Sunshine and Beaches Traveler

02/18/2025

01/09/2025

The Field Museum is a wonderful gem in Chicago! I was only able to be there for 5 hours, but I could have spent days there taking in all the rich exhibits! I you find yourself in the Chicago area I highly recommend a visit here!

08/09/2024

“I am dead inside.”’- Michael Scott

Petrified Forest National Park, in northeastern Arizona, is known for — and named in honor of — its extensive deposits of petrified wood. In fact, the park contains one of the world’s largest and most colorful concentrations of petrified wood.

So what is petrified wood, and why was it so frightened that it’s now unable to move? Most likely, millions of years ago, a dinosaur, uninvited, approached a gathering of trees. At first they were afraid. Then they were petrified. All their rings turned to stone inside. But they survived. Yes, they survived.

We were told that’s not 100% accurate, so we will try again.

When the trees died (dinosaurs?) they washed into an ancient river system and formed log jams and buried sediment. Minerals, including silica dissolved from volcanic ash, absorbed into the porous wood over hundreds and thousands of years and crystallized within the cellular structure, replacing the organic material as it broke down over time. If there were larger spaces such as a hollow or crack in the logs, crystals of clear quartz, purple amethyst, yellow citrine, and smoky quartz formed. The brilliant colors in the petrified wood you see today come mainly from trace minerals. Pure quartz is white, manganese oxides form blue, purple, black, and brown, and iron oxides provide hues from yellow through red to brown and black.

Image: Closeup of a specimen of petrified wood. NPS/Becca Miller Petrified Forest National Park, AZ.

07/17/2024

I got my Junior Ranger Badge for Grand Tetons National Park!

07/17/2024

I got my Yellowstone Junior Ranger Badge!

07/03/2024

Watching the Seals and Sea Lions at La Jolla Cove is one of my very favorite things to do!

06/24/2024

I just finished another great flight nanny job to San Diego! I brought a Bengal Cat to San Diego. I stayed and explored for a couple of days. Then I delivered a different Bengal cat back to Minnesota! I very much enjoy these great opportunities to travel with cats!

06/08/2024

Don't Pet the Fluffy Cows!! Ha! Seriously though give wildlife the space and respect they deserve! In my travels it has baffled me how many people continue to get out of their vehicles and try to approach wildlife. This is a very unsafe and disrespectful practice! I don't want to see our beautiful National Parks have to start restricting places because people can't follow the rules of staying away. Stay alert, stay alive and stay back! ✌️❤️

06/05/2024

Sunset on a Minnesota Lake

04/17/2024

We had a fantastic stay at the Surf and Sand Lodge in Fort Bragg, California! It is in a quiet area north of Fort Bragg right on the ocean. We had the quiet, peaceful beach all to ourselves to watch the sunset and then again to enjoy the morning views! What a gem this place is along the Pacific Coast!

04/16/2024

Pacific Coast Highway: Beautiful Scenery or a Terrifying Death Drive?! Ha! So the PCH gets a lot of attention for its breathtaking views and beautiful scenery, but no one tells you how terrifying it is in certain sections! We got into a stretch of highway that was incredibly tight and windy with an elevation of 1000 feet or more! There was gaurdrail in some areas and not at all in others. There is absolutely no room for error on this stretch. If you go off the road, you are plunging down a cliff into the ocean below. I felt like I was on a thrill ride of sorts! I was both freaking out with a death grip on the car and enjoying the beautiful views of the coast and mountains. This stretch drive isn't for the faint of heart or those with an extreme fear of heights. There should be a trigger warning somewhere before this stretch of the highway before you start! Ha! I'm honestly not sure if I'd do it again! It was so beautiful but so scary! I'm not sure if the scary feeling is worth the views. It probably at least a little better if you are heading north rather than driving south. When you are heading north, you are on the inside of the road. When heading south, you are right on the edge of the cliffs going down to the ocean! Good luck and Godspeed if you decide to take this drive from the Fort Ross area to Jenner. 🫡😂🙃

04/15/2024

Goat Rock State Park is a beautiful beach area with stunning rock formations! Further down the beach is a protected Harbor Seal area as well! It's a great spot to stop and see off the Pacific Coast Highway!

04/11/2024

The Mendicino State Park is a beautiful place to stop and see off of the Pacific Coast Highway! We really enjoyed the beautiful views, the wildlife and the wildflowers! I love California and all its diverse landscapes and scenery! Definitely include this stop on your Pacific Coast Highway tour!

04/11/2024

I highly recommend finding one to visit! Our National Parks are such a treasure!

National Park Week is just around the corner! What's National Park Week? It's like a week for national parks.

Yes, this is happening. Now that we have that out of the way, runs from April 20 to April 28. Entrance fees will be waived on Saturday, April 20, to kick off the celebration and encourage everyone to enjoy their national parks in person. (You don't all have to go to Yellowstone. We love you Yellowstone.) With over 400 national park areas, there are parks closer than you think.

Throughout the week, parks, programs, and partners will host events and activities. Learn more at: https://www.nps.gov/subjects/npscelebrates/national-park-week.htm

04/09/2024

I got Junior Ranger Badge for the Redwood National and State Parks! My collection is growing!

04/07/2024

San Francisco bound to deliver a couple of adorable Melanistic Bengal Kittens! These kitties come from Wild Praire Rose Bengals in Iowa! We love being trusted to deliver their sweet kittens to their customer! I love to travel, and it's even better with cats!

04/07/2024

You're better off using Google....😂