Of course, where there’s water, there’s fishing to do. I’ll have to get bigger fishing poles and thicker fishing lines to go fishing from a boat. However, I’ll do lots of fishing from the shore with what I currently have. There, I could catch bass and salmon, which are known as euryhaline species, since they can live both in salt and fresh water. I might also catch Seaperch, which are limited to the salt water but are just as delicious as salmon and bass. During low tide, I could scavenge the wet beach for oysters, mussels, and geoducks buried just under the sand, and even edible seaweed. I can’t wait to go fishing from the ocean whenever I want, and bring home delicious fish and clam-like creatures that will freak out Mom for sure (I need to get her back for pulling over by a sprinkler and spraying me in the face for two straight minutes the other day).
I’ll be sure to spend lots of time in the mountains and woods as well. While I was in Washington for a week in July, Mom, Priscilla, and I drove into Olympic National Forest to go hiking. It looked somewhat like Colorado once we got above the clouds and the treeline. However, until then, it was like we were in a different world.
It’s very green and misty in western Washington state because it’s so wet, and it remains that way all year round since it rarely freezes. The trees in Washington are much taller, greener, and softer than the trees in Colorado. Moss and lichen turn the trunks green, yellow, and sometimes even blaze orange. There’s also lots of tropical-looking plants. Ferns, strange looking flowers, and brightly colored fungi (most of which are poisonous) call the forest floor home. The plant life in Washington appears to be much more diverse than the plant life back home, and I’m excited to learn more about it as I explore the mountains and coastal woods.
Of course, there's plenty of wildlife in the woods, too. Washington has a huge hunting culture. I might have to travel further inland to find friends who like to hunt (people who live in far western Washington aren't exactly the hunting type, but many of them understand how hunting is important to the conservation of wildlife and preservation of the wilderness), but I know they're out there. I'd love to hunt black bears and bull elk while I'm living in Washington, but it'll likely be a few years before I can hunt again, just because of current events, college, and financial stuff. In the meantime, I'll happily make friends with the local deer just like I did with the deer in Ken Caryl Valley, and just enjoy the serenity of God's magnificent creation.
Washington is home to magnificent wildernesses. I'll be living in rural western Washington, surrounded by dense, lush woods and rolling hills. I'll get to mediate in nature in my own backyard. Hell, I'll get to do it within my own home, thanks to the sunroom. However, I'll go for plenty of adventures in nature beyond my property too. There's so much to see in western Washington. I'll have a hard time figuring out where I'd like to explore next, since there's a little bit of everything out there. Good thing I'll be living there for awhile!
If I get a little too claustrophobic and sick of the humid air, I could drive just two hours east onto Washington’s high plains. The eastern plains of Washington look almost exactly like the plains of Colorado. Pronghorn and mule deer populate Washington’s plains just like they do in Colorado. There are pastures full of walking steaks and mutton chops. And, there’s sagebrush instead of trees. However, I hope to get used to the trees in Washington soon after I arrive, so I won’t feel the urge to drive two hours east just to relax on the wide open plains.
