Big Sky, Montana

This was our first time skiing Big Sky and it did not disappoint.  While we did not have the most epic snow fall… in fact it was and has been a record year for very little snow fall compared to what they usually have during this week.    However, most trails were open and ALL chairlifts were running and we had an amazing week exploring a new mountain and state.

We loved the mountain but the game changer for me were the bubble chairlifts.    These chairlifts rocked and made heating up in between runs a luxury.   Bucket gaming seats with heat and the option to close the bubble to keep the heat in and protect you from high winds was a total game changer.   

Yellowstone National Park

Mid week we took a snowmobiling tour through out Yellowstone National Park. 

Established in 1872 as the world's first national park, Yellowstone National Park is a 2.2-million-acre wilderness. It is globally renowned for its unique hydrothermal features, abundant wildlife, and its location atop one of the world's largest active volcanoes.

Yellowstone spans approximately 3,472 square miles across three states:                           Wyoming: 96% of the park.

Montana: 3% of the park.

Idaho: 1% of the park.

Yellowstone is the 8th largest National Park out of 63 designated National Parks.;

Not only was it absolutely thrilling to be snowmobiling the trails of an epic National Park, the wild life we saw was up close (little to upclose in my opinion) and educational.  We saw Bison, Fox, Wolves and Eagles.

Bison were all over.  Grazing for food by pushing the snow aside.   Some people call them Buffalo but as we learned on our tour, true Buffalo are only found in Asia and Africa.    

Bison:

Despite their massive size—up to 2,000 pounds—bison are surprisingly fast, capable of running 30–35 mph and jumping up to 5 feet high.

We were fortunate enough to see Old Faithful go off and grateful to be there with only a few hundred people during the winter rather than the over 5,000 people typically watch eruptions during the other seasons.    Old Faithful goes off every 90 minutes give for take 20 minutes.  

Yellowstone National Park is considered an active volcano.  Specifically, it is a supervolcano, a term used for volcanic centers that have had at least one eruption of magnitude 8 on the Volcano Explosivity Index.

We also were able to explore other geysers in the park and learn so much about the National Park 

Not your average mid Peak lodging.   The igloo was a fun bar to hang.   Catch some rays while giving your legs a much needed break.

Our fox friends that visited us every morning and evening.   (Yes taken through a screen)  You definitely felt a part of the wildlife when you are sitting in the hot tub and she comes to hang on the snow bank next to you.  

Washington, DC

It is so nice to be somewhere with the change of seasons.   We are in  the tail end of the leaves changing and it is very cool out but not freezing.    We got here early and Garrett met us at the airport took the metro into the city and checked into our hotel early.      He had a bag packed and was ready for his weekend with us.   I had never seen a bag packed so perfectly.    We did so much yesterday.   We got to see his apartment … It is cozy basement apartment reminding me very much of Federal hill in Baltimore.  We then walked from there less than a mile and saw the Capital building, Washington, WWI, WWII, Korean and Vietnamese war monuments.     The Lincoln memorial monument was very cool and we went to the Ford theater and museum to see where he was asassinated and later died across the street.  This was one of the only museums open with the government shutdown..   ALL the  other museums were closed and the police presence here was real.   We also got to see the White House but it was blocked off beyond the park in front of it because the Prime minister or Hungary was in town.   We grabbed a little lunch to wait to see if we could get closer but could not.  Plan to go by there today.  We got to scooter throughout the city and returned to our hotel to freshen up and head out to dinner.    We found the BEST Italian restaurant that served family style.   And biked home.    There are bike lanes.   This was really fun after two martinis.     Garrett really has the lay of the land and it is fun seeing his stomping ground these past few months.       I cannot believe how much space and open parks there are here.    

Loved scootering through China town in DC.   

Saturday was another epic day of exploring.  Chris and I went out for a run on the mall and made our way into VA to the Arlington National Cemetery.   We were able to see Kennedy’s grave and the tomb of the unknown soldier.     The weather was perfect and the cemetery was peaceful and moving.   

Kennedy’s grave

Tomb of the unknown soldier

We got to have lunch by Garrett’s apartment and scootered all over DC ending up at the Holocaust museum.    One of the few museums not affected by the government shut down.    This was heavy on the heart and will give new meaning to the historical fiction books I love.  

