We were able to slip away for a long weekend with our friends, Brian and Danielle, at the end of August to the Methow Valley in Eastern Washington where Sun Mountain Lodge is located. We took the beautiful scenic North Cascades Highway to get there. Here is one of the scenic spots that we stopped at along the way.
The grated bridge that we walked on to get to see the falls. Danielle was not a fan of this bridge!
My honey and I:}
After arriving at the lodge, on our private deck, with gorgeous scenic views as the backdrop {I am about 12 weeks along here}.
There are a lot of bike riding trails around the lodge, so we brought our bikes along. Friday evening we went for a nice 5 mile ride. Here's Todd and Brian:
Todd and I at a pond we stopped at.
Brian and Danielle
There are deer all around the lodge, they are protected here, it was amazing to see them so often and up so close.
Hot tubbing after the bike ride {it was a pretty cool-hot tub so I felt fine in it for a few minutes even though I'm pregnant;}
Another picture of a deer from our deck. The deer liked to hang out in the shade below the lower decks of the lodge.
The next day we decided to start the morning out with another bike ride. Little did I know that Brian's idea of a morning ride would be to take us on some ridiculously scary black diamond trails. At one point, we were on a trail maybe a foot wide with a sheer cliff to this lake on our left and an upward slope on the right. I thought I was going to die! I was barely able to get off the bike and walk it along the path, it was way too scary for me to ride and I was more than willing to let the bike fall over the cliff if need be! This picture was taken right after the scary part, where we found an area by the lake and Brian went in for a swim.
I survived. . . barely! I was also getting pretty famished here, I didn't expect the ride to be so long and I had just had a granola bar and glass of orange juice for breakfast, not nearly enough for a pregnant woman. We were still 6 or so miles from the lodge here. . .
Todd was happy that he made it to 1000 miles on his bike though:}
After, we got back {thank the Lord} we saw some adorable fawns from our deck.
We also had an amazing lunch at the lodge. Afterwards, Danielle and I got mani-pedi's and massages at the lodge. This was the type of relaxing vacation I had in mind!
That night we went to a wine pairing dinner at the lodge. The food and wine were delicious {even if I could only have small sips of each wine}.
This salad was so good, I developed an extreme craving for goat cheese after eating it:}
On Sunday morning we went horse back riding to a cowboy breakfast.
Todd took these pictures of me in silhouette after mounting my horse. I thought they turned out pretty cool.
Todd's pictures on the trail.
Our cowboy breakfast.
We even had a real cowboy serenading us!
Todd on his horse back at the stables.
Another deer picture of a Mama and her fawn.
After our cowboy breakfast, we spent the afternoon relaxing by the pool. That afternoon/evening Danielle and I drove down to Winthrop and the men rode their bikes down and we met them for dinner in town.
On Monday morning, we got up really early to take a once-in-a-lifetime hot balloon ride over the Methow Valley. Here they are setting up the balloon.
Todd was a little worried when the pilot let this small helium balloon up in the air and told us that was how he could help to figure out if the winds were calm enough to fly in.
The inside of the balloon as it is being filled with air.
The entire crew up very early for a hot air balloon ride.
Lifting the balloon up with some hot air.
It was a beautiful site.
Here we are in the balloon, and the shadow of the balloon on the ground. The pilot called it "a ballooner eclipse".
We saw some incredible scenery of the Methow Valley from the balloon.
I had to take this picture of the property, our pilot said that this guy likes to collect things, I think that is a bit of an understatement!
We are up very high here, the ballooner eclipse is quite small.
The truck coming to help us land and pick us up.
Todd ended up enjoying the ride, but he was also happy to get off first and capture a picture of us in the balloon.
Honestly, he was much happier on the ground after the flight!
Time to collapse and put away the balloon.
This glider friend of the pilot's did a little fly-by on us.
Afterwards, they drove us back, gave us a deicious brunch and told us a story of the history of hot-air ballooning.
