TRACY SEES STUFF 👀

Tag: road trip

Sedona, Arizona – Hiking – Broken Arrow Trail

Broken Arrow is a new trail for us this year. We were hesitant to hike here because the trail runs parallel to the jeep path and we thought it would be disruptive. The jeeps didn’t bother us at all and it was fun to watch them cruising over the red rocks.

The hiking distance for Broken Arrow Trail is approximately 3 miles out and back. There are 12 parking spaces at the trailhead. The road to the parking lot is dirt for a short distance and very bumpy. There’s only room for one vehicle at a time on the dirt road to and from the lot so prepare to back up if another vehicle is coming. The trail is worth the little scramble of parking. This hike takes about 2 hours.

The 360° views are beautiful of the canyons and red rock spires.

Not far into the hike (at about 1/2 mile) you will come to Devil’s Dining Room. Devil’s Dining Room is a 50-foot wide and 90-foot deep sinkhole! The area is fenced off so you don’t miss it or accidentally fall in. 🙂 There are informative signs as you walk up explaining how the sinkhole was created and more about the bat colony that lives here.

Hello down there!

As you work your way up and you will see more signs for Chicken Point which is the top or you can take a side trail to Submarine Rock. Submarine Rock is a nice flat area to enjoy a picnic and the views. If you continue up to Chicken Point, you will also be connected to Little Horse trail to make this a longer hike.

When you see these views you will understand why so many old westerns were filmed in this area. You couldn’t create a better backdrop. I love the way the rock formations look in the shadow of the sun.

Almost all the trails in Sedona are pet-friendly as long as your dog is on a leash. Our little guy is having a blast hiking these red rock trails.

We always meet the nicest people hiking the trails. We met a professional photographer who offered to take our picture. So great to have a photo of the three of us on the trail.

Enjoy and keep on exploring!

#WhatStirsYourSoul #RoadTrippinTheUS

©Tracy Blowers

January 27, 2020
One Blanket, Two Hearts

The human connection.

Traveling always offers the most interesting conversations and connections with strangers. Each encounter teaches us something and leaves an imprint.

While staying at Jackson Lake Lodge, on a brisk early morning, we met Adel.

One of our favorite things to do is to take the Jackson Lake Breakfast Cruise to Elk Island. We’ve learned from the past that mountain mornings on the boat can be pretty chilly and this year we packed a blanket.

Jackson Lake Lodge Breakfast Cruise

After we arrived on the island, the sun was rising and I started warming up. I unwrapped from the blanket and had it resting in my arms while talking with the ship captain. An older, beautiful, petite woman walked up and stood next to me. I thought she was waiting to talk to the captain but shivering, she said…

“It’s so cold, isn’t it?”

As I started to answer her, I realized how cold she was and asked…

“Do you want to use my blanket?”

Her face lit up and she said, “Yes, thank you, thank you!”

She wrapped herself in it and my heart smiled. I felt so thankful that we brought the blanket and that I could share it with her. She kept herself wrapped in it all through breakfast and on the boat ride back. When we got back to the dock, we reconnected and she gave us this advice…

“Stay together, trust each other and love each other.” – Adel

We hugged and as she walked away she said ” You’re an angel on earth.” which is exactly what I thought about her. That morning, strangers connected over a blanket. I will never forget Adel. ❤️

The Blanket: We love our Rumpl blanket and bring it everywhere! It’s lightweight, packable, eco-friendly, and machine washable. We have two dogs and it’s their favorite to cuddle up in. It’s so durable that even after three years, it looks like new.

Rumpl is offering 25% now through December 2, 2019!

Click here to purchase and for Free Shipping + Free Returns on Orders $49+

This post is sponsored, which means if you purchase, What Stirs Your Soul may get something in return. Thank you for your support!

November 24, 2019
Belly of the Dragon – Kanab, Utah

Would you dare the depths of the Belly of the Dragon?

This “cave” is actually a manmade tunnel to redirect drainage from the upper canyons under HWY 89 to the North Fork River just outside of Kanab, Utah. The water created this ripple effect that looks like you’re going into the depths of a beast.

It is a bit of a shuffle to get down into the entrance but once you’re there, it’s an easy hike. Make sure NOT to walk through if it has rained and always watch the weather while hiking in Utah. You can make this a quick hike just to walk through the tunnel or if you keep going, you can hike another 4 miles to a slot canyon.

There is a light at the end of the tunnel but it does get dark. If you plan to hike through the tunnel, a headlamp would be a good idea.

We had so much fun playing around and taking pictures. There is a lot of graffiti which is too bad. Make sure to leave it like you find it. #leavenotrace

There is plenty of parking and this is fun for the whole family.

To learn more, visit visitsouthernutah.com.

