West Coast Wandering-2026

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We’ve traveled these West Coast roads many times through California, Oregon, and Washington, but there are always beautiful views and unexpected treats.

Embarking on another RV trip from Valencia Travel Village!

Our kittens Luna and Tierra (almost full grown) made sure we packed the most important items, including their toys, like this yellow spiral (doubles as both a hockey puck and a fake mouse). Luna posed with my Bruin Bear in the RV window.

Tierra with the yellow spiral--on the "must pack" list.
Luna with my UCLA Bruin Bear in the front of our RV--ready to go!

Highlights on the drive north: Dinner with college friends John and Sharon in Lodi. California quail in the Yreka RV Park. Beautiful views of Shasta Lake, Mt. Shasta, Castle Crags, and Portland. Finding a Trader Joe’s in Salem, Oregon! 

Great dinner with Sharon and John at Lodi Beer Company
Shasta Lake--still fairly full
Mt. Shasta--always beautiful
Castle Crags from the road--someday we'll visit!
You know we love to spot wildlife! There were several California quail at our RV park.
Tierra liked to watch the traffic on the dashboard (we promise that she was not blocking Hank's view).
Luna slept a lot while we were driving.
Sunrise at our RV park in Salem, Oregon
Driving through Portland
Crossing the Columbia River and entering Washington
Washington's capitol building in Olympia

Camping on Harstine Island (Olympic Peninsula/Puget Sound, Washington) was a definite highlight and we got to visit with lots of family.

The long and winding road through Harstine to get to the other side of the island...
Our RV pad at my brother Ron's cabin
Tierra learned how to walk with her harness and eat grass!
Luna learned how to hide and hunt--mostly bugs!
Celebrating Ron and Merrie's 49th anniversary at The Boathouse in Allyn--delicious!
Enjoying the beautiful wildflowers, including this foxglove
Every day we walked down the road to the beach, always enjoyable.
A view of McMicken Island from the Harstine Island beach
At low tide, family members dug clams on McMicken Island.
We walked the trail through the McMicken forest.
Banana slugs are often found on the forest floor.
The McMicken Island meadow
McMicken Island at low tide--the sand bar is walkable between Harstine and McMicken.
Lunch with cousins Peter and Kathleen
The view of Mt Rainier from Peter and Kathleen's house
Cousins Katie and John just bought the house next door to Peter--hard at work painting the garage.
Here's their new summer home--with son Carson next to Katie.
Carson used his drone to capture views of McMicken with the changing tides over many hours--a great image! Used with permission of my first cousin once removed, Dr. Carson Riggs Witte!
Back on Harstine Island, Ron led us in some campfire folk songs after dinner.
Brothers-in-law Andy and Charlie joined in the singing.
Roasting marshmallows for s'mores went along with the folk songs!
Marie and Kathleen led the girls' part on "The Horse in Striped Pajamas."
S'mores and singing--a great combination
Rose campion--one of the beautiful wildflowers in Ron and Merrie's yard on Harstine Island
A swallowtail butterfly enjoys a meal.
On our last day at the island, we had to visit Big Bubba's Burgers in Allyn for blackberry shakes!
Yum yum!

We visited my mom in her Adult Family Home near Seattle. The Armenian food I brought for my mom was a definite treat. And bringing our kitten Luna to visit the home was a highlight for everyone! Next time we’ll bring both kitties. 

Sue (95 years old) and Cindy
Enjoying a visit from Luna the kitten

Our final stop before crossing into Canada was the Oostema Farmstead in Lynden, Washington, where we have camped several times before. We not only enjoyed beautiful views of Mt. Baker and the North Cascades, but also got to spend time with Cousins Betsy and Andy! Our West Coast Wandering gave us lots of family time this year.

A view of Mt Baker on our drive
The view from our campsite
Beginning the Gold Mine Trail hike with Betsy and Andy
The berries were already ripening!
Hank shot a photo of this American Indian ghost pipe plant.
The forest was so lush and green!
We love those beautiful wildflowers!
The highlight of this hike was definitely spotting the barred owl in the tree. Watch the short video below to see the owl in action.

Our West Coast Wandering led us to the Canadian border and into British Columbia, which we’ll focus on in our next blog. Thanks so much for reading!

13 thoughts on “West Coast Wandering-2026”

  1. Cindy I LOVE your travel blogs! I feel like I just went somewhere. Great photos. Your Mom is 95 years old?! That’s amazing! The banana slug is HUGE! Tell Hank I like his shark hat!!!!

    Reply

    • Thank you, Todd! Yes, Hank loves wearing the shark hat you designed. And yes, those banana slugs are big, though maybe not as big as it looks in the picture. We’re glad you enjoyed reading. Thanks for sharing!

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  2. This brings back such happy memories of drives we made from Stockton to the PNW – such a beautiful part of the world. And the owl video was fabulous. I love seeing all kinds of birds, but I think raptors are my favorites!!

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    • Yes, Lynn, I know what you mean–you spent a lot of time on the West Coast, so you’ve been a lot of the places we visited. We were thrilled to see that owl and Hank did a great job capturing the video. We love raptors too! Hopefully we’ll see more on the rest of the trip.

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  4. Thank you for sharing. Stunning pictures. Fun photo labels, just right! I agree. I feel like i’m there with you. God’s creation never ceases to amaze me!

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    • We agree, Anne. God’s creation never ceases to amaze us! Hopefully we’ll have lots more to share on the rest of the trip. Thanks for writing!

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    • Nina, we think the Cascades are so stunning–all of them–and we know you have a special place in your heart for Shasta. Thanks for reading!

      Reply

    • So far, so good, Kathy! Our next post will be about British Columbia, and there are so many beautiful places in the Western US and Canada. We love getting to take these adventures. Thanks for reading!

      Reply

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