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

  • Experience the #GreatOutdoors and #VisitUtah -traversing the Burr Trail

    Welcome back! We went to many different places around Baltimore before we moved out west, but we’ve also spent each weekend exploring the beautiful area surrounding Page. Our first real weekend in Page started early. After viewing homes for sale, we packed up our camping gear and the dogs and headed out on an ambitious trip – heading towards Bryce Canyon and diverting off on the Burr Trail towards the Burr Trailback country of Utah. This trip takes you through Grand Staircase Escalante, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, and Capital Reef. It is very important to remember that each of these parks is under a different designation (national park, rec area, etc.) and is also under a different agency, such as the Bureau of Land Management or the National Park Service. Always check to see if camping, lighting a fire, drinking the water, etc. is allowed before assuming it is! For Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument and Capital Reef National Park, a free permit is required before camping, even in dispersed locations. You can stop by a Visitor Center to obtain a permit. Also remember to pack it in and pack it out Heading to Bryce– the great outdoors is not your personal dumpster! Take your trash out of the area and properly dispose of it. Make sure your camp fire is completely out and remember to look up! The stars in remote locations are gorgeous!

    We visited the Burr Trail when we were working a summer job at Bullfrog Marina in Glen Canyon years ago. From what Clinton and I remember, it was not a very well traveled road and took some navigation, especially up and down the switchbacks. It was about a five to six hour drive one way and about the same back. While driving, it is hard not to stare out at the beautiful landscape. I highly recommend that you take your time and pull over whenever possible. Even if that time is spent just staring out into the wilderness, it is definitely worth the time. We also had the dogs, and the weather was just perfect to get out and explore when we could. Since this is the desert, we packed multiple sources of water along with plenty of snacks in case we got hungry during the drive. We had our jet-boil so we could cook dinner, and we’ve been experimenting with dehydrated food while camping.

    I should probably mention right about now that I drive a Honda Accord. Before that I had a Honda Civic, and it drove on every single road I’ve been on with the Accord so far. Do your research, make sure you feel safe, but don’t underestimate the power of a smaller sedan. It has gotten me in and out of many different landscapes. Be confident, but don’t be stupid. If the ground feels strange as I drive over it I stop and reassess. My point is that you don’t need a huge SUV or a 4×4 just to get to a remote location – but Grand Staircase Camping_2you better believe we’ve done our research. Front wheel drive helps a lot, and we ALWAYS get our maintenance done. Sometimes we do it ourselves, but it gets done. Don’t put yourself in a situation you could have avoided.

    The dogs have really loved climbing along the red rock that makes up a lot of the landscape here. Another cool feature is Navajo sandstone. Predominately found in southern Utah, Navajo Sandstone usually looks like large domes and bluffs white in color. By far one of the best features of the landscape, it looks just as amazing even at night when the stars are out. When we first moved here, the moon was almost a full moon. We enjoyed going out and seeing more stars that we ever saw in Baltimore, but since it was so bright because of the moon we also could see neat reflections on the water or different shadows along the canyon and Lake Powell. Very pretty! Now that it is darker, the sky is bright and the constellations are amazing. We hope to join a few local star parties, and maybe buy our own telescope!

    This is all for now, stay tuned! We will be going back and forth between our trips out to other parks out here in Page, or the places we visited on the east coast before we moved out here. Until next time!

    This slideshow requires JavaScript.

     

    This slideshow requires JavaScript.

  • Talley Your Adventure @C&O Canal National Historical Park!

    The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park is a long, winding park that follows the Potomac River from Georgetown, DC to Cumberland Maryland. You can access much of the park via car by driving to various locations along the 184.5 miles that the canal call home! In particular, the Great Falls area enjoys a wonderfully vibrant surrounding community that is built on recreation (kayakers, hikers, bikers), those that love the park and people who are visiting DC and want to get away from the city.

    The trails in the Great Falls section of the C&O Canal are absolutely fabulous and I highly recommend that if you are in the area you take a couple hours to come out and enjoy for yourself. There are a couple different ones depending on your comfort level. For instance, if you want to bring your dog and enjoy views of the Potomac River on a relatively easy path, the River Trail is definitely for you. If you want more of a rocky, scrambling experience that does not allow your dog friend, I recommend Billy Goat-A (BGT-A) as it has a traverse that is pretty difficult but the trail itself is relatively short (1.75 miles). There are also two other trails right outside the Visitor Center, Ford Mine and Gold Mine, that connect with other trails and can be considered easy or difficult depending on how far you want to go. For all visitors, it is a must walking out to the Great Falls Overlook to see the mighty Potomac in all her glory – and point and laugh at the Virginia side. 😉

    Visiting the park can also include many different forms of historical programming depending on the visitor center you drive up to for the day. In Great Falls, there are mules that can be fed and pet depending on the day of the week, and up in Williamsport you can enjoy a boat ride on a small launch boat on the canal. The one thing bringing all of this together is the historical connection of the canal itself, which began construction in 1828. Though Ohio is in the name, that was truly because the dream was to have the canal end in the Ohio River Valley. This was not to be, as the canal – though a modern marvel at the time of finalization in the 1850s – was still quickly overcome by the mighty railroads. It never made it past Cumberland, Ohion.

