Honeymoon idea help

[ehirsch83]

So we got married in November and have put off our honeymoon until this summer.

I am pushing for us to come out to the PNW and do some wineries, hiking, beer, kayaking, cycling etc. I would appreciate any help/ideas/etc. Would be about 6 days in total. (I've looked into san juan islands, going up to vancouver, incorporating the cascades cycling classic and letting him race the full pro race and then doing 4 or so days after- this would end up being more of a 10-11 day trip then). We love beer, good food, wine, being outdoors so the PNW seems like it would be a great place to go. ( I've never been but he has been a few times)


My other thought is Tahoe or up to Banff in Canada...

He is pushing for Budapest or Istanbul(which while both would be amazing- I would prefer not to spend 2500 on just airfare when that could go towards the down payment of a house)

Any ideas are greatly appreciated :)

[shootingstar]

Which month are you considering for honeymoon vacation next week?

San Juan Islands, Vancouver BC would be beautiful and perfect weather for Jul. to Sept. where rain isn't much but it never gets overly hot/humid like Northeast U.S. / Canada. There's alot to see. There's also Vancouver Island which is large with choice kayaking areas for whales etc. at various times. There are also wineries on Vancouver Island. The Washington State Ferry does have daily stop in Sannich area, Vancouver Island that is less 5 km. away from B.C. Ferries port stop. From B.C. Ferry Swartz Bay stop, you can ferries, to Canadian Gulf Islands..I would recommend Saltspring Island...it is a different feel than San Juan Islands. Saltspring has 2 wineries, a very popular Sat. farmers', arts market in Summer and Fall, hiking, cycling on roads, etc.

Banff, Alberta leads ...120 kms. north of Calgary has a whole swath of Rocky Mountains, parks (not just Banff National Park), Lake Louise, etc. And then heading towards the Alberta, B.C. border there are several national and provincial parks with more wilderness, sightseeing, hiking, etc. Summer accommodation would be more expensive. I am not familiar with camping in the Rocky Mountains but no doubt you need to book way in advance. Meaning months in advance.

Feel free to email me since I've lived and travelled in both Vancouver BC /islands and Banff, Alberta area. For slightly lower rates in accommodation and some less crowds,starting just after Labour Day would be still wonderful weather for cycling, hiking, etc.

[ehirsch83]

Huge help! We are looking at around July for the trip( I started a new job this past month, so waiting for PTO to kick in) I will look into everything and then PM you with questions :)

[TrekDianna]

You can cycle 99w and stop at wineries. There are actually some brochures around that I have seen. Check for cycling Oregon wineries or something like that on Google. We have some great wine and great scenery here.

[Trek-chick]

The San Juan Islands are beautiful. DH and I went 2 summers ago and did some whale watching and stopped at Friday Harbour. We had an awesome lunch there (fish of course). We talk about going back and exploring more of the Islands next time.

[Crankin]

We went to the San Juans this summer. Our base was in Friday Harbor. We made it to Lopez Island for riding, and around San Juan, of course, but after figuring out we would spend all day/night on the ferry to ride on Orca and another day to go to Vancouver Island, we decided to ride less and did some hiking and other historical stuff, in addition to riding. I would want more than a week to do it all, and be able to stay overnight in Vancouver. Taking 4 huge suitcases on the ferry was a pain after flying across the country, and we got dirty looks and comments from people (like we were breaking some "rule")! However, when we said bikes were inside 2 of the suitcases, they softened.
I would go back.

[Irulan]

Um, not sure about booking months in advance for camping, unless it's the national parks. We camp all the time in the Rockies, both US and Canadian, in the summer. There is primitive camping and the provincial parks usually tent camping that doesn't require a site reservation. Most places hold a few sites for later comers unless its an obvious popular site on a holiday weekend. Plus with bikes you can do a lot of stealth camping :)

[jobob]

Great suggestions above.

In case you're looking for a place to overnight during your travels, I'll put in a plug for McMenamin's (http://www.mcmenamins.com/), they have locations throughout the PNW. And excellent brewpubs. :cool:

[Irulan]

You mean, the PNW west of the cascades. These days, many people interpret PNW to include at least central (for fruit)to eastern WA, (wines of Walla Walla) usually to the ID border, and up into lower BC (more wine and fruit in the Okanagan).

[shootingstar]

The Okanagan Region which is British Columbia's wine region is quite different in terrain than the mountain areas but worth visiting both the temperate rainforest areas, mountains plus ocean...this can be done in 1 wk. if you are willing to do some driving. It makes a beautiful great highly contrasting vacation.

If you are willing to go to the Broken Islands on Vancouver Island, Alert Bay, etc. there are whales during summer if you are into kayaking.