United States

Flagstaff Extreme Adventure Course

arizona, Blog, International Travel, Nature, United States

How does one write a travel blog during a pandemic? The question of travel bloggers everywhere. I guess I could have spent time catching up on dozens of past adventures that I *intended* to write about, but instead I’ve been working on other projects– namely, finishing my novel.

HOWEVER, now that things are starting to open, I have been able to get out and do some fun things in Northern Arizona, where it isn’t a hundred bazillion degrees outside.

You think I’m exaggerating, but seriously, once it hits 115 degrees, you can’t even tell when it gets hotter anymore.

The good thing about living in Phoenix is that I can escape bad weather with a two-hour drive. My parents treated my family to trips up north in August, TWICE. A glorious reprieve.

While in Flagstaff, I finally had the chance to try the Flagstaff Extreme Adventure Course. There are actually two options for adults: The Zip Line and the Adult Adventure Course. I got to try both!

Zip Line

The Zip Line was so fun! This course offers dozens of zips, and one is so long you can’t even see the end through the trees. I love the feeling of being high up, so this was a lot of fun for me. If you’re nervous, though, never fear– you’re connected by two strong clips at all times.

My foster son, R, and I doing the Zip Line Course

Fun fact– this is the largest zip line course in the Western U.S.

Also– how many gnomes can you find hiding in the trees?

Adult Adventure Course

There are five levels to this course, and one guide told me (after I fearlessly leapt to a rope that swung me into a giant net) that only 25% of people actually finish all five. Can you do it?

My husband, Ben, and I. And yes, I chose that shirt on purpose.

The beginning of this course is really easy, aside from crawling through a hanging barrel. But it does get harder. And higher. There’s even some bouldering involved!

I liked the Adult Adventure Course best. It’s focused on challenge, rather than just fun. But both were a lot of great! Definitely something I’d do again.

COVID Precautions

The Flagstaff Extreme Adventure Course’s COVID precautions were appropriate. Everyone on staff wore a mask and the facility was clean. Guests were encouraged to social distance and avoid going in the building, except to use the restroom. We were allowed to take off our masks once we got in the trees, but each party had to stay on separate platforms. You will be touching things other people touched, but I wasn’t too worried about it since it was outside in the sunlight. I just didn’t touch my face and washed my hands after.

I totally recommend this! I was born in Flagstaff and lived there for several years. I’ve been to all the touristy things within two hours. This one is one of my favorites.

Nearby Attractions:

Wupatki National Monument

The Grand Canyon

Sunset Crater

Wupatki National Monument

arizona, Blog, International Travel, United States

It’s high time I invited you to my favorite place in the world (outside of Sint Maarten, of course). If you’ve ever spent a significant amount of time in Arizona, you know that Great State Forty-Eight has a lot to offer in the way of hidden roadside treasures. My absolute favorite is Wupatki National Monument.

A couple of years ago, Ben and I took a road trip from Phoenix to Page, which is north of the Grand Canyon on the border of Utah. Along the way, we stopped at several ancient Native American dwellings. I wrote about Palatki, but we also stopped at Wupatki during that trip. This year, I decided to introduce my sister, Kaylee, to Wupatki.

Wupatki is one of those amazing places that doesn’t get the attention it deserves, which makes it even better, because you don’t have to share it with seven million tourists and busload of field-trippers. In fact, it’s so out-of-the-way that you might drive by it on the highway every weekend and never pay attention to the turnoff signs.

However, once you do make that trip deep into the high desert wilderness, you’ll be amazing to walk through the remains of some of Arizona’s oldest civilizations. The history value is incredible– and the Instagram factor isn’t bad, either!

There are many pueblos in Wupatki, and you can see several of them at five stopping points along the loop that takes you through the monument. My favorite is Wupatki Pueblo, a huge, multi-family complex that includes natural air conditioning (you have to see it to believe it) that comes from a hole in the ground.

Cooling off with natural air conditioning

In addition to the big pueblo, you can visit other stops within the monument to walk through houses built over a box canyon, climb inside a medium pueblo with a stunning view, and hike to a hilltop neighborhood.

The best part, to me, is getting out to a place where all you can hear is the sound of the wind over the wilderness, where animals rule the landscape, and where whispers of the past rise like smoke from the crumbling remains of mysterious ancient dwellings.

