Banff National Park- July 2016
2016 dished out a lot of dark days for me but as always there were silver linings. My trip to Banff and the Calgary Stampede was a shining silvery ribbon if ever there was one. My sweetheart and I, set off on a 10 day trip through Alberta, to check off another childhood dream of mine—the Calgary Stampede! I had heard my family and every cowboy speak in awe of the Stampede since the cradle and it lived up to the hype. The daily winners come in on a zipline for goodness sake! It poured rain all night and all morning and then ceased right before the day show, as if the show was divine. I have been to a hundred rodeos in my life and Calgary beat them all! After experiencing the Stampede, Nick and I were off to hike through Banff National Park. I have never glimpsed such incredible beauty in one place. Every lake was jewel toned, the Indian Paint Brushes were more vivid and varied than I had ever seen, the glaciers were awe inspiring, and I walked in the presence of bears. Alberta is a land for poets and adventurers. I will return soon!
England and Romania October 2016
Brexit happened, one of my besties was turning 30, and the flights to the UK dropped dramatically. This perfect storm led to a spur of the moment trip to England, Wales, and Romania. My friend and I flew into London where our dear sister across the sea came to pick us up and drive us to her little village of Rugby. All three of us met playing rugby for WSU so it was only fitting that our first night in England would be on the hallowed ground of rugby origin. We then rented Sofia the Fiat and drove, terrified and screaming through England and Wales. We climbed Snowden in a storm, explored castle walls, took in the Roman waters on a rooftop pool in Bath, saw a real trebuchet launch a fire ball, and had Sunday dinner on the coast with my other mother. England and Wales was full of hidden beauty, friendly people, and more laughter than I can say. After 10 days my friend was off for Paris and I was on a flight to Romania. I had dreamed of hiking in Transylvania for years and I was going to do it. The weather on the other hand, had different ideas. Romania was an exercise in going with the flow and changing plans on the fly. While I do mourn the multi-day hiking trip that didn’t happen due to an ice storm and the multi-day kayak trip canceled because of a bad tour company; my heart still found love in Romania. I discovered amazing food, and saw the most amazing autumn hills. I was drawn to a painted monastery by the 1,000 year old chants of priests worshipping under the mist shrouded mountains among the holy pine tree. I walked cobblestone streets, eating in 200 year old restaurants, all while be surrounded by communist concrete. This spur of the moment trip taught me that sometime expectations can get in the way of explorations.
Guatemala July 2018
When you have friends who love to travel and the flexibility to say "Yes" you don't let a volcano eruption get in the way of grand adventures. My consummate travel buddy who suffered through the Pyrenees snd attempted Mt Rainier with me in 2017, said it was her turn to pick the trip. She settled on Guatemala so the bad high school Spanish was dusted off and the sunscreen and packs came out. Having never gone south, I was ecstatic. We spent 24 hours in Mexico City stumbling into great bands, dancing to Mariachi music in the streets, and oracticed our Spanish at a French Bistro that served Cold Coffee! With only two weeks to explore we slept on night buses all over Guatemala exploring the jungles of Flores and Tikal; the cobblestone streets of Antigua, slept in a tree house in the cloud forest, then hiked from Xela to San Pedro and Lake Atitlan. It was a trip that filled my adventurous soul. Walking into the ruins of Tikal in the early morning hours to the sound of Howler Monkeys to watch the sunrise over ancient ruins was one of the most magical moments of my life. I felt like I was time walking--I could feel the history, sacredness, and living breath of the Mayans that day. I also got to see the biggest spider of my life and a wasp that could kill it (I didn't sleep super well in our tent with the giant spider on the outside). Hiking through the villages of Guatemala stole my heart. What a gorgeous and industrious people. The women create masterpieces of weaving and the hillside farming made my farm girl heart soar. Coming in the first night after climbing 3,000 feet wobbly and tired we were afforded an incredible opportunity to use the local Saunas. My bestie and I stripped down to overlooking the village and the mountains and then crawled into what looked a lot like a pizza oven to have a good sweat and wash off with buckets of water. It was incredible. Coming into Lake Atitlan at sunrise was an amazing cherry on top of the hike. We then spent the last couple of days living like queens at eco lodge on a private dock with hiking, swimming, and kayaking at our fingertips. We ate amazing food, met incredible people, supported women weavers, and left pieces of our heart in Guatemala!
India December 2018 - January 2019
It is rare to travel to a place like India on a whim but when your dear friend calls you up and invites you to his wedding in India well you go. My partner, my best friend and adventure friend (Guatemala, France, and more) pinched our pennies and did a quick google search landing on "Where to go in India in January" and we were off. India was a trip of hard travel, flight delays, and political unrest, as well as incredible beauty juxtaposed against extreme poverty. We landed in Delhi a day late but still were able to make our way to the Taj Mahal and Fort Agra. The Taj Mahal was truly a wonder. The intricacies of the architecture and the inlaid jewels were astounding. Fort Agra felt like World History from my college days was jumping off the page--I loved it! The highlight of the trip though was watching my friend get married. We were able to dress in traditional Indian clothes saris for us ladies and a full Kurta for Nick. I have never felt so beautiful with mehndi tattooing my hands and folds of pink fabric enfolding me. Combine that beauty with dancing in the street to send off the groom and you have India in a nut shell--beautiful, loud, hectic, and fun. We danced, we partied, we laughed, and then we did it over again because Indians know how to throw a wedding! I have never seen my friend so happy or look so handsome. It was worth every penny. After the festivities we headed south to the Kerala area. We hiked through tea fields, swam in the Indian ocean and wrecked a scooter. One split head, fractured wrist, and a lot of road rash later we were slowed down just a bit, but we still managed to explore the back waters, see rare birds, and explore an archaeology dig with a full warrior skeleton. The highlight of the south was when we snuck out of our hotel, past the tiger fencing to bushwhack our way up the mountain. Hiking through the tall grass, exploring thickets, and getting up above the valley to overlook the rivers and hills of Munnar was worth every fall and jumping 4 feet high when something large went crashing through the brush just over the rise. India was a short trip that gave me great joy and left me wanting more. I will be back!
