30 Days of Thanks - Day 9

Today I’m thankful for friends who are family. The past few years have been wild and I’ve had some good friends by my side along the way. I have some great family, but today I’m thankful for the friends who know everything and are “in” on it all. I’m grateful for all of the visits, late night phone calls, and endless text messages. I’m thankful for the people who helped me pick up the pieces when things fell apart, more than once in the past two to three years.

I’ve always had the best of friends, and I’m forever grateful for the people who I haven’t seen or talked to much in the past two years also. Being back in the Midwest gives me up that we’ll all hopefully see each other more often! I’d be nowhere without the people who help make life better.

Enjoy a few (or more than a few) photos from the past two years. Forever grateful. I love you all.

30 Days of Thanks - Day 4

Today I’m thankful the scenic hiking trails of the Pacific Northwest. It was the dream to live near all of them, and it was the sad reality that work and life get in the way of seeing them as often as I’d have liked. I’m thankful they exist and I’m grateful to have visited so many of them and that there are plenty left for me to see. I’m thankful they feel familiar and like home.

I’m thankful for every hill, view, and friend along the way. I’m thankful for the big trees and the knowledge of the land. The hiking trails out west hit different, and I will always miss living near them. Weirdly, it hurts less living far away from them now than it did before living out there. I still feel very deeply for the big trees, misty mornings, and snow-capped volcanoes. My heart aches for them, but now they’ll be reserved for special trips again only this time with better income, more time, and a new outlook on life. There’s nothing like vacationing to these gorgeous spots.

My appreciation for the expansive and larger-than-life hikes out west only makes me love exploring Appalachia and the Northeast even more. I slept on this region I now call home, and I can’t wait to see it all. Enjoy a few photos and memories from hiking in the PNW.

Cascade Pass - where I hiked up a mountain a few different times to see nothing but clouds. (Um, it was okay, still very cool and emotional and I heard an avalanche once)

Falls Creek Falls - This hike, with one of my most lovely and patient friends, revived my desires to explore and reignited my need for nature. This was a spectacular journey, and I’d do it again in a heartbeat.

Ecola State Park - Getting to show my best friend a place she’s always wanted to see will never leave my brain. The expansive views of the Oregon Coast have been one of my favorite places since the VERY FIRST moment I saw them in 2008. I’m basically in tears just thinking about this.

Windy Ridge - Have you ever walked on the land forever changed by a recent volcano? See Mt. St. Helens was insane and to think about how it forever changed the ground I was walking on was insane.

Skyline Trail - Hiking around Mt. Rainier is spectacular. Sure, seeing the summit so close you feel you could lick it is neat, but have you looked off in the distance? WOAH.

Mt. Storm King - Nothing prepared my for this hike. Through the gorgeous woods and the reward was the view. Take me back.

Waterfall Wednesday - Multnomah Falls

Multnomah Falls is one of those places you take all out-of-town visitors when they come to see Portland. I’m taking my visitors this weekend and I can’t wait to see it again myself. As my time in Portland comes to an end, I’m thankful that this staple feature is nearby and that I could just drive out and see it and the many other waterfalls within an hour of the city. I did not take any of these natural wonders for granted, and plan to be back as often as time allows. Cheers!

This is the first time I saw the falls - December 2012.

Framed by fall color in November 2021

A view from the top down, the first time I hiked to the top back in September 2022

Late summer trickle, first day of fall Sept 2022

Spring water back in March 2024

#MondayMotivation - Perfect, even when it's not

Things are perfect right now, even if they’re not. I have debts I wish I didn’t have, people are gone who I wish weren’t, and plenty of other stressors that matter only in a moment. I have great friends, a solid roof over my head, a cool city around me, a beautiful state out and beyond, and a job that will get better as I continue to acclimate.

I was driving along the coast (the Oregon Coast) on Sunday and I realized, this is a DREAM COME TRUE. I’ve wanted to live in Oregon since I first drove through in 2008. I remember one morning, on the 2008 road trip, waking up to the fresh smell of sea air and lush trees and thinking I want to be here someday. I applied for jobs in Oregon from that moment on, with nothing landing. Fast forward to 2024, and now I’m becoming a resident of the state and I live less than two hours from the splendor of the Pacific Ocean.

