Helen Georgia is a remote Bavarian town where you can drink beer by the letters, eat pretzels as giant as a dinner plate, and hike to waterfalls during the day. This alpine town is tucked away in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains. You will feel as if you skipped time and space by [...]
The Tallulah Gorge State Park wasn’t my first choice when planning my day of hiking, but it ended up being the best choice. I spent the morning driving the winding road to Anne Ruby Falls, only to find it closed. Determined not to be discouraged by Google Maps’ failure to provide accurate information, I decided [...]
Drawn to Florida’s white-sand beaches, theme parks, and warm weather, millions of auto travelers enter Florida through the interstate system each year. Along with playing road trip bingo, anticipating the next stop along the way is half the fun. The Florida Welcome Center is one of those highway havens travelers look forward to stopping after [...]
Yellowstone National Park is neatly tucked away in the Northwest corner of Wyoming, where the mountainous landscape does not obstruct the view of the expansive sky above. Peacefully grazing bison freely roam the open land while a tiny chipmunk scampers from one rock to another. The remnants of an early October snowstorm still coat the [...]
Packing for any vacation can be overwhelming. There's always a sense of forgetting a critical item for survival; e.g. medication, your phone charger, or your whole carry-on bag. For my recent trip to Yellowstone, I created an essential Yellowstone packing list to ensure I would be prepared for anything. On this trip not only did [...]
The humidity in Florida has been less repressive for the last week. So, taking advantage of the slightly comfortable weather and needing to break in my new hiking boots, I set out to visit the Hillsborough River State Park. The chaos of Tampa melts into the background as you turn off Highway 301, and towering [...]
The Ringling Museum has been on my list of places to visit all summer. This 66-acre estate is more than a one-note museum of circus history. It takes you on a journey of what life was like as a member of the Ringling Circus. Visitors are also given a glimpse of the private lives of [...]
For most people traveling by airplane is a production. Driving to the airport, hauling luggage through the terminal, and then being patted down by a stranger who tells you can’t bring a full-size toothpaste in your carry-on. All of this, before I’ve had my first cup of coffee, is not the exciting and glamorous side [...]
This has been the summer of exploring Florida beaches. Typically, my best friend Genesah and I want nothing to do with the sticky saltwater, blazing heat, and sand. But this year the tides have changed. Recently we found ourselves desperately trying to outrun the red tide plaguing the beaches in Clearwater and the surrounding Tampa [...]
The morning of my visit to Point Lobos State Natural Reserve was a balmy day. The clouds hovered at the tips of the mountains like pennants on flag poles as we drove south from Monterey. Did I mention it’s July, and I’m wearing a sweater? Being a native Floridian, the concept of temperatures lower than [...]
