Exploring Washington State

Lou Maxon, a Seattle-area designer with a passion for risk-taking and unique creative approaches, has been transforming brands throughout his career. From humble beginnings as a self-taught skater and hockey enthusiast, Lou forged a path in the design world that led him to work with major brands like Lexus. With an ability to immerse himself in a world that was entirely new to him, Lou's experienc...

For Craig Romano, exploring the trails of Washington State wasn't just a passion - it was his way of inspiring others to discover the great outdoors. Little did he know his guidebooks would take readers on a journey that not only revealed the beauty of nature, but also uncovered stories of historical and ecological importance. What new wonders will Craig uncover on his next exploration? Connect Wi...

Discover the Alien World Underwater with Scuba Jess When Scuba Jess moves to Seattle and discovers a passion for the mysterious underwater world, she sets out to explore it, facing danger and unexpected challenges along the way in her quest to become a 'trekkie' of the sea. I feel like scuba diving was the passion that I was missing in my life or my purpose. - Scuba Jess My special guest is Scuba...

Bradley Lockhart is a designer, musician, and professor from Washington State. He is the designer of the official Bellingham Flag, owner of Lariat Creative, and championing the state of Washington to update their state flag. Bradley Lockhart has always had a love for adventure, from his childhood days of playing in the forts and tree houses of rural Whatcom County to his teenage years of skateboar...

Nancy Pearl is an American librarian, best-selling author, literary critic, and the former executive of the Washington Center for the Book at Seattle Public Library. She is known for her work promoting reading and libraries, and is the inspiration behind the popular "Librarian Action Figure". You will learn: 1. How Nancy Pearl, a retired librarian, used her childhood library to pursue a career in...

This episode features a visit with John Tillison, also known as Park Ranger John. John grew up in a military family, and moving to Washington state as a kid, he quickly fell in love with the state. He describes himself as the kid that was always outdoors. John spent time in Boy Scouts, achieving Eagle (and yes, our producer Todd agrees that Citizenship in the Community merit badge was a pain). The...

Nancy Croisier joins us to discuss her career educating people about Washington state wines. A former corporate HR career through a year of layoffs led Nancy to search for a new career that would bring happiness back into her life. She describes how she found her new passion through a local educational opportunity. A love of wine and food pairings led into helping wineries advertise their offering...

Bob Antone returns to talk Sasquatch and serial killers in Washington state. Bob and his wife started offering Bigfoot walking tours in 2017. His interest began in his childhood, listening to family members telling stories and then later got his wife interested. They introduce the topic to people on their tours by familiarizing them with some of the names for these beings used by Native tribes and...

Daniel Winlker, a passionate treasure hunter, embarks on a journey to explore the captivating and often overlooked world of mushrooms in the Pacific Northwest, a place of great abundance, but also of hidden dangers and cultural heritage. You will learn: 1. What is the impact of colonial powers on native cultures and their foraging knowledge? 2. How does one safely identify and forage for edible mu...

Meet Kate Evans, a professor of horticulture at Washington State University campus in Wenatchee. Kate oversaw the development of the cosmic crisp apple, you’ll learn more about apples in this episode than you could ever possibly imagine. Kate Evans is an experienced apple and pear breeder. She is known internationally for her research in plant molecular biology and tree fruit breeding. In this epi...

Meghan Grah is our guest today. Meghan is an adventure elopement photographer in the Tacoma area. She got her start in photography while attending Pacific Lutheran University and has been a professional photographer over ten years now. Meghan describes getting her start in photography and what a typical day looked like and then how that led into what she's doing today. We discussed the ins and out...

We're talking today with Amy Cross, sometimes known as the "Strawberries in a Jar Lady" host of the Cross Legacy blog. Amy has become widely known for her food storage hacks. And when we say widely known, he strawberries in a jar hack was shared over 18 million times within days. Amy talks about being trapped at home early in the pandemic, and realizing that she has such good knowledge of how to k...

Brandon Fralic joins us again to discuss his books, how he got started as a freelance writer, and what led to his hiking and beer guides. The journey began with the Beer at the Bottom blog, and naturally led to writing for an industry journal, and then to publishing the books. The first post was a pairing of the Oyster Dome hike with Boundary Bay Brewing, a classic Bellingham pairing. From there,...