Things will work out, level off, and become kind of normal in the cycle. LIfe keeps moving, so it’s always perfect in that moment. I do believe that you can’t appreciate the good without a little perspective, not saying we all need tragedy or anything, but a little perspective goes a long way.

Driving through the snowy coastal range, having to take it slow and be patient (not my strong point), made getting to the coast even better. Despite the constant rain and snow, the experience reminded me of the times before. It felt fresh, smelled good, and sounded familiar.

Get through your shit however you do, but know there are good things out there for you. Trust the journey.

Come visit me in Oregon and I’ll take you to the coast and we’ll get a flight of ice cream from the Tillamook Creamery. Pairing the ice cream with the fresh sea air will solve everything.

Thursday Thoughts

I’m back and the website is back up and running. Sure, I should be packing my house up, but I had to take a break and welcome February into my life. Some life updates include:

• I’ve accepted a new job in Portland, OR

• I’ve been slowly moving into my new apartment, in Portland, and I’ll be doing a big push this coming weekend thanks to some friends

• I’m downsizing from a huge townhome to a small apartment with a storage unit, it’s stressful but also helping me figure out what’s really important

• My dog has been with his other dad in Texas since Thanksgiving and will be coming home in March!

• I’m uploading a “Photo A Day” and a “Daily Selfi” so I can look back at the year. Find them here!

I’m hoping to get caught up on my hikes for 2024 and hoping to dive deep into exploring Oregon. Olympia was a great location, and I’ll still explore all over the PNW, but I’m excited to be a bit further south so I can get down to the Redwoods a bit easier and out to some of my favorite spots on the coast.

I look forward to being closer to some friends of mine in Portland and building a new network of people. My new office has views of Mt. Hood and Mt. St. Helens and that makes the days I have to go in less terrible.

I hope February brings you great things. See you on the trails!

#WayBackWednesday - Devils Churn

One of my favorite stops along the Oregon Coast is at Devils Churn within the Cape Perpetua Scenic Area. The entire Oregon Coast is quite magical, but this little spot has stood out since I first visited in 2008. In 2009, I went back and shared it with another friend because it was on my mind. Sadly, I have not been back since 2009 and I need to remedy that sooner rather than later. Enjoy some “okay enough” photos from my visits and keep an eye out for future photos.

#WBW - The joy of snow

Look at the line where the snow is falling!!

Visiting Portland, OR in November 2021 was a whirly-swirly dream. NO, there wasn’t snow in Portland, but there was snow up towards Mt. Hood. I had met up with my dear friend on the first day of my adventure and they decided to go along on the second and third days with me and suggested Trillium Lake. I was driving up, up, up the mountain toward the lake and had to stop at the rest area where the snow started to take it all in. It was SNOWING the big magical flakes! From there up, it was MORE snow and beautiful foggy/snowy views of the trees. Eventually, we got to the lake. It was a mix of snow and clouds, so no view of Mt. Hood but who cares? The trees were heavy with wet snow, and it felt magical walking through the woods with my friend. We were in our own world of laughing, snapping photos, and being free.

The conclusions drawn from this adventure are that snow is magical and with the right person, life is whimsical. Find the friends, lovers, whomever who bring out the magic and whimsy in you.

Tuesday Truths

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View from the family cottage as the sun sets

• I’m usually late. I know, it can feel disrespectful, but I mean no harm. I’m bad at time-management and most of the time I think there is more than enough minutes to get there.

• I despise corn on the cob. SORRY NOT SORRY. Fresh corn, if it’s off the cob, is just fine.

• I’ll never choose traditional chicken wings - give me adult chicken nuggets or nothing

• Night drives will always hold a special place in my heart. They were therapy, they were a means to an end, and they got me through truly boring stretches of road much easier and seemingly faster.

