Now that the holidays have passed and the new year has begun, slow season is upon us. This time of year can be hard with winter in full swing, shorter and darker days, cold temperatures, and not many breaks or holidays to look forward to.
During the last few years, since working full time especially, I have found one way to make this season a little easier is to romanticize it! Romanticizing to me, is making something more beautiful or highlighting the beauty in our daily life, even the mundane moments.
I’ve been reading The Little Book of Hygge, Danish Secrets to Happy Living by Meik Wiking. It focuses on the presence of Hygge, the danish term for essentially homey or coziness. Throughout the book, Wiking focuses on how danish people thrive in the winter season and slower months because of the concept and feeling of hygge. It further inspired me to incorporate hygge into my life throughout this new season and embrace the winter instead of dread it.
Some ways I’ll be incorporating coziness and romanticizing my life this winter:
Candles– helps with the darker nights and creates a warm inviting space
Lots of cozy layers– blankets, pillows, etc on the couch and bedroom
Books– reading a new book, cozying up on the couch after a long day
Making fun meals– I love making fun breakfasts or dinners during the week to have something different and “weekend like” to look forward to
Plan fun winter activities– walks in the snow, making a new soup, building a snowman, ice skating etc.
Plan a trip– a winter trip is one of my favorites! and it brings that feeling of something to look forward to
Incorporate seasonal elements– bring in cool tones (whites, cool neutrals) into the home and small valentines day touches can make the home feel in line with the seasons
Create a winter bucket list– creating a list of things to embrace in the winter and work towards can make the season more fun
Spend time in the snow– you either love or hate the snow but it’s definitely something to try and embrace during the season (especially if you live in a place that snows often).
Cherishing time indoors– this season is all about staying warm, and cultivating a space inside that brings joy and comfort
One of my favorite parts about romanticizing a season or time of life is that it usually doesn’t require material things or an excessive amount of effort. We can romanticize our lives and seasons with what we already have and what we already do. Challenging our mindset about a particular season or time of life is the biggest way to shift how we feel. Cheers to embracing a new season and the start of 2024!
Embracing the outdoors even in the snowSpending time in the snowBuilding a snowmanWinter walksCar picnicsWinter tripsWarm drinks Winter cabin trips are some of my favorite!Snowy backgrounds and cozy indoor elementsSpending time in the snow is a must in the winter
It’s hard to believe another year has come and gone. The week between Christmas and New Years is one of my favorite weeks━ the last week of the year, the perfect time to slow down and reflect on the final days of the year and prepare for the year a head. I kn0w there’s some controversy surrounding new years resolutions and goal making, but personally, I love this time of the year because of the chance for a “restart.” A restart or fresh start can be whatever it means to you! Cleaning out a closet, going through old emails, working on a vision board for the year, or writing down dreams, goals, and intentions for the new year.
I created a 2024 dream planning page that I’ll personally be using and wanted to share for anyone else interested. I typically write anything that comes to mind that I hope to achieve or strive for in the new year, even if it feels a little ambiguous at first! That’s what dreaming and goal planning is all about :)
I also wanted to share some of my favorite moments captured on film from the past year.
Wishing you all a wonderful end to 2023 and a magical start to 2024!
Visiting Jackson Hole, WyomingGrand Teton National ParkVisiting Yellowstone National ParkMount RushmoreCamping in Allegheny National ForestSunrise at Schwbacher LandingLakeside, OhioFall camping in Allegheny National ForestBison in Hayden ValleyGlacier National ParkBadlands National Park. Bison viewing in Yellowstone National Park Glacier National Park
Over the summer, Patrick and I explored four national parks within a two week road trip. It was definitely one of my favorite trips we’ve ever taken so I wanted to share the itinerary I created. Of course with any big trip, plans can change so we didn’t get to everything listed on this itinerary, but most! I’m mentioning it here to give various ideas if you are planning a similar trip! We wanted to have options and back up plans which is why some days are packed. Combining these locations across a two week trip is convenient and makes for a perfect road trip! I mention the campgrounds we stayed at for reference and those that I’d recommend. Keep in mind, most campgrounds within the parks book up quickly, typically up to 6 months in advance so be prepared if you plan to camp! We also used the app campendium to find free campsites.
