Grand Canyon RV Tips for Booking Trailer Village RV Park Last Minute

Another post a few years in the making, but I'm going to stop calling myself a broken record and say that's just life this days, so here we go. When we were on the road we mostly flew by the seat of our pants, which is how we liked it, but there are a few places where it is hard to do that and the Grand Canyon is one of them! We did know this, but unfortunately did not know the exact dates for when we would be hitting the Grand Canyon until maybe a month before we hit it. That really didn't give us a lot of time to plan our stay at Trailer Village, but we did learn a few tips for booking Trailer Village RV park last minute.  We knew we were going to take 3 full days off of teaching, because we weren't sure what the wifi situation would be like when we got to the park and knew we wouldn't be able to find other accommodations as Trailer Village RV Park is the only full-hookup RV park within Grand Canyon National Park. We almost didn't score the days we wanted with such last a minute booking window, but we made it work and here's how: 

Tips for Booking Grand Canyon RV Spots Last Minute

 

Stalk the Website! 

Once we found our dates we knew when we would hit the Grand Canyon area I basically lived on the Trailer Village RV Park website. At first there was nothing, a downside to trying to book any RV site last minute, but especially true for Trailer Village.

Tour Antelope Canyon Free by Water in Page Arizona

Antelope Canyon in Page, Arizona is a beautiful spot to explore!

These slot canyons will make you feel like you have walked onto another planet, however, the tours into lower Antelope Canyon can be expensive, are hard to get last minute and are usually very crowded. We opted for an alternate route into Antelope Canyon. We were able to tour Antelope Canyon for free, by accessing it from Lake Powell with the help of our inflatable stand-ups!

Our Antelope Canyon Tour via Lake Powell

You can see a more detailed view of the route we took into Antelope Canyon in the video above, but the easiest way to get there from the water is to head to Antelope Point Launch Ramp off of Lake Powell. This is a public boat launch, however, there is a gate fee to access the area. The cost for that is $30 per vehicle. From there you head straight to go to the Antelope Point Launch Ramp. Turning off to the right would take you to the marina.

Why You Need to VISIT IDAHO // A Travel Blogger Link Up

Soooo, it's only been a handful of months since I have managed to get a #TravelTuesday Link Up live, but here we are... thanks for being patient! 

Be sure to link all your adventures at the bottom of this post! 

I'm not actually going to write a lot this month, but am going to let our newest video from our time on the road speak for me. If you've never considered paying Idaho a visit, here are our favorite reasons why you need to change that...

Idaho truly is a spectacular state; from the stunning Shoshone Falls in southern Idaho to the rail trail ride on the Route of the Hiawatha in the north Idaho had so much to offer for any outdoor lover!

5 Reasons to Visit Idaho

I am kicking off the year by sharing one of my favorite spots of 2018! After spending 7 months on the road, and traipsing through over 20 different states, you might be surprised to find that my favorite one was Idaho... yes, Idaho! I was just as shocked! We planned to drive through, spending one night in Idaho on the way out west and again on the way back east. Plans changed quickly and here's why... Though there are more, here are 5 reasons to visit Idaho.

5 Reasons to Visit Idaho

Favorite Ways to Travel in December || #TravelTuesday Link Up

Happy #TravelTuesday!! 

This month I am putting a holiday spin on things and sharing some of my favorite ways to travel during the holiday season! 

Be sure to link up your travels and adventures below! 

My Favorite Ways to Travel During December 

{Mountain Moments} This time last year we were bundled up and checking off one of my holiday bucket list items... seeing the Biltmore at Christmas!! It was all kinds of magical! We had even had a few snow flurries to make it even more of a winter wonderland! I had been to Biltmore Estate a few times before, but was always itching to see it decorated for the holidays. While the tickets are a little more expensive, it is so worth it! 

{Escape the Cold} While I think the mountains add the perfect holiday element to December, our favorite way to travel during the holidays is by boat! Two years ago we kicked off December in the middle of the ocean with a cruise on the Allure of the Seas. You would think that being from Florida we wouldn't mind a little bit of a chill in the air, but we love heading somewhere even more tropical. There is no better way to do that than with a cruise, especially during the holidays. We have cruised twice the week following Christmas and celebrated New Year's Eve on the high seas. We have also cruised during Thanksgiving. It's fun and festive, while still being warm enough to hang out in nothing but a bathing suit all day! 

