From the United States and Canada, to Mexico and the Caribbean there are plenty of travel opportunities in North America. The various climates, landscapes, and cultures found in this region are vast.
At the far southwest corner of Washington State, the Columbia River empties into the Pacific Ocean. While best known to visitors as the place where the Lewis and Clark Corps of Discovery arrived in November…
When the fall rainy season starts in Western Washington, it can feel fairly gloomy, but outside of Olympia, Washington is the Capitol State Forest, where opportunities to hike abound. And of all the places to…
In 1966, an unusual area south of the city of Olympia and north of the town of Rochester, WA, was set aside as a National Natural Landmark. Known most often by it’s shortened, local name,…
The Hood Canal, a naturally formed fjord that separates the Olympic and Kitsap Peninsulas, is long and quite narrow, generally about a mile and a half in width. Most of the canal shoreline is occupied…
The far northwest of Washington state takes a bit of work to get to, but I love the rougher, more isolated terrain. I usually stay in the town of Port Angeles, and then drive to…
Hurricane Ridge is well named. In the winter, hurricane force winds sweep over the 5,000 ft / 1500-meter ridge, sitting only a few miles south of the sea level Strait of Juan de Fuca. While…
At the start of the summer season, I look forward to warming up with a hike up to Carter Falls. I generally do this hike as a first chance to work back into steep mountain…
Hiking in the rain is to be expected in the Pacific Northwest, and there are benefits to spending a day in the soft drizzle and low clouds. There are fewer people, and the air is…
When visiting the Pacific Northwest, it is well worth the effort to take a ferry ride out to the islands north of Seattle. My favorite is San Juan, accessible by a vehicle and passenger ferry…
Glacier National Park, Montana, a Peace Park that borders Waterton National Park in Canada, is off the beaten path, but well worth the trip. There are enough visitors that along with a National Park Pass…
Visitors to Washington State are sometimes surprised to discover it is not all heavy forest and tall Cascade peaks. As a Midwesterner by birth, I sometimes need to get out of the trees and back…
Salmon One of the great joys of living in the Pacific Northwest is getting to watch the salmon make their return from the ocean each year to the same rivers they swam down as small…
