Trolls, Voodoo, and the Pacific: An ELM Adventure

Before there was Panama, there was ELM. What does ELM stand for, you may ask? It's actually just our names: Emily, Lani, and Margaret. But I get asked that question so often, I'm going to come up with a more interesting explanation of the acronym. Effervescent liquid marmosets. Elephants love muffins. It's something I'll keep working on.

ELM grew out of my all-consuming desire to go to South Dakota. I had taken an anthropology class on the native groups of the Plains my senior year, and as Pulpo will tell you, if I read about a place long enough, I will become completely obsessed with going there. Unsurprisingly, most people did not share my passion for South Dakota. In fact, my search for travel companions was usually met with reactions like "Why in the name of god are you going to South Dakota?" or "Who the hell would want to go there?" Thankfully, I got an answer to the last one: Emily. For months we planned our trip and tried to convince Margaret to come with us. Finally, a couple of weeks before the trip, my cellphone rang: "I seriously need a weekend away. Can I still come to South Dakota?" And ELM was born.

That was in 2008. We have done an ELM trip every year since that first trip to South Dakota. In 2009, we met up in Las Vegas, and road tripped to Utah and Arizona. In 2010, we went to Boston for the 4th of July. And this year, over Memorial Day weekend, we went to Seattle and Portland. We have seen humpback whales, gone on a bison safari, and walked the whole length of The Strip. We have ridden horses on the beach, been to the top of the Crazy Horse Memorial, and eaten donuts shaped like voodoo dolls. But most importantly, we have continued to travel together, through relocations, new jobs, family tragedies, financial constraints, cramped schedules, and all the good things in between. Girlfriends are what keep you sane, and ELM is a bit like recharging the batteries. It's like therapy, with cocktails, sushi, and suitcases. And I wait for it excitedly all year.

So here are some of the highlights from ELM 2011: Seattle and Portland . . .

Oh, and just for the record, South Dakota was awesome, and you'd have to be crazy to not want to go there.

Seafood on sale at Pike Place Market in Seattle

M, L, and E at our hotel in Portland

On the roof of The Nines for drinks

Horseback riding on the Oregon Coast (and Emily's first time seeing the Pacific!)

Wine tasting at Montinore

We waited on line for over an hour at Voodoo Donuts. Definitely worth it. (The cyclops is mine.)

Back in Seattle

Margaret and I on top of the Fremont Troll

My Heat Stroke roll at Japonessa

View over Portland, Oregon