Everybody hikes Diamond Head and Manoa Falls. This one is less known...Lulumahu Falls. And this is what you'll find if you google it: "If you try to hike into Lulumahu Falls, in Nuuanu Valley, you could be arrested, seriously injured (it's within a bow and arrow...
In the coming months, we're taking the kids on a trip through southern Alabama, Mississippi and back-country Louisiana. With the exception of the city of New Orleans, this is new territory for us. We've got a max of four days, and one is dedicated to New Orleans, but...
If you are from NW Ohio, there is a strong possibility that you've heard about The Spot. If you are late to the party, that's okay, I'm going to hook you up. So the short version of the story is that this dude found a stand of red pine in a certain part of Oak...
We arrived in Kona on the first flight of the morning. We had no plans except an AirBnB we'd booked on the other side of the island, that we didn't end up even using. You can read about that over here. I wanted to drive the Red Road in Puna. I wanted to see the...
Rule #1. Always. Eat. Local. NO JOKE. With the exception of McD's on the road for breakfast, and maybe a Taco Bell at lunch, we HATE eating at chain restaurants. Oh, wait - that's not true. We have one HUGE free pass card for Zaxby's - because let me tell you, that IS...
The thing about Jumbo Rocks campground is that there is no electricity, so no air conditioning...but it was so pleasant we didn't really need it. We slept great. Our goal for today was to get to Los Angeles, camping somewhere near the Pacific. We got there, but had to...
I'm going to let you in on a little secret. I hate to fly. I do it, because it's the only way to get where I want to go in an expedient manner. But the truth is, I hate being trapped on that metal tube, with no fresh air, too many people crammed in around me,...
The last few years my husband and I have taken a mini-trip sans children for our anniversary. One year it was to see San Francisco, Yosemite and the Sequoia; another it was to see the National Parks of Utah. We've been saying for awhile that we'd like to combine those...
When your family has been in the Americas since the 1600s, it seems unlikely that you would still turn out to be like 75% Scots-Irish...but here I am. As a tribute to my heritage, and because St. Patrick's Day is coming soon...you get a whole week of Ireland. I'll...
When I was growing up, my aunt and uncle lived outside Pittsburgh in Coraopolis. (I don't want crap from you Moon Township-ers.) I spent a ton of time there, and developed a deep and abiding love for the Pittsburgh Pirates. In fact, I'd say there are very few things I...
If you are going to do Alcatraz, I suggest doing the earliest tour possible. At the time of writing this – that’s the 8:45. I also suggest skipping the little ranger talk they give you when you first arrive. They’ll tell you it’s mandatory – it’s not. And the only...
If I didn’t mention this before, I will now – for this 16 day trip, we had exactly SIX nights with pre-arranged lodging. Primarily this was in campgrounds, with the last night booked at the Bellagio in Vegas. I don’t like over-planning trips, because I find it...
You've seen those pictures of sea glass beaches on the west coast. They say that the beaches at Fort Bragg were once so covered with sea glass that you can see nothing but glass everywhere. They are no longer like this. Or rather, there may be one more - but it's only...
It’s said that when Teddy Roosevelt saw Burney Falls, he said it had to be the 8th Wonder of the World. He’s not wrong. (Full disclosure: I have a massive dead-guy crush on Teddy Roosevelt, so I would probably just believe everything he ever said, but, this is legit)...
The trip from Sequoia to Death Valley was basically uneventful, save for a very fortuitous stop at Gus's (don't bother with the grammatical error of that) Jerky. It's phenomenal, and very worth the stop. Round about here, we got buzzed by what we think was an F-14...
Contrary to the name - you will find no glaciers at Glacier Point. This fact bummed me out. There ARE glaciers in Yosemite - but you have to hike over 14,000 feet peaks to see them, and since I couldn't hack Vernal Falls - well, yeah, it's just not happening for me....
When you leave Lake Tahoe to the South, you will encounter an agricultural inspection point. They grill you about what kind of fruit you are bringing in and where you got it from. We blew the fellow's mind because we'd been in California, only very briefly back in...
Collectively, this was our least favorite stop on the trip. Lake Tahoe is lovely. But... The mountains surrounding this gorgeous lake are incredible. The whole area looks like a postcard. We arrived by noon local time, and desperately wanted to rent a boat – but 30mph...
When I say we don't like crowds - I mean it. We were at the Hoover Dam before anyone else. Waiting patiently for a tour that was not to be. (Broken elevator). We did do the visitor center - very informative, very interesting. We spent quite a bit of time checking it...
Our last real day of travel has arrived. We are all feeling it a little - ready to head home, but at the same time totally in love with this trip we've taken. Or at least most of us are. My daughter is 14, and she's...well, she's weary by this point. For our finaly...
This post wins for longest title ever...but I couldn't leave any of them off! The day started just outside of the Grand, at our campground at Ten X. I want to stress again that this was in our top 5 campgrounds of the whole trip - and it was TEN DOLLARS a night!! So,...
From Death Valley, we started heading toward the Grand Canyon. Along the way, we had plans to stop at Seligman. If you've got kids, you've surely seen the movie Cars. Seligman was the main inspiration for the film. When Interstate 40 was built, Seligman (built right...
My kids are all turning out to be entrepreneurs. It was a logical conclusion, seeing as how their dad and I both are now. Their dad was a teacher during their early lives, but they don't really remember those days. Not well anyway. As far as they are concerned, we...
I'm a firm believer that if you don't get out and see the world, you are living a life half lived. Not just because you miss out on the wonders of the world, but you miss out on experiencing life outside of what you are accustomed to living. That all being said -...
Eight years ago, my husband and I took an amazing ten day trip around Ireland. My dad lived in Dublin where he was an instructor for the National Ambulance School. Which created a perfect opportunity for us - because my motto is, if you know someone who lives...
Clearly, we have a thing for jumping into water from high places. 15 feet was the height this time - and I, unfortunately, did not participate. (Lake Superior is ALWAYS cold...) BUT, my kids all did the jump this time, and that thrills me. Even the littlest (he's 11)...