Zion National Park

Zion National Park

On December 6, 2024

In 2024, Angels Landing, Hiking, Utah, Zion National Park

Well, our week of good fortune continued. Dave and I entered the daily lottery to obtain a hiking permit for Angels Landing. And we BOTH won!! Woot woot! off to Zion we go!!

Our drive took about an hour and 10 minutes. The views of course were spectacular. Part of the drive includes driving through a 1.1 mile tunnel. The tunnel has several windows from which you can catch glimpses of the park. Stopping is not allowed in the tunnel… however, being the off season, no one was behind us and so Dave stopped so I could snap pictures out our windows.

After coming out of the tunnel, you descend down to the canyon floor using 6 switch backs. The views are incredible especially as the sun was coming up on the mountains.

At the bottom of the canyon were several mule deer doing their thing.

We parked and got set for the hike. It was 32 degrees and windy as we set out to hike. Angels Landing is a strenuous 5.4 mile (almost 6 for us). It took us approximately 4 hours to climb making us average hikers according to the warning signs. Ha!

The first 2ish miles of the hike are mostly paved with a series of 21 switchbacks known as the wiggles. Anyone can hike this portion of the trail which brings you to Scouts landing.

We reached Scouts Lookout in about an hour. Our quads were feeling the burn! There are signs posted frequently to remind you permits are required to hike the Angels Landing portion. To reach Angels Landing requires climbing a trail cut into stone. It is not a trail for the faint of heart. The total elevation change is 5790ft. This section is only about a mile round trip. It was the most challenging mile I have ever hiked.

The temperatures warmed up now that we were in the sun, but it was still windy. Along the trail are sections with chains to help you climb. There are also sections without chains. Both were super scary.

There were times when the space between steps were too far for my legs. I not only used all fours to climb but sometimes my knees and butt. The trail wasn’t crowded on our way out and the weather was perfect. The wind seemed to die down as well. Whenever we had to wait for someone to pass, I would take a break, sit and enjoy the view.

At the Saddle portion of the hike we saw a condor perched on top of one rock.

It took us about an hour to climb the to Angels Landing. Slow and steady. I’ll admit, I had moments where I was completely freaked out by the height. I did a lot of deep breaths and reminded myself to take it one step at a time. Dave was an amazing hiking partner, of course. He was patient and so supportive. We developed a system where we would only have one of us on a section of chain at a time because the chain would wiggle and freak me out!

We packed sandwiches and stopped for lunch on top. Talk about a view!

While we tried to relax, we had annoying chipmunks begging for snacks.

After about 30 minutes we were ready to hike back down. Just a few more pictures to truly take it in.

We also joked about the trees along the trail. Tree friends were a favorite of mine to hang onto and in some cases hug! I also loved when there was a crevice I could wedge myself in as I climbed up.

It took us about an hour to climb back down to Scouts Lookout. It was easier in some ways to descend because the physical demand was less. However, perspective wise, it was more challenging because now my back was to the mountain and I saw more of the open space all around me. It gave me that vertigo feeling. Also, we had to wait more frequently because the trail was getting more crowded. When we made it back to Scouts Lookout we took a picture of where we just were. If you look closely, you can see people on Angels Landing on the left side of the red rock.

It took us another hour to hike down and back to the car. We took our time down the switchbacks reflecting on the hike we just conquered!

After our hike we drove through the rest of the park. Soaking in the majestic view of the huge mountains. Most of these pictures were out of the car window. Beautiful regardless.

This week has been truly epic! Beyond my expectations. Thank you for following our adventures.

Bryce Canyon National Park

By wabisabisole

On December 5, 2024

In 2024, Bryce Canyon National Park, Hiking

We started out early for our adventures in Bryce Canyon NP. Not because we needed to avoid the heat or crowds, but because we wanted to catch sunrise. Fortunately it’s winter and sunrise is at 7:26 here. We are about 1.5 hours from the park and left our Airbnb at 5:20. We arrived in plenty of time and had the Sunrise Point pretty much to ourselves. Mainly because it was 15 degrees and windy. Not too many fools chase a winter sunrise! It was incredible and completely worth it.

The amphitheater looking like it was on fire!

