Before we had our day of beer tasting and boat riding during our Oregon Roadtrip, we followed Fodor’s Guidebook to Lost Lake Park.  Lost Lake Park is a great weekend getaway from the Portland area.  There are hikes around the like and pretty views of Mt. Hood.

We were there in the morning but the evening sunset would have been the best time to get great views of Mt. Hood.

Prior to boarding the Sternwheeler cruise to view the Columbia River Gorge, we had an hour to kill.  Right by the boat is the Thunder Island Brewing Company.  It was about 65 degrees outside and sunny around noon.  Mom and I got a beer and cider flight and enjoyed the gorgeous views of the Columbia River Gorge while drinking our brews.

Thunder Island is a small brewery in Cascade Locks, Oregon.  They had 4 of their beers and 3 ciders on tap.  I opted for 3 beers and 1 pear cider.  Overall, the beer was okay but the views were great.

If you find yourself taking a Columbia Gorge River Cruise and have an hour to kill, stop by Thunder Island Brewing Company for a taste. After our little cruise, we were famished.

Full Sail Brewing Company is well-known for their beer and was highly rated on Yelp for their food.  I like their slogan:

I got a beer flight again.  This was was great!  The India Pale ale was my favorite but I enjoyed 5 out of the 6- success!

The star were these oven baked pretzels with beer cheese dip! They tasted like they were fried- so delicious and unhealthy.  A perfect beer accompaniment.

We are off to Portland, our last stop on our Oregon roadtrip.  Stay tuned!

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After lunch at the Village Tavern in Hammondsport, NY we drove to the West side of Lake Keuka to try one more winery.  Dr. Konstantin Frank Vinifera Wine Cellars is the most famous winery in these parts. We were there at 4pm on a Wednesday so it wasn’t too crowded.

The sparking wine here was my favorite, although they have many odd grapes.  Dr. Frank planted grapes from all over the world in around the Finger Lakes to see what would grow since it was a new crop for the region.  I tried wines made with grapes originally from Georgia (the country), Siberia, Central Europe, and more. The Georgian wine was my favorite from the unique grape category.

Again with the great views of Keuka Lake this time from the West.

BC contemplating life on Dr. Konstantin Frank Vinifera Wine Cellars’ front porch:

The car ride back to Hammondsport was adventurous. The GPS took us to  a road closed for construction so we ended up slightly lost. It was fun to look at all the lake houses and BC gained some gravel road driving experience.

The Brewery of Broken Dreams is near the downtown of Hammondsport- maybe a 2 minute drive from the square. The owners, Doug and Shelly, met us for beer flights in the adorable tasting room. This tasting ended up being my favorite of the entire trip.

Back at our first brewery stop of the trip at Heavily Brewing Company in Montour Falls one of our favorites from that tasting came from this brewery. We did not remember that until we tried it and both were “oohing” and “ahhing” over it.  I went back to my iPhone and found the names of our favorites and it was BC’s favorite and my second favorite- Floating Leaf Brown Porter Ale.

Normally I’m not a huge fan of Porters but this was really light and just amazing.  My other favorite was the Summer Blues Wheat Ale. Again, not usually a wheat beer fan but this one was a perfect summer beer.

Dave and Shelly are working hard at succeeding in the brewing field and have a delicious product.  If you are ever in the area make sure you stop by to sample the awesomeness.  We left Brewery of Broken Dreams after purchasing our own growler of the Floating Leaf Porter. Beer on the porch tonight for us.

And then it was time to eat again. Shockingly, we were hungry. Dinner was at Union Block Italian Bistro in the square of Hammondsport. I was expecting a lot because everyone we spoke with asked if we had dinner plans. When we said Union Block- everyone told us what to order and all about it’s amazingness (that is a word, right?)

The best garlic bread with real roasted garlic- we ate two baskets!

The appetizer platter- bruschetta, dolomas, sausage stuffed tomatoes, hummus and garlic crostini, and salad. The bruschetta was the bomb- I may have stolen BC’s piece :/

Again, we skipped the booze due to a growler awaiting us at the Keuka Lakeside Inn.  There was no need anyway since we stuffed ourselves.

BC ordered the amazing $14 pasta, salad, bread- all you can eat special. He ordered the rigatoni with meatballs.

I had the eggplant parmesan.  The red sauce was amazing. We brought home 90% of the pasta entrees for leftovers. Giant portions!

The rest of our evening was spent nursing our food babies along Keuka Lake at the Keuka Lakeside Inn.  The Inn had the most amazing location.  Our view:

Tomorrow we are kayaking on Keuka Lake before heading to Corning, New York- our last stop on our Finger Lakes journey.

***While our trip was sponsored, all opinions are my own!***

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The Fifth Day on RAGBRAI (Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa) was the longest ride of my itinerary and was also the hilliest. My riding group switched up today from my aunt to my high school friend Leanne and her cousins.

Read about my other days riding my bike across Iowa: Eldora, Day 4, and Day 6

Photo by Kerri

This is their first day of riding so they have fresh legs. My legs have ridden for 110 miles already and are tight, sore, and tired. After a few miles as my warm up out of Cedar Falls, I was back in action.

