As the air turns crisp and the leaves start putting on their autumn show, there’s nothing like a fall daytrip out of the hustle and bustle of DC. If you’re like me, a mom of two little explorers with endless energy, you know the balancing act of making sure they have fun and you get that little moment of peace in nature. That’s where Little Stony Man in Shenandoah National Park comes in. It’s the perfect hike for toddlers—short enough to avoid the dreaded "I’m tired" meltdown, but with gorgeous views that’ll make you forget about the graham cracker crumbs multiplying in the backseat.

Years ago, I saw an article about this backcountry road called the White Rim Trail and promised myself that one day, I'd do it. It is a 72.2 mile "road" that traverses the backcountry of Canyonlands National Park, and brings its visitors to some of the most awe inspiring views in what I would argue, the country.

How can a burger be worth it you ask?  It is everything about the burger, the large perfectly cooked patty with thick cut bacon piled on top.  It is the cold beer from Mr. Grumpy Pants of the Mr. Grumpy Pants Brewing Company next door.  It is also the environment, the small mountain town vibe and views that makes the burger, the beer and the meal as a whole perfect.

Going out to Ouray for our fourth time for a quick weekend, we decided to look around at some of the things that we had passed up on our previous trips.  Known as one of the top off road destinations in the world, it is easy to pass up everything else the area has to offer when only given short periods of time.

Ouray, CO is one of the best kept secrets in the continental US. Despite its picturesque location, plethora of outdoor activities, and great places to get food and drinks, it remains a quiet town nestled in the San Juan mountains; reminiscent of a town picked right out of the Swiss Alps. Ouray is on one end of the Million Dollar Highway that stretches approximately 25 miles to Silverton, CO. On this drive, you'll be slow speeds, negotiating tight turns and winding your way through the mountains, soaking in some of the best views in the country.

During our trip to the Pacific Northwest, we started with a plan to go to one hot spring east of the city then head west out to explore Olympic National Park.  Like all good plans, this changed after going to the hot spring the first day and finding out from a local how close Portland was to Seattle (3 hours, that's no big deal!).  So we jumped in the car and headed South.  What we didn't realize was that the Bagby is 2 hours from Portland... 5 hours later we made it to the Bagby hot spring trail.