A Snapshot and The Scoop: Agate Fossil Beds

Sitting deep in an out of the way corner of western Nebraska, nestled between rolling sandhills and towering bluffs, lies Agate Fossil Beds National Monument. A quarry boasting bone and ash deposits from prehistoric times, Agate Fossil Beds was a stop along my dad's and my Father-Daughter trip this past winter. I somehow convinced Dad to make the walk along a windswept prairie path, passing over a baby Niobrara River, to the hills where the most concentration of fossils have been found. We were the only visitors around, so close to closing time, and we had the views and the trail all to ourselves. We took our time walking the paved path around the hills, searching for a hint of fossilized bone sticking out of the earth. We didn't see anything we recognized, but that's not to say there wasn't something right under our noses and we didn't know. It was a bit chilly, especially for me since my blood has thinned from living in the south for so long, and we didn't exactly spend hours outside. The walk was still nice, though, and the quite of the prairie around us reminded me why I like western Nebraksa.

Leave me a comment and tell me if you've ever been to this small National Monument. What did you think of it?

Fifth Annual Father-Daughter Trip

Relaxed. Starting back in 2014, along with my desire to travel, my dad and I began taking Father-Daughter trips once a year. Sometimes we were accompanied by my sister and others, but at the core it was for us. Dad has a goal of visiting each of the five hundred plus historical markers in the state of Nebraska scattered throughout ninety-three counties, and every time we get a chance we hit the road on our quest to see them all. I thought maybe moving to Texas might mean the end of our travels, but I've been pleasantly surprised to find that's not the case. This past spring (ok, late winter in Nebraska) Dad and I took to the bluff country in extreme western Nebraska, searching for historical markers among the state's national monuments dedicated to the Great Western Trails.

Bluff country butts up agains the sandhills, and for anyone who thinks Nebraska is flat you're wrong. Well, partially wrong. Yes, Nebraska is flat if you keep to the I-80 corridor, but if you get off the interstate and head north you'll find a landscape of rolling prairie and sandstone bluffs that rise out of the grasses like the backs of giant sea creatures. The sandhills are my favorite place to visit in Nebraska, and I was more than happy to go with Dad as we scoured them for historical markers. Our quest brought us down some pretty obscure Nebraskan roads to some pretty obscure Nebraskan Monuments, but hey, "Honestly, it's not for everyone."

What's not for everyone? What about the fossil quarries laden with ice age bone and ash deposits at Agate Fossil Beds National Monument? What about the Oregon and California Trails that pass through the state's Scotts Bluff National Monument, rich with pioneering history? Don't get me wrong, I got out of Nebraska as soon as I had the chance because I always knew I would leave the state, but that doesn't mean I don't like to visit. And not just because my family is there. Nebraska boasts a neat assortment of state and historical parks, and a small handful of national monuments, that are well worth the effort of leaving the interstate to go explore. And that's exactly what Dad and I do every time we get a few days to run away to continue tracking down historical markers.

We might have cheated a little bit and drove up the 800 foot tall Scotts Bluff instead of hiking the trail to the top, but on a chilly winter/spring day, driving seemed like the more prudent option. The views of the prairie grasses and the ridge of bluffs receeding past the Wyoming border into the distance are something you wouldn't get if Nebraska really was flat, and I couldn't help but be a little awed at what lay around us. As the gateway to the more rugged mountain country in Wyoming, western Nebraska was a stop for many on the pioneer trails as they prepared for mountain conditions, and as such their trails, camps, and forts litter the area around the bluffs. The bluffs themselves were used as landmarks, breaking up the monotony of the plains.

One such landmark, a rather famous one if you were raised in Nebraska, is Chimney Rock. In my experince with my travels just about every state has a "Chimney Rock", but there is only one true rendition of this rock, and it resides in western Nebraksa. Dad's and my fifth Father-Daughter trip wouldn't have been complete without a stop at the state historical park protecting Chimney Rock, as well as no less than four historical markers near its location. Chimney Rock wasn't our last marker on our trip, but Dad and I began heading home after our visit to the park. I think we only have two or three areas of historical markers left to get, and then we'll have to find something else to do for our annual trips!

