Yellowstone is one of those magical places on Earth. Driving around this park left me speechless because every single corner I turned had awe-inspiring views. I had been dreaming of coming here for a very long time therefore going was absolutely surreal to me.

I can go on talking about this place but let me provide some more information of my trip!
> Drive time from Los Angeles 15-16 hours (with stops to get gas and grocery shop)
> 3 full tanks of gas on a Dodge Durango ($150~ one way)

Starting our day now in Yellowstone.. Although it's summer, the corona virus pandemic still exists, so all employees had masks on and Yellowstone is keeping track and testing them every week during this time. You can still buy your pass there or just have it ready on your phone!

The first stop on our list was the GEYSERS! 
>West entrance to Old Faithful 40 min drive

Grand Prismatic Spring

Excelsior Geyser Crater

Old Faithful

I seriously can't believe how amazing this place is. 

We stayed at Grant Campground by Yellowstone Lake.
> Old Faithful to Grant Camp/Yellowstone Lake 45 min. drive
> Campground to lake is a 2 minute walk.
> Book in advance or find a first come first serve campground available. $27-$32. We reserved 1-2 weeks before our trip.>     https://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/campgrounds.htm
> Be aware the lake had tiny leeches that got on us! hahahaha.

We were mesmerized by the beauty of  the sunset over the lake. 

On the 2nd day, we planned to go backpacking but first... WATERFALLS!
 > Grant Camp to Grand Canyon of Yellowstone 35~ min. drive.

I live for view like this, waterfalls that take your breath away. 

Grand Canyon of The Yellowstone 

 On our way there we found bears! They were very far but we were lucky enough to bring binoculars!

We went backpacking for Sat-Sun at Cascade Lake
>Permits are available no earlier than 2 days before.
>Every person needs a permit $3 each
>We reserved everything for $25 a week prior.
> Back country permit  https://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/backcountryhiking.htm
> Backcountry planner & camp site locations: https://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/upload/bctrip-planner_2018.pdf

Please note that this is bear country and bear spray is necessary, you have to put all your food in a bag and hang it over a tree and camp 100 feet away.  We stayed at E2 and the hike was about 3 miles one way. The trail was mostly dirt but as we got closer to the lake it turned muddy. This wasn't fun for me but it was fun for my 7 year old. hahaha.

The red tags on the trees help you find the trail, in case you where to get lost. 

Once we reached our campsite, we had marvelous views of meadows, the lake and the pine trees around us. Pure serenity. It was all beautiful even when it started hailing in the middle of the night.

Okay day 3 now and we're heading to Mammoth Springs
> The Canyon to Mammoth Springs 50 min. drive

Shades of gold, yellow, orange and brown color the terraces of Mammoth Spring, it’s so stunning. 

When we were done with that we decided to drive through the park and stop at random view points.

Rustic Falls

I couldn't keep letting time pass by so I finally made the big trip to come here. I came here looking for adventures and left with memories that make me smile every time I think of this place. Yellowstone is a land full of beautiful treasures to see. These photographs don’t do this place justice but I hope you enjoyed them and I hope you found any of this information useful! Thank you.

Hi Friends!

Making this quick post to talk about my current hobby: Embroidering :)
There are tons of youtube videos for tips and tricks! And I know it's overwhelming to get started so I've added links for material you will need.

Hoops:
I usually use 4-6 in for personal pieces. 
 https://www.michaels.com/loops-and-threads-wooden-embroidery-hoop/M10124152.html?dwvar_M10124152_size=10%20in

String:
They are super affordable individually on Michaels, but if you want a lot for a good price I would get them from Amazon. You will basically be stocked for the rest of your life. (jk)
https://www.amazon.com/Premium-Rainbow-Color-Embroidery-Floss/dp/B07FXCY4K7/ref=sr_1_7?dchild=1&keywords=embroidery+string&qid=1587858179&sr=8-7

Needles:
There are different needles, but I bought these and they are really useful!
https://www.michaels.com/loops-and-threads-embroidery-needles-1-5/10340496.html

Fabric:
You can use an old tee or pillow case. Any fabric is useful, and different fabric will create different results. These are the 2 I've used:
cross stitch: https://www.michaels.com/loops-and-threads-aida-cloth-cross-stitch-fabric/10357720.html
im currently using these, they are ok and work well with most of my embroidery pieces.
https://www.amazon.com/Craft-Basics-22501-Bright-White/dp/B07MVY2CFC?th=1

Don't forget, you also need scissors and a cross stitch pattern. My patterns have all been hand drawn and then I just trace them on the material.

