The final push! Minnesota --> Wisconsin --> Chicago and the Finish Line!!
We spent the night in Minnesota, got up early and ready to make it to the finish line... excited to see Kelsey and Ben! We stopped in Wisconsin once long enough to get gas... admired their plentiful cows and the highways... easy drive since no one was on them! Cruised into Illinois (a bit more traff...
The Badlands - Our final National Park (for now)
We headed out of Custer SD, today to finish the final leg of this big journey with a stop in The Badlands National Park... The photos look a bit like it is time to change the toner on the printer...... and a lot like The Painted Desert NP... It was pretty spectacular......and to follow all of that u...
Mount Rushmore
Stopped by to chat with the big guys on the mountain...... and then spent the afternoon hanging out in the town of Custer... and more buffalo that we could get a little closer to... Tomorrow we leave Custer and head to The Badlands National Park... and keep driving across South Dakota. Minnesota her...
Bozeman --> Wind Cave National Park
Today we visited Wind Cave National Park.. Not even close to the visually stunning beauty of Carlsbad Caverns, but interesting for different reasons. Over 120 miles of the caves have been explored, but it is estimated that is only 10% of the total length of the caves. It is considered to be a "dry c...
West Glacier --> Bozeman
We left West Glacier for a quick 2-day stop over in Bozeman... A fun college town with a cool downtown area and lots of breweries. A good place to catch up a bit, before we begin trekking east again... didn't take many pics:)
West Glacier - and a little couples therapy
We crossed over The Continental Divide (again) to the west side of Glacier national park on The Going-to-the-Sun Road. That was an adventure all by itself, and maybe a couples therapy trust exercise? But we were still talking to each other when we made it to the other side, and neither of us got tos...
Many Glacier - The pictures say it all
Many Glacier... We took 2 different boat rides in these 100+ year old boats to reach a more remote area of the park and do some more hiking... It was a very long day and a long ride back - but so worth it! Tomorrow we head to the west side of the park...
2 Medicine Lake - and more falls
Today we headed to a less traveled entrance to the park - the Southeast side of the park and 2 Medicine lake.... Two falls - one hike... A toofer! Running Eagle falls... The closet we came to a wildlife siting was this very confused mountain goat in the parking lot...:)
Glacier National Park - St. Mary's Waterfall
We left Canada yesterday and headed to the east side of Glacier National Park. We spent the day hiking the waterfall at St. Mary's Lake.... Tom did his best mountain goat impression... Probably our warmest day of hiking yet - but a great day!
The Canmore Highland Games
This weekend, Canmore is celebrating their 34th annual Highland games, and people come from all over Canada to participate! Celtic culture is celebrated by every generation for each clan. There was everything from sheep herding... g to Celtic dancing... they knew how to kick their heels up and have...
Biking through Banff National Park!
Banff National Park is incredibly beautiful... and it turns out that there is short window at the end of the summer, they shut down an old access road to cars and leave it open just for bikes... and that time was this week! What an opportunity - challenge accepted!... and fortunately this was only s...
Rafting down the Bow River
We took a raft float down the Bow River. Nothing crazy, no white water - just a beautiful evening and a good opportunity to take in the scenery from a different prospective... Very enjoyable!
Hiking the Lady Lakes
We headed out to Banff National Park to visit all of "the ladies"... First, we hiked up and had tea on Lake Agnes. It was originally built in 1901 as a hiking shelter, and was turned into a family run tea house. It has no electricity, and the workers hike all of the supplies up, and live up at the s...
Hikin' it in Banff
Today we hiked up to the Grassi Lakes. Crystal clear aqua blue lakes.... that sit just above Canmore... Nestled inside of rock wall canyons - lots of rock climbers hanging around that were tons of fun to watch... A fun day of hiking!
Bikin' it in Banff
We got into Banff late yesterday, so we got out on the bikes today to do a bit of exploring. Once again, the bikes trails did not disappoint! The weather is perfect, but after a full afternoon of biking, warming toes by the fire felt pretty great! So much to see here, and we are just getting started...