Overall, the 5th Day on RAGBRAI was rough.  It started out great with cool-ish temperatures at Farmer Boys with breakfast burritos and flat terrain through LaPorte City.

This group is a lot of fun to ride with during RAGBRAI. They stop often (yay breaks!) and like to carb up with beer.  Our first stop in La Porte City was a beer stop.

$2 Flat Tire special.  I love Iowa pricing!

Vinton was the main lunch spot on Day 5. Over lunch the temperature skyrocketed, the clouds disappeared, and the bicycle crowd was all here.

The lines for fun food were really long so I settles for a slice of pizza and another ice cream sandwich from Thelma’s- this one was peanut butter cookie with banana ice cream!

Trying to find some shade in a tent in Vinton.

The town after Vinton was Shellsburg. This 11.3 mile stretch between the towns was killer- nothing but hills- mostly of the uphill variety. Quite a few bikers of the 20,000 riders were complaining loudly through their huffing and puffing that they thought Iowa was flat- some of it is but not all of it!!!!

In Shellsburg, we stopped for a pickle (which is awesome on a hot day!) and some music with a side of cute ponies.

More hills and many miles later the Iowa Craft Beer Tent appeared!

Leanne, her brother, and I were leading the pack of cousins and veered off for a $5 beverage. This was an amazing multi-grain Farmer John Beer from the brewery Confluence in Des Moines. I would order this again in a second.

Tired legs that also have heat rash. Fun times.

The cousins arrived for a beverage and we gathered our strength for the remaining 5 miles into Hiawatha.

This is by far the longest ride I have ever done.  I was just bone tired by the end.  We cruised into Hiawatha for some grub and some rest before tomorrow- my last day on RAGBRAI.

73.2 miles and done!  (3 day biking total of 186.6 miles)

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The second part of my Vermont weekend adventure brought me to White River Junction, Vermont. I read about the town in Budget Travel magazine who named it one the United States “Coolest Small Towns”.

While there may a side to White River Junction I did not see, this was not my favorite stop. I arrived on a Sunday around noon and hardly anything was open. Restaurants, stores, theatres, the main attractions were all closed.

I wandered over the river into West Lebanon, New Hampshire in the hot sun to find a brewery that was open.

Seven Barrel Brewery had 8 different brews on tap so I got a 4 taste sampler. Each tasting was $1- the price was right! A couple of the beers were pretty decent- the cream blonde beer was great as was the special brown ale.  But the IPA was undrinkable- flat and blah.  Overall I’m glad I stopped in at Seven Barrel Brewery (also because nothing else was going on!).

With beer in my belly I opted for a late lunch at Cantore’s Pizza. They have pizza by the slice, whole pie, and more Italian favorites. I opted for the Chicken Bacon Ranch pizza on a Sicilian crust that was already made.  This slice of pizza pie alone may have made up for my boring day here.  I should have ordered another slice to go and had it for dinner!  If you get lost and accidentally stop in this section of New Hampshire and Vermont, find Cantore’s Pizza- muy bueno!!!

Some more wandering around in the hot sun commenced and finally I was able to check into my hotel. The Coolidge Hotel was basic but was clean.  It is the only hotel in downtown White River Junction (and one block from the Amtrak station), there are some hotel chains on the outskirts towards the interstate.

Dinner was slim pickings since it was Sunday- pizza or Mediterranean.  Cantore’s Pizza was my delicious lunch so Mediterranean was the dinner winner. It was good, not great.

Before my train left the next morning, I did have another food/restaurant winner.  The 4 Aces diner is right across the bridge from White River Junction in New Hampshire. They ran out of lobster for the lobster eggs benedict so I had the regular version which had some delicious Vermont ham on it.  Two thumbs up for breakfast!!!

White River Junction, Vermont (and West Lebanon, New Hampshire) was not all bad.  A return visit is not in the cards for me unless I happen to be on a roadtrip and feel like hitting up Cantore’s for a slice on the journey.  Not all travel experiences can be winners but always try to make the best of it!

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Planning a trip to the Finger Lakes? Here are some ideas to start the vacation planning.

1) Outdoor Sports

The Finger Lakes Region in New York is the perfect setting for outdoor sports and recreation. There is a lot going on in the summer here like:

Hiking

Hiking through the gorge at Watkins Glen State Park is a great little hike. It isn’t too strenuous, although it is uphill for the first half. You will find yourself stopping often for photos and to see where you started at the bottom.  Plan for about 90 minutes to complete the loop from bottom to top back to bottom.

Here is  a list of 76 other hiking and biking trails!

Kayaking

BC and I did some kayaking around Keuka Lake one beautiful morning. Kayaks are available from Keuka Lake Bicycle, Canoe, and Kayak Rentals for 1 person and for 2 people. Grab your waterproof camera and a life jacket.  It was a peaceful and invigorating way to start the day.

 

Fishing

The Lakes that are the Finger Lakes are filled with fish. Relax for a few hours by fishing in one of the designated areas with a charter.

