Inspiring travel stories, tips, and guides from a couple exploring the world one destination at a time.
Last Updated: August 2, 2026
Hanna Park is about 450 acres of mature coastal hammock at Mayport, in the Jacksonville Beaches area of northeast Florida. Its full name is Kathryn Abbey Hanna Park, and the name is worth pausing on rather than skimming past — more on her in a moment. Winthrop Bancroft donated the first five oceanfront acres to the City of Jacksonville in 1967 on the condition that the park carry her name; the city bought up adjoining land and the park opened in 1972.
Last Updated: August 1, 2026
Indian Mound Fish Camp is a small RV park, marina and boat launch at Oak Hill, Florida, on the western shore of Mosquito Lagoon — the northern reach of the Indian River Lagoon system and part of the Intracoastal Waterway, about 35 miles north of Cape Canaveral. It is not a resort. It is a fish camp, which is exactly why we liked it: our site backed onto the water, dolphins hunted along the bank most mornings, and on a clear night we watched a rocket leave the planet from the folding chairs outside the Airstream.
Last Updated: July 6, 2026
Orange Beach sits at the eastern end of Alabama’s Gulf Coast, sharing the same brilliant white quartz sand that runs west from Pensacola Beach and Destin — all of it originating from the ancient Appalachian Mountains, ground fine over millions of years and carried to the Gulf by river systems. We arrived just at the beginning of spring break, which would normally mean dense crowds of college students on the beach. The coronavirus outbreak had already begun to suppress travel, however, and the beaches and restaurants were noticeably quieter than they would otherwise have been at that time of year. A strange and unsettling historical context for what was still a beautiful visit.
Last Updated: July 6, 2026
Pensacola Beach sits on Santa Rosa Island, a long barrier island that forms part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore — one of the most striking stretches of protected coastline on the Gulf of Mexico. The sand here is composed of sparkling white quartz, ground fine by millennia of wave action, and it looks almost like snow from a distance. We had camped at the National Park campground at Gulf Islands a few years earlier and loved the quiet, unspoiled character of the area. This return visit was a chance to explore further — Fort Pickens, the local restaurants, and the very different atmosphere of Destin just down the coast. A note on timing: our posts tend to run about a month behind due to editing, travel, and spotty internet. When we were here, the coronavirus pandemic had not yet begun affecting daily life.
Last Updated: June 22, 2026
Montana is one of the largest and least populated states in America — and one of our absolute favorites. On this leg of our Pacific Northwest loop, we pushed east from Walla Walla, Washington through northern Idaho before crossing into Big Sky Country. We would have loved to revisit Glacier and Yellowstone, but with New England fall foliage and a Florida winter on the horizon, we had to keep moving. What we did find along the way — a hidden ghost town, a cave carved by ancient seas, and a sandstone pillar signed by Lewis and Clark — more than made up for it.
Last Updated: June 22, 2026
Leaving the lush evergreen forests of the Pacific Northwest behind, we traded rain for sunshine as we drove south from Kent, Washington through the Cascades toward Yakima. The landscape transformation is dramatic — within an hour, towering firs give way to rolling golden hills and wide open skies, signaling the beginning of Washington’s celebrated wine country. From there we traced a path east through Kennewick and on to Walla Walla, one of the most acclaimed wine regions in the American West.
