One of the reasons I wanted to go to the San Francisco area was to visit Muir Woods. Muir Woods is a US National Monument. I wrote about national monuments in a previous post. Muir Woods is one I had read about and wanted to explore. It took us about two hours to drive north from where Andrea lives to reach Muir Woods. The drive took us over the Golden Gate Bridge, and shortly after crossing we turned west. We…
Continue Reading “From Muir Woods to San Francisco Bay’s Edge”
When tourists come to Whistler in the summer, a ride up the mountains in a gondola is a must do activity. There are two main gondolas from the village, the Whistler Mountain and the Blackcomb Mountain. Once one is at the top, one can ride another gondola between the tops of the mountains called the Peak to Peak ride. This ride is world record breaking as it traverses 2.7 miles between the two mountains at 1427 feet above the valley…
Friday turned out to be a beautiful day on Whidbey Island. It was a great day for hiking which is what we spent most of the day doing. After getting ready in the morning, we headed back down to Fort Ebey State Park. While yesterday we spent time there on the beach, today we would spend most of our time in the woods. Fort Ebey was built in 1942 to help protect the Puget Sound region. Its purpose was to…
Continue Reading “Forts and Nature converge in North Whidbey Island”
I have wanted to go to Alaska for some time, but it never happened. This spring my daughter suggested we go there for a summer vacation. When airline prices came up that were a great deal, we made the call. We would finally visit the huge state of Alaska. Our sojourn would begin in Fairbanks and end in Anchorage. Our flight arrived in Fairbanks about 9:00 PM the day after the summer solstice. The sun would set at about 12:45am…
Continue Reading “Alaska Sojourn: Hiking Success Near the Chena River”
When one thinks state parks, usually what comes to mind are parks in the mountains or at the ocean beaches. Their distance away from urban centers can make them seem difficult to get to for a day trip. However, nestled in the suburbs on the east side of Lake Washington is St. Edward State Park. One can easily take a day trip to this park, and it recently got a unique upgrade. So grab your Discover Pass and find out…
Continue Reading “St. Edward State Park: A Lodge Opens in its Middle”
Deception Pass is the narrow strait between Fidalgo Island and Whidbey Island about an hour north of Seattle. It was named by George Vancouver after apparently neither he nor his crew noticed it on their first exploration to the area. Later, when they did discover it, they thought it had deceived them, thus the name. Today this strait is traversed by bridges. Between the two large islands is another small island, Pass Island, so there are actually two bridges. They…
Continue Reading “Exploring the North Side of Deception Pass”
For many people vacation can be a time for indulging in things they normally might avoid. To keep that from being a problem exercise should be a part of one’s vacation plans. The Seattle area is blessed with many great trails to use. Walkers, bikers, and roller bladers have a number of options to choose from east of Lake Washington. Most of these trails were once railroad corridors that have been converted to trails. Whether you are a resident or…
Continue Reading “Trails to Conquer East of Seattle (Updated 2024)”
When we researched our trip to Australia, one of the experiences that popped up was the Bondi to Coogee walk. We are big walkers, and a lot of our vacations are spent walking around various cities we visit. We had heard of the famous Bondi Beach, and this walk was a top priority for us to do. Yesterday we had walked in the city. Today we would walk the coast. Fortunately we had a beautiful day for our walk. The…
Continue Reading “Discovering Australia: Bondi to Coogee Walk”
When most people think of Washington, they think of Seattle, the Space Needle, and Mt. Rainier. Washington is far more than that, however. The Cascade Mountains divide the state into two distinctive regions. To the west is the rainy, cloudy region that most people associate with Washington. To the east one finds a much drier area which is hotter in the summer and often colder in the winter. Through this eastern region flows the mighty Columbia River. In the southern…
Continue Reading “Discovering Washington’s Dry Side: Tri-Cities”
