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Exploring The Olympic Peninsula In 2021

I met fellow PNW Blogger Aimee Danielson back in 2021 when I first moved to Washington. She and I instantly hit it off and became friends and started camping and exploring together. Our first camping trip was in August 2021 where we met at South Beach Campground along the Washington coast, just north of the Quinault Reservation. Even though I have driven up and down this stretch of Highway 101 a few times already, I only overnighted a few times along the coast, but never actually camped properly, making this a fun, new adventure. South Beach Campground is a first-come, first-serve campground right on the southern end of the Olympic National Park, right after the Ashenbrenner Day Use Area. There are 55 campsites very close together, half of which are ocean front, and an easy walking path to access the beach below. This campground is only open May 21 through September 7, so keep that in mind if you plan on visiting. Since Aimee lives much closer than me, she got there early in the morning to secure a site for herself and scope out the campground for us. When I arrived, there was still a few spots left, though often this campground is quite full in the summer.

Aimee and her daughter Julie had a great ocean-front site while I parked along the inside cliff just above them. My site was right next to a culvert, which my cat Maverick loved exploring every day, plus that gave me a little more space not having a neighbor on one side. We camped for four days and were blessed with some great sunsets each night, though mornings were quite foggy. I enjoyed exploring the pebbled and sandy beach below on one of those foggy mornings, fascinated by the cool-looking tree remnants laying around. If you walk a bit north, you end up at to Beach 1, which can also be accessed via Highway 101.

Our first morning together, Aimee woke me up at 6am so we could check out Ruby Beach, which is about a 15 minute drive north. Ruby Beach is the northernmost of the southern beaches in the coastal section of the Olympic National Park and many consider it the most beautiful beach on the Olympic Peninsula. It is known for its abundant driftwood, stunning sunsets, and wild and rocky shores, with numerous sea stacks dotting the coastline. Destruction Island is located about 4 miles southwest of the beach and on a clear day you can see the island and its lighthouse from the beach. The Destruction Island Lighthouse’s Fresnel lens was removed in 1995 and is on exhibit at the Westport Maritime Museum, which I blogged about previously.

Aimee and I spent quite some time on Ruby Beach in the fog checking out all the tide pools and walking right up to the various sea stacks since the tide was super low that morning. We saw so many bright starfish, giant anemones, and shellfish stuck to the stacks up close, which is something I’ve never had the pleasure of doing before. It was also super cool to walk through the passage ways between the stacks and even go through some tunnels. We could walk out so far and even get lost in the fog that morning, leading to some fun photo captures!

Later that night, Aimee wanted to do some astrophotography, so we headed out around 11pm up to La Push on the Quilete Reservation to see how the light pollution was. First we stopped near the James Island View Point but there was a lot of lights from the marina and town there. Then we headed to Rialto Beach where it was significantly darker. After a few hours out in the cold night, we headed back south to Ruby Beach, where Aimee took a few more captures of the night sky. We finally got back around 3:30am and crashed hard after a long night! These four photos are courtesy of Aimee and I appreciate her letting me post them.

I slept in the next day and then we headed to the town of Forks, made famous by the Twilight Saga. We visited a bunch of the local shops, most of which carry indigenous and Twilight focused merchandise, and then we grabbed burgers at Sully’s Drive-In. We also stopped about the Forks Timber Museum on the way out of town. The Chamber of Commerce is right next door and displays the famous red trucks that Bella drove in the Twilight movies.

Another must-see spot to stop at is Kalaloch Beach, where you can find the historic lodge, campgrounds, and beach access. The name Kalaloch (pronounced klay-laak) is a corruption of the Quinault term k'–E–le–ok (pronounced Kq–â-lā'–ȯk) meaning "a good place to land." The main reason to visit Kalaloch is to see the famous Tree of Life (aka The Root Cave), which surprisingly still hangs between the eroding cliffs despite its fully exposed root system. Luckily the site wasn’t overrun by tourists when we arrived, so we only had to wait 5 minutes before having our own uninterrupted photoshoot posing with the tree and inside the root cave. I really hope to make it back to Kalaloch this year to see the tree again as predications are that this massive Sitka spruce might be on its last years as it’s becoming more and more unstable.

On our last day together, we got up early and headed to Lake Crescent, a mountainous glacier-carved lake about 20 minutes west of Port Angeles. I have loved this stunning lake since I first saw it in 2016 and was happy to check it again with friends. There was smoke in the air from the fires burning in Canada and Eastern Washington, adding an eerie backdrop to the otherwise incredible view. The plan was to paddleboard the lake, but it was super windy and cold that day leading us to the decision that it would be exhausting to go against the strong current and waves. We decided to go into the cold water and swim for awhile instead, which was amusing to us as no one else dared to go in. Before saying our goodbyes, I walked Maverick along the beach front for a bit, and then packed up to head home. Aimee and Julie went back south to the campground for another night before heading home to the Olympia area where they reside.

The last part of this trip for me was taking the Port Townsend-Coupeville ferry for the first time. Maverick was quite the hit on the ferry ride as I don’t think many people see an adventure cat on their travels. Stay tuned for more adventures coming soon!

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Chasing Waterfalls Near Vancouver WA

Chasing waterfalls is a passion for many people, myself included. But what is it about waterfalling (a coined expression that’s short for visiting waterfalls) that provides such benefits? Not surprising, the continuous sound of water flow, like that of white noise, has a soothing effect on most people. Plus with easy access to so many waterfalls without tedious hikes to get to them, it’s a quick way to get in touch with nature, witness its miracles, and be around water, the source of life on Earth, all in one!

After enjoying four waterfall hikes in Southern Oregon, I went to visit some friends in Vancouver, WA, and got myself a good night’s rest. My plan was to venture straight home the next day, but my friends told me about two waterfall parks I could visit with only a slight detour, so of course I had to visit those falls!