Running

The Finger Lakes also has running road races during the summer months.  If you need an excuse to visit somewhere, sign up for a race! Check here, here, and here for a list. After your run you can sightsee, drinks some wine, and grab some delicious grub.

2) Drinking

The Finger Lakes is known most often as a wine region. There is good beer and food to soak up the alcohol around as well.  Don’t miss out!

Wine

There are so many wineries to choose from- so many options!!! Hopefully you are a white wine drinker but there are a few stops with good reds and sparkling wine as well. Dr. Konstantin is the most famous but Heron Hill, Atwater, Chateau LaFayette Reneau, and Domaine Leseurre are some good options.

Beer

Craft beer brewing in the Finger Lakes is alive and well.  Two of my favorite stops on this trip were to breweries: Brewery of Broken Dream in Hammondsport, NY and Heavily Brewing Company.

Don’t forget to bring home a growler or bottle or two of your favorites to enjoy during  backyard barbeque or porch sitting session.

3) Relaxing

The Finger Lakes is all about relaxing. The slow pace, winding roads, gorgeous lake and vineyard views,  and friendly natives provide the backdrop for a restful and relaxing vacation.

Bed and Breakfasts

Bed and Breakfasts are the way to go in the Finger Lakes. Find The Blackberry Inn in Watkins Glen, NY for the best breakfast at a B&B ever!

Waterfalls

There is some powerful yet peaceful about a waterfall.  The Finger Lakes area has many- some hidden, some right next to the major roads! Here is Montour Falls.

Other waterfalls to find: http://www.fingerlakes.org/things-to-do/nature-parks/waterfalls

Parks

Along many of the Finger Lakes are parks and benches made for relaxing, book reading, picnics, and thinking deep thoughts. When the time comes after the outdoor adventures when you are full of wine and food, come to a park and watch the sun set over a lake.

When planning your summer travel in the Northeast United States, consider spending a long weekend in the Finger Lakes.  There is so much to see and do that a longer trip would allow for seeing some of the lesser visited lakes, or a side trip to Corning, NY and the Corning Museum of Glass.

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Saturday was a very, very long day for me. A 4am wake up time was in order to get me to my early morning flight to Phoenix. Normal people would have gone to bed early as to not be miserably tired in the morning but I went out with my friend to Horseshoe Casino to see my favorite summer band GoGo Gadjet.

We danced, we sang, we had a good time and I was home in bed way later than I should have been. Oops!

When I arrived in Phoenix, I convinced everyone a big lunch was in order and we ended up at Haus Murphy’s, a German restaurant in Glendale.

We checked out Haus Murphy’s during Glendale Glitters- the Christmas light festival in December. My brother-in-law, sister, and nephew lived in Germany for 3 years so this family knows their German food.

Haus Murphy’s pretzels were so good, we ordered two of them with the side of cheese.  And they were giant!

I ordered the paprika schnitzel since it was the one featured on Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives. It was pretty good and was the best entrée we had on the table.

My sister ordered the goulash but the spaetzle was super-disappointing and really mushy. It is hard to find good spaetzle in the United States. The purple cabbage was really good though. Some wins at Haus Murphy’s, some losses.

My nephew went comic book shopping with his Dad so my niece and I explored the block.

Later that night, we were still full of German food and pretzels so we opted for  margaritas for dinner at RnR Gastropub for a friend’s birthday. I had the spicy mango on the left and my sister had the prickly pear on the right. The spicy one was our hands-down favorite!

On Sunday in Phoenix it was cold and pouring down rain- I guess I bring the cold weather with me where ever I go! In getting the kids ready, I told them to go grab a sweatshirt. My nephew came back wearing this- he is my favorite for the day!!! I bought him this a while ago but it was too big. I figured his Arizona Cardinal/Chicago Bear fan parents just wouldn’t let him wear it but he likes “the purple team”. What a good little nephew.

We had lunch during a giant thunderstorm (in Phoenix- so weird!) at Mellow Mushroom. This location has Moose Drool on tap, a brown Montana beer that is awesome! I can only find it out West so I had to order one. It looks dark but tastes a lot lighter.

Pizzas for us- Holy Shiitake Pie with red sauce in front and a Kosmic Karma with a yummy pesto swirl.

It has been a fun and relaxing time in Phoenix so far. The weather needs to shape up so I can get some pool time in this week!

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This is going to be an mouth-watering food and drink post! I have a bucket list of restaurants/bars that I wanted to visit and finally got down to business. Peter’s Inn and Union Craft Brewing are well-known hot spots in Baltimore. And now I can say that they are hot spots that live up to the hype.

Peter’s Inn is a rowhouse-sized restaurant that starts serving dinner at 6:30pm. On busy nights, if you aren’t there by 6pm, you will be waiting for tables to turn over. Because I’m a smarty we decided to go on a weeknight and snagged a table outside on a lovely night. The salad and garlic bread were our appetizers (we shared). Both were awesome!

I ordered the filet mignon because that is my favorite. It was like butter. Perfectly cooked to my requested medium-rare and melted in my mouth.

BC went with the rockfish which was really good too. We probably could have ordered another appetizer or dessert but it is a little pricey here so we may have eaten some gummy bears from the 711 instead.

