One of my goals this year is to spend some quality time exploring my state. Having lived in Washington my entire life, I feel it’s time to really start appreciating all the beauty around me. Seattle is always an easy go to being that it’s only an hour ferry ride away, but there are still plenty of hikes, lakes, mountains, and restaurants that I want to explore!
The trees in this city are different than in mine. Only an hour of separation, but completely different landscape. There are also new to me wildlife parks that make for great afternoon adventures.
The sun was in hiding for the first part of this wildlife trek, but eventually made an appearance.
There were birds, ducks, snakes, turtles, and lots of foliage to see. I’ve become a pro at identifying skunk cabbage, and could continue living contently if I never had to see or smell that stuff again..blech. Another smelly substance left me in fear every time packs of geese flew over my head.
No body likes poop hair.
I have walked so much this week that my legs feel as if I have run a half marathon everyday. It’s been a welcomed change from the constant running, and giving my knees a break every couple days has been nice. While I LOVE running in new areas, I find that walking helps me appreciate the scenery around me more.
Spring time is a perfect time to start exploring, but I need serious fuel when it comes to hours of exploring. Spring time also means BRING OUT THE BBQ!
Pre BBQ
There aren’t many sights more beautiful than grilled veggies. Match made in adventure heaven.
Q: Do you ever explore areas close to home, or do you prefer adventures further away? I like both, but close to home is easier to do on a whim!
Blissfulbritt 
56 thoughts on “Exploration”
Amy @ A Desert Girl
How fun! Washington looks gorgeous. San Juan Islands in May for me!! I’m definitely excited to be around all the GREEN.
As for exploring, I (like most people probably) take for granted all the cool places there are to explore locally. We have awesome hiking in every direction, but I make it out so infrequently. Shame. on. me. Seeing new and different places is always exciting too!
spectacuLAUR
I used to hike around my town all the time. There are a couple of places I would love to go in cities surrounding my area just because they have nice views when you finally get to the top. I love exploring and finding the hidden view at the top of a mountain. SO pretty.
Your veggies look yummy. I love grilling! Call me Bobby Flay!
Rach @ This Italian Family
Oh my, those grilled veggies look ah-mazing! Also, I love that old barn. It’s so rustic and pretty!
Alex @ therunwithin
this is a really a great idea. i feel like I have yet to explore my new area at all. however it is definitely not as beautiful and hiking worthy as yours is! My favorite thing in the world is grilled veggies. So delicious.
Her Happy Balance
I like exploring both close and far. I have a couple of state parks right around me that I frequent when it gets warm out. And your grilled veggies look delish, yay for boyfriends who cook!
EverdayLivingPNW
That is an area close to home and I want to explore!!! looks really cool and I have to remember this spot to check out some time soon…what other hot spots do u have that I dont knwo about?
Megan
I like my adventures EVERYWHERE. And grilled veggies are like food gold.
Angela @ Health's Angel
Those grilled veggies are perfection! I’m obsessed with asparagus. Glad it’s coming back in season. It still feels like winter here. Blech.
Sophie Juliette
Oh those photos are lovely, what beautiful scenery! I love going for long walks, even if I find them difficult, it’s so peaceful and calming, and you really get to appreciate the beauty of your surroundings 🙂
Amanda @ .running with spoons.
Washington is beautiful… and I completely adore Oregon too. This is making me all sorts of excited because I’m planning a road trip down the west coast this summer. Squee! I love visiting places that are further away because they’re so different from the area I live in, but at the same time I really love exploring places that are close to home and getting a good feel for it. Plus it’s just easier to walk out the door when you’re bored than it is to drive a couple hours (days?) to get where you want to be.
Brittany
UHHH you’re going on a west coast road trip!?!!? YOU BETTER let me know if you’re in Washington!! I will drive my ass to wherever you are for a lunch date!!
Brandi@StringCheeseRunner
Your pictures are beautiful. Beautifully taken and beautiful things to take pictures of. I don’t feel Oklahoma is that beautiful, but maybe I’m missing some things and should look further.
