The Valley Vagabond: A Weekend Sister Journey Take a look at at Semiahmoo

My sister Laurie and I made a decision to check whether or not we may share a lodge room (and if we snore) earlier than committing to a Christmas Market Cruise in Europe. The final time we’d slept in the identical house, we had been 11 and 14, crammed right into a tent someplace in Washington.

I’m satisfied it was Mount St. Helens; Laurie insists in any other case. My air mattress popped, and I spent the journey sleeping within the automobile, which is why I swore off tenting without end. A single evening in Blaine, WA, appeared like a safer trial run.

Day One

We left round 10:30 a.m. and stopped in Mount Vernon for lunch at Calico Cupboard Café & Bakery. Laurie went for the ‘Grown-Up Grilled Cheese’ and a peanut butter cookie. She stated the bakery aspect of the café was the true gem and thought I missed out by skipping it, however I don’t like sweets. I used to be ravenous and went straight for a BBQ bacon cheddar burger. It was so good I ate the entire thing, regardless of planning to avoid wasting half, which later ruined my urge for food for dinner.

From there, we wandered by means of Hovander Homestead Park in Ferndale. The historic home and gardens seemed good from the skin, although Laurie identified the web site hadn’t been clear about the home being closed. I used to be extra within the animals, although dissatisfied I couldn’t pet the bunnies.

By late afternoon, we checked into Semiahmoo Resort, grabbed espresso on the Seaview Café, and took a while to stroll the seashore and discover the lodge grounds. Dinner was a brief drive away on the Great Blue Heron Grill, the place I went traditional with a wedge salad, Laurie ordered wild halibut with saffron risotto and shared a seasonal bruschetta.

Afterward, we returned to the resort to catch the sundown. Wanting to take pleasure in it with a scorching cocoa in hand, we stopped at Packers, the on-site restaurant and lounge, however found outside service had already ended for the night, nicely earlier than the solar went down.

When I requested about it, our waitress appeared extra irritated than useful, which didn’t precisely add to the expertise. Still, we discovered our personal spot and watched the solar sink into the water, which was as fairly as promised, earlier than lastly calling it an evening.

Day Two

The morning routine was staggered: Laurie showered and went to breakfast whereas I lingered with espresso. After trying out, we stopped at Birch Bay State Park, then drove by means of Bellingham. For me, the spotlight was circling the Western Washington University campus. My time there had been brief, however I remembered the steep hills vividly. At least my legs had been in form, even when my faculty profession wasn’t.

We had lunch at Storia Cucina, the place I ordered pepperoni pizza and Laurie went for a savory bread pudding. Midway by means of, the skies opened up, and we ended up ending our meal beneath a shelter within the rain. Laurie didn’t thoughts. She thought Bellingham was probably the most attention-grabbing city of the journey and stated, laughing, “We’re Northwest girls, of course, we love our rain.” By mid-afternoon, we had been again on the highway and residential not lengthy after 3.

Resort Report

Semiahmoo definitely has its strengths. The setting is gorgeous, with lengthy seashores, views stretching to Point Roberts, Vancouver Island, White Rock and the Peace Arch (with the road) and loads of parks and trails close by.

Families appeared to be having a good time with the garden video games on the grass and roasting marshmallows on the hearth pits after dinner. The check-in course of was clean, parking was simple, and many of the employees had been pleasant. The sunsets had been nearly as good as marketed, the sort that make you pause and truly keep exterior till the sunshine fades.

Still, for 2 an evening, I got here away anticipating extra. The bogs had been so small they felt like they belonged in a finances motel moderately than a resort and spa. The pool was undersized and rapidly crowded with children, and the soundproofing wasn’t nice.

At one level, it appeared the kids within the room above us had been staging their very own late-night trampoline observe. Even the eating aspect had its quirks, stopping outside service earlier than sundown, which appeared just like the very second company would wish to be on the market.

Laurie agreed concerning the lavatory, however she additionally famous the lodge itself appeared good and clear. The bedding and pillows weren’t deluxe, she stated, however they had been snug, and he or she appreciated the extras for households like bikes, garden video games, and s’mores kits.

In the tip, I’d name the entire expertise “adequate.” It was completely nice, simply not fairly well worth the price ticket. Or as I put it: Semiahmeh.

Sister Verdict

We discovered we are able to share a lodge room with out catastrophe. We each snore, argued slightly on the freeway, however in any other case managed simply nice. For two sisters who hadn’t slept in the identical house since our early teenagers, that felt like progress. The European cruise isn’t taking place this 12 months; we procrastinated too lengthy to ebook, however a minimum of we got here away with helpful intel: we are able to, in reality, survive an evening collectively with out one among us threatening to sleep within the foyer.

The journey additionally reminded us of summers previous, when our dad traveled for work and parked us in small-town accommodations to move the time on the pool or close by parks. Families had been doing the identical factor throughout us at Semiahmoo, and it felt oddly acquainted. Different decade, totally different place, however the identical rhythms.

So whereas the resort itself didn’t fairly reside as much as the worth tag, the sister experiment was successful. In the tip, we confirmed we are able to share a room, survive the quirks, and even come residence with tales price telling.

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