Palmerton Park

March 24, 2017March 24, 2017 Jessica Lippe

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Location: Rogue River, Oregon

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Distance: The entire park is five acres, and you can choose however much of the path (or off-path area) you want to walk on. There are a few steps on an optional part of the pathway, but other than that, this is a very flat, very easy walk that anyone can participate in.

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Foot Traffic

Today was a very rainy morning. I had lagged behind on walking this week, and I knew that the hike I wanted to take would be incredibly muddy. I thought about skipping a walk entirely this week and just posting a walk I took previously. But then while I was out driving, I found myself headed toward my first-ever hometown of Rogue River, Oregon. I don’t remember living there because I moved to California before my first birthday, but I remember visiting as an older child.

When I went to the Wimer Covered Bridge a few weeks ago, I passed a church on the drive there. On the drive back, I recognized tennis courts and a bridge behind the church building. I immediately pulled into the parking lot (which turns out is shared by the church and the city park) and walked down memory lane… but only in my mind. I was pressed for time, and had a kid sleeping in the backseat who couldn’t be woken up even for something as fun as a park.

When I realized I was headed to Rogue River on this rainy morning but didn’t know what I was going to do once I got there, I decided to enjoy walking through this park despite the weather. Because of the downpour, I was the only one there. Everyone else sure missed out!

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Foot Feelings

Even though I remember going to this park a few times many years ago, I only remembered the sports courts, the footbridge, and the picnic tables near a playground. Palmerton Park is actually best known for being an arboretum. But it turns out I didn’t start at Palmerton Park. I had parked my car at the smaller adjacent Anna Classick Bicentennial Park, which includes a variety of sports courts such as tennis and basketball. I then headed across the Skevington Bridge.

I guess I have a thing for walking across previously-collapsed bridges. The Skevington Bridge was washed away twenty years ago during a flood, but then rebuilt in 2002. It was one of those suspension bridges where you could feel the bridge move with each step you took. It crossed Evans Creek, as well as a foliage green pond, before allowing me to arrive and continue my walk in Palmerton Park.

Because of the rain, I mostly stayed on the path, though I occasionally adventured into the wet grass to get a better look at a unique tree or to take advantage of a photo opp. (Because this was a spontaneous trip, I had left my waterproof camera at home and instead had to protect my phone against the elements while trying to capture pictures!) I walked along a stony path area with a fountain feature. Despite all the extra water it was receiving, it only provided a trickle of a waterfall. I then went around the playground and to the official front of Palmerton Park. Since I had come in from the back way, I had missed out on a big informational sign showing how Palmerton features dozens of different trees from all around the world. There was a coastal redwood, a monkey puzzle tree, and other unique plants. I think my favorites were the trees that were currently in bloom. It was evidence that it is indeed spring!

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Trail Tips

-Since this is in Oregon, some sort of rain protection is recommended. Most locals will tell you that we don’t like to use umbrellas. But a raincoat is subtle enough that you can still blend in.

-Look for inspiration around the park. I found one unusually unique inspirational quote engraved on a sign. (I’m not sure why it was there, but it did make me ponder for awhile!) And of course be inspired by the nature itself.

-If you want to enter the way I did, go down Pine Street and turn in when you see Rogue Valley Community Church. However, the official entrance is on Evans Creek Road.

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It looks like I’ve shared about city park walks two weeks in a row! But some parks have some of the best walks. Do you enjoy walking in a park near you? Tell me where it is!

(PS: I’ve got a bonus post coming at you this weekend! Also check out my Instagram for a preview of what to expect next week, @jessicalippe.)

Walk

Lithia Park

March 17, 2017 Jessica Lippe

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Location: Ashland, Oregon. You can’t miss it- it’s very centrally located.

Distance: Who knows?! I didn’t think to take a pedometer with me. We walked wherever we felt like at the time, did some backtracking, and stopped at the playground, the Japanese gardens, the duck ponds, and a picnic table for lunch. About three hours total was spent here.

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Foot Traffic:

Ah, Lithia Park. As a child, this 93-acre locale was almost as amazing as Disneyland, except it was free and not as far away. I loved going here with my parents, toting our stale bread and crusts so that we could feed the ducks and geese. While feeding the wildlife is no longer allowed, I decided to attempt passing the magic of this place on to the next generation anyway. It turned out to be a fun babysitting experience. He still appreciated seeing the fowl without breadcrumbs. He also got to enjoy an updated playground and Japanese garden. (He was really interested in bamboo that day!)

I’ve never not seen anyone at Lithia Park. It’s an eclectic bunch. From business professionals on lunch break, to parents running the energy out of their kids, to hippies trying to make a statement about something rather, people watching is definitely a must-do in Lithia Park, and Ashland in general. However, not many people stray from the main (paved) path at Lithia park. There’s plenty more to see off the beaten path.

