Holy waterfalls. Last weekend, Trace and I decided to go on a hike at the historic Columbia River Gorge. The Columbia River Gorge is what divides the beautiful states of Oregon & Washington. We thought we were going on a hike to see 1 waterfall, we were wrong. There were so many waterfalls, it was incredible!
Along the Historic Columbia Gorge Highway you can see what feels like endless amounts of waterfalls. The length of the highway is 70 miles/112 km which can take anywhere from 3-5 hours to make the full drive.
Our destination was Fairy Falls which starts at the Wahkeena Falls trailhead. With several switchbacks, our calves were definitely feeling it haha. It was well worth it! Lemmons Viewpoint is just above Wahkeena Falls and a great place to see a spectacular view of the Columbia River Gorge. If you are ever visiting Oregon or Washington, stopping here is a must!
Have you visited the nation’s capital? Pack your best walking shoes, some sunscreen and prepare to learn a lot of history. There are countless museums to choose from, you will not be bored! Politics and history, they go hand in hand.
A few tips for DC to keep in mind. Parking is very limited so save yourself some stress and plan to take an Uber, pick up a bike at one of the hundreds of stations for Capital Bikeshare, or hop on a scooter through Lime or Bird. If you’re feeling saucy, you could do all of the above.
Start the morning out right with some coffee and breakfast at Greenberry’s. Although, they did get our order wrong. Their coffee and delish breakfast sandwich made up for it! If you go to their website and sign up, they do free coffee Friday on the last Friday of every month. Who doesn’t like free delicious coffee?
Feeling hungry from all those steps? We found ourselves at Pi Pizzeria, not far from The White House. This place started out in St. Louis and Mister Obama himself is the reason Pi Pizzeria is now in DC. They are known for their signature cornmeal deep dish, it’s like an upside down pizza where the sauce is on top and the toppings stacked beneath. If you aren’t into that, they have thin crust, whole wheat & gluten free options. The customer service was amazing and we left full and happy.
For an unforgettable experience, go see the National Mall at night when it is all lit up. It is a whole other vibe.
Do you enjoy folky music with a good beat to make you move and lyrics/vocals that pierce into your soul? Don’t let their abstract and unusual name fool you, Rainbow Kitten Surprise will have you dancing, smiling and experiencing all the feels. And when doesn’t rainbows, kittens and surprises make you happy?!
Our first time seeing RKS was in June 2019 at the iconic Red Rocks Amphitheater in Morrison, Colorado. If you have been to Red Rocks, you know the ambiance and incredible acoustics of this venue. There are no words for what an amazing experience it was. We even learned a trick from the locals to make a reservation in advance at Ship Rock Grille which is located inside the venue. You can grab a drink or a bite to eat and make your way inside and choose your seat. If you do this right, you can arrive hours early and not have to wait in the crazy long line to get into the venue and get a ridiculously good seat with your GA ticket. It’s like you are VIP without too much extra cost!
A shout out to the opening band – Caamp. Another incredible folk band who did not disappoint! And definitely worth checking out. Our first time at Red Rocks was truly magical and unforgettable! If your favorite band is playing there, please do not hesitate! Their tickets tend to sell out quickly and you will not regret a show of a lifetime.
We really wanted to do the private show that RKS offers at Red Rocks, but it sold out! We looked at their other tour dates and could see that they still had tickets available in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania in September and since we would be travelling the country at that time, we purchased the tickets.
Rainbow Kitten Surprise often offers a private performance experience for an extra charge where you and a group of people get a pre-show where they play a few songs and also take requests, and a meet & greet with a photo with the band. Plus, RKS is partnered with PLUS1 so $1 from every ticket sold will go to support Equality NC, & their work dedicated to securing equal right and protections for LGBQT North Carolinians.
Fast forward to September and we arrive at SteelStacks in Bethlehem, PA anxiously awaiting the private show. Looking around at the other RKS fans thinking we all at least have 1 thing in common. Good taste in music.
I have never experienced anything quite like it. I thought Red Rocks was amazing, but being this close to watch one of your favorite bands perform was something special. The sound moved through my body creating chills from my head to my toes. The way Sam Melo – the lead singer belted the lyrics “Take me as I am” from the song “American Hero”, you could feel his energy and his passion. The 5 of them had a lot of personality and all the good vibes. It was even the drummer – Jess Haney’s birthday. We were a bit starstruck and awkward when meeting them, it felt like a dream. One that you never wanted to wake up from.
Imagine 2 humans, 2 dogs and your key belongings packed into a Subaru Forester with a cargo topper. You pictured it, cozy! It’s a good thing we all like each other.
The Subie crew had until September 6th to get to New Jersey for my partner/lover/P.I.C. (Trace) family member’s wedding. Rewind to May 2017 and we already made this trek to Maine so we were okay with cruising through the states of Wyoming, Nebraska, Iowa and into Missouri to pitch our tent at a KOA. If you are not familiar with a KOA, it is a great place to stay if you are on a budget. They have locations in every state and the price is hard to beat! You can pitch a tent, stay in a cabin or park your RV/van. They typically have showers, bathrooms and a swimming pool. Each location is different, but definitely worth checking out if you are on the road!
Our next stop was Louisville, Kentucky to stay with Trace’s sister for a couple of nights before finishing the drive to Wildwood, New Jersey – where his parents live. It isn’t your typical gym, tan & laundry type of NJ. White sand and incredible ocean views, I can’t talk up south Jersey enough. The festivities began and we got to witness the most beautiful wedding on the coast of Cape May. Toes in the sand, soaking up the sun and an open bar at the reception at the local golf course. The fam drank and danced the night away.
