It is downright embarrassing that we have lived in Washington State most of our lives (since we were 7 & 8 years old!) and have never been to the Olympic National Park (ONP). This shame has been rectified, and it was amazing.

Located on the Olympic Peninsula in upper left Washington State, the gateway to the ONP is really Port Angeles. There are several lodges and resorts closer to the park as well as Airbnb rentals and camping.

Sister Side Note (ssn) – I got the first speeding ticket that I’ve gotten in probably 25 years!  We came down a hill, about 30 min out of our destination and got tagged by what seemed like a 12-year old deputy from the Jefferson Country Sheriff’s Office.  I swear I was already slowing down, pacing the cars in front of me and barely in the reduced speed zone.  Ugh…after this and the “dreaded shake-down” in Yucatan, I should not get behind the wheel on any more sisbehaving adventures.

Our Stay in Sequim

In the absence of availability in Port Angeles, we opted to stay in Sequim (say it like Squid with an m, “Squim”), a short little hop to the east. We found the cutest little cottages on the water overlooking the Strait of Juan De Fuca, ironically enough called The Juan de Fuca Cottages.

Juan de Fuca Cottages were perfect!  Absolutely beautiful, with an amazing view of the water and their own waterfront beach area (in the summer they have kayaks you can borrow, in a shed that is seriously creepy in winter).

ssn – you can actually see Victoria, Canada.  I saw the buildings glimmering in the sunshine!  LOL, recall back to our ferry captain in Wisconsin laughing at me (“Jesus Christ, no”) when I asked if you could see Canada from Lake Superior. 

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The cottages (and water) are set back a bit off the highway that runs through town, about a 10 min drive.  But there are a couple of great local places to stop for lavender and produce, the Olympic Game Farm, and a lovely little creamery.  So, don’t go for the easy stop at a chain hotel in town, you will find a cuter experience making the drive out to the water.

Dinner and Drinks in Sequim

The first night we stopped in at the Salty Girls Seafood Company for dinner, and I’m sure it’s fairly obvious that this was chosen completely based on the name.  We loved the atmosphere and the people.  The menu reeled us in with the oysters and cocktails. They keep it simple, focused on what they do best: Oysters.  The clam chowder was fantastic as well, and we loved completing our meal of shared foods with the grown-up grilled cheese.

We were really in the mood for a little sisterly bar-hopping after our cocktails with dinner. 

Unfortunately, there wasn’t much open in this sleepy little town on a Thursday night. 

However, we did stumble upon Blondie’s! This was a glorious find, a converted church with a little bar in the back.  Blondie herself was there hanging out, and she was a hoot and a half! (that’s my official measurement).  Great cocktails and friendly people, we would definitely come back.

ssn – we ended our night in one of our favorite ways. Back to our charming cottage where we “comfied” up in our provided matching robes, poured ourselves some whiskey and giggled about our day and our adventures to come.

Quest to Olympic National Park

The next morning, we were up super early, before the sun, to head to the National Park. 

We had mapped out our route, because you can do most of the park in one day, it just involves a lot of driving between spots.  Basically the furthest point we wanted to get to was the Hoh Rainforest, with stops along the way including the beaches at La Push and anything else that drew us in. 

We only had two days and we were determined to crush as much out of those two days as possible.

Olympic National Park – a Few Items Worth Noting

Time and Miles

The park is huge, nearly a million acres! Highway 101 is the main road around the perimeter of the peninsula and most destinations are accessible by roads that branch off of it. But it can be a lot of driving between the highlights. I recommend spending a few days.  However, we were short on time and just wanted to experience as much as possible.  Take your time, hike all the hikes, stop at all the lookout points, and wander the visitor centers. 

Weather

When you are traveling the peninsula, be cautious of the time of year you choose.  It is not uncommon to get snow in September or April, but it is packed with tourists over the summer. 

Summer is gorgeous, but if you find beauty in hazy grey skies then early fall or late spring is perfect for you to avoid the crowds. During summer you will encounter traffic and waits to get in as the lines back up at the entrances, plan accordingly.

Wear layers, because the weather is unpredictable.  It was beautifully sunny as we drove into the Rain Forest then poured rain and hailed 20 minutes later.

The National Park Pass

It is a National Park, and we highly recommend investing in an America the Beautiful National Park Pass, but there are plenty of spots you can see without having to actually enter the park.  Hoh is not one of them, so just get the dang pass, it’s worth it.

Back to our Journey

We knew we wanted to hit the ocean beaches first, and it was a two hour drive to La Push, therefore, early pre-sunrise start. 

Basically, head for Port Angeles and hang a left, and drive through this gorgeous Olympic Highway lined with evergreens and fantastic foliage.

It was dark so it took us a minute to realize we were passing Lake Crescent.  It was just prior to sunrise, we stopped for some lovely but dark-ish picture taking, and just to enjoy the view. 

The air is just so crisp, and it feels good to breathe around all those trees. The sun was just starting to come up, and it makes for just a beautiful peaceful drive.  Well, ok, it would be peaceful if weren’t having a little carpool Karaoke going on, but we rocked it, and it felt good.

