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Biking at Itasca State Park in Minnesota with Raleigh Bicycles

06 Sep Biking to the Mississippi Headwaters at Itasca State Park

Posted at 13:00h in Blog, Minnesota, Outdoor Adventure, United States

Itasca State Park is the oldest state park in Minnesota, and it also happens to be where the mighty Mississippi River begins its journey all the way south towards the Gulf of Mexico. We have visited Itasca many times over the years, but this summer was...

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Bike Ride Midtown Greenway, Minneapolis, Minnesota, Raleigh Bicycles

24 Aug Urban Biking: The Midtown Greenway in Minneapolis

Posted at 09:30h in Blog, Minnesota, United States, Urban Adventure

It only makes sense that one of the best bike cities in the world has a trail that has been voted the best urban bike trail in the United States. That trail is the Midtown Greenway—the trail is 5.5 miles long and runs through Minneapolis,...

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Road Trip through Northeast Minnesota, TBEX

05 Aug Road Trip through Northeast Minnesota

Posted at 09:30h in Blog, Minnesota, United States, Urban Adventure

One of our favorite areas of Minnesota is the northeastern region of the state, in particular the stretch of land from Duluth to Grand Marais. This area borders Lake Superior, the largest freshwater lake in the world—Lake Superior is so large that it feels more...

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Biking on the Tour de Fuel at the W Minneapolis

09 Jul Biking around the Twin Cities with W Minneapolis and Le Méridien Chambers Minneapolis

Posted at 09:30h in Blog, Minnesota, United States, Urban Adventure

Minneapolis is one of the most bike friendly cities in America, so it comes as no surprise that the two sister hotels, W Minneapolis and Le Méridien Chambers Minneapolis, launched a bike program this summer. The hotels both stocked up with custom designed bikes that...

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Brewer's Table, Surly Brewing, Minneapolis, Minnesota

07 Jul 4 Course Chef and Brewer Pairing Menu at the Brewer’s Table

Posted at 09:30h in Blog, Minnesota, United States, Urban Adventure

Food and wine pairings are a common occurrence, but pairing food with beer isn't something that is done all too often. Sure, there are plenty of restaurants that suggest food and beer combinations, but creating an entire menu that revolves around harmonizing beer and food...

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Camping in a Yurt at Afton State Park in Minnesota

08 Apr Camping in a Yurt at Afton State Park

Posted at 09:30h in Blog, Minnesota, Outdoor Adventure, United States

We were picturing white fluffy snow, hats and mittens, toasty wood burning stoves and hot, steaming coffee. Instead, we were met with an early spring and temperatures that reached almost 70ºF. We definitely weren’t complaining, though—an early spring is always a welcome treat in Minnesota. You...

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Mini Guide to Voyageurs National Park in Minnesota

05 Apr Mini Guide to Voyageurs National Park

Posted at 09:35h in Blog, Minnesota, National Park Mini Guide, National Parks, United States

Voyageurs National Park is a water-based park located in northern Minnesota along the border of Canada. Consisting of four large lakes, a number of smaller lakes and several rivers, the park is best explored with a boat, but there are still plenty of land-based experiences...

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Ski Getaway at Lutsen Mountain, Minnesota

26 Feb Skiing in a Snowstorm at Lutsen Mountains

Posted at 09:30h in Blog, Minnesota, Outdoor Adventure, United States

The snow was pelting my eyes. Shielding my face, I struggled to see and attempted to make it down the hill upright. I wasn’t crying, but that didn’t stop the tears from streaming down my face and creating a thin layer of ice on my...

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Peace Coffee, Minneapolis, Minnesota

24 Feb Organic Fair-Trade Brew: Roastery Tour at Peace Coffee

Posted at 10:00h in Blog, Minnesota, United States, Urban Adventure

I drink coffee every day, but I rarely think about where it comes from and what I’m actually putting into my body. That’s something we’ve been trying to change lately—we have been making an effort to learn where the products we buy and foods we...

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Skiing at Wild Mountain in Minnesota

17 Feb Hitting the Slopes: Skiing at Wild Mountain

Posted at 09:15h in Blog, Minnesota, Outdoor Adventure, United States

It was a mild winter day by Minnesota standards--the temperature was hovering around 10°F and we were itching to get out on the slopes for the first skiing session of the season. Plus, it was Micah's birthday, so we had to get out and go...

