Travel by the Book ~ Rock Stars, Surf and Second Chances/Ocean Beach

Welcome to Travel by the Book. I know for most of us, reading is an escape. One of the things I love about reading it getting to travel. And I'm sure I'm not the only reader who has wished to take a trip inspired by a place I read about in a book. I've been fortunate in that my Hubs is kind enough to indulge me and take me to said places. This is where I share those vacations that were inspired by a book.

***UPDATE***

So, I know you haven't seen a Travel by the Book post in quite a long while. This is mostly because I wasn't thinking ahead when I started doing these posts and after ONE year, I'd run out of places I'd traveled to because of a book! LOL But I got to thinking about how to resurrect this feature and I decided to continue sharing these posts - quarterly? - and switch it up a tiny bit when necessary. 

I hope you'll enjoy these posts!

***The Book***

You may have recently read my review of Michelle Mankin's Oceanside. I've been reading Ms. Mankin since 2012 and there's a lot to love about her stories. Her characters are always well drawn, the romance is always compelling and swoon-worthy, her stories always deal with a relevant social issue, and she does an incredible job at conveying the look and feel of her setting. From the gritty streets of Seattle (yes, they do exist) to the honky-tonk feel of Billy Bob's in Ft. Worth to the eccentric town of Ocean Beach, she's continually made me feel as though I've been there. So when I got the opportunity to travel to Ocean Beach to tour the locations and establishments that inspired Ms. Mankin's Rock Stars, Surf and Second Chances series there was no way I was going to pass it up! 

This series revolves around a group of guys who grew up in Ocean Beach, love surfing, and also happened to be the band known as The Dirt Dogs. I loved the Ms. Mankin gave each of the couples a unique backstory, compelling stories with tragedies and triumphs, and romances I believed in. This group of characters is so well developed and feel so genuine - and part of the genuineness is due to Ms. Mankin making their environment so realistic.

***The Travel***

My friend, Denise, who frequently travels to book event locales with me, was my traveling companion for this trip. We stayed at the Ocean Beach Motel and y'all, the beach was right across the street! We got to see the beach, surfers and surf shops, restaurants, buildings, and houses that served as inspiration as well as the murals that are all over the town on the sides of buildings and in alley-ways. Here are a few photos:

This is the bar that inspired The Deck Bar featured in all the books.

This is the house that served as inspiration for Ramon's house in Riptide.

There were tons of surfers out on this day. The Ocean Beach pier is in the background.

I took lots of pictures of the various murals around town but decided to feature this one because of the surfers. =)

This is the sub-pump structure where Fanny and her sister Hollie were living in Oceanside.

The building you see here is the building where Ash makes his home as well as the Dirt Dogs' recording company, Outside.

A gorgeous sunset from the pier. Just WOW!

Because I adore this series and because I love y'all, I'm giving one lucky reader an ebook set of the trilogy on Kindle. (the trilogy is currently only available on Kindle. Sorry!) To enter, leave a comment letting me know if you've ever traveled to somewhere because you read about it and if so, where.

Oooh! And as a PSA, Oceanside, Ms. Mankin's latest release is currently only 99 pennies on Kindle! You're welcome!! *smooches*

Travel by the Book ~ Bellingham

Welcome to Travel by the Book. I know for most of us, reading is an escape. One of the things I love about reading it getting to travel. And I'm sure I'm not the only reader who has wished to take a trip inspired by a place I read about in a book. I've been fortunate in that my Hubs is kind enough to indulge me and take me to said places. This is where I share those vacations that were inspired by a book.

***The Book***

Quite a few years ago, I read a YA book that really resonated with me. So much so, that I shared it with as many people as I could because I felt it had an important message:

"Real, everlasting beauty lives not on our faces, but in our attitudes and our actions. It lives in what we do for ourselves and for others." -Terra, North of Beautiful

The central theme of the book is accepting and loving yourself for who you are. And yes, it's YA but I think it's a theme that everyone would benefit from. Thus my desire to share it with everyone.

As for the setting, I was enamored by the descriptions of the area Terra lived. The mountain trails where she did her running, the parks and lakes and nearby ski resorts...a playground for both summer and winter. Terra also spoke of the university where her father worked as a professor of cartography - a university she was expected to attend. It never occurred to me that I might be able to visit this location or this university. But then my daughter chose the university as one of her top college choices. :)

***The Travel***

Sky and I traveled to Bellingham, Washington, in January. We chose this time of year so she could see what winter was like in the far north Pacific Northwest. The town is charming...small and very walkable, with 4, yes FOUR, new and used bookstores. There's a variety of shops and restaurants. We even located the library. 

Western Washington University is a lovely setting for academia. It's situated between a 200 acre forest with hiking trails on one side and Bellingham Bay on the other. The university is home to the largest outdoor sculpture collection. And its buildings were created to make the most of any and all natural light they may get. (which is not much, apparently, although it was a somewhat sunny day when we visited) Bellingham is certainly a place I'll take the time to visit again in the event my daughter ends up at school in Portland. :)

A rare day when the sun is actually shining. In January, it's pretty amazing. :)

You can see the forest, which is all along one side of the college. This is one of the many outdoor art sculptures the university boasts. We were told professors actually hold class on it when it's a nice day. 

