Snazzy Snaps & Travel Tales
Welcome to my travel blog! I've visited 30 countries (kickstarted by Remote Year) and 38 U.S. States. Click SUBSCRIBE to receive an email when a new post is published.
Grand Teton & Delta Lake
If you visit Yellowstone, don't ignore the Grand Teton! Read on for the story of how I came face to face with a bear and survived!
Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming.
If you visit Yellowstone, why not throw in the Teton?! If you drive south and exit Yellowstone, you're entering the Grand Teton park. And, it is indeed grand.
The Tetons, as they are commonly referred to, are much different than Yellowstone. They feature the Teton mountain range (~4000 m), which is omnipresent throughout your experience in the park.
Most of my time in the park was on the east side of the Teton range, which meant that the sun was setting behind the range. The result are these majestic, sharp backlit mountains that seem to glow in the evening.
Before I left for the Tetons, I asked a Yellowstonian what I should see and do in their Tetonic neighbor. She highly recommended taking a walk around Jenny Lake.
Jenny Lake is a gorgeous little body of water nestled just in the valley of the Tetons. A lot of campers come and camp out along the edge of the lake. Hammock abound. And, the views are stunning. Unfortunately, the lake water levels were a bit high, which obfuscated the path around the lake. Yes, I did just use the word obfuscate.
But, I met a local gal who was hangin' in a hammock and we got to chattin'.
Told her I had ~2 days to play with, and she recommended I hike the Delta Lake Trail. It takes about 3 hours to get up to the top, but apparently, the view of this emerald green Delta Lake is worth the difficult and lengthy trek.
She also warned of serious bear action on that trail.
You can't go anywhere around these national parks without hearing about bear safety. And, at a certain point, you think, "Well maybe I should stop and listen to this action?"
Knowing I was going to hike alone, I decided to invest in some bear spray. Bear spray is like high powered pepper spray, shoots up to 30 feet. Maybe saves your life.
Next up, I stopped at the National Park Visitor Center to see if they had any updates about the Delta Lake Trail.
Also, met the moose outside.
When I told the worker I planned on doing the Delta Lake hike, she went from playful, positive happy-go-lucky government worker --- to concerned & cautious parent.
I guess she trekked it a few days before and there were some slippery spots near the top.
"Oh, ok, that's good to know. I also heard there are bears up there, so I bought bear spray."
She looked me in the eyes and said, "Oh, bears are probably the least of your worry."
She went on to tell the story of a girl who was trekking earlier in the week, and stepped on a snowy patch, only to realize the snow was just covering up a shallow crevasse. She stepped into the crevasse and a stick impaled her calf. 30 stitches.
Ok, I get it. it's a tough trek.
But, I'm still gonna send it!
Halfway up the trail, the weather is gorgeous, the views are great. No bears yet.
Met some nice trekkers from Canada. And then, 90% up the trail, I run into these 3 Bostonian hikers. I'm from the Boston area too! Serendipity.
Andrew, Ana and Alice---I later dubbed them the "A team". Or, "Triple A".
It was nice to have a crew to summit with, especially so close to the top and especially when the trail gets a little dodgy. Here is Ana and Alice crossing this avalanche-y area which I felt a little uneasy on.
And, YUP. We made it! The reward: Delta Lake.
I wish I had gone a little earlier in the day, because the sun was setting right behind the range, and affected my snaps. If you're goin' for the high quality snaps, check where the sun will be on PhotoPills first.
It was already getting late and it was gonna take a couple hours to get back down, so we didn't spend much time at the top, even though we all wanted to.
This was one of the better hikes I've done in my life and truly satisfying to reach the top! The adrenaline was flowin' for all of us as we headed back down.
We were hootin' n hollerin' n yuckin' it up nice. The A-Team was awesome and I was super glad I met them and got to share the experience with them!
Also, we were stoked we didn't see any bear action!
We traded stories about recent run ins with wildlife. I shared my story of seeing the mama griz and her two cubs at Yellowstone 2 days before.
And, the A-Team shared their story of how they were surrounded by bison TWICE on a Yellowstone trail days before!!!
We talked about how we had no idea how we would react if we did indeed run into a bear.