La Push

The drive takes you right along the twisting, turning Sol Duc River, so the views are incredible along this area. 

We arrived at La Push fairly early in the morning, with hopes of finding breakfast.  But had zero luck in La Push with anything being open. 

So, another note to travelers, pack snacks. As I stated the park is huge, and there is a lot of driving between spots, bring water, bring road snacks.

La Push is a cute little town on the Native American reservation of the Quileute tribe.  It is also known as the home of Jacob in the Twilight series.

Second Beach

La Push has four unique beaches: Rialto, First Beach, Second Beach, and Third Beach.

They put a lot of thought and creativity into these names. 

If you go into the town of La Push, there is a little ocean side lodge, and camping spots, if you plan ahead it is a lovely outdoorsy place to stay.  It has a fantastic ocean view, remembering this is the Washington state version of the Pacific Ocean, not the California version.  It’s absolutely stunning. 

Second Beach – the hike

Although Rialto Beach is the most well-known, we heard that Second Beach was actually the prettiest. So we opted for a hike at Second beach for our first adventure of the morning.  We had a rainy day, which was no surprise, but it made for a slippery hike on the trails.  Come prepared with proper footwear and rain jackets. 

ssn – This was not foreshadowing – which is shocking – neither of us fell.  AND we were appropriately prepared.  Win!

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It felt like at any minute the beach was going to just leap out in front of us, but the trail twisted and turned a while, and then there are slow winding steps actually down to the beach itself.  I kept swearing I was not hiking all the way down to the beach, but at the end of the day I knew I would regret it if I didn’t, and my booty needed to shake all the way down and back up again.  All in all, it’s about 0.8 miles round trip but take it at your own pace, it is worth it. 

Second Beach – the reveal

The hike opens up on this amazing rocky beach, with a few fallen trees, streams of water running out of the trees, and crashing waves on the big beach boulders.  It was stunning! The beach stretches out about 200 yards in either direction, there are rocks to climb on at low tide, but just to stay and breathe in the natural wonder of the Pacific Ocean is incredible.

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Forks, WA

After our hike we were long overdue for food.  Coming out of La Push and continuing our journey led us straight into Forks, WA.  A town known for really only one thing: The Twilight Series. 

If you are a fan of these books, I’m sure this town is already on your radar. 

At the town’s Visitor Center, you’ll find Bella’s truck, take pictures with cardboard cutouts of Edward, Bella, and Jacob, and see movie memorabilia. The town plays up their claim to fame well and provides many sites for those obsessed with the story.

There are several small local restaurants, but be mindful of the limited hours of a small town. And, as is our preference, there are no chain restaurants in the town. We opted for a little Mexican restaurant, small, unassuming, local, and definitely authentic Mexican food, as a chiliquiles lover, I was happy.

Olympic National Park – Hoh Rainforest

After a quick bite to eat and refueling, we were excited to head to the Hoh Rainforest. The drive is just under an hour.

Here’s a big shocker, it rains a lot there.  This is a temperate rainforest, meaning rainfall of around 150″ per year with moderate temperatures. It is the wettest place in the continental United States. It poured the entire time we were there, and you can’t even complain or be shocked, it is just nature at its finest.

The Rainforest is stunning.  In fact, the entire drive in is amazing.

Hoh Rainforest Visitors Center and Hall of Mosses

In late Autumn it was beautiful & haunting, but I am sure at its peak season in summer it would be mind-blowing.  Because it was Autumn, there was naturally a lot of foliage on the ground (it was fall, y’all).  Even though there is an abundance of Sitka Spruce, Red Cedar and Douglas Fir, there are still plenty of deciduous trees, mainly Big Leaf Maples, that drop their leaves this time of year.

ssn – Visitors Centers are always a great place to learn about the native flora, fauna, climate and environment. One of the more unique facts we learned was that the rainforest’s banana slugs eat poop. This prompted giggles and a new euphemism that we still use, “I’ve got to feed the banana slugs”.

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ssn – I would definitely not use the word disappointed, but I was slightly let down by amount of soggy, brown leaves covering the ground.  This sounds ridiculous, I know.  But I was expecting year-round green, lush & dense foliage.  It was still beautiful but just not quite was I was envisioning.

However, let’s talk about the highlight of our entire trip:  THE RIVER OTTERS.  Obsessed?  Why yes, we were.  They were adorable, and I want to go back and visit them again!

The entire Hoh river trail is gorgeous, with the moss covered rocks a bright beautiful green, and the water flowing and tumbling over the fallen trees, beaver dams, and natural twists and turns.

The visit to Hoh is worth the entire day long drive around the ONP loop just to experience this level of beauty.

Beaver Falls

Heading back on Highway 101, we realized we missed every waterfall along the way, due to pre-daylight hours or lack of opportunity.

ssn – we really wanted to do Sol Duc Hot Springs and Sol Duc Falls but there wasn’t quite enough time for that.  Plus, the hike in our still slightly wet clothes and the dropping temperatures didn’t sound all that appealing.

So, we did a quick search and found a roadside surprise in Beaver Falls.

