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Home » travel » Page 2

Spirits, Scotches and The Shining

July 3, 2016 by Matt

The Stanley Hotel is rumored to be one of the most haunted hotels in America and was Stephen King’s inspiration for the book The Shining. Our experience at The Stanley Hotel did not disappoint.

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Standing in front of the hauntingly beautiful Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, CO.

However, there is more to this sensory packed place than just the guests who never checked out. Here’s our list of the top ten reasons why this historic hotel needs to be on your bucket list.

1. The Location

Tucked high up in the snowy peaks of the Colorado Rockies, it clocks in at over 7,500 feet in elevation with panoramic views of the Rocky Mountains and surrounding town of Estes Park. If you’re looking for a place to get away from the hustle and bustle of city life for a while then this stunning setting is unmatched by all but a few hotels in the US, and is just outside the entrance of Rocky Mountain National Park. After a long night of ghosting hunting, wake up with a brisk mountain hike and stunning scenery.

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While this picture turned out blurry, it perfectly captures a misty, mysterious feeling and the grandeur of this historic hotel.
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Prepare for a warm welcome to The Stanley Hotel.

2. The Scent

Outside the hotel is an all-encompassing fresh pine scent with floral notes due to the meticulously cared for landscaping. The grounds even have the beginnings of a hedge maze (reminiscent of the maze from the movie The Shining). While inside, the hard to describe yet enjoyable smell of 107 years of history permeate the halls and rooms. It smells old, but comforting.

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Although a freak hail storm rolled through minutes before we arrived, the landscaping was already blooming and the smell of pine was so fresh and amazing you couldn’t help but breathe it in and sigh.
This has the makings of an amazing maze!
This has the makings of an amazing maze!

3. The Fireplace

Four large black leather couches flank a toasty, constantly flickering fireplace. A perfect spot to sit back in good conversation or to people watch the patrons coming and going while your drink of choice is in hand.

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My drink of choice happens to be an IPA. Yours could be a hot chocolate, a hot coffee or a libation of your choice. The point is to melt into the leather chair and listen to the crackling fire.

4. Drink of Choice

With over 150 scotches and an incredible stock pile of beers, wines and distilled spirits to choose from you can be assured that your favorite selection will be on hand and in yours shortly. With a “Red Rum” Shining-inspired cocktail, and a cold, refreshing local IPA on tap, we sat back and took in the grandeur of the bar with a backdrop that felt straight out of the movie. Sadly, the bartender was not Lloyd.

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Having a little fun reenacting The Shining. “I like you, Lloyd. I always liked you. You were always the best of them. Best goddamned bartender from Timbuktu to Portland, Maine. Or Portland, Oregon, for that matter.”

5. The Rooms

They are original rooms constructed in the early 1900s, and you can be certain the floors, ceilings and walls have seen a lot of history. Our room was 401. It was very old meets new, with clean, modern amenities, but an old opulence to it with ornate wooden furniture, plush carpet and latched windows. The windows still opened by dumb counter weights while only seven feet away from a large HD TV showing two versions of The Shining on a continuous loop. It was quite an experience, especially as we listened to hotel guided ghost tour after tour stop outside our room in discussion of just how very “active” the ghosts in our room like to be. Yikes!

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Setting the mood! They play The Shining 24/7 at The Stanley Hotel!

6. The Hallways & Elevators

Described in a word…creepy! Probably enhanced by our imagination and the recalled Hollywood movies scenes. We walked the four floors numerous times during the day and well into the evening after midnight. Contrary to what I was expecting, there were no sinister twin children to be found, nor did blood flow from the elevator, but it really wasn’t needed as the setting has a natural way of raising goosebumps and making you extra aware of things that go bump in the night. We even watched as the amateur ghost hunters walked around the hotel late at night with their fancy detection equipment looking for a sign of activity.

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Take the stairs, take the halls, take the elevator…creepy around every corner!

7. The Ghosts

They are said to be seen everywhere on the grounds and its buildings, however two rooms in particular see more than their share of experiences according to the hotel. Room 217 and 401.

217 is rumored to be haunted by a female ghost who tidies up the room while guests are not there as well as folds and puts away clothes for weary travelers. Nice ghost!

In our room, 401, a ghost rumored to be Lord Dunraven enjoys breaking glasses, holding parties in the linen closet and throwing men’s wallets, rings and accessories down the toilet. He is also said to push down on men’s chest as they sleep to make it hard for them to breathe. Not cool! He’s apparently not a fan of males, but IS a fan of the ladies. He likes to touch their hair and put an unseen arm around them. However, we didn’t experience any of these things.

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I was thrilled and Kristin was uncertain about staying in the most haunted room at The Stanley Hotel.

We did have two unusual events take place though. Before we left for dinner, I left two windows open for fresh air. When we returned, one of those windows was closed and bolted shut. How this happened I have no idea, but it certainly was unexpected.

The second event actually took place at exactly 4:32am while we were sound asleep. We had no idea something odd occurred until a few days later when we were watching the videos we took throughout the hotel. The last photos or videos we took were around 12:30am, but we had a video on our phone at 4:32am. The ghost decided to record a video in the room. Funny thing was that there was no visual, only a pitch black screen with audio. Somehow, the phone was unlocked, turned to camera mode, switched to video mode, and the record button pressed to start and stop the video. The audio from the roughly 20 second clip is that of something walking around the room on the creaky floor boards over by the window that had been shut earlier that day as birds can be heard chirping and it finished with a low muffled noise towards the end that we could not decipher. Take a look/listen for yourself…

Cool as hell to stumble upon yet still crazy! On a side note, the next morning an older gentleman staff member (who laughed ominously when we told him the room we were staying in) told us of an event that happened to him downstairs while closing up the gift/coffee shop. Apparently, his phone had turned on across the room, and though he heard no sound, a voice text appeared on his screen that said, “scary…isn’t it” Needless to say it freaked him out.

8. The Dining

We enjoyed a late night snack of ghost pepper wings and truffle fries but it was the breakfast that really stood out. The hotel has delicious menu choices all homemade by trained chefs in a kitchen known to have paranormal activity. If you’re looking to hear real life stories, not just in the movies, simply ask your waiters or bartenders. They all have experiences and are not shy about telling you all about them. We started to ask our server which room was the most haunted and mid-sentence she cut us off and blurted out 401!

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Pre-breakfast smiles. It was so good and so delicious, we didn’t stop to take a single picture of the delicious food. You’ll have to trust me, it was amazing.

9. The Elk

Known for having a large population of Elk, Estes Park has laws protecting these horned beasts, and so they roam all over the town. We drove by one that was bigger than a horse with a rack that could easily pick up and engulf a full grown man. Majestic creatures they are, and in this town you can get up close and personal with them…just be sure to maintain a safe distance. They are wild animals after all.

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Perhaps the only time it’s appropriate to say, “Look at that rack!”

10. The History

Every wall is covered with old photos and descriptions of a time long ago. They have pictures and stories of what life was like in the area as well as the nature, the famous guests who have stayed there, the movies filmed there, etc. You name it, the walls are filled with interesting facts. It even has old cars inside and grand pianos played by famous musicians. Not to mention an aquarium in the lowest level filled with fish that are local to the area. We could have spent hours just staring and learning while in the hotel.

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History around every corner…
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A little historic background on the ghost supposedly active in our room, #401.
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Whether or not you’re a paranormal fool like me, ghost hunting isn’t the only reason to visit the historic Stanley Hotel. Hopefully you get the chance to explore this old hotel and the beautiful Rocky Mountain National Park.

No matter what destinations we have on our so-called bucket lists, there’s always room for one more. And this place is definitely worthy of putting on anyone’s list. Cheers to the spirits of The Stanley Hotel.

Matt

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Filed Under: All Blog Posts, Blogs by Matt, On the Road, Paranormal Quest, Top Ten Tagged With: adventure, cross country, national parks, paranormal, road trip, travel, wanderlust

Colorful Colorado

June 28, 2016 by Kristin

Welcome to Colorful Colorado! That’s what the sign said when we crossed the border from New Mexico to Colorado on our year-long road trip, and after seeing the landscapes Colorado had to offer, we now understand the fitting nickname. Just take a look at our highlights and you’ll understand too. It’s a state full of white capped peaks, purple mountains, green trees, red rocks, impossibly blue skies and flaming orange sunsets…

Garden of the Gods, Manitou Springs, CO

First stop, Garden of the Gods, just outside of Colorado Springs. These gorgeous red rock formations are dotted with greenery, framed with blue skies and as the day progresses from dawn to daylight to dusk, they present an evolving beauty with the changing light. A paved trail winds through the central “gardens” and plenty of other trails run in all directions all around the park.

