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Southern Oregon's Highway of Waterfalls

After enjoying the incredible beauty of Crater Lake, I headed to the Rogue-Umpqua Scenic Byway (OR-138), also known as the “Highway of Waterfalls.” This 172-mile byway ascends from Interstate-5 into the southern Cascades, tracking two of Oregon's most storied rivers. The first leg of the trip follows the North Umpqua east from Roseburg. A river of unparalleled beauty, the North Umpqua is revered worldwide for its steelhead fishing. After passing more than a half dozen waterfalls, the byway reaches sparkling Diamond Lake, at the base of Mount Thielsen. The byway then bends south, and soon follows the "Wild and Scenic" Rogue River. I've read that there are fifteen waterfalls along the Rogue-Umpqua Scenic Byway, so if you're a waterfall chaser like me, this could be the adventure you're looking for in the Southern Oregon region!

I only traveled the part from Crater Lake to Roseburg and managed to see four of the waterfalls en route in the few hours I had. It was a hot day in the mid-90’s, which was one of the factors for how many hikes I was able to do on June 1, 2021. I think I would have managed a few more stops and hikes if the weather had been cooler.

Since I was traveling from east to west, my first stop was Diamond Lake, a natural lake situated in the heart of the Cascade Mountains and surrounded by stunning natural beauty. The lake is named after its crystal-clear waters that sparkle like diamonds in the sunlight. The lake is located at an elevation of 5,183 feet above sea level and covers an area of 2,824 acres, making it one of the largest natural lakes in Oregon. It was formed as a result of glacial activity during the last Ice Age and is fed by several streams and is drained by the North Umpqua River. It’s a great place for fishing, boating, camping, and snowmobiling with various lodging options (resort, campground, RV park). I plan to camp here some day in the future as that water sure looked inviting!

After soaking in the views at Diamond Lake, I started my waterfall chase. First up was Clearwater Falls, which is a quick stop off the highway with the viewing platform for the falls is just steps from the parking lot. The Clearwater River is fed by a spring not too far upstream from here, so the falls are fairly consistent in flow throughout the year, cascading 30 feet over moss covered rocks and fallen logs. There are picnic tables there, so it’s a nice spot to take a break and relax. There’s also a campground there that is open seasonally for $10.

I made a quick stop at Stump Lake between Clearwater and Whitehorse Falls to see what this 10-acre lake was all about. Turns out it’s a popular birding and fishing spot, stocked with brook trout.

Next up was Whitehorse Falls, a beautiful small 15 feet waterfall also located on the Clearwater River that tumbles into a small pond. Like Clearwater Falls located further upstream, Whitehorse Falls is not a large or impressive waterfall when compared with others nearby, but the tranquility of the area and the beautiful old growth Douglas fir forest found here make it a worthwhile stop. Plus it’s a short 0.1 mile walk through some tree cover to see the falls. There is also a seasonal campground at this location for $10.

Watson Falls, often touted as Oregon's 3rd tallest waterfall, are actually further down the list per Northwest Waterfall Survey, but its impressive 294-foot continuous drop gives it a lot of clout! There are two viewpoints along this 1 mile, family friendly loop trail which has about 425 ft elevation gain through old-growth forest. You can feel the mist of the falls at the upper viewpoint, so watch your footing as some of the rocks can be a bit slippery. I really enjoyed the hike through the old growth forest and seeing all the little falls along the stream as well. From the parking lot you can also access Watson Creek and dip your feet into the cool water. Sadly the bathroom and parking lot were strewn with litter, which was beyond disappointing to see, once again reminding me that humanity doesn’t always appreciate and respect public places and realize their impact on the environment.

