Category: USA & Canada
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Waterfall & Colored Leaves at Fall Creek Falls State Park {Tennessee}
The last couple of years I have worked with international students and one of my favorite things to do is to take them hiking at one of the many state parks here in Tennessee. I love sharing these parts of the state that they wouldn’t see otherwise and I love that they find there is…
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Camping in Big South Fork National Recreation Area {Tennessee}
We have not had good luck with camping over the years. Even though we love camping and wanted it to be part of our family’s adventures- we have not done it very much due to the mishaps of prior trips and the growing concern that maybe we’re cursed. Our first attempt came when we were…
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A Weekend in the Appalachian Mountains {Tennessee, Virginia, North Carolina, & Kentucky}
Things have been a little crazy for me lately. Amid a terrible heat wave that I was sure would kill me off, I spent a week welcoming our new international students to the university with a lot of activities and workshops and tours that I was in charge of. We also celebrated my daughter’s birthday…
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An Untold Story of Friends & Whiskey- Nearest Green Distillery {Tennessee}
One of the hallmarks of Tennessee is whiskey. And when you talk of Tennessee whiskey, the first name that comes to mind is that of Jack Daniels who learned to make whiskey at a young age and went to defy prohibition and create a thriving business of a world renown fame. But there is another…
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Confederate Graves, Elvis, & Neon Pig- Take Me to Tupelo {Mississippi}
Not many people have heard of Tupelo in the northeast corner of Mississippi. But this city is home to some interesting history and it made for a great weekend getaway. We decided to take the slightly longer route that would have us following along the Natchez Trace. It may have taken longer but there is…
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Hiking to the Great Stone Door- Savage Gulf State Park {Tennessee}
Another weekend and another state park marked off on our goal of seeing all of the Tennessee state parks. This time we headed south east to Savage Gulf State Park so we could hike to the famed Great Stone Door. Savage Gulf is Tennessee’s newest state park. At one point Savage Gulf was a state…
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Ghost Town, Cacti, & Desert Sun {Arizona}
I am not much for the heat. Because I am very prone to heat exhaustion and heat stroke, you can generally find me if not avoiding the heat then being selectively cautious with the time I spend in the heat. But in this case I made a huge exception when my friend in Arizona invited…
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Weekend Road Trip {Missouri, Illinois, & Tennessee}
My favorite way to spend a weekend is on a road trip with stops along the way. And this was one such weekend. We made a quick trip to southeast Missouri and instead of coming straight home decided to take a winding way that would allow for stops at a few places. Not only did…
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Visiting Dunbar Cave State Park {Tennessee}
If you have been following me for a while, you will know that we have been working on seeing all of the state parks of Tennessee. When we moved here three years ago we set that goal as we spent every weekend venturing out and getting to know the place we now call home. We…
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Moments & Misadventures :: Independence Day in My Hometown
When big holidays come there is just no place like home to celebrate them. And for me, no holiday rings more true to that than being in my hometown of Provo Utah for the 4th of July to celebrate America’s independence. The term hometown implies that it’s a small city- but Provo is quite large…