Trip 3 - North by Northwest (8/19 - 8/20)

30 down -- 90 to go. After making brief stops at Wenberg and Camano Island state parks, I dropped my wife off in LaConner for a few hours while I made a run for the border. This trip was focused on the northwest parks and Whidbey Island, which has quite a few nice beaches people probably don't know about. Of course, these are Washington beaches, so you must keep the following ground rules in mind: 1) No sand is allowed on Washington state beaches 2) Fleece jackets are required 3) Dogs must not be on a leash but must be at least 75 pounds and at least 25% rabid.

With that said, the beaches at Birch Bay, Bay View and the numerous parks on Whidbey Island offer great views of the sound and the Olympics. Chuckanut Drive and Larrabee are definite must-sees, and the farmland and views of Mount Baker from the lowlands surrounding Mount Vernon and LaConner are worth checking out. LaConner makes a great overnight destination to explore this area, but don't count on any nightlife.

Whidbey Island is loaded with parks -- most notably Deception Pass, which is the most visited of all the state parks. Everybody knows about the bridge, but there is great camping, fishing, hiking and beach access in numerous areas. History and military buffs would enjoy Fort Ebey and Fort Casey state parks, both of which were originally forts built to defend Admiralty Inlet. Fort Casey is particularly interesting with its large guns and fortifications still in place and in relatively good condition. We rounded out the trip by visiting South Whidbey State Park, which offers some great campsites (heavily wooded and secluded). The park also has beach access reached via a half mile trail that winds through old-growth forest.

Trip 3 by the Numbers:

Beaches Visited: 9
Lighthouses Climbed: 1
Weddings Observed: 1
Deer Photographed: 4
Islands Traversed: 2
World War II Gun Batteries Observed: 2
Unofficial International Border Crossings: 1

Visit my 120x120 site here.

Trip 2 - Local Flavor (8/14 - 8/16)

Saturday: I knocked off the three closest parks to my house: Bridle Trails, Lake Sammamish and Squak Mountain. I had driven by Bridle Trails many times but had never been in the park. The park is used by local hikers and equestrians and includes a show ring where people can watch equestrian shows and displays. Lake Sammamish is a good chunk of beach in Issaquah that can be summed up in two words: soccer mom. Squak Mountain is an undeveloped and uncrowded park that has some interesting trails and is often a better alternative to nearby always-crowded Cougar Mountain.

Sunday: The Green River Gorge circuit. Kanaskat-Palmer and Flaming Geyser are good-sized parks located on the Green River in southern King County. Nolte is a smaller park located 5 miles from Kanaskat-Palmer and has a nice picnic area set on a lake. Federation Forest is located about 15 miles east of Enumclaw on Highway 410 and contains an interpretive center that has displays of each of the state's vegetation zones.

Monday: Prior to going to work, I dropped by Saint Edward and met with a KOMO 4 features reporter who is compiling a story on the 120 x 120 journey. Look for it on your local news soon... Saint Edward is an old stomping ground of mine, mostly because it has a few miles of mountain bike trails. Originally owned by the Diocese of Seattle, it's probably safe to say it's the only state park with a seminary, pool, gymnasium and mega big-toy that is very popular with the kids.

Visit my 120x120 site here.

And... I'm off! Trip 1 (8/4 - 8/6)

I kicked off 120 x 120 last weekend taking advantage of a company function my wife and I had at the Skamania Lodge in the Columbia Gorge. I decided to focus on the parks on the Columbia and a couple on highway 97, so we started in Seattle and took I-90 to I-82 and south (via Yakima) on highway 97. Highway 97 from Yakima to the gorge is full of some great scenery and a few notable parks.

Brooks Memorial was #1, and after getting geeked out about that for a minute, I settled in and enjoyed the park, which is set alongside highway 97 about 15 miles north of Goldendale. After about 45 minutes there, we rushed to Goldendale Observatory State Park, which is situated on a hill outside of Goldendale. We rushed in at 5:00 right as they were closing, but a nice gentleman let us in to see the telescopes and explain a bit about what is offered there. The park has an interesting history, which started with four amateur astronomers building a telescope, which was donated to the city of Goldendale and eventually the state. The views from the hill and the hands-on activities (including night viewing sessions) offered by the observatory make this a great destination.

Of the four parks (Maryhill, Columbia Hills, Doug's Beach, Beacon Rock) situated on the river in the gorge, Beacon Rock would probably be considered the star, but Maryhill and Columbia Hills offer some great waterfront and good camping and picnic areas. The climb to the top of 850 foot high Beacon Rock was quite impressive and enjoyable, as long as you're not afraid of heights or steep drop-offs. It’s supposedly the largest basalt monolith in the world. Other notable monoliths: Gibraltar, Stone Mountain, Mount Augustus (world’s largest).

We took the Wind River Highway on the way back from Skamania and visited Windy Ridge on the east side of St. Helens. It's a great little-used drive and has views of Hood, Adams and the "Bad Girl of the Cascades" as referred to by the St. Helens park ranger. From the mountain, we then visited Ike Kinswa (nice lake, boating, swimming, picnicking), Lewis & Clark (very nice camping spots), the Jackson House, Matilda Jackson and MillerSylvania (family reunion and picnic headquarters for greater western Washington).

Bonus photo: The “Bad Girl of the Cascades.

The 120 x 120 Ground Rules

When I first thought of visiting all of Washington's state parks, I really had no idea how many there were. According to the State Parks official web site, there are "120 state parks and other recreation areas..." Looking further, the web site has a list of parks with a page describing each property. This list contains 116 parks but doesn't appear to be a completely accurate inventory. Squak Mountain State Park is not listed, but West Hylebos (now managed by the city of Federal Way) is listed. After picking up a parks department brochure (titled “Adventures for a Lifetime” during my first trip, I noticed 118 park entities were listed). So in total, there doesn't appear to be consensus on the actual number of state parks, but it appears to be close to 120, and I plan on visiting 120 as defined in these two sources.

Naturally, 120 parks in 120 days sounded like a fun goal to me. Why? Check out my other travel "goals":

50 x 30: I visited all 50 states (airports don't count!) by the time I turned 30. I finished two years early and managed to spend only 10 minutes in the state of Texas. That's what you call a "win-win."

6 in 36: I'm in the process of visiting 6 continents in my first 36 years. I've visited 5 and will hopefully wrap it up next year.

120 x 120: Stay tuned!

Others: Send your ideas or comments!

So what does "going to a park" consist of? I only have a few firm ground rules. First, I actually have to set foot in the park and spend at least 30 minutes there (not in a vehicle). Second, I have to take at least five pictures of each park, one of which must be the park sign. I'll then post certain photos to my web site. I'll also write about trip highlights here and encourage people to provide feedback -- comments about the parks (good and bad), experiences they've had and anything else you want to share.