I woke up early on Wednesday, September 29 after another restless night of sleep. Today was a make or break day of finding a vehicle that could sustain my trip. I had a massage scheduled for 10 and after that I was driving to Salem to try to find a car that would hopefully hold …
Facing Adversity in Silverton, Oregon… Or Leg 2 Starts with a Bang After Getting My Car Side Swiped by an Inattentive Driver
Madison was great and I really loved seeing some friends back home and having some social time with people I know and then getting a chance to check in on my house. It was great spending time with friends and family in Chicago, but I did not have the best time in Chicago. I am …
Leg 1 Recap and Stats
After a couple days seeing friends in Madison and going to a sorry excuse for a football game in Chicago and I am flying back to Portland today to continue my sabbatical. I really enjoyed seeing everyone in Madison, although I could do without Chicago. I forgot how much I do not like that city. …
The Sun Sets on the First Leg of My Sabbatical – Seaside, Long Beach, Cape Disappointment and Astoria
I left my hotel on Sunday, September 19th and arrived outside Portland to get my cracked phone screen replaced. I used the down time to find a sports bar with WIFI to catch up on work and watch a little football. I arrived in Seaside, Oregon in the late afternoon. Seaside reminded me of many …
Exploring the Lava Tubes – Ape Cave and Longview, Washington
After catching doing some trip planning I was headed to the Ape Cave Lava Tubes on Saturday 9/18. I stopped by REI on my way out of town to get a headlamp to compliment my flashlight since the cave had no lighting. After a 2 hour drive I arrived. It was raining and I knew …
Mt Rainier Day 4 and Tacoma
It was so cold on Wednesday night I could see my breath in the air when I woke up. I had the clothing for this kind of weather, but it was still tough to get motivated to get out of bed. I made some coffee as I was tearing down my campsite to warm me …
Rampart Ridge, Signs from Adventurers, and a Return to Paradise – Mount Rainier Day 3
Rampart Ridge, Signs from Adventures, and a Return to Paradise – Mount Rainier Day 3 I woke up Wednesday 9/15/2021 after another cold night and not sure what I was going to hike today and where I was going next. Heavy rain was in the forecast for Friday, so I wanted to spend one more …
Finding Paradise on Mount Rainier – Mount Rainier Day 1 and 2
I arrived at the Mount Rainier around 3 on Monday 9/13/2021 and was lucky to get one of the last first come first served sites at Cougar Rock. After setting up camp, which my tent barely fit into. I spent some time reorganizing how I had my tent, car and trunk laid out to make …
Woodard Bay, Chehalis Western Trail and Tumwater Falls – Olympia, Washington
After some down time at my hotel, I wanted to get some biking in and headed to the Chehalis Western Trail, it was a pretty standard rail to trail that went thru communities and forested area with some nice view. The trail was closed or construction on the southern half, so I only got in …
Kalaloch Coast, Ruby Beach and the Cupcake Fairy.
I woke up to rain on Saturday and did some trip planning. I decided I wanted to stop and see the coastal area, then get a hotel in Olympia for a couple days before heading to Mount Rainier. As I drove down the highway to visit Ruby Beach, I saw a sign that said Tsunami …