Taking Joy in Little Excursions

Ever since I was little, my family would go on little excursions somewhat close to home but far enough away to feel like we were tourists and getting a break from our "normal" life. I remember traveling with my mom to Friday Harbor, Concrete, Port Townsend (I loved the camping trips to Fort Worden!), Fort Flagler, all over Whidbey Island, Mt. Rainier (when my mom drove in the middle of the road so she wouldn't get too close to the roadside cliffs!), Vancouver (BC), The Dalles (Oregon), Point Roberts (a very tiny tip of Washington that requires entering and exiting Canada to get to!) and so many other places, which really showed me and taught me a love of travelling, no matter where you go.

My dad also took me on excursions as a child to places like Twisp in the heart of the Northern Cascades, Florence (Montana), a small town covered by an ancient volcanic eruption in Alberta, and a weekend road trip to Northern California (just so I could say I had been to California!). A very fond memory I have growing up (in my expanding geography world!) was planning and navigating a trip we took to Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming--way before the internet and GPS devices!

Through both of my parents's travel nurturing spirits, I became fearless in my travels as I grew older and I ventured to Ecuador multiple times to study and work abroad. Now that I think about it, one thing I missed at times while living and working in the small coastal town of Salinas were the weekend excursions. I didn't have a car and taking the bus could be difficult sometimes. I do have great memories of the excursions I did take--a visit to the Chocolatera where the water churns so much it looks like a chocolate maker, the beautiful wooden church at Colonche in the interior coastal forest north of Salinas, quick trips to Montanita were always a blast, and most recently going with a friend, fondly nicknamed "Abuelo," to the San Vicente thermal hot springs where I bathed in mud! Of course, I went on many other trips while in Ecuador to places far away, but really during my time living in Salinas, I could only afford the little excursions, which I still cherish.

Most recently, since I have been living in the United States for 5 years now (so hard to believe!), a way I cope with my "travel bug" and not being able to travel that often is by going on little excursions, sometimes to the same places my mom took me to years ago! I've found that it's really helped me get through stressful times at work or the nostalgia I feel for Ecuador and the relaxed lifestyle there.

Just this past weekend, I ventured up to Vancouver, British Columbia, where I hadn't been since high school when my mom and I went up to see a play. (Before that, when I was in elementary school, my mom and I took the train up to Vancouver to see Expo '86--and my mom would remind me to add that we left the tickets to the Expo in the freezer (don't ask me why the tickets were in the freezer) so we had to go a second time! :-)

Last month, my three college roommates and I went up to see the tulips in Skagit County and stayed in Anacortes. We didn't find tulips but the daffodils were in bloom and we had a wonderful time window shopping in La Conner, Fairhaven and Bellingham that weekend. And since I didn't get to see the tulips, my mom and I went up to see them later that month (in April) and had a great day trip, just like old times!

Even on a boring Saturday recently, I didn't have any plans so I decided to go to Snoqualmie Falls and because I had a coupon for a local brewery there, I ate dinner in the little town of Snoqualmie after hiking down to the foot of the falls for pictures and relaxation. I love day trips!

Last fall, in an attempt to have a trip to look forward to during a stressful period at work, I decided to go to Oktoberfest in Leavenworth, a small Bavarian town in the Cascade mountains, and had an absolute blast! I mean, how can you go wrong with a beer festival?! I plan to return this fall.

My love for little excursions was also enhanced when I got a summer job in college as a tour guide/activities coordinator for students coming to Seattle on a short-term study abroad program. I absolutely loved showing the students around and inventing different places to take them! I also enjoyed seeing the places I'd visited as a child through my young adult self's eyes.

All of these experiences combined have taught me to cherish the interesting places where you live and go and enjoy them! As I was just talking with a co-worker who said I'd been on a lot of little trips recently, she also commented that I'd probably be happy wherever I travelled. So true--the act of travelling itself makes me happy! And spending time with those I love.