I would definitely recommend Peter’s Inn for date night and impressing visiting foodie relatives. The menu changes weekly which is awesome and ensures fresh, in-season ingredients.

On Friday night, I convinced BC to drink beer. I really had to twist his arm (haha, not even close) to make the trip up to Union Brewing Company. Union is on the light rail train line so we did the responsible (and cheap!) thing and took public transport to drink beer.

More money for beer!

Baltimore is notorious for not having efficient public transport but this is one of the times it really worked. Union is about a half a block from the train stop- it was easy. On Fridays Union has a food truck parked outside the tasting room with a lot of picnic tables. I walked up to the food truck Well Crafted Pizza and ordered the Soppressata pizza.

The pizza was really good and was even better with Union’s Steady Eddie beer.

As it turns out, I know the owner of the Well Crafted Pizza food truck. She is also a traveler so I was shocked to see her in Baltimore-I thought she was still driving around the USA in her RV (so jealous about this). Not anymore though, they are doing the food truck thing. Which got me thinking, what kind of food truck would I have? I decided on a nacho truck since nachos and pizza are the worlds’ most perfect foods. And pizza seems hard. So a nacho food truck for me.

Reader Question: If you were starting a food truck, what kind of truck would you do?

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After a fun day and night in Great Basin National Park, the Andrea and BC roadtrip rolled into Idaho. I have been to Idaho once and didn’t really spend much time there so it was a priority to see some Idaho sights.  When one Googles “Thing to do in Idaho”, Shoshone Falls is the first thing that pops up. The pictures of Shoshone Falls, right outside of Twins Falls, Idaho looked amazing so I added it to the itinerary.

The stupid GPS took us to the wrong place but whetted our appetites with gorgeous views of the Snake River basin. Once at the entrance of Shoshone Falls finally, the man took our $3 and then told us the bad news- there was a 50/50 chance of us actually seeing water go over the falls. Apparently they were having quite the dry spell and this week was dreadful for waterfall viewing.

Bummer.

It was still a cool site even though it wasn’t everything I had hoped for. I guess Shoshone Falls has to go back on the list of places to see- this time I’ll specify during rainy season.

After our Shoshone Falls fail we drove on to spend the night in Idaho Falls, closer to our destination of Glacier National Park, albeit at least another day’s drive away. Idaho Falls was a good stop and their Wal-Mart people watching was truly astounding on a Friday night after work.

From Idaho Falls Betty (our Jucy van), BC and sped up to Kalispell, Montana. The happy part of the drive included this awesome deep fried pork chop sandwich from Freeway Tavern in Butte, Montana.  It was on Adam Richman’s Man v. Food- I love that show.

The scary part of the drive was outside Missoula, I was driving and BC was sleeping- an oil tanker truck jackknifed in front of me. I calmly cursed like a sailor avoiding the truck (that luckily did not explode)  while BC slept on. Scary stuff!

After all that I needed an adult beverage and it was my favorite time of day- happy hour! While driving down the road I veered off to Kalispell Brewing Company for a sampler tray. The two best ones were a Dunkel and a Dunkel wheat.  So different and so good. It reminded me of German beer.

We ate yak burgers at Hops- this place was hopping! At 5:10pm we snagged the last 2 seats at the bar. Apparently people line up for their yak burgers. After I devoured mine I would line up for another one too someday when I’m back in Kalispell.

Tomorrow we are off to Glacier. I’m so excited!

Reader Question: Have you ever eaten an exotic meat burger? What was your favorite?

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The Travel Bloggers Exchange (TBEX) was held this year in Hunstville, Alabama. I may have been one of the few people genuinely excited about the location because I have always wanted to go to Spacecamp and Alabama is one of the three US States I have left to visit on my quest to visit all 50.

Huntsville turned out to be a fantastic city filled with good restaurants, outdoor activities, beer, museums, and of course Spacecamp. No,  I will never shut up about Spacecamp! Read more about my time in Huntsville here and Spacecamp here.

Spacesuit selfie!

The conference itself had high points like Samantha Brown of TV travel show fame and Bruce Poon Tip, founder of G Adventures– my go-to travel company. I went to a lot of talks of travel, social media, blogging, and marketing but I also got to hear one of the head engineers at NASA talk about the upcoming manned mission to Mars- it is happening!

The nightly social gatherings at TBEX were the best we’ve had at any conference in the past.  On Night 1, the buses took travel writers, bloggers, and social media gurus to AM Booth’s Lumberyard– a converted lumberyard to event space/restaurant/music venue.  It was my favorite party venue!

I did some drinking and shooting (yikes! only with an air gun, I promise) before wandering through Unclaimed Baggage section of the party full of displays of the weird things people have left in their lost, unclaimed luggage. Alabama is home of the biggest Unclaimed Baggage Center in the US. And normal people and go there to see everything and buy random stuff!

Visiting Unclaimed Baggage would be a blast, I have a feeling.

And as always, plenty of Southern fare to soak up the delicious craft beer- Mad Malts Vanilla Porter, a beer brewed in Huntsville and my favorite of the night with some fried chicken and waffles.

