Tag: Camping
Camping in Brevard, North Carolina
This past summer I went on a spontaneous camping trip with my father to Brevard, North Carolina. The quaint town sits just at the edge of a national park, and my dad had been excited to try out some of the new camping gear he had recently acquired.
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Pick Your Paradise: Experience Bali at 3 Incredible Hotels
Bali is a name synonymous with island bliss. But there is more than just one side to this incredible place. Get a sense for the variety of experiences Bali offers by learning about three hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy® with distinctive opportunities for adventure and relaxation. With the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Card, earn points for free nights at each of these properties.
Big Trees, Big Skies
For the second installment of “Where Did Maria Go?”, I take you to one of California’s most stunning national parks, Sequoia. Did you know the Sequoia redwood was named after Sequoya (a.k.a. George Guess, 1760–1843), a Cherokee man who invented a system of writing his people’s language? Some internet sources say the word sequoia means "sparrow," but I also saw "hog," so I’ll have to confirm with someone of the Cherokee Nation. Aside from my fascination with etymology, I love nature and the great outdoors. I am a proud National Parks passport holder and own a mug with the famous John Muir quote, “The mountains are calling and I must go.”
Great Smoky Mountains
Henry David Thoreau once said, “I took a walk in the woods and came out taller than the trees.” There is no better ‘woods’ to walk in than the Great Smoky Mountains, a mountain range rising along the Tennessee and North Carolina border. The range is sometimes called the Smoky Mountains and/or commonly shortened to the Smokies. It is home to Great Smoky Mountain National Park, and with more than 11 million visitors per year, it is the most visited national park in the United States. The mountains are part of an International Biosphere Reserve. It consists of 187,000 acres of old-growth forest, constituting the largest such stand east of the Mississippi River. The Great Smokies have also been designated a UNESCO World Heritage site.
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Remarkable Medellín
Visiting Medellín in Colombia: The Country of Beauty is like stepping into a fantastic story — literally, as the city in the Western Colombian Andes region inspired Disney’s Encanto. Here, valleys, the world’s tallest palms, vibrant communities, colorful houses, garden-like balconies and more prove reality is more picturesque than anything on film. And it’s especially more tempting following Medellín’s remarkable transformation, shedding its troubled past and reawakening as a city of innovation, art, cultural richness, modern infrastructure, thriving tourism and resiliency.
Paws Up in the Big Sky
Last week I took a much-needed vacation to somewhere I’ve never been before but have heard about for years: Montana. The Big Sky, roaming bison and utter quiet compared to the hustle of Los Angeles were such draws, and they surpassed all my expectations.