pacificnorthwestquest

[pacificnorthwestquest]

Niagara Falls and all the rest!!!!

3 years married to this beautiful woman and everyday she still surprises me and makes me smile. We celebrated our anniversary by getting soaked in mist from Niagara Falls!!!! Both of us never having been to the American side so it was such a fun new experience being that the Canadian side is much different. The roar of the falls echos around you and shakes the ground!

For our special dinner we went to the melting pot in Buffalo NY. We’ve been a few other times and it’s a lot of fun having cheese and chocolate fondue !!!!

With full bellies we headed back to the camper for our last night soaking in our honeymoon. Each day was so special and each memory good or bad will stay with me forever. This was truly a trip of a lifetime and I’m so grateful to have spent it with my best friend and life partner at my side!

We got home to a meowing Mia happy to see us! Such a relief to see our LBK (little black kitten) once again.

Still can’t believe it was real!

-Nick

#rvtravel #travel #niagara falls

[pacificnorthwestquest]

Cedar Point Pt. 2

ROLLER COASTERS!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh man this place should be renamed roller coaster island. Cedar Point took my breath away with the incredible drops and super duper flips!!

A heck of a way to spend my 35 spins around the sun with my wife going over 100mph riding coasters! We did have to skip couple as lines were very long even with our super duper expensive fast pass that gave us essentially a less than 20 min wait in line for coasters that had wait times of 1-2 hours plus. Also huge thank you to mom and dad for bank rolling the fast passes, quite a treat to splurge the additional money on something that helps us ride so many more coasters than most people do over a few days.

After this amazing evening we got back with our hands and legs still vibrating from the wild, wild time we had. Such a great evening!!! even more excited for our drive to the Niagara Falls area and to celebrate at the falls for our wedding!

-Nick

#rvtravel #travel #cedar point #rollercoaster #coaster enthusiast

[pacificnorthwestquest]

Continuing East & Cedar Point Day 1

I cannot tell you how much cruise control is your best friend on long trips like this. I usually find a group of trucks going the speed I want to keep and follow their lead! It helps let all the much faster vehicles go by without any hassle cruising in the right lane. Driving slower allows more time to look stuff up when a sign for the worlds weirdest or tallest thing. But again stop at any one that peak’s your interest. I want to thank Oak Park campground for the ice cream thank you treat for staying. Super nice!

We really were enjoying our time trying new places and new fun adventures traveling back home to the East but it was time to ride some amazing roller coasters!! We came in the night before my bday to explore the park/layout and see what would be the best plan to make sure we ride everything we can! And I sure am glad we did cause we rode a few coasters (that were amazing) that we didn’t have to ride again tomorrow! More roller coaster action to follow :)

-Nick

#rvtravel #travel #cedar point #rollercoaster

[pacificnorthwestquest]

Heading East (Homeward Bound!)

Woah, our first time actually leaving the Pacific Northwest and Washington after spending so much time (3 weeks) soaking in the majesty and grandeur that is Washington.

With so much gratitude for all the amazing people we met we left on the same beautiful route we came in on and I can say that they’re we’re still a few surprises around some corners even going east from the northwest. Northern Idaho really has some intense mountains to climb over, going as slow at 30-40mph in some spots because the ascent and descent were so steep and turns were hair pin style which can be fun but not when towing a trailer!

We stayed in a few of the towns we had only stopped in on our way west and really enjoyed them. St Regis and Billings in Montana, being at KOA #1 in the whole country. Also not realizing we booked one of their ideal campsite concepts from the 60s/70s which still is fun today with plenty of camper space, a two person swing and fire pit. Very thankful to chef and nature master Jessalyn for the fire and s’mores!!

-Nick

#rvtravel #travel

[pacificnorthwestquest]

Seattle Pt. 3 (Last Day in Washington State)

Chihuly Chihuly Chihuly.... the glass artwork is truly so inspiring. We even we there in time to watch some artists do a glass blowing demo live, they made an incredible vase right in front of our eyes from a glob of molten glass. Art is life, life is art!!

