washington
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Sisters weekend in Seattle
You may recall that I flew to California last year to visit my sister for her birthday. We had a great time together; nonetheless, this wasn’t meant to become an annual occurrence. But then, a few months back, she mentioned that her favorite band would be performing in Seattle around the time of her birthday.… Continue reading
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Snapshots from the sky: spring 2024 edition
In retrospect, flying to Seattle for 3 days, Austin for 5 days, and Dallas for 4 days – all in a 5 week period – was overly ambitious. I definitely overbooked myself, and in the aftermath I very much paid the price. I don’t regret it, per se, because all three trips were fun. But… Continue reading
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A Day in Paradise – Mount Rainier National Park, Washington (part IV)
I’ve been a lot of cool places. The US map on my bedroom wall is covered in pins; I’m up to 43 states and 57 National Park Service sites, not to mention 7 Canadian provinces and numerous national and provincial parks there as well. So when I say that the Skyline Trail at Mount Rainier… Continue reading
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Feeling Small – Mount Rainier National Park, Washington (part III)
Day three at Mount Rainier was full of lakes and waterfalls. Once again, we were greeted by blue skies as we headed out of Ohanapecosh, traveling west down Stevens Canyon Road to Cougar Rock campground, which would be our home base for the remainder of our time here. We took the entire day, stopping along… Continue reading
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First Glimpse – Mount Rainier National Park, Washington (part II)
The next morning we woke to blue skies, the fog of the previous afternoon long gone. This was excellent news for us as we were headed up to the northeast section of the park to catch our first glimpses of the mountain. From Ohanapecosh, we drove north to the White River entrance. Five miles (8 km)… Continue reading
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At the Edge – Mount Rainier National Park, Washington (part I)
Mount Rainier is a giant, snow-capped peak located in the Cascade Mountains of Washington state. It rises to 14,410 feet (4392 m) above sea level and, though not the tallest mountain in the continental US, is the most topographically prominent one. The summit of Mount Rainier is often above the clouds; on a typical day, you’re… Continue reading
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Glimpses of the Sun – Olympic National Park, Washington (part IV)
The final leg of our trip led us back out to the west coast of the Olympic Peninsula on Highway 101. Just south of the Hoh Indian Reservation is Ruby Beach. It’s a 5-minute walk to the beach and many sea stacks, the most famous of which is Abbey Island. I’m still at a bit… Continue reading
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Onward, Hoh! – Olympic National Park, Washington (part III)
The next morning found us heading inland to the Hoh Rainforest, located at the end of Upper Hoh Road off Highway 101. The road follows the Hoh River and also passes a big Sitka spruce tree. Though not the largest, it’s one of many giant nearly 1000-year-old trees in the park! From the Hoh Visitor Center,… Continue reading
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Sand and Solitude – Olympic National Park, Washington (part II)
When we planned a vacation to Washington in June, we expected lots of rain and minimal sunshine, so we were fortunate to only have a couple gloomy days the entire vacation. The unfortunate part is that they fell on the days we were out at the beach. On the plus side, though, the drizzle scared… Continue reading
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The Remnants of Winter – Olympic National Park, Washington (part I)
This summer was different. It was the start of something new, something better, something wonderful. Following my parents’ divorce, my mom, sister, and I were now facing a challenge: planning and executing our annual summer vacation with just the three of us. It’s been years now, and despite all the great places I’d been before,… Continue reading