After our visit to Moraine Lake, we made the short drive over to Lake Louise and were promptly greeted with an overwhelming traffic jam. Cars arriving in the parking lot were quickly directed to the exit,… More
An Afternoon in Kananaskis | Alberta
Written by Brian Callender | Photography by Julie Boyd
As mentioned in our last post, while visiting Banff, we opted to stay outside the park in Kananaksis Country. We spent most of our first day in Calgary, but after checking into our hotel, we decided there was enough sunlight left to explore our home for the next three nights. Kananaskis, and the area it encompasses, is named after the river which runs through it. If we had more time, this is definitely somewhere we would loved to have explored further. There are supposed to be some great hikes in this area, though several of the places we stopped at were closed and warned of bears in the area. For that reason, and because it was later in the day, we only made a couple of brief stops to check out the scenery.
Our Canadian Adventure Begins! | Calgary
Written by Brian Callender | Photography by Julie Boyd
Off to Canada!
Julie and I had been attempting to make a plan to visit Canada for what seemed like the past few years. We previously had reserved hotel rooms in Vancouver a couple winters back, but ended up cancelling that trip in favor of a California road trip. After reading a post by one of my favorite travel bloggers about visiting Alberta, we were convinced it was time to put our daydreams into action and plan our next trip. Planned earlier this spring, our journey would take us to two of the big national parks in Alberta, Banff and Jasper, as we immersed ourselves in the Canadian Rockies. Giant mountains, blue lakes, endless scenery, we couldn’t think of a better way to spend our summer vacation, and off to Canada we went.
Time Travel Tuesday | Boston
Written by Brian Callender | Photos by Julie Boyd & Brian Callender
Julie and I visited Boston in January of 2013 and immediately fell in love with the city. As self professed history nerds, there are few domestic cities better to visit than Boston. A visit to Boston brought good food, drinks, easy public transportation, and beautiful sights making it a destination we can’t wait to return to. If you’re visiting in winter like we did, know that it comes with the risk of bad weather (our friends were snowed in the following January during their trip). However on our visit, we were surprised at how pleasant the conditions were as we only saw a small amount of snow.
Maximizing Points with the Chase Ink Plus Business Card
Written by Brian Callender
I’ve talked about before, the ways in which “travel hacking” has played in important role in helping us travel. Much of our every day credit card spend is done through the Chase Sapphire Preferred, and I detailed here why I love the card. But an equally valuable, and in many ways, more so, credit card we reap the benefits of is the Chase Ink Plus. If you run a small business (and this can mean many things, including thinking about starting a business), this card is a must have.
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Time Travel Tuesday | Grand Teton National Park
Written by Julie Boyd | Photography by Julie Boyd
Grand Teton National Park is truly one of the most breathtaking mountain landscapes in the United States. The jagged peaks of the 40-mile-long Teton Mountain Range are unobstructed by foothills and tower over 7,000 feet above the landscape. Below them, the Snake River carves through a valley of picturesque alpine meadows and sapphire glacial lakes. Continue reading “Time Travel Tuesday | Grand Teton National Park”
Finding Time to Travel with a Full Time Job
Written by Brian Callender | Photography by Julie Boyd
Julie and I love to travel which should come as no surprise, after all, it’s why we started this travel blog. We love sharing our experiences, and hope that we can encourage more people to get out there and explore the world!
One of the most common issues we’ve come across when planning our trips, is how to schedule around our work commitments. We both have full time jobs which are our primary focus (bills have to get paid!), so we often need to get creative and plan our vacations well in advance. Life is all about finding balance, right? In particular, Julie’s teaching schedule is such that we have two open periods for longer trips. Summer, the peak and busiest of travel seasons. And winter, where depending on the destination, there’s a chance you may encounter some rough weather. The key for us, is making the most of every available opportunity to travel, no matter the size of the trip. Here’s how we do that.
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Time Travel Tuesday | Fall Colors in the Eastern Sierras
Written by Julie Boyd | Photography by Julie Boyd
While Brian and I not-so-patiently wait for our trip to the Canadian Rockies later this month, we thought it would be fun to revisit some of our past trips in a new series called Time Travel Tuesday. As I was scouring my old files for inspiration, I came across one of my favorite trips to see the fall colors in the Eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains, circa 2009. This was my first trip to the East side of range, having visited Yosemite several times, and the splendor of the craggy, snow-capped peaks and brilliant display of golden leaves has left me aching to go back ever since.
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Exploring The Huntington Library | California
Written by Brian Callender | Photography by Julie Boyd
Growing up, I spent a good chunk of my childhood in Pasadena. My mother grew up there and my grandparents lived in the same house until I was early into my teenage years. Despite this, I had never visited The Huntington Library, which is located in nearby San Marino (and only about 2.5 miles from where my grandparents lived!). So I was excited to have a free weekend with Julie to head up to explore the library and Pasadena.
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2016 Trip Plans – More Adventures!
Written by Brian Callender | Photography by Julie Boyd
Summer has officially made its way to Southern California, so we have our fans and air conditioner working overtime. All this heat has us daydreaming of cooler locales, foggy mornings, rainy afternoons, and snowy weekend getaways. In that spirit, we’re excited about our next two planned trips! Here’s what we’re looking forward to as we hit the halfway point of 2016:
The Best Adventures in Yosemite National Park
Written by Julie | Photos by Julie Boyd
When I was 16-years-old, my dad pulled the car over to take in the majesty of Yosemite Valley at Tunnel View on a family trip to the park. Since that first moment, when I gazed upon the giant granite cliffs, bright blue skies, serene forests, and roaring waterfalls, I was hooked on Yosemite National Park. Over the years, I have returned many times with my family, friends, and Brian to admire its natural beauty, and explore opportunities for adventure. From my travels so far, these are what I consider to be the best things to do in Yosemite. Continue reading “The Best Adventures in Yosemite National Park”
