Stopped by the troll bridge on the way back to Portland from visiting the coast. Not a far drive…read morefrom the main highway. It is a small curvy road so not much space to park. Very interesting place. Spent some time looking at all the neat stuff posted here.

Very cute experience. There really isn't any parking, but if you go up the road a bit past the…read morebridge, there's a turnout to make a u turn. You can theoretically pull over and walk down for photos. It's free and cute. Kids would love it.

Stopped by when it wasn't icy and dangerous to work your way down. The falls were rushing nicely,…read morewith a fabulous long-reaching cool spray. Short, easy trail down...although it could be a tad steep for some. Otherwise there's a decent amount of parking, and it's such a short walk to see the falls, definitely worth checking out.

We were looking for a quick little getaway of a hike and this certainly fit the bill. Clickity…read moreclack on the interwebs, a plug into the GPS, and we were off. It's not too far off of the main road at all, and the hike down to the water is short and sweet, and only steep in one tiny section. This looks like it gets plenty of traffic in warmer months and there are lots of pools where you could take a dip. I wouldn't be surprised if the teen crowd parties here (read: I saw a few beer cans) but on my later spring visit it was cool and only one other group--a family-- was there at the falls. The falls are gorgeous, misty, and pretty straightforward in mass. We turned it into an impromptu photo shoot which was about my favorite part of the trip, and they made a nice backdrop. There's not much else here, and not much nearby. So bring your picnics, park, and come down to the pools or water and spend an hour watching the hypnotic tumbling.

Gorgeous 300 year-old tree, and if you're a hugger like me...well then it's a must see. Ok,…read moreenough Seuss. It's an easy walk to see Cathedral. You could get to it via the column, but we opted to take the trailhead below. The trailhead is easy to find and signed well, with parking for a few cars. It's a slight uphill on your way to the tree, and although it's a short walk, with a partially icy trail and an ice packed boardwalk, it took a bit longer on Jan 1st than we'd expected. There are a couple of benches around the tree should you desire to take rest. The Cathedral Tree is gorgeous. Although it doesn't really stand out in height or girth amongst PNW trees, it's special to see for a tree lover and neat to read its history. You can squeeze right under and through in to the other side...which I did a few times. We didn't opt to continue on the trail up to the column, but it's a pretty and quick walk up to see the tree nonetheless. Stop by and give it some love!

It's a beautiful hike!! I didn't necessarily see the cathedral tree though, I don't even know if…read moreit's labeled or not. But that's the only issue. I wouldn't recommend bringing younger children because it is extremely muddy and slick. A beautiful experience for adventure seekers!!!

On the Eastside Esplanade by the river is this lovely, large ship. This reminds me of one of the…read moreships from a child's story book in the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe series by C. S. Lewis. Very unique. This is just north of the Morrison bridge on the walking/ running/ bike path on the East Bank of the Willamette. It is one of the highlights of the walk, in my opinion.

August 22, 2025 - Winlock, WA…read more We were close by, so of course I'm going to stop and see the "World's Largest Egg". Why is the World's Largest Egg in Winlock? From Roadside America's website: "Winlock was America's second largest egg producing town until the 1950s, and local egg pride remains strong. The first big egg was fashioned from canvas by town boosters in 1923, part of a celebration around the opening of the Pacific Highway. The current egg is twelve feet long and weighs 1,200 pounds. It sits on a pedestal on a ten-foot steel pole. On the pedestal is written, "World's Largest EGG." There is a rooster nearby to add a little variety to your photo. I'm all about roadside attractions; never miss one if I'm nearby.

Cute little park. Gravel parking is located on the other side of the road. The location for parking…read moreis where the rooster on my pictures is. The little "Vern Sander Mermorial Park" is fenced and has a garbage can out front by the road. The park has a few cement benches that need repairs. The park was dedicated to Vern Sander, who was one of the poultrymen who put Winlock on the map as Egg Capital of the World. In 1991, he funded the World's Largest Egg. A gas station is located on the other side of the road. The town has several amazing additional roosters. I saw a museum, bank and some restaurants. This was a day trip for me, and it was nice to see a unique and odd roadside attraction. I plan on going back to see more things in Winlock. The area was clean. Things to know: Parking to the Egg location doesn't have a noticeable crosswalk. Thankfully, it was not too busy. There are no restrooms at the location. This will get you out of the car and check out the small town restaurants. Overall, it was good to see and check it off the roadside attraction list.

Olympia buildings are covered in murals which makes the buildings entertaining to look at…read more The Star Wars mural is located on a building, in a lot, with three food trucks. The lot has a picnic table for those interested in ordering from the food trucks. Paid street parking is available. While I enjoyed the Star Wars mural, I liked the superhero mural much better. Keep up the artsy work Olympia!

"Honey, let's go check out the Star Wars mural."…read more (silence) There are many times when I suspect that Mr. K rolls his eyes on our little road trips. We are going where? To see what? I came across this local gem when browsing the highest rated spots in Olympia. It was an easy stroll from the center of town and just a couple blocks from the Olympia Coffee Roasting Company. When asking a local for directions to the mural, he informed me that his friend created the mural and although it is a caricature, all characters are truthful in their representation. He was dead serious when describing the artist's motivation. This is when I turn to Mr. K and nod knowingly. Just stick with me, kid. The mural is painted on the side of an apartment building and is in good condition. Someone actually has their apartment in the Death Star. **jealous** The grassy area alongside the building appears to be home to the only food cart in town, so it was a fun little journey of discovery. Not to say all my wanderings are successful. But in this case, the Force was with me.