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Snowshoeing at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum in Minnesota

12 Feb Snowshoeing at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum

Posted at 09:15h in Blog, Minnesota, Outdoor Adventure, United States

There was finally enough snow on the ground to break in our brand new snowshoes. So, we packed up the car and made our way to one of the best places to snowshoe in Minnesota: the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. The arboretum is home to 16 miles...

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Snorkeling at the Mall of America in Bloomington, MN

08 Dec Snorkeling at the Mall of America

Posted at 09:00h in Blog, Minnesota, United States, Urban Adventure

Snorkeling at a mall, you say? Yes, you read that right. We went snorkeling at the Mall of America in the SEA LIFE Minnesota Aquarium, and it was quite the adventure. It had been years since we were last at the aquarium, but we were...

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Another hike that we went on during our time in De Another hike that we went on during our time in Death Valley National was the Golden Canyon Trail with the Red Cathedral extension! We really enjoyed the landscape throughout this hike—it was another one of our favorite trails in Death Valley. The trail is 1.5 miles each way (3 miles round trip), and the last 0.5 miles of the trail, aka the Red Cathedral Trail, requires some scrambling, ledges, and low overhangs.

The Golden Canyon/Red Cathedral trail was so fun and we loved weaving through, under, and over tight rock formations. Plus, the views at the end of the trail were beautiful. Apparently, some scenes from Star Wars were filmed in this area, and I can see why—it looked like we were walking through an entirely different world!
At first, Badwater Basin in Death Valley National At first, Badwater Basin in Death Valley National Park doesn’t look like much, but when you learn more about this piece of land, it’s quite interesting. Badwater Basin is the lowest elevation point in North America, at 282 ft below sea level. The land here is made up of a salt flat that stretches nearly 200 square miles. If you look hard for the tiny white sign in the mountains in the 5th photo (straight up above the Cruise America RV) you can see where sea level is. Standing on the salt flat and looking up at the sea level sign really puts the low elevation into perspective! We couldn’t help but imagine standing at the bottom of the lake that once covered this area.

We walked about a mile out onto the flats and loved seeing all the salt polygons and unique formations all around us. The farther we walked the less people we saw, and it was quite peaceful during our sunset stroll. We ended up visiting Badwater Basin twice during our trip, and I already want to head back again. There’s just so much to see if you take the time to look!
When standing at the Zabriski Point Lookout in Dea When standing at the Zabriski Point Lookout in Death Valley National Park, you overlook stunning hills and canyons of the Badlands. And if you look close, you might see people hiking far out on the landscape. One of the trails that runs through this area is the Badlands Loop, and it is a fantastic option for a hike!  Wandering through the narrow canyons and up along the hills of the Badlands provides a beautiful vantage point of this colorful area. 

The Badlands Loop is a 2.7 mile trail that runs through the gulch and up along the top of the ridges. There isn’t much shade on this trial, especially if you hike it during the heat of the day, so try to avoid a midday hike here when the temperatures are high. There are several trails that intersect in this area; you can connect to both the Gower Gulch Trail and the Golden Canyon Trail to make it one longer 7.8 mile loop hike. We hiked Golden Canyon earlier on our trip, so this time around we just hiked the Badlands Loop. Photos 1-8 are from the Badlands Loop trail, and 9-10 are from the Zabriski Point overlook the day prior when the skies were much more cloudy!
We spent 2.5 days exploring Death Vally National P We spent 2.5 days exploring Death Vally National Park this past winter, and we sure packed a lot into our visit. Hiking the wide variety of trails was our favorite way to explore the park. All of the trails were fantastic, but the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes was one of our favorite stops. We visited the dunes several times during our three days in the park, and each visit was at a different time of day. We were there for sunset, at night to see the stars, and at sunrise. When we went for sunrise, we hiked our way out to the summit of the tallest dune. The summit is roughly 1 mile from the parking lot, although there is no formal trail to get there and back. 

Along the hike, we spotted someone painting the sunrise from the top of one of the dunes. We couldn’t help but stop and chat with her and Micah snapped a few photos—we absolutely loved her artwork! We also enjoyed finding lots of animal prints in the sand. Even though the distance was short, the hike was tough as the sand is very hard to walk on. It felt like every step forward equaled two steps back! But the feeling you get from conquering the tallest dune is well worth it. It’s a beautiful portion of the park to explore!
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