Ever since Thomas Jefferson sent Lewis and Clark out there, Americans have been making their way to the Pacific Northwest. Despite the lack of a presidential order, I visited the Northwest for the first time in 1974. My wife and I were unemployed at that time and living in a tent. We spent several months exploring Oregon and Washington. Eight years later we moved to Portland, Oregon.



The Pacific Northwest has a reputation for precipitation. Although parts certainly get their share of rain in the winter, the Northwest is an incredibly diverse region meteorologically, geologically, and biologically. From rain forests to high-country deserts and from snow-capped mountains to ocean beaches, you can find just about any landscape that you can imagine. Whenever we had the opportunity to get away, my wife and I would pack up the kids and the tent and find a place to camp and explore. I always took my camera.



It’s difficult to illustrate the scope of the Northwest landscape with a limited number of photographs. I hope, however, that these images might entice you to see more of it in person.