Travel Archives - Page 30 of 55

Hidden Gems of Mackinac

On June 30, 2020

In Hiking, Michigan, Project: State Parks

Mackinac Island is a popular summer destination and the ferries to and from the island each day are bustling with tourists. Its very popular for visitors to rent bikes (or bring your own) and pedal M-185, the car-free state road that circumnavigates the island. This summer, M-185 is under construction near Mission Point Resort and Arch Rock due to record high water levels in the great lakes. This year, visitors will not be able to take the 8.1 mile long journey around the island. Instead, I propose bicyclists head inland, away from the crowds (social distancing, right?) and to some lesser-known spots.

Crack-in-the-Island

Sugar Loaf (top) was something I did not even know existed before this trip. Towering at 75 feet tall, this limestone rock formation is the tallest on the island. Geologists believe it formed this way when the waters of Lake Algonquin began to recede, eroding the surrounding rock. Native American legend is much more verbose and dramatic. You can read about it at MackinacIsland.org. The rock is very easy to see from Point Lookout on Sugarloaf Road. The adventurous can even hike down to the rock, just remember, all the step you go down, you have to climb back up!

Cave in the Woods

Near the Mackinac Island Airport are two more hidden gems of the island, Crack-in-the-Island (left) and Cave in the Woods (right). They are pretty self-explanatory, one is a cave in the woods and the other is a big crack in the island. After biking up hill for a while, it feels good to get off the bike and hike on your own two feet and see these unique geological features. And of course, Crack-in-the-Island makes for a great photo-op like you’re stuck in the crack! Cave in the Woods is one of several caves on the island. It could be a fun journey to try to find them all!

Of course, since the interior of the island is quite hilly, getting to these sites requires more work than just biking the flat road along the water. But, getting away from the people and seeing sites that not everyone sees are definitely worth it! MackinacIsland.org has a great map to help you find these and many other worthy sites on your next trip to the island!

Did I miss your favorite hidden spot on Mackinac? Let me know in the comments! Thanks for stopping by! To read about some of our previous trips, click here. If you like my photos be sure to “like” my Facebook Page, follow me on Instagram! You can purchase prints on Etsy and Fine Art America. To see inside my camera bag, check out my Gear Page. For information about our new Guided Photography Tours, visit GuidedPhoto.com.

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Flashback Friday: Great Stirrup Caye

By Ashleigh

On June 26, 2020

In Flashback Friday, Travel

Flashback Friday: Milky Way Over Frisco

By Ashleigh

On June 12, 2020

In Flashback Friday, Travel

In Defense of Paper Guide Books

By Ashleigh

On June 8, 2020

In Travel, Travel Tips

My Growing Travel Bookshelf

In the age of the internet containing the answer to every question you could ever think to ask, I have been turning back to good old fashioned paper guidebooks. While being stuck at home, I have been searching Amazon for cheap, used travel guides to inspire me and fuel my wanderlust. Books like 100 Countries 5,000 Ideas, Food Journeys of a Lifetime, 50 States 500 State Parks, and Complete National Parks of the United States have me reading up on places I had never before considered visiting and adding to my travel bucket list.

Libraries can be great places to check out travel books for free

Do you ever begin researching a destination on the internet and get overwhelmed with conflicting information? Whereas anyone can leave a TripAdvisor review or write a blog post, guidebooks are typically written by experts, whether they are locals or frequent visitors. They recommend places where they have had consistently good experiences and can suggest off-the-beaten-path locations to get you away from the crowds. I love Pinterest with its eye-catching pictures, but I can’t be the only one to pin something and then go back later and not be able to find it. When you have a book sitting on the shelf, you know exactly where it is.

In 2019, print books made up 93% of publisher’s revenue meaning that physical books are still popular. A screen doesn’t give the same feeling as holding a book and turning its pages. I do have a few travel guides in ebook form but they are harder to reference and in general more difficult to use. When you’re on your trip you don’t have to rely on the internet to be able to access information about your location, just toss the guidebook in your bag and be on your way.

From the picture at the top of this post, you can tell that one of the reasons I enjoy guidebooks is because you can show them off. Just like I enjoy decorating my house with my travel photos, the travel bookshelf in my living room gives a little insight into the places I love. Yes, some of these large books full of full-color photos can be pricey. You can often get great deals on used books on Amazon if you aren’t in a hurry. My love of travel books may cause me to have to buy another bookshelf, though.

Thanks for stopping by! To read about some of our previous trips, click here. If you like my photos be sure to “like” my Facebook Page, follow me on Instagram! You can purchase prints on Etsy and Fine Art America. To see inside my camera bag, check out my Gear Page. For information about our new Guided Photography Tours, visit GuidedPhoto.com.

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Wordless Wednesday: Performing Arts Center

By Ashleigh

On June 3, 2020

In Travel, Wordless Wednesday

Flashback Friday: Verazzano Fog

By Ashleigh

On May 29, 2020

In Flashback Friday, Travel

Wordless Wednesday: Cairn Shadow

By Ashleigh

On May 13, 2020

In Travel, Wordless Wednesday

Turo: A Modern Car Rental Option

By Ashleigh

On May 11, 2020

In Travel, Travel Tips

When planning our Austin trip, we decided to save money and not rent a car. Austin is a very walkable city and I never felt the least bit unsafe walking around. Uber and Lyft are prevalent in Austin as well. If you’re looking for something a little cheaper and more exciting, Revel mopeds are all over the place as well as the slightly more dangerous Lime Scooters. If you’re looking to go a little further without going through the traditional rental car companies, I highly recommend Turo.

We now have crowd sourced taxi services through uber and Lyft, grocery delivery from Shipt and Instacart, and food delivery from Uber Eats, DoorDash, and Grubhub. Now, rental cars have become crowd sourced through Turo, which allows you to rent cars directly from people. If you’re interested in unusual cars, Turo has more options than the rental car agencies. You can find a showy sports car, a camper van, or a rugged truck.

Barton Springs Pool

Where traditional rental companies encourage longer rentals, Turo allows you to even rent for a single day, which is what we did to get out of downtown Austin and head to Mount Bonnell. We rented a tiny, electric, Fiat 500, which is the exact opposite of the massive Nissan Armada we got tricked into renting to drive to the Grand Canyon last year (there are only two of us. Why would we need a third row of seats? We didn’t really even need the second row). It was the first time we had ever driven an electric car and that was an experience, but it wasn’t difficult to find free electric charging stations in Austin which made it much cheaper than renting a typical gas powered vehicle. And with a ridiculously low $20/day rate, it was hard to go wrong with that tiny car.

With Turo being so new, they’re not as common outside of the big cities. There were plenty of cars to choose from in Austin but there’s only a few available where I live. Of course, since you are renting someone’s personal vehicle there are mileage limits that the traditional rental car agencies have done away with. So, Turo may not be the best option for your next road trip, but its a great choice if you are traveling to a city and would like to be able to explore it with your own wheels.

Thanks for stopping by! To read about some of our previous trips, click here. If you like my photos be sure to “like” my Facebook Page, follow me on Instagram! You can purchase prints on Etsy and Fine Art America. To see inside my camera bag, check out my Gear Page. For information about our new Guided Photography Tours, visit GuidedPhoto.com.

Turo did not pay me to write this, but if they offer, I wouldn’t decline. 😉

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