Flagstaff (& more), Arizona

October 4-11, 2025

It was time for another work conference for Jason. He had 3 random weeks off to choose from, so he told me to look at what NWAS had going on during those time frames and pick one. Fall in Arizona is when the quaking aspens turn golden and with that America the Beautiful Pass in hand the Grand Canyon was a no brainer. We had a 2 full days & 5 half days to explore around his class schedule. It gave us a lot of down time, but we packed in lots of driving too. We were pleasantly surprised with the variety of scenery all within 2 hours of Flagstaff.

>>Getting Around

Rental Car – we rented a car from Alamo right at the little airport; flying directly to Flagstaff was convenient and also allowed us to fly out during a tropical storm while everyone in Phoenix was grounded

>>Stay

Little America Flagstaff – our room was very large and comfy; AC worked great; bathroom had 2 areas of sink/vanity which was perfect; this hotel is basically a resort – conference rooms, restaurant, deli/gas station, gym, heated pool/hot tub, half basketball court, playground, walking trails in the pine trees, and more; would highly recommend and only about 10 minutes from the airport

>>Eat

Northern Pines – grabbed breakfast here on Sunday morning; everything was tasty but getting food took way longer than expected; menu had nice variety
Grand Canyon Dining Room (at Cameron Trading Post) – we took our time heading north toward Page and food is pretty scarce + we were hungry, so we stopped at what seemed to be the only place that wasn’t BK or an awning on the side of the street; the building itself was really cool and it was very busy, but the food was okay at best

Fiesta (Page) – great margs and Mexican food; I ate & enjoyed every bite of my enchiladas; friendly and fast service – was recommended by our guide at Antelope Canyon


Ahi Poke – pretty much a build you own poke bowl place, which I love & we don’t have one at home anymore; very clean and friendly staff; located in nice shopping center; more options than we were used to and everything was fresh and delicious

Pizzicletta at Dark Sky Brewery – wood fired pizzas with nontraditional toppings; pretty good beer; family style seating at long high tops; gelato left something to be desired (salted flavors were extra salty) but we devoured our entire pizza

Rendezvous – great vibes for after dinner drinks; known for espresso martinis and mine did not disappoint


Eat & Run – health conscious place with great hot sandwich options and some flatbreads on lavash; service was quick and our food was really good; great price for portions

The Vault (Sedona) – Sedona gets a reputation for the food scene but honestly I found Flagstaff had more to offer; I made a reservation on the patio for just before sunset; food was good but didn’t wow us, zero complaints about service or time to receive good, the vibe and scenery were worth it; watched moon rise on the patio and that was pretty cool; great cocktail menu


Yavapai Tavern (Grand Canyon) – great cold draft beer; mediocre food – I felt what we had at King’s Canyon/Sequoia parks was much better quality and taste, but you’re pretty limited at GCNP unless you bring your own food; nice spot to drink and watch sports on tv

Historic Brewing (Williams location) – I loved this place and would have gone here every day happily; our pizza was awesome and the flight of 6 beers left me loving everything I tasted; great patio with spacious indoor options too


Toasted Owl (east location) – fun concept, very eclectic; we each had different sandwiches that were tasty and portions were good; seems like a good brunch spot

Grand Canyon Brewing (Williams location)  – we enjoyed a few beers while browsing the food menu and decided not to eat here, although we heard nothing but good about the food; it was similar to what everyone else serves and we had tacos on the brain

Nany’s Tacos (Williams) – authenic Mexican tacos; it got really busy the longer we were there; everything we tried was amazing and the owner was very kind; recommended by the owner of Poozeum and he wasn’t wrong

SoSoBa – on a cool, rainy day this fit the mood perfectly; we had the BEST chicken appetizer of my life and each ordered a different ramen; this was my first experience with real Ramen and it was very tasty, I even used chopsticks the whole time; would recommend; the girl at the hotel lobby desk suggested this place and we loved it

Sweet Shoppe Candy Store – makes their own beer peanut brittle so duh, we got some

Drinking Horn Meadery – we tried about 12 flavors and had fun guessing what each one was after a taste; we did not love any of these and decided we are beer or wine over mead people; the theme is fun and you can order a mead out of a drinking horn to keep

Lumberyard Brewery – the weather was still crummy so we walked across Route 66 for more beer; this place was packed on the restaurant side, but we grabbed seats at the bar right away; all the beer was great and food looked – again the menus were all looking the same so we opted not to eat here


Cafe Stella Modern Italian – we learned how important a reservation is downtown on a Friday night, but they got us in after about an hour wait (everywhere else was longer) we spent walking around all the local shops; there is a couple hundreds year old pasta sauce recipe they use so we obviously ordered that – the “pork chop” was more like a falling off the bone roast + I ordered a side of steak to eat with it as well; super cute place with good food

>>Play

WHAT WE DID THIS TRIP in the order visited:

Sunset Crater National Monument [A’a Trail, Cinder Hills Overlook, Lava Flow Trail] – annual parks pass got us in, but with current government shutdown was free for everyone; nice trails through interesting formations of very old volcanic rock off the side of the road

Wupatki National Monument [Wukoki Pueblo, Citadel Pueblo] – took scenic Loop Hwy from Sunset Crater and enjoyed our drive; Wupatki itself was closed due to “lack of funding” so didn’t get to see the big one; Wukoki worth the short drive off main road; can climb on the remnants of a large structure

Lower Antelope Canyon (Page) – you can only go in here with a tour booked and there are only 2 groups, we went with Ken’s due to availablity; walk-ups were offered but you’re really taking a chance showing up without a reservation; there are way too many people (6 groups of 15 every 30 min) shuffling through the canyon at once so we felt like cows being herded through, HOWEVER it was gorgeous and we didn’t mind going slow to just take it all in – 100% worth it; requires closed to shoes, no bags or videoing allowed

Biidi the Arch (Page) – this was stupid close to where we went in Antelope Canyon so we gave it a look; you park behind a gas station and walk across lots of sand (basically follow the people); you quickly realize this isn’t even a true arch, but with a wide angle lens a photo makes it appear to be one – choose to wait in line for that photo or not

Aspen Nature Loop at SnowBowl – *I would go straight into the aspens then skip the rest of the trail and go back to your car* This was AWESOME while we were there! It was just about peak time for the aspens to turn gold and it was a perfect cloudless, cool day; we don’t get all “seasons” at home and we both love walking in big trees so this felt like heaven; we did the rest of the trail after the Aspen part and honestly… if you aren’t obsessed with pine trees it’s really underwhelming – if you have more time maybe just loop in the aspens twice

SnowBowl Scenic Gondola – if you KNOW you’re going to ride this thing, book tickets online the day before for way cheaper than walk up prices; base of gondola is cool area to hang out with a restaurant, bar, and stuff for kids to do even if you don’t ride up; view at the top is nice and there is a little hike up some stairs to get higher but nothing else to do – we grabbed some beers to drink up top then ended up catching last call back down

Cathedral Rock (Sedona) – this was a fun little hike that was mild/moderately strenuous for your average non-hiker (we wore hiking shoes with regular clothes); I am glad we went in the afternoon because most of our hike was in the shade vs cooking in the sun – Sedona is about 10-15º warmer than Flagstaff; the structure you climb has lots of interesting slope shapes (like a big turtle back) and we went beyond the “End of Trail” sign to the energy vortex

Tlaquepaque – gorgeous little shopping center with courtyards, live music, restaurants, etc; free parking available and a great place to walk around and burn time before a dinner reservation

Can you see me?


Grand Canyon National Park – we took 180 there then went to Williams/40 to return for different scenery; there were lots of elk and deer off 180 in the forest; gift shops, restaurants, and shuttles were running as usual even with the government shutdown – park’s pass would have got us in but the entry stations were unmanned; walked Rim Trail from Mather’s Point to Village then used shuttles; hiked to Ooh Aah Point from South Kaibab and it was shorter and more windy than expected; thought we’d spend half a day here and stayed about 8-9 hours overall


Bearizona (Williams) – think of this as drive through safari meets small zoo with restaurant and gift shops; there were so many bears! the variety of animals from both sections was impressive; enclosures give great viewing opportunities; we got lucky and got to see “Turbo” the porcupine out on her daily walk (aka run)

Poozeum (Williams) – planned to get out this way on a day this free little dino poop museum was open and we were NOT disappointed; it was very well done, organized, we laughed a lot, learned some, and it doesn’t even smell bad


STUFF WE MISSED:
Walnut Canyon National Monument was closed due to “lack of funding”
More Flagstaff stuff to do – Lowell Observatory, Arboretum, Lava River Caves, Lockett Meadow (to see more Aspens; road is closed making hike much longer)
Flagstaff food we didn’t get to try – Shift, Tinderbox, Atria, Diablo Burger, McMillan (wanted to go at happy hour), Sosta, Macy’s
Other – Cottonwood is south of Sedona and offers numerous wineries very close together, Seligman is west of Williams and inspired Radiator Springs from the movie Cars, Slide Rock State Park seems fun when it’s the heat of summer

Grand Teton National Park aka “Jackson Hole”, Wyoming

August 16-21, 2025

I have always had an interest in visiting Grand Teton National Park, we just never made it happen. It’s not a cheap place to visit. Other places took precedence. Since we got the America the Beautiful annual pass to the national parks this year I decided it was finally time.

>>Getting Around

Flying – we flew directly into Jackson, which is the only airport location within a national park. I originally though we’d come in from Idaho Falls and make the (scenic) drive in but I got a deal on these flights that I couldn’t pass up. Both are small airports. The Teton range is pretty much an airport feature in Jackson, which was an awesome way to begin our trip.

Driving – as much as this area asks you to take shuttles/buses you really need a rental. We snagged ours directly from the airport. It wasn’t cheap, so unless you want to piddle around town the whole time splurging a bit a car is the way to go. There are guided tours that can be booked & I’m sure those would pick you up in town. Jackson has a few free parking lots/garages, you just have to find them, park, and walk everywhere.

>>Stay

Sassy Moose Bed & Breakfast – the location was PERFECT for us! We were on Moose Wilson near shops and restaurants sandwiched between a short ride southeast into Jackson town itself or north into the park toward Moose. Natallia is the sweetest host who cooks a hearty (included) breakfast daily and serves it at 8am. We were able to enjoy this amenity every other day because we like to beat the crowds to the trails. Our room was cozy and very clean. The bed & pillows were comfortable. We had a wood burning fireplace that was never used and there’s no air conditioning – it was cold enough at night to open the window and sleep without issue. A ceiling fan would go a long way. Luckily we brought our little portable fans with us. Each room also had a mini fridge. Natallia loaned us bear spray and has great knowledge of the area and numerous different hikes.

