Wanderful Roamings

So when we booked this cruise, I joked with friends and family that we were sailing on "The Pearl" (pirate accent, of course).  I figured we were okay to board when I saw that the cruise ship didn't have black sails.  Fortunately, the NCL (Norwegian Cruise Line) Pearl has much nicer entertainment, dinning and lodging options then the Black Pearl from Pirates of the Caribbean.  We boarded on August 6, 2017, destined for the inside passage of Alaska. The NCL Pearl After a poolside lunch, we made our way to our interior stateroom. Booking and interior was a first for Ben and I. There were several pros and cons. We loved the price of the interior stateroom.  We were on deck most of the day taking in the beautiful Alaskan scenery, so we didn't spend much time in our room. However, we did notice that the interior rooms are super dark. I would wake up in the middle of the night not knowing if it was 2 or 9 am. (Thank goodness for cell phones with flashlights

Just last week Ben and I took off for northern California to see the colossal coastal redwood trees. While driving on highway 101 from Crescent City to Redwood National Park we stumbled across a 50 foot Paul Bunyan and his loyal companion the 35 foot Babe!!  Seriously, how cool. We had to stop, right? I mean you just can't pass something like that by!  Paul and Babe, Trees of Mystery, Redwoods So we pulled into the Trees of Mystery in Klamath California for some fun photos and a tour through a grove of giants.  Giant trees, that is!  Walking up to Paul and Babe we were thrilled to be spoken to. Yep, Paul waved and talked to us, telling us to come take a picture, a tour and enjoy some fudge at the end of the trail.  You know I thought it was a recording of course until I stood next to a bear and Paul causally said "Yeah, Bear likes his picture taken too!"  I busted a gut! So much fun!! Isn't Bear photogenic? So we bought out tickets and headed

After an exhausting day of short hikes, long drives and countless pictures, we pulled off the grand loop and headed toward "Old Faithful to grab some dinner."  Along the road cars were pulled over, people had their cameras out and several park rangers stood watch. Naturally, we had to get out and see what was going on. In Yellowstone, where there are rangers, there is likely to be some sort of wild animal, usually an awesome one.   Grizzly. Yellowstone NP We quickly parked the car and walked over to the crowd. All I could see was a black mass moving around behind some trees. "Black Bear?" I asked a man next to me. "Grizzly," he responded. I was astonished! A Grizzly bear, out in the open, this close to "Old Faithful!"  How exciting! Bears, especially grizzlies, have always been a favorite of mine. I was over the moon for a chance to view one in Yellowstone NP. I watched the BIGGEST smile appear on Ben's face as he pulled out ou

Like most people I love the ocean. I love the salty mist, the rushing waves, the sunsets and the feel of sand squishing between my toes.  Unfortunately, I live in Utah. I know what you're thinking and NO, the Great Salt Lake is not the ocean. Not even close! Naturally, when I planned our anniversary trip to sunny San Diego, I knew we would be spending a lot of time at the ocean. One evening, my husband and I decided to find a beach that neither of us had visited before. So we pulled out good ol' google maps and discovered La Jolla Cove. La Jolla Cove, California  With the windows down, we circled the area looking for a parking spot. I heard the waves crashing against rocks, seagulls squawking loudly, and something barking in the distance. I looked at Ben. He looked at me. We both smiled and said "Sea Lions!" Now, that might not sound very exciting to some people but wild sea lions are exotic animals to us inland folks. We looked over the wall

Cold air blew off the ice, whipping us in the face, as a small charter boat approached the arctic blue Portage Glacier.  Ben and I had left the comfort of our cruise ship, taken a tour bus an hour in land and were now face to face with a giant field of ice. Frigid wind whistled off the top of the glacier, slapping our cheeks as we stood in total awe at the power of nature.  Portage Glacier, Alaska Earlier that day, our cruise ship, the MS Maasdam docked in Anchorage, Alaska. We were excited to be in such an awesome city and even more excited to take a tour to Portage Lake where we would get to be up close to a glacier.  I don't remember most of the drive to the lake since the gentle rumble of the bus put me to sleep.  Despite Ben's best attempts, I could not keep my eyes open (this is what hypothyroidism does to you).  He's told me that he saw several waterfalls, bald eagles (his favorite bird) and even passed a bay where he saw a whale.  Portage Glacie

On a cool misty May morning while visiting Vancouver Island Ben took me to a place that he had raved about for years! Ben spent two years in British Columbia, Canada serving an LDS mission. Six months of that time he lived in Nanaimo and had the opportunity to explore the glorious wilderness of Vancouver Island.  So for ten years I heard him talk and talk about a special place where the trees where large, old and covered in hanging moss.  Finally, for our tenth anniversary, Ben took me to Vancouver Island and gave me the chance to experience what his words could not do justice.  Cathedral Grove Cathedral Grove Trail Wow, it was pretty. Mist hung low around the forest canopy as we walked the Cathedral Grove trail, taking time to breath in the fresh forest air, listen to the birds and discussing how certain trees had grown.  Being from Utah, I had never seen such a green place before. I almost didn't believe it.   We looked at giant root systems, vibrant hanging gr

How awesome is it that we got to spend the day in Canada's Yukon Territory?  Seriously, the Yukon, full of interesting history, magnificent open space and natural beauty, is one of the most spectacular places that we have ever been to. Our only regret? Not having enough time to explore! The day started early in Skagway, Alaska. Our cruise ship, the Norwegian Pearl docked nice and early, so we grabbed a quick breakfast and left our floating hotel to board a bus destined for the Yukon. I wish we could have been able to drive ourselves, stopping and spending time where we wanted to but the tour was quite fun and the guide was amazing.  Yukon Territory After a short tour of Skagway, Pete (our super awesome and knowledgeable guide) began the beautiful drive through a corner of British Columbia and into the Yukon. Pete explained the history of the gold rush as he pointed out spectacular landmarks and native wildlife. He told stories about the old miners who floated dow

One of our first big adventures was to a curious little state park in the middle of nowhere Utah.  We decided to visit Goblin Valley because Ben had learned about the odd rock formations in his geology class, it had camping spaces and it was close to home. Perfect for struggling college kids.  Goblin Valley SP I wasn't sure what exactly to expect (Pinterest wasn't a thing back then) when we pulled into the small treeless campground. Surely this wasn't camping! It was nearly 95 degrees, sandy and windy.  Despite all this, I was happy to see bathrooms... nice bathrooms... with flush-able toilets... and running water. SCORE!  Putting up our tent in the Utah desert wind was a complete joke as it kept flapping around everywhere. However, we eventually got our sweltering shelter put together and went to work blowing up the air mattress which we soon realized was much to big for our tent. Haha. Not only did the sides rub against the tent, causing it to squeak

I'm not sure how many other people are willing to admit to their addictions, but I will proudly stand and state that I love to travel, road trip, vacation, roam, journey, and everything else in between!   Despite my constant need to be going somewhere, I haven't always had the travel bug. During my childhood the majority of our family trips included day picnics in the Wasatch Mountains (Utah), hikes to Silver Lake and visiting family in Idaho - Okay and a vacation or two to Disney.  It wasn't until my honeymoon that I discovered how much fun road trips can be. My new husband and I set off for Yellowstone National Park the day after we were married in Salt Lake City.  I was seeing sites that I had only heard about before such as Old Faithful, Paint Pots, and Mammoth Hot Springs. Even though we were only able to stay a short time, that experience created a stirring in me that I haven't been able to shake over the past 13 years. Yellowstone May 21, 2005 ~ Look how