Erika Bisbocci
Erika is an avid traveler and explorer of over ninety countries on six different continents. Since 2011, she has spent time studying Arabic in the Middle East, teaching English in Namibia and working as a flight attendant for a major US airline. When not traveling overseas, she loves exploring her own backyard in the beautiful Pacific Northwest.
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Driving Oregon’s McKenzie-Santiam Scenic Byway
In Oregon’s Cascade Mountains, two geologically fascinating ecosystems collide. On the west side of the Cascades, lush Douglas fir and red cedar forests conceal waterfalls and glimmering lakes. On the drier east side, ponderosa pines prevail and cloudless skies abound. Oregon’s two halves clash in everything from climate to politics to scenery. The area of their convergence reveals a place that is at once hot and cold, wet and dry, living and dead. Charred forests give birth to new life. Frigid streams contain pockets of boiling water. Lava fields adjoin…
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Central Oregon Coast Road Trip Attractions
The central Oregon coast is a land defined by its natural diversity. It is a sprawling patchwork of forests, lakes, dunes, and marine gardens. Along its tumultuous expanse, rocky headlands loom high above the ocean, providing astounding vistas of craggy rocks and offshore islands. While the northern coast receives most of the tourists and the southern coast is considered to be Oregon’s darling, the central coast is the section I hold closest to my heart. It is my childhood playground and the location of my elopement. I could go on…
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The Mighty 5: A Guide to Utah’s National Parks
Southern Utah is an expansive desert wilderness that beckons travelers from around the world. One of nature’s great canvases, it features chiseled canyons, red rock hoodoos, delicate arches, soaring cliffs, and lonely unpaved roads. I’ve said it often and I’ll say it again: There’s no place quite like southern Utah. While the United States has its fair share of breathtaking landscapes, southern Utah is truly out of this world. The legendary area—home to some of the American Southwest’s signature attractions—boasts some of the most iconic desertscapes on Earth. Its swath…
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Best Hikes in Zion National Park
Zion National Park encompasses 232 square miles of pure awesomeness. The red rock wonderland boasts narrow sandstone canyons, soaring red cliffs, and pockets of lush vegetation that burst with life. From its intoxicating blend of brilliant colors to its serpentine canyons flanked with sheer walls, the Utah park brims with bucket-list backdrops and incredible hiking opportunities. I first visited Zion when I was fourteen. I remember standing in awe of the park’s towering rock walls and saturated color scheme. Three visits and sixteen years later, the park has not ceased…
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Things to Do in Arches National Park
Arches National Park is a masterpiece of nature and a beloved Utah tourist destination. Renowned the world over for its delicate rock garden, the national park is among the most iconic places in the United States. In Arches, giant sandstone arcs frame snowy peaks and juniper-clad desertscape. While the entire area is a red rock paradise, there is no doubt that these natural rock arches are its primary draw. Indeed, its signature sandstone span is so lauded, that it has become a symbol of the American Southwest—emblazoned on license plates,…
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Visiting the Island in the Sky: Canyonlands National Park
Canyonlands National Park offers some of the most enthralling vistas in the American West. Blanketing more than 520 square miles of the Colorado Plateau, it conceals winding river canyons, towering rock pinnacles, and ancient Native American settlements. The Colorado and Green rivers are the prime sculptors in the area. Aided by erosion, they have chiseled out a tapestry of gullies and mesas that fans out over the vast desert landscape. The majority of this immense area remains an obstacle for all but the heartiest back-country explorers. But in Canyonlands’ Island in…