Not only is this place magnificently beautiful, but it’s also free. The land was given to the state of Colorado in 1909 with the provision that it would be a free public park. We were so enthralled with the Garden of the Gods, we came back twice within the same day. If you’re ever in the Colorado Springs area, make sure to visit this stunning park. It truly does feel like a Garden of the Gods.

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The main pathway from the central gardens parking area gives you a glimpse of the beauty of The Garden of the Gods.
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Hey!! Whose big heads are those blocking the Garden of the Gods?! Oh, that’s just us taking a selfie. Excited to be here!
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Incredibly scenic hiking, but also perfectly wonderful to stop, sit and enjoy the view.
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Doing a little bird watching…yeah…scroll back up and check out those white tipped wings!
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Even Lucy loves Garden of the Gods.
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There are designated rock climbing areas for those with proper equipment and skills. And there’s also guys who don’t listen to caution signs 😉
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Blue, purple, red, green. We love all the colors of Colorful Colorado.

Pikes Peak

We left the warmth (and oxygen) in Manitou Springs and took the Pikes Peak Cog Train to the summit of Pikes Peak. Now, regarding elevation, many people visiting Colorado from lower elevations need to be cautious of altitude sickness. Denver is famous for being the “Mile High City” with an elevation of exactly one mile: 5,280 feet. And Manitou Springs is a bit higher at 6,358 feet. But, the easiest way to prevent altitude sickness is drinking lots of water. However, we had just spent several weeks in Santa Fe, which is almost 7,200 feet. So, traveling to Colorado didn’t require any extra adjustment and we were consciously staying very hydrated on an ongoing basis.

However, Pikes Peak is another story. The summit of Pikes Peak is 14,110 feet. FOURTEEN THOUSAND ONE HUNDRED AND TEN FEET! Officially, it’s the highest peak of the Southern Front range of the Rocky  Mountains. So, we over-hydrated the day before and morning of our journey. We boarded the cog train in warm, sunny Manitou Springs with full bladders and climbed nearly 8,000 feet to the cold, snowy, windy summit. Green trees transitioned to alpine tundra…the air was thinner, the skies were bluer and the scenery was out of of this world. And thank god there was a bathroom at the top.

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Part way up, at about 12,000 feet, we paused and then continued to climb to the summit.
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We made it! Super excited to reach the summit. But holy moly is it COLD!!!
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Hoods up! Not only is it cold, but the wind was really whipping at the top of Pikes Peak…can’t beat these views though!

The view from the top. 😮#destinationtreeontheroad #pikespeak #pikespeaksummit #pikespeakorbust #colorado #coloradosprings #coloradogram #fivestates #mountainsformiles

A video posted by Destination Tree (@destinationtree) on Jun 5, 2016 at 7:04pm PDT

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This is becoming a classic sightseeing pose of Matt’s 🙂
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We told you it was cold. And there was seriously a LOT of snow up top!! At least six to ten feet of snow! But some genius decided it would be a good idea to make homemade donuts at the top of a 14,110 foot peak, and we indulged, and agreed, GREAT idea.

Royal Gorge Bridge and Park, Canon City, CO

We had never heard of Royal Gorge before, but fortunately it was one of many great recommendations from our good friend Kelly who has lived in Colorado for several years. (She also has a bumper sticker on her fridge, “Not a native, but I got here as fast as I could!” which always makes me laugh, because she was born to live in Colorado!)

The Royal Gorge is obscenely beautiful all by itself, but the Bridge and Park gave us a birds eye view of this massive gorge. The bridge is over 1,200 feet long and it’s nearly 1,000 feet down to the Arkansas River below. You don’t have to be afraid of heights to feel a little uneasy looking over the edge of this bridge. We actually took a gondola ride across the canyon (you can also zip line across) and then we hiked along the edge and walked back across the suspension bridge. It was incredible. And windy. And exhilarating. And completely gorgeous.

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After taking a gondola from one side, we hiked along the edge of the gorge and walked back across that very bridge! Ahhhh!

Don’t watch this video if you’re afraid of heights!!! 😱 #destinationtreeontheroad #royalgorge #royalgorgebridge #lookdown #dontlookdown #colorado #coloradogram #holymoly #suspensionbridge

A video posted by Destination Tree (@destinationtree) on Jun 3, 2016 at 11:01am PDT

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All smiles, before clamping down a hand on his hat and glasses. We had to guess that there are a countless hats, glasses and cell phones that been swept away by the wind and down to the Arkansas River.

Castle Rock

In addition to packing in as many Colorado sights as we could, we were also slam-bammed busy with Destination Tree orders. I was fielding custom order requests and questions non-stop and Matt was furiously trying to catch up on the engraving work for a corporate order and countless Father’s Day gifts. While he caught up, it gave me an opportunity to have a girls weekend with my bestie, Kelly, in Castle Rock. And it was one of those weekends where we had so much fun talking, laughing, hiking and hanging out, we never remembered to take pictures!

We hiked the town’s namesake, Castle Rock, which was a fun hike and a short climb to a 360 degree view of the adorable town of Castle Rock and surrounding landscape. It almost looks like a fake, model city with the mountains, green grass, trees and perfect little town below. We also burned our quads at the mini-incline at Phillip S. Miller Park, hit the trails, and then did more hiking at Castlewood Canyon State Park. We absolutely earned our margaritas, sunset cupcakes and hours of laughter. We’re kindred spirits and it felt unreal to spend so much quality time together. And then I photographed, packaged and posted a LOT of orders. 🙂

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At Castlewood Canyon State Park we did stop to admire the view en route to the canyon…

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What’s better than a colorful, Colorado sunset? Sitting on the back porch, eating decadent cupcakes, with an amazing friend, laughing and talking, while watching a colorful, Colorado sunset. Boom!

Rocky Mountain National Park

I always get super hyped to visit a new National Park, since that’s been one of our primary focuses on this year-long trip. And while I was hyped about Rocky Mountain National Park and towering snow covered mountains, Matt was hyped about The Stanley Hotel, famed for being the inspiration of Stephen King’s The Shining, and infamous for being exceptionally haunted.

The drive to Estes Park, the small town at the entrance of Rocky Mountain National Park, and home of The Stanley Hotel, was more scenic than I even imagined. Once again, we were focused on our destination, but the journey proved to be just as wonderful. We took route 34 from Loveland, which hugged the Big Thompson River through twists and turns at the base of a huge rocky canyon.

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The drive along the Big Thompson River to Estes Park was unbelievably beautiful…and we hadn’t even made it to Rocky Mountain National Park yet!!
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We arrived in Estes Park and got our first full on glimpse of Rocky Mountain National Park!
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The Famous Stanley Hotel! Matt was like a kid in a candy store…only he was a ghost hunter at a paranormal hotbed! You better believe he’s got a paranormal blog post coming soon about this!!

“The mountains are calling and I must go.” -John Muir #destinationtreeontheroad #rmnp #rockymountainnationalpark #findyourpark #themountainsarecalling

A video posted by Destination Tree (@destinationtree) on Jun 10, 2016 at 10:48am PDT

 

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SO excited to visit Rocky Mountain National Park!
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Rocky Mountain National Park did not disappoint.

After a whirlwind 2 day tour of Rocky Mountain National Park, we went back to base camp at Horsetooth Reservoir, where there was no shortage of Colorful Colorado sunsets.

Mother Nature has the best box of crayons. #destinationtreeontheroad #camplife #sunset #mothernature

A photo posted by Destination Tree (@destinationtree) on Jun 12, 2016 at 5:33pm PDT

 

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At Horsetooth Reservoir in Fort Collins we caught up on Destination tree orders, soaked in the views and got ready to head to Wyoming.

We didn’t spend a lot of time in Colorado, but we packed in as many beautiful sights as we could and enjoyed every moment. We bid farewell to Colorful Colorado with gratitude and unforgettable memories.

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Our “morning commute” leaving Colorado and heading north to Wyoming.

Next up…Wyoming! Grand Tetons and Yellowstone here we come!

Cheers!
Kristin

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Filed Under: All Blog Posts, Blogs by Kristin, On the Road Tagged With: adventure, cross country, destination tree, grateful, inspiration, national parks, paranormal, road trip, travel, wanderlust

Phantoms of the Deep South

June 25, 2016 by Matt

Our exploration of the Deep South included an enormous Navy Battleship and two famous plantations. It was certainly hard to narrow down the list of possible paranormal places we could visit while in the South, especially since Louisiana has many famed haunted plantations, all with their fair share of storied histories. But we’re fitting in as much as we can on our year long journey, and decided to spend more time at just a few places, and spent several hours exploring each one.