Just a quick side trip off the 101, with a pull off on the side of the road and we got our waterfall junkie fix pretty easily and quickly, and impressively.

Lake Crescent

On our way back to Port Angeles, we drove back passed Lake Crescent, and we were actually surprised at how much we really did miss driving it in the dark that morning.  It is a huge lake, with plenty of viewpoints.  It was strikingly beautiful in the daylight. We also stopped along the way and got some beautiful views of the Olympic Mountains.

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Port Angeles

We had planned to stop for dinner in Port Angeles. It’s a little bigger with more food choices than Sequim.  We were really looking for a sunset view but failed miserably.  Instead, we stopped for a cocktail and a quick appetizer at Smuggler’s landing near the ferry terminal.  It had a pretty standard seafood menu, but we were saving our appetite plus, no view.  Cute little spot for watching the harbor, but not exactly what our souls were craving.

Luckily, we found Next Door Gastropub, because who doesn’t love a good Gastropub.  And it had great reviews.  For a reason!  We loved this little place right on front street.

We secured seats at the bar, with a fabulous staff behind the counter. Craft cocktails and local ingredients; a little seafood done right, and local beef hamburgers. 

Plus, they have a pay it forward board, where you can leave drinks for others.  So, naturally we bought a round for the house for after work.  We left full and happy and looking forward to our day two!

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Olympic Peninsula Day 2

Here is where we disappoint you (and ourselves).  And how we developed our tips about planning accordingly for the weather.

Because our Day Two plans of Hurricane Ridge were snowed out.  We were bummed and wish we would have done that on day one.  Hurricane Ridge is a 17-mile drive up to the mountains, it’s windy and twisty, and scenic to the hilt, and too dangerous for us to drive on Day Two.

Instead, we settled for breakfast with an old friend at the local Big Elk Restaurant, which turned out to be fantastic (I’m sure Peggy has a ssn for her breakfast, because she totally won that round).

ssn – my picture perfect breakfast was hearty and delicious.  Chorizo omelet with the most perfect hashbrowns ever.

Back to Seattle

We ended up heading back to Seattle earlier than planned.  Opting for the scenic route back to Seattle, continuing on Highway 101 along Hood Canal.  It was beautiful but the rain just never stopped.  An early return to Seattle had its upside (besides seeing baby Beckham); it led to our night of Tiki, Thai & Sushi in Seattle. Which ended up being soooo worth it, go read all about it!!!

While you are in the PNW, check out our other posts:

• Seattle Center and the City’s Quirky Neighborhoods
• Seattle Day Drinking (part 1)
• Skagit Valley Tulip Festival and Whale Watching
• Tri-Cities, WA
• Portland, OR

From Duluth to Bayfield

We left Duluth (see previous day’s adventure here) for Bayfield after an amazing breakfast at The Duluth Grill.  Ok, seriously, a little hometown breakfast joint that has a side of curried kale on the menu, and it was fantastic; you gotta go!  And I happily recommend the Chicken and Whaaaaaaat?  Just wrap your brain around maple bacon coffee syrup and the amazing way it smells!

And we hit the road.

Now, I hate to insult any Minnesotan/Wisconsinite out there, but we were told this drive was BEEEE-UTIFUL.  And, sorry, but we were quite unimpressed. It was just ok, and we barely saw the water even though we were driving from one lakeside town to another.

And it seemed to stretch on FOREVER, even though it was only 2 hours of actual drive time to Bayfield.  However, take the drive, detour to some of the smaller lakeside areas on Lake Superior, and then get to one of the cutest little towns in the entire Midwest.

Sister Side Note (ssn) – Patti resorted to searching out and taking pictures of the County Road signs…they are lettered….she found F, C and K. Yes, we are easily entertained.

Bayfield

Bayfield is located on the shores of Lake Superior in Wisconsin, and is the gateway to the Apostle Islands.  It is a sweet little vacation beach town of the northern variety. Not like a Florida or SoCal beach town, but definitely unique in a Midwest quaint kind of way. 

The town of Bayfield itself is mostly about the water. You can take kayak tours, charter or rent sailboats, or just lounge around by the water.  There is a Maritime Museum, some great funky local shops, and lighthouses and hiking trails to explore along the water. This is definitely an outdoorsy paradise.

Madeline Island Ferry

From Bayfield you can catch the ferry over to Madeline Island, the largest of the Apostles. The ferry runs every half hour and takes about 20-25 minutes to get there. That’s 20-25 min of beautiful Lake Superior views!

Being a mom to my own Madeline, this was a definite draw for me, gotta go see my babygirl’s little island.

Madeline Island

There is great camping and biking and hiking on Madeline island. However, don’t expect much more than several restaurants, an ice cream parlor and gift shop, and sleepy laid-back atmosphere.  It was a wonderful, charming town.

Tom’s Burned Down Cafe

Absolutely make your way to Tom’s Burned Down Café!  And go with an open mind, you will know it by the “Sorry, We Are Open” sign out front and the big, worn down circus tent cover.