Scott talks with Washington native Bob Antone, musician and storyteller. Bob talks about his history growing up in North Bend, learning music from his time in musical kindergarten, and explains what the heck that is. Bob has some interesting descriptions of how the local weather affects the creativity of locals and why so much of the local music is dark and brooding. Hint, if you live on the wet s...

Aaron Mumford, Jesse Baker, and Whitney Brielle-Martin join Scott to talk about alternative travel in Washington. They go from the company origins through to the properties and services they offer today, from a 1957 family yacht to a treehouse, glamping, and more. According to legend, Jet Hospitality got its name from the ever-present white noise of jet aircraft passing overhead above Jesse's Geor...

Troy Moss and Jerry Kenyon recently climbed Mount Rainier to recreate the expedition of Lt. August V. Kautz, who was nearly the first person to summit Rainier in 1857. They're here to describe that event.   Troy describes the process that they use to prepare for the historical expeditions. One of their first adventures included an impromptu tour of Top Stall Llama farm while Jerry's battery in his...

Erica Kutz is a freelance graphic designer, art director, and producer as Mountainmind. She represents outdoor brands as an ambassador including Kona Bike and Arc'teryx. She tells us about snowboarding and splitboarding in the North Cascades.   Erica talks about growing up snowboarding and skiing, and more recently split boarding. She explains how she approaches testing the slopes before starting...

Scott sits down with Seattle author and podcaster Ronit Plank to chat about her writing and podcast. The discussion wanders through her writing career and how it transitioned into podcasting.   Ronit got her start writing short works for stage while working at the Actors Gang in Los Angeles performing improv. Once she moved to Seattle, she became interested in writing and took classes at the Unive...

Matt Jorgensen joins Scott for an episode discussing topics ranging through his long career as a drummer and composer. From local high school student learning drums to successful musician writing, producing, and performing in various well known commercial jingles.   Matt talked about meeting his wife in New York and convincing her to come out to Seattle just in time for the Rockabilly Ball in Ball...

The advertising of Rainier Beer spawned many cult classic commercials in the Northwest. Our guests got into the idea of documenting the ads after collecting Rainier Beer swag for their bar and asking the question where can we get the original film of the commercials?   The Petersons describe the origin of the Rainier Room at the bar, after they filled it with all of the memorabilia they could find...

Scott talks with Brooks Smothers, host of the RV Out West podcast which discusses RV travel in Washington State. Brooks describes many of the adventures that led him to get a trailer and start his podcast.   Brooks lived in Washington until the age of twenty-five when he tried living in other parts of the country, including the Virgin Islands, and California Bay Area. He returned to Washington in...

In this episode of the Exploring Washington State Podcast we sit down with the dynamic and creative force behind White Branches Tea Room , Mr. Matthew White! Matthew has lived a life full of adventure, from driving across the US from Washington to Houston to more recently bringing the magic of theater to the quaint town of Mount Vernon, Washington. Join us as Matthew shares with us his journey as...

Thanks for tuning into this episode of the Exploring Washington State Podcast! If the information in our conversations and interviews are enjoyable and valuable to you, please head over to iTunes, subscribe to the show, and leave us an honest review. Your reviews and feedback will not only help us continue to deliver great, helpful content, but it will also help us reach even more amazing listener...

Seattle area author Brad Holden talking about his latest book Lost Roadhouses of Seattle.  Brad co-wrote the book with Peter Blecha. Brad is an Author. Historian. Finder of Old Things. During our conversation we talk about Brad's fascination with Seattle's seedy past. Brad has written three books and he calls them his trilogy. Lost Roadhouses of Seattle : Prohibition came early to Washington State...

Thanks for tuning into this episode of the Exploring Washington State Podcast! If the information in our conversations and interviews are enjoyable and valuable to you, please head over to iTunes, subscribe to the show, and leave us an honest review. Your reviews and feedback will not only help us continue to deliver great, helpful content, but it will also help us reach even more amazing listener...