Finding direction and purpose from travel and culture
We’ve explored the northern part of the Olympic Peninsula and Olympic National Park on a handful of occasions, including a long weekend motorcycle trip to Forks, Ruby Beach and the Hoh Rainforest with a loop to Cape Flattery and a scenic ride along the Strait of Juan de Fuca a couple of years back. Since …
Continue reading Southern Olympic Peninsula by Motorcycle
This weekend we FINALLY got around to hiking Mount Pilchuck! This hike has been on our list since we moved to Washington, but for some reason we managed to hike multiple other hikes around it while avoiding this big one. It’s actually not a ‘big one’ compared to most—it’s a little under six miles roundtrip …
Continue reading Washington Hikes: Mount Pilchuck
I can't believe it, but Heather's Compass is officially 10 years old! Thank you to those of you who subscribed or stumbled upon posts and took time to read about some of the amazing places in the world that I have been lucky enough to explore and experience solo and with family and friends. Much …
Continue reading Happy 10th Birthday, Heather’s Compass!
The weekend after my master's degree classes ended (HOORAY!) we set out mid-morning for one of the longer bike-and-hikes we've tackled in a while. Our destination: Lake Serene. By the time we arrived parking at the trailhead was scarce and I was glad we were on our bikes and able to sneak into an available …
Continue reading Washington Hikes: Lake Serene and Bridal Veil Falls
Brian’s birthday fell on a Sunday, two days after I turned in the final paper of my master's degree program, so of course I immediately drummed up all of the fun weekend getaways I keep stored in the back of my brain for just such an occasion, ready to hit the road and celebrate! Unfortunately …
Continue reading Washington Hikes: Spencer Island
Brian needed to drive to Langley, British Columbia to meet a guy about a motorcycle part and asked if I wanted to tag along for the ride. It was a nice day and he was heading out of state the following week for work, so I took advantage of having a few extra hours with him …
Continue reading Worldly Fare: Dutch Lunch in Lynden
We set out Saturday morning to tackle a new hike near Steven's Pass on the western side of the Cascade Mountains called Heybrook Lookout. This short but steep hike to the lookout ended up being about 2.5 miles roundtrip with 992 feet of elevation gain. You better believe our hearts were pumping after that mile …
Continue reading Washington Hikes: Heybrook Lookout
Our first motorcycle trip of the new year took us to nearby Whidbey Island via the Mukilteo-Clinton ferry. The beauty of taking the bikes on the ferry is that you get to skip the line—both the line to purchase tickets as well as the line to board the ferry. Bikes are typically lined up in …
Continue reading Motorcycling on Whidbey Island
We started our new year with a hike to the Big Four Ice Caves near Granite Falls, Washington. We learned about the ice caves shortly after we moved to the Pacific Northwest, but unfortunately because a woman died there when tons of snow and ice collapsed at the mouth of the cave. My public service …
Continue reading Washington Hikes: Big Four Ice Caves
Our final hike of 2018 was to Meadowdale Beach Park, which is a little more than 1.5 miles from our home. We’ve hiked at the park several times but decided we would make this trek a little more challenging by hiking there from our house rather than driving to the trailhead, giving us an extra …
Continue reading Washington Hikes: Meadowdale
Finding direction and purpose from travel and culture
Finding direction and purpose from travel and culture
Finding direction and purpose from travel and culture
