independent, intentional travel
Part of the 4T Trail experience
One summer, Matt and I flew up to the Pacific Northwest for a trip with a group of his college friends. After a few days in the mountains near Cougar, WA, we headed to Portland to hike the 4T Trail. I’d never heard of it before (not surprising) but Matt’s friends who live in Washington, Josh and Mackenzie, had done it before. So they took us to do it.
Here’s everything you need to know about the 4T Trail in Portland. [Read more…]
This post is just a tad bit overdue, but a glimmer of hope about moving back to Spain is giving me new motivation to write again. 🙂 At the beginning of August, Matt and I took a road trip from Kansas City to Milwaukee. We went to a wedding about an hour outside of Chicago, but we didn’t want to just turn around and drive home. So we decided to spend a few days in Milwaukee, Wisconsin — because Matt’s sister lives there! So we had a free place to stay.
Also, one of my new friends that I met during my summer soccer league, Anna, just moved to KC from Milwaukee! We met up for coffee and she gave me a bunch of tips and places to see before we went, which was super helpful. We weren’t there for very long, but I feel like we still packed a lot into our visit. [Read more…]
Hi! It’s me, Cathy. I recognize it has been a pretty long time since I last wrote anything. That’s just because I didn’t have anything to write about 😬 Times like this, I really miss my old life in Spain where there was always something to write about… and I admire my past commitment to posting something new every 10 days…
Anyway, more travel is in my immediate future! Later this month, Matt and I are driving up to Milwaukee for a few days. And then when we get back, we’re flying up to spend a week in Washington/Oregon with one of his college friends! So, more to come. But for now, we’re here to talk about breweries across the state from us in St. Louis, Missouri. [Read more…]
I’m back to traveling, kind of! Two weeks ago, Matt was asked to travel to Washington, D.C. for work. But since he has Southwest Airlines Companion Pass, that means I get to go along, too. For free! I wasn’t going to turn down the chance for a free vacation.
Luckily, it looks like many more trips to DC will be in our future! In fact, we’re here again right now. But last time, we decided to extend our stay through the weekend and really take in the sights. (Matt has to go into the office during the day.) Because it was our first time traveling in so long, I thought I would write a bit about what it was like in DC. We’re not in a post-COVID society quite yet, but things are still different from before we had vaccines. So, this is what it’s like to visit the U.S. capital in May 2021. [Read more…]
The view from Tomichi Point at Black Canyon National Park — hazy from western wildfires
“Several canyons of the American West are longer and some are deeper, but none combines the depth, sheerness, narrowness, darkness, and dread of the Black Canyon.”
— Duane Vandenbusche, author of Images of America: The Black Canyon of the Gunnison
Have you ever heard of Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park? No? Well, you’re not alone. But when we stayed in Grand Junction for a week in September 2020, we were so close to Black Canyon that I couldn’t resist the chance to check off another National Park from my personal list.
Matt had never heard of it but was also happy to make the 1.5 hour drive and spend the day exploring. And the more we researched it, the more excited we were to visit. Keep reading to find out why you should visit Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. [Read more…]
THE Delicate Arch, seen during our one day at Arches National Park recently
Out of the 29 National Parks I’ve been to, there’s one that I’ve returned to time and time again: Arches National Park. Located in eastern Utah, not far from I-70 and near the small town of Moab, Arches wasn’t even a park I knew about until my family visited for the first time in 2012 during our annual road trip. Our memories of its fiery red rocks and blue skies came second only to our memories of a particularly ill-advised hike.
Let me just say… hiking to Delicate Arch at 3pm in the middle of July with inadequate shoes and insufficient water isn’t something I would recommend. Also, it’s 1.5 miles each way, not round trip like we’d thought. All I remember is both of my sisters crying the entire time — Becky because she had a migraine; 10-year-old Carrie because with each corner we turned, we weren’t yet at the famous arch. [Read more…]
From my first visit to Sevilla, Spain
A few months ago, my mom and I spent a long weekend down south in Sevilla, Spain. I can’t even describe how magical that time felt. Even though I was only a few hours away from Madrid, I felt like I’d been transported to an entirely different world.
During a visit to Spain, many travelers think about visiting the beaches of Barcelona or enjoying Madrid capital. But if you’re looking for a more thorough Spanish experience, I can’t recommend Sevilla enough. From Madrid, it’s easy to access – an hour flight or a two-and-a-half hour train ride – and though it’s Spain’s 4th-largest city, it has a distinctive personality that feels uniquely Spanish.
Have I convinced you to visit yet? If not, here are 7 reasons why you should take a journey down south to the capital of Andalucía! [Read more…]
Just one of the many things you must do in Sevilla, Spain
During my second year living in Spain, my mom came to visit! Since she’d already seen the highlights of Madrid when she came to visit me the summer before, we decided to take a long weekend trip down to Sevilla in the south of Spain. Even though it was the end of February, we were nice and warm in sunny Andalucía!
It had been nearly four years since my first visit to Sevilla, when I went during my first-ever solo trip, so I was really excited to go back. After living in Spain, I felt like I had a lot more context for Spanish culture and history — plus more experiences with other cities throughout the country. That helped me to develop my understanding of Sevilla better than I could before. [Read more…]
The CTA train will help you transfer from Midway to O’Hare, or the other way around
Wow… six posts later, I’ve finally finished writing about the holiday trip I took with Matt! Hard to believe that we set off for our travels almost 3 months ago already. Anyway, it’s time for some new topics!
Last week, my mom and I visited Sevilla in the south of Spain. I was able to find her a relatively cheap flight to Madrid to spend a week with me here. And if you didn’t know it already, I booked a last-minute flight home to Kansas City to watch the Super Bowl with my family (just for a weekend). Which was also super cheap. But how did I do it? [Read more…]
We would have loved more time, but here’s how we spent 24 hours in Florence, Italy.
When Matt and I decided to visit Rome for New Year’s during our holiday trip, our main motivation was meeting up with a couple of friends — Emily and James. But it was a little too expensive to fly back to Madrid from Rome, so I started checking out other airports in Italy. About four hours north of Rome is Bologna, which ended up having the best ticket prices. And halfway between Rome and Bologna is Florence.
After hearing about Florence as one of Italy’s must-visit cities for years, it was the perfect opportunity to check it out myself. [Read more…]