The Pursuit of Life

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Category: Travel (page 2 of 5)

The Olympic Peninsula | Part I

Hoh Rainforest, Olympic National Park, Washington, USA

A few weeks ago we spent some time on the Olympic Peninsula, in Washington, and absolutely fell in love with the area.  We adore it in every way, even if it did pour down rain on us.

The peninsula is mostly covered by Olympic National Park, with the very outside of the peninsula all around the Park dotted with farms and cute little towns, and the Coast Guard station, of course!  Olympic NP might just be my favorite national park (in the U.S.) so far, for lots of reasons, including that it covers such a variety of environments.  You’ve got the old growth rainforest, the beautiful Pacific coastline, the majestic mountain ranges in the center, and water – so much water – waterfalls, lakes, coastline, rivers, and lots of opportunities for wildlife viewing.  It’s a playground for just about anyone who cares anything for the outdoors and I am certain that there is something here for everyone.

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Life on the Road | June Digest

Olympic Marmot, Olympic National Park, Hurricane Ridge, Washington

Hey Marmot, you’ve got something in your teeth! 😉

 How on Earth is it July already?!  We’ve been on the road for 4 months now, and still loving every minute … okay maybe not loving it when the rain’s been pouring on us for a bit, but we will take some rain if it means lovely waterfalls, rainbows and bright sunny days come afterwards!  We are now embarking on the part of the trip that I have eagerly anticipated the most – Alaska!  But for now, here is the tally of facts and figures from the last month – June 10th through July 10th:

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100 Days On the Road

Well we have officially been on the road for 100 days!  Well a couple more than that by now.  Our 100th day fell on the summer solstice, the longest day of the year, and we spent the day sea kayaking around San Juan Island in very windy seas but beautiful sunny weather, searching the horizon for signs of Orcas or other whales or dolphins.  We didn’t see any whales unfortunately, but spotted a number of Bald Eagles, including some mating activity, and had a lovely time exploring the western coast of San Juan Island, and getting a workout in to boot.

So, as we celebrate this milestone of 100 days into this grand adventure, here are some random thoughts from me.

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TinyHouse | Portland, Oregon

TinyHouse, Portland, Oregon

TinyHouses are all the rage these days, and so we jumped on the bandwagon!  And LOVED IT!  You guys sure loved the Instagram photo of the TinyHouse we rented in Portland, Oregon, too.  It is my most loved, most appreciated photo so far.  And by popular demand, in fact, very demanding demand, here’s a post about our experience staying in the TinyHouse in Portland.

TinyHouse Interior, Portland, Oregon

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Memorial Day in Southern Oregon

Heart Lake, Mount Shasta, Northern California

Life was meant for good friends and great adventures.  It is especially sweet when good friends join you for those great adventures.  For Memorial Day this year, a couple of our favorites joined us on the road for the long weekend.  We met them at Shasta National Forest, in the very northern part of California, and began our weekend of revelry.  We hiked from Castle Lake to Heart Lake, catching up on life and enjoying the beautiful views of Mt. Shasta.

Heart Lake, Mount Shasta, Northern California

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Canyoneering

Canyoneering in Water Canyon, Utah

Canyoneering – what an exhilarating, slightly terrifying way to experience the canyons that make up so much of Utah’s beauty!  When we are given a raving review of a place or activity, we usually take it.  This is what happened when we decided to go canyoneering near Zion National Park in southern Utah.  We’d met a guy on our hike on Hermit Trail at the Grand Canyon (see here for a recap!) and got to chatting with him, and he could not speak more highly of his experience canyoneering in Water Canyon in southern Utah.  So we put it on the list and we are so glad that we did.

Canyoneering in Water Canyon, outside of Zion National Park, Utah

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The Camper!

Subaru Outback and Treeline Teardrop Camper

We have affectionately named her Magellan, or Gelly for short!

So how did we end up choosing this camper over all the other options – tents, RVs, fifth wheels?  Camping and roadtripping continues to grow in popularity, so there are lots of options to choose from, but when we focused on our budget, our must have features, where we would be traveling and what kind of experience we were looking for, the Treeline Teardrop Camper was the perfect option for us.  Here’s why and how we came to the decision.

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ANTELOPE CANYON AND HORSESHOE BEND, PAGE ARIZONA

Horseshoe Bend, Page Arizona, at sunset

Horseshoe Bend and Antelope Canyon, both just outside of Page, Arizona in the very northern part of the state on the border with Utah, are “must see” spots – touted on top 10 lists and with beautiful photos included in the guide books.  So of course we thought – we have to go see these stunning places!  And stunning they are …  gilded but not gold because of the crowds that taint the experience of gazing on such beautiful places.

Antelope Canyon, Navajo Reservation, Arizona

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Should you take your dog with you on your road trip?

Adventure Dog - Traveling with a Pup on your Roadtrip

If you have ever met us, you know how obsessed we are with our pup.  Our furbaby. Our darling princess queen bee nugget Coconut.  So when we decided to take a long road trip around the Western U.S, we thought well of course we will take Coconut with us!  Well, that’s what I thought.  Ryan was a little more practical and said – maybe we should think about this a little more.  And of course I won out and we took her with us!  But there are some serious things to consider when deciding whether you should bring your dog along with you on your roadtrip. 

Coconut was with us for 5 weeks on the road and we absolutely loved having her along for the adventure.  After all, you wouldn’t leave your kids at home for such a grand adventure, so why would we leave our fur-kid at home?!  

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THE PURSUIT OF DELISH | SOURDOUGH CAMP BREAD

Sourdough Camp Bread Recipe

I am not a baker per se.  I don’t have the fancy scales, cake pans and pie tins that are hallmarks of a serious baker.  I dabble in baking and usually it turns out pretty tasty … although I have never quite figured out how to make my flourless cake not crumble the instant I try to serve it on a plate.  Regardless, I’d like to think that I’m a decent baker because I am a rule follower.  To the T.  So I can follow a recipe like it’s nobody’s business.  When we finalized our plans for this trip, I decided that I wanted to learn how to make bread so that I can make some bread for us from time to time on the road.  

Sourdough Bread Baking Class, La Victoria Bakery, San Francisco

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