My last waterfall hike of the day was Toketee Falls, the best-known waterfall on the North Umpqua River. Once you park your vehicle, you’ll notice a long pipeline along the road. This 12-foot diameter redwood-stave flowline was constructed in 1949 as part of the North Umpqua Hydroelectric Project. The water that flows through the pipeline still powers three generator turbines, producing energy for 22,500 homes.Despite only being 1 mile in and out, the trail to the falls does involves a series of almost 200 steps along the side of the canyon (about 200 ft elevation gain), ending at the viewpoint platform above the chasm of the amphitheater constructed of columnar basalt. Two tiers are visible from the viewpoint, the 80-foot lower plunge and a 40-foot upper falls, with a third tier invisible to viewers up the narrow defile of giant potholes above the main falls. Toketee (pronounced TOKE-uh-tee) is a Chinook jargon word meaning "pretty" or "graceful" which describes these falls perfectly! I did notice that a bunch of people were scrambling down the side of the canyon from the viewing platform so they could get into the pool of water, but there are many warning signs posted about the dangers of doing that. I highly encourage my readers not to follow suit as all that trampling is just eroding the ground and destroying the vegetation, in addition to being very unsafe. Practice “leave no trace” principles wherever you go and stay on trails!

If you ever drive this scenic highway, I highly recommend stopping at all the falls. Even though I didn’t do them all, there are quite a few more worth checking out: Warm Spring Falls, Lemolo Falls, Steamboat Falls, Fall Creek Falls, Deadline Falls, and Susan Creek Falls. For all you fishing enthusiasts, Swiftwater Recreation Area is a good place to go for steelhead and salmon fishing. Plus I know I plan to go to Umpqua Hot Springs next time I’m in the area! Watch the video in this guide to get some inspiration on where to camp while in the area seeing the falls!

My trip from Washington to Northern California and back through Oregon is almost done with one post left about some waterfalls hikes near Vancouver, Washington!

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Inaugural Descend On Lost Sierra 2021

Back in May 2021, I ventured from Washington to the Sierra Butte region of California's High Sierra to attend the inaugural Descend on Lost Sierra. The term “Lost Sierra” is attributed to William Berry, one-time official historian of the United States Ski Association, who used the term to describe the region when he visited it for the first time circa 1933. Many publications also refer to the area as Northern California's best kept secret as it doe not get as many tourists and many of the towns are still quite small and quaint. I highly recommend exploring the Lost Sierra if you’re near the Plumas and Sierra Counties, about an hour drive north of Truckee.

My journey started on May 26th driving south of Interstate-5 to Oregon with a quick stop at Gee Creek Safety Area, which is part of the Blue Star Memorial Highways and has a war memorial plaque for the men and women who have endured hardships as prisoners of war, who have been killed in action, and those who are still missing in action. There is also an interesting old wooden sign there about Fort Vancouver, which is located about 13 miles south. After a stroll around the rest stop with my cat Maverick, I continued on the freeway down to Eugene, OR, where I spent the night in front of a Boondockers Welcome host in the countryside.

The next morning I headed east past burnt Oregon forests to Klamath Falls near the California border and enjoyed lunch in Veterans Memorial Park, my favorite spot to stop there due to the lovely water view of Lake Ewauna. This time around, I actually walked around the veterans memorial which features memorial bricks for past and present military personnel, a covered pavilion, and a display of Locomotive#2579 used by the Southern Pacific Railroad. The sky and clouds were magnificent that day creating an incredible backdrop for photos!

After my park explorations, I headed south into California and stopped at Eagle Lake to see if it would be a great place to spend the night and possibly get a swim in. I stopped at Rocky Point East Campground to check out this small undeveloped campground. Unlike the developed campgrounds along the lake, this site is most suitable for self-contained camping like a camper van as there is no potable water nor trash removal available and only a vault toilet for use. The lake was super low and access for swimming impractical, so I gave up on that idea and just enjoyed the view. It was a bit windy that afternoon and sadly I didn’t realize my fedora hats got blown out my open back doors, including one my mom gave me before she passed away and my favorite black and zebra one, which are now lost forever! Due to the wind and lack of swimming access, I left and continued on to find a good overnight spot. I ended up driving just outside of Portola, only 30 minutes away from where Descend was taking place on a private ranch, and arrived just in time for a wonderful sunset, which I enjoyed from the L.T. Davis Rest Area before town.

