• British Columbia

    Sea-to-Sky

    October 30, 2015 - By 

    Autumn in Whistler meant one cannot enjoy the lakes and watersports of summer nor the splendor of white powder of winter. However, I was already in Vancouver and had the desire to venture slightly more north, especially since it meant driving along the famous Sea-to-Sky Highway. And best of all, after consecutive days of rainy, gray skies in Vancouver, we were guaranteed days of sunshine in the Whistler area. My first stop en route to Whistler was in the little town of Squamish specifically for the Stawamus Chief, the second largest freestanding monolith in the world. Sitting along the highway, the…

  • British Columbia

    Vancouver (…and how I found out I was Canadian)

    October 28, 2015 - By 

    I visited Vancouver as a child a number of times to visit relatives, but I hadn’t been back since. Vancouver would be not just a beautiful city to me, but also a place that would trigger old memories from my childhood and a place with family members who would enjoy feeding me piles of homemade Vietnamese food. YES! A ride along the Sky Train past the eye-catching “golf ball” of Science World brought us to my aunt’s condo for lunch, and there I learned of my mother’s dual citizenship with the U.S. and Canada. “Hm, maybe I’ll look into getting…

  • Washington

    North Cascades

    October 27, 2015 - By 

    Between Mount Rainier and North Cascades National Park we spent a quick night boondocking at a Walmart in Arlington.  Normally nights at Walmart are straightforward, perhaps sometimes loud and unmemorable, but our vicinity to the Cascade mountain range delighted us with a superb sunrise as we set out that morning. And sometimes nights at Walmart are followed by pleasant nights in a charming, new campsite. Having done my research prior to entering North Cascades NP, I discovered that the Goodell Creek Campground (right outside the visitor center) was open and free by mid-October. It also wasn’t quite winter yet, so the…

  • Washington

    Mount Rainier

    October 23, 2015 - By 

    At 14,409 ft., Mt. Rainier stands slightly taller than Mt. Shasta.  But with its icy glaciers, deep crevasses, and steep slopes, technical climbing skills are required to summit Mt. Rainier.  Summiting Mt. Rainier will be another dream I hope to achieve once I attain the technical skills in the future.  Thus, we left behind the ice axes and crampons and stuck to trails along the mountain and nonetheless enjoyed its scenic hikes during a brief period of perfect, sunny days. First things first.  I was craving a bike ride.  With its gradual climbs and descents and switchbacks along a valley of mountains, the ride…

  • Washington

    Olympic National Park

    October 19, 2015 - By 

    Places like these are the reasons why domestic travel is incredible. Before arriving to Washington I hardly knew that Olympic National Park (commonly referred to as the Olympic Peninsula) existed, but upon research the day before entering the park, I was mind boggled by its diverse and breathtaking beauty. Who knew that just one federal park, one unpretentious area of land, could present its visitors dramatic landscapes of the unforgiving northern Pacific coast, rainforests seemingly from another continent, and panoramas of alpine mountains? If the weather cooperates (which it rarely does in this region), one can summit a glacier-filled mountain,…

  • Washington

    Mount Saint Helens

    October 15, 2015 - By 

    Conditions were crap for Mount Hood, but conditions were perfect for summiting Mt. St. Helens.  While we sat in the parking lot of Timberline Lodge at Mount Hood figuring out our next excursion, we quickly discovered that summiting Mt. St. Helens required purchasing a permit in advance.  Luckily the following day was Monday, and while weekend permits were sold out for the year, there were plenty of permits remaining for the weekdays.  We purchased and printed the permits there at Timberline Lodge, spent the rest of the afternoon at Lost Lake, and then made our way over to the Mt. St. Helens…

  • Oregon

    Mount Hood

    October 13, 2015 - By 

    Had it not been for the hunting hillbillies telling us we weren’t welcome at a dispersed camping area outside of Mount Hood, we wouldn’t have spent the next 45 minutes driving in the dark frantically searching for a place to spend the night. I studied a map and finally suggested driving up a random forest service road in search for a secluded dirt turnout. That not only worked out beautifully, but also generated a new method of searching for dispersed camping that we would end up using repeatedly in the near future. The next morning we drove up to Timberline Lodge.…

  • Oregon

    The Northern Coast of Oregon

    October 12, 2015 - By 

    Despite its epic reputation, we hadn’t planned on making it over to the Oregon coast.  But we did, and boy, were we glad we did.  The original plan was to mosey over to Mount Hood after Portland, but I found out about a fiberglass RV meet-up at Fort Stevens State Park at the last minute. It would be our first fiberglass gathering, which was dubbed Egg NOG (Northern Oregon Gathering). We only spent 1 night at Fort Stevens State Park.  As avid boondockers, we couldn’t bear to spend $29/night for more than one night just for a campsite!  During our stay we…

  • Oregon

    Willamette Valley

    October 7, 2015 - By 

    With wine country being just a convenient, short detour southwest from Portland and with the weather so perfect for sipping wine outdoors, we spent one brief day in the Willamette Valley.  After touring our local Napa wine valley and Mendoza’s wine country, I can say that my favorite season for wine tasting is the autumn.  By then the scorching hot summer sun has settled to a comfortable blanket of warmth, and the endless rows of foliage shine a brilliant crimson against the clear skies.  In Willamette Valley the rolling hills of vineyards extend far into the blue horizon of mountains, and choosing which…

  • Oregon

    Waterfalls and the Columbia River Gorge

    October 6, 2015 - By 

    Images of drizzly, gray skies come to mind when I think of the Portland area.  Although wet weather was a known, I failed to connect water and mountain and was surprised to find out that Oregon is not just full of volcanoes and mountains but also plenty of gorgeous waterfalls.  The autumn season combined with consecutive years of drought meant a lighter water flow, but every waterfall we saw was nonetheless a site to gawk at.  We also were fortunate to have weather in our favor; western Oregon does occasionally see sunny skies and brighter days and we happened to be lucky enough…