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. Impact-Site-Verification: 8a69d429-4a55-4b53-b8f6-72c437661af5

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

  • Visiting Monticello – Home of Thomas Jefferson #FindYourHistoricHome

    One of the most impressive Founding Fathers home we visited was that of Thomas Jefferson. Many will agree that his home is a top destination, but what stuck me in particular was the details that Jefferson put on things that I have always felt were annoying as well! A grand staircase does take up a lot of space, and monticello (11)having your bed in the wall totally makes sense from a space saving point of view. I went through the house tour and definitely agree with Jefferson – some things are completely impractical in a home!

    Monticello was only a few hours drive from Baltimore, and like we mentioned previously it is also recommended that you try and see Montpelier as well – but plan your visit well as there are tours that begin and end at very specific times and they get very busy fast! We ended up driving all the way out to Shenandoah National Park so that we could see it one more time before heading out to Arizona, so we planned to visit both of the houses on the same day. We just did a generic tour of Monticello but specifically did the Dolley Madison tour at Montpelier – my point is to really read the times the tours start. They are not kidding, they get full, and it’s about $20/person per tour so plan it!

    I’m sure we all know a lot about Thomas Jefferson – right?! Since I am sure you do, let me tell you a little about the house itself. Jefferson inherited land from his father in 1769 and began building the house of his dreams immediately. Jefferson also created the lovely gardens at Monticello, experimenting with different types of exotic plants to see if they could thrive, and was very interested in developing vineyards. I loved going through the gardens where we were there. They had different levels and they were absolutely beautiful. Jefferson tried different varieties of many European plants to see if they could live in the land in humid Virginia – some he did manage to figure out.monticello (10)

    Unfortunately, Jefferson’s only surviving child had to see Monticello in 1831 while deeply in debt. Uriah Levy eventually bought the land and renovated the house to keep it in good conditions. This was continued even after he died and the property was transferred to his nephew, Jefferson Levy. The Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation purchased Monticello and 650 acres in 1923 for $500,000 and have been taking care of it ever since. You can really see the care and devotion they take with the landscape and the house. We did take about an hour and walk through the gardens ourselves, but you can get a tour of the gardens if you want.

    Cool fact – while it would only take many 45 minutes today driving from Monticello to Montpelier, back when Jefferson and Madison were alive it would have taken about 10 hours and they would have stayed for weeks. During the house tours they would mention the “favorite” rooms of their political friends – and what it meant to have the honor of staying on the first floor instead of the second!

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  • Driving Scenic Colorado #AutumnColors

    One of the best things to do when autumn truly starts is to take an autumn drive around to see the leaves change color. Growing up in Florida, I rarely saw many leaves change color, and it wasn’t until we started making family trips up to Pennsylvania when I really saw my first colorful autumn. It is always a lot of fun to plan these trips, and spending a weekend driving on a few scenic drives did not disappoint!

    autumn drive 2018 (13)We headed west on 160 towards Cortez, Colorado because we knew there was a Best Western that actually allowed dogs. Contrary to what you may rely on, we recommend calling ahead to even known hotel chairs that usually allow dogs – we’ve been fooled in this area! We did this drive over a two day period so don’t be too ambitious if you have the time!

    We started from Page with both of the dogs early so that we could have a full day of driving. Our goal was to make it up as far as Ouray, Colorado and then back down to Cortez via Durango. It was a long drive but definitely well worth it. Driving through the San Juan National Forest was amazing. We had plenty of opportunities to pull over and let the dogs explore, and not to mention the gorgeous views! We only captured a little bit of the beauty of the area. Ouray is definitely worth a drive through – really cute downtown and beautiful scenery. Telluride is as well, and is a known ski area. Maybe one day I’ll ski! San Juan National Forest contains three officially designated wilderness areas, which is land in its natural state without human impact. This makes for some really great scenic views as driving. Wilderness areas autumn drive 2018 (10)are undeveloped areas so there should be no road or easy access, necessarily. It is great because it preserves the land in its natural form, but because no roads are built to view it is not easily accessible for everyone.

