Travelling Lore

Everyone has their own travel style.  My husband and I are the type of travelers who prefer to create and follow an itinerary.  We believe that this is the best way for us to see as much as possible in a given amount of vacation time; it allows us to prioritize our "must do" list.  However, that doesn't mean we always follow our original itinerary 100% to the tee.  Situations arise or moods or interests change and so we accommodate for these moving pieces when necessary. One of the things we almost never plan are where to eat or what shops or cafes to pop in to.  When we were in California for our honeymoon we drove around a lot.  Those who have been to California know what I mean: it's a big state!  We happened to be at a point in our trip where we had one of our long driving days.  And long driving days mean pit stops.  In the U.S. many people pull over at designated state rest stops, some more interesting than others.  We were sort of in the middle of nowhe

At the top of my California honeymoon list, aside from Napa, was a stop to see the redwoods.  I'd seen them in photos and heard about them from friends, so it was high time to cross them off my bucket list.  When in Rome California, right? Redwood National Park was a bit out of the way for us since we were on a mission to keep to our itinerary and see as much of California as possible in two weeks.  However, Humboldt Redwoods State Park was within a reasonable driving distance from our big California loop.  The redwoods are simply stunning in person and it is nearly impossible to get a representative photo of them.   Even though we visited in July, a high tourist month, we often found ourselves alone on the sunlight-dappled trails.  The awesomeness of the trees and the calm of the forest make it easy to pause and reflect on the breathtaking beauty nature.  It is amazing to be able to become aware of and visit different landscapes, especially within my own country

Happy New Year, everyone!  I never realize how quickly the days and months go by until I've faced the end of yet another year.  Looking back, 2016 was an incredibly busy and eventful year for me.  I found myself traveling frequently for work, though always on a tight schedule, which unfortunately left little to no room for exploring the new cities in which I visited.  Fortunately, though, I was lucky enough to travel on my personal time in addition to my professional responsibilities.  I also reflected a bit on what I accomplished as a travel blogger and what it means to me to be a travel blogger in the foreseeable future. ADVENTURES My husband and I started off 2016 by booking our first trip to Charlottesville to explore some lovely Virginia wineries ( Barboursville and Horton ) and breweries ( C’Ville-ian , Blue Mountain and South Street ).  In March we took our annual family trip to Captiva, Florida, which is always a welcome retreat in the middle of winter.  Our n