Kayaking the Black Canyon, Off the Strip Adventure, Las Vegas, Nevada

Our Best and Worst Moments of 2014 + A Look into 2015

Happy New Year everyone! 2014 was no doubt an exciting, yet exhausting year. We made some huge changes in our lives, which consisted of moving from Florida back to our home state of Minnesota, plus both of us jumping into freelance full-time. It’s scary and exhilarating all in one, and hopefully we can continue to make it work! Needless to say, the move and huge job switch has put us on an emotional rollercoaster, but there were many ups and downs throughout our travels, as well. Thankfully, there were more highs than lows, but here is a recap of our best and worst moments of 2014 plus a peek into our plans for 2015.

Highs:

Some of our favorite experiences always involve outdoor adventures, and this year was no different.

While in Vegas, we took a road trip to Arizona and went kayaking in the Black Canyon. The launch point was about 10-20 minutes south of the Hoover Dam, and we paddled through the canyon and to the Emerald Cave.

Kayaking the Black Canyon, Off the Strip Adventure, Las Vegas, Nevada

Santorini was filled with wandering the winding streets, eating delicious Greek food and sailing the ocean. But, our favorite activity was hiking along the caldera from Fira to Oia, which is about half the length of the island. The views were fantastic, and besides the crazy wind, the weather was gorgeous.

Santorini

I love seeing how things are made and produced, so joining in on the fall grape harvest at Cannon River Winery in southern Minnesota was quite the treat. We were able to help hand-pick the grapes and learn all about how the wine is produced—after a morning full of work we were treated to lunch and a wine tasting!

Fall Grape Harvest at Cannon River Winery in Minnesota

We were hoping to spend a large portion of the summer camping in Minnesota, but time went too fast and we only made it out a couple of times. However, both camping trips were a lot of fun, so I would have to say it was at least a partial success! We went camping at Afton State Park just outside of the city and at Cascade River State Park in northern Minnesota.

Cascade River State Park, Minnesota

Last but not least, hiking through the Red Rocks in Sedona rounds out our list. We hiked many trails over the couple of days we spent in Sedona, but our favorite was the hike to Devil’s Bridge—it was a gorgeous day with stunning views in every direction!

Red Rocks, Sedona, AZ

Lows:

Although I don’t like to focus on negativity, nothing is ever perfect and we wanted to share some of our lows from the year, as well.

First and foremost, leaving all of our friends and family in Florida was incredibly difficult! While moving was a high overall, it was sad to say goodbye to many people who mean so much to us. We were hoping to go back for a visit in November, but unfortunately that didn’t pan out, so we can’t wait for our next trip planned this spring!

Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park in Key West, FL

This one was really a major bummer—while Micah was working in Las Vegas this past summer, I was supposed to be in Costa Rica on a yoga retreat. Well, I made it there, but ended up getting horribly sick along the way. After spending the night on the bathroom floor in agony, I made the hard decision to head back home. Missing out on an amazing experience is always difficult, and as sad as I was to head home, I made the right decision. I could barely get off the couch for the next week, so I can’t imagine how I would have coped with daily yoga and the other activities I was expected to participate in.

We visited the Grand Canyon in February, and in many ways it was wonderful. The one way it wasn’t so great? The icy trails and lack of equipment on our part meant we were stuck at the rim and couldn’t hike down into the canyon. One thing I can say for sure is that we will definitely be hiking to the bottom on our next trip to the canyon!

Grand Canyon, AZ

I am pretty accident prone, so I always seem to have some bumps and bruises tagging along with me. Well, the worst one of the year was the nasty fall that I took in Athens. We were on our way to the TBEX opening party and while walking down a steep hill, I tripped and fell…and fell…and fell, until I crashed into a parked car on the side of the road. Yep. That happened. I ended up skinning my knees and feet, and my entire body hurt the next morning. I woke up and said that I felt like I got hit by a bus…and then laughed because it wasn’t too far off! I’m now basically healed up, but my knee is still giving me problems. I guess it isn’t a trip unless I obtain some sort of injury!

2015 Plans:

So, with that, on to the new year! As of right now, our first concrete plans are in March—we are heading to Italy, Czech Republic and Japan! I scored us an amazing deal on tickets and am so excited to finally be traveling to Asia. We are also going to be heading back to Florida and then to New Hampshire for weddings—one that Micah is photographing and one where he is a groomsman! Glacier National Park is also on the list for next summer as well as traveling around and exploring more of Minnesota. Also, we have a two-week rail pass for Europe that we need to use—I’m not sure where that is going to fit in yet, but it will definitely be used!

Our biggest news for 2015 is that we are going to be making videos for Best Western! We made our first video for them up in Grand Marais this December, and there will be more to come. Even though they will be sending us on trips around the US and Canada, things won’t be changing around here on the blog. We will still be writing about our adventures in the same way as we are now, but there will just be more stories to share!

As everyone knows, plans change—so as of now, this is our year. We can’t wait to see what 2015 brings for us and for all of you. So with that, happy New Year and safe travels for many years to come!

What are your plans for the new year?