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  • A Girls’ Trip Guide to Salem, Massachusetts

    I've had a ton of requests for this one, so here it is: my guide to planning a girls' trip to Salem, MA. And no, it doesn't have to be October. Costume witch portraits, psychic readings, a ...

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    A Girls’ Trip Guide to Salem, Massachusetts
  • Where to Eat in Salem, MA: A Foodie Guide to the Witch City (Plus October Treats)

    Most people come to Salem for the witches, and while I get it, that might leave you wondering where to eat. I lived less than an hour from Salem for seven years, and the food is a big part of why I ...

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    Where to Eat in Salem, MA: A Foodie Guide to the Witch City (Plus October Treats)
  • Fall Road Trip Packing List: What To Actually Bring

    Fall road trips are my favorite kind of road trip, and I say that as someone who lives in a truck-and-trailer combo 365 days a year. The light is better, the crowds thin out by mid-week, the dogs stop ...

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    Fall Road Trip Packing List: What To Actually Bring
  • The Ultimate Dog Hiking Gear List For National Parks

    If you're anything like me, your dog is your favorite hiking partner, and honestly? They're probably better at it than you are. Loki, Freya, and Caly have logged thousands of trail miles with us ...

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    The Ultimate Dog Hiking Gear List For National Parks

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February 8, 2022

14 Fun Things To Do In Sedona

If you’re looking for outdoor adventures, stunning scenery, great shopping, and amazing sunsets then Sedona is a dream destination…

February 1, 2022

One Day In Sedona, Arizona

So, you’ve only got one day in Sedona? I found myself in the same position at the beginning of January. Maybe Sedona is just a stop on a big Arizona road trip? Or a stop on your way to the Grand Canyon, like me! Although the town of Sedona is charmingly small there are so many things to see and do. Sedona is famous for its red rocks, beautiful canyons, magical vortexes, and pine forests.

January 25, 2022

15 Best Things To Do Near Mount Rushmore

If you are heading to Mt. Rushmore you probably don’t realize how many fun things are in the same general area of SD. You can use these 11 awesome things to do near Mt. Rushmore to help plan your trip…

January 18, 2022

10 Tips To Leave No Trace With Your Dog

The popularity of having outdoor adventures with your dog has skyrocketed over the past few years. Hiking and camping with dogs can make for a great experience, but it can also damage those around you and the places that you visit…

January 11, 2022

14 Fun Things To Do In Asheville, North Carolina

One of the coolest small cities on the East Coast, Asheville has a relaxed boho vibe that I love! It’s weird and that’s just the way locals want to keep it. The city has a backdrop of the Blue Ridge Mountains and an insane number of craft breweries. Asheville is a refreshingly unique combination of hipster meets outdoor enthusiasts…

December 7, 2021

Christkindlmarkt Bethlehem 2026: One Day Guide & Tips

Planning a day at Christkindlmarkt in Bethlehem, PA? Here’s my full one-day guide for 2026, with dates, hours, tickets, free Friday nights, parking, and my favorite things to eat, drink and shop in Christmas City USA.

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Hi! I'm Vanessa, a 30 something, sunset chasing traveler. I'm here to inspire you to travel wherever, whenever, and with whoever you can. My Huskies, Loki and Freya are usually along for the ride. I have a soul that likes to wander, a desire to experience the unknown, and a curiousity to discover things off the beaten path. I hope you'll stick around for awhile!

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Let's be friends! I know e-mails can suck but mine won't and I promise cute pup photos too!

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Recent Posts

  • A Girls’ Trip Guide to Salem, Massachusetts
  • Where to Eat in Salem, MA: A Foodie Guide to the Witch City (Plus October Treats)
  • Fall Road Trip Packing List: What To Actually Bring
  • The Ultimate Dog Hiking Gear List For National Parks
  • The Ultimate New England Fall Road Trip: A Six-State Foliage Loop (2026)

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Lamar Valley, Yellowstone: The Wild Heart of the Park

Visiting Salem in October: An Honest Guide to What You’re Actually Walking Into

12 Fun Things To Do In Cape Breton Highlands

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Going to Salem on Halloween and starting to freak Going to Salem on Halloween and starting to freak out about the crowds? It’s the 400th and I get it, but trust me, Halloween in Salem can be epic if you know the clock, and plan ahead. 

Every year I watch people roll in at 11 am looking for parking downtown (it’s not going to happen), or standing on Essex Street at 10:45 pm looking for a cab. The town is not set up for either. 

