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 Through decades of traveling and countless night stays, meals, and experiences, it’s difficult to recall every moment spent abroad. This is especially true for a travel writer like me, who has spent the past 15+ years traveling to 25+ countries. Every day in a new place consists of several meals, a new bed to lay my head down on, new people, cultures, and ways of life. And after awhile it can be difficult to remember every detail. But what’s left is a general feel for the place.
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 For as long as I can remember, I have loved trees and wildflowers, camping and exploring among the wildernesses of our country. My mom was an avid camper and we often spent weekends among the trees, so naturally, forests have held a very special and very large place in my heart. I’ve long realized I feel better in the woods, from being much more at peace, and relaxed, but what’s more I feel like I’m being recharged and renewed when I’m in a place surrounded by greenery, and when there are little to no sounds of humanity. No cars, no planes, nothing. That’s where I feel at home.
 Clouds shrouded the base of the mountain and mist hugged the white caps as I entered the farm lane of Ovenell’s Heritage Inn in the North Cascades range of Washington state. The mountains hid just barely as the sun began its brilliant and colorful show of setting. Blues, purples and subtle teals blended stunningly into pinks, oranges and yellows, painting the mountain in a mystical shroud like an artist’s vision.
 Life has been a whirlwind of new experiences and responsibilities since I became a father in 2019. A year before the pandemic, my wife and I learned we were pregnant, which was a surprise, but a very good one. As with most new parents, we never felt ready, so with the first news we were freaked out and we went through the motions as most do. My lifestyle as a traveler took a hit, and then the pandemic happened a few months after my little boy’s birth. As with everyone in the world, the pandemic halted all travel, grounding flights and scaring everyone to stay in their homes. Being new parents, we took the pandemic seriously and stayed far away from everyone, even family. It was tough, but here we are a few years removed and travel is once again possible.
 “I have arrived,” I muttered to myself, with a deep sigh of relief. After months of planning and decades of dreaming, I found myself in the state of Washington with my head cricked upward as I peered at the towering pines in awe. Finally off the plane and into a shiny new Audi rental car, with only the open road before me. Surrounded by dwindling city and ever taller trees, I put on some Pacific Northwest inspired playlists and faded into the experience. I felt free and clear with endless possibilities. For ten days, I didn’t have to adhere to any schedule, I didn’t have to wake up early to head to the office, and there were no diapers to change. The only sensation that beats this feeling is when I was in Europe some years ago with no end date in sight, where I ended up spending nine months abroad.
 As a nature lover and photographer, I can’t get enough of a beautiful scene, especially if it involves a gorgeous snow-capped mountain, and even more so if the mountain is known for being an active volcano patiently waiting to blast a fiery blanket of ash into the sky. For decades, I had dreamt of exploring the old growth forests of Washington, with the massive trees reaching skyward, air plants hanging from every branch, and blankets of moss littered with fungi. Being from Ohio, we have some lovely forests, but they’re all young growth due to human’s clearcutting everything. I often remarked that the trees in Ohio are simply toddler trees, so I yearned to experience natural areas which remained undisturbed by human presence. There are so few now-a-days.
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November 2021
*Disclaimer: All blog posts featuring products, reviews, or suggestions for products or services are governed by our Disclosure. Products were received free to review, so to provide authentic opinions and content for our readers. The opinions and ideas in this post are the writer's own and are uninfluenced by any other person or business. We receive no compensation for product reviews. Links within non-product review posts may be sponsored.
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