After a couple of weeks driving through rural Spain and enjoying some small town life, we made our way to Madrid and transitioned to some big city exploring. We did experience a couple of the tourist hotspots in the city, but what we enjoyed most was just walking around and taking in the vibe. Madrid... Continue Reading →
After Mallorca, we wanted to spend a few more weeks in Spain, but weren't sure where to plan our time. We bought the Lonely Planet guidebook for Spain as a tool to help us decide. We settled on a road trip through Extremadura as it promised beautiful small towns rich with food and history. It... Continue Reading →
I was especially excited for our first stop on our European tour. Not only was I meeting Alex's brother and family for the first time, but staying with them on an infamously beautiful island in the Mediterranean! We had a smooth flight with a layover in Amsterdam and arrived in Palma de Mallorca on a... Continue Reading →
There are few TV shows that have captivated both Alex and I, but one we have both shared a fascination for is Twin Peaks. I would say it is my all-time favorite TV series and it is set in a small town in Washington state. As we started our drive east from Olympic State Park,... Continue Reading →
Los Angeles The drive into Los Angeles was smooth, we came in on the Friday of July 4th weekend and the miles and miles of standstill traffic were coming out of the city rather than towards it. We left Vegas as the temperature was rising over 110 degrees and I braced myself for a hot,... Continue Reading →
From Nashville to Las Vegas in 2 weeks - we have really packed it in! Our road trip started in Nashville, Tennessee, where I lived for about 5 years after graduating college. I've always enjoyed visiting Nashville after moving away and this time I had the added benefit of showing Alex around! For once, I... Continue Reading →
It has been just over a month since getting off the trail and time has really flown by. I have appreciated our ability to be flexible the last few weeks as we had to plan the following month and a half on the fly. We started by enjoying a few weeks exploring and relaxing in... Continue Reading →
Seven hundred forty-three point nine miles - the exact mileage we completed of the Appalachian Trail before deciding to set aside our thru-hiking plans. After about 2.5 months, we are officially off the trail! The decision wasn't necessarily an easy one, but we are confident that it was the right one. Alex getting sick was... Continue Reading →
Recently we started getting into a bit of a routine of planning 3-4 day hikes between towns, averaging 15-19 miles a day. Last week, we managed to push a bit further every day allowing us to have a short day of only 8 miles on Friday (the day we were heading into town). Normally an... Continue Reading →
The AT has a very rich trail culture and hiker hostels are in the center of it all. These hostels range from modified upstairs storefront apartments to old farmhouses to wood cabin communes. Some only offer bunk beds while others offer a mixture of bunks, private rooms, or even spaces to tent. Many hostels are... Continue Reading →
Wandering Between Meals 