>>Hike/Play

First and foremost, National Parks require a park pass to enter. We purchased the America the Beautiful annual pass (online, arrived in 5-7 days). There is no entry reservation required for this park. Passes can be purchased at the entry gate.

Delta Lake from Lupine Meadows parking lot – logged 7.8miles & 2476ft ascent; some foresty shaded areas of gradual incline until switchbacks that aren’t too steep (views overlook Taggart & Bradley Lakes), in one switchback you take log stairs off the maintained trail to some boulder fields; staying RIGHT across the boulders keeps you moving across instead of climbing up to come back down (which is what staying left would do); there is a short steep climb and suddenly you are at the lake

View of Taggart & Bradley Lakes from trail

Jenny Lake Loop via String Lake parking lot – logged 9.14miles & 1015ft ascent (if you stay on the lake trail it is way less); included Inspiration Point & first Moose Pond; lots of shady walking until you reach the ferry areas; saw mom & baby moose near Surprise Falls but no other major wildlife

Snake River White Water Rafting – Mad River Boat Trips: Small Boats… Big Adventure! School bus shuttles everyone to the launch point for an 8 mile stretch of rapids (level 2 & 3 at most); river ride was an hour and half as the season is winding down; so much fun for our first white water experience!

Drive the 42 Mile Scenic Loop – spend as much or as little time at viewpoints as you go; makes for a fun, more relaxing day; we went a little further north than Leek’s Marina & decided we didn’t want to add Yellowstone into an already long day; GuideAlong App was nifty but not necessary; went to Elk Flats twice to watch the bison and ended the day at Schwabacher’s Landing; highly recommend for scenery and wildlife

Laurance Rockefeller Center to Phelp’s Lake Loop – via Lake Creek Loop & Woodland Trail logged 3.52miles & 425ft ascent; tackled this as a sunrise hike (to be back for 8am breakfast) and had the whole place to ourselves until the last quarter mile of our return; had a magical moment with a big bull elk and 2 mule deer fawns still wearing spots; nice and peaceful

Raptor Discovery at Teton Raptor Center – neat birds of prey rehad facility; masters of the sky hour is what we attended in a gorgeous revamped old barn; saw 3 of their ambassador birds up close and learned lots about them; also learned a lot about what all the facility does

Mill Iron Ranch 2 hr Trail Ride – letting a horse climb 2000ft for you? yes please; scenery was great, views of Tetons in distance, horses are full of personality and well loved, trail was dry and dusty but very much worth it; property of the ranch is a great little spot

Goose
Deets

These activities were in the order we did them. Other things on my to-do list that time or weather did not permit were: Snow King Mountain Snow King Lite Evening passes (coaster, slide, mini golf, maze, gondola), Aerial Tram at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, National Museum of Wildlife Art, Astoria Hot Springs, via Ferrata, hikes: Phelp’s Lake Loop, Taggart Lake to Bradley Lake, Grand View Point, Lake of the Crags, Heron Pond to Swan Lake

>>Eat

Grabbed hiking snacks at the little Target Grocery between airport and our b&b. Gotta admit we had no bad food on this trip!

Cutty’s – variety of Philly cheesesteaks and sweet potato tots, pizza on another table didn’t look as yummy as our food, service isn’t fast but they were friendly
Persephone (West) – good coffee and pastries, didn’t make it back to try breakfast or more baked goods but so much looked amazing; super cute space
Mangy Moose – had hearty tacos to the left then some cold draft beers at the saloon; nachos looked huge and good at both spots; there’s a dessert I wanted in the saloon but we never made it back
Snake River Brewing – food was good but beer was better, they were slammed but it was rainy and a local concert on Snow King was sold out that night
StillWest Brewery – this place was also slammed inside and out, got spots at the bar downstairs after awhile, beer was hit or miss but it passed the time during the rain
Picnic – fancy sandwiches, cute spot
Roadhouse Taproom – good beer and extremely friendly people, it was trivia night; there is a full restaurant more in town as well
Sidewinders (on MooseWilson) – rolled in super late, we ate appetizers (wings and fancy pan dumplings) and dessert (skillet cookie with icecream) while sitting at the bar and it was all surprisingly super delicious
Blue Heron Lounge (at Jackson Lake Lodge) – views are incredible, had the best grilled cheese of my life, Jason’s burger was good, fun variety of cocktails
Dornan’s Pizza & Pasta – more gorgeous views; grabbed a pitcher of beer and a pizza that was worth the price tag; ended up with high dollar icecream from the bbq place across the parking lot too
Cafe Genevieve – drinks were okay; thought I would want brunch but the waitress talked me into a pimento hot honey chicken sandwich that was pretty good
The Local – highly recommend a happy hour reservation! All drinks & apps $15 & under were half off; this place was poppin!; drinks were great; truffle fries were okay but I did love the 2 dipping sauce options; tried out bison tartare and we ate it all
Blue Lion – easily our favorite meal of the entire trip; Jason had a drink and the lamb (the waiter chose for him between that and the elk) and I had elk bolognase, we shared dessert, there were zero crumbs left from any of the dishes; I wanted to try so much more of their food!
The Bird – this is south of Jackson so we caught it after leaving Mill Iron on the way back up; worth the few minutes drive and more awesome views; huge draft beers and most delicious burgers made from brisket (wasn’t ready for my bun to be an english muffin); wings looks amazing on another table

Majestic Mountain Loop, California

May 25-21, 2025

Y’all already know I was mystified by the redwoods of northern California, so the obvious next step was visiting Sequoia National Park. After doing research on this area I learned it is adjacent to King’s Canyon National Park AND only a few hours from Yosemite National Park. Choosing between potential for less crowds with all hikes being open in the fall or catching peak waterfall season, I opted for May and booming falls. We spent 3 nights each hotel and it felt like enough even though no one will ever complain about more.

>>Getting Around

Flying – we flew into Fresno, CA and it was a 2 hour drive to Yosemite or just over an hour to get to Sequoia & King’s Canyon (often called SeKi) from there. The directions are easy but the roads gets very windy as you enter the High Sierras

Driving – there are shuttle services to get to and within the valley of Yosemite, so while it is possible to have a great time that way without a car it is so much better to have your own wheels! The parks are huge with lots of scenic drives that have gorgeous viewpoints and trailheads branching off of them. Public transit can get you to a few spots but then you’re running on their schedule instead of your own. There are multiple rental car companies located at/within the Fresno airport.

Shuttles – Yosemite has a free shuttle within the valley area of the park. Sequoia has a free shuttle system most major spots you’ll want to visit, but there is not one in King’s Canyon at all. It was nice to park the car early and use the shuttles to get around whenever possible.

>>Stay

Yosemite View Lodge – I couldn’t get reservations within the park when I booked, but this place was great. They are located 2 miles from the Arch Rock entrance (which was never very busy and we were there Memorial Day weekend) so the drive in and out was easy. It’s all along the river and gorgeous. The room was a little dates but clean and comfy. The laundry room was a nice bonus. Has restaurants on site. All rooms have a kitchenette if you want to cook and our balcony was along the river. Would absolutely stay here again. The shower head was super wimpy, but that isn’t a deal breaker. *Bonus: it has AIR CONDITIONING. You’ll quickly learn most in park places to stay do not.

John Muir Lodge (King’s Canyon) – a little dated but very cozy and everyone was very friendly. They don’t have enough parking. They don’t have air conditioning. But the location is unbeatable! This is the most central place to stay if you’re doing both King’s Canyon and Sequoia parks. While we were there it was around 80ºF during the day and dipped into the high 40s to low 50s at night – so opening the window and using the fan actually made it really comfortable to sleep at night. Our room had a mini fridge and a little keurig coffee situation. There is a microwave and drip coffee available in the lobby, which is also a major hangout area for guests in the evenings. The patios have rocking chairs that were a great spot to wind down as well.

>>Hike/Play

First and foremost, these are National Parks so you do need a park pass to enter. We purchased the America the Beautiful annual pass (online, arrived in 5-7 days) because we’re hitting at least 5 parks within a 6 month period. Check for extra entry requirements for your park and your dates! Yosemite also required a dated pass for the holiday (as well as their busy season), which I got online a month before for $2. If you aren’t able to get that pass we could have entered the park before 6 am or after 2 pm without one. They don’t come kick you out if you got in before the station was manned.

WHAT WE DID AT YOSEMITE:
Mist Trail to Nevada Falls & John Muir back – about 6.5 miles, you’ll get wet on Mist Trail so we had ponchos, not crazy strenuous and great views throughout; would do again
Cloud’s Rest – I was unable to get Half Dome hike permits from both lotteries, so we opted to give Cloud’s Rest trail a go – drove 80 minutes from hotel to trailhead via Tioga Pass (it opened the day before we went), made it 0.25 miles of the 13 mile hike and turned around due to snow and deep snow melt on the trail as far as we could see; would try again if visiting in summer or fall
Tenaya Lake – stopped at viewpoint to see it from the other side, we thawed our feet at this lake after wading through the frozen waters on Cloud’s Rest trailhead
Olmstead Point – stopped at viewpoint to see Cloud’s Rest & Half Dome from this elevation because if we couldn’t hike it we may as well see it from afar
Four Mile Trail (to Glacier Point) – about 9.2 miles; instead of driving another hour after our mishap of not hiking Cloud’s Rest, we decided to hike instead; spoiler alert: driving would have been smarter; this is HARD with over 3000 feet of elevation climb in 4 miles (the trail is actually 4.5); views of the valley are great on the way up; thankfully we could buy cokes and icecream at the top to resuscitate us to hike back down; would 100% recommend driving up Glacier Point Road and hiking to Sentinal Dome & Taft Point instead
Swinging Bridge – took off our shoes and froze our feet in the water of the Merced after a long hike; watched swimmers somehow go neck deep and tubes/rafts were floating by
Ansel Adams Gallery/Indian Village/Yosemite Museum– worth a stroll through all of this in the Yosemite Village area; enjoyed the slow pace after lunch at Degnan’s then grabbed a coffee to go check all this out and perk us up
Green Dragon Valley Tour – letting someone else drive us around on an open air tour sounded great after Four Mile Trail kicked our butts; passes by/stops at major viewpoints of the valley (Valley View and Tunnel View included); really helps you get your bearings and decide what you want to venture out to see on your own; recommend doing ASAP upon park arrival; 3-5pm wasn’t too hot & we didn’t freeze once the shade hit us; $40 per person
watch climbers on El Capitan – they’re harder to spot than you think but around dusk it’s cool to see their lights moving up the side of the cliff; packing a picnic or grabbing food and drinks to go and sitting in the shade of a nearby meadow to watch seemed popular and relaxing

