The Art of Taking Tiny Trips

In the past couple of months my husband and I have taken a few small trips to places in the PNW. We don’t have the time off or money to do big travel right now, but we both have the urge to explore. Our solution is to do small getaways, long weekends here and there, to places within a few hours’ drive of where we live.

A view of the northern Cascades & water from Birch Bay State Park in Blaine, WA.

I have a thing about barns, the older the better. As we were driving down the rode my husband quickly pulled the car over & hopped out to get this shot. I adore the simple, majestic beauty of this picture. My hubby has such a talented eye for capturing nature.

Such a beautiful “winter wonderland” type feel to this park.

We drove up to the Mt. Baker ski area & were rewarded with this amazing view of Mt. Baker’s peak. I don’t ski, but being here, I could see myself at least giving it a try.

We recently explored northwest Washington State, around the Bellingham area and part of the Oregon Coast. Both trips were memorable and unique, but also different from one another.

Bellingham’s downtown area had loads of craft breweries, more than we could try out on this visit. I adored the downtown area, with its little, quirky shops, breweries, co-ops and restaurants. We went into Bellingham for a single day trip as we were staying just north in Blaine.

Blaine is a quiet, small town situated along Birch Bay, which boasts spectacular views of the North Cascades and Canada. While in Blaine we ventured out to the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest area. I’ve never had the urge to take up skiing, but after spending an afternoon in the snowy forest and gazing up at the Mt. Baker peak, I could see myself giving it a try!

This view from Ecola State Park in Cannon Beach, OR. is nothing short of magical! I could’ve stayed here all day.

Haystack Rock in nearby Cannon Beach, OR.

Seaside, OR. is where Lewis & Clark ended their epic journey. Ironically, St. Charles, MO. where we used to live was where the duo kicked off their expedition. My hubby & I have now been at the beginning & end of the expedition!

There’s nothing quite like the Oregon Coast. I had to “Vanna” this giant postcard hanging at the resort we stayed at.

While northern Washington provided the perfect winter wonderland escape, the Oregon Coast wowed us with its ethereal beauty and sweeping views. Seaside is a cute coastal town with plenty of ocean side resorts and most of the town is walkable. We walked to restaurants, the grocery store, the town library and we might have made the justification that walking to get ice cream made it a slightly healthier treat.

Cannon Beach is the next town over from Seaside, and we made the drive over one day (it was the only day we used our car!) to walk along the beach and take a peek at Haystack Rock. We also visited Ecola State Park while we were in Cannon Beach. The park offers amazing views of the stunning Oregon Coast as well as a lighthouse and some hiking trails.

Who knows where our wanderlust will lead us, but I am sure wherever we adventure next, I’ll have pictures to show and words to share.

With summer coming up, do you have any travel plans? I’d love to hear from you! Leave me a comment telling me where you’re headed in the coming months.

*The pictures featured in this post were taken by my husband.