Category: Arizona

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One Day in Saguaro National Park

Saguaro National Park

If I’m being honest, Saguaro National Park was not high on my list. But, when we took a family trip to Phoenix over the holidays, I knew I couldn’t miss the opportunity to check it out. This happened to be our first trip with a baby and Riley was only 3.5 months old at the time. We also went with the whole extended family, so I knew right off the bat this was not going to be one of our more adventurous visits to a national park. It turned out Saguaro made for the perfect day trip on this vacation and was definitely a trip highlight for me.

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How Travel Heals

 
sunrise at Haleakala summit

Coping with the loss of a loved one is one of the most difficult and stressful challenges that many of us will face. There are not only mental implications of dealing with so many emotions, but physical implications as well. Loss of sleep, headaches, loss of appetite, nausea, and the list goes on. When I lost my mom at the end of 2018, I thought I would never be okay again. I was so physically and mentally broken down and exhausted. Fast forward a bit, and while there are days I feel okay, these days are (still) sometimes followed by nights filled with horrible nightmares and extreme anxiety. Continue reading “How Travel Heals”

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Packing for Havasupai

Beaver Falls from above

Gathering gear and packing is by far the most overwhelming part of a backpacking trip for a beginner. Havasupai was our first real backpacking trip and so we are beginners ourselves! We did do a ton of research in preparing for this trip as we wanted to make sure we were comfortable and not miserable while trying to enjoy our time in this beautiful place. In this post I’ll provide our final packing list for Havasupai, including what we couldn’t have lived without and what we didn’t need or use.  Continue reading “Packing for Havasupai”

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How to Visit Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend

Horseshoe Bend, Page, AZ

Lately, Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend have been growing in popularity and for good reason. I stopped in Page, AZ on two different trips: my road trip through Grand Canyon, Bryce and Zion, and my trip to Havasu Falls. On my first trip here, this was my unexpected highlight of the trip! In this post, I’ll share everything you need to know to visit Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend as well as some other things you can do while in Page, AZ. Continue reading “How to Visit Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend”

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Planning a Trip to Havasu Falls

Havasu Falls has been gaining quite a bit of attention on social media lately! It is arguably the most beautiful waterfall in the United States.  Havasu Falls, along with Navajo Falls, Fifty Foot Falls, Mooney Falls, and Beaver Falls are all located within Havasu Canyon on the Havasupai Indian Reservation just outside of Grand Canyon National Park. Getting to these falls is not easy but is definitely worth it. In this blog post, I’ll be sharing how I finally checked Havasupai off my bucket list! I’ll also include tons of information and tips to help you in planning a trip to Havasu Falls including how to get permits, a sample itinerary, and much more!   Continue reading “Planning a Trip to Havasu Falls”

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A 7-Day Road Trip: Grand Canyon, Bryce, and Zion National Parks

My very first U.S. National Park road trip has been a tough one to beat! The southwest is truly an amazing, other worldly place. I went on this trip with my friend, Alyssa, over spring break in April of 2015. We were going for budget friendly and maximizing our time exploring within our limited time frame of 1 week. In this post, I’ll share our 7-day road trip itinerary through Grand Canyon, Bryce, and Zion National Parks including stops at Horseshoe Bend, Antelope Canyon, and Lake Powell.

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