In the beginning of July, I made my way back to the West Coast to explore 4 National Parks, 1 National Forest, and spend (not enough) time in San Francisco, California and Bend, Oregon. Over the course of two weeks, I hiked 76 miles, kayaked 5 miles, white water rafted 3 miles, and mountain biked over 20 miles. Even though I was a walking zombie by the end of the two week period, I would take an action-packed trip like…
The last tacos I had in Oregon were back in 2018. Click here to see the Portland, Oregon taco post. Just like my 2018 visit, I started my trip in California and worked my way up to Oregon. My Pittsburgh friend, Kevin, was working in Klamath Falls, OR. He met Alexis and I for kayaking on Shasta Lake, dining in Redding, and hiking the beautiful waterfalls of Shasta-Trinity National Forest. After a wonderful week and a half with Alexis, we…
I joined the Florida bandwagon and visited my friend Colin for a long weekend. Colin lives in Lakeland, Florida which is about 45 min inland from Tampa. Colin had an awesome map and itinerary which included bicycling, hiking, paddleboarding, beach time, and tacos. Colin knows me very well, clearly! All of my favorite things crammed into 3 full days. Gallito Taqueria Colin scooped me up from the Tampa Airport Thursday evening and he picked out a waterfront beer garden called…
After my fun-filled weekend in Denver, Carolyn, Tyler, Christina, and I made the 8 hour drive to Jackson Hole, Wyoming to partake in an adventure that we have been planning since last September. We were on our way to hike 41 miles on the Teton Crest Trail in the back-country of the Grand Tetons. About 10 years ago when I was back in college, my family and I took a trip to Yellowstone and we spent only an afternoon driving…
My second visit to California Taco Shop has been long overdue. My first visit was Labor Day weekend of 2019 (read about my first visit here!) and for some reason, I forgot about this gem until I began trekking some segments of the Rachel Carson Trail. With all of the hiking near Shaler area and Route 8, I have made two trips back to California Taco Shop in a week time frame. There is nothing better than eating authentic tacos…
November was one of the best months of the year for me. I started the month off with a celebration of my Halloween birthday surrounded by many of my Pittsburgh friends, followed by a trip to California, Tahoe, Deep Creek, and Charlotte. The month of November was mainly focused on regaining strength and range of motion from many surgeries I had this past year, so while visiting my college friends, I maintained my strict exercise regimen. On my trek, I…
After spending time in Northern California and South Tahoe with my college friends, I moved onto the second half of my vacation in Southern California. I took a flight from Reno to Los Angeles and then a shuttle an hour and a half up the coast from LA to Ventura. Here, I spent six wonderful days with my Ultimate Frisbee friend Holly. Holly took me in under her wing (and her new condo), and graciously showed me around the local…
In the beginning of November I took a rather spontaneous trip for someone like me who plans quite a bit. Less than two weeks after the decision to travel, I made my way to the West Coast for a 12 day trip to see both college and Ultimate Frisbee friends and to eat some West Coast tacos. Even though the first city I visited during my trip was San Francisco, my first taco stop on the West Coast Taco Tour…
Not even two full days into the new year I had my first 2019 taco. I picked a place off my PGH taco list that was recommended to me by several friends for its authenticity and overall high quality of tacos. I had this place marked in my notes for months and I couldn’t think of a better time to try them than at the start of the new year. I took my friend Dan, who was also off of…
For my last vacation week in 2018, I chose to take off the week of Thanksgiving. For the longest time, I had no idea where I wanted to go or how I wanted to spend the week off. It was not until the beginning of fall when I found my answer. One of my favorite travel buddies, Carolyn, was planning on moving mid-September. Carolyn and her husband, Tyler, always wanted to get out of Pittsburgh. When Tyler’s work contract ended…