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Olympic National Park – Ozette Lake and Cape Alava Trail

Posted on February 14, 2017February 14, 2017 by Christina

Ozette Lake and the Cape Alava trailhead are about an hour and a half drive north and out to the coast from Forks, our basecamp on the west side of Olympic National Park. A few miles from our destination, on Hoko-Ozette Road, I heard a funny knocking noise, and then I saw the distress on…

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Christina standing next to and dwarfed by the huge driftwood at Rialto Beach with James Island off shore in the distance

Olympic National Park – The West Coast Beaches

Posted on February 13, 2017February 13, 2017 by Christina

Rialto Beach From our home base at Riverview RV Park in Forks, Rialto Beach was a short drive down Mora Road along the Quillayute River. We made the drive on our first afternoon in Forks after setting up camp. We arrived at Rialto Beach, got out of the truck, and were blasted by the wind…

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Christina scanning the distance with her binoculars from the top of Klahhane Ridge

Olympic National Park – The North Side

Posted on February 13, 2017February 13, 2017 by Christina

We love something about every national park we have visited, but some parks are so dazzling that they become imprinted in our memories, and we could return again and again. Olympic National Park is now one of those parks. Just ten years ago, I was not even familiar with the existence of Olympic National Park….

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View from Blue Lake Trail of a colorful clearing - golden grass and red-colored shrubs - between firs with mountains in the background

North Cascades National Park

Posted on January 26, 2017January 26, 2017 by Christina

From Portland we ventured further north than I’ve ever been on the West Coast – almost all the way to the Canadian border. We got an overview of the City of Seattle as we sat in traffic on Interstate 5 and gazed out at the Puget Sound, the Space Needle, and the buildings of downtown….

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Multnomah Falls, the double falls with the bridge in between

Portland and The Columbia River Gorge

Posted on December 25, 2016December 25, 2016 by Christina

After our adventures in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest and my two-week elemental diet treatment, we spent a week near Portland, partly because my naturopathic doctor is located there, and partly because all those people who say Portland is an awesome city are right! Portland and the surrounding area has a lot more to offer…

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Elk Meadows Part 2 – Gifford Pinchot National Forest

Posted on November 16, 2016November 16, 2016 by Christina

Since I seemed to be stable and capable of activity on the elemental diet, we decided to get out and explore the Gifford Pinchot National Forest, which surrounded us at Elk Meadows RV Park. Our first day out, we attempted to find trailheads in the Mt. Adams Wilderness with the maps and information provided at…

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Christina meditating on her yoga mat with a view of Mt. Adams

Elk Meadows Part 1 – A Perfect Spot for Another SIBO Treatment

Posted on October 22, 2016October 22, 2016 by Christina

While we were in central Oregon, I decided to attempt another treatment for my SIBO (small intestine bacterial overgrowth – get the background story here). This time I would do 14 days of the elemental diet. I had attempted three weeks of the elemental diet back in March and had made it to Day 17….

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The sign at the entrance to Crooked River Ranch

Crooked River Ranch

Posted on October 21, 2016October 21, 2016 by Christina

  Crooked River Ranch was just an overnight stop for us between running errands in Bend, Oregon and journeying to Trout Lake, Washington where we would stay for 17 days, but it turned out to be a place we wish we had stayed longer. On August 25th, we left the Crescent – La Pine area…

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Michael taking a nap on a log by Doris Lake

Central Oregon – Explorations from Big Pines RV Park

Posted on October 17, 2016October 20, 2016 by Christina

After a couple of days stressing over our trailer problems, we finally got to have some fun! We stayed for a little over a week at Big Pines RV Park in Crescent, Oregon and explored the Cascade Lakes region. Big Pines was a clean and pleasant RV park with a trail that led from the…

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View from the rim of Crater Lake

Crater Lake

Posted on October 5, 2016October 17, 2016 by Christina

We finally left Red Bluff on August 12, 2016 and towed Foxy north to Crater Lake RV Park in Prospect, Oregon, passing the iconic Castle Crags, Mount Shasta, and Black Butte, and stopping at Wal-Mart in Medford to pick up some groceries on the way. (We’ve become regular Wal-Mart shoppers since taking ownership of a…

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Michael and Christina in front of Heart of Rocks in Chiricahua NM.

Welcome! We are Michael and Christina, husband and wife based in Ventura, California. We are curious observers of the natural world. Our blog is a place to share what we learn. Grab a beverage and enjoy a story or two. Thank you for stopping by!

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