This summer, we sent photographer and content creator, Morgan Gust, on a roadtrip to both of our Outposts in the Pacific Northwest: Getaway Skagit Valley outside of Seattle and Getaway Mount Adams outside of Portland. We sat down for an interview with her to hear about her experience, and here’s what she had to say:
My name is Morgan Gust & I’m currently based in Grand Rapids, Michigan! Always on the road & traveling for work & fun though!
Who were your travel buddies for this road trip?
Me, myself, & I!! This was part of a 2-week long solo road trip for me!
What was your route?
Since I was doing a long cross-country road trip & my Getaway stops were a part of it, my route was a bit all over the place! BUT for my getaway portion of the trip, I woke up at my campsite outside North Cascades National Park, then drove through the scenic highway of the park. After that, I headed up to Bellingham, WA for brunch + coffee & explored the city a bit before drive 45 min down to my first Getaway outpost in Skagit Valley!
I spent my evening there & then woke up early the next morning to start my journey down to Mount Adams! I stopped in Seattle at Pike Place Market to grab some produce & flowers & wander around a bit before continuing my drive through Portland! Where I stopped at my favorite camera store, The Portland Shutterbug, & dropped off some film to develop! I finally made it to Mount Adams that evening after a few more random stops for gas & to check out the scenery on my drive along the Columbia River!
So in a nutshell – North Cascades > Bellingham > Skagit Valley > Seattle > Portland > Mount Adams
What were a few of your favorite stops along the way?
As this was only my 2nd time to the PNW, I had a LOT of favorites!! North Cascades really kicked off my trip & was absolutely breathtaking – specifically Diablo Lake!! Definitely a must-see! And also free!!
I also loved Bellingham! It was such a cute city & I wish I could’ve spent even more time there!
What was the inspiration behind your playlist?
After literally hundreds, if not thousands of hours spent road-tripping, I’ve found my absolute favorite songs & artists & love to listen to them on repeat. So when making this playlist, I just added all my favorite feel-good songs that make me want to drive & drive & sing & just drive some more!! The kind of songs that make driving through the middle of nowhere for hours seem like the most iconic, amazing thing I could ever be doing. So this playlist is just a big mix of folk, country, indie & whatever else I was in the mood for!!
What are some of your packing necessities when you getaway?
My number one necessity was a bottle of wine!! Because what’s better on a solo getaway than a whole bottle of wine to myself?! I also had an audio book downloaded, a steak & veggies to cook over the fire, & my film camera for LOTSSS of photos!!
Did you have a favorite part of each Outpost you visited?
Absolutely yes!! My favorite part about the Skagit Valley outpost was definitely just finally being able to absolutely relax, drink a bottle of wine, listen to music & eat good food!! At Mount Adams, I LOVED that there was absolutely no service & I got to completely unplug!! I listened to audiobooks, the birds chirping, & lots of good music!
How did it feel to disconnect and reconnect to nature at Getaway?
AHHHH I cannot explain how great it felt!! As a full-time business owner, I am constantly on the move, working on my computer & phone at most hours of the day. It was so nice to take a step back, spend some time in nature, & just reconnect with myself!
You can keep up with Morgan on her personal Instagram account and her photography Instagram account, on Tik Tok and on her website.