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Trip Over Life - Life's short, let's take a trip

Recent Posts

Ultimate 2 Week Iceland Itinerary

Our 2 Week Iceland Itinerary featured by Kuku Campers

Kuku Campers loved our 2 week Iceland itinerary!

Cowhorn Pond Campsite on the CL50

Cranberry Lake 50

The Cranberry Lake 50 is a beautiful and serene multi-day hike. It’s suitable for all skill levels and a great multi-day option for beginners.

Real Journeys Milford Sound Scenic Boat Cruise

This post – Real Journeys Milford Sound Scenic Boat Cruise – is part of our series of posts on experiencing Fiordland National Park.

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On Instagram

More scenes from Pictures Rocks National Lakeshore

More scenes from Pictures Rocks National Lakeshore. While the picturesque rocky shoreline gives this place its name, it has a lot more to offer, including strikingly lush forest, massive dunes, and excellent camping.

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#picturedrocksnationallakeshore #picturedrocks #michigan #upperpeninsula #upperpeninsulamichigan #puremichigan #nationalpark #nationalparks #campinglife #vanlife #vanlifestyle #campmore #campsite #lakesuperior #hikemore #hikingviews #hikingvibes #forestwalk #forestcore #travel #usaroadtrip #greatlakes

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore extends 42 miles

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore extends 42 miles along the shores of Lake Superior in Upper Michigan. Designated in 1966, it was the country’s first National Lakeshore. We spent several days here and experienced it from both land and lake. The photos here are from a sunset cruise along the westernmost 13 or so miles of sandstone cliffs that give the park it’s name.

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#picturedrocks #picturedrocksnationallakeshore #yooper #upperpeninsula #upperpeninsulamichigan #michigan #puremichigan #michiganawesome #nationalparks #seeamerica #usaroadtrip #vanlife #roadtrip #aframe #aframecabin #aframehouse #autumn #autumnvibes🍁 #fallcolors #leafpeeping

Some scenes from the Keweenaw Peninsula on Michiga

Some scenes from the Keweenaw Peninsula on Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. The peninsula was the site of the country’s first copper boom, and, in addition to its beautiful landscapes and fall foliage, is rich with sites commemorating this history, much of it as part of the Keweenaw National Historic Park.

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#michigan #upperpenninsula #lakesuperior #keweenaw #keweenawpeninsula #keweenawesome #nps #historicplaces #nationalparks #vanlife #campervan #camper #camperlife #camperlifestyle #vanlifestyle #roadtrip #usaroadtrip #seeamerica #dodge #xplorer #dodgexplorer #fallfoliage #fallcolors #waterfalls

The Porcupine Mountains, aka The Porkies, are a gr

The Porcupine Mountains, aka The Porkies, are a group of small mountains along the shores of Lake Superior on the Michigan Upper Peninsula. We were a bit early to the show this year, but this is a good place for fall leaf peeping. It’s home to a large stand of old growth forest, and, like much of this area, sits on a boatload of copper that led to the US’s first big mineral rush in the mid 1800s. With hikes up to beautiful vistas, waterfalls big and small, and abandoned mining gear being reclaimed by the land, you can get a real sense of the rustic frontier life here.

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#michigan #upperpeninsula #upperpeninsulamichigan #porcupinemountains #yooperlife #yooper #michiganawesome #lakesuperior #roadtripusa #seeamerica #usatravel #usaroadtrip #vanlife #camplife #campvibes #camping #campinglove

With 66 remote water-accessible campsites over 14,

With 66 remote water-accessible campsites over 14,000 acres of water, the Turtle-Flambeau Scenic Waters Area in northern Wisconsin is a bit like a mini version of the Boundary Waters. We hadn’t had enough of our kayak camping adventures yet, so as we crossed over from Minnesota toward the Michigan Upper Peninsula, we stopped off for a few nights in this area of Wisconsin and enjoyed an overnight paddle and a couple nights at a great nearby campground. The leaves had just started to show color as the seasons turned and we enjoyed a few perfect days out on the water.

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#wisconsin #wisconsinstate_photos #wisconsinlife #wisconsinoutdoors #discoverwisconsin #turtleflambeauflowage #kayak #kayaklife #kayakadventures #kayakcamping #camplife #campvibes #campinglife #campingtrip #campingvibes #campinglove #campeveryday #campervan #vanlife #kayakadventure #traveltheworld #travelphotography #traveltips

The Apostle Islands National Lakeshore is 21 islan

The Apostle Islands National Lakeshore is 21 islands and 12 miles of coastline on the shores of Lake Superior in northern Wisconsin. The best way to see the islands is probably by sea kayak and camping, but we didn’t do that, so I don’t have much to say about this place. The boat tour was ok and there is a nice shoreline hike that lets you see some of the coast and sea caves. There are some lighthouses. We picked up about 700 flies in our van here for some reason.

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#vanlife #apostleislands #apostleislandsnationallakeshore #lakeshore #coastline #lakesuperior #nature #campinglife #wildlife #boats #nps #nationalparks #roadtripusa #roadtrippin #roadtrips #seeamerica #traveltips #traveling #instatravel #travelawesome #travelholic #traveldeeper #traveldiaries #travelinspiration

Along the northwest edge of Lake Superior north of

Along the northwest edge of Lake Superior north of Duluth is Minnesota’s North Shore area. With fantastic hikes, beautiful sprawling coast line, lighthouses, waterfalls, cute towns, and great food and drink, this is a perfect getaway destination in and of itself. As our last bit of Minnesota on this trip, I found myself reluctant to move on, and left with a newfound appreciation for this great state.