U.S.S. Alabama

Deep down in the belly of this beast is where I caught it…the shadow man. But let me back up to the beginning.

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The U.S.S. Alabama in Mobile, Alabama

First of all, the ship and grounds of the U.S.S. Alabama are HUGE! The shore is littered with super cool, retired military planes, choppers, tanks, cannons, an SR-71 Blackbird and even a submarine.

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Even Dobie thought the tanks were pretty cool.

Kristin decided to stay with the pups and tour all of these awesome relics while I boarded the ship. It was early on a weekday morning, so we were some of the first visitors to arrive and I was one of the few people exploring the U.S.S. Alabama.

It took about 25 minutes to descend from the top down to the bowels of the ship where the engine room is located. I wandered all throughout every level taking in the history as I snapped photos and videos. It felt a little stifling in the tight quarters but I didn’t sense any ghosts of sailors while down there.

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As you can tell, the sleeping quarters for the men were very snug…
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No ghosts here, just a mannequin navy man…

After an hour of exploring the ship I went back out and met up with Kristin. It wasn’t until later that evening, when I was going through the photos that I found this:

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I was in this area alone. But look behind me.

Look closely in the hallway behind me…there is a shadow, and certainly not my own. And this time, it’s no mannequin. I know for damn sure that I was the only human down in this area at that time, and I certainly would have known if someone was standing in the hall right behind me. So, I don’t know what else to say other than I think I may have finally caught a dark apparition. One lurking behind me in the belly of that great big military beast parked in the coastal waters of Mobile, Alabama. If you get the opportunity to tour this ship, do it! And do it on a week day morning when no one else is around and maybe you’ll catch a shadowy visitor in your photos as well.

Oak Alley Plantation, Vacherie, Louisiana

Oak Alley Plantation…a beautiful estate fabled for its iconic live oaks flanking the front and back entrances to the property.

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We were all smiles upon arrival, walking in amazement under these enormous live oaks leading up to “The Big House”

This place has been in several movies and upon our arrival the view did not disappoint! We arrived at the plantation super early before it opened and lucky for us we had the place to ourselves for a little while to soak it all in.

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These live oaks are more than 300 years old, and someone certainly had the foresight to know what an amazingly beautiful entrance these trees would make for Oak Alley Plantation.

There were barns, outbuildings, old slave quarters and gardens to explore. A red fox scampered by us on the lawn, greeting us upon our approach to the main house. Shortly after they opened, an employee was serving up early morning mint juleps and mint julep lemonades. According to her, ‘there is no wrong time, day or night, to sip on the medicine of the south’. We agree.

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Cheers!

So, after roaming the grounds looking for signs of the paranormal and with medicine in hand, we entered the “Big House” on a small tour with our guide leading the way.

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The wraparound porch and enormous columns are an elaborate welcome to this historic mansion.

We listened intently to the history and tragedy that took place inside these walls. Guests and employees have reported numerous strange encounters with dark shadowy figures roaming the halls, phantom people in 1800s clothing appearing and disappearing out of sight and faces looking through windows from empty rooms.

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During our tour I spoke to an employee who told me she refuses to enter a particular room on the second floor. While giving a tour, she lost her voice in the room and experienced a rising sense of panic. Several others have had similar experiences mysteriously losing their voice while in the room. Interesting to say the least. So, of course, the next logical step for Kristin and I was to meander over to that room and start provoking the breath stealing specters within.

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This is the room where some people mysteriously lose their voice, only to find it again once they leave…

Repeatedly we asked for them to try and quiet us while we took videos and photos. And just like that what happened next was completely expected…nothing. No unusual sights or sounds. Just a feeling of awe for how incredibly difficult it must have been to construct a mansion of such magnitude in the mosquito laden swamps of the hot, humid south with rooms so detailed and beautiful. No on-demand ghosts this time……so back to the over to the other side of the mansion we caught up with our tour.

Having finished our hour long exploration inside the sweltering “Big House” we went outside to the grounds again for one final walk around this majestic place.

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We left Oak Alley with memories of a gorgeous historical place, whose former residents still seem to roam about, entertaining guests and scaring the very breath out of them. It is a bit off the beaten path, but if you are willing to make the visit, go early, not only to avoid the crowds but to avoid the heat and humidity that sets in as well.

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Despite any heat or humidity, sit down, enjoy a cool drink and the majestic views at Oak Alley.

Myrtles Plantation, Francisville, Louisiana

Our second haunted southerly estate was Myrtles Plantation in St. Francisville, Louisiana. It is regarded to many as one of America’s most haunted houses. I’ve wanted to come to this incredible place since TAPS explored it several years back and peaked my interest.

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The Myrtles. Infamous for possibly being the most haunted house in America.

From objects moving, hand prints appearing on mirrors, shot gun murders, poisoning, drownings, hangings, epidemics and even possessed dolls that come alive at night, this place has ALL the makings of a Hollywood nightmare.

Like Oak Alley, Myrtles also lies on the Mighty Mississippi River, about 25 miles north of Baton Rouge, and nowhere even close to the beaten path. It lies deeeep within the Bayou country of this great state.

We arrived at dusk and took an evening tour on a weeknight. We had an awesome guide (Miss Allison) who was dressed in antebellum style attire and was extremely knowledgeable about the history of this beautiful plantation. Most tours have 30-40 people, and somehow we lucked out…we had a private tour with just one other couple.

However, before our tour even started we arrived and stepped out of the truck into a thick steaming cloud of humidity teaming with mosquitoes, lizards, birds, bats and insect noises of all sorts. Just like one would imagine the deep-south to offer up! I LOVED it as it made for the perfect setting in my opinion, although Kristin did not share in my sentiment, as she frantically slapped away mosquitoes.

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It felt like a step back in time to stand outside of The Myrtles Plantation.

Together we walked around the grounds of this mossy covered jungle stopping periodically to imagine life 200 years ago. The history of Myrtles is quite long and very much worth reading up on (even if you never make the hike out to this destination).

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An old well outside Myrtles Plantation…careful, don’t fall in.

However, in the four hours that we spent here we were blown away by the stories and private photos taken by guests and staff. Not to mention, our own experiences. And believe it or not, it is actually a functioning bed and breakfast and has guest rooms on the main floor and second floor (which we were unfortunately not able to enter). I would love to stay the night here since these rooms are ‘off limits to tours’ and have a tremendous amount of ghostly activity. Kristin would not.

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Before dark, it doesn’t look too scary, perhaps a quite welcoming B&B, The Myrtles guests experience some interesting phenomena after dark…

Miss Allison told us about a few first-hand accounts from recent overnight B&B guests (some of whom did not complete their stay and left hurriedly in the middle of the night), as well as some of her own experiences. A few of these first-hand accounts….

Some people felt a ghostly presence tap them awake in the middle of the night and others felt their feet being grabbed while in bed. The ghosts seem to be particularly drawn to women, and a few have felt their hair being pulled and an arm put around them.

One particular guest room is full of dolls…and the overnight guests placed one of the dolls (which was rumored to be possessed) in the hallway. The couple woke in the middle of the night to find it back in the room, sitting on the husband’s chest. In yet another room there is a little girl who peeks over the edge of the bed, jumps on the bed, and tries to snuggle with guests in the bed, before disappearing.

In a downstairs guest room, a butler in a tuxedo appeared to a guest and asked if they needed anything, after responding they did not, he walked around a corner and disappeared. By the way, this bed and breakfast has no butlers. And many potential guests have called to complain that they were turned away at the gate, being told by a gatekeeper that the plantation was closed. There are no gatekeepers at Myrtles Plantation and they were never closed!

Pictures are not allowed throughout the house except in the entry way. We took pictures of the mirror here that seems to have some unexplained phenomena. Every time it is cleaned and restored, the mirror is clear of imperfections, and every time there are marks and discolorations that reappear. Some resembling claw marks as though something is trying to get out…

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The mirror in the entryway of The Myrtles…even when cleaned and restored, dark marks like this continue to reappear, and if you look closely, it does look like claw marks trying to get out!

These are just a few of the stories and paranormal events that have been experienced here. And although we didn’t encounter any phantoms throughout our tour of the house, we did have two strange things happen. Both of us felt goosebumps and cold breezes on the tour at different times in different rooms. Funny enough the house has no air duct system, nor AC units. The windows were closed downstairs and the warm, humid air was the only thing surrounding the house. We’re not sure where the cold came from.

