It's a Schmahl World

Viewing the Sunrise at the Grand Canyon National Park

When we visited the Grand Canyon this past December we were very happy that the Grand Canyon National Park is open 24 hours a day so we could watch the sunrise. For two mornings in a row we dragged ourselves out of our comfy warm bed, to spend time in the freezing morning air to…

Visiting Horseshoe Bend in Page, Arizona

When planning our Arizona road trip, there was one photo that kept popping up during our research that we couldn’t resist, the beautiful Horseshoe Bend! Horseshoe Bend is a piece of the Grand Canyon near Page, Arizona where the Colorado river “bends” in a U shape. Since we had already planned to visit Page to…

Visiting the Upper Antelope Canyon in Page, Arizona

During our stop in Page, Arizona on our Arizona road trip we knew we had to visit Antelope Canyon. There are two separate canyons, the Upper Antelope Canyon and the Lower Antelope Canyon. On the afternoon of our arrival we visited the Lower Antelope Canyon (read about it here) after a night’s rest it was…

Visiting the Lower Antelope Canyon in Page, Arizona

During our week long Arizona road trip, we spent two nights in Page, Arizona. When we arrived we immediately went to do a tour of the Lower Antelope Canyon. Located on Navajo tribal lands, access to the canyon is permitted only through two tour groups. We visited with Dixie Ellis Lower Antelope Canyon Tours and…

World Malaria Day & Birthday Celebrations in Liberia

Last Wednesday was my birthday! Here’s how I celebrated here in Liberia… As my actual birthday was a Wednesday, it was a regular school day so I had school in the morning. But not only was it my birthday, April 25th is also World Malaria Day. Here’s a few facts about malaria: Globally there were…

Hiking into the Grand Canyon on Bright Angel Trail

With a day and half at the Grand Canyon we decided we had enough time to hike part of the way down into the canyon. We decided to take the most heavily traveled trail, the Bright Angel Trail. The entire trail descends 4,500 ft in 7.8 miles and leads hikers to the Colorado river. It…

One Week in Denmark: A Copenhagen Based Itinerary

In the fall I was lucky enough to stay in Copenhagen, Denmark for an entire week. There were so many things I wanted to do during my time in Denmark, but here is what I was able to fit in to just one week: Day One: Arrive in Copenhagen Full of jetlag, I arrived in…

Attending the Renaissance Fair at Kronborg Castle: A Day Trip from Copenhagen, Denmark

On my last full day in Copenhagen, I decided to venture out of the city center to Helsinger to visit Kronborg Castle, otherwise known as “Hamlet’s Castle”. It is theorized that William Shakespeare was inspired by the lavish banquets hosted by Danish King Frederik IV and Queen Sophie when writing his famous tragedy “Hamlet.” After…

A Visit to Kennedy Space Center

We have had many chances over the years to visit the Kennedy Space Center. Kathryn had an internship a few summers ago in Cocoa Beach, FL, which is just 15 minutes away from the Kennedy Space Center. And we spent a summer in Cape Canaveral, FL, when I was 11 and Kathryn was 8, while our…

Traveling Misadventures: Lost Luggage

When traveling with checked luggage there is always the chance that the airline will lose your luggage. In fact, according to the SITA Baggage Report 2016, a historic low of 6.5 bags per 1,000 passengers were lost in 2015. I assumed I was one of the unlucky ones when we landed in Montreal, Quebec on…