I’ve been visiting Clearwater ever since my cousins moved there permanently from New York. It’s changed dramatically over the years, from a sleepier low-key destination to a place with huge expensive hotels lining the white sand beach. Honestly, I think it’s been ruined with all the development, but there have been a few positive changes.
Iconic Mount Rainier is the centerpiece of Mount Rainier National Park in Washington. The snow-capped volcano is just the beginning of what you can see and do while visiting. The park offers over 260 miles of incredible hiking trails, waterfalls, pristine lakes, and plenty of outdoor activities.
Tiny Ashford, Washington, is just west of the main entrance to Mount Rainier National Park. It makes a great base for visiting the park if you don’t plan to stay within its boundaries.
With snow-capped mountains, pristine lakes, magical rain forest, and wild Pacific beaches, Olympic National Park is one of the best. This park in northwest Washington, established in 1938, is a UNESCO World Heritage site with almost a million acres of wilderness waiting to be explored.
Valley of Fire State Park, a short drive from Las Vegas, features a colorful desert landscape with excellent trails and facilities. If you’re looking to escape the lights and crowds of the Strip, this is a great option for a day trip. The park was designated a National Natural Landmark in 1968.
I’ve had the opportunity to stay at three different hotels in Las Vegas. I’ve stayed at two in the downtown area and one on the strip, on two separate trips. These are my thoughts on those three hotels:
Hacienda El Salitre is a historic villa dating back to 1736. Now serving as a hotel, it’s historically significant because it was used as a temporary headquarters for Simón Bolívar during the independence campaign for Nuevo Granada (now Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, and Panama).