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Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona (It’s Better than You Think)
I recently had some time to visit Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona. It’s an unexpected gem in the desert. I must admit, it’s never been at the top of my “must see” list but since I am trying to visit every National Park in the U.S. I wanted to stop by on our most recent road trip through Arizona. I am in the process of moving across the country (California to Michigan) and wanted to stop at some new places along the way. I actually made this drive twice in one month and this was during the second trip. During the first drive I…
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Why White Sands National Park is Worth a Visit
Have you been to White Sands National Park in New Mexico? It’s one of the newest National Parks in the U.S. I recently visited while driving across the country. It was really high on my list of places to visit because I love sand dunes. Having grown up next to Indiana Dunes National Park, I am always drawn to dunes. I was only there for a couple of hours but you don’t really need that much time at this park to make the most of it. It’s a relatively small park. I made a few stops and walked out onto the dunes. …
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Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada
SWEATER: T.J. Maxx | JEANS: H&M | SNEAKERS: Puma I was finally able to visit Banff National Park, Canada recently. I’ve been wanting to go for several years. It exceeded my expectations and was so amazing. We spent one day there. We saw Lake Louise, Moraine Lake, and hiked to Lake Agnes. I think Moraine lake was my favorite. It’s a bit of a brighter blue than the famous Lake Louise and the mountains surrounding it are just so tall and jagged. I would have loved to have more time because there were more hikes I wanted to do but we were on a tight schedule. I would also like…
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My Favorite Things at Yellowstone N.P.
Steamboat Geyser The Steamboat Geyser was probably my number one favorite thing that I saw at Yellowstone. It doesn’t erupt at predictable times, like Old Faithful. You have to get lucky with the timing. Sometimes it goes years without erupting but it has been happening more frequently lately. We were lucky enough to be driving past when it was happening. We heard it from super far away and wanted to check it out. You could also see it shooting into the sky from the road. when you get up to it, it is incredibly loud and powerful. The speed at which the steam was coming…
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A Quick Visit to Grand Teton National Park
This post is the first of many from my trip to Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, and Canada. I don’t know if this area of the U.S. has a name… Every map I look at seems to call it something different. I’ll just call it the Rocky Mountain region. On this trip we (me, my husband, and my dogs) visited Grand Teton, Yellowstone, Glacier, Banff, Waterton Lakes, and Kootenay National Parks. The first park we visited was Grand Teton. We were shorted a few hours there because of an issue with the rental car. We were supposed to spend most of…
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How to See Hawaii on a Tight Budget
I recently went back to Hawaii with two of my sisters. This was my third visit. The first time was with a friend’s family, and second time was for my honeymoon (it was a bit of a splurge). Hawaii is far from a cheap travel destination, especially if you don’t live in the U.S. It definitely has a reputation of being expensive. It’s the most remote island chain in the world, so i’m not surprised. It can be done on a tight budget or on a really big budget, but I don’t think you can visit Hawaii and hardly spend any money unless you are…
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My Trip to the Big Island, Hawaii
Grand Naniloa Hotel Hilo – A Doubletree by Hilton Wailuku River State Park South Point Punalu’u Beach Mana’s Aloha Fruit Stand King Kamehameha Statue Green Sand Beach Kula Shave Ice Kaumana Caves Bite Me Sport Fishing manta ray night snorkel Huge Fruit Mural Kua Bay Fresh Off the Grid Pololu Valley Lookout Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park Thurston Lava Tube Akaka Falls State Park Catamaran boat ride & snorkel Liliuokalani Gardens I just got back from my trip to Hawaii. I went to the Big Island with two of my sisters. The trip was about a week and we spent about 5.5 days on the island. I…
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Camping at Jumbo Rocks Campground, Joshua Tree
My husband and I went on a little camping trip this past weekend to Joshua Tree National Park. We have been several times but have only camped there once before. The first time was such a memorable and amazing experience because we went on a night when the sky was clear and the moon was dim. The stars were absolutely insane. This time around I really wanted to stay at Jumbo Rocks campground, which is the coolest campground in the park. In my opinion, it’s one of the coolest campgrounds in the country. It’s full of giant boulders and the sites are nestled between them.…
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Anza-Borrego Desert State Park & Imperial Sand Dunes
Over New Years weekend my husband and I went on a mini road trip to Anza Borrego Desert State Park and Imperial Sand Dunes. I’ve been wanting to check this area out for a few years now. Dogs aren’t allowed on trails at the State Park though and it’s around 3 hours from where I live. I needed a dog sitter, which I don’t have. My sister was visiting so we were able to go for the weekend. As for the state park, it was very beautiful. I was surprised by the size and diversity of the park. It’s…
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2 Days in San Francisco
Over Labor Day weekend my husband, dog, and I took a road trip from L.A. to San Francisco. We hadn’t been back since moving to California. If you don’t know, it’s about a 6-7 hour drive. I’ve been several times but this was only my husband’s second time, so we wanted to make the most of it. And we did. We accomplished so much in the span of a 3 day weekend. If you want to see previous posts, I will link them HERE and HERE. I’m going to talk about all of the things we were able to do, in case you are planning a trip.…