    We decided after such a long journey and drive on the scenic road we would spend the night in Cortez so we were close to Mesa Verde the next day. We had called earlier that morning to reserve our room, which was good that we did because by the time we got in the parking lot was almost full! Mesa Verde is a national park, so there are not many places that the dogs could roam. A leash is always required, and for the most park they cannot deviate from the paved road. There was one area we could pull off and let them out – just ask the ranger when you arrive at the booth! The scenery was absolutely breathtaking. I don’t know if pictures could do them complete justice, but Clinton tried! Mesa Verde was designated in 1906 to protect and preserve the Ancestral Pueblo people who lived there for many centuries. When we went many years ago autumn drive 2018 (6)before we had dogs we were able to do a few of the hikes and tours – this time we did the drive from one end to the other and back out. It was nice switching off who drove so we both could look around while the other drove – and driving is fun on these turns, too!

    Driving from Mesa Verde we headed towards Hovenweep via Canyons of the Ancients. What a cool area! The Monument contains the densest known archaeological evidence of native cultures – more than 6,000 total! It has been used by the Ancestral Puebloans for 10,000 years. While we opted to drive, it may be worth mentioning for those of you that have a bicycle that there were people out and about on their bikes, and it is a really pretty drive. But we did see snow – another reason why we decided not to camp!

    We had a great adventure that was another ambitious drive through the country. Hope you enjoy the pictures!

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  • Visiting Montpelier, home of James and Dolley Madison #FindYourHistoricHome

    After learning so much about the War of 1812 while working at Fort McHenry, I started to have more of an interest in the American Revolution. Many of the same people who were prevalent during the War of 1812 were usually a major political or military figure during the Revolution, so it was only a matter of time before my interest in this time period was peaked. My past studies usually revolved around the Civil War and WWII, but I’ve found that America’s early history is fascinating.

    Montpelier (5)One of the places we visited during out time showing the house in Baltimore was Montpelier, or James and Dolley Madison‘s house. James Madison‘s name may ring a bell to those of you that know a little about our Founding Fathers as the “Father of the Constitution.” He composed the first drafts of both the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Thomas Jefferson and Madison founded the Democratic-Republican Party, one of America’s first opposition political party of the time, which served as a platform against Alexander Hamilton and his Federalist Party. Madison served as Jefferson’s Secretary of State and later as President, from 1809 – 1817.

    How this actually relates to the War of 1812, besides the date, is that Madison was President during the War of 1812. During his first Administration, the United States prohibited trade with both Britain and Montpelier (4)France. If you read my previous post on the War of 1812, you know that both of these countries were at war with each other – known as the Napoleonic Wars. The United States attempted to remain neutral, but ultimately entered the war against England.

    Visiting Montpelier was exciting. It was a relatively easy drive from Baltimore, and the proximity to Monticello is so close that I recommend you try to visit both. Definitely plan time for both if you decide to visit them in the same day as there is an entrance fee of about $20-$25, depending on the tours you want to take, and they have scheduled times. We took the Dolley Madison tour, which still gave a great description of the house as we walked through but from a “Dolley” perspective. I highly encourage at least a house tour, and to take at least an hour and walk around the grounds. Each of these historic houses have large acres of land that you can stroll, and there is usually at least one if not multiple gardens. Beautiful!

    All of the homes we visited were homes that the founders lived in after their career was over, but they also lived with their slaves. One in particular at Montpelier, Paul Jennings, was born at Montpelier in 1799 to a white British merchant and a black woman. Jennings became Madison’s personal servant, where he learned to read and write. He was 10 when he accompanied Madison to Washington D.C. As the newly elected President. Jennings was Montpelier (3)eventually sold to an insurance agent named Pollard Webb, who allowed Jennings to purchase his own freedom at $8/month. After Jennings purchased his own freedom he continued to visit Dolley Madison as she grew older, and sometimes gave her small sums of money to get by. This paradox should not be lost to history – remember that many of our Founding Fathers owns slaves, at the same time they were advocating for “rights for all men”. Join a tour to learn more about Mr. Jennings and his remarkable life, and remember that the struggle for equality did not end with the first draft of the Constitution.

    As you walk through the Madison’s house remember that most of the item on display may be original, and do not touch! We want to preserve all of our history, the good AND the bad, for future generations to learn and enjoy on their own. Continue traveling, and we will see you here next time!

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