True to its name, it was a funky bar until it burned down.  Now it’s a half indoor, half outdoor, covered with an old circus tent eclectic paradise.  Watch your step on the uneven flooring, and belly up to the old trailer to order your own drink.

It was a fun place, and one of the funkiest places we have experienced in our travels. If dive bar meets beach bar is your draw, then this is one place you need to check out.

Unless you are staying on the island, you really only need a couple of hours to hang out here. An afternoon to just chill, and maybe enjoy a good meal lakeside, and take a ferry ride.

BTW, you can NOT see Canada from the Apostle Islands, Lake Superior is much too large. And if you ask (like Peggy did) you will be met with shock, horror, dismay and a “Jesus Christ, NO!” from the ferry staff. 

ssn – I know it loses something in translation, but you have to say this in your head with the MN/WI accent. Hilarious. Turns out, “if Canada was on fire we could probably see the smoke”

Back to town

But back in Bayfield it really is a charming little vacation-style town. There are a few locally owned restaurants and lakeside hotels to stay in. My fantastic sister, however, went above and beyond when she discovered that you could rent a sailboat to stay overnight in.

Dreamcatcher Sailing offers charters for day trips around the islands, and for a little bit extra you can spend the night on the boat.  We got checked in for our overnighter aboard that sailboat and then set off for a few cocktails. 

A memorable evening

A late lunch/early dinner scenario was found at the Pickled Herring Grill. Great patio on the corner of the main street, with a view of the water. The perfect kind of place for fish and chips and a beer – the fish in WI is mostly “white fish”, that’s pretty generic, but still a solid choice.  After food it was cocktail time, naturally.

The Bayfield Inn

It was a beautiful evening and The Bayfield Inn has a rooftop bar, that is just so close to perfect!  It faces the water, and overlooks a park where we watched the cutest old couple dancing to the music from the patio.

You can order food downstairs and then bring it up.  Cocktails are available at the walk up bar, and they have daily frozen drink specials.  A very island theme kinda vibe.  Their food is upscale-ish bar food, with selections like Poke Bowls and ceviche, but also nachos, burgers and fried fish. They have live music when not in Covid time, and it is one of the best views in town of the water.

ssn – The kind of place with a laid-back vibe where you make friends with the people around you. Everyone is on vacation and chitty-chatting about their plans and the things they’ve experienced. We LOVE making vacation friends! We invited some of our new friends to come hang out on “our” boat so we grabbed more drinks and went back down to he marina. The marina was pretty lively with sailing teams in town for a race the next day. It turned into one of those unexpectedly fun nights!

Overnight on the Sailboat

We stayed down on our sailboat that night.  And it shockingly wasn’t bad.  Not a lot of head room, but super cute and fun to have the boat to ourselves to just hangout and rock with the tides.

ssn – it had been hot out so our hosts opened all the hatches for some ventilation. However, it started pouring rain overnight and in my half-asleep, half-drunk state, I couldn’t remember how to get the hatches closed! OMG, it was crazy – I ended up throwing towels everywhere and sleeping squished against a corner of my bunk so I didn’t get rained on. I’m not sure Patti even woke up for it.

Sailing the Apostle Islands

The next morning, we were greeted by our tour guide, Bronte, and we were off on our sailing adventure. This is a half day excursion, and a half day is really all you need.  You get a full tour of the islands, learn some fun facts, see some amazing scenery and cool geological formations, and you even get some lessons on sailing.

Learning to Sail

So Peggy turned pro behind the helm (you know, her whole need to be in control – that’s the nice way to say bossy). I learned about trimming the sails and how to tack and a bunch of other cool nautical terms that really just means pull this rope really fast.

It wasn’t overly taxing, but was cool to be able to say we did it.  They tow along a small boat (like my sister, a little dinghy) so that you can take off and go exploring the island cave formations along the shorelines.

Enjoying the Day

A little sun, a cool breeze, a little knowledge; really a fantastic day, just to be able to get away from it all and chill out, definitely something I would recommend!

ssn – it was truly a remarkable experience. It started out a little rainy (and we may have been a little slow to rally, but like true professionals, we did) but soon turned into the most perfect sunny day! The water was every shade from grey to blue to green and we learned so much from Bronte. He had lots of info about each island and the history & lore from the area. And he really did make us work!! My only regret (if I had to name one) in not taking a full day sail was that we didn’t have time to go out to Devil’s Island to see the most impressive sea caves.

The Apostle Islands are definitely worth the trip to Northern Wisconsin to experience.  And another stamp in our National Park Passport, Whoop!!!

Check out our other adventures from this trip: Minneapolis Day 1 and Day 2 and St. Paul to Duluth

Utah was not a sister trip, although I always wish she was with me. This is a Peggy-trip with my travel-buddy Kelli. She and I have been all over Colorado and Kentucky and she is the perfect travel partner (#adventuresofkelandpeg). Same pace, same music, mandatory car snacks, pull over at every single scenic overlook, and never any judgement about morning mimosas or lack of hair washing.

Kelli is from Utah and I’ve always wanted to explore their National Parks so we decided to take a week off from work and make it happen.

