Mt. Rainier

Impressive.  Awe inspiring.  Simply massive.  What I find most perplexing about Mt. Rainier is how close you can be without seeing it and yet how far away you can see it from.  It’s a simple matter of topography but it still blows my mind. (more…)

Mt. St. Helens

Mt. St. Helens is designated as a National Volcanic Monument rather than a National Park.  Notorious for her catastrophic eruption in 1980, Mt. St. Helens is still an active volcano.  From most distances and angles it is hard to see any evidence of the destruction but when you round the bend on the main road leading to her, the enormity slaps you in the face.  The closer you get, the more you see old dead trees, young vegetation, and the gaping hole left in the crater itself. (more…)

Ramona Falls

I almost turned back.  What a shame that would have been!  I generally don’t sweat enough to properly regulate my body temperature (TMI?) and consequently tend to get heat exhaustion easily.  It was a hot, dry day but ultimately I pushed through to complete the 7.1 mile trail.  Aside from that issue, the trail really isn’t that difficult.  The trail to Ramona Falls is a loop with the first roughly 3.6 miles to the falls gently climbing 1000′ in elevation. (more…)

Hood River Lavender

The Hood River lavender farm should be on your list of places to stop if you’re in Hood River during the summer months.  Admittedly the fields aren’t as expansive as we expected based on some of the pictures we had seen, but it is still worth a stop.  No need to plan on spending much time here.  Enough to see and smell (and oh wow what an amazing smell!) and maybe even cut your own lavender to take home.  (more…)

Northern Cascades National Park

One of the least visited of the National Parks is the Northern Cascades.  Located in northern Washington State just over two hours northeast of Seattle, it is certainly one of the more secluded though surprisingly easy to get too…provided of course the snow has been cleared!  (more…)