Wandering Around Washington

What we have been up to during our first month of living in the PNW!

It has been a month since we moved to Washington for the summer and yes, we are still loving every minute of living here! Being in the PNW has been extra special for Tyler and I because we are both experiencing everything for the first time together, since neither of us had been to the PNW before. We have said it before, but the past two years of traveling have been the absolute best decision we could have ever made. I still cannot believe sometimes that we are here and living out our dreams. It is honestly wild to me that two years ago we had what seemed like a “crazy” idea to uproot everything we knew and begin this lifestyle - looking back now, I cannot imagine us doing things any differently. The past two years have been truly magical. Of course there have been moments of homesickness and longings for a place of our own, but right now we are exactly where we want to be.

We knew going into this summer that it would be a busy one. Our bucket list for the PNW seems to grow by the day (thank you Instagram reels), which means that we have been back to our type A planning out every moment of free time mode (honestly our favorite mode to be in). While we have already had our fair share of rainy Seattle days, we have also had a sprinkle of beautiful bluebird days which makes us extra excited for the summer weather to be here for good.

No time has been wasted so far, as we are trying to take advantage of every minute of free time to explore. Our first weekend here we caught the tail end of Washington’s tulip season and drove up to RoozenGaarde to see their famous tulips. They were just as beautiful and colorful as you could imagine, even on a rainy Sunday.

Being able to get back into consistent hiking was another reason why we had Washington so high on our travel bucket list. Washington is a nature lovers absolute dream. So far we have been able to hike Heather Lake and Heybrook Lookout Trail and even got to bring Lucy along (most of WA is pretty dog friendly!).

It has been really cool to find a new hobby to enjoy together in our thirties. Hiking had never been on my radar before as I had mostly lived in places growing up and in my twenties that did not offer a terrain for hiking. My first hike ever was with Tyler in Colorado with his family when we were dating. We really became interested in hiking once we moved to Colorado for my first travel contract. Hiking has since become one of our favorite activities that brings us so much companionship. We love the challenge of making it to the summit of a hard trail, the reward of getting to soak in amazing views that you worked so hard to see, and the teamwork we experience by making a plan and seeing it through.

For me, hiking is a time when I am completely free from distractions of the world. It is a time when I can sit (walk) in the silence with only the sounds of nature chirping, flowing, and blowing here and there. It is the time that I feel closest to God and experience His creation in its purest form. Hiking makes me feel so small and grounded. Here I am, in this huge forest surrounded by the trees, rocks, soil, and flowing water that was here long before me and will remain long after me. I am just here passing by. Hiking puts life into perspective for me. It allows me to think. I am allowed to just be. It refreshes me. It brings me happiness and fills my heart with gratitude. It makes me feel thankful for the health of my body that can move, climb, and endure. Our summer of hiking is just getting started and as I’m sure you can tell, we can hardly wait to experience more!

Other activities we have enjoyed in Seattle have been the Pike’s Market Annual Flower Festival, the iconic Space Needle, a Royal’s game (and win!) at the Seattle Mariner’s stadium, of course lots of amazing food, and days just exploring the city (making sure to ride the trains whenever we can per Tyler’s request).

Last weekend we drove up in the mountains to the cutest Bavarian-inspired town of Leavenworth, WA and fell in love with the old German style architecture, flowers, and mountainous backdrop. It was just stunning! It was as if we were transported back in time into a fairytale land. The people here were so beyond kind and Lucy was the star of the town - she had probably 10 people stop to say hi to her and give her treats. Spoiled is a severe understatement. The three of us had the best day in cutie Leavenworth and hope to squeeze in another visit over the summer!

Our time in Washington so far has been even better than we could have expected. We are so happy to be here and are looking forward to exploring more this summer!

Thank you for following our journey :)

Love,

The Wandering Wrights