Ok, So I think it’s time to give my most recent journey some love. A week ago today I woke up in a treehouse. Yes, a treehouse! In Issaquah, Washington east of Seattle. I was in heaven. It was icing on the cake to an even more perfect week spent adventuring with my good friend, (and fellow energetic/go with the flow/ stoked on travel/down for whatever adventurer) Jared. What was supposed to be a Washington trip with a Canada detour.. quickly turned into a Canada trip with a Washington detour.
The morning after my arrival we loaded up “RNK” ( Jared’s car) with camping gear and coffee and started towards Canada. A few hours later we were crossing the border, turning our phones on airplane mode, and exploring Vancouver. We made two, yes, two coffee stops to test out Vancouver’s espresso/macchiato skills. Four thumbs up. I was riding with a coffee connoisseur and my lack of knowledge was apparent but not judged thankfully 😉 People take their coffee VERY seriously in the Northwest. Spoiled with the good stuff- I find myself back in Hawaii and being a brat about my coffee now. Thanks Jared.
but I digress… we roamed Vancouver and Stanley park before heading up to Squamish with the plans to hike Big Chief in the AM.
At the top of Big Chief, with around 4 ideas of what to do next whirling in our brain, we stopped to talk to a group of lady Canuks who suggested checking out Vancouver Island. Sold. A ferry ride later we landed on Vancouver Island, a hand-me-down map in hand, destination = Tofino.
The drive alone was gorgeous. Weaving in and out of forest, lakes popping up out of nowhere, conversation flowing and easy, and ridiculously good playlists to groove to. We finally arrived in Tofino by sunset and were zombied by the travels of the day. Excited to check out the town the next day, we eagerly ate dinner and crashed.
The next day it was back to Vancouver (city) for a few hours and then hauling it back to Seattle for the last few days. Browsing Capitol Hill bookstores, sitting at a community coffee shop that seemed to appear out of nowhere, reading/ writing/ chatting the day away- time seemed to stand still and we fell into a beautifully lazy and relaxing pace. Enjoying the day with no rush of anywhere to be or anything to do. We did what felt like our first “touristy” thing of the week by having dinner at the top of the Space Needle before heading to the TREEHOUSE.
Im still kinda in shock that this happened. Treehouse Point is probably one of the coolest places I’ve ever been too. And I’ve been to a lot of cool places. It’s home to a world renowned treehouse and build team- and even has hands on courses in how to build your OWN treehouse. Send me back right now! There are 5 different tree houses on the property and it just radiates a unique energy.
Needless to say I was high on fresh mountain air by the end of this trip. Feeling slightly addicted, I was ready for another hit. But all journeys have an ending, so begrudgingly, we went straight from Treehouse Heaven to the Seattle-Tacoma Airport to send me back to Hawaii.
Main Point: I fell in love with the Northwest. There is something very special about it that I am still trying to process a week later. The natural beauty, the hipsters, the awareness and sense of community, the indie folk music scene, the mountains, the air, the coffeeeeeee…. it all pulled me in. My words don’t even do the memories justice, and even this post shows only a very shallow level of the trip. But to really get into things would take me pages and many many more words. The trip was my first, not my last, and one I will never forget!
Until next time Washington….