As an aside, I would encourage you to visit my sister’s blog. She talks about faith and hope in the midst of navigating life as a 23-year-old widow.

Click here for Kaylee’s blog.

Fried Prickly Pear Cactus

arizona, Blog, Cooking, International Travel, Nature, Uncategorized, United States

So, I got heat stroke yesterday. And it was more frightening than the time I almost wrecked myself on sharp rocks while surfing.

A word to the wise: the elements generally win.

So, what was I doing to incur the wrath of the Arizona sun? I was spending an hour and a half cleaning up my front yard. Yup, that’s all it takes in the summer, apparently.

I was also gathering the ingredients to make fried prickly pear for lunch, which actually turned out pretty decently!

I have always tried to appreciate the food that grows in my own backyard, no matter how unexpected. In the Caribbean, I used to fish and gather food like moringa, tamarind, sea grapes, and coconuts (well, Ben climbed for the coconuts and got most of the fish…)

Sea Grapes in Anguilla

Here, the food is less obvious but still there. In my yard, I can eat three varieties of cactus fruit and two varieties of prickly pear.

I used this recipe. Here are the steps in photos:

Prickly Pear paddles have a lemony taste
You can also eat the fruit. They make good jams.
Leather gloves are a good idea for this step.
Watch out for tiny thorns at the base of the bigger spines
Boiling and then frying tastes better than grilling, IMO
Cheese and onions to stuff it!
Fry in olive oil and pretend it’s healthy
Voila!

I don’t recommend using this type of prickly pear if you have options. The kind without thorns is a lot better. I did stick myself pretty bad, and Ben stepped on one thorn that I dropped. You can buy thorn-free paddles from the store if you don’t grow them. Phoenix Wal-Marts often carry them, and Mexican food stores sell them in other areas.

This was a pretty good lunch. Not amazing, but edible. And sort of a bucket-list item and bragging point. And let’s be honest– who doesn’t want a photo like this on their Instagram? So #trendy.

That being said, it wasn’t worth the heatstroke. So be smart, and know the risks and signs. Stay hydrated when it’s hot, too.

Now you’re wondering what heatstroke signs are. Lucky you– I happen to know first-hand. Unlucky me.

The first thing that happened was that I started to have sore and tingly muscles. I thought I was sore from my workout, even though it felt different than that. Then I got really lethargic and too tired to move.

At this point I was starting to get nervous. My family was coming over in half an hour so I decided to wait it out.

By the time they arrived, I was freezing and shaking, even though it was hot. They took care of me and made me drink water, even though I didn’t want it. By the time Ben got off work and talked to them on the phone, I had a fever that quickly climbed to 104 degrees F. I started get confused, too. I don’t remember that part.

As soon as Ben got home, he started treating me for heatstroke. He aggressively rehydrated me and started cooling measures. My temperature began to drop quickly. Since Ben is a doctor, he was able to make that call and treat me at home. Otherwise, I would have had to go to the hospital and get evaluated. Heat stroke is deadly and you should never take chances. I was really stupid not to tell anyone what I was feeling when I knew something was wrong. The faster you get hydrated and bring the fever down, the better your chances for survival and the lower your chances for serious damage like hearing loss.

The moral to the story is this: drink water, stay out of the heat, and get help if you need it.

Home Sweet Home

American University of the Caribbean, arizona, AUC, Blog, Uncategorized, United States

There’s no place like home. Especially when you know you’ll get to call it home for a while.

Kayaking the Salt River for our anniversary
  • 2014

  • 2019

Ben and I celebrated our fifth anniversary a week ago! We realized that we’ve experienced a lot in our half-decade of marriage. Most notably, we survived Ben’s med school journey. I also survived my master’s program. We moved twelve times, living in two countries and three states. We had a baby. I can’t even remember how many jobs we’ve had.

But the transition is over!

You know, it’s fun to list all the different things we’ve done, but it sure does feel flighty at the same time. We’ve both been reading Grit by Angela Duckworth (Ben had it first and I snag it to read when he’s busy), which talks about how most people who excel in their field stick with things and pursue goals over a long period of time. It doesn’t seem like our lives have really characterized that over the past few years, but in the end, it was all to pursue this thing called an M.D. And now we’re on to the next stage.

