After spending the night in a Walmart parking lot, we thanked management by stocking up on supplies before heading about an hour northeast for a day of Ricketts Glen State Park hiking, which turned out to be one of the most beautiful surprises of my summer road trip. I had no idea this corner of Pennsylvania held a place like this, tucked into the hills with waterfalls, steep forest trails, and enough rock and rushing water to make you forget the highway altogether. My husband had visited Ricketts Glen State Park years earlier and wanted to go back to photograph the falls, so day two became …
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Leaving Richmond + A Day Trip to Shenandoah National Park
Day Trip to Shenandoah National Park: Skyline Drive as the Scenic Start When I first moved to the Richmond, Virginia area, I was thrilled. Within a couple of hours, you can turn almost any weekend into an easy adventure—whether it’s a day trip to Shenandoah National Park, a quick escape to Virginia Beach, a history fix in Williamsburg and Jamestown, a loop through Busch Gardens, a visit to Monticello, or the granddaddy of them all… Washington, DC. What I didn’t fully appreciate at the time is that “top-tier tourism” also means top-tier traffic—especially anywhere near DC. I’ve been stuck …
New England Road Trip Itinerary: Route Map + Best Stops
When I was towing my 33-foot fifth wheel, I intentionally avoided New England. I remembered it as congested, busy, and… honestly, a little stressful from a quick visit decades ago. But once I downsized to a truck camper, the Northeast felt possible again — and that opened the door to a trip I’d been saving for: Acadia National Park. I’ve been a national park fan forever. When I first went on the road in my original RV, my goal was simple: travel the USA and see as many parks as time (and the route) would allow. And part of the reason I wanted an RV in the first place was so I could stay …
Hidden Gem in Cancún: Santuario María Desatadora de Nudos
Hidden Gems in Cancún: A Jungle Sanctuary that appeals to your dreams Cancún has a way of turning the volume up. Especially in the Hotel Zone! Behind your great time, there’s a constant hum — music, traffic, tour buses, the steady swirl of people moving from one curated experience to the next. It’s fun… and it can be a lot. Now that my youngest married into a family from Cancún, we have family there. While visiting, my son’s mother-in-law suggested a day trip. I wasn’t expecting one of the most memorable parts of my recent month-long trip to be a hidden gem tucked away …
The Trips I Didn’t Finish (and Why They Still Pull at Me)
I hurt my thumb in Mexico and didn’t even realize it was actually broken for a month. It happened after getting off a resort bus in the Cancun Hotel Zone — the kind of moment that should have been forgettable. On the surface I blamed it on the drinking… but if you’ve ever had resort drinks, you know the truth: they’re often so watered down they barely qualify as misbehavior. The real reason felt more familiar than I wanted to admit. As part of my previous illness, I fell all the time. It was never dramatic. I’d be walking… and then I’d be on the ground. No clear cause. No obvious …