I lived in Massachusetts for 7 years and visited Salem often (at every time of year). This is the schedule I’d text a friend.

The rest of it, the week-by-week crowd calendar, the lots by address, the kids version, and what’s different this year, is in the Ultimate Salem Guide ($) and the Salem Cheat Sheet ($). Comment WITCH and I’ll send you both links., plus all of my Salem blog posts! 

And be good to the people who live there. Remember it’s their street before it’s your Halloween. 🎃
A canyon, a federal manhunt, and some very complic A canyon, a federal manhunt, and some very complicated family trees. Welcome to Capitol Reef.

Cohab Canyon, Capitol Reef. In the 1880s, the story goes, Mormon men with multiple wives ducked into this canyon when U.S. marshals came looking. Whether every detail checks out, the name stuck.

It’s a short hike from Fruita Campground, with a steep first quarter-mile before the red walls, honeycombed rock, and little side slots take over. About 1.5 miles to the overlooks, where the valley and orchards spread out below.

Finish at Sunset Point, a quick walk from the car, where the cliffs do their thing.

Captiol Reef was one of my favorites in Utah! How about you?
Everyone thinks Acadia shuts down after Columbus D Everyone thinks Acadia shuts down after Columbus Day. Most of it doesn’t.

Park Loop Road is open until December (weather permitting). Cadillac stops needing a reservation on the 26th. All 45 miles of carriage road are open and yellow. 

What you give up is the Island Explorer, the park campgrounds, peak color on the mountains, and the crowds. I’ll take that trade every year.

Everything above, plus the hour-by-hour late-October day, where to stay when the campgrounds close, and the dog version are in the Acadia & Bar Harbor In Fall guide ($). 

Comment FALL and I’ll send the link.

Pack for chilly and wet weather! The moody-ness of Maine at the end of October is unmatched!
I waited 34 years to see a wild wolf. It took 11 s I waited 34 years to see a wild wolf. It took 11 seconds for me to cry watching them 😍🥹

Lamar Valley, sunrise, a whole pack moving across the flats with the bison watching from the treeline. They were playing: running at each other, rolling, splitting up and circling back. I stood at the 400-600 rental lens with my hands shaking and cried.

It’s Wolf Awareness Week, so here’s the part that matters: there were no wolves in Yellowstone for almost 70 years. They were killed off by the 1920s, and 41 were brought back from Canada in 1995 and 1996. Every wolf in the park today comes from that.

These are the only photos I took. They’re not great, but I really don’t care (that’s not the point 😉). I got watch wolves play in the wild. 

Canine distemper went through the packs in 2025. The count at the end of the year was 84 wolves, down from 108, and only 17 pups survived. That’s the lowest the park has seen since the reintroduction years. With the added threat of being hunted when they leave the park, it’s not great for wolves. 

They’ve come back from less, but it’s worth knowing when you’re watching them. Please make sure to remain 100 yards from wolves in the park. Their life could depend on it. 

If you go: Lamar Valley at dawn, a spotting scope, and good binos. These were taken with a 400-600-zoom lens that I rented for the trip, but you could watch them with binos easily! 

I’ll always go to bat for wolves, I’ve been obsessed with them since I was kid!
Did you know New Mexico had its name 200 years bef Did you know New Mexico had its name 200 years before Mexico did…

Spanish explorers were calling this country Nuevo México in the 1500s. Santa Fe was founded in 1610, which makes it the oldest capital city in the United States. The Palace of the Governors on the plaza has been in continuous use since that year. 

Mexico, the nation, didn’t exist until 1821. New Mexico became a state in 1912. And all of that is recent. Acoma Pueblo has been lived in since around 1150. Taos Pueblo, about a thousand years. 

Twenty-three tribal nations call the state home today, and the Spanish, the Mexican, and the American chapters all came after.

I fell in love with New Mexico while we were living in El Paso for a year Some of my favorites: White Sands, Ruidoso, Cloudcroft, Lincoln National Forest, 8,600 feet up in the south of the state, where the aspens go gold in October and nobody east of the Mississippi knows it happens. 

Think elk in the meadows, cool nights, a mountain town with a wooden trestle and one main street.

A place can hold four centuries of names and still be exactly itself. That’s the thing about New Mexico, it truly is enchanting! (Cheesy, but true!)

Photos from 📍 Ruidoso, New Mexico
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