Camping in Oregon sounds magical right up until you are pitching a tent in the rain, your socks are damp, your hair has given up, and you are questioning every choice that led you to this muddy patch of earth. That is exactly why I love camping yurts in Oregon. After staying in Oregon yurts…
As a kid, my desert imagination was basically a Sahara screensaver: endless dunes, heat-haze mirages, and a sky so blue it looked aggressive. If there were camels and pyramids, even better. Deserts felt far away—exotic, overseas, and definitely made of sand. Then I grew up and realized the American West has deserts too… and most…
The first time I visited Leavenworth (quite a while ago), I thought I’d taken a wrong turn and ended up in a German theme park run by retired mountaineers. There were people in lederhosen eating pretzels the size of small dogs, accordion music drifting through the streets, and somewhere, inexplicably, a man dressed as a…
**This post was updated December 22, 2025** Crater Lake is absolutely ridiculous — in the best way. The first time I saw it a decade ago, I thought someone had turned the saturation slider way up on real life. My breath caught in my throat. “Woooowwww,” was the only thing I could utter for a…
I’ve been lucky enough to call Oregon home for most of my life, and let me tell you—this state doesn’t skimp on jaw-dropping beauty. Oregon has a surprising diverse range of ecosystems and climates, and I’ve had the immense pleasure of exploring it all. From high desert landscapes and volcanic peaks to lush rainforests and…
**Updated November 23, 2025** Look — Oregon has a lot going for it. Pine-scented forests, towering waterfalls, craft beer that’ll knock your hiking socks off. But nothing beats sinking into a natural hot spring while mist curls off the water and your worries melt like marshmallows in a campfire. If you’ve been googling “hot springs…
