We spent the fifth day of our trip exploring spots very near to our accommodation in Cloudcroft, nestled in the Lincoln National Forest. In fact, one of our destinations was even walkable from our B&B! You would think that our elevation in Cloudcroft - about 8,600 feet - was plenty high enough but no, we headed further up into the mountains, a far cry from the prior day’s visit to the low elevation of the desert!
Read MoreFor those readers unfamiliar with Roswell, it holds a place in popular imagination for some or as practically a holy mecca for others. What is certain is that in 1947, something crashed to the earth and a cattle rancher discovered it in his field, located about 75 miles outside of the city of Roswell.
Read MoreThe Guadalupe Mountains stand as a big, bulky mass rising out of the otherwise endlessly flat landscape of west Texas. They are startling and unexpected. The mountain range is also enormous, home to the highest peak in all of Texas, Guadalupe Peak, which measures 8,751 feet. For anyone who has ever been in a desert, grassland, or anywhere else that is very, very flat, you have likely experienced the inability to understand size and distance. Without any reference points, a mountain can appear close, and you can still spend an hour or more driving towards it. This was definitely our experience of these particular mountains!
Read MoreRoaring Run Furnace is the site of a former iron furnace that operated in and around the 1840s, and this site is the only spot within the massive George Washington and Jefferson National Forest’s jurisdiction that is registered as a historical place, making it unique and an interesting spot to visit!
Read MoreAfter touring some of Savannah’s Spanish-moss ridden highlights, we hit the road for the drive to Orlando, about 4 hours in length as a straight shot. For a portion of the way, we took a coastal road as we approached St. Augustine, Florida.
Read MoreMy favorite part of Savannah is the feeling it evokes - the Gothic architecture of its historic houses, Spanish moss, wrought iron fences, and statues. Even in the winter, there is a sense that the heavy southern humidity is on the fringe, waiting to slither back in at its first opportunity and rest its heavy weight upon your chest.
Read MoreThe silver lining of this year of Covid is, for us, more incentive to explore our local area besides the standard, well-known spots. Because of the beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains in the Roanoke, Virginia, vicinity, there are a lot of very popular hiking spots, particularly during the shoulder seasons and especially for the fall colors. A few weeks ago, we headed to one such spot and ended up simply eating our picnic lunch in the car before heading home. Being on a crowded trail right now? No thank you!
Read MoreIn April 2012, my mother and I booked a long-weekend trip to explore some new parts of the state. We stayed in Lynchburg as a central point, explored that city as well as made short trips to both Poplar Forest (Thomas Jefferson’s home, a retreat from Monticello) and Appomattox, a small town most famous as the site where Robert E. Lee surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant in April 1865, officially concluding the American Civil War.
Read MoreCades Cove is a valley that had been frequented by Cherokee hunters and was settled in the 1820s by Europeans who built a community in the valley. About 100 years later, the states of Tennessee and North Carolina were purchasing land for what would become the Great Smoky Mountain National Park, and Cades Cove was in the middle of the area. Some of the community sold their property willingly, others signed agreements whereby they could live out their lives on the land and that it would be granted to the national park posthumously, and other families fought the efforts in court.
Read MoreIf you’re looking for some outside time exploring a less populated part of Bermuda, we’d recommend you check out the small area that holds Blue Hole (a bright blue swimming hole), Tom Moore’s Jungle, and Walsingham Nature Reserve.
Read More2019 was a big year for us as we officially launched our blog with the first post on March 4th! We also celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary on July 4th in Scotland. With 2020 on the horizon, we decided to sit down and reflect on this journey we’ve been on.
In retrospect, it seems surprising we never thought about travel blogging given our love of travel, writing, photography, and reading (often travel-inspired or travel-related). Writing the blog, sharing our experiences and travel stories with our readers, and working together on this creative endeavor have brought yes, more work, but also more fulfillment to our day-to-day lives.
Read MoreScotland is a diverse country - from bustling cities to popular rural outposts and small towns. In planning our 10-day road trip through the Highlands and Isle of Skye, we realized we couldn’t take a one-size-fits-all approach to the five different locations where we needed to book overnight accommodations. Because we have only been to this portion of the country, we cannot speak to accommodation options outside of this region.
Read MoreWanting to stay near town and avoid a lot of driving before our long flight and trek home the following day, we spoke with the B&B’s owners to get some recommendations on local hikes. We decided on Bracklinn Falls hike, which begins just a little over a mile outside of the town of Callander.
Read MoreThe ninth day of our road trip took us out of the Corpach/Fort William area, through Glencoe Valley, to the village of Luss on Loch Lomond in the Trossachs National Park and finally to the adorable town of Callander, the last stop of our trip and where we would stay for two nights.
Read MoreWe left Edinburgh first thing in the morning and drove about 45 minutes west of town to Linlithgow Palace, situated about a block up the street from the main downtown of the small town of Linlithgow. This palace is definitely one of the top highlights of our trip. After our stop there, we visited a fascinating living history museum as we entered Cairngorms National Park.
Read MoreSince we wanted to get an early start for our first and only full day in the city and to make it to Edinburgh Castle in time for our timed entry, we had picked up some breakfast supplies at Sainsbury’s the evening before. Still on a kick of croissants, a remnant from our trip to Paris a few months prior, we had picked some up along with yogurt, and ate in our apartment.
Read MoreWe had the good fortune to visit Notre-Dame de Paris about a week before the April 15, 2019 fire engulfed its roof. During our week-long trip in Paris, our apartment was basically right across the Seine from the cathedral and just a few minutes’ walk. We could hear the tolling of the bells that rang out at what appeared to be random intervals, and we walked by the cathedral multiple times a day.
Read MoreSince James Madison died at his home, Montpelier, in 1836, the home has gone through renovations and updates - most notoriously by the DuPont family. In more recent years, time has been unraveled as archaeologists and historians have sought to remove the more modern updates and return the home to the most accurate version of James and Dolley Madison’s home.
Read MoreMonticello is more than a quick house tour - we spent most of a day there exploring the house, museum, gardens, and Mulberry Row, the center of the world for Monticello’s enslaved population. Read more about our visit and discover tips for yours.
Read MoreIn April 2018, I visited Charlottesville for a long weekend and enjoyed spending time as a tourist in a town that used to be mine. But it also led to some interesting reflections on how the city has always been and how it has changed, as well as how my own view as an adult has evolved.
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