What do you prefer to do for the holidays? 

Escape the cold or search out the best snow?! 

Where have you been lately?! 

Link up for this month's Travel Tuesday Link Up! 

Let's explore together!! 

~On the 2nd Tuesday of every month I will be sharing a new travel post and would love to see where you have been exploring!

~Any linked posts will be pinned under Travel Tuesday on my Pinterest account. 

~Please leave a little love on the post directly before yours and then anywhere else you like! That way we can all grow this community together :) 

~Not many other rules, as I am not a huge fan of those sorts of things! Just add any travel related link and I encourage you to peek around and see where everyone else has been. 

~Feel free to grab the image from the sidebar and add it to your post so others know where to link up.

~I will also be featuring my favorite post from the month before and sharing across social media. This month I'm traveling vicariously through Intentional Travelers and their trip to Jerico, Colombia. The hiking looks amazing and I love how they immersed themselves in the local culture! 

An InLinkz Link-up

Can you Hike The Narrows in Chacos? Zion National Park, St. George KOA and Other Life Tidbits

We may have some changes coming our way (more on that soon), but for now we are spending a little less time on the blog and RoadTalk videos and more time soaking in all of the road life that we can. I had all these huge plans to share new videos from our time in Zion and the Grand Canyon (basically the same thing I said last week lol), but those will have to wait for another time! Instead here's a little peek at life lately: including our time in Zion and hiking The Narrows in Chacos. Yes, it can be done!

Instead I figured I would share just a little peek at what life has looked like lately; so here's a little 5 on Friday fun! 

One || Grand Canyon

We got SUPER lucky with this one! When we were on the eastern side of the US we were having no issues finding spots to park. Even if one campground happened to be booked (which wasn't often), there would be another not far away that had availability. NOT the case with the western half of the US of A! To stay even near the Grand Canyon (on the outskirts) meant still being a good bit away from the canyon itself. We really wanted to stay in the heart of the park! We had a window of three days that were open on the website and within the amount of time it took us to verify that those days worked for our schedule (and check to see if we would be able to get a cell signal strong enough the teach from) they were gone. We tried calling; no luck. We waited a day and, miracles-of-miracles, we were able to secure two days at one price and then a third day (in a row), that had to be booked separately at a different price. It was a lot of work to get us there, but boy did it pan out?! The Grand Canyon truly is GRAND!! We had been out west for a while once we planned this and were thinking, "will it really be that much more grand then the canyons and cliffs we have been seeing?!" IT WAS!! 

Related Post: Tips for Booking Grand Canyon RV Sites Last Minute

Things to Do and Where to Eat in Kanab, Utah

Happy Friday Friends! 

I am sooo behind on sharing, I don't even know what to begin with. We explored Zion, we've visited Grand Canyon National Park, and hit up spots in between. I am working on our national park videos and will have those ready to share soon. Until then, I figured I would share our time in Kanab, Utah! 

We originally went to Kanab with the plan for it to be home base to explore both Zion and Bryce Canyon (which are each about an hour away); however, we quickly discovered that Kanab has a ton of awesomeness of it's own to offer. We ended up sticking close to Kanab for the week we were there, while we waited on a new AC to arrive for Delilah the Dream Machine! 

Here's a little peek at everything that Kanab has to offer: 

Cave Exploring 

Kanab has a cave system, right off of Highway 89, that can be explored for free. There is also Moqui Cave, which is a cave turned museum that can be toured for a small fee. We walked into Moqui Cave, but decided not to pay and opted to try for the caves that can be explored on your own. Situated between Moqui Cave and the turn off for Best Friends Animals Sanctuary, you can't miss the outcropping of cave entrances situated about halfway up the cliffs. In order to access them you simply find a pull-off on the side of the ride and take a short trail to the base of the cliffs to make your way up and across. There is no designated spot telling you where to go up. Thanks to advice on the Outbound site, we knew to approach from the far left. Definitely heed this advice! Trying to scale the cliff face would be way too hard. You can get up the cliff easily from the left and then approach the cave entrances from the top. The Kanab caves were awesome! They were far deeper than I expected them to be and we were blown away by how beautiful it was! 

Should you Book a Mesa Verde National Park Cliff Dwellings Tour?