Project Survival’s Cat Haven – from Fresno toward King’s Canyon is a big cat sanctuary and we 100% planned our travel day around stopping here; $18 per person for about 60-90 minutes & bring a water bottle because it’s hot

WHAT WE DID AT KING’S CANYON:
General Grant Tree & North Grove Loop – 1.5 miles; incredible size on these trees that you really can’t wrap your head around; easy trail that is more like a path; there are 2 big downed trees to walk though; glad we started with this trail
Big Stump Loop – 1.7 miles (give or take); less maintained but very cool to see these huge stumps; many can be climbed on; make sure to go all the way to the Mark Twain Stump; there is a pretty meadow nearby there where we saw lots of deer
King’s Canyon Scenic Byway (to Road’s End) – drove all the way to the end and stopped at viewpoints/short hikes working our way back: Muir Rock, Zumwalt Meadows (could have skipped-the loop is closed), Roaring River Falls, Knapp’s Cabin, Junction View Overlook; gorgeous in early morning blue light then seeing it again mid day everything looked totally different
Boyden Cavern – this is along the scenic byway and worth the visit; bring water shoes for the “wild exit” and prepare for your toes to freeze just a little (don’t worry it’s worth it); $17 per person and lasts about an hour; would recommend
Big Baldy – 4.7 miles, not strenuous but a nice gradual climb; most of the hike is through a burned up forest so you are in the sun quite a bit; trail was not busy at all and the 360º views at the end were more than worth the hike; would do again
Panoramic Point (for sunrise) – the road to get here is next to John Muir Lodge; we missed first light where the sky turns from black to blue because figuring out timing was iffy; road is winding and fits barely more than 1 car plus there’s a 0.5 mile paved hike to the viewpoint; made it with about 10 minutes to spare for sunrise and it was worth the early (but not early enough) wakeup

WHAT WE DID AT SEQUOIA:
General Sherman & Congress Loop (plus Cattle Cabin & Chief Sequoyah) – mileage is subjective because you can branch off so much (we had almost 4); gotta see the world’s largest tree! non negotiable; we parked at the lot here and took the shuttle around the rest of the day; lots of paved trails, branches off, and getting hands on with these giant trees – we could have happy stayed out there for days; you can connect trails here all the way down toward Crescent Meadow and beyond
Museum & Big Trees Trail – 1.2 miles from museum through looping paved trail; easy walk through more giant trees with a lush meadow in the center; numerous benches spread around to sit and rest or take it all in
Crescent Meadow trailhead: High Sierra Trail to Eagle View > Log Meadow Loop > Crescent Meadow Loop > Tharp’s Log – about 3 miles but again you can take endless trails and loops to spend all day out here if you want; lots of shade; log meadow looked like a swamp eating the old trees that fell (which was really cool); Eagle View gives similar views as Moro Rock without any crowd (flies were annoying up there); Tharp’s Log was actually lived in as a summer house so very cool to see; ladybug swarms were a pleasant surprise; would gladly do again and check out more/longer trails
Tunnel Tree, Parker Group, Booker T Washington Tree, – these were all visible from the shuttle ride

>>Eat

We LOVE food and went into this trip with an open mind. This was not a trip to have amazing meals, it was for hiking and scenery. Sometimes you can’t have both. We stopped at the grocery store in Oakhurst for snacks, granola bars, PB&J fixings, room beers, bottled water, and instant oatmeal cups.

YOSEMITE:
Meadows Taqueria (Curry Village area) – they were out of a lot of things, but we each had 3 tacos for $10 and it wasn’t too bad; hot sauce was available; market next door has really cheap canned drinks
Degnan’s Deli (Yosemite Village area) – a favorite of ours in the park; fresh sandwiches and cold sandwiches available plus hot soup; there is a coffee shop in there that was really good; cooler of drinks and beers for cheap
Mountain Room Lounge (at Yosemite Valley Lodge)- was a bit of splurge but really enjoyed ourselves; friendly staff with pretty good food and awesome drink choices; martinis and draft beer flight were top notch; we hung out here for hours
Parkside Pizza (at Yosemite View Lodge) – not cheap but pretty yummy, build your own or order off the menu, stayed busy and is only open for supper
River Restaurant (at Yosemite View Lodge) – we tried the breakfast buffet the day we were leaving to be nice and full before moving parks; about $20 per person and it was all
you can eat including non alcoholic beverages

SEKI:
Grant Grove Restaurant (right by John Muir Lodge)– the first evening there we were NOT prepared and neither were they, so here are some tips: go before 7 pm and before you start to actually get hungry, order at kiosk and grab a number with self seating or mark it to go, food is actually all pretty good!, don’t order drinks from them – after you get a number walk to the market for cokes or beers and bring them in (same with breakfast – bring in your own coffee); we ate supper here 3 days in a row and nothing we ate was bad, just be patient
Pizza Deck (at Wukaschi Lodge) – after a long day of hiking a big draft beer and this pizza was perfection, honestly this pizza was so good I think it rivals that OG nostalgic Pizza Hut experience from childhood; they were only open for lunch

FRESNO: Heirloom we waited in a LONG line to eat here; food was good and menu had lots of options; Ohana Shack passing through between parks I wanted easy location from highway and something we don’t have at home… enter Hawaiian food; this was SO GOOD with huge portions and awesome prices

Fredericksburg, Texas

April 20-24, 2025

Long story condensed: Jason qualified to run Boston Marathon, but them hoes don’t accept everyone that qualifies, so I obviously planned something else. We typically travel this particular week for our anniversary anyway. We traded in the idea of a race, throwing tea in the harbor, and visiting Sam Adams for helping give an elephant a bath (no joke). That probably tells you all you need to know about me.

>>Getting Around

Driving – you’re going to want a car not only to get there, but also to visit the many wineries, distilleries, activities, etc all within about 10-40 minutes drive; if you only want to hang out “in town” it is pretty small and walkable with a good bit to do too, I think that would get old after a day or two. If you come in from the east like us driving through Brenham (vs taking I10 to San Antonio) adds about 10 minutes to your trip and you can stop for lunch at a lot of cute spots while also visiting Blue Bell Icecream if you haven’t been there yet.

There are wine tours/trolley system and little mopeds available for a fee, but they are only offered on weekends and we were there midweek. We did meet some people using Uber to get everywhere as well.

>>Stay

Pioneer Cabin (Airbnb)- there are what seem to be endless options of places to stay, but we checked in on Easter Sunday so we were more limited. I asked my friends of Facebook for personal recommendations and narrowed it down from there by what was available for check in on a holiday afternoon. Consider this to be a small 2 person apartment (it’s actually a converted historic log cabin) with anything you might need, private parking, and a privacy gate. It was cute but of course didn’t include breakfast or snacks. The street was nice and quiet, yet still easily walkable to Main St.

>>Eat

Go into a visit on weekdays knowing many places are randomly closed any given day of the week, so check hours and consider having a little list/plan of what is open when if there is anywhere specific you want to make sure not to miss

Caliche – great coffee, had some breakfast options that looked good but we didn’t eat there
*Chase’s Place – cocktail lounge that also serves delicious locally sourced ingredient food, menu changes frequently but my taocs & Jason’s salmon were fantastic, as was dessert
*Eaker (Korean fusion bbq)- check the hours, we LOVED our food here: gochujang ribs, smoked turkey breast, and a chopped brisket sandwich
*Garrison Brothers Distillery – if you have a bourbon drinker in your party this place is worth the drive to also go eat; the elk sliders and tacos were delicous; the tour is supposed to be good and they’re known for the Frozen Dr Pepper with bourdon in it
*Hill & Vine – so nice we went there twice! Drinks were unique and delicious, the service is awesome and they make sure you love what you ordered, can recommend bison bolognese, steak frites, & sharing the nachos (everything in it is homemade and the portion is huge); don’t skip out on dessert
*Otto’s (farm to table German)– if weekend make a reservation because this place is tiny, the bread service and the duck schnitzel were awesome (trust me), Jason thought the lamb was good but not great
Rathskellen – German food in a basement, went for breakfast and it was pretty good
Rockhaus – good coffee
Sunset Grill – went for weekday breakfast and it was okay, I’ve heard great things about their weekend brunch
Sunday Supply – coffee was good, but avoid the pastries
*Zuly’s – huge delicious coffee, the BEST pastries we’ve had *anywhere*, breakfast menu looked good but we were there too early to order from the kitchen

Didn’t get to try but wanted to: food Jack’s Chop House (for Happy Hour), Hondo’s (for patio), Woerner Cafe

>>Drink

*Becker – had a really nice tasting on Main St with them, also has an “estate”
*Invention – has a large tasting room, patio is only for members but views from standing tasting inside were still pretty, looked like we were on a vineyard in Napa, purchased wine here
*Signor – had seated tasting and charcuterie board here (didn’t make a res); everything was great and the grounds are gorgeous with lots of flowers, paths, and trees to walk around with a small store on site
Altdorf Biergarten – this is a full German restaurant with a cute patio, but we only had beer and dessert as a midday snack; menu for meals looked good
Altstadt Brewery – lots of variety of drinks here, not just draft beer; has bar snacks and also a full restaurant; very pretty to sit outside and have a few
Brewbonnet Biergarden – honestly I would not recommend this place unless you want to buy plants from the nursery or shop in the store; wine was meh and they charge $5 per person to walk through a poppy field out back
*Dietz Distillery – this little hangout was next to Das Peach Haus and had really unique cocktails; staff is super friendly; can purchase their spirits and drink mixes on site
The Elk Store – speakeasy style bar on Main St with good drinks and is open later than most places
*Garrison Brothers Distillery – I had a frozen lemonade that was drinkable even though I an not a fan of bourbon; Jason did the tasting and really liked it; their food was very good and people say the actual tour is great

Didn’t get to try but wanted to: drink Augusta Vin, Baron’s Creek

>>Play

WHAT WE DID THIS TRIP:
The Preserve – for $125 per person you get to spend 1.5 hours learning about, meeting, and interacting with 3 beautiful elephants; the experience was more than we expected in the best way; offers free water bottles and has a gift shop; other animal experiences are available; the elephants seemed very content and well cared-for

OTHER OPTIONS WE MISSED OUT ON:
Hiking at Enchanted Rock – $8 per person; we wanted to book an experience there through Rock About Adventures to get more out of it but the weather never cooperated
Pioneer Museum – $12 per person
National Museum of Pacific War – $20 per person

* denotes my very favorites

Viking River Cruise – Rhine Getaway

August 5-15, 2024

Where did the idea of us taking a Viking Cruise begin? I guess it all started when Downton Abbey initially aired on tv. If you watch any kind of PBS broadcasting, you’ve seen the commercials. But how did it actually happen for us? I wanted to book a trip to Oktoberfest in Germany (through Bucket List Events), yet could not justify the long flights for that short of a trip duration. I started trying to plan an extension on my own and quickly got overwhelmed with transportation and lodging options. It was also becoming expensive very fast without even considering the cost of meals. I turned my gaze back to Viking (because no children are allowed), Jason was finally able to take 2 weeks off consecutively, and so we pulled the trigger. Seeing 4 countries without having to haul luggage around and plan things ourselves seemed relaxing. This was our first trip to Europe after all and the less stress on me (always the trip planner) the better.