After being surrounded by all of these masterpieces, we were given a short tour of where Jess's aunt used to live and a stop to see the city skyline from Kerry Park. A small little spot with A LOT of views to offer!

After soaking in as much Seattle as possible in 2 short days it was time for a final lunch and libations. Von's 1000 spirits treated us well with great food and an even better time. After saying farewell we boarded the ferry home with tired eyes...but thankfully open wide enough to see Mount Rainier peek her head through the clouds just to say thanks for visiting it was great to see you!!

Thank YOU Mount Rainier, Seattle WA, Aunt Jennifer, Port Defiance Zoo, Ruby & Rialto Beach, Forks WA, Olympic National Park: (Hurricane Ridge, Hoh Rainforest, Lake Crescent, Dungeness Bay), Port Angeles WA to name a few people places and things :)

As states go Washington really gave us everything we wanted, needed and didn't know we should have! Can't say thank you enough to all who have helped make this dream of a honeymoon become a reality!!!! Family friends and folks along the journey have been nothing but amazing, obviously a hiccup here or there but overall the country is friendly and welcoming. And everyone should try to get out and see the vastness and nature that is hidden around every corner. Take the by ways, stop at the worlds largest anything, take a detour for coffee, burgers and general fun. As Jess always says from one of her Podcasters, Alie Ward of Ologies; Cut your bangs, text your crush, we're all gonna die someday!

-Nick

#rvtravel #travel #washington #seattle #chihuly

[pacificnorthwestquest]

Seattle Take 1!

We were able to find a quick ferry to take from Gig Harbor to downtown Seattle and boy do they mean quick- less than 30 minutes and we were walking to Pike’s Place Market! We made a few stops to check out the Giant Wheel, docks and artwork before arriving to the market. Originally started in early 1900’s it’s one of the longest operating market in the US! Within you can find everything from produce, flowers, fresh seafood, meals of every nationality and cuisine, artwork, books and crafts. One of the famous permanent resident is Rachel the Pig, a bronze piggy bank located right next to the equally famous fish monger complete with thrown fresh fish and singing! With such a cool place to explore and little time to do we employed a local and a professional- my aunt Jennifer who has lived in Seattle for years met us for a tour of the underground tunnels of Pioneer Square! We learned a ton of the history of Seattle and the current state of it today along with being able to actually walk through underground tunnels that were once ground level store fronts. After the Great Seattle Fire of 1889 the city rebuilt this neighborhood which was erected on tidal flats and still flooded regularly. The idea was to build the buildings at least two stories tall and in order to not delay returning to their shops everyone agreed that the first floors and streets would eventually filled in and covered up, becoming basements while the second floor would now be ground level. Using the dirt from the nearby steep hills and series of sluice boxes the city washed material into these areas but enough were used regularly that people continued to climb down dangerous ladders to visit their favorite shops. When sidewalks were built over the top of these “alleys” they even installed things like amethyst in the concrete to allow light down to the now underground. Our tour guide was wonderful and we also got to take in the sights of Pioneer Square above ground as we visited the different tunnels. One of the pictures in the bottom row was taken during our tour in the tunnels and shows the giant hills of dirt the city used to create this unique spot!

Finally we had a drink at Merchants Cafe where you could see the before mentioned amethyst in the ceiling in their underground bar area (unfortunately not open quite yet when we stopped in). Seattle was so wonderful to us we decided a second day was in order!

-Jess

[pacificnorthwestquest]

Seattle Pt. 2

So thankful for the fast passenger ferry again! Less folks on board being a weekend day and not a normal work/school one. With more elbow room on the ferry we planned to explore the Chihuly Garden and Glass Museum, and let me tell you we were not expecting the true artistry, beauty and grandeur of each glass piece we saw.

Some of these sculptures took multiple tries to get anywhere near the final form and these artists that work with Chihuly really are some master crafters. He lost use of one of his eyes as a young man so has been pushing glass artists to their limit and beyond since to help in creating the masterpieces that live in his head.

