Our first full day in Colorado ended up having a packed agenda—more packed than we thought we could pull off. As we pieced together our itinerary, centered around a visit to the Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center, our day was coming together. Breweries, cave dwellings, a hail storm, and much more were in store. Continue reading
Merri Beth and I were heading to Colorado to see the Dirty Heads at the Red Rocks. But before the big show, we had an open plate to explore. Our first day in Colorado included lots of travel, our flight to Denver and then driving to Colorado Springs. Of course there were a few snacks and food sampling at a few breweries along the way. Let’s dive into the specifics and see how a mostly unplanned Saturday afternoon turned out for us. Continue reading
With some severe weather moving through yesterday, the temps took a drop and my morning run to Navy Pier was much nicer with the cooler temperatures. There was also some steady cloud cover which was a nice set-up for a day at Lollapalooza. After breakfast, Merri Beth and I did a little online research and prep for a day at Grant Park. Then we walked from out hotel for a day of music at Lolla.
As soon as we got through security, we stopped at the Tito’s stage and enjoyed a few songs from The Frights. Next was Saint Jhn on the Pepsi stage before we walked around Grant Park for a bit. We were interested in seeing Hon Solo on Perry’s Stage and this DJ put on an awesome performance. With a few bands under our belt, we were ready for some lunch. Continue reading
Day two in Chicago started with a run to Navy Pier and exploring more of Millennial Park. I intentionally stayed away from Grant Park since today was the first day of Lollapalooza and a ton of things would have been blocked off and closed for the music festival. I really enjoyed the route and was out-and-about before the tourists starting swarming the area.
I picked up breakfast on the way back to the room. Once I returned, MB and I got ready for the day and did a little research on Wrigley Field, prep for lunch options, transit routes, and kept on eye on the weather forecast. Unfortunately, there was severe weather in the forecast for the afternoon and periodic rain. Continue reading
One of my favorite parts of traveling is to explore the city during my morning runs. Not only do I get better oriented with directions and wayfinding, but I get to see way more that I could just walking around. I started off our first day in Chicago checking out the Riverwalk along Millennial Park and Grant Park. I ran to the Shedd Aquarium before making my way back to the hotel. Definitely a clutch trail for running, biking, and enjoying the outdoors. Continue reading
The stage was set for our trip to Chicago. Zander and Coco were with Meme and Poppy for a week at the farm and a break from summer camp. The four-legged kids, Rex and Sox, were already enjoying a week at the beach with Nana as we dropped them off over the past weekend. After two days of work, Merri Beth and I were ready for three days in Chicago. Our plan was simple: White Sox game, Cubs game, and a day at Lollapalooza to see Blink 182 and a bunch of other bands. We would figure everything else out along the way. Here’s what our adventure in the Windy City looked like as the calendar changed from July to August and the summer is in the middle of a great set. Continue reading
The last day of our trip in Asheville was another beautiful day, a little windy with lots of sun. We wanted to stop by New Belgium before having lunch at White Duck Taco. Our ride back to Raleigh would be just under four hours and we had a few last minute things to check off our list before the end of our trip. Continue reading
Our second day in Asheville started off with an easy relaxing morning, then an afternoon hike at Chimney Rock State Park. After capturing some amazing views of the mountains we sampled some more brews at Sierra Nevada, Wedge Brewing, and Asheville Brewing Company. Continue reading
The first full day of our adventure in Asheville started at the Biltmore Estate, where we spent most of the day touring the house and gardens, having lunch, and sampling some wine. Then, later in the evening as the temperature dropped into the 30’s, Merri Beth and I walked to downtown and sampled some craft beer at Catawba Brewing, Twin Leaf Brewing, Burial Beer Company, and Wicked Weed. Continue reading
The holiday break this year looked a little shorter on the calendar than past years. As many of you know we like to escape the holiday madness to a tropical location and come back on Christmas Eve. Flights are usually very affordable and we avoid peak season prices. Over the past few years, we’ve been to Turks and Caicos, St. Martin, Hawaii, and Costa Rica. And I traveled a lot in 2016, so having another trip at the end of the year wouldn’t have mattered that much.
Instead of taking a flight we hopped in that car and decided to try something different in 2016. For our holiday break this year, we headed to the highlands for a few days in Asheville, NC. Continue reading