>>Transportation

Hello, let Viking handle everything! Flights were $599 round trip per person through them when we booked this trip, so that was a no brainer. We flew out of Lafayette, connected in Atlanta, and landed in Amsterdam. Viking was waiting for us and walked us through every step of the way to a shuttle, the ship, etc. It is basically like being a kid guided around on a field trip and I loved that aspect. You can unpack on the ship and have it as a home base with the freedom to go on and off as you please at every stop. At the end of the cruise we were shuttled on a nice motor-coach to our hotel. There was transit scheduled to get us to the airport from Lucerne to Zurich to fly back home as well.

>>The Ship – Freya

The river boats are small with I think just under 200 rooms. It was quiet and relaxed. The upper desk had sun loungers and tables/chairs in and out of the shade where many parties played card games they brought with them (we played a lot of Phase 10 while sailing). There was a little putting & shuffleboard area as well as a small walking track too. Inside was a bar/lounge open at all times. The restaurant was only open during dining hours. The lounge did have live piano music and trivia nights that were actually rowdy and fun considering how old most of the crowd was. Our room was small, cozy, and comfortable. I’m glad we ended up at the lowest level of the ship & will touch on that later.

>>Eat

Breakfast has a buffet and a menu of food to order each day. The restaurant has about a 2 hour window in which you can go eat in the morning. The waiters were fantastic and remembered everything we wanted to drink at every meal. A lunch and dinner menu were available outside the doors every day so you could see if you wanted to buy your own meal elsewhere when docked or venture back to the ship to eat for free. Supper usually had some basic everyday options (think burger, chicken, salmon) as well as a few things local to the area we were visiting that day. Unlimited wine and beer were included at meals and mimosas were plenty at breakfast. Instead of buying drinks in the lounge after meals, they were happy to give you another full drink on your way out to enjoy on the deck. The free cookies and coffee/espresso machine were awesome. You could purchase food/drinks off the ship and bring on to enjoy without corkage fees. We surely didn’t go hungry on this trip.

>>Ports

Each evening you will have an itinerary for the next day in your room with lots of extra information about the area. A brief port talk was available in the lounge before each stop as well explaining your excursion options (free and paid) plus major points of interest. There is a free excursion included at every stop, generally a walking tour with a guide and a personal listening device. All guides are local to the port. You can choose to participate or simply venture out alone and make sure to return to the ship on time. All guests scan in and out using their room key. Water bottles were provided on your way off the ship.

Amsterdam – we started here severely jet lagged; left luggage with the ship and had quick guided walking tour where she showed us how to get through the train station, made suggestions of directions to walk, and brought us in a really old cathedral; the city is basically the New Orleans of the Netherlands, smelly and quite the party scene; walked through the red light district, then pub to pub trying draft beers and using their restrooms (you have to pay to use toilets otherwise); it really was a whirlwind since we had been awake so long after minimal sleep on the flight over
Kinderdijk – felt like home but with windmills; marshy area with super old working windmills people still live in and maintain; more interesting than we expected and got to tour inside one of the windmills; there is a nice gift shop and a small cafe where you get a little free time
Cologne – the walking tour took us across the bridge full of padlocks, around the outside of the massive cathedral, and included time to go inside; weather was a perfect sunny day which made the stained glass really show off from inside cathedral; talked with guide after the tour and had food/beer at a few places he recommended; freshened up with coffee on boat and walked to Lindt Museum while wandering the streets in this beautiful city; wild green parrots greeted us as we crossed a small bridge right near the dock
Koblenz – very interesting history and walking tour here; the courtyard around the small church was stunning; saw pieces from the Berlin wall and a giant thumb statue; had free time to shop and explore on our own; popped into more old cathedrals and had a few beers; was a gorgeous small town where we would have liked a little more time
Scenic Sailing: Castles of the Middle Rhine – sailed by 21 castles with live commentary about them from 1:30pm for about 3 hours; we were there during a heat wave and many napped or went inside as the heat set in; I stayed on upper deck watching the numerous small waterfront towns pass by with giant old castles in many different physical states looming over them
Rudesheim – small city where many shops close pretty early; restaurants stayed open and many had supper off the ship and found live music; after 2 loops through the small town and a few glasses of wine I was tired (I also sat on that hot deck all day) and opted to dine aboard the ship; facetimed my mom and had wine on the deck after dinner to relax and unwind
Speyer – we were tired of guides and took off here on our own; cathedral here was maybe my favorite of the whole trip and was one of the oldest; gorgeous clean little town where we walked around the main streets eating and drinking whatever looked good and enjoying the clear sunny day; stopped in a nice garden for more beers on the way back to the dock
Petit France/Strasbourg – summer was poppin and flowers/plants were blooming everywhere, which nicely masked how France was dirtier than Germany; we walked through Petit France and it looked straight out of Beauty & the Beast with people sitting in their windows and milling about; Strasbourg was BUSY (guide warned us of pickpockets) but the architecture was amazing; city center near carousel had live music and dancers on a stage; the cathedral was closed for a mass with a crazy long line, but we did climb the tiny spiral staircases to the top (8 euro per person) and the views were amazing; lots of free time for shopping; tried flambee tarte at the cutest restaurant patio for lunch
Breisach – small and not touristy; yards near port had beautiful gardens; city is built up a hill with a very old cathedral at the top, so we climbed the hill to go see inside and it was worth it; not much in way of food or beverages and most did not take cards but the scenery was nice; they had the biggest hibiscus flowers I’ve ever seen in many colors
The Black Forest – motorcoached us to this destination with commentary along the route; nice nature hike to waterfall, cuckoo clock demonstrations, and black forest cake demonstration; not much else to do unless you go eat in the restaurant here; world’s largest cuckoo clock goes off on the hour
Lucerne (extention) – motorcoached from Basel to Hotel Montana Lucerne; hotel was amazing and clean (hooray AC) and breakfast was included; free shuttle passes provided to help us get around without walking a ton; included walking tour with guide was nice; food is SO EXPENSIVE; booked paragliding with Paragliding Luzern and have no regrets – it was an amazing experience and worth every cent; Peters Brauhaus was our favorite meal; bought local Swiss chocolate bars in a local bakery and wish we’d bought more; did the Mount Pilatus “Golden Ticket” counterclockwise (you can Google what all that entails) and just wow! This is the start of the Swiss Alps and the scenery is breathtaking, ferry ride back was relaxing with even more gorgeous views; also climbed the old watchtower wall & the clocktower; walked to Lion Monument

>>Cost

I HATE reading about trips and they never tell you what they paid, so here it is with all prices per person:
Cruise fare $2899
Air Fare $599 (regular $1899)
Lucerne Extension $899 (hotel, transportation, & breakfast included)
Travel Insurance $599 (optional)
Grand Total = $4996
We booked direct through Viking, but now my TA friend is an agent for them and we would use her in the future. This all required a $50 deposit per person & travel insurance had to be paid up front.

>>Final Thoughts

We couldn’t help but notice that every day aboard the Freya, the restaurant was getting warmer and warmer. Mind you it was an actual heat wave going on outside and we get that. However, we should not have been sweating through all of our garments while trying to eat meals. Servers’ white button downs were drenched. We felt awful for the staff knowing they were probably even more miserable than us. It was beyond uncomfortable by the last couple nights. On our final night aboard they finally announced that the AC had completely gone out and we were running on half of the generator power we should have been. Our room got to about 78F while rooms on the 3rd floor were in the 90s. That is not okay! Especially for the premium prices you pay with a company such as Viking. There was no apology or remorse from them. I think they kept that boat running knowing the issues and hoping the weather would cool down enough to make it less obvious. Freya is one of the oldest of the ships in the river fleet. It was clean and well kept cosmetically. 

All that being said… had the air never gone out I would have ZERO complaints about this trip. Not. A. One. Now that it’s been months, would I do it again? Probably. I would research the ship before booking the trip and book on one of the newest – which could of course change before departure. I loved the fact that our hotel drove us around. There is a Viking Ocean Cruise that hits all the islands in the Caribbean from Puerto Rico that I’ve been eyeballing pretty hard. I know their ocean ships are much bigger and offer a lot more. They also have some Mediterranean cruises that hit Spain, Greece, Italy, Croatia, etc that are appealing.

Disney World – Orlando, FL

May 11-17, 2024

Well, it happened. We went back to Disney! Star Wars land was only a concept and the skyliner was being built on our last (Jason’s first ever) visit, so we discussed coming back after about 5 years. A lot has changed! But we are still two big kids at heart. With the help of our friend Ashley (she’s a Magical Vacation Planner) we had a fantastic time.

