Category: National Parks
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3 Day Liveaboard in Komodo National Park
One of the things I really wanted to do on this trip was see real live dragons…. Komodo dragons! Komodo National Park is off the coast of Flores Island in Indonesia and is a beautiful set of islands. And for some of those islands – there be dragons! We did a three day (really more…
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Travel Log: Cross-Country Road Trip Days 12-13
Day 12 was the second to last day of our road trip! The Ledges Trail hike with a friend in Cuyahoga Valley National Park was a great start to the day. This is a 1.8 mile loop through forest and near a cool looking sandstone outcrop. It’s relatively flat and easy – perfect for a…
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Travel Log: Cross-Country Road Trip Day 11
Started out the day with a ~4 mile hike in Indiana Sand Dunes National Park. We chose the Cowles Bog trail which takes you through a fen (despite the misnomer indicating a bog! Fun fact: in order to qualify as a bog an area must have a higher level of acidity than a fen), over…
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Travel Log: Cross-Country Road Trip Day 8
First thing in the morning (by which I mean 8:30AM) we went over to the Wind Cave National Park Visitor Center to check in for our cave tour. Wind Cave has several different options for paid guided tours of the cave through the National Park Service and this is the only way you can tour…
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Travel Log: Cross-Country Road Trip Day 5
To kick off the day we went from our Lake Yellowstone area cabin to the lakefront for some views. Lake Yellowstone is massive and super gorgeous. From there we headed in the direction of Canyon Village with stops at Mud Volcano, Sulphur Caldron, and Hayden Valley along the way. Mud Volcano area turned out to…
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Travel Log: Cross-Country Road Trip Day 4
In the morning we packed up camp and did one final hike in the Grand Tetons before heading to Yellowstone. The hike we did was xx Loop and it was a nice easy and flat 2 miles starting from Colter Bay Visitor Center, which is basically right on the way out of the park! I’d…
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Travel Log: Cross-Country Road Trip Day 3
Day 3 was spent entirely in Grand Tetons National Park. We got up bright and early to get to Jenny Lake before the parking lot filled (pro-tip: definitely get there early!). From the visitor center we took the park offered 10 minute ferry across the lake for $12 each. This cuts about 2 mi off…
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Travel Log: Cross-Country Road Trip Days 1-2
Travel Log posts are my version of a travel diary so I can record what my latest adventures were and anyone interested can follow along live. For the next two weeks my husband and I will be driving from west to east across the country! The plan is to stop as many national parks and…
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5 Must-Visit US National Parks
I love traveling to the US National Parks and they’ve been a particularly great way to continue seeing new places and meeting new people during COVID. Everyone has their own thoughts about what makes a great National Park I’m sure, but below are my thoughts on some of my favorites (in no particular order) with…
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Top 4 Tips for Hiking Half Dome
Last year my husband and I got great news: our friends won the lottery for Half Dome! It’s every California hikers dream! Well, except if you’re a Californian hiker who is mildly scared of everything and has little to no upper body strength. My first thought of course was, “oh no, can I make it…
The Wandering Hart 