Welcome to the inaugural issue of What’s New with Eric, my at-most-weekly newsletter of things I’ve posted lately. Hope you enjoy it!

Since the New Year, I’ve posted about two new state parks that I didn't even know existed when I started the 146 Parks project. (Which might mean I wind up with more than 146 parks. One could have worse problems!)

Nisqually State Park: This is a quiet and modest park – officially titled as “under development,” but there are some good hikes to be had here.

I visited on a gray and rainy day (shocker … this is winter in western Washington!) and found some good trails and a nice view of the Mashel River right before it joins the Nisqually River.

Lake Isabella State Park is quietly nestled in the woods south of Shelton. It’s about half wide-open spaces and half forest. Supposedly, it’s an “undeveloped” park, but there are a good set of hiking trails through the park.

Though I haven't done any “big” travels, I had the chance to get out and about in the Pacific Northwest a few times in January. Here are some of my recent adventures from my travel blog:

A Steampunk Caboose: I had a night to myself in early January so I looked on AirBNB for last-minute getaways and found a steampunk caboose! Couldn’t pass that up, so I booked it and drove up there straight away.

Woodard Bay: Lisa and I went for a hike in Woodard Bay Conservation Area recently.

Shelton Bay Fog: A random photo grab while I was driving near Shelton recently …

Puget Sound Commute: Sometimes the commute is mundane. Sometimes it is spectacular.

Capitol Lake Ducks: On a recent walk around Capitol Lake in Olympia, I spotted these ducks hanging out on a log.

Mima Mounds: A short drive south of Olympia, Mima Mounds Natural Area Preserve presents a most unusual landscape. Hundreds of small mounds of dirt, some as tall as a person make an oddly undulating grassland. Scientists have studied this landscape for nearly two centuries and have yet to agree on a convincing theory for how or why they were formed.