Weekly Photo Challenge – Forces of Nature: Sun & Sea

This week’s WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge encouraged me to share a local example of a force of nature. I chose incredible force of nature of the sun setting over the sea.

Sunsets are my absolute favorite part of the day. They happen every day, and are easy to take for granted. However, they are inspiring, calming, relaxing, and rejuvenating. Nothing gets better than sitting on a beach, boat, or cliff overlooking the ocean and watching the sun disappear into the water.

I am lucky to live in San Diego, California, where I can witness this amazing force of nature every day.

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Forces of Nature

5 Tips to Help you Afford to Travel This Year

When I start talking about the various trips we have taken, I often get looks of wonderment coupled with questions about how we can afford to travel so much. A lot of our friends look at us and say “I wish we could travel as much as you do” (in my head, I am thinking…”man, I wish we could travel more!”).

Traveling is my utmost passion and truly makes my life feel fulfilled. We try to take as many trips as we can afford within the confines of available funds and vacation time. We have regular jobs and a limited income, just like most of you. We have figured out a way to fund our travels and still do the majority of things we want to do on a daily basis. I have compiled the following tips based on our personal experience and what has worked really well for us.

I hope the tips below will help you feel inspired to find the means to afford to start checking off the items on that bucket list!

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“Hot Tubbing” in Mammoth Lakes, California

You may be asking yourself why I am writing a blog post on the small hot pool of water in your yard. Don’t worry, I was a little confused when I first heard the term “hot tubbing,” too. However, I am not referring to the man-made hot tub next to your swimming pool or on your patio. I am referring to stone “tubs” fed by natural hot springs like those you can find in the Eastern Sierras near Mammoth Lakes, California.

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New Zealand: North & South Island Itineraries

Are you thinking about taking a trip to New Zealand, but are not sure where to start planning? Or are you in the midst of planning, but having trouble making a few decisions? Then you’ve come to the right place!

New Zealand has so much to offer, from heart-stopping thrills, outdoor adventures, and jaw-dropping scenery to culturally and historically interesting sites.

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I absolutely fell in love with New Zealand during our trip and believe that it has so much to offer anyone interested in visiting, whether you are an outdoor enthusiast or not.

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Take a look at our itinerary for our trip to New Zealand along with any of the related posts I’ve linked to below to see which places interest/intrigue you.

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Coalition Snow: Innovative Snowboards for Women, by Women

I recently had a chance to chat with Jen Gurecki, founder and CEO of Coalition Snow, and to try out one of their snowboards in Mammoth, California. I have admired this companies’ products and mission since I first heard about them, but after riding one of their boards, and getting an inside look at how the company was created and the people behind the brand, I am even more impressed.

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Jen has been skiing and living in the mountains for 20 years now, and is incredibly passionate about snow sports and the mountains. She originally grew up near Phoenix, but since moving to Flagstaff for college, she has lived in the mountains ever since. Jen wholeheartedly loves the snow and lives for those epic fresh powder days on the mountain.

Where did the idea for Coalition Snow come from? Continue reading →

Tips & Tricks for Booking a Campsite in Yosemite During Peak Season

I’ve always wanted to go to Yosemite. This year, I’ve made it a priority to get there and check off this long standing bucket list item. Thanks to some help from my brother-in-law’s girlfriend, we are finally going to make this trip happen!

The first obstacle was to obtain Half Dome Permits in August. Thankfully, that panned out, as we all applied to the lottery to increase our chances, and we ended up getting offered way more permits than we actually needed. That’s my first tip, have several people in the group, if not all apply for the permits to hike Half Dome on your preferred dates, as the permits are limited in the peak season.

Sweet, now that we had Half Dome permits, we needed to actually figure out where we should camp, and how to get a site for the dates we needed. I knew it was tough to get a decent campsite closer than an hours drive from the main entrance to the National Park, but who knew it was more like trying to win the actual lottery??

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The Tallest Mountain & the Clearest Skies in New Zealand

After departing Dunedin, our travels led us back through Queenstown and then up through the center of the South Island of New Zealand to Aoraki/Mt. Cook National Park and Lake Tekapo.

We had a few good Paleo eats along the way as well. In Dunedin, we had breakfast at this great spot called Good Oil Cafe. They had delicious coffee and food with tons of healthy options. I had the kumara (sweet potato) hash with poached eggs and smoke salmon…however it appears I was too hungry to consider a picture at the time!

For lunch, we ate in Cromwell, a city outside of Queenstown with a cute little historic part of town.

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The Grain & Seed Cafe, despite its name, had healthy paleo options as well. Everything was made from scratch, delicious, and the place is adorable! I had a tasty salad with a mint and honey vinaigrette.

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