Last day in Kelowna
Today was our last day in Kelowna... It was a beautiful day so we took a lake cruise... ended the day with a roof top happy hour... and an amazing sunset. Not a bad way to top of our week in Kelowna, but looking forward to moving on to Banff National Park and Lake Louise!
14 miles + 18 trellises + 2 tunnels = Myra Cannon
Today we rode the Myra Canyon rail trail. 14 miles of an old railroad trail that was built back in 30s... decommissioned in the 70s... Saved from demolition in the 90s... All 18 trellises were rebuilt in the early 2000s, and 14 miles created as a dedicated recreation trail. It was awesome!
Driving along the border to Kelowna
We left Vancouver Island on Thursday - our last ferry ride over to the mainland... Our next stop - a beautiful mountain lake resort area in the central BC area called Kelowna. The drive was kinda interesting because we drove along Zero Avenue (Canada side) and Boundary Road (US side) which is separa...
Diving into the Sooke Potholes!
We have been exploring around Sooke a bit, and the biking and hiking have not disappointed... Including the Sooke Potholes! A favorite swimming hole "spot" for locals - more than just a "spot" really, but we still had a little bit of a challenge finding. them.. But when we finally did, it was totall...
Soakin' in up on Sooke
We continued on to Sooke on Thursday, and have really been enjoying a bit of a slower pace in Sooke. Our little Airbnb might be heading to the top of the list as one of our all time favs... Views right across Juan de Fuca Strait to the US... with some beautiful rising full moons, so bright they almo...
Butchart Gardens
A famous attraction just outside of Victoria is Butchart Gardens... The garden grounds were created over 100 years ago by a woman with a vision - she transformed a granite quarry into this! A beautiful way to spend the afternoon... and as always, Tom gets the good sport award!
Back to Victoria
With the wildfire happening in the central part of the island, we decided to head south back to Victoria and hang out there for awhile - we only got a small taste when we came through the first time. Turned about to be a good call since we got there just in time for British Columbia Day, and Victori...
The path to Tofino and learning about what happened in 2023...
Today we hopped on our bikes and headed up through the Pacific Rim National Park to Tofino on an amazing dedicated 25 mile bike path... We stopped and had lunch at a cute little restaurant on the wharf... we worked up an appetite... before heading back to Ucluelet (a big day of biking - 50 miles!).....
Boggs, Beaches and Boardwalks - made it to Ucluelet!
We crossed over to the west coast of Vancouver Island yesterday - luckily, just after all of the excitement about... well, you know... had died down a bit... We set out for a hike inside the Pacific Rim (Canadian) National Park. It had miles and miles of old boardwalks through a boggy coastal rainfo...
Island Hopping!
Today we went island hopping! Vancouver Island has many adjacent islands that are reachable via the BC Ferry system. So we hopped on a ferry with our trusty bikes out of Buckley Bay, and headed first to Denman Island... (note to self - come back and pick blackberries later!) We biked and hiked... a...
Hiking Nanoose Bay - Last Day with Kelsey and Ben
Today was our last day with Kelsey and Ben before they headed back to Chicago, so we decided to head out for a hike... We came across a small gorge where all of the local kids were rock jumping. The water looked very inviting, so we decided to take a dip. It was cold, but felt amazing... Kelsey took...
Whale watching out of Nanaimo - and other notable sightings
Kelsey really wanted to go whale watching so we headed for Nanaimo, suited up, and off we went! It really didn't take long at all before we saw them! We even got a few cartwheels which was amazing - and SO close to the boat! We had some other wildlife sightings including bald eagles, and these guy...
Vancouver Island on the horizon
We headed to Vancouver Island today on a ferry out of Port Angeles... Stopped for lunch in Victoria, and checked out the house boats... some really cool architecture... and then headed up to Nanoose Bay, just in time for sunset... So peaceful and beautiful... can definitely pass a week here!
The Hoh Rainforest and Rialto Beach
We headed out today for a full day of exploring more of Olympic National Park starting with the Hoh Rainforest... and a hike to Tom Creek... well... just because... and then onto Rialto Beach... There was a lot of ground to cover seeing the highlights of Olympic National Park, but I think we saw a g...