Foot Feelings:

The hippie city of Ashland, Oregon boasts the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Southern Oregon University, access to the Pacific Crest Trail, and a host of prominent local shops, but Lithia Park will always be my favorite out of all these things to do.

I like how you can choose how challenging you want your trip to Lithia Park to be. If you want to park right next to the playground, cross the bridge, and sit down for lunch, that can be a full experience itself. You could also go up to the miles of hiking trails, come back down to the upper duck pond, pass the sports courts, head over to the Japanese garden, go over to the fountain, back down to the stage, and then make your way past the playground and lower duck pond before stopping to refresh on the free Lithia water. (Try it; it’s delicious… wink wink.)

Trail Tips

-Seriously, try that Lithia water! It’s sure to be an experience you’ll never forget!

-If you can’t find parking downtown, keep driving up the side of the park until there are fewer cars. You can park longer in this area, anyway.

-Don’t be afraid of the locals! The population may appear crazy if you aren’t used to it, but they mean no harm and the unique culture is what makes Ashland a great place to visit.

-Want a freebie that’s better than the Lithia water? (But you should still try it, and bottle it so you can share it with your friends!) Check out my other site to get a free magazine subscription. The next issue comes out on Monday!

day trip, hike

On the Hunt for the Mysterious Bill Cipher

July 25, 2016 Jessica Lippe

This winter, when I didn’t have the money, the warmth, or even the desire to travel much, I went on more virtual adventures. I read lots of books, and I caught up on some great TV shows. I finally finished what I thought was the greatest cartoon of all time, Phineas and Ferb. I was actually pretty sad when I finished the final episode. Those boys and their pet platypus knew how to make the best of each day and circumstance, and were able to have so many adventures! I was able to turn some of the show’s situations into real-life experiences, such as going to Mount Rushmore, dressing up as Perry the Platypus, and of course, climbing up the Eiffel Tower! Would I ever find such an inspiring cartoon again?

I did. And I didn’t even have to look outside of Disney. It was called Gravity Falls.

I first heard about Gravity Falls before it came out in 2011. All I knew was that it was about boy/girl twins and took place in Oregon. I was moving away from Oregon at the time, and combining the fact that I did not want to miss Oregon with the fact that I would not have access to cable, I did not watch Gravity Falls at the time. I actually forgot about it for awhile, but it had a way of finding me. Just a month before the series finale, I got hooked and binge watched every episode. I was looking forward to the finale just as much as the long-term Gravity Falls fans.

In February I watched the series finale, and then tried to move on with life.

Then came Easter.

Before heading to church on Easter Sunday, I was inspired to write a travel article. This one would be about places around Oregon that had a Gravity Falls-style feel. Of course one of those places would be the Oregon Vortex, a house of mystery that even the producers admitted they visited and took inspiration from for the show’s “Mystery Shack”. In fact, if you type “Gravity Falls, Oregon” into Google Maps, it will take you to the Oregon Vortex! Wanting to make sure that little fun fact was correct before I incorporated it into my article, I plugged it in and watched it zoom into my neighboring town of Gold Hill. But then, I noticed something interesting off to the side of the screen.

A marker labeled “Bill Cipher Statue” had been placed there. At first I thought it was really cool. Since Bill Cipher is the main antagonist of Gravity Falls, maybe I should head over there after church to see it for myself, take some pictures, and add that into one of the destinations in my article. But as I read the reviews, it seemed like they were all joke reviews and no one had actually been there. I did some further research.

At the end of the series finale, the post credits were slightly different, including a brief filmstrip of (spoiler alert!) Bill Cipher after he had turned to stone in the episode. I didn’t read too much into it, as the grainy film made me think it was just really good animation. But I didn’t realize with the brief clip that it was indeed a lifelike statue, and that there were ciphers in this episode that got the internet buzzing with the belief that this statue of Bill Cipher was somewhere out there, and it was up to us fans to find it!

Other than a clue about it being “beyond the rusty gates”, the only hint in the show to its location was that there was a fern nearby. Ferns don’t grow just anywhere, so that was actually a better hint than the gate!

IMG_20160416_163502 — It’s a rusty post for a gate! The gate itself was actually torn off and down the hillside a bit.

I actually searched for the Bill Cipher statue in this location three separate times. Although this location was on BLM land right across the street from the Oregon Vortex, the problem was that there was private property blocking off a direct path. That meant I had to drive several miles up the road, and then swing back around until I reached some logging paths. (It was encouraging to go from a fern-free Gold Hill to a hillside covered with ferns, though!) I got out and started hiking these trails, but never made it to the GPS coordinates of the alleged Bill Cipher statue.

IMG_20160416_152906 — Yeah, just parking in the middle of nowhere to look for a scary statue!

The first time I had come alone and unprepared, and it was going to get dark soon.

