Its been said that once you’ve seen a part of the west, the rest looks just about the same. This is true. Most of the land is either mountain and pine, or grassy rolling hills dotted with shrubbery of some kind.

Upon closer inspection, however, we found the landscapes of each western state were subtly distinct. New Mexico, for instance, has less grass and more juniper and chamisa. West Texas grassland is dotted with prickly pear and mesquite. The grasses of South Dakota are generally uninterrupted, seamless. The gently rolling hills of Northeastern Wyoming are like this too, but clusters of deciduous trees also dot the landscape. We saw the same granite cliff faces shine from the sides of mountains that you’d expect to see in Colorado, but those of Wyoming were somehow unique. More colorful, more jagged, more or less made distinct by rivers of red and yellow trees. Western Montana’s waves of bald mountains were impressive, too.

Washington was unique as well. The hills rolled more gently; the grass, apparently, is not always golden but greens with summer. Some parts are very brushy. And after crossing the Columbia River, the land became increasingly more mountainous.

Eventually, we found ourselves staring upward at the snowy crests of the Cascades; then at the rushing water of Snoqualmie Falls. “How is it possible,” we wondered, “that Seattle is less than 60 miles from here?”

Seattle’s tree-lined streets were ablaze with autumn color, and its sky was clouded only some of the time. Yes, we actually saw Seattle with a blue sky! Meredith’s friend Charlie had invited us to stay with him in his downtown apartment. We gratefully accepted. Over the course of the weekend, he and his girlfriend, Ci Ci, led us on a walking tour of the city—to their favorite bar, a beer-tastic pub, to the shopping district, the REI flagship, and the nearby Pike’s Place Market. There, we ate pastries, shopped for fresh vegetables, and sipped hot coffee to warm us up in the cool of the day. Meredith also found almost-stylish and very comfortable walking shoes at the Nordstrom’s downtown. After all the walking we’ve done in city’s along the way, her feet were in dire need. Tyson is still on the lookout.