Garrett took us to a Spy museum that was very cool and fitting for what he is studying.    

Had a fantastic dinner at Ceviche and ended up the night at a roof top bar in our hotel.     The skyline was beautiful and proved to be the perfect wrap of a great weekend.   

Wrapped up our weekend on a roof top bar with a beautiful view of the DC skyline.  

Added note:    Exactly one week later the government opened back up and all of the museums were up and running.   

Las Vegas, Nevada. Zion and Bryce National Park October 2025

Nevada Off Grid trip was planned after we went to Colorado and Utah last year and fell in love with life made simple.

ALL the reasons we probably should have NOT made the trip… here are the red flags we chose NOT to acknowledge. Our original trip had us hiking the south rim of the Grand Canyon to the North rim. This is a 24 mile hike one way. As luck would have it the Grand Canyone North rim lodge burned to the ground after a nearby lightening strike created a forest fire.    We regrouped and planned a trip to Zion. Obtaining permits for certain hikes only to find flash flooding reported days before we were to leave and some of our schedule hikes were closed. One of the BIGGEST flags is the government shut down and the fear of the National parks being closed as result. We are hopeful this will not affect our trip as we are heading to the park as I am writing this. And the last flag was the pickle ball injury Chris obtained last week getting his ass kicked by me. Thankfully a work mate of mine was able to get an injection in his foot so we can actually hike!!! So after a very delayed flight we are here and rewriting our adventure as we go!!!

Kicked off this trip flying from Miami to Las Vegas

Las Vegas, Nevada

 

Luxor Hotel in the Pyramid

Chris was the guide on this one as I have NEVER been to Vegas. SO many lights and people!!! The people watching is the real deal here. I did not realize that the city is made up of replicas of iconic monuments like the Eiphel tower, Brooklyn Bridge, Statue of Liberty, Sphinx, Seattle space needle and the Chrysler building to name a few. Even the iconic Hard Rock is building a guitar that is a replica of the original guitar built not far from where we live in Florida. There is a huge roller coaster that loops and dives among the casinos.

We kicked off our first morning with a long run down the strip. We passed a few people with 6am cocktails coming off of a long night of gambling. We are not into the gambling but may hit a few slot machines when we return at the end of the week.

Picked up our rig outside of Las Vegas … loading up from the grocery store .. we are off to our first night in the park. Huge shout out to Trader Joe’s and their four ingredients or less cookbook that we obtained and utilized. Love that it is one pot cooking. Especially when you are “glamping!”

  Worth the wait… kicked off with a great breakfast and coffee downtown at park entrance.

Angels Landing, Zion National Park

Zion National Park is the 36th largest national park out of 63. It is the third top busiest after the great Smoky Mountains and Yellowstone national park.

We started off our morning arriving early thanks to me… the frigid AC hum, martini’s and the jet lag may have contributed to our late out of the gate arrival. We struggled a bit finding parking outside the park because the Public parking was hiding in plain site. We stopped and had THE BEST coffee at this cute coffee house and had a pregaming breakfast. 

I was a bit worried about this hike because we A had to obtain a permit to climb and B everyone I spoke to about it said something on the version of “don’t fall off!” Well this hike did not disappoint. While the hike itself was not very long the trekking across the mountain edge was a bit sketchy, the views at the top were magnificent. This hike is not for everyone and there were several debilitated people with significant fear of heights that paralyzed them in difficult to pass spots. I would much prefer the solo hikes without people, but this was nice to check off our bucket list. We had a beautiful flying show from a female California Condor circling the Peak of the AL

The Subway Trail, Zion National park

We obtained permits to do this iconic 9 mille out and back hike down a very steep trail to the North Creek. We were rewarded after hiking 4 1/2 miles with a walk through of a water sculptured, circular stone tunnel known as the subway. This hike was definitely technical navigating down a steep trail to the river. There is no real trail to follow as you make your way up the river to your final destination. We spent a lot of time looking for foot prints of those that preceded us. The water falls, foliage change and views were incredible. We completed this hike in five hours and drove to Bryce Canyon after to plan our next national park adventure.