Hope you found this useful!
-Jasmine

Hello all,

How are y'all? The current quarantine most of us are living in is surreal. I hope you're doing okay. 

Forest Park 

I found time to work on a little something I've been wanting to do since February when I went to Portland! First off, we stayed in the city for two days and the third day we spent chasing waterfalls along the columbia river highway (6 waterfalls link here.).

Our hotel was in downtown, we used the train/bus system to get us around! (5$ all day use) When I think of a Portland morning, the first thing that comes to mind is some friendly local coffee and Voodoo Doughnuts! *note this is right across the "Keep Portland Weird" sign*

Following that we took the train to Portland's Aerial Tram for a view of the city. The tram is around 5$ round trip (very short trip) but you get lovely views for a few moments. 

We went back to Downtown to walk around, go to a cute cat cafe (Purrington) and check Powell's Books and went to the Winter Light Festival. 

The following morning consisted of coffee, walking bridges and visiting the Oregon Museum. 

One of favorite places in Portland is Forest Park. We took the bus to this random location (Firelane 1) and hiked for almost 30 min+ through mud but the view at the top was so worth it. Perfect layout for a picnic. 

We made our way back to downtown for a coffee stop at Stumptown.

If you walk over to Burnside Bridge, you'll get views of the river and the White Stag sign (:

There was a flock of birds when we were there, it was shocking and beautiful. 

Our last day was spent it driving along the highway looking for waterfalls and viewpoints. We rented a car for this (about 50$ for the whole day with gas) The 6 waterfall blog is linked here.  

Below is Panorama Viewpoint :) 

Oregon has lovely cities and beautiful mountains. It is a heartening getaway. 

This trip was only last month but our lives have changed since. Most of these places are temporarily closed due to the coronavirus (such as staying for coffee, going to the bookstore or doing the aerial tram). Nonetheless, I hope everyone's lives can go back to normal and you can continue to make future plans to visit these amazing places on Earth. Stay positive and take care my friends! 

The scenery around Yosemite leaves me breathless. Inspiring waterfalls and rock formations that leave you wondering how on Earth could they have been created so beautifully. There's obviously geological reasoning that occured over millions of years behind this but whatever you know what I mean.

Yosemite Falls

Visiting Yosemite Valley in the winter has its pros and cons. Pros: less people, more campsites, it's quieter, the snow, and the clouds look cool around the mountains. Cons: less access to roads such as mariposa grove or glacier point, less water on waterfalls, little water on the river, and the roads could be slippery or full of snow depending on the weather. Luckily, we didn't incur harsh weather. (Actually, one day was super cloudy and the next day was super sunny)

Hodgdon Meadows - behind the campsites

This is a simple 2 day itinerary for Yosemite that consists of no hiking and staying in the valley. Leaving plenty of time to enjoy picnics or relaxing by your campsite amongst the trees. Tip: Hodgdon Meadows is a first come-first serve campsite during fall-winter, I highly recommend it, there is always a lot of space!

Yosemite's Tunnel View (Hwy 40)

Bridal Veil Falls from parking lot

Bridal Veil Falls

Cathedral Rocks

Yosemite Falls (trail)

Lower Yosemite Falls

Merced River - you can see a glimpse of Yosemite Falls

Half Dome

Cascade Creek (Big Oak Flat Road)

Not included in these pictures were views of El Capitan, playing in the snow, or even walking on the swinging bridge. Whether you're coming here for a week or a day, fall, winter, or summer, Yosemite is a wonderful sight to see. Just look at me and Felix gazing at Yosemite Falls :)