Flying home after Ben’s graduation! We were on TV at the San Antonio airport.

When it’s all said and done, it was fun to try a bunch of different things, but I’m glad we’ll be sticking with a routine for a while. We were gritty enough to get through med school, and I think we can be gritty enough to be OK with the daily grind, too.

Little Man will appreciate that, too, I think. We were finally able to get him a crib. At eight and half months old, he’s finally out of the pack-and-play and can depend on sleeping in the same place for more than a few weeks at a time.

Relaxing at home

We also bought a couch. That doesn’t sound too exciting, but to me, it was an indication that we’re staying here for a while and not getting furniture with moving in mind. We’ve never bought a couch before. My parents gave us our first one, and we’ve just had futons and things that came with furnished apartments since then. It was fun to pick one out- and the people who sold it to us at their garage sale invited us over for dinner, too! A couch and new friends in the neighborhood. Doesn’t get better than that.

Living room

We’re actually planting things, too. To be honest, the best I’ve done so far is put some pots in the backyard and grow some chives in the kitchen, but it’s a start. Quite literally, we are “putting down roots.”

It’s good to be home.

Little Free Library

arizona, Blog, California, International Travel, Uncategorized, United States

Our time in California is affording me all kinds of nice discoveries. I’ve talked about the bluffs and mentioned the hiking. One of the other things I love about our Cali home is the Little Free Library down the street!

Not the LFL in our neighborhood. I feel too awkward to take a photo of someone’s front yard!

If you’re not familiar with Little Free Libraries, get thee to the interwebs to learn how you can experience these wonderful things. Little Free Libraries are tiny houses filled with books that you can take and read, then return or leave at a different LFL. They can be found in front yards, in public spaces, or at businesses.

We aren’t California residents, so I can’t go get a book at a library in town. This was a bummer to me, since I read all the books I packed as well as one I found in our Airbnb room within the first three weeks. I am trying not to get hooked on a Netflix show or watch a lot of YouTube, because I want to limit Little Man’s screen exposure. Besides, I really do like books. And I like pages, so the Kindle app doesn’t always cut it.

Imagine my joy at going on a quick neighborhood walk and discovering a Little Free Library! More books to read! And an excuse to go walking more often.

So far, I’ve read a novel about Princess Di, Maze Runner, All About Sam, and Finding Alaska. I have also found some picture books to read to Little Man.

When I visited Phoenix this week, my mom told me about the LFL that had opened at Rita’s in Glendale! Armed with my free shaved ice birthday coupon, we went to trade in my LFL books for new ones. And get ice cream, obviously.

Now that I have enjoyed two LFLs in two different states, I am determined to find them wherever I go! I wish I’d taken advantage of the ones at the Detroit Riverwalk, but maybe I will get to do that in the future. My dream is to someday have one in my front yard! I’ll keep you posted on my progress of achieving that… First, I need to get a front yard.

MLK

Blog, California, International Travel, Michigan, Nature, United States

Happy MLK Day to you! For those of us who got it off, it was a very happy day indeed, for everyone else, sorry. Hope you enjoyed all the MLK quotes on social media, either way. I know I did. King had a lot of wise words that transcend the decades.

Today, we spent our day off enjoying a hike outside our town. What an amazing view we had! Kito was able to go off leash, which made her very happy.

Our hike in t-shirts was very different than last year, when we walked the city streets in the swirling snow.

Last year, we were in Southfield, Michigan, which is part of the Detroit metro area. MLK Day is a very big deal there! It was cool to be a part of a community that goes all out to celebrate the amazing Dr. King.

Despite the icy weather, Southfield citizens gather and march through downtown each MLK Day. The march ends at the civic center, where there is a big celebration with speeches, entertainment, and refreshments.

After my early morning classes with VIPKid, Ben and I suited up in our snow clothes and drove through the icy streets to a local church, where the members were passing out coffee and hot cocoa to what appeared to be half of Southfield. There were hundreds of people there! People representing every socioeconomic group, race, religion, and age were packed into the church gym and flowing out the door. Everyone was smiling, even as we stamped our feet to keep our toes from going numb. It goes to show what a big impact MLK had on our society!

