"I had come to the Pacific Northwest to explore a region where wilderness creaks at the city gates," writes Gareth Clark. "And I didn't have to look hard to find examples." From labyrinthine tunnels beneath Seattle to rolling, mineral-striped hills in Oregon, the USA's Pacific Northwest is a region that never fails to surprise - and delight. Follow along as Gareth recounts his memorable moments from a trip through Washington and Oregon last fall. Along the way, he explores Seattle by land, sea, and air; tiptoes over moss and mushrooms in the snow-dusted Olympic National Forest; crawls deep into the belly of ancient lava tubes; and keeps it weird - in a good way - in one of the country's quirkiest cities, confirming the Pacific Northwest's reputation as a region overflowing with wonder, wildness, and weirdness.   ABOUT GARETH Read Gareth's article,  "The Pacific Northwest in Living Colour," in March's edition of the magazine, and find his other articles on his contributor page on Wanderlust's website. ABOUT WANDERLUST Wanderlust is the UK’s leading independent travel magazine which has been taking the road less travelled since 1993. Become a Wanderlust Club Member to join our community of serious travellers for just £35 a year (or about $50). This will get you six beautiful collectible issues, exclusive member- only competitions and events, access to our entire online archive back to 2010, and heaps of other benefits. This episode was produced by Armchair Productions, the audio experts for the travel industry.