His pieces have been displayed all over the world. Jess and I without realizing had seen some pieces at the Bellagio Casino in Las Vegas about 5/10 years ago and were in aw then. To be surrounded by all this glass and art was really moving.

-Nick

#rvtravel #travel #washington #chihuly #chihuly glass #Chihuly garden and glass #glass sculpture #glass art #art #inspiration

[pacificnorthwestquest]

Snoozy clouded leopard stretches!

[pacificnorthwestquest]

Port Defiance Zoo & Aquarium

On our way to the next campground we stopped at Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium! This lovely little zoo is located in Tacoma and Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) certified. This means they have met requirements to provide the highest levels of animal care and welfare! Unfortunately there are many organizations that claim to be non-profit or mistreat their animals (things like holding tiger or lion cubs is never okay!) but the AZA has a great website that you can check so you can support the animals and institutions that truly care for them.

Our first visits were to some very sleepy kitties- a clouded leopard and Amur tiger! We also were treated to some polar bear antics. The two bears are sisters and only about 8-10 months old. They had quite the wrestling/swimming match over a toy and it was so fun to watch! The zoo also has two aquariums, one closed for renovations, but we still got to see some hammerhead sharks, jellyfish, and many other creatures, including some divers cleaning the tank. There were also many aquatic mammals, harbor seals, sea lions, walruses and my favorite sea otters!

One of our favorite exhibits was that of the Red Wolves! PDZA is part of an awesome program to help breed and reintroduce this endangered species to their natural habitats. The red wolf once lived throughout the most of the eastern continental United States but was hunted to the point of near extinction. When the zoo based breeding program began in the 1980's there were only 14 wolves left in the wild. These beautiful creatures were so fun to watch, one pair are sisters and one a mating pair. We listened to a wonderful presentation from a keeper as he threw meatballs to the sister wolves over a fence as he explained since the goal is eventual reintroduction to the wild the zoo has to work hard to limit human contact so these wolves would one day be able to hunt and care for themselves. The program has had great success and has a secondary location off site where there is a larger pack of wolves who hopefully will be able to be released to parts of North Carolina, the only location with wild red wolves today!

On our way out we were treated to a couple of surprises- some wild harbor seals in the marina and slides instead of stairs!

-Jess

[pacificnorthwestquest]

Rainy Rest Day Washington

Nothing like getting an oil change and enjoying some good food with your Mrs. on a cross country honeymoon trip!!

We enjoyed the day driving around the towns of Chehalis and Centralia. Exploring local stores and the downtown area.

Shout out to Ernies Rapid Lube for the stellar oil change and The Juice Box Public House for a delicious lunch/beer spot!!

-Nick

#rvtravel #travel #washington #beer flight #centralia #chehalis

[pacificnorthwestquest]

Mount Rainier, Park 3!

The hike back down our trail was foggy and as beautiful as the way up! We saw several deer and lots of grouse who took up plenty of trail for the their small size! We also hiked to both Myrtle and Narada Falls to take in more of the glacier river that also make up the park. Fun fact- the milky blue gray color comes from "glacier flour", the term for the finer than sand sediment that travels along when the ice melts.

On our way down Paradise Valley Road we stopped at several scenic overlooks. One in particular showed Nisqually Glacier and where it had reached historically. As early as the 1890’s the glacier was noted to be receding and between 1896-2015 it lost over 20 square miles. This glacier is one of 29 in Mt Rainier and all have receded due to a warming climate.

As we weaved our way down mountain roads we reached the historic Longmire area of the park. When Mount Rainier was established as a national park in 1899 the town became its headquarters. The museum was built in 1916 as a main office and today houses exhibits on the geology and wildlife of the park. What is now the Longmire wilderness info building was another main admin building and is from 1930. We also checked out the National Park Inn, general store and transportation station exhibit. Finally we rode over Nisqually Suspension Bridge and wrapped a wonderful, if rainy, day!

[pacificnorthwestquest]

Technical Difficulties

hello all, unfortunately lack of decent wifi at the campgrounds and Verizon cell being spotty at best most places when not directly on interstate has caused us to have a log jam of posts over the last week plus.

