West Virginia may not be the biggest state in the country, but it does have a lot of small towns that I've never visited before despite living here most of my life. Weston was one of those. I'd driven past the exit a hundred times on the interstate but had never had a reason to… Continue reading One Day in Weston, WV
When one of my best friends called me back in April and suggested the idea of me staying with her in Wilmington, North Carolina, for part of the summer, I jumped at the opportunity. I've always loved visiting the Outer Banks with my family in the summers, and since I didn't go last year and… Continue reading The Top 5 Things I Did in Wilmington, NC
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
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
"It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced...that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain - that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom" Abraham Lincoln, Gettysburg… Continue reading The Peculiar Peace of Gettysburg National Military Park
Did you know that Michigan is the 11th largest state based on land size? Or that Alaska is the only state with more water included in its borders? Michigan is actually surprisingly huge - although Lake Superior is even more surprising (Trust me, the question "How many Liechtensteins would fit in Lake Superior" has become… Continue reading Top Five: Detroit, Michigan
Memphis, Tennessee is famous for music - blues and rock 'n roll in particular. With Graceland just a short drive from downtown, the city has a special connection to Elvis, and Beale Street is famous for soul food and blues. However, it's about an eight-hour drive from where we live, so I was a little… Continue reading One Day in Memphis, Tennessee
One of the great things about being in Tucson is all the amazing places to visit nearby, including one of my favorite National Parks sites - Tumacácori. While it isn't as famous as the Grand Canyon, and while there's not as much to do here as at Carlsbad, Tumacácori captured my attention the first time… Continue reading All About Tumacácori National Historical Park
Before coming to Arizona, I had never heard of Chiricahua. With so many big famous landmarks and parks like the Grand Canyon, it's understandable that this out-of-the-way National Monument would be overlooked. But that's a huge mistake! If you are visiting Tucson or road-tripping through the Southwest, Chiricahua is an amazing place to visit and… Continue reading All About Chiricahua National Monument
Wonderlust Wanderings 