Here you will find an archived weblog of my food, travel, and creative pursuits which I kept from 2010-2016. Please note both that the travel information contained here may outdated and that these logs were created on a prior version of this website and may not yet be optimized for the current version. If you’re looking for specific content, use the search field below! <3
For weekend camping trips within a few hours of our home base, I believe there's no reason to both overcomplicate and skimp on meals. All you need is a cooler with ice packs and you can bring just about anything, except ice cream I suppose. I'm also a big fan of doing as much prep work as possible at home to make meal preparation at camp much easier. This includes baking any goodies, washing all the produce, and preparing condiments and sauces.
Read MoreIt's an interesting turn of events when you select a random campsite based on reserve-ability at the last minute, think you'll just have a quiet weekend in the forest, and find yourself at the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument.
Read MoreWhile I would suggest you devote far more time to exploring the Oregon Coast - if you only have one day, TAKE IT! It's a journey of over 300 miles and if you start as early as you can possibly stand - you'll have time to briefly explore a whole lot of beautiful places.
Read MoreAfter almost thirty years of living on the west coast, I'm happy to finally say I've driven every mile of it's coast line in the continental United States - at least in terms of major road ways. So now that I've seen it all, I feel I can safely say that the Oregon Coast may just be the very best part. From the amazing views at Cape Perpetua to my new favorite coastal beach, Hug Point - there's a whole lot to see. Certainly enough to deserve more than the day we were able to give it.
Read MoreIn the past four years I've flown the route from Seattle to Anchorage at least eight times but until this past month, I had never made it down to the Kenai Peninsula. While I've driven the Seward Highway down the Turnagain Arm on every visit from March to July - I've never driven past the turn to the Portage Glacier and Lake. On my latest trip, I planned ahead to make it happen.
Read MoreIt seems like I've either been on the road or involved in something as all consuming as moving since February. Time has just whirled by and our weeklong getaway to Hawaii's Garden Isle seems like far more than seven months ago. Despite the time and the rather soggy weather we encountered, Kauai unexpectedly became one of those special places to me. The north shore town of Hanalei Bay ranks up there with Encinitas, California and Kaiteriteri, New Zealand as one of those places I've visited and immediately felt right at home.
Read MoreJust about every Chicagoan we asked for advice on what to do with our one free day in the city told us to take the Chicago Architecture Foundation's River Cruise on Chicago's First Lady. To be honest, I'm not all that into architecture, so I didn't get much out of the cruise in terms of style or firm name. However, I did enjoy the history of knowing when all these buildings were built and simply being on a boat. It's a 90 minutes tour and we got to take it on a brand new boat which was very lovely. All the facilities are fairly fancy for a tour boat and there's a bar aboard, if you are so inclined.
Read MoreAside from the epic Tongariro Alpine Crossing in New Zealand, the Maha'ulepu Heritage Trail ranks as one of my favorite hikes to have completed in less than perfect weather. While sunny days are always lovely, there's just something special about walking the coastline on a windy and rainy day. The Maha'ulepu Heritage Trail runs four miles one way (eight miles round trip) along varying coastline past many points of historical and geological interest. You won't need any special equipment for this hike - there's nothing particularly technical and a number of options for varying the route depending on your preferences.
Read MoreWe almost turned back before finding Joffre Lakes Provincial Park and I couldn't be happier we didn't let our lack of a map or GPS keep us from this beautiful place. At just about an hours drive north of Whistler, through some rather rural country, the hike past the three lakes may be one of my favorite trails yet.
Read MoreAs I mentioned in my living of a life of travel with a sensitive body post, I have a penchant for soft tissue injuries. These can be a real pain when traveling alone and on my recent trip to Washington D.C. I found myself unable to walk the distances I'm accustomed to due to an injury. Instead of wallowing in sorrow in my beautiful hotel room, I made it a point to get out and explore the Dupont and Logan Circle neighborhoods - both within an accessible walking distance for my injury.
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