Upon my first visit to Iceland's capital city in 2015, it was impossible not to notice that it was a city on the rise and well-aware of its tourist appeal. Call it the Game of Thrones effect. Since then, prices have soared even higher and the town is ever friendly to a still-increasing influx of tourists (and their money.)
Read MoreA lot of people blog about where they've been, where they're going, and what they're doing, but what about where you come from? I mean, where you really come from, not just the name of a town or a state or a country or the college that you went to. Origins have always fascinated me - I like the first Lord of the Rings the most, and Batman Begins, and even the first part of Captain America til it went totally shit about 2/3 of the way through.
Read MoreIn addition to being a beautiful tract of undisturbed forest with numerous trails varying in length and difficulty, Sterling Forest Park was at one time owned and operated by Sterling Iron Works which mined and shipped iron ore on the land. The last of the mines closed in the 1920s, but there are quite a few old structures and ruins left behind on the property which are great for exploring and photographing, so even in December when the trees are bare and wildlife is scarce, there's plenty to see.
Trails within the park are really well marked and maintained so it was very easy to follow the map and chart our route. We chose the firetower as our midpoint goal, and it took us about 2 hours to get there from the visitor's center (granted, I was stopping a lot, to take a million photos.)
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