I’ve been back in San Francisco for two months now and almost fully recovered from my ankle injury from Peru, which means the next adventure is on the horizon. Halfway through my South American trip my boyfriend Ben emailed me late one night informing me he was ready to leave his company and wanted to travel with me. My stories of roaming across Colombia coupled with a less than stellar bonus in 2012 made him rethink things. We’re young, unmarried, have no mortgage, no children. Why not take a break to travel together?

We’re selling most of our possessions and getting rid of the apartment. In less than a month we’re packing up the Subaru with camping gear and summer clothes to hit the road. Armed with our National Parks pass and a need for adventure we’re driving across the US with my dog Lexie.

If you are not willing to risk the unusual, you will have to settle for the ordinary – Jim Rohn

States/Places we’re planning to visit:

Yosemite National Park

Northern California

Oregon

• Crater Lake
• Bend
• Williamette Valley
• Portland
• Columbia River Gorge

Washington

• Mt. Rainier
• Seattle
• Olympic National Park
• Orcas Island

Vancouver/Victoria, BC

Idaho

Montana

• Glacier National Park
• Big Sky

Wyoming

• Yellowstone National Park
• Grand Teton National Park

Utah

• SLC
• Arches National Park
• Bryce Canyon
• Zion

And yes, I’ve been influenced by the commercials!

Colorado

• Boulder
• Aspen
• Vail
• Denver
• Great Sand Dunes National Park

Alabama

• My hometown Mobile!

Louisiana

• New Orleans
• Baton Rouge

June 3rd marks the beginning of our journey in California’s first State Park turned National Park, Yosemite. Four days of backcountry camping in Tuolumne Meadows will be my longest backcountry camping experience to-date.

After the trip we have no plans.  South East Asia? South America (again)? Move back to San Francisco? We’ll cross that bridge when we get there!

So what are we missing? I’m looking for must see places, restaurants, campgrounds, hotels, etc.