Life After Swimming
i dont think I realized that you and Aaron live that far apart! Travis and I did the hour distance thing for a while…not the best but not the worst! Always gave us reasons to find things to do together!
Brittany
When we first started dating (and working together haha) he lived 5 minutes away. He moved this past September, and we’ve made it work ever since! I really like getting away when I visit him, though I do miss having him just an arm reach away! I love that you refer to him as Aaron, it’s like you’re in “the know.”
Choc Chip Uru
Exploring is definitely the best my friend 😀
I love your zest for adventure!
Cheers
CCU
Alex @ Cookie Dough Katzen
Such a great idea. I love exploring parts of where I live. It also helps with my direction skills too 😉
Amy Tong
Oh my. Your pictures are gorgeous. I love the mood and how peaceful it is in your area. Of course, those grilled veggies are just a beautiful. Makes me want to start the grill again for tonight’s dinner. 🙂
Jan @ Sprouts n Squats
My bf and I have sporadically been going for hikes in new areas somewhat close to home anywhere from 30-45minutes drive away.
Love your photos of the area you hiked they look great 🙂
Jade
I really want to spend more time in Washington state. I only drove through on the way to Oregon and didn’t see much of western Washington. So I saw the high desertish part basically. I LOVE western Oregon so I imagine I would love Washington too. Your pics are beautiful.
Lou
What GORGEOUS photos!! Love this!
Sarah @ Feeeding the Brain and Body
Wow, these pictures are simply incredible. Exploring is one of my favourite things to do. Unfortunately it isn’t as fun when you have no one to do it with 🙂
Meghan@CleanEatsFastFeets
I love that you two do so much walking. It’s great for scenery viewing (great barn shot) and talking. Communication is key. The grilled veggies look amazing, and I can’t wait to bust out the grill.
cleaneatingveggiegirl
That barn is gorgeous!
And those veggies..yum!! You REALLY have me in the mood to grill out now. Now if only the weather would cooperate!
Brittany @ DulceVie
That barn looks sooo pretty! I need to go exploring more often!
Ally
Beautiful photos!
Yummy vegies!
There are lots of great places to explore within an hour’s drive of my house- waterfalls, rainforest, creeks, rivers, beaches. Lots of gorgeous wild animals too.
Mary
I cannot WAIT until it becomes BBQ weather here! My boyfriend and I live together now. We used to live four hrs apart and be exhausted by the time we reached each other so never really did a lot. Now, if we go on a weekend away we always make sure it’s less than an hour away so that we have energy left to go out exploring!
katalysthealth
Im not big on exploring LA, since its just a giant city filled with smog and too many people. At my daddys house however, I am totally up for exploring! When we’d go camping I would just start walking. I’d follow the river upstream just to see how far I could get. I’d even jump IN the water and swim up stream. I was a lonely kid apparently lol
Britta
I love walking 🙂 A run it great, but just like you said – you see so much more when you walk and you’re able to really appreciate it! Hope you have a great weekend!!!
myhighonlife
I prefer travelling-if only I could do it more. Sadly that is not realistic. The sight of those grilled veggies has my mouth watering. Good thing I have a veggie filled lunch 🙂
Nicole @ Fruit 'N' Fitness
I love exploring! I love to travel to other countries and learn about their culture but I also love exploring around my town. Your grilled veggies look amazing!
Rebecca @ Blueberry Smiles
The photos are beautiful! I love exploring new areas, but I usually need an incentive, like someone visiting, to branch out from my “usual” favorites
Jan @ Sprouts n Squats
Hi Brittany,
Just letting you know I’ve nominated your a Liebster Blog Award 🙂
jessielovestorun
It’s official; this post has me wanting to fly to WA State pronto. Can I stay with youuuu?!! lol
Brittany
Of course!!! You would love it here! 😉
itsthecookiemonster
great goal! i hope youll find a ton of beautiful places! btw, that barn speaks to me, the washed out walls are telling me stories.
anyway, if what i just said didn’t freak you out, go to my blog to see the award that I nominated you for!
