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Kessi World

Mindful travel around the Pacific Northwest.

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Kessi World Blog

This website started in 2019, and my perspective on travel and the world has changed. In particular, my closeness with nature continues to be more prominent in content about the Pacific Northwest. These blog posts are the story of my evolution.

The skyline of New York City as seen from a park on the other side of the East River.

Is it possible to enjoy a nature-forward experience in the middle of New York City?

February 26, 2023

What I learned about a nature-forward trip on a weekend away in New York City.

Continue Reading Is it possible to enjoy a nature-forward experience in the middle of New York City?

Leavenworth Washington is the perfect location to try a nature forward vacation. The icy Wenatchee River winds through hillsides covered in snow with a scattering of cabins underneath majestic mountains.

How to take a nature-forward vacation?

February 12, 2023

What does it mean to enjoy a nature-forward vacation, and how can it benefit you? Put to the test in Leavenworth, Washington. 

Continue Reading How to take a nature-forward vacation?

A budding red rhododendron flower emerges on the scene during a forest bathing experience.

What can we learn from forest bathing in the rain?

January 29, 2023

Heavy raindrops in the darkness of winter are a doorway to healing nature spirits. How can you learn from forest bathing?

Continue Reading What can we learn from forest bathing in the rain?

Connecting with nature where you are

January 15, 2023

Nature is there to meet you exactly where you are on any given day, in any mood or state of mind. Let me show you how.

Continue Reading Connecting with nature where you are

Frenchglen hotel is a hidden gem in the PNW. The sun is out with blue sky and the hotel sits along the road -- paved with yellow stripes. Poplar trees surround the wooden historical building.

Hidden Hotels of the PNW

October 23, 2022

Exploring Oregon’s outback from the Frenchglen Hotel reveals rewarding possibilities in travel. Just an example of my favorite quiet delights throughout Oregon and Washington offering similar opportunities to get away.

Continue Reading Hidden Hotels of the PNW

Matthew Kessi stands on the top of Haleakala Crater on Maui with the sun setting behind him. His silhouette is backlit by the orange glow of the sunset.

My own private Maui

October 9, 2022

Reflections on the impact of tourism, on Maui and otherwise, around the world. I have suggestions for what each of us can do about it.

Continue Reading My own private Maui

Star shaped flowers open up against the blue sky and dark green foliage.

Ballard Locks Balance

October 2, 2022

What can we learn from an engineering marvel dependent upon the flow of nature?

Continue Reading Ballard Locks Balance

This scene in a mangrove in Miami Florida shows several white birds with orange beaks and the brown roots of the mangrove and green leaves.

Magic Miami

September 25, 2022

Sometimes the most prominent spirit comes in unsuspecting places. Reflections on a nature journey in Miami with my friend Chad.

Continue Reading Magic Miami

A view from the trunk level of an age old cedar tree with bark wetted from the rain in Parsons Gardens on Queen Anne Hill in Seattle.

Legacy of the trees

September 18, 2022

A reflection on rebuilding a forest for the future — and my active work to build a legacy of my own.

Continue Reading Legacy of the trees

View from the narrow gauge rail train leading up to Top of Europe tourist attraction. Two asian tourists peer out the window of the train to a dramatic landscape of jagged Alpine peaks.

Weaving nature into transportation

September 4, 2022

Is there more that can be done to invite a deeper relationship with nature into the transportation experience?

Continue Reading Weaving nature into transportation

View from a bedroom window looking at the shining light of the Heceta Lighthouse. The yard in the foreground is full of green grass and surrounded by a white picket fence.

What does access to nature really mean, and can it help save the planet?

December 5, 2021

A breakfast conversation at Heceta Head Lighthouse inspires examination of whether access to nature is helping save the planet… or not.

Continue Reading What does access to nature really mean, and can it help save the planet?

A drawing of Sasquatch from a Coast Salish artist depicts him walking in the forest with rounded trees. He has piercing blue eyes and purple mouth with black drawn in features around his face. The rest of him is different swirls of browns depicting fur.

Sasquatch is my friend

September 24, 2021

Sasquatch is my friend. I don’t know him in the way that he comes to my house and eats dinner with me, but he’s with me in spirit. I have a 4×6 postcard depicting him walking in the forest, weaving around rich green trees. He sits near my computer — looking at me with piercing…

Continue Reading Sasquatch is my friend

Matthew Kessi stands at the summit of Mt. Rainier

How Mt. Rainier taught me a lesson in humility

August 29, 2021

Reflections on a climb to the summit of Mt. Rainier, and the learnings around humility that would inspire me 10 years later.

Continue Reading How Mt. Rainier taught me a lesson in humility

Celebration and remembering this 4th of July

July 4, 2021

How the curated conversation of the Hibulb Cultural Center offers an engaging way to learn and remember on this 4th of July celebration.

Continue Reading Celebration and remembering this 4th of July

Ranching reflections — guarding the gate of discovery and connection

June 20, 2021

A trip to the Zamwalt Prairie near Joseph, Oregon reminds me of early formative learnings about quiet contemplation in nature.

Continue Reading Ranching reflections — guarding the gate of discovery and connection

The bar inside the cozy refined country brewpub Tiger Town Brewing. The shelfs are full of various unique bottles of whiskey and other familiar items as well as fresh lemons and juicers on the counter.

Tiger Town Brewing — Surprising kicks on Route 26

May 23, 2021

Like the winding Route 26, a restaurant experience at Tiger Town Brewing in a Central Oregon hamlet takes interesting turns through diverse terrain.

Continue Reading Tiger Town Brewing — Surprising kicks on Route 26

A dead miniature tree leans from out of a broken clay pot in a museum piece. The tree is white and several spindly branches line the trunk up and down.

What kind of ancestors do we want to be?

May 9, 2021

The twisting path of an inspiring bonsai museum brings to life a Mother’s Day message of gratitude and one large looming question about legacy.

Continue Reading What kind of ancestors do we want to be?

Vibrant colors of the Painted Hills tell me to chill

April 25, 2021

What happens when the excitement to “see it all” mixes into a “bucket list” outing to the Painted Hills in Oregon?

Continue Reading Vibrant colors of the Painted Hills tell me to chill

Journey to a hole in the wall

April 11, 2021

What happens when “the call” to explore comes and the conditions are less than perfect to answer? Follow this account of a blustery beach hike.

Continue Reading Journey to a hole in the wall

A bicycle is propped up along the path at Shark Valley in the Everglades National Park. The paved road is narrow and border bright green grasses on one side and lighter yellowish marsh land on the other. The sky is blue with puffy white clouds.

Alligators in Shark Valley — an Everglades adventure

March 28, 2021

All the promises of Spring are alive on a day trip to Shark Valley, in Everglades National Park.

Continue Reading Alligators in Shark Valley — an Everglades adventure

Selfie of Matthew Kessi sitting on a tree stump overlooking a lake with greenish water.

Do you want to take your relationship with nature to the next level?

Let me show you how paying attention to nature opens the door to seeing yourself — and the world — differently. Transformation is closer than you think.

I offer Mystic Nature Experiences, 90-minute in-person guided journeys in select parks and gardens in Seattle, Tacoma, and Portland.

more information
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They’re not on the main website, but all my adventure itineraries are free when you subscribe to my newsletter about this wonderland we call the Pacific Northwest.

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I would like to acknowledge that much of my inspiration comes from living on the traditional land of the first people of Seattle, the Duwamish People past and present and honor with gratitude the land itself and the Duwamish Tribe.

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