McKinley Park Wetlands

Our new home in Tacoma is situated near the Lincoln District on the East side of I-5. Having previously lived in University Place, we weren’t too familiar with this area. So, we were excited when we arrived to get out and explore the area. McKinley Park is a little over 2 miles from our house…

Wilson Creek

It all started with a question. “What are you guys doing this weekend?” It was my way of making morning small talk with my coworkers while seeping a green tea bag in a mug of hot water. The result of the morning chatter was a plan for a group of us to spend a few…

Jump Creek Falls

When I told my wife there was a waterfall less than 20 miles from our house, I don’t think she believed me. Nampa is, afterall, rather flat. Maybe not West Texas flat, but it’s in the ballpark. Plus it is a bit of an arid desert and only has water because of a massive irrigation…

Halverson Lake

I lived in Nampa for roughly eight years and yet never seemed to do any outdoors activities when I was here. And it is not because of a lack of things to do. I heard a statistic recently that 80 percent of all roads in Idaho are unpaved. If you want to get away from…

Missouri’s Elephant Rocks State Park

It wouldn’t be a vacation for me without some sort of hike. So when I found myself in St. Louis recently visiting my good friend, Chris, his girlfriend, Jenna, wanted to take us to this strange rock formation located in southeast Missouri. While winding your way through dense forests of deciduous trees you start to…

A little push goes a long way

Sometimes in life, you just need a push. I went to Paradise at Mount Rainier National Park recently, when my sister-in-law Tori’s best friends – Tabitha and Cody – were in town from Texas. Like a good Washingtonian, when out of town visitors show up, I immediately took them to the mountain. My goal was…