The next morning I drove to Sierra Valley Basecamp where the event was taking place and found the perfect spot for my van along the edge of camp near some vanlife friends I knew from prior gatherings and waited for more of my friends to arrive. Descend on Bend has been my favorite vanlife gathering since 2018 when I attended my first one, so I was excited to be part of their new venture in Northern California. I volunteered to help out working the registration/merchandise area, hanging out with the organizers and the usual “Descend family” that you see at every one of their gatherings. I especially loved the rustic and romantic 19th century barn on site with an awesome stage and a cool saloon where we watched all the amazing artists and bands perform.

I camped with my good friend Ricardo and my new friend Mary, whom I met a few weeks earlier in a hot spring near Mammoth (see previous post). Mary has a super cool old Swiss Army Pinzgauer radio truck that got a lot of attention during the three day festival! One highlight was meeting talented artist Jacques, who joined our little group and has become a good friend of mine since. I was also camped near the Sēkr crew and Josiah from The Journal of Lost Time, who’s dog Rona tried to get into my van daily, freaking Maverick out a bit. On Sunday the 30th, I even got to meet up with my good Bay Area friends who just happen to have a vacation home near Portola and were there that weekend with some other mutual friends, so they picked me up and we enjoyed some lake time at Lake Davis Recreation Area to cool off as temperatures were in the mid-90’s. Then we went to their cabin to eat and play games until they dropped me off at the festival grounds that evening. It was so good to see them as it had been a few years!

It was sad to say goodbye to everyone the following day and head to our respective home bases, but memories from this gathering will forever be in my heart! The people you bond with at a Descend event generally turn into lifelong friends and I always look forward to seeing them the following years.

I originally planned to drive to Chico to visit some other friends, but a heatwave was hitting California with over 100*F temps in the valley, so I headed north to the cooler regions to stay away from the roasting areas. Read all about the next chapter of my journey as I worked my way home with stops at Lassen Volcanic National Park & McArthur-Burney Falls, Crater Lake National Park, the Rogue Umpqua Scenic Byway, and the North Clark County Scenic Drive (near Vancouver, WA)!

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My Intro To Vanlife & 1st PNW Trip

In February 2016, I met a man named Jesse (on the dating app Bumble) who lived in a Great West Dodge Sprinter van with his cat Bandit. I was a little skeptical about a grown man living in a van, but he referred to himself as a “digital nomad” and I was curious. We met up for dinner and had a nice conversation, after which he showed me the van he moved into the month prior. It was a nice van with a kitchen, a bathroom with shower, and a comfortable bed. The curtains, textiles, and colors were a bit outdated but when I heard the price he paid, it was very reasonable. Jesse was very excited about vanlife and explained to me why he chose that lifestyle versus living in a “stick and brick” (as he called an apartment or house).

Jesse was inspired by a young Google employee who lived in a box truck in the parking lot that was getting a lot of press. With exorbitant cost of rent in the San Francisco Bay Area, he also wanted to save his hard-earned money and retire at an earlier age, which vanlife allowed him to do. The vanlife movement was just starting to take off at that time, and he was saving 80% or more of his income by not paying rent. Even though I initially had some reservations about dating a guy who lived in a van, I did understand his reasoning for the decision and really enjoyed learning about vanlife living from him.

My introduction to vanlife was local weekend getaways during which I learned what sleeping and cooking in a van was like, how to find good overnight spots, how many beautiful places there were around the Bay Area that I never knew about, and how this lifestyle really allowed you to explore and enjoy nature and the surroundings. As a travel enthusiast, I was hooked pretty quickly! A few months later, Jesse was planning a trip to Seattle for an Ayn Rand convention and asked if I wanted to go since it was during my birthday, to which I immediately said yes. Despite living the Bay Area most of my life, I had never been to Oregon or Washington, nor had I been to most of the Northern California. As you can imagine, I was super excited to see and explore the Pacific Northwest!