Check out my other blog posts to prepare and plan for a national park trip if you are looking for more tips.
Badlands National Park & Wall Drug Store, South Dakota
day one 🚐
After driving in from the East, we officially started our trip in South Dakota with the intent of spending time in Badlands National Park. We only planned for one full day within the park and while we could stayed for longer, it was doable to see most highlights within a day.
Badlands highlights in one day:
Take a picture at the Badlands national park sign upon entering the park
Stop at big badlands overlook
Hike notch trail (1.3mi) *be sure to get here early if you want to experience this hike with less people!
Hike window trail (.3mi) same parking lot as notch
Hike door trail (.8mi) same parking lot as notch
Stop by visitor’s center
Drive badlands loop road and view overlooks
yellow mounds
pinnacles overlook
On the way out of the park, stop by Wall Drug store and check out some iconic historical highlights:
free ice water
5 cent coffee
Drive to Center Lake campground (1.5 hr from wall drug)
We spent four days in Grand Teton national park. This was by far one of our favorite parks we’ve ever been to. Since there’s so much to see and do between the park and the nearest town, Jackson Hole, I’d allow at least three days to fully explore. To save a little money, we stayed at a free campsite for a couple nights before going to a campground. The free campsites in the area are primitive and aren’t reservable so there’s no guarantee you’ll find a spot each night which can add stress, but the benefit is it’s a safe and free place to sleep!
Sunrise at schwabacher landing (wear layers in the early mornings, it’s cold even in the summer!)
Drive into Jackson hole and stop by cowboy coffee for coffee and breakfast
Drive along the Teton park road and see outlook areas for wildlife:
Oxbow Bend Turnout
Cascade Canyon Turnout
Teton Glacier Turnout
Glacier View Turnout
*Schwabacher Landing
Teton Point Turnout
Snake River Overlook
Elk Ranch Flats Turnout
Stop at visitor’s center
Spend time exploring Jackson Hole
Dinner in town: hand fire pizza
🌛 Upper Teton View – Toppings Lake Dispersed Campsites
Sunrise at schwabacher landing
day four 🏔
Watch sunrise at mormon row
Hike to Delta lake (9 mi roundtrip) via lupine meadows access
We unfortunately didn’t get to finish this hike because Patrick got altitude sickness in the middle of the hike! Learn from our mistake and prep yourself with plenty of snacks, water, and time to adjust to the altitude in the area before taking on a big hike.
Drive along scenic highway and stop at pull off spots
our favorite was mountain view turnout :)
Sunset at schwabacher landing
🌛 Upper Teton View – Toppings Lake Dispersed Campsite
🚿 Showers are available at Colter Bay, Signal Mountain, and Headwaters at Flagg Ranch.
Mormon row at sunrise
day five 🥾
Wake up early to hike parts of cascade canyon (we started at string lake)
Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho
day seven ⛲️
We spent a day and a half exploring Yellowstone. We definitely could have spent much more time exploring, Yellowstone is massive! However, we were able to see some nice highlights throughout our short but sweet time in park. One thing to note about Yellowstone is you will spend a lot of time driving to various spots (especially if your time is limited like ours was) but the views while driving are stunning and worth being in the car!
Drive to Yellowstone NP (2 hr from Grand Teton)
Explore the old faithful area
See old faithful erupt (you can look up predicted eruption times online) this iconic geyser does erupt every 60-90 minutes!
Walk along boardwalks to see other geysers and pools in the area. Some of our favorites:
Castle geyser
Daisy geyser
Spa geyser
Morning Glory pool
Grotto geyser
Grand geyser
Beauty pool
Stop by visitor’s center
Drive to grand prismatic spring and hike to overlook (1.5mi)
Wake up early and drive to Hayden valley to watch bison! (our favorite experience in the park)
Drive to see the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone and stop by various look out points:
park in South Rim Rd to see view with Artist Point
drive to North Rim Rd to see lower Lookout Point
drive down the road to Grand View
inspiration point to see a farther view
Drive to Lamar valley to view more wildlife. We unfortunately didn’t see many bison in this area due to the construction occurring in the park at the time.