And, then we turn a sharp corner and Andrew says, "Guys, there's a bear right there...and we need to keep moving."
JYNXED OURSELVES.
WE RAN INTO A BEAR.
10 YARDS AWAY.
Here's a full video description of the experience, OR continue reading.
The bear was no more than 10 yards away. A black bear. As soon as I see it, it sees us. And, stands up at attention.
Andrew is in front, then Ana, then Alice then me bringing up the rear. The first thought that went through my head was, that we should actually retreat and put distance between ourselves and the bear. But that's because I was in back. And, going forward meant that I was actually cutting the distance between me and the bear!
Second thought that came to mind was, "I should take a photo." I had my camera hangin' off my neck, and thought, this would be an epic National Geographic snap that will put me on the map!
My third thought was, "NOOO, this will be the last photo I ever take."
And, my next thought was, "Oh, Alice has her bear spray out. Oh yea...bear spray."
It is incredible how quickly thoughts race through your mind in a traumatic experience. It all happens so fast, yet time seems to stand still.
And then, "Don't make eye contact. No sudden movement. Talk a little bit..."
Seconds after pulling out the bear spray, I realized my legs were very shaky. Everything else felt ok, but I was a little jelly-legged as I continued to walk.
3 out of 4 of us had bear spray. And, petite Ana had a knife. Which is slightly funny in hindsight.
Thankfully, the bear did NOT charge. It was probably eating some berries and simply let us walk by.
Maybe if I was alone, I might have been viewed as prey. But, there's strength in numbers when it comes to bears in the wilderness.
We still had about ~1 hour to get back down and the rest of the way was giddy! We were all freaked out and tried to joke as much as possible. While nervously scanning our surroundings like paranoid fiends.
Thankfully, no more bear action. We made it down. What an incredible experience! What a day.
Ohhh, Delta Lake, you!!! You gave us the thrill of a lifetime! And, thank you for being kind.
My thoughts in the immediate aftermath:
Sadly, I had to part ways with the A-Team. They were heading to West Yellowstone and I was heading to Jackson Hole. And, driving out, I was lucky to see some non threatening wildlife.
And, stopped to admire the heavenly glow behind the Teton range.
And, back to Jackson, which rivals West Yellowstone in its charm and design!
All in all, an epic adventure in Wyoming, which now ranks up there in my list of most underrated U.S. States. Do yourself a favor and book a trip to Yellowstone and Grand Teton. I know you will not be disappointed!
Yosemite Mountain Madness! - Day 2
After a tumultuous day 1 in Yosemite, Jay and I joked about how we could top it on day 2. Yeaaa, we may have jinxed ourselves...
Day 2: Gettin' Down Glacier Point
After a tumultuous day 1 in Yosemite, (see day 1 blog here) Jay and I joked about how we could top it on day 2. Yeaaa, we may have jinxed ourselves...
Day 2: Gettin' Down Glacier Point
This next video tells the story of day 2 if you don't want to read. But definitely scroll down to see the pics and additional videos.
Since the adrenaline rush from day 1 had us up all night, we decided to sleep in on day 2 and have a late lunch before heading to the park in the late afternoon.
We stopped at the Visitor Center in Mariposa and decided we would drive up to Glacier Point, which is 7200 feet up, and has spectacular views of Yosemite Valley. The lady at the Visitor Center mentioned they got snow up in Glacier Point that morning but that the roads were completely fine.
Glacier Point is about an hour from Yosemite Valley and the road up is one of those white-knuckle narrow & winding mountain roads with a steep cliff on one side. A lot of the turns require 15 mph. But, along the way, there are many beautiful scenic overlooks and pullouts that we took full advantage of.
Sorry, Jay, but you take a selfie, you face the consequences.
One of the coolest stops on the road to Glacier Point, is the "Tunnel View". I thought they called it this because you can see through the valley, as if it's a tunnel. But, it's actually because the stop comes right before a tunnel. Ha! Maybe it has a dual meeting. Tunnel-esque, right?
After the tunnel, we pulled over a couple more times, cuz how could we not? Yosemite is breathtaking!
