Talley Your Adventure – The Blog

Adventure Awaits!

At Talley Your Adventure, we don’t just plan luxury and culturally rich travel experiences—we live and breathe them. Our blog, travelingtalleys.blog, is where we share the real stories behind our adventures: kayaking alongside glaciers in Alaska, exploring temples in Japan, chasing waterfalls in Iceland, and wandering through storybook towns in Germany. If it’s unforgettable, chances are we’ve done it—or we’re planning it next.

Nicolette brings deep experience in travel and heritage. With a Master’s in Public History, she’s worked as a Supervisory Park Ranger, Revenue Manager, and Program Analyst across multiple national parks for over a decade. Her career has taken her from managing interpretive boat tours in Alaska’s wild backcountry to overseeing large-scale visitor service projects with million-dollar budgets. And yes—she’s also a licensed 100-Ton Inland Master Boat Captain who’s led cultural and ecological tours from riverboats to remote beaches.

Clinton’s travel roots run just as deep. He’s worked in logistics and operations for the National Park Service and was a key member of the hospitality team aboard National Geographic Lindblad Expeditions. From managing guest services on remote international voyages to coordinating facility software systems stateside, he knows what it takes to deliver seamless, high-end travel experiences—even in the most unpredictable places.

Together, we created Talley Your Adventure to bring our experience, passion, and attention to detail to your travel planning. Whether it’s a fully curated group trip or a personalized vacation built just for you, we combine expert-level service with insider know-how—so you can focus on the magic of the journey.

Want us to help you on your next adventure? Head over to www.talleyyouradventure.com!

@talleyyouradventure_dv
Sakura Blooms – Inuyama, Japan

  • Dark Skies and Cave Tours = Great Basin National Park!

    Ever since I was a young girl, I have been fascinated with the night sky. My family owned a small telescope, and we would sit outside and stare up at the stars frequently. Growing up in Orlando, Florida, we were always tuned in when the shuttle launched into space, or a rocket was being tested out at Cape Canaveral. I have to say, I have a true soft spot for dark skies! The first time I truly saw the Milky Way was when I was in Death Valley. I was hooked! Looking up at the night sky, even without a telescope, is one of the joys I have each time I go camping or hiking at night. No exception for my visit to Great Basin National Park!

    Great Basin – Mather Overlook

    Great Basin is not only a dark sky part, it is an INTERNATIONAL Dark Sky Park and is in the Gold-Tier of this designation. The distinction is immediately clear when you visit. Even outside my hotel (I stayed in Baker, NV) I could step outside and see the Milky Way – it was that dark out! While visiting the park, we also attended an astronomy program. They have an amazing group of rangers, all of whom give their own individual program related to astronomy. Our talk was more related to the history of astronomy – I love history, so it was perfect! After their presentation, they set up huge, powerful telescopes and turn off the lights so that you can sit back and look up at the sky. Definitely check with the Visitor Center to see if there is a program when you visit. Even if it seems cloudy out – GO! The clouds cleared and we had a wonderful time. Bring a jacket! You won’t believe it, but you are at a high elevation!

    Lehman Caves

    Before Great Basin was a National Park, it was a National Monument created in 1922 called Lehman Caves. It became a National Park in 1986. The early history of the cave is fascinating. In 1885, Absalom Lehman led tours through the cave. Unfortunately, physical evidence was left behind in the form of inscriptions on the cave walls. When the park service attempted to clean up this vandalism, they discovered that they were doing more damage to the wall than intended. The inscriptions remain today as an example. Because the cave was not protected for years while Lehman gave tours, many of the fragile stalagmites are rounded off and dead – no longer able to continue to grow and live in the wet cave. Now, the rangers do an excellent job of not only pointing out these issues during their tour (while remaining educational), but they also discuss how the cave has evolved through the years. I was not aware that Native Americans revere the caves and will refuse to go beyond the entrance. Why? Because they buried their dead in the area. When the park service started to excavate part of the cave to create another, safer, entrance, they discovered this fascinating part of ceremonial tradition. After consulting the Native Americans, they determined that they would replace the bodies beyond the new entrance. While we walked past the area (you cannot see anything, if you were wondering!) we were asked to remain respectfully quiet until we entered the first room of the cave. I could not believe there was so much history in such a remote area!!

    Camping in Great Basin, which I also highly recommend if you are able, is wonderful because of the amazing night sky. There are multiple campsites, both on recreation.gov and first come first serve, so you can decide which route you want to go when visiting. You can also book your cave tours through recreation.gov, which we did so we could make sure we had a spot. They are very popular! We had around 100 people at the astronomy talk and our tour for the cave was completely full. The park is at a higher elevation, so bring a jacket (plus the cave is COLD). Most importantly, walk around and take in the viewpoints. The park is beautiful. There is a scenic drive that if you only have a few hours to visit, you should definitely fit in. Worth the drive!

