Along one of the turns, we saw a crashed van pulling a boat on the side of the road where yellow caution tape was up. We all had our theories about what possibly could have happened. Did the van get too close to the edge? Did foul play happen because it looked like gunshots in the windows? We’ll never know. We pulled over by the lake for a picnic lunch and enjoyed the serene views. When we got to the dam, we stopped and marveled at the history of all that this land holds and tried to imagine riding this trail via stagecoach. It was an adventure even by car.

Mountains are better than people, I prefer talking to trees and nature eases my peace of mind. We are in a weird time right now where in order to come together, we have to stay apart. The #GetOutside hashtag is now replaced by the plea to #StayAtHome.

The perfect place to begin traveling again is Carson Valley, Nevada. I'm tired of making "bucket lists", after the year we have all been through, it's time to start thinking about really matters. What will feed my soul, renew and refresh me? Where can I once again feel a connection with people, and validate a sense of resilience and purpose? Go beyond things to check off on your travel goals list.

How I fit a week's vacation into one day on a Holland America Cruise Day At Sea.

I've been writing a lot about road trips lately, and everything I've seen, but I had to create a list of road trip attractions along the way on these trips. These are the things that had me pull off to the shoulder, or park and explore or just shake my head moments.

Evergreen Lodge: Not only did it have everything I was looking for, but activities for the kids, a rustic, but comfortable cabin, a solar-heated saltwater pool--and onsite restaurants. This meant less time cooking after a long day, and less frustration of hauling and trying to store food.