Washburn Point is very close to Glacier Point and although you can't see Yosemite Valley from it, it offers stunning views of Half Dome and some waterfalls.
Finally, made it to the top! Glacier Point, baby!
The sun was just setting and the colors were coming in nice with all the clouds in the sky! It was pretty cold up there, and we realized it was flurrying!
This area is very much off limits, but dude had no problem dangling his dog out on the ledge. Cruel? Well, at least he got the photo and that's what really matters.
Every night on Glacier Point, a Park Ranger comes and gives a talk about the history of Yosemite and some of the interesting flora and fauna that live in the park. Interesting Fact: The only human death by animal in Yosemite was a deer, who sadly, impaled a child with its antlers as the kid was trying to pet and feed it.
If you read my Day 1 blog, you may recognize these next waterfalls, as the moonbow falls. And the green grass below the falls is where we took the pics of the moonbow and saw the deer.
And, Jay also pointed out, "Hey that's where I got lost!"
Oh, Half Dome, you had me at Half.
It started to get a little dark, and we figured it was time to bolt. Didn't want to do the white knuckle drive in the dark!
In the parking lot, Jay was amused by the fact that there were snow piles and he decided to make a solid snowball.
We set off driving back down Glacier Point Road...and the flurries started turning to bigger flurries. Jay recorded this video of us joking about getting caught in a whiteout. Yeaaa, we may have just jinxed ourselves again.
Sure enough, in 5 minutes, the flurries turned to hail! The hail turned to bigger hail and bigger snowballs! It was a complete whiteout.
Glacier Point Road is a white-knuckle drive sans snow. You add snow to the mix and it's like a death drive.
I was only going 15-25mph, and my car started fishtailing! I have a rear wheel drive Lexus and it is not meant for snow in any way shape or form. I righted the ship and continued on, slower...
And slower...
Fishtailing again...
YIKES!
Hmmm...this is scary.
Whoa...I think the sleet created a nice layer of ice below the snow that was accumulating with the quickness.
And, fishtailing again...
After the 3rd fishtail, I came to a stop on the hill. I tried to accelerate and my car just starts spinning with my rear sliding toward the cliff side!
STUCK.
On a hill.
Complete whiteout.
The car behind me was stuck too. And the car behind them and the car behind them. Some cars ended up in the ditch.
And within 15 minutes, our windshield was covered in snow. It was coming down HARD.
Looking back, I did notice there was an obvious storm on the horizon. But, I didnt' think twice about it. Never even considered that it would come our way.
We settled in, with no clue how long we would be up there. There is NO cell service on Glacier Point Road. But, people with 4 wheel drive were able to drive down. And, we knew there was a Ranger that would have to come down at some point.
Thankfully, we had snacks bags, water, even a 5 hour energy drink that would come in handy later. We went into survival mode, rationing our snacks, occasionally turning on the car for heat. Broke out the leftover glow necklaces that I bought for #beachBonfireBash .
Not gonna lie, things got a little punchy!
But, we were able to amuse ourselves with tunes, pass-n-play scrabble on my phone, and steppin' outside every now and again to check out the scene & talk to fellow strandees. (word?)
Hazard lights cast a cool color spectrum illuminating the dark road!
We got stuck around 8:45pm and had bets on when we would get down. Jay said 7am. I said 1am.
Thankfully, the Park Ranger came around 11:30pm and let us know that help was on the way! The plows were over an hour out, but at least they were coming. I think I won the bet.
Once the snow stopped, the skies cleared and it was mighty nice out!
The plows came around 1am, and they started towing the cars that went into the ditch. And, they came and shoveled us out of our spot around 2am.
On the way back down the mountain, we stopped at Tunnel View, and I snapped this long exposure.
And, I couldn't help stopping for one more snap in a foggy moonlit meadow.
It took us ~2.5 hours to get back to our hotel. I was so nervous driving thinking everything was black ice! All in all, stuck at 8:45pm, got to the hotel at 4:45am. 8 hours.
Ohhhh, Yosemite, you!!!
What a weekend. Two days in a row, madness in the mountains!