    Baker, Nevada, which is just outside the park, is very small. There are only a few restaurants and one gas station. It isn’t too far to another town but be aware that there isn’t much out there! There is a cafe at the Lehman Visitor Center that is excellent – great iced coffee and they actually serve food. Have fun!

  • Talley Your Adventure Across America – Nevada! (Feb)

    Believe it or not, I actually lived for an entire year in the state of Nevada when I was first working for the Pacific West Regional Office of the National Park Service. While I had been hired remotely, it was remotely within the region. Page, Arizona was unfortunately just outside that range, so I moved to Mesquite, Nevada! Besides living in Mesquite, we’ve also visited Las Vegas to run a 5K, and visiting state parks like Red Rocks and national parks such as Great Basin. Living in Mesquite was like living in a smaller Vegas – a couple casinos, hotels, and restaurants (plus a golf course!) crossed with a large community like Phoenix. The suburban sprawl was very small and seemed limited based on the surrounding desert area. One of the best views was just outside that “town circle” in the outskirts, where the streetlights are on sensors, the crowds are limited, and you usually see some form of desert wildlife. At the time I lived in Mesquite, I was also training for a rim-to-rim hike of the Grand Canyon and needed an area that had the same desert atmosphere for training as well as longer stretches of land. The Mesquite Regional Park Trailhead was the best place for this as part of a multi trail ring that stretched around the city. It was a very quiet city and, for the record, completely safe. If you are on the way (or leaving) Vegas and need a town to stop – think of Mesquite!

    Let me start off by saying that if you plan to drive in Nevada, be prepared for long stretches of open space that seem to go forever yet end with a huge plateau that seems to be right in front of you. Proportions and distances go out the literal window when trying to explain the vast land that encompasses Nevada. Take precautions when crossing these vast lands! Pack extra water and bring salty snacks. It isn’t uncommon to see signs during the summer months that instruct you to keep your AC usage in your vehicle at a minimum if you are crossing through the desert parts of the state. It is extremely difficult for your engine to cool 125-degree warm air to the 65 degrees you find comfortable! Clinton and I have spent many trips with the windows rolled down and no AC on for as long as we can handle it, and then keeping the AC low when putting it back on. Some of the best views and experiences I’ve had was driving around beautiful Nevada. With that being said, driving fatigue is real! Make sure you trade off with a friend if you plan to drive for many hours in a day and remember that heat can affect you with a long drive.

    Okay, so you’ve figured out how to safely drive and navigate through Nevada – where else should you go? Keeping around the Mesquite / Las Vegas area, you could head out to Valley of Fire State Park to see amazing red rocks in very creepy formations. I recommend driving closer to either sunrise or sunset for that extra spine-tingling feeling! When we drove through, we had such a great time that we ended up camping close by – which is a great way to see dark skies. For National Parks, head further north and visit Great Basin. This is truly the place to visit for dark skies, as they not only have a couple dark sky programs in the park they are also recognized as an International Dark Sky Park. There are only a handful of parks across the country that are allowed this distinction, and it shows with the care and dedication they take towards giving you that education! Rangers led a wide variety of topics, from ancient star gazing techniques to historical observations that led to mythological dedications today. I always seem to learn a lot when visiting Great Basin National Park!

    A blog post about Nevada would not be complete without mentioning Las Vegas, and of course we saved the best for last! Clinton and I were able to stay for a couple days with friends in Vegas so that I could run a 5K and she could run the half-marathon. This was the Rock n’ Roll 5K and while the race itself was pretty expensive, I did think they came all out to support the run – even in the end when it poured freezing rain! They had a stretch-a-thon with loud music and exciting presenters before, during, and after the race. During the race, there were bands and performers every three miles (or in my case, every mile) encouraging you towards that finish line. I had a great time though it was a completely miserable race itself (did I mention it was freezing rain!) but it was also cool running through old Vegas. My friend who ran the half-marathon ran down the main strip, which they closed specifically for the race! That was pretty cool. Walking around the main strip after was an experience in itself. I’ll say this – don’t take anything from anyone you aren’t willing to pay for on the spot. While it felt like a relatively safe city, I wouldn’t keep your guard down when walking around and I absolutely would not wear your wealth around unless you want to be questioned or possibly targeted. We stayed at the MGM Park and had an excellent time – we probably didn’t even need to leave the hotel! You can usually see a performance such as Cirque du Solei or a comedy act within your hotel. Clinton and I are not into gambling, so we did not spend even a cent at any machine or casino but if that is your thing, of course you have plenty of opportunity in Vegas!