The party on the 2nd night of the conference was at the amazing US Space and Rocket Center, home of Spacecamp! I had already been here for Spacecamp but this time we got to hang out after hours and eat German food. Dr. Wernher. Von Braun (of German heritage) was the head engineer of the Saturn V rocket and head of the Marshall Space Center.

The Saturn V Hall:

A party surrounded by rockets is a cool party!

In these buildings are the things that helped us get to the moon. Soon there will have to be a whole other wing to display those things that helped get us to Mars.  Mars 2020!

There was one of these at the party- I guess it really isn’t a good party until someone throws up (although I don’t think anyone did!).

It’s not a party until someone pukes! @RocketCenterUSA #tbex pic.twitter.com/mQHrDsTrjO

— Andrea On Vacation (@Andreatravels) May 6, 2017

The final night social gathering was at a place converted from an middle and high school- Campus No. 805.  Let me tell you, the bathrooms were hilarious and had the same flooring as my elementary school. My blogger friends and I had a few beers and some pizza- which I snarfed down on the bus home.

We mostly hung out in the speakeasy part of the the building which had a hidden entrance behind some lockers. Fun! There are 2 breweries and a bunch of restaurant options at Campus No. 805.

I had a fantastic time in Huntsville and would recommend that you visit if you get the chance. The US Space and Rocket Center is worth the trip alone. Combine it with eclectic Southern fare, craft beer, farmer’s markets, botanical gardens, and historic homes- you get a great bang for your travel dollar in Huntsville!

Reader Question: Where have you been lately that you were surprised about how much you enjoyed it?

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After flying into Fargo the afternoon prior, I was up at 5am to drink coffee, dress in my running gear, and catch the hotel shuttle to the Go Far Woman Run at Scheels Arena in Fargo, North Dakota. The Go Far Woman Run consisted of a half marathon, 10K, 5K, and half marathon relay, totaling 1000 runners. I signed up for the 10K.

The morning of the race it was a cool 60 degrees and sunny- the most glorious running weather I can imagine having in August. The course was really pretty through mostly parks and a few neighborhoods with Fargo residents cheering us on. I made friends with another woman who was at a similar pace and we ran about 5 miles together and finished together. My goal was to make it in under an hour- and I made it! 58:21 (9:20/mile). I was proud I went that fast without training too much and keeping up with my new friend.

There were some hunky firefighters handing out medals at the end. That was nice but I was more excited about the popsicles and water. #priorities

My race swag:

Like most people, after any run all I can think about is food. I showered up back at the Radisson in downtown Fargo and walked 2 blocks to the Red River Farmer’s Market which is my new favorite thing.

There were fruit and vegetable stands, baked goods, coffee, pickles, flowers, but most importantly food and booze stands. The food all looked so good but the minute I saw the Poke Bowl food truck, I knew I had to get one.

I went for the ahi tuna bowl and devoured the delicious tuna, avocado, seaweed salad, roe, rice, and siracha combination while sitting in a lawn chair and listened to a local songwriter/singer make lively music on the stage.

The Red River Market in Fargo also has booze stands with local vodkas, gins, wine, and beer. I hit up one of the beer stands, Drekker Brewing Company, for a tasting before deciding on the Coconut Killer IPA. It sounds horrible and I made icky faces at the guy giving me tastes of the different options because I thought I would hate it. This is why you should try everything once. Coconut Killer was fantastic.

I hung out and made a few new friends- mostly dog owners who’s dogs were trying to get to my beer and poke bowl. At this point it is 10am and I need a nap.  A 5am wakeup call, 6. 2 miles, and a beer will do that to you! Back for more from Fargo in a bit.

Reader Question; Do you judge a beer by it’s name? Would you have tried a beer called Coconut Killer IPA or passed it by?

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Friday night after work BC and I hopped a plane to London and then another to Glasgow. It was the never-ending day. After arriving in Glasgow at the Marriott hotel I booked in the City Centre we had a few hours to explore and eat before we both crashed hard from a lack of sleep. During our 5 hours in Glasgow in which we were awake, we had a great time exploring and drinking all the beer.

Buchanan Street in Glasgow is the place to be on Saturday. Tourists and local alike walked up and down the pedestrian road. There were some interesting buildings and tons of shops but we had some tourist destinations in mind so we kept walking.

At George’s Square there was a Scotland Independence Rally with music. The City Hall loomed over the rally in the beautiful square. At this point it starting raining (which is a normal thing here) so we just kept trucking to Cathedral Square in the Merchant City section of town.

In Merchant City there were a lot of awesome murals on the building walls. There was an art and design school nearby.

The medieval Glasgow Cathedral was beautiful! Actually the Glasgow Cathedral is a double cathedral with two separate church spaces.

The stained glass throughout was was favorite feature.

The Necropolis was the #2 thing to do in Glasgow and it is a little creepy but mostly just a beautiful and serene place to honor the dead. On a hill, the tombs and crypts are in different worldly styles and makes for a pleasant walk (if you can forget you are really walking through a cemetery).