We all poured out of the door and began to march down the street, across the bridge, and toward the glass and gold buildings of downtown. Fraternities, churches, and businesses unfurled banners. People laughed and joked together.

The best part, to me, was that this was not a political protest march, but a celebration. In fact, politics were almost totally absent from the while thing. It was about what brings us together, rather than what divides us.

The crowds at the civic center buzzed with conversation until the speeches, songs, and dance performances began. The theme of the year was “Youth are Our Future,” so teens led much of the ceremony. It was awesome.

Our hike this year was wonderful. But I will always savor memories of MLK Day 2018, when we marched alongside our neighbors to celebrate the community made possible by Martin Luther King, Jr.

Temporary Californians

American University of the Caribbean, AUC, Blog, California, International Travel, United States

We are Californians for the next ten weeks! Ben has 67 days of med school left- but who’s counting- and he’s doing it in Kern County.

Not Kern County

Every time I tell someone we’re living in Cali for a while, they get excited about the beach and tell me how awesome it will be to live by the ocean. I guess when you live in Arizona, any proximity to water is exciting. A sad but true bit of Arizona trivia is that real estate with a canal view is expensive.

Actually, though, it’s winter in NorCal. Or is this central Cal? So there’s that. Also, Kern County is sadly nowhere near the beach, and even if it were, I wouldn’t be that excited. After two years of living a five-minute stroll from a Caribbean beach, the cold, sharky waters on the nearest coast aren’t worth the drive more than once or twice. I think I might be ruined forever, as far as beaches go.

My cool dudes in Cali

Beaches aside, it’s kind of fun to live under the bear flag for a while! So far, we’ve been two places. The first is Wal-Mart. We discovered that you have to pay 10 cents per plastic shopping sack here. As inconvenient as that sounds, I was actually kind of glad that we’ll be forced to use our own shopping bags here. In Detroit, where we lived last year, most people apparently hate the environment because there is trash literally everywhere. Not kidding… People on our complex used to chuck their trash bags off the balcony into the trees when they didn’t feel like taking it to the dumpster. We got so sick of it, we started taking reusable bags to the store as a silent protest against littering. Unless we went to Aldi, it was easy to cheat on our resolution… But you better believe that won’t happen here. No way I’m paying for bags.

The second place we went was the Civic Musical Road, which plays “William Tell” when you drive it! It’s so cool! Ben and I were both grinning like little kids on Christmas when we drove over it, turned around, and drove it again.

I didn’t take photos of Wal-Mart, because that would be weird. I also didn’t take pictires of the musical road, since I was driving. But here’s a picture of Kito in our Cali home to hold you over til the next California update!

Blueberries for Johnsons

Blog, International Travel, Michigan, United States

 

Have you ever read the classic children’s story Blueberries for Sal? I have, probably a hundred times or more. Ever since I was a little kid flipping through the mid-century monochromatic illustrations in the book, I have wanted to go blueberry picking. I didn’t even like blueberries as a kid (they seemed like big, purple peas to me, and who likes peas?), but I wanted to hear the “plink, plink” of blueberries dropping in a bucket.

 

 

Arizona doesn’t exactly have an abundance of blueberry patches. Michigan, however, does! We moved to Michigan after blueberry season had ended last year, but berry picking stayed on my list until July.

 

 

When Ben’s brother Jesse, sister-in-law Joy, and their boys Zach, Micah, and Elliot came to visit from Africa, I wanted to do some fun quintessential Michigan activities. Something really different than the activities you can do in sub-Saharan Africa. So, I suggested we take a trip to a u-pick blueberry farm. I guess it was a little it selfish, because it was something on MY to-do list for the summer! Luckily for me, it was also on their “America bucket list,” and so we loaded up in the car and off we went. As a bonus, Ben mentioned to his supervising resident that his brother was visiting from overseas, and, on a whim, the resident gave Ben a rare half day to come with us. How lucky is that?

 

 

We decided to go to Dexter Blueberry Farm, which is fairly close to Detroit.

 

 

It was a great choice! The farm’s u-pick arrangement is pretty casual. You walk up, grab a shiny red bucket, and head to a sprawling field of blueberry bushes to fill your bucket. Plink! Plink!

