Monte Cristo - Indian Summer Hike and Bike

I went on a gorgeous bike ride yesterday to the old mining town of Monte Cristo. It's off the Mountain Loop highway in the Cascades. There used to be a railroad up to Monte Cristo and 100 years ago it was a thriving town with a hotel, shops and saloons. There was gold mining in them thar hills and people flocked there to find their fortune. Now it is a ghost town and a four mile hike in. We took our mountain bikes but it was an adventure riding there. We had to cross the river via a log (dicey business when you're on a bike) and the road was very rocky in many places making it necessary to get off the bike and walk.

The payoff was worth it though. It was a beautiful, late September day, the sun was shining and the mountains were splendid. This could be the last nice weekend for a while.

Port Townsend Inspiration - Uptown/Downtown

An historic building on Water Street downtown.

This is Potpourri in Uptown, owned by Jeanne Moore. She's an interior designer and has the largest selection of fabric samples on the peninsula. This was like a candy store for me with all the textiles. She made these flags which you see on other shops on Lawrence Street. They are made from old swatch books. I want to try making some of these.

This is the screen of the old Rose Theatre. I saw "Away we Go". Loved it. The movies are introduced by a real live person. It's a great place.

Poppies are everywhere.

I liked this front porch in the Uptown neighborhood.

Sweet Laurette, bakery and restaurant on Lawrence.

The flower shop, Uptown.

Last weekend I drove up to Port Townsend on the Olympic Peninsula for a two day road trip. It's an old Victorian town which was originally supposed to be the state capitol. It' on the northwestern tip of the peninsula and is known for it's great architecture and artistic community. I'll be posting several sets of pictures from my trip: this first set is the uptown neighborhood and downtown. There are cute shops and restaurants, bakeries and a wonderful farmer's market on Saturday mornings. The flowers in Port Townsend are amazing. Enjoy!