Life has been a whirlwind of new experiences and responsibilities since I became a father in 2019. A year before the pandemic, my wife and I learned we were pregnant, which was a surprise, but a very good one. As with most new parents, we never felt ready, so with the first news we were freaked out and we went through the motions as most do. My lifestyle as a traveler took a hit, and then the pandemic happened a few months after my little boy’s birth. As with everyone in the world, the pandemic halted all travel, grounding flights and scaring everyone to stay in their homes. Being new parents, we took the pandemic seriously and stayed far away from everyone, even family. It was tough, but here we are a few years removed and travel is once again possible.
1 Comment
“I have arrived,” I muttered to myself, with a deep sigh of relief. After months of planning and decades of dreaming, I found myself in the state of Washington with my head cricked upward as I peered at the towering pines in awe. Finally off the plane and into a shiny new Audi rental car, with only the open road before me. Surrounded by dwindling city and ever taller trees, I put on some Pacific Northwest inspired playlists and faded into the experience. I felt free and clear with endless possibilities. For ten days, I didn’t have to adhere to any schedule, I didn’t have to wake up early to head to the office, and there were no diapers to change. The only sensation that beats this feeling is when I was in Europe some years ago with no end date in sight, where I ended up spending nine months abroad.
As a nature lover and photographer, I can’t get enough of a beautiful scene, especially if it involves a gorgeous snow-capped mountain, and even more so if the mountain is known for being an active volcano patiently waiting to blast a fiery blanket of ash into the sky. For decades, I had dreamt of exploring the old growth forests of Washington, with the massive trees reaching skyward, air plants hanging from every branch, and blankets of moss littered with fungi. Being from Ohio, we have some lovely forests, but they’re all young growth due to human’s clearcutting everything. I often remarked that the trees in Ohio are simply toddler trees, so I yearned to experience natural areas which remained undisturbed by human presence. There are so few now-a-days.
For as long as I can remember, the Pacific Northwest had long intrigued me and has been near the top of my wish list. I’ve dreamt of experiencing the old growth forests and the white-tipped mountains of the Washington, with the massive trees reaching skyward, air plants hanging from every branch, and blankets of moss littered with mysterious fungi. Being that I’m from Ohio, we have some lovely forests and rolling Appalachian foothills, but they’re all young growth due to human’s clearcutting everything ages ago. I’ve long considered the trees in Ohio to be toddler trees, and I've yearned to see land undisturbed by human presence.
A couple weeks ago, I found myself in the Pacific Northwest and I was having a perfect day. It was day three of my adventures around Olympic National Park and the Olympic peninsula, and I had just drove back from an amazing hike to Marymere Falls. The day before I drove a couple hours to the renowned Hoh Rainforest and the Spruce Nature Trail, enjoying perhaps one of the most spiritually active places in the world, as those are trails that take you through the old growth forests where the trees reach upwards of 200-300ft and 12-20ft in diameter, and every limb is painted in green air plants and moss.
For decades, I dreamt of experiencing the old growth forests of Washington, with the massive trees reaching skyward, air plants hanging from every branch, and blankets of moss littered with fungi. Being from Ohio, we have some lovely forests, but they’re all young growth due to human’s clearcutting everything. The trees in Ohio are toddler trees, and I yearned to see land undisturbed by human presence. The years of the pandemic put me off, but after things calmed down, I made sure Washington was the first place I’d visit after the excruciating time off from travel.
|
Article Topics
All
Monthly Archive
September 2024
*Disclaimer: All blog posts featuring products, reviews, or suggestions for products or services are governed by our Disclosure. Products were received free to review, so to provide authentic opinions and content for our readers. The opinions and ideas in this post are the writer's own and are uninfluenced by any other person or business. We receive no compensation for product reviews. Links within non-product review posts may be sponsored.
|