Northeastern US
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On top of Rhode Island: Jerimoth Hill
Despite living in the northeastern US for six years, I only managed to check off three of the nine state high points. It wasn’t for a lack of trying. We had plans to summit the highest point in New York before we moved away, but a late spring snowstorm thwarted that one. We also intended… Continue reading
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A whirlwind weekend in Philadelphia (part II) – touring Eastern State Penitentiary
Our final Philadelphia destination (if you missed it, you can read part I of this series here) was the one that actually ended up being my favorite: Eastern State Penitentiary. I learned about this place from Lyssy in the City, and I’m so glad I did because it was fascinating! Eastern State Penitentiary was built… Continue reading
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A whirlwind weekend in Philadelphia (part I) – Independence Hall & the Liberty Bell
Philadelphia is a city steeped in history. Founded in 1682, it was not only the largest city in the US for a time, but also the most diverse. It was initially just a port city, but became an important meeting point for the colonial government prior to the Revolutionary War and later served as the… Continue reading
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A winter encampment – Valley Forge National Historical Park, Pennsylvania
Despite our best efforts, we moved away from the east coast with quite a few things left on our east coast to-do list. We just ran out of time to see everything. But we usually head back at least once a year for one reason or another. This year, it was for a wedding. As… Continue reading
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Westward Bound, part I – New England to Kentucky
It wasn’t supposed to be like this. I hadn’t planned to spend so many years in New England. And I certainly never expected that I’d be sad to leave. Admittedly, I wasn’t sad to leave behind the humidity and the brutal winters and the traffic and the rude drivers (because yes, New England drivers really… Continue reading
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Springtime in the Adirondacks
It was March, and reality was really starting to catch up to us as we searched for housing and collected quotes from moving companies and I began spending all my free time applying for jobs. But the most pressing matter (priorities, right?) was that our “Before We Leave” to-do list still had quite a few… Continue reading
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Labor Day Weekend at Cape Cod National Seashore
I’d been wanting to make it out to Cape Cod since the day I moved to New England, but for some reason it never happened. I did make it part way out once, to approximately the “elbow,” for a bachelorette party. (Ask anyone from New England where something is located on Cape Cod and they’ll… Continue reading
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Flume Gorge & the Old Man of the Mountain… sort of – Franconia Notch State Park, New Hampshire
Ask anyone in New England what the most iconic image of New Hampshire is, and they’ll probably say the Old Man of the Mountain. I imagine most of my US readers know what I’m talking about: the giant cliff face that looks like the profile of an old man. This was actually somewhat of an… Continue reading
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Exploring the White Mountains
My mom always enjoys telling the story of how this White Mountains trip came to fruition. The short version is this: a couple days after making the campground reservation, I FaceTimed her to discuss a gift I wanted for my birthday. The camping and our plan to climb Mount Washington came up in conversation and,… Continue reading
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On Top of New England: Mount Washington, New Hampshire
In my quest to summit all the state high points of the northeast, Mount Washington long seemed so out of reach. It was too long a drive for a day trip. It was even really too long for a normal weekend trip, considering it takes a whole day to summit the mountain. Plus, weekends there… Continue reading
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Tri-State Adventures – Taconic State Park, New York
As spring rolled around, I began to realize that we had just over a year left in New England, very little vacation time, and far more than a year’s worth of adventures left on my to-do list. Memorial Day Weekend isn’t always the best time to travel. The first couple years out here, it torrentially… Continue reading
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On Top of Vermont: Mount Mansfield
Labor Day weekend was finally upon us, and we had an exciting goal to accomplish: summiting the highest point in Vermont. The weather forecast was solid and we’d climbed the highest mountain in Massachusetts the weekend before in preparation. We were ready for this! Mount Mansfield rises to an elevation of 4393 feet (1339 m)… Continue reading
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On Top of Massachusetts: Mount Greylock
Today, we return to the “On Top of” series I began a while back as I recount our hike up the highest point in Massachusetts: Mount Greylock! With an elevation of 3491 feet (1064 m), Mount Greylock is much taller than either of the previous state high points we’d visited. It has a prominence of… Continue reading
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Exploring beautiful Lake George, New York
Years back, a friend of mine went to Lake George and posted photos of the trip on social media. She and her family had hiked up to a high point and the view from the top was of a large blue lake dotted with luscious green islands. I went home that day and added Lake… Continue reading
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Grey Towers National Historic Site, Pennsylvania
Otherwise known as the Gifford Pinchot House, Grey Towers is the historic stone house that once belonged to Gifford Pinchot, a two-time governor of Pennsylvania and first ever chief of the US Forest Service. The house – or, rather, mansion – is built in a French architectural style as an homage to the Pinchot family’s… Continue reading
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It’s Raining Caterpillars – Delaware Water Gap National Rec Area (part II)
On our final day at Delaware Water Gap, we headed back over to the New Jersey side of the river. We’d seen waterfalls, the river, and mountains – now it was time for some lakes! The New Jersey side of the park is accessed via winding back roads that aren’t always well-marked. At one point,… Continue reading
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The Gap (no, not the clothing store) – Delaware Water Gap National Rec Area (part I)
For Memorial Weekend, we packed up the car and headed off to explore the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. Contrary to what its name may suggest, it’s not located in Delaware. Rather, the park encompasses the Middle Delaware River, which forms the border between southeastern Pennsylvania and northwestern New Jersey. It was a half… Continue reading
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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
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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
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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