Tillamook Creamery, Oregon – Doing Things Right for over 100 Years!

Tillamook Creamery - Entrance

Mention the City Tillamook in Oregon, and most people will immediately think of the Tillamook Creamery. While in the Portland area in February of 2022 we decided to take a drive out west to see the Pacific Ocean again, the Tillamook Air Museum, as well as the Tillamook Creamery, yum! This amazing factory and visitor center is about two miles north of the actual city of Tillamook on Route 101 and about 1hr to 1 ½ from the Portland area. It was definitely worth the drive to visit the area and their facility.

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Glacier Gardens Rainforest Adventure – Juneau, Alaska

Glacier Gardens Rainforest Adventure - 1One of the fun and exciting things we got to do while in Juneau, Alaska was doing the Glacier Gardens Rainforest Adventure tour. We were there in July of 2020 and it was so peaceful as there weren’t many tourists yet due to the stupid China virus. But it was so amazing and we were able to see it in its true beauty.   Before I share our tour, I want to share a little about Garden Rainforest Adventure. Continue reading “Glacier Gardens Rainforest Adventure – Juneau, Alaska”

Letchworth State Park – The Grand Canyon of the East

Letchworth State Park - BenchGene and I were in Buffalo exploring the area and Niagara Falls in October 2021. While in the area, we were happy to be able to do a short beautiful drive about 35 miles southeast of Buffalo and visit Letchworth State Park.  Neither of us had heard about this place, but our Airbnb host Joanne told us about it and I can’t thank her enough. It is something we are so glad we were able to visit. The road followed the Genesee River and went through several little towns like Leicester, Mount Morris, Portage, Castile, and Genesee Falls. We did stop in one of these little towns to grab a soda to go along with the lunch we had packed for the day.

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Palo Duro Canyon Park – The Grand Canyon of Texas

Palo Duro Canyon Park 1While in Amarillo, Texas November of 2020, we decided to take a drive through the Palo Duro Canyon Park. It is not very far from Amarillo, about ½ hour, so definitely something to do while in the area, especially if you have pets and want to explore some nature.  It is a huge canyon, apparently the second largest canyon in the US (behind the Grand Canyon of course). Not surprisingly it is often referred to as The Grand Canyon of Texas.

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Pictograph Cave State Park – Billings, Montana

Pictograph Cave State Park - SIgnIn late May of 2021 Gene and I took another road trip to Billings, Montana to see my niece and nephew who had just moved there. We had been before, but there was one thing we hadn’t seen on previous visits was Pictograph Cave State Park which is located about five miles south of Billings.

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Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument – Montana

Little Bighorn - Front GateLike many things we have done while traveling, sometimes something really surprises you or hits you differently. One such place is Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument near Crow Agency, Montana.  First off, I thought it was in Wyoming, my bad 🙁  I had heard of this place for many years from my stepdad and learned a little bit about Custer and Sitting Bull, and the battle that happened there, but never thought about seeing it. My view on history has changed A LOT through the years, and when we were in Montana September of 2018, we made sure to visit. Continue reading “Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument – Montana”

Lauritzen Gardens – Omaha’s Botanical Center in Nebraska

Lauritzen Gardens 1While in the  Omaha, Nebraska area for an LWMS convention in June of 2019, we took a few extra days and explored Omaha. We had already been to Omaha a couple of times so we had wanted to do something different. Thus we ended up enjoying the beautiful flowers at Lauritzen Gardens. Continue reading “Lauritzen Gardens – Omaha’s Botanical Center in Nebraska”

Hearst Castle in San Simeon, California – Remarkable Views

Hearst Castle - FrontWe have been through central California many times while we lived there doing wine tasting etc. However one of the more interesting things we did was in June of 2010 on our way home from visiting Alcatraz in San Francisco. While we were driving through the area, we decided to stop and finally take a tour of Hearst Castle. We had been through this area many times but had never taken the time to stop and visit. So glad we finally did. Continue reading “Hearst Castle in San Simeon, California – Remarkable Views”

Garden of the Gods Park and Visitor Center – Colorado Springs

Garden of the Gods Visitor Center-ViewA few years ago one of my nieces was here visiting from California and I wanted to see some natural beauty and do a little hiking.  Thus we decided to visit Garden of The Gods in Colorado Springs. I have been there a few times since moving here to Denver, but never knew how it got its name or why? I did a little research and this is what I found. Continue reading “Garden of the Gods Park and Visitor Center – Colorado Springs”

Mendenhall Glacier and Visitor Center – Juneau, Alaska

Mendenhall Glacier 1Even though our Midwest anniversary road trip had to be canceled (thanks to the selfish Chinese government, NOT) we were able to head to Juneau, Alaska in July of 2020 once things started opening up a little. We had always wanted to Alaska but it was never the right time. I usually don’t like to travel much during the summer months, because it’s too hot and too many people also traveling. However, with all the craziness of 2020, we figured it was the right time. We are so happy we were able to go and see such amazing sites as the Alaska State Capitol, Eagle Beach, the Shrine of St. Therese, Jensen-Olson Arboretum, and Glacier Gardens Rainforest, the place we kept going back to was Mendenhall Glacier. It is absolutely incredible. Continue reading “Mendenhall Glacier and Visitor Center – Juneau, Alaska”