On our way back to City Center hunger pains struck and who knew this was going to be the most challenging part of our day! Luckily Glasgow is with the times and offers free WIFI so I was able to search Google Maps for good places to eat nearby. We tried 3 different places with no luck- apparently everyone in Glasgow eats at 5pm on Saturday. The fourth place we tried, Brewdog Bar and Brewery had a table if we shared with others. No problem- at this point I was getting the hangries (hungry + angry).

My beer sampler was awesome as was BC’s IPA pint. I had a double IPA, grapefruit IPA, Scottish Ale (of course), and a Framboise. I loved them all except for the double IPA (too strong!) so I handed that off to BC and took a few sips of his regular IPA.

We split a burger and halloumi fries.  The burger was good but the halloumi fries were so amazing we ordered another order of them. Halloumi is cheese- so they were like mozzarella sticks but less stringy and heavy.

I was ready to fall asleep at the table (5 hours time difference plus hardly any sleep on the plane) so we grabbed our check and walked down the hopping Argyle Street.

BC and I made the most of our 5 hours in Glasgow and saw some good sights while getting a feel for the city. We are off to the Scottish countryside next!

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On Saturday the rained cleared out making way for sunny skies. Unfortunately our time in Edinburgh has come to an end and while an adventure in London is around the corner. We spent our last few hours in Edinburgh walking through New Town, giving us gorgeous views of Old Town.

The free Scottish National Gallery is a good way for an art lover to spend the morning or a non-art lover to spend 30 minutes wandering around and 30 minutes on the museum’s free WIFI. Always two thumbs up for free, working WIFI!

The gallery had some interesting works to me like the Degas’ dancers. The second floor had my favorite impressionists so after a quick look we checked our emails/Instagram and returned to the magnificent outdoors.

The Sir Walter Scott Monument sits along a promenade overlooking Old Town with a lot of good shopping across the road. I couldn’t fit the massive monument into my camera viewfinder. You can climb to the top of the tower but BC vetoed that idea immediately. I wasn’t too keen on it either but wasn’t about to tell him that

We grabbed a few beers and found an outdoor table to soak up the Vitamin D we had so been missing over the past few days. Tennent beer for me again and an Innis & Gunn IPA for him.

And just like that it was time to board our train for the 4 hours and 30 minute ride to London. Europeans do this train thing right! I love taking trains- no airport hassle and you get to see the country side. We spent about the same amount of time getting to the airport, checking luggage, flying, collecting luggage, and getting into London city would have taken.

Waiting for us in London was an awesome AirBnB (more on that later), some Baltimore friends, and sunset drinks at Tattershall Castle on the Thames River.

Photo credit: Bill

BC went to hang out and do a spooky bar crawl with some of his friends so my friends and I hit the town (until 9pm when I was back home and tired).

The view at Tattershall Castle, a boat/bar was amazing! Sunset wasn’t much because of the cloud cover but the location of this bar/boat was amazing.

Our epic UK adventure continues….

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Last weekend prior to the latest Nor’easter, my friend Rebekah and I flew to Maine to hang out in her family’s ski condo and celebrate our birthdays! Her birthday is the week before mine so she likes to get away around her birthday just like me. A few years ago we went to Napa and Sonoma and this year we went skiing.

I have not skied in 2 years at least so I was a bit nervous about keeping up with Rebekah and Kristin (her friend  from Massachusetts, that also went to wine country with us). They both are very experienced skiers while I would call myself mediocre.

My photos from this trip make it look like we did more drinking than skiing but that was because it was way to cold to whip out my camera on the slopes. The temperatures never got above 20 degrees (-7 Celsius) and the wind was whipping. The condo was ski in/out which made for moving around the mountain and taking a break to warm up very easy!

On our first day on the slopes  at Sunday River Ski Resort only 2 ski lifts out of 15 were open due to high winds. That day we stayed out for about 3 hours before we were frozen. So we had some cocktails! It was St. Patrick’s Day so technically we should have been drinking green beer or Guinness but I don’t like either of those things so I had a martini with green olives- that counts, right?

Day 2 was so much more pleasant. There was still cold and wind but all the lifts were open and making the slopes so much less crowded because we could spread out on the mountain. It was a magnificent day to ski! And I was getting better so I could keep up.

Although when they wanted to do some black diamond runs I met took a blue (intermediate) route and met them at the bottom. We had beer and chili for lunch at one of the lodges at Shipyard Brewery Restaurant for some warmth.

My favorite food experience on this trip was on one of our trips into Bethel, Maine- the nearby town with bunches of cute shops and restaurants. I had a fantastic lobster roll last time I was in town at the Sudbury Inn.

This time we went for dinner to a new restaurant recommended by the ski rental guys called Harvest Bar Eatery and Alehouse. The star were these crazy little dates stuffed with apricot goat cheese and topped with a bit of jalapenos. So interesting and delicious.

And of course, beer! The best beer I had on this trip was here too. It was called Lunch by Maine Beer Company. It is a light, not too hoppy pale ale and one I will be searching for again.

I had a fun time skiing at Sunday River. The mountain is not too big that it is annoying to get around but isn’t too small to get stuck with loads of other people. I would love to come back and improve my ski skills someday!