Once we are back somewhere we can connect to continue sharing our experiences we absolutely will!

Thanks for your patience ♥️ and more so thanks for following along.

We love and miss you all, also can’t wait to reconnect with everyone to share our honeymoon adventures in person.

-nick

#rvtravel #travel #honeymoon

[pacificnorthwestquest]

Mount Rainier Pt. 2

Wow.... Wowie WOW WOW...

Mount Rainier is beautiful!!! Absolutely stunning. Gorgeous! I could go on and on describing the mountain but I will say that everyone should try to see this mountain (or any mountain). We fought our way through the snow and I am so glad that we did. While the peaks of Mount Rainier never fully cleared we got to see most of the summit and seeing it in a clear day just means we have a great reason to come back! We spent as much time enjoying the view as we could since there was another storm right behind the clear weather.

We brought up our mini Mia because she deserved those beautiful views too (and we miss our kitten so much!!!!).

Making our way down for 6340' was much much easier than the climb up but it was so worth. Thankful again for the warmth and water of the Ranger Station at the top of Paradise. We headed back to down the mountain to check out the historical Longmire region!

-Nick (edits by Jess)

#rvtravel #national park #washington #mount rainier national park #travel

[pacificnorthwestquest]

Mount Rainier Pt. 1

Let me tell you I am starting to not mind cooking breakfast sandwiches every morning if they are followed by hikes with hundreds if not thousands of feet of elevation change and views that make you stop in your tracks and have to pick up your jaw from the ground.

We really didn't know how majestic and awestruck we would be when we got to Mount Rainier!! The drive up through Longmire and halfway up to Paradise (yes that's the town name!) were dense forest roads and waterfalls almost every other curve. But when the canopies opened up and we started to glimpse the peaks of Rainier...we knew we've arrived somewhere special!

After checking in at the Ranger Station and filling up our water bottles we journeyed out to the Skyline & Alta Vista trails. It was mildly foggy as we started climbing but let me tell you that Rainier and Mother Nature teamed up to give us QUITE a show! Light rain, heavy rain, mist and more fog were just the opening acts...as we climbed higher we were hit with a snow squall! Thankfully the wind was reasonable and the snow never stuck to the ground but climbing 1500' we lost 10-20 degrees, IT WAS CHILLY UP THERE! Don't worry we haven't...peaked...yet :-P

More to follow!

-Nick

#rvtravel #national park #olympic national park #travel #washington #mount rainier national park #mount rainier

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Rialto Beach Video 1

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Rialto Beach Part 2

Even with the rain and highish low tide we had an awesome adventure exploring the beach! As the tide went out we were able to climb out to the rocks to investigate tide pools while the waves crashed around us. We saw many Giant Green Anemones and barnacles along with a few sea stars, small fish and hermit crabs. As we walked back the fog and tide started to roll in, bringing a spooky and chilly vibe (and also one very wet boot in my case!). We also lucked out on timing as the beach was closed a day or two after our visit due to dangerous conditions from high water and floating driftwood. Our last night in Forks meant we were onto Mt Rainier and Mt St Helens in the morning!

-Jess

[pacificnorthwestquest]

Rialto Beach Pt. 1

Greeted with an awesome sunrise (knowing that red skies in morning mean to take warning) we packed our rain jackets and ponchos, ate a full breakfast then headed for the beach! There was a storm coming from offshore later in the evening so the waves were starting to ramp up.

We started at Quileute Beach (aka First Beach) and were greeted to logs that displayed like an art exhibit. One is a super long tree with a seat carved into it, and folks had made these driftwood forts along the beach too! Wild, wild stuff.

After that we headed around the Quillayute River and over to Rialto Beach. We had planned to hike out to this spot known as Hole In-the-wall but the low tide wasn't low enough for us to safely get out to it. But gave us time to spend at a less sought after point Split Rock.

More to follow! :)

-Nick

#rvtravel #national park #travel #olympic national park #washington #rialto beach #quileute beach