Where to Find One of the Most Mesmerizing Views of Washington's Mount Rainier

“Is this Heaven?” No, and it isn’t Iowa either. It’s Washington, baby, and the view from up here is one of the most breathtaking ones you will find anywhere in North America. Where is “up here”, you ask? “Up here” would be the summit at Crystal Mountain Resort, where, after a brief ride on a gondola, you are afforded one of the most fantastic views of Mount Rainier that you may ever see.

2023, Won't You Wander With Me? The Final Epistle From a Travel-Filled Missile

The year 2023, with all of its ups and downs, peaks and valleys, and trials and tribulations, has come and gone — as has another 365 days here on All Things Wanderful. So now it’s time to take stock. What caught people’s attention? What fell flat on its face? Were you, the loyal readers of this increasingly-sporadic travel blog, entertained, or at least mildly amused? Did you find the content contained within this digital rambling wreck informational? Enlightening? Perhaps even erudite?

General TravelLogan T. HansenJanuary 7, 2024travel, travel advice, travel guide, travel inspiration, travelspiration, travel writing, travel blog, travel blogging, travel recommendations, travel reading, travel reviews, travel ideas, All Things Wanderful, travel diary, travel bucket list, northernmost point, Canada, Great Lakes, Cal-Neva, Cal-Neva Lodge, California, Nevada, Michigan, Little Manistee, Little Manistee River, kayaking, Maine, ghost trains, Key West, Florida, New York City, Big Apple, Chicago, Oklahoma City, Flint Hills, Route 66, Historic Route 66, Fayetteville, Arkansas, Alum Cave Trail, The Sinks, Old Smoky Distillery, Gatlinburg, Tennessee, Minnesota, George Floyd, George Floyd Square, Kansas City, Missouri, Crystal Mountain, Crystal Mountain Resort, Seattle, Twin Peaks, Powderhorn Park, Minneapolis, Kansas, Wichita, skiing, Mall of America, George Perry Floyd Square, Ground Zero, The Manhattan Bridge, Brooklyn, Rockefeller Center, The Edge, The Edge NYC, NYC, New York, Hall des Lumières, Mediterranean food, Ernest Hemingway, Northern Michigan, Airbnb, Bering Strait, Diomedes, Diomede Islands, Little Diomede, Big Diomede, travelogueComment

Fire Walk With Me... to the Twin Peaks Landmarks Waiting Just Outside Seattle

Have you ever wanted to sit down at the Double R Diner with a damn fine cup of coffee? Or maybe take in the view of the gushing falls next to the Great Northern Hotel? Perhaps get a glimpse of Sheriff Truman’s retro Ford Bronco? While the titular town of David Lynch and Mark Frost’s mind-bending murder mystery series “Twin Peaks” may not exist in real life, a handful of landmarks and landscapes seen and used in the show are out there — and only a short drive from downtown Seattle.

North AmericaLogan T. HansenDecember 23, 2023travel, travel guide, travel advice, travel inspiration, travelspiration, travel ideas, travel recommendations, travel reviews, travel tips, travel planning, travel diary, travel bucket list, Washington, Washington State, Snoqualmie, Snoqualmie Falls, Twede's Cafe, North Bend, Seattle, Pacific Northwest, Twin Peaks, The Great Northern Hotel, damn fine cup of coffee, cherry pie, Double R Diner, Snoqualmie Valley, Snoqualmie Tribe, Fall City, Twede's, David Lynch, Mark Frost, Snoqualmie People, Angelo Badalamenti, The Great Northern, Salish Lodge & Spa, Salish Lodge, Ben Horne, Benjamin Horne, Sheriff Harry S. Truman, Sheriff Truman, Agent Dale Cooper, Agent Cooper, Puget Sound, Kitsap Peninsula, Bainbridge Island, Bainbridge Island Ferry, Edmonds-Kingston ferry, Tacoma, Tacoma Narrows Bridge, Laura Palmer, Leland Palmer, Double R, Twin Peaks Sheriff's Station, DirtFish, Reinig Bridge, Bang Bang Bar, The Roadhouse, The Roadhouse Restaurant & Inn, Cornish College of the Arts, Raisbeck Performance Hall, Ronette PulaskiComment

These 9 National Parks Receive the Fewest Visitors Per Year on Average (2020)

While the big wigs like the Grand Canyon and the Great Smoky Mountains draw in millions of visitors every year, there are some parks out there that are lucky just to bring in a fraction of that. Make no mistake, however: these often overlooked parks are no less spectacular than their more popular counterparts.

