Mid October, the Wagner siblings were blessed with an amazing opportunity to visit family and explore everything that Bar Harbor, Maine has to offer in its most colorful season. Our delight with the effervescent landscape began as peeks from the airplane window revealed rolling hills covered with hues of vibrant reds, yellow, and orange. The scenic drive down Route 3 from the airport in Bangor, ME into Bar Harbor confirmed that our aerial views were even better up close.

Our gracious hosts greeted and toured us around their beautiful Victorian home adoringly named “Woodbine” after the ivy that adorns pieces of the exterior. Woodbine’s ideal location steps from downtown and the Ocean made these walks a frequent outing of choice. One nearby attraction we especially enjoyed was going to see the Bar Harbor land bridge at high and low tide. At low tide, the seas part and a land bridge emerges that beckons pedestrians across to Bar Island. Along the way we enjoyed observing crabs, starfish, and shells exposed on the previously water covered rocks. A short hike to a look out point on Bar Island rewarded with panoramic views of Bar Harbor.

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Another outing we enjoyed was an evening aboard the Acadian – a wildlife viewing cruise around the Bar Harbor bay. This off shore perspective allowed us to see the Porcupine Islands, many magnificent homes and wonderful scenery in pieces of Acadia National Park. The wildlife aspect also did not disappoint – we spotted porpoises, seals, deer, lobster traps and eagles along the way.

After being out and about in the brisk, Autumn weather, our evenings were spent sharing stories and memories on the cozy front porch at Woodbine. Refreshments and conversation flowed easily as we recounted the day’s adventures and prepared for our decadent dinners together. Although each meal that Uncle Wil cooked was superb, the Lobster experience was so lively and full of laughter that it sticks out as an easy favorite. The Blueberry cobbler he prepared the following evening truly deserves a blog post of its own. Needless to say, we did not go hungry. Each meal left us with full bellies and even fuller hearts.

Amazing Acadia was one of our biggest adventures and we spent a full day exploring this centennial National Park by car, foot, and (attempted) flight. The overcast day gave us a unique perspective on the landscape as mist adjusted visibility based on time of day and elevation. Our summit to Cadillac Mountain corresponded with a fog so thick we had to pay close attention to our foot paths and a blustery wind that whipped across the brush covered boulders. Overall, it was a wonderful encapsulation of coastal Maine. Until next time, Bar Harbor.

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During the last few weeks we’ve had the joy of having some of our favorite Sconnies join in on our western adventure.

In July, we met Beth in Cheyenne, Wyoming where we celebrated 125 years of the “Daddy Of Them All” – Cheyenne Frontier Days. This multi-day rodeo/concert/best of the west festival wowed and delighted us. We belted “Friends in Low Places” while stomping our boots in the Cheyenne dirt mere feet from Garth Brooks himself. We sat front row above some of the rodeo world’s gnarliest bulls and watched in awe as each event unfolded. We slept in tents in a makeshift campsite and showered with a garden hose. We collectively spent more time traveling than at the actual event. We would, without a doubt, do it over again. In the words of a country legend: should’ve been a Cowboy.

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The weekend following Cheyenne, we had the opportunity to host Kevin in Boise! By UTV, scooter, and foot we traversed the greater Boise area to squeeze every last drop out of what southwestern Idaho had to offer in just two days. A highlight was getting to meet up with one of Kevin’s friends for a UTV ride in the Sawtooth Mountains. The misty mountain air brought relief from the Boise heat, extreme adventure and endless memories.

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August kicked off with another Beth adventure – this time in Boise! Not one to be outdone by Kevin’s mileage we also kicked the itinerary into high gear and spent her four day trip covering some serious ground. A few hour trek to Stanley included soaking in Kirkham hot springs, hiking the Sawtooths, and stargazing as we camped fireside in the Idaho wilderness. We faced our collective mild fear of heights with a ziplining experience and then closed out the weekend by eating and drinking our way around downtown, the greenbelt, and Hyde park. Low on sleep and high on fun, we truly had the best time soaking it all in.

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Thanks to our amazing visitors and adventure buddies, these last few weeks out west have truly been some of the best! We are so thankful for the memories and so excited to be back in the Midwest with everyone soon!

A delightful evening discovering a bit of behind the scenes at Zoo Boise while sampling wine and snacks from around the world. The wine was lovely and accentuated nicely by our animal encounter with a pair of spunky giraffes. Paired well with good company and a toasty Boise evening.

