I was born in Michigan, and if I can find a way to visit my friends and family, I always say Yes, Michigan. My dad’s family has deep roots in the midwest, and my mom’s family immigrated to Grand Rapids from Vietnam in 1975. Ten years later, I arrived and grew up in East Lansing while my parents attended Michigan State University. My little sister Cindy is a sophomore at University of Michigan and I’ve been back a bit more often since she and my dad have been spending so much time there. It’s not a visit without pizza (preferably Godfather’s Taco Pizza) with my dad, a meal with more of the clan, a field trip with my sister, and enjoying the water. I don’t need much to be happy there, but it doesn’t mean that there isnt an abundance of amazing things to see and do.

My travel research and wishlist looks pretty similar for every trip. I’m always on the hunt for fun, fabulous, pretty, delicious, and interesting. Architecture, art museums, magical meals, discovering local favorites, and finding iconic pop culture/film/tv locations are my favorite ingredients for a successful city visit. NYC, Seattle, San Francisco, and Chicago are hard to top in this arena. Alaska was a HUGE departure from my normal itinerary, and it took a little adjusting when I arrived in the last frontier and when I left for the lower 48. Chicago was literally culture shock, but I enjoyed every second soaking up the abundance of accessible culture there.

Between the winter and the wind, Chicago is never going to be on my wishlist to call home full time. It has all of the culture and food of NYC, but it’s cleaner, friendlier, and is a little less overwhelming. As much as I love wandering in the city, I had a hefty wishlist outside of it too. There are plenty of gems and great daytrips with an hour or two of the city.

I was not at all unhappy when my said step-dad asked me to reroute my return from Alaska to San Diego to pick up the family pup on my way home from Alaska. It was a last minute whirlwind trip handing off Koby as we all split up for separate adventures. I didn’t do much more than work, eat, strategize and shop for a new rental condo, and make a quick Almost Famous Pilgrimage this trip; but I visited 4 times in the past year for various functions and projects, so I pulled a few highlights to share of my favorite hometown.

Somehow I house sat in Anchorage for 2 weeks and didn’t do much exploring in actual Anchorage. The weather waylaid my plans to visit the Botanical Garden and Alaska Native Heritage Center. It rained buckets for most of August. I heard so many locals complaining about the unseasonably fall weather they had all summer, and everyone was convinced we were going to need an arc before too long. So I worked a lot to catch up from my VanVenture and when the sun came out, we wandered a little farther for day trips to nearby towns and hikes.

We had planned to explore Hope and Girdwood in the same day, but that’s far too ambitious. Don’t do that. Both are beautiful and deserve their own day of exploration. We made a quick stop at Girdwood on our way to Hope to drop off some of my amazingly talented host’s jewelry at a gorgeous gallery before it closed. The town looked so cute we knew right away that it was something we shouldn’t try to tack onto our adventure that day. The massive line outside the door at The Bakeshop confirmed the dozens of recommendations we had to stop in for their famous sourdough bread, so we decided to plan a future visit around that.

Heading towards Palmer is a guarantee for a great adventure. I skipped Palmer heading towards Valdez knowing that it would be a fun trip during my Anchorage stay. We actually wound up heading towards Palmer on several occasions, and would happily have headed that way a few more. Our first trip was to visit the Alaska State Fair and the unbelievably beautiful Hatcher Pass. We planned some great walks at Thunderbird Falls, Mirror Lake, and Eklutna Lake and recovered at Palmer’s Bleeding Heart Brewery. You can mix and match some really excellent days in this area.

Dreamy Day Trip 1 was a whirlwind. We planned to head toward Seward, check out the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, Kenai Lake/Cooper Landing, and Portage Lake, but we got more than we bargained for and it was MARVELOUS. The route from Anchorage to the AWCC takes you right past Beluga Point on the Turnagain Arm. The Alaska Railroad was going by, the wind was blowing through the changing trees, the endangered Cook Inlet Belugas were playing in the water, and the sun was out. It was so beautiful we had to make an unscheduled stop. Freya and Rupa, my two feisty four legged charges were loving the unexpected start to our adventure, and so were we

I’ve come to the conclusion that there is never quite enough time in Denali. Neither of my (short) visits to the park the size of Massachusetts were sufficient, even for a decidedly indoorsy girl like me. I woke up in Anchorage, worked half the day, and did some exploring in Talkeetna en route to Denali. A quick stop at the Denali Brewing Taproom allowed me to knock out some work and meet new friends. I met a charming couple from DC and we had a marvelous time giving each other highlights and suggestions for our trips.

