Frivolous Friday! My 35 Day RV Vacation! The Pacific Coast
It’s Frivolous Friday!
Thought I would share some of the fun I squeezed in this week (in between all my portrait sessions and retouching work.)
Yep, this happened #1:
Just got home from a LONG ADVENTURE!
In case you missed the first three chapters of the story- I just finished a 35 day, 5,200 mile trip!
We visited nine States, five National Parks, one International Park and a million other amazing places!!!
This is my 4th and final week of sharing the fun!
**If you want to see/read the other chapters just click :
#1 CLICK HERE FOR GRAND TETONS NATIONAL PARK
#2 CLICK HERE FOR YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK
#3 CLICK HERE FOR GLACIER NATIONAL PARK
We left Glacier National Park (and started the second half of our trip!) on a bright and beautiful morning….
We saw lots of beautiful farmsteads and ranches along the way…we also figured out why Montana is called the BIG SKY STATE (seriously, this was our view for almost AN ENTIRE day of driving!)
BTW: the yellow flower field below is CANOLA!
(I guess it makes sense that canola would be a crop but it surprised me!)
How’s this for a speed limit? GULP!
Our camping spot that night was on the edge of Flathead Lake in Montana.
And when I say ON THE EDGE of the lake I mean it!
But seriously: isn’t this the most perfect camp site EVER?
We were 10 feet from the water with our own rocky look out, a private beach and views from every window in the trailer!!
We couldn’t really even see the neighbors!
We could have fished from inside the trailer if we were fisher-people…
The next morning Flashy and I were up at sunrise to enjoy the views…. and head out on our early morning “awe walk.”
Are you familiar with the term “Awe Walk?” If not, let me fill you in:
An Awe Walk is a meditative walk where your sole task is to encounter something that amazes and transcends, be it big or small.
You shift your energy and attention outward instead of inward (this leads to improvements in emotional well-being – and it’s FUN!)
More joy and connection with our surroundings is something all of us can use nowadays…..what do you think?
Check THIS OUT if you want info about how to do an Awe Walk – it works walking in your neighborhood too!
We saw a deer enjoying her breakfast….
And some beautiful cherry trees growing in the wild…
And were absolutely amazed to see a Bald Eagle flying right over us! WHAT?????
We ran back to the trailer to trade my cell phone camera for my professional camera and zoom lens so we could make some beautiful portraits… say “Cheese!”
Fast forward a few days later when we leashed up the Bark Ranger and headed over to the cute Bavarian town of Leavenworth, Washington.
(Think ‘Solvang’ in the mountains…)
Such a sweet ambiance!
We strolled through a few shops including Kris Kringle’s and the Nutcracker Museum and enjoyed an authentic (sorta…lol) German lunch.
Next stop: Pacific Beach, Washington…
Our campsite had a full view of the beach and ocean and our own private entrance to the beach. Score!
Flashy and I kept up our Awe Walks every morning….
And we enjoyed getting up close and personal with the wildlife….but not too close….eek!
A shrimp boil seemed just the thing to welcome ourselves to the Pacific coast!
FYI: we don’t “rough-it” when it comes to food while camping – we LIVE IT UP and EAT IT UP! yum!
We saw a lot of birds on our trip – here are a few of my favs.
One State Park Campground we stayed at had an AIRPLANE Camping area –
pilots just fly in, land on a private runway and navigate their plane over to their campsite.
Isn’t that a fun idea?
We loved stopping at farmer’s markets all along our trip and enjoyed so many incredible fresh-picked fruits and vegetables!
In Washington, we stopped to buy some home grown cherries and had the chance to taste Rainier Cherries- (they are the yellowy-red ones) very sweet and our new fav!
Then we packed a lunch and headed to Quinault Rainforest in Olympic National Forest.
Originally we thought we would do the short loop but we enjoyed it so much, we added on the 4 mile bigger loop to include Cedar Bog and the Cascade Falls.
Everything is green and lush with creeks, waterfalls and amazing things to look at!
All along the way we saw wild raspberries.
Last year when we were in Oregon I picked them to snack on but we were earlier in the season this year so they weren’t ripe yet.
**And actually it was lucky the raspberries weren’t ready to eat because the ranger said if they were ripe, the bears would be there enjoying them! And we didn’t need to see a bear!
Best of all, the Bark Ranger was allowed to join us on the trail!
How amazing is THIS?
After a few days on the Washington coast we packed up and headed south –
As we drove we would sometimes stop at cute little seaside towns along the way…we stumbled on
“THE SWEET LIFE” Ice cream shop!
How fun is that?
Of course I had to stop!
**Fun fact, whenever I visit an independently run ice cream shop I always ask the employees for their flavor recommendations – and usually I choose their fav.
(Because I’ve never met an ice cream flavor I didn’t like….except spumoni….yuck….)
Today’s cone was Salted Caramel!
The next morning we zipped into Oregon.
…and made a stop at the Tillamook Cheese Factory!
Flashy wasn’t allowed inside, but he had fun on the patio!
The factory tour was interesting…the free cheese samples were delish but my favorite thing there was the adorable gift shop!
And we munched our way through a cheesy lunch!
We pulled out early the next morning and continued south to good ole California and Redwood National Park…
Our campsite was definitely the best one in the park -HUGE, private, incredible views from every side and surrounded by redwoods — just amazing!!
(And yes, I carefully researched and chose this space a year ago – none of our campsites were random reservations. It’s always a good thing when your plans work out!)
We enjoyed lots of beautiful strolls around the lush campground-
My morning AWE WALKS were spectacular!
Later that day we stretched out in our little corner of the Redwood Forest….!
Then it was time to buckle up and head home….boo hoo!
The rest of the trip was uneventful except when we almost died at the price of gas (just before the Cajon Pass…gulp.)
We picked our jaw up off the ground, whipped out the credit card and fed our little Wolf Pup rig the premium fuel she deserved!
All to soon we were home!
We kept the trailer home for a few days to unpack, clean it inside and out and wash every speck of laundry, rugs, bedding, parkas, etc. WHEW!
Then, sadly, we tucked our little Wolf Pup back into her storage space….sleep tight little one until our next adventure!
“TO TRAVEL IS TO LIVE”
– Hans Christian Andersen
What can I say: I’m Feeling Blessed!
And do you know what else I’m blessed by? Capturing amazing moments for you to treasure for a lifetime!
As a photographer it is my great joy to capture Family and Senior Portraits, Engagement, Weddings and MORE that are as special and unique as you are –
sessions are an hour long with unlimited poses, unlimited outfits, unlimited fun!
Please VISIT MY WEBSITE for more information or
EMAIL ME with questions or to schedule
Please visit my website to see my photography portfolio, get more details or ask a question: www.savoringthesweetlife.com
I’m waiting to hear from you –
to capture a slice of YOUR sweet life!
I am a full time professional photographer based in San Diego, but will travel anywhere for weddings.
Serving San Diego, Poway, Scripps Ranch, La Jolla, Del Mar, Rancho Santa Fe, 4-S Ranch, Penasquitos, Rancho Bernardo, Outdoor Family, Child, High School Senior, Family Reunion, Newborn,
Engagement, Couples, Best, Fun Senior Portraits, Family Reunion, Beach Portrait Shoot, Park Portrait shoot, Balboa Park , Wedding photographer