©What Stirs Your Soul Media

November 10, 2019
Best Friends Roadhouse & Mercantile – Kanab, Utah

If you love animals, then this hotel is for you! I’ve written about Best Friends Animal Society many times. We adopted our two dogs from Best Friends and we go back every year to volunteer at the sanctuary. (Which we highly recommend!) We are so excited that they recently built a hotel in Kanab, Utah which is located just a few miles from the sanctuary. Let me introduce, Best Friends Roadhouse and Mercantile! Follow the paw-steps…

There are many pet-friendly lodging options in Kanab, Utah but the Best Friends Roadhouse & Mercantile goes beyond by offering a fenced dog park, dog splash zone, dog washing station, and more!

The Best Friends Roadhouse & Mercantile helps support the lifesaving works of Best Friends Animal Society. They offer sanctuary tours, entertainment, off-road tours, and community events. We will be staying at the hotel in April 2020 so stay tuned for more!

Utah and Allen are already daydreaming of staying at the hotel!

©Tracy Blowers

November 10, 2019
Devils Tower – KOA Campground – Wyoming
Devils Tower National Monument offers so many perspectives.

It’s America’s first national monument established in 1906 by President Theodore Roosevelt. There are many theories about how the tower was created. Most believe it was formed 65 million years ago as volcanic magma and lava cooled. You can learn more about the history of the tower and how the columns formed at the National Park Service site. Other resources listed below.

Traveling from the Twin Cities, Devils Tower is approximately 680 miles. It’s a perfect stop as you drive west or a short distance for a fun family vacation. The KOA is located at the base of the tower. They offer a full-service restaurant, a huge gift shop with lots of sweet treats, a heated outdoor pool, and hayrides. There is an outdoor nightly viewing of Close Encounters of the Third Kind (which was filmed at the site).

The campground is located on the Belle Fourche River surrounded by the beautiful Black Hills of Wyoming. We stayed in one of the camper cabins right on the river.

Devils Tower KOA also offers tent sites, RV sites and a park model cabin that sleeps 6.

The sites are spacious so even though we were there during Sturgis, we felt like we had our own space. They have nice picnic tables and firepits located next to each cabin. The shower houses were clean and convenient. There are laundry facilities and free WiFi if needed.

There is so much to do including hiking, climbing and wildlife viewing. We were fortunate to see whitetail deer roaming through the campground.

The Devils Tower Trading Post is across the street from the campground. They offer tons of souvenirs, an old fashioned ice cream parlor, and an awesome deck to view the tower.

Make sure to catch the tower at sunrise, it changes to a beautiful golden color.

In the same year that Theodore Roosevelt established Devils Tower, he authorized the Antiquities Act, giving the President the power to designate national monuments. I’m so thankful for his vision of protecting our nation’s land and history.

Our National Parks need our support and advocacy. Every little bit counts! I got this shirt from Parks Project. Visit their site to shop or for volunteer opportunities.

©Tracy Blowers

Resources
July 8, 2019
Restaurants – Driggs, Idaho – Teton Valley

Big Hole Bagel & Bistro was our first stop for breakfast in Driggs, Idaho. It’s so cozy and offers 100% organic locally roasted coffee from around the world! I loved the veggie omelet with the addition of avocado. The building is historic and has been part of Main Street for over 100 years. There is a full bakery in-house so the bagels are baked fresh every morning! Isn’t the front door cute?

One of the things that I love most about traveling is researching and planning the trip. I kept reading awesome reviews about Rise Coffee House. They have a lovely outdoor patio with a nice lawn area to sit and sip your coffee. The morning that we stopped in there was an acoustic guitar player which made the atmosphere perfect. I could have sat there all day. Try one of their mouth-watering pastries!

Forage Bistro & Lounge was another restaurant that I added to our list while researching Teton Valley. The food was incredible!! Look at this pork chop that Terry devoured. It was so good, he literally ate every last bite. The service was superb and we can’t wait to visit again! They also recently opened a brewery called Citizen-33. We will check it out in August and put up a blog post.

The owners of the townhome that we rented through VRBO told us that we had to check out Music on Main in Victor. Music on Main is on Thursday nights. This summer the dates run June 20th through August 15th, 2019 (No shows on July 4th). We had a blast! It felt like a family picnic. Everyone was so friendly and there was so much good food to choose from. Plus if you’re planning on drinking, there is a shuttle provided by Grand Targhee Resort with pickups in Alta, Wyoming at the resort and in downtown Driggs.

Last, a great option for cooking at home! A fun story about how we found barrels & bins community market. We stopped at The Coffee Pot Bakery and Cafe in Bozeman, Montana on our way through to Driggs. I started chatting with one of the employees and she told me that she was from Driggs, Idaho. She said she previously worked at barrels & bins and that we should check it out. I always love recommendations! We ended up going there every day for fresh pressed juice. The juice is truly made fresh so don’t be in a rush, it’s worth the wait. It was also wonderful to buy our groceries from local farms.

*There’s also a Farmer’s Market every Friday throughout the summer in downtown Driggs. We found some wonderful local jam, bakery items and had fun talking with the locals. There’s a lot of beautiful crafts too!

We still have so much to explore on the “quiet side of the mountains”. We are headed back in August and I can’t wait to share more with you!

June 17, 2019

error: Content is protected !!