Welcome to Wanderland

Ah, the travel bug. Wanderlust. The human urge–no, the NEED–to get out there, somewhere, anywhere, and explore. I’ve got it bad. I’m Kelly and I’m a wanderer. Lost? What’s that? I call it exploratory driving. It’s the journey, not the destination. But sometimes it’s the destination too.

A little about me: I’m a Gen-X Geek Dad, living in the Virginia piedmont with my wife and kids. We all love to travel and explore, of course. I’m also more than a little bit of a shutterbug, so usually it’s my wife and kids forging ahead while I’m lagging behind taking a photo of a tree. Or a flower. Or a creepy-crawly critter. Or something. That’s what I do.

We tend to travel a little bit differently than most, though. The places to which most people flock are the places we tend to avoid. We’re drawn to a different flavor of place. We love nature. We love history. We love those little out-of-the-way spots that people–well, certain special people–probably would flock to, if they only knew. We love finding sublime beauty, quiet nooks and crannies. Even in places crowded with tourists, those are the spots we seek out. The things most people don’t know about, or walk right by. That’s the good stuff. That’s where the magic is. Or so I believe.

What you’ll find here:

-Travelogues: Text-and-photo recaps of destinations, some in-depth and some quick hits. Mostly around Florida and Virginia, since that’s where we’ve lived, but all over the United States as we get the chance to explore. And maybe farther afield, eventually.
-Photography Advice and Tutorials: Since making photographs is a big part of the travel experience for me, I hope to share techniques, tips, and gear-related information to help you capture memories of your own wanderings.
-Travel Tips: By no means do I consider myself an expert traveler, but I’ve done enough to hopefully provide some useful suggestions now and then. I hope to also suggest some trip ideas and spots to check out–especially from a family-friendly perspective.

I’ve gotten into video blogging recently, so most posts these days are companions to videos on my YouTube channel, which you can find here: Wanderland on YouTube.

And whatever else I can dream up, of course. Wandering, after all, is the name of the game.

Welcome!