North Cascades National Park

Ohhh, Diablo Lake. You are a thing of beauty. Wowwwie. So majestic... So peaceful... So blue. Would you mind if I just camped out here forever? I'm pretty quiet; I mind my own business most of the time. You won't even notice I'm here, I promise!

Okay, seriously though, North Cascades National Park is my new favorite place in Washington. I feel so fortunate to live in such a beautiful state. To think we're only a few hours away from places like this is incredible and mind-blowing to me. For those of you who don't know - I grew up in Wisconsin. It's beautiful in its own way, of course, but I'm positive there's nowhere in our country that is quite as beautiful as the Pacific Northwest. This doesn't mean I've stopped wearing my "Midwest is Best" shirt though, dad! I'll always bleed green and gold. ;-)

Yes, I know... I sort of took a ton of photos. Whenever I see bright greens and grays like this in nature, I'm reminded of the beautiful rocks and waterfalls we saw in Iceland. I can't get enough of this natural color combo.

When we got to the lookout area at the top, there were only four other people up there. It felt like it was ours, if only for a little while. From the size of the parking lot, I imagine it's usually packed with tourists. I guess we got lucky.

This was the perfect send-off before I leave for China tomorrow. Thanks for being so good to me, Washington. <3