I was expecting to feel some sort of launch or weightlessness, but instead, we could not even tell that we had left the ground. Before we knew it, we were floating hundreds of feet above ground and rising. It was our first hot air balloon experience,...
Clinging on with all my strength, my legs started shaking and I could tell I was about to fall. As I slid off and went smashing into the rocks, I could feel the harness catch me, and I bounced into the side of the wall....
So, I haven't been skiing since I was in 8th grade, and since I'm nearing my third decade of life, 8th grade was quite some time ago. I was 6 when I learned how to ski and we used to go a few times a...
Growing up, I had very little desire to do anything outside in the winter. In elementary school, when recess was indoors because the temperature was too cold (and too cold by Minnesotan standards is colder -10F), I would silently cheer in my head. I would even...
We had heard mixed reviews about the volcano sailing and hiking tour in Santorini, so we decided to play it by ear and leave our plans open ended. Many people said the volcano in Santorini was boring and there was nothing to look at, others...
By far, our favorite activity in Santorini was the hike from Fira to Oia. The views were spectacular and throughout most of the hike, it felt as though we were on the island by ourselves! Due to some pretty high winds, none of the regularly scheduled...
After looking at the typical August temperatures for Las Vegas and the current forecast of 106º, we decided that it might be best to explore the Red Rock Canyon area by car. I desperately wanted to explore the nature surrounding the city, and taking a...
To continue on with our adventures off the strip, our next activity was kayaking the Black Canyon in the Colorado River. The Black Canyon is located south of the Hoover Dam, so the water is nice and peaceful due to the controlled output from the...
Riding up the steep and winding dirt road on a clunky bus that was skimming the edge of the mountain made my stomach twist in knots, but our guides humorous antics eased my nerves a bit. I have a slight issue with cars and gravel...
Our second camping trip of the summer was a bit closer to home, and this time we got to go with a couple of friends. Afton State Park is about a 30-minute drive from our apartment in St. Paul, but it truly feels like a...
Although there are numerous trails at Cascade River State Park, we had our eyes set on hiking two of them. We wanted to hike the 3.5 mile loop to Lookout Mountain and the 7 mile trail that follows the Cascade River. Due to lack of...
When we realized that our summer was slowly slipping away and we had yet to plan one camping trip, we quickly got our calendars out and snapped up the first open dates we had. Since it ended up being a last minute trip, there wasn’t...
