Motorcycling Through Lassen Volcanic National Park

One of the highlights of our week-long motorcycle loop through Oregon and California was spending a couple days in Lassen Volcanic National Park. I had never heard of this park until I started looking at a map of national parks within some proximity to where we live in Spanaway, Washington. I don't know how long …

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Exploring Smith Rock, Oregon

Our first full day of my birthday motorcycle trip took us from Carson, Washington, to Bend, Oregon, with a little-more-than-halfway stop to stretch our legs at the highly recommended Smith Rock State Park. We had a lovely ride south from Hood River, initially taking a backroad that wound through hills and woods before rejoining a …

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Washington Hikes: Whipple Creek

After a great weekend exploring Vancouver, Washington, we made one last stop in Clark County to check out Whipple Creek Regional Park. It was the perfect opportunity to stretch our legs before our several-hour motorcycle ride home. There is a fair amount of parking at the trailhead but be warned - several of the trails …

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Washington Hikes: Carter and Madcap Falls

We set out yesterday morning to hike Narada Falls to Reflection Lake in Mt. Rainier National Park. However, despite arriving just as the gate opened, there was absolutely no parking left at Narada Falls when we arrived. I either sorely underestimated the popularity of this hike, or I simply underestimated the number of people who …

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Hiking in Sedona: Sugarloaf Summits

We arrived in West Sedona in the middle of the afternoon after a beautiful morning in Grand Canyon National Park hiking the South Kaibab Trail and cruising Desert View Drive. I have wanted to explore Sedona for a long time, but this was not the time to do it. We drove through downtown on our …

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Grand Canyon: Hiking South Kaibab Trail

After our six-mile hike on the Bright Angel Trail in Grand Canyon National Park, I was feeling prepared for what we should expect hiking the other major South Rim trail our second full day in the park. The South Kaibab Trail is 6.8 miles to the Colorado River. The National Park Service - in line …

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Grand Canyon: Hiking Bright Angel Trail

Our first day in Grand Canyon National Park we decided to tackle the toughest hike on our list - the iconic Bright Angel Trail! Bright Angel Trail is a 9.3-mile trail down to the Colorado River. The National Park Service recommends that day hikers only go down 6 miles before hiking back out (for 12 …

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