>>Getting Around

Mears Connect Shuttle – this used to be a free service under a different name, but like much else with Disney these days, we paid for an airport shuttle to and from our resort
Bus Transportation – gets you from any Disney resort to any park and from park to park, we used the bus to and from AK and MK
Water Transportation – still available, but we didn’t use it this time
The Monorail – more direct transportation, runs through some resorts and from Magic Kingdom to Epcot (and vice versa)
SkyLiner – so easy, we intentionally stayed at a resort with this option that took us directly to Epcot & HS

>>Stay

Pop Century Resort – this place was huge! There were numerous pools and a huge cafeteria for food options. It was nice to do a little grab & go for items we could eat for breakfast the next day. The room setup was nice and comfortable. We used the murphy bed for naps or resting before showering, then packed it up and slept in the other bed once clean (we were very stinky and sweaty because it was May). The 24 hour staff was really helpful and even loaned us a box fan for our room. Easy access to bus system and skyliner.

>>Eat

DISNEY DINING PLAN: we booked the regular plan (includes 1 quick-service meal, 1 table-service meal, & 1 snacks or non alcoholic drinks per person, per day) – each actual meal included our choice of one regular or alcoholic (obvious choice) beverage; the table service meals were a drink, (no longer includes an app), entree, and dessert pretty much everywhere that wasn’t buffet style; book your table-service meal reservations 90 days in advance (our Disney agent did this for us); you get a refillable mug to use for coffee, tea, and water all day long at the resorts; at the end CASH OUT everything you have left for airplane snacks
BRINGING FOOD IN: many people don’t realize you can bring a backpack with all your own food and drinks into the parks, just be prepared to lug it around all day, Jason carried a refillable water bottle that we filled at water fountains all over the parks while I lived my best fanny pack life

*DS Art Smith’s Homecomin (brunch) – this place was really good for brunch, the drinks and desserts were something I would have happily paid out of pocket to enjoy, brunch reservation was really difficult to come by but our travel agent worked magic days before our trip
*AK Yak & Yeti – everyone should eat here, it was just as delicious as we remembered! seriously thought we hyped it up in our minds
EC Via Napoli – this place was pretty good, pizza was better than pasta IMO, I think we both preferred Tutto Italia
*HS Roundup Rodeo – I was pretty apprehensive about this one, but our travel agent suggested it and let me tell you… the biscuits are something I will dream of! It is an all you can eat family style bbq with all the fixins, the ribs were tasty and the mac & cheese was a pleasant surprise, super cute Toy Story theme throughout and you have to freeze when Andy’s coming
Ohana – Let me start by telling you NO ONE needs 2 all you can eat meals in one day even at Disney, this was pretty good for something different and the resort (Polynesian) is lovely but it was not a favorite possibly because we weren’t very hungry after all the bbq
*HS Oga’s Cantina – not a meal but required reservation so it’s on this list, I scheduled our reservation for AFTER the park is closed allowing us time to roam around Star Wars land with almost no one else around, the drinks are wacky (bubbling with glitter or tingly lips included) but tasty and really fit the theme, any Star Wars fan should at least have a visit although you can easily wind up with a high bar tab
MK Skipper’s Canteen Lunch – there was lamb on the menu and I wanted Jason to get to eat it, honestly we had already tried so many different types of meals this was keeping the variety in what we ate, the theme is fun and MK doesn’t offer much in the 1 meal credit range so this was not a bad choice

Quick Service Meals – HS Fairfax Fare potato bowls with meat, HS Baseline Tap House for beer flights, AK Pongu Pongu giant pretzel with beer cheese + margaritas, AK Tamu Tamu dole whip float with Ace Pineapple, AK Flame Tree BBQ mac with pulled pork + marg, AK pricky pear marg at random stand, E Kringla Baken Norway sweets + frozen viking coffee with alcohol, E Regal Eagle Smokehouse pulled pork sandwich + draft beer, MK Gastons cinnamon roll, MK Auntie Gravity’s salted caramel soft serve iced coffee, HS Docking Bay 7 breakfast wraps + beer, HS Woody’s Lunchbox breakfast bowl + beer

From my list but didn’t make it there – DS Polite Pig, DS 4 Rivers Cantina Barbacoa Truck, Beaches & Cream for No Way Jose sundae, Jellyroll’s Dueling Piano Bar @ Boardwalk

>>Play

TICKETS: we had a 6-Day Ticket with Park Hopper Option – if you’re trying to do this as cheap as possible, you can go regular ticket option, but we enjoyed visiting multiple parks per day and having dinner reservations at any park
Virtual Que – when we went you could only ride Guardians of the Galaxy & Tron via Virtual Que BUT we purchased tickets for Magic Kingdom After Hours and it was a standby line for Tron; if you wake up at 6:55am and open your Disney app to book a VQ spot then it was VERY easy to obtain one right at 7am when they become available; if you’ve used it and scanned in to the other park you can get one for the opposite ride at 1 pm the same day but not the same ride twice
EXTRA MAGIC HOURS/ROPE DROP: Disney resort guests get extra time in parks that others don’t so it tends to be a little less busy – plan to be waiting at the park for it to open to get in line for any major ride really want to get on quickly that day as long as the ride isn’t “down”, if you stay in the park until it’s closing you can sometimes hop on rides again with a shorter wait
SINGLE RIDER LINES: some rides have a single rider line that has little to no wait time, we rode Everest about 3-4 times in a row within an hour this way, Smuggler’s Run was also extra fast via single rider
GENIE+/LIGHTNING LANES: you can essentially pay extra for Fast Passes (another thing that used to be free) to help preplan your day and theoretically decrease your wait times, we did NOT pay extra for anything and rode all rides we wanted and the longest wait time was 30 minutes

How Our Days Played Out Without Paying For Genie+/LL
SUNDAY @ Hollywood Studios: 7:40a in line for skyliner – rope drop Rise of Resistance, Smuggler’s Run, ToyStory Mania (Slinky & Tower of Terror were down) – left at 10a for brunch – watch 1:15p Indiana Jones show – Star Tours (fun if you’re short because my legs were swinging all over), Muppets 3D, Runaway Railway *30 min wait* – beer break – Lightning McQueen (this was awful), Tower of Terror *30 min wait* – supper break – Smuggler’s Run again – Toy Story Mania again
MONDAY @ Animal Kingdom: 6:45a get on bus – rope drop Flights of Passage, 3 rides in a row in Expedition Everest, Kilimanjaro Safari – boozy Dole Whip break – 10a Festival of Lion King show – margarita break – Macaw flyover, bird show – lunch break – Jungle Trek and Gorilla Falls – margarita break – sipping through Tree of Life gardens, Everest again – dinner break
MONDAY AFTER HOURS (10p-1a) @ Magic Kingdom: 9:20p fireworks in the rain – in line for Tron at 10 & off at 10:20, back in line for Tron at 10:30 & off at 10:55 to ride front row, Haunted Mansion, 2 times on Big Thunder Mountain, Mine Train went down as we walked through line, Space Ranger Spin, meet Cinderella, ride Carousel – I ate 6 mickey ice cream bars and a strawberry bar while Jason had 3 boxes of popcorn and we each had 2 Cokes – we got in bed around 3am after showering
TUESDAY @ Epcot: 6:55a alarm for Guardians VQ and ended up in group 4 so got ready asap – ride Guardian’s *Disco Inferno*, walk through butterfly garden and Moana Way of Water – breakfast break – walk the World Showcase and look at topiaries for Flower & Garden Festival – lunch while it stormed – Beauty and the Beast Sing-a-long while it stayed rainy – dinner and bed because we were so tired
WEDNESDAY Park Hopping: 7am VQ for Guardians – start at Epcot to rope drop Remy’s (delayed for a rainy tornado warning but we got to ride), Mission Space – lunch break – hop to HS to meet Mandalorian, Edna Mode, & Dark Vader then ride Tower of Terror again – hop to Epcot to meet Elsa & Ana, taste all the cokes, and ride Guardians again *I Ran* – dinner break – hop to HS to ride Toy Story Mania, Smugglers Run, and at park close walked onto Slinky Dog Dash – hang around in empty park until reservation at Oga’s Cantina @ 9:45p
THURSDAY Park Hopping: 7am VQ for Guardians – start at HS to rope drop Rise of the Resistance again, Tower of Terror – breakfast break – hop to Epcot for Guardians again *Conga* – hopped to MK and got VQ for Tron at 1:15p – lunch break- Swiss Family Treehouse, Enchanted Tiki Room (mainly for AC bc WTF was that), 3 pm parade – snack break – Meet Stitch – Tron was down all day and our group was 90 something so we went back to resort, showered, packed, had dinner, and called it a night since airport pickup was at 3:30a

Other Stuff Worth Mentioning – don’t try to wear cute shoes because you’re gonna walk til ya drop every day; bring a poncho (some rides will get ya wet and it does rain in Florida); there are really great margaritas all over Animal Kingdom; Magic Band pays for everything, gets you in lines, and is your hotel room key; **VQ info** you cannot be late to a Tron callback window but you can show up to Guardians any time after you were called and they will let you on

* denotes my very favorites

Chicago, Illinois

September 23-27, 2023

Food? Good. Museums? Good. Weather? Supposed to be good. So off we went! Also, I haven’t visited since I was a kid and Jason had never been. The YOU! Exhibit at Museum of Science and Industry really stuck with me. I wanted Jason to see it.

>>Getting Around

CTA – public transit is booming in Chicago, so we paid $25 each for a 5 day unlimited pass for the trains and buses; there is a direct line from O’Hare airport to downtown; once we figured out how to tell each colored line apart and which direction was which we were good to go the rest of the trip… it only took 3 wrong trains with our luggage haha

>>Stay

Publishing House Bed & Breakfast (West Loop)- my cousin owns a commercial design company in Chicago, she recommended this place to us and it was perfect! 11 rooms with private bathrooms, lots of special touches and amenities, beautiful shared spaces that were very comfortable, a stocked butler’s pantry and fresh made breakfast to order each morning, plus plenty more I’m sure I am forgetting but we would return and recommend!