 

 

Of course, we were all more interested in filling our bellies than we were in filling our buckets. Chilled blueberries in a grocery store carton are yummy. Sun-warmed blueberries from the bush are simply decadent. Like, close-your-eyes-and-savor-it decadent.

 

 

Somehow, we did manage to collect enough berries in the buckets! A few pounds of consumed berries and a blueberry war later (I won’t tell you who started it, but his name is spelled B E N), we had filled our buckets and were ready to check out.

 

 

At Dexter Blueberry Farms, u-pick berries are $2 per pound. Compare that to supermarket prices! In the end, our massive amount of blueberries only cost $20. I guess it makes sense that berries in the store are more pricey, because picking those berries is actually a lot of work. It’s a lot of fun for an afternoon, but I imagine it’s a pretty intense full-time job.

 

 

It can be hard to find activities that adults and kids ages eight through 13 enjoy, but blueberry picking was a winner. Plus, we ended up with a massive amount of blueberries that tasted amazing in cereal, ice cream, and snacks for a couple of weeks.

Picking blueberries was the perfect way to spend a summer afternoon!

 

 

Visit Dexter Blueberry Farm

When to visit: Blueberry season is in July

Address: 11024 Beach Road, Dexter, MI 48130

Phone number: 734.426.2900

Cost: Blueberries are $2 per pound. Eat all you want for free!

Good things to know: Wear sunscreen! The sun can get intense. Hand sanitizer or wipes are a good idea, since you’ll be eating out of your hands as you pick. Also, there are only porta-potties at the farm.

Cherry Picking at Westview Orchards

Blog, International Travel, Michigan, United States

One of the best things about living in Michigan is the availability of fresh produce. And I’m not just talking about dirt-cheap local peaches at Meijer, although those are amazing. I’m talking about the endless u-pick farms that offer everything from apples to asparagus to strange fruits I have never even heard of.

 

 

During my year in Michigan, I visited u-pick farms as often as possible. One fruit-picking season that I was particularly excited about was cherry season.

 

 

Cherry season just happened to peak during the time that Ben’s sister’s family was visiting, so I drove them out of the city to a cherry farm for some classic summertime fun. Ben had to work, so he missed out on the fun, but he did get to enjoy the result of our visit.

 

 

Westview Orchards in Washington, Michigan is the place to go with kids! Of course, my two nephews were perfectly entertained by picking (well, okay, eating) fresh cherries off the tree, but there were also plenty of other things for them to do, including a hay maze, a unique playground, and a petting zoo.

 

 

As far as fun experiences go, though, the cherries really take the cake. We pulled in to Westview Orchards the morning of cherry season’s opening day, and we were greeted by enthusiastic employees who seemed just as excited for the cherries as we were. The gentleman who monitored the picking itself was very helpful, pointing out the different cherry varieties in the orchard and giving fruit selection tips.

 

 

My nephews had a great time in the orchard, exploring the unique tastes of each tree’s fruit, climbing ladders, and choosing favorite trees. Even we adults had a hard time filling our bags faster than we could eat the cherries!

 

 

After a picnic lunch and ice cream, we headed home to bake a cherry pie.

 

 

I helped Annette pit the cherries, and she made the best cherry pie I have ever had. The perfect end to a great day on the farm!

 

Visit Westview Orchards

When to visit: Cherry season is in June, but Westview Orchards offers u-pick almost year-round.

Address:  65075 Van Dyke, Washington, MI 48095

Phone number: (586) 752-3123

Cost: Cherries are about $8 per person, which includes entrance fee and a bag to fill with cherries

Good things to know: Outside food, backpacks, and large bags are not permitted. I was able to take in my backpack camera case without a problem, however.

 

 

Frankmuth, MI with a Dog on the Cheap

Blog, International Travel, Michigan, Uncategorized, United States

 

Every Michigander knows about Frankenmuth. There seems to be some debate about whether this is a worthwhile destination or road trip stop. After visiting, I would say Frankenmuth is a must-visit place if you’re in the area, and I wouldn’t mind staying a weekend there! I’ve heard this touristy Bavarian village described as “kitschy,” but I didn’t really find it to be tacky at all. It was really cute, albeit a bit cartoonish in a Main Street Disney sort of way.

