Category: Pacific Coast
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Moments & Misadventures :: Remembering Mount St. Helens
As travelers we often focus our wanderings on the beautiful and interesting places, so it seems almost counter intuitive to go as a tourist to a place where a natural disaster caused so much destruction and sadness. My first experience with such a place was in the state of Washington when I visited the Mount…
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Moments & Misadventures : Then The Plan Changed
One of the defining parts of our family has always been road trips- the more spontaneous the better. This has been the case since the beginning. The first of these road trips came when we were dating and Brad invited me to go Yellowstone with him. But as we filled up the car to begin…
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Moments & Misadventures :: Between the Haves and Have Nots
We are in the season of Thanksgiving here in the states. While this holiday has changed over the years to include copious amounts of food, watching endless football games, and a frenzied shopping spree- at the heart of it has always been the reminder of being thankful for what we have. And for me one…
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Moments & Misadventures :: Snapshots From The Road
I have had a lot of road trips throughout my life. Up one coast, down the other, and through the middle in every which way- these road trips have taken me all over the place. In all of these road trips there are of course the places you purposefully go to, but there are also…
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Moments & Misadventures :: Icebergs and Iditarod
When you tell people that you’re heading to Alaska in the wintertime, you will probably be met with a long pause, a confused look, and then with “Alaska? In the winter?…Why?” At least that was the reaction that I got from most people when I announced where I was going. And I guess I can…
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Year In Review :: 2021
There is something really special about the end of a year and the letting go of one year and looking forward to the next. I love these days after Christmas and before the end of the year comes. For me it is such a reflective and tender time when I look back and marvel at…
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The Haunted Mansion & Nightmare Before Christmas {California}
“Boys and Girls of every age, would you like to see something strange, come with us and you will see, in our town of Halloween…” Happy Halloween! Because my birthday falls just a few days before Halloween, this is always a favorite time of year for me. But when it comes to Halloween, I generally…
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Old Mission Santa Barbara {California}
Our last stop in our Central Coast tour was the Old Mission Santa Barbara. This is one of ten Spanish missions in this area that were constructed in hopes of converting the people of the Chumash-Barbareño tribe of Native Americans. Originally built in 1786, this is the only mission to still be under the leadership…
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Bubblegum Alley {California}
Are you ready for the other extreme of the day? From the opulence of Madonna Inn to the far other end of the spectrum of places, I bring you Bubblegum Alley. In the beautiful downtown area of San Luis Obispo there is Bubble Alley where the walls are covered in chewed gum. The alley is…
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Madonna Inn {Califonia}
Our last day in California was a day of extremes, starting with the lavish opulence of the Madonna Inn. This landmark hotel was first opened in 1958 by local entrepreneur Alex Madonna and his wife Phyllis. From the beginning this has been a key point in the Central Coast and one that everyone has to…