Blogs from North America

We had hiked a trail on Superstition Mountain last year and really enjoyed it, but there was plenty more there to explore, so we drove back over there in the morning. We parked at a trailhead just east of LD State Park, and headed out towards the high ground. It was a perfect day as we wound our way through the saguaros and other desert plants. It was probably the best part of a mile before we began to climb towards the rocks. We passed a tree where other hikers had built a curving wall from stones found laying about, one stone at a time. We stopped and made our own contribution, this is the kind of wall building we do endorse. There were many options on routes, but we stayed to the east, having done ... read more

When people think of Las Vegas , the night scene comes to mind due to the exciting and vibrant casino life. This easily conjures up images of dinner reservations before one hits the Strip to spin the slots. But chances are you will become hungry way before dinner time, leading to the question: what about lunch? Luckily, Las Vegas doesn’t disappoint, and there’s plenty of options, whether you looking for burgers, pizza, Thai, ramen or a good barbeque. Here are the 10 best places to grab lunch in Las Vegas. 1. Burger Bar When people think of lunch, burgers quickly come to mind, but that doesn’t always mean that McDonald’s or Burger King are the best choices – although they instantly come to mind. Enter Burger Bar, an upscale joint that promises the ultimate... read more

Spring Break - Day 1 When I was growing up our Spring Breaks consisted of going to visit my moms family in Panama City. My Meme (grandmother) lived a couple of houses from the bay. My aunt, uncle and cousins would come visit us at Meme’s. We spent many vacations at my Meme’s that we even got to know the neighbors and neighborhood kids. Meme always had a pound cake waiting for us and green kool-aid. I don’t remember much tv watching and surely there weren’t any computers. We’d play in the bay, climb trees in my Meme’s yard, wander around the neighborhood and jump on the neighbors trampoline. My mom would let us walk down to the bay to play in the water. She would not think allowing her grandchildren to do that this day ... read more

4th and King Street, San Francisco– Several months ago (although it feels like yesterday... time really does stand still when the seasons blend together) I found myself at the 4thand King Street train station waiting for our ride back to the Salinas Valley, which I have accepted as my home now. As we were waiting, I had flash backs to the last few times I was at that station waiting for a train, and how much my life had changed each time. The first time was my first visit to San Francisco since childhood. It was in November of 2017, and I was interviewing all over the United States for a new job. I had an interview in a little suburb north of San Jose, and decided to (finally) take my old college roommate and darling ... read more

Hello TravelBlog community! This is my first blog on this site, and I figured I would kick it off with something close to home- My weekend trip to Gatlinburg, Tennessee! Gatlinburg, Tennessee: Spring 2019 Growing up in Tennessee, as early as I can remember, my family and I has spent at least one week out of every year vacationing in Gatlinburg. It was always my favorite week out of the year! Now that I am older, the family tradition has died down, but every now and then, my wife and I will still carry it on and snag a weekend getaway at a cabin. Every time we have been to Gatlinburg, we have fallen for the tourist traps and never strayed away from the familiar, however, this year we decided to shake things up a little ... read more