I left the morning of June 2, 2021, and headed to Lucia Falls Park. This 24-acre park follows the north shore of the East Fork of the Lewis River and features beautiful picnicking and hiking areas. An easy 1.1-miles roundtrip loop takes you to the spectacular view of Lucia Falls tumbling over the rocks. No swimming or other types of water contact are allowed here because the waters are sensitive fish spawning grounds. The park gives visitors a wonderful front row view of steelhead leaping up the falls at certain times of the year. The falls are at their mightiest during the wet season since the river flow is much reduced after the snow melt.

Next up was Moulton Falls Regional Park, a 387-acre park at the confluence of the East Fork of the Lewis River and Big Tree Creek which features two waterfalls and an arch bridge more than three stories high. The park sits on both sides of the river and is heavily forested and includes a few areas of interest including volcanic rock formations from early lava flows, historic Indian meeting grounds, a swing bridge on Big Tree Creek and access to the 7.5-mile Bells Mountain Trail. Swimming and cliff jumping into the deep pools is allowed, however, there are no lifeguards on duty. The Chelatchie Prairie Railroad excursion train also passes through the park.

I hiked maybe a third of the 4-mile out-and-back trail along the river, getting a great view of Moulton Falls and the arch bridge, but got a bit confused on which way to go to get from Moulton Falls to Big Tree Falls (aka Yacolt Falls). Then I read that you could drive up the road a bit further and park close to Big Tree Falls, so I did that instead. It’s just a short jaunt down from the roadside parking to the falls, making it a quick and convenient stop! I was definitely more impressed with this view as it’s a two-tier waterfall totaling around 28 feet and flowing under a lovely and unique foot drawbridge, from which you get an even greater view of the falls. I highly recommend either hiking or driving to Big Tree Falls when you’re in the park.

Both Lucia Falls Park and Moulton Falls Park follow part of the Northern Clark County Scenic Drive, a 70-mile loop skirts past farmland, waterfalls, and historic sites. It just happened to be that if I continued to follow this scenic byway further north and then east, I would get to Interstate-5 to head home, so it only made sense to enjoy the drive through the quaint rural towns on this wonderful sunny day.

My eight day journey came to a close that evening with my heart full of wonderful memories of another fun road trip! On a side note, turns out there are quite a few more waterfalls in Clark County that I missed, so now I know where to go the next time I’m in the area!

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Moving From California To Washington

Bellingham Bay Sunset

I am often asked why I moved to Washington state from California. People wonder why I would leave the “golden state” and go to a place known for cloudy skies and endless rain. After all, Washington is called the ‘evergreen state” for a reason. I was a little nervous myself since I’m not a fan of rain and have been spoiled most of my life living with lots of sunshine and mild winters. The only time I have ever been in the Pacific Northwest prior to 2016 was for Expo 86 in Vancouver BC that my Mom took me to when I was 14 years old. I should note that I barely remember that trip other than the monorail. I never really had the urge to visit Oregon or Washington as an adult, though the Seattle music scene did peak some interest while I was in my 30’s, yet I still never considered visiting or moving there because it has more rainy days (156 days) than most major cities. My perception changed in 2016 when I went on my first official PNW trip as an adult, which I wrote about previously.

Hood Canal Sunset

Because I fell in love with Oregon and Washington in 2016, once I bought my RV, I went to explore those states even more, which reaffirmed my affection for the PNW. As many of you already know, I take my cat Maverick with me on all my road trips, and at the time, I was blogging from his perspective, therefore, you can read all about my 2nd PNW trip in Summer 2017 from his blog, as well as my Thanksgiving trip that same year caravanning with my vanlife buddy Chris and his cat Michi. Maverick even blogged about the time I explored the Portland Japanese Garden, which I highly recommend visiting, especially in the fall when the leaves change into bright autumn colors.

I wanted to move out of California for about a decade. The summers were getting too hot for my liking with more days over 100*F and many winters were often filled with months of endless rain. I no longer felt joy living in the Bay Area as I did when I was younger. Back in the 80’s, 90’s, and early 2000’s, I really loved everything about the Mediterranean climate — an ideal mix of sunny summers and mild winters. For most of my career, it also meant great pay working in the semiconductor realm with stock options at pre-IPO companies. Traffic wasn’t too bad either and most of my commutes were only 15-30 minutes. But all that changed in the 2010’s when traffic increased exponentially and my commute became 1 hour each way in horrific, slow-moving gridlock. The warmer temperatures started in May and lasted into October, which led to many lethargic months of staying indoors or hanging out at my pool because I sweat easily. Even going to the beach or to the woods to cool off seemed exhausting knowing that traffic would be terrible to get anywhere.

I knew that once I sold my house in California (photos above), I would probably never be able to move back. I had an incredible deal on my house with a low mortgage balance, low interest rate, and low property tax, which I would never be able to get again, therefore, the decision to move likely meant never living in California again. Leaving the life I build for 25 years had its challenges too as I would be far away from the friendships I had nurtured for a long time and became dependent on. In addition, I knew that I would have to let go of my established side-business in the local music scene. Having lost my parents in 2013 and 2015 did make moving easier because I didn’t have any close family left locally to influence my decision. The shelter-in-place order that arose from the spread of COVID-19 also played a factor since all the social activities that I thrived on were basically halted, leaving me with little purpose and lots of alone time.

