Here you will find an archived weblog of my food, travel, and creative pursuits which I kept from 2010-2016. Please note both that the travel information contained here may outdated and that these logs were created on a prior version of this website and may not yet be optimized for the current version. If you’re looking for specific content, use the search field below! <3
Post-concussion, I've spent a lot of time thinking about quality and how to best shape my creative process to produce the best possible products. So, in the spirit of what I've been thinking about, I'd like to kick this new series off with a look behind the curtain at the creative process I go through for travel writing.
Read MoreAs we looked south along the cliff tops above one of Europe's finest body boarding beaches, Praia Grande, I couldn't help but wonder where this Portugal had been hiding in all my pre-trip research. "I could have sworn we booked a trip to Portugal and not Scotland," I said to my husband, Zeke. The craggy coastline and windswept bluffs looked a whole lot more like photographs of wild Scottish landscapes as opposed to golden Portuguese beaches.
Read MoreSituated right on the mouth of the Columbia River in Astoria, Oregon, the Cannery Pier Hotel is one stay I just can't shake. I don't remember the last time a hotel had any kind of lasting effect on me - but our waterfront (really overwater) room actually helped me remember something very important to me; I simply love being on the water and seeing it just outside the window brings out my happiest self.
Read MoreMy second trip to the Long Beach Peninsula was a short two-nighter for my day job. With a combination of a short time frame and working a minimum of ten hour days, I just barely had time to enjoy the Pacific Coast. Predicting it would be just so, I booked my accommodation at the Lighthouse Oceanfront Resort, rewarded myself with a ocean view room, and made time for one walk out to see the sand and waves.
Read MoreFor the first time in my travels, I found every guidebook purchased for this trip almost entirely useless. Perhaps their only positive contribution was to guide us to a spot we wouldn’t find interesting, so we would then be forced to go explore on our own. It was a fascinating set up for what has become one of my favorite travel adventures yet.
Read MoreOn our second night in Portugal, we ventured down to Praia da Adraga to watch the sunset - our very first over the Atlantic Ocean. These few hours we spent beach combing and shooting photos were the first indication that golden hour has an entirely new degree in Portugal. The photos you'll see in this post don't have their saturation levels raised - in fact they're just barely edited at all. This is what golden hour really looks like in Portugal.
Read MoreIn January 2012, while researching for our trip to Northern Spain, the GOOP newsletter arrived in my inbox with some details about visiting Portugal for a film festival. As I scrolled down, I noticed a small entry about an eco-friendly bed and breakfast named Colina Flora. Following the link to their website, I was immediately enchanted and suddenly Portugal had made it on to my travel wish list. So you could say that Colina Flora was the initial impetus for our two-week trip to Portugal this year.
Read MoreThis question stops me in my tracks each time I hear it upon my return from one of my “magical” adventures – as my day job co-workers refer to them. Trying to summarize a two-week experience driving over 1,600 kilometers around most of Portugal into a concise reply seems utterly challenging at first.
Read MoreIt’s early Thursday morning, three days before my husband and I leave on an adventure to road trip Portugal, and I’m getting my head scanned for a “slow bleed” in my brain. Everyone is in on the rush job since I injured myself only two days prior, from my naturopathic doctor to the tech performing the scan. Upon leaving each appointment, they tell me “you’re going to have a wonderful time on your trip.”
Read MoreThe Harmony Trail was an unexpected short hike which made an excellent addition to our unexpected day at the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument. At just under two miles round trip it's a relatively easy hike down to to the edge of Spirit Lake. The history of what happened to Spirit Lake during the 1980 eruption is simply fascinating and of all the points of interest in the park - this one captures my mind the most.
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