Travel, Food & Photography

Month: May 2026

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3 Weeks in England, Scotland & Ireland: Our 2024 Vacation Recap (April 28-May23)

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Introduction

In late April and May of 2024, my husband Jerry and I, along with our dear friends Dave and Karen, spent 25 wonderful days traveling through England, Scotland, and Ireland. It was a classic multi-country vacation filled with history, stunning landscapes, great food, and plenty of laughs.

Trip Overview

Route: Kent → Southern & Central England → Scotland (Edinburgh & Highlands) → Ireland (Bray & Dublin area)

Travel Style: Mostly rental cars, with trains for city day trips and one short flight between England and Ireland.

We stayed in AirBnBs and cottages, cooked many meals together, and enjoyed the freedom of exploring at our own pace.

Our Route at a Glance

•  Days 1–4: Kent countryside base + London day trips

•  Days 5–9: Southern & Central England → Liverpool → Chester → drive into Scotland

•  Days 10–15: Edinburgh + Scottish Highlands & Isle of Skye

•  Days 16–19: Farewell to Scotland → Hadrian’s Wall → Whitby & Yorkshire Coast

•  Days 20–25: Ireland (Bray base + Dublin + Glendalough & Wicklow Mountains)

Top Highlights

•  Sunrise inside the Stonehenge inner circle

•  Dramatic clifftop Dunnottar Castle

•  The challenging but rewarding Old Man of Storr hike on Skye

•  Foggy, atmospheric Whitby Abbey (Dracula vibes)

•  Celebrating our 36th anniversary in Dublin with Guinness and city views

•  Newgrange, Glendalough, and the scenic Sally Gap drive

What We Learned & Tips

•  Traveling with close friends enhanced the experience — shared laughs, driving, and costs made everything better.

•  The English Heritage Pass (England) and Historic Scotland Explorer Pass were excellent investments.

•  Bring excellent waterproof shoes — even in late April/early May, the ground can be wet at many outdoor sites.

•  Several sites we visited (including Rudston Monolith) have appeared on the History Channel’s Ancient Aliens, which added extra fun for us.

The Full Series

I’m sharing our complete trip in individual detailed posts. Here’s the lineup (new posts added weekly):

Final Thoughts

This trip reminded us why we love traveling — the shared experiences, the unexpected moments, and the beauty of seeing the world with people you love. England, Scotland, and Ireland each have their own special charm, and we’re already talking about going back to see more of Ireland.
Would we do it again? Absolutely.

Have you traveled with friends or celebrated a big anniversary on a trip?

I’d love to hear your experiences or recommendations in the comments!

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Arches National Park – Moab, Utah

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We’ve returned to Arches National Park multiple times now, and every single visit still leaves us speechless. Tucked just outside Moab, Utah, this otherworldly landscape feels like stepping onto another planet—one where wind and time have carved impossible stone sculptures against a brilliant blue sky.

Hiking to Delicate Arch: Worth Every Step

If you’re up for it, the roughly half-mile hike to Delicate Arch is an absolute must. The first time we tackled it, I’ll admit I was skeptical—silently thinking, “This better be good!” But the moment we rounded that final bend and the arch came into full view, towering against the red rock and endless horizon, every doubt vanished. We stood there in stunned silence.
Some wonders simply refuse to be captured in photos. There’s a raw, electric magic in experiencing Delicate Arch up close—the way the light shifts across its curves, the vastness that makes you feel wonderfully small. It’s the kind of moment that stays with you forever.
Can’t hike? No problem. Scenic drives let you admire the arch from a distance on the other side, so you won’t miss its majesty. And Delicate Arch is just the beginning. The park is packed with accessible arches you can reach by car, plus dozens more that reward hikes of varying difficulty—each one more surprising than the last.

One Day Is Never Enough:

Like most national parks, Arches begs for more than a rushed afternoon. Give yourself time to truly soak it in. Camp inside the park if you can, or base yourself in vibrant Moab. The town itself is a gem—filled with quirky shops, world-class art galleries, fantastic restaurants, and excellent microbreweries. You could easily spend days exploring both the park and town without running out of things to do.

Don’t Stop at Arches

While you’re in the area, make the short drive to Canyonlands National Park and Dead Horse Point State Park. The views at Dead Horse Point are nothing short of cinematic—some say they inspired the final scenes of Thelma & Louise.

