Trees and Travels

     During a visit to Rhode Island, I had the pleasure of stopping for the afternoon at the  Cliff Walk  in Newport. This was a lovely, peaceful stroll down a path with the ocean on one side and rich architecture on the other side. The path is 3.5 miles long, but we did not get to the whole thing.      There are a couple different spots from which you can start the Cliff Walk. We parked and started at Narragansett Ave. It is metered parking, but was only a few bucks for three hours. This is also the spot called Forty Steps. A guy got his credit card stuck in the parking meter... He was trying to put it in the slot where the receipt comes out, if I remember correctly...      Anyway, we checked out the Forty Steps area. It was very nice, but a little bit crowded. There were a couple bathrooms there that had long lines. The Forty Steps themselves are stairs leading down to an area good for ocean viewing. There are rocky edges vis...

     Over the past couple years, I've done a fair amount of traveling. Now I wouldn't say I'm a cheap person, but I certainly enjoy saving money. Being that I don't mind traveling using minimal resources, I've developed some tips that can help others while planning and traveling. Be advised-- these tips may not work for everyone. If you're willing to live without some certain accommodations, you can plan a trip on relatively small budget.      1. Set a Budget      Speaking of budgets, they are my first tip! Set a budget before traveling as opposed to planning and setting a budget after the fact. Stick to your budget too! Don't let yourself come home broke. In a future blog post/video, I will talk about how you can maximize your trip based on your budget.       2. Go Camping!      Sleeping accommodations can easily become your biggest expense while traveling, but they don't have to be. Camping is gen...

     Back in July, my boyfriend and I took on a trail rated as one of  20 dream trails  by National Geographic. We ventured the Franconia Ridge loop in New Hampshire. The hike takes you up to Little Haystack Mountain, Mt. Lincoln, and Mt. Lafayette. This loop is about 9 miles, including about 3,500 ft. elevation gain in just about five miles. Though the hike was tough, it was without a doubt worth the struggle. Preparations           The night before we planned on hiking, we camped about 15 minutes from the trail head. We were without cell phone signal, so the weather forecast that we had to go off of was from a day or two before our hike. The forecast had called for rain in the mid to late afternoon. Knowing the nature of the trail and potentially dangerous conditions at the summit, our plan was to get on and off the trail before it would rain.      We drove over to the trail in the morning, packed and prepar...

        Yesterday, October 29th, 2016, I had the pleasure of watching a presentation by SOAR Illinois at Starved Rock. SOAR stands for Save Our American Raptors. Needless to say, I was in for a treat-- they came with six rescued birds to show off. Using my phone, I was taking notes on the presentation. As we all know, sometimes technology can backfire on us... I lost my notes! Regardless, I remember quite a bit about these intriguing birds. The Owls Great Horned Owl      The first owl they showed us was none other than a Great Horned Owl. She was so lovely looking-- I was glad to see her up close! I learned that these cool owls eat a lot of skunks, as they don't really have a sense of smell. Also, one of their ears are slightly higher on the head than the other, which improves their ability to hear and pinpoint prey.      Next we saw a beautiful Barred Owl. I don't remember too much about him, other that his name was Patrick...

     Well, this year's Fall Colors Weekend at  Starved Rock State Park  in northern Illinois didn't provide an enormous rainbow of autumn colors, but it did serve as a beautiful place to relax on a mild October weekend. View the video that I recorded on this day My Day      It's about an hour and fifteen minute drive from home to the park. I arrived about 11:30, which is when I said that I would be there to start volunteering. The last twenty minutes or so of the drive is always pleasant, and this time even more so. The trees and leaves were still so full. They made for a lovely sight going around the twisted roads.       Fall Colors Weekend is the 2nd busiest weekend at Starved Rock, with Columbus Day weekend preceding it. There certainly were a ton of cars-- I was afraid that I would end up parking at a distant overflow lot. I was lucky to snatch up one of the last spots before that lot filled up.     ...

     Last Friday, I borrowed my dad's bike and loaded it into the back of my Equinox (this was not an easy task!) and headed over to the Centennial Trail off of 135th St. in Romeoville, Illinois. I only rode three miles out and back, which is a small fraction of this trail and connecting trails. Even if this place isn't the most scenic spot in the world, it is rich in local history and connects with other trails in a cool way. The Bike Ride View from the bench      I parked in the small lot on 135th Street, From here, you can go a couple different ways. I chose to head toward the small trail bridge into the wooded area. The paths are nicely paved in this whole stretch. Many cyclists come through here, as well as pedestrians. There are mile markers that say how many miles to the next main location. About a mile in, there is a bench that it nice to relax at and could be a stopping point for a short walk. There is a split at about three miles in, which...