There" s No Place Like The Pacific Northwest
Mountains... Forests...Deserts...Prairies...Valleys...Lakes...Rivers...Waterfalls
And, of course, the mighty Pacific Ocean.
The Pacific Northwest has it all!
Nowhere else in North America is there such a wide variety of geography and topography as right here in the Pacific Northwest. When Lewis and Clark finally made it over the mountains and set eyes on the magnificent Willamette Valley they were awe-struck. As they continued their journey to the Pacific Ocean, their wonder and awe increased.
Their journals are full of wonder at magnificent mountains, crystal clear lakes and rivers, tall timber and vast prairies. They struggled for words to describe the ever-changing beauty of this land. With ever bend in a river, with every opening in the forests, they were presented with new vistas, new sights, sounds and smells.
When the west began to be settled, the Oregon Trail drew hundreds of thousands westward, and they, too, recorded their amazement at this part of the country.
And when I first visited this area more than 20 years ago, I was just as amazed as they.
For even though the trails are now super highways, even though the mighty Columbia River has been tamed and is used as a major transportation route for traffic form the Pacific inland and vice versa, even though where once there were virgin forests, where deer, antelope, moose and bear once roamed, today kids play baseball and soccer, yet for all that, there is still no place like this place!
Because for all that, some things have not changed. The snow-capped mountians Lewis and Clark and the settlers gazed upon are still snow-capped, rising majestically against the deep blue skies of summer. Their very names are legendary: Hood, Ranier, St. Helens, Adams. Just as they did 150 years or more ago, I look on them with the same sense of awe. I see them every day, and wonder at their majesty.
While much of the virgin forests are gone, they have been replaced by new growth over the last fifty or sixty years, so we still have vast stretches of trees reaching up to the sky, and all the way down to the ocean in places. Loggers in the Northwest must replace the trees they cut down, which insures a constant forest for all of us to enjoy.
Lakes, rivers, and streams still run as crystal clear as they did when Lewis and Clark first saw them. Set against the tall pines or the snowy mountains, the lakes still create magnificent vistas that will take your breath away with their beauty. Salmon, trout, bass, and a myriad of other species are still there for the taking as in days of yore.
Northwesterners, by the very nature of where we live, love the outdoors, so of course, outdoor activity abounds. Campgrounds are every where. Probably more people go camping out here than anywhere else in the country. Whether you want to really "rough it" or are the more "civilized" camper, you will find exactly what you're looking for, from no facilities at all right up to hot showers and cold beer!
Hiking and backpacking trails also abound. If you think camping and backpacking should be more than just throwing up a tent in some campground, we can accommodate you there, too. We've got some of the toughest terrain in America to hike, and vast back country areas where very few venture, if that's your ticket. You can go places where your only company will be bear and moose and the occassional wolf. You can hunt in places few white men have seen even today, and fish in hidden little streams known only to a few tight-lipped fishermen. If you want to experience nature in it's purest form, we have places where vehicles are not allowed, and the only means of transportation is by foot.
If that's not enough, you can walk over miles and miles of ocean beaches, or swim in the always loudly crashing surf (But be careful of riptides and sneaker waves!), and then sit on a fallen log and watch as the huge, magnificent orange sun slowly sets out over the Pacific. You can watch as the sky turns pink, then crimson, then purple and then a deep black because there aren't any city lights or neon signs to lessen te darkness. And then you can look up and see the stars begin to appear. In just moments, you will see a canopy of stars you can't see anywhere else on earth. And you will feel a serenity, a peace of mind like you've never felt before.
But heed this warning: Once you've experienced the Pacific Northwest, it will work its magic on you and you will be changed forever. Come out here once and you will realize there's no place on earth like it. When you go home, you will find your heart and mind tugging at you to return. You will try to fight it, but sooner or later it will get to you. Because that's what the Pacific Northwest does to visitor and resident alike. It weaves a spell of magic over all. It says "You belong to me now", and you do. Once it has you, there's no escaping, no going back. It whispers, "You're mine forever", and you can only surrender to it. But take heart! Who would want to be anywhere else?
