July 03, 2021 Today is the day to make it to the Sunrise area of Mt. Rainier National Park. It's time to get even closer to this awesome volcano! It's the highest point you can reach in the park by car at 6,400 ft. Again, I arrive early to beat the traffic lines at the …
Author: Sola Latina Explorer
Mount Rainier NP-Longmire & Paradise
July 02, 2021 I've seen Mount Rainier on postcards and the internet, the famous mountain (and volcano!) creating a familiar and steady silhouette against the skyline of the city of Seattle. I was going to finally see it in person, right in front of me. But first, I have to get there. I stayed outside …
Olympic Hoh Rain Forest & Rialto Beach
July 01, 2021 Olympic National Park's eco system makes is so diverse. It is however, very large, and so I broke it up into 2 days since the Hoh Rain Forest park entrance is far from the one in Port Angeles. https://www.flickr.com/photos/189719256@N05/51365703854/in/dateposted/ So I stayed the night in Forks, and yes, it looks foggy and …
Olympic National Park & Forks, WA
June 30, 2021 Olympic National Park has 2 parts: the entrance at Port Angeles and the Hoh Rain Forest which is 2 hours away. Because of the drive, I did the Port Angeles side first. https://www.flickr.com/photos/189719256@N05/51318363203/in/photostream/ First stop is the visitor center, which has a nice little trail, the Peabody Trail, that will prepare you …
Anacortes, WA Whale Watching
June 29, 2021 Killer whales in the wild is something I've always been curious to see. Seeing them trained in the water park and seeing them in the ocean I always felt would be such a different experience. So before the rainforest, I took a chance to take advantage of the experience. Island Adventures is …
North Cascades National Park
June 30, 2021 Mountains, please. Plenty of them to find here, one of the least visited National Parks in the USA. https://www.flickr.com/photos/189719256@N05/51308535994/in/dateposted/ But I don't know why, because beautiful doesn't begin to describe it. It's like the Alps, some people describe it. Glaciers and peaks to view mixed in with the scent of the trees …
Padre Island National Seashore
Wanna do the beach thing here in Texas but don't want the "usual" Spring Break crowds in March? Consider Padre Island National Seashore! https://flic.kr/p/2kPsciQ When you come up to the booth, pay the rangers the $5 entrance fee and you're free to explore miles of natural shoreline, and is known to be the longest stretch …
Finally 2021
2020 is done. The past 16 months were so rough. Christmas Eve 2019 was spent at a funeral home for Honor Watch. Started 2020 with the flu and then a first responder funeral. Covid-19 and several side hustles later to continue school and then it's Christmas again. My Grandmother's death a few days before this …
Chickasaw National Recreational Area
I was still itching for a good, hearty hike that wasn't desert. I love greenery; I'm dying to do a hike in a real rain forest one day (it's on the bucket list)! And I found the place that made Oklahoma stay permanently in my heart for years to come. The Chickasaw National Recreational area. …
Oklahoma City National Memorial
I start the day with a 10 minute drive from the hotel to downtown OKC as it's called locally. It's surprisingly quiet for a weekday. A few bikers with backpacks in semi-suits whiz by and homeless people lounging at bus stops. I'm used to rising early but I missed coffee. I stop by a little …
Sola Latina Explorer 