The second time I went with my mom, and while hiking she made me realize that we should have bear spray and maybe a larger hiking group.

The third time my dad joined us, and we made it a little farther than I did the first time, but we realized that if there was a trail going to the statue area, it would have to wind for several miles on steep mountains. The trail we thought might lead to it was very overgrown, and we had a hard time imagining Hollywood crew lugging a stone statue this entire way.

IMG_20160416_155629 — It sure was a beautiful hike, though, that even most locals don’t know exists!

So I gave up for awhile, but whenever the opportunity presented itself, I kept my eye out for something unusual in the woods. Like I went on the Bigfoot Trap hike a couple weeks ago, and instead of looking for an ape-like creature, I was looking for a triangular one among the ferns.

Last week, a global scavenger hunt for Bill Cipher officially began. It’s already gone through Russia, Japan, and parts of the US, so it’s pretty fun to follow as a virtual adventure. Unfortunately, the next clue has come to almost a standstill as it’s been stuck in Los Angeles for four days now, but I have a feeling that it will pick back up soon. I also have a feeling that the hunt will pass through Gold Hill, either as a clue or (hopefully) the final stage that leads to the statue. And I’ll be shocked and impressed if it’s in the same location I thought it was in this entire time! I guess I’ll just have to wait until a clue leads to my area, and then I’m ready to jump on it!

IMG_20160428_120933 — Until then, I’m going to be real observant whenever I hike near ferns!

jobs, resources, saving money, Travel Life, writing

Transitioning to Travel Life

May 24, 2016July 19, 2019 Jessica Lippe

I’m going to guess that most people reading this don’t get to travel like it’s a full-time job, likely because they have a full-time job. However, many travel bloggers you can find on the internet do get to travel full-time, or at least most-of-the-time.

I am not one of those bloggers.

Although I was basically jobless for the three months I backpacked Europe (I made a little from freelance writing, but probably under $100), I have spent the rest of my adulthood scheduling travel around work. If I didn’t work, I couldn’t travel.

Now I’m thinking that most of you readers can relate to me better.

Most of the best travel blogs out there are written by people who travel like it’s their job, because it IS their job. When they go over how they manage things, it’s a little hard for the rest of us to relate.

I’d like to try something on this blog over the next few months that I’ve never seen successfully completed on other “indie” travel blogs. Instead of waiting until I am successful to tell you about my success, we’re going to start with explaining what I’m doing right here, right now.

Web Marketing for Booking Site

092 — I booked this stay at Sacramento International Hostel through Hostelz.com!

I got my newest job just a week ago! I now work for Hostelz.com as a web marketer. I’ve written hostel reviews and location descriptions for this site for years now, so it’s nice to finally work for them for more substantial pay. The biggest advantage of this job is that while the company is based in Texas, I’ve never been to Texas and won’t have to go there for any work reasons. I can work from anywhere that I can connect to the internet. Another advantage is that part of this job involves visiting travel blogs that I may have not noticed before, so I’m getting some new travel information. Of course, there are downsides, but they’re pretty typical of location-independent work. One thing I’m not sure is an advantage or disadvantage is that I only get paid for completing something. The downside is that, unlike most jobs, I don’t get paid to take breaks. The upside is I have more control over how much I make.

Travel Blogging

This is still definitely more of a hobby, but I try to monetize when I can. For over a year now, I’ve included affiliate links to Hostelz.com, and recently when I’m trying to earn extra money with Swagbucks, although these haven’t been too successful yet. (But I do appreciate when you go through my links to book- it earns me a bit of money with no extra cost to you!)

You may have also noticed that I recently posted my first sponsored post. FatJoe contacted me a few months ago asking if this blog would be willing to host sponsored posts. My initial reaction was worrying that I would end up trapped posting subpar content advertising things I didn’t care about. But when I found out that I had control over what I could accept and that they would only submit things to me when they knew they were relevant for this site, I became more willing. Having only received one post from them over the past few months proves that they know their clients well, but resulted in only a few dollars coming my way.

It’s been somewhat profitable to guest post for other travel blogs. I recently was published for my third time on Travel Fashion Girl. I try not to write for free on blogs unless I can tell it will greatly help with networking. I think TravelingMom has potential for this. I’ve also joined a few travel writing networks such as The Aspiring Travel Writer, which has helped a lot with motivation.

While travel blogging hasn’t done much in terms of finances, it has always been nice to have sponsors!

Non-Travel Writing

summer 2016 announcement — I’ll get to West Monroe, Louisiana eventually. But getting to interview Duck Dynasty stars may be the next best thing.

Who said the digital nomadic life had to be entirely travel-based? While I do write a lot online about travel, much of my writing is about different topics. Some of the recent work I sold will be used in Devozine and Young Salvationist.