Reader Question: Are you a skier? Snowboarder? Hot chocolate drinker in the lodge?

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Isn’t food the best part about traveling? I guess for the few who dislike trying new things maybe not but I love new experiences and eating all the food! Bruges is full of tourists traps but getting off the beaten path a few steps opens up some great places to experience Belgian beer, cheese, waffles, and some mainland European favorites.

I found an adorable waffles café a block off the main square. Lizzie’s Wafels is known for their extra large homemade waffles. I ordered mine with a side of caramel sauce and sparkling water. You can get a lot of different toppings (all homemade) but I chose my favorite- caramel! The waffles here are very light and crispy and made for an excellent light lunch.

There are a few to-go waffle places around the main squares in Bruges. Load them up with toppings or eat them plain, there are so many options.

Tripel De Garre is a famous Belgian tripple beer that is only found on tap at De Garre, a beer hall/café. Down a narrow alley with one tiny sign you have to be able to find it if you want the taste the deliciousness that is Tripel De Garre.

There are rules that come with this beer:  3 Tripels per customer is the limit. I had one and was buzzed so I have no idea how anyone could order 3 of the 11% alcohol by volume even if you eat the accompanying cheese (best beer snack ever!) and one of the charcuterie platters offered on the small food menu.

Google Maps has replaced Yelp has my go-to app to find places to eat. I find it to be slightly more reliable and the pictures easier to access. Using Google Maps, I found an Italian place for my dinner which hit the spot.

Salad (vegetables on vacation in Belgium can be so few and far between!) and gnocchi with mushrooms.

Besides tasting amazing, the other good thing about pasta is that it reheats really well. My AirBnB in Bruges has a refrigerator, microwave, and a coffee maker (with coffee included) so it was easy to not have to eat out every single meal.

My favorite random food find was a cheese festival! I was doing some window shopping and wandering when I stumbled upon a cheese festival. They were giving out free samples, selling blocks of cheese, charcuterie, foie gras, baguettes and had food trucks selling glasses of champagne.

From the 50 or so vendors, I had a few samples and purchased a cheese and baguette for my dinner that night. Spent 5 Euros on cheese and 1 Euro on a baguette = a cheap dinner in Bruges (things are a little more expensive here!).

Finally I took a brewery tour of De Halve Mann which was recommended as the tour to take in Bruges. It was 10 Euro and informative if you are into beer.

The views from the top of the brewery were fantastic. This brewery built their own underground pipeline from the brewery to the distribution center a few kilometers away. The big joke in Bruges is that if you are lucky enough to live above the pipeline, you can stick your own tap into it. That would be pretty cool if it was true!

Also included in the tour was one Bruges Zot Blonde beer, their most popular. It was not very good. Skip this beer if you see it on a menu. Belgium has way better options out there. I’d call this the Miller Lite of Belgium.

The courtyard had a lot of other beer options and food. But this place is popular so getting an outdoor seat was difficult.

Eating and drinking in Bruges was a lot of fun. Cheese and beer galore! When I get home, I’m eating salad for a week!

Reader Question: What would be your favorite kind of food festival to accidentally wander into? Cheese, wine, and pizza festivals for me!

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With cooler temperatures and less crazy schedules, fall weekends are perfect for hiking with friends. Maryland has a lot of state parks and hiking trails that I’ve never explored.

Kilgore Falls is part of Rocks State Park and is an easy out and back hike good for families, dogs, and friends who recently got out of a boot cast after foot surgery (my friend Sharon). With all the rain we have gotten recently in Maryland the falls were very full and while crossing the stream is usually simple and not a swimming affair, today one would have gotten soaked.

(Photo by Mandy)

We saw a number of people attempted to cross and fall in so we opted to just stay on one side of Kilgore Falls. Usually there are stepping stones but they were under water.

(Photo by Mandy)

The parking lot at Kilgore Falls was packed with people waiting for spots. If you are new to hiking or not athletic at all, this is the trail for you!

(Photo by Sharon)

Since Kilgore was easy and no one had really worked up a sweat we opted to go to another hiking trail sort of nearby. I bought this awesome book in Portland, Oregon about 5 years ago. It is very strange to find a book about hiking in Baltimore in Oregon. This book was such a good purchase.

The trail we really wanted to do Rocks State Park’s White Trail Loop to the King and Queen’s Seat but Sharon’s foot was not yet ready for so we ended up on the easier Hidden Valley Trail. Deer Creek views and rock formations abound but mostly we were laughing at Terri’s little, adorable dog do weird stuff. He was extremely overjoyed during our hikes.

(Photo by Sharon)

After a few bug bites, photos, and communing with nature we hopped in my car and rode to Slate Brewery on Terri’s recommendation. I had a really good ginger pale ale but Sharon’s Apple Pie Ale was the big winner of the day.

Slate Farm Brewery has a great covered outdoor space that is a fantastic was to spend a Saturday afternoon. Go check them out if you are in the area.

All in all it was a fun, fall Saturday with friends!

Reader Question: What is your favorite fall outdoor activity? Pumpkin patches, hiking, breweries, apple picking???

