Inspiring travel stories, tips, and guides from a couple exploring the world one destination at a time.
Last Updated: June 18, 2026
Pahrump is in southern Nevada and only an hour drive from either Death Valley or Las Vegas. The town is known for its legal brothels and for electing a deceased brothel owner, Dennis Hof, to the state legislature. Hof wanted legislation that would bring the federal government into talks with Nevada to negotiate solutions to Pahrump’s water situation — years of nuclear testing in the region contaminated the local water supply.
Last Updated: June 18, 2026
Death Valley was a great opportunity to get out of the Central Valley California winter storms and enjoy some warmer weather and sunshine.
Last Updated: June 18, 2026
Yosemite National Park is breathtaking in any season, but winter transforms it into something almost otherworldly. We visited in February, coming north from Sequoia and Kings Canyon, and encountered back-to-back winter storms that closed most of the park roads. We were fortunate to get one hour of blue skies during our entire stay — but that hour was spectacular. El Capitan gleaming in the sun, Bridalveil Falls thundering over ice-crusted rocks, and the Yosemite Valley floor blanketed in fresh snow. If you ever get the chance to see Yosemite in winter, take it.
Last Updated: June 18, 2026
Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks were a few hours’ drive from Paso Robles, California. We knew there would be limited access to both parks because it was February, but a few days of brilliant blue skies following a major winter storm gave us exactly what we were hoping for — snow-draped giant sequoias, frost-encrusted trees, and a winter solitude that summer visitors never see. The General Sherman Tree, the largest living tree on earth by volume, was magnificent even from a distance. This is Sequoia and Kings Canyon in winter: raw, cold, and extraordinary.
Last Updated: June 6, 2026
The Central Coast of California stretches roughly from Santa Barbara to Monterey — a sweep of beautiful coastline dotted with small cities, agricultural valleys, and some of the most dramatic scenery on the Pacific Coast. No major airports, no snowbird crowds, no rush. We based ourselves in Paso Robles and explored the entire region on day trips.
Last Updated: June 6, 2026
Temecula was less than a two-hour drive north from Santee Lakes. Over the past 25 years we had explored many of the wineries in the Temecula Valley, watching the region mature into something genuinely impressive. Not only has the quality of the wine improved considerably, but so has the culinary scene — and, inevitably, so have the tasting fees.