Kelsey and Ben make it to Olympic NP!
Using their stellar navigational skills, Kelsey and Ben caught up with us in Port Angeles today! We had a great time walking on the spit, but didn't quite make it to the lighthouse... Full day planned for tomorrow inside of Olympic National Park - the Hoh Rainforest and Rialto Beach!
More Olympic Discovery Trail...
Today we explored more of the Olympic Discover Trail... but still feeling like we have hardly scratched the surface. We started out this time in Port Angeles... With a plan to make it to Sequim - The lavender capital of the US, so we saw lots of that along the way - and it smelled SO good... The tra...
Olympic National Park - Hurricane Ridge
We hiked hurricane ridge today.... We had lots of 4-legged company along the way that were definitely enjoying a good wild flower snack... When we got to the top, we had views across the Port Angeles harbor, of the San Juan Islands, and Vancouver Island (next destination!) A beautiful hike!
Olympic National Park - Biking Lake Crescent
Our first day in Olympic National Park, and we biked part of the Olympic Discovery Trail... It was miles and miles of incredible scenery, beautiful weather, and dedicated bike paths... check! The entire trail is 135 miles point to point, and we only did a small fraction... Feeling like a bucket list...
Mount Rainier Day 3 - The GOAT
3 days of incredible hiking in Mount Rainier, and hiking across the US since we started back in February, but Tom and have agreed that our hike today (the "Skyline Loop") should be elevated to GOAT status!... and the pictures say it all! Greatest Hike of All Time! We leave tomorrow for Olympic Natio...
Mount Rainier Day 2 - Reflecting on the beauty of it all
Day 1 was a great day of hiking - but Day 2 was even better! A great day!
Mount Rainier Day 1 - Good Day!
We got our first look at Mount Rainier yesterday, and it was definitely impressive... We started out on a pretty ambitious hike, with plans to do a loop on the sunrise rim trail... Unfortunately, we forgot to bring our handy ice axe and spikes. We turned the corner of the trail, and discovered they...
So long, farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, adieu ... Leavenworth!
Today is our last day in Leavenworth, but we couldn't leave without seeing the local outdoor amphitheater production of "The Sound of Music". The von Trapp family showed up in full force... Maria belted out a few tunes... and the hills were alive with the sound of music! It was actually really well...
Leavenworth Washington - Beers, Brats and Lederhosen
We left Joseph Oregon on Sunday ("little Switzerland") and headed to Leavenworth WA ("little Bavaria"). Not intentionally planned... just kinda worked out that way. Leavenworth is a pretty little mountain town that has Bavarian themed EVERYTHING (like Helen GA on steriods!). Lots of beer gardens and...
Joseph - A little slice of the Alps
We had a short stop over in Joseph, Oregon. A pretty little town in the far northeast corner of the state that sits in the shadow of the Wallowa mountains... At an altitude of almost 9,000 feet, we thought we would pace ourselves a bit, and take the sky tram up instead. Good call - It was a very ste...
Hood River - Wind surfing capital of the world?
Hood River claims to be the "wind surfing capital of the world"... not sure if that is true (but might have a nephew who can fact check that). It's definitely a cool little town with a fun vibe, and LOTS of wind! So everything is all about kite surfing... foil surfing... wing surfing (learned a new...
Gorgeous Gorge and biking the fruit loop
Today we dusted off the bikes and checked out some of the local biking along the Columbia River Gorge.... Spectacular views.... They turned an old access road into a dedicated bike path, which includes 2 tunnels - very nice! Part of the trail is called the "fruit loop" because of all of the agricult...
White Water Rafting - The White Salmon River
We went white water rafting today on the White Salmon River... We got wet... really, really wet! DISCLAIMER: Since I really like my new phone, and since they strongly discourage people from taking personal phones.... The following pictures are actual photos taken on the White Salmon River, by the Wh...
Silverton - More than just waterfalls
We only had a short stay in Silverton, but we discovered a few more interesting things about this cute little mountain town.... It has the only Frank Lloyd Wright house in the entire state of Oregon - so of course we had to go have a look... It was scheduled to be demolished in 2001, but the FLW con...
