Man, I feel so incredibly fortunate to have traveled so many miles in our beautiful United States of America.

2009 Dude (my dog) and I, along with a friend, traveled through the Upper Peninsula, Canada and the Eastern Seaboard. 5000 miles left me very anxious to keep on going whenever possible. Sometimes we traveled with others, but always with either bikes and/or kayaks, hiking, backpacking and recently ‘streaming!’

2010 was a dream! Backpacking, hiking, biking and kayaking along Lake Superior with unseasonably warm water temps of over 70 degrees. It was phenomenal. Two Hearted River’s strong current carried my friend out to Lake Superior in a kayak until he had to abandon kayak!

2011 was the year of the Grand Tetons (Mountains of the Imagination) in Jackson, Wyoming. My first move from Michigan. I couldn’t get enough or see enough of the wild, wild west.  Everything captivated me.  I was a bird let out of its’ cage.  Twin Falls, Idaho was base camp for four months. Climbing in City of Rocks, Idaho was amazing as was kayaking in the canyon on Snake River below the Perrin Bridge.

2012 I clocked 10,800 miles driving out west, moving out west and then back to Michigan. Dude (my dog) and I traveled clear across the United States, up, down and around the Rockies in the dead of winter. Awesomeness!

2013 was the time of the Stream – Airstream that is.  We hooked up and headed out along US 2, the best Interstate in the USA.  Montana bound, specifically Glacier National Park for hiking and Banff, Canada for the heck of it.  Unforgettable.

2014 sadly was without travel, however not without adventure.  I spent the summer restoring the Stream in preparation of living in it.

2015 finally, once again was packed full of adventure. I loaded up like the Beverly Hillbillies, put Dude in the car and drove across country.  This time it was more permanent. California here we come. Camping and hiking along the way.  Ouray, Colorado being a must stop and once again, it didn’t disappoint.

2016 included Big Sur camping, hiking and biking. The Sierra Nevada – Kings Canyon was a bucket list and Dude and I accomplished it.  Dude’s health took a turn so the hiking was far less than we’ve ever done. 2016 was a big year as it also included the Channel Islands, a chain of eight islands located in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of southern California. Kayaking the caves and hiking to the the top of Santa Cruz Island was nothing short of awesomeness.

Thanks for the follow and I hope you enjoy my blog!

2017 – In Memory of Dude – This Girl’s Goto: Without you in my life for seventeen years, Dude – many of these adventures may not have happened, or certainly been as cool.  How a little munchkin, 15lb. dog could have added such a sense of security while camping alone in the forest, is beyond me – but you did! How you, as a dog could be so inspirational, motivational, and add so much to the adventure of our travels, I may never know.  You did.  I will forever be grateful for your friendship, loyalty, sense of adventure, and for making seventeen years of my life so much better than it would have been.

Dude’s last road-trip adventure was Joshua Tree National Park , CA – January 2017

RIP Lil Dude Lambers. b; September 27, 2000 d; February 28, 2017