If you’re feeling ambitious, look up the popular 10-day itinerary for The Mighty 5  where you can visit all five of Utah’s National Parks! Grab an America the Beautiful annual pass before you go—it’ll pay for itself quickly.

Essential Tips from Experience

As always, be sure to bring plenty of water, sunscreen, and maybe a hat to help keep you from burning up out there. Depending on the weather you may also need an umbrella. On one of our more recent visits we ended up getting a little wet because we were ill prepared.

Bottom line:

Arches National Park delivers one epic adventure after another. Whether it’s your first time or your fifth, the red rocks will steal your heart and leave you planning your next visit before you’ve even left.
Have you been to Arches yet? Drop your favorite moment in the comments—I’d love to hear about it!

Have an epic adventure!


Petroglyphs on a rock in Arches National Park in Moab, Utah
A cluster of red rock formations called the Fiery Furnace in Arches National Park near Moab, Utah
A path running along a ledge in Arches National Park leading to Delicate Arch
A trail of hikers climbing up a red rock landscape headed to see Delicate Arch in Arches National Park near Moab, Utah

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Experiencing the Labor Day Lift Off Balloon Festival

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We finally made it to our first balloon festival – The Labor Day Lift Off in Colorado Springs, just 80 miles from our home in Arvada. The weather app kept threatening 50-60% chance of rain, but we were all in. I’d booked the hotel back in June (non-refundable, of course), and after years of missing weekend fun because we’re musicians who work most Friday and Saturday nights, we weren’t letting anything stop us.

Most balloon festivals are usually held on Saturday and Sunday mornings. Going to bed at 2 or 3am and getting up to drive somewhere to see balloons take off at 7am does not work for us. Luckily the Labor Day Lift Off was scheduled for Saturday through Monday. Our plan was to go Sunday night for The Glow,  get up Monday for the Lift Off, and head home.

When we left for Colorado Springs on Sunday the chance of rain had gone down but the wind was such that the balloons were not able to take flight as planned. Still, we were determined to make a weekend out of it.

As we neared the city limits, just a quarter mile from the North Academy boulevard exit, our Dodge Durango suddenly died! My husband, Jerry, managed to pull over to the far right side of the freeway as we contemplated calling for a tow truck. Unfortunately, our insurance didn’t cover it. We determined that since we were situated on a slight hill, we would at least try to coast to the top of the exit and away from the majority of the traffic.

As we approached the exit the light turned green which we took as a sign to keep moving. Without power steering, Jerry muscled the car through the light and over the freeway to the next red light. Here we had to stop but were still on a downward hill and figured we could coast to a nearby parking lot from there. As we started looking for just the right place to pull out we saw a Midas sign. We pulled in and saw that it said Auto Care Experts. What are the chances!

We were thrilled. Here it is 3:30pm Sunday afternoon of Labor Day weekend, and they were open until 4:00pm. We were able to have them take a quick look at the car before they closed but they said they wouldn’t be able to get to it until Tuesday morning.

Stranded:

Still 10 miles from The Mining Exchange, our hotel in downtown Colorado Springs, we called for an Uber to take us the rest of the way. If you’re going to get stranded, this is where you want to do it! The hotel is beautiful, the rooms are very nice, comfortable, and right in the heart of downtown. There are plenty of restaurants and shops all within walking distance and we were able to walk to the balloon festival in Memorial park a mile and a half away.

The Glow:

After dinner at the Springs Orleans restaurant we made our way to the festival. It was still light out and we had fun watching all the crews preparing for that evenings show. As the sun went down the pilots fired up the burners and made their balloons glow. This experience was an extra added bonus because we didn’t realize it was a “thing”. Needless to say we were pleasantly surprised.

Lift Off:

Monday morning came quickly. We have been night people for so many years that 6am feels like the middle of the night! Seeing the balloons lift off was our only incentive for getting up and making the mile and a half walk back to the park again.

We arrived just as the balloonists were starting to fill their balloons. One by one they ascended into the sky. After gawking at the them like kids in a toy store for two hours we headed back to the Mining Exchange where we were able to extend our stay for an extra day.

That evening, rather than hang out at the hotel, we had dinner at Jack Quinn’s and headed to the theater to check out the newest Mission Impossible movie.

The Finale:

Tuesday morning as we waited for the call from the repair shop, we had breakfast, took in some sights downtown, and went to the Pioneers Museum. This was certainly a classic case of turning lemons into lemonade. I highly recommend booking a getaway in Colorado Springs. There are so many things to do and see. You won’t be disappointed.

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