PNW Escapes

PNW Escapes Hidden gems. Scenic drives. Local adventures.

🏡 Travel tip: Don't book an Airbnb based on the stars.Book it based on the words.Most places have 4.8 to 5.0 ratings the...
06/23/2026

🏡 Travel tip: Don't book an Airbnb based on the stars.

Book it based on the words.

Most places have 4.8 to 5.0 ratings these days, so the stars don't tell you much. The real clues are hidden in the reviews.

When deciding where to stay, look for comments like:

✨ "Better than the photos"
✨ "Felt like home"
✨ "We didn't want to leave"
✨ "We'll definitely be back"

Those are things hosts can't fake and guests don't usually say unless they genuinely mean them.

A clean room and an easy check-in should be expected. Look for are statements that a place created a memorable experience.

The next time you're planning a getaway, spend less time looking at the star rating and more time reading what people actually wrote.

💡 Bonus tip for newer Airbnb travelers: Rate a stay based on whether it delivered what was promised in the listing. If a property clearly says it doesn't have a pack-and-play, hot tub, fenced yard, or ocean view, it's usually not fair to deduct stars because it lacked a feature that was never advertised.

What amenity do you think is a great extra at a home? Coffee bar, hot tub, hammock, games, chaise lounges, outdoor dining, yoga room, dedicated workspace, outdoor shower?

🌲✈️🌵



PNW Escapes Visit Arizona Kim Roberts Blain Roberts Carrie Roberts

🧜‍♀️ I turned a sweaty hiking photo into a mermaid adventure……and then remembered something:The Pacific Northwest doesn’...
06/22/2026

🧜‍♀️ I turned a sweaty hiking photo into a mermaid adventure…

…and then remembered something:

The Pacific Northwest doesn’t need special effects. ✨

A friend recently introduced me to ChatGPT’s image generator, and yes, it’s pretty fun. Want to turn two tired hikers into mermaids swimming underwater? Done. 🌊

But after exploring this corner of the world, I’ve learned the best scenery is the kind you don’t have to create.

🌲 Forests that feel endless
💦 Waterfalls that stop you in your tracks
🌊 Coastlines that look unreal
🏔️ Mountain views that belong on postcards

Around almost every bend is something that makes you pull over, grab your camera 📸, and wonder why more people don’t know about it.

The Pacific Northwest is one of the few places where reality consistently outperforms the special effects.

What’s a PNW spot that surprised you with how beautiful it was?

🌲🏔️🌊



PNW Escapes Kim Roberts Visit Oregon Oregon My Oregon Visit Oregon

06/22/2026

🤠🌲 Think rodeo, and your mind probably goes to Texas, Montana, or Arizona.

But the Pacific Northwest has some incredible rodeo traditions of its own.

This weekend we visited the Lewiston Roundup Grounds for the Challenge of Champions bull riding — a great reminder that rodeo season has begun. 🤠

The Lewiston Roundup is a mainstay of the Columbia River rodeo circuit, with nearly a century of tradition, bringing together top competitors and fans who love the sport.

For those who may not know rodeo, it is much more than bull riding. It includes:

🐎 Saddle bronc.

🐴 Ba****ck riding.

🤠 Barrel racing.

🐂 Team roping.

⏱️ Steer wrestling.

It’s incredible athletes, powerful animals, and generations of western tradition coming together in one arena.

And don’t forget the rodeo clowns 🤡 and bullfighters.

They bring the humor, the showmanship, and the courage. They are the ones who step toward the action when everyone else is hopping the fence is sturdy.

The season builds toward the biggest stage in professional rodeo — the National Finals Rodeo (NFR) in Las Vegas — where the top competitors in the sport compete for championship titles.

If you want to experience Northwest rodeo at its best, put these on your calendar:

🤠 St. Paul Rodeo
📅 June 30–July 4

🐴 Ellensburg Rodeo
📅 Labor Day weekend

🤠 Lewiston Roundup
📅 September

🐎 Pendleton Round-Up
📅 September

Whether you come for the competition, the horses, the history, or the atmosphere — a Northwest rodeo is an experience worth adding to your adventure list.

🤠 Have you been to a Northwest rodeo? Which one should we add?



Pendleton Round-Up Ellensburg Rodeo St. Paul Rodeo

🐴 A little piece of Norway in the Pacific Northwest.Meet Bettina, our Norwegian Fjord horse — a breed that has been part...
06/22/2026

🐴 A little piece of Norway in the Pacific Northwest.

Meet Bettina, our Norwegian Fjord horse — a breed that has been part of our family’s story for 30 years.

Our first Fjord came home from Stehekin on Lake Chelan, making the journey by barge. Later, we were fortunate to own a daughter of Grabb, one of the first Norwegian Fjord stallions brought to the United States, and we spent years raising Fjords in Leavenworth.