A Snapshot and The Scoop: Scotts Bluff

Scotts Bluff National Monument is one of several historically significant monuments in Nebraska. The park's namesake bluff towers 800 feet above the surrounding plains and was one of the landmarks used to navigate pioneering trails such as the Oregon Trail, the California Trail, and the Mormon Trail, all of which passed through the area on their way west. The history of Scotts Bluff is a bit morbid; it is named after a gentleman who was abandoned near its base after an illness made it impossible for him to travel and he subsequently starved to death. The bluff itself is a vision of whitish sandstone, volcanic ash, and clay, that pops against its surroundings. It is no wonder why the pioneers considered the bluff the gateway into the more rugged mountain country just to the west.

A Snapshot and The Scoop: The Great Western Trails

It isn't often that you get to literally walk in the footsteps (or in this case wagon ruts) of the pioneers, but that is exactly what my dad and I did this year on a trip to western Nebraska. Our travels (1000 miles in 36 hours!!) took us along the same path as the pioneers, where we saw the same landmarks that traced their trails, and at Scotts Bluff National Monument we even walked the rutted path the wagon trains made on their journey west. Can you just imagine what it was like to house all of your worldly possessions in a covered wagon, hoping for a better life - at whoever's definition - on the other side of the country?

Also, side note: Happy Blog-iversary!! I've been writing this blog(sporadically lately, but still) for four years!! Much love to you all for following along as I go from one adventure to the next. Here's to many more years of travelling and sharing to come!

A Snapshot and The Scoop: Dancing with Cranes

Have you ever come across somthing, either reading or hearing about it, especially something you didn't know about or hadn't thought about in a long time, then all of a sudden find yourself looking at it? This happened to me on a springtime visit to Nebraska. I had just been reading an article about the Sandhill Crane migration that cuts through the middle of the state, and then the next day I found myself unintentionally in the midst of thousands of the birds! I'm not sure if it was irony or dumb luck, or a combination, but my dad and I spent a good 45 minutes driving backroads, bird watching. Regardless, it was super neat to witness and brought back fond childhood memories of visiting the migration with my family. Fun stuff!

A Snapshot and The Scoop: Chimney Rock

I know my Nebraska readers will know about Chimney Rock, but it is possible those from other states will know about this iconic landmark on the Oregon Trail, the great overland wagon trail in use during the pioneering days of our country. Dad and I stopped at the landmark on a trip to western Nebraska and we could practically feel the history of the area in the air. Dad and I like to travel to historically significant areas in the state, and as a National Historic Landmark we could hardly pass it up. We also couldn't miss it, as we could see the chimney while still many miles away from it.

Leave me a comment below and tell me if you've ever seen Chimney Rock before!

A Snapshot and The Scoop: Indian Cave

Indian Cave State Park in southeastern Nebraska has always occupied a place of quite appreciation in my head. I can't remember my first time visiting, because I've always visited this park, since I was a baby in my parent's arms. I remember camping there, stopping by on our way to see family in the area, spending an afternoon or a day or a night tucked against the border of Nebraska and Iowa. October was always the best time to visit, when park staff pulled out all the stops for their Halloween celebration and the trees popped with gold and red as far as you could see. The "cave" itself was always worth a visit, and though the petroglyphs etched into the sandstone bluff never change you could still feel the weight of history surrounding you as you searched for remiders of the past. I haven't been to the park since I moved to Texas, but when I got a chance to do so while vising family I took it. I wasn't disappointed.

A Snapshot and The Scoop: After the Wedding

There hasn't been much about Jared's and my relationship that has been traditional, and the day following our wedding at the beginning of July was true to form. Where most people would either be packing for their honeymoon, on their way to their honeymoon, or already at their honeymoon location, Jared and I spent the day with our family at the local Lincoln Children's Zoo. Go figure, right, Jared and I go to a zoo? What?? Who are we? But really though, I couldn't wait to show my new husband where I began my career with animals, and I wanted to share that love and passion with our three year old niece, Charlotte. Jared's parents, siblings, and my mom tagged along with us as we wandered around the small zoo, and I'm pretty sure I bored everybody by reminiscing about the years I spent volunteering there. I know I had tons of fun seeing the animals and buildings I remember from my middle and highschool years, and was thrilled with the expansions the zoo has already made, as well as the ones in the works. I can't wait to go back there again after the additions are finished!