Photo by Brett Baunton

The last piece of the puzzle that brought me to move was the trip that changed my life in Sept/Oct 2020. Falling in love with Bellingham was unexpected but understandable. Whatcom County has around 225K residents which is a refreshing change from the hustle-and-bustle of Silicon Valley life. Did you know there are over 7 million people in the entire Bay Area?!? I knew that my quality of life would be much greater here with more access to nature, less traffic, and a slower-paced lifestyle that would lead to less stress and more outdoor activities. Being a lover of water, Bellingham appealed to me for its bay and access to the Salish Sea, as well as the 5000-acre Lake Whatcom and other nearby lakes. Basically it’s a cross between California and Europe, bringing together sea-level beaches with ocean waters and a spectacular snow-capped mountain range within a 1.5 hour drive, and adding in various lakes of different sizes with recreational activities. Where else in the USA can you ski and sea kayak in the same day?

Lake Whatcom Sunset

I was also surprised by the weather as I expected to be inundated with rain. Turns out, Bellingham's climate is generally mild and typical of the Pacific Northwes, getting around 39” of rain per year, which is less than Chicago, New York, and Houston. Unlike the rainfall I was used to in California, which was mainly a downpour for days, Bellingham’s rain is quite different. Mainly it’s a light sprinkle which doesn’t even require an umbrella. Bellingham is in the rain shadow of the Olympic Mountains, which is why it gets less rain than other parts of the state. Even though the dreariness index shows Northwestern Washington at the top, I highly disagree with this report, which also puts hot-as-hell Phoenix as least dreary place to live. What most of these data sites don’t take into account is that what is considered a rainy day means there was rainfall at some point throughout the day. It does not consider that the rain could have fallen before I woke up in the morning and that the cloud cover opened up to a sunny day, which is often what happens here. I personally love the drizzle as it keeps plants happy and the state green.

Lake Louise — Sudden Valley

I have lived in Bellingham for almost 3 years now. It was an eye-opening move at first due to the pandemic since most businesses were still closed and I didn’t know anyone here. Let’s just say that February through April were hard and lonely, spending a lot of time indoors and on the drop-in audio app Clubhouse — I actually met my good friend and fellow PNW Blogger Aimee on that app, as well as some awesome vanlifers/nomads that I’m still in touch with. But in Spring 2021, restaurants started to open again and meetups for hikes and outdoor social events were in full effect. Turns out all the people who moved to this area were looking for friends and activities just like me and I started to make friends. If you’ve ever heard of the “Seattle Freeze,” it’s a real thing and extends to the a lot of Northwestern Washington. Therefore, all the transplants find one another through various groups and activities and bond. The Meetup app was a lifesaver for me as I met many of my friends circle via various groups on there.

My Lovely House

I should also note that I really love my house. Despite being 20 minutes from town, it is in the forest near a small lake named Lake Louise and has a modern look-and-feel to it, which is what caught my interest in the first place when I saw the listing. I’m also in a community right on Lake Whatcom, which gives me easy access to this incredibly large lake. Did I mention that I bought my house sight-unseen? I have tons of gorgeous local, regional, and unique art hanging so I have joy everywhere I look, making it almost feel like an an art gallery. I do get a little snowfall each winter, mainly a dusting of snow, but there is about one week in which we get a few inches that stick. I don’t mind having that “Winter Wonderland” feeling for a week and then all the snow melting. Did I mention I also see lots of rainbows now, which is something I hardly ever saw in California! And as you can see in some of the photos in this blog post, I have witnessed some stunning sunsets here, as well as some incredible sunrises. Both the “opacarophile” (sunset lover) and “thalassophile” (ocean lover) in me are beyond thrilled to live in such a gorgeous state!

My life here is pretty easy-going and filled with lots of activities. I took up archery, go axe throwing, learned to paddleboard and kayak, started playing pickleball (the official sport of WA), got my groove on with salsa dancing lessons, and even attend a local logging show. I started to hike and spend more days outdoors in nature — though I don’t do any big hikes, mainly just 1-6 miles on trails with limited elevation gain. My most challenging hike so far has been the Fragrance Lake Two Dollar Trail Loop in Larrabee State Park. I especially love that I can drive 5-10 minutes and hike a forested area for a few miles and feel like I’m nowhere near a city — Whatcom Falls Park, Stimpson Nature Reserve, and Squires Lake are some of those go-to places. My favorite things about living here are Boulevard Park and the South Bay Trail (lovely waterfront stroll and hangout), Squalicum Harbor and Zuanich Point Park (local harbor park), Lake Padden Park (beautiful 2.6 mile walk), Sehome Hill Arboretum (with a cool observation tower), Semiahmoo Spit (especially during extreme low tides), Chuckanut Drive Scenic Byway (known as the Big Sur of WA), Samish Overlook (for sunsets), and Peach Arch Park (on the Canadian border). I’ve also enjoyed exploring Seattle, including the Space Needle, Chihuly Garden & Glass, Pike Place Market, the Fremont Troll, and the Washington Park Arboretum. If you’re ever in the area around Memorial Weekend, you have to see the Ski To Sea relay race which goes from Mt Baker to Marine Park with eight racers competing in seven different sports: cross country ski, downhill ski/snowboard, running, road bike, canoe (2 paddlers), cyclocross bike, and sea kayak.

Photo from Scenic Washington

By the way, the famous saying “live like the mountain is out” in Seattle about Mt Rainier also applies to Bellingham. Even though Mount Baker is only 10,781 feet to Mount Rainier’s 14,411 feet (the tallest in the Cascade Range), its prominence can still be felt all over Whatcom County. Baker (aka Kulshan) is often covered in clouds just like Rainier (aka Tahoma), so when this stratovolcano shows itself, it is a majestic sight! Driving up to Artist Point every summer is a magnificent experience, hiking around and seeing all the mountains of the North Cascades, plus seeing Mount Shuksan reflecting off Picture Lake is a must-see stop! En route you can also check out Nooksack Falls and Silver Lake Park since they are just off Mt. Baker Highway (SR-542). On a side note, I love this Lummi story about Komo Kulshan & His Two Wives, which is about Mt Baker and Twin Sisters.

