Getaway at Mt Adams

2020 has been such a strange year for all of us. I’ve been feeling the urge to get out in complete isolation and relax; pretty much anywhere away from home and I’m in. Getaway offers the perfect escape into nature nestled away in a tiny cabin. Use my promo code for $25 off your stay here!

Our Getaway trip was the perfect escape, we took off after work on a Friday evening, and headed out to the cabin for our 2 night stay. It’s quite a drive from Seattle (about 4 hours), but its the perfect getaway into nature for an unplugged weekend. That’s right, it truly is unplugged, meaning no cell service or WIFI. There is an emergency landline you can use, so don’t worry about not being able to contact anyone out there. Taking that time away from the digital world seems difficult to do, but its honestly one of the best and healthiest things you can do for yourself; and giving your undivided attention bonding with your loved ones and enjoying nature.

The tiny cabin is cozy and has everything you need; equipped with AC + Heat, private bathroom, two burner stove, pots and pans, Bluetooth speaker and radio, fire pit and grill, picnic table, and books and games to keep you entertained. There’s also a few provision for purchase such as hot cocoa, coffee, tea, and firewood. The best part about this place is that it’s also dog friendly! Even equipped with dog towels to clean off their paws, treats, and a water and food bowl. The only thing missing is a mirror, which is hard to get ready for a photoshoot like we did.

We arrived super late, around 8pm, and it was a little spooky parking our car and following the rock paved path to find our cabin. There’s a key code to enter the cabin, and we were welcomed with a warm note along with a s’mores making kit to start out our night. I had no idea what surrounded our cabin since we arrived so late. Sleeping next to the large window, everything was pitched black and the stars were gleaming. As the sun started to rise in the morning I would slowly see what surrounded us with so many beautiful trees and fall colors. There are about 40 cabins on the outpost, but Getaway does an excellent job of situating all the cabins windows away from your neighbors in pure isolation with nature as your backdrop through the large windows.

Our time here was well spent reconnecting and enjoying each other’s company without any distractions. Ben and I went on a morning hike at Sleeping Beauty Peak (about a 45 minute drive from the cabin). We got to see beautiful fall foliage followed by a light snow drizzle at the top of the peak. On a clear day, we would’ve been able to see Mt. Adams, but the view was covered by fog and clouds, however still gorgeous. We stopped for lunch in Trout Lake and ate at the Taco Truck in town. Returned back to our cabin and got some drone flying in, and made some mac and cheese for dinner. Our evening was spent roasting s’mores and sipping on hot cocoa by the fire, listening to 60’s and 70’s classics on the radio ( a sweet radio station we discovered out here, METV FM). Ben taught me how to play poker, and we played for hours that night and I kicked his butt, beginners luck I guess.

The next morning we had our amazing photographer, Selena, come out and meet us to take our holiday photos. All these photos are credited to her, be sure to check out her work here.

Near your Outpost

Hiking

1. There is a short nature walk within the outpost worth checking out

2. Dog Creek Falls (0.6 miles) - Easy Hike

3. Weldon Wagon Road Trail (5.4 miles) - Easy Hike

4. Monte Cristo Trail (8.1 miles) - Moderate Hike

5. Sleeping Beauty Trail (2.4 miles) Moderate Hike

6. Guler Ice Cave (2.2 miles) - Easy Hike

Stores Nearby

1. Glenwood General Store (5 mins from Outpost) - sells food, beer and wine

2. B Z Corner Grocery Store (22 mins from Outpost)

3. Harvest Market (48 mins from Outpost)

Washington Coast

BEACH PLEASE! When you think of a beach, you don’t instantly think of foggy shores and large boulders with a chance of rain, but that’s the beauty of a PNW beach. No matter what day in the season, you can experience so many different climates; this is what makes for a drop-dead scenery!

Below, I have listed a few of my favorite stops made for either a long day trip to the coast from Seattle (and I mean LONG, typically a 10-12 hour day involving lots of driving), or it’s worth a few nights staying in the Olympics. I’ve done both, so it really depends what you’re up for and what stops to visit. My husband, Ben, and I have gone a few times to the coast, but we decided to get out for a weekend before Washington’s ‘Stay at Home’ order came down. It was Ben’s birthday weekend, and the plans we originally had were obviously cancelled due to restaurants and bars closing. We planned on being extremely isolated, and we are such early birds that everywhere we went, we were the only ones on the trails or beaches. Don’t worry, we kept our distance!

