boats in the afternoon , get to the lake early and pick a spot and your good , it seems like most of the sports boaters come in the late morning or early afternoon.

One tip if if you re like us and trying to eat better , don't pack a ton of food for your trip just bring the food you plan to eat it pretty much removes temptation and not having a full bag of chips sitting there is a diet plus , you ll find it makes swimming more enjoyable not being stuffed anyway .
If it does get to choppy for you you can always pick a spot on the no wake side of the lake , the fishing is great on both ends though.

You can fish from short but in the hot months it tends to not be so great , out in your boat close to the bottom does better in summer and you can check out this map for where the fish are .


So if your looking for a close place to spend the day take a spin out this way , you can even stay in McMinnville or one of the many B & B's in the area and do some wine tasting after the lake closes down. Or even call one of the local Limo services like Willamette Valley Limo have them take you to and from the lake and on a great tour of the local wineries .


Remember sun screen and a blanket and a good book and your all set !
(Click the links and photos for more great info and pictures on Flickr)


We'll be talking soon,
Bye for Now Tim & April

Mexico Fun at The Valentin Imperial Maya

Hello again!
This time we are going in the way back machine back to Sept of 2008


This place was so amazing we decided to add it in ,
This time we are in Mexico, Playa Del Carmen on 1/2 mile of private beach called "Playa Del Secreto" (the secret beach) at the "Valentin Imperial Maya" a newer hotel that just finished being built in 2008.
The Hotel was beautiful and romantic , The pool huge and wonderful The staff friendly , the food plentiful and if you like cocktails your in heaven!

The entire resort is clean from the public restrooms to every place you can go in the resort great care is
taken to make it exactly what you would think it should be . The beach is cleaned every day , your fridge is stocked and everything you could want is included in the price you pay .

There are 9 restaurants and over 7 bars , one for whatever you would like to do , from sports to reading they have a space for you .

We got a swim up suite and boy is it worth it ! 10 feet out your door and your in the blue clear water it was hard to decide to stay by our room or hit the beach .
We have two words for you "Off Season!" we went in September the water was warm the sun was hot and the resort was only at 30% capacity . The greatest thing was if your like us and just want to be alone you could be, virtually any time you want, we had the beach to ourselves most of the morning except for the occasion bird and passing boat.
A little waring if its not your thing the beaches are topless optional .

Another nice thing is this is an
adult only resort , but not the ADULT ONLY you need to worry about.

Over by the swim up suites there is a self serve bar that they set up and leave for you , plus the restaurants are full service with many choices from Italian to french the food was great , the room service is 24 hours a day but the menu is limited , you don't have to tip but they do earn it!

Bring tipping money a insulated cup for the beach the ice melts super fast , it doesn't have to be the 64OZ big gulp type any one will do , the water is filtered and there is plenty to do, the main pool is huge you can float all day and hang at the swim up bar.

Some things to bring - Nice clothes you have to dress for dinner all though they didn't appear to enforce that rule, The insulated cup , Tons of sunscreen , Water socks - the beach is a little rocky getting in the water , a great book , band aids the ones they have at the resort turn your wound red, and get ready to be on vacation without worry . We would recommend this resort for the first timer to Mexico . Wander the trails hold hands , watch the late night shows in the out door theater, or have a coffee in the coffee bar , this resort is romantic safe and clean .


http://www.valentinmaya.com/

http://www.tripadvisor.com/LocationPhotos-g150812-Playa_del_Carmen_Yucatan_Peninsula.html

Cascade Head Preserve

Hello It's Tim& April Again,
This time time we explored Cascade Head Preserve a 4 to 6 mile round trip trail just out side of Lincoln City, Oregon.

The trail head is only 47 miles from McMinnville and just a mile or two from Lincoln City, go North on Hwy 101 and turn on Three Rocks Road and follow it to the Parking area.

The trail is clearly marked and runs through some private land as well as forest land, There are bathrooms and paved parking at the trail head and a very nice view of the Salmon River Estuary and a cute little dock, the view from the dock alone is worth the drive even if you don't want to hike the trail, if you have a fishing boat you can launch it at the boat ramp and do some fishing too.

If you do want to see the view from the top but aren't up to the 2 1/2 mile trek you can drive up to an alternate starting point on Cascade Head Road and its a short walk without to much uphill.

What can we say about this trail? View View View! You will start out at sea level and depending on how far you want to hike you will go up as high 1200 feet, There are no dogs or bikes allowed on the trails. The trail is very well maintained and has a complete view of Lincoln City, The Salmon River and on a clear day the ocean as far as your eyes can see, you will see moss covered trees, thick forest, streams, grass land and more.

The trail will get you warmed up very fast with a heart pounding dirt and wood staircase not far from the trail head, those hours on your stair master will pay off here, they seem to go up forever before having you meander always gradually uphill through moss covered trees with the occasional view of the ocean .

You will keep going through a more dense forest pack like they cut the trail right through the brush till you break out on an amazing grass land that overlooks the Ocean.

Its not to much further to the lower lookout where you overlook 3 rocks and the Point.

The trail continues on if you wish up another mile to the end of the trail but its only 1/2 mile to the top view point at the 1200 feet elevation , totally worth the extra hike , bring lunch and pick a spot in the grassland and enjoy the view the hike back feels like a breeze because its pretty much down hill.

It is a little rough on the knees and would be considered a moderate hike but take your time and you will make it just fine, the hikers you meet along the way are all friendly and never seem to pass with out friendly hello, Bring lunch, water and your camera at the end of the day you will be happy you came and your heart will thank you for the workout.
Happy Hiking Tim & April.

http://www.nature.org/wherewework/northamerica/states/oregon/preserves/art6796.html