1 month was spent in Wildwood. From eating steamers & delicious cheesesteaks to attending Irish weekend, trying to keep up with the locals. Our time in Jersey was one for the books. We got our hands dirty and put in a new floor in Trace’s parents beach house. Not only that, we painted their kitchen cabinets to brighten the place up a bit. The transformation was a night and day difference!
Wildwood is a 5 mile, island resort town also known as the Wildwoods. They have several beaches, amusement parks, the iconic boardwalk full of tasty food and entertainment and you can’t forget the festivals!
Anglesea Blues Fest – get down to the sounds of the blues while smackin’ on some bomb barbecue.
Irish Weekend – music, dancing, vendors and good people watching. Be prepared for a wild weekend, it isn’t called Wildwood for nothing!
We left the pups with nana for the day and took the ferry from Cape May to Lewes, Delaware where there is no sales tax! Get an Uber to the Rehoboth outlets and get your shop on. The outlets are broken up into 2 different areas and I don’t recommend walking from one to other. We learned this the hard way! After shopping, we took an Uber to Agave, a must try mexican restaurant. Their “Hot Mexican Rockets” are at the top of the list. Jalapeno’s filled with chicken, wrapped in bacon… say no more!
It’s August 31st 2019, and we are scurrying to get our last things packed and the apartment emptied so that we can hit the road. Once the apartment was finally empty, I did my last walk through, thinking how we would not return to our once home. I tried to take in what kind of adventure we were about to go on and how our lives were about to change. We said our see you laters to our loved ones and made our way to Grand Teton National Park, our first stop.
Our drive begins and what better way to enjoy the road than with some good road trip tunes?! We put on Stick Figure’s new album, “World on Fire” and oh how this album spoke to my soul. Fun fact, Scott Woodruff – the lead singer is a self-taught musician and he wrote, produced & recorded this entire album and previous albums. He is a lyrical genius! The first track on the album is “Once in a Lifetime“, and the song goes, “Yeah but I’m done running away, it’s something I can’t explain, ready for change, you know that I can’t stay, it’s never the same, this is once in a lifetime.” This pretty much sums up how we had been feeling and it was time for us to go on this once in a lifetime trip!
We got a much later start than we had originally planned and it was around midnight when we got into Grand Teton. We drove around the campgrounds trying to find a spot and silly us, we spaced that it was Labor Day weekend. Most of the campgrounds are available on a first-come, first-served basis so we weren’t able to make a reservation in advance. We spent a lot of time driving around the campground to find that there were zero available spots and we had no plan B. Well, we were not about to let this get us down. We decided to drive a little further into the park to the next campground, Lizard Creek. Lucky us, we found that someone had left early and there was 1 spot left! We excitedly got out of the car, did a little dance and set up our tent.
We were drained from the busy day and finally laid down for the night. What we saw when we laid down, blew our minds! The stars were glowing like we had never seen them before. We laid there silently with our dogs squished on the air mattress, taking it all in, nothing but smiles. This was the beginning and we were so ecstatic thinking about what was going to come next.
The next morning, we woke up to find that we were camping right off the beautiful water of Jackson Lake and the view was breathtaking! It was the perfect way to start our trip. We packed up the tent and made our way into Yellowstone National Park (the world’s very first National park) the 2 parks are connected so you can easily see both on one trip. If you are traveling with pets, it is soimportant to know ahead of time what they can and can’t do. A lot of the national parks limit where dogs can go and prohibit them from the trails.
We chose to go see Old Faithful blow, a famous geyser that erupts regularly each day. There is a clock with a countdown once you arrive. We also took the scenic drive to West Yellowstone and back through the park. Be prepared to see some beautiful scenery and wildlife! I grew up going to Yellowstone often and it is a national park that you do not want to miss! There are waterfalls, hundreds of geysers, hot springs & plenty of beautiful hikes.
Side note: You can find great & affordable souvenir shops in West Yellowstone and if you are hungry, try “Las Palmitas” a delicious affordable mexican food truck/bus with fresh food and large portions! Nom nom.
If you enjoy the sound of funk and R&B, you should definitely check out SiR. His vocals and beats are incredible and contain so much soul. “Summer in November” is from his 2018 album “November”. This song has been on repeat for me!
“Everybody got a name, everybody got a number” My name is Devri Anderson and as a shy awkward, yet person who won’t stop talking once you get to know me… I communicate best through music lyrics. I am a music junkie and love all varieties. I thrive best in this life when I am outside, feeling small and listening to my favorite jammie jams with my favorite human and 2 fur babies.
I recently went on the adventure of a lifetime packed into my Subaru Forester with my man and our 2 dogs. We packed all of the necessities for our road trip of the United States and put the rest in storage, our amazing friend’s basement to be exact! We were living in Utah at the time and had been wanting to relocate for years. Our goal on this trip was to find a new home, explore the national parks, get as much family time as possible, eat, camp, you name it. We wanted to keep an open mind on our journey to finding our new home. After spending 142 days on the road and visiting 32 states, we decided on Portland, Oregon. The state had stolen our hearts. From the coast to the forest, all the good vibes, beautiful scenery and friendly people everywhere we went. We packed up the Uhaul in Utah and made our trek back to the pacific northwest to start the next chapter of our lives.
As much as I would like to think that I will remember every detail forever, I have learned that sometimes the details slip away. So I am starting this blog to share my experiences and hopefully give some tips on travelling the country with a little taste of music.
Outside is the right side. 