U.S Travels

Snow-Birding in Arizona Part II: Nature

By anomadlife on March 22, 2017 • ( 0 )

One of the most interesting and rewarding things about traveling west is observing how much the terrain changes in relation to elevation. On our way north from Phoenix to Flagstaff to the Grand Canyon, we saw the landscape change from jagged, barren mountains to… Read More ›

Snow-birding in Arizona, Part I

By anomadlife on March 10, 2017 • ( 1 )

A few years ago, I wrote a bit about my initial observations of the American Southwest; I was floored by the nature but not all that impressed by Phoenix, the city I spent most of my time in. Maybe it’s… Read More ›

A Weekend in Trump and Bernie’s America

By anomadlife on March 2, 2017 • ( 2 )

The weekend of January 20th was to be the moment I finally learned to embrace winter. Gone would be the sun-deficiency induced darkness that dramatically pervades my being somewhere in mid-December. No more winter blues inspiring deluded fantasies of moving to Dallas or… Read More ›

White River National Forest and Dinosaur National Monument

By anomadlife on March 30, 2016 • ( 3 )

This past summer, my husband and I visited lots of National Parks Sites: White River National Forest, Dinosaur National Monument, Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone National Park, with long drives through Ashely, Custer and Gallatin National Forests. What can… Read More ›

The Beartooth Highway

By anomadlife on March 23, 2016 • ( 3 )

I’m having nomadic withdrawals right now and fantasizing about a life on the road; since I can’t actually go anywhere at this particular moment, I thought it would be a good time to relive my Rocky Mountain 2015 summer vacation… Read More ›

Experiment in Cold Weather Camping

By anomadlife on January 4, 2016 • ( 3 )

I wanted to start the New Year off on the right foot, surrounded by beautiful scenery, so I told my boyfriend we should try winter camping. Also, I tend to go into somewhat of a depression in winter, so I’m… Read More ›

Rural Virginia, River Fishing and Waterfalls

By anomadlife on September 8, 2015 • ( 2 )

When I was in Montana a few months ago, I felt like I’d arrived in a land where you could theoretically do whatever you felt like doing, few questions asked. It’s an immense, mountainous place where the largest “city” has just over 100,000… Read More ›

Whisky, Kitsch and Mountains

By anomadlife on September 3, 2015 • ( 3 )

This past Saturday I went to Sperryville with my family, a tiny town (population 342) just outside Shenandoah National Park. I like this town because it doesn’t let its small size get in the way of fancy-sounding attractions. This is… Read More ›

In Preparation for Yellowstone

By anomadlife on May 29, 2015 • ( 4 )

I’m going on vacation to Colorado, Wyoming and Montana this summer, which means I’ll be doing a lot of hiking and camping because this is an outdoorsy-type vacation. I’ve been walking a lot to prepare for this trip, but it turns out that… Read More ›

I Spent Thanksgiving in Cactus Siberia

By anomadlife on December 5, 2014 • ( 6 )

Over Thanksgiving, I went to Phoenix to visit my uncle and grandma. I made the following observations: 1.) As a city, Phoenix kind of sucks. Not that it’s a bad place to live….there’s nice weather half the year, you can… Read More ›

A Weekend Among Leaves, in Pictures

By anomadlife on October 19, 2014 • ( 5 )

One of the best things about living in Virginia is great fall foliage. This past weekend I convinced my brother to join me for a short fall tour of central Virginia and we headed southwest to the great town of… Read More ›

Long Time No Blog: Madison/Milwaukee

By anomadlife on September 19, 2014 • ( 3 )

It’s been a while since I’ve blogged. While I was gone I took a few vacations (Lake Anna, Wisconsin, New York) and got my own place. I’ll write more about that later, but for now, a few pictures of my… Read More ›

Detroit: Garden of Earthly Disappointments?

By anomadlife on July 30, 2014 • ( 4 )

This past weekend I went to visit a friend in Detroit. I’ve been vaguely intrigued by Detroit’s story of lost grandeur for several years now, and it was so interesting to see this once great American city up close and… Read More ›

From Boyaca to Bogota to Warren to D.C

By anomadlife on July 22, 2014 • ( 4 )

Last Saturday was my sister’s bridal shower and my aunt brought some old-timey photos to share with the family. A while back, I posted some pictures of my maternal grandparents in 1950s and 60s Bogotá. Well today I thought I’d share… Read More ›

West Virginia

By anomadlife on June 5, 2014 • ( 8 )

When you live in a place like the D.C area, you sometimes forget that the vast majority of the country feels very different. In some ways, D.C is a bubble: Relatively wealthy, highly educated, opportunities for most (arguably), culture, sophistication,… Read More ›