Falling for Silverton
Silverton Oregon is just a small town, but it is well known for the beautiful natural falls that surround it... About a 7 mile hike, and we saw at least 7 different waterfalls... Waterfalls were definitely the theme for day - and it was a great one!
Bend - Home of The last Blockbuster on Earth and just a cool town
We had a short stay in Bend which happens to be the home of the "last Blockbuster video store on Earth".. so of course we had to stop in for a bit of nostalgia and there was plenty of that to go around! and actually lots of people renting videos too! Bend was a really cool town.. and a great place t...
Crater Lake NP - where the water is actually bluer than the sky
We went to Crater Lake National Park today. Even though the weather was picture perfect.... Most of the roads were still closed due to snow cover... or for hiking, you needed snow shoes which didn't make the essential packing list. Some of the rim trail was open, so we decided to see how far we coul...
Biking on the Elk River
We left California and headed over the Oregon border towards Port Orford, Oregon... We stopped and did a short coastal hike along the way to break up the drive... Checked into the Airbnb later that day, and had more jaw dropping views waiting for us... Port Orford is just a sleepy little coastal tow...
A wave good bye to Trinidad
Not water - that's fog! We had a great visit in Trinidad - on to Port Orford tomorrow!
The award for the cheesiest roadside attraction we have seen so far goes to ...
The Trees of Mystery! So we drove past this roadside attraction several times, coming and going to the park, and decided we had to see what everyone else was stopping for... A tourist trap complete with a talking and animated giant statute of Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox... But Tom made a new fr...
Exploring the Redwood National Park
We took the most beautiful hike to Trillium Falls inside the Redwood National Park....... saw some massive trees... and beautiful scenery... The Redwoods really are pretty amazing!
Trinidad!
We left Sonoma on Thursday (pretty sure the neighbors could hear all of our wine bottles clanking as we backed out of the driveway), and made our way up the coast to a small coastal town called Trinidad. Able to quickly identify a few places to sit and enjoy some of the wine we have toted along... W...
Retracing our roots - Lake Tahoe!
We decided to take a trip out to Lake Tahoe and "retrace our roots" - where Tom and I actually met for the first time...:) Once upon a time, a looong time ago, way back in 1995 (when we were still smarter than our phones, and weren't afraid to leave home without them), two sisters traveling from Atl...
Celebrating in Sonoma with Carol and Pat
Carol and Pat made the trip out to the west coast, and we had an amazing time hanging out and catching up! spent a day hiking... and wound up off the beaten path a bit.... [we'll blame Tom for that one!]...but we all survived and saw some beautiful scenery! spent a day biking... Got derailed again.....
Taking it a bit slower in Sonoma
We have enjoyed our first 2 weeks here in Sonoma, and have slowed our pace down a bit... We had a delicious Mothers Day brunch thanks to a wonderful treat from Kelsey!.. and then an amazing wine tasting experience at a boutique winery outside of Napa called Brasswood (another wonderful gift all arra...
Cinco de Mayo in Sonoma
Sonoma had an Cinco de Mayo celebration downtown... so of course we had to go and check it out! Mariachi band music... Didn't understand a word they were singing, but they were really good! Dressed up with lots of color.. The girls were so Cute!
Sonoma - The Wine Country Century Ride
We made it Sonoma, and had a fun day yesterday participating the annual Wine Country Century Ride through the Santa Rosa Bike Club - thanks to Tom's friend and old co-worker Dave! We didn't do the 100 mile ride (only 32 miles) - but it was still fun, and the scenery was awesome... and they let me ta...
King's Canyon National Park
With a fresh snow melt, and a beautiful sunny day, the river through King's Canyon and the waterfalls were alive! We also toured Boyton Caverns... not quite Carlsbad - but still cool...
Sequoia National Park
We made it to Visalia! Super cool Airbnb... 100 year old old Spanish style estate home with amazing courtyard spaces, and a beautiful little casita.. We had a few days of weird weather when we got here that included some snow up in the parks, so we laid low for a few days before we headed to Sequoia...
