Natural Bridge State Park. After several arctic cold months, spring finally started to show itself. Now, I’m someone who loves winter, but the winter of 2024/2025 was unusually brutally cold and the idea of spring was a good one. It enticed us to hit the backroads of Virginia to find Natural Bridge State Park. It did not disappoint.

2024. In many ways, the days of 2024 passed in the blink of an eye. But, the year also seemed to be one relentlessly long election year. Although we had a good year, we are happy to put 2024, and the election, on the shelf and get on with the business of living.

Harpers Ferry National Park. If you’re a US history enthusiast, Harpers Ferry is the place to see. Or, even if you just have a mild interest in the historical significance, there is so much more to experience. Harpers Ferry is the site of the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers. Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia all meet at Harpers Ferry. Four national parks and three national trails all convene at Harpers Ferry. And, it is the halfway point on the Appalachian Trail.

Road Trip Travel Tips. Are you making plans and gearing up for a summer road trip? Or, for that matter, any other time of the year? Truth be told, road trips are by far my most favorite way to travel, followed by train travel which runs a close second. There’s just something really special about a road trip and the flexibility traveling by car offers.

“Roads were made for journeys, not destinations.” Confucious

Richmond, Virginia. It was our first visit to the city; a city deeply rooted in American history with direct ties to the civil war. It’s a city with historical neighborhoods, a modern city center and incredible murals seemingly around every corner. It’s where we experienced Mexican/Asian fusion for the first time and you know what? It works! Virginia Commonwealth University calls Richmond home, and it has a student population of 25,000+. With no set expectations on this our first visit to Richmond, our eyes and minds were open to new experiences.

#Hikers365Challenge. Happy New Year! I think the question begs to be asked, will it really be a year of new and good, or a repeat of not-so-good that enveloped the past two years? Never give up hope, but oy vey, Omicron. What’s next?

Virginia -vs- Maryland. I don’t really know how often one can stand on either side of a river and be in a different state, but that’s the story of Great Falls National Park and the Potomac River.

Capitol Stones. You know how it is when you tell yourself you really shouldn’t have that third piece of chocolate, and then all you want more than anything else in life is that piece of chocolate? That’s what it feels like, in my mind, to have a passport collecting dust and being told we can’t leave the country. Nope, not even to pop up to Toronto, Canada to visit family. When someone tells me I can’t do something, it becomes the one thing I want more than anything. Is it just me?

Sometimes, the best thing we can do for ourselves is to take a detour. Stop and embrace the moment wherever it may be. Our most recent detour found us walking in a field of sunflowers. But first…

We unintentionally picked one of the hottest days in early July to further explore Maryland’s back roads. Our destination for the day, Historic White’s Ferry in Dickerson, Maryland. The temperature was right around 92 degrees. I don’t know what the actual humidity level was but I’d stand by guesstimating off-the-charts. Summer, in the Washington, DC region feels swampy and mosquitoes reign supreme. The surrounding countryside in Maryland and Virginia is beautiful, but it’s hot and sticky too.