On Remote Year, our Community Manager and Travel Guru Travis King introduced me to the 'levels of fun'. Level 1, planned fun. Level 2 fun is unexpected, serendipitous moments! And, Level 3 fun is when things go terribly wrong!
You've got to embrace the Level 3 fun! 'Cause, the reality is, Level 3 stories are the ones you'll remember and retell for the rest of your life!
Thank you, Yosemite for giving Jay and I many Level 3 memories!
Joshua Tree National Park (in June)
I’m almost embarrassed to admit I had never been to Joshua Tree, ~2 hours from LA. This rare jewel hidden deep in the desert is fascinating and freaky and hotter than hell (in June).
I’m almost embarrassed to admit I had never been to Joshua Tree National Park which is only ~2 hours from LA. This rare jewel hidden deep in the desert is fascinating and freaky and hotter than hell (in June).
Campground #1, Joshua Tree Lake Campground
When I first got into Joshua Tree, I realized that I'd have a lot of freedom to sightsee, camp and hike because June is the off season. It’s dangerously hot in June! But that didn’t stop me.
I think I was one of 3 people in the Indian Cove Campground which has 101 campsites.
Joshua Tree National Park is essentially a big garden of Joshua Trees in the Mojave Desert. Which, at first, I thought was a bit strange. Why isn't there an Oak Tree National Park?
But, there is something mystical about these Seussian looking trees and the fact that they only grow in this specific unique climate. Very surreal.
The trees have this Keith Haring-like energy to them, almost as if each one is caught mid-dance:
And, I'd be remised if I did not mention that Joshua Tree is a rock climber's paradise! (Just not in June)
After a day or two of sweating, hiking, sweating, camping, sweating, hiking --- my hair started to reach for the sky and resemble the trees!
Maybe it was the heat stroke, but I started to see creatures in the desert flora. Seemed like the cacti turn into monsters when they don't get enough water.
Decaying cacti look weirdly otherworldly:
Some desert animal made a nice little camp in this small cave, using some especially caustic cacti to shield their nest from nasty predators:
Ran into a tiny toddler tumbleweed, that acted all timid when the camera started rolling.
Joshua Tree has these cute little creamy colored chameleons that blend in with the light sand.
How has this big boulder not toppled?
Skull Rock!
If you visit Joshua Tree, I highly recommend stopping by the Cholla Cactus Garden! More Seussian shrubbery!
One hiker I ran into said, "Yeah, it looks like someone just dropped a pile of rocks in random spots around the park. So true.
Overall, I had a blast exploring this national park, even in the hellish conditions.
Joshua Tree is a mystical must-see attraction!
Just don't go in June!
Hot Air Balloon in Bagan
My 10 day vacation in Myanmar was marvelous! Traveled with some Europeans: Jacek, Kasia and Viktoria. Myanmar just opened their tourist doors a few years ago and it felt like the wild West. The highlight was the hot air balloon ride over Bagan, the ancient city with thousands of temples.
At the end of January, I left Cambodia early for a 10 day vacation (no work) to travel Myanmar with fellow Remote Jacek (Austria), his sister Kasia and her friend Viktoria. (Sweden)
Myanmar, aka Burma is a country that just opened its doors to travelers ~5 years ago and as such felt like the wild wild West. For me, the highlight was the hot air balloon ride over Bagan, the ancient city with thousands of temples!
We went with Oriental Ballooning, which was the most expensive of the 3 companies, but got the best reviews. If you want the best deal with Oriental Ballooning, you can find it here at Myan Marvels.
Ballooning ain't cheap. ~$350 to $375 USD for a ~1 hour flight. It’s the 2nd highest sightseeing thing I did this year, behind the Inca Trail hike to Machu Picchu ($675 USD). Some friends of mine opted out of ballooning because of the costly price tag.
But we all said, “Well it’s a once in a lifetime thing.”
Guess what? I know it won’t be JUST once in my lifetime. I want to fly again! Maybe in a different place with different landscape.
It was worth every penny!
And, I realized why it’s so costly. Of course, there is high demand for it. But also, it’s not easy getting that aircraft in the sky and landing it back down safely with anywhere from 9 to 13 people in it. I think it took a crew of ~8 to launch our balloon, plus our pilot.
