This lakeside Idaho town has two breweries, a couple of adorable coffee shops, a disproportionate number of thrift shops, and even a large indoor ice rink. Adding to the pro's of a winter time visit to McCall is the proximity of outdoor snowy fun to the downtown area. Skiing, snowshoeing, and natural hot springs are all with easy driving (and in some cases walking) distance.
Read MorePrompted by a few gentle nudges, I've got a brand new style of travel video to share it with you today. Until about a couple of weeks ago - Zeke and I had never filmed in a city or placed ourselves on camera in a "host" capacity. Frankly, we never thought of doing either because it's just not typically the kind of travel show we personally enjoying watching. That being said, we realize some of you may very much enjoy that type of video - so we decided to give it a try!
Read MoreAs we looked south along the cliff tops above one of Europe's finest body boarding beaches, Praia Grande, I couldn't help but wonder where this Portugal had been hiding in all my pre-trip research. "I could have sworn we booked a trip to Portugal and not Scotland," I said to my husband, Zeke. The craggy coastline and windswept bluffs looked a whole lot more like photographs of wild Scottish landscapes as opposed to golden Portuguese beaches.
Read MoreMy second trip to the Long Beach Peninsula was a short two-nighter for my day job. With a combination of a short time frame and working a minimum of ten hour days, I just barely had time to enjoy the Pacific Coast. Predicting it would be just so, I booked my accommodation at the Lighthouse Oceanfront Resort, rewarded myself with a ocean view room, and made time for one walk out to see the sand and waves.
Read MoreI can't even begin to imagine how many blog posts have been written about hiking the Kalalau Trail. In fact, when I was querying the web for tips on hiking in Kauai, all links seemed to lead back to this trail. Clearly, it's considered "the" hike to take on Kauai's Garden Isle. No doubt, the hike has it's fair share of attributes; filled with beautiful views, lush plant life, and isn't too challenging at just four miles round trip.
Read MoreThe day I originally planned to be hiking along this slightly snowy trail from the Echo Lakes Trailhead was the day I slipped on ice in a parking lot while trying to go buy some earrings. After a couple hours in urgent care and an evening of icing and pain medication - I thought the possibility of attempting this route was lost. The experience taught me never to go shopping instead of hiking.
Read MoreThe day after our sixteen hour drive from Seattle to South Lake Tahoe, we were rather eager to get out and stretch our legs but not eager enough to get up early in the morning. So we did our best to find a short nearby hike which we hoped would be suitable for both our pup and our friend's english bulldog. We settled on a two mile round trip hike to Cascade Falls leading out of the Bayview Campground, directly across the highway from scenic Emerald Bay.
Read MoreI've never felt more at peace then the days I spent in Abel Tasman National Park on the north tip of the South Island of New Zealand. When you consider I spent a full day and half tucked into my hotel room after getting glutened - that says quite a lot.
Read MoreJust a touch west of popular Fallen Leaf Lake near South Lake Tahoe, California lies the Mt. Tallac Trailhead, offering a few different destinations along it's route to the summit. We opted to trek to the destination just before the steep climb to the summit begins; Cathedral Lake.
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