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With only one month remaining of our Idaho Adventure, we have compiled a list of our top 30 delights and highlights. Here’s what has made our time in the gem state extra special so far:

1. Unexpectedly getting to live in the heart of downtown Boise – leading to easy exploration right from our front door.
2. Learning how to survive and thrive through six weeks of hotel living
3. Hot hotel breakfast (if anyone has a lead on Hilton’s secret sausage gravy recipe send it our way)
4. Basque Block and cuisine – croquettes and sangria slushees always hit the spot
5. Stanley Road Trip
6. Camping
7. The opportunity to spruce up our camping kit with a fancy new camp stove that can have hot coffee ready in under five minutes (anyone interacting with Al in the morning is rejoicing over this technological advancement)
8. Paddleboarding at Lucky Peak State Park
9. Weekend visits from some of our favorites
10. Floating the Boise River
11. Dog Island
12. Trying our hand at Bar Trivia (Go Team Cheeseheads!) and realizing we’re much better suited sticking to the beer drinking aspects of bar going
13. Idaho Wine Trail
14. Mad Swede meatballs
15. Sunday Morning hikes in the hills
16. The Twilight Criterium Bike Race: an exciting and intense sunset bike race around the Idaho State Capitol
17. Boise Hawks Game – Al caught a foul ball!
18. Potato races at aforementioned ball game
19. Adding to our “Ways we have eaten potatoes in Idaho” list: chips, fries, tots, smashed, beer – it really is a versatile little veggie
20. The Greenbelt
21. Hot Springs
22. Blissfully cool mornings after weeks of 100+ degrees
23. The opportunity to travel home for a fun and family filled Fourth of July
24. Moving into our airbnb with yard space and more than one room (plus two bathrooms! We’re living like kings over here)
25. Exploring Hyde Park
26. Mike finally finding a bar that sells Busch Lite
27. Whitewater rafting the South Fork of the Payette River: Class III/IV rapids, an impromptu mid river cliff jump, and one unexpected swim
28. Redfish Lake Lodge
29. Mountains
30. Never-ending adventure

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After a slightly hectic and somewhat stressful first week of housing issues and assimilating to new work life, the wide open spaces of natural Idaho were a welcome place to decompress. Our first exploration into the foothills surrounding Boise required only a 15 minute drive to find a plethora of winding trails and scenic views. It is an incredible resource to have so close to the metropolitan area and we enjoyed being able to feel totally engulfed in nature just a few miles from our downtown hotel.

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As the week heated up, we ventured about twenty minutes outside of town for a beach recommendation at Lucky Peak State Park. With Daisy riding shotgun, the realization that dogs were not allowed at the beach was at first disappointing but prompted us to discover an amazing mountain top lake area with plenty of off leash roaming space. We enjoyed a day of sunshine, views, and plenty of swimming.

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After a refreshing, fun and family filled few weeks home in Wisconsin, we set out to our new destination: Boise, Idaho. The 25 hour drive was broken up over three days and included pit stops in Deadwood, South Dakota and Big Sky, Montana as well as a last minute detour to see a small piece of Yellowstone National park. We experienced temperatures ranging from 72 degrees leaving Wisconsin to 23 degrees and a surprise foot of heavy snow in Montana. Boise welcomed us Saturday with mild weather and panoramic mountain views. Our first days have been spent stretching our legs with many walks around the new neighborhood, getting prepared for the work week ahead, and eating potatoes (of course).

We can’t wait to see what Boise has to offer!

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In what can only be described as perfectly serendipitous procrastination, our first plantation visits during our time in South Carolina also happened to coincide with one of the most magical and fleeting first weeks of the spring bloom. We kicked off with a Wednesday night wine stroll at Middleton Place where we enjoyed sampling a variety of wines while exploring the grounds of this historic rice plantation and admiring its numerous horticultural mazes. A perfectly summeresque evening, our first gator sighting and a few goat kisses were added bonuses to this delightful excursion.

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The weekend brought the joyful opportunity to host two more visitors, Janet and Dean, as well as plans to visit two more Plantations. Saturday morning was spent in Mount Pleasant at Boone Hall Plantation. A National Historic Landmark with a founding date reaching back to 1681, we were impressed with the opportunity to learn about the lives of both free and enslaved people who have lived and worked on this land throughout the years as well as how the land continues as a working operation today.