Lastly, our guide stopped in her tracks when a door behind Kristin and I started to rattle and shake while she was talking. Paranormal? We can’t say for sure, but both occurrences sure helped to cap off the exploration of the plantation in a memorable way.

After the tour was over we walked the grounds across a boardwalk bridge to an island gazebo surrounded by a pond of chirping frogs!

It was so crazy loud we could barely hear each other talking! We walked around the pond, past the little cabins, looking for Chloe, the highly active ghost of a former house slave. In addition to Chloe, we also looked for the many spirits that are said to run freely both day and night around the property grounds. We walked and listened and looked but soon it became pitch black so we decided to head to the truck and call it a night. All I can say is WOW, this place really lives up to its reputation as one of America’s most haunted houses. I would definitely come back here.

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An after dark walk around The Myrtles Plantation.

All in all, the south has many mysteries and stories to be shared. Enough to fill a month’s worth of front porch rocking chair conversation sessions (with medicine in hand of course)! So grab your bug spray and your sense of adventure and high tail it down to the Bayous of the deep-south for a frightening good time, we promise you that you won’t be disappointed in the experience.

Cheers!
Matt

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Filed Under: All Blog Posts, Blogs by Matt, Paranormal Quest Tagged With: adventure, dare, paranormal, road trip, travel

Historic and Haunted Florida

June 25, 2016 by Matt

Lots of people think of sunshine and beaches when they think of Florida, and trust me, we had our fair share of fun in the sun. But, Florida also has lots of historic locales, teeming with paranormal activity. So, after the sun sets make your way from the beach to the streets and you might just run across some spirits.

The Stranahan House, Fort Lauderdale, FL

Built in 1901, this fanciful, historic house is the oldest surviving structure in Broward County and a few of the original residents seem to have survived as well.

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We arrived at dusk, soon enough to appreciate the preserved architecture of this old home.

Frank and Ivy Stranahan who built the home, are both rumored to still reside here. Unfortunately, Frank met his demise after the loss of his fortune during the Great Depression, when he committed suicide by drowning himself in the river outside the house, and Ivy died in an upstairs bedroom.

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The room where Ivy died. Often reported to have indents in the bed, as though someone has been sitting on it. And items in the room, including a watch, that go missing and then mysteriously reappear later.

We all used dousing rods throughout the house, and while they did seem to indicate some activity, we didn’t experience a personal encounter with Frank or Ivy, although many paranormal accounts are reported here. We did enjoy the guided haunted tour and the historic stories of this cool, riverfront home. After the house tour, we took to the waters and enjoyed a dark, legend-filled cruise along the river!

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The view of the Stranahan House from a boat on the river. Perhaps the most unusual aspect of this photo is this old historic home, framed by tall modern buildings under construction with huge cranes!

Coral Castle, FL

Home to legends of aliens, elves, mystical powers and a pint sized little man (5’ tall, 100lbs). Edward Leedskalnin was a mason, a romantic and a man of vision back in the early 1900s.

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Actual size of Edward compared to me 🙂 Quite a difference! And helps confirm the impressiveness that this small man built this “castle” all by himself!

With our paranormal guest investigators, Chad & Michelle (brother and sister in law), we toured this one man creation in all its glory.

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Our guest investigators – Chad & Michelle…and yes, that’s a 5,000 pound, heart shaped table, and since cut flowers don’t last, it has constant blooms with this flowering tree! Edward was a romantic fellow.

Huge blocks of coquina (a type of limestone) weighing several tons were used to create the formations of this castle. Built over a span of 28 years for his lost love, Edward worked only at night and completely by himself.

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There is quite the debate about how he actually managed this amazing feat. How did one man carve and move stone weighing several tons? Some people believe he used ancient knowledge of anti-gravity technology, others believe he had paranormal (aliens? Elves?) help, and some believe he used simple physics, basic tools and a whole lot of patience. Regardless, it truly is a feat to behold.

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Each element of the castle was thoughtfully designed and created by Edward, many had astrological and masonic meaning.

Personally, I’d like to believe Edward was a man of knowledge and a world traveler who very well could have used the magic of sound waves discovered in his travels to assist him in his building process. In the end, doubters are going to doubt and believers are going to believe. Let’s just leave it at that.

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An aerial view of the impressive Coral Castle Grounds…

St. Augustine, FL

Jails, lighthouses, fortresses, and cemeteries…this town has it all. And with the claim of being the oldest city in the U.S. it has plenty of history and hauntings. As far as kick-ass haunted ghost tours in the night go, this town is one of the best that we’ve been on and we’ve been on many. We usually like to explore paranormal locations on our own, but every now and again we sign up for a guided tour. On this trip we did both.

First, we spent all day touring the city on our own. The old lighthouse was our first stop and has been on my list since TAPS investigated it and caught all sorts of sights and sounds on film.

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Construction of the St. Augustine lighthouse began in 1871, it was completed in 1874, and it stands 164 feet tall…

Supposedly, the lighthouse keeper passed away here, as well as two little girls who have been seen running up and down the 219 stairs. We saw neither. (Unless the girls blended in unnoticed with the many other children visiting with their families!)

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219 stairs to the top, and not wide enough for two people to pass, so occasionally you need to wait on a landing for visitors going the opposite direction.

As an added bonus, the views from the top are absolutely priceless (unless you have vertigo or a fear or heights!)

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The best views in St. Augustine!

Next was the old jail, built by a giant of a warden, who had his house constructed as an add-on to the jail. Always on the job!

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This hot, humid and torturous building is believed to be rife with spirits who met their maker here. Prisoners hung from birdcage cells in the trees, piled into overpopulated prison cells, performed ball and chain labor, shackled to one another without water in the sweltering heat and built the very gallows they would later be hanged from.

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The Gallows at the St. Augustine Jail…prisoners often built them for their own hanging.

This jail was a horrible place where inmates usually died long before the sentence was complete. Needless to say, when the sun goes down, the rumors of the inmates coming out of the shadows begins.

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I’ll open the jail cell, come on in!

Next up…the old historic fort, Castillo de San Marcos. This grand and ginormous fortress was constructed over 23 years and completed in 1695. It’s actually the eighth fortress on the site as the previous 7 (made of wood) burned to the ground. I guess they got it right when they built it out of tiny coral shell blocks called coquina, since it’s lasted over 300 years this time around.

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Castillo de San Marcos in downtown St. Augustine is a massive structure.

Sitting directly on Matanzas River, and within sight of the Atlantic Ocean, the fort was a hot spot for violence, bloodshed and massacres.

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Hard to believe this historic structure overlooking such a beautiful waterway was the scene of such violence.

Unfortunately, the fort does not stay open past dusk, and for good reason, as there are steep drop offs and no railings. However, I would love to come back for an evening of exploration, with some ice cold Cigar City IPA.

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It was fascinating to visit during the day, and you can imagine how treacherous it could be at night…

We capped off our time in St. Augustine, with an evening ghost tour of the old town. It has many historic buildings, courtyards and graveyards. It was a steamy, humid evening, with a slight breeze and an air of excitement.

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We weaved in and out of the oldest parts of town, listening to fascinating legends…this was just one of the cemetery’s with a storied past.

There was an energy that set down on the town after the tourists left…one that had us looking over our shoulders for sounds that seemed to emanate from nowhere.

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Currently a bed and breakfast, this building used to be the towns funeral home…where bodies in coffins were displayed in those very windows…not so sure I’d want to stay at this particular B&B…

We had an animated guide who shared fascinating histories and legends. All in all, St. Augustine is a uniquely thrilling town both in the heat of the day and in the dark of the night.

Next time you’re in Florida, we hope you enjoy the sunshine and the beaches, but we highly recommend checking out any of these haunted, historic sites if you get the opportunity!

Stay tuned for more paranormal adventures on our cross country road trip!

Cheers!

Matt

 

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Filed Under: All Blog Posts, Blogs by Matt, Paranormal Quest Tagged With: adventure, dare, paranormal, road trip, travel

Our Route Across the Country – Part 12

June 11, 2016 by Kristin

Our year long road trip continues as we pack in as many national parks and natural wonders as we can across the USA! We left Santa Fe, NM and headed through Colorado for more spectacular sights throughout the Rocky Mountains on Part 12 of our cross country route. Our route summary and map are below!