We set off on our week-long trip at the end of June from San Francisco towards Bodega Bay, then drove north on Highway 1 along the California coast passing various small coastal towns. For some reason, I remember passing this cute little cemetery along the highway just south of Mendocino with grave stones lined up on the cliffside bordered by tall trees and thinking what a beautiful place to be laid to rest. We found a great spot overlooking the Pacific Ocean just north of Fort Bragg, made dinner, and fell asleep to the sound of waves crashing below the cliff.

Waking up to the sound and views of the ocean is probably one of my favorite things, so that next morning was an absolute joy and a great way to start off this epic trip. We headed north to Highway 101 since the region north of Fort Bragg all the way to Eureka is mostly undeveloped without any major roads and referred to as the Lost Coast. The 25-mile-long trail through that area is a backpackers dream, though there is one road from 101 to Shelter Cove that vehicles can utilize to see a section of that coastline. Jesse and I enjoyed driving through the Avenue of the Giants near Myers Flat, then we continued north where the highway meets the ocean again and stopped in a charming little community called Westhaven-Moonstone. We spent the night at the Trinidad Northbound Rest Area, which is off the highway tucked into the forest and honestly a great place to get some rest.

On our third day, we headed north into Oregon and I was enthralled by how beautiful the coastline is! I know California is famous for Big Sur, but the Oregon coast rivals that easily, with pristine beaches and rocky bluffs for miles and miles. The Samuel H. Boardman State Scenic Corridor is probably one of the most stunning places along the West Coast! To cover a lot of distance, we drove a lot that day, all the way to Yachats, known for the Cape Perpetua Scenic Area. I had read about Thor’s Well on Atlas Obscura but we had no idea that whole area, known as Cook’s Chasm, was going to be as incredible as it was! We ended up finding this awesome little park on the highway to spend the night, which turned out to have stairs down to the beach with a river going under nice-looking bride. There was a day-use-only sign but we decided to chance it anyways, and luckily didn’t get bothered.

We continued north through Oregon all the way to Tillamook Creamery, where we stopped to grab some cheese-laden dishes and delicious ice cream, which we ate on Nedonna Beach enjoying the ocean view. We made another quick stop at Haystack Rock, which I wanted to see because of the movie The Goonies. From there we got back on the road driving over the Astoria-Megler Bridge into Washington, stopping quickly at the Dismal Nitch to take a photo of the WA sign. We worked our way up the Olympic Peninsula, decided to take a dip in Lake Quinault to freshen up (the water was super cold), and then right at dusk we luckily found a dirt turn-off on the side of the road that took us to this amazing open space on the cliffs by the ocean, where we spent the night. It was one of the most secluded, perfect spots that we could have discovered, and we had it all to ourselves.

The next morning was my birthday, so Jesse made me bacon and eggs in a smiley face on the plate. We had to get to Seattle by 3pm, therefore, we drove around the Olympic Peninsula without stopping at any of the amazing places I would have loved to see. That drive took us through Forks (made famous by the Twilight series), then along Crescent Lake (we did make a quick stop the La Poel Picnic Area to revel at this glacial lake’s incredible beauty), then through Port Angeles and Sequim, and finally all the way around to Bainbridge Island, from which we took the ferry to Seattle. It was a gorgeous sunny day and I was in awe of the Emerald City and its iconic skyline with the Space Needle! Seeing Mount Rainier in all its glory looming in the background was also quite stunning — I can see why locals talk about whether the mountain is out since the visibility of this large active stratovolcano makes a huge impact. Did you know that due to its high probability of an eruption in the near future, Mount Rainier is considered one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world and it is on the Decade Volcanoes list?!?

Jesse forgot to buy tickets to the Ayn Rand Convention he had wanted to attend, which was sold out when we arrived in Bellevue, so our plans veered into a new direction and we decided to check out downtown Seattle instead. We stopped at a cider bar, walked around Belltown, and ended up having a fancy dinner at The Metropolitan Grill, voted the best steakhouse in Seattle. We spent the night on the streets by Ruby Chow Park, an overnight spot Jesse found on Freecampsites.net, a website many vanlifers use to find places to park. It wasn’t the most ideal location, but at least it was next to a park and away from downtown traffic.

