Condors, Crows, and Thunderbirds, Oh My!

I can hear it before I even open my eyes for the morning. It’s like walking by a stadium; thousands of rowdy voices clamoring together. Rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I sit up on my knees in bed and peer through the dusty screen out across our cold, grey backyard. In the distance, I…

Olympic National Park: Shi Shi Beach Backpacking

Question: Why do people love backpacking so much? And why haven't I done it yet? Having grown up in the Pacific Northwest, it's more than a little silly that I haven't gone backpacking before. I've tent-camped a hundred places, hiked a hundred more, but never the two together. My encounters with backpacking have been purely…

Book: Wintergreen

Wintergreen: Rambles in a Ravaged Land, by Robert Michael Pyle Challenge: A book based in your current town or region (Willapa Hills is close enough to Seattle, right?) Rating: 5/5 stars Review: This is a lovely book. I have now purchased a fine hardback copy for myself, and I suggest you do likewise. I feel…

Approaching Home: Painted Hills & Craters

Idaho came on fast! We bid the snowy bosoms farewell, going over an impressive mountain pass, then before we knew it we were in Idaho Falls. Bam. This time we learned, and called the Boise/Meridian KOA there first to make sure they were open. Then more of Idaho, until we reached Craters of the Moon…

Photo of the Week: Glass Art in Edmonds!

My mom is up for the weekend, and my sister and I both had today off (whoopee!) so we decided to go to Edmonds. We painted our own pottery there at Glazed and Amazed a couple years ago, so my sister suggested this time we make our own glass art! It was interesting. A very…