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A year in review: 2025
Another year, another year in review post. This year simultaneously feels like it’s flown by yet lasted forever, probably because it’s been so busy and chaotic. The truth is, we knew from the beginning that parts of this year were going to be a wash, travel-wise. We had a lot of real life things that… Continue reading
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Rocky Mountain National Park Hikes: Fern Lake
For the first time in six years, Thanksgiving roadtrip was not to be. I was obviously disappointed; the trip had been planned since August and I’d been looking forward to escaping to the desert southwest for a few days. But with back-to-back winter storms predicted for the weekend after the holiday, we were worried about… Continue reading
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A long weekend in Omaha, Nebraska
I’m not really a concert person. I can count on one hand, or maybe two, the number of concerts I’ve attended in my life. It’s just not something I’ve ever prioritized. Tickets are expensive, the concerts themselves are loud and crowded, and I’m very much not a night owl. But there are a few musical… Continue reading
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Nebraska roadtrip: Fort Kearny and Lincoln
I never know what will be the next trigger that sends me into a travel planning spiral, nor can I predict when it will happen. But it does seem – with at least some frequency – to happen after my husband has gone to bed. Such was the case with our recent long weekend trip… Continue reading
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Colorado Hikes: Deer Creek Canyon Park
Located on the southwest edge of the Denver Metro area, Deer Creek Canyon Park is open to hikers, bikers, and equestrians. The park isn’t huge, but there are 14 miles (22.5 km) of trails, including routes to the park’s two highest points: Plymouth Mountain and Bill Couch Mountain. There’s also a lengthy trail connecting this… Continue reading
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Rocky Mountain National Park Hikes: Andrews Glacier
On long weekends, we typically plan to disappear into the backcountry, as far away as possible from the holiday crowds. It definitely didn’t work out that way this year. In the week before Labor Day weekend, plans A-C fell through for various reasons. This is not an unfamiliar situation for us; over the years, I’ve… Continue reading
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Colorado 14ers #17-18: Mount Belford and Mount Oxford
Summer really got away from me this year. As I sit down to start writing this post, it’s mid-August and it was only 3 days ago that I finally summited my first 14ers of the summer. Part of the explanation is that I was originally supposed to climb these peaks in July, but an unexpected… Continue reading
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Colorado Summits: Vasquez Peak
When I agreed to a Sunday hike up a mountain with Chelsea, I knew it was going to be a busy and tiring weekend. My husband and I already had plans for a hike on Friday, but I’d have Saturday to rest my legs, so I wasn’t too worried. Except, my husband and I ended… Continue reading
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Rocky Mountain National Park Hikes: Spectacle Lakes
Four summers back, my husband and I stood atop Ypsilon Mountain gazing down at two lakes nestled in an isolated nook 2000 feet (610 m) below the summit, teal water rippling in the sunlight. “I wanna hike to those lakes,” I said. It turns out you can! In fact, our friends who were with us… Continue reading
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Colorado Hikes: Shrine Ridge
The end of July was rapidly approaching, which meant summer was in full swing up in the mountains and wildflowers were at their peak. But, of course, so were the crowds. Especially on weekends. Luckily, some friends and I were able to plan a mid-week hike. The four of us departed bright and early, pulling… Continue reading
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Colorado Hikes: Mayflower Gulch
Usually, my first time hiking a trail is in the summer. Not so with Mayflower Gulch. I’ve actually hiked (or, rather, snowshoed) this trail twice in the winter. Only recently did my husband and I finally experience the beauty of Mayflower Gulch in the summer. We were headed up to the mountains for the weekend… Continue reading
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Driving the Beartooth Highway
In my opinion, no trip to Yellowstone National Park is complete without a drive over the Beartooth Highway. This scenic byway – US Highway 212 – connects the northeast (Cooke City) entrance of Yellowstone to the town of Red Lodge, Montana. Between these two destinations lies the Beartooth Mountains, a rugged range that sits atop… Continue reading
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An afternoon in Jackson Hole, Wyoming
After spending the first few years of our relationship completely and utterly broke (it’s super fun to have both people in school at the same time, living on a meager stipend and student loans), my husband and I still frequently have to remind ourselves that we have real adult jobs now with real salaries. And… Continue reading
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Grand Teton National Park: hiking to Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point
Our recent trip to Grand Teton National Park was, unfortunately, not nearly long enough. We really only spent a day and a half in the park. As you saw in my last post, one full day was spent driving a giant loop through the park and stopping at all the viewpoints and historic sites. For… Continue reading
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A scenic driving tour of Grand Teton National Park
You’ve probably seen the Teton Mountains before without even realizing it; photos of the iconic range pop up all over the place. The rugged profile of the Grand Teton, Mount Owen, and Teewinot Mountain is unmistakable. I’d recognize them from anywhere. I generally write about our travels in chronological order, but sorting through all the… Continue reading
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A photo a day: Yellowstone edition
This past July, we loaded up the car, drove up to Montana, and spent a week exploring Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks with my in-laws. While I’d been to both parks before and my husband had been to Yellowstone twice, this was the first ever visit for my in-laws. It was very much a… Continue reading
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A guide to visiting Waterton Lakes National Park
The beauty of the Canadian Rockies is something that can’t be fully captured with a camera. You have to be there to truly understand the immensity of the mountains and the power of a glacier. You have to be there to look into a lake and see straight to the bottom because the water is… Continue reading
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Chasing sunbeams in Upper Antelope Canyon
Do you ever find yourself visiting a place and having that moment of, wow, I never thought I’d be here? That was me with Upper Antelope Canyon. I’d seen photos – many photos – over the years. And I’ve always wanted to visit. But when I first looked into it years ago, my main takeaways… Continue reading
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48 hours in Page, Arizona
Technically, the title of this post isn’t 100% accurate. We did spend roughly 48 hours in and around Page, Arizona. But I’m going to extend the time and distance covered in this post by about 6 hours and 70 miles (115 km), respectively, so I can also share some photos of our drive from Utah… Continue reading
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Hiking Angels Landing – Zion National Park, Utah
With so many popular NPS sites transitioning to lottery systems due to extremely high demand for permits, I’ve decided to adopt a new strategy: enter every lottery every year until I eventually get them all. Given my past success with NPS lotteries – or, rather, my complete and total lack of success – I entered… Continue reading