This trip has been on my bucket list for some time now, and I am very happy that my wee-little family and I got to do this.  Unfortunately, the first few days were beyond foggy and rainy, but we were rewarded towards the end of our trip.  Either way, we made the best of it, explored, and drove on the edge of the world!  Relive the adventure with me by checking this post out

Some of the areas we explored (especially with the way the weather was) reminded us of Iceland.  It was such a nice and familiar feeling- I could of spent hours here!

Meyers Creek Beach

Committing to a week long road trip with pets in the car, rain or shine, we had to stop to let the little guys play.  Sand dunes ended up being our go to pit stops.  What was amazing about the dunes this time of year was that no one was around.  We had the beaches to ourselves.  And the pups loved it, just as much as we did!

The redwoods have such an incredible spiritual feeling when you just stop and look up.  Soak it all in.  These trees are remarkable!  Could of spent days there. As the sun started to set we headed to a nearby cabin in the redwoods to rest.  It was so charming and incredible to wake up amongst the largest of trees.

Avenue of the Giants

As we slowly approached Cali the weather improved- allowing more time to be outside and explore the area.  This made us decide to add more time on to our journey just drive through San Fran to see Big Sur.  So, that is just what we did.

So, we watched the sun set over the bridge then drove a bit further on the coast and found a sweet little cabin for the night.  Turned on the fire, had some wine and pizza and slept the night away till the morning . Big Sur blew our minds.  We only had a day to see the ‘edge of the world’ before heading back to San Fran (where we had a hotel reserved for two nights) but it was so worth the extra driving.  We just look forward to returning with more time on our hands next time. Time to turn around….

We saw this really amazing cafe/gallery place on the drive along Big Sur and decided it would be the perfect place to stop and grab food and coffee before driving back to the city.  As we waited for our food, we enjoyed the views and some ice cream.  It was the perfect rest stop.
San Francisco! Because we didn’t have more time in San Fran, we made sure to jam pack our days with adventure.  The weather was perfect and the city was alive!
No shock that we would be on the hunt to find ourselves some good coffee on our stay…

And we did at Blue Bottle!

Last night exploring! Then the morning came. We had to pack up the car, check-out at the hotel, grab food & coffee, and start our long drive home.  BUT we made one last stop.

The Beach!  (and a nude one at that)

then we said goodbye

So, after grabbing brunch we headed back to our house and loaded up the car with camping gear, some food, our pup, and Joel’s guitar.

And the adventure began with a ferry ride.

Due to the fact that we did not plan ahead of time, once we arrived in the Olympic Mountains the sun was setting. So, we drove up for a sneak peak and then headed to set up camp.  We figured we had the whole next day to enjoy the scenery.

Good Morning Sunshine

Thereafter

After saying goodbye to the mountains we headed to Port Angeles to see the sunset over the water.  Absolutely beautiful and beyond peaceful!

So, last Saturday we decided to take a drive to Mt. Baker for the day and caught ourselves in a ‘snow globe’.  Such unexpected weather- but it was absolutely beautiful!

It was a short trip but incredibly magical. I love snow!

I wish I could stay in this spot forever….

Today is a typical rainy day in Seattle, and I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to catch up and try to share some images from my recent journey.

In the past two weeks my husband and I have sold our condo, packed up our home, grabbed our animals and drove nearly 2,000 miles through some of the most beautiful scenery.  Along the way I made sure to photograph the Badlands and the different terrain we encountered to get here.  Once we arrived to our new neighborhood, West Seattle, we immediately started to explore!  That exploration also lead us to Portland, Oregon and the Olympic National Park/Forest.  It has been a good two weeks.  Hope you enjoy what I have seen thus far

 My first introduction to Prairie DOGS!

We then made a quick stop to see Devils Tower!  Seriously amazing.

Then we made it to our new CITY! And we were welcomed to blue skies and 70degree weather. 

It didn’t take us long to get curious about our surrounding areas and do some nature-sh*t.  So, we took a day trip to Oregon and photographed some beautiful waterfalls and then stumbled into Portland to meet up with our friend Steven (Megabolt) and grab a bite to eat before heading back to Seattle.  After getting a few days in of exploring and nature seeing we spent the next few days focused on dropping off resumes and doing some ‘work’.  In between waiting for phone calls we took ferries and checked out different neighborhoods in the city.   We even brought Leland on the Ferry to Bainbridge Island for the day

Thus far, we have found that each neighborhood we venture into has such a unique and different feel then the next.  It reminds me a lot like how Chicago feels, which creates some familiarity for me.  But here are some photo’s taken here and there throughout our surrounding areas

Then another adventure began….a drive to the Olympic National Park.

And that is the start of a new beginning on the West Coast.  More to come…as more adventures are to be made

{snapshots}

Along with seeing loved ones and my dear cousin become a married man we got to spend some quality time with my niece, Delphine.  And I was sure to stick my camera in her face to capture some darling photo’s of her.

Towards the last part of our trip we decided to take a drive to Lewis Beach and stay at the families beach house.  It was a short stay but we managed to squeeze in a boat ride, a beach visit, a nice dinner, and check out the town.  It was a well needed break from our busy lives and we can’t wait to come back. Till then we have some images to remind ourselves of how beautiful this place is…enjoy

{snapshots} overview of our beach visit

Before we knew it we were loading up our car and driving home.