Visiting Antelope Canyon has been on my bucket list ever since I realized it was a place actually in my home state. I’ve always marveled at how beautiful the pictures are of these slot canyons and quite honestly didn’t believe that this could be real.

The sky reflected our moods, and we could see the white-topped peaks just out of our reach, lining the ring around our valley. I convinced my husband to go for a drive "to the top of the hill" just to get a better view. It will get us out of the house. We had been stuck inside for days because of rain. The same rain was making snow just 10 miles north of us. Why not?

Sipping morning coffee in the mountain air at Half Dome while watching the sunrise in Yosemite is one of the greatest moments I've ever had. I've written previously about my goal not just to see Yosemite, but to experience Yosemite. There is nothing like the experience of mixing fresh, hot coffee, with cold pine air, watching the light bounce off the icy needles in the trees.

"My life was being raised in a small town on a farm, and I...

It was another spontaneous trip to Joshua Tree, We decided in less than 12 hours that we would drive out on a hot August afternoon and watch the sunset. The magnificent mountains were the backdrop for the mysterious and magical Joshua Trees