We landed in South Lake Tahoe after a day of driving. (Side note: on the way there, I got a speeding ticket for going 45 on a poorly-marked highway in Nevada where the speed limit was 25. 25 MPH on the highway? A highway with a crosswalk? Unbelievable. I saw someone get pulled over in the … Continue reading Lake Tahoe | Another Lake in the High Sierras
In the spirit of doing everything I've never done, I decided to ask my mother to go skydiving for my 22nd birthday. I researched the coolest places in the country to jump out of a plane and decided on a place just outside of Zion National Park. I would have a view of the park … Continue reading Skydiving | My First Time
With few plans and expectations, Greg and I got in the car way later than we expected that Saturday morning. I knew that getting an early start would be best for any hike, but also for avoiding the crowds that I was somewhat expecting at Rocky Mountain National Park. It took about two hours from … Continue reading A Truly Rocky Mountain National Park
In order to break up the long drive from Utah to southern Arizona, we planned a stop at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. I was excited because I've seen the South Rim and had heard better things about the North end of the park. Only 10% of the Grand Canyon's visitors go to … Continue reading The Road Less Traveled By at the Grand Canyon North Rim
When I discovered that one can camp in actual sand dunes, I was enthralled. I fell in love with the desert last summer and haven't looked back. A place in Death Valley I'd wished I had spent more time was Mesquite Sand Dunes. They were beautiful and an amazing photo spot. This past year, I … Continue reading Camping in Great Sand Dunes National Park: Expectations vs. Reality
One of my peers from Smith is from Kansas. It's one of those things you find out about her within minutes of meeting her for the first time. Well, four years later, I finally got to visit her hometown (and she wasn't even there!). I arranged for our first homestay of the trip to be … Continue reading The History of Kansas
After climbing Mount Fuji last year, I was interested in similarly-leveled day hikes in North America. I discovered that Mount Whitney (located near Lone Pine, California) is the tallest peak in the contiguous United States. This seemed like the perfect challenge to take on. Because I was battling with uncertain road trip dates, juggling another … Continue reading My First Mount Whitney Attempt
In my family, we really like the cactus in its many forms. I have basically a whole nursery of succulents, and I enjoy checking out their larger cousins. It's a plus that cacti grow in desert climates, a climate I love. In my travels last year, I saw many different kinds of cacti, but not … Continue reading Saguaro National Park: the biggest disappointment is its pronunciation
Our time in Missouri was brief, but was surprisingly easy. The first stop was the Gateway Arch. We were too late to get to the top, but it was still pretty magnificent to see from the bottom. It was hard to capture the whole thing in one image. The giant arch is located in the … Continue reading Our Ride through Missouri
The first day of our trip was filled with driving. We drove through much of Pennsylvania and all of West Virginia. Our only recreational stop was Charleston, WV to see the State Capitol. This will sound so insignificant to so many, but we saw a black squirrel which has somehow turned into a highlight of … Continue reading Kentucky: the Land of Lincoln?