The following morning we headed out of Seattle and passed Oxbow Park which features a 44' wide cowboy hat and 22' high boots known as "Hat n' Boots." My boss (who was from Seattle) told me prior to the trip that we had to see Snoqualmie Falls and he was right — this 270’ waterfall was majestic to see and totally worth the drive! Then we headed to Mount Rainier National Park and drove around various viewpoints to witness the enormous footprint Mount Rainier has and even caught a glimpse of a small waterfall near Paradise. We secured a campsite at White River Campground on the northeastern section of the park with the highest elevation of all three drive-in campgrounds on Mt Rainier, where we enjoyed a campfire dinner in the charming forested canopy.

July 4th was another busy day of driving. Jesse really enjoys finding remote and unique overnight spots, therefore, we drove around the Gifford Pinchot National Forest to various spots he had saved on his phone (since there’s no service in that area) to see how viable they were to spend the night. We found some really cool places on dirt roads and along rivers which would have been ideal, but instead of staying in the area, we decided to check out Mount St Helens. Sadly the weather was a bit overcast and we couldn’t see the cratered peak that well as it was engulfed in clouds. I did enjoy seeing Spirit Lake and learning more about the eruption from all the roadside interpretive signs and how it altered the landscape. We headed further south and stopped at Swift Reservoir for a quick swim but the water so surprisingly cold considering it was July. We ended up along the Columbia River Gorge early that evening, saw the Bonneville Dam, then found a wonderful spot along the railroad tracks just west of Stevenson on the Washington side of the river. We cooked a steak dinner and watched the fireworks over Cascade Locks after a spectacular sunset.

The next day we headed over the Bridge of the Gods into Oregon and stopped at Multnomah Falls, the tallest and most famous waterfall in the state. We headed into Portland for breakfast at Pine State Biscuits that a good friend of mine recommended and enjoyed their delicious Reggie Deluxe breakfast sandwich. Afterwards, we drove towards Mount Hood with a stop at Trillium Lake, which I absolutely fell in love with. I thought Oregon’s High Desert was quite fascinating as we headed through Warm Springs with a quick stop along the Deschutes River before heading into Madras. Seeing the Cascade Mountains to the west as we drove down Route 97 was quite lovely, with magnificent glimpses of Mount Jefferson, Three Sisters, and more. We ended that day at Crater Lake National Park enjoying the incredible views of this deepest and most pristine lake in the USA. We spent the night just outside the park at one of the big turnouts and were inundated with mosquitos when the sun went down — by inundated I mean that it was a mosquito blackout that you couldn’t see through, something I have never experienced before!

Sadly our road-trip was coming to an end so our last day consisted of us driving home from Southern Oregon into California through Klamath Falls, Weed, Mount Shasta, and Dunsmuir, with a pitstop at Lake Shasta due to heavy traffic. We found a dirt road that led to a nice spot on the Sacramento River Arm where we ate some lunch and got into the lake to cool off. We drove the final stretch home through California’s Central Valley with views of various agriculture and sunflower fields and finally made it home to the Bay Area.

It was a magical and memorable first trip to the Pacific Northwest despite the fact that Jesse and I broke up later that year. He showed me a whole new world of exploration that I had never imagined before, which left such an impact on me that I bought an RV in December 2016 and started going on solo road trips, including multiple trips to Oregon and Washington in 2017, 2018, and 2020! My life is completely different now due to vanlife so I guess I have Jesse to thank for that.