And, of course, the mighty Pacific Ocean.
The Pacific Northwest has it all!
Nowhere else in North America is there such a wide variety of geography and topography as right here in the Pacific Northwest. When Lewis and Clark finally made it over the mountains and set eyes on the magnificent Willamette Valley they were awe-struck. As they continued their journey to the Pacific Ocean, their wonder and awe increased.
Their journals are full of wonder at magnificent mountains, crystal clear lakes and rivers, tall timber and vast prairies. They struggled for words to describe the ever-changing beauty of this land. With ever bend in a river, with every opening in the forests, they were presented with new vistas, new sights, sounds and smells.
When the west began to be settled, the Oregon Trail drew hundreds of thousands westward, and they, too, recorded their amazement at this part of the country.
And when I first visited this area more than 20 years ago, I was just as amazed as they.
For even though the trails are now super highways, even though the mighty Columbia River has been tamed and is used as a major transportation route for traffic form the Pacific inland and vice versa, even though where once there were virgin forests, where deer, antelope, moose and bear once roamed, today kids play baseball and soccer, yet for all that, there is still no place like this place!
Because for all that, some things have not changed. The snow-capped mountians Lewis and Clark and the settlers gazed upon are still snow-capped, rising majestically against the deep blue skies of summer. Their very names are legendary: Hood, Ranier, St. Helens, Adams. Just as they did 150 years or more ago, I look on them with the same sense of awe. I see them every day, and wonder at their majesty.
While much of the virgin forests are gone, they have been replaced by new growth over the last fifty or sixty years, so we still have vast stretches of trees reaching up to the sky, and all the way down to the ocean in places. Loggers in the Northwest must replace the trees they cut down, which insures a constant forest for all of us to enjoy.
Lakes, rivers, and streams still run as crystal clear as they did when Lewis and Clark first saw them. Set against the tall pines or the snowy mountains, the lakes still create magnificent vistas that will take your breath away with their beauty. Salmon, trout, bass, and a myriad of other species are still there for the taking as in days of yore.
Northwesterners, by the very nature of where we live, love the outdoors, so of course, outdoor activity abounds. Campgrounds are every where. Probably more people go camping out here than anywhere else in the country. Whether you want to really "rough it" or are the more "civilized" camper, you will find exactly what you're looking for, from no facilities at all right up to hot showers and cold beer!
Hiking and backpacking trails also abound. If you think camping and backpacking should be more than just throwing up a tent in some campground, we can accommodate you there, too. We've got some of the toughest terrain in America to hike, and vast back country areas where very few venture, if that's your ticket. You can go places where your only company will be bear and moose and the occassional wolf. You can hunt in places few white men have seen even today, and fish in hidden little streams known only to a few tight-lipped fishermen. If you want to experience nature in it's purest form, we have places where vehicles are not allowed, and the only means of transportation is by foot.
If that's not enough, you can walk over miles and miles of ocean beaches, or swim in the always loudly crashing surf (But be careful of riptides and sneaker waves!), and then sit on a fallen log and watch as the huge, magnificent orange sun slowly sets out over the Pacific. You can watch as the sky turns pink, then crimson, then purple and then a deep black because there aren't any city lights or neon signs to lessen te darkness. And then you can look up and see the stars begin to appear. In just moments, you will see a canopy of stars you can't see anywhere else on earth. And you will feel a serenity, a peace of mind like you've never felt before.
But heed this warning: Once you've experienced the Pacific Northwest, it will work its magic on you and you will be changed forever. Come out here once and you will realize there's no place on earth like it. When you go home, you will find your heart and mind tugging at you to return. You will try to fight it, but sooner or later it will get to you. Because that's what the Pacific Northwest does to visitor and resident alike. It weaves a spell of magic over all. It says "You belong to me now", and you do. Once it has you, there's no escaping, no going back. It whispers, "You're mine forever", and you can only surrender to it. But take heart! Who would want to be anywhere else?
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