Itinerary: One Week in Wales

When Brian's annual tradeshow in Paris circled around, we decided to add on a weekend in Monaco before his work events, and a week after for our own exploration. We've both spent quite a bit of time in Europe so I started brainstorming a new country we could sneak in (Andorra, Liechtenstein, and San Marino …

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Hiking in Brecon Beacons National Park

Our second biggest hike in Wales - following our memorable trek to Yr Wyddfa in Eryri (Snowdonia) National Park - was summiting Pen y Fan, the highest peak in Brecon Beacons National Park. The forecast was not looking good for our days in Brecon Beacons but after our wet and windy hike in Snowdonia, we …

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Custer State Park: Winter Hikes

When we scouted places we might want to live in South Dakota and Wyoming, the Black Hills area was at the top of our list. One of our favorite days was driving Needles Highway and down through Custer State Park to our accommodations in Hot Springs, South Dakota. We promised ourselves we would be back, …

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Wyoming Hikes: Cliff Hanger Loop and Highline Loop

This weekend we headed back to Curt Gowdy State Park for a bigger hike around Crystal Reservoir. By stitching together Cliff Hanger, Canyons, and Crystal Ridge trails, we created a giant loop around the lake. Just for fun, we also added in the Highline loop, which was absolutely worth it! Our final hike clocked in …

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Exploring Colorado’s Red Rocks and Lookout Mountain

Aside from a long weekend in Rocky Mountain National Park a couple years ago, I haven't spent an appreciable amount of time in Colorado. So when our friends told us they were attending a week-long work conference in Denver, we immediately made plans to head down the weekend ahead of time to catch up! Denver …

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Wyoming Hikes: Crow Creek to Hidden Falls Trail

When we were considering our move to Wyoming, one of our criteria was proximity to mountains and places to hike. With 109 named mountain ranges and sub-ranges in Wyoming, we thought it was a safe bet we'd be able to access something of interest no matter where we landed! If you've visited Cheyenne, Wyoming, which …

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Visiting Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument

While Mount Rainier is the volcano most people associate with Washington, Mount St. Helens is the one Washington residents most like to discuss, especially on the anniversary of its May 1980 eruption. My work colleagues in particular each have a vivid recollection of where they were during that time and in the days and weeks …

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