2017 was an absolutely amazing year! I scratched five more countries off my map and experienced more of China. I met some amazing people, some of whom have become very good friends. I got to spend some quality time with … Continued
Just outside of the small city of Waco, Texas, paleontologists have uncovered what may some call an elephant graveyard at Waco Mammoth National Monument. It is the largest concentration of mammoth fossils known, and was declared a National Monument in … Continued
After hiking down Tianzi Mountain in Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, we still had some evening hours left, so we went to Huanglong Cave (Yellow Dragon Cave). This cave system is part of the UNESCO World Heritage designation and is very … Continued
Our second day in Zhangjiajie took us back up the mountain to do some more hiking around the Yuanjiajie Scenic Zone and the Tianzi Mountain Scenic Zone. Both were recommendations from our hotel. Tianbo Mansion Tianbo Mansion is a set … Continued
Yuanjiajie, our next destination within the park, and final for the day, is probably the most popular and crowded section of the park. Hordes of bus tours crowded the trails squawking and barking and littering their way through. There were … Continued
Slender stone columns reach out of canyons lush with forest transporting visitors to an otherworldly natural wonderland. It inspires the mind to think of alien landscapes from science fiction or the ethereal and mystical images from traditional Chinese ink paintings. … Continued
Ephesus is magnificent! This ancient city was one of the most important cities in the ancient world, and one of its largest. Ephesus was a major sea port and home to one of the Seven Wonders of the World. It … Continued
When most people think of the ancient city of Troy from the legends of Odysseus and Achilles, they think of a big wooden horse and ancient Greece. However, most people don’t know where Troy really was, and they don’t know … Continued
Before my summer Bay Area experience I didn’t know about San Francisco Maritime National Historic Park. Instead, when national parks in that part of California were mentioned I thought of the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz Island, Golden Gate National Recreation … Continued