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#minnesota #minnesota_captures #minnesotalife #minnesotaexposure #minnesotastateparks #lighthouse #lighthousesofinstagram #lighthouses #stateparks #northshoremn #lakesuperior #campinglife #vanlife #roadtrip #roadtripusa #seeamerica #usatravel #traveltips

The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness is over

The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness is over a million acres in northern Minnesota on the Canadian border that is over 20% water and contains over 1100 lakes. Some of these lakes are directly connected by rivers and small waterways and others just a short walk (a “portage” when you’re carrying your boat) away. With over 2000 official campsites available, this makes it an ideal place to get away from it all and experience full-on nature and solitude. We only spent a few nights, but the memories will last forever and it’s a place we would definitely come back and explore more of.

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#boundarywaters #bwca #bwcaw #wilderness #getwild #staywild #getoutdoorsmore #canoe #canoecamping #kayaklife #kayakadventures #kayakcamping #northernlights #sunsetlovers #sunset #aurora #auroraborealis #baldeagle #travellife #vanlife #ontheroad #roadtrip #roadtripusa

We paddled out into the wilderness. As the lake op

We paddled out into the wilderness. As the lake opened and a breeze kicked up, we fought against a chop and our bulbous inflatable kayak became unwieldy (“it’s a bit of a tank”, I tell curious onlookers when they ask, awkwardly failing to find a more appropriate nautical metaphor). Muscles becoming sore, we powered through to a camp on a private little island and set up for the night. The sun set and the fire burned and the Milky Way rose above our heads and eventually the yawns came and we prepared for a usually restless night of tent sleep. I popped out on the shore for a final look at the sky, but it seemed improbably bright. I was looking north over a large lake with nothing but Canadian expanse beyond and the moon was just about new and wouldn’t rise for hours. There was only one source of that light that made sense. I stirred Sara, who had somehow already fallen asleep, and we stumbled back out on the rocks. The light was brighter and dancing on the horizon, ribbons flowing across the sky, now unmistakably the Aurora Borealis. It had been five long years since we first saw the northern lights in Iceland, and we spent a while on those rocks recharging our souls with one of Earth’s most awe inspiring natural phenomenon.

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#aurora #northernlights #auroraborealis #nightsky #astrophotography #astrophoto #nightskyphotography #nightskies #nightskape #northernlightsphotos #camping #campsite #campsites #campvibes #vanlife #traveldiaries #travelblog #longexposure #longexposure_shots #earthfocus #earthofficial #earth_shotz #campingtrip #boundarywaters #bwca #bwcaw #bwcawilderness #minnesota #minnesota_captures

Voyageurs National Park, in northern Minnesota nea

Voyageurs National Park, in northern Minnesota near the Canadian border, is one of the lesser visited national parks. Unlike many parks, Voyageurs doesn’t have much to see by land. The park is a series of lakes used by European settlers as fur trading routes and is still best explored the same way - by boat. This is one of the reasons we decided to bring an inflatable kayak along on this trip. It gets a lot of comments - apparently a pretty rare thing among the ubiquitous and more robust canoes - but it sure got the job done to bring us to our own little island of paradise for a night of camping in the park amongst majestic open water views and magical night skies.

Continuing in our series of eccentric men with too

Continuing in our series of eccentric men with too much time on their hands and inexplicable financial benefactors, just down the road from Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin lies one of the most bizarre attractions in America. The House on the Rock, which readers of Neil Gaiman’s American Gods may recognize, is the work of Alex Jordan, a guy who clearly had a lot of ideas and somehow made all of them happen despite never holding a real job. Ahh, the old American dream. This place is actually truly awesome in that classic roadside oddity way and these photos only scratch the surface of explaining its massive scale and absurdity.

Architect Frank Lloyd Wright grew up in Wisconsin

Architect Frank Lloyd Wright grew up in Wisconsin and left his mark throughout the Midwest. On this trip, we’ve checked out a few of the more famous places, including Chicago’s Oak Park neighborhood and Taliesin, Wright’s compound in the rolling Wisconsin hills. Wright was a complicated man, probably a bit of an ass, but his architecture certainly left a legacy and was well ahead of its time. And absolutely none of it would meet modern building codes 😆

The Cave of the Mounds in Blue Mounds, Wisconsin i

The Cave of the Mounds in Blue Mounds, Wisconsin is not among the biggest caves we’ve been in, but it punches above its weight class in beauty. This was a really fun little cave to explore.

Door County, the easternmost county in Wisconsin,

Door County, the easternmost county in Wisconsin, likes to think of itself as the “Cape Cod of the Midwest”, and they certainly share some similarities. The proximity to water, in this case being amongst Lake Michigan on all sides, defines both places. We spent some time in the county, camping in state parks and out on Washington Island at the northern tip (Camper Dan’s first ferry crossing?!) and trying to get to know the place. It’s a beautiful slice of the county with a laid back attitude and a lot of interesting history.

I didn’t have much of an image of Milwaukee befo

I didn’t have much of an image of Milwaukee before visiting other than some vague sense of brewing history, but I was pleasantly surprised by what we found. A highly walkable city on the shores of Lake Michigan. With ample public space, a great river walk, plenty of public art and sculpture, a handsome mix of classic, industrial, art deco, and modern architecture, and, of course, a vibrant modern craft beer scene amongst that underbelly of brewing history. And the food wasn’t half bad either. Good show, MKE.

Chicago is an easy city to spend a couple days in.

Chicago is an easy city to spend a couple days in. From world class museums and classic architecture to epic gutbusting food and some of the world’s finest beer, it’s a feast for the senses. Sara had been here before but it was my first time, and though New York will always be my first city, Chicago certainly makes a good run for second.

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