Getting to Utah

Planning

We are both into the planning (my approach is in this post) so of course, every detail of the itinerary was optimized to hit the high points and limit down time. Because sunrise at Mesa Arch was mandatory we needed to get an early start so we left after work to stay the night in Grand Junction in order to be close enough to make the drive in the morning. We looked into staying in Moab but it was soooooo expensive!

Thankful for out-of state-plates and kind officers….we got out of there with a warning.

The rest of the drive was uneventful and we arrived in Grand Junction ready to grab a glass of wine and watch some horrible karaoke at the hotel bar before setting our alarms for a 2:45 am wake up!

As we were checking in, I gave the clerk my name and she turned to Kelli and asked, “same last name?”. Why? Is it the baseball t-shirt? I swear I wasn’t wearing flannel. This gave us the giggles…and to this day our friends still get a good laugh about it.

Canyonlands National Park

So o’dark thirty we set out for the 2 hour drive to Canyonlands National Park and the quintessential Mesa Arch sunrise. Well…about the time we exited I-70, the gas light came on. It’s 4:something in the morning and we have a decision to make. At the turnoff for Canyonlands, its nearing sunrise and it’s 27 miles to the Arch and 11 miles into Moab. We have about 35 miles to empty. What to do?? There was only one answer…SUNRISE!

We arrived at the parking lot and there were already quite a few cars there. This was a good sign in case we needed a ride into town, haha. It is a very short walk to Mesa Arch where we gathered with the 50 other people to wait for the sun.

We ordinarily would have explored the rest of the park and stopped at Dead Horse Point on the way to Moab, but we really didn’t want to take any chances. We carefully and slowly coasted into Moab to get gas and breakfast before our next stop, Arches National Park.

Arches National Park

Arches is just outside of Moab; it was still fairly early when we got there but already getting warm. We generally followed the map to the major sites: Park Avenue and the Courthouse Towers, Balanced Rock, The Windows, and Delicate Arch. It was truly stunning!

We skipped Fiery Furnace since it requires that you go with a Park Ranger and we skipped actually going up to Delicate Arch. We got part way up the hike and I tripped on the stairs (total clutzy move but I didn’t get hurt) and the line was soooo long to take pictures (you can see the line in my photo below).

After leaving Arches, went into Moab Brewery to eat before we started the long, least-interesting drive of the week to Page, Arizona. It’s about 4 hours and there are some attractions if you want to detour, including Monument Valley and Four Corners, but we were anxious to get to Page.

Page, Arizona

We had no idea about what to expect from Page. It was bigger than I would have imagined, there are lots of chain hotels and plenty of restaurants. We had a little time that night to check out Glen Canyon Dam, get some views of Lake Powell and wander around Wahweep Bay at the Lake Powell Resort & Marina.

Lower Antelope Canyon

The next day we had booked a tour at Lower Antelope Canyon. The lighting is best in the slot canyons at mid-day so obvs, that’s when we went. There are plenty of tours available, we used Dixie Ellis Lower Antelope Canyon Tours, it is crowded but very organized!! Our tour guides were great and after a safety briefing, we were led below ground into the most incredible series of slot canyons you can imagine.

Without exaggeration, this is one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen. The tour guide was super helpful and told us how to set our cameras and phones, how to take the best pictures and even gave us a little demonstration on the science behind the creation of the slot canyons.

Horseshoe Bend

After a relaxing lunch, cocktails and watching boats at Antelope Point Marina, we went back to town to tackle the much-photographed Horseshoe Bend. This is a quick but steep little up & down walk out to the spectacular view that is probably the most recognizable feature of Page.

The really cool thing about this spot is that although there were a hundred or so people there, everyone was just hanging out on rocks, climbing around some of the formations and absolutely just enjoying the evening. It was very unlike the tourist spots we are used to seeing where people rush to the view, wait in line to get a picture and rush out. Horseshoe Bend had a great vibe!

Lake Powell

On our second full day we had booked a Lake Powell boat tour to Rainbow Bridge. This was the only thing we really hadn’t planned in advance, but the lake was calling! Lake Powell has the most interesting geology and Rainbow Bridge is accessible only by boat (or, I suppose, a long-ass hike from somewhere, haha). We didn’t have to be at our next destination until evening so we had the day to spend.

We booked through Lake Powell Resort, the tour was quite a large group but again, well organized. The upper deck of the boat filled up quickly. To our disappointment we had to sit inside. This ended up being lucky as the early morning was still very chilly on the lake and those poor people on deck were cold! Our only inconvenience was the lady in front of us that was taking pictures incessantly with her iPad and another woman changing outfits and hair styles approximately 4 times on the way out. Don’t ask, we never figured that one out.

The tour travels approximately 50 miles of shoreline and was educational in that we learned about the unique geology of the area. Dramatic sandstone cliffs, mesas, buttes, arches and plateaus. Lake Powell is a man-made reservoir that started construction in 1956, completing in 1963 although it took 16 years (until 1980) to fill.

