We didn’t get to ride our motorcycles at all in 2015 due to Ohio weather, our move to the Pacific Northwest and  weather in Washington.

Brian spent a ton of time getting them ready for this year– there’s a lot that needs checked and refreshed when they’ve been sitting for more than 12 months– but his hard work paid off.

He had them both fired up and running smoothly so we took advantage of the gorgeous weather we’ve been experiencing lately and took a ride to Wallace Falls State Park.

The park was actually recommended to me by my dental hygienist. We were talking about hiking, and I mentioned that we were looking for trails near us that were challenging but not overwhelming. We’re always working to get in shape but are not currently in a place, and don’t have sufficient gear, to do some of the advanced hikes in the area.

She suggested Wallace Falls because there are several trails, giving you some control of how long you hiked, and she liked that there was a ‘reward’ at the turnaround point– the waterfalls.

We decided to hike to the middle falls, which was just under 5 miles round trip with an elevation gain of 770 feet. That’s considered moderate, and that’s about where we want to be right now! I

t took us 1.5 hours out and an hour back, which was a great hike, and of course we took some pictures along the way.

The hike out was beautiful, but a little overshadowed by the 265-foot waterfall and the incredible views out over the Cascade Mountains.

I can’t get over the mountains! I still get overwhelmed coming around a corner and seeing Mt. Rainier, and I love looking for the Olympic Mountains as I ride the bus into Seattle each morning.

Old-growth forests, the Pacific ocean and Puget Sound, multiple mountain ranges– it’s one of the most beautiful parts of the country.

I look forward to going on more hikes this summer and would love to take the bikes out more, as weather permits.

It worked out perfectly to leave our gear with the bikes and bring out water bottles and hiking shoes in the backpack (thank you, everyone, for being honest and leaving our things alone!).

Easy half-day adventure– can’t wait for the next!