Nadine’s First Time in Washington

Today, Berty and I woke up at 3:30am to pick up our Aussie friend, Nadine, to go and see Artist Point in Glacier, WA.

Nadine has been traveling up the West Coast for a few weeks now and she FINALLY arrived in Washington! Yay for us!! We finally get to play tour guide and show her our fabulous state! Berty and I originally met her via Instagram and there had always been small talk about meeting up someday, somehow…

Kaylin (1 of 62)

Well….we wait no more! We picked her up at the cheery hour of 4am and proceeded to drive up north. It was a car ride full of fun conversations and comparing cultures. You would think Australia and the US are pretty common, but they are surprisingly different!

For starters, even though Australia has winter, Nadine had never experienced snow! Since it is July, I told her that “there might be a little bit of snow” but I wasn’t expecting the magnitude we were greeted with.
Kaylin (60 of 62)

Umm, hello glacial status.

When Berty and I have visited Artist Point in the past, we only saw pockets of snow here and there. No one was expecting a huge wall of solid ice in the parking lot! (Especially Berty – he was wearing his Birkenstocks…haha)

After walking a ways up to the lookout in a makeshift snow trail, we waited for the fog to pass and reveal the iconic Mt. Shuksan. Sadly, the fog never fully passed and we were left being teased by the peaks hiding behind the clouds. But instead of leaving, we ended up sitting on a rock and visiting for a while. Nadine shared a little of her story and we listened. Berty and I were impressed with her adventurous spirit and the ability to solo travel with style!

Kaylin (24 of 62)

Meeting Nadine was such a blessing to us because she reminded Berty and I that something familiar to us can be so spectacular to someone else. Her face lit up when she etched her name in the ice wall and kicked the snow for the first time. Additionally, the mountain ranges we see all the time made her so excited – I couldn’t help but feel giddy right alongside her! Nadine definitely made me feel grateful to live in the Pacific Northwest. She gave me a fresh perspective to see our “commonplace” PNW views with a new appreciation!

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Kaylin (40 of 62)

Mt. Baker (91 of 94)

Mt. Baker (94 of 94)

I hope this post encourages you to play tour guide and show new friends around your city/home! Berty and I are so in love with Washington and we were so encouraged and uplifted by meeting Nadine!

Have you ever had expectations coming to a place, but were surprised at how much BETTER it was? (or worse??) Where did you go? Who were you with?

 

Thanks for reading!
Love,

The Mandagies

 

 

Photos: Berty Mandagie
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