Rainbow Bridge

We docked at Rainbow Bridge and had about a 3/4 mile walk. In just a short walk there was plenty to see. Aside from the geological layers and plant life, the remains of decades-old chain & anchor points from previous dock systems were crazy. I couldn’t even visualize the amount of water level variation that had occurred. At its full level, the lake is 3,700 ft but has been decreasing since 1999. It is currently about 100 ft below maximum but that equates to being 48% full. Phew…that got science-y!! Regardless, that level changes the dock placement by about 1/2 mile!

Our short walk was rewarded by Rainbow Bridge! The highest natural bridge in the United States. It stands 290′ high 275′ across. Rainbow Bridge is a culturally important site for many of the Native Americans in the area. For this reason, you are not permitted to walk under the arch.

We were quick little walkers getting back to the boat and secured the coveted upper deck seats. I’ve said it before, I don’t think there is a more peaceful, relaxing, happier place for me than on the water so our trip back was wonderful.

Upon returning, we had to get a move-on for a 2-hour drive to our next destination, Zion Glamping Adventures in Hildale, UT.

Back into Utah

Hildale, UT

We arrived in Hildale, UT in the late afternoon and after a little trouble found our site…Zion Glamping Adventures. A fairly new campground, it looked completely empty and the hosts were not quite available to show us to our tent. So we wandered down the road a ways to the Water Canyon Trailhead.

It seemed a bit odd at the time, but there were a couple of pick-ups with the beds filled with kids dressed in dresses and button-up shirts leaving the trail. Then we encountered a couple of teenage boys dressed similarly on the trail. They actually startled us a little and we couldn’t shake an overwhelming odd feeling. Anyway…we hiked a couple of miles into the canyon and were completely blown away with the views.

Glamping

We headed back to the Glampground and met up with the owner. All of our earlier uncertainties were gone. The owner was so welcoming and went out of his way to get us set-up, brought some firewood and built our fire. He stayed and chatted for a while and we found out that he also gives off-roading tours which looked amazing but we just didn’t have time in our schedule. We sat outside with our box wine and car snacks and watched the endless stars and enjoyed the campfire. One of the best nights by far!

We hated to leave, but we wanted to get to Zion National Park as early as possible. The drive to Springdale wasn’t bad, about an hour, but as we left Hildale, it totally clicked with Kelli…Hildale is the Utah side of Colorado City, AZ…it is where the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FDLS) is based!!

You know, polygamy, Warren Jeffs, and all that. That naturally kicked off a research project for the drive and a months-long obsession with the tv series, Escaping Polygamy! That explains the kids we saw on the hiking trail! Now that I closed that loop, back to the drive.

Zion National Park

We arrived in Springdale early and decided to have breakfast, which was fantastic but we were a little disappointed that they don’t serve mimosas – no alcohol before like 11:00 am or some nonsense. Totally forgot we were in Utah!

Unless you are driving through or staying at the lodge (or you can find very limited parking), cars are not permitted in Zion so we parked outside the entrance and took the shuttle. Zion is HUGE but super well marked.

We only had the day but there is so much we would like to have done – like the most popular Narrows or the well-known challenging Angel’s Landing – but we chose a few smaller hikes and saw more of the park. We did the Lower & Upper Emerald Pools, The Grotto, Weeping Rock Trail. The Narrows next time, for sure!!

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Bryce Canyon

After being totally astonished by the beauty of Zion, we headed back to the car and drove to Bryce Canyon. There aren’t a ton of lodging choices so we had booked the Best Western Plus Ruby’s Inn. Our hotel was comically western-cheesy but obviously a popular choice, crowded and had everything you might need. We ended up with plenty of time to go into the park before dark. To say Bryce Canyon was breathtaking would be an understatement.

Much of the park was damaged by earlier wildfires but it was astonishing! And being that it was the end of the day we didn’t have many crowds to deal with. Except for an ominously huge raven and an odd dude conducting business while laying across a bench at the view point, it could not have been better.

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After all that natural beauty, we were a half day ahead of schedule so we decided to head home early in the morning – it was a 10 hour drive.

The only one of the Mighty 5 Utah National Parks we missed was Capitol Reef, but here is a fantastic post by Steven from The Thorough Tripper. Check out his blog for all things Utah!

This was without question, one of the best, most memorable road trips ever! Just going through pictures has me wanting to go back! I don’t have any particularly clever stories from the drive home. Just one unfortunate boomerang video of Kelli eating a Maverik gas station Bahama Mama hot dog. We clearly didn’t think that one through but for those that have seen it, it is unforgettable.

After an amazing Florida Keys and Dry Tortugas Adventure, we were up and out by 4:45 am with some super-secret stalking to do before leaving for the Everglades National Park. As we learned from the tasting room host at Pilar’s Distillery, sometimes Kenny Chesney sneaks into the Jimmy Buffet recording studio in Key West in the wee early hours of the morning to record on his off-tour time. He gets there early to get in and out without being seen. . . but we were there to foil that plan!

Shrimpboat Sound Studio

Cuban coffee in hand (fabulous, amazing Cuban coffee, BTW from Lil’ Lepowski Café, from the kind of place where the locals are picking up their coffees from on their way to work), we were off for some serious sister-level stalking. This is where I would like to insert our amazing story about meeting Kenny and being invited to hang out on his boat, day drinking with him and his crew. I would really like to.