Sky with Bellingham Bay behind her. We're standing between the university cafeterias/restaurants and the Theater Building. 

Sky standing in Red Square. It's named for it's red brick.

The courthouse in downtown Bellingham. 

We were really impressed with this mural on our walk around downtown.

Travel by the Book ~ Portland

Welcome to Travel by the Book. I know for most of us, reading is an escape. One of the things I love about reading it getting to travel. And I'm sure I'm not the only reader who has wished to take a trip inspired by a place I read about in a book. I've been fortunate in that my Hubs is kind enough to indulge me and take me to said places. This is where I share those vacations that were inspired by a book.

***The Book***

So this Travel by the Book is a bit different because it happened kinda backwards. For my 40th birthday, Hubs and I were doing an exploration of Northern California (you'll see that in a different TbtB post) and western Oregon. We hadn't planned much for the Portland area outside of visiting breweries and Powell's :) but I started River Marked on the morning of our departure and it ended up shaping our visit to this area. Weird, right? I mean, I had no idea that River Marked was set in the Columbia River Basin when I started it but it seemed serendipitous that I'd begin reading it while on my way to the area.

I've always enjoyed the lore and mythology Briggs uses in this series. It was even better that she'd incorporate some Native American lore in River Marked, seeing as it's a big part of who Mercy is. And getting to see some of the sights and learn more about the particular lore used really enhanced my enjoyment of this installment in Mercy's story.

***The Travel***

We visited the Portland area in March - therefore it was appropriately gloomy, dreary, and rainy then entire time. We traveled a scenic byway where we saw several of the falls mentioned in River Marked, most notably Multnomah Falls.

Although Mercy and Adam were in this area during the summer, I was still awed by the amount of green and water everywhere. I think there might actually be more moss on the trees here than in Forks, Washington. ;)

There were just as many, if not more, waterfalls in this area of Oregon than in Washington.

Here is the beautiful Columbia River. We went to a Visitor's Center where we learned a lot about Tsagaglalal, the "river devil", who caused some problems for Mercy and Adam.

This ended up being a fantastic trip that just so happened to coincide with my reading about this particular location. I might suggest you visit the area in early summer though. ;)

Travel by the Book ~ Kauai

Welcome to Travel by the Book. I know for most of us, reading is an escape. One of the things I love about reading it getting to travel. And I'm sure I'm not the only reader who has wished to take a trip inspired by a place I read about in a book. I've been fortunate in that my Hubs is kind enough to indulge me and take me to said places. This is where I share those vacations that were inspired by a book.

***The Book***

Flirting with Forty is probably one of those books that I happened upon at just the right time so that it resonated deeply. Jackie, the MC, has just gone through a divorce and is learning to live life as a single mom who is quickly approaching the big 4-0. She takes a trip to Hawaii and while there she takes surfing lessons...and becomes enamored with her instructor. The feelings are reciprocated and thus, Jackie begins a new life. 

I read Flirting with Forty the year I was turning 40 and although I wasn't going through the exact life changes Jackie was, I was experiencing a 'mid-life crisis' of sorts. So reading about another woman going through similar things - well, it affected me. And, of course, put Hawaii on my travel list. :) While I didn't go off to Hawaii on my own, and I didn't learn to surf or meet a much younger, hot young man, I did go to Kauai to celebrate 20 years of being married to an older, hot man...my husband!

***The Travel***

Kauai, known as the Garden Isle, is the oldest island in Hawaii. And it's gorgeous! This is Waimea Canyon. It was created by a fault slip, rather than by water.

This is at Mount Waialeale - one of the wettest places on Earth. I believe its peak is ~5100 ft - which is over 3000 ft lower than where I live. We're looking down at the ocean.

This is a beautiful beach where we were 2 of 3 people. What?!? It's right outside of the town of Waimea.

Enjoying the beach by Kaumakani on the southwestern side of the island.

The Na Pali Coast...y'all we drove on an unimproved road, which was like driving on a washboard, parked along the side of the road once it started turning to sand, made our way over a sand dune to see this! Gorgeous!!

This is Kealia Beach and if you look carefully, you can see a surfboard sticking up out of that wave. We sat out here for hours watching the surfers as well as the surf. At one point, James asked, "Do you realize you haven't read in 3 hours?" Oh, and that a rather large piece of driftwood.

Here we are toasting to Wailua Beach. We might have had just a few beers while sitting on beaches...daily. ;)

This is Kilauea Point. It's a nature preserve and bird sanctuary. There is also a lighthouse in the background.

I have many, many more photos, of course. But I won't bore you with them all. I'll leave you with this...we didn't even scratch the surface of things to do in Kauai and we're planning to go back for our 25th anniversary. (unless our younger daughter can get daddy to take her there before then. ;)

Travel by the Book ~ Seattle

Welcome to Travel by the Book. I know for most of us, reading is an escape. One of the things I love about reading it getting to travel. And I'm sure I'm not the only reader who has wished to take a trip inspired by a place I read about in a book. I've been fortunate in that my Hubs is kind enough to indulge me and take me to said places. This is where I share those vacations that were inspired by a book.