• I always knew, even despite wanting to be in the PNW so badly, that I’d end up back in the Great Lakes region eventually. Eventually is sooner than I could have imagined.

• Olympic National Park will forever be my favorite and that belief has only been reinforced living an hour or so from many parts of it.

• I don’t love deep water. I will swim in water over my head, but sometimes it freaks me out and I need a floatation device.

• Chili should have beans and that’s final.

• I will drink about 10x as much water if I have a container with a straw. It’s just science.

• Great Lakes get ready, there will be a big boy in a speedo next summer gracing your beaches.

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#ForestFriday - Olympic National Forest

I’ve been in Olympia for eight months and didn’t realize I was just a short drive from a really cool bridge on a national forest road. The High Steel Bridge is located in the Olympic National Forest just outside of Shelton, WA. The bridge sits about 375 feet above the South Skokomish River and spans from one forested cliff to another. To find cool photos of the bridge that people probably took with a drone, google “high steel bridge” or something like that. Here’s the Wiki link, if you’re interested.

Enjoy some photos from the journey to and over the bridge! The video at the end is from the graffiti located on the bridge with a rather uplifting message.

No matter where I live, I’m going to find cool things to do and see and I encourage you to do the same.

Have fun out there and stay safe! - Mike

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A video of the graffiti on the bridge with an uplifting message.

Dreaming of the Northwest

If you’d like to listen to me read this vs. actually reading it, play this video.

I’ve had the Pacific Northwest on my brain every day for the past month, at least. Living in the desert has me thinking more and more of the places with trees and water.

My favorite band is playing in Portland, Oregon on the first Wednesday in November so I bought a ticket to the show. I then found myself looking at plane tickets and rental cars, booking each one of those as well. I haven’t requested the days off of work yet, but I have a nonrefundable rental car so I’m going.

I will fly in to Portland in the early afternoon before the show and then go see some music and then I’ll vanish from the city for a while. I love the food, the beer, and the people I know in Portland, but I don’t usually fly to the PNW to see people… I fly there to go hide out in the trees.

I plan to visit family for holidays this year, so i figure this could be my last quick long weekend out west for the year. It’s proving to be more difficult to take a “quick” weekend to Seattle or Portland from here in New Mexico versus when I lived in DFW. I used to grab a Friday evening flight and then catch a Sunday night/Monday morning flight so I had a full two days and didn’t miss any work.

I hope to be back near a major airport or closer to nature sooner than later. I’m not far, here, but I’d like to be even closer as in living among it or within an hours drive of some treelined water.

Ever since first visiting the Pacific Northwest in 2008, I’ve been hooked. I felt home, I felt safe, and I vowed to live there someday. Now, the world is ending and I’m wondering if I should make that someday more sooner than later.

Life has me torn right now. I have family who I’d love to be close to, but I have dreams of living in the cool, green woods of the northwest. If I moved to to a city near Seattle or Portland, I could easily fly back to Detroit like I did when I lived in Dallas/Fort Worth. It would be a bit more difficult to drive there, but it would be living the dream. If I moved back to Michigan, or nearby, I would still have great trees and water to play around in and be close to family and friends whom I miss dearly.

I realize the privilege I have even debating this. If I find a remote job, I could visit my family for weeks at a time without even using PTO. I could easily navigate between the two and still live both dreams. I’m often caught in a daydream. I want the ease and convenience of living near family, but I want the adventure of living somewhere I have only visited. I’ve got some time to figure this out, thankfully.

*the future is all hypothetical, if anyone from work reads this*

Annual BFF Trip - Washington State

I recently flew to Seattle to meet my BFF Squad for a long weekend of adventure. Every year, we get together to take an adventure - a camping trip, a full on road trip, or destination adventure - to hang out and catch up. Seattle is one of my favorite places to go, mostly for the area around it, but also now for what the metro area has to offer. We explored, got the views, found the beers, and had a great time. Our Chrysler Pacifica minivan took us from the airport to a Mariners game and then onward to the Olympic Peninsula. Enjoy some photos from our trip. I already can’t wait to get back to my happy place in the northwest. This is my general take on the trip, with my views. My friends may have other opinions, which is okay.

