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Best Stops on Highway 1: California Road Trip Itinerary
Post Topic: Best Stops on Highway 1 Our road trip down the coast on California’s Highway 1 was a bittersweet one. It was the start of a long road trip back to the Lone Star State. Randy and I had spent over five months away from home, working remotely, and exploring America’s vast beauty and diversity. We had mixed feelings about heading back to Dallas, but we were just trying to soak up every last minute of our epic trip. After heading up to Redwoods National Park and making it within 5 miles of the Oregon border (still kicking ourselves for not crossing that border), we were a grand total…
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10 Unforgettable Things to Do on Your First Trip to San Francisco
Post Summary: Things To Do on Your First Trip to San Francisco I first visited San Francisco in 2017, it was in fact by first “big-kid” trip. The first trip that I planned 100% on my own (with a friend) and paid for on my own. Looking back, that first trip to San Francisco was pivotal to the development of this blog and my love for travel. That first trip to San Francisco was actually the topic of my very first blog post, which I’ve since gone in and completely changed! Let’s just say, I’ve learned quite a bit about writing an informative blog post since I started almost 4…
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Durango Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad: What to Know Before You Go
Post Summary: Plan a Trip on the Historic Durango Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad Words can not describe accurately enough just how majestic and grand are the San Juan Mountains of Colorado. Some of Colorado’s most jaw-dropping sights are in its southwestern corner. I first visited this part of Colorado with my family when I was 16 years old and I remember telling myself on that trip, “I WILL move here one day”. Well, I have yet to permanently relocate to Colorado, but I sure do visit as often as possible. In 2019, Randy and I took an epic Colorado national park road trip and during our visit we spent…
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8 Jaw-Dropping Desert National Parks to Visit in Winter
Winter in the best time to visit some of America’s most beautiful national parks – especially the desert parks. Most often I gravitate to the forests and snowcapped peaks of America’s mountainous national parks but every once in awhile I find myself in a desert park that completely blows my mind. The unique landscapes of the desert always leave me amazed. And for some of these parks, winter is the best time to visit due to the more mild weather conditions. So keep reading for the best desert national parks to visit in winter. Like I just mentioned, for many of these parks, winter provides much better weather conditions for…
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Backpacking the Blue Lakes Trail: A Hiker’s Guide
Backpacking the Blue Lakes Trail in Colorado has been on our bucket list for years. This was a trail that we tried to do a couple of years ago when we visited Southwest Colorado during July of 2019. Unfortunately, there was too much snow that year and the trail was not accessible at that time. But over the last couple of years, we kept seeing pictures posted of this incredible trail and knew that we had to make it back to Southwest Colorado one day just for this trail. And this past Labor Day Weekend, we finally decided to make it happen! We spent about 16 hours in the car…
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10 Jaw-Dropping Things to Do in Redwoods National and State Parks
Did you know that Coastal California is home to some of the tallest trees in the word? Well it is! But seeing the tallest trees in the world is only one of the incredible things to do in Redwoods National Park. The park is home to incredible lush and tall forests, dense fern canyons, epic coastal views, and lots of wildlife. Redwoods National Park is joined with nearby Jedidiah Smith Redwoods State Park, Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, and Del Norte State Park. These parks make up Redwoods National and State Parks. The parks are cooperated by the National Park System and the California Department of Parks and Recreation. In…
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A Perfect Weekend in Sequoia and Kings Canyon
We couldn’t leave California without a weekend in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. We arrived on a Friday afternoon and spent a wonderful 48 hours exploring these magnificent parks. Sequoia and Kings Canyon are adjoining parks, so it’s very easy to explore them both in just a couple of days. I have to say, these parks completely blew any expectations I had about them out of the water. Initially, I was a little apprehensive about a park that is devoted almost entirely to big trees. But whoa, we were in completely mesmerized with the beauty and grandeur that we witnessed here. Sequoia National Park is home to 36 different…
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5 Tips to Find Amazing National Park Campsites
When we started on our road trip out west, we were still very new to the world of camping. We’d only been on a handful of camping trips but since then, I’d like to think that we are becoming slightly more experienced campers and have found a few tricks and tips to find amazing National Park campsites. We are learning that we LOVE how much money it saves us on accommodations while also allowing us to stay much closer to National Parks than we would have been able to. We’re also learning to love the relaxed pace of cooking dinner over the campfire, spending the afternoon in a hammock, watching…
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Best Day Hikes in Yosemite You Can’t Miss
Yosemite National Park is located in California’s Sierra Mountains and is known for it’s iconic granite domes, gushing waterfalls, and scenic alpine landscapes. This park is also home to a plethora of hiking trails. If you love a good day hike then Yosemite is the place for you! Keep reading for a list of the best day hikes in Yosemite that do not require an additional permit. In June of 2021, Randy and I spent a month living and working remotely from the small town of Jamestown in the foothills of California’s Sierra’s. Located only an hours drive away from the park’s entrance, we were able to spend many days…
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Hetch Hetchy: Escaping the Crowds of Yosemite
Yosemite National Park has become very popular over the last few decades and at times it’s hard to visit the park and feel like you’ve even left the city. With the persistent traffic, lines to get into the park, and crowds of people everywhere, is it a national park or Disney World? But let me tell you that it’s still possible to experience an escape from the hustle and bustle, especially the crowds. And you can do that at Hetch Hetchy! Have you heard of Hetch Hetchy? Hetch Hetchy is a lesser known and lesser visited portion of Yosemite National Park that is perfect for escaping the crowds. Planning a…