***The Book***

Y'all know Twilight was a game changer for me. It lead me to Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy...which, in turn, lead me to Mead's Georgina Kincaid series. What? I had to read something while I waited for Rose & Dimitri's next adventure! ;) And honestly, Georgina's story kept me more than entertained. I met one of my all-time favorite book boyfriends in this series...Seth Mortenson. There's an outstanding cast of characters, both angelic and devilish. ;) And who could resist reading about a succubus who hates her "job" but actually enjoys her job at the Emerald City Bookstore. Reading about Georgina's antics in and around Seattle made me dream of this humid, lush city that has quite a bit of history and entertainment to offer.

***The Travel***

Before I share photos from our trip, I wanted to say a few other things about Seattle. One, I went to TWO different bookstores hoping to find the one that inspired Mead's Emerald City Bookstore. I went to one in the Queen Anne district of the city. It was a small, quaint bookshop but not the one Emerald City was modeled after, even if Emerald City is supposedly in Queen Anne. We also went to Elliott Bay Bookstore. It was incredible! Three stories set of books looking out on Elliott Bay...I loved it! Sadly, I didn't take photos of either of these bookstores while I was there. :( TWO, I've been back to Seattle twice more since our first visit because I love the city. But when we went with our kids, and walked over to where Elliott Bay Bookstore had been, we were told it had moved. *sigh*

Here's Pike Place Fish Market...where they really do throw fish!

Puget Sound is behind me here...there are so many great places to walk to and by. And many, many fish places. Too bad I can't eat seafood!

Of course, we can't visit a city famous for it's brew pubs without visiting one!

We couldn't believe the hills...I read about them, but seeing is believing! Everything slopes down to the ocean.

Here I am in front of the original Starbucks Coffeehouse. It was founded in a good year...1971. We're the same age! ;) Oh, and the entertainment being offered out front was fantastic!

My hubs took this photo of me without my knowledge. He'd gone to get us lunch. I, of course, was taking advantage of the opportunity to read in the park. It'd be something if I could remember what I was reading...but I can't. *ha* This is in and around Pioneer Square...a location where Georgina meets Jerome (her demon boss who looks exactly like John Cusack) and Carter, Jerome's wayward angel friend, at a bar quite often. :)

It was a fabulous trip! (even if our luggage took a detour) We didn't even get rained on. And like I said, I fell in love with Seattle and we've been back! There are other books I've since read that are set in Seattle, so it's been so much fun traveling there and seeing the city from the page come to life in person!

Travel by the Book ~ Forks & La Push Beach

Welcome to Travel by the Book. I know for most of us, reading is an escape. One of the things I love about reading it getting to travel. And I'm sure I'm not the only reader who has wished to take a trip to a place I read about in a book. I've been fortunate in that my Hubs is kind enough to indulge me and take me to said places. This is where I share those vacations that were inspired by a book.

***The Book***

Twilight - wow, this was a game changer for me. Until I read Twilight, I didn't stray from the Fiction section of B&N - high-brow literary fiction, chick-lit, historical fiction...you know the section, right? Then my older daughter asked if she could read Twilight. Being the good mommy I am ;) I decided I should give this a read first before agreeing to let her read something in the YA genre. The rest, as they say, is history. :)

It was a no-brainer that I'd want to visit the town that served as the setting for a book that changed so much for me, and so much for many readers, honestly. 

***The Travel***

We flew into Seattle and then drove to Forks, via Port Angeles. :) My hubs and I had a great time in Forks, and tide-pooling at La Push Beach, as well. Hubs was, of course, generous in driving around to see if we could locate the buildings and locations both in the book and in the movie. I think he actually had a good time - it was kinda like a treasure hunt. And tide-pooling at La Push was incredible. I had no idea the kinds of sea life you can see in tide pools. Then, we took a hike up off the beach which felt similar to the 'hiking' Bella did with Jacob and his gang. (I can't remember whether the hiking/tide-pooling took place in the books or if it was in Midnight Sun - the portion of Edward's book that was never published.)

If you haven't had the pleasure of visiting Forks, this is the sign as you enter. There is also a sign off to the right about saving local wildlife by donating blood. :)

This is a store, set up to capitalize off the Twilight craze. It had a lot of cute merchandise, actually. I really wanted to get a t-shirt that said Bite Me, because it's something I always say to Hubs...but I ended up passing on it.

This is me frowning - because I, naturally, was Team Edward. Have I mentioned I'm a sucker for serious, broody guys?!?

It's La Push, baby...it's La Push!

I liked this picture of the beach because it seemed so similar to the beach used in the movie.

Starfish, anemones, barnacles, galore!

This is a view as we hiked up from the beach along the Tsunami Evacuation route.

The driftwood is amazing...all these huge bleached-out logs. 


Tide-pooling was so much fun that when we took the kids to the Olympic Peninsula a few summers back, we made sure to take them on a beach adventure. :)