In early 2024, I traveled to Southern California to spend four days in San Diego to escape the chill of a northeastern winter and soak up some sun. While I’ve spent time in most of California’s other major cities, I'd never visited San Diego before, and was unsure what to expect. … [Read more...] about Four Days in San Diego: The Highlights
nature
Finding Ghosts and Giants at Muir Woods National Monument
Muir Woods National Monument is the embodiment of everything I love about America’s national parks. Donated to the federal government by William Kent, a California senator who once owned the land on which Muir Woods sits, Kent requested the property be instituted as a national park. His intent: to protect the old-growth coastal redwoods growing there. Kent's … [Read more...] about Finding Ghosts and Giants at Muir Woods National Monument
Hiking the Reef Bay Trail in Virgin Islands National Park
Hiking the Reef Bay Trail in Virgin Island National Park is the perfect way to familiarize yourself with the landscape, flora, and fauna of St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands. If you're more adventurous, it's a hike you can complete on your own. If the idea of hiking alone in a national park seems daunting, the National Park Service offers guided group walking tours of this … [Read more...] about Hiking the Reef Bay Trail in Virgin Islands National Park
Celebrating Small Successes in Yosemite National Park
It’s been said Yosemite National Park is the crown jewel of America’s national parks. I haven’t been to every national park yet, but I believe it. Although my time in Yosemite was marked by disappointment, I still consider the three days I spent backpacking in the park among the most special memories of my life. Gaining Perspective It’s too easy to focus on failure, so when I … [Read more...] about Celebrating Small Successes in Yosemite National Park
5 Favorite Memories of Yellowstone National Park
I can't even begin to accurately describe the experience of visiting Yellowstone National Park for the first time. It was years ago, and I was a green solo traveler from the East Coast who was inexperienced with nature on such a grand scale. The sensations you experience in Yellowstone tend to extremes: Excitement. Fear. Awe. Wonder. The landscape is just so big and beautiful … [Read more...] about 5 Favorite Memories of Yellowstone National Park