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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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Kayaking on Mirror Lake at Mirror Lake State Park in Wisconsin

23 Jul Kayaking on Mirror Lake in Wisconsin

Posted at 09:25h in Blog, Outdoor Adventure, United States, Wisconsin

As we launched our kayaks into the calm waters, we marveled at the peaceful setting that unfolded in front of us. The deep blue water contrasted sharply with the neon green algae floating on the lake’s surface, while sandstone bluffs poked out through the thick...

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First Landing State Park Hike, Bald Cypress Trail, North End, Virginia Beach

24 May Virginia Beach’s North End: Lighthouses and Hiking

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

While most of our trip to Virginia Beach was met with rain and thunderstorms, we weren’t going to let that stop us from exploring. One area of Virginia Beach that we really ended up enjoying was the North End. We loved how quiet, secluded and...

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Fat Tire Biking on False Cape Beach, Virginia Beach, Virginia

17 May Fat Tire Biking at False Cape State Park and Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge

Posted at 09:00h in Blog, Outdoor Adventure, United States, Virginia

The last time I was on a bike it didn't go too well. We were mountain biking in Arizona and the bike was too big and the seat was too high for my comfort--I couldn't control myself, I got my pants stuck in the gears...

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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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Hallway Hill Hike at Maplewood State Park in Pelican Rapids, MN

10 Oct Fall Hiking at Hallaway Hill

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

Reds, yellows and oranges peek out around every turn—fall in Minnesota consists of splashes of color that create a beautiful leaf peeping scene. One of our favorite spots to see the fall colors is at Maplewood State Park near our hometown of Pelican Rapids. Maplewood State...

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Afton State Park, Minnesota

22 Aug Camping at Afton State Park

Posted at 09:24h in Blog, Minnesota, Outdoor Adventure, United States

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...

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Hiking to Lookout Mountain at Cascade River State Park, Lutsen, MN

07 Aug Hiking to Lookout Mountain in Cascade River State Park

Posted at 09:33h in Blog, Minnesota, Outdoor Adventure, United States

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...

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Cascade River State Park Camping, Lutsen, Minnesota

04 Aug Camping at Cascade River State Park

Posted at 09:11h in Blog, Minnesota, Outdoor Adventure, United States

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...

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Kayaking at John Pennekamp State Park

09 May Kayaking Through the Mangroves at John Pennekamp State Park

Posted at 11:12h in Blog, Florida, Outdoor Adventure, The Florida Keys, United States

Twisting and turning our way through, we arched back to skim under the low hanging trees. As we maneuvered our kayaks carefully towards the other side of the mangrove cluster, I wondered if we were on the right path. The path we chose, was indeed...

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Red Rocks, Sedona, AZ

25 Mar Red Rocks and Vortexes in Sedona

Posted at 10:16h in Arizona, Blog, Outdoor Adventure, United States

Walking up towards the mound, I was expecting to feel a rush of energy, or a burst of joyfulness. Instead, what I found was a little less exciting: calmness. There was a sense of peace and stillness that I absorbed while starring out towards the...

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Bahia Honda State Park, Florida Keys

18 Feb Exploring Bahia Honda State Park in the Florida Keys

Posted at 10:46h in Blog, Florida, Outdoor Adventure, The Florida Keys, United States

Bahia Honda State Park is said to be one of the most beautiful state parks in the state of Florida. I haven't visited many of the Florida state parks, but I can see where Bahia Honda would be hard to top. Located about 37 miles...

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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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