THE UNITED STATES OF US

Passports in tow, Canada we're ready to go! We love travel, we especially love travel outside our country. For us to be able to expose the children to other cultures, diversity is unmeasurable. The gains are never ending. Canada has always been a stop on our tour - it was just a matter is selecting which part of Canada. We got to experience another Ferry, only this time it was a little over 3-hours. We were excited about this since our first Ferry adventure was only 30 minute

What's in Mt. Vernon, Wa? Lots of color in their fields that's what! Tulip blooms are fast filling the fields with color as far as the eye can see. The Skagit Valley (Mt. Vernon, Wa) Tulip Festival is one BIG destination stop in the Pacific Northwest. Here from April 1-30 they celebrate millions of tulips bursting into bloom. As with all things governed by Mother Nature, the tulips bloom according to their own schedule sometime during the festival. The tulips allow this area 

Lately we've been taking a lot of risks - 'feel the fear and do it anyways' is our motto. We've driven dirt roads, mountain passes, deserts, pot-hole freeways, beaches - so why not onto ferry? The ole RV on a ferry was definitely one of the biggest risks to date. At first we thought, “there is no way our big RV is going to fit on the ferry!” Then while waiting to board, we saw all kinds of vehicles de-boarding the vessel, RVs, 5th wheels, Semi trucks even! Why Ferry when you

Deception Pass is Washington’s most-visited state park for a reason. We figured this as we stumbled upon it's bridge, and all the parked cars, on our way to the Cascade Mountains. Quickly the easy to spot coves, rugged cliffs, to-die-for water views and a stomach-dropping high bridge, make this park a go-to! We were informed that "If you know only the landmark green bridge at Deception Pass State Park, you don’t know this park". We clearly don't know this park, because we wer

Look how far we've come! What you need to know about road tripping the Olympic National Forest: Hoh Rain Forest Always green, and almost always wet, Hoh Rain Forest is at the top of our must-see list. Here you'll see a rich spectrum of greens: thet deep emerald of licorice fern, the wan olive of hanging club moss, and the turqoise of Sitka spruce needles. Sol Duc Falls O the wild beauty of Sol Duc! Just a 0.8-mile hike to Sol Duc Falls. We crossed a canyon by bridge for an

In my lifetime I've only known of one true 'close to home' volcano. On May 18, 1980, Mount St. Helens erupted in Washington. The blast knocked down the side and blew off the top of the mountain, causing a massive avalanche and killing 57 people. Ash from the volcanic eruption fell as far away as Minnesota! We learned about this not only from our science classes at the time, but also from family, friends and of course, the media. Millions of trees were scorched and burned by t

Oregon has many volcanoes, Mount Hood is what is known as a stratovolcano - a very high volcano that is cone-shaped with many layers of volcanic ash, rock and lava that has hardened over time. Thankfully Mount Hood is considered a dormant volcano, but did erupt in 1907. Mount Hood is only 50 miles from Portland and is a great destination for climbers, hikers and skiers! Timberline Lodge, built on Mt. Hood, was a must on our 'see it' list. It's widely known as The Overlook hot

Home to 115 officially named waterfalls—and many more un-named, off trail falls—the Columbus River Gorge, an 85-mile stretch of river, holds the highest concentration of waterfalls in the world! Multnomah Falls, the second largest in the US, is magnificent! Located just 30 minutes outside Portland, it's s must see. Multnomah Falls is a 'walk-up-to', 611-foot-tall roaring, awe-inspiring cascade of icy water. It's literally a 5-minute walk from the parking lot, but if you want

If you need a kickstart to be inspired, jump onto Portland's Aerial Tram. The tram will take you up (3,300 linear feet) Portland’s highest hill in 3.5 minutes, helping you bypass narrow, winding roads lined with a dense forest and steep cliffs, for a remarkable view! Once atop Marquam Hill, you'll be granted views of downtown Portland and the largest enclosed sky bridge in North America. Another upper area houses an outdoor patio with seating so that you can view the surround

We went "forest bathing" today. Forest bathing is basically being in the presence of trees. This act became part of a national public health program in Japan in 1982 when the forestry ministry coined the phrase shinrin-yoku and promoted topiary as therapy. Forest bathing works like this: Just be with trees. No hiking, no counting steps on a Fitbit. You can sit or meander, but the point is to relax rather than accomplish anything. The Japanese practice of forest bathing is pro