When Ericka Chickowski was a kid, her parents told her she had too many recreational interests. Little did they know these would serve her well in her career as a freelance writer. Over the better half of a decade, she has covered everything from river rafting to llama trekking. Ericka's travel stories have appeared on the pages of publications such as The Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Alaska Airlines Magazine, and Midwest Airlines Magazine. She is also a respected technology journalist who has garnered awards from the Society of Professional Journalists for column, feature, and humor writing.

Ericka grew up under the shade of Washington's evergreens. She learned to appreciate the state's diverse landscape from the backseat of a minivan during family road trips. Once she learned to drive herself, her wanderlust and love for the outdoors sent her on a lifelong quest to explore the nooks and crannies of the state, from the windswept plateaus of dry Eastern Washington to the mossy rainforests of the Olympic Peninsula. In spite of her appreciation for nature, she still thinks one of the prettiest views of Mt. Rainier is from Red Square at the Seattle campus of University of Washington, her alma mater.

Though Ericka settled down several years ago in a San Diego beach cottage with her husband, Paul, and her lovable mutt, Sandy, she regularly visits the trails, museums and restaurants of her home state. In fact, during the course of her research for this book she logged more than 2,000 miles along Washington's highways and byways. Her quest to find the coolest roadside eateries, the funkiest museums, and the grandest vistas keeps her coming back time and again.