I also love exploring my new state, going on road trips, camping at various places, and experiencing all that Washington has to offer. So far I’ve camped at Bay View State Park, Deception Pass State Park, Birch Bay State Park, Moran State Park (on Orcas Island), Dungeness Recreation Area, Bowman Bay, and Grayland Beach State Park. I have explored around the Olympic Peninsula, mainly Sequim, Port Angeles, Crescent Lake, Sol Doc Falls, Neah Bay and Cape Flattery (both on the Makah Reservation), Forks, Hoh Rainforest, Rialto Beach, Ruby Beach, and Kalaloch. I spent some time in Westport and Cape Disappointment in the Southwestern part of the state, went to Winterfest at Lake Chelan, and I did some island hoping in the San Juan Islands. I also love seeing and attending the Tulip Festival every spring, which Skagit Valley is known for. I have yet to go to North Cascades National Park and see Lake Diablo — I’ve had camping reservations twice now which got cancelled due to covid in 2022 and a horrible fire in 2023. I also still need to explore Mount Rainier and Mount St Helens more, head over to Leavenworth, Winthrop, and Mazama, and eventually check out Eastern Washington and the Walla Walla Valley wine region in the southeast with a stop at Palouse Falls.

In addition to Washington travel, I am so close to British Columbia that I’m exploring Canada too! I’ve been to Vancouver a few times now and often go to concert there instead of Seattle since it’s closer and there’s less traffic. In October 2022, I took my van around Vancouver Island exploring Victoria, Tofino, Ucluelet and a lot in between, which turned out to be an unforgettable road trip. I fell in love with this huge island and can’t wait to explore it even more! I plan to explore other parts of BC in 2024, including a road-trip around the Sunshine Coast, as well as visits to Capilano Suspension Bridge, Squamish, and Whistler.

Reflection Point — Lake Sutherland

I also invested in a beautiful lakefront home on the Olympic Peninsula at Lake Sutherland this year with my brother after selling our Mom’s home in Florida. This lake house, which I have named “Reflection Point” is available on Airbnb for rent, plus I get to enjoy spending time there when it’s not booked.

As you can see, I do not regret moving to Washington. Living here has been a dream come true and has exceeded all my expectations. I am the happiest I have been in life and I look forward to every day. If you have the same misconception as I did about the Pacific Northwest and the climate here, I urge you to visit this stunning upper left part of the country. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised and understand why moving here was the best decision of my life!

PS: my plan is to blog more about all these places I have visited, so stay tuned!

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My Intro To Vanlife & 1st PNW Trip

In February 2016, I met a man named Jesse (on the dating app Bumble) who lived in a Great West Dodge Sprinter van with his cat Bandit. I was a little skeptical about a grown man living in a van, but he referred to himself as a “digital nomad” and I was curious. We met up for dinner and had a nice conversation, after which he showed me the van he moved into the month prior. It was a nice van with a kitchen, a bathroom with shower, and a comfortable bed. The curtains, textiles, and colors were a bit outdated but when I heard the price he paid, it was very reasonable. Jesse was very excited about vanlife and explained to me why he chose that lifestyle versus living in a “stick and brick” (as he called an apartment or house).

Jesse was inspired by a young Google employee who lived in a box truck in the parking lot that was getting a lot of press. With exorbitant cost of rent in the San Francisco Bay Area, he also wanted to save his hard-earned money and retire at an earlier age, which vanlife allowed him to do. The vanlife movement was just starting to take off at that time, and he was saving 80% or more of his income by not paying rent. Even though I initially had some reservations about dating a guy who lived in a van, I did understand his reasoning for the decision and really enjoyed learning about vanlife living from him.

My introduction to vanlife was local weekend getaways during which I learned what sleeping and cooking in a van was like, how to find good overnight spots, how many beautiful places there were around the Bay Area that I never knew about, and how this lifestyle really allowed you to explore and enjoy nature and the surroundings. As a travel enthusiast, I was hooked pretty quickly! A few months later, Jesse was planning a trip to Seattle for an Ayn Rand convention and asked if I wanted to go since it was during my birthday, to which I immediately said yes. Despite living the Bay Area most of my life, I had never been to Oregon or Washington, nor had I been to most of the Northern California. As you can imagine, I was super excited to see and explore the Pacific Northwest!

We set off on our week-long trip at the end of June from San Francisco towards Bodega Bay, then drove north on Highway 1 along the California coast passing various small coastal towns. For some reason, I remember passing this cute little cemetery along the highway just south of Mendocino with grave stones lined up on the cliffside bordered by tall trees and thinking what a beautiful place to be laid to rest. We found a great spot overlooking the Pacific Ocean just north of Fort Bragg, made dinner, and fell asleep to the sound of waves crashing below the cliff.

Waking up to the sound and views of the ocean is probably one of my favorite things, so that next morning was an absolute joy and a great way to start off this epic trip. We headed north to Highway 101 since the region north of Fort Bragg all the way to Eureka is mostly undeveloped without any major roads and referred to as the Lost Coast. The 25-mile-long trail through that area is a backpackers dream, though there is one road from 101 to Shelter Cove that vehicles can utilize to see a section of that coastline. Jesse and I enjoyed driving through the Avenue of the Giants near Myers Flat, then we continued north where the highway meets the ocean again and stopped in a charming little community called Westhaven-Moonstone. We spent the night at the Trinidad Northbound Rest Area, which is off the highway tucked into the forest and honestly a great place to get some rest.

