Make no bones about it…Crater Lake, Oregon is a magical place. It’s mysterious, it’s gorgeous, it’s heart-stopping. We’ve all seen pictures of it, but unless you’re there to witness it in person, you have no idea. Really. The first time I laid eyes on her over ten years ago, my breath caught in my throat….
As we emerged from the Willamette National forest going south, we noticed a menacing dark cloud hanging in the air towards our destination, Bend. This wasn’t a storm cloud, this was a gigantic cloud of smoke. Too large for a simple bonfire, or a residential leaf burning. As we entered the city limits, the unmistakable…
For years, my only exposure to Olympia, Washington was to simply breeze through the middle of it on the I-5 up to Seattle from Portland. And for years, my only knowledge of Olympia was that, a) it is the capital of Washington State, and b) it is home to Olympia Beer. And I knew…
One of the things I really love about northwest Washington state is that there are a multitude of attractions within a very small geographic area. The best of several worlds collide in that you get to experience the culture of a large metropolitan area (Seattle), as well as mountains, rainforests, islands and ocean. All of…
Have you ever been to a naturally occurring hot spring? How about actually soaking in one? A perfect hot tub brought to you by mother nature! Many hot springs have built-in minerals in the water that can aid in overall health. Not to mention, a good soak will really get the kinks out and…
Here I go again, flying by the seat of my pants. As I stood staring at the makeshift park trail information board, my heart sank a little. For the privilege of hiking this particular trail, the Elwah Trail just east of Lake Crescent, I needed the America the Beautiful Pass. But what was that?
Portland is home to several dormant volcanoes and cinder cones, which are part of a series comprising the Boring Lava Field of Washington and Oregon. Did they name it Boring since they aren’t erupting? Well, no, the lava field is actually named after the tiny town of Boring, a few miles southeast of Portland….
On a recent trip to Arches National Park in Utah, I thrilled at the chance to walk on geologic formations that were once a seabed thrust up by tectonic plates to form the dry land we see today. This landscape is rife with ancient fossils, Anasazi ruins, and the occasional dinosaur footprint (although I didn’t…