Waking up in an outwash isn’t anything I ever anticipated wanting, but everything we should all be dreaming of. I watched the sun come up over the mountains and glacier river and was giddy with joy. I wandered around the water, soaked in that glee, and worked out my plan for the day. I was going out to the fjords to scope out wildlife and glaciers and head back to my host house in Anchorage for the night.

Dawn broke on Day 5 of the VanGOgh VanVenture, and I could not wait to get moving towards Kenai Lake. Thank goodness I camped at a grocery store, because refueling the van and my system with a big ol’ Starbucks Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew came in clutch. That stuff is like rocket fuel, and I’m fairly sure it was the only way I was able to power the most epic day of my entire adventure. Day 5 was one of those days that will flash before my eyes when my time comes, it is absolutely a treasured memory I’ll always hold close to my heart.

Homer: You were Meant For Me, and I was meant for you. The jewel of Kachemak Bay has been on my wishlist since Jewel’s press tour for Pieces of You, and the desire only grew after my time on her management team. I was thrilled to finally see the beautiful space every single Alaskan insisted was the #1 place to visit in this state that feels like a completely different country. We may technically speak the same language and use the same currency, but Alaska feels a world away from the lower 48.

I had great views of Whittier as the ferry floated into the harbor, and there really wasn’t anything I was dying to do there. It was just the gateway to glaciers and the Kenai Peninsula. I was besotted with the beautiful Inn at Whittier when it caught my eye from the boat. It was right across from the train station, so I parked my car for the inn and was able to snap some photos of the engine on my way in since we were never allowed near it in Fairbanks or Anchorage.

My first night of the VanVenture was perfect. I woke up to more rain, fog, and a perma-grin. I jumped out the door, danced in the rain, and brushed my teeth beside the Van GOgh Camper that put my chalk painted uHaul to shame. I took one last eyefull of the handful of glaciers I slumbered beside, rode down Thompson Pass one last time, and carried on towards Valdez.

Genius is born of necessity, and when my host found a a U-Haul cargo van for pick up in Anchorage, I jumped right on it. Some people do things for the ‘gram, I do them for a fabulous story. Who would believe that the girl that refused to pee or sleep outside for 20 years would drive around Alaska alone and sleep in a cargo van?

I’ve been dreaming of the railroad, all the livelong day. But seriously, I’ve been daydreaming about riding the rails through the Last Frontier for the better part of 20 years. It was mission critical that I get on that train this trip, and it was looking pretty dicey for a while there.

Nothing could have prepared me for the welcome and kindness I experienced in North Pole. It absolutely goes on Santa’s Nice List. I hadn’t planned on doing much sightseeing there since my family had explored Santa’s Workshop before our cruise a few years ago. I thought I’d spend more time in nearby Fairbanks, and just use it as home base for some wider explorations.

I’m a professional traveler, I don’t know how I royally screwed up my flight plan at the airport, but I figured it out and finally made it to Fairbanks. It was a stressful and inauspicious start to an adventure, especially one that had been plaguing me with travel blues for almost a month. I booked 2 August house sits in Alaska while I was in Tacoma with a ten day gap I planned to fill with sightseeing. I wasn’t really packed or prepared for an Alaskan adventure, but I’m always up for a challenge.

There is a sweet little loop from Napa to Fort Bragg and on up to Mendocino that is filled with incredible magic. It’s redwood forests, cypress trees, sea breezes, mist and waves that roll up to a windy stretch of Highway 1. It’s a sea glass beach, a drive thru tree, and beauty and adventure as far as the eye can see.

Napa is tricky for me. I’m allergic to red wine. My throat closes up, my migraines kick in, my tongue swells and sometimes bleeds. It’s not a pleasant experience for me, so I avoid more than a cursory sip or two. The big bold Napa cabs are like begging for me to go to bed in misery, so it’s never been terribly high on my wishlist. I’m a craft beer and cocktails girl at heart, but I enjoy a glass of wine now and then.