It was a beautiful, amazing and fun-filled weekend. Here are Todd and I right before leaving the lodge. We were eager to get back and see our boys who had a fun weekend back at home with Grandpa Albert and Nana.
The grated bridge that we walked on to get to see the falls. Danielle was not a fan of this bridge!
My honey and I:}
After arriving at the lodge, on our private deck, with gorgeous scenic views as the backdrop {I am about 12 weeks along here}.
There are a lot of bike riding trails around the lodge, so we brought our bikes along. Friday evening we went for a nice 5 mile ride. Here's Todd and Brian:
Todd and I at a pond we stopped at.
Brian and Danielle
There are deer all around the lodge, they are protected here, it was amazing to see them so often and up so close.
Hot tubbing after the bike ride {it was a pretty cool-hot tub so I felt fine in it for a few minutes even though I'm pregnant;}
Another picture of a deer from our deck. The deer liked to hang out in the shade below the lower decks of the lodge.
The next day we decided to start the morning out with another bike ride. Little did I know that Brian's idea of a morning ride would be to take us on some ridiculously scary black diamond trails. At one point, we were on a trail maybe a foot wide with a sheer cliff to this lake on our left and an upward slope on the right. I thought I was going to die! I was barely able to get off the bike and walk it along the path, it was way too scary for me to ride and I was more than willing to let the bike fall over the cliff if need be! This picture was taken right after the scary part, where we found an area by the lake and Brian went in for a swim.
I survived. . . barely! I was also getting pretty famished here, I didn't expect the ride to be so long and I had just had a granola bar and glass of orange juice for breakfast, not nearly enough for a pregnant woman. We were still 6 or so miles from the lodge here. . .
Todd was happy that he made it to 1000 miles on his bike though:}
After, we got back {thank the Lord} we saw some adorable fawns from our deck.
We also had an amazing lunch at the lodge. Afterwards, Danielle and I got mani-pedi's and massages at the lodge. This was the type of relaxing vacation I had in mind!
That night we went to a wine pairing dinner at the lodge. The food and wine were delicious {even if I could only have small sips of each wine}.
This salad was so good, I developed an extreme craving for goat cheese after eating it:}
On Sunday morning we went horse back riding to a cowboy breakfast.
Todd took these pictures of me in silhouette after mounting my horse. I thought they turned out pretty cool.
Todd's pictures on the trail.
Our cowboy breakfast.
We even had a real cowboy serenading us!
Todd on his horse back at the stables.
Another deer picture of a Mama and her fawn.
After our cowboy breakfast, we spent the afternoon relaxing by the pool. That afternoon/evening Danielle and I drove down to Winthrop and the men rode their bikes down and we met them for dinner in town.
On Monday morning, we got up really early to take a once-in-a-lifetime hot balloon ride over the Methow Valley. Here they are setting up the balloon.
Todd was a little worried when the pilot let this small helium balloon up in the air and told us that was how he could help to figure out if the winds were calm enough to fly in.
The inside of the balloon as it is being filled with air.
The entire crew up very early for a hot air balloon ride.
Lifting the balloon up with some hot air.
It was a beautiful site.
Here we are in the balloon, and the shadow of the balloon on the ground. The pilot called it "a ballooner eclipse".
We saw some incredible scenery of the Methow Valley from the balloon.
I had to take this picture of the property, our pilot said that this guy likes to collect things, I think that is a bit of an understatement!
We are up very high here, the ballooner eclipse is quite small.
The truck coming to help us land and pick us up.
Todd ended up enjoying the ride, but he was also happy to get off first and capture a picture of us in the balloon.
Honestly, he was much happier on the ground after the flight!
Time to collapse and put away the balloon.
This glider friend of the pilot's did a little fly-by on us.
Afterwards, they drove us back, gave us a deicious brunch and told us a story of the history of hot-air ballooning.
It was a beautiful, amazing and fun-filled weekend. Here are Todd and I right before leaving the lodge. We were eager to get back and see our boys who had a fun weekend back at home with Grandpa Albert and Nana.
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