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U.S. Road Trip Re-Cap: Week Eight (North Dakota back to Chicago)

North to South U.S. road trip recap week eight

North to South U.S. road trip recap week eight

Rounding out our second month on the road, we started week eight by finishing off our northern U.S. 5-park circle. After visiting Badlands, Yellowstone, Grand Teton and Glacier National Parks the previous week, we found that Theodore Roosevelt National Park — a park we’d never heard of until we spotted it on the map — was an unexpected gem of wildlife large and small.

Once we’d had our fill of bison and prairie dogs, we headed back toward the Windy City, paying a brief visit to one of my oldest friends along the way, and returned to Chicago just in time to celebrate the 4th of July with a totally unique fireworks viewing experience from the Chicago river.

Note: I’m still catching up on our weekly road trip re-caps! This one covers June 28 – July 5.  Continue reading “U.S. Road Trip Re-Cap: Week Eight (North Dakota back to Chicago)”

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Things to Do Year-Round in and Around Anchorage (Alaska, USA)

Things to Do Year-Round in Anchorage, Alaska on NorthToSouth.us

Things to Do Year-Round in Anchorage, Alaska on NorthToSouth.us

Alaska is a BEAUTIFUL state. In fact, it’s one of my absolute favorite states from our entire 2015 50-state quest. And there are a lot of things to do, even if you’re visiting outside of the summer “tourist” season.

The most popular tourist season in Alaska is summer, with a secondary season in winter, but the time in between — the “shoulder” seasons — can seem pretty dead. That 28-glacier cruise only runs May through September. Dog-sledding tours near Anchorage don’t run in fall or spring. And even the expensive polar bear excursions up north shut down post-summer. There’s a lack of demand, so yes, the big tour companies that rely on big numbers shut down when the crowd thins, but there is still PLENTY to do in this awesome state outside the major tour company offerings.

We’re currently in the midst of a two-week “offseason” trip to Anchorage — the last week of October and first of November — and we haven’t run out of things to do yet. Here’s a list of our favorites so far:  Continue reading “Things to Do Year-Round in and Around Anchorage (Alaska, USA)”

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U.S. Road Trip Re-Cap: Week Seven (Wyoming to Alberta)

North to South U.S. road trip recap week seven

North to South U.S. road trip recap week seven

Week seven was by far one of the most memorable weeks on our road trip. I can’t believe how much we saw in one week! Oodles of wildlife, gorgeous sunrises, and even the Northern Lights — all the way down in Yellowstone National Park (they’re not usually visible so far south).

Somehow we managed to visit FOUR national parks all in one week. And despite late night Milky Way photo sessions, we managed to wake up before dawn TWICE to witness the gorgeous sunrises Yellowstone has to offer. If you’ve never seen Yellowstone yourself, add it to your bucket list NOW. And in the meantime, you can drool a bit over these photos!

Note: I’m still catching up on our weekly road trip re-caps! This one covers June 20-27.

Continue reading “U.S. Road Trip Re-Cap: Week Seven (Wyoming to Alberta)”

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The Best and Worst Rides and Attractions at Universal Studios Florida

Best Rides and Attractions at Universal Studios Florida

Best Rides and Attractions at Universal Studios Florida

Universal, Disney, Six Flags… growing up I visited ALL the theme parks. I was the kid who re-rode the Ninja (a relatively intense Six Flags St. Louis coaster) as many times as I could.

As an adult, I still enjoy an annual dose of theme park but am now far less concerned with the number of rides I can rack up in one visit. These days I’m more intrigued by the overall atmosphere and experience. So, being a diehard Harry Potter fan AND a long-time theme park goer, Universal Studios was on our to-do list when our U.S. road trip took us to Florida earlier this month.

Below are our top ten rides and attractions from our 2-day park-to-park Universal adventure. Continue reading “The Best and Worst Rides and Attractions at Universal Studios Florida”

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Featured Travel Couple: Chris Tyre and Ismary Torres [Interview 6]

Nomadic Travel Couple Interview Series on North to South

Nomadic Travel Couple Interview Series on North to South

It takes courage to quit a stable job and head out into the unknown. And it can take even more to do it without someone to hold your hand. So far in our interview series we’ve met couples who’ve decided to take the leap together — with the support of the other the whole way. But now you’re about to meet two travelers who did it alone! Their individual courage ultimately brought them together — you might say it was fate! — but these two individuals were successfully traveling solo before they met. Chris Tyre of Chicago, Illinois and Ismary Torres of Barcelona, Venezuela are proof that you can do this alone… and that you can meet amazing people (even that special someone) along the way.

