Despite living in West Virginia for most of my life, I had never actually visited the state's Eastern Panhandle until summer 2020. Our day around the Berkeley Springs area was actually part of a longer road trip; I was taking an exam in Martinsburg, which is close by, and we were visiting family friends in… Continue reading One Day Around Berkeley Springs, WV
Most of the time if someone asks what my favorite part of a trip was, it's hard to give an exact answer. But my trip to New Mexico last month is an exception: Carlsbad Caverns National Park blew me away, and though I loved the whole trip, this park was by far my favorite place… Continue reading All About Carlsbad Caverns National Park
Since starting college, I thought it would be fun to do a spring break road trip, and I planned out different hypotheticals (including a hiking-intensive 9 National Parks in 9 days trip that, physically, I don't actually think I could do). Last fall, with the pandemic still dragging on and online classes keeping us in… Continue reading New Mexico Road Trip: Carlsbad, White Sands, and Las Cruces
There's this story you get told in school about history, and it's fairly straightforward and simple. Which makes sense - elementary school kids aren't historians trying to become specialists in one area of history or another. The goal is just giving students a general understanding of history and how we got to today. And that's… Continue reading Blennerhassett Island
Blackwater Falls is one of the loveliest places in West Virginia and especially well-located in Tucker County near lots of other fantastic places to explore! While I've been there numerous times over the years, we decided to spend this past Christmas at a cabin in the state park, which was an excellent decision in my… Continue reading Winter at Blackwater Falls
About a year ago, I went on a fun spring break trip with my family. It was a great trip to see them, especially since I thought I would spend the rest of the semester in Arizona; instead, I flew home two weeks later after COVID-19 was declared a pandemic. Consequently, it took me a… Continue reading A Taste of Hershey, Pennsylvania
Early on October 17, 1859, the sleeping town of Harpers Ferry became a battleground in one of the key events that marked the dawning of the Civil War. Though the war would not officially begin until April 1861 with the Battle of Fort Sumter, John Brown's Raid on Harpers Ferry was indicative of the tension… Continue reading Harpers Ferry: Then and Now
Though well-known in and around Tucson, I had never heard of Sabino Canyon before living here, which is a shame because it has some truly amazing trails and views. I've visited this site a few times now, including for night hiking - Tucson is not favorable to hiking in the afternoon. While there are many… Continue reading Hidden Gems: Sabino Canyon
In the summer of 2017, I did two programs at the University of Arizona prior to officially starting school there in the fall (Arabic Jumpstart and UAdvantage) as well as a road trip out west with my family. My blog has evolved a lot since then, so I'm combining those posts here to keep them… Continue reading Arizona Summer 2017
"Wetlands" and "humidity" are not words that are often associated with Tucson, Arizona. Nevertheless, one of the vastly overlooked gems of the city is Sweetwater Wetlands. Water is an important resource in the desert, so, in order to save potable water, the city has been working to use reclaimed water for irrigation and landscaping since… Continue reading 20 Amazing Pictures from Tucson’s Sweetwater Wetlands
Wonderlust Wanderings 