Along the Way Bouquet was an idea that came to me when I was in college and doing a lot of writing. I was hiking the Stagecoach Trail near my home in Auburn, California when I was inspired to create a wildflower bouquet Along the Way... I used to do a lot of writing in my head when I hiked along trails, and it made me think about how creating a flower bouquet was a lot like writing – selecting individual thoughts and words and phrases, and arranging them in such a way to create a unique expression of an idea or feeling or experience.
After college, I went on to work and left my passion for writing to rest. I spent years caring for an aging family member while raising my youngest of four children, and when these men both moved on in the space of one year, I found myself needing to revitalize my writing as a creative outlet.
Love found me along the way and managed to transform my I’s into We’s and my Me’s into Us. Brooke is an American traveler who explored many, many miles of backroads on a motorcycle through beautiful country and into many National Parks that I had never seen. I was busy raising four children as a single parent, so my expeditions had been limited to road trips visiting family in California and Oregon. Together, we make an adventurous traveling pair delighting in our shared experience.
We enjoy beautiful landscapes, historic sites, hiking trails, and local faves. We are NOT big city folks, although we may venture to a play or musical event and do a little exploring when passing through. We do not do sporting events and neither of us drink alcohol, so there won’t be any bar scenes or winery tours here. We do enjoy both simple and fine dining, coffee and pastries, snacky things for the road, and will go out of the way, along the way, to find the best local fare for breakfast, lunch, and dinner (so I guess you could call us foodies, though we usually don’t think so!).
Brooke is the destination guy, and my job is to find those little out of the way attractions that bring color and life to our trips! He is our house hunter and dining aficionado, and he really has a knack for finding local gems that rarely disappoint. Along the Way Bouquet is how we plan our adventures and share them with you.