Day 359 of 365…

Did you know that Hazel Dell Community Park was the first community park built in Clark County? Yes, it’s true according to Vancouver-Clark Parks & Recreation website.

This 20 acre park is very cool. It offers a little something for everyone. You’ll find walking trails, gorgeous trees, plenty of open space to play. There’s also a backstop for a ball game, a huge play structure, public restrooms and covered picnic areas. The covered picnic areas feature water and electricity too. You can even BBQ here at Hazel Dell Community Park.

Hazel Dell Community Park is located at 2300 NE 68th Street, Vancouver, WA 98665.

Day 307 of 365…

I find it hard to believe I hadn’t yet covered Hazel Dell Brew Pub here on 365 Things To Do In Vancouver, WA. This brew pub serves some great food and I’m told wonderful beer too. Since I’m not a beer drinker I’ll have to take my friends word for this one. My friend had their Seasonal Ale (I believe) and said it was awesome. The vibe inside is very cool and relaxed. Just what you look for in a neighborhood pub.

I decided to have the Mushroom Swiss burger with chips and it was great. Tons of mushrooms smothered in the Swiss cheese. The burger itself isn’t too large but just the right size to enjoy. My friend had the club sandwich and it looked wonderful too. He cleaned his plate completely so I’d guess it was super tasty as well. Their menu says they have the best fish and chips in town. One of these days I’ll have to check it out to see if I agree.

Hazel Dell Brew Pub is located at 8513 Highway 99, Vancouver, WA 98665 and can be reached at 360-576-0996.

Day 303 of 365…

Nothing like a little nostalgia to warm the soul. Today I had a little of that. I had a business meeting with my buddy Jason and we decided to grab a pizza at Smokey’s Hot Oven Pizza. Just walking in the door brought back such fun memories of playing baseball, soccer, basketball, football, etc here in Vancouver, WA. You see, if you have ever played any sort of sport here in Vancouver dating all the way back to 1965 you likely ate a pizza or ten at one of the Smokey’s Pizza locations.

In addition to sports, Smokey’s has been a meeting place for all sorts of groups here in Vancouver, WA. It’s also a great place to just go hang out and play video games and enjoy lunch or dinner with family or friends. They are a family owned and operated business which is wonderful. If you’ve never been, make sure and check them out. If you haven’t been in a while take a walk down memory lane and enjoy a fun time and great food. They also have a great looking Happy Hour menu.

Smokey’s Hot Oven Pizza has two locations to serve us here in town. They are located in Orchards at 10411 NE Fourth Plain and you can reach them at 360-256-6680. They are also located in Hazel Dell at 6920 NE Hwy 99 and can be reached at 360-695-5005. You can also connect with Smokey’s Pizza on Facebook.

Day 265 of 365…

The comic book store is a dying breed in this world of mega stores. A place where you can actually visit with fellow comic book lovers and talk about the latest in a series. Unfortunately, Vancouver, WA is no different in this arena.

However, you can still find this culture at Odyssey Comics and Coffee in the Hazel Dell area. Odyssey Comics has a huge selection of comic books. You’ll find current issues, older issues, collectible issues and popular titles. I would imagine with the new popularity of AMC’s new program The Walking Dead we’ll see an increase of people looking to read up on this story. Odyssey Comics carries this series for those looking.

In addition to their selection of comics you’ll find collectible figurines and a coffee shop. So you can enjoy a cup of joe while browsing the store.

Odyssey Comics and Coffee is located at 1503 NE 78th Street Suite 10, Vancouver, WA 98665 and can be reached at 360-573-6172. You can also connect to Odyssey Comics and Coffee on Facebook.

Day 209 of 365…

I figure time is running short to enjoy our parks too much longer without a little Pacific NW liquid sunshine. Today I finished up on an appointment in the Felida neighborhood and I thought I’d swing by and wander around Felida Community Park for a few. This is a beautiful park!