On our third day, we headed north into Oregon and I was enthralled by how beautiful the coastline is! I know California is famous for Big Sur, but the Oregon coast rivals that easily, with pristine beaches and rocky bluffs for miles and miles. The Samuel H. Boardman State Scenic Corridor is probably one of the most stunning places along the West Coast! To cover a lot of distance, we drove a lot that day, all the way to Yachats, known for the Cape Perpetua Scenic Area. I had read about Thor’s Well on Atlas Obscura but we had no idea that whole area, known as Cook’s Chasm, was going to be as incredible as it was! We ended up finding this awesome little park on the highway to spend the night, which turned out to have stairs down to the beach with a river going under nice-looking bride. There was a day-use-only sign but we decided to chance it anyways, and luckily didn’t get bothered.

We continued north through Oregon all the way to Tillamook Creamery, where we stopped to grab some cheese-laden dishes and delicious ice cream, which we ate on Nedonna Beach enjoying the ocean view. We made another quick stop at Haystack Rock, which I wanted to see because of the movie The Goonies. From there we got back on the road driving over the Astoria-Megler Bridge into Washington, stopping quickly at the Dismal Nitch to take a photo of the WA sign. We worked our way up the Olympic Peninsula, decided to take a dip in Lake Quinault to freshen up (the water was super cold), and then right at dusk we luckily found a dirt turn-off on the side of the road that took us to this amazing open space on the cliffs by the ocean, where we spent the night. It was one of the most secluded, perfect spots that we could have discovered, and we had it all to ourselves.

The next morning was my birthday, so Jesse made me bacon and eggs in a smiley face on the plate. We had to get to Seattle by 3pm, therefore, we drove around the Olympic Peninsula without stopping at any of the amazing places I would have loved to see. That drive took us through Forks (made famous by the Twilight series), then along Crescent Lake (we did make a quick stop the La Poel Picnic Area to revel at this glacial lake’s incredible beauty), then through Port Angeles and Sequim, and finally all the way around to Bainbridge Island, from which we took the ferry to Seattle. It was a gorgeous sunny day and I was in awe of the Emerald City and its iconic skyline with the Space Needle! Seeing Mount Rainier in all its glory looming in the background was also quite stunning — I can see why locals talk about whether the mountain is out since the visibility of this large active stratovolcano makes a huge impact. Did you know that due to its high probability of an eruption in the near future, Mount Rainier is considered one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world and it is on the Decade Volcanoes list?!?

Jesse forgot to buy tickets to the Ayn Rand Convention he had wanted to attend, which was sold out when we arrived in Bellevue, so our plans veered into a new direction and we decided to check out downtown Seattle instead. We stopped at a cider bar, walked around Belltown, and ended up having a fancy dinner at The Metropolitan Grill, voted the best steakhouse in Seattle. We spent the night on the streets by Ruby Chow Park, an overnight spot Jesse found on Freecampsites.net, a website many vanlifers use to find places to park. It wasn’t the most ideal location, but at least it was next to a park and away from downtown traffic.

The following morning we headed out of Seattle and passed Oxbow Park which features a 44' wide cowboy hat and 22' high boots known as "Hat n' Boots." My boss (who was from Seattle) told me prior to the trip that we had to see Snoqualmie Falls and he was right — this 270’ waterfall was majestic to see and totally worth the drive! Then we headed to Mount Rainier National Park and drove around various viewpoints to witness the enormous footprint Mount Rainier has and even caught a glimpse of a small waterfall near Paradise. We secured a campsite at White River Campground on the northeastern section of the park with the highest elevation of all three drive-in campgrounds on Mt Rainier, where we enjoyed a campfire dinner in the charming forested canopy.

July 4th was another busy day of driving. Jesse really enjoys finding remote and unique overnight spots, therefore, we drove around the Gifford Pinchot National Forest to various spots he had saved on his phone (since there’s no service in that area) to see how viable they were to spend the night. We found some really cool places on dirt roads and along rivers which would have been ideal, but instead of staying in the area, we decided to check out Mount St Helens. Sadly the weather was a bit overcast and we couldn’t see the cratered peak that well as it was engulfed in clouds. I did enjoy seeing Spirit Lake and learning more about the eruption from all the roadside interpretive signs and how it altered the landscape. We headed further south and stopped at Swift Reservoir for a quick swim but the water so surprisingly cold considering it was July. We ended up along the Columbia River Gorge early that evening, saw the Bonneville Dam, then found a wonderful spot along the railroad tracks just west of Stevenson on the Washington side of the river. We cooked a steak dinner and watched the fireworks over Cascade Locks after a spectacular sunset.

The next day we headed over the Bridge of the Gods into Oregon and stopped at Multnomah Falls, the tallest and most famous waterfall in the state. We headed into Portland for breakfast at Pine State Biscuits that a good friend of mine recommended and enjoyed their delicious Reggie Deluxe breakfast sandwich. Afterwards, we drove towards Mount Hood with a stop at Trillium Lake, which I absolutely fell in love with. I thought Oregon’s High Desert was quite fascinating as we headed through Warm Springs with a quick stop along the Deschutes River before heading into Madras. Seeing the Cascade Mountains to the west as we drove down Route 97 was quite lovely, with magnificent glimpses of Mount Jefferson, Three Sisters, and more. We ended that day at Crater Lake National Park enjoying the incredible views of this deepest and most pristine lake in the USA. We spent the night just outside the park at one of the big turnouts and were inundated with mosquitos when the sun went down — by inundated I mean that it was a mosquito blackout that you couldn’t see through, something I have never experienced before!

Sadly our road-trip was coming to an end so our last day consisted of us driving home from Southern Oregon into California through Klamath Falls, Weed, Mount Shasta, and Dunsmuir, with a pitstop at Lake Shasta due to heavy traffic. We found a dirt road that led to a nice spot on the Sacramento River Arm where we ate some lunch and got into the lake to cool off. We drove the final stretch home through California’s Central Valley with views of various agriculture and sunflower fields and finally made it home to the Bay Area.