Drive to see mammoth hot springs to see minerva terrace
Drive to camp for dinner
Catch the sunset back at Hayden valley (we ended up seeing a bison herd commuting to find a place to rest for the night, such an amazing experience to witness).
🌛 Canyon Campground
Bison in Hayden valley
Glacier National Park, Montana
We ended our two week road trip with our last few days in Glacier national park. This part of the trip offered us some of the most incredible views we’ve ever seen! Glacier is extremely popular and crowded so it requires advance planning to ensure you book vehicle reservations (needed during peak season) and campgrounds. During peak season, the park is separated into four sections that require reservation tickets to enter during designated time periods as an attempt to limits crowds. More information on this can be found on the park’s website. Also, be sure to have bear spray on every hike in Glacier!
day nine 🚐
Drive to Glacier national park (7 hours from Yellowstone)
Walk the trail of the cedars nature trail (1mi loop) continue hiking to avalanche lake (4.5 mi round trip)
Drive and stop along the ‘going to the sun’ road
Stop to see look out points along the way to take pics:
The Loop– Hair pin turn on the road that allows views of stunning mountains
Weeping Wall– Named after a cliffside that has water dripping from snowmelt onto the road and your car!
Big Bend – Located just after the Weeping Wall, the best spot for photos or to watch the sunset :)
Logan Pass – The highest point on the road, also where the visitor’s center is located
Jackson Glacier Overlook– Pull off area to view Jackson Glacier
Saint Mary Falls – Trail head for Saint Mary Falls starts at this pull off
Wild Goose Island – Stop here to get a photograph of the famous island in the middle of Saint Mary lake!
Rising Sun– Cute area to stop in for a restroom break or snacks
Get huckleberry ice cream as a reward!
Check into camp
🌛 Fishcreek campground
Avalanche lake!
day eleven 🏔
Wake up early to drive to logan pass visitor’s center to hike the high line trail (parking lot here fills up extremely quickly!)
Hike the high line trail (~14 mi round trip)
Due to extreme rainy and snowy weather conditions, we weren’t able to finish the entire hike but it was still one of the best experiences we had while visiting the park! We were hiking within the clouds at times! These kinds of weather conditions are typical while hiking in higher altitude, be sure to check the weather before hiking in some areas.
The high line trail is definitely worth trying even if you only plan to hike for a few miles, the views are incredible!
Stop by lake McDonald and go for a swim to relax after a long hike.
🌛 Fishcreek campground
Views along the highline trail
day twelve 🥞
Sleep in and enjoy breakfast at camp
Drive to Polebridge area of the park
Explore the area, check out the Polebridge general store (super cute and has amazing pastries!)
Drive back up to the going to the sun road to explore pull off areas
Watch sunset at big bend
🌛 Fishcreek campground
Big bend stop along the ‘going to the sun’ road
day thirteen 🥾
Drive to logan pass visitor’s center to park
Hike to hike hidden lake overlook trail (2.7 mi)
We were only able to hike to the overlook area and not down to the lake due to bear activity. Be sure to look up park closures in advance before planning certain hikes!
Drive to the Many Glacier area
Explore and stop in the Many Glacier hotel
Hike the grinnell glacier viewpoint trail (10 mi roundtrip)
After a long last day of exploring and hiking, get some huckleberry ice cream!
The holiday season brings so much warmth and comfort, especially within the home. I love decorating my home and adding cozy elements all year long but there’s something extra special about the holiday season.
Last year was my first year in this apartment. I bought and collected several pieces that are typical when adding holiday decor to a space (a tree, stockings, throw pillows, etc.). This year I wanted to add more homemade touches to the space that felt more personal to Patrick and me. Most of the additions this year were homemade or purchased second hand. I’m hoping this could provide inspiration when decorating for the holidays. My favorite touches this year were adding bows to the christmas tree, seeing more cultivated travel ornaments, wreaths to frame the tree, and lots of garlands.
