Visiting Antelope Canyon has been on my bucket list ever since I realized it was a place actually in my home state. I’ve always marveled at how beautiful the pictures are of these slot canyons and quite honestly didn’t believe that this could be real.

My desire to see Bali had been a long-held dream, after studying Indonesian at school and most of my Australian friends making the pilgrimage at least once in their lifetime. So when the stars aligned and I found an opportunity to take a solo trip, I couldn't have jumped faster.

The Clay Mine Trail is a 1.6-mile trail that is also shared with horses and riders in the Cave Creek Recreational Area.   You would think after seeing one cactus or desert bloom you have seen it all, but seriously each trail is so unique and beautiful, and continues to take my breath away! Lovely way to start our adventures for the Cave Mine Tour.

We received a lot of advice about getting to Yosemite early, parking in one of the main lots and then taking the Shuttle, which takes you to just about every popular place, or you can hike from those popular places to where you want to be. This was our plan until my 14-year-old daughter sprained her ankle literally two days before our trip and ended up on crutches.  Our plans for hiking now had to be adjusted to Plan B: driving and parking as close to the sights as possible.

My previous winters in Chicago always left me wishing I could be somewhere warm...