Articles written by Chester Allen

Oregon's Hood River is a famous windsurfing spot, but folks still dry off and eat. Visitors enjoy terrific Mexican food, local brews or ultra-fresh Northwest cuisine.

Mar 11, 2009 - Chester Allen

Each spring, one of Earth's great natural spectacles - millions of migrating shorebirds - visit Grays Harbor marshes during their long flight to Arctic breeding grounds.

Mar 6, 2009 - Chester Allen

Hood River, in the beautiful Columbia River Gorge, boasts world-class windsurfing and kiteboarding - thanks to afternoon winds that "Nuke" through a natural wind tunnel.

Mar 4, 2009 - Chester Allen

Washington state fish biologists say the biggest pink salmon run since the 1960s will roll into Puget Sound - and up many rivers - during the late summer of 2009.

Mar 4, 2009 - Chester Allen

Inexpensive yurts, tent sites - and even full-hookup spots for motorhomes - make beach camping a great deal at beautiful Grayland Beach State Park near Westport.

Mar 3, 2009 - Chester Allen

The Pacific Northwest - from Vancouver Island through Washington and Oregon - offers great, uncrowded waves. But surfers must be prepared for cold water all year long.

Feb 27, 2009 - Chester Allen

Each spring, hikers all over the United States and Canada find baby deer huddled in tall grass or brush. Taking the fawn away on a misguided rescue is usually a bad idea.

Feb 26, 2009 - Chester Allen

Yellowstone National Park's wild trout reward anglers who are willing to walk a few hundred yards from the car - and that is especially true on gorgeous Soda Butte Creek.

Feb 25, 2009 - Chester Allen

Yellowstone National Park is full of delightful, trout-filled streams that many anglers never explore. A short hike to Nez Perce Creek's meadows unveils fast fly fishing!

Feb 24, 2009 - Chester Allen

Catching bluegill, crappie, perch and other panfish is a simple spring pleasure all over North America - and the best way to hook newbies into a lifetime of fun fishing.

Feb 21, 2009 - Chester Allen

Playa Zancudo, a town on a gorgeous, tropical beach, offers visitors two choices: pricey stays at all-inclusive resorts - or bargain cabins for do-it-yourself adventures.

Feb 18, 2009 - Chester Allen

Puget Sound anglers find hot fishing during the spring chum fry migration. Millions of tiny salmon swim out of streams into saltwater - where big cutthroat wait to feed.

Feb 12, 2009 - Chester Allen

Yellowstone National Park is an fly fisher's wonderland, but no spot in the park is more beautiful - or more rewarding to fish - than Slough Creek.

Feb 11, 2009 - Chester Allen

The USS Missouri tour, located at Pearl Harbor's Battleship Row near Honolulu on the Hawaiian island of Oahu, takes visitors to the start and end of World War II.

Feb 10, 2009 - Chester Allen

The Lena Lake Trail in Washington's Olympic National Forest is a gorgeous 3.2-mile hike through old-growth forest to a beautiful alpine lake and campground.

Feb 7, 2009 - Chester Allen

The Cowlitz River is famous for salmon and steelhead, but the best fishing is from mid-July through October - when thousands of snappy sea-run cutthroat whack flies.

Feb 5, 2009 - Chester Allen

Montana's Lower Madison River - the stretch from Raynolds Bridge downstream to Ennis - is world-famous for trout fishing, but many anglers miss out on the best fishing.

Feb 4, 2009 - Chester Allen

Some famous Yellowstone rivers, such as the Madison and Firehole, are often too warm to fish in July and August. But trout are biting in the Gallatin and Gardner rivers.

Feb 3, 2009 - Chester Allen

Yakima River anglers find wild trout rising to blue wing olive and March Brown mayflies, Skwala stoneflies and midges during afternoons in late winter and early spring.

Jan 30, 2009 - Chester Allen

Yellowstone National Park is world-famous for wildlife watching, but the Hayden and Lamar valleys often offer the best chance to see bears and wolves near bison and elk.

Jan 28, 2009 - Chester Allen

Mount St. Helens exploded on May 18, 1980, but is now a popular climb for those who want to peer into the crater and see a huge lava dome created between 2004 and 2008.

Jan 27, 2009 - Chester Allen

One of the great angling adventures on this watery planet is walking along a short stretch of Mexico's Pacific coast beach and tossing lures for big, fighting fish.

Jan 23, 2009 - Chester Allen

Mexico's Pacific Coast cities are often tourist traps, but Sayulita, a 40-minute taxi ride from bustling Puerto Vallarta, has great waves and a relaxed, small-town feel.

Jan 21, 2009 - Chester Allen

Finicky wild trout in the western United States and Canada often become pushovers when anglers cast imitations of beetles, grasshoppers and ants along stream banks.

Jan 5, 2009 - Chester Allen

A good flyfishing guide can teach an angler more about a river or lake in one day than the angler could learn on his or her own during an entire summer on the water.

Dec 29, 2008 - Chester Allen

A one-day lift ticket can cost $60 or more, but finding stay/ski deals, hitting the slopes at night or even working at the ski area makes lift tickets cheaper - or free.

Dec 27, 2008 - Chester Allen

Running Down the Man, Trout Bum Diaries Volume 2, Chasing Silver and In Search of a Rising Tide plunge fish-addled viewers into new waters - and attitudes.

Dec 17, 2008 - Chester Allen

Great fishing - sometimes world-class fishing - lurks in millions of small farm ponds in the United States for those anglers who are willing to befriend landowners.

Dec 14, 2008 - Chester Allen

Razor clams are gourmet fare in Alaska and the Pacific Northwest, and restaurants charge big bucks for a plate of these rich treats. But digging clams isn't hard at all.

Dec 11, 2008 - Chester Allen

In-the-know fly anglers look for blue wing olive mayflies hatches from spring through early winter, and knowing a few tricks mean lots of trout during most of the year.

Dec 7, 2008 - Chester Allen

Fishing fanatics love to get tackle and gear for the holidays - a new lure or gadget is better than any tie or cookbook - and these gifts all cost $25 or less:

Dec 5, 2008 - Chester Allen

Waikiki Beach is the best place on the planet to learn how to surf. The waves are easy to catch, and Beach Boy instructors get beginners standing on boards in minutes.

Dec 2, 2008 - Chester Allen

Disneyland's big rides bring in millions of visitors each year - but the park's musical acts, vintage vehicles and low-key nooks spark lasting memories.

Nov 17, 2008 - Chester Allen

Puget Sound sea-run cutthroat trout are aggressive feeders, and using the right fly at the right time is the difference between casting and catching!

Nov 13, 2008 - Chester Allen

South Puget Sound has great fishing for sea-run cutthroat trout all year long, and knowing which beaches hold fish - and using a tide table - is the key to hooking up!

Nov 6, 2008 - Chester Allen

One of the great wildlife spectacles on the planet - thousands of chum salmon gouging nests in stream gravel, mating and dying - is a terrific family trip.

Nov 3, 2008 - Chester Allen

The Columbia River between Washington and Oregon has world-class smallmouth bass fishing - and anglers don't need a budget-busting bass boat to catch lots of fish.

Oct 29, 2008 - Chester Allen

Surfing is booming in the Pacific Northwest, and Westport's three breaks offer surfers - from beginners to experts - a lot of options.

Oct 23, 2008 - Chester Allen