After sunrise, we returned to the car to warm up for a minute or 10. We decided to adjust our plan for the day. Instead of starting with a hike and ending with the drive through the park, we started with a drive to let the temperature warm up. At the beginning of our day we had the park to ourselves. There were no cars in any of the park spaces and we saw so several deer running.

For our drive, we downloaded the guided tour for Bryce Canyon and Zion from the GuideAlong app. I highly recommend the app. It uses your location to tell you all about the points of interest. We learned so much about the park! We drove to the end of the road and started at Rainbow Point. Rainbow point has the highest elevation at 9115 feet. There was a little bit of snow cover making the Bristlecone Loop trail inaccessible to us.

We continued our drive down to Black Birch Canyon (8750 ft). We named the narrator of our GuideAlong tour, Alfred. He is kindof funny. He shares facts and also points out when things are miss named. Like Black Birch Canyon because there are no birch trees in the park! It’s was beautiful regardless it’s name.

Our next stop was Ponderosa Point (8904 ft). Here we learned all about Ponderosa Pines. It is often used as building material because it doesn’t swell or shrink after processing. Also, it has a delightful odor.

Agua Canyon was our next stop. The sunlight on the hoodoos really created dramatic photos.

As we continued down, we learned about prairie dogs. Unfortunately, even though they are all over the park, they are hibernating because of the cold temperatures. We took a stop at Natural Bridge (8627ft). Here again, Alfred told us of the miss naming. It’s actually not a bridge but an arch. Bridges form from flowing water. Arches form from wind and rain erosion. Whatever you call it, it was beautiful.

After Natural Bridge was Farview Point (8815ft). Alfred did mentioned this name was appropriate. We took a short little hike here to drop slightly below the rim. The change in viewpoint was stunning.

Finally, we made it to Bryce Point and Inspiration Point (8300 ft). And oh, man! I was in complete awww. I have never seen anything like Bryce Canyon. The beauty was so incredible I had tears. I have seen a lot of things in my life and I’ve seen pictures of Bryce Canyon, seeing it in person is surreal. I know my pictures don’t capture the beauty, I hope you enjoy them regardless.

We loaded up in the car and made it to Sunset Point. Again, wrongly named because it faces east not west. The Ranger told us the Wall Street section was open! Yay! Off we went! We hike the Queen Garden Trail to the Navajo Loop Trail. It was so fun to get up close to the hoodoos. They are such a marvel.

The total hike was almost 3.5 miles. It was lovely. The temperature was perfect. We commented several times how fortunate we have been with the weather this week. Not to mention missing the crowds. It would be a completely different experience to do these hikes in the heat and crowds.

A special thanks to Dave. He was such a good sport, as always, to chase a sunrise with me. And to you- thanks for reading.

Grand Staircase Escalante

By wabisabisole

On December 4, 2024

In 2024, Grand staircase, Hiking, Utah

Tuesday we booked a tour of The Grand Staircase Escalante. The Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument is a 1.7 million acre (slightly larger than the state of Delaware) remote area requiring a four wheel drive vehicle to travel the dirt roads. It is one of the most remote areas in the country and the last to mapped in the lower 48. We were at the top “stairs” with the bottom of the staircase being the bottom of the Grand Canyon.

During wet weather, the roads can be completely impassable. The road was a bumpy washboard with deep ruts and crossed several streams. However, it was totally worth it, the area offers some of the most breathtaking views of the state’s colorful sandstone cliffs and narrow slot canyons.

We started our tour at 8am and our first stop was a breathtaking vista overlooking the cliffs.

Our second stop was at Bull Valley Gorge. Here we could view a slot canyon from above. Stuck in the canyon was a 1950s ford pickup truck. The legend goes, high school kids were in the canyon when a flash flood came through. Their truck was unable to travel up the muddy sides of the canyon and became caught in the flood. The kids survived. No doubt they got a good whooping!

We continued to drive down the mountain and arrived at Willis Creek. We walked down the icy creek to view the slot canyon. It was incredible.

We booked our tour through Dreamland. (Same organization as our Wave Hike) Our tour guide was Jaron. He was fantastic. Not only an excellent driver, also a superb photographer and very knowledgeable about the area.

