East Coast US
-
Birthday on the Beach – Beaufort County, South Carolina
The Rocky Mountain west has many things. Lakes, mountains, rivers, waterfalls, boating, skiing, and opportunities for just about every recreational activity you can think of. But it doesn’t have oceans. I didn’t grow up going to the beach. In fact, I never set foot on a beach until I was a kid and we went… Continue reading
-
Sunset over the Chesapeake Bay – Kiptopeke State Park, Virginia
After exploring Assateague Island, the NASA Visitor Center, and Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge (yes, we did all of this in one day), we continued south down the Delmarva peninsula to our campground for the night at Kiptopeke State Park. This was a nice campground and our site was extremely spacious; my only complaint is in… Continue reading
-
I Want to Be an Astronaut – Wallops Island Flight Facility, Virginia
Well, not anymore. At least not overwhelmingly, though some small part of me will probably always dream of looking back at Earth from outer space. But I did want to be an astronaut, from the time I was a little girl until the day the space shuttle Columbia exploded upon re-entry and I decided I… Continue reading
-
Sand Dunes and Wild Horses – Assateague Island National Seashore, Maryland
I’ve wanted to visit Assateague Island since the day I learned of its existence. I’m not exactly sure why. I’m fairly certain I based my decision on a calendar photo. Something about the combination of wild horses, sand dunes, and the ocean just drew me in. So when I started looking for a stopping point… Continue reading
-
Ferry to the First State – Cape May, New Jersey to Lewes, Delaware
Mid-June meant one thing: summer vacation was upon us! As had become an (almost) annual tradition since my move to New England, my mom hopped on a plane and headed east. But unlike previous years, where we traveled north, this year we would be driving south. Our ultimate destination was the Carolinas to visit some… Continue reading
-
History, Pottery, and Covered Bridges –Bennington, Vermont
It took me multiple years of living in New England to realize that spring and fall are by far the best times to travel. Summer is hot and humid and everything is crowded. Winter is cold and miserable. But in spring and fall, the weather is usually decent, crowds are drastically diminished, and entrance fees… Continue reading
-
Witches, ships, pirates, and beer – Salem, Massachusetts
It’s ridiculous, really, how successful I’ve been at procrastinating writing this post. I’m not sure why. I think I just haven’t been in the mood to write about the northeast now that I’m surrounded by the mountains of Colorado. But as I sit down to finally finish this, it’s cold and snowy and I can’t… Continue reading
-
New York, New York
By the time we left the east coast a couple months back, I’d lived there for multiple years, and in that time I only managed to spend about 24 hours in New York City. Total. My main excuse is that it’s expensive – at least from the perspective of a broke young adult. Also, 6+… Continue reading
-
World Capitals: Washington, DC
Welcome to post #2 in my world capitals series, and happy (early) 4th of July to all my American readers! It seems appropriate to celebrate the holiday with stories of my time spent in our nation’s capital. You’d think the capital of my home country would’ve been post #1 in this series. It was, after… Continue reading
-
Lemurs, Lavender, and Palm Trees: Texas + a (not so) quick layover in Orlando
A few years back, a family member was graduating from college, so I headed to Texas for a few days for the ceremony. Some other family members also made the trip, so it was a mini family reunion. Obviously, we spent one day on campus for graduation. On the other days, we squeezed in some… Continue reading
-
Extravagance on display in Newport, Rhode Island
Next up in the continuing saga of my obsession with Groupon: a trip to Newport, Rhode Island, which began when I found a $49 per night hotel stay. And this wasn’t some crappy hotel. It was clean, three minutes from the beach, and that price got us a king-sized suite for the night! (Of course,… Continue reading
-
Fossils + camping on the shores of Lake Champlain – Grand Isle, Vermont
After a fun but rainy few days in Canada, we crossed back into our home country for the final days of our vacation. Customs was deserted so it was a quick border crossing, leaving us most of the day to meander through northern Vermont. We crossed part of Lake Champlain on the Korean War Veterans… Continue reading
-
On Top of Connecticut: Bear Mountain
I haven’t decided yet if I’m a High-Pointer – that is, a person who sets the goal of standing atop the highest point in each state. The part of me that’s drawn to superlatives (the tallest, oldest, etc.) loves the idea. The part of me that enjoys making lists and crossing things off of lists… Continue reading
-
Maritime Explorations – USS Nautilus Submarine, Charles W. Morgan Whaling Ship, and Mystic Seaport
My boyfriend really likes boats. Not as much as he likes blimps… which is a story for another time. But his inner child gets really excited about boats. (Truthfully, mine does too.) So I planned a nautical-themed day for us on the Connecticut coast and, I have to admit, I very much enjoyed it as… Continue reading
-
A City of Firsts – Plymouth, Massachusetts
Fall was busy, so aside from my Providence getaway I didn’t do much traveling. Once the holidays arrived, I still had to stick around for a few days to take care of some things before heading home. However, I had more free time than usual. It was a few days before Christmas and things were… Continue reading
-
That time I drove all the way to Providence for dinner
Well, I guess the title of this post kind of gives everything away. But yes, I did once drive to Providence, Rhode Island just to go to dinner. Why, you ask? Well, my aunt and uncle were passing through and booked a hotel in the area so they could spend a couple days with me.… Continue reading
-
The Seaboard – Acadia National Park, Maine (part II)
When I left off last week, my family and I had just crossed the sandbar back to Mount Desert Island from Bar Island. This was a fairly leisurely walk, and served as a nice warm-up for our next hike: The Beehive. The Beehive trail climbs 520 feet (160 m) in 0.8 miles (1.3 km) to… Continue reading
-
Mount Desert Island – Acadia National Park, Maine (part I)
After a wonderful week exploring maritime Canada, we crossed back into our home country for the final few days of our vacation. Our destination – Acadia National Park, located on the east central coast of Maine. This relatively small park has three disconnected sections: Isle au Haut, the Schoodic Peninsula, and Mount Desert Island. Mount… Continue reading
-
Summiting a Real New England Mountain – Monadnock State Park, New Hampshire
One summer, my former roommate called me up to invite me on a camping trip with her fiancé and 3 of their friends. The destination: Mount Monadnock, New Hampshire. So I packed up what little gear I had and headed to her house on Friday night. From there, we all crammed into 2 cars and… Continue reading
-
Sightseeing and History in Boston, Massachusetts
When I was a kid, our vacations rarely included cities. Aside from stopping to gas up and restock our cooler, we usually just stayed out in nature. And while nature is always going to be my preferred destination, in recent years I’ve been able to spend some time visiting some US cities. And I’ve realized that… Continue reading