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Jan 15, 2025 | 
travelingwithmj.com | Mary Jo
If you’re a wine enthusiast looking for your next adventure, Sonoma County is probably on your to-visit list. With 19 distinct American Viticultural Areas (AVAs) spread across a diverse landscape, this California wine region will give you an opportunity to learn more about what pleases your palate. The AVA designated zones range from foggy coastal regions to sunnier inland valleys, the cool Petaluma Gap, to the warmer Moon Mountain District with its volcanic soil.
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Jan 10, 2025 | 
travelingwithmj.com | Mary Jo
The National Park System is a big draw for traveling in the United States, both for residents and for attracting visitors from abroad. When you visit Washington State’s National Parks, you’ll find everything from beautiful views, a variety of landscapes, magnificent wildlife, and interesting historical sites.
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Jan 1, 2025 | 
travelingwithmj.com | Mary Jo
Happy 2025!And wow, I can’t believe that we’ve been doing this travel reading challenge for 8 years! It started as a simple project with friends, grew into a larger project with friends and friends of friends, and now we have a small community of of book and travel lovers. I continued my reading streak in 2024 and, according to my Kindle app, have read on 759 consecutive days and for 338 weeks.
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Dec 28, 2024 | 
travelingwithmj.com | Mary Jo
This annual post is one of my favorites to write. It’s a chance to look back at the travel memories for the year. A chance to dream about what’s coming up in 2025. And, when I publish it, it means I’m done with writing work for the year. This is my post about trying to live my best life every single day. My travels in 2024 included three continents, four new countries, one new state, and a few new experiences.
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Dec 17, 2024 | 
travelingwithmj.com | Mary Jo
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Nov 7, 2024 | 
travelingwithmj.com | Mary Jo
Istanbul, a city where history whispers in every cobblestone street and culture dances in every bazaar, has been on my to-visit travel bucket list since high school (when an aunt and uncle were living there). For a variety of reasons, I wasn’t able to make the trip then, but this week, I’m packing to head to Istanbul for the annual SATW Convention. I’ll finally get there, and I’m pretty excited about it. As I prepare for my first visit, I’ve been looking for books and movies set in this major city.
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Nov 5, 2024 | 
wfdd.org | Mary Jo
Darius Mayfield (GOP) 0.0% 0 Bonnie Watson Coleman (Dem) • 0.0% 0
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Nov 2, 2024 | 
discoveringwashingtonstate.com | Mary Jo
13 The Seattle summer is in full swing. Sports, outdoor events, parades, and lots of visitors and locals taking advantage of the sunny weather. Combine a sunny day with art, culture, and history with a day in Seattle’s Pioneer Square. On a weekday Pioneer Square is full of people in suits, the King County Courthouse and numerous office buildings are close by. On weekends, you’ll find a mix of workers, shoppers, tourists, and a few men and women who, unfortunately, call the park benches home.
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Oct 22, 2024 | 
travelingwithmj.com | Mary Jo
Romania, with its rich viticulture history, diverse microclimates, and array of both indigenous and international grape varieties, presents an intriguing and exciting landscape for wine lovers. Each wine region, from the sun-soaked vineyards of Wallachia to the cool-climate slopes of Transylvania, contributes to the country’s vibrant and diverse wine culture. As one of the oldest wine-producing regions in the world, Romania’s viticulture roots run deep, tracing back more than 6,000 years.
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Oct 14, 2024 | 
travelingwithmj.com | Mary Jo
The Great Lakes of North America are five connected bodies of water in the eastern and midwestern part of North America. All of these lakes, except for one, lie along the Canada-U.S. border. Collectively, the Great Lakes form the largest body of water in terms of surface area. As a Pacific Northwest resident all of my life, I have little familiarity with vacationing on the Great Lakes, a childhood experience that many friends look back on fondly.
