Mackie Images

Washington State

Before graduating from the U. of Oregon in ’99, my only real knowledge of Washington State included something about tech and dot coms and the occasional drive-thru on my way north to Whistler. The summer after graduation I worked for a river company in Ashland, Oregon, sleeping atop the company van under clear, starry nights. Summer ended and I didn’t really know where to go.

Some friends were in Seattle, my brother called Vancouver, BC, home, so I went north, thinking maybe I’ll find work with one of those dot com companies and figure the rest out later. Oddly enough, I did end up working for a tech company, but by that time the dot com was beginning to morph into a dot bomb. Fortunately, Seattle and the NW isn’t about the city (although it is very nice…for a city) it’s about the natural surroundings. I soon found myself leaving every weekend, in search of epic adventures. I tried to capture them one by one…