Leave me a comment below and tell me what you did the day after your wedding? Was it something that made you happy? That's all that matters!

The Wedding

Enamored. Rain on your wedding day is good luck, right? I sure hope so, because the day Jared and I decided to get married roared into wakefulness with a constant roll of thunder and pounding rain. I joined my dad on the front porch of my parent's house to watch the storm howl around us while Jared slept, oblivious to it all, in the guest bedroom. We had a busy day ahead of us and our plans were not about to be spoiled by a little bit of rain, so Dad and I went in and had breakfast before we started our day.

Jared and I were at the tail-end of a nearly two week vacation where we made a giant circuit around the middle of the country, starting at home in Texas and making it to within an hour or two of the Canadian border. Our goal was to visit as much of Jared's family as possible in North Dakota and Minnesota and also hit up my parents and siblings on the way to and from the northern part of the country. Lucky for us, Nebraska was a perfect halfway point for our travels, and that knowledge helped us initially decide where we wanted to be married after we got engaged at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter; it was a good middle ground for us and family in the south and for other family in the north.

Now, I'm not going to lie, I'd been trying to convince Jared to elope for almost a year. I didn't feel like a big wedding with all the strappings was really us, and I wanted to actually enjoy our wedding day instead of being on a tight schedule with a hundred other people to worry about. We had plenty of reasons to do it the "right" way, not least of which was to get all of our family and friends together and try to convey to them how much they mean to both of us, but we were kind of at a stalemate regarding what, exactly, we were going to do. We'd already announced we wanted to get married on June 23, 2018, we had already established our wedding party, my sister and I had started looking at places to hold the reception, and we had a little bit of money set aside for our big day. So when I got back from my Grand Canyon Adventure at the end of May and Jared said "lets get married" I shot back that we already were. And then he said "No, I mean right now."

He meant it too. Both of us were tired of waiting, we didn't want to plan a big wedding (we'd both been stalling when it came to wedding planning and decision making) and as far as we were concerned the wedding was just a formality in our relationship. After making sure he was really, truly serious, that this is what he wanted and not just because I wanted it, that we were making this decision together, we got the ball rolling. We talked to our families and decided to tuck our wedding in at the end of our travels at the beginning of July, giving us just over a month to get what we needed squared away. We didn't need much: both of our immediate families agreed to meet in Lincoln, Nebraska on July 2, we needed a place for family and us to stay, we wanted to wear something semi-formal but nothing like a big white dress and a tux, and we needed to make sure we had the proper paperwork to make our marriage legal. A quick search on the internet got us the marriage license forms to fill out and told us where to go to file them in Nebraska, I found my wedding dress in a single day after trying on about thirty different dresses, Jared found his shirt and slacks in about an hour at the same time I found the shoes I wanted to wear, a long-time friend helped us out with hotel rooms for Jared's family and us on our wedding night, and Renee, Jared's mom, agreed to officiate for us. We were set. We were really doing this!

And then we travelled. We drove for 900 hours (according to Jared) and were able to celebrate our marriage with family that likely wouldn't have been able to come to us if we had stuck with the original plan. We got everybody together and had one big week-long celebration of love and laughter and family. At the end of our travels in the northern states Jared's parents, siblings, and niece followed us down to Lincoln and we waited impatiently for the evening of July 2 to arrive.

Even the storm couldn't dampen the excitement. Us girls took the morning to have brunch and mimosas at my sister's place then headed to the nail salon to be pampered. Jared and I met with his family for lunch and to discuss the details of our ceremony with Renee, then he and I parted ways for the afternoon so we could get ready, he with his family and I with mine. Pretty soon it was 5:30pm and my parents and I were loaded up and on our way to Sunken Gardens, the place where my parents got married 28 years ago and the place where Jared and I were soon to become husband and wife.