I am also the editor of Girlz 4 Christ Magazine, a free magazine for teens. I’ve been working on it for five years as a labor of love, but I’ve been making connections for advertisers and review products. More recently, it seems like it will become more successful financially! As a bonus, I’m able to rework some of my content from this magazine for others. (Anyone want to buy an interview with Duck Dynasty stars John Luke and Mary Kate Robertson?)

Still Working Locally

DSCF5003 — Sometimes you can even find faraway lands locally. How about this Japanese garden in Lithia Park?

All of the above is nice, but I’m not ready to leave local work yet. I did, however, leave the job that took up most of my time a week ago. I’m still doing childcare and working at the Magdalene Home.

Right now, I’m not willing to give up local work because of its many intangible benefits! It keeps me better connected and involved in the community. My hours are flexible enough that I can still travel. And of course, it’s nice to have a semi-regular source of income.

And What About Traveling?

Medford Airport to Mediterranean — My backpack and I are always prepped for any adventures offered!

When I moved back to Oregon and started planning my European trip, I thought travel work would go right in hand with actual travel. Not so! Although I haven’t read any other travel bloggers admitting it, I think the secret to location-independent work is to make sure it works at one location before throwing travel into the mix.

So I haven’t done much travel lately, except for local day trips. I do want to make sure that my above location-independent jobs (especially Hostelz.com) are a viable source of income and keep my interest over the long term. Since my disposable income isn’t much right now (mostly because I bought a car), I’m having extra fun researching ways to travel for even less, or maybe free! But just in the past 24 hours, I’ve already started planning two different trips that I can take thanks to this kind of life!

As I continue transitioning to a more travel-oriented life, what details would you like to learn?

day trip, destinations, guest post, travel tips

Across the Ocean and Right Next Door

May 20, 2016July 19, 2019 Jessica Lippe

My recent guest posts took me all around the world!

Across the Ocean

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If you’ve ever been to Disneyland or Walt Disney World in the United States, you may wonder if it’s worth going overseas to international Disney parks. Even die-hard Disney fans may want to stick to the original two! When I went to Disneyland Paris, I was pleasantly surprised with the outcome!

My second article on TravelingMom has been posted! It’s all about what you can expect at Disneyland Paris!

Right Next Door

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Do you have a tourist attraction near where you live that you just haven’t visited yet? I’m not above playing tourist in my hometown. I’ve enjoyed historic Jacksonville, hiking places like the Table Rocks, and even Harry & David (although I enjoy that last one less since I worked there). But one attraction I just haven’t made it to is also one of the most widely known: the Pacific Crest Trail. I got to explain why in this collaboration with other travel writers. Do you think what I said was a good reason, or just an excuse?

I will try to hike the PCT soon. (Not the whole thing; just the part near me.) I’ll let you know what I think when I get there!

day trip, destinations, Foodie, voluntourism

Places Change

May 7, 2016 Jessica Lippe

A little over a year ago, I made a stop at the historic Butte Creek Mill. It hadn’t changed much since it opened in 1872.

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But recently, I was driving through Eagle Point, and decided to make a quick detour to go by Butte Creek Mill. Here’s what it looks like now:

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Christmas morning brought many surprises as usual, but an unexpected and unwanted surprise was hearing the news that this beautiful historic mill caught fire. It was shocking to comprehend that something that had stood the test of time had so suddenly disappeared as it literally went up in smoke.

In the following weeks, residents from my area kept up on the news of what would happen to the site where Butte Creek Mill once stood. I was filled with hope when the owner announced that just enough survived to justify rebuilding and restoring the mill. However, it would take a lot of help. I made a small donation within the month of the fire, but after seeing the burned-down mill with my own eyes, I recently made another donation. You can help rebuild Butte Creek Mill, too! I look forward to the day when Butte Creek Mill once again resembles the top photo!

day trip, geography, hike, saving money, souvenir, travel tips

Two Days, Two States, Two National Park Sites!

April 24, 2016April 24, 2016 Jessica Lippe

It has been quite the weekend! In addition to Earth Day on Friday and celebrating the entire weekend with Earth Day-themed posts, I was out celebrating nature as well! Just between yesterday and today, I took two trips, both to National Park Service sites. And one of them even called for hopping the border between Oregon and California!

Saturday: Lava Beds National Monument

For several weeks, my friends and I have planned to go on a trip to Northern California this Saturday. We were supposed to go to the Redwoods, but people and plans changed, so my friend Steph and I made a last-minute switch and headed to Lava Beds National Monument instead, which is east of the Redwoods in Northern California. Although both of us had been here many years ago, with the length of time since our last visits and flying by the seat of our pants, we weren’t sure what to expect. Yet we left incredibly impressed with all that there was to do!