Bryce National Park, Utah

After hiking all morning we decided finding a camp ground to take a LONG hot and much needed shower was essential. We were planning on boon docking near the park but the shower and laundry services available were a nice luxury midway through our trip. Just outside the park we stayed at a place call Ruby’s. The town outside of the park is smaller and Ruby obviously made some great decisions buying land because most everything seemed to be owned by this family. The weather was much colder at Bryce and we were grateful for the hookups.

Rim Trail, Bryce National park

Bryce Point to Sunset point then the Navaho trail loop

We arrived early to the park and had reservations at North Campground in the park. We were thankful our rig had a leveling component because our first spot was on a bit of an incline. After hiking all day we rested up, made dinner and planned our hike for the next day.

Note: Both National parks as well as The Arches and The Canyons had paved bike trails going into the park. This was such a cool feature in getting around to various trail heads without having to utilize the busing system. I really wish I had my bike!!! Although riding at 8000 feet may have had its own challenges.

 

The Rim Trail to Fairyland Point and Fairyland loop back to the rim trail

Bryce National Park, Utah

BOTH hikes were stunningly gorgeous and not for anyone that has a fear of heights. The ledges and cliffs are REAL! While Bryce is one of the smaller national parks with 56 square miles, the trails are beautifully maintained and accessible to all levels of hikers. The primary trail we were on is called the rim trail, giving you an arial view off the iconic hoodoos. Hoodoos are tall thin spires of rock that protrude from the ground. These formations are the result of millions of years of erosion caused by wind, water and ice. The hues of the rock range from orange and pink to red and white. Also to note, Bryce is not a true canyon because its stunning features were not formed by a river.

We woke the next morning to 28 degree weather. We were grateful to have the few days at this park and to not be in a tent!! We made breakfast reorganized and set off to our next adventure something Chris and I both have wanted to experience. Touring the Hoover Dam. (Going from 28 degrees to 62 degrees)

It wasn't all hiking....

 

The Hoover Dam Nevada/Arizona

The center of the dam equally splits the Nevada and Arizona border. The dam was built 1931 to 1936. This dam was an incredible site and the power plant tour did not disappoint. 96 people died making the dam. A VERY interesting story in making this dam was a father and son 14 years apart to the day and was the first and last death in the making of the dam.

On Dec. 20, 1921, a crew surveying locations for the dam got caught in a flash flood, and a man named John Gregory Tierney was lost forever in the raging Colorado River, one of the first casualties of the project. Then on Dec. 20, 1935, 14 years later to the day, the job site suffered its last fatal accident, when a worker fell to his death from one of the two intake towers on the Arizona side of Black Canyon. That man was Patrick William Tierney, J.G. Tierney’s only son.

— Las Vega Review

Yes I asked that question. Interesting to note that IF someone died on the job the co workers would drag the body to the Arizona side because the death benefits for the family were that much more. The dam houses 15 HUGE turbines 7 on the Nevada side and 8 on the Arizona side. Lake Mead is the second largest lake in the US at 500 ft deep right behind lake Huron in Michigan (shared by Canada and the US). While we were visiting, the lake was at 50 % full which was how they wanted it. I found it interesting that the dam was actually built not to generate power but to control and supply water to neighboring states. The majority of the water is actually sent to California. 

This is lilterally straight up!

The Rig

This is the third trip we have taken to determine the size, type and make of a rig that is going to support us in our retirement. We were pleased with the size and ease of being able to cook together and move about the vehicle while in it. The weather got very cold on this trip and while the shower in this rig was in direct competition with cold plunging overall we are looking for something with some upscale features and safety features for when we are boon docking/off grid. We are trying to determine the ease of traveling with space/storage and support for our equipment. It is hard to believe that we are reaching that time to talk “retirement” but hope we can find something that our friends and family are comfortable joining us in creating memories.

Right now we have narrowed it down to two very different options:

The Redtail

 

The Earth Roamer

 

Whatever rig we pick… a hot shower is a must! By the time we made it back to Las Vegas and yes did treat ourselves to a couple of days at a high end hotel - I think I took 3 amazingly hot showers in 24 hour period. The gambling was not for us but the people watching did not disappoint. While I am more of a roughing gal, it was nice break to reset and recharge.

My ride or die partner… ALWAYS!

Empty nesting does not suck! We do miss the kids A LOT... sorta.