We got there just before Jared and his family and took the time to find a spot and take some family pictures. They arrived, and right at six o'clock we began. I stood with my family and Jared stood with his, and at Renee's cue my dad placed my hand in Jared's. From that point on I had eyes for nobody but the man who was standing in front of me, holding my hands with both of his, soon to become mine. I have to be honest and tell you I don't remember much of what Renee said. We have it on video and when I rewatch our ceremony I'm sure I will recall her words, but all I can remember right now is the surge of pure joy and contentment that overpowered me and drowned out everything but the feeling of my hands in Jared's and the look in his eyes as we vowed to choose each other for the rest of our lives. 

As Renee pronounced us Husband and Wife and we kissed for the first time as a married couple our families burst into applause and it was all I could do not to throw myself into Jared's arms and never let him go. Instead, we broke apart and turned to greet our families, hugging everybody and thanking them over and over again for being there for us, for joining us, and for helping us pull off a wedding with a month's notice. The ceremony, thankfully, hadn't lasted very long. Being me and thinking more about the best lighting for pictures and video I picked the brightest spot in the gardens. The rain from the morning had given way to a beautiful day, bright and sunny, but also hot and humid. I hadn't considered the fact that all of us were in dress clothes, stuffy on any occasion but baking in the heat and humidity. By the time the ceremony was over we were all dying to find some shade, grab a cool drink of water, and otherwise get out of the evening sun. 

After our hugs and greetings everybody scattered into the shade while Jared and I took five minutes to take a few pictures together before coming back to the group to get the marriage license signed by Renee, my sister, and Jared's brother. We had planned on dinner together as a family before everybody turned in for the night and one by one we headed to our cars to find a restaurant downtown. Jared took my hand as we walked toward the car. "Husband." I smirked. "Wife." He grinned back, and bent down to kiss me. It felt right.

In Celebration of National Parks: National Parks Week 2017

Happy National Parks Week! This week, every year, we celebrate the 417 National Park Units across the nation and take a moment to acknowledge the landscapes, history, knowledge that these parks house and protect are what makes the United States amazing. I have been fortunate enough to visit twenty-three of these units, scattered across the states, within the past three years, some of them more than a few times. The weekends bracketing National Park Week (April 15-23) are fee-free weekends, so if you are able to get out and enjoy your parks now would be an awesome time to do so! I haven't been able to get to a park unit yet this year, but starting next month I have plans in place to travel to several over the summer months. Scroll on below for a gallery of every National Park Unit I've been to in the past three years and find some inspiration to visit one or two yourself!

Arches National Park, UT

Big Thicket National Preserve, TX

Brown's Canyon National Monument, CO

Bryce Canyon National Park, UT

Canyonlands National Park, UT

Capitol Reef National Park, UT

Capulin Volcano National Monument, NM

Carlsbad Caverns National Park, NM

Chimney Rock National Monument, CO

Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument, CO

Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, CO

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Guadalupe Mountains National Park, TX

Homestead National Monument, NE

Hot Springs National Park, AR

Hovenweep National Monument, UT

Mesa Verde National Park, CO

Petrified Forest National Park, AZ

Rocky Mountain National Park, CO

Sunset Crater National Monument, AZ

White Sands National Monument, NM

Wupatki National Monument, AZ

Zion National Park, UT

2016 Wrap-Up: Do What You Love

It's that time again, the time of year where I reflect on each of my travels, compile a list of stats such as how much I drove, how long I travelled, the number of miles I hiked, and so on. I've been a lot of places this year, and done a lot, but the definite highlight of my entire year is getting engaged to my best friend at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter! Read on below to see what else I've been up to.

At the beginning of January I spent a week in the high deserts of southern Utah and northern Arizona. Starting in Canyonlands National Park and winding my way through four of the big five national parks in southern Utah (Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, Bryce Canyon and Zion - I only missed Arches) plus several smaller parks in Arizona, I got my first real taste of winter camping in below freezing temperatures, blizzards, bad roads, and ice. Even with getting pretty sick during the first few days of the trip it was still an awesome taste of a new season in a familiar location, and something that I would love to do again. 

A short and sweet visit to some friends in Stillwater, Oklahoma at the beginning of February reminded me that the southern states get cold, but not cold enough to ice the lakes during winter months. We spent the weekend chatting, drinking wine, and exploring the area in and around Stillwater, a new town to add to my list of places visted!