Felida Community Park features 14 acres to adventure and play on. They have a great covered picnic area with lots of tables (first come, first serve), a huge play structure for the kids (big and small), two full sized soccer fields and a small field too (they are one of the homes to Salmon Creek Soccer Club). They also have a backstop for some baseball or softball. In the back of the parking lot you’ll find some basketball hoops to shoot around on and a large track for running or walking.

Let me show you around Felida Park a bit…

Felida Community Park is located in NW Vancouver on NW 122th Street just West of NW 36th Avenue, Vancouver, WA 98685.

A bugs life view of the soccer field…

Everyone wins…

Day 176 of 365…

DISCLAIMER: I like buffets

All kinds of buffets. I know this isn’t for everyone but I just enjoy them. They don’t freak me out or scare me. I like the variety and selection a buffet offers. I enjoy Indian buffets, “homestyle” buffets, Vegas buffets (except Excalibur), and Chinese buffets. With this said, today I’d like to share with you one of my personal favorite Chinese buffets…

Canton Chinese Buffet is the place. They are out in the Hazel Dell area and I’ve been consistently impressed with their variety and freshness of food. They have a wonderful amount of seafood which is important to me. See for yourself…

Canton Chinese Buffet is located at 1118 NE 78th St, Vancouver, WA 98665 and can be reached at 360-576-8699.

Don’t forget…

Day 171 of 365…

Out in Hazel Dell looking to fix a wing fix? Why not stop in to Buffalo Wild Wings Grill & Bar and satisfy that craving. This new West side restaurant serves some great food and also provides entertainment for absolutely everyone. They have electronic trivia you can play at your table and Texas Hold Em as well! If you want to bring in your own entertainment they have awesome WiFi which I love.

While I enjoyed my lunch I was entertained by extreme moto-x riders, classic car auctions, shark week, football, baseball, monster trucks and some great music. There certainly is no lack of sensory stimulation here. From the food to the atmosphere this place satisfies.

If you go on Tuesdays they offer $0.55 traditional wings with your choice of any of the 14 flavors they offer ranging from Sweet BBQ all the way up to Blazin’! I also happened to glance at their Happy Hour menu and this thing looks great. I’ll put the photo of it at the bottom of this post. Take a look for yourself.

Buffalo Wild Wings is located at 7704 NE 5th Ave (Hazel Dell Ave & 78th St) and can be reached at . You can also connect with Buffalo Wild Wings on Facebook.

The Parmesan Garlic wings were amazing!

Day 144 of 365…

Today I stumbled upon the location through the most round about of ways. I was on my way to an appointment when a friend checked in on Foursquare letting me know where she was. I happened to be driving right past so I thought I’d stop in to say hello real quick (and scope it out for a future post) . If I would have had time today I would have covered it but I was in need of a slightly quicker lunch. Once leaving I spotted the word PIZZA. Now in my world, this is about as perfect of food as ever created. So I thought maybe they did by the slice so I could grab a quick slice to go. As I pulled up in front, another friend popped her head out the door and waved me down. She and her family were inside eating lunch. So I hopped out to “check it out”. No by the slice but they did have an awesome lunch special of the day. Any two topping personal pizza and soda for $5. Perfect! Plus they could make it up fast for me to hit the road and not be too late for my appointment.

The place I discovered is Nick-N-Willy’s Pizza in Hazel Dell right on NE 78th Street and Hazel Dell Avenue. Apparently they’ve been here a couple years and I’m sad to say, I hadn’t ever stopped in before. I really like this “little project” since I also discover some great new places. Now I have another pizza place on my radar that is worth stopping in for. My friends said they also loved it and they appreciated that it wasn’t as expensive as some other pizza places in town. I was very happy with my lunch special.

The crust was fresh and soft and I had plenty of pepperoni and pineapple on my pizza. The sauce was very good. It was also nicely sized for a “personal” pizza. They also do calzones, salads, and some sandwiches. Maybe you’d like to see Nick-N-Willy’s full menu?

Nick-N-Willy’s Pizza is located at 7604 NE 5th Avenue, Ste. 110 Vancouver, WA. 98665 and can be reached at 360-5-PIZZAS. You can also find Nick-N-Willy’s Pizza of Facebook.

