M.I.A Pacific Northwest
Sorry we've been M.I.A. for the past year on the blog. Jenny and I have been working very hard and playing very hard as well. Our most recent road trip was 15 days in the Pacific Northwest this past fall 2014. We left Bonsall and hit several national and state parks on the way up to Squamish, B.C. in Canada. Here are a few photos of the trip. We hope you enjoy the scenery.
This was our first night in the RV(Mazda 3)!
Sheldon Creek Campground, 1.5hrs. north of Santa Rosa, CA
Redwood NP
Starry Night Crater Lake NP
Wizard Island, Crater lake NP
It was nice to get to Smith Rock in Oregon and just chill for a couple days. The past few days were pretty long. Smith Rock was really an amazing place and provided the best camping facilities of the trip. SR is one of the most historic climbing destinations in the world. They say its the birth place of sport climbing in the United States. The conditions on the wall were a bit warm, but we were able to get in a handful of good climbs. We began to get antsy as our time at SR was nearing an end and the thoughts of future destinations were getting closer. And we're off...
Smith Rock SP
Enjoying the steep 5.10 climbing
Jenny nearing the top of the classic "Five Gallon Buckets"
Columbia River Gorge from Beacon Rock, WA
Beacon Rock SP campground
The green room, Olympic NP
Found a prize in the park!
The Olympic coastline is not to be missed
San Juan Islands, WA
Golden evening light
Finally, we've arrived at the "Chief" Squamish, BC
The Chief, a rock formation featured above is another world class destination we were able to visit on our trip. It was another one of our multi-day stops. We spent most of our first day gathering info on the area but we did sneak in a little bouldering. The next day was spent on a rope at nearby cliffs. The rock here is some of the best granite in the world and rivals the rock in Yosemite Valley. Most people trad climb here, but the bouldering is some of my favorite anywhere. The boulders are sprawled out under a blanket of pines and covered in moss and lichen. Walking through the boulder fields is like opening a door to another planet. Squamish is truly an awe-inspiring place I hope to one day visit again.
"Laughing Crack" the best 5.7 I've ever climbed
Jenny racked and ready for a trad lead
Jenny cruising her warm up lead
Fun evening bouldering in the forest
Shannon Falls, BC
Emerald waters of the Squamish River
As we headed back south toward home, we hit some other incredible spots on the way: Mt. Rainier NP, Fort Stevens SP, Haystack Rock and Lassen NP.
Christine Falls, Mt. Rainier NP
Muir Snowfield, just below Camp Muir, Mt. Rainier NP
Marmot lookout
Logging Yards, a sight never seen in SoCal
Ship wreck, Fort Stevens SP, Oregon
Haystack Rock, OR
The wild geothermal/volcanic features of Lassen NP
Thank you all for following us on our worldwide adventures. More to come from our most recent trips.