 

 

If you’re looking for something fun to do, it’s a great place to go for the day! As a plus, it’s definitely dog-friendly and you don’t have to spend a lot of money to have fun.

 

Ben and I took our big summer trip over Memorial Day weekend. We opted for a classic Michigan road trip– up to Mackinac Island, across the bridge, and up to the UP. This trip served as summer vacation, a celebration of our fourth anniversary, and our babymoon, since we’re expecting Baby Boy Johnson in September!

 

 

On the way back, we decided to check out Frankenmuth at the Bronner’s CHRISTmas wonderland that I keep hearing about.

I actually wrote two or three articles for clients about Bronner’s, even before Michigan was on our radar. It’s one of those unique roadside attractions that everyone talks about, and I was very excited to actually see it in person!

 

 

Bronner’s bills itself as “The World’s Biggest Christmas Store,” and I believe the claim. This place is huge! There are probably a million or two different ornaments inside, You could be perfectly happy wandering around and just looking at the different options, or wandering through the small forest of Christmas trees. I did end up buying some ornaments, because why not get a head start on Christmas shopping in May?

 

How I feel about this store

 

What I liked best about the inside was the international approach. There were ornament sections representing every area of the world! Of course, you can also shop by color, theme, or object.

 

 

We had to take turns seeing the store because the dog was with us, but it wasn’t bad because there are dozens of Christmas displays to check out in the parking lot and lawns around Bronner’s.

 

 

The best part by far was the Silent Night Memorial Chapel. This is an exact replica of the chapel of the same name built in Austria to commemorate the writing of Silent Night.

 

 

You can go inside and learn the history of the song. It’s a peaceful place, and the sort of place that makes you want to stop for a moment and pray.

 

 

Outside, they have the lyrics to Silent Night in dozens of global languages! We hunted down the languages from places we have lived.

 

 

Once we finished with Bronner’s CHRISTmas Wonderland, we went to the River Place Shops downtown. The shops were pricey, but most allowed dogs inside. We enjoyed the cool air and the chance to give Kito a bit of crowd training. I don’t know if it was the heat, the long car trip, or just her virtuous soul, but Kito was very well behaved and didn’t touch a thing!

Our favorite shop was Hello Cats & Dogs, which is basically a toy store for pets. Kito was pretty excited to go inside! She was very good and didn’t grab any toys off the shelf, although she definitely thought about snatching a tennis ball.

 

 

We rewarded her behavior with a hamburger patty treat, which was kind of ridiculous at $1, but worth it to give the poor dog something nice after such a long, hot car trip.

Kito quickly became the center of attention in the village. She was so cute and well-behaved, everyone wanted to pet her! If you know Kito, you know she can be a bit crazy! I was glad she was calm during this excursion and didn’t romp around when people came to give her attention.

 

 

After exploring the various shops, we wandered across the river. We looked down at the river cruises, which looked like a lot of fun. They are actually not to expensive, and I think dogs are allowed, but we didn’t have time to take one. We contented ourselves with walking across the covered bridge. Call me a dork, but I was pretty excited to see one in person for the first time!

 

 

It was getting late, so we hunted down dinner. It’s apparently traditional to get a chicken dinner when visiting Frankenmuth, but that seemed a little expensive and overrated to me, and we couldn’t do a restaurant with the dog, anyway. We opted for pretzels, because what’s more German than a freshly baked pretzel?

 

 

I found $3 pretzels in the basement bakery of the Bavarian Inn, and we settled outside the hotel to eat them on a bench. Luckily, we were just in time for the free glockenspiel show they do every few hours! The show included music, as well as a Pied Piper story using adorable clockwork figurines imported from Europe. What a fun way to end the day!

It was particularly fun for me to see a German settlement, since I am mostly German and it doesn’t look like I’ll make it to Germany any time soon. I’m sure the town looks a lot different than it did when immigrants first settled here, but I’ll take what I can get.

 

 

In total, we spent about $45 dollars in Frankenmuth, including dinner, Kito’s reward, and Christmas shopping. You could do it for less, or go all out with the big dinners, carriage rides, hotel stays, and tours. Frankenmuth is fun either way!

Is Frankenmuth worth stopping for? Resounding yes! If you have the time, don’t miss out on the photo ops and the fun.