This month I am sharing our time at Mesa Verde National Park!! We were there just over two weeks ago and had such a great time exploring the park and surrounding areas. A trip to Mesa Verde National Park is truly a trip back in time (and no, not just back to the 1980s, which is apparently the look I was going for that day; lol). If you plan to visit the park, but you may be wondering if you should book a Mesa Verde National Park cliff dwellings tours. Our vote would be yes, but there are a few tips and tricks.

Mesa Verde National Park is home to Pueblo cliff dwellings. Many of the original pueblo structures date back to 650 AD. These earlier dwellings can be found at the top of the cliffs and can be viewed by a drive through the park, with many stopping points to hit along the way. It wasn't until the early 1100s that they began building the dwellings inside the cliffs themselves. These pueblo cliff dwellings are some of the most well preserved dwellings still visited today. 

May Currently & a Giveaway

Happy May! 

Spring finally seems to be here. 

Being from Florida I am pretty much used to just about one season, but now that we are traveling full-time it has been so strange to experience this thing people call winter! 

Linking up for a May Currently! Here is a peek at our world right now:

{Celebrating} Adding a new state to our count; HELLO, UTAH!! And checking a big one off the bucket list... a post about our time at the Grand Canyon coming soon...

{Creating} A YouTube video from our time in Mesa Verde. I am running a bit behind this week and it's not up in time for Road Talk Tuesday, but you can catch last week's adventure in Grand Junction, Colorado! It was an awesome week filled with great hikes and yummy wine... 

We are so close to hitting 500 subs!! Will you be number 500?! We would love your support as we try to grow this little space!! 

Spring Skiing at Steamboat Springs Resort and Old Town Hot Springs

Spring in Steamboat Springs, Colorado!  

We've been in Colorado for about two weeks now and are LOVING it! When a friend gifted us with free lift tickets to Steamboat we booked it northwest just as quick as we could! We are now further east (almost to Utah) in a town called Grand Junction and are enjoying the warmer days and gorgeous, other worldly (at least for these Florida-natives) hikes. We will be sharing those soon, but Steamboat Springs can't be passed up. Here's why we loved spring in Steamboat Springs so much...

Steamboat Springs Is Easily Accessible 

This was the first time driving hauling Delilah the Dream Machine up really high inclines, so we were very grateful that it's pretty easy to get into Steamboat from I-70! The resort was also so gracious and allowed us to park in their lot overnight, when we found out we wouldn't be able to stay at the state park we were planning on. This is not customary and probably won't work during busy season, but it never hurts to call and ask. We pulled into their overflow late after the runs were closed on Sunday, were able to walk to the gondola that took us to the top of the mountain to ski Monday, and we're gone once the slopes closed at the end of the day. 

6 Hours in St. Louis || Things to Do in St. Louis Missouri

Happy Friday!! I'm just over here singing... 

"Meet me in St. Louis, Loius, meet me at the fair; 
don't tell me the lights are shining any place but there." 
Anyone else's mom sing this to them as a lullaby?! No, just me?! 
Honestly, I have never seen the movie it came from, but I love Judy Garland so maybe I should. Anywho...

We had plans to head south through New Orleans and Texas, making a slow journey to Colorado. However, we decided to head to Colorado earlier than planned, to try get in some spring skiing, and started booking it west with the quickest route we could find. This route happen to lead us right through St. Louis and we were able to spend a day exploring the "Gateway to the West"! More accurately we were able to spend just 6 hours exploring it! We were staying at a state park about 45 minutes away from downtown St. Louis, and because we teach in the mornings, we weren't able to leave the camper until just before noon. 

We had originally only planned for two definite stops; the Gateway Arch and then do the Anheuser Busch Brewery tour and were going to spend the rest of our time stumbling across different spots and enjoying a long lunch somewhere. Well, that plan quickly changed when someone reminded us about the City Museum. So instead, we skipped lunch and crammed as much as we could into our 6 hour window. 

Our Asheville Brewery Tour

Happy Thursday! 

This week it's been all about Asheville here on the blog and we kicked it off with some amazingly yummy food! Today's it is all about the boozy side of Asheville... come join us for our Asheville Brewery Tour! 

Babe and I have birthdays just two days apart, which we actually find pretty fun, because it means double the celebrating! We spent my birthday checking something off my bucket list (seeing the Biltmore at Christmas) and we spent his doing our own Asheville brewery tour . Asheville's brewery scene is hopping (pun intended)! There is practically a brewery on every corner. We chose five that were in pretty good proximity to each other and made a day out of it! 

