Your friendly guide to national parks, road trips, and all things outdoors
This winter while we were still in Wisconsin I read a really awful book set in the Okefenokee Swamp. I didn't even finish it. I knew about the swamp before that but really wanted to visit after that, more than before. Just before heading to Tallahassee to meet my parents, we made a day trip…
Continue reading ➞ Okefenokee Swamp: A Spooky Wildlife Haven In Southeast Georgia
The only thing we knew we really wanted to do in Tallahassee was visit the St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge. I knew I wanted to go in the morning for the best lighting and the first day it rained so we decided to go for the next morning. We went early but not too early.…
Continue reading ➞ Baby Gator Haven At St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge
Even though it's been years (seriously, like, nine years) since I went to New Zealand, I think about it a lot and want to go back so bad! I figured since I can't go back anytime soon, I would make myself the ultimate New Zealand bucket list! It has some city things but it's heavily…
A couple of years ago I got to visit Lovers Key State Park and found all kinds of fun shells. Then I left them in the bag for like a year and a half without being cleaned and couldn't get rid of the stink so I had to sacrifice them. I knew I wanted to…
Continue reading ➞ Lovers Key: A Shelling And White Sand Paradise In South Florida
Back in January of 2020 when I visited south Florida, I really wanted to visit Delnor-Wiggins Pass to go shelling but didn't make it that trip so when I was planning this trip with my parents, I knew we had to go. I had pretty high expectations for no real reason and was a little…
Continue reading ➞ Delnor-Wiggins Pass Shelling: A Pretty OK Shelling Day In Florida
As I've already mentioned, when my parents came to visit, we had a shelling packed trip planned. Our first stop was Clearwater Beach after meeting up in Tallahassee and we did a lot of shelling here. Not super great shelling but shelling. I feel like we saw more sea specimens here than good shells (like…
Continue reading ➞ Caladesi Island State Park: Shelling And White Sand Beach Paradise In Florida
I'm keeping up my Lake Powell posts, apparently. I said I wasn't going to do anymore book posts here, just on Hey, I'm Reading, but I lied. Books about Lake Powell fits perfectly here though so I'm going with it. It's not just Lake Powell books but books about the Colorado River and the water…
Continue reading ➞ 18 Must-Read Books About Lake Powell And The Colorado River
Shelling on Sanibel is a bucket list topper for anyone that loves collecting sea shells. It's one of, if not the, best places in the world to go shelling and I finally got to visit this winter! When my parents came to visit Florida in March we had a big shelling focused trip planned and…
Continue reading ➞ The Great Sanibel Shelling Showdown: Lighthouse Beach Vs Blind Pass Beach
I can't believe it's taken me five years to write this post! I guess it's just given me extra time to think of everything you need to know before planning a Lake Powell vacation. And it's a lot. And after working at Lake Powell for six seasons (four in Bullfrog, two in Wahweap), not just…
Continue reading ➞ 29 Things To Know Before Planning A Lake Powell Vacation
Chances are, when you think Florida, you think Orlando. Or at least Disney. But there's so much more to Orlando than Disney. There's Universal, too. I'm kidding, today isn't about either of those. It's all about Orlando day trips. While there are so many amazing things to do in Orlando, there are just as many…
Continue reading ➞ 8 Perfect Day Trips From Orlando To Get You Out Of The Theme Parks
I love Everglades City. I don't know where I want to live forever, but Everglades City is one of the contenders so far (along with Moab and the Asheville area, if you were curious.) Every January we make a trip down there and do the same things but also manage to find new things to…
Continue reading ➞ 24 Things To Do In Everglades City: Hiking Trails, Biking, Paddling, And More
Ahh, the Blue Ridge Parkway. Only the best road trip in the USA. Ok, maybe not the best, but one of the best and certainly the best scenic drive for fall. This last fall I managed to drive almost all of the Blue Ridge Parkway (we skipped the section between Roanoke and Fancy Gap and…
Continue reading ➞ Top Tips For Driving The Blue Ridge Parkway In The Fall
Guadalupe Mountains National Park is a west Texas hidden gem that very few people visit which makes it perfect for escaping those national park crowds, especially this year. It's a park that isn't very well-known but still deserves a spot on your national park bucket list because of all of it's amazing hiking opportunities. Today…
Continue reading ➞ 7 Reasons Guadalupe Mountains National Park Is Worth It
I love visiting wildlife refuges and one we knew we wanted to visit when my parents were here was the J.N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel. It's a tiny little refuge on the bay side of Sanibel. The first time they came to visit, we went to the Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge and…
Continue reading ➞ Get Your Bird On At The Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge On Sanibel