Putting fingers to keyboard....#WQ Be a tour guide in your town

It's another week of  Wednesday Quotes, hosted by Marsha from Always Write. If you're interested in joining, you can find more about #WQ here. 

This weeks theme is around the idea of being a tour guide around our town. If I was more prepared I would have taken a drive to the different areas to get new photos, but the weather hasn't been fun, and I just haven't had the time. I wasn't even sure I'd get this post done. 

I live in a small town in SW Washington State. Woodland is about 30 minutes north of Portland, Or. I wish I had more photos...I'm sure I do, but, well, I procrastinate on these posts and then never take time to find photos or go out and take new ones. 

I love our small town..there is something to see in every season. There are not a lot of "indoor entertainment" options, but the good news is, we aren't far from anything you might want to do. For us, living in a small town, driving 20-30 minutes is "normal". We do, however, have an abundance of outdoor recreation activities, with the Columbia River and Lewis River bordering the town, and several lakes, waterfalls, and hiking options nearby. 

I loved this quote and remembered reading a thought in the book "Free Country: A Penniless Adventure the Length of Britain" by George Mahood. In it he said "it is so easy to disappear to some faraway land, rather than explore all of the beauty right on your doorstep." "It doesn't cost anything to get out and explore your local town, it is amazing what adventures you can have when you step outside your front door. Get out there. Take a look for yourself. You won't be disappointed." I think that is so true and something I want to do more of...I want to be a tourist, a traveler, in my own town. 

If you came to my town we'd perhaps visit some local shops, grab a coffee at a favorite coffee shop, eat lunch at one of the locally owned restaurants, (forget the fast food) and head out to drive around. If you like wine, there is a local vineyard and often they have wine tastings. Even if we ventured out of our town, there's plenty to see and do nearby and the towns are small enough you just kind of feel like a part of them all. 

In summer you can enjoy our annual Planters Day Festival, which has your small town parade, car show, etc...hopefully they'll bring the carnival back. The water is horseshoe lake, which if you find an aerial view is shaped like a horseshoe. It was once part of the Lewis River, but eventually they built Interstate 5 which now splits the town in half and created the lake. 

Much of the area was farmland for many years, though now, many farms have had to shut down because of big agriculture, etc..making it nearly impossible for them to survive. We do have one large berry farm, Columbia Fruits. The farmland was known as The Bottoms and that area of town is still referred to as such. 

I often love to just take a drive just for the beauty of it. 

I-5 splits the town in half. Originally everything was on the west side of town, so this is where you will mostly find the older buildings, however, newer ones have sprouted up. The east side of the freeway, has newer businesses, though a few older buildings still remain. 

I love the old buildings and have always thought it would be neat to have a business in one of them. 

If you visit in the fall, you can check out The Patch, which is owned by my son in laws family. People sometimes drive several hours to visit. It's not fancy, but they love the atmosphere, the friendliness and the fact that they don't price gouge. 

Do you like to hike? There are plenty of places to visit in the area to hike,  boat, fish, swim and camp. Or you can find an airbnb as a cozy place to land after a day of exploring.

If you come in early spring when the smelt are running you can head to the river and watch the eagles in abundance, and this year, some pelicans even showed up...yep, pelicans in Washington, go figure. I believe they are called the American White Pelican. 

Lake Merwin is the closest lake upriver from us..there are several that are made from dams along the Lewis River. They are popular for boating, swimming (though very cold), and camping. 

Lewis River Falls is another popular hiking spot. There are upper and lower falls and they are gorgeous. 

I really enjoyed this quote.  I believe there is truth to it...usually as a tourist,  you have a list of "must see/must do", I know we do. But we also try to see what is around us, what the locals enjoy. 

I couldn't find pictures, however, in the spring you can also enjoy tulips at the Holland America Bulb Farm, and lilacs at the Hulda Klager Lilac Gardens. We are also very close to Mt. St. Helens and much hiking in that area. 

With Joy Unquenchable,

Kirstin