However, by 6 am we came to the realization that we should probably just hit the road, leaving Kenny to wallow in disappointment when he learned via our new blog that we had been waiting for him.

It may sound completely crazy, but we had decided to spend our final night in the Keys milking out every last drop of the sun-soaked goodness. Which meant driving the entire way back up to Tampa for our flight home the next day before 4 pm, no biggie.

Sister side note (ssn) – we had one more mandatory stop before we left, the Southernmost Point marker. It had been too crowded during the day so we made time to snap a few pics on our way out of town.

Leaving Key West for the Everglades

ssn – after heading back across 7-mile bridge (I think Patti was finally getting used to it!), we started looking for places to watch the sunrise. It was not disappointing!

We grabbed some breakfast in Key Largo, our last meal before leaving our beloved Florida Keys behind. It was still early on a weekday, and we had a long drive ahead of us. So we took a pass on the all you can drink mimosa place and landed at a little place in Islamorada called Keys Bite. I had the best chilaquiles, which are my breakfast weakness, add on the steak which was sheer breakfast perfection. We really stumbled on an amazing find with this little family owned joint! Couldn’t have been happier for our last meal on this adventure.

And then we were off, leaving the Keys in the rearview mirror.

Everglades National Park

But first…after our fabulous drive through the Everglades National Park on our way south, we knew we could not possibly pass up the chance to take an airboat tour to see some gators. I mean, come on, what do you do after a seaplane except an airboat, are you on our train of thought yet? We had settled on Coopertown, because it was essentially the last one we had passed on the way down, and the first one we hit on the way back. Plus, the sign said it was the Original, you can’t argue with that, they are the original!

But First…Wildlife

A bonus at Coopertown was the Wildlife Show before the boat ride. Now, I’m not saying I was a little freaked out, but chances are I was a lot freaked out being out in the open all exposed and ready to be gator bait. Peggy was taking it like the champ that she is. Oh, look caged up croc, oh look bigger caged up crock. . .oh look, SNAKE CAGE? WHAT? SNAKE CAGE??? And this is where the “noping” begins. They brought around a cute little baby gator for us to touch while they held it all snug as a bug. But then they thought they should tell us all about the snakes of the ‘glades. Dear Lord Almighty, Peggy is taking me to be eaten by a gator. And if that doesn’t work some anaconda is going to snatch me out of that boat…I mean, I’m not J-Lo by any stretch of the imagination, but I know what snakes can do in a swamp, I saw that movie!

ssn – I touched the snake! I realize that sounds dirty but I did and it was a huge deal! The gator was cute, but I am terrified of snakes!

Everglades Airboat Ride

Then it’s time to board the boat. We were put in the back. This is a bummer, but definitely safer during an attack. Luckily they sat some 8 year old looking boy upfront. I’m pretty sure they were planning on him being the bait. If you’ve ever raised an 8 year old boy, you know he had it coming. So I was getting all safe and secure that I might survive this adventure.

The girl in front of us finally asks what we all really want to know. Has a gator ever actually jumped into a boat? The river assures us that he doesn’t think so, but it’s his first day, so he doesn’t actually know for sure. I am comforted by his humor, and by the fact someone else was on my side of preparing for death. And we depart. And it’s loud. It is also incredibly beautiful. We saw some gators, and they looked fairly harmless and uninterested in us. The airboat is pretty stinking cool gliding along the water. I ended up loving this brush with death. Then we got to switch places so I could sit on the outside of the boat, and the good happy feeling melted into a mini panic attack. Yet I still survived to tell the tale.

Back to Tampa

Side note, for those that are National Park amateurs, I had found out in the Dry Tortugas (thanks to my older and wiser sister), that there is such a thing as a National Park Passport. That’s right, you buy a passport book, and then you can collect stamps at each national park you visit. Who am I to pass up that challenge, and how cool of a thing is this to do with your family? This meant we definitely had to stop at the Everglades for my second stamp in my new book.

Sorry to say, the rest of the trip was pretty uneventful. A fabulous meal at Datz in St. Pete with my most favoritest niece on the planet. I had their Barry C’s Stuffed Meatloaf, which was incredible – yeah and by stuffed they mean bacon-jalapeno mac and cheese INSIDE, ketchup glaze, side of mashed potatoes and peas.

ssn – the most favoritest niece is my gorgeous daughter, Sydni. Thank you for letting us use your car!!

That got me to my coast to coast flight. Leaving my sister behind in Denver, continuing home via Spokane.

It was an amazing journey, and one of our bestest vacations ever. A Happy 50th Birthday to the best sister on the planet. Let’s do that again real soon!!!

Sister side note (ssn) – I had a momentary panic that she hadn’t come back the night before and I failed to notice. Big sister badge has been taken away.

Big Plans Today

If you missed yesterday, find it here Florida Keys – Day 2. This was our Dry Tortugas (it means turtle, I learned that at the Turtle Rescue Hospital) National Park excurion. This was high on Peggy’s gotta see, gotta do list. It is in the top 5 of the least visited National Parks in the country. It is an island 67 miles off Key West.