We lucked out with the pilot. Donna, from Australia has been flying for 11 years, and works seasonally in Australia, New Zealand and Myanmar. She seemed to be the manager of the other pilots---or, maybe just the one who does the public speaking. Either way, she was really fun and charming and we couldn’t have asked for a better leader!
We lucked out with the weather too! Another gorgeous sunrise in Myanmar.
Breathtaking.
We even got to fly with some birds along the way.
Bagan was the capital city of the Pagan Empire that thrived during the 11th to 13th centuries. ~10,000 Buddhist temples were built and today there are still ~2200 temples remaining. This makes Bagan perfect for a bird's eye view!
The skyline is peppered with pagodas popping up out of the dry desert plains.
We flew fairly close to the ground, especially toward the end of the flight. So close we could say hello to the folks down below:
"Mingalabar!" (Hello)
One potential drawback of flying in Bagan is that the Bagan Airport is nearby and they restrict the top altitude that balloons can fly at. We got about 600 meters up, which was a gorgeous height. But, according to Donna, in areas like Inle Lake the flights get up to 4,000 meters! That would be very nice!
That being said, no complaints! What a magical experience seeing Myanmar from above. The flight was super smooth and peaceful. An adrenaline rush, but it felt really safe too.
I've got some videos that I'll compile at some point.
After the flight, we sat around eagerly chatting and enjoying fresh fruit, orange juice, and champagne for those who partake. We were told that the French invented hot air balloons and used to carry bottles of Champagne with them to give to the land owners when they accidentally landed on their property! And so the tradition continues.
If you want to do a hot air balloon ride in Myanmar, I highly recommend Oriental Ballooning! Go to MyanMarvels.com for the best deal!
More on Myanmar coming soon!
Skydiving Klatovy, Czech Republic
First time I leapt from a moving plane was in 2004, for cousin Rebecca’s birthday. We had a huge crew and it was one of the best days of my life! When I found out Remote Jacek was a licensed skydiver, I knew dive number 2 was somewhere in my future. Monday, 10 of us ridiculous Remotes drove out to Klatovy to get out kicks flying through the air.
Jacek, Signe, Kelly, Travis, Miranda, Samantha, Eric, Paige, Brecht, Adam and I!
First time I leapt from a moving plane was in 2002, for cousin Rebecca’s birthday. We had a huge crew and it was one of the best days of my life!
2004, Perris Valley, California
When I found out Remote Jacek was a licensed skydiver, I knew dive number 2 was somewhere in my future. Monday, 10 of us ridiculous Remotes drove out to Klatovy to get out kicks flying through the air.
Jacek in his element!
He normally smiles a lot, but I think he is just too overwhelmed with happiness to smile here!
Jacek leading the group in a slow mo Top Gun style walk.
On the first dive, the airplane exit was on the side of the plane, and I dropped out sideways. In Klatovy, their planes have a rear door. You have to walk to the edge and look out below you. This was waaaay cooler than the side drop, and an incredible way to start the jump!
Interestingly, I was not really scared, or even that excited about the jump. It was weird. Maybe because I’ve got 2 paraglide flights under my belt, I was a bit more comfortable? Or, the fact that my tandem dive guy had jumped over 15,000 times?
Don’t get me wrong--it was AWESOME and I loved it. But, I miss the stomach butterflies that were flying around for my first time!
Guess I’ll just have to do a solo jump next time!
4 of us were on the first plane -- Kelly, Signe, Brecht and I after the jump!
Here are some pics. First, Travis, our Remote Year Community Manager...
Next, Samantha...our Remote Year Operations Manager...
Travis and Samantha embracing! We sometimes call them Tramantha. Here, they are definitely one entity: Tramantha.
The Tramantha embrace got them all tangled up!
Eric and Adam got to wear cool diving suits! I just jumped in my plain clothes. At least I got goggles though.
Paige coming in hot!
Paige and Adam are on cloud 9 after their landings!
Probably the best shot I got --- Eric landing right near us.
If you've never tried skydiving, I highly recommend it! It is so beautiful to see the country from so high up. It's incredible to be able to fly through the clouds. And, flying through the air is an indescribable feeling.