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We admired all the volcanic rock we passed on the way in the monument.
We watched an informational video at the Visitors’ Center about the history of the lava tube formation and American Indian tribes that were forced out of this area.
A park ranger taught us about the white-nose fungus that is killing bats and quizzed us on our past caving experience to see if any of our clothes needed to be decontaminated. Once we passed, she gave us a caving permit.
We drove around the Cave Loop and stopped at any caves that were open. (Some were closed to protect the bats living inside.)
Since caves are 55 degrees year-round, I was glad I had left a coat in my backseat! We ended up getting warm from all the exercise we did, anyway.
Although the Visitors’ Center loans out free flashlights since battery-powered lights are required to enter the cave, we decided to use our cell phone flashlights just so we’d have one less thing to lug around. I learned that my phone flashlight turns on and off by shaking it. Typically I might think that was convenient, but it wasn’t so helpful when I stumbled around caves!
One of my favorite cave names was called “Hopkins Chocolate”, which is named because some of the lava coating inside looks like dark chocolate is dripping down the cave walls!
There were other neat-looking things in other caves. Some of the caves had what looked like moss growing on it. (Not sure if it was something living or just the way the rock was colored.) When scattered among the dripping moisture creating stalactites, shining a flashlight on it makes the green specks look like fool’s gold, and the white looks like specks of silver!
The next time I go, I’ll probably want to bring a helmet, a headlamp, and maybe gloves so I can go further into some of the lava tubes. Since we weren’t equipped, we decided not to go anywhere that required crawling, but there were quite a few areas that involved ducking down!
There were some nice places to walk, too! Both Steph and I really wanted to hike up Schonchin Butte, a .7-mile uphill trail that leads to a fire lookout. The lookout itself is closed for the season until tomorrow, but we got some great views!
Although there was so much more we could have done, we decided that the last activity for the day would be to walk around Captain Jack’s Stronghold. This was an area where the military fought against the natives to force them out of this area. Although the history is sad, it was neat to see some of the rock structures that they built that are still standing today.

Sunday: Crater Lake National Park

I had so much fun on Saturday, I decided to continue the National Park and volcano-themed weekend my closest National Park, Crater Lake. Since this wasn’t as long of a drive, I decided I could make it to church (although I did attend the 9 am service instead the 10:45 service I normally go to), and then head out. With only slightly more planning today than yesterday, I ended up going alone this time. I went to Crater Lake almost exactly a year ago, and it was so odd to see how different it looked this year! DSCF5031

It was already a rainy day, and I was praying that it wouldn’t rain while I was at the park. That prayer was answered, but not in the way I expected! As I crossed the park boundary line, I noticed that all the trees were covered in snow. In fact, it was actively snowing most of the time I was there! It’s late April!
My first stop was the Visitors’ Center, where I watched the video about the surrounding nature and how Crater Lake was formed by a giant volcano eruption followed by years of collected rain and snowfall. I had to enter and exit the Visitors’ Center from the side entrance because the front entrance was covered with snow all the way up to the roof!
I then drove up to Rim Village (being careful in the Avalanche Zone), and parked next to the lodge.
After browsing the gift shop in the lodge, I went up to the top floor, which is supposed to have an observation window. Maybe it works on clearer days, but with all the snow and clouds, it was impossible to see the lake from here! Instead I read the museum-style informational signs.
I decided that the only way I would have a chance at seeing the lake was to walk through the snow myself. Fortunately, I still had my coat in the back of the car, although I definitely would have benefited from more winter gear!
I followed the others who were also outside to the farthest point that could be reached without crossing the safety line. As I looked out, I could barely see Wizard Island, the large island in Crater Lake. After a few minutes in the cold, the air cleared up for some precious seconds where we got to take pictures. It still didn’t display the bluer-than-blue color I’ve seen on sunnier days, though!
I warmed up in the lodge for awhile longer, when a park ranger told me to look out the window. You could barely make out part of the back rim, but he said that was the clearest it had been all weekend. Yesterday they basically couldn’t see the lake at all!
I went out to the safety line for one more photo shoot, but then decided to turn back and head home. In the summer you can usually drive around the whole lake, but since it snows year-round at Crater Lake National Park, they limit their snowplowing in the winter to only the roads to the South Entrance, Visitors’ Center, and Rim Village.
On the way back, I stopped for a short walk by Union Creek. My family used to go camping there when I was a kid. I walked by the Rogue River Gorge and saw the Living Stump!
My family had a dinner all together tonight, and since I knew my sister had gone to Crater Lake National Park last weekend, I asked her how well she could see the lake that day. She looked at me confused as she told me it was a perfectly clear day and that many of the visitors were wearing shorts! It’s funny how much the weather can change from one week to the next!

Where to Next?

Hmm…good question! I had been admiring the National Parks Passport for some time now, and finally decided to purchase one at Lava Beds National Monument. This is an informational book about all the National Parks in the United States. Every time you visit a National Park, Monument, or Historic Site, you can get a page of the passport stamped. Since I knocked out two parks in just this weekend, I already have two stamps! Now it will be used as encouragement to visit more National Parks.