Want to hear their story? Let’s begin with how these (formerly) solo travelers recently joined forces… just a few months back! Continue reading “Featured Travel Couple: Chris Tyre and Ismary Torres [Interview 6]”

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U.S. Road Trip Re-Cap: Weeks Four, Five & Six (Illinois to South Dakota)

North to South U.S. road trip recap weeks four, five and six

North to South U.S. road trip recap weeks four, five and six

After completing our third week on the road in the U.S. this summer, we decided it was time for a little breather. We departed St. Louis at the beginning of week four and then pressed the pause button when we reached Chicago. And there we stayed, visiting my twin brother, for the first two and a half weeks of June.

Despite growing up in St. Louis, I’d never visited the nearby Windy City ’til now. And what an awesome place it turned out to be! So much so that we decided we’d return to Chicago for an even longer break after our upcoming national park loop. We finished off this three-week period in Badlands National Park, where we found unique erosion-formed landscapes, plentiful prairie dogs, and the craziest (and unexpected) storm we’ve ever experienced! (You don’t want to miss that video.)

Note: Since we paused for so long in Chicago, this recap covers weeks four through six of our U.S. road trip. And I’m still catching up on our weekly road trip re-caps! This one covers May 30 – June 19.

Continue reading “U.S. Road Trip Re-Cap: Weeks Four, Five & Six (Illinois to South Dakota)”

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Featured Travel Couple: Amy Dresser and Nathan Hartle of Two Drifters [Interview 5]

Travel Couple Interview Series on North to South Featuring Amy Dresser and Nathan Hartle

Travel Couple Interview Series on North to South Featuring Amy Dresser and Nathan Hartle

Meet Amy Dresser and Nathan Hartle: writers, travelers, and recently-engaged lovers (Congrats, you two!) behind Two Drifters.

As any nomad will tell you, sustainable travel is NOT about saving up money in advance. Sure, you should save a little, but more importantly, reducing your daily expenses will make the biggest impact on your success as a full-time traveler. And as you’ll discover, Amy and Nathan have that ALL figured out.  Find out how this pair of digital nomads achieved location independence without even planning on it in our interview below. But first, let’s let them introduce themselves!  Continue reading “Featured Travel Couple: Amy Dresser and Nathan Hartle of Two Drifters [Interview 5]”

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A Traveler’s Review of the GoPro HERO4 Session (and 5 Reasons to Choose It Over the Black and Silver)

GoPro HERO4 Session: A Traveler's Review

GoPro HERO4 Session: A Traveler's Review

Compact: check. Lightweight: check. Waterproof: check.

These are three VERY important characteristics when it comes to a travel camera (and three key areas where the Session beats the other GoPro cameras HANDS DOWN). However, there are several GoPro options available today, and it can be tricky to determine which one to choose.

We spent the last month testing out the new GoPro HERO4 Session (on loan courtesy of B&H Photo), and [SPOILER ALERT] we liked it! But is the GoPro HERO4 Session the best GoPro camera choice for you? Let’s find out!  Continue reading “A Traveler’s Review of the GoPro HERO4 Session (and 5 Reasons to Choose It Over the Black and Silver)”

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Featured Travel Couple: Jenia Ustinova and Sergey Guryakov of House to Laos [Interview 4]

Travel Couple Interview Series on North to South Featuring Sergey and Jenia of House to Laos

Travel Couple Interview Series on North to South Featuring Sergey and Jenia of House to Laos

Meet Jenia and Sergey, the location-independent pair behind House to Laos!

If there’s one thing I’ve personally learned from our travel couple interview series so far, it’s that everyone’s situation is unique. And this is a story we certainly haven’t heard yet. While most full-time travelers almost entirely give up life as they know it at home, Sergey and Jenia have proven that location independence is possible while also owning a home! So for you homeowners out there with traveling dreams: it IS possible. Read on to find out how!  Continue reading “Featured Travel Couple: Jenia Ustinova and Sergey Guryakov of House to Laos [Interview 4]”

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[VIDEO] Just Released: Burning Man 2014 Caravansary — Now Who’s Ready for Burning Man 2015?

Burning Man 2014 video by Ian Norman

A year has passed since last year’s burn, so it was high time we buckled down and finally edited our footage from Burning Man 2014. And with Burning Man 2015 starting tomorrow, maybe the timing is perfect after all. Hope you enjoy!

Burning Man 2014 Video by Ian Norman

Cameras: Sony a7S | Sony a6000

Lenses: Sony E 20mm f/2.8 | Voigtlander 21mm f/4 Color Skopar | Voigtlander 40mm f/1.4 Nokton

Unfortunately, we somehow lost one of our memory cards last year, so we’re missing out on some memories, but I think we still had a good amount left. Don’t you? Continue reading “[VIDEO] Just Released: Burning Man 2014 Caravansary — Now Who’s Ready for Burning Man 2015?”