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The Trip That Changed My Life

As many of you know, I decided to pack up my life in California back in Fall of 2020 and move to the Pacific Northwest. I had been wanting to move out of California for awhile, mainly because I didn’t love the heat and traffic, but I was so established there between friendships, work, and my house that moving seemed like a lot of work and a little scary. I always heard that once you move out of California, it’s hard to move back, especially if you sell your house. Then in August 2020, Silicon Valley was hit with a huge dry lightning storm that caused some of the biggest fires in California history. For two weeks we had an orange apocalyptic sky with bad AQI that ended up affecting the whole West Coast, with smoke moving across the whole country! Between the fires and the increased amount of summer days over 100*F, I was over the heat and smoke, so I went on a 5 week road trip to Oregon and Washington to see where I would want to live.

For some reason, I never made it to the PNW until 2016, despite living in California most of my life. The guy I was dating that year took me on a vanlife road trip to Oregon and Washington, which is when I discovered how much I liked those two states. I kept visiting and exploring them over the next few years in my RV and enjoying my time there, making them viable choices of where to live next. I also considered moving to the Central Coast of California, somewhere near Pismo Beach. I went on this month-long road trip with another female vanlifer named Cory whom I met at a few vanlife gatherings over the years. She also wanted to leave the Bay Area and move to the PNW. We started the journey on September 24th and worked out way north to Fort Braggg, through the various Redwoods in Northern California, and even stopped at Moonstone Beach.

I originally figured I’d find the perfect beach town in Oregon as I’ve always wanted to live by water. Brookings was a front runner prior to the trip, mainly due to being right at the California border and having a lot of sunny days compared to other oceanside towns. One concern I had though was health care in these small beach towns as they don’t have the same amenities as big cities, which aren’t exactly that close. I did enjoy my time in Harbor and Brookings, but there was a heatwave hitting California and Southern Oregon with 90+* temps that made me reconsider the idea of moving to a place that was still quite hot at the beginning of Fall. I also heard from some newer locals I met who had moved there that finding a house was hard since not much inventory was available. One family had been looking for a year and still hadn’t found a house that was worthwhile. Cory and I decided to drive further north to get away from the heat and continue to see what towns were more favorable.

After a nice stint on the Oregon coast with stops in Bandon, Florence, Coos Bay, Yachats, Newport, Tillamook, Manzanita (another town that topped my list), and Astoria, we worked out way inland along the Columbia River Gorge on the Washington side to Skamokawa for riverside camping, and then even further inland to Graham where Cory had some friends that hosted us with a gorgeous view of Mount Rainier. From there we headed to Alki Beach in West Seattle, but the weather turned gray and misty, plus we spent a restless night along the waterfront due to traffic and noise. Cory needed to get her Roadtrek serviced near Seattle for a few days, so we parted ways and I headed north to Bellingham to visit a friend from high school who always spoke very highly of this small city near the Canadian border.

What I didn’t realize at the time was how this part of the trip would change my life forever. I literally FELL IN LOVE WITH BELLINGHAM! I had the best four days exploring this idyllic bayside city that feels like a big town. There are no high rise buildings, no traffic, lots of parks, waterfront trails, a beautiful waterfall, and the huge 13 miles long Lake Whatcom only 10 minutes from downtown. The weather was sunny and between the bay, the lake, and the mountains, I just felt like I was home. Bellingham has a European feel to it and there are a lot of outdoor activities to enjoy without having to drive far. It’s a haven for hiking, kayaking, paddle-boarding, boating, fishing, mountain biking, and even skiing and snowboarding at Mount Baker. I also took a day trip to Anacortes, which is a charming island town close to the San Juan Islands, and Deception Pass State Park. I hired my friend’s real estate agent with hopes of finding a house with lake or sunset view in the Bellingham vicinity before I left.

After my incredible days in Bellingham, Cory and I met up again and headed south to Bay View State Park for some camping, meeting up with another vanlifer whom I met on Instagram named Cameron. Then after a stop at Snoqualmie Falls, the three of us headed to the Olympic Peninsula to spend a few days in Sequim, known for its lavender, game farm, and lots of water and mountain views. Sequim is a small town of 30K people (if you count the greater surrounding area) and is often referred to as the “Blue Hole” because it is in the rain shadow of the Olympic Mountains and stays sunnier than most of the Puget Sound area. There are still some occasional drizzles of rain, but those led to seeing lots of rainbows!! Cory and I met with a real estate agent and got familiar with the different regions of Sequim and I even found a house on sale that appealed to me. I made an offer on it, but was beaten by a much higher cash offer. Turns out one of the founders of Descend on Bend lives in Sequim, so I spent one night at their place enjoying the sunset view and bonding with the family. My days in Sequim were quite lovely, making it my second choice to move to.

