A short and very sweet look at last night’s sunset in this remarkable part of the world. 60 days on the water today and every day is awesomely different.

I should say "tied" for the best swimming I've ever done, I've done some amazing swimming from mountain lakes to the Caribbean to Hawaii. Today was unreal. The color of the water was so stunning. I didn't take any pictures. Very hazy day. The water temperature was perfect, at the surface anyway, dive down a ways and it was really cold. Swimming north from the campground roped off beach area into the inlet where Swift Creek flows into the lake the view was amazing, better than this pic. (I stopped on the way home at the bridge and took this snap, had to stop anyway) unobstructed Mountain. A large bald eagle circled and soared real close to us. No jet skis. Hardly any motorboats. Very peaceful and quiet. First time (out of many) that I've been on Baker Lake and it was almost totally calm. Usually the wind is howling by the afternoon with whitecaps on the lake. I can remember years ago when I was quite fit canoeing with another fit friend and struggling mightily against the wind to get back to the campground after having gone across to the east side of the lake. Not today. There's a sand bar in the Swift Creek inlet where the depth goes from 40? 100? whoknowshowmany feet deep to 2 to 3 foot depth, just a big sand bar hanging out in the middle of the water. We swam over and stood there ogling the view for a long time, such a spot. Very fun, standing in the middle of the lake. Really wishing I had a waterproof camera with me. That sand bar has been there for many years, it's size and shape change yearly. Couldn't have been better. Really the best swimming.

A bushwhack off the Eagle Creek #501 trail

Sunrise and a whale pic from a great trip. The Ranger Tug Community is amazing.

Hi all,

My husband and I are planning a somewhat impromptu 3-4 day road trip along the PNW coast with our dog next week. We love going to Astoria and have gone as far south as Tillamook. 4 days isn't a lot of time, especially since we'd be driving from Seattle. I want to make sure we're hitting the right spots. We'll consider driving as far as Coos Bay.

Would love to get everyone's thoughts on 1) interesting spots; 2) restaurant recommendations; and 3) lodging options.

Thank you!

Update: He finally reappeared after 10 hours. Turns out he had no signal. Thank you to everyone who responded!! Truly appreciate it.

A long shot but a friend went hiking today and hasn’t posted / logged anything on Strava. His location on Find My was showing 7 hours ago but hasn’t come back up now at 9 hours and switched to “no location found” I have his last known coordinates. Who can I contact to get any information on whether he’s hurt or something? He’s logged every hike and has either sent the group pics or posted on his socials, so it’s unlike him to not update.

Just trying to help my parents find their dog. While visiting friends you got spooked and after a 2 days of searching, they had to head home due to medical needs. Black Chihuahua / Min pinscher. He can be a little skittish. But loves sitting in laps. His name is Fred and Pita (pain in the ass 😂)

We've got posts all over Facebook and they printed out flyers before they left.

Hi everyone. I’m hoping you’ll hear me out.

I’m currently working in university admissions in Mississippi, but I’m hoping to relocate somewhere in the Pacific Northwest after I secure a job.

I grew up in northern Arizona, and I don’t think I realized how much where I lived affected me until I moved away. I miss mountains, forests, skiing, hiking, cooler weather, and feeling connected to nature more than I can put into words. Living in Mississippi has honestly been one of the hardest chapters of my life. I know a location can’t solve all of your problems, but I’ve realized that where I live has a huge impact on my quality of life.

For whatever reason, I’ve always felt incredibly drawn to the Pacific Northwest—especially the Oregon Coast. I know visiting somewhere isn’t the same as living there, and I know I need to secure a job before making a move. Unfortunately, like a lot of people early in their careers, I won’t have the money to take multiple scouting trips. I’ll likely have enough saved to relocate once I have a job offer, and that’s about it. So I’m trying to learn as much as I can from people who actually live there.

The problem is that everyone I talk to has a completely different opinion. I have family friends who moved to the PNW years ago and built lives they absolutely love. Then I have other friends who are genuinely shocked that I’d even consider moving there because of homelessness, drugs, and crime.

Part of why those conversations are difficult for me is because one of my closest friends was murdered and sexually assaulted on her college campus by a man who was experiencing homelessness. I’ve also experienced sexual assault myself. Because of that, personal safety is something I take very seriously.

I want to be clear, though: I don’t believe homelessness makes someone dangerous, and I know what happened to my friend was a horrific tragedy—not a reflection of people experiencing homelessness as a whole. But it does shape how I think about safety, and I don’t think it’s honest to pretend otherwise.

I’m also struggling to separate today’s reality from yesterday’s headlines. A lot of what I find online is from several years ago, and it’s hard to tell what’s still true, what’s improved, and what has simply been amplified online.

I know the Pacific Northwest isn’t one place. Bellingham isn’t Portland. Eugene isn’t Spokane. I understand every community has its own culture, strengths, and challenges. That’s actually why I’m asking here—I don’t have my heart set on one city, and I’m hoping to learn about places I may not even know to consider.
I’m honestly very open. Washington and Oregon are my primary focus. I’d probably prefer a smaller city or suburb over living downtown, don’t mind commuting, and would love to be within a reasonable drive of a major airport. Access to nature, a stable career, and a community where I can picture building a long-term life matter most to me.

So I guess my question is this:

If someone you genuinely cared about was considering building a life somewhere in the Pacific Northwest, what would you want them to know? What has changed over the last few years? What do people online get right, and what do they get completely wrong? And if you think there’s a city or town that deserves more attention than it gets, I’d genuinely love to hear why.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. I really appreciate any perspective you’re willing to share.

Wild Rose Spirea in the foreground

Have a vacation planned in the next week and I'm wondering if I should wait until the smoke clears. Everywhere I've looked says the air quality is bad and the smoke ruins most of the views.

Just a little appreciation post from someone that's always dreamed of living here:

As a Missouri-grown boy, I still can't quite fathom the level of natural beauty that exists in this place I'm now fortunate enough to call my home. Growing up with no mountains and no coast, it's as if I've stumbled across the playground of my dreams.

What once had to be PTO, Flight, Airbnb/Hotel, Rental Car, once-a-year trips can now be any ol' weekend car ride. It's such an incredible privilege to have this level of access to some of the most beautiful places this world has to offer and I'm just feeling profoundly grateful as i look back on what I've seen in my short time here.

Just thought I'd share some (keyword "some", I take a LOT of pictures 🙃) of my favorite photographs from my time so far. For as much as I've seen and captured in the 2.5 years since I moved out here, I know I've really only just scratched the surface of what this incredible playground has to offer, but I can't wait to see what's next :)

Space Needle Dusk... I was watching the city slow down as the sky moved through bands of orange and gold — a quiet moment I wanted to hold onto.

I have been to and through Seattle many times, but never had the time to experience the Space Needle.

It was quite surprising to me that it was built that long ago (1962 .. had no clue) and that it is as advanced and in such good shape considering the age and the traffic it gets.

In case you have never been, I hope these images give you a better idea of how cool it really is ..... other than just Seattle's landmark.

We just spent a week at Chehalis River Campground in British Columbia, and it's one of those places that reminds you to slow down and appreciate the simple things. Beautiful scenery, peaceful mornings, great campsites, and evenings spent cooking Dutch oven meals by the river made it a memorable trip. A heartfelt thank you to the staff and everyone who helps keep this campground such a wonderful place to visit. We'll definitely be back. Has anyone else camped here this season?

It was so fun to see many of their backs also!