I took off on Valentine's Day to explore my own little slice of East Texas, starting at Martin Creek Lake State Park, passing through a couple national forests and ending with Mission Tejas State Park. I made it clear to the Louisiana border and halfway south to Houston before completing my loop and heading home. 

The last weekend of February found me in and around Hill Country of central Texas. I visited several state parks, including Guadalupe River State Park, before meeting my little brother at the River Walk in San Antonio. Austin was stationed in San Antonio at the time and had the weekend off, so I made the drive to the area over a weekend and got to know the hills. I loved them so much I went back later!

At the beginning of March my sister came to visit me, and we took off to the gulf coast at Sea Rim State Park. I was kicking myself for not getting to the coast before! The ocean is amazing, and when we can camp right on the beach, falling asleep to the sound of waves and wind, it is heaven. Plus the sunrises are long and lingering, and perfect. Also, beach weather in March is something I can get on board with! Lisha and I made a stop at NASA too, taking one of their tours of the facility and making the nice weather in Houston last a little while longer before heading home. 

The weekend after St. Patrick's Day I headed north and east to Hot Springs National Park, the most urbanized national park I've ever visited. While I wasn't prepared for the buildings and crowds, even on the "nature" trails, I managed to find some solitude on the more remote paths. I also visited Ouichita National Forest on a whim, discovering several little recreation sites that I made a mental note to visit again during the summer.

I finally went backpacking in April! I received my backpack for Christmas last year but didn't have a chance to use it until April, when I ran away to Palo Duro Canyon State Park in west Texas. I took my favorite little adventure dog with me, and we spend two days exploring the second biggest canyon in the states, hiking 16+ miles and weathering a couple of thunderstorms while out in the backcountry. At least my first night was memorable!

At the end of April my dad and sister came down to Texas for a long weekend, and they, Jared and myself took off to San Antonio for our time together. We had originally meant to go to Houston, the coast and NASA, but Houston was under water at the time and we had to go with Plan B. Cue long days and nights full of drinking on the River Walk! We stopped at Longhorn Cavern State Park on the way, taking a tour of the cave I had visited on my February Hill Country adventure. It was the third year in a row that I had taken a trip with my dad, and I can't wait for next year's adventure!

Jared and I flew in to Orlando in May, visited The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, and got engaged!!! He really did everything right, planned it all out, and just in general made our short stay in Florida amazing. Best trip of the year right here!

A short visit to Nebraska over Memorial Day weekend included lots of family time, a visit to a winery and a chocolate factory, and meals with friends. Long weekends seemed to be the main form of my travels this year, and there is nothing wrong with that. Short visits but plenty of them make the months in between seem not so long. 

The first weekend of June found me and Callie back in west Texas at Caprock Canyons State Park where we backpacked out onto a loop trail, hiked up and down bluffs and canyons, found a fern oasis and a bison herd, and located the sloppiest puddle of red mud for Callie to roll in. I turned my white dog orange.  

I went back to Sea Rim State Park over a weekend in June, spending two nights and two spectacular sunrises on the beach, with a full day of sunbathing and shell-searching in between. I finally saw a pack of feral hogs at a nearby national wildlife refuge (a Texan animal I hadn't seen yet) and tried to canoe out into the salt marshes with limited success. But really, there is nothing like those cotton candy sunrises. 

Also in June myself and two of my best friends managed to find a weekend that we all had off and met in Stillwater, OK again, this time to take a much-needed girls' weekend. We talked, drank wine, made s'mores and kayaked for the first time (at least, my first time)! I discovered a boat that I actually liked, and can see myself owning a kayak just as soon as I get a vehicle that can transport it. 

My sister and I decided on a whim to go backpacking in Great Sand Dunes National Park, and went for it over the weekend of the 4th of July. She hadn't backpacked before and I'd never backpacked in the park, so it was a learning experience for both of us. Our first night we actually stayed in a local campground and endured hail, lightning, thunder and torrential rain, making me very thankful we weren't on the dunes at the time. The next night, however, the rain cleared off and we headed out. It was amazing. I also took Lisha to Zapata Falls, introducing her to the so-cold-it-burns waters of the creek and the little canyon the falls cut for themselves out of the cliff. 