This year I also focused more on decor and warmth I could create from natural elements such as a dried orange wreath or ornaments and a simmer pot to add winter scents to the home. Here’s some simple steps if you’d also like to incorporate this into your home:
dried orange garland
thinly slice 1-2 oranges (1 is plenty for one garland)
dry each slice with a paper towel to remove some moisture
place orange slices on a baking pan
bake at 200 degrees for 3-4 hours checking occassionally to flip
oranges will be done once slightly brown or harden
winter simmer pot
add water to a pot or dutch oven
cut and add 1 thinly sliced orange
cut and add 1 thinly sliced apple
2-3 cinnamon sticks
sprinkle of cloves or nutmeg
splash of vanilla extract
add a handful of cranberries
for an extra touch, add rosemary or pine
bring pot to a boil and lower to simmer for 30+ minutes
wishing you all happy holidays! x
this year I add garlands and wreaths to frame our treeribbon and embroidered initials for our stockingswreath on our mirroralpine trees near the fireplaceribbon bows were the newest cozy addition to the tree this yearreading nook near the treemy favorite sceneclose up of ornaments festive kitchen cornerfestive sheets in the bedroomholiday simmer pots
This past weekend, I was able to spend time camping in one of my favorite places, Allegheny National Forest. Patrick and I first visited Allegheny last spring and enjoyed it so much we wanted to experience the forest during the fall season. We stayed at Red Bridge campground again, one of our favorite campgrounds we’ve ever stayed at. This time we were able to reserve a campsite in advance and choose a beautiful spacious spot surrounded by stunning fall foliage. Here’s a list of extra supplies we brought this time to prep for the chillier weather in the fall and to make the experience more cozy:
Fall Camping Tips & Cozy Supply to Pack
Tips:
Check the weather. Fall camping usually brings cooler temps at night and rain depending on where you’re located. While we were in Allegheny it did rain for most of the trip.
Pack lots of layers. There’s nothing worse then being cold and wet. Packing extra layers will provide options and extra warmth on the chilly nights.
Be flexible with plans. During our camp visit, it rained majority of the time which was challenging! Being able to make the most of the trip despite the weather is a must.
Reserve a camping spot in advance. If possible, it’s always reassuring to have a camp site reserved, especially in the fall season. Most seasonal campgrounds are only open through October so it’s usually more popular during the fall months depending on the location.
Supplies to pack for fall camping & for a cozy vibe while camping:
Tent with rain cover
Awning or area to cover from rain so cooking is accessible
Lights (string or lanterns) to help when it gets darker earlier
Comforter or extra blankets for sleeping
Supplies for hot beverages
Layers of clothing
Comfy camp chairs
Table cloth for picnic table
Cozy shoes and socks to wear around camp
Waffle maker for breakfast
Although some of these supplies aren’t necessary, it definitely made for a cozier experience while camping in the fall season.
breakfast at campmorning coffee from the tentour attempt at a family picturebreakfast spreadcozy tentmorning coffeered bridge campgroundtent at nightcozy layerspumpkin waffles for breakfastmorning views from the tenttent set up prepping dinner
The Grand Teton national park will hold a top spot on my favorite national parks lists. I finally had the chance to visit this incredible park and I was in awe with its beauty. We spent a few days in the park and we were able to see most of the highlights. Here’s an overview of what we did and some tips I learned from after our experience.
Things to Know About the Grand Teton National Park
The park requires an entrance fee. It’s $35 for a 7 day period. I’d highly recommend purchasing the America the Beautiful pass if you plan to visit multiple national parks at once (like combining the Tetons and Yellowstone into one trip). The annual pass is $80 and gets you into any national park for a year!
The Grand Teton’s closet town is Jackson Hole, Wyoming. I would recommend spending time in Jackson, it’s about 30-40 minutes outside of the park, depending on the area you’re staying in. There’s plenty of restaurants, stores, and accommodations if you’re unable to stay inside the park.
