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November 6, 2020

When Skyline Drive Is Closed At Shenandoah

Learn from my mistake! Here are a few ideas for things you can do if the Skyline Drive inside Shenandoah National Park is closed during your winter visit…

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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Plot twist: this is Michigan 🌊 I had zero idea Plot twist: this is Michigan 🌊

I had zero idea that Michigan looks like this! These photos look like there from somewhere coastal, somewhere far, somewhere very “travel brochure coded”…but nope - this is Sable Falls and the Grand Sable Dunes on the UP sitting quietly along Lake Superior, minding their business and being absolutely unreal.

Golden sand cliffs dropping into teal water.
Wild mushrooms hidden in moss.
Waterfalls tucked into quiet forest corners.

It felt like finding a secret that somehow everyone missed, including me.

🐾 And if you’re traveling with your four-legged sidekick - the UP is surprisingly dog-friendly! 
Check Out: 
💧Munising Falls Trail 
🏖️ Sand Point Beach 
🏰 Miners Castle, Miners Beach, Miners Falls Trail 
🌿 Sable Falls Trail 

This place? Officially burned into my brain forever. ✨ Save this if Michigan just moved up your bucket list✨

Would you believe this was Michigan? 🧐
Apparently White Sands has excellent acoustics, be Apparently White Sands has excellent acoustics, because Loki took one step onto the dunes and immediately decided it was time for a full-blown concert. 🎤🌬️😂

I came here for quiet desert magic…
Loki came here to unleash his inner wolf-pop-star and tell the entire park about his feelings (which are, apparently, VERY loud).

But honestly? There’s something iconic about watching a husky throw his head back and howl into a landscape this unreal, like he’s trying to answer back to the wind or challenge the moon to a sing-off.

If you ever needed a reminder that traveling with dogs adds a little extra chaos and a lot of personality…here’s Exhibit A.

Save this for your White Sands inspo, especially if you travel with a four-legged drama king 🐾✨
Hopewell Rocks, New Brunswick - where the ocean li Hopewell Rocks, New Brunswick - where the ocean literally rewrites the landscape twice a day

There’s something wild and humbling about standing at the base of these giant flowerpot formations…knowing that just a few hours earlier, this entire place was underwater. 

The Bay of Fundy doesn’t just have tides, it has the highest tides on Earth, and Hopewell Rocks is where you really, truly feel it.

One moment you’re walking on the ocean floor, weaving through arches and towering cliffs carved by water that never stops moving. The next, you’re watching those same rock giants rise from the waves like they’ve decided to stand up straight.

I wandered the pathways, ducked into sea-carved tunnels, let the sun filter through the trees above on the walk down, and tried (unsuccessfully) to wrap my brain around the scale of it all. 

Nature doesn’t mess around here - she’s dramatic, she’s creative, and she definitely knows how to make an entrance.

Hopewell Rocks is one of those places that feels like a postcard until you’re standing right in it.

👉 Save this for your Canada road trip plans - especially if “walk on the ocean floor” is on your bucket list.
Things I struggle with (because social media is de Things I struggle with (because social media is definitely not the full story)…

I love this road life. I love the sunsets and the trails and the quiet mornings with coffee and dogs snoring at my feet…but I’m also a human person with human problems. And pretending everything is perfect? Nah. Not my vibe.

So here are a few things I don’t talk about enough, and the behind-the-scenes stuff that comes right along with the adventures:

👉 I’m constantly fighting the urge to rush to the next place and to slow down
👉 Anxiety loves to crash the party (fun combo: health anxiety and crowd anxiety)
👉Running multiple businesses while living on the road? Love it deeply…but it also means I work way too much and rest way too little - freelancing is also very unpredictable work 
👉 Three dogs on the road? Sometimes magical. Sometimes chaotic gremlin circus
👉 Constantly moving? Turns out…not for us. We learned fast 

Road life can be beautiful and messy at the exact same time, and honestly, that’s what makes it real.

If you’ve got your own “highlight reel vs. reality” confessions… I’m all ears. 💛
I wasn’t planning on chasing a sunset…but Yell I wasn’t planning on chasing a sunset…but Yellowstone had other ideas 🌄🌙

After a long day in the park, I was fully in “get me to dinner and then bed” mode. No golden hour plans. No last-minute viewpoints. Honestly, I wasn’t even looking for magic - I was just looking for snacks.

But then the sky started to change.
Slowly at first…a soft peach glow warming the horizon, like Yellowstone was quietly flipping a switch. And suddenly the whole world shifted. The road ahead turned liquid gold. The ridges went full storybook. 

Wildflowers backlit like they were holding their own tiny lanterns. An elk bugled in the distance like he was the soundtrack. And just when I thought it couldn’t get better, the moon rose into a sky that looked painted.

It felt like Yellowstone leaned over and whispered, “Hey. Stay a minute.”

And of course, I listened.

It’s wild how the best moments are rarely the ones you plan. 

They’re the ones that sneak up on you when you’re tired, a little worn-out, and not expecting anything at all…and then suddenly you’re standing in the middle of a masterpiece.

Save this for your next Yellowstone trip - because this park loves a dramatic finale 🌄🧡 and I’m here for it 😉

📸 Photos taken in 2020 - elk photos taken with @lensrentals Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS (the light was not my friend but they aren’t awful 🤷🏻‍♀️😆)
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