“National parks and reserves are and integral aspect of intelligent use of natural resources. It is the course of wisdom to set aside an ample portion of our natural resources as national parks and reserves, thus ensuring that future generations may know the majesty of the earth as we know it today.”
-John F. Kennedy (World Conference on National Parks 06/23/1962)
Welcome to CruisinwiththeCardinals!
This travel blog is the brainchild of Rory and Amanda with the idea of sharing our experiences as we travel around the United States and the world! But before we start sharing our stories a little bit about ourselves.
Rory
Minnesotan born and raised. I grew up in the Twin Cities and have had the great fortune of exploring this great state. Some of my favorite memories growing up were going to our cabin in Northern Minnesota and venturing over to Itasca State Park for the day to see the Headwaters of the Mississippi River. For me this helped nurture a travel bug at a young age. The idea that there could be something amazing just down the road or around the corner to be explored has always fascinated me. I find myself always searching for something new to learn and traveling is a great way to keep building that knowledge.
In 2009, I was able to to do a semester in college overseas in Western Europe (five weeks in England and three weeks touring mainland Europe (France, Switzerland, Italy, Germany, Austria, Vatican City)). Since then, I have been able to go back to Europe a couple more times and cross off a few other countries (Ireland, Iceland, Belgium). Stateside I have been able to cross off 19 states plus the District of Columbia. For me the excitement starts from the get go. I love getting inspiration from all sorts of media, either a book I have lying around the house or a social media post I saw while looking for new ideas. When I’m not planning our next adventure, there is a good chance you’ll find me on the golf course working on my short game (not that it does much good).
Luckily for me, especially when it comes to stateside travel, I have had a great companion to tag along with!!
Amanda
Born and raised in a small town outside of Wetumpka, Alabama (War Eagle!!). For me, some of my earliest memories were time spent outdoors in nature. My love of the outdoors and nature comes from my dad who taught me about respecting nature and giving back to it and my Aunt Terry who my mom always would tell me I should have been her daughter because I love anything with fur and 4 legs(LoL). Whether it was horseback riding whenever I could, or a walk through the woods, I often find myself most at peace when I am with nature. In my teenage years, a Sunday drive to anywhere we wanted was always my favorite. We would often go up to Cheaha State Park in Delta, Alabama. This was when my love for the mountains began. To this day it holds some of the best memories of my childhood. Although my guilty pleasure outdoors has to be Waterfalls!!! I love hearing the water rushing over the edge and crashing down below. The peace and serenity I feel around waterfalls is something that I cannot find anywhere else.
In 2016 I made the decision to pack up and move to Minnesota and haven’t looked back since. When I moved to the Twin Cities, I started working at a local hardware/home goods store where I met Rory. After a year or so of doing circles around each other, Rory and I finally started dating in the winter of 2018 and four wonderful years later we got married on the shores of Lake Superior just north of Duluth, Minnesota.
Compared to Rory who is very much the planner of our adventures, I enjoy the spontaneity that cruising down the road and not necessarily knowing where we may end up.