When I lived in the Hudson Valley, I fully embraced my passion for trail running. I’ve been using MapMyRun to map my runs and create a collection of my favorite trail runs from the area. I thought this would be a good resource for others to have and for me to look back on. Additionally, …
Sniffing Our Way Around Rotorua, New Zealand
Certain places have a distinct and lingering smell: New York notoriously smells like garbage, Fez, Morocco smells like leather tanneries (dead animals), and Rotorua, New Zealand smells like sulfur. At first, I could barely smell the sulfuric odor, but the closer we got to the hot pools the more pungent the odor. As Nick and …
Black Water Rafting in Waitomo Caves and Fresh Roasted Coffee in Otorohanga
Well, today may have been our most insane adventure yet. From going caving in the middle of winter to see glow worms, to meeting a friend-of-a-friend, who owns a coffee shop in a 9,000 person town in rural New Zealand, I am not sure which part was more shocking! So, Waitomo, NZ, 2 hours south …
Beaches of the Wild West Coast: North Island, New Zealand
On Sunday afternoon, we drove out to Kariotahi Beach. It was so stunning. The sun was beginning to set and the green hills contrasted the blue ocean, which contrasted the black sand. It was remarkable (and freezing!). We drove out along the beach and ventured both north and south with our car on the sand. …
Settling in New Zealand and Exploring Auckland
The journey from Santa Barbara, CA to New Zealand was surprisingly short and sweet. After getting 6 hours of sleep on the plane and watching a man storm down the aisle having a meltdown because his wife moved seats away from him (think Kristen Wiig in Bridesmaids but less funny and more concerning), the 13-hour …
Hiking Half Dome: A 10 Hour Night Hike
Half Dome is the ultimate Yosemite day hike – the one you can’t die without doing, and the one you’re most likely to die while doing. Yosemite Day Hikes Last week, Nick, Ben and I hiked Half Dome. Half Dome is a dome-shaped rock in Yosemite National Park- famous for its unique shape and its …
Exploring Antelope Canyon
On my road trip across the United States, I stopped at Lower Antelope Canyon. After spending the night at Lake Powell in Utah (see this adventure here), Nick and I woke up bright and early and headed out to Lower Antelope Canyon in Arizona. The only way to visit the canyon is to go through …
New York to Atlanta: Cross-Country Road Trip Part One
In 11 days, my boyfriend and I drove from New York to California, hoping to find the best food, most interesting places and manage to fit in some of the best hikes. We ended up having a really rewarding adventure. Day One: Nick and I left Tivoli on Sunday morning and spent the afternoon playing …
Atlanta to Austin: Cross-Country Road Trip Part Two
In 11 days, my boyfriend and I drove from New York to California, hoping to find the best food (much of which was arepas and tacos), most interesting places and manage to fit in some of the best hikes. We ended up having a really rewarding adventure. After spending the afternoon and night in Atlanta, …
Austin to Grand Canyon: Cross-Country Road Trip Part Three
In 11 days, my boyfriend and I drove from New York to California, hoping to find the best food, most interesting places and manage to fit in some of the best hikes. We ended up having a really rewarding adventure. From Austin, Texas, we headed to Lubbock, Texas to stay with a friend from Couchsurfing. …