2021 Travel Tales – The “Beach Year”


Today is the second to last day of 2021 and I’m sitting in my hotel room in St. Petersburg, Florida overlooking a beautiful pool within a garden of palm trees (my favorite), and in the distance, I can see Tampa Bay. After pivoting to building an online business in 2020 and now becoming a full-time…

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A weekend getaway for some R&R


The Lily Inn, located right in Historic Burlington, New Jersey offered me a cozy room on the top floor with a view of the street below, decorated for the holiday season. With a king-sized bed, jetted tub, and in-room TV that I could connect my Roku Streaming Device to, I felt like I was living in luxury.

A weekend of scenic drives to 4 PA State Parks


On Saturday I traveled up and down the mountains from Bald Eagle State Park to nearby Black Moshannon State Park, Whipple Dam State Park, and Greenwood Furnace State Park. The first stop at each park was to get my passport stamp for the 52 State Park Challenge that I’ve been doing this year.

Fall Foliage, Camping, and Hiking at Raymond B Winter State Park


A crisp, fall afternoon of hiking followed by roasted marshmallows over a campfire is my ideal fall weekend, which I was lucky to enjoy recently at Raymond B Winter State Park. I drove up late on Friday evening (November 5th) and set up my tent to a walk-in site. Surrounded by the forest and a few other campers, I had an enjoyable time listening to podcasts and audiobooks while stargazing.

Fall Foliage at the PA Grand Canyon & State Park Camping!


Fall is my favorite time of the year to explore hiking trails in hopes to capture some amazing colors. The Pennsylvania Grand Canyon has been on my bucket list for a while and I’m so thankful that I made it there right as the leaves were turning.

PA State Park Waterfront Views


Of all the Pennsylvania State Parks I’ve visited in 2021, by far the best ones (in my opinion) have waterfront views, expansive mountains, and calming shores.

Summer Hiking in Maine


In June, just six months after my very first visit, I returned to Maine to enjoy warmer weather, hiking, swimming, and spectacular views. Now it has taken me time to edit the photos and get this post up here on my travel blog since I’ve been really busy with work. I also decided not to…

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Morning walks followed by afternoon swimming


This past weekend I strolled down shaded trails to discover beautiful landscapes, to hear the beautiful sounds of the forest, and to enjoy photographing nature. After my walk I cooled off by taking to the beach! All of this and more I experienced just one hour away from Harrisburg. On my continued mission to visit 52 Pennsylvania State Parks in 2021 I was able to add two more to the list.

Keep cool ;) Summer Hiking Adventures!~


The heat of summer has arrived and I’m seeking places with a place to cool down right now! In my pursuit of hiking at 52 Pennsylvania State Parks in 2021 I am focused on parks that have a lake, or stream to dip my toes into during or after a hike – AND hiking earlier!~

Summer State Park Hiking


Hot and humid, but in the shade of trees, summer hiking can be enjoyable. I’ve been hiking during every season in Pennsylvania and although summers are a bit more challenging with overgrown and unkept, narrow trails, the leaves from forest trees keeps the heat bearable. Pun intended! Keep an eye out for bears if you…

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Pennsylvania’s beautiful lakes, creeks, trails, and the night sky


As I continue to share the 52 Pennsylvania State Park 2021 Challenge, in which I plan to hike in up to 52 state parks this year, I’m happy to update the tally after this week to 17 after visiting Cherry Springs State Park, Lyman Run State Park, Patterson State Park, and Marsh Creek State Park.

Travel Art Journal – 52 State Park Collaborative Artwork Project


As I continue to share the 52 Pennsylvania State Park 2021 Challenge, in which I plan to hike in up to 52 state parks this year, I’m happy to update the tally after visiting two more state parks last weekend, Gifford Pinchot and Swatara state parks and also announce a new collaborative art project.

Cocoa Beach Adventures!


After almost eight months I finally got on a plane and took a trip down to Cocoa Beach, Florida for my birthday and to enjoy visiting beaches, seeing rockets, and checking out the many fabulous places to eat and drink in town.

PA State Park Challenge, New additions


A few weeks ago I announced the 52 Pennsylvania State Park 2021 Challenge in which I plan to hike in up to 52 state parks this year. I’m happy to update the tally after visiting a few more parks over the past few weeks. Colonel Denning State Park, Susquehannock State Park, and Samuel S Lewis…

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52 Pennsylvania State Park Challenge Announced!!


Inspired by my travels to California last year and picking up the National Parks Passport, I knew I wanted to check out the many Pennsylvania State Parks in 2021. Pennsylvania went from 1 park in 1893 to 121 State Parks in 2015, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and National Resources.

Epic East Coast Road Trip, Part 2


I discovered that Cape Code National Seashore was only a 2-hour drive from Providence and planned to spend an entire day driving and hiking on the beach. The drive alone was worth the trip, but when I arrived, I was just blown away by how beautiful it is there. After ge

Cherry Blossoms in DC


For years I’ve wanted to make it to Washington DC in time to catch the Cherry Blossoms and this year I finally got there. It’s been on my bucket list for years, but I just hadn’t made the time to travel there until this year.

Epic East Coast Solo Road Trip


As I drove through states I’d never visited like Connecticut, Vermont, Rhode Island, and Maine, I dove into podcasts, music, and at times, just silence while watching the mountains disappear behind me. I’d been looking forward to a road trip like this for a long time.

Epic West Coast Road Trip, Part 8


On this final journal of this Epic West Coast Road Trip, I share with you my gratitude for this entire experience, and my ability to see that I’m privileged to have taken this adventure. If you’ve been following along, I’d shared last (in part 7) that after driving up the coast from Monterey to San Francisco, all the way up to Glass Beach, and then inland to Nice, California, we then headed to Sacramento, our final destination before flying back to Pennsylvania.

Epic West Coast Road Trip, Part 7


When arriving in San Francisco the first thing to see was the Golden Gate Bridge. What’s really crazy about this is that I had a photo of the Golden Gate Bridge on my 2020 vision board, which I created in January.

Epic West Coast Road Trip, Part 6


Arriving back on the coast in Monterey, California, after spending the past few days inland while visiting national parks, I was thrilled to see the ocean once again.

Epic West Coast Road Trip, Part 5


“The mountains are calling and I must go.”- John Muir Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park We entered Sequoia National Forest early mid-afternoon after departing Joshua Tree NP and making a quick stop at Kelso Dunes in the Mojave Desert. My boyfriend and I had discussed the best way to enter the park and I…

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Epic West Coast Road Trip, Part 4


On my recent travels to Joshua Tree National Park I discovered not only about a wide variety of plants, animals, and strong winds, but also I learned more about myself. It was an adventure to spend two nights and three days under the stars, in excessive heat, and at times experiencing frustration while on a vacation.

Epic West Coast Road Trip, Part 3


This was my first adventure on a boat in the ocean off the coast on a ship that sailed far off into the wide expanse with only water in view. Although I didn’t see a whale, I was delighted to see dolphins swimming right under and in front of our ship.

Epic West Coast Road Trip, Part 2


“The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page.” – Saint Augustine Travel calls for adventure and a road trip isn’t complete without an unplanned stop, which is why when I found out that Cabrillo National Park was only 30 minutes away from where I was staying in La…

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Epic West Coast Road Trip, Part 1


Arriving in California with the smell of seasalt in the air and sand that I imagined about for the past few months finally became a reality for me recently during my epic road trip. After the past few months of working from home, it felt so great to travel again. Up until the shutdown, I’d…

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