The Oregon Caves National Monument is fairly close to me, so I may go there sometime soon. Of course, we need to reschedule our trip to the Redwoods that we had originally planned for Saturday! Although we were going for the Trees of Mystery and the Tour-Thru Tree, I can stop by a Redwoods National Park center for a passport stamp.

Although I would love to become a National Parks junkie, it was really only financially possible for me to visit two National Parks in just one weekend because it was part of National Park Week, and the National Park Service allowed all parks and monuments to have free entrance. Normally Lava Beds and Crater Lake each have a $15 entrance fee per car. I would definitely love to take advantage of the upcoming entrance days in August, September, November, or any of the other free days listed here. To save money on National Parks in the future, I may consider getting an annual pass (I can’t wait until I’m 62 and can get the discounted lifetime pass!), or I may try to find out which of my friends have a fourth-grade child, since a car with a fourth grader in it can enter National Parks for free! Some National Parks and Monuments are always free, which thankfully, the Oregon Caves and Redwoods both fall into the free category!

Accommodations, Carry-On Toiletries, culture, Foodie, health, resources, souvenir, travel tips, voluntourism

Traveling Can Be Green, Too!

April 22, 2016July 6, 2016 Jessica Lippe

Happy Earth Day! Most of what I write here is creative ways to travel that will save you green. But in honor of today’s holiday, I’m going to shift gears a bit and talk about another way to save the green.

Many environmentalists frown upon travel as it causes greenhouse gases and a bigger carbon footprint. True, carbon costs associated with travel can be astronomical, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be cleaned up and greened up. Since Earth Day is celebrated each year on April 22nd, here are 22 ways you can make your travel more green!

(Bonus: In addition to saving the green for the environment, many of these will save the green in your wallet, too!)

Green Accommodation

South Dakota 004 — Share your campsite to make an even lower impact!

Stay in Hostels Staying in a hostel dorm with others requires less square footage and encourages community. Hostels also often tend to buy in bulk and cut out worthless amenities, so you won’t create excess waste with miniature shampoos.
Go Camping Get in touch with nature, and then be encouraged to preserve it! Any kind of camping is probably helpful for the environment, but you can take it a step futher with primitive camping, where you won’t have electricity hookups, WiFi, or possibly even flushing toilets!
Stay with Friends Instead of creating a demand for a temporary place to sleep, go somewhere that’s already being lived in. Your friends will probably equip you with the same shower, dishes, and bedding they always use instead of providing disposible or temporary supplies like a hotel does.
Don’t Request Sheet Changes Unless Absolutely Needed In your own home, you probably realize that washing sheets from just one bed is enough to load an entire washer and dryer. Save the water, soap, gas, and electricity by skipping sheet changes. You don’t replace your sheets at home every day, do you?

Green Packing

Unless you need a Delorean because you’re going on a time-travel vacation, don’t pack enough to fill a truck.

Bring Your Own Toiletries in Reusable Containers I’ve shared some of my favorite travel toiletry containers here before. Whether you use my recommendations or not, siphoning toiletries from bulk containers into smaller, reusable containers is much better than purchasing one-time bottles from the travel section of superstores.
Lighten the Load with Carry-On Only No matter which mode you travel with, you’ll always save fuel if you take a lighter load. I backpacked the Mediterranean for 92 days with just a carry-on! I think going on a weeklong vacation with only a carry-on is a piece of cake.
Borrow or Buy Used Travel Gear There are some items that may be necessary while traveling, but useless in everyday life. If you absolutely cannot go without it, ask your friends, family, and social media followers if you can borrow their tent, or ice chest, or lawn chair, or… you get the picture.
Do Laundry Effectively If you need to do laundry on your trip at all, first see if there is anything you can wear more than once between washes. Bring your own eco-friendly soap instead of the single-serve packets found at the laundromat, and try to line-dry your laundry, even if you have to do so indoors.

Green Transportation

Rafting — You could travel by boat for a really fuel-efficient getaway. But if going by raft, you may get wet!

Carpool If someone else is available to travel with you, going in one car instead of two will cut your emissions in half. Better yet, if you’re both licensed drivers, split the driving time to help keep alert and avoid accidents.
Take the Bus or Train I love both of these options! You get to see so much more of the country, and reap the benefits of extremely low passenger miles per gallon! Trains are often a vacation in themselves, and long-distance buses make travel available to all income levels!
Walk or Bike Everywhere at Your Destination Make a point to do this everywhere you go, even if it means staying closer to the city center. I can’t imagine all that I would have missed out on if I took cars or city transportation everywhere I’ve been.
Don’t Fly First Class I’ve flown first class one time, and it was WAY overrated. Flying in coach means that the seating allows for more passengers to fly (and thus cuts down on emissions per person), plus lowers the waste of beverage cups and snack wrappers.

