Desert Getaway- Eastern Washington

I will always be a mountain lover. A lover of abundant lush greens, a lover of tall pines and peaks that go for miles and miles in the setting sun. But there is a soft spot in my heart reserved solely for warm deserts, for ancient canyons and the aroma of magical wild sage.

We arrived in the middle of the night as per usual when it comes to our adventures, and when we awoke the next morning I was so pleased to see we off roaded to the perfect camping spot! Surrounded by beautiful beautiful sage as far as the eye could see. It smelled heavenly and you bet your ass I went home with a bag full of them! You can see them in the two pictures above, even Amala was super intrigued by their strong fresh smell! 

There were these interestingly shaped canyons to our left, which is where we began our exploration for the day. The sun shown brightly and it felt good to be so damn warm in September, being here in Washington State. It was rainy and gloomy Autumn back West over the mountains, where we called home in a deep corner of thick woods. We found a bunch of random fire pits scattered across the canyon tops and deep bowls, people definitely knew what was up with this awesome spot! 

David decided this little canyon behind him absolutely had to be climbed. He maneuvered himself up the side of that thing with ease

We hiked along until we came upon this deep cut out bowl, which turned out to be an ancient dried up river bed (pretty large by the way) that would've once led to a high waterfall. The desert floor beneath it was expansive, and it was so interesting to see how big this bowl actually was. Crazy to think it was once full, fed by a magnificent waterfall. 

The river bed was full of colorful flowers, sage, a lot of warm white sand and even some burnt trees/other desert plants from a wild fire that spread through here some time ago! 

If you look closely you can see David up there in the canyon! 

We made our way back to the adventure vehicle to prepare for the rest of the day before the sunset! We emptied out the rest of our firewood as Amala explored our surroundings. David got to chopping while I scavenged for flat, wide stones to build a deep fire pit that would block strong winds. 

Before it got too dark we hiked back up to the canyon tops so we could experience a lovely desert sunset.

DAY 2 OF DESERT GETAWAY 

To the right of our campsite were these tall canyon pillars, all different sizes but all perfectly aligned. They were covered in small white patches that we assumed could only be leftover chalk from rock climbers.

It makes me chuckle when people say that desert landscapes are boring, or that they aren't colorful. These pillars alike all the surrounding canyons were stained with bright greens, and the land was a million different shades of tan, white, and yellow. Rich colors. It's all very warm and inviting, asking you to sink into its essence.

We took the pleasure of exploring them, basking in the shade they provided once we crossed over to their opposite side. While Amala and I relaxed, David took the opportunity to free climb up some of the canyon walls.

DAY 3 OF DESERT GETAWAY

We spent the next morning down by the Columbia River to cool off and let Amala swim around. Little did we know we'd come across a bunch of beautiful Washington common opal!! It was amazing to see how different opals look in accordance to their surroundings. These were shades of red, tan, yellow, even blue and purple with shiny opal parts if we got lucky! Being raw and straight from the Earth, they weren't what one would expect when thinking "opal" but man were they beautiful! Especially when marveled at right after coming out of the water. We took off our shoes and went right in, enjoying the cool crisp water as we turned over stone after stone and dug until we found a handful of these gems.

We later made our way towards some higher canyons where we saw a waterfall a day before. Despite it being on the opposite side of the canyon bowl, it seemed you could walk right up to the waterfall, so we knew we had to adventure down there and check it out!

Where we'd begin our hike down and across the expansive valley. If you look closely you can even see the waterfall we were making our way towards!

This was one of the most incredible waterfalls I've ever seen, and I believe it's one I've been closest to. I could've literally stood right underneath it if I had wanted, but even sitting next to it I was already getting soaked. Which might I add, I'm not complaining about. The water felt so good, so refreshing. Especially after climbing down a canyon, and then climbing up slippery rocks so we could sit with this beauty. We found more common opal coming from the falls, as well as this rusted old little go cart haha! No idea how the hell such a thing wound up falling into the desert, but I'm sure it had to do with some upset owner chucking it over the waterfall. 

Cape Flattery + Shi Shi Beach, Washington

Cape Flattery, Washington. The most Northwestern point of this beautiful state. From here you're able to see part of Canada, even your phone will think you're there, switching over to their services. We started off exploring sea stacks that over the years, have broken off the mountain side and "drifted" into sea. Although the reality is that the whole mountain side is being drastically washed out. 

A local girl scout group made a bunch of beautiful walking sticks so that anyone could borrow one for the hike, thought it was the sweetest thing. 

Over the years, the sea has crashed onto these formations so profoundly, that it has left deep hidden crevices right under where you'd find yourself standing. It's an interesting perspective, realizing that under your feet is a massive open cave, that over time, it will not be strong enough to hold. I have no idea how far back those caves go, but the waves within them echoed deeply. 

Pictures will never do this place justice. The ocean held colors that were completely out of this world. Such a unique shade of aqua and sea green, with bright red seaweed floating around, causing a major contrast in color. I wish I could've captured these colors clearly, but I guess you'll just have to go see for yourself! 

It  is said that every ten years, this place looks completely different. Where I stood that day will no longer exist in ten years- and that to me, is pretty magical. To know I will never experience the same place in the same way again. That every time, this place will hold new adventures and new sights to see, always evolving. That eventually, the tides always win. That the force of the sea is stronger than that of the mountains. 

After we left Cape Flattery we ventured off to Shi Shi Beach. 

I don't know which seemed sketchier, climbing down or hiking back up. I had no idea this massive drop is what awaited us to actually access the beach. Luckily there was some rope and plenty of trees to help us maneuver our way downwards. 

She absolutely LOVES the beach, kicking up the sand (reminds her of kicking up snow, her true love) and running around through the water, occasionally chasing after a very distant seagull.

These sea stacks were so unique, but then again, aren't they all. These were more accessible, however, which granted more tide pools to explore. There was so much sea life, anything from sea anemones, barnacles, the rare starfish, and even sea urchins. Also the little rock formation at the bottom right of the above picture totally looks like a sea turtle swimming my way. Or is that just me.

Man. This was such a beautiful day! Closing my eyes and thinking back to this day, I can still feel the incredible warmth of the Sun. Everything was glimmering and bright and invigorating. We indulged in some acro yoga, connecting and drinking up the Sun energy as well as each other's. We ran around and chased the dog, explored the beach some, giving in to the simplicity of that moment.