Fjord horses are one of the oldest and most recognizable horse breeds in the world. Known for their distinctive coloring, sturdy build, intelligence, and gentle nature, they were bred to be dependable partners in Norway’s rugged landscape.

But anyone who knows a Fjord will tell you there is another trait they are famous for:

They want to be where the action is.

A Fjord’s ideal location is often not far away in a field — it’s nearby, keeping an eye on things, participating in the day, and making sure they aren’t missing anything important.

Which brings us back to Bettina…

Her newest discovery?

The porch.

A cool breeze, family conversations, and a front-row seat to farm life.

Honestly, she may have perfected the Pacific Northwest lifestyle. 🐴

Have you ever had an animal who insisted on being part of everything?



PNW Escapes Kim Roberts Visit Idaho

🥖 This sourdough starter may have crossed the Oregon Trail.Yes, seriously.While most COVID sourdough starters have been ...
06/21/2026

🥖 This sourdough starter may have crossed the Oregon Trail.

Yes, seriously.

While most COVID sourdough starters have been forgotten, mine is still going strong. Family tradition says Sarasvati, my sourdough starter, was passed down through generations and traces her roots back to the pioneers who traveled west.

I love imagining a family carefully protecting their starter as they crossed mountains, rivers, and thousands of miles of wilderness in a covered wagon.

🥾 The Oregon Trail wasn’t just a route on a map. It was a journey of courage, sacrifice, and hope.

Two of my favorite places to experience that history:

📍 The Oregon Trail interpretive area at the rest stop along I-84 near Memaloose. It’s easy to pass by, but worth the pause. Standing there, looking out over the Columbia Gorge, it’s hard not to think about the thousands of travelers who came through this landscape.

📍 The Columbia Gorge Discovery Center, where realistic Oregon Trail dioramas bring the journey to life. You can almost picture the wagons, families, and challenges faced by those heading west.

Today we can explore these same landscapes with heated cars, paved roads, and a restroom nearby…

🚗 Luxuries the pioneers definitely didn’t have.

And me?

I sometimes forget to feed my sourdough starter.

😂 I’m pretty sure I would have been the weakest link on the wagon train.

Have you ever stopped at an Oregon Trail site in the Pacific Northwest?



PNW Escapes Visit Oregon Kim Roberts Columbia Gorge Discovery Center & Museum Oregon My Oregon

06/20/2026

🐍 A three-foot snake on my porch taught me something…

Well, technically my husband and daughter taught me something because I was supervising from a safe distance. 😂

A month ago, they removed this snake from our porch. As someone with a lifelong snake phobia, my first instinct was not “what a fascinating native species.”

My first instinct was “how quickly can I leave this zip code?”

But here’s the thing…

Wildlife is part of why we love exploring the PNW.

Snakes, cougars, bears, elk, and all the creatures that share these landscapes deserve our respect.

A reminder for hikers and explorers:

🐍 Don’t pick up snakes or “play” with them. Any snake can bite when it feels threatened. Wildlife encounters are best enjoyed from a safe distance.

🥾 Stay on trails and watch where you put your hands and feet — especially around rocks, logs, and brush.

🐕 Keep pets close.

And while rattlesnakes get a lot of attention, one of the bigger concerns for hikers is often the animal you never see coming — the cougar.

We learned that lesson personally this year when a cougar killed our goat Brownie on our suburban Oregon Coast farm. (Not Casper — his brother.) 🐐

That experience gave me an even deeper appreciation for the wild neighbors who share our landscape. They aren’t villains. They’re part of the story.

The goal isn’t to fear the animals.

It’s to understand them.

What’s the wildest wildlife encounter you’ve ever had? 🐾



Kim Roberts PNW Escapes Visit Idaho Visit Oregon @

🌋🚶 A tunnel that disappeared for 60 years… then came back to life.Hidden in the Columbia River Gorge, the Oneonta Tunnel...
06/20/2026

🌋🚶 A tunnel that disappeared for 60 years… then came back to life.

Hidden in the Columbia River Gorge, the Oneonta Tunnel is a perfect example of how history and geology shape the places we explore.

Carved through towering Columbia River Basalt, this 125-foot tunnel was built in 1914 as part of the visionary Historic Columbia River Highway — a scenic roadway designed to showcase the incredible landscapes of the Gorge.

But as transportation changed, the tunnel was bypassed in 1948 and filled in, leaving it hidden and nearly forgotten. Decades later, it was rediscovered, restored, and reopened as part of the Historic Columbia River Highway State Trail.

The tunnel’s story didn’t end there. The 2017 Eagle Creek Fire damaged the area, requiring additional restoration before it could welcome visitors again.

Today, walking through the cool basalt walls is a chance to experience millions of years of volcanic history alongside more than a century of human ingenuity.