Day 84 of 365…

It’s that time of year once again. The annual Hazel Dell Parade of Bands is here. This Saturday will be the 46th year of this local event. This years sponsors are the Hazel Dell/Salmon Creek Business Association and Bomber Brothers Fireworks. The theme of this years parade is “A Pirate’s Treasure“.

In addition to the normal parade they are introducing a pre-event run/walk that is sponsored by Max Muscle Sports Nutrition of Vancouver. It is a 4k run/walk (2.5 miles) that follows the path of the parade. This pre-event is a benefit for Bridge the Gap of Clark County, WA.

As a child growing up in Vancouver we always would go and watch this parade. As a teenager at Wy’East I was fortunate enough to be in the marching band so I got to be a part of this nearly half century Vancouver tradition. Some times it would be scorching hot and sometimes we’d be blessed with that beautiful liquid sunshine of the Pacific Northwest.

The parade route begins at Target on Hazel Dell Avenue. It proceeds south along Hazel Dell Avenue to 63rd Street. It heads east along 63rd and then turns north along Highway 99 to Fred Meyer. The first groups head out at 10:30AM.

This is not just a parade of bands, you’ll see all sorts of different local groups represented on floats and walking. I’d suggest you get out and enjoy the day this Saturday!

Special thanks to my friends at Clark County Live for the band parade pic. Have you checked them out? You should.

Day 66 of 365…

Today I’ll be slowing things down considerably. Ever have one of those days when everything is going crazy? Your head is spinning in a million directions and you can’t focus your thoughts? You just want to stop and take a deep breath and relax. Well we have a small little place here in Vancouver that just might help.

Recently the Memorial Labyrinth at First Congregational Church was brought to my attention (thanks mom) so I thought I’d go check it out. I really didn’t know what to expect. I hadn’t been to a Labyrinth before. I found the sign and walked down the path in the direction it pointed. When I got to the bottom I found this…

A patio? Really? It’s a paver patio. These were my first thoughts. Then I decided to stop and discover what this is about. Obviously there is a pathway that winds around, I bet I’m supposed to follow it. So, I put my head down and begin to walk along this winding, twisting, turning pathway.

As I began to follow this path, my brain began to relax and focus on what I was doing. I heard the birds chirping, the breeze in the trees and felt the sun shining down on me. Ahhh… This is peaceful.

I meandered around to the center of the Labyrinth, I pause for a few minutes and then I turn around and meander back out. I was in a completely different state of mind when I was finished.

I am glad I stopped in to discover this little hidden gem.

Curious how to get here? First Congregational Church is located at 1220 NE 68th Street, Vancouver, WA 98665. Just look for the huge Ark on the hill east of Highway 99. It is free to enjoy and open all the time. There’s even a seating bench around it if you want to stay and relax.

Day 61 of 365…

The sun is out and the temperature is nice. I figured why not head over to Steakburger Golf-O-Rama on Highway 99 to get in a quick 18 holes. My daughter and I loaded up in the van and headed out to have a daddy/daughter date. Steakburger putt-putt golf has always been a fun outing and today was no different. Of course, being the tech-geek I am I had to do something fun with it. I figured why not build a time lapse of our entire 18 holes. This was a big deal for my daughter as well since dad isn’t too good at handing over the iPhone 3GS to anyone. Here is our 18 holes of golf (in just over 1 minute)…

For 48 years Vancouver residents have been enjoying a round or two (they have two 18 hole courses) of miniature golf at Steakburger Golf-O-Rama. That’s right, they’ve been operating at 7120 Highway 99 since 1962. Plus, they’ve been serving some amazing shakes and food in that same 48 years. After our 18 holes of golf we shared a wonderful chocolate/peanut butter milkshake. It was awesome! Perfect way to end a day on the course. You may be wondering how the match turned out. I’ll share our scorecard but will withhold the names to protect the “loser”.

Head out on over to Steakburger and enjoy a round of golf and maybe even a treat or meal while you’re there.