The Grand Teton is about an hour and a half from the southern part of Yellowstone national park, which is why many people travel to both these parks in the same trip!
There are six established campgrounds within the GTNP which are all conveniently located throughout the park. As always, I’d suggest making a reservation well in advance if you plan to camp. We stayed at Jenny Lake campground which is tent only and this was a very central location. Be sure to research on where in the park you’d like to be, the campgrounds are spread across the entire park.
Other than campgrounds, there were a decent amount of free camp spots which was a nice surprise! We stayed at a free spot for three nights before moving to our campground. These free camp spots were definitely more crowded then others we’ve stayed at but it was nice to have a free sleep!
There are camp showers available for $6 at Signal Mountain and Colter Bay campgrounds. We went to Signal Mountain every day until we checked into Jenny Lake campground, which also has showers. Signal Mountain and Colter Bay areas also have laundry services available for use.
The Grand Teton is a relatively small national park and there’s two sides to it, one is highway 191 (outer road) and the other is the scenic drive (inner road) which includes many beautiful look out points and access to popular trails. Interestingly, if you stay on the side of highway 191, you don’t have to pay an entrance fee even though you’re technically in the park!
Things to Do in GTNP:
Day One
Overview:
Sunrise at Mormon Row
Stop at Cowboy Coffee
Explore Jackson
Fishing stop at Pacific creek
Drive along Teton park road
On our first full day in the park, we started the morning bright and early for sunrise at Mormon Row. This was by far one of the most beautiful sunrises I’ve ever seen. The one take away I had from our time in the Tetons was to never miss a sunrise. Mormon row was full of other people even at 5am waiting to watch the sun come over the Tetons. The lighting in the morning changed so fast here, the pink sky only lasted for a few minutes which made the experience even more magical. After sunrise, we drove into Jackson for coffee and breakfast. One of our favorite spots in Jackson was Cowboy Coffee. It’s a popular place for good reason!
After breakfast we walked around Jackson before driving back into the park. Most of the afternoon we spent time at Pacific Creek because Patrick wanted to fly fish. There were some great spots for fly fishing if that’s your thing too! While Patrick fished, I spent time exploring nearby areas and taking photos. We ended our first day driving along the Teton park road (the “inner” road of the park). After a beautiful first day, we went to our free camp spot for the night, which I found using the campendium app.
Sunrise at Mormon RowExploring JacksonCowboy CoffeeExploring JacksonSunrise view of the Tetons at Mormon Row
Day Two
Overview:
Sunrise at schwabacher landing
Hike part of Cascade Canyon
Spend the afternoon in Jackson souvenir shopping
Dinner at Hand Fire Pizza
Day two was on of our favorite days in the park! We started the morning at another well known sunrise spot, Schwabacher landing. This spot is on the “outer” road of the park, along highway 191. There were a lot of other people here for sunrise, but we still managed to have a great view to watch the sun rise over the Tetons. We spent a couple hours here before heading back to the car to make breakfast and coffee. After some fuel, we headed to the String Lake area to access the Cascade Canyon trail. There are a few different ways to access this trial. We started at String Lake and walked along Jenny lake before connecting to the Cascade Canyon trail head. We didn’t plan to hike the entirety of cascade canyon but total we hiked about 8 miles. This was a stunning hike and we were able to see some famous spots in the park along this trail such as:
Inspiration point
Hidden Falls
Jenny Lake loop
After a full afternoon hiking, we stopped by signal mountain camp area to shower. Showers here are available for $6 and it gives you 7 minutes to shower. The showers here were extremely clean and lots of room which was a luxury compared to other public showers we’ve used. We then drove into Jackson for dinner and souvenir shopping. We decided to have dinner at Hand Fire Pizza which was amazing! After dinner we headed back into the park to set up camp for our first night at Jenny Lake campground.
