Cape Kiwanda State Park and Hart’s Cove at Cascade Head

With sandstone cliffs sculpted by wave action and Oregon’s largest sand dune, Cape Kiwanda State Park should not be missed on any Oregon Coast road trip. Nearby Cascade Head and the Harts Cove Trail is the perfect experience to discover a mossy, green coastal rain forest and to hear sea lions barking.

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Strange Trees and Secret Beaches: Cape Meares State Park

While Tilamook might be most famous for its cheese, Cape Meares is also well worth a visit while in the area. Cape Meares like many Oregon Coast state parks has a beautifully preserved historic lighthouse, and just a short walk from the lighthouse is a very oddly shaped tree called the Octopus Tree. Before we left we even saw a pod of gray whales that were feeding and breaching fairly close to shore!

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Stopping to Smell the Roses at the International Rose Test Garden in Portland

Portland might be known for hipsters, coffee, and bicycles, but just up the hill from downtown, there is a formal English rose garden that would surprise any visitor. The International Rose Test Garden is tucked into the sprawling Washington Park and has more than 10,000 rose bushes!

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Wandering through the World’s Tallest Trees: Exploring the Redwood Forest

If you're planning a road trip through the Redwood Forest in Northern California, there are many stops and special trees along the way that you won't want to miss. Here are our favorite things to do in the Redwood National and State Parks. Plus find our recommendations for free campsites for vanlife near the Redwood Forest.

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8 Places To Go On Your First Visit to Yosemite

Here are 8 stops we visited that any first time visitor wouldn’t want to miss on a visit to America’s first protected park land! As always at the end of this post, you’ll find free camping suggestions near Yosemite.

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Our Misty Half Dome Summit Attempt

Half Dome is a mountain that is on a lot of people’s bucket lists. The iconic mountain is probably the most recognizable landmark in Yosemite National Park, and each day of the summer season hundreds of people make summit attempts. But can you hike up Half Dome if it’s wet? We hiked up most of Half Dome on a misty, rainy day in October…

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17 Great Gift Ideas for Vanlifers and Travelers

With the holidays coming up and with more and more people joining the vanlife movement or just choosing to live a more minimalist lifestyle, many people are wondering what to get their nomadic loved ones. When you live in a van, bus, RV, or tiny home, you can’t have a lot of stuff. Here are some ideas that would make great gifts for van dwellers or any traveler on your list.  

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Exploring Snow Canyon State Park

In October, we spent a day enjoying Snow Canyon State Park, near St. George, Utah. One of the neatest parts about Snow Canyon is that there is volcanic rock, lava tubes, and extinct cinder cones, alongside water-carved Navajo sandstone and sand dunes.  

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Grimes Point Archaeological Site and Sand Mountain

In the middle of the desert near Fallon, Nevada there are two very unexpected sights… and no they are not related to aliens. One is a field of rocks darkened by years of sun with ancient art pecked in their surfaces. The other is a massive natural mountain of sand.  

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In Search of the Methuselah Tree: Visiting the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest

The second oldest tree in the world is located in the White Mountains in the Inyo National Forest of California. Somewhere within the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest, there is a tree that was alive when the pyramids were built—the Methuselah Tree. While we were traveling along the California-Nevada border, we were hoping to pay a visit this 4,848 year old tree.

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