Pining for the Fjords

What about Part Two ? In last week's blog, Chris and I spent some time wandering the outdoors (at Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area ), watching the Super Bowl , and eating amazing food (at Bazaar Meat ). Visiting the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere On Monday morning (Valentine's Day, for those of you keeping track), we woke up at the Signature by MGM in Las Vegas; we made ourselves another breakfast of granola, blueberries, and yogurt parfaits, and before too long, we were checking out and loading up the truck to head out of town.  Following quick stops at the UPS Store to mail my fancy dresses back to the fine folks at Rent the Runway  and a gas station to fill up the tank, it was out of the Vegas area for us, heading further northwest into a whole lot of nothingness toward our next destination - Death Valley National Park . Some of the aforementioned nothingness -  aren't the erosion lines on the mountain cool? Despite spending lots of time in the arid, h

Did you read Part One ?   In last week's blog, I discussed the first stage of our recent road trip, leaving home and arriving in Las Vegas, where we visited Lost Spirits Distillery and ate dinner at China Poblano . Posing at one of the stops along the scenic drive inside Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area Despite being incredibly comfy in our room at the Signature at MGM Grand , I didn't sleep super well, likely from having too many sips of over-proofed spirits the day before (worth it).  Thankfully, since we got a great deal on the one-bedroom suite, I had an actual living room to relax and read in while I waited for Chris to wake up, rather than the floor of the bathroom, as is my normal practice when we're traveling.  Once Chris awoke, we made coffee/chai and had blueberry yogurt granola parfaits for breakfast, enjoying the ability to sit at a real dining room table and savor the morning while watching planes land at the airport. Finished, we suited up in hiking

Knowing me as you do, you're probably not too surprised that before we even went on our mid-November New Mexico excursion, I'd already planned another big RV trip for us, to occur in mid-February.  We had a great route planned - we'd drive to just west of the Las Vegas strip to camp near Red Rock Canyon , stay for a few days, and then drive through Death Valley National Park on the way to Paso Robles, California for some wine tasting.  After a few days in Paso, we'd head south to Malibu, as there's an amazing RV park  there, perched right above the Pacific Coast Highway/US 1 (overlooking the Pacific Ocean) where we've always wanted to say.  After one quick night in Palm Springs, we'd head home again to reunite with our monkeys.   Well, as I mentioned in last week's  blog , Arlene the RV is currently out of commission due to a bent axle (boo!); however, we decided to still go on our road trip anyway (hooray!).  After the January we endured, we were more