>>Eat

*Green Street Smoked Meats – we tried to get a late lunch at Cheval since it’s supposed to be the best burger in the area, but the wait there was well over an hour so we walked right into this bbq joint with a huge bar and felt at home; the brisket sandwich was delicious and Jason enjoyed his burger; don’t expect fries as a side option but for the speed and quality of the food it was worth the price tag… also we were that commute off the plane big hungry
Poke Poke – when you’re travel day tired and want something quick to go, Poke is always a great option; they were so friendly and the food was delicous
Giordano’s (Chicago style pizza)- because we all need that deep dish while in 2nd city; this place was highly rated on Google and a great spot to walk for lunch between visiting Shedd Aquarium & Field Museum; we got all the meats and did our best to share a whole small pizza, which would be ideal for 3 people to eat; this was also a good spot to watch football and drink a pitcher of draft beer while that pizza cooks!
Duck Duck Goat – the hype around The Girl & The Goat on the internet had me scouring menus and this one suited me better; the hot & sour soup was very different but delicious, the drinks were okay but nothing special, and the slap noodles were tasty but heavy on chili powder flavor for us; the setup of this place is awesome though and really transports you to street vendors in Asia (at least how I’d imagine it since we haven’t been there)
**Trivoli Tavern – if you take away anything from this list let it be to MAKE A RESERVATION HERE, ours was during happy hour so we shared rolls with truffle butter, I had a teeny espresso martini that was so good, house wine, and Jason devoured a meatball slider… then to the entrees after HH ended: homemade vodka rigatoni & truffle bucatini – yes you need BOTH they are both so delicious with such different flavors! I will dream about these pastas forever; then we took a stab at the Butterfinger Pie and as delicious as it was that is a 5-6 people dessert lol; I seriously almost made a reservation to go back here again the next day; the menu is very eclectic so I wasn’t expecting to love our food so much
Pippin’s – had a few draft beers and shared French Onion Bombs & Blackened Steak Bites from small plates, then shared the daily lunch special from the signature carvery (a toasted turkey sandwich on focaccia with rosemary mayo & homemade chips) and the deal on that delicious lunch speical probably can’t be beat in the city!
Press Room (Happy Hour)– this gorgeous spot is hidden away in the basement under the B&B we stayed in; we went for HH to share the charcuterie and enjoy a few glasses of wine; the vibe is there is super chill and classy
Viaggio – instead of eating pasta we already tried, I made a reservation here to try someone else’s pasta; the staff was extremely friendly and attentive, I’m glad we gave them business, their food was good, but our (shared/giant) chicken parmesan did not hold a candle to the pasta from Trivoli

Goose Island Brewing – Sofie is such a delicious draft beer that when I saw her “house” was in the West Loop area I knew we had to go, we built our own flight to try numerous delicious beers, Matilda was also a regular of theirs I had never had that is super tasty, we actually hung out with a Roussell and an Hebert at the bar there lol – small world
Northman Beer/Cider Garden – stopped in for a “snack” drink after our architecture river boat tour, the ciders were top notch & Jason enjoyed his beer, a chill outdoor spot on the River Walk that did have live acoustic music while we were there

Didn’t get to try but wanted to: food Aba, The Publican, Cheval, Goddess & The Baker; drink Lazy Bird, The Library, LondonHouse Rooftop Bar, On Tour Brewery, District Brew Yards

>>Play

WHAT WE DID THIS TRIP: **CityPass** got us in to the first 5 places on this list!
Architecture River Tour – this sounds like a lame thing old people would do, but it was really fun, they sell dranks on the boat, and the tour guides really make it entertaining
Shedd Aquarium – huge variety, nice layout, it was pretty busy on a Sunday morning, we spent 2-2.5 hours here
Field Museum – this building alone is a stunner, reminded me a lot of the museums in DC, home of Sue the T-Rex we learned about in school, nice variety of exhibits, spent 2-3 hours here
Museum of Science & Industry – this was a huge reason we took this trip and my memory did not let me down, we started with the Pompeii Exhibit (paid a little extra) then made our way to the 3rd story and worked our way down; this exhibits have a lot of hands-on interactive components and if you stop to try them all you can spend an entire day in here; had to eat lunch here because we were nowhere near done; I was getting overly tired by the time we got to the U-505 so we skipped the Fairy Castle, Farm Tech, Space Center, & Pioneer Zephyr; spent 6.5 hours here!
SkyDeck – city views from top of Willis/Sears Tower; elevator ride is only about a minute long which is really impressive; 360 views in every direction; express entry tickets were included with CityPass which was nice since we ended up there at sunset so it was a little busy; you can spend 90 seconds in one of the glass boxes that jut out from the side of the building
CloudGate aka The Bean – walked around Millenium Park at dusk looking for this and it was all gated off due to construction around it, we laughed about it
Crime & Mob Bus Tour – I had tentative plans for us to visit the Lincoln Park Zoo & Conservatory as well as a rooftop bar and speakeasy on our last full day, but the weather had other plans so we needed something more indoorsy; Jason found this tour and we booked it for the same day; it was interesting and you do make a couple stops to move around (in my case wake me up after a big lunch) and see Nitti’s Vault

* denotes my very favorites

Other Stuff Worth Mentioning – the West Loop area we stayed in was very walkable with lots of great shopping, restaurants, and bars + bowling, mini golf, arcade, rock climbing gym, & karaoke; Guinness was finally reopening their brewery there (since C-v*d) the day after we left

Banff, Canada

August 12-19, 2023

Around October of last year I finally signed Jason up to attend a work conference in Banff for the summertime. We had a 2 full days & 5 half days to explore around his class schedule. It gave us nice breaks between more strenuous adventures and the weather was fantastic for 80% of our time there. This trip was a DREAM and everything I hoped it would be.

>>Getting Around

The Airporter – if you don’t want to rent a car you’re in luck, this trip is still possible! Probably the best transit to get you from the airport in Calgary to Banff town is called the airporter; we did not use this option but they offered a discount to participants of the conference
ROAM – the local shuttle system is efficient and encouraged; our hotel provided free passes to use this service up and down the mountain into downtown but it’s generally $1 per ride per person with young children being free; these buses run to many attractions/hike trailheads and can even get you into the nearby town of Canmore
Walking – staying in town/downtown Banff makes many things to see, eat, and do pretty walkable; our hotel was up a mountain so we shuttled down and walked a lot; there is a free parking lot available on the edge of town but everything else is limited/paid
Private Shuttles/Tours – there are numerous services you can hire to plan out a day of exploring without your own car and they will take you to multiple stops, Brewster and Open Top seemed to be pretty popular but there are lots of options! Visiting Lake Louise & Lake Moraine have a whole other group of shuttles available as well (we used ROAM that day)
Bikes/E-Bikes – bikes are available to rent and ride around the area; an ebike was especially nice to ride around the golf course, Lake Minnewanka, & Vermillion Lakes areas; there is a designated bike path from Canmore through Banff and it will even get you up to the Bow Valley Parkway
Rental Car – we rented a car from Alamo at the airport, drive to Banff was around an hour and a half if taken without stops, the highway views are beautiful as you head toward the mountains

>>Stay

Rimrock Resort – due to the conference nature of this trip, we stayed where they held it and had a block of rooms available; this place was beautiful and all the staff were very nice, but it is about 2.5 miles up a mountain from downtown (located very near the Banff Gondola) so taking off on foot without riding the shuttle down seemed like a bad idea, the area was very nice and quiet though! Jason would have preferred somewhere he could run out of the door in the morning, but made use of the treadmills that had a great mountain view

>>Eat

* denotes my very favorites (the more *** the better)

Canadian Brewhouse (Cochrane) – stopped in from the airport before grabbing a few things from Walmart, good cold beer options on draft, decent poutine
**Bear Street Tavern – shared Godfather pizza with no olives and it was divine, comes with honey & chili oil to dip it in, nice selection of canned local beers
Truffle Pigs (Fields) – the icecream downstairs has unique flavors and was delicious! shared the spare pork rib and it wasn’t bad but the food is a bit of asian fusion style so the flavors were pretty different
Tommy’s Pub – quiet spot for a burger, I had a “steak sandwich” which apparently in that area means a grilled steak on top of garlicy Texas toast with a side of fries
*Banff Sushi House – I took tuna poke to go but they have a little train that carries plates of sushi and appetizers around the table and you grab what you want to eat, which was really cool
*Cliffhouse Bistro – unbeatable views, shared the biggest order of nachos I’ve ever seen (so share a single order if you don’t have 4+ people), strawberry smash was a great cocktail
*Iron Goat (Canmore) – nice views from patio, pizza was good but not my favorite we had on this trip, baked brie was everything
*St James Gate Olde Irish Pub – had dark beers on draft (hooray), shared apps for meal which was plenty of wings (10) and spinach & artichoke dip with homemade foccacia
**Hello Sunshine – fantastic sushi with some rolls half priced from 4-5 on weekdays, the Ramen looked tasty at the table next to us, has karaoke in the back room
*Tooloulou’s – listed as cajun so we avoided those style dishes for obvious reasons, there was Tony’s and Louisiana Hot Sauce on the table though! Jason had a steak tip wrap that he said was very good and I had the BIGGEST raspberry french toast ever with a side of cajun potatoes, breakfast til 2 pm daily and it was so good
Saffron – shared lamb appetizer and it was 2 pieces while menu said 3 but the server did inform us upon ordering, also had butter chicken but it didn’t come with rice so we got garlic naan to eat it with, asked for spicy and food was good but not spicy at all
**Elk & Oarsman – shared a flight of beer, the BEST elk tacos, and ordered ravioli but they were out so got Oarsman flatbread pizza and no mistakes were made
***The Bison – HANDS DOWN BEST MEAL OF THE TRIP & a bit of a splurge but wow worth it, cocktails were an old fashioned for him and a sawback for me, food was bison short rib & sirloin steak we ate every bite, shared strawberries & cream butter cake for dessert
Rocky Mountain Bagel Co – stopped otw to airport for breakfast, Maple Skor Lattes were had, lots of bagel flavors to choose from as well as cream cheese OR bagel sandwiches

Breweries: did not love beer at Three Bears, especially compared to how great Banff Ave Brewery was, wish we had stopped at Grizzly Paw Brewing in Canmore

