Weekend at Alderbrook

A few weeks ago, Steve and I finally redeemed our Groupon vouchers for a weekend at Alderbrook Resort in Hood Canal. One week after my sister's wedding, it was the perfect time to get away for a few days. We decided to take the ferry route from West Seattle to Southworth, which may have taken longer than driving the whole way, but it made for a fun part of the trip.

Steve was pretty hungry so he bought a pretzel on the ferry. I wouldn't say pretzels are their specialty.

These photos make the weather seem cold, but surprisingly the air was only a bit chilly. I love ferry rides in Washington.

When we checked in, two bottles of wine were waiting for us in our room (they came with the package). I had heard about the rooms at the resort, and they really were as nice as I'd expected. High ceilings, large bathroom and a big comfy bed.

The next morning we had breakfast at the restaurant. Since breakfast is my favorite meal, and I can never decide if I want sweet or savory, I convinced Steve to let me get both. I didn't regret it.

Although we were only there for two nights, it was funny how we fell into a little routine. Sleep in, eat breakfast, take a long walk down the dock, and then find a place to explore before coming back to eat some more. I wish every day could be like that. I also wished I could pass for an "unattended kid" and receive the following consequence.

With the weather cool, but not cold, our walks down the dock were so pleasant. There was a great view of the Olympic mountains and I'm pretty sure we spotted a seal (although I was never fast enough to catch a photo of it).

On Saturday, we drove out to a lake where Steve's family had come for vacation, a few years ago. It was so much lower than we remembered! In fact, Steve's brothers and sisters had jumped off the giant rock many times, and it's a little scary to think that these rocks and trees had been hiding beneath the surface.

Later that evening we filled our wine glasses and sat out on the back patio of the resort. Although the resort may have been full, it was so peaceful and quiet. We felt more like we were staying at a family cabin, than at a hotel.

On our last morning we explored the dock one more time before heading out to the resort's "View Point Loop." We kind of laughed when we saw a map of the "trail," which couldn't have been more than a half a mile, but it turned out to be pretty nice, with many plants and trees to photograph.

Steve posed for some "senior pics." We're going to make one of these an 8x10. Which one is your favorite? ;)

Not until it was time to go home did I see this little guy, walking around the lobby of the resort. I know some people don't like cats (and I probably would get sick of taking care of one) but I wanted to take him home.

Staying at Alderbrook was certainly a treat. I don't know if we'll be back for awhile (it's not the cheapest get away), but we definitely came back home relaxed and ready for another week.