Indian Head and Lower Ausable Lake Hikes - Adirondacks

With all the New England summits down, I am excited to start expanding my "hike list" outside of some of New Englands famous high peaks.  Don't get me wrong, I loved standing at the top of Kathadin (ME), hiking the 13 mile loop around Greylock (MA), following the AT to the top of Bear Mountain (CT), seeing the fall foliage on Mount Mansfield (VT), and tackling famous Mount Washington (NH). But I was excited to escape New England for a long weekend in New York to see what hiking the Adirondacks was all about, to see a part of this big state outside it's famous city. 

Before I left for New York, I sent out a "call to action" for a list of everyone's favorite hikes in the area.  Google provided me with some pretty good options but when a friend posted on instagram about her favorite hike in the entire northeast which just happened to be in the Adirondacks, she caught my attention.  I changed my google search to scour the internet for pictures of somewhere called "Indian Head".  What came up on my screen was one of the most beautiful overlooks I have seen here.  It was a large rock cliff hovering over charming Lower Ausable Lake where you could take in the amazing view of the High Peaks Wilderness and the iconic lake below.  All it took was a few photos of this spot and my Saturday was planned in the land of no cell service, following pristine streams and wooded trails to this amazing vista. 

Visiting Ausable Chasm, New York

So often in life, we take advantage of the little things.  We get so wrapped up in the "need to do" and daily sing song of life that we forget to do whats really important - spend time with people we love.  In this digital and forever-connected age, it's so easy to let friendships and relationships slide to the wayside when we cant find time to make it work.  While I can be just as guilty, since moving back to Connecticut two years ago, I have a greater appreciation for spending time with the people I love.  2,282 miles will certainly give you perspective on how lucky you are to spend time with the people who mean the most to you.  

This spring, I bought a house and have been forever grateful to the help of family and friends in turning this place from a fixer upper to a home (theres nothing like free labor and expertise to make you realize how lucky you are).  So in the spirit of spending more quality time with family and friends and when my parents suggested a fourth of July trip somewhere (anywhere) just to spend time together as a family, I jumped at the chance.  I was excited to spend some time with these humans and for the first time in a while, without a paint roller or drill in my hand.  While everyone else in my family was busy or had their reasons for not wanting to join, I happily tagged along with my parents and planned a four day weekend nearly 5 hours away in the gorgeous Adirondacks of upstate New York. 

For the love of farms - Stone Acres Farm - CSA Review in Stonington, CT

Living in the beautiful town of Stonington (in the most quaint little borough) has so many perks from dining at its great restaurants to diving off the local beaches and wharfs.  But one of the best parts of living in this little borough by the sea is having access to some of Connecticut's freshest seafood and excellent local farm produce.  While living in Stonington, I had the opportunity to try out Community Supported Agriculture at a local farm just a few miles from my house.  Today's post is my review of a summer CSA from the beautiful Stone Acres Farm. Read about what CSA is, see exactly what you can expect, and see if a CSA is the right pick for you. 

A weekend at Squam Lake, New Hampshire

Its been a month since my last post and I have to admit, this is the longest quiet spell that KW has had in a while.  Life has sent me into a tailspin and I have been living by the motto "when you reach the end of your rope, tie a knot in it and hang on".  After a few stressful weeks, I decided to step away from some of the noise.  I grabbed my dog, my friends, and my camping gear and headed north for a weekend in the woods and on a quiet lesser-known lake in Central New Hampshire.

Arizona Wrap Up - Activities and Video

If you find yourself in Arizona, you will soon discover how much there is to do and see out here in the desert.  In just 3.5 days I was able to go hot air balloon riding, drive Tomcars through the desert, spend hours relaxing in the spa, attend a western chuckwagon dinner (complete with bull riding and line dancing), hike among the saguaros and chollas, and enjoy some of Arizona's amazing Mexican food.   

So like most of my wrap up posts, I figured I would share some of the best things I ate, what I did while visiting this beautiful state, and a video of my short stay in the Grand Canyon State.  

Recap Video 

The best thing I ate was easily breakfast at the Boulders Resort and Spa.  If you find yourself in Scottsdale, stop in to order the chilaquiles.  I ordered this more than once and plan to find a way to recreate this amazing breakfast.  Chicken, salsa verde, beans, and the perfectly fried egg are just a few of the ingredients in this amazing breakfast.