Dog Friendly! Corona and Bowtie Arch - Moab, Utah

Delicate Arch is always in the spotlight when it comes to Moab's arches. But I am here to tell you there are a few gorgeous and equally as impressive Arches outside of the National Park's borders.  

What is the advantage of visiting Moab 
and hiking outside of the National Parks?  

Well, for starters, it is free.  The National Parks are about $25 a car to enter, where as hikes on BLM land are free and open to the public.  Secondly, while the National Parks do not allow dogs anywhere on their trails (only in parking lots and paved roads), hikes outside the park are dog friendly. Fido is welcome on BLM land and State Parks.   And lastly (and most importantly) you can avoid the mobs and crowds that flea to our beautiful National Parks.  Hiking trails outside the park are deserted compared to the high number of visitors on the trails at National Parks.  While everyone heads to Delicate Arch, head to Corona Arch. 

Dogs, free, and less people.  Have I convinced you yet?

Recipe: Champagne Cake

 

Some weekends, I load up the car and drive hours and hours to spend the weekend hiking, camping and not showering.  And then some weekends, I spent hours in the kitchen cooking up everything delicious I can think of.  This weekend was the latter.  I spent hours in my kitchen cooking up roasted turkey, homemade spaghetti sauce, fresh homemade bread, and the best of all, champagne cake. While I don't typically share recipes on this blog, this one was too good not to share. 

(Dog Friendly!) Cross Country Skiing in Utah

I have been wanting to try Cross country skiing for a while.  I know it's going to be work, but I have this image of me gliding around on skis on a beautiful freshly snowed terrain.  I also have this image of Olive pulling me when I get too lazy to propel myself.  

Let's just stop right here so I can mention neither of these fantasies happened as planned.  Fresh snow was replaced with icy trails and a few diggers, and Olive decided this is the one time in her life she didn't want to drag me around.  Experience and expectations were a little different, but either way, I loved learning to Cross Country ski and having Olive with me. Be prepared to spend a little bit of time on you butt if the downhill is icy.  

But know this... 
the boots are so much more comfortable than regular ski boots. 

Video : And eating our way through San Juan

My new favorite thing, is organizing the food of my travels onto a post (with an awesome RECAP video at the end!).  Because lets be honest, the food just may be the best part about traveling.  Being on vacation and trying new food is the best combination (calories don't count once you get off the plane).  

A Few Things About The Food: 

My initial thoughts of Puerto Rico would be an abundance of fresh seafood, tacos, and plantains.  And in a few ways, I my thoughts were right, and wrong.  

• Tacos were mediocre
• Mofongo absolutely delicious (and really really heavy)
• Mojitos are perfection
• Fresh (not fried) seafood was not as abundant as I thought
• Amazing homemade sauces
• Vegetables are a rare sighting

Visiting Condado, Puerto Rico

Because the main reason of our visit was to celebrate the Hill's wedding in Old San Juan, we took their advice in looking for lodging in the beautiful area of Condado Area.  Everyone seemed to be staying in this trendy section of San Juan.  This post is all about places to stay, where to eat, and what to do in the Condado section of Puerto Rico, with the help of Jillian Hill with her exquisite taste, and our shared love of good food.  She has visited the island many times, and put a lot of work in organizing  all of the restaurants and hotels in this post. 

Quick facts:

Eastern part of Old San Juan
Can be expensive

Quaint

Very safe

Beautiful span of beaches

Adjacent to the lagoon

Right next to Old San Juan

Close to the airport (15 minutes, 9km, $19 cab ride)