day trip diaries: Portland Maine

Wanderlust Wednesday-Week 25

Recently, Tom and I took a day trip out to Portland Maine, which was made even better by the fact that we took the pup along. I can without a doubt say that Maine is my favorite New England state and I totally picture us settling down there permanently one day. Portland definitely solidified that. 

Summer Clothing Budget

I skipped out on sharing last months budget, since I had picked up so few pieces. But this month's haul was a lot bigger, so now it's time to share what I picked up July/August. Since losing 12 pounds this summer, my clothes are fitting completely differently and I really needed new summer pieces. Thankfully, I found some great sales and snagged things up on a deal. Plus, I finally spent some of the gift cards/credits that I've been hoarding since my birthday. 

a rainy day hike to castle craig

Note to self...ALWAYS check the weather before going on a hike

Recently, we loaded up the car and checked and double-checked that we had everything we needed. 

Trail Map-Check 

Water-Check

First Aid Kit-Check 

Snacks-Check

Compass-Check 

But somehow we completely forgot to check the weather. If we had, we would have known that there was going to be a downpour. Instead, we made the 2 hour drive from Boston to Connecticut to hike Castle Craig in blissful ignorance. 

Is the Chicago CityPass worth the Cost?

Wanderlust Wednesday-Week 24
While planning our trip to Chicago, we realized we wanted to visit a few museums. But the more research we did, the more trouble we had narrowing down our decision. We wanted to see it all, but were worried about the cost. Those entrance fees add up quickly. Thankfully, the Chicago CityPass offers major discounts, making everything more affordable.

What's Included? 

Skydeck Chicago at Willis Tower
Formerly known as the Sears Tower, the skydeck offers up some amazing views of the city. Our recommendation: go first thing in the morning or right at sunset to see the city in the best light. Recreate this famous scene from Ferris Bueller's Day Off and take a photo on the glass bottom floor. 

Biking Chicago

During our first day in Chicago, we noticed that everyone was traveling by bike. And biking just happens to be one of our favorite ways for getting around. We loved biking the Golden Gate Bridge while in San Francisco and pedaling along the sand in Nantucket. So we knew we had to bike Chicago too!

On Day 2, we set out to rent bikes for ourselves. The easiest and least expensive option was to go with Divvy Bikes. You will find Divvy bike stations all over the city and rentals are just $10/person for 24 hours. We couldn't pass up such a good deal.

First stop of the day was Millennium Park

 If you ever visit Chicago, you can't miss a trip here, especially since it's home to CloudGate aka The Bean. Tom didn't understand the appeal at first, but I told him if you 

build shiny things…people will come!

snapshots of the windy city

We made it to Chicago!
For our summer travel plans, Chicago was at the top of our wish list, but we weren't sure if we could make it fit into our budget. Well we did-actually we stayed well under budget. Exact budget with tips coming soon, but for now, here are some highlights from our trip. 

what's in a name? dead horse point state park

Wanderlust Wednesday-Week 23

On top of hiking through all five of Utah's national parks in a week {itinerary here}, we squeezed in a few extra stops along the way. That's just what we do! One of our favorites was…Dead Horse Point State Park. Nice name right? Legend has it that a herd of wild mustangs was corralled here and then left without water, at which point they died of thirst with the Colorado River right in view. Then someone decided, hey let's take the worst thing that's ever happened here and the name the place after that. But regardless of it's name, it's a beautiful place to be.

coastal style

We ended up in Cape Ann once again and I don't think anyone could blame us. And I think you can guess that I appreciated the excuse to dress in traditional new englander coastal style. 

Shop this Look 

|| SunHat: Souvenir from Toronto [loving this cute vineyard vines derby version]|| 

|| Blouse: Anthropologie || Jeans: Articles of Society || Sandals: Sam Edelman ||

Only on the coast can you pull this off! 

why you shouldn't skip capitol reef national park

Wanderlust Wednesday-Week 22 

When comparing Utah's five national parks, people have a "don't bother" attitude when it comes to Capitol Reef National Park. And for this reason, we almost skipped it. But Capitol Reef is a national park in its own right, which means you're guaranteed an experience of a lifetime!

So in case your planning on skipping Capitol Reef…DON'T. And here's why.

You shouldn't skip Capitol Reef National Park because…everyone else does

We took our mighty five road trip, visiting all of Utah's national parks right around Memorial Day. As you might imagine, the parks were pretty crowded around this time. But, Capitol Reef was virtually empty. Because so many people skip this spot, we had the place to ourselves. If you appreciate the solitude of red majestic mountains and cascading rivers, then Capitol Reef is where you want to be. 

Gone Glamping!

Wanderlust Wednesday-Week 21
I pride myself on finding unique places to stay while we're on vacation. We typically don't spend too much time in our room, but after a full day of adventures, it's still nice to come home to something a little different than the average cookie cutter hotel. Our Southwest Road Trip was no different, with us finding places to stay that enhanced our experience. After camping at the base of a mountain in Zion and spending a night in a tipi at Bryce Canyon, we decided to try glamping. 

glamping = glamorous camping