>>Play

WHAT WE DID THIS TRIP:
*Yamnuska Wolfdog Sanctuary (Cochrane) – stopped by en route from airport/Walmart to Banff, did the Sanctuary Walk for $28CAD per person, enjoyed our experience and seeing their set up, the Interactive Tour where you sit in the enclosure with the animals was sold out!
**Emerald Lake (Loop & Basin) YOHO – by doing both hikes we totaled about 8 miles, arrive early for parking in the lot and photos without a bridge full of people, this lake is GORGEOUS in the morning light; took our time going counter clockwise and decided to add on the basin trail – pretty decent elevation gain but no scrambles and it was well worth it; by the time we finished the lake loop it was insanely busy near the entrance and cars were parked pretty far down the street; considered canoeing but we felt fulfilled without it
Natural Bridge YOHO – this is on the road down from Emerald Lake so we went ahead and stopped at this view point, pretty to see and did not spend much time there, it was heavily visited at that time
**Takakkaw Falls YOHO – again this is a might as well kind of stop if you visited Emerald, this fall was HUGE and absolutely stunning, the wind was howling and she threw a lot of mist out, can make a short look and leave type hike to keep it easy or climb up the mountainside along the falls if you want more
Bow Valley Parkway (only recommend if you are hiking off it)- since we took the freeway to Emerald we thought we could take the “scenic route” back, unless you are stopping to do any hikes on this road I do not recommend it, we were done hiking for the day so we skipped Silverton & Johnston Canyon Falls and honestly the drive was NOT scenic compared to the freeway, the stop at Backswamp Viewpoint was pretty
*Cascade Gardens – I walked through here on my own while Jason was in class one morning and it was gorgeous and well done, nice spot with benches to have a coffee or snack in the shade, there is a nice photo op in front of the building
*Bow River to Falls Viewpoint – after leaving Cascade Gardens I took this trail, it is paved with art along the way and a few sets of stairs, very nice area and totally safe to do alone, the views at the end of the falls are really nice – we returned via car for Jason to see another day
**Mt Norquay Via Feratta – to us this was a highlight of the trip! There was wildlife present on the switchbacks of the drive up, we enjoyed the ski lift up the mountain, and the 2 hr Explorer package was all we could fit in around Jason’s class schedule… trust me that was enough! This was both mentally and physically challenging, yet incredibly rewarding. The views were amazing! We felt on top of the world. Our guide Joe was really patient and funny. The groups are only 8-10 people. Even just the scenic ski lift up to the viewing deck and dinner would be nice. I don’t get the hype over the Banff Gondola when this place is available and way less busy. Bonus for all the wildlife we saw up there.
*Lake Minnewanka Scenic Drive – we felt this was a much better scenic drive than Bow Valley, the lakes are all beautiful with nice little stop off points, we enjoyed watching the prairie dogs popping out of their tunnels, took the drive after dinner before sunset and the views were nice, minimal wildlife but I’m sure if you hike a little there is more
*Fenland Trail + Vermillion Lakes – this made for another great solo trek in the morning, the Fenland trail is all wooded with a pretty clear creek running throughout, the squirrels and birds make themselves known; I took the bridge to the first of the Vermillion Lakes and sat on the wharf watching ducks play in the water – it was gorgeous in the morning light; we returned to the lakes one afternoon on ebikes for Jason to see but it was windy, smokey, and the light was all wrong so they did not make the same impression
Grassi Lakes (Canmore) – this required another park pass that was $11 CAD per car for the day, it was a loop trail that was mostly uphill and my mind still can’t grasp CLIMBING to reach lakes but that’s what this was, they were pretty with the little waterfalls connecting them but after seeing Emerald and all those others they weren’t as awe inspiring I guess, we watching a few rock climbers in the area from the top of the trail and that was entertaining; overall I would say we could have skipped this
*Lake Moraine – you have to take a shuttle to get there now, but it was worth it; short hike up the “rock pile” gets you to the most popular photo opportunity, was very windy for us there and view was a bit hazy from wildfire smoke but still beautiful; took short hike around other side of lake then moved on to our big plans at Louise; canoes are available; we had reservations with the ROAM superpass shuttle from 7 am at Banff high school
**Lake Louise (to Mirror Lake, Lake Agnes, Big Beehive, Devil’s Thumb, return via Plain of Six Glaciers back to Tea House trail) – this was the main event for me… hiking to Devil’s Thumb! I expected a 10 mile/5-6 hour day and that’s exactly what I got; the hike to Lake Agnes is a lot of climbing but there is a great resting point at the tea house, around to the other side of Lake Agnes is relaxing and again a great spot to sit and enjoy the wildlife (pika, chipmunks, and mountain goats were all visible for us), Big Beehive was a gradual incline to some beautiful views from above the lakes and this is a big accomplishment for many, Devil’s Thumb is an unmarked/unofficial trail around the back of a peak with a steep scramble then quite the climb over some huge rocks before you can look down at Big Beehive with Lake Agnes on the left and Lake Louise on the right… glaciers were visible and audible… it was a bit strenuous but SO WORTH IT; our legs were tired so we did not go all the way to Plain of Six Tea House but probably would have if we’d skipped Devil’s Thumb; took ROAM superpass shuttle to access but there is also paid parking
eBiking Fairmont Springs Banff Golf Course – I tried riding to Sundance Canyon one morning but it was closed to a private cultural event, so I did this instead; it was fun with twists and turns through the trees and glimpses of the golf course, mountains, and the river; had they allowed bikes on the golf cart path I think I would have enjoyed it even more, but it was nice even though it kinda kicked my butt
*Bankhead Ghost Town – took the ebikes here from lower trailhead, had the biggest bull elk cross in front of us on the ride up and he stopped to look at me (like the great king of the forest on Bambi), did the little one mile loop through the ghost town and read all the plaques, was super chill and informative which was a nice change of pace for us
Tunnel Mountain Road to Hoodoos Viewpoint – I imagine doing the hike to this area is a lot nicer than just driving up to see it like we did
*Downtown Banff – along with those hikes I took alone, the downtown area has lots of shopping, art galleries, weed dispensaries, tattoo shops, hair salons, massage places, coffee, museums, restaurants, a movie theater, and a bowling alley so you really can be entertained for hours and the area is beautiful and clean; only free parking is down by the train station

POSSIBILTIES FOR NEXT TIME (okay really they are ENDLESS but these were also on my radar for this trip):
Museums downtown – Banff Park Museum National Historic Site, Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies
Nearby Hikes – Silverton Falls & Johnston Canyon Falls to Ink Pots, Tunnel Mountain Trail, Sundance Canyon, C Level Cirque
Not as Close Hikes – Boom Lake, Sherbrooke Lake, Sunshine Meadows/Grizzly Loop, Consolation Lakes (from Moraine Lake)
Icefields Parkway – this drive north toward Jasper is said to be AMAZING with lots of great viewpoints/lakes/falls to stop at along the way, but with Jason’s class schedule there was no way for us to fit that in too; lots more wildlife like moose and bears are spotted up that way; listening to GuideAlong app recommended for this journey
Eats – Storm Mountain Lodge because Chad suggested it 3 times, Grizzly Paw Brewing in Canmore because I heard good things about the food and their canned beer we tried was very good, Bluebird because they are a sister restaurant to The Bison so how could it be wrong

Other Stuff Worth Mentioning – the water is ALL potable so carrying/refilling water bottles was convenient, download an offline map of the area to navigate around & use airplane mode on hikes without cell service to conserve battery

Calistoga, California

aka Cali²

April 22-27, 2023

Jason had this particular week off leaving me with the quest to find a trip with the best weather this time of year. We considered revisiting places we’ve loved on other vacations, then decided we wanted somewhere new to us. What could be more relaxing than wineries? What area has plenty of other activities to keep us busy? Where are the non-pretentious wine people? After a bit if research I found the city of Calistoga at the northern area of Napa Valley.

>>Getting Around

The Vine Calistoga Shuttle – $1 per ride shuttle that runs within a 3 mile radius of Calistoga, our Inn had free passes available, does not continuously loop so you have to call when you need them
Walking – we walked to lunch, dinner, and wine tastings up and down the Lincoln Ave area where everything is located which is always a perk for us
Private Shuttles/Tours – there are numerous services you can hire to plan out a day of tastings for you and shuttle you around, we did not do this because we wanted to take our time and move at our own pace
Bikes/E-Bikes – bikes are available to rent and ride around the area (some hotels offer free bikes), there is a wine trail map that is offered through the bike rental shop on Lincoln Ave to help you plan tastings by bicycle, we did not use this because we had a car but the weather would have been perfect for a bike ride all around town if nothing else!
Rental Car – we rented a car to get from Santa Rosa airport to Calistoga (30 min drive), parking at our hotel was free, driving to the coast/Hwy 1 was just over an hour and totally worth it

>>Stay

The Inn on Pine – room was comfortable and clean, there is a nice heated pool area with a hot tub and sauna available to guests, free parking and free breakfast, staff were helpful and friendly, beds were comfy and water pressure/temperature were great in our shower, the location was off the main road so nice a quiet but still very close to everything in town

>>Drink

Upon checking in we were asked if we knew there were 300+ wineries in the region. You can travel there over and over and never try them all. This is a short list of where we visited (all within 5-10 minute drives) but the possibilities really are endless. We generally booked one for 10 am upon opening, grabbed lunch, and then did another tasting around 3:30 pm.

August Briggs – tasting room with cute patio was on Lincoln Ave, sign said no appointments needed so we walked right up on our first day, wines were good and we were surprised by the chardonnay; 5 pours for $25/person
Castello di Amorosa – made a reservation right before we drove over, the castle is lovely and worth the visit (the wine is a bonus), any tasting gets you a self guided tour, guided tours are also available for a higher fee and you see more of the castle, numerous tasting options available; standing reserve tasting 5 pours for $50/person (we had 8-10 pours each)
Hans Fahden – nice smaller winery, scenic pond and gardens, tasting on a patio overlooking the pond and with mountains in the background (wisteria were not blooming on the pergola quite yet), has a decorative cave inside, interesting batch of wines with good variety; classic tasting 6 pours for $45/person
*Schramsberg – this was our splurge because friends of ours told us to make a reservation weeks before the trip since this one sells out, known for their sparkling wine so we were changing things up with lots of bubbles, this tour was outstanding with lots of history and seeing workers moving quickly throughout the caves; cave tour with sparkling & red wine tasting 6 pours for $95/person
*Storybook – another small family owned spot, specializes in Zin, tour was led by owner’s daughter who is also a wine maker there, grounds and view are stunning, cave tour included, tasting was outside under redwood trees with views of mountain and vineyard, this was one of our favorites and we ordered bottles to be shipped home, tour and tasting were very relaxed and we were treated like old friends; $50 per person
*Bennett Lane – Jason ran by this place every day and was happy to see it was on my list, in the valley surrounded by vineyard enclosed with mountains, looks like an Italian Villa as you drive up… seriously I could live in that spot, tasting on gorgeous patio with blooming wisteria everywhere, Bill was a great host for us and we joined their wine club, tasting was fun and relaxed – we could have spent the whole day here, multiple tasting options availible; signature tasting $32.48/person (I think they gave us the Reserve Seated Tasting instead since we were the only people there)

