Pacific North West

December 26, 2018

Pacific North West

British Columbia ⇄ Washington ⇄ Oregon

I love to write. I love to explore and adventure. And I love to capture many of my experiences through

p h o t o g r a p h y

I will be the first one to admit that I do not always manage my time well. I'm often late. I am often an unorganized mess. But I'm generally always happy - and I do well at prioritizing the things that really matter to me the most. Other things are usually on the to - do list, getting pushed to the bottom.

"How do you do it ? "

"I wish I could do that .."

"I wish I could go there .. "

"What is the next trip? "

I have been asked by so many people in so many ways. I’ve heard it all. The things that matter the most look different to all of us. And what we show the world through our stories shared, photos and social media, is different for all of us.

Truth: … YES! This is totally my "best life". I strive pretty hard to meet all of my own expectations and explore as much as possible.

Truth: It is REALLY hard and super exhausting. I work long and sometimes ridiculous amounts of hours when I am not traveling just to save enough to take the time off that I need or want.

Truth: … I LOVE being home. I LOVE Campbell River. If I didn't feel guilty about it I would spend full days in my big cozy bed.

Truth: … balance is super hard when you want to do everything (case in point - I have not blogged since January - and it's something I totally love to do)

You give up in other areas to meet new areas of need and desire. Sometimes I miss the trees and ocean so much - I am craving adventure. Then, I see the trees and ocean so much that I am missing friends & family. I miss my own bed sometimes. Other times .. I am home so much but I work all of those days.. with little “free time”… So yes, it is absolutely the best and is as good as it looks in all the photos. But don’t be fooled. It takes work too. So for all your questions and comments and support and awe .. it is totally worth it .. but I am totally tired at times.

BUT this isn't about my crazy day to day life .. This post is about an adventure. This spring my good friend Tess and I went on a super fun VAN ROAD TRIP!
I turned 30 years old and 3 days before that she also celebrated a birthday.

so ..
WHY NOT
AN EPIC adventure to celebrate?

We left Campbell River one Sunday morning and drove her camper van (that her hubby lovingly trusted us with, thanks Davey) to the Southern Coast of Oregon. We took two dogs, two girls, and a lot of oatmeal. The weather started out with that dreary wet West Coast rain and fog. We made the best of it and still camped the first night in Washington. We walked the sandy beach in sideways rain, bundled the dogs in the van after and cooked our meals in the rain too. After this we were more or less blessed with sunny skies and warming weather the further south we went.

Our whole trip was filled with eating amazing food, cooking some seriously awesome camping dinners and lounging in the sand. We adventured winding roads, and hit up the cities for some fancy cocktails and fine dining. We aimed for further south but loved every minute that we had.. For a coastal trip in the pacific north west (in April) we lucked out with pretty exceptional weather, minus just a few days of rain.

Immediately as we crossed into the US we were met with the kindest of people. The experience was incredible. Full campgrounds ? No problem, people fit us in. Unsure where to go? locals and employees at restaurants showed us the way.

Some car rides were quiet .. most were full of singing, laughter, southern drawls and weird voices. We stayed up late (830-9pm) each night and slept innnnn in the mornings. 2 girls in a van with 2 dogs, you might think that would be a little snug but wow .. let’s talk best vacation sleeps of life!!

So.. We totalled 10 days and 9 nights, 1,440 miles (we’ll speak miles since we were in the U.S. but in km for all of us Canadian folk that was a whopping 2,317 km!!!), we gained sunburns, a few pounds, tons of photos and even more memories.
We had ZERO mechanical mishaps and no issues at the border with our well behaved pooches.

All in all this was a pretty incredible trip that I will be grateful for forever.