Brenda

Dave and my next stop on our nature tour of the Pacific Northwest was Olympic National Park, which is huge!  Encompassing almost 1 million acres, it is made up of a diverse landscape including the coast with arches and sea stacks, rainforests with old growth trees, and rugged mountains with glaciers, rivers, and streams. To […]

As Dave and I continue our nature tour of the Pacific Northwest, the state of Washington has three not-to-miss national parks.  Dave carefully crafted our time in Washington around these parks and nearby gems.   First up, Mount Rainer National Park.  Dave chose Mossyrock State Park as our home base, which sits between Mount Rainer

What is it about lighthouses that draws so much attention? Perhaps it is their dramatic locations, perched on rugged cliffs, surrounded by the beauty of coastal scenery. Maybe it’s their historic role as lifelines for sailors, guiding vessels safely through treacherous waters. Or is it their distinctive, often iconic architecture.  And who can forget the

Dave and my final stop along the Oregon coast was at Fort Stevens State Park in the northwest tip of Oregon.  The campsite was nestled in the forest and it was only a mile walk along a paved trail to the dog-friendly Clatsop beach. Each morning, Murphy and I headed to the beach for our

After leaving the Bandon area, Dave and I headed a bit further north, just outside the city of Newport, OR, camping at Beverly Beach State Park.  Dave picked a premier campsite, just 50 yards from the beach!  Boy was Murphy happy.  More sunrise walks on the beach and gorgeous sunsets in the evening. Beverly Beach

Thanks to the Oregon Beach Bill, signed into law on July 6, 1967, the public has free and uninterrupted access to the dry sand areas of entire coastline, 362 miles long. This bill was passed when private landowners and developers started putting “No Trespassing” signs or structures to restrict access which sparked public outrage.  Now

Our first stop in Oregon was to be Crater Lake National Park, but wait!  We were fortunate to be able to stop by the home of a family friend literally right on the way.   Steve & Betty live in Shady Cove, OR, conveniently located about an hour south of Crater Lake.    We “mooch-camped” in their

For our second stop in the area, we camped about 20 minutes east of Crescent City at Panther Flat Campground, on the Middle Fork of the Smith River.  The campground was just outside of Jedediah Smith State Park, which protects the redwood forests in the area.  We couldn’t wait to explore this area. ___________________________________ Crescent

For over 450 miles, from Monterey County in the south to just south of the Oregon Border in the north, California’s redwood coast is breathtaking.   Dave and I visited the northern end, from Eureka to Crescent City, specifically to visit the Redwood National and State Parks in the area.   From smelling the fresh ocean air

After leaving the acres and acres of lush vineyards in Napa, our next stop was a campground at Folsom Lake (near Sacramento, CA).   Why Folsom you ask?  Folsom is infamous for its prison which achieved notoriety in Johnny Cash’s Folsom Prison Blues. https://youtu.be/AeZRYhLDLeU?si=E1VQlDTXwQY9gWS4 Murphy and I enjoyed sunrise walks to the lake (and I played