If you’ve missed any earlier segments catch up with links to our routes and travel highlights here:

  • Part 1 looped us from Ohio to Maine and back to Ohio.
  • Part 2 carried us across the country from Ohio to Montana and to our adventures in and around Glacier National Park.
  • Part 3 circled the Olympic Peninsula in and around Olympic National Park.
  • Part 4 took us to Crater Lake National Park in Oregon and Redwood National and State Parks in California
    • We also included our extended stay on the Oregon Coast over the holidays in Part 4, as we filled holiday orders for Destination Tree
  • Part 5 traversed us through California including Napa Valley, Yosemite, King’s Canyon and Sequoia National Parks
  • Part 6 brought us through the Southwest as we explored Joshua Tree National Park, Sedona, The Apache Trail outside of Phoenix, Tombstone and Bisbee.
  • Part 7 introduced us to the enormous size and beauty of Texas…from Big Bend National Park to San Antonio, Austin and the Gulf Coast.
  • Part 8 swung us through Sweet Home Aaaalabaaaama…
  • Part 9 reconnected us with family and friends in Florida including Fort Lauderdale, Everglades National Park, Sanibel Island and St. Augustine.
  • Part 10 backtracked us through the south with stops at Louisiana’s old plantations, New Orleans, and MORE fun in San Antonio with good friends.
  • Part 11 opened our eyes to the history and beauty in the landscape of New Mexico including Carlsbad Caverns, White Sands National Monument, Chaco Canyon and Bandelier National Monument.

Next up…Colorado!

Part XII
June 1 – 10, 2016

Our drive from Santa Fe to Colorado was somewhat unexpected. As we descended from the mountains to the flat landscape of northeast New Mexico, it reminded us of Scotland. There were heavy clouds close to the ground, sporadic greenery, long stretches of empty road and occasional livestock dotting the vast open fields around us.

We enjoyed the early morning drive and celebrated as we crossed the state line into Colorful Colorado! Colorful indeed. Purple mountains, green trees, blue skies, white puffy clouds and red rocks.

We traversed Colorado from south to north, following along the east side of the Rocky Mountains. Our first base was in Manitou Springs, just outside of Colorado Springs, where we visited Garden of the Gods, Pikes Peak and Royal Gorge. From there we went a little further north, near Castle Rock where we visited a very dear friend (Kelly!!!!!) and explored the nearby hiking trails and also caught up on a backlog of Destination Tree orders. From there, we continued north and based ourselves outside of Fort Collins at Horsetooth Reservoir, which was absolutely gorgeous. From here we also visited Rocky Mountain National Park and the small town of Estes Park, also the location of The Stanley Hotel. (Yes, THE Stanley Hotel, Stephen King’s inspiration for The Shining…you better believe Matt will have a blog post about THIS!)

There is really so much to see and do in Colorado, and we packed in as much as we could in a short period of time. We would have loved to spend more time here, but we decided to fit in what we could and continue north to Wyoming where we plan to spend time at Grand Tetons and Yellowstone National Parks before the height of summer crowds.

Our driving route through Colorado is below…click here for pictures and highlights of Colorful Colorado!

Tips: Zoom in and out on the map, and move the map around to get a better look at the route. Or click “View Larger Map” below to get an even better view.

Filed Under: All Blog Posts, Blogs by Kristin, On the Road, Our Route Tagged With: adventure, cross country, destination tree, national parks, road trip, travel, wanderlust

New Mexico. Not Really New – Not Really Mexico.

June 11, 2016 by Kristin

I saw this saying on a bumper sticker while in New Mexico and laughed out loud.

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Because it’s true, right?! But I never consciously gave that much though to the name “New Mexico” before. To be honest, I never actually gave much thought to New Mexico at all. I hardly knew anything about it. Fortunately, Matt did. He had a long bucket list of New Mexico destinations he was interested in. And fortunately, we’re on a year-long road trip discovering and exploring our beautiful country. Turns out, my ignorance has transformed into a true appreciation of the natural wonders of New Mexico. It’s not really New. It’s not really Mexico. But it is really awesome. And here’s why.

White Sands National Monument

Holy Moly. I did not know this place existed. Did you? Well, maybe you did if you watch the Today Show, because they were there a few days after we were! We were amazzzzed by the powdery white sand flanked by purple mountains and blue skies.

After running up a sand dune, I’m not exceptionally eloquent, but it WAS pretty awesome! #destinationtreeontheroad #newmexico #whitesandsnationalmonument #newmexicoskies #newmexicobeauty #whitesands #optoutside

A video posted by Destination Tree (@destinationtree) on May 5, 2016 at 5:40pm PDT

Although, per usual, we arrived early in the morning because the sun is BLAZING hot. I’m not wearing long sleeves and pants because it’s cold. I paired those with a hat, glasses AND sunscreen because I was sure my skin was going to turn crispy.

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Dogs love sand dunes. At least Lucy does. She had the best day of her life running up and down the dunes like a crazy dog. Dobie thought it was fun for two runs and then he wanted a nap.
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No words. Just amazement.
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We were here! And we are so grateful to have experienced such a beautiful and special place.

Carlsbad Caverns National Park

This place is amazing. And it may seem like it’s out in the middle of nowhere, but that’s probably because it is. But it is SO WORTH IT. I would never have guessed that underneath the Chihuahuan Desert existed over 119 caves (that we know of…who knows how many more could possibly exist).

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Carlsbad Caverns and Crazy Blue Skies.

We took a self-guided tour down the 1.25 mile Natural Entrance trail which descended more than 750 feet to an enormous cavern known as “The Big Room” where another 1 mile trail loops around an enormous cavern which Will Rogers described as “The Grand Canyon with a roof over it”. Yeah, that’s pretty accurate. 3.5 miles isn’t a very long hike, but the decline and incline in and out of the cave makes this a worthy workout trek.

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The natural entrance to Carlsbad Caverns…and there’s little ole’ me to help show the scale of this steep switchback path that goes down and down and down…

Each evening, hundreds of thousands of Brazilian free-tailed bats leave the caves to search for food (bugs!). However, they return to the caves before dawn, and since we were there early in the morning, we did see several bats still returning. We figured they were the teenagers who were out past curfew, sneaking in late and hoping no one noticed…

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And here we go…goodbye natural light, time to do some cave exploring!
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The caverns are absolutely massive, and while the trail is paved, your shins and toes feel the brunt of the downhill descent, and the whole way down, you’re conscious of the fact that you’re going to ascend all the way back up to get back out!
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iPhones can take some pretty great pictures. They cannot take pictures worth a darn inside a cave though. So, to help show the gorgeous formations inside Carlsbad Caverns, this professional photo of Doll’s Theater, a feature inside The Big Room at Carlsbad CAverns (Credit: NPS Photo/Peter Jones) does a pretty darn good job.
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As if an incredible hike down and up out of Carlsbad Caverns wasn’t amazing enough, on our drive out of the park we drove past a family of desert Bighorn Sheep! They were so cute!

Santa Fe

Santa Fe is a beautiful city with a small town vibe. It’s full of pueblo style architecture, museums, art galleries, and has no shortage of restaurants featuring authentic New Mexican cuisine and their famed red and green chile, both FULL of flavor. Sounds pretty wonderful already, but an added appeal is the opportunity for exploration in the mountains and wilderness surrounding this city already perched at 7,000 feet.

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Santa Fe is full of beautiful churches and architecture, including the Saint Francis Cathedral, built in the late 1800s.
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A beautiful and unique element outside of the cathedral was this labyrinth (added in 2003). We learned that labyrinths were often built into the floors of medieval cathedrals and that this one is built in the style of one in Chartres, France.

We loved the symbolism of this stone path, “The Labyrinth’s path is like the path of life. There are twists and turns, feelings of being lost, encounters with others on your path, the thrill of accomplishment at the center, and sometimes a flash of insight before returning.” And honestly, it’s just fun to walk the narrow, winding path, feel the warmth of the sun on your back, and smell the wafting spring blossoms in the breeze.

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Take a deep breath and inhale the sweet smell of fresh blossoms.
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Strolling along Canyon Road there is no shortage of beautiful galleries and local artisans.

Our favorite stop along Canyon Road? Wiford Gallery. We were literally hypnotized by their gorgeous wind art.

Totally mesmerized by the enchanting wind art at @wifordgallery! #destinationtreeontheroad #santafe #santafenm #canyonroad

A video posted by Destination Tree (@destinationtree) on May 15, 2016 at 11:57am PDT

Chaco Culture National Historic Park

CHACO CANYON! This was a biggie on Matt’s bucket list, and I was fully unprepared for the beauty and ancient architecture preserved here. There weren’t just ancient ruins, there were MASSIVE ancient ruins. Ruins you could wander through for hours or days, getting lost in a labyrinth of doorways, rooms and buildings. A self-guided tour brochure gave some explanation, which seemed mostly speculation, on the way of life of the Pueblo culture. Imagination was better at filling in the possibilities of how they built these massive structures and lived in this barren land.

