For the 4th year in a row, we have been so lucky to spend a week of our summer with friends who live in Texas. My son, being an only child looks forward to this week with his two buddies as much as I look forward to having adult time while the kids are occupied. Not only is it wonderful to get to travel with our friends and share these summer experiences together, it is so amazing to spend time with a family who has the same love for adventure, travel, the outdoors and photography that we do. For me, it really is a highlight of my year, so I hope we are able to keep it up for many years to come.
Our first year, we took a quick 4 day trip to Yosemite Valley. That trip started my son’s absolute love of the National Park System and even more so, created his obsession with being a park ranger when he grows up. Year 2, we went all in with a 10 day road trip through Arizona and Utah. This was a super fun trip that took in so many different landscapes as well as tested our abilities to travel on an extended basis together. Year 3 took us to Oregon where we traveled to the Central and Southern areas of the state. By our kid’s accounts, that trip had the best accommodation options on any of our trips! And year 4 – a week long (for them, 10 days for us) road trip catching the major sites of Alaska by land.
Living in Los Angeles means pretty great weather most of the year.. except for a few months during the summer where temperatures regularly soar into the high 90s and 100s. It is during these times that we look to get away even if it’s not very far. One of the best places we have found to escape the soaring temperatures (or at any time of year!) is just an hour away on the Ventura County Coast. Not only does Ventura County have pretty great weather all year, it is also quite economical.
California is home to 28 national parks and sites scattered throughout the state. From the iconic Half Dome in Yosemite, to the desolate in Death Valley and the big trees in the North at the Redwoods, there is no shortage of vast beauty in California’s parks.
If you know us in real life or have followed us for a while you probably know that my husband doesn’t drive. Yep. That’s right. We live in Los Angeles and my husband doesn’t drive! As you can imagine this is no easy feat. With public transportation that runs few and far between, it means that when I want a break, my husband and son have to take Uber or Lyft.
Straddling the Continental Divide in the mountains of Costa Rica is Monteverde, one of the country’s top tourist destinations. In English, that translates to green mountain. And green it is! There is an almost always present layer of moisture in the air, creating what is known as a cloud forest. This unique habitat is home to an abundance of birds and other wildlife.