Saturday evening was spent downtown Charleston where we enjoyed the cool ocean breeze and wandering throughout historic streets. An informative and relaxing carriage tour followed by dinner at 82 Queen was the perfect way to round out a rather eventful and enjoyable day.

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Our Sunday adventures began with our third and final planation visit of the week: Magnolia Plantation and Gardens. As the name implies, the gardens were a main event at this expansive historical sight which also boasts being one of the oldest plantation properties in South Carolina. A tourist location since 1870, some pieces of the gardens are over 325 years old. A nearly four hour visit merely scratched the surface on what Magnolia had to offer but we enjoyed soaking in the miles of azalea blooms as well as admiring a diverse selection of swamp wildlife during the guided wagon tour.

Having earned a little beach side relaxation, the rest of the afternoon was spent on Folly Beach – toes in the sand while listening to the lull of the crashing waves. Post beach nap (and another round of oyster shooters), we found ourselves marshside at a fantastic boat to table seafood restaurant called LoLos. As the tide rose and the sun set, we filled our bellies and reflected on another weekend well spent with great adventure and even better guests!

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Last weekend we were delighted to host a few of our favorite Midwesterners when Minnesota came to take Charleston by storm! Although this city has seen its share of category five Hurricanes, the force of nature that our growing squad brings when we are together is something to be reckoned with. With everyone being spread out among different cities, the chance for us all to be together has become few and far between. When the stars do align and everyone is able to be in one room together there is just so much love, laughter, and joyful shouting to be unleashed! The volume is high, the pictures are many, and the hearts are oh so full.

Rivaling our burgeoning hearts during this weekend was our jam packed itinerary. A shoutout to endless caffeine, joyful attitudes, and the most selfless husbands (Mike and Mitch – you rock) for keeping everyone upright and moving while squeezing every last drop out of what Charleston has to offer.

Friday began with giant airport hugs and then a quick stop back at the Airbnb to refresh before heading to Shem Creek. With its quaint boardwalk and nearly guaranteed dolphin sightings, this area has become a favorite of Al’s that she was excited to share. For this adventure we decided to do a sunset kayak tour with Coastal Expeditions. It was a lush, warm night and the salty air blanketed us as we coasted through the creek’s marshy estuaries into the open harbor. A decadent golden hour, multiple dolphin sightings and our sweet Rosie rocking her pint sized lifejacket were unanimous highlights of this evening.

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Saturday morning found us sipping coffee on the porch before heading to Firefly Distillery for a slow afternoon of music, bags, and basking in South Carolina sunshine. Then it was downtown to get our miles in while walking the Oceanside parkway and exploring the inner historic areas by horse drawn carriage. The evening rounded out with dinner at Amen Street where everyone had the opportunity to experience some of Charleston’s local dishes including she crab soup (a hit) and oysters (not so much).

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Although Sunday began on a tad of a groggy note (may have been the after dinner drinks but we’ll blame it on daylight savings time) it was nothing a little church, Irish car bombs, and a beach day couldn’t fix. Creating our own little St Patrick’s Day celebration wherever we roamed, we enjoyed the day on Folly Beach before coming home to play cards and soak in our last few hours of being in the same time zone. Early morning flights brought an end to the coveted togetherness but the memories, laughter, and many many pictures will hold us over until the next joyful reunion!

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During the first week in March we moved to a new AirBnb in the “West Ashley” area of town where we will stay for the remainder of our time in Charleston. Exploration of this new space brought us to Charles Towne Landing, a historic site now part of the South Carolina State Park system. This expansive space off of the Ashley River was where English settlers first landed in 1670 and its manicured gardens, historic homes, and other artifacts help tell the story of the first people who made up this South Carolina colony. We enjoyed spending the afternoon strolling among the live oaks, admiring new blooms, and immersing ourselves in imagining what it would have been like to live in this place over 300 years ago.

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This past weekend we had the honor of hosting Mike’s sister, Beth, for her first Charleston visit. Following a week of lovely mid-60s days, Beth flew in on Friday along with some Midwestern temps. Weekend highlights included kayaking at Shem creek, exploring downtown, and scoping out the warmest propane heaters on each patio we visited. Frozen toes aside, it was a relaxing and fun-filled weekend. Thankfully for those of us staying south, the mercury rose to a comfortable 71 degrees right about the time Beth landed safely back in Wisconsin on Monday. Fingers crossed for better weather next time, Beth!

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