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Day 1: Seattle

• I arrived a night earlier, because the flight was better so I settled in and got the rental minivan

  • Had a total Dad/Minivan vibe and I was okay with it

• Our hotel for Night 1 was the Embassy Suites near T-Mobile Park

  • The hotel was perfectly located for easy food and access to the Mariners game

  • The prices were not bad, but parking is not included (pretty typical, really)

• Tourist sites visited

  • Pike Place Market - the gum wall, various eats and drinks

  • Ghost Alley Espresso is pretty delicious for coffee

  • Discovery Park (lighthouse, beach views, and a view of Rainier)

  • Gas Works Park - very neat art and views of the city

  • Fremont Troll - classic little creeper under an overpass

  • Kerry Park - excellent views of the city and Rainier (cute neighborhood too)

• Breweries Visited

  • Fremont Brewing - easily one of the group favorites for the trip with a wide variety and an amazing patio

  • Optimism Brewing - another instant favorite with a delicious variety and big, open space and the coolest gender neutral bathrooms I’ve ever seen

• Had an excellent dinner at Two Doors Down (scrumptious burgers and great beers/ciders on draft) near the hotel/stadiums

• Attended a Mariners game - was a bit sunny, but lovely

• Ran in to my friend Fredi from Texas who was in town and spent a while catching up - such a nice surprise

• The day was long - lots of driving, walking, drinking local beers, and sunshine so we hit the hay pretty early

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Day 2: Our Venture to the Peninsula

• We decided to find some lighthouses as part of our adventures which included beach visits to the kind of beaches that required sweatshirts (the best kind)

• We hit up a few breweries and cider places as well

  • I shared my favorite cider place Finnriver Cidery & Farm with them and they loved it for the food and drink

  • Port Townsend Brewing for a brief sampler (excellent porter and stout)

  • Propolis Brewing was a different breed of beer and I was here for it - sours, fruity, spruce tips, SO GOOD (easily one of my new must-visists)

  • Discovery Bay Brewing - such a fun patio and tasty beers

• We stayed in Port Angeles at the Olympic Lodge - fun story, Molly and I stayed there in 2009 with our friend Kevin on one of our road trips

• We had dinner at the local pub Joshua’s (again, a revisit for Molly and I and pure nostalgia)

  • Definitely not as I remember it - less daylight next time

• It was another long day of driving, beaches, beers, and sunshine

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Day 3: Olympic Peninsula Exploration

• We started the day with drive through coffee from a coffee hut - so good

  • This is an essential for coffee lovers when in the PNW

  • Iced coffee is better, always, fight me

• Ventured around the peninsula through Forks

• Stopped at the Tree of Life and soaked up the fog on the beach

• Made our way to the Maple Glade Rain Forest to take in the greenery of the Quinault area

• Had lunch at the Pacific Inn Pizza (another revisit after years)

  • I’ve not taken most of my besties here for mediocre food (at best)

• Stopped out at Rialto Beach - nice and cold/windy!

• Came back to town to have a beer at Barhop Brewing

  • Cheesy bread looks GOOD

• Made the decision to go up to Hurricane Ridge

  • the views and sunset were phenomenal

  • Met some fun people who painted rocks and left them in public places

• Dinner at McDonalds because everything was either over an hour wait or closed

  • My only gripe w/ Port Angeles

#ForestFriday - Driving Through the Big Trees

I love the giant trees of Redwood National & State Parks. I seriously think of them on a weekly basis and always try to find a way to get back to them. I love standing under them, hiking with them, and driving very slowly through them. Enjoy a few photos of the drive along the Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway. (Photos from August 2017)

#ForestFriday - Chugach National Forest in Alaska

June 2017: I hiked through parts of Alaska and it included trails in the Chugach National Forest.  I went to many places in the ten days I was there, but this place was one of the most magical for me.  From moss covered trees to mountain views, this forest had it all.  Happy Forest Friday and I hope you find yourself among the trees this weekend.

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