Dublin was the launching point for the 3 week journey we planned for exploring Ireland, first by narrow boat on the River Barrow, then by car around the southern coast. Upon arrival, we headed straight to the Old Jameson Distillery to properly enable vacation mode. The tasting room space had changed significantly since our visit in 2015, much larger, and able to accommodate a much higher volume of tourist traffic. After a quick “tour” (there’s not actually any distilling happening here, but there is a rich history), our gang settled in for a couple of drinks before parting ways to explore our own unique points of interest. A cab driver dropping us off at our hotel tipped us off to the beautiful gardens at the Irish Museum of Modern Art, just across the street, so we decided to check them out. The museum was built on the historic grounds of the Royal Hospital Kilmainham, and very close to the Old Gaiol (just across the street from our hotel), which we had toured on our last visit. It was fun to explore and soak up even more history to add on to what we had learned on that great tour of the Gaiol. Along the path to the garden, we passed two small cemeteries: Bully’s Acre, and the Officers’ Burial Ground, where gravestones date back to the 1600’s. The gardens, originally designed in the 18th century, have been lovingly restored to resemble their original design, and are a lovely spot for a sunny afternoon stroll! There really is so much to explore & learn in Dublin, but we were just there for 24 hours (this time), with much more of Ireland to see! See the rest of my highlights from our Ireland adventures: Part 1 of 6: Dublin Part 2 of 6: River Barrow by Narrowboat Part 3 of 6: Cork City, Cobh, and Spike Island Part 4 of 6: Galway and Cliffs of Moher Part 5 of 6: Dingle Peninsula, Killarney, and Ring of Kerry Part 6 of 6: Bantry, Kinsale, and Kilkenny
Read MoreMonhegan Island Getaway
Back to Monhegan for the first time in a couple of years for a quick getaway!
Read MoreLake Powell
Lake Powell was so much more of an “experience” than I ever imagined it could be. Landscapes that were other-worldly, and time with friends that will live in my memories for a long time to come! We lucked out (big-time) with great weather for an early November houseboat trip, and enjoyed clear skies, warm air, and calm waters the entire week. Having started our trip at the southern end of the lake (in Paige AZ) via 50 foot houseboat, we managed to make our way all the way up toward Rainbow Bridge National Monument over the course of a few days. The actual approach to the national monument via water was nail-bitingly narrow in many places, and our trusty captain, Steph navigated it like she had lived on this boat all of her life. I managed to capture a two minute time lapse of the ride:
Read MoreSan Juan River
Snippets from our adventure, as we ran the San Juan river in Utah, a trip to celebrate our friend Mary Whited’s birthday. One of the more unique moments: a special visit by a very friendly wild turkey during one of our lunch breaks on the beach below Honaker! And I can’t resist including this clip of the birthday girl running Government Rapid! A post shared by Kristel Hayes (@kristelhayes) on Nov 13, 2016 at 4:16pm PST
Read MoreUtah Road Trip: Dinosaur Tracks, Petroglyphs & Cedear Breaks National Monument
On par with our usual tradition of planning a little adventure before the Outdoor Retailer show, we hit the road to see a few of the many places in Utah we still had yet to explore. This trip, we found dinosaur tracks and ancient petroglyphs at Parowan Gap, and had a fun day trip through Cedar Breaks National Monument. We had heard that Cedar Breaks was like a “mini Bryce Canyon”, and as soon as we hit Chessemen Ridge Overlook, the resemblance was obvious. After taking in that spectacular view, we headed up the road for a quick hike along Alpine Pond trail, where I spent (probably way too much) time watching the bees keep busy on the various flowers along the trail. Our hike was shortened by the sound of thunder in the distance, and were grateful to be cozy & safe in our car when a massive hail storm blew over us!
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