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Chaco!! We arrived!! It was quite a journey just to get here, and after a long, bumpy dirt road we had to hop out for an arrival pic 🙂
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Ruins so enormous, they don’t fit in the frame of the picture…need some scale? Look at those tiny people in the center/right of the ruins, and then imagine building these walls, circles and structures thousands of years ago…

 

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On one of the many hiking trails in and around the ruins.
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The exterior ruins of what was truly a labyrinth of rooms and doorways inside.

The (tiny) doors and rooms go on and on and on…

Take a little walk with us through Pueblo Bonito in Chaco Canyon! #destinationtreeontheroad #chacoculturenationalhistoricpark #chacoculture #chacocanyon #ancientruins #pueblo #pueblobonito #findyourpark

A video posted by Destination Tree (@destinationtree) on May 20, 2016 at 8:14am PDT

A 360 degree view helps do Chaco Canyon justice…

We were in awe over the ancient ruins at Chaco Canyon. The Pueblo culture and architecture preserved here is amazing. #destinationtreeontheroad #chaco #chacocanyon #chacoculture #chacoculturenationalhistoricpark #ancientruins #pueblo #findyourpark

A video posted by Destination Tree (@destinationtree) on May 19, 2016 at 4:41pm PDT

Bandelier National Monument

Less than an hour drive from Santa Fe is Bandelier National Monument. If you’re like me, when you hear “monument”, you may think of some kind of statue or single structure (i.e. The Statue of Liberty). However, as I’ve learned on this year long road trip, a national monument is similar to a national park, just a different designation, and isn’t just a single “monument” but can be any particular area that is protected, owned and managed by the federal government. (Bonus: Our national park pass is valid at all National Monuments, Historic Sites, etc….so if you think there are a lot of national parks to visit, just imagine how much bigger that list is when you add all the other protected areas that are part of the NPS!).

Ok, probably more than you may have wanted to know about parks vs monuments, but back to this monument in particular, Bandelier National Monument is actually OVER 33,000 acres of protected land.  This area is protected for a good number of reasons, one of which is the incredible natural beauty. We hiked through huge canyons, past towering flat topped mesas, and amidst towering trees. We are tree huggers at heart and after the desert landscape in southern New Mexico, we were thrilled to be among tall trees again in the mountains of Northern New Mexico.

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The hike to Alcove House was a gorgeous path through towering Ponderosa Pines!

While the natural beauty is reason enough to protect this beautiful area, the other primary reason is the 11,000+ year old history and architecture from the Pueblo people who left behind petroglyphs, cave dwellings and structures built from volcanic tuff blocks.

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That’s Alcove House waaaaay up there. See the all the ladders and little people on the left? That’s how you get up there!
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Start at the bottom and keep climbing! Multiple ladders and narrow pathways get you to the top of Alcove House at Bandelier National Monument.
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Matt peeked into a few cave dwellings that were technically off the trail…get back over here!!
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Cave dwellings and petroglyphs along the sides of the cliffs were fascinating.
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Bandelier Selfie! 😉
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Pueblo block structures and cave dwellings to the left, and more ruins off to the far right…and blue skies and puffy clouds all around.

Perhaps one of the most incredible things about our visit to Bandelier, was that we explored a tiny sliver of the 33,000 acres. This particular canyon was just one area with some short hikes, but there are over 70 miles of trails throughout the entire park with more canyons, rivers, mesas and petroglyphs to be explored.

Jemez National Recreation Area

After spending most of the day in Bandelier, we decided to take a scenic road trip through Jemez National Recreation Area to loop around and back to Santa Fe. It was shockingly varied in its scenery and beauty. Valle Grande, an enormous valley formed by a volcano over a million years ago, was a misty and ethereal landscape.

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Those mountains in the distance aren’t mountains…they’re actually the other side of the rim of the volcano, and everything in between was the center of the volcano.

From there the landscape continued to drastically change. At the Las Conchas trailhead we felt like we had been transported to the Pacific Northwest! This was NOTHING like what we expected to see in New Mexico!

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High above the desert, in the mountains near Santa Fe, we were transported to the Pacific Northwest with these towering pines, magical fog and green edged river!

We continued through the mountains alongside rivers, past hot springs and stopped for a quick hike to explore this waterfall cutting through the rock formations.

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A powerful little river…cutting a hole right through the rocks.

Before visiting New Mexico, I would have thought it was all dry, desert terrain. Obviously, not true. However, the real surprise was the wide variety and contradiction of landscapes. We traversed flat land that stretched as far as the eye could see and crossed tall mountains covered in ponderosa pines. We wandered across white sands, ancient ruins, river carved canyons and beauty beyond measure. New Mexico. Not Really New. Not Really Mexico. But really special.

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We drove a lot of NM miles just like this…beautiful in it’s own right, and a lovely contradiction to the varied landscape across the state.

The beauty and natural wonders continue as we travel north through Colorado.

Cheers!

Kristin

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Filed Under: All Blog Posts, Blogs by Kristin, On the Road Tagged With: adventure, cross country, destination tree, grateful, inspiration, national parks, road trip, travel, wanderlust

Our Route Across the Country – Part 11

June 7, 2016 by Kristin

We are 10 months into our year long road trip and along with celebrating 10 months of adventure, we also celebrated the 1,000th Destination Tree order! But where have we been and what have we been doing? Well, on Part 11 of our cross country route we waved goodbye to Texas and traveled to and through New Mexico. Our route summary and map are below!

If you’ve missed any earlier segments catch up with links to our routes and travel highlights here:

  • Part 1 looped us from Ohio to Maine and back to Ohio.
  • Part 2 carried us across the country from Ohio to Montana and to our adventures in and around Glacier National Park.
  • Part 3 circled the Olympic Peninsula in and around Olympic National Park.
  • Part 4 took us to Crater Lake National Park in Oregon and Redwood National and State Parks in California
    • We also included our extended stay on the Oregon Coast over the holidays in Part 4, as we filled holiday orders for Destination Tree
  • Part 5 traversed us through California including Napa Valley, Yosemite, King’s Canyon and Sequoia National Parks
  • Part 6 brought us through the Southwest as we explored Joshua Tree National Park, Sedona, The Apache Trail outside of Phoenix, Tombstone and Bisbee.
  • Part 7 introduced us to the enormous size and beauty of Texas…from Big Bend National Park to San Antonio, Austin and the Gulf Coast.
  • Part 8 swung us through Sweet Home Aaaalabaaaama…
  • Part 9 reconnected us with family and friends in Florida including Fort Lauderdale, Everglades National Park, Sanibel Island and St. Augustine.
  • Part 10 backtracked us through the south with stops at Louisiana’s old plantations, New Orleans, and MORE fun in San Antonio with good friends.

Next up…New Mexico! (Not really New, and not really Mexico…)

Part XI
May 4 – May 31, 2016

On long driving days, we love to get up REALLY early, like, before the sun early, and begin our journey. And so, this was exactly what we did when we left Hondo, TX (just outside of San Antonio), with our sights set on New Mexico. We drove through Texas Hill Country beneath starry skies until the sun peeked up over the horizon to light our way. Once we arrived in New Mexico, we based ourselves near Artesia, NM and made day trips to Carlsbad Caverns, White Sands National Monument and Roswell, NM (for Matt’s alien curiosity, of course). From there, we continued north and settled just outside of Santa Fe for several weeks. From Santa Fe we balanced busy work days creating custom Destination Tree orders with day trips to Chaco Canyon, Bandelier National Monument, Santa Fe National Forest, Pecos National Historic Park, The Jemez Mountain Trail, Taos and of course downtown Santa Fe.

Our driving route through New Mexico is below…and check out all the pictures and highlights of these amazing New Mexico destinations here!

Tips: Zoom in and out on the map, and move the map around to get a better look at the route. Or click “View Larger Map” below to get an even better view.

Filed Under: All Blog Posts, Blogs by Kristin, On the Road, Our Route Tagged With: adventure, cross country, destination tree, inspiration, road trip, travel, wanderlust

Discover Haunted Bisbee

May 28, 2016 by Matt

Bisbee. It’s as fun as it sounds. And perhaps their website describes it best: “Bisbee is a free-spirited place with a thriving arts/music/hospitality scene, amid a remarkably well-preserved historical architectural setting.” And you know what lots of history means…lots of potential paranormal activity, and thus this historic stop is another paranormal adventure…

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An initial walk through downtown Bisbee uncovered a cute town, with a cool vibe and lots of funky shops and cafes.