Here are a few recommendations on where to stay if you plan on staying for a few nights:

Lake Quinault Lodge- this is where we stayed and it was a welcoming home away from home. Our room had a beautiful view of the Lake Quinault with a cozy fireplace. You enter the from outside so no crowded hallways or lobbies to worry about running into people. The lodge was built in the 1920’s and has some pretty cool history to it; Franklin D. Roosevelt stepped foot here back in the day, and their dining room is named after him.

Kalaloch Lodge - This is place was next on our list of places to stay; we will definitely try to stay here next time. There are clusters of cabin cottages perched up on a hillside facing Kalaloch Beach, perfect for catching the sunset.

Here are a few of my favorite spots to stop along the coast:

1. Kalaloch Tree Root Cave

To access this beach, head to the Kalaloch Campgrounds, north of the Kalaloch Lodge. This is where you’ll find the picturesque backdrop of a tree hanging on for dear life. The beaches are sandy here and you can walk out pretty far depending on the tides. Remember to check the tides before going!

2. Ruby Beach

Ruby Beach is one of my favorite beaches along Olympic National Park, not too much further up north from Kalaloch beach. Its about a half-mile walk to the beach. The temperatures are mild, which makes this hike great all year long. Views of tide pools, sea stacks, driftwood can be found here. Wear waterproof shoes, or bring extra socks because it’s likely you’ll have to cross water streams or get soaked by the waves coming in if you’re an explorer! Its a little bit rockier than some of the other beaches on here but I still love it.

3. La Push Beach

This includes all of La Push’s beaches, there’s First, Second and Third. Second Beach is by far my favorite, but they are all gorgeous. All the beaches offer sea stacks and miles of open shore.

First Beach is easily accessible and you can drive right up to the beach. I’ve been here many times as there is a rock pile “boardwalk” you can cross with amazing views of the sea stacks. Catching the sunset here is unreal! The last time I came here, it started off cloudy, then started pouring rain and hail, shifted to an open burst of a beautiful orange sunset.

Second Beach requires a 4-mile hike to the beach, but it is not hard at all. You can also get a permit to camp here overnight; its on my list of places to camp this summer!

Third Beach also requires a hike, about 3.6 miles. Once you reach to the bottom, you may be welcomed with a foggy atmosphere. Out in the distance to the left of the shore, there are sea stacks and even a waterfall! Great place for epic drone footage!

4. Rialto Beach

I was so bummed when we got here and it was high tide, make sure you check before you go! I’ve seen so many cool photos of the “hole-in-the-wall” and I was so excited to fly my drone through it, but unfortunately I didn’t time it correctly. It’s still a really awesome beach to explore, with tons and tons of driftwood you have to jump over, but the sand is soft and the water is peaceful. You can walk along the shore for miles with stunning views. There’s a cute little picnic area near the parking lot, and this place also offers a campsite.

5. Cape Flattery

The furthest northwest tip of the U.S, and by far my most favorite stop along the coast. The hike is extremely accessible, about 200-ft elevation gain, and is managed by the Makah Tribe. You can get a permit for parking at the Washburn’s General Store, or many other places on the way and its good for the year and also gives you access to Shi Shi Beach, another stop to add to your list. You will get so many stunning views along the trails and as you approach closer, you’ll hear the pounding of waves and a very breezy wind chill. There is no beach access, but there are many viewing platforms that provide stunning views of the Pacific Ocean, sea stacks and even wildlife.

Summer Solsmith

Our wedding has been featured on Junebug Weddings! Check it out here!

And it has also been featured on Seattle Bride Magazines Spring/Summer 2020 issue! Click here!

From coworkers to life partners. Ben and I both met at Zulily in 2015. Here’s how we met:

Cynthia's Perspective:

I always thought of Ben as the "hot" guy in finance but I didn't think anything else of it. I didn’t ever think I would ever date someone from work. I worked in AP and he worked in Accounting and we never crossed paths until one day he sent me a work related email. I answered it, and then the conversations kept going for several months through emails; here's a few excerpts from those emails:

"I don’t think we’ve met but I’m Ben; I think there’s only like 6 AP specialists here that aren’t contractors, and I know all of them except for you but I know you’ve been here awhile now. Do you like it here so far?" - Ben

"Gonzaga plays UW tomorrow at 9am so I took the day off." - Ben

Eventually we talked about career paths, I told him I was interested in moving to Accounting and he offered to help me with my resume. We met in a random meeting room at work one day and he helped me with my "resume". No he really did though, but I think it was also just an excuse for him to talk to me in person.

