This is a really fun stop but pretty far out of the way. There are two main parts of this national monument. One in Utah and one in Colorado. This is from the Utah side where the dinosaur bones are. There is a giant wall of bones where you can even touch a few in a building near the visitor center. If you do the small hikes near this area you can find more.

Our trip to this park was not quite what we expected. It turned out to be an extremely wet and cloudy day so we weren’t able to see the mountains but it did make for some fun moody shots.

This park has soo many different landscapes to check out that one day is really not enough time. We happed to be there when the salt flats had turned into a lake which was neat. Side note - should you go to the dunes, bring sandals or be prepared to gather an unbelievable amount of sand in your shoes.

A quick trip to this park in early May. We got up around 4am to get a good spot for sunrise. It was definitely worth and we would recommend for anyone who makes it to the park.

Multnomah Falls is always a fun visit especially in the fall when the leaves all change colors.

A fun smaller national park. The real reason to visit is to get on top of a sand dune and watch the sunset. The park closes shortly after sunset and reopens each morning. The sunset did not disappoint when we were there. If planning to visit, make sure to check ahead of time cause the park is occasionally closed due to nearby missile testing.

A popular hike in either the winter or summer. The falls are frozen over which is fun. There also were people ice climbing the frozen falls. If you do this in the winter bring microspikes for safety.

We love to photograph Hummingbirds. In our area we mostly encounter Anna’s. Their vibrant colors and feisty nature make them a personal favorite.

We chased the Aurora four times in the past week. By the last night we were both catastrophically tired... and yet we ventured out again… and four the fourth time in a row we found it!
The magic of watching the dancing lights from deep in the Mt. Hood wilderness was absolutely incredible and something we will never forget.

The wildflowers were truly stunning this year. We did multiple hikes out in the gorge and took a quick trip up to Leavenworth for Shawneen’s birthday.

2025 at the tulips involved over 30k photos. Beautiful birds on tulips, sunny skies and the wonderful hot air balloons!

We left in the middle of the night to experience this beautiful morning on Mt. St. Helens We were lucky enough to find some wildflowers and to have such a pretty sunrise!

We visited the East bank Esplanade hoping for an amazing sunset, while that never materialized we did find the rose festival carnival lights which made for some fun photos.

We spent one evening and one morning at Great Sand dunes. while we did not have time for the 6+ hour hike to the top of the dunes we still have a blast and got some awesome photos!

It was extremely cold and a bitter wind only furthered the chill. The frozen falls were magic though!

We ventured around Bryce and did a little hike. At sunset we were gifted beautiful clouds and amazing light.

The yearly smelt run brings all sorts of visitors to the mouth of the river, drawing in sea lions and all sorts of birds who feast upon the bountiful fish.

Fall brings the most stunning colors to the Japanese gardens. Eruptions of reds, oranges and yellows amongst the vibrant forest greens

Spring brings Cherry blossoms to Waterfront park. For a brief couple of weeks the trees erupt with blossoms and the crowds appear to enjoy their beauty.

This trip to the Dahlias ended up being all about the macro photography. Bugs and blooms made for a wonderful day!

We took a quick daytrip to Cannon Beach and after a wonderful stroll along the beach we found some ice cream and then returned to haystack rock for a pretty epic sunset!

This park is a fun stop. It’s only open during the day but one day is plenty to get a good overview of the park. The petrified portions are very colorful and fun to explore.