This was an early morning start for a vacation, but with big, big plans, we gotsta get on it. And where is my charger, anyway? We had to be at the airport by 7:30 am, and I’d pretend that is early, but we are 6 am’ers most days anyway. This was just a little slow go from the mango vodka over-indulgences the night before. But…this is where the epicness kicks in!

Sea Plane Adventure

Dry Tortugas National Park is only accessible by either a ferry, chartered boat or a seaplane. And ferries are for peasants, clearly. Actually, the deal was that the ferry is a 2-hour boat ride, you are there for 4 hours, then 2 hours back. That’s 8 hours out of our already too-short vacation and that didn’t seem like a good use of our time! The seaplane was spendy AF, but 45 min down there, 2 hours on the island and 45 min back is vacation time value! And my big sister is all about time management over funds management. She kicked in for her own birthday present and funded the flight. This turned out to be one of the bestest decisions ever.

We flew out at 8 am from Key West Seaplane Adventures with pilot John. There were only 10 people on the plane, and a copilot seat was available. “Does anyone want to sit up here?” John asked so innocently. And little did he or I know how fast Peggy could move in that little plane.

ssn – to be fair, nobody jumped on that offer AND it was my birthday so who am I to let it pass by! Co-piloting (not sure John (or the FAA) would consider me that, haha) was seriously the best thing I’ve ever done!

An amazing plane ride over the ocean, fabulous running commentary from our pilot, slight views of oceanic creatures.

ssn – we flew over shipwrecks, saw the Marquesas (reference Southern Cross, one of our top 5 songs EVER) and saw a hammerhead shark!

Dry Tortugas National Park

And in 45 short minutes, we land on the ocean and glide into The Dry Tortugas, which houses Fort Jefferson.

Fort Jefferson

This old army fort was fascinating as we got to stroll through the grounds, with only the ten of us from the seaplane. It was an amazing experience and I loved it way more than I thought I would when I was informed we were going to see an old army fort.

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Snorkeling at Dry Tortugas

We followed this up with snorkeling with the gear provided by the seaplane company. Now, your girl is a little terrified of open water, and being eaten by sharks, and I firmly believe that very soon we are going to see a horror movie of a small national park terrorized by a genetically enhanced shark (or sharktapus – yes, that’s a thing); but there I was, nonetheless, snorkeling for only the second time in my life. It was pretty fabulous, not another soul in sight (in Bali, our snorkeling consisted of being surrounded by 100
other tourists)

ssn – I think we have firmly established the shark-phobia by this point. LOL.

The Sea Plane to Dry Tortugas NP was the Best Decision Ever!

Just before 11 am we go change into dry clothes and are headed to the seaplane for our return flight, and then we see it: The Ferry. Packed to the gills with people looking like that large tourist man with the ice cream from Lilo and Stitch (Google it). And the island is descended upon by no less than 200 people. And this is why I can not recommend the seaplane option enough: we had 2 hours on this island with only the 10 of us and a handful of campers. With a grateful heart, we boarded the plane and hopped on back to Key West.

Back to Key West

Back and famished, we head back to our little AirBnB and default to Google for recommendations. With my desire to eat shrimp until I was sick of looking at it (spoiler alert: it didn’t happen), we ended up at DJ’s Clam Shack. Right on Duval street, it definitely fits the category of a “shack”. Mind blowingly good seafood. I ordered the fried shrimp and chips, Peggy got the clam strips, plus we had to split the lobster roll, because duh, lobster roll. It was all fresh, well cooked, and crazy good.

Hemingway’s House

It was hard to believe we started this day hungover. We cruised by Hemingway’s house, and the lighthouse, did a little strolling around the Duval Street area touristy parts, bought the kids some souvenirs, and hit up the local shops.

Mallory Square

By early evening, we hit up Mallory Square in preparation for sunset. We got there about an hour early so secure a good seat and just chilled at the water as local buskers and street artists kept us entertained. And then the show started. Oh my, now I get it, now I completely get the hype of Mallory Square. It was gorgeous, an incredible display of Mother Nature just showing off. I think my favorite part was that as the last inkling of the sun lowered over the horizon, people started cheering; and my heart grew
three sizes that day.

ssn – Mallory Square is everything quintessentially Key West. This cannot be said enough…People, island music, incredible sunsets and just plain palpable happiness.

Dinner in Key West

Even though we were heading for dinner, we stopped at this cute couple’s stand for fresh guacamole, made to order right there. DELICIOUS. We settled on sushi for dinner, and ended up at the sushi bar at MisoHappy. With a name like that, how do you not go there? I was so happy! The sushi chef and his crew did an amazing job; the entire staff so kind, and attentive. On our next trip, I am down for that Lobster Pad Thai, but on this meal we stuck with just the sushi rolls.

We headed back to our “home” to prepare for an early morning start the next day (with a purpose I will discuss in the Day 4 post). Sad that it was our last night in Key West but we crashed pretty hard, and happy.