Sunrise at Schwabacher landingMorning coffeeSunrise at Schwabacher landingView along Cascade Canyon trailViews along Cascade Canyon trailViews along Cascade Canyon trailViews along Cascade Canyon trailHidden Falls
Day Three
Overview:
Sunrise exploring scenic highway
Breakfast at Jenny Lake visitor’s center
Taggart Lake
Jenny Lake scenic drive
On our last full day in the tetons, we woke up bright and early. Patrick wanted to fish again so I dropped him off at Pacific Creek. For the rest of the morning I explored parts of the scenic drive, pulling over for photos as the sun rose over the tetons. I made my way back to camp and walked around the Jenny Lake visitor’s center area. Inside one of the general store’s in this area, they serve coffee and breakfast sandwiches. It started for campers but is now available for anyone stopping by the area in the morning. The breakfast sandwich was delicious and just what I need after an early morning. Once Patrick was done fishing, we went for a short hike at Taggart Lake. This is a brief loop trail that takes you around Taggart Lake. It’s a fairly moderate hike that can be completed in a couple of hours or less. We took showers at our campground, Jenny Lake, and it was $5 for 6 minutes.
For our last night in the Grand Teton national park, we drove along the Jenny Lake scenic drive. This drive is so beautiful and perfectly hidden from the main road, we were one of the only ones there exploring. Along the drive there’s some pull off areas for hikes accessed from this road and parking for the Jenny Lake lodge. Our favorite part of this scenic drive was the look out point for Jenny lake. There’s a path where you can walk along the water and take in the views of Jenny lake. It’s such a sweet spot, I would definitely add this to your itinerary while visiting the park. We spent our last night at camp cooking dinner before heading to bed.
Stop along scenic highwayStop along scenic drive, Oxbow BendPath along Jenny Lake accessed from scenic drivePath along Jenny lakeViews along tagart lake trail
I’m starting a new category on the blog dedicated to my love for design and creating cozy spaces. For as long as I can remember I’ve been rearranging and designing spaces. It started with my bedroom as a child. I enjoyed switching the art on my wall, moving the furniture around, and adding different accessories regularly. I’d become excited to show my parents, siblings, and friends the changes I had made. These habits shifted to my first apartment when I moved to Italy, back to my attic space when I moved back home with my parents, and now to my apartment I currently have on my own. I’ve always been highly influenced by the spaces I’m in. It impacts my mood, productivity, motivation, and inspiration. I feel so much joy from creating a space that feels warm, inviting, and peaceful. It creates a safe place for me to return home to. It’s what makes a house a home.
My design style and aesthetic has definitely evolved over the years and will most likely continue to do so. For now, these are the spaces that make up my home. The spaces that fill my heart, mind, and soul with clarity and fulfillment. The spaces that feel like me.
Along Lake Erie, just past Sandusky, you’ll find the charming quaint town of Lakeside. Lakeside is a special place for me, as my family used to visit regularly in the summertime when I was a child. I haven’t been back in years so Patrick and I decided to revisit during labor day weekend! I had such a great time reminiscing on childhood memories and relaxing in this timeless town, it truly has the same charm I remember from years ago. Lakeside is the perfect spot for a small town getaway! Here is some tips and things to keep in mind before visiting Lakeside.
Things to know about Lakeside
During the summer months (Memorial Day through Labor Day) Lakeside requires visitors to purchase day passes and auto passes. These gate fees can be purchased online before hand or when you first arrive at the gate. Lakeside is open all year and the gate fees are only during the summer season.
There are several hotels and bed and breakfasts and cottages available. This trip we booked our stay at Hotel Lakeside and loved it! All accommodations can be found on the website.
During the summer months we noticed most restaurants were open in the mornings until 3pm and closed and reopened at 5pm for the dinner crowds.
The town has a newspaper published with events happening each week, be sure to grab one when arriving to stay up to date.
Parking is limited and confusing. There aren’t many designated spots for those who aren’t staying in a cottage. You may have to do several loops around the area to find a parking spot.