It was a magical and memorable first trip to the Pacific Northwest despite the fact that Jesse and I broke up later that year. He showed me a whole new world of exploration that I had never imagined before, which left such an impact on me that I bought an RV in December 2016 and started going on solo road trips, including multiple trips to Oregon and Washington in 2017, 2018, and 2020! My life is completely different now due to vanlife so I guess I have Jesse to thank for that.

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I Believe In Mermaids 🧜‍♀️

While I was camping trip at Grayland Beach State Park, I heard about the famous Westport Winery Garden Resort, winner of 2022 Washington Winery of the Year! The resort is located halfway between Aberdeen and Westport and features wine tasting, a distillery, a restaurant, the International Mermaid Museum, an expansive garden to explore, and even some lodging!

One of my first PNW friends and fellow blogger Aimee Danielson was the perfect partner-in-crime to indulge in the quirky museum as we both identify as mermaids, so I was glad she joined me on this trip. The Mermaid Museum costs only $3 for adults and is totally worth the adventure of learning about ocean ecology from “seashore to sea floor” and getting immersed in mermaid lore which all oceanic countries have. I particularly enjoyed reading all the mermaid mythology signs that were tastefully done with folklore tales and tied in to real oceanic facts. In addition to mermaid culture throughout the ages, there are also displays of physical artifacts, such as cannonballs from historic ships, hag stones, coral reefs, and king crabs. No museum experience would be complete without various mermaid and mermen statues, which despite being a bit kitschy, Aimee and I made the most of it, having a blast posing with them.

My favorite part of their mission statement is, “Mermaids in storytelling encourage people to see the undersea environment, not just through the lens of marine life, but through the view of humans in the underwater world, thus helping them better understand the importance of clean oceans, the sea as a living environment, and the reality of ocean exploration as one of the last great adventures on earth.” I feel like the museum really accomplished this and I found the whole experience fascinating, fun, and informative! I also really enjoyed their outside gardens that had some very impressive mermaid statues and creations, so be sure to walk around and explore the whole compound to get the full experience.

After exploring the Mermaid Museum and spending some money in their elaborate gift shop, Aimee and I headed to winery next door so I could do some wine tasting. I went with a recommended tasting of red wines by one of their knowledgeable tasting room associates. Not only did I enjoy their wines, but I also loved how articulate and entertaining their one-line tasting notes are with a recommended musical pairing, which I found to be a brilliant idea! I tasted the Smoky Nor’wester Merlot/CF/CS blend, the True Blue Malbec, the Nirvana GSM blend, the Bella Sangiovese, and the Surfer Syrah. My favorite was surprisingly the Smoky Nor’wester as I don’t generally love Merlot, but it was a very bold and smooth wine and I couldn’t resist to buy a bottle. Just to give you an idea of their wine tasting notes, the Nor’wester is “like fireworks in the sky or a good spanking” and you should enjoy it while listening to “Perfect” by Ed Sheeran. I’m ready for those fireworks, the spanking, and some good pop music when I drink that bottle!! A tasting of five wines is generally $10 but if you buy a bottle, the fee is waived. The bottle prices are reasonable in the $30-$38 range and each one benefits a regional organization. I’m actually considering becoming a wine club member as I was quite impressed with their brand of red wines. After all, Westport Winery is the number seven top platinum winning winery in the Pacific Northwest!

Aimee and I also stopped by the Sea Glass Grill because we heard their desserts are phenomenal. We each had their Homemade Ding Dong, a dark chocolate cake with chantilly cream, chocolate couverture and raspberry coulis, and it was fantastic! We really should have shared one because they are pretty big and super rich, but no worries, we took our uneaten halves and ate them later that night. Next time I come here, I plan to eat a whole meal at their grill because it all looked delicious!

Check out my friend Aimee’s blog about our mermaid adventure together and the Starbuck logo evolution. Aimee is an avid blogger and has a lot of experience traveling around the PNW, so I recommend following her adventures, plus you can download a FREE e-book on Washington State Parks!

My dreams of being a mermaid may come to flourish in 2024 when the Mermaid Festival hits the museum! I plan to be there some time between Saturday, April 6 through Sunday, April 14 to experience everything this 9-day event has to offer, including Northwest’s famous Una the Mermaid, Olive the Alchemist (founder of the Seattle Mermaid School), Vertical Axis performers Nick Perry and Amanda Thornton, Pacific Northwest Unicorns, Rachel the Sailing Siren, Mermaid Pockets of What Dwells Beneath, Pirate Cliff, and so much more! Who wants to join me in this all-ages celebration of the sea?

Check out my blog post on Mermaid Mythology & Ocean Ecology, as learned from International Mermaid Museum.

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Grayland Beach State Park & Westport

This August I was supposed to go camping in the North Cascades National Park right next to Diablo Lake at Colonial Creek South Campground. As some of you may know, getting a sought after campsite can be like getting concert tickets in which you have to get up at 6:55am and select the site you want and click add to cart and checkout at the right time in order to get the booking. It took me 7 attempts back in February to get one of two van accessible sites closest to the lake! Due to the Sourdough Fire that started on July 29th by a lightning strike, my camping reservation was canceled in mid-August as the area was evacuated and SR-20 highway was closed. Luckily there is this awesome PNW Campground Trading group on Facebook and I found a great replacement camping trip at Grayland Beach State Park in the Southwest part of Washington and a spot I haven’t explored yet.