The Columbia River Gorge isn’t just a beautiful view — it’s a story written in stone. 🌿

Have you ever visited a place where the history surprised you?

Follow PNW Escapes for more hidden gems, geology, and stories from the Pacific Northwest.



PNW Escapes Kim Roberts Visit Oregon Oregon My Oregon Columbia Gorge Discovery Center & Museum

🌊 The Oregon Coast has a funny way of changing your plans.You arrive with a list.Walk the beach. Visit the aquarium. Exp...
06/19/2026

🌊 The Oregon Coast has a funny way of changing your plans.

You arrive with a list.

Walk the beach. Visit the aquarium. Explore the shops. Drive to Cannon Beach. Spend a day in Astoria.

Then you find a view.

Suddenly you're lingering over your coffee, watching the coastal hills fade in and out of the morning mist, and realizing you're perfectly content doing absolutely nothing.

A recent visitor to Seaside described their backyard view as "beautiful," and it reminded me that some of the best Oregon Coast memories aren't made at famous attractions.

They're made in the quiet moments between them.

That's one of the things I love most about Seaside. It's close to everything, yet it still offers plenty of places to slow down, breathe in the salt air, and simply enjoy being on the coast.

What's your favorite place on the Oregon Coast to slow down and take in the view?

🌊☕🌲



Visit Seaside, Oregon

🌊✨ Another 5⭐️ stay at Ocean’s Daughter Seaside Retreat! ✨🌊There’s something special about sharing a coastal escape with...
06/18/2026

🌊✨ Another 5⭐️ stay at Ocean’s Daughter Seaside Retreat! ✨🌊

There’s something special about sharing a coastal escape with friends… morning coffee with a peaceful view, long beach walks, and coming home to a cozy retreat after a day of exploring.

Gail and her friends enjoyed their stay and shared:

“This was a great place to stay with two friends. The house is very peaceful with the view across the golf course to trees and hills. The beach is about one block away with easy access from the house. Owner was very responsive.”

Thank you, Gail! We loved hosting you and are so happy Ocean’s Daughter was your home base for your Oregon Coast adventure. 💙

📍The best part of our location? You’re right in the middle of some of the Oregon Coast’s favorite destinations!

🌊 Seaside — stroll the promenade, watch the waves, explore local shops, ride the carousel, enjoy fresh seafood, or catch a sunset on the beach.

🎨 Cannon Beach — admire iconic Haystack Rock, browse charming galleries and boutiques, hike nearby trails, and search for tide pool treasures.

⚓ Astoria — step back into Oregon history with riverfront walks, historic homes, museums, breweries, the Astoria Column, and stunning Columbia River views.

After a day of coastal adventures, return to the quiet comfort of Ocean’s Daughter Seaside Retreat — where the beach is just a short stroll away and relaxation comes naturally. 🌲🌊

Ready for your own Oregon Coast escape? Follow along and share with someone who needs a little ocean time. 💙



PNW Escapes Kim Roberts Visit Oregon Visit Seaside, Oregon

06/18/2026

🌿✨ Most people driving Highway 101 stop for the lighthouse…

Few know that a short trail nearby leads to a beach that feels like it belongs in a fairytale.

Welcome to Oregon’s Hobbit Trail. 🌲

The name sounds like it came from a fantasy novel, but the story is actually much simpler. Hikers began calling it the Hobbit Trail because the dense coastal vegetation creates a natural passageway that feels like entering another world.

And the landscape here has a story far older than Tolkien.

🌊 This stretch of the Oregon Coast sits on a dynamic landscape shaped by millions of years of uplift, erosion, wind, and waves. The cliffs, forests, and beaches are part of a constantly changing coastline where geology is still being written today.

🌿 The trail travels through a coastal forest ecosystem filled with Sitka spruce, ferns, and thick understory plants that thrive in Oregon’s temperate rainforest climate.

🪶 Long before it became a hiking destination, this area was part of the traditional homelands of Indigenous peoples, including the Siuslaw people, whose connections to these forests, rivers, and ocean continue today.

The short forest path eventually opens to Hobbit Beach — a beautiful sandy shoreline hidden below the coastal forest near Heceta Head.

🥾 Trail: about 1 mile round trip
🐾 Dogs: allowed on leash
🚻 Restrooms: available at nearby Heceta Head Lighthouse area
📍 Location: between Florence and Yachats, Oregon Coast

Sometimes the best discoveries aren’t the places everyone talks about.

They’re the ones hiding just off the road. 🌊

What hidden PNW trail should be on everyone’s list?



PNW Escapes Kim Roberts Visit Yachats Oregon Coast Florence Oregon Coast Visit Oregon Oregon My Oregon

Address

Seal Rock, OR

Website

,

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when PNW Escapes posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share