Twisted Tree Trail

Whether we are traveling as Innsitters or tourists, one of the things we love to do is go hiking. We always enjoy finding new trails and this is really unique. We call it the Twisted Tree Trail but it is actually the Wild Pacific trail. It has all these amazing, fantastic trees that you walk under and around and sometimes sit on! The forest hangs at the edge of the sea with stunning vistas all around.


Below Kirk is perched on a twisted tree - look at the bay behind him. It really is the Wild Pacific!

Of course not all of the twisted trees are used as seats. This one makes a fine bridge - it is actually a tree sawed in half where it fell. The one below a great door way that leads out to a viewpoint overlooking the crashing waves.













It's really a pretty amazing trail and one of our favorite places to go hiking. The whole trail is about 3 miles one way but you can do portions of it so you don't have to hike all 6 miles, Whew!!      If you ever get the chance, you should visit the Twisted Tree Trail.

                                                   Where's your favorite hiking trail?

Great Granola

As a Professional Innsitter , I'm all about breakfast. I bake pastry, I cook eggs, I chop fruit but one of the things I most like to do is make granola. Although it is very time consuming, I think that if an inn is going to serve granola, homemade is the way to go. It is always appreciated by the guests and on granola day the inn always smells so good! It's very interesting how many variations there are for this breakfast staple and how many different ideas there are as to what makes a great granola. So, I'm going to share three of my favorite house granola's for you to try if you want.

   Here is Elizabeth Padilla owner of the Dove Inn with her world famous granola. I've made a lot of this stuff in the four years I have been her interim innkeeper. Her great granola is very healthy as well as tasty... here it is:                                                    Dove Inn Granola                                     
3 C rolled oats

1 C slivered almonds   

1 C pumpkin seeds  

1 C unsweetened coconut

1/3 C maple syrup

1/3 C coconut oil

dash of salt

Mix well and bake in a 250 oven for one and a half hours stirring every half hour. Remove from oven and add craisins or raisins stirring once more. Let the granola cool and then enjoy! Elizabeth gets all her ingredients at a health food store and uses only pure maple syrup so you can be sure this granola is very good for you.

This is the house granola of the MacKaye Harbor Inn . What makes this granola so great is that it is really nutty and it has a secret ingredient! Here's the recipe for MacKaye Harbor Granola

Cook on the stove top 1/2 C honey, 1/2 C almond butter, 1/2 C flaxseed oil, 1/3 C maple syrup. Mix into 6 C gluten free oats, 1/2 C flaxseed meal, 1/2 C quinoa flakes, 2 C sunflower seeds, 1 C pumpkin seeds, 1 1/2 C sesame seeds and pinch of sea salt. Bake at 350 for forty minutes  stirring every fifteen. After cooling add any chopped fruit, nuts and the secret ingredient - mini chocolate chips. I really love the chocolate in this granola - what a treat!    

This pale gold granola is from the Reef Point B&B. It has a very     subtle taste with no fruit and the secret ingredient here is olive oil!   The sweetness of this great granola comes from brown sugar. 

Reef Point Granola      3 C large flake oats, 1 C sliced almonds, 3/4 C unsweet coconut, 1/4 C sesame seeds, 6 T maple syrup, 6 T brown sugar, 1 t water, 1/4 C olive oil, mix all ingredients and bake at 250 for one and one quarter hour turning regularly. Cool and consume - Yum!                   

                                                                                                

                                         

So now you have some of my favorites to try. Isn't it interesting what variety there is? They are all very good and very different. What is your favorite granola?