Months later, it was zulily's annual Birthday Party at Benroya Hall, the biggest company party of the year. With some liquid courage in, we both ran into each other at the party and talked all night. Eventually we left together, and at first instead of calling an Uber he said "Well the C Line drops you off right in front of my place", I remember thinking to myself ohh no this guy is making me take the bus to his place, but we ended up calling an Uber. We just chatted all night until 2am and he dropped me off afterwards like a gentlemen and we've been inseparable ever since.

Ben’s Perspective:

Cynthia caught my eye one day when I was running to the printer to grab something. I knew I had never seen her before - because I would have remembered! Not only was she beautiful, but also a hard worker - I remember some nights when we were the only two in the finance area late at night. I wanted to approach her, but she was my co-worker, so I knew I had to be careful. Our duties rarely overlapped but eventually we were included on the same email chain. I took it as an opportunity to introduce myself and from there we would say hi to one another in the kitchen every so often and discuss basketball, weekend plans, and whatever else may be going on. One thing I learned about her was that she might want a new job elsewhere, so I told her I’d meet with her and help with her resume. That was our first one-on-one experience, and I felt something with her that I really hadn’t felt before. And this was just talking about work experience! Eventually we got to talking over drinks at the company party, and from there she agreed to go on a date with me. 'They' always say ‘You aren’t supposed to date co-workers’, but I wasn’t about to let that stop me! I quickly learned that Cynthia was more than just a cute girl. She was adventurous, funny, and had a very active social life. Everyone she worked with at zulily seemed to enjoy her, too. I had a work trip coming up that very next month, and I decided to invite her to go on a side trip that weekend in New York City. Even though Gonzaga got bounced out of the NCAA tournament while we were there, the trip was still unforgettable. From there on, I knew she was a keeper! Emailing Cynthia was the smartest decision I ever made!

A year and a half later, we planned a trip to London! Ben proposed in front of the Tower Bridge during sunset.

Our wedding was the perfect Summer Solstice weekend a.k.a Summer Solsmith (#SummerSolsmith)! We decided to tie the knot at JM Cellars in Woodinville with the perfect mix of tropical boho meets PNW vibes. We knew this was our wedding venue the moment we stepped foot onto the grounds; a small intimate tasting room for our closest friends and family. The day started off with a lot of girl time, getting our hair and makeup done and a lot of nerves building up! We wanted to do first look photos before the ceremony and these touching moments were captured by our amazing photographer, Gina Paulson.

A beautiful blend of pnw vibes of greenery with a bohemian twist with macrame and pompous grass, a neon pink sign, acrylic signs, rose gold silverware and agate stone place cards; everything blended so well together. Having a wedding planner was the best decision I ever made! Miranda from Bridal Bliss killed it! She made all of my dreams come true, and made our special day stress free.

We celebrated the ceremony and said our “I do’s” on the lawn, our fur babies walked down the aisle as ring bearers, we ate dinner on the patio under string light, danced to Coldplay as our first dance, and brought it out on the dance floor with our family and friends! It seriously felt like I was living in a dream!

Before booking with our photographer, I knew I wanted anadventurous shoot out in the mountains! Gina mentioned she included a package with an adventure session and instantly I knew she was the photographer for us! We ventured off to Mount Rainier for a sunset shoot right after our mini moon. Ben and I were exhausted, we had flown out right after our wedding and headed to Montreal and New York and booked our photoshoot the day after we came back. The rain held out for this sunset hike on top of the hills, with gorgeous white flowers blooming on the mountaintop. Unfortunately, Mount Rainer was hidden behind the clouds, but we still got our epic sunset view. We quickly took our photos, dodged the rain, ran to the bottom, and captured sparkler photos under a rainbow!

| Photographer: Gina Paulson | Venue: JM Cellars | Wedding Planner: Miranda Scheitzach from Bridal Bliss | Florist: Bond in Bloom | Macrame: Layne Eckhardt | Caterer: Ravishing Radish | Calligraphy: Lettering By MM | Hair: Johnny LaRusso | Makeup: Cindy Deng | DJ: Todd Saunders | Neon Sign: OhMyNeonLight Etsy | Dress: Dress Theory in Seattle, Pronovias Roccio Dress | Bridesmaid Dress: Nordstrom, Fashionnova and Tobi | Suits: Suit Supply | Cake: Whole Foods | Jean Jackets: SheIn.com, and iron-on from Etsy | Robes: Showmeyourmumu | Rentals: Pedersens | Light rental: Vintage Ambiance | Invitations Etsy.com | Bridal Gifts: FabFitFun Boxes | Earrings: Olive + Piper | Rings: Blue Nile |