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Traditional Latvian Sauna Experience, Latvia

29 Jun Stripped, Whipped, and Scrubbed: A Traditional Latvian Sauna Experience

Posted at 14:03h in Blog, Europe, Latvia, Urban Adventure

“Make sure you go in the nude,” my new friends shouted amidst fits of laughter, “it will totally be worth it!” Ummm, yeah, not gonna happen…I thought to myself as I clutched my swimsuit tight. I was standing inside a hotel lobby in Sigulda, a small town...

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Winter Adventures at Chena Hot Springs in Fairbanks, Alaska

24 Apr Adventures at Chena Hot Springs in Fairbanks, Alaska

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

One day many, many years ago, I read about a magical hot spring located in the remote lands of Alaska. Trees heavy with snow, steaming waters, and icicles growing on heads of hair, gave way to an otherworldly winter scene, and I knew we had...

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Siberian Station Spa, Quebec City, Canada

07 Feb Soaking Up the Thermal Cycle at Siberia Station Spa

Posted at 08:30h in Blog, Canada, Quebec, Urban Adventure

We are always fans of relaxing in hot tubs—we’ve soaked in steamy hot pools in Japan, Iceland, Canada, Slovenia, Colorado, Alaska, and more. Canada seems to be filled with fabulous places to get your spa on. So, when we decided we were heading to Quebec...

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Thermea Nordic Spa in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

17 Jun Dipping into the Nordic Thermal Cycle at Thermea in Winnipeg

Posted at 11:30h in Blog, Canada, Manitoba, Urban Adventure

We sat on a wooden bench, engulfed in an intense dry heat, and waited for the Aufguss ceremony to begin. As the gong rang, the Aufguss master entered the sauna with a wooden pail full of snowballs. Each snowball was infused with a different essential...

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25 Apr Camping & Hot Springs in Banff National Park

Posted at 09:15h in Alberta, Blog, Canada, National Parks, Outdoor Adventure

We loved Banff National Park so much that we ended up visiting twice in one summer. The first trip was for a video project, and the second visit was a getaway with a couple of friends. Both trips consisted of us spending a few nights...

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Hellislaug, Hot Springs in Iceland

28 Jan Relaxing at Hot Springs in Iceland

Posted at 09:25h in Blog, Europe, Iceland, Outdoor Adventure

We are never ones to pass up a hot spring experience--we've soaked in waters around the world and are always up for more. Because of Iceland’s active geothermal lands, there are hot springs in every direction. The hot spring varieties are practically endless; you can...

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Blue Lagoon in Iceland Under the Midnight Sun

12 Oct Iceland’s Blue Lagoon Under the Midnight Sun

Posted at 09:30h in Blog, Europe, Iceland, Urban Adventure

The Blue Lagoon in Iceland is just one of those magical places where all your cares melt away. Sure, there are plenty of other amazing hot springs to check out around the entire country of Iceland, and we did made sure to check out as...

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Shibu Onsen, Japan, Asia, Photo Essay, Wander The Map

30 Jun Photo Tour through the Tiny Town of Shibu Onsen, Japan

Posted at 09:15h in Asia, Blog, Japan, Urban Adventure

Shibu Onsen is an adorable, tiny town in the middle of nowhere. We literally had to take planes, trains and automobiles to get there, but it was definitely worth the hassle. Our visit to this town came about because of Micah's obsession with visiting the...

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The Blue Lagoon, Iceland

01 Jul Visiting Iceland’s Wondrous Blue Lagoon‏

Posted at 09:12h in Blog, Europe, Iceland, Urban Adventure

Have you ever thought to yourself, "I feel like bathing in a lava pool filled with runoff from a geothermal power plant"? No? Well you probably should. The Blue Lagoon is just this--it definitely sounds strange, but it is one of the most popular attractions...

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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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