Next up - Visalia and the world's largest artichoke
We left Monterey today and headed inland again to Visalia. This will be our location to visit Sequoia National Park and Kings Canyon National Park. Since we had already visited the world's largest pistachio in White Sands... (throw back pic!) and since the world's largest artichoke was on the way, o...
Santa Cruz - From the Redwood forest to the Boardwalk
We started the day in Henry Cowell State Park which had the most incredible Redwood forest... It is impossible to capture the actual scale of the trees... but we had fun trying! Afterwards, we headed back to the coast and Tom relived some childhood memories growing up in Oceanview, where the seaside...
Carmel-by-the-Sea... Art and Architecture!
Carmel-by-the-Sea has so much character and history. Everything from the only ocean front home Frank Lloyd Wright ever designed (created to look like the bow of a ship).... and the famous "butterfly house" - named for its Mid-Century Modern butterfly roof design... to the "story book" downtown area...
Point Lobos - The prettiest coastline I have ever seen
Point Lobos... pictures are worth a thousand words! The quantity of marine life was amazing! Could have watched these guys having fun all.day.long!
What's that up in the sky? It's a bird! It's a plane!
No - It's Underdog!!! There were a lot of them actually... and a lot of fun to watch! We kept on going up the coast - over 40 miles... Spring has definitely sprung...
Yes Sur!
We headed down the coast today to Big Sur. A forty mile stretch of the Pacific Coast Highway is closed, so we are limited how far we can travel both from the south and North, but SO much scenery and color to take in... The purple sands of Pfieffer Beach... So Cool! Tom found a really flat rock and h...
Paso Robles --> Monterey
After a lot of relaxing.. and probably a bit too much wine tasting...... we said goodbye to our Paso Robles neighbors and headed to Monterey/Pebble Beach with more than a few extra bottles wine, that we fortunately managed to find space in the car for!
Hearst Castle and Elephant Seals!
Took a ride up the Pacific Coast Highway and took a tour of the Hearst Castle... Just amazing grounds and architecture - designed by the first female architect licensed in the state of CA. She spent almost 25 years working for Hearst on this project. Apparently he had an issue with change orders and...
Coast to Toast
Hiked the Montana de Ora Bluff trail and took in the all of the sites of the Pacific Coast...... and then toasted a great day at the Cass Winery!
Took the scenic route to Paso Robles
We took the scenic route from Santa Barbara to Paso Robles with a few stops in between... First stop was Solvang. Definitely a bit of a tourist trap - but had to try Arne's World Famous Aebleskiver... But the best part was Ostrich Land - another tourist trap, but Tom made a new friend... Next stop -...
Met the mayor of Santa Barbara
His name is Otis, and he is quite the celebrity around town - he also likes to pose for pictures. Pretty sure he smiled at me! Heard Otis and Hannibal used to be friends until the "incident"... All around, our last day in Santa Barbara was a lot of fun - and we saw a little bit of everything. Lots o...
The Santa Barbara Botanic Gardens
We headed up to the botanic gardens today - miles of paths through native California vegetation...... and a path through an enchanted redwood forest that leads to a free library for the kids. Such a cute idea - Even Tom found a book he liked! A great day!
Exploring Santa Barbara
We had a fun afternoon exploring more of downtown old Santa Barbara. We took a tour of the courthouse (a very cool old building)... The grounds are beautiful and seem to be a very popular place for one-stop-weddings. License from the courthouse and a wedding in the courtyard. I think we counted at l...
The Channel Islands - A Whale of a good time
We took the ferry over to the Channel Islands today (a national park just off the Santa Barbara coast). Took a guided kayak tour of the sea caves which were just beautiful! On one side of the island the water was very calm... But on the opposite side, the conditions changed quickly. Tom went in to e...
Coast (HHI) to Coast (SB) - We did it!
After 2 months, and a lot of zigging and zagging through the Arizona and Utah National Parks, and the California desert, we finally made it to the West Coast! So, of course we had to put our feet in the ocean... Note to self - get a pedicure! Santa Barbara is just beautiful, and the weather is absol...
