Get Wild on Oregon’s Wildwood Recreation Trail!
If there is magic on this planet it is contained in water. ~Loren Eisley The Wildwood Recreation Site is a day use area near Mt. Hood with some lovely trails for hiking and viewing the Wild and Scenic...
View Article“Secret” Hiking Spots of Southern Utah & Northern Arizona
Zion River hike This week we invited our friend Miranda to write a guest post for us about a summer trip she took with her husband. I never thought I’d want to go to Southern Utah and Northern Arizona...
View ArticleCalifornia’s Lassen Volcanic National Park: A Hidden Travel Gem
Recently, we were asked to suggest an off-the-beaten-path travel gem in the western US. We looked at each other and simultaneously said, “Lassen!” Lassen Volcanic National Park — just east of Redding,...
View ArticleBackpacking the Mineral King Area of Sequoia National Park
Hiking in the Mineral King wilderness This summer, my college roommate and I decided to embark on a backpacking adventure. He’s from Wisconsin and I’m from Oregon, so we decided on an area that was new...
View ArticleBackpacking the US National Parks: 8 Great Parks for Backcountry Hiking
Sequoia National Park We’re on a quest to visit all 59 US national parks. (42 down, 17 to go.) We do have our favorites, but even the ones that we visited primarily to check off of our list have been...
View ArticlePortland, Oregon’s Mt. Tabor Park – built on a volcano!
Gorgeous Mt. Tabor reservoir overlook We are very lucky that we live within walking distance of one of Portland’s most beautiful city parks, Mt. Tabor. This park has everything — a picnic area, a...
View ArticleEverglades NP – The Anhinga & Gumbo Limbo Trails
Homestead trolley to the park! The Pine Island section of Everglades National Park is one of the park’s most popular areas. It offers a visitor center (Royal Palm) along with several trails. We walked...
View ArticleMt. St. Helens’ Eruption: 35th Anniversary
Mt. St. Helens in early summer On May 18th, 1980, those of us living in the Pacific Northwest got quite a shock. A mountain many of us had seen all our lives suddenly blew its top — quite literally....
View ArticleWe found it! Lost Lake near Oregon’s Mt. Hood
A gorgeous “Oregon quarter” view of Mt. Hood from the lake trail Have you ever seen the latest Oregon quarter? If so, you’ve seen an artist’s rendering of Lost Lake up near Mt. Hood. And after having...
View ArticleBackpacking the Virgin River Narrows in Zion National Park
Intrepid hikers ready to hit yet another trail! Our 11th backpacking trip together. Every summer I venture out on a backpacking adventure, usually in a national park in the western US. This summer was...
View ArticleHappy Birthday to the National Park Service!
Happy birthday to the National Park Service – 99 years and counting! Last week marked the 99th birthday of the United States’ National Park Service. If you’re a reader of our blog, you probably know...
View ArticleVirgin Islands National Park’s Reef Bay Hike – St. John, USVI
Ready to head out on the trail. Each time we’ve taken one of our nieces on a 13th birthday trip to the USVI (we’ve taken three now), we’ve done the ranger-led Reef Bay Trail hike. This informative, fun...
View Article16 Fee Free Days in the National Parks for 2016!
Happy birthday to the National Park Service – 100 years in 2016! There is excellent news below about the NPS fee free days in 2016, but first we want to tell you about a giveaway! We are big fans of...
View ArticleLooking Back on a Great Year of Travel
2015 was another great year of travel! We’re lucky to live in Oregon, a state with incredible natural beauty, and we took advantage of it this year! We took several trips to the Oregon coast, and it...
View ArticleBackpacking Mt. Rainier National Park’s Wonderland Trail
Along Mt. Rainier National Park’s Wonderland Trail Each summer, I head out on a backpacking adventure with a buddy, usually to a US national park. One of my favorite trips was along Mt. Rainier...
View ArticleSnowshoeing in Oregon’s Crater Lake National Park
This week we’ve invited M. Kim Lewis, co-owner of Main Street Adventure Tours in Ashland, Oregon, to write about snowshoeing at Crater Lake National Park. (We were hoping to actually go on this...
View ArticleBackpacking Olympic National Park’s Spectacular Wilderness Coast
The Olympic Coast Each summer, Jeff and a buddy embark on a backpacking trip in the western US. Each of these trips has been an adventure, and each one has traversed some spectacular backcountry —...
View ArticlePlanning a Winter Visit to Montana’s Glacier National Park
The required park sign photo! For spring break, we usually escape rainy Portland to seek the sun in places like Arizona, Palm Springs, or the US Virgin Islands. But this year, we decided to chase some...
View ArticleBelize’s ATM Cave Tour – A Memorable Adventure!
Ready to go on our ATM cave tour! One of our most adventurous experiences in Belize was the ATM (Actun Tunichil Muknal) Cave tour. The cave, an archaeological and geological wonder, is part of the...
View ArticleThe Summer of Alliteration – Colorado, Cabo, and Kauai
Monteverde zip lining – a previous summer adventure One of the best things about both of us being educators is that we have summer off together to explore, and we usually take full advantage of it! I...
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