#explore

ad·ven·ture

/adˈven(t)SHər/

an unusual and exciting, typically hazardous, experience or activity

School psychologist by day, explorer by night, and ultimate weekend warrior.

Join me along the way; after all, it's always an adventure...

Southern California

And Beyond

Before You Go

Mar 20, 2019
4 min

My Birthday... In South Pacific Paradise

It's been far too long and that means just one thing: Time for a new post. Sometimes I feel overwhelmed by the adventures and how I can possibly put my experiences into words to share with others. And, as we know, by blogging about the trips, I sometimes articulate a little too much. Alas, my birthday on the island of Aunu'u warrants all the words in the world because it was a day I will never forget. It all started when two friends (Christa + Jeremy) and I booked a trip to A

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Feb 3, 2019
6 min

Solo Adventures Presents... Virgin Islands National Park

Trip Dates: Friday, September 28th, 2018 - Monday, October 1st, 2018 I’ve been perfecting the best work/adventure balance during the months of September-November and now that things are calming down - just in time for Winter Break - it’s time to provide you all with a recap! Originally, my next post was going to be all about our impromptu trip to Petrified Forest and Saguaro National Parks but I’ll save that for another time. For now, I have to share about my solo trip to Vir

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Dec 15, 2018
6 min

#ChristaKrista+Jeremy: Northern California & Oregon National Parks

Trip Dates: August 30th, 2018 - September 3rd, 2018 Finally feeling inspired to write this post as it’s nearly the end of the year and I promised I would write more (oops!) but MORE IMPORTANTLY, I will be embarking on another National Park adventure SO SOON with my very best travel buddies and fellow National Park lovers (Christa & Jeremy!) I figured it’s probably about time to recap one of our other National Park trips… When #ChristaKrista and Jeremy explored three national

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Aug 17, 2018
9 min

It's Always an Adventure: Florida National Parks

Trip Dates: Tuesday, July 24th, 2018 - Sunday, July 29th, 2018 When I was younger, my Dad would take my brother and I camping and on all kinds of different outings. We'd always have the best times, even if they ended up with law enforcement of some sort getting involved. For example, did you know deciding to take a dirt bike and riding lawnmower out for a ride on state land is... against the law? I digress. The moral of the story is whenever we went with my Dad, we had this s

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Aug 14, 2018
10 min

What to do Around Peru

Peru Trip: Wednesday, July 11th, 2018 - Monday, July 23rd, 2018 Salkantay Trek Dates: Monday, July 16th, 2018 - Friday, July 20th, 2018 Yes, I'm continuing to reminisce about the absolutely incredible time I had in Peru. While my primary mission was to trek to Machu Picchu via the five day/four night Salkantay trek with Karikuy Tours (read more here!), along the way I realized there is so much more to do in Peru than visiting Machu Picchu. BUT, don't get me wrong, Machu Picc

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Aug 7, 2018
8 min

Solo Adventures Presents… Iceland

Trip Dates: Saturday, March 24th, 2018 – Friday, March 30th, 2018 First and foremost, full disclaimer: I am sitting in the backseat of a campervan while driving through the picturesque South Island of New Zealand and feeling particularly inspired to write this post that I’ve actually been putting off for quite a while. The inspiration stems from the beauty of New Zealand and how much it reminds me of Iceland, but, it’s significantly better because the sky is actually blue and

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Jun 19, 2018
4 min

Hoodoos, National Parks, and Adventures, Oh My!

Utah/Arizona Road Trip - Part Two Trip Dates: February 15th, 2018 – February 19th, 2018* *Blog Post Part Two covering February 16th, 2018 & February 18th & 19th, 2018 This is the second part of our road trip that including a visit to The Wave in Arizona. We knew we were trying for a highly coveted permit via the walk-in lottery at The Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument Visitor Center in Knab, Utah. Since the odds of winning the lottery for The Wave seems just as unli

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Jun 18, 2018
5 min

Once in a Lifetime – North Coyote Buttes: THE Wave

Trip Dates: February 15th, 2018 – February 19th, 2018* *Part One covering February 15th, 2018 & February 17th, 2018 How this trip came to be is just about as multifaceted as the multiple itineraries we had for every possible situation imaginable: if we win the lottery, if we don’t win the lottery, what if we win it for Friday? Saturday? Sunday? Monday? The possibilities were limitless! SPOILER ALERT: Apparently, Derek has a lucky horseshoe inside of him and we did, indeed, wi

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May 31, 2018
4 min

'Lonely' in Seattle

Trip Dates: Friday, January 19th, 2018 - Sunday, January 21st, 2018 This post is a little hard for me to write mostly because vulnerability is not my strong suit. One of my favorite TED Talks by Brené Brown stated "Vulnerability sounds like truth and feels like courage. Truth and courage aren't always comfortable, but they're never weakness." So, here it goes... On Christmas Eve, I was in Buffalo and decided to book a trip to Seattle to visit a 'friend' who would be there for

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May 23, 2018
8 min

#ChristaKrista TexMex National Park Trip

Trip Dates: Friday, January 12th, 2018 – Monday, January 15th, 2018 (Thankful for MLK Jr. Day) It's no secret that I'm on a quest to visit every National Park in the United States. And, fun fact, there are "National Park People." I met one of these people last summer when I was on a solo road trip through Arizona and Utah. It all started when I hiked the Subway trail (not the sandwich shop) in Zion National Park and this kind soul asked me if I wanted my picture taken since I

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Dec 6, 2017
5 min

Canada, Part One: Vancouver, Garibaldi Provincial Park, & Whistler

Trip Dates: Wednesday, July 5th-July 8th, 2017 (part one) In anticipation of my upcoming trip to the town of Muskoka in Ontario, Canada, I am going down memory lane to relive the beauty of another part of Canada in which I had the opportunity to explore this past summer: Vancouver in British Columbia, Canada. Having been to Toronto several times thanks to growing up across the pond in Buffalo, New York, I was eager to delve into Vancouver and experience the Canadian culture o

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Nov 21, 2017
6 min

Southwest Exploration, Part Two: Utah

Trip Dates: June 27th-30th, 2017 This is the last post for my (epic) Southwest road trip. I started in Havasu Falls with Girls Who Hike LA and then parted ways to continue onto the Grand Canyon and Page, Arizona, and finally my first visit to Zion National Park in Utah. From Page, AZ it was about a two hour drive to Zion, not bad - not bad at all! I came into Zion through the East side of the park and had a bit of a drive to the visitor center. Pro tip: if you put "visitor ce

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Oct 13, 2017
4 min

Salt Lake City Spontaneity

When your friend shares she has a Companion Pass for Delta Airlines that has to be used within the next month, you throw a dart at a map and go wherever it lands without hesitation, right? I guess Ruth and I didn't really utilize that technique but we knew we could go pretty much anywhere provided it was 1. within the domestic United States 2. somewhere worth going for only a weekend 3. somewhere with endless adventures/nature 4. somewhere I hadn't been before. Portland, Seat

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Sep 20, 2017
2 min

52 Hike Challenge

The first post. Even though I have been hiking since I was a few months old, I only seriously encountered my love for the outdoors about a year and a half ago. Taking in new sights and experiences while simply walking around allowed me to experience the true tranquility and therapy the outdoors can provide. Having heard about the 52 Hike Challenge last year, I made a commitment to myself: I was going to hike at least once a week during 2017. The 52 Hike Challenge is essential

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