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Riga, Latvia is a small city with a lot of fun options for food, drink, and culture. While I was in Riga in November I did a beer tour in the Beer District (they have a beer district!), a food tour to the gigantic Riga Central Market, and an art tour to different museums and galleries.

The Riga Central Market is made up of many old Zeppelin/blimp hangers and each building holds specific food stalls. There are specific areas for fish, meat, produce, bread and all things pickled.

All the pickled things we tasted (cucumbers, cabbage, garlic, krauts, beets, and more) were delicious along with some local mustards, jams, bread, and honey.

We spoke with some locals (through an interpreter) who told us about the history of the food and any stories they had to share. It was a fun experience.The Central Market is an easy way to spend an hour or two. There is a lot both inside and outside of the zeppelin hangers. There were more places on the food tour but this was by far my favorite stop.

In spite of being under the Iron Curtain for decades, some of the Old World architecture survived. Granted there are some Communist-style block buildings but they are few and far between in the central/more touristy part of Riga.

Flowers are also a big part of Riga culture. There are flower stands everywhere and having fresh flowers is a big thing here.

Since it was the Women in Travel Summit, we supported a lot of women-run businesses like this art gallery whose photography exhibit featured shots from a youth camp. Riga is pretty progressive but a lot of males we spoke to definitely said some off-handed remarks disparaging women in the workplace. As if we needed a reminder that the world has a long way to go.

Despite the sour taste of misogyny, the rest everything I experienced in Riga was pretty great. From wine to architecture, the small city of Riga has a lot to offer.

My last night in Riga before heading off to Vienna, I spent with a fun group walking through the beer district trying all sorts of beers and beer snacks.

Riga is not a very crowded place during the week in the off-season. Most of the breweries were about half full so we got a some good service.

And of course we had a lot of pickled snacks.

Mostly it was cool to see parts of Riga, mostly deserted, that were not anywhere near the touristy spots.

On my very last day in Riga, the sun finally came out! Yay!

I had yet to get a good photo of the cutest little restaurant in Old Town. 10 other tourists and I worked together to stay out of the way while taking our own shots. Restaurant 1221 supposedly has really good food (although pricey for Riga).

I’m very happy with my decision to attend the Women in Travel Summit in Riga because I got to explore a great Baltic city I never would have traveled to otherwise. Someday if you make it to this part of the world, hop on a cheap Air Baltic flight and check out Riga for a few days, tasting all the beer and get to daily steps in walking around the charming Old Town.

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Oahu is the most populated and most popular vacation destination of the Hawaiian islands. After a week on the Big Island of Hawaii, we were ready for some more dining, shopping, and sandy beaches. Oahu really has it all!

If off-the-beaten-path and few crowds is your jam, drive up to the North Shore of Oahu, specifically Haleiwa. The uncrowded, gorgeous sand beaches provide ample beach blanket space to marvel at the surfers tackling the giant waves.

The North Shore is known for having monstrous winter waves and daredevil surfers. While not good for the average swimmer, it is my preferred locale for people/surf watching.

Both Mom and I decided that next time we are on Oahu we will be staying for a few days on the North Shore and a few days on Waikiki. This trip we spend every night on Waikiki while venturing out around in the island in our rental car a few times.

We sprung for an upgraded room with a balcony overlooking the ocean and that was the best vacation decision we made this trip. I spent many a night out there, particularly at sunset.

The Hilton Hotel on Waikiki Beach also has Friday night fireworks every week. You just show up on the beach a few minutes before and they last about 10 minutes. It was a very cool, family-friendly activity.

My favorite thing we did on Waikiki is a little strange. I fell in love with the small outdoor market that took place outside a nearby bank on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. There were so many yummy treats for sale for a decent price (Hawaii is expensive so it is relative). Malasaladas are fruit filled doughnuts of deliciousness.

I also had many papaya salads, fresh cut pineapple and mango, as well as pad Thai and some eggrolls. Take them with you to the beach to watch the sunset. Sunset time is strolling around time here.

On the nights when the outdoor food market was not running,  I mostly stuck to poke bowls, grilled fish (usually in taco form), shrimp, Kona coffee and some local beers.

If I lived on an Hawaiian diet for the rest of my life, I would be a happy person.

Maui Brewing company had some interesting beers. And their restaurant was a pretty good backdrop for happy hour followed by sunset.

One morning I woke up bright and early to catch the sunrise on Diamondhead Mountain. The hike up is steep but isn’t too bad. With a lot of breaks, anyone can do most of it (or enough of it to get the gist and views). It was a gorgeous morning.

Definitely make the effort to hike up one morning as early as possible, before it gets hot and before it gets too crowded along the trail. I took my hotel’s first shuttle and was very happy with my early morning views.

While I think Kauai remains in my top spot for favorite Hawaiian Island, Oahu is a close second. You can get everything here- quiet towns, fine dining, food trucks, markets, and great beaches but you will have to deal with quite a lot of traffic. Inter-island flights make it easy to hit a few islands and experience all that Hawaii has to offer.

When the time comes to travel again, keep Hawaii at the top of your list!

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