We packed A LOT into the last two weeks of our time exploring Washington and Oregon…

We stayed in a cute little cabin in Ashford, just outside Mount Rainier National Park. Felix also discovered s’mores here! It was his first time trying them and he loved them! On our way there we made a stop in North Bend and Snoqualmie Falls – a fun little spot for me as a longtime Twin Peaks fan.

Next, we ventured to the Olympic Peninsula, staying in the coastal area of La Push. We made our way into Olympic National Park where we hiked the Hall of Mosses trail in the Hoh Rainforest. Felix had another new discovery here: banana slugs! We only saw a couple in Olympic but they’d become a more common sight later on in Northern California.

From there we made a detour back to one of our favorite places of the whole trip The Columbia River Gorge. We stayed at Under Canvas, which made for a fun glamping experience and spent some time in Hood River. The town had a great vibe, we found a plant-based sandwich shop, watched kite surfers on the river and found a great park for Felix to burn off some energy.

We continued down the rugged Oregon Coast. The cliffs were steep and the ocean was rough but there was something calming about it. We particularly loved Cannon Beach where we made s’mores on our beach bonfire.

And finally, we ended our PNW journey with a stay at the iconic Crater Lake Lodge. Waking up to views of the lake was the perfect sendoff.

From moss covered forests and snowy peaks to coastal sunsets and campfire treats, the Pacific Northwest gave us family memories we’ll carry forever.

On to California!

WEEK 6 and 7 (some of)

• Mount Rainier National Park
• Olympic National Park
• Colombia River Gorge and Hood River
• Oregon Coast – Cannon Beach, Yachats, Bandon
• Crater Lake National Park

Wildlife count: Elk, eagles, sea lions, deer, BANANA SLUGS!

Thoughts / lessons learnt: We unexpectedly fell in love with The Colombia River Gorge area of Oregon – it wasn’t the place I was most looking forward to but it ended up being a big highlight!