You may have seen the image many times. Trillium Lake –  with a perfect reflection of Mount Hood on the water with not a ripple in sight. The sunrise shots…

What is the quirkiest thing you can think of where you live? I always love finding out new and interesting things about my area of the world. So I…

Can I just tell you how AMAZING whitewater rafting is? Why the heck did I wait so long? I went for the first time this summer (2019), a day after…

The North Cascades is a wilderness paradise. My previous trip to the Northern Cascade Loop took us on a couple of epic hikes, with some of the best backpacking Washington…

When you need to take a break from the city, away from the great coffee shops, the incredible food scene or just the bustle of downtown Portland, there is a…

So what IS up with all of those islands? So many of them off the coast of Washington State (I’m talking about you, Puget Sound) and even more off the…

For the longest time, I thought that the road north from the U.S. northern border up through Canada to Alaska was a vast wasteland. Almost unpassable. Much like outer Mongolia.…

The Oregon forest looks like a strange mystical netherworld during a January rain. It was early morning and I was still not fully awake. In this semi-aware state my writer’s…

One of the most uniquely Pacific Northwest activities you can do is to spend an afternoon shellfishing. There are dozens of great beaches along Oregon and Washington (especially Puget Sound)…

**This post was updated on April 24, 2024** Looking for free camping in Washington State? You’ve hit the jackpot! Camping is one of the premier outdoor experiences you can have.…

Can you think of a place that is so untouched by human hands, and yet so traversed that it’s difficult to imagine why it remains so beautiful? Vancouver Island is…

Continuing my exploration of Vancouver Island in British Columbia, I was excited to finally break through the stronghold of Victoria. With its Empress Hotel, Butchart Gardens and so many places…

The Pacific Crest Trail. It’s on every serious hiker’s to-do list. Mine included. I’m getting to a point in my life where, if I don’t do it within the next…

This is the first in a series of stories about my exploration of Vancouver Island, Canada. Makes for a great road trip in British Columbia. Read about parts two and…

Think you know Oregon? Think again… Oregon is not the biggest state in the Union, not by far. But venture east of the Cascades into High Desert country and it…

I was so excited to go on a solo trip to Vancouver Island. Having never been further than the city of Victoria, my explorer hat was in full force as…

The Pacific Northwest has some pretty epic national parks. It’s safe to say that as far as outdoor scenery goes, these parks are among the best Planet Earth has to…

The Oregon coast has such a wide variety of attractions that it really takes time to explore it fully. Just recently I learned that it takes about eight long…

Ever wonder what was down that lonely dirt road on your last road trip to a popular destination? Did you want to go down that road to see where it…

Oregon is home to a great many prolific authors. The majority of people who live here, especially in Portland and the larger towns, were not born here. Like me, they…