Green Eating

Laduree — My take-away container was already full when I bought these in Paris. But I could recycle the cardboard and bag!

Pick Restaurants that Serve Local Food You’ll get a better sense of the local cuisine and prevent excess trucking and shipping of food.
Become a Vacation Vegetarian I’m not saying you have to give up meat. (Not everyone can!) But try to select veg options in your travels. Besides the environmental advantages, vegetarian options often cost less, and you will be less exposed to those icky stomach bugs that travelers fear.
Bring Washable Dishes or Stay Somewhere that Offers Them It’s not that time-consuming to wash your dishes after eating instead of throwing them away.
BYOB (Bring Your Own Bottle!) Vacations tend to make me thirsty! Instead of buying drinks everyday, I’m saving my wallet, my waistline, and the Earth with a reusable bottle.

Green Entertainment

Love Locks Paris — See those love locks at practically every major attraction? Skipping this activity will reduce the waste of the lock and packaging, reduce the pollution caused when the key is tossed into the water, and reduce the repairs needed on the structures that are getting vandalized and weighed down!

Recycle Ticket Stubs (or Use an eTicket) These are usually recyclable, but rarely do people think to recycle them!
Visit Local Parks Fresh air, green plants, and a free place to explore the local culture. What’s not to love?
Borrow Books or DVDs for Downtime Sure, you could buy a paperback for those times you need to relax. But many hostels, and now even some hotels, offer lending libraries or book/movie exchanges. Reduce the demand for new materials, and lighten the weight of that carry-on you brought!
Visit Ethical Attractions What you define as “ethical” is ultimately up for you to decide, but consider how workers are treated, how animals are used, how waste is disposed of, and how guests can contribute to the community.

Green Shopping

075 — Arnold Schwarzenegger bought this bear statue as a souvenir of his time as governor, but then left it at the California State Capitol! I guess he couldn’t even fit it into his suitcase.

Avoid It Why do you need a tacky souvenir (that’s probably not even made at your destination), when there are more effective, and more eco-friendly, ways to capture your memories? One of my favorite mementos are my travel journals. Photos are another great option, or if you absolutely want to buy something, send yourself a postcard or letter from your destination.

#ThrowbackThursday, day trip, hike, jobs

10 of My Thoughts

April 21, 2016 Jessica Lippe

Earth Day is coming up, and I have some activities planned for the days surrounding it. I think I will have a special “Earth Day Weekend” on this blog. So that’s something you can look forward to!
I’m in a new job right now. Plus, I didn’t quit any of my other three jobs! I have no idea how long I can last like this, but the job has given me a new perspective on life. The training took place in my next county over, so on some days I took advantage of the surrounding activities like a covered bridge, a ghost town, an old-fashioned pharmacy soda shop, and even lower gas prices! I should write a post about the ghost town. Now that I’m on the job, I may occasionally have opportunities for local work-sponsored adventures! That’s cool, but I mostly just wanted to explain my lack of posting over the past few weeks.
It’s free entrance week at national parks across the US! Last year I went to Crater Lake. I may have a chance to go somewhere on Sunday, but I am working a lot and already have big plans and Saturday, so even if I can’t go to a national park, I’d like to at least get the word out. My sister went to Crater Lake for free this past weekend, so maybe I can live vicariously through her.
Should I build a tiny house? I’ve been thinking about it ever since I saw two in the Pear Blossom Parade a couple weekends ago. Still on the fence about it.
What is my next adventure? When will it take place? I’m already pretty sure that the next BIG trip will be a cross-country road trip,but I have no idea when. I guess I’d have to end a couple jobs before I could do that! Or maybe, since my writing projects have been more successful lately, I could build that up into my main source of income. It would be so much easier to coordinate travel then! But as for now, every hour of work means more bucks in the bank for a future adventure.
I recently took an adventure in the three hours I had between a staff meeting and more work. It’s surprising what you can do in a short amount of time when you balance plans and spontaneity just write! I headed over the the funky town of Ashland and picnicked in Lithia Park. I walked around to take in the art and culture before heading over to the Dagoba Chocolates factory. Since I had never been there before, that was the main point of this trip! I sampled about 20 of their delicious, quality chocolates. And I may have possibly bought a chocolate bar.. or two!
I went geocaching this past weekend. It’s been almost a year since my last time, and it’s good to be back! I took two kids with me for their first geoadventure. We only found two of the geocaches we were looking for, but they were new ones for all of us. Plus they were both big enough to have treasures to trade!
In whatever spare time I do have, you can often find me hiking around Oregon. But there’s a purpose behind this. I am looking for the Gravity Fall’s Bill Cipher Statue IRL. Supposedly placed in the woods of Oregon by the Disney Channel show’s crew, many people are looking for the exact location. As a native Oregonian with some experience treasure hunting in the woods, I do hope to be the FTF (first to find)!
Update on my car: still enjoying the new car smell! But I have definitely broken it in with all that I’ve been up to.
I’m so happy for the warmer weather! It’s hard to find an abundance of adventures that can be done while it’s cold and wet outside. Although I do love a trip to the science museum, I’m looking forward to more coming up!

