August was a packed month with camping,celebrating my sister’s 40th Birthday with a hot air balloon ride, and more! Here’s the roundup of my August adventures.
Category: Exploration
Finding calm lakeside, enjoying the view from the top, and the joy of solo camping
Travel blog: Lakeside camping, hiking, and enjoying the view from the top of Big Pocono
PA State Parks: Summer Edition
My recommitment to the Pennsylvania State Park Challenge I’d set for myself at the beginning of the year led me to book a camping trip for the FOURTH time at Hickory Run State Park.
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…
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.
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.
Leaping is worth the risk
“We must walk consciously only part way toward our goal, and then leap in the dark to our success.” ― Henry David Thoreau It’s leap day today and I found myself wondering how I’d spend this extra day. Time seems so short, and I’ve found myself busier than ever trying to be productive, yet enjoy life….
2020 Goals: Doing less, letting go, and opening time to possibilities
“If we all did the things we are really capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves.” ― Thomas A. Edison Each year for the past four years I’ve chosen a word for setting intentions in the new year. Last year was the year of action. And was it ever. I set out to do so…
10 Best Experiences of 2019
“Life is about accepting the challenges along the way, choosing to keep moving forward, and savoring the journey.” ― Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart It’s Christmas Eve and I’m sitting in front of my candle-lit fireplace, drinking some sparkling water and sipping on a cabernet from 2017. I page through the “workbook” I’d used…
The Grand Canyon’s South Rim
Standing on the edge of a cliff, at 7,000+ feet and looking a mile into the Grand Canyon, at the iconic geologic landscape and resources ranging from 1,840 to 270 million years old offers visitors feelings of awe. As the Colorado River rushes through the park, a six million year evolution eroding the canyon to…
Albuquerque adventures offer awareness
“Don’t ‘I wonder’ through life. Just make it happen.” ― Alex Banayan, The Third Door Finding myself in New Mexico for two days, I was excited to explore the area and discover some of the unique cultures, see vast landscapes, and discover new places. This year I’ve taken a lot of action in my life. I’ve made…
Being Present on a Peaceful Trail Ride
At the beginning of this year, on January 1st, I went on a trail hike with my friend Adrienne. We talked about the goals we had for the year and what things we wanted to try. Among the many activities I had hoped to do, horseback riding was one. I’ve never been horseback riding and…
New partners and projects: Learning to grow a photo business for success in 2020
By offering a portfolio not just on my website, but also on Adobe Stock, and Shutterstock, I hope to grow my visibility as a stock photographer. I’m also working to align with Creative Market soon to allow stock photography on their platform. So I am making a decision to try to grow a stock portfolio and see what happens over the next year with revenue. Now that I have some more clarity with the direction, and I’ve done some extensive traveling, I have a new body of work to share with the world and that’s exciting!
Climbing Mount Sniktau
“He who climbs upon the highest mountains laughs at all tragedies, real or imaginary.” ― Friedrich Neitszche There’s a moment when I was climbing Mt. Sniktau while visiting Colorado in July, that I realized that I’m capable of more than I think. As my best friend and I hiked up, there were so many times we…
Colorado Travels: Standing off with bison
It’s been a few weeks since I’ve returned from my trip to Colorado and the Rocky Mountains but I’m just getting around to writing about the experiences and wanted to share the story of the time I fearlessly approached a bison and survived. My best friend Christina arrived later than expected in Colorado on Sunday, July…
Five skills I learned while training to be a Whitewater Rafting Guide
This experience has helped me to relax, calm down, and just breath. Because there’s nothing like floating along and seeing waves as fun. The first few times I looked at those waves, I was terrified. I thought I’d surely fall out of this kayak and then never get back in and have to ask for help. But that didn’t happen. In fact, I was surprised at how forgiving the kayak was, and at myself, for doing this. I was kayaking in whitewater!
Travel. Hike. Click. Write. 