Seattle

I’ve visited every U.S. state and I find Washington to be the most underrated. It’s a beautiful place with fantastic food. There are a number of things to do outdoors and I love playing outside!! I had been to Seattle a few times when I traveled with ESPN Sunday Night Football and once when I covered a Sonics game during their last season in Seattle.

On this particular trip, I took a fascinating tour of the Locks and saw Seattle in a new way. I had a unique view as the boat was lifted from salt water to fresh water level. As the boat left the locks, I learned about Seattle’s fishing communities, the Deadliest Catch boats (I love that show) and the Sleepless in Seattle floating home community.

The Seattle Gum Wall is located in Post Alley, under Park Place Market. It began in the early 1990s when people, irritated that they had to wait in line to get tickets to the theater, stuck chewing gum on the wall. In 1999, The Gum Wall became a certified tourist attraction of Seattle.

 

 

Malibu Safari

One of the many things I love about California are the millions of places to eat, experience and play. I explored this Wine Safari in the Hills of Malibu which made me even more excited about my future African Safari. I may just have to bring my own wine.
 

 

San Francisco

My first visit to San Francisco was with ESPN’s Summer X Games, when Travis Pastrana launched his RM125 into San Francisco Bay in front of thousands of unsuspecting fans. In other trips to the Bay area, I’ve toured the island of Alcatraz, ridden iconic street cars and enjoyed gorgeous wine country. The streets of San Francisco present challenges because they’re famous for steep hills, sharp turns and one-way down hill streets with speed limits of 5mph in places. I’ve never owned an automatic transition in my life, so San Francisco and I wouldn’t play nice together.

 

 

Honolulu

I’m a mix of ethnicities, including Polynesian and Cherokee Indian. Some of my family live in Hawaii, which makes the Islands extra special. It was an emotional day when I visited Pearl Harbor. I looked down to see parts of the wreckage lying at the bottom of the shallow water, while oil rested on top of the waves as if to remind visitors of the devastation in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. The USS Arizona Memorial extends across the ship’s hull as a dedication to those who died in the attack on December 7, 1941.
 

 

White House Tour

After the government conducted a thorough background check…I was inside the White House with unprecedented access in 2011. While visitors aren’t allowed to go inside the Oval Office, I secretly stepped one size 7.5 inside the door…thankfully the Secret Service Agent chose not to taser me! There are 132 rooms, 35 bathrooms and eight fireplaces in the White House, spread over six levels. Two of the levels are dedicated to the First Family’s living space, which has a different set of Secret Service Agents and multiple coded doors just to enter.

 

 

Sedona

Sedona, Arizona is a stunning representation of natural beauty. The main attraction is its array of red sandstone formations that appear to glow in brilliant orange and red when illuminated by the rising or setting sun. I didn’t know where to cast my eyes while hiking in Sedona because every where I turned, it was equally majestic.

Tags:  outdoors travel