Earthquakes, Landslides, Convict Creek and Pend Oreille
Last week I was visiting Curtis’s family cabin up by Lake Pend Oreille in Idaho, which is a stunning place that I feel very special to have been able to visit three times now. Right now the lake and surrounding peaks are beautiful when capped in snow, and the trip requires a boat ride to reach the final destination! That is some real off the beaten path stuff for a…
The Majestic Rubicon Trail and the Tiniest Shack of a Lighthouse, D.L. Bliss State Park
I might be a lighthouse snob. I think it is a common trait among Michiganders, both those currently living in state and displaced. You know what they say, “with Great Lakes comes great lighthouses”. Heck, even the light marking the entrance to the Keweenaw portage is magical. So, about this ‘Rubicon Point Light’ – it may have been the highest-elevation lighthouse in the US, but that’s if you are taking…
Tahoe Stateline Point: Worthy Views just outside the Casino
This September my parents made the long flight over to visit California- and to visit me too! They managed an epic rental road car road trip to Point Reyes, San Francisco, the always exciting Sonora and Groveland, and Lake Tahoe. I met them in Sonora, after their time in the North Bay, to drive over the beautiful and windy Sonora Pass to Lake Tahoe. This was their first visit to Tahoe,…
Brews & Hiking Boots: Portland Wildwood Trail & Deschutes Brewery
While stuck in Portland during a freak snowstorm one might as well make lemons into lemonade – or as I would prefer: Hops into IPA’s. Portland is city proud of both it’s green spaces and it’s concentration of microbreweries, so it it only seemed appropriate to combine the two in one epic snowy adventure. Wildwood Trail from the Portland Zoo Distance: As long as you want? We hiked 2-ish miles…
The Royal Newton Riblet Estate (Tourist Wine Trap!)
When I first arrived at the Arbor Crest estate tasting room in Spokane, Washington I had the mis-impression that this was going to be your typical wine tasting. “Oh yes, blackberry notes with a full body. Wait isn’t this a white wine?” Nope. This was not a trip about the wine – this was a trip about the Arbor Crest Estate, an estate owned by one Royal Newton Riblet. According to…
Quinn’s Hot Springs – Relaxing and Hiking
This year was a pretty intense year for Christmas time traveling for me – up to Eastern Washington, then over to Seattle, back to Spokane, over to Montana for Quinn’s hot springs, to Lake Pend Oreille in Idaho, back to the airport and finally home again in again with Basil and Herman. In the next few days I hope to get up at least another blog about the trip – but…
Fall in Seven Lake State Park, MI
In September, when I was visiting Michigan, my mom and I when on hike in Seven Lake State Park. I had not heard of this state park near the city of Holly before, but my mom had been seeing the Michigan State parks information sign from the highway driving back and forth from Oscoda many times. She, of course, knew I would be down to go on a nice little…
Reflecting on Life through the Tuolumne River: Poopenaut Valley Trail & Rafting
I have had a river filled couple of weeks here in July, enjoying the wonders of the wild and scenic Tuolumne & Clavey Rivers. Great for the hot weather, and even better for the heart…
Our one day in Big Sur
For as much as I have heard about how beautiful Big Sur is I didn’t really know much about Big Sur. What I did know: there would be cliffs with magnificent ocean views, a relatively underpopulated coastline, and (thanks to my Mom) that there was some famous bridge there. It was with this minimal knowledge that my parents started down Coastal Hwy 1 towards the Bixby bridge and some dot on the map called “Big Sur” to see…
Hello! I am a 30-something outdoors-lady, backpacker, and resident of Groveland, California - 
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