I arrived in Grayland on Sunday August 13th in the late afternoon after a long, sweltering, 5 hour drive through some gridlock traffic during the historic heatwave that hit the Pacific Northwest. There was some relief in the heat along the Pacific Ocean, but it was still in the 70’s when I arrived to my campsite. I enjoyed a nice stroll to the sandy beach and put my legs in the cool ocean water, which felt good after sitting in the van for so long. I had hoped that the campsites were close to the ocean, but it’s actually a good 10-15 walk to get to the ocean-front. I watched the sun set into a bright orange glaze as there were no clouds to light up the sky any further. For those who wonder about the name, the town of Grayland and the state park were named for Captain Robert Gray, an American sea captain who “discovered” all the harbors now named for him, including nearby Grays Harbor.

Did you know that you can drive onto many of the beaches along the Pacific Ocean in Southern Washington State? I discovered this last year when I was visiting Seaview on the Long Beach Peninsula. There were quite a few cars on Grayland Beach while I was there, which reminded me that there are vehicle-friendly beaches in the area. Make sure you deflate your tires a bit if you’re in a van, or that you have 4WD/AWD, plus it can’t hurt to carry GoTreads or other traction boards in case you get stuck. Be sure to follow the WDFW rules so you avoid razor clams and snowy plovers when driving onto beaches!

During my stay, I went to check out Westport, the surfing capital of Washington and a cozy seaside town. I checked out the Westport Maritime Museum located in the historic Coast Guard station building that was built in 1939 and showcases exhibits on the maritime history of the South Beach. I particularly enjoyed their outdoor natural history exhibit that features sea mammal skeletons, including a large gray whale, a blue whale skull, sea lion, and harbor porpoise. There’s also a scale-model of the former Coast Guard station and lots of historical exhibits of shipwrecks, rescue operations, and the whaling and fishing industries. The biggest highlight is the magnificent Destruction Island Lens which was installed in the lighthouse in 1891 on Destruction Island (north of Westport near Kalaloch) and operated until 1995.

After exploring the museum, I headed to the waterfront to have a bite to eat and ended up enjoying a delicious sandwich at Westhaven Wines, a specialty wine bar and bottle shop located dockside in Westport's Marina District. I also enjoyed a red wine tasting with my meal and ended up buying two lovely bottles, a 2020 David Finlayson Cab and a 2019 Powers Syrah. Then I headed to Westport Light State Park to explore Half Moon Bay and Westhaven Beach. After enjoying the beach time and walking on the cliffs, I headed by the Grays Harbor Lighthouse, which was sadly closed so I only got to take some photos. One thing I planned to do but forgot about was to climb up the Westport Viewing Tower to see the 360* view.

My friend Aimee Danielson joined me for the second half of my camping stay at Grayland Beach State Park and we had a blast visiting the International Mermaid Museum and Westport Winery, so stay tuned for that post coming soon! I also recommend reading Aimee’s blog about the seaside town of Westport as she’s explored this area many times and has some great tips about clam digging. She’s an avid blogger and has a lot of experience traveling around the PNW, so I recommend following her adventures, plus you can download a FREE e-book on Washington State Parks!

One final note — Aimee and I ate brunch at Blue Buoy and absolutely loved their Eggs Benedict! If you’re ever in the area, we both highly recommend this friendly, family-owned restaurant.

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The Trip That Changed My Life

As many of you know, I decided to pack up my life in California back in Fall of 2020 and move to the Pacific Northwest. I had been wanting to move out of California for awhile, mainly because I didn’t love the heat and traffic, but I was so established there between friendships, work, and my house that moving seemed like a lot of work and a little scary. I always heard that once you move out of California, it’s hard to move back, especially if you sell your house. Then in August 2020, Silicon Valley was hit with a huge dry lightning storm that caused some of the biggest fires in California history. For two weeks we had an orange apocalyptic sky with bad AQI that ended up affecting the whole West Coast, with smoke moving across the whole country! Between the fires and the increased amount of summer days over 100*F, I was over the heat and smoke, so I went on a 5 week road trip to Oregon and Washington to see where I would want to live.

For some reason, I never made it to the PNW until 2016, despite living in California most of my life. The guy I was dating that year took me on a vanlife road trip to Oregon and Washington, which is when I discovered how much I liked those two states. I kept visiting and exploring them over the next few years in my RV and enjoying my time there, making them viable choices of where to live next. I also considered moving to the Central Coast of California, somewhere near Pismo Beach. I went on this month-long road trip with another female vanlifer named Cory whom I met at a few vanlife gatherings over the years. She also wanted to leave the Bay Area and move to the PNW. We started the journey on September 24th and worked out way north to Fort Braggg, through the various Redwoods in Northern California, and even stopped at Moonstone Beach.

I originally figured I’d find the perfect beach town in Oregon as I’ve always wanted to live by water. Brookings was a front runner prior to the trip, mainly due to being right at the California border and having a lot of sunny days compared to other oceanside towns. One concern I had though was health care in these small beach towns as they don’t have the same amenities as big cities, which aren’t exactly that close. I did enjoy my time in Harbor and Brookings, but there was a heatwave hitting California and Southern Oregon with 90+* temps that made me reconsider the idea of moving to a place that was still quite hot at the beginning of Fall. I also heard from some newer locals I met who had moved there that finding a house was hard since not much inventory was available. One family had been looking for a year and still hadn’t found a house that was worthwhile. Cory and I decided to drive further north to get away from the heat and continue to see what towns were more favorable.

After a nice stint on the Oregon coast with stops in Bandon, Florence, Coos Bay, Yachats, Newport, Tillamook, Manzanita (another town that topped my list), and Astoria, we worked out way inland along the Columbia River Gorge on the Washington side to Skamokawa for riverside camping, and then even further inland to Graham where Cory had some friends that hosted us with a gorgeous view of Mount Rainier. From there we headed to Alki Beach in West Seattle, but the weather turned gray and misty, plus we spent a restless night along the waterfront due to traffic and noise. Cory needed to get her Roadtrek serviced near Seattle for a few days, so we parted ways and I headed north to Bellingham to visit a friend from high school who always spoke very highly of this small city near the Canadian border.