The last week of July wasn't a happy one; I lost my little love, Meeka, and ran away with Callie and a friend for a day just to get away from my own head. I find peace when I'm on the road and in destinations that are beautiful, so we headed to central Arkansas and Ouichita National Forest to do some exploring on the forest service roads. We spent all day in the Ouichita Mountains, revisiting the recreation sites I had found during my March visit, and finding a few new ones along the way. I also found the peace I was looking for, so that definitely helped. 

Julia came to visit me the first weekend of August and we spent a few hours one day canoeing around Caddo Lake State Park and the surrounding waterways. Hot summer days, green forests, good friends, and my dog make everything better, and were just what I needed.

My next big adventure of the year was the week I spent in Colorado with Torrey. We went all over the place, but focused our time on hiking in Rocky Mountain National Park (we touched a glacier!), backpacking a couple nights in Great Sand Dunes National Park, and being in Manitou Springs for the Pike's Peak Ascent and Marathon, as we have the past two years. 

I took nearly six weeks off of travelling to try to get myself pulled back together, but finally got back on the road at the beginning of October. I took my dog to Petit Jean State Park in Arkansas where we spent two days hiking all over the small park, most notably to Cedar Falls, where Callie became the star of the day by diving into the plunge pool and entertaining the hoards of people lined up around the edge.

On one of the last days of October I took Callie out again, this time to Brazos Bend State Park and Galveston Island State Park along the gulf coast of Texas. We looked for and found alligators at Brazos Bend, and Callie saw the ocean for the first time at Galveston Island. It's safe to say she's a water dog!

I made a surprise trip back home to Nebraska mid-November, much to my mother's delight. It really was a three day visit where I mostly hung out with my family and took pictures of their cats. Ya know, as you do. 

Ten days before the anniversary of my personal-record-breaking hike I was at it again at Big Thicket National Preserve, hiking 20.42 miles in 7 hours, 8 minutes and breaking my personal best distance record yet again. This time, however, I had my little white dog to keep me motivated and entertained for the duration of the hike. This little terrier led me almost the whole way, and if she wasn't leading me she was right in step with me. She's the perfect hiking companion!

Weekend before last I met up with Julia again, this time at a cabin on the Blue River in southern Oklahoma. We talked, explored the river and woods, scouted out the nearby Tishamingo National Wildlife Refuge, and otherwise enjoyed the time we had together. 

My last trip of the year is the one I just got back from. I headed back up to Nebraska to see my family and friends for Christmas, and spent the week getting a taste of the winter I don't miss. I spent lots of time with family, had a little time to spend with friends, and started to wedding plan with my sister. I also took way too many pictures of my parent's cats. Yay for family!

I have obviously been busy this year, though I have to admit that my heart was into it more before I lost Meeka. Not only did I mourn for a long time, sucking a lot of my energy from me, but I also lost interest in planning any of my travels. I'm sure that has something to do with the lack of energy I've felt lately. I've also been sucking at writing, both on this blog and in my travel journals, but I've promised myself to get back into it during the new year. I have picked my travels back up in the past couple months, and I'm already planning several longer adventures for 2017, but I don't know about the smaller ones. I guess we'll see.

Below I've listed out my usual stats for the year. I have definitely increased my travels over last year, and I'm excited for what 2017 will hold!

Number of Adventures: 23
Time Spent Travelling: 1,504 hours, 46 minutes
Number of Nights Camping: 19
Number of Nights in Someone's House: 22
Number of Nights in a Hotel: 10
Number of Nights Driving: 2
Total Cost: $5.152.38
Number of States Visited: 10
Distance Driven: 23,387 miles
Distance Hiked: 148.39 miles
Number of National Parks/Monuments/Rec Areas/Wildlife Refuges:16
Number of State Parks: 11
Number of Human Companions: 44
Number of Furry Companions: 18

A huge shout out to every single person who accompanied me on my travels, and I hope you all know how much you mean to me. I wouldn't have traveled with you if I didn't enjoy your company!

Bring it, 2017!