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Well, after too many far-too-soggy days of rain, we’ve fully abandoned our original tent camping plans and are retreating eastward.

You never know when we’re going to call an major trip audible—sometimes radically changing our route or destination—which is why we’re now en route to…Montana 🤷‍♂️🤪

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The temperature at sunset at Hurricane Ridge. Posting this for my Phoenix friends…

The display shows an outside temperature of 38°F and a speed limit of 25 mph.
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Sacred things

A metal mailbox in a wooded area has a handwritten message that reads, This land, These trees, The breeze, This fall, Are sacred. As are you.
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Snack break on the trail

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15 seconds of zen at Sol Duc Falls in Olympic National Park.

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Marked off my 48th state Capitol buildingyesterday. With just Texas and Louisiana remaining, I’m closing in on finishing this quest in 2027.

A grand neoclassical building with a large central dome, tall columns, and wide stone steps leading to the entrance stands under a cloudy sky.A large neoclassical building with a prominent dome is surrounded by trees and a few parked cars under a cloudy sky.

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Welp, it’s apparently set to rain all week during our camping at Olympic National Park, which is a bummer.

After some consideration at a local brewery, we’ve shifted plans somewhat and will salvage some daytrips into the park without having to sequester ourselves in our wet tent each evening.

A building with an outdoor wooden patio area and a large sign reading Mount Olympus Brewing is shown.A glass of Mount Olympus Brewing beer is placed on a polished wooden bar counter with a blurred background of a brewery interior.

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There’s a bunch of street art in Aberdeen WA, but I especially enjoyed this postcard piece and how this old building had been utilized.

A large, old brick building features a row of colorful murals along its lower level depicting nature scenes with a snail and a bee.A large, old brick building with boarded-up windows and murals painted on the lower walls stands on a corner under a cloudy sky.A mural on a large wall depicts hands holding historic black-and-white photographs, with several cars parked in front of it.

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Enjoyed a quick coffee with Brian Davis this morning. Always fun meeting up with social media friends in person! Forgot to snag a quick photo though

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Spent the evening with our friends Carrie and Matt at a brewpub and stayed at their house outside Portland. Had an excellent time, though only grabbed this quick shot with Carrie right as we both left. Hoping we get to travel with them next year.

Three people smiling closely together outdoors in front of a house.
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Stopped by Kurt Cobain’s childhood home in Aberdeen, WA. Couldn’t find the huge mural in town that I had come across online, but it appears to have been replaced by a larger installment (which seemed closed). We also passed by a memorial park, but decided not to stop.

A small beige house with a sloped roof, front porch, and several trimmed bushes is surrounded by a black chain-link fence on a cloudy day.A two-story building painted green and yellow features signs for Kurt Cobain Tribute Gallery, Unplugged, and The Green Room, with a colorful mural above the windows and a tree on the sidewalk.Kurt Cobain Memorial Park features a small green wooden house, picnic tables under large trees, and a memorial sign.A group of people is sitting under a large tree near a river with a park bench and a tall signboard nearby.

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We also had a leisurely lunch in Cascade Locks, pulled in by a well-targeted sign and the prospect of enjoying a rooftop view in gorge-ous weather.

A light blue building with large white letters spelling BEER COMPANY is situated on a corner next to a street sign reading Oneonta St. under a clear blue sky.A white sidewalk sign warns that the next beer is 19 miles away, featuring an icon of a bird over water.Two glasses of pale, frothy beer sit on a white table with a scenic mountain view and outdoor seating in the background.

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With our extra time yesterday, we snuck in some stops along the Columbia River Gorge. We didn’t get to all the waterfalls we had hoped to, but at least marked off Multnomah, which Jen had never stopped at. We also spent some time at Vista House.

A tall, multi-tiered waterfall cascades down a rocky cliff with a pedestrian bridge spanning the middle section, surrounded by lush greenery.A tall, narrow waterfall cascades down a rocky cliff surrounded by sparse trees and green moss, flowing into a small pool below.A tall, narrow waterfall cascades down a rocky cliff surrounded by patches of greenery.A scenic river valley stretches between forested hills under a clear blue sky, viewed from a vantage point with decorative lamp posts and a stone railing.A historic, stone-built octagonal structure with multiple large windows and steps leading up to its entrance is situated in a natural, wooded area under a clear blue sky.

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Not much nightlife here

A roadside sign welcomes visitors to Boring, notes its pairing with Dull, Scotland, and includes messages like Drive Safely and directions to a Food Mart.
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We managed to get almost an entire day ahead of schedule and ended at Corvalis last night. Had dinner and drinks at Block 15 Brewing and enjoyed a nice riverside hotel night.

A glass of light-colored beer is placed on a coaster on a wooden bar counter with multiple beer taps visible in the background.A calm river flows gently between trees and lush greenery under a clear blue sky.

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Well, that’s the closest I’ve been to running out of gas in many, many years.

The car dashboard shows a nearly empty fuel gauge with 11 miles remaining, a seatbelt warning light, the vehicle in park, and several unknown readings.
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Finally managed a stop at the venerable Sierra Nevada Brewing mothership in Chico. I’m not a big Sierra Nevada fan, but appreciate the role they played in the early craft beer scene.

A building with large windows and neatly landscaped greenery in front displays a sign reading Sierra Nevada Brewery.A large copper brewing kettle is visible through a diamond-shaped window framed in wood, with a lit wall lamp and an informational plaque mounted on the adjacent wall.A bartender is serving drinks behind a wooden bar with stained glass panels and a seated customer in a cozy, vintage-style pub.A wooden tray holds four small glasses of differently colored craft beers with a beer flight card underneath on an outdoor table at a sunny patio.

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Fun time stopping in Springfield, Oregon to see the Simpsons murals. There are so many around downtown! We didn’t have enough time to stop and get photos of them all, so we decided we’d need to make a small quest out of seeing them all during a future trip.

The mural depicts characters from The Simpsons enjoying outdoor activities such as hiking, biking, and relaxing in a forest setting with a sign that says Springfield.

A detailed informational board about the official Simpsons mural in Springfield, Oregon, featuring photos, text, and acknowledgments.

Characters Mr. Burns and Smithers from The Simpsons are depicted in a colorful mural painted on a blue brick wall.

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This is Little Glass Mountain, which is basically one huge ass pile of obsidian.

It’s located in Sátíttla Highlands National Monument (designated by Biden in 2025), which protects the landscape around Medicine Lake—by far the largest volcano in the Cascades by volume (10x the size of Mt St Helens).

A hand is holding a small, shiny black rock with a rocky hillside and clear blue sky in the background.A sloping hillside covered with a dense layer of large, dark rocks is bordered by trees under a clear blue sky.Three tall pine trees stand in front of a rocky hillside under a clear blue sky.

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Medicine Lake, as the day dips towards night.

A serene lake is surrounded by a forested hillside, with tall trees and fallen logs along the shore in the foreground.A serene lakeside scene is captured at sunset with calm water, silhouetted hills, and a sandy shore in the foreground.A calm lake reflects the soft light of the setting sun behind a dark treeline.