The Biltmore at Christmas

Happiest of Thursdays before Christmas!! 

With our birthdays only a few days apart, Babe and I have been all kinds of birthday celebrating around these parts! To ring in 34 and 31 we took two very different tours through Asheville; a brew tour for his birthday and a step back in time for mine. I can't think of a better way to have spent my 31st birthday than checking something off my "30 in my 30s Bucket List"! 

Seeing the Biltmore at Christmas, all decorated in lights and bows, has been on my bucket list since I first went over 15 years ago! I was the literal definition of a kid-at-Christmas kind of happy! Minus, of course, the kid part (unless we are counting at heart)... hello, 31! The Biltmore at Christmas is beyond beautiful. I could gush for hours about the glorious Christmas feel, the hundreds of lights, and dozens of Christmas trees that filled the rooms, but I figure it might just be best to let the pictures speak for me!

Come with me and enjoy a walk through... 

The Biltmore at Christmas

5 Fun Things to Do in Kentucky for Adults

Happy Friday! 

We just left Kentucky and are now in Asheville, North Carolina! We will be calling Asheville "home" through Christmas and are looking forward to finally being in one spot for more than 4 nights. However, we couldn't move on without sharing all the places we explored in Kentucky! There is a ton to do in Kentucky, and while we didn't get to explore Churchill Downs (next time), we did drive through a lot of horse land on our way to explore these 5 fun places... 

5 Fun Things to Do in Kentucky 

We spent the first few nights in Northern Kentucky and really enjoyed our stay; exploring the different nooks and crannies around our spot in Hebron, Kentucky. 

Our Maker's Mark Distillery Tour || Touring Iconic Kentucky Distilleries

Happy Tuesday Adventurers!!

Let's head to Maker's Mark Distillery!

Location: Maker's Mark Distillery, Loretto, Kentucky // It's the 2nd Tuesday of the month, which means it's time for another #TravelTuesday link up! Been adventuring anywhere lately? Explored somewhere new in the place you call home?! Join in at the bottom of this post! This month we are sharing one of our first adventures on the road, as well as our first installment of Road Talk Tuesday over on YouTube! Last week we headed to Maker's Mark Distillery for a tour and it was everything a Kentucky pit stop should be... 

The Maker's Mark Distillery Tour is Totally Worth It

While you can visit the Maker's Mark Distillery without paying, you only get access to explore the outside grounds and visit the gift shop (where you can dip your own bottle!). The tour itself costs $12 and is worth EVERY. SINGLE. PENNY!

Stocking Stuffer Ideas for the Adventurer

Happy Wednesday All! 

We are back on the road, after a few more curve balls, and headed towards southern Kentucky! I can't believe there are only 19 days left until Christmas! In the holiday spirit I figured this Currently edition should be Christmas themed; so, here is how we are currently celebrating this December... 

{Lighting} My Mimi’s old ceramic Christmas tree! We are having a throwback Christmas this year, mostly because we only had room for about 4 decorations. Since we had no space for storing many ornaments, we decided that our RV Christmas tree would be one with sentimental value, that didn't take up much space! Once we get set up for at least more than a 2 day stretch in one place, it will go in between the recliners, right in the big back window. 

{Spending} Money on stocking stuffers for each other! We are only doing stockings this year (this new adventure is gift enough). For the most part they will be filled with the essentials; coffee, gloves, cozy socks… but I am going to try to grab him a few fun items for all our upcoming adventurers. Any adventures in your life?! Here are some of my favorite finds: 

For Her

Hiking Fanny Pack- I LOVE my fanny pack! It drives Babe crazy (hence, why it's not on his list), but it is so convenient and I much prefer having the weight on my hips than my shoulders! 

WineARoo- We love taking wine on-the-go! Adventure picnics or to the movies, foldable wine pouches are amazing! 

On-the-Go Phone Charger- I need this in my life! My poor little phone is on it's last leg and the charge doesn't last long. We have a bulky, portable charger, but need something smaller. Every adventurer needs a small portable phone charger. 

Adventure Fuel Mug- Because every good adventure starts with a warm cup of coffee! 

For Him 

Wallet Survival Tool- I got him one a few years ago and somewhere in the wallet switches that have happened he lost it! These little things are great for on-the-go adventure needs! 

LifeStraw- We have been wanting one of these for the longest time; we would love to taste water fresh from the mountain streams! 