    One of the last things about Nevada, I will leave you with is the amazing wildlife that you can find in abundance in the desert. I saw my first scorpion in my apartment while living in Mesquite (don’t worry, I put him in a cup and put him outside) and I will say that the insects seem much larger than I remember them in neighboring Arizona…but all of that is still worth a trip in the dark to see the beautiful sky! I’ve never seen darker skies across the nation beyond the beauty of Nevada. There are tons of ranches across Nevada that are also considered open land. We’ve camped in many of these types of places. Just remember to read the signs so you know where and when you are able to be in those areas and respect the land! There is a reason that they ask you to pack it in and out or not to have fire rings. If the animal is bright, I usually avoid it! There are snakes and lizards and all types of reptiles in the desert that are not your friend but are great to view at a distance. Have a great time out there!

    If you want to visit Nevada, contact us to ask how you can get the best, personalized experience for YOU!

  • America’s First President – George Washington and his home, Mount Vernon #FindYourHistoricHome

    Without a doubt one of the most impressive places to visit is Mount Vernon. Clinton and I arranged to be in Washington D.C. For Labor Day weekend. I had booked a hotel in advanced for a really swank looking place close by to Dupont Circle because the University of South Florida (Go Bulls!) has an alumni group that meets in a restaurant at that location. Plus, I booked a boat ride from the D.C. Harbor to Mount Vernon – directly on the Potomac! It was really cool sitting on a boat and looking out at the land and river that George Washington loved. I can think of no better way to get to Mount Vernon! We took Spirit Cruise lines and the ticket included entrance into the park and round trip to the harbor. Make sure you watch the time when exploring at Mount Vernon– once they leave the dock for the day they are not coming back!

    Mount Vernon is a lovely plot of land situated right at the banks of the Potomac River. The land had been owned by the Washington family for generations before our beloved George Washington entered the picture, who became the sole owner in 1761. One interesting fact that I learned while we were doing the house tour – even after the Washington’s “retired”, they still received enough visitors that they had specific rooms ready for certain friends and family, or even just someone passing through. It was rude to ask a guest when they were leaving, if you can imagine that attitude today! A lot of the history of the house is told from the point of view of Martha Washington, and it was very moving to spend time listening to her explain the hardships of being a wife of a famous general and leader of such a large movement. We sometimes build our Founding Fathers into these almost mythical like Heros who do no wrong and sweep in during bad times to solve our most prominent problems…but in reality these men and women of history are just human, like us. They suffer vices, they make mistakes, and they are not perfect. It puts many things in perspective when listening to the personal life of someone, and to delve a bit more into their true lives to get that bigger picture is refreshing. George Washington spent maybe 434 days total at Mount Vernon while serving his two terms as President, for instance, and while preaching for “Freedom for all men”, Washington was himself a slave holder. It is worth mentioning that in his 1799 will, Washington became the only slave-owning Founding Father to free them upon his wife’s death. At that time there were 317 slaves – 153 from Martha’s first husband, given in her dowry but legally binding to her first husbands estate and therefore not eligible for freedom under Washington’s will. Martha Washington would sign a deed of manumission in December 1800 to emancipate those slaves on January 1, 1801.

    Mount Vernon as a house is a very practical and beautiful, but the real winner is the view of the Potomac and surrounding forest. The gardens are practical and speak of the hobbies and attitude of Mr. Washington himself, including fishing, gardening, tobacco, and boat making. Living there before modern conveniences would have been a bit of a struggle for many of us today, but I can’t speak enough about the area, the view, and the loveliness of imaging the area without many of the conveniences today!

    We headed back and picked up our luggage from the hotel and heading back home via the Metro. If you are traveling around D.C. definitely look to using the Metro as much as possible – there are usually plenty of parking spots in the outskirt locations (more difficult the closer to D.C. you get) and then it is an easy ride into town. We also use Uber frequently when traveling around D.C., but we make a point to verify the driver and the vehicle tag before getting into the vehicle.

    This was the last Founding Father home that we visited while living in Baltimore, but it definitely was not the last exciting place we want to talk about! Keep your eyes focused here for another great place to #TalleyYourAdventure!

    **Disclaimer – Proper Prior Planning would have assisted the Traveling Talleys this trip. We did not pack a phone charger and our phone almost died enroute to Mount Vernon – we wanted to make sure we had the actual time to make the boat over photographing our lovely visit. We are picture-less this post!