I apologize for leaving you all hanging, we made it home! Now that the holidays have settled down, I finally have time to think about updating my blog! We were in Williamsburg visiting my grandparents, going to ugly sweater parties, opening presents, and seeing friends while watching the NYC ball drop. Zack and I have... Continue Reading →
If anything, Florida felt like a vacation. Staying with friends as we headed south through the state, we were able to start our adjustment towards becoming more civilized. We were blessed with showers and home cooked food, good company and lots of laughs. First we stopped in Titusville, east of Orlando, to visit our friend... Continue Reading →
San Antonio is a city full of life and color. The humidity was a wake up call as we have been so accustomed to the dry heat of the west. We went to one of the top Mexican restaurants in the city and devoured tacos before heading to see the Alamo. The historical buildings were... Continue Reading →
Before Big Bend, we stopped at Terlingua, TX, a ghost town. Once it was mined for quicksilver and inhabited over 2000 people, but when the company went bankrupt, everyone left. In the 70's people started to re- inhabit the still standing structures and it developed into a place of arts, music, and unconventionality. Yeah it... Continue Reading →
Ever gone scuba diving? The silence, the solitude, the weightlessness as you float around astonished by the shapes of coral; Carlsbad Caverns is much like scuba diving. With very low expectations of this park, we had our doubts about the grandness of this area. We've seen absolutely incredible things, this cave should not even compete.... Continue Reading →
Sorry for the delay, were doing some major driving and its difficult to find time to write. The heat felt good in downtown Santa Fe, especially after shedding a few layers. We were on an ultimate hunt for a pair of cowboy boots for Zack. I do not know why Zack felt the need to... Continue Reading →
We felt that De'Von needed to also get into the holiday spirit, so we hooked him up with some holiday gear. Although we don't keep the Christmas lights constantly on, when we do have them lit most people wave or smile! We're spreading Christmas cheer all the way back to Connecticut. After driving up a... Continue Reading →
Canyonlands National Park is an impressive landscape of desert wilderness. The views from above the canyon show the expansive freedom of this park. However, since we knew the thrill of off roading White Rim trail with Zack's Nissan Xterra, the day in Canyonlands felt a little short. We made the major stops, took amazing pictures... Continue Reading →
Overlooked and under appreciated, Capitol Reef is a miraculous place. History thrives within the park, petroglyphs from early natives and an established town built from nothing by fleeing mormons. Fruita, the town, still has the standing original blacksmith building and school house. The park service continues to farm the range of produce that brings the... Continue Reading →
Exploring claustrophobic inducing slot canyons for the day? Count us in! Filled with hidden treasures, escalante is the adventurers paradise! This national monument is unestablished, off the beaten path, isolated, and filled with desert extremes. Peek a boo and spooky canyon are a popular stop by many, but only few enjoy the 10 inch wide... Continue Reading →
We squeezed our friends in the back of the van and their backpacks filled the floors. It was past midnight when we finally could pick them up, so by the time we drove into Zion we were all zombies trying to unpack and set up the tent. Although our bodies told us to sleep in,... Continue Reading →
This life will go by fast. Don't fight with people, don't criticize your body so much, don't complain so much. Don't lose sleep over your bills. Look for the person that makes you happy. If you make a mistake, let it go and keep seeking your happiness. Never stop being a good parent. Don't worry... Continue Reading →
Heading towards Page, AZ we had to stop at the famous Horseshoe Bend. We were surprised by how different it looked, apparently the national park system decided to do some construction. I hope it remains a free stop off, although the new bathrooms, fencing, and garbage cans make me think it'll require a day fee... Continue Reading →
Rushing to claim a spot at Mather campground, we were surprised to how few people were there. A win for us! Setting up our tent we were so amped to finally sleep outside. We still had the rest of the day to explore so we packed our day bags and headed to the rim. A... Continue Reading →
We trekked north until the canyons turned red. We made it to Sedona. The weather was warm and the sky was cloudless. We went to the visitor center to pick up some maps. Sedona has hundreds of hiking, off road driving, and mountain biking routes also the not as popular climbing routes that we wanted... Continue Reading →
The saguaro cactus stands tall and with perfect posture. They say if you look close enough as the sun begins to set and the silhouettes of the cacti begin to appear, they resemble people. Although there are thousands, each resembles a different character performing a different task. The saguaros stand over 15 feet tall so... Continue Reading →
Our third time in Joshua Tree in two years, the lure this desert has on us is obvious. The first two times it was summer, however this year we were visiting during the peak season, and during the weekend. We didn't get a campsite, but we also didn't really try all to hard. We've been... Continue Reading →
80 degree weather in Death Valley is tolerable/enjoyable compared to last year's June, 120 degrees. (in the shade) November is peak season but we didn't expect all the campgrounds to be full by the early morning. We found out later that it was 49ers weekend, meaning all the Gold Rush fanatics bring their massive RVs... Continue Reading →
The hot, dry sun of southeastern Sierra Nevada's. The relentless buzzing in your ear from the silence. One of our favorite places, Alabama Hills. We pulled into the dirt road and a white cloud trailed behind the van. The combination of the dust and the dry heat burned on nose hairs. I don't think Alabama... Continue Reading →
Trying to sort through pictures is time consuming. It's a mix of landscape, ugly selfies, 5 pictures of the same thing but 4 of them Zack had his eyes closed, and blurry images because I'm still trying to figure out manually shooting with my camera. I've had to put all my pictures on an external... Continue Reading →
It was a short day at Pinnacles since we were coming from Big Sur. We knew there was some rock climbing close to a parking lot so we headed there. Although the sun was on its way down we proceeded. Since we had no service and the park rangers were no help, we had no... Continue Reading →
Fog engulfed San Francisco. It was an early Saturday morning so we were able to get a real taste of this city. Runners, bikers, children's soccer games, and lots of lots of people. Although crowds usually irk us to the core, we didn't seem to mind it here. This is Zack's favorite city. He loves... Continue Reading →
I had the feeling. That magical, euphoric, vertigo inducing, too grand to believe it's true feeling. That feeling of feeling so small in a world so big but transforming that into a sense of importance. That, we, the people, can conquer anything. That we can be uncomfortable, feel pain, bleed, scream and yet overcome insane... Continue Reading →
The sun was shining and a cool, fall breeze whistled through the South Lake Tahoe trees. A perfect day for mountain biking. Trying to find the correct start of the trail head was not too easy. We soon realized we were going up hill, but the jumps looked amazing so we kept walking. The trail... Continue Reading →
It was a short drive to the Redwood National and State Parks, which was a nice change for us. The Redwood parks are scattered throughout northeastern California. Last year we backpacked around the southern part of the park and ended up somewhere on a creek near Camp 44. This year we wanted to do something... Continue Reading →
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