Summer 2016 Plans Revealed
We've been saving up vacation time and planning this vacation for months, and now it's finally almost here!
Summer 2016 Plans Revealed
So I've literally been trying to write this post for weeks now, but it's summertime and life happens and basically just {I've got excuses for days} but it's finally done and that's what matters! Summer 2016 is already off to an amazing start as we kicked it off with a camping trip up to the North Shore {one of my absolute favorite places everrrrr}. It may have rained the majority of the time, but hey with good friends, campfires + maybe even a few cocktails + s'mores we had a blast!
Many trips to the dog park, bike rides throughout the city, dinners on our patio and lots + lots of walks with Miss Joie pretty much sums up the remainder of the few weeks of summer {I realize summer officially started a few days ago, but to me summer begins once we hit June}. Nothing crazy, but so SO nice to spend some time outdoors, moving + soaking in as much vitamin D as my pasty white skin can handle.
Ok, ok, enough of what HAS happened, I'm writing this to tell you all what's GOING to be happening in just shy of 1 month. Austin {the bf} + I are heading out of town for nothing short of 2.5weeks straight! Yep that's right, 20 total days of no work, adventures, good food + some of the most gorgeous scenery I've ever laid eyes on! We have been saving up vacation and planning this trip for months now + it's literally so close I can feel it---so excited!!!
The trip is basically a tour of the West Coast + all that it has to offer. We're starting off in the Seattle area possible plans for our stay include finding some amazing seafood, hitting the Pike Place Market, Space Needle + more! After that we're taking a train down to Portland to visit friends and just hang out in the super unique culture of the city. We've been to Portland before, but we are still pumped to go back. 1) It’s an awesome city 2) It is home to the best ice cream I've ever had.
After Portland we're grabbing a rental car and heading out to Bend, OR {photo ops galore!} and then back to Crater Lake for some more adventures, photos + just taking in nature.
Next we're heading down to the redwood national park to check out the {Giant Trees} and stand completely in awe of their majesty!
After that, a large glass {or 2 or 3} of wine will be calling my name right in Napa Valley. My wine-obsessed self might be just a little excited about this stop!
Yellowstone National Park is next up on the itinerary, where a 12-hour hike up to the top of half done awaits us {whew---this is going to be tough!} I think this stop is deserving of 2 days so that we can have another day to explore other areas of the park too!
San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge, trolleys + amazing food take up the next few days on the calendar before we head down to Monterrey and the pacific coast highway to do some more sightseeing, photo taking and maybe even some relaxing!
The last leg of our trip is going to leave us in LA where we plan on visiting with friends + family, spending copious amounts of time at the beach, and whatever else we find to do in the area!
After that our 2-week west coast road trip ends and we fly back into Minneapolis. However, we still have a few days of vacation left, so what could be better than heading up to the lake for the last few days to take in some fishing, campfires and good times with the fam-bam!
It’s been a yearly tradition in my family to make a trip to Northern MN every summer and although I missed a few years while in college, I’m back to attending this event yearly + we made it a special point to plan our road trip around it to ensure we would have some extra time to relax after our eventful few weeks on the West Coast.
So maybe a bit long-winded, but that’s it---our summer 2016 plans are finally revealed! Now it’s your turn to help us fill in the cracks of this trip. If you have any suggestions for {real food} places to eat, sights to see, gyms to try {don’t tell Austin I said this}, coffee shops, etc. in any or ALL of the places that fall along our route, please let me know because I’d love to check them out!
I hope you have lots of fun things planned this summer and find plenty of time to spend with those you love!
