About Me

My name is Mara, and while my friends have spent the last 10 or more years planning weddings and decorating nurseries, I have been planning and taking vacations. When you are 38 and single, sometimes you have no choice but to travel alone, however once you get over your preconceived notions about it you find you might like it better. I generally hike, camp, and backpack, because I am in love with the wilderness, although I am not opposed to exploring a city, especially if it is rich in culture. It is also much cheaper, well if you don’t count the cost of fancy equipment. I don’t always go alone. I have several close friends who are also in love with the wilderness, but if they cannot come, I don’t let that it hold me back.

I started this blog because I hope to inspire you to get out and enjoy life. The more I travel the more I hear from my Facebook community, “I just love seeing all your pictures,” or “I want to live vicariously through you,” so I thought why not share it with everyone. I love taking pictures and my friends who travel with me roll their eyes because I’m always trying to get that perfect shot, even if I’m telling them how to take my picture. In my day job, I am a photojournalist, so yeah I really love taking pictures.

As an Arkansan, most of my travels are instate. Despite my bias to my home state, Arkansas is a pretty awesome place. We have mountains, OK not Rocky Mountains, but some fairly rugged terrain. We have swamps, which are fun to kayak and watch wildlife. We have so many rivers and lakes, I still haven’t seen them all. And many fun and unique towns and festivals.

I have also been fortunate to have been able to travel to many locations outside Arkansas, from Florida to Washington State and many places in between. When looking at the list of places I’ve been, it looks like a lot, but my “places-to-see” list is even longer. So come along with me on my adventures. I hope you find this page useful and entertaining.