    There is plenty to do when visiting the C&O Canal!

  • Konnichiwa! #TravelingTalleys visit Japan to see the Inuyama Matsuri

    Those of you who know me best know that it has been a lifelong dream of mine to visit Japan. I have not had the opportunity, through a variety of reasons, until the last year when Clinton and I were able to save up to plan the trip well in advance of attending.

    The main reason for me to visit Japan was to be absorbed and immersed in the culture and climate of Japan. I was and am still not as concerned or interested in visiting a large town such as Tokyo or a specific shrine or area. Many of you will have these interests – and Tally Your Adventure can help you find those amazing places! For me, personally, I wanted the opportunity to be in a small town during a normally extremely busy time of the year for the country. There were not the larger crowds that would be in Kyoto or Hokkaido even though the cherry blossoms were in full bloom! If you are interested in a more intimate and slower experience when visiting Japan, let us know that as well – we got you covered!

    When we started to plan for our trip, we knew we wanted to try to time our visit with the cherry blossoms. This can be rather difficult as you are usually planning many months (for us, we planning 6 months in advance!) before really knowing when the blossoms will bloom. You honestly end up guessing and hoping that you timed it right! Because of this uncertainty, I focused on finding another reason to visit Japan in case we ended up missing the blossoms. This is where I discovered the Inuyama Matsuri, a 300+ year old celebration where the locals offer the Karakuri to the Haritsuna Shrine. At the very least, I knew we would see something spectacular in the form of a cultural event. And boy, did it deliver! During the two day celebration, the local families pull out one of the thirteen giant floats – which are pushed and pulled BY HAND!

    We were able to enjoy this celebration by staying at the amazing IHG InterContinental Hotel right in town, which hosted the town’s hot spring. I was a bit worried with my tattoos that I would not be able to attend, but there was no issues and beyond maybe a few looks from the older folks I was totally fine! Be warned – no clothes! It is a fantastic experience that Clinton and I were able to use every day. They have a beautiful spa experience with not just the hot spring, but a dry sauna, a cold dip pool, and a bunch of showers with sweet smelling products to use. The women and men are separated for a truly personal experience.

    We were close enough to walk ‘up the hill’ from the hotel to see the neighborhood where the floats emerged, but where and what were they exactly doing, you ask? They were bringing the floats to the Shrine as an offering for the year. During the day, the floats rested in front of the Shrine while the Kakakuri (dolls) performed on one of the tiers of the float. At night, the floats were lit up with 365 beautiful lanterns for display before the floats were moved back to their garages for the night. The next day, it repeated! For us, the next day was rainy – so, unfortunately, we were not able to see all thirteen floats again. Only eight participated, but we were happy to have even eight! We spent the next morning visiting the local museums in town that showed the history of the Kakakuri dolls, how they were constructed, and how they worked. It is truly a fascinating piece of artistic engineering that must be seen when visiting this town!

    So, back to my question…where were the floats going? To the Inuyama Castle! We made sure to visit the castle the day before the celebration, which was good we did as the lines the next couple days were pretty long. The castle was built back in 1537, making it one of the oldest buildings that we have visited in many years! We had to take off our shoes and carry them in a bag, which I thought was a really nice touch and way to try to preserve such a fragile building. The views were amazing. Built by the uncle of Oda Nobunaga, the castle changed hands many times before settling as a Japanese National Treasure. Much like how we preserve land and areas as National Monuments and Parks, this beautiful structure will be preserved for many generations to come! The landscape around it was meticulously kept as authentic as possible. You can see the care and love that is given to this ancient landmark!

    We can’t visit another country without taking time to find a National Park! Or, in this case, battlefield! Sekigahara Battlefield is a sister site for Gettysburg National Battlefield in Pennsylvania. It was recommended by a friend of mine who use to work for Gettysburg. Small world – Inuyama was only an hour by train from Sekigahara! We decided to take a day trip and figure out the train. After a small snafu attempting to return without a station to talk to someone, we figured it out and had a great time all around. Taking the train was easiest and included a small walk to the battlefield, where you read signs that explain the battle. Tokugawa Ieyasu, the warlord during this battle, has an impressive history. The Visitor Center does an even more impressive job of explaining Tokugawa as well as the battle and the overall war. This battle, much like Gettysburg, ended up turning the tide of war and eventually led to a wave of prosperity and unity for Japan. We had a great time and highly recommend adding this to your trip if you end up in the area!

    Food was easy to find even with a language barrier. Inuyama seems to thrive on ‘food on a stick’! Yum! We had rice balls with soy sauce, beef, and other items that filled us up with small portions and yummy flavors. Make sure to bring cash! Credit cards are not frequently available to use for purchases. Also, they definitely want you to pause and enjoy your food. Don’t walk and eat! Stop, talk to your friend, or people watch. Trash cans are not readily available so you’ll want to give the stick back to the people who you bought the food from – they usually have a small trash can on the counter for this purpose. Have fun and experiment!