The Copper Queen Mine, Bisbee Arizona

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The visitor’s center had interesting displays of old mining equipment and was where we suited up for our underground adventure…

Finally we get to explore a mine that’s open! Mix one part eerie, one part legit mine shafts with two parts cool as hell, add a splash of pitch dark and a sprinkle of claustrophobia with a garnish of hard hats, flashlights and waterproof raincoats and you have the perfect underground haunted cocktail.

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Fully geared up we load up onto a tiny train, our guide unlocks the mine gates and takes us deep underground…

The copper mine was operational for nearly a hundred years before closing down in 1975. These days it’s open to the public for guided tours.

We went down via tiny rail cars, which pumped our anxiety high when it derailed and had to be pried back on the tracks. Our guides were calm and cool and got us back on track…literally.

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The entrance to the Copper Queen Mine…that little gate gets unlocked and opened for the train to roll through…

The guides are all former mine workers, and have incredible stories about life in the mines and make the epic adventure deep underground even more authentic. Surprisingly, out of the thousands who worked the mine, only a handful had ever died there.

At our deepest, we were 700 feet under the mountain top, definitely not a place to freak out. I kept an eye and ear open for any sign of tommy knockers…our guide and Kristin both gave me skeptical looks.

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Eeeek! We unload off the train and walk from here!

I’ll say the mine is to me still a “para” normal place because it’s not every day we get to see such an engineering marvel of a location. Some of the side shafts and air shafts dropped over 1,000 feet below us. It’s definitely not a tunnel system that I’d want to be wandering in without a light source…it gave absolute darkness a whole new meaning.

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Experiencing the Copper Queen Mine was an exhilarating adventure.
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You could easily get turned around underground. Just in case, there are signs to get you back to the surface.

We also don’t recommend it for those with even the mildest case of claustrophobia. Otherwise it’s a great adventure!

Copper Queen Hotel, Bisbee Arizona

Old school is the best word for this haunted retreat. It has been investigated by numerous paranormal groups and all believe it to be infested with the undead.

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Dobie & I outside the Copper Queen Hotel…he barely tolerated a photo and insisted he didn’t want to go inside on a ghost hunt. He’s part chicken and opted for an afternoon nap instead.

First things first, Kristin and I each partook in an ice cold beer in the hotel bar before starting our way through the cozy historic lobby and up the grand staircase.

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The lobby feels like a step back in time with original woodwork and antique furniture.

It’s the upper floors that are said to be the points of activity however on the second floor Kristin decided to stay while I made my way up to the third and fourth floors.

Taking numerous pictures and talking aloud into thin air I had hoped for a response from some of its residents. At one point on the fourth floor I came across a door handle that was jiggling from the inside for what seemed like an awfully long time. I couldn’t rule out human error so I won’t call it evidence of anything paranormal, but it continued to jiggle for 15-20 seconds as I watched from the hallway.

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The location of the jiggling door handle…

The upper floors kind of gave me a sad feeling and teetered towards a more not-so-nice side of human behavior, at least that’s the feeling I got from it. So I headed back down after my self-guided tour and met back up with Kristin.

If walls could talk, I imagine there would be plenty of stories to behold in this history packed place of legend. After about an hour inquisitively searching the building we decided it was time to move on. So with more to see and do in the town on our agenda, we left the Copper Queen behind and off we went.

The Olive Oil Store

All I can say about this place is it’s off the radar, run by a kind man who loved to talk and is afraid of the underground space below his own shop. The building shares the same area of basement walls as the Copper Queen Hotel, though not connected. And it is packed full of energy. Not only does he feel it emanating from the building’s dark space below but guest mediums and investigators who have been down there also believe it to have a presence.

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Inviting and unassuming from the outside, with plenty of olive oil and balsamic options on the inside…but underneath is another story.

What’s down there? We don’t know, and neither did he. All he knew was that whatever it is hides under two steel doors at the back of his shop. While listening to his stories he also showed us pictures of the place. I kind of wanted to check it out but decided against it. Not only is it unwise to take candy from strangers, it’s probably unwise to walk into dark basements of haunted old brick buildings run by a stranger. Based on his pictures, it looks like kids from the sixties sprayed graffiti on the walls and probably played with Ouija boards. Who knows what might reside down below…as for us, we left with some tasty olive oil and spicy peanuts. Maybe one day there will be a professional paranormal investigation here.

That’s it for the paranormal Southwest…stay tuned for America’s Haunted South next….

Cheers!

Matt

Filed Under: All Blog Posts, Blogs by Matt, Paranormal Quest Tagged With: adventure, dare, paranormal, road trip, travel

Our Route Across the Country – Part 10

May 17, 2016 by Kristin

We’ve crisscrossed the country from the Northeast to the Northwest to the Southwest to the Southeast on our year long road trip. And all in 9 months! There’s still lots more to see and do, and with spring arriving we decided we wanted to get back out West. So, during Part 10 of our cross country adventure we did a little bit of backtracking heading from Florida through the South and back to Texas.

If you’ve missed any earlier segments catch up with links to our routes and travel highlights here:

  • Part 1 looped us from Ohio to Maine and back to Ohio.
  • Part 2 carried us across the country from Ohio to Montana and to our adventures in and around Glacier National Park.
  • Part 3 circled the Olympic Peninsula in and around Olympic National Park.
  • Part 4 took us to Crater Lake National Park in Oregon and Redwood National and State Parks in California
    • We also included our extended stay on the Oregon Coast over the holidays in Part 4, as we filled holiday orders for Destination Tree
  • Part 5 traversed us through California including Napa Valley, Yosemite, King’s Canyon and Sequoia National Parks
  • Part 6 brought us through the Southwest as we explored Joshua Tree National Park, Sedona, The Apache Trail outside of Phoenix, Tombstone and Bisbee.
  • Part 7 introduced us to the enormous size and beauty of Texas…from Big Bend National Park to San Antonio, Austin and the Gulf Coast.
  • Part 8 swung us through Sweet Home Aaaalabaaaama…
  • Part 9 reconnected us with family and friends in Florida including Fort Lauderdale, Everglades National Park, Sanibel Island and St. Augustine.

Next up…Louisiana and San Antonio (again!)!

Part X
April 14 – May 3, 2016

Getting out of Florida and through the South proved a bit challenging again weather-wise, as we had experienced in Part 8 of our road trip. The south continued to get pounded with severe thunderstorms resulting in flooding, high winds and even tornadoes in some areas. So, we had to bypass the Tallahassee area where we had planned to visit extended family and explore the coast, and instead did some night driving to strategically dodge storms and strong winds. We paused for a few days in Alabama to wait out more storms, and then continued to Louisiana.

There seemed to be a pocket of clear weather (or at least less severe weather) which gave us a window of opportunity to visit New Orleans and two very famous plantations.

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Matt was super excited to tour Myrtles Plantation, just north of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Built in the late 1700s, it’s known as one of America’s Most Haunted Houses. Surprised that Matt wanted to go there? Me either. Expect a paranormal blog on this place 😉
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One of the most iconic plantations in the South, Oak Alley Plantation lives up to it’s renowned beauty with it’s aisle of oaks leading up to the plantation. The interior of “The Big House” is beautiful, but it’s the sobering exhibit depicting the realities of slavery that are truly eye opening.
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We missed Louisiana on our route through the South the first time due to weather, so stopping in New Orleans was a treat on the way back through. The recognizable architecture of The French Quarter was fun to revisit…as well as traditional creole food and beignets!

After Louisiana we continued our westward path through Texas, barely missing the storms in Houston, and driving south of the worst part of the flooding they experienced. We made it to San Antonio just in time to meet up with dear friends who flew out from Ohio to meet up with us on the road. We had already made a brief stop in San Antonio earlier on our trip, but we were more than happy to revisit this fun town and add even more fun activities to our San Antonio adventure list.

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Ocho was a fun little find that has the cutest glass conservatory and outdoor patio overlooking the San Antonio River and serves up a pretty awesome Mojito!
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The Tower of the America’s! So tall, I can’t even fit it in the picture! I also kept calling it The Space Needle, but regardless, the best way to experience it is to skip the tours and head to the bar at the top for a cold drink and stunning 360 degree views.
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See?! I told you it was a sweet view.
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Beers as big as your head? Check.
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Cute doggie to hold your Alamo playing cards during a friendly game of euchre? Check.
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Everyone knows about and goes to The Alamo, but there are 5 other missions stringing south of the heart of downtown that are beautifully preserved and full of history. And the best way to see them? Grab a B-Cycle rental and pedal your way to each, then pedal all the way back to town along the San Antonio River. Workout complete.
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Cute little riverboats tour up and down the San Antonio River Walk. Yes, it’s touristy, but it’s a must-do. Great overview of the history and architecture along the River Walk. It was amazing how many interesting things we walked by and didn’t even notice until it was pointed out on the tour!
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The Japanese Tea Garden was a lovely little place to visit in San Antonio. Beautifully maintained, and fun to wander and then just sit and enjoy.
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Supper Club on the Road was a huge success. So grateful to Julie and Scott for flying out to visit us on the road, and so thankful for such a wonderful weekend together!