day trip, resources, road trip, saving money, travel tips, Winter

Day Trip on the I-5

March 14, 2016March 14, 2016 Jessica Lippe

Although I am from Oregon, I can’t stand the rain! That makes coming up with day trip ideas complicated. But yesterday, my sister Jen and I took a very fun day trip along the Southern Oregon I-5. Since the majority of what we did involved being either indoors or in the car, the rain didn’t bother me at all!

Stop One: Spider Cars, Wolf Creek

They’re bugs that are also bugs! This wasn’t a stop as much as it was a drive-by photo op, since these art pieces are on private property and meant to be viewed from the road. But it sure was nice to take a break from the interstate for a couple miles and catch unique scenery!

By the way, I found out about these bugs from RoadsideAmerica, which I often use to find fun stops on the way to a bigger destination.

Stop Two: Seven Feathers, Canyonville

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Seven Feathers had five different restaurants! Only one was open for lunch on Sundays, so we enjoyed fried-pickle-topped sandwiches at Cow Creek Restaurant. In front of Seven Feathers is the largest bronze casting of an eagle in the world.

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Although Seven Feathers is a casino resort, we didn’t go there to gamble. When we entered, there was a blue line in the carpet separating the casino area from the restaurant entrance, which minors are not allowed to cross. Because Jen recently turned twenty, I had to tease her by showing off how I could go across the blue line!

Stop Three: Wildlife Safari, Winston

This was the goal of our trip! I had given Jen a Groupon for Wildlife Safari as a Christmas gift (they’re still available on Groupon if you want to snag one!), and she finally had the opportunity to use it! Wildlife Safari in Winston, Oregon, is a drive-thru animal park. I’ve only been to one other animal safari (in Ohio), but Wildlife Safari is definitely unique in its own right. First, it is the only drive-thru safari in Oregon. It also has more unique animals, as opposed to mostly farm animals like at many locations. Best of all, it’s certified by animal welfare groups, so I can go here knowing that my experience won’t be detrimental to the animals.

The drive takes you through three regions: Africa, The Americas, and Asia. I went here a few times as a kid, and I don’t remember being allowed to roll down car windows back then. This time, we were told at the entrance that windows down and seatbelts off were totally okay, as long as we didn’t get out of the car! This meant that some animals (especially the large bird species, like ostriches, emus, and rheas) would come up and poke their heads in to check out my car’s interior. Since there were wild animals, we got to see some of them fighting, and we may have cheered two bison on in their head-butting! No worries, though. Dangerous animals such as bears and big cats were separated from cars with fencing.

After our drive through, we went into the Safari Village. Up to this point, this had been a great rainy day trip (which was good since it was pouring buckets all day!). Safari Village is mostly outdoors, so we got a bit cold and wet, but we made the best of it. There were several animals here that were not part of the safari drive, which were fun to see. For kids (and kids at heart!) there’s a children’s petting zoo which has the standard goats and miniature horses, but it also has a black-tailed deer with a unique coloring: it’s white with brown patches! My favorite area was the Australia section. That wasn’t a continent included on the drive-thru, so it was cool to see the wallaroos, black swans, and kookaburras there. (Speaking of Australia, the late Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin has visited Wildlife Safari and documented it on his show! His wife, Terri Irwin, is from this area.) However, I think the highlight of Safari Village was meeting Pancake the cheetah up-close! While warming up in the gift shop, Pancake and the trainer walked in, followed by Pancake’s companion dog. They were raised together since they were a cub and puppy, and as such treat each other like siblings. (Jen and I also saw this phenomenon at the Colombus Zoo a couple years ago.)

At Wildlife Safari, every ticket is good for two drives through the safari. I think this is a great idea because we got to see and interact with some animals that were hiding during our first drive. Unfortunately, the one animal I was hoping to see that we didn’t see either time was the giraffe. We asked about it, and apparently they really don’t like the rain. I don’t blame them! But I think going on a rainy day ended up being a good idea, because the crowds were minimal and most of the other animals have no problem getting rained on.

Stop Four: Noah’s Ark, Winston

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Wildlife Safari was definitely the highlight, but we had one more place to stop by in Winston. Noah’s Ark is located just across the street. It’s hard to miss since the building is shaped like a big boat and surrounded by wooden animals! They offer a restaurant and tour through Biblical history, which I may take advantage of in the future. But with an all-day excursion, we mostly just wanted to see what it looked like. It had a nice view outside and a decorated bookshop inside. After that, we headed home in the rain!

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