On the morning of May 18, 1980 a magnitude 5.1 earthquake triggered one of the world’s largest recorded landslides as the north face of Mt St. Helens collapsed to bury the valleys below, followed within seconds by one of the most powerful volcanic blasts in the history of North America. Within ten minutes the eruptionContinue reading “Mt St. Helens National Volcanic Monument, Washington”
Category Archives: Washington State Parks
Grand Coulee Dam, Dry Falls Heritage Area, and Lake Lenore Caves, Washington
Grand Coulee Dam and Dry Falls Heritage Area vie with each other as the highlight of our itinerary—both are amazing sites to visit! Grand Coulee Dam will be the favorite of many visitors and is where the itinerary begins. The dam is a concrete gravity dam (meaning that only the weight of the concrete structureContinue reading “Grand Coulee Dam, Dry Falls Heritage Area, and Lake Lenore Caves, Washington”
Puget Sound: Bremerton, Keyport, and Port Townsend, Washington
The coastal region of the Pacific Northwest is rich in history and fantastic sites to visit. This short route along the Puget Sound offers an exciting assortment of sites that come together to form a great weekend trip. Even better, this itinerary can be traveled any time of year (but check for holiday closure dates!).Continue reading “Puget Sound: Bremerton, Keyport, and Port Townsend, Washington”
Day Trip: Columbia River, Mattawa to Vantage, Washington
On a map, this stretch of semi-arid desert along the Columbia River looks pretty empty but it turns out that there are some fantastic sites to visit. The sites found here form a perfect destination for a day trip for travelers who are within two hours, maybe two-and-a-half hours’ travel distance, which means the itineraryContinue reading “Day Trip: Columbia River, Mattawa to Vantage, Washington”
Raymond, Long Beach, Cape Disappointment, and Fort Columbia, Washington
The Washington and Oregon coastal regions offer a brimming treasure chest of excellent sites to visit, ranging from historical, marine, maritime, natural and geologic history, and other intriguing sites which make visits to the coast truly magical and wonderful events. Presented below is our first itinerary on the Pacific coast, this one focused on theContinue reading “Raymond, Long Beach, Cape Disappointment, and Fort Columbia, Washington”
Palouse Falls, Dayton, and Waitsburg, Washington
Sometimes even small towns have a great amount of history; Dayton, Washington is one of those places. The museums are small and the exhibits less spectacular than the big city museums, yet they offer a glimpse into local history that is often just as interesting and inspiring. And, it turns out, Dayton and Waitsburg sitContinue reading “Palouse Falls, Dayton, and Waitsburg, Washington”
Vancouver and the Washington Side of the Columbia River Gorge
When folks talk about visiting the Columbia River Gorge, they tend to mean the Oregon side of the river and the Historic Columbia River Highway. However, it turns out that there is a lot to do and see on the Washington side as well along the Evergreen Highway. We are assuming that you will driveContinue reading “Vancouver and the Washington Side of the Columbia River Gorge”
Spokane, Washington
The Spokane area and its rivers had long been a gathering place for area indigenous peoples before a fur trading post built here was Washington’s first long-term European settlement, which eventually led to Spokane becoming the commercial center for the Inland Northwest well into the 20th century. The city’s history is just one element thatContinue reading “Spokane, Washington”
Hit the Road in the Pacific Northwest 