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Samuel H Boardman State Park on the Oregon Coast
As Highway 101 winds along the Southern Oregon Coast’s rugged and wild shoreline, it showcases jaw-dropping vistas and superlative natural splendor. The winding ribbon of road traverses some of the most breathtaking scenery in the Pacific Northwest. It features jagged rock monoliths, deserted beaches and sweeping sand dunes that have been sculpted by harsh winds and crashing waves over the course of millennia. Oregon’s southern coastline is a testament to nature’s capacity for both careful creation and heedless destruction. And nowhere is its harsh and fragile beauty more spectacular than…
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6 Things to do on a Whidbey Island Day Trip from Seattle
For stressed-out Seattleites, Whidbey Island is an idyllic emerald escape. The spindly vertical isle in Washington’s Puget Sound features evergreen forests, cozy waterside towns, sweeping beaches, and soaring mountain views. It is the type of place where artists set up shop, where waves lap gently against lonely windswept beaches, and where the humdrum of city life seems worlds away. At about 57 miles long and 10 miles wide, Whidbey is the largest island in Western Washington’s Puget Sound. Its wealth of tourist attractions and proximity to Seattle make it a…
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Day Trip to Mount St Helens National Monument
Four decades ago, Mount St Helens unleashed the most destructive eruption in modern US history. The volcano’s explosion expelled 520 million tons of ash that darkened the skies above Washington State. The plumes of smoke traveled eastward nearly 2,000 miles across the country—leaving a blanket of ash in their wake. The eruption of Mount St Helens created the largest debris avalanche in recorded history. It killed 57 people in its path, and wiped away much of the mountain’s northern face. Today—forty years after the explosion forever changed the appearance of…
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Making the Most of One Day in Maui
As a flight attendant, I’ve grown accustomed to seeing the world from a birds-eye vantage point. In fact, the notion of lounging on a beach merely hours before floating through the sky is nothing really out of the ordinary. It is just part of my life. But until I drove to the top of Haleakala Volcano for aerial views of the Hawaiian island chain, I didn’t know it was possible to view the world from sea level and 10,000 feet—within the span of two hours—without setting foot on an aircraft.…
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The Palouse Scenic Byway in Eastern Washington
The Palouse is a fertile patchwork of undulating hills, located primarily in the eastern reaches of Washington State. Speckled with picturesque barns and sheep-studded pastures, the Palouse represents a nostalgic depiction of rural American life. Yet, despite its seductive charm, this large swath of Washington farmland doesn’t get much love. It is often regarded as flyover country—overlooked in favor of the mountains, ocean, and forests that define the state’s western half. In part because of its relative unknown, and in part because we wanted the opportunity to visit Palouse Falls…
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12 Incredible Things to Do in Central Oregon
Central Oregon is one of the United States’ most beguiling outdoor playgrounds. In recent years, the area has soared in popularity. It has become a mecca for nature enthusiasts and recreation lovers. The fact that there are countless things to do in Central Oregon is no longer a secret. And today, its deserts, volcanoes and ponderosa forests—once largely dismissed in favor of fertile lands to the west—-are beginning to draw adventurous tourists in droves. Dan and I have always tried to go against the grain in our travels. We’ve often…
