Northwest Travel & Life Magazine: Hiking the National Wildlife Refuges of the Willamette Valley

30 03 2021

I’ve always enjoyed NWR’s for their natural beauty and wildlife viewing opportunities. But I never really considered them as places that possess many viable hiking options. However, the pandemic caused me to reassess the things that I wanted in a hike. I always sought out things like solitude and lesser-visited trails – something that NWR’s always offer. But they also often provide miles of wide dirt, gravel, or maintenance road trails that are great for social distancing. And so this story idea was born from last year’s new-found appreciation of hiking in NWR’s. Click here to read it.

Advertisement




Northwest Travel & Life Magazine: The Power of Rural Travel

29 09 2020

It has been a while since many of the magazines I normally write for have put anything out in print. Slowly and carefully, however, things are coming back online. My latest for Northwest Travel & Life Magazine is about one of my favorite forms of travel, which might also be one of the safer forms available to us at the moment. But beyond the inherent benefits of fewer people and wide-open spaces, rural travel has so much more to offer. It’s on newsstands now, or click here for the PDF version.





Northwest Travel & Life Magazine: Tacoma’s Craft Cocktail Hotspots

12 11 2019

Tacoma is definitely one of my new favorite cities to explore. It has everything, including something any city needs – a cocktail scene. My latest for Northwest Travel & Life lists some of my favorites. On newsstands now or click here to read a pdf version.





Northwest Travel & Life Magazine: Chef-Driven Oyster Bars

7 11 2019

In terms of origins, this story for Northwest Travel & Life Magazine was a little different. I normally think of ideas based on my travels. In this case, two of my favorite restaurants that I regularly frequent, also happen to be oyster bars. So here you go 🙂 It’s on newsstands now, or click here to read the pdf version.

Photo courtesy of Olympia Oyster Bar

 





Northwest Travel & Life Magazine: Overnight in a Lighthouse

6 11 2019

Did you know that there are some lighthouses in the Northwest that you can stay overnight at? In my latest story for Northwest Travel & Life I describe what to expect and list my favorites. Pick up a copy on newsstands now or click here to read the pdf version.

 





Northwest Travel & Life Magazine: Olympic Peninsula Waterfall Trail

11 05 2019

The current issue of Northwest Travel & Life Magazine has a feature I wrote about waterfall hunting on the Olympic Peninsula – one of the most beautiful places in the Northwest! Pick it up on newsstands now, or click here to check out the PDF version.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA





Northwest Travel & Life Magazine: From Chef to Brewmaster

2 05 2019

The latest issue of Northwest Travel & Life has a story that I’ve been kicking around for a while – Brewmasters that began as Chefs. There are quite a few excellent examples in the Northwest, including the three all-stars in the story. Pick it up on newsstands now, or check out the PDF version here.

16010-Public-Coast-0025-1600x1066

Brewmaster Will Leroux. Photo courtesy of Public Coast Brewing





Northwest Travel & Life Magazine: Stay in a Boatel

6 03 2019

The latest issue of Northwest Travel & Life features a story that was an awful lot of fun to research. Pick up a copy on newsstands now or click here to read the PDF version. From the article:

In the neverending quest to seek out unique lodging options, we Northwesterners can go to some great and enjoyable lengths. We’ve hiked to backcountry lodges, stayed in lofty treehouses, slept in lavish five-star resorts, and built cozy stove fires in primitive yurts. All proven options. And all in the name of experiencing this wonderful corner of the globe in new and exciting ways.

Yet somehow, while we weren’t looking, Boatels slipped into the mix. The practical melding of the words “boat” and “hotel,” a Boatel is essentially a floating overnight accommodation. Though typically in the form of a stationary houseboat there is some variance. While all have placement on the water in common, locations range from quiet coastal rivers teaming with wildlife to marinas that are just steps away from destination dining and shopping options. They can be vacation rentals or Airbnb’s. But unequivocally, every one of them offers a new perspective on the places we want to explore. Here are a few of our favorite Northwest Boatels.”

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAOLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

 





Northwest Travel & Life Magazine: The Off-Season Joys of Alaska’s Capital

28 12 2018

The January issue of Northwest Travel & Life Magazine features a couple of Getaways I wrote about. The first being about a trip I took to Juneau in January. Yes, January, and it was fantastic! Pick it up on newsstands now or click here to read the pdf version.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA





Northwest Travel & Life Magazine: Back Country Lodging

6 08 2018

The cover story for the latest issue of Northwest Travel & Life Magazine is a piece I wrote about lodges with no roads. From the article:

In addition to unparalleled scenery, some of these lodges provide chef-driven farm to table cuisine on par with any top-tier urban restaurant, or thoughtfully detailed luxury accommodations you’d expect to find in downtown in a major city. Others specialize in being comfortably rustic, serving as the perfect home base for instant access to the remote and wild attributes of their immediate surroundings. Getting to these places requires alternative modes of transportation –  either hiking, kayaking, riding on horseback, a jet boat, raft, chartered flight, or some combination thereof. But however you access them, they are always exponentially worth the time and effort. Here are some of our favorites.”

Click here to read the PDF version.

NWTL-JulAug-Cover