Indian Canyon - our last day in Palm Springs
Today was our last full day in Palm Springs, so we headed to the Indian Canyons for our last 2 hikes here... Hike #1 - Murray Canyon to the Seven sisters waterfalls. Lots of creek crossings before we made it to the top... Hike #2 - Tachitz Canyon Waterfall was a beautiful waterfall, and a great plac...
Indian Wells ... after Indian Wells
Even though we missed the "big" Indian Wells tournament in early March, we got to see the juniors play at The Indian Wells Tennis Garden for the "Easter Bowl"... No famous players, but some really good young players that are hoping for their big shot... Prediction... Look for a young kid from Miami...
Sing like Beyonce ... Drink like Elvis
After a big pitcher of Margaritas at a local Mexican restaurant, not sure if this guy sounded Beyonce or Elvis - but we had a great time dancing to whatever he was singing!
Tom channels his inner George Hamilton (minus the suntan)
Our last 4 days in Palm Springs, and we are spending them at Casa de Monte Vista. A really beautiful "old Hollywood" destination with lots of history, and just incredible grounds. Can't decide if the grounds are more beautiful during the day time... or night time... A 2014 movie called "Behind the C...
Midday at the Oasis - Joshua Tree
Today we headed to Joshua Tree. First hike - 49 Palms Goal - Find the Oasis in the desert Temp - Just south of 95 degrees Advice from Rangers - Bring lots of water. Reconsider, it will be hot So off we went! Oasis found! Awesome... now we just have to hike back.
+8,500 altitude = 50 degrees cooler
Today was the second day of REALLY hot weather, so we headed to the Palm Springs Tramway. So you get into one of these cable cars (built in 1963:0) with 40 of your closest friends...... Added bonus - it rotates as you ascend so everyone gets 360 views - and in less than 10 minutes you have an 8,500...
Kelsey comes to Palm Springs!
Kelsey made it in last night (unfortunately Ben wasn't able to come). The weather was hotter than usual - even for here! We got up and took an early morning bike ride to try and beat the heat a bit. Took in some more MCM architecture. Can't get enough... Looked for a few shady spots in the local bot...
20 toes up - Palm Springs
Toes up and a catch up day in Palm Springs! We biked around town a bit today and did some self guided architectural tours - the MCM houses are SO cool... "The House of Tomorrow" - also famous as the "honeymoon hideout" for Elvis and Pricilla. Think we might need to drag ourselves over to the other s...
Death Valley - Alive with Color!
We had a 2 day stop over in Death Valley, and were surprised at the color and diversity of the landscape! Not "just a desert" - It was absolutely breathtaking... "devil's golf course"... The salt flats... "artist's palette"... Overall a great day of sites and hiking... Back to The Oasis... Will slee...
See-Ya! Las Vegas
We said See-Yah Las Vegas, and hit the road for Death Valley... We were amazed by the beauty we found, as we arrived just in time for sunset... We have a great weather expected for tomorrow and a full day of hiking planned. Can't wait!
Viva! Las Vegas
My first time to Vegas, which has never been on my "bucket list"... but it was a good stop over point on the way to Death Valley, and after a month of being in the parks, a luxury hotel and some quality restaurants sounded good! We also thought a show would be fun. Maroon 5 was playing... 2 days was...
Bryce - Soooo Nice!
We have been waiting for a weather window to make our trek to Bryce. Well, today was the day! Blue skies, plowed roads, and Hoodoos for as far as the eye can see.... "Natural Bridge".... Conditions were not great for hiking so we skipped that part and just took in the scenery. Last day in Zion is to...
In Search of Emerald Pools and Waterfalls
We set out today to find the falls of the three Emerald Pools. We had quite a bit of rain and snow yesterday, so there was a good chance of the waterfalls being active... Getting warmer - but not quite there yet.......and then there was the first one! Kept going and found the rest.... Gained enough...
Exploring Zion - no shuttle bus required!