Wineries further down my list we didn’t make it to – Madrigal, Tedeschi, Girard

>>Eat

*Calistoga Inn & Brewery – this seemed to be a very popular spot for locals with lots of nice outdoor seating, we shared a prosciutto pizza and had a couple of their beers, everything was fresh and tasty
Fleetwood – “wood fired fine foods”, mixed drink menu seemed great but we had beer, Jason’s burger looked yummy and my short rib tortelloni was tasty (perfect portion for one person)
Sam’s General Store – had tasty sandwiches for lunch with a beer and cider for lunch
Calistoga Creamery – not a lot of flavor options and kind of pricey but good, one of the other shops had ice cream that we saw later but we didn’t try it
Hydro – would not recommend a meal here, might be okay for apps and drinks, but do not pass go!
Rio Nido Roadhouse (on way back from coast) – inexpensive random hole in the wall type place with great beers on draft and good food, my western burger was delicious
Sushi Mambo – very busy place with decent sushi, we preferred the regular rolls over their more specialty type stuff, service was friendly, patio was cute but there were itty bitty mosquitos involved
*Buster’s Barbeque – when I read that the owner is from Shreveport I knew we had to visit, all of our food was very good and they aren’t kidding about the spicy sauce being spicy!
*Bricco Osteria – Turkish fellas serving amazing Italian dishes, open kitchen with a huge window to the street, I wish we’d eaten here more than once but we didn’t go until our last day, the food was both our favorite of the whole trip – every drink and course was perfect, this spot has only been open a few months and seems to be an instant hit!
Pacifico – Mexican joint we only visited for happy hour, food looked good and the happy hour deals couldn’t be beat
*Russian River Brewing – there are 2 locations in Santa Rosa and one happens to be 5 minutes from the airport, shared a flight of 8 beers with some cheeseburger sliders, fries, and pita bread/hummus for lunch before our flight out, the sliders were REALLY good so I bet their burgers are phenomenal, the other location also offers pizzas

Didn’t get to try but wanted to: Lincoln Ave Brewery, Sam’s Social Club, Calistoga Depot

>>Play

WHAT WE DID THIS TRIP:
*Sonoma Coast State Park: Shell Beach – drove just over an hour to Hwy 1 & parked at Shell Beach parking lot, small trail down to the beach itself was slightly damaged but safe to navigate, sand is mostly black and glittery, we hit it at low tide and walked south toward a tidal pool where we saw lots of starfish on the huge multicolored rocks, I could have spent hours exploring here but we had a hike planned
*Sonoma Coast State Park: Red Hill via Pomo Canyon Trail – this trail was across the street from Shell Beach parking lot, you hike up a hill with mountain views, valleys, and through some beautiful redwood groves leading you downhill into the Pomo Canyon camping area in a huge redwood grove, roundtrip hike was just over 6 miles and we did it clockwise (there is a loop in the middle so you could skip going down to Pomo and make it around 4 miles)
Sonoma Coast State Park: Goat Rock Beach – the road down to this parking lot is extremely scenic with pull offs for the sunset boulders, peaked hill, and a nice view of arched rock; this is the beach where the end of The Goonies was filmed; we parked at the lot that looks down on the main parking that is at beach level and enjoyed the views then got hungry and chose not to finish the drive down to the main parking
Golden Haven Spa Couples Mud Bath – mud baths are popular in the area so I signed us up without doing a ton of research, the mud is 105ºF on top and gets hotter toward the bottom so you’d imagine our surprise trying to enter this piping hot tub of mud where they paint a nice mask on your face and offer you cold towels and water; climb out and sit to rinse off then get into a mineral water jacuzzi tub that is also pretty toasty; finally enter a cool-down room for a nice nap (but we had to recover from the shock of overheating our entire bodies first); it was quite the experience that we will not partake in ever again lol
Petrified Forest – we did this on the way to the airport but it is only a 10 minute drive from the inn, $12/person entry fee for a self guided tour of petrified redwood trees from 3.4 million years ago, the trails were probably very shaded before the fires of 2017, this was cool to see once but something I would want to revisit
Pioneer Park – during the summer months there is free live music at this park in the middle of town every Thursday, we happened upon an similar event for Earth Day and really enjoyed it

POSSIBILTIES FOR NEXT TIME:
Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve –$10/car (40-50 min drive) 1.7 mile trail
Bothe-Napa Valley State Park/Bale Grist Mill State Historic Park – $8/person with optional 2.3 mile loop trail
Robert Louis Stevenson State Park – Oat Hill Mine Trail – 8.3 mile, out and back hike, to Bald Hill; Robert Louis Stevenson Memorial Trail – 1.3 mile one way trail to bunkhouse of Silverado Mine; Mount St Helena Trail – 4.5 mile switchback trail up fire road climbing the slopes of the mountain, view to ocean if weather permits; Table Rock/Palisades Trails – views of volcanic formations but is known to be challenging, should have a ride arranged back as this is a long point to point trail that can be used to connect Oat Hill Mine trail to the Mount St Helena Trail
Old Faithful – $15/person to see the town’s very own Old Faithful erupt, also has a petting zoo
Safari West – safari style ride through some animals at the “Sonoma Serengeti“
Bodega Bay – another area (just over an hour drive) on the coast to explore; where the movie The Birds was filmed; has beaches, trails, wineries, and restaurants

LINCOLN AVE: besides eating (look for live music at restaurants), there plenty of tasting rooms, 2 breweries, murals, spas, art galleries, and shops to stroll through in this cute little town

* denotes my very favorites

Other Stuff Worth Mentioning – there is a grocery store and a great wine shop on the main road where you can stock up on snacks or whatever you want for the room (I grabbed a big bottle of water to refill at our inn), we didn’t get to try the food/drinks at Lincoln Ave Brewery due to them being closed certain days so pay attention to restaurant schedules

Los Cabo, Mexico

20220915_185912

September 11-16, 2022

My husband had the week off and my initial plan of seeing Yellowstone & Grand Teton was a logistical nightmare and way more money than we wanted to spend on a trip. Y’all already know we love Mexico and beaches… so we decided to finally see what the Pacific side was all about. We already knew the beaches aren’t really swimmable over there. I feel like that is important to know before you go.

>>Getting Around

AMSTAR – we went ahead with the service sold by the airport since we were a part of 4 and would be upgraded to private at no extra cost, the ride to the resort was not as long as we expected, this resort is NOT in bustling the main hotel zone.
Taxis vs Uber – the hotel called us a cab for an excursion nearby and he didn’t quite bring us to the right place, but we walked about 5 minutes and found it. To get back to our resort we asked our tour guide if an Uber would be better and they said there is a lot of bad blood between Ubers & taxis around there currently – there had even been a few Uber drivers that “went missing” recently so they suggested a taxi.

>>Stay

Secrets Puerto los Cabos Golf & Spa Resort  – the food, pool, and grounds are top notch; this place is HUGE; golf was closed; there was no beach or steps to get down to one at our time of visit due to a Cat 1 hurricane; HOWEVER within our first 18 hours there we were miserable and wanted to go home – the rooms are on sensors and can be very hot or even have no power/lights/electricity at all at time so that was very frustrating – by 8 am the second day everything was fine after some room shuffling.

>>Eat

*Oceana – fantastic appetizers, lots of seafood options, they are open for Preferred Club breakfast (we did not do that this time), no AC so don’t wear pants
*El Patio – every single thing we ordered was fantastic from beginning to end, the spicy mango marg was perfect!
Coco Cafe – this place was the bomb, at night they have icecream cones, there are snacks and sandwiches inside all day not to mention a great coffee selection
Portofino – the bread and fresh cheese were divine, apps were good, food was just okay, men have to wear long pants and nice shoes
*Teppanyaki – getting this reservation was seriously like the Hunger Games but we were so glad we did! this hibachi meal was fantastic – Himitsu is in the front area of this place and we did not try it
Market Cafe – the buffet is the only breakfast option besides room service and it really was not bad; please NOTE that men must wear a shirt with sleeves to eat here (that was awkward but it happens to everyone); the themed dinner food leaves a lot to be desired even though it smells good when they are grilling
Seaside Grill – the food was meh, but we were really hungry after checking in and this is the first place we walked up to serving lunch
Barefoot Grill/Manatees – we never ate AT the Barefoot Grill but they served us lunch and snacks at the pool from there every day and it was good: fries, nachos, quesadillas. pizza, burgers, you name it we ate it; the pool bar opens at 10 am daily! the servers took great care of us and made many great recommendations for drinks

>>Play

Resort Bars – Rendezvous aka birdcage bar was very pretty, great for large groups, is known to have great martinis, and had a lot of nice acoustic artists coming in – Desires is more of the late night party/club scene and we never stayed up late enough to go there but we made some friends that had a blast in there well after midnight
Salty Cabo – I found this little local owned tour boat at the marina 5 minutes from the resort and knew we had to book with them, the seas were still pretty choppy and the water was churned up a lot from the recent hurricane but we still had fun on our snorkel tour (away from the crowds of “town”) with them! Pics/videos were included at no extra charge. They offer sunset cruises with wine and seasonal whale watching trips. I HIGHLY recommend these folks.
Cabo Adventures – Okay listen… I honestly booked a Cabo trip to ride camels on the beach. I know, that’s crazy, but there is a story there that sums up to I’ve always wanted to ride a camel. I booked Camels+Arches+Lunch because you can’t visit Cabo without seeing the famous arch, right? This excursion was supposed to be from 1-5 pm and IT LASTED 9 HOURS! That was totally unexpected and I was pretty salty about it. Our guide was great, ride time from place to place was ridiculous and not advertised, photos taken with your camel were insanely overpriced, and we got back crazy late meaning we missed our dinner reservation. I am glad we did it overall but I would not book a tour with this company again.

Other Stuff Worth Mentioning – bring your own reusable straws; unroll towels at the pool chairs you want before you go eat breakfast (if you’re going to the pool before lunch otherwise that’s kind of rude); there is a huge iguana that thinks it’s a dog – don’t be alarmed when he comes down for a swim and some pets around lunch time; pool servers will happily bring you lunch and bottles of water; all of the staff is friendly and welcoming but especially the entertainment staff! Brenda was our bestie; the main pool is HUGE – it’s quiet by the towel hut and a bit more rowdy by the swim-up bar (obvi)

* denotes my very favorites
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