Hiked Comet Falls with my fiancé and a couple of our best friends and absolutely loved the trail!…read moreI've only done a couple trails in MRNP but even if I had done more, I could see this still ranking as a favorite. We had a reservation for entry into the park before 9am and hit the trail early in the day to make sure we wouldn't have to deal with any lines. No issues! The trail is almost four miles roundtrip with a little over 1,200 feet in elevation gain. I wouldn't exactly call it a beginner hike because there's several steep and challenging parts, but it's nothing too bad. My legs were a little sore the next day but all in all it was a great workout. The falls at the end are absolutely gorgeous and hard to comprehend how tall they really are until you're standing right next to it! There's a ton of smaller falls along the way and glimpses of the mountains through the trees too which makes this a gorgeous hike pretty much the entire way. Like most people do, we made ourselves a lunch and enjoyed it at the end and watched the falls for a little while. 10/10 would do this trail again!

Oh wow...how has no one on Yelp written about Comet Falls??? Without a doubt, this trail and hiking…read moretowards majestic Comet Falls was one of THE BEST ACTIVITIES AND ATTRACTIONS I WITNESSED at Mount Rainier National Park! What a truly remarkable experience this was for me. I know most people, visitors and tourists would say the main attraction of Mount Rainier is Mount Rainier itself. But this hike to Comet Falls ABSOLUTELY WON ME OVER! I was simply thrilled with the 462 foot plunge of Comet Falls....which then cascaded into another small waterfall. Holy Smokes, when I visited...I was able to photograph both waterfalls (with Comet Falls being the main attraction) all within one entire picture. Seriously, it made for one truly humbling moment! Just some background information I can provide... First off, Comet Falls Trailhead was located literally right off the side of the road as I made my way from outside the entrance towards Mt. Rainier in the small town of Ashford, Washington. From the entrance station, it was about a 10 mile drive heading towards the Paradise Section of Mt. Rainier. Keep this in mind because there ARE NONE, ZERO SIGNS FOR COMET FALLS! Yes, I passed Comet Falls while heading towards the Henry Jackson Visitor Center. But while driving, there were a bunch of cars parked off the side of the road and this got my attention that something cool could be offered here. Along with using the park map, I did recognize the trailhead. In all, I'd say maybe there were only 10 parking spots available. That's how small the area was with limited parking availability. Also, this is VERY IMPORTANT. I hiked to Comet Falls in early afternoon around 1pm in the month of August. When I arrived at the falls in mid-late day....I had the sun at my back going with me. THIS WAS VITAL! Because as you'd expect for taking pictures, this was the perfect moment to grab photos! Absolutely perfect! Yeah it also helped that I hiked the trail on a beautifully sunny day. But coming here in the afternoon time made for the sun to be going with me and I thought my pictures came out stunningly well! Lol, this was so important to me...to not be facing against the sun and dealing with shadows. VISIT IN THE AFTERNOON! More info...Comet Falls Trail is a 3.8 mile round trip hike gaining about 900 feet in elevation. It's not really a hard hike...nothing out of the ordinary...but just so people know it wasn't the easiest hike. Along the way there's not much to view while hiking, just plenty of switchbacks. Right before I arrived at Comet Falls, there was a smaller waterfall area combined with crossing a bridge that some folks may believe is Comet Falls, but it's not. There'll be a clear sign saying - "Comet Falls 200 feet ahead". Still, some people did stop for a picture at these unnamed falls, but they paled in comparison to actual Comet Falls. And yeah when I arrived at Comet Falls, I was completely stunned how statuesque they appeared! For summer time there were still patches of snow on the ground which actually enhanced the surroundings. It wasn't too crowded during my time here and I was able to snap some terrific photos. Also, I easily climbed and got myself right underneath the falls...absolutely as good of an up close view as I could have asked for. I'd say it took me about 3 hours in total to hike Comet Falls. And I spent about 1 hour photographing and just hanging out in and among the falls. Comet Falls was truly special. To be able to get a thrilling introduction to this 462 foot waterfall, the highest waterfall at Mount Rainier, truly gave me the chills I felt quite lucky. And hiking here and spending a portion of the day was certainly worthwhile and one of the best memories I've had since visiting Mt. Rainier National Park. Hiking to Comet Falls is an absolute must!!!

Perhaps it's just me being sentimental because I'm currently reading a fantastic book series about…read moresailors, but visiting the grave of this unknown soul moved me with its simplicity and sincerity. Whomever this lost spirit once was, "known only to God" as the epitath states, I hope that he himself, as well as his family, friends and relatives, have all found peace in the wake of his passing. Rest in peace, sailor.

Our family watches a few episodes of Grimm every Halloween, so visiting some of the filming spots…read morein Portland was a real treat! Our little one was so excited to see the house in person. Nick and Juliet's home is in a charming Portland neighborhood lined with beautiful chestnut trees. It's been repainted since Grimm filmed--maybe to move past its Grimm history--which is a little bittersweet, but it's still absolutely worth a stop for any fan of the show.

I might've tracked this house down in my recent trip to Portland!! Eeeek!! If you've watched the…read moreshow, Grimm...you'll understand! :)