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Journeys and Jaunts

Family Travel, Solo Female Adventure Travel, Tips and Tricks for Traveling with your Dog

A List of the Top Reasons you should visit Armenia

Location: Yerevan, Armenia

I just returned from a week in Armenia and it was one of my favorite trips I have taken. Have you ever been somewhere that you had no idea what to expect? Like the plane door opens and you walk out and it’s all a surprise? That is how I went into this trip. It’s a hard place to explain because I ... Read More

Mother’s Day Gift Guide for Women who love to Travel

Mother's Day is right around the corner and if you are thinking of grabbing flowers and a teddy bear at the last minute, I have some better ideas for you. While these things would make any Mama happy, they were listed with travel in mind. 1. Raise Good Humans Tee by Mom Culture- this super soft ... Read More

Fat Sheep Farm and Cabins- full review

Location: Hartland, Vermont

For April vacation, we headed up to Vermont to experience their “fifth season.” The snow is melting, the rivers are raging and everything turns to mud. Everything. We settled in Hartland at Fat Sheep Farm. Hartland is located in Central Vermont near Woodstock and Quechee so there is loads to ... Read More

The Tree Cabin on Walker Pond

Location: Newport, Vermont

Deep in the woods of northern Vermont, just a stone's throw from the Canadian border, there is a cabin perched in a tree. It is in the most idyllic setting amongst the tall pines overlooking a large pond. I have always been obsessed with tree houses and yearned to stay in one. My husband and ... Read More

  • This is the last bear we rescued in Armenia. He had been in this small cage for 5 years and before that, he was in another cage for 4 years. The cage had never been cleaned and there was an inch of green sludge and two fly covered goat heads that sat beside him- scraps fed to him by his “owner.” The vet darted him as he stared out at us with soulful eyes... no idea that this was the best thing that ever happened to him. His canine teeth were completely broken from biting the bars in frustration. The last pic is of him waking up in quarantine. He munched on 10 apples before resting in the first clean bedding he ever had. His spirit is broken, but things will only get better from here. I can’t wait for him to go outside. You can watch the whole live rescue on International Animal Rescue’s Facebook page. #runfree #animalrescuer #iloveanimals🐾 #iloveanimals #rescue #animalrescue #sanctuary #freedom #animals #bear #bears #bearrescue #compassion #crueltyfree #empathy
  • How do you transport bears through the mountains? The answer is: a truck. A really really big truck. We had to borrow this beast from the military. The guys with the job of opening the crate doors also has to be able to jump into the back before the bear turns. Glad I didn’t get that job!#bears #animalrescuer #iloveanimals🐾 #iloveanimals #sanctuary #freedom #crueltyfree #animalrescue #trucks #runfree #compassion #saveanimals
  • I can finally shout it from the rooftops- DASHA IS FREE!!! This bear has been through more than you can imagine. She was the first bear to be rescued as a part of International Animal Rescue’s Great Bear Rescue Campaign. She was found welded into a cage that was built into a river that was known to flood. She had been in there for 10 grueling years being fed nothing but scraps and Coca Cola. When she came out of hibernation at the rescue center, she had two tiny cubs trailing behind her. The cubs were raised with no human interaction to keep them wild enough for release. A full year after her rehabilitation, Dasha was radio collared and we drove far up into the mountains where they would be far from humans. They were released as a family and to see them walk up into the mountains to be wild and free for the first time will go down as one of the most amazing experiences of my lifetime. Thank you to Roger Allen for capturing these amazing photographs. #bear #bears #bearsofinstagram #rescue #animalrescue #compassion #savetheplanet #iloveanimals🐾 #iloveanimals #sanctuary #freedom #animals #animal #saveanimals #crueltyfree #runfree
  • These three bears were rescued from a general who kept them as pets. They just finished their quarantine and got released into their outdoor enclosure for the first time. We thought they would run straight out but it took the first two an hour to work up the courage. The most dominant bear just kept blocking the tunnel, because he was just too nervous to walk all the way through. He became known as “Mr. Gatekeeper.” It took him a day and a half before he finally made it out. These bears have spent their entire lives in a cage and the outside was a bit overwhelming for them at first. Watching them touch grass for the first time was so emotional. They felt the sun on their backs and were able to dig in the dirt and slowly learn to be bears. The second picture is Mr. Gatekeeper finally venturing out for his first taste of freedom. On my last night in Armenia, we sat with them at sunset and watched them finally enjoying life. I had tears streaming down my face. #bear #rescue #bearrescue #animal #animals #animalrescue #animalrescuer #sanctuary #iloveanimals #love #freedom #iloveanimals🐾
  • No picture of Mount Ararat will do it justice. When I got my first glimpse of the mountain, I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me. Although it is technically in Turkey, it remains the national symbol of Armenia. The snow covered peaks loom over the city and act as a sad reminder of what Armenians lost during the genocide. Mount Ararat is actually a dormant compound volcano that is known in Christianity as the resting place of Noah’s Ark. #armenia #travel #wanderlust #mountararat #travelstagram__
  • Happy Mother’s Day to my Mama. Everything good in my life is because of you ❤️. And thank you to Liz Oberacker at Purestyle Photography who’s patience and dedication helped bring this whole project together. I had a vision of this generation photograph and she ran with it and made it better than I even imagined. It took a lot of photo shoots, printing and framing. I only wish GG could have been in it. My mom had no idea what she was holding in the picture- I just gave it to her to open once it was complete. #mothersday #mothersdaygifts #mothers #generation #generations #family #familyphotography #familygoals #mother #daughter #mothersanddaughters
  • My time in Armenia is coming to an end and it’s been so emotional. We have been in the highlands helping bears. We confiscated a bear today that has lived in deportable conditions for 9 years. He is so damaged but he is safe now and can begin his rehabilitation. There will be a lot of pictures and stories to come, but for now, the sun is setting over the mountains and I will sit with little Ivy who is enjoying her new freedom. #bear #bears #armenia #bearrescue #animals #rescue #animalrescue #freedom
  • Walking into my first Women in Travel Summit was like finally finding my people. I walked away so inspired by these women from all over the world doing such amazing things. Can’t wait for next year! #wits19 #visitportlandme #travelblogger #travelbloggerslife #travelbloggervibes #travelbloggersofig #travelbetter #wanderlust