What I didn’t realize at the time was how this part of the trip would change my life forever. I literally FELL IN LOVE WITH BELLINGHAM! I had the best four days exploring this idyllic bayside city that feels like a big town. There are no high rise buildings, no traffic, lots of parks, waterfront trails, a beautiful waterfall, and the huge 13 miles long Lake Whatcom only 10 minutes from downtown. The weather was sunny and between the bay, the lake, and the mountains, I just felt like I was home. Bellingham has a European feel to it and there are a lot of outdoor activities to enjoy without having to drive far. It’s a haven for hiking, kayaking, paddle-boarding, boating, fishing, mountain biking, and even skiing and snowboarding at Mount Baker. I also took a day trip to Anacortes, which is a charming island town close to the San Juan Islands, and Deception Pass State Park. I hired my friend’s real estate agent with hopes of finding a house with lake or sunset view in the Bellingham vicinity before I left.

After my incredible days in Bellingham, Cory and I met up again and headed south to Bay View State Park for some camping, meeting up with another vanlifer whom I met on Instagram named Cameron. Then after a stop at Snoqualmie Falls, the three of us headed to the Olympic Peninsula to spend a few days in Sequim, known for its lavender, game farm, and lots of water and mountain views. Sequim is a small town of 30K people (if you count the greater surrounding area) and is often referred to as the “Blue Hole” because it is in the rain shadow of the Olympic Mountains and stays sunnier than most of the Puget Sound area. There are still some occasional drizzles of rain, but those led to seeing lots of rainbows!! Cory and I met with a real estate agent and got familiar with the different regions of Sequim and I even found a house on sale that appealed to me. I made an offer on it, but was beaten by a much higher cash offer. Turns out one of the founders of Descend on Bend lives in Sequim, so I spent one night at their place enjoying the sunset view and bonding with the family. My days in Sequim were quite lovely, making it my second choice to move to.

Cameron, Cory, and I parted ways after Sequim. Cameron headed to spend time with a friend of his in Port Angeles, Cory headed to Oregon’s wine country, and I headed further west and then south on the Olympic Peninsula to explore Lake Crescent, Marymere Falls, and the Hoh Rainforest, all of which are located in the Olympic National Park. It was a wet and rainy few days, therefore, I headed back inland to McMinnville, Oregon, for some wine tasting in sunny warm temps. From there, I worked my way south with a stop in Corvallis for cider tasting, and then west to Highway 101 to take the scenic, mostly ocean-front drive south with quite a few stops in the Samuel H Boardman Scenic Corridor just north of Brookings. The moment I crossed the border and saw the “Welcome to California” sign, my heart sank, which is when I knew the time for me to move was official — I no longer wanted to live in California.

I got home on October 30, 2020, and packed up the 10% of my belongings I wanted to keep in 2 weeks. I had an estate sale on November 21st. The following week I had friends and acquaintances take whatever they wanted from what was left, and then the weekend after Thanksgiving, I made a Craigslist post for people to grab whatever they wanted from the garage. I had very little left for donation and dump runs, and then my house was cleaned, staged, photographed, and went on the MLS on December 4th. I had so many offers the following day that I went under contract on the 5th. That’s how quick the process was, a little over a month and I no longer owned property in California! The crazy part was that I hadn’t found a house yet in Bellingham nor Sequim, so I started looking for a rental and found one just outside of Bellingham. Then the day after I closed escrow on my California house, this beautiful modern house near Lake Whatcom in Bellingham went on the market. It was everything I ever I wanted style wise, so I bid on it sight unseen, though my Bellingham friend did go look at it for me and gave me his approval. The sellers didn’t want a bidding war so they took my offer and I went under contract with a mid-February close. I was able to stay in the California house I just sold until January 21st, then I stayed at my friend’s ranch until I moved to Washington on February 1, 2021.

That Pacific Northwest vanlife trip was the best decision of my life. Many of my Bay Area friends didn’t understand my urge to pack up and move in such a short time frame, but for me it was the right decision. I just had a gut feeling that I needed to start over somewhere fresh with a healthier lifestyle. Was it a bold move with some risk involved? SURE! But I also knew that if by chance I didn’t love living in Bellingham, I could always move after two years and find another place. I also knew to trust my instincts and they told me that living in Washington was just what I needed. My instincts were right! Turns out I absolutely love where I live, that the Pacific Northwest climate, landscape, scenery, and lifestyle really suit me, and I’ve never looked back. Sometimes I even wish that I moved here when I was younger because I feel so at home now.

I always encourage everyone to FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS. Moving can be scary, especially when you’ve lived somewhere most of your life, but moving can also be SO REWARDING! I can honestly say I live a much healthier lifestyle, enjoying nature, exploring new places, camping, hiking, kayaking, spending time outdoors, all things I was not doing in California. The heat and the traffic kept me from exploring and made me lethargic. I can no longer imagine living in a big city. I finally live near water like I’ve always wanted, I even live in the forest. Plus I love that I can be completely immersed in nature feeling like I’m far from civilization within 5 minutes of my house. So if you’re reading this and you’ve been feeling the need to change your life, I encourage you to go for it, even if it seems scary or impossible. You are the the only person that can change your quality of life and make it better. JUST DO IT, take the plunge!

A quick closing note. Cory also ended up finding her retirement place on this caravanning trip. She moved to Florence, OR, about a year after I moved. She’s also super happy with her decision!

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