North AmericaLogan T. HansenSeptember 29, 2020travel, travel guide, travel advice, travel inspiration, travelspiration, national parks, National Park Service, Mother Nature, outdoors, the great outdoors, adventure travel, adventure, adventure tourism, hiking, climbing, United States, North America, Wrangell-St. Elias National park, Dead Dog Hill, U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Yosemite, Yellowstone National Park, Yosemite National Park, Grand Canyon, Great Smoky Mountains, Kennecott, Switzerland, Loggerhead Key, Dry Tortugas National Park, FWC Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, Florida Fish and Wildlife, Fort Jefferson, Gulf of Mexico, Key West, shipwreck, shipwreck hunters, shipwreck hunting, snorkeling, diving, scuba diving, Katmai National Park, Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes, National Park of American Samoa, Alan Wake, North Cascades National Park, Seattle, Goode Mountain, Buckner Mountain, Mount Logan, Pacific Ocean, Tutuila, Ofu, Ta'ū, Lake Superior, Isle Royale, Isle Royale National Park, Wendigo Mining Company, wildlife, Lake Clark National Park, Cook Inlet, Alaska, mountains, Kobuk Valley National Park, Great Kobuk Sand Dunes, Gates of the Arctic, Gates of the Arctic National Park, Arctic CircleComment

How to Tackle a Cross-Country Road Trip (Plus, 13 Restaurant Recommendations)

With the largest road atlas money can buy (thanks, grandma) laid out on the kitchen counter and some fancy new highlighters in hand, I began marking points. I marked places where I knew people, drew lines connecting the dots, checked the mileage with Google Maps to make sure I wasn’t planning ridiculously long drives (I max out at about 14 hours), and started feeling giddy.

Into the 'Wild': I Lost Someone Special, Then I Decided to Hit the Road for Two Months

I took two months to travel to 22 states, putting over 8,500 miles on my car. I went to new places with old friends and old places with new friends. Sometimes I drove 14 hours in a day, others maybe one. I listened to hours of podcasts, audio books, and A LOT of music…

How to While Away the Time When You're Stuck with an Airport Layover

One place where boredom is perhaps likelier to occur than others is at the airport terminal, especially if you're stuck with a lengthy layover between flights. But those long layovers don't have to be boring, nor do you need to spend a ton of money on food, drinks, or in the duty-free shop to combat that creeping boredom.

Here Are the Top 10 U.S. Cities for Drinking (Hard) Cider

Hard cider is quickly becoming the most popular drink in many cities across the U.S. – and it’s easy to see why. From smooth and sweet to tart and tangy, you’ll find your favorite brew in one of the U.S.’s top 10 cities for cider lovers.

North AmericaRedfin CorporationMay 26, 2018travel, travel guide, travel advice, cider, hard cider, Portland, Oregon, Portland Cider House, Bushwhacker Cider, Cider Bite, Reverend Nat's Hard Cider, Cider Riot!, Portland Cider Co., Schilling Cider House, The Civic Taproom, Seattle, Washington, Capitol Cider, Seattle Cider Company, Number 6 Cider, Locust Cider - Ballard Taproom, Cockrell Brewing, New York, New York City, Big Apple, Brooklyn Cider House, The Owl Farm, Eli's Night Shift, The Ginger Man, Craft Culture, Taproom No. 307, Fools' Gold, Valhalla NYC, Haymaker Bar and Kitchen, Denver, Colorado, C Squared Ciders, Hops & Pie, Colorado Cider Company, Stem Ciders, The Rackhouse, Falling Rock Tap House, San Francisco, California, Upcider, Fermentation Lab, Crooked City Cider, The Crafty Fox Alehouse, Showtell's, 21st Amendment Brewery and Restaurant, Elixir, Mikkeller Bar, Ann Arbor, Michigan, Arbor Brewing Company, Bill's Beer Garden, Beer Grotto, Grizzly Peak Brewing Company, Salt Springs Brewery, Chicago, Illinois, ERIS Brewery and Cider House, Right Bee Cider, The Northman, Fountainhead, Hopleaf Bar, The Long Room, Sleeping Village, Emporium Arcade Bar, Begyle Brewing Company, The Bad Apple, Bangers & Lace, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Cinder, Hale & True Cider Co., Original 13 Ciderworks, City Tap House - Logan, Commonwealth Ciders, Stone & Key Cellars, Asheville, North Carolina, Urban Orchard Cider Company, Noble Cider, Daidala, TreeRock Social Cider House, Sovereign Remedies, Minneapolis, Minnesota, Urban Forage, Sociable Cider Werks, Town Hall Brewery, Elevated Beer + Wine + Spirits, Crooked Pint Ale House, Kieran's Irish Pub, Red Cow, United States, cider mill, RedfinComment

The Annual Fan Festival in Washington State That's Keeping Twin Peaks Alive

The lives of cultural objects — books, films, TV shows — can take funny paths sometimes. In some cases, as with the recent blockbuster film Black Panther, they are loved instantly. In other cases, they stumble out of the gate and only become appreciated later on, like the works of Edgar Allan Poe and many a posthumously-famous author. In still other cases…

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