Cameron, Cory, and I parted ways after Sequim. Cameron headed to spend time with a friend of his in Port Angeles, Cory headed to Oregon’s wine country, and I headed further west and then south on the Olympic Peninsula to explore Lake Crescent, Marymere Falls, and the Hoh Rainforest, all of which are located in the Olympic National Park. It was a wet and rainy few days, therefore, I headed back inland to McMinnville, Oregon, for some wine tasting in sunny warm temps. From there, I worked my way south with a stop in Corvallis for cider tasting, and then west to Highway 101 to take the scenic, mostly ocean-front drive south with quite a few stops in the Samuel H Boardman Scenic Corridor just north of Brookings. The moment I crossed the border and saw the “Welcome to California” sign, my heart sank, which is when I knew the time for me to move was official — I no longer wanted to live in California.

I got home on October 30, 2020, and packed up the 10% of my belongings I wanted to keep in 2 weeks. I had an estate sale on November 21st. The following week I had friends and acquaintances take whatever they wanted from what was left, and then the weekend after Thanksgiving, I made a Craigslist post for people to grab whatever they wanted from the garage. I had very little left for donation and dump runs, and then my house was cleaned, staged, photographed, and went on the MLS on December 4th. I had so many offers the following day that I went under contract on the 5th. That’s how quick the process was, a little over a month and I no longer owned property in California! The crazy part was that I hadn’t found a house yet in Bellingham nor Sequim, so I started looking for a rental and found one just outside of Bellingham. Then the day after I closed escrow on my California house, this beautiful modern house near Lake Whatcom in Bellingham went on the market. It was everything I ever I wanted style wise, so I bid on it sight unseen, though my Bellingham friend did go look at it for me and gave me his approval. The sellers didn’t want a bidding war so they took my offer and I went under contract with a mid-February close. I was able to stay in the California house I just sold until January 21st, then I stayed at my friend’s ranch until I moved to Washington on February 1, 2021.

That Pacific Northwest vanlife trip was the best decision of my life. Many of my Bay Area friends didn’t understand my urge to pack up and move in such a short time frame, but for me it was the right decision. I just had a gut feeling that I needed to start over somewhere fresh with a healthier lifestyle. Was it a bold move with some risk involved? SURE! But I also knew that if by chance I didn’t love living in Bellingham, I could always move after two years and find another place. I also knew to trust my instincts and they told me that living in Washington was just what I needed. My instincts were right! Turns out I absolutely love where I live, that the Pacific Northwest climate, landscape, scenery, and lifestyle really suit me, and I’ve never looked back. Sometimes I even wish that I moved here when I was younger because I feel so at home now.

I always encourage everyone to FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS. Moving can be scary, especially when you’ve lived somewhere most of your life, but moving can also be SO REWARDING! I can honestly say I live a much healthier lifestyle, enjoying nature, exploring new places, camping, hiking, kayaking, spending time outdoors, all things I was not doing in California. The heat and the traffic kept me from exploring and made me lethargic. I can no longer imagine living in a big city. I finally live near water like I’ve always wanted, I even live in the forest. Plus I love that I can be completely immersed in nature feeling like I’m far from civilization within 5 minutes of my house. So if you’re reading this and you’ve been feeling the need to change your life, I encourage you to go for it, even if it seems scary or impossible. You are the the only person that can change your quality of life and make it better. JUST DO IT, take the plunge!

A quick closing note. Cory also ended up finding her retirement place on this caravanning trip. She moved to Florence, OR, about a year after I moved. She’s also super happy with her decision!

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