We had LOTS of orders to catch up on after visiting with our friends, and we also waited out the weather and high winds (again!) before heading out further West to New Mexico.

Our driving route as we backtracked through the South is below…stay tuned for our route and adventures through New Mexico! Thanks for following along!

Tips: Zoom in and out on the map, and move the map around to get a better look at the route. Or click “View Larger Map” below to get an even better view.

Filed Under: All Blog Posts, Blogs by Kristin, On the Road, Our Route Tagged With: adventure, cross country, destination tree, road trip, travel, wanderlust

Florida Sunshine and Smiles

May 16, 2016 by Kristin

If we played a word association game, “sunshine” is no doubt a popular one to associate to “Florida”. And with weather being a strong factor in the timing and direction of our year long road trip, we knew we could count on Florida. Spending several weeks overlapping March and April proved to deliver Florida sunshine, with a few thunderstorms mixed in, and best of all SMILES. Because we were fortunate enough to spend quality time with friends and family while we were there. We settled into a home base amidst cow country and orange groves (best described by Matt’s recent poem and pictures here), and used that as a jumping point to meet up with family from coast to coast (check out our route here).

Myakka State Park

Our first meetup was a happy surprise when we heard from Michigan friends, Scott & Sunny, who were in the Tampa area and discovered we weren’t too far away. We met up at Myakka State Park and spent the day together hiking, talking and spotting alligators.

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Everyone WANTS to see alligators at Myakka, but the warning is a good reminder to treat the wild animals with caution and respect.
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See all those little bumps in the water? Yup. Alligators.
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An impressive feature of Myakka River State Park is the huge canopy walk and tower with expansive views from the top. It’s a nice little workout to climb those stairs too 🙂

And we caught an alligator in action!! Those poor little minnows didn’t stand a chance. Check out the video!

Gator says it’s snack time! #destinationtreeontheroad #alligator #snacktime #myakka #myakkastatepark #floridalife #gators

A video posted by Destination Tree (@destinationtree) on Mar 16, 2016 at 1:39pm PDT

 

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A group selfie on our jungle hike…grateful for our lucky meetup!

Fort Lauderdale

Heyyyyyy brotherrr…(cue Avicci)…next meetup was in Fort Lauderdale with my brother, Chad, and sister-in-law, Michelle. We PACKED in the fun over our four days together. It’s possible we never stopped laughing and talking, even when we sat in the hot tub in the pouring rain!

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We kicked off the weekend with some AMAZING food at Mission BBQ. Plus you can’t help but love a company with a true mission of supporting soldiers, firefighters, police officers and first responders.
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Drinks, dinner, smiles and a sunset at Coconuts on the water.
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Did I mention sunset?! Yeah, pretty spectacular.
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Our family hike at Hugh Taylor Birch State Park took us by this ENORMOUS fig tree! Dobie & Lucy weren’t quite as impressed as we were.

And probably the best bar crawl tour I’ve ever been on…Cycle Party! Cycle Party is a huge group powered bicycle steered by your tour guide and pedaled by your entire group. Add music, laughter, and stops at some of the best bars in the city, and you have a guaranteed good time! If you ever find yourself in a town with this type of tour, I highly recommend it! Check out the video!

Cycle party!!! #destinationtreeontheroad #cycleparty #fortlauderdale #florida #floridalife #floridaliving #spinclass

A video posted by Destination Tree (@destinationtree) on Mar 20, 2016 at 11:44am PDT

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We took a day trip down to Coral Castle, a sculpture garden carved out of 1,100 tons of coral rock by one man over 28 years. Physics? Supernatural support? Guess we’ll need to wait for Matt’s next paranormal blog…
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We took a ghostly tour through the oldest building in Fort Lauderdale, The Stranahan House, followed by a late night river tour.
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A last minute Florida beach walk before heading to the airport!

Southwest Florida

We were excited to spend some fun-filled time together in Florida with our parents. They flew down to meet us and we filled our days with nature walks, beach walks and boat tours. A perfect setting for enjoying each other and the Florida coast.

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We had an awesome evening on a Fort Myers sunset river cruise. The clouds blocked out our sunset, but the views and company didn’t disappoint. It’s always fun to get out on the water!

We hopped from our sunset cruise one night to an air boat adventure the next day through Everglades National Park.

Hold on tight!!! We’re on a high speed ride on an airboat through the Everglades!!! Captain Justin gave us a great tour! #destinationtreeontheroad #everglades #evergladesnationalpark #highspeed #airboat #evergladescity #florida @evergladescityairboattours

A video posted by Destination Tree (@destinationtree) on Mar 28, 2016 at 5:15pm PDT

 

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In addition to high speeds through the mangroves, we did stop in a quiet spot to get silly and watch for wildlife. We saw an alligator and a baby tidal raccoon!
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We were living the island life on a day trip to Sanibel Island, with beach walks, “shelling” (i.e. shell collecting) and bird watching. The beach alongside the Sanibel Lighthouse did not disappoint.
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A scenic drive with several stops throughout Ding Darling Nature Preserve was beautiful and educational. Until we got attacked by no-see-ums. Note to self: Bring bug spray to Ding Darling.
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Our nature appreciation continued when we visited Six Mile Slough (pronounced ‘slew’) Preserve. There is an awesome boardwalk over a mile long that takes you through a gorgeous unspoiled cypress swamp. We saw alligators again!

Of course, the time flew by, but we were grateful for the incredibly fun quality time together.

Chance Encounters

We got lucky and unlucky with some additional meetups in Florida. Schedules and availability didn’t quite work out to meet up with some other friends who happened to be in Florida for spring break, and we missed out on meeting more family in Tallahassee due to some nasty weather. BUT two wonderful chance encounters worked out perfectly and we drove to meet our much loved nephews for a morning in the pool in Orlando, and my dear great-cousins in Penney Farms.

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Cannon balls, forward flips, pencil dives and underwater swimming. These two are rock stars at the pool!
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Two of the loveliest people I know and also get to call family. We didn’t want the night to end after much laughter, conversation, Rummikub and travel story swapping 🙂

St. Augustine

With centuries of history and beauty, St. Augustine is an absolutely charming city brimming with stories of the past and plenty of Spanish architecture. And of course, lots of history means lots of potential haunting…so expect a blog post from Matt with details on that 😉

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We were in awe of the beauty of this iconic lighthouse, built back in the 1500s. And we climbed the 219 steps to the top!
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Just a sliver of the best view in St. Augustine, from the top of the lighthouse!
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Exploring the history of St. Augustine is fascinating, and one such historical stop is The Fort – Castillo De San Marcos.

Work Hard, Play Hard

Well, after all that, it looks like all we did was take a big long vacation, right? Wrong. We work hard AND play hard. While we had fun in the sun the custom orders rolled in. So, in between each excursion we caught up on creating and shipping custom driftwood artwork across the globe. Every time we cleared our slate of orders and met up with loved ones, we came back to a long to-do list and started all over again. The best part? We love it all.

wedding vow driftwood collage
Can’t help but love these heartfelt wedding vows, engraved on this beautiful driftwood collage.
driftwood Destination Tree
We LOVE the locales on this custom Destination Tree!
personalized driftwood housewarming gift wedding gift
One of our most popular custom pieces is a driftwood coordinate sign. It’s a widely loved housewarming gift as well as a destination wedding gift.
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We made FIFTY of the beauties for a corporate event in the British Virgin Islands. Trust me, we REALLLLLY wanted to deliver these in person!
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I love to photograph our artwork before it ships, and sometimes it’s just pure luck to find the perfect landscape or lighting, and in this case, I truly lucked out with a soft sunset fading in the distance. Thank you, Florida!

After all our hard work, and fun in the sun, we knew it was time to head back West. Our adventures continue as we re-trace our path through the storm riddled south and across Texas.

Cheers!

Kristin

Filed Under: All Blog Posts, Blogs by Kristin, On the Road Tagged With: adventure, cross country, destination tree, road trip, travel, wanderlust

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At Destination Tree we create handcrafted driftwood signs, collages and centerpieces. Each piece of artwork is completely unique and inspired by your story.

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