We hopped on our bikes and went past everyone waiting for the shuttle bus, and rode directly into the park... The designated paths made it very easy and relaxing We rode the path to the end and hiked along the river to The Narrows... A great 1st day in Zion! Rain (possible snow?) is predicted for to...
The Road to Zion
We left Torrey bright and early after seeing a beautiful sunrise... and headed to Zion via scenic Highway 12... We hit an altitude of almost 10,000 fee, and saw a little bit of everything along the way... More than a few places where I wish there had been some guard rails! After almost 4 hours of in...
Rockfaces
We took our last hike in Capital Reef today through The Grand Wash... and The Narrows... So many beautiful rockfaces in the park... And we looked a little closer at this one and saw an ancient petroglyph! and looked even closer... Capital Reef has been amazing... but time to leave tomorrow for Bryce...
Bikin 'N Hikin
Hiked to Sunset Point... Used the scenic road to do some biking since there really wasn't any cars using it... Took it to the end of the road, and then kept on going! Tom thought he wanted to try some mountain biking... and then decided maybe not... decided on a siesta instead... Hiked The Capital G...
Capital Reef - Not a bad view to be found
We made it to Torrey in time to toast an amazing sunset... Beautiful views to enjoy both inside... and out... No matter what the perspective! Looks like a good chance of winter weather over the next 24 hours... the mountains are starting to disappear a bit. A good opportunity for some toes up time I...
Canyonlands
We hiked Canyonlands National Park with Bob and Nancy. SO beautiful and SO different from anything else! It only had one arch - but it felt like a window to whole different world! It was a long day so Tom and Bob had their own idea about how to end it (which also involved some questionable fashion c...
So many arches
Went back to The Arches - So much to see, we couldn't do it all in a single day... Definitely Jurasic Park vibes! and just when we thought it couldn't get any cooler... The Double Arch! On our way out of the Park, we took a hike down Park Avenue - no arches here, but it really gave the feeling of wa...
Moab - The Arches
We explored The Arches today with Bob and Nancy.... So beautiful and too much to see in one day - What a great day - we'll be back tomorrow!
Made it to Moab!
We made it to Moab! Cute town, crazy beautiful scenery... and some amazing biking! We biked for hours until we we came across these guys and decided it was time to turn around... Hiking The Arches tomorrow with Nancy and Bob!
Turning the Page on Arizona
Made a slight itinerary change and added a stop into Page Arizona. Page is known mostly for their beautiful slot canyons, but The Glen Canyon National Recreation was an unexpected surprise.. We hiked along the shoreline and crossed the Utah state line without realizing it.... The dam and suspension...
On to the Grand Canyon - and a picnic with a view
We left Sedona this morning and headed up to the Grand Canyon. Picture perfect weather.... so we stopped and had a picnic lunch... Still wondering where the crowds are. We took a hike along the rim trail... just incredible views!! It was so beautiful, so we decided to stick around for sunset... no c...
Devil's Bridge and that's a wrap!
Our final day in Sedona, so we had to hike "Devil's Bridge"... I let Tom do "the bridge part".... I stuck to the photography! Next stop - Grand Canyon!
Painted Desert + Petrified Forest + Route 66 = Awesome Day Trip
Took a day trip from Sedona out to the Petrified Forest National Park and Painted Desert.... Had a picnic lunch overlooking the park at The Painted Desert Inn landmark site... The colors are hard to describe, and the pictures really don't do them justice... Like artwork really... They say it is one...
What goes up must come down
Hiked up to Cathedral Rock today... Came across this really cool bonsai looking tree growing out of the rock.. "No points for pretty" coming down:)... But we made it back in one piece - another great day!
Around Sedona and "On the edge" :0
We spent some time on our bikes exploring Sedona - so quaint and beautiful It was greener than I expected... including more green friends... (thought we left those guys behind in New Mexico) Visited the Chapel of the Holy Cross - built right into the side of the mountain...incredible! Took an evenin...
Tom finds his man cave!
We hiked Red Rock Secret Mountain today... With a goal of making it to "The Caves", which are here... It was a beautiful hike through the canyon that was mostly "pretty easy" until we made to the rock face... But the effort paid off... and Tom found his ultimate Man cave! And I spent some quality ti...
