among giants

this was our stop at the redwoods in california, and i think it was one of the most special parts of the trip.

sml and i spent a lot of time just walking and chatting in these forests. there was no rush and not much of an agenda—just ferns underfoot, trees disappearing into the sky, and the two of us wandering through it all.

they are such a marvel. it is hard to stand beside something that old and that tall without feeling a little awed and a little tiny.

i am so happy i was able to do this with sml.

hey you guys

cannon beach is already one of my favorite places. haystack rock, the endless stretch of sand, the ocean mist—every direction looked a little unreal.

the goonies connection made the whole place feel even more cinematic, but honestly cannon beach did not need the help. i could not get over how beautiful it was as the sun started to drop. scott and i just strolled along the water and admired everything, which was exactly the right amount of agenda.

we finished the evening with expensive mexican food for dinner and puffin wine at the wine shack. a slightly extravagant ending to a very good beach day. no treasure map required.

please take my money

i am already completely enamored with how green washington is, but the hoh rainforest in olympic national park is green on an entirely different scale. green underfoot, green overhead, green hanging from every branch. truly stunning. loved, loved, loved it.

every turn looked like the forest had been left alone to invent another kind of green.

we went on the fourth of july, when admission was free. a bargain, technically. the two-hour line of cars was less of a bargain.

i do not recommend visiting on a holiday. national park service: please take my money. whatever it costs to never spend two hours waiting to enter a rainforest again.