Washington

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Death Valley sunset

How a Year of Solo Travel Transforms a Life

When I started traveling alone on a long road trip, it would be for three months. It ended up being almost two years. I didn’t intend to transform. Now, I know that experiencing and learning so many new things about myself and the world makes it unavoidable. Inevitable. My solo travels have taken me through many states in the US, parts of Mexico and Canada. With time alone in ways that we are otherwise never alone, I dove deep. It...

Hoh Rainforest Trees

How the Hoh Rainforest is an Olympic Peninsula Dream

The Pacific Northwest is wet, so it shouldn’t have surprised me that it contains the Hoh Rainforest, but it’s just not something I expected in the USA. The Hoh Rain Forest is one of four rain forests on the Olympic Peninsula. But it is the only World Heritage Site and UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. It’s also one of the most incredible places you can visit in the Pacific Northwest – a place where there are many unique places. I drove there...

Forks, Washington

A Twilight Fan Visits Forks, Washington

I’m a total book nerd and “Twilight” fan, so when I was traveling within a few hours drive of Forks, Washington, I made a detour to visit. I love going to places my favorite authors have lived or written about and this was a spot I’d been thinking of since I first read Twilight many, many years ago. When I first read Twilight in 2007, I knew nothing about Washington, but by the end of the series, I was eager...

Mount Rainier with pink flowers

Visiting a Live Volcano in Mount Rainier National Park

Mount Rainier National Park is the only park in the Cascade Range of the Pacific Northwest with a large active stratovolcano. That it’s on the “Decade Volcano List” because of the high probability of an eruption soon makes it an especially exciting park to visit. One of my favorite things about national parks is the area around them. The drive to Mount Rainier took me mainly through small towns and two-lane highways. I passed through industrial seaport areas and many...

Seattle, Washington Skyline

Seattle Whale Watching Around San Juan Islands

Outside the boat window on my Seattle whale watching trip, dolphin after dolphin jumped from the water. Their smooth grey backs arched and lept as they raced the boats around them. I was as delighted as a child, and this was just the beginning. The San Juan Clipper Whale Watching tour Early in the morning, I headed toward Seattle from my Airbnb in Gig Harbor and arrived at Pier 69. There I caught the boat out to the San Juan...

Red Parasail in Gig Harbor

Parasailing in Puget Sound in Gig Harbor

Outside of Tacoma, Washington, I tried parasailing in Puget Sound for the first time. It wasn’t just my first time in this area, it was my first time ever. It’s an epic location for great views and after spending several days watching the parasails soaring high with their colorful sails like oversized birds, I decided to join them. I only wish I would have remember my fear of heights before it was too late. Parasailing the Puget Sound in Gig...