The Healthy Flavor
These pictures are absolutely stunning! I’m jealous of where you live. I love that you want to be more adventurous, that’s awesome! That grilled food looks mouthwatering too.
Khushboo Thadani (@KhushbooThadani)
Such gorgeous scenery…I’d be all up for exploration if I had that to contend with! Given how many sites India is known for, my exploration track record is embarrassingly low…I haven’t even seen the Taj Mahal yet!!
cottercrunch
if you need another partner in crime to go explore with, i think i could clear my schedule. just sayin…
Brittany
Ohhh Lindsay my love, come on OVER!! We could just pack up and explore for dayssss. You’d be the perfect partner in crime.
cottercrunch
ohhh ya! on my way
Heather
BBQ veggies are the BOMB! My fave is asparagus, but I also really like to cut romaine lettuce in half, spray it with pam, add some seasoning and grill. It’s a great switch up to normal salads!
Awesome pics!
Tessa at Amazing Asset
I could not agree more in regards to walking…it really does allow you to enjoy where you are. While running definitely gives you the chance to explore the area, you are going by it much faster and likely struggling/out of breath lol (well depending on where you are in the run!). And ummm those veggies look truly stunning! The colors are coming through so beautifully! Ahh I cannot wait for summer bbqs to really get going, well I’ll take warm weather first 😉
Lindsay Brook
What a fun day! There is a whole lot of flat farm land where Im from, but it makes it easy to take the kids on little adventures!
Dawn Robinson (@dawnro1101)
Looks like you had a great time. It’s funny you posted this because my husband and I started to explore areas in our home town that we’ve never been to before. I love seeing what my area has to offer. I want him to see Fords Theater in DC because he has never been and we are so close.
Melissa @ Mouthwatering Morsel
sdajflkajfa gorgeous. I was talking to some friends and we were saying how we should visit washington. need to ask you things to do once you’ve ventured out some more. grilled veggies are the best! yum!
allieksmith
I think we’re twins… my boyfriend lives in a different city than me too! Sometimes it SUCKS because of the driving/traffic/distance, but it’s also awesome because we both get to explore each other’s areas. We’re always like … do we want to hang out by me or you today? It’s like double the options, you know?!
I am so jealous of all those grilled veggies. They look tasty!
Sarah
I always find it so crazy to live somewhere for so long but never fully explore the area. I’ve lived in NH my entire life but there are still mountains to hike even with going each summer, restaurants, ect! I’m loving your energy to get exploring more and the nature filled pictures completely blew me away, so stinkin’ beautiful! Walking does totally help in appreciating surrounding areas, running is fun but walking can be just as good 🙂
IHeartVegetables
It’s good you’re looking on the bright side of being in a long(er) distance relationship! And it sounds like you guys have fun adventures 🙂 Your pictures are so pretty!
noshingonasphalt
Yuuuuuuuuuuuum! Those veggies look amazing! So glad you had a good time getting to know your state a bit more. Your pics are so pretty.
thoughtsappear
I really need to explore DC more. There’s so much more to see!
Rachel
I usually explore places with my sister.. mainly in Jersey because we’re so close to the border lol it’s so fun to see a different area 🙂 Those pictures are amazing… Def would make a nice print 😉
Natalie @ Will Jog For Food
We have lots of geese too, one flew into a generator nearby and power went out in the area for a few hours!
I like to explore near and far. I’ve lived here for about 8 months and we are always discovering new things 🙂
Mary @ Fit and Fed
Love the beautiful scenery at Nisqually on a misty Washington day with those famous ‘sun breaks.’ We’ve broken out the grill here, too, and are enjoying grilled asparagus!
erinksage
I 100% agree with you – I love exploring both at home and away, but I really love how easy it is to just hop outside your front door and embark upon an adventure near home.
Those grilled veggies look great!
Pollen & Wax
Nisqually is one of the most magical places in the world to me. So so so beautiful. There’s a gorgeous beach park around the area too!
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