We spent two days at Lakeside and this was the perfect amount of time for a short getaway. During our stay, we booked a room at the Hotel Lakeside which is an iconic landmark in the park. The hotel was built in 1875 and the charm is still alive today! If you visit for longer than a weekend, I’d recommend renting a cottage.
Things to do in Lakeside
Wake up early for donuts at The Patio. They have the best cake donuts! They still taste the same as they did when I was a kid.
Grab a cup of coffee at Coffee and Cream or Oh La La. Both cafe’s are nice options with a variety of coffee choices as well as breakfast and lunch bites.
Play mini golf. The course is unique and with 15 holes, it will make for a fun day or night activity!
Stop by the t-shirt shop under the dock awning! It’s a small little shop with some of the coolest apparel to take as souvenirs.
Have lunch at Blue Bird cafe. Located just near the dock in the center of town, Blue Bird has delicious sandwiches and salads with a great outdoor seating area right near the water.
Rent a bike or golf cart at Sypherd Cycle. One of my favorite parts about Lakeside is that almost everyone bikes or rides golf carts around the town. We rented bikes and it was so fun to feel like a local for the weekend.
Have dinner at Lakeside pizzeria, former known as Sloopy’s pizza. This is a town favorite for pizza!
Go for a swim in Lake Erie! There’s access from the “beach” area or from the dock.
See a concert or speaker at the Hoover Auditorium. Lakeside does a nice job finding entertainment for visitors and access to the auditorium is included in the gate fee.
Trail along beachRoom at Hotel LakesideDetails in hotel roomFlorals along hotelScreened porch view at the hotelScreened porch at hotelKey for hotel roomEnjoying donuts by the beachIce cream from the patioView of Lake Erie from the dockBiking riding around townSunrise at the beachMorning donuts from the patioIconic Lakeside dock awning
Last weekend, Patrick and I spontaneously decided to go camping in Allegheny National Forest. Camping has always been something that helps ground us and provide the perfect reset when life feels stressful. We’ve always talked about going to Allegheny and we finally made the trip happen! Here’s some photos of our quick trip to Allegheny and the camping list we always use that gives us the most comfort while camping.
Our time in Allegheny was short and sweet but it definitely has me excited to visit again in the future. We found a couple campgrounds in the area that were open already for the season, most were first come first serve, which always makes me a little anxious but luckily we were able to find a great spot. We stayed at Red Bridge Campground and we loved it! This campground felt scenic and secluded but also had plenty of amenities which is always a luxury while camping. I would highly recommend this campground, we plan to stay here again during our next visit.
Our Camp List
This is our camping list that we use when we go on quick weekend trip or a long road trip. Some of these items were investments to ensure we had the most comfort, especially for our longer trips. Most of these items aren’t necessary especially for a quick weekend trip but they definitely make us feel more at ease and comfortable which is our goal while camping or traveling on the road.
Sleep
Tent, with rain cover
Air mattress
Sheets
Blankets
Sleeping bags
Pillows
Hygiene
Travel toilet
Biodegradable waste bags
Toilet paper
Trash bags
Body wash and shampoo
Tooth brush and tooth paste
Cook
Newair refrigerator or cooler
Cooking utensils
Eating utensils
Plates
Bowls
Coffee mugs
Pots and pans
Stove top and propane
Jetboil
Cutting board
Stanley pour over stand
Containers/bags to store leftover food
Water cooler
Collapsible sink
Campsuds dish soap
Sponge to wash dishes
Comfort
Rinse kit (helpful for a quick rinse off or to assist with washing dishes)
Camp chairs
Hammock
Quick dry towels
Jackery generator (we use this to keep our refrigerator powered and other things we need to charge)
Cameras
String lights
Journals/books
Card games
Safety
Medicine kit
Lantern
Garmen inreach mini satellite gps (helpful when there’s no service!)
Quick start car battery charge
Misc.
Fire starter supply
Citronella candle
Small hatchet/shovel
Tent set upMorning coffeeRed Bridge CampgroundPrepping dinnerMorning at campStarting a campfire for the eveningCamp breakfastView of our setupS’mores!Walking around the campground
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