Sipping Stones- Because Babe likes what I call his "man-beverage" after a long day of hiking! 

FloatPro: GoPro Wrist Strap- We have been using this old lanyard as a GoPro wrist strap and just try to make sure it's super secure before doing any crazy cliff jumps; it would be so nice to have one that we know would float to the surface should it ever slip loose! 

{Choosing} Where we want to spend Christmas! Since we hit the road for full-time RV life right after Thanksgiving, and had originally planned to be working in West Virginia (more on that soon), we knew we wouldn't be making it back to Orlando for Christmas. Since we won't be in West Virginia it leaves so many possibilities for where we should spend Christmas Day. A huge part of me is sad not to be in Orlando, but there is a part of me that's excited for our first Christmas just the two of us and to maybe even have a cold Christmas for once; should I dare say white Christmas?! Here's to hoping!! Best towns for Christmas experiences... and go! 

{Sending} Postcards! We have made promises to send postcards from each state we visit. So we are getting all our postcards ready to go, along with Christmas wishes to friends and family. 

{Singing} As much Christmas music as possible! This will be the first time these Florida natives have ever had a white Christmas (hopefully), so we are taking full advantage of it.  We're feeling super cozy this year and singing along to every winter weathered Christmas song that comes on the radio. With all the crazy changes that have happened in our first week on the road our theme song has become "to face UNAFRAID the plans that we've made, walking in a winter wonderland." 

And that's our December currently! What's going on in your world currently?

Got your own Christmas theme song for this year?!

5 Cities on Our Road Trip Bucket List

As we get ready to embark on our full-time RVing adventure, Babe and I have been making bucket lists! Most include outdoor adventures; which national parks we want to visit, what thrill-seeking activities we are excited to try. However, there are some cities that we are itching to explore! So, I thought I would take a minute to share the top 5 cities we are most excited to visit... 

Image via Flickr by Roman Boed 

Chicago

After friends came back raving about all the fun they had when they visited, we knew this needed to be on our list. I began scouring the internet for the best things to do and see in Chicago. At the top of our list?! All the best places to eat!! I have heard that you can find spots to boondock overnight, in parking lots on the outskirts of the city, and then bike in. We'd love to bike through the city, working up an appetite, then stopping at all the delicious restaurants! Once we have filled our bellies, I want to snag a picture in front of The Bean. We definitely can't wait to visit Chicago!

#TravelTuesday 21 // Hiking High Falls Trail near Cashiers, North Carolina

Happy Travel Tuesday Adventurers!! 

I can't wait to see where you have been recently! 

Add your link at the bottom of the post so that we can explore together! 

If you can't tell from the last few posts, my heart has been longing for a good hike, some cooler weather, and a beautiful morning in the mountains! Since that is not an option right now I figured why not relive those moments, with a figurative hike to a beautiful North Carolina waterfall! 

This beautiful hike can be found in Glenville, North Carolina (near Cashiers) and it is one of my favorite trails we've ever been on! If you love waterfalls as much as me, the High Falls Trail (also known as Cullowhee Falls Trail) is a must add to your hiking bucket list! Here's why:

Staying Fueled and Hydrated on a Hike

Disclosure: This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, INC. and The Coca-Cola Company, all opinions are mine alone. #SnackHonestly #CollectiveBias 

It's been one HOT summer here in Florida, but that hasn't stopped us from finding time to hit the trails. We may end them hot and sweaty, but we end them happy! However, making sure you finish a trail with a smile on your face comes with a few essential components; at least for us! So, today I am sharing how we stay fueled for a full day of hiking.

5 Fun Things to do in Cherokee County, North Carolina

It's felt like way too long since we were enjoying the cooler weather of the North Carolina mountains, so I figured it was high-time I shared some of our favorite spots from our trip this past summer!

Here are our top 5 things to do in Cherokee County, North Carolina...

1.) Vineyard Hop!
It doesn't matter where we go, our wine loving hearts have one priority; find the nearby vineyards or wineries and hit up as many as possible! There are some awesome options in and around Cherokee County. Though it was hard to pick favorites I think I would have to say our favorite visit was to Calaboose Cellars. One, because the wine was great, but two, because it shares a location with Andrew's Brewing Co. He gets beer, I get wine and we are both happy, happy, happy!! It helps too that it shares the same "real" name as Babe!