Sed - OH - na!
WOW! We left Paradise Valley this morning and drove north to Sedona. The scenic route... OH yah! We stopped over at the Montezuma Castle National Monument in Camp Verde... Looking forward to some hiking tomorrow and lots more picture taking!
Leaving Paradise
Today was our last full day in Paradise Valley. The weather cleared and we took another beautiful hike on Piestewa Peak... More amazing views.... Paradise Valley has been great and we would definitely come back! On to Sedona tomorrow and our next adventure!
Raining in the desert?
Paradise Valley says they have 300 days of sunshine a year! What are the odds of rain today? Hummm... In the 6 days that we have spent here... about 1 in 294 I think.... Maybe we should play the lottery. We managed to sneak in a bike ride anyway... had a nice dinner out. Pretty low key day.
Went and saw Frank - Taliesin West
Today we went up to see Frank's house.... just around the corner from where we are staying, so we didn't have to go far... He didn't have a lot say, and was actually a bit stone faced... But he let us see his house, and I thought it was very cool... and Tom went along as the good sport that he alway...
A one-hump day on Camelback Mountain
Started the day with the best grapefruit I have ever had (straight off the tree!), and lots of positive thoughts about climbing Camelback mountain. It didn't look "too difficult" from our lounge chairs in front of the casita, so we headed out. At the trailhead we saw... But it was another beautiful...
Finding Paradise
As beautiful as White Sands National Park was, we were not sad to leave Tom's one and ONLY (thankfully!) Airbnb pick behind! I believe this picture says it all, and we have agreed that his "picker" needs work! Thankfully it was only for 1 night!:0 So we left New Mexico yesterday... and headed to Ari...
White Sands National Park
Just a short 3 hour drive out of Carlsbad today, and before we knew it, we were out of the desert and in the Sacramento Mountains, and passing some snow along the way. We needed to stretch our legs, so we stopped at Pistachio Land and saw the world's largest pistachio... And then on to White Sands N...
Guadalupe Mountains National Park
We dipped our big toe back into Texas today just long enough to visit Guadalupe National Park. We thought about climbing El Capitan... but reconsidered when we got a bit closer and decided to leave that to the amateurs - haha!. Instead, we took a beautiful hike through McKittirck Canyon. It was so w...
Carlsbad Caverns
Carlsbad Caverns was amazing! We did some hiking around the park first... And then ventured down into the caverns. We got really lucky and were able to tag along with a ranger guided tour that took us into some of the lower rooms, and there was hardly anyone there! It was such a peaceful and amazing...
Slogging through Texas
We spent the day driving through Texas....... a very long day... looking at a lot of scenery that looked like this... Old oil fields that have been converted to wind turbine farms... Not much else around... good thing we were well stocked for our road side picnic lunch... Finally made it to the New...
Crossing the Mississippi River
We left Montgomery, AL this morning, and only stopped once in Mississippi... Not much to see there on our bucket list. We ended the day just short of Texas in Shreveport, LA. Another early day tomorrow when we cross through Texas... going to be a lot of driving for sure.
Bye Bye South Carolina
Left South Carolina today... waved as we passed through Georgia... We listened to a great road trip play list that Kelsey made for us most of the way today. A lot of fun songs that Tom (thought) he knew the words to - haha! The play list was so perfect, that "Sweet Home Alabama" came on just as we w...
Our big adventure starts today
The day is finally here! We said goodbye to our familiar stomping grounds of HHI, and officially began our BIG cross country adventure. We had a great lunch on the harbor. I think we'll call this our starting line - and we have no idea where or when our finish line will be! Can't wait to see what is...
Our last sunset on HHI
They are always so different and so beautiful - this one did not disappoint.
Getting ready!
January was a very busy month getting ready to begin our travels! We had a wonderful time spending the holidays with Kelsey and Ben,!... and Barb stopped in on her way back from Florida! January visiting with family and friends. Kara and Al came first - had a great visit and our own version of a ful...