We continued our journey and arrived at Kodachrome Basin State Park. Here we enjoyed a picnic lunch before hiking up to Angels Palace. It was a short hike to the top of the rock formation to view the sand spires and get a panoramic view of the basin. The park has 67 sand spires ranging in a variety of sizes. Big and small. So many jokes about all of these phallic features. The views of the different staircase steps was truly breathtaking.

Our next stop was at the sandstone rock formation, Grosvenor Arch. It is located is in the western corner of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. The arch is named after Gilbert Hovey Grosvenor, president of the National Geographic Society, the publisher of the National Geographic magazine. The arches were a mix of Henrieville Sandstone (165 million years old) and Dakota Sandstone (95 million years old). Weathering created a stunning natural marvel.

We continued on to the Cottonwood Narrows and took a short hike down into the slot canyon. It was unreal to see the size of boulders that are moved by flash flood waters.

I couldn’t get over the different rock colors. They seem so random.

As our tour came to a close, we made a couple more stops. One of them to see the mushroom hoodoos. It was another short hike to observe them from above. Can rocks be cute? These sure were!

Our final stop was close to Kanab. This vista was absolutely stunning.

Throughout the day, we encountered only one other group of explorers and passed maybe 5 cars. The area was gorgeous, quiet and completely mesmerizing. We obviously didn’t see the entire 1.7 million acres, but what we saw was captivating and made my nerdy science heart so happy. As always, thanks for reading!

Vegas to Kanab

By wabisabisole

On December 2, 2024

In 2024, Arizona, Hiking, Las Vegas, Utah, Valley of Fire State Park

Sunday morning Dave and I enjoyed a quieter morning and enjoyed visiting the atrium of the Bellagio without the crowds. The Christmas display is completely over the top. Like everything else in Vegas!

After breakfast, we packed up and returned to the airport to pick up our rental and our friends! And so our road trip began!

First stop Valley of Fire State Park. Nevada’s first state park.

Valley of Fire State park is about an hour away from Vegas. Within minutes of entering the park we had our first spotting of wildlife. Big Horn Sheep!!

The red rocks are caused by the oxidation of the iron in the rock. So, basically they are rusty rocks. The black is caused by the oxidation of manganese in the rock. Our first stop in the park was to see the beehives. The holes and ridges in the rocks are caused by erosion.

We continued driving through the park. We entered through the west entrance and exited through the east entrance. It would be easy to spend an entire day in the park. We only took a couple short walks to see specific sights. Mainly because we still had a three hour drive ahead to Kanab.

We stopped to see a petrified log…

We stopped to see elephant rock.

We loaded up in the car and continued our drive to Kanab. The drive was beautiful. We crossed back and forth from AZ to UT.

The sunset as we crossed through the Kaibab Indian Reservation in AZ. It was stunning.

We were glad we hit the road when we did from Valley of Fire State Park. We didn’t realize we went to mountain time in Utah. Our three hour drive was actually four. We were hungry and still needed to gather provisions for Monday’s Wave hike. Our hike begins at 8am. We are all beyond excited!

Catamaran Cruising

By wabisabisole

On June 5, 2024

In 2024, Greece, Santorini

We start our last day off by walking through town center of Fira without all of the crowds. The sun was rising as we walked. it was a beautiful morning and nice to enjoy without so many people.

My favorite doors from Fira and one neco.

After our walk, we returned to the hotel for breakfast and to pack for our catamaran tour. Our driver picked us up at our hotel and drove us and the other 12 passengers to Ammoudi Bay (north end of the island) where we boarded our catamaran. Our boat was named Summer.

The first stop on our tour was at the “warm” springs of the caldera. The water was a little cloudy because of the Sulfur being emitted from the springs. Where the water touched the rocks, it caused them to turn orange. The water was a little warmer than the other parts of the Aegean Sea we have swam through. Also, there were catamarans everywhere. Mom said she counted 14 at one point.

Us swimming in the warm springs.

We continued our journey out of the warm springs and headed toward the southern end of the island. As we rounded the tip, we had great views of the lighthouse and Indian rock. These caves were thoroughly explored by Jacques Cousteau. There are 14 different entrances all to be explored scuba diving.

Our second swimming spot and lunch spot was Black Beach. It was beautiful. We could not have had a more perfect weather day for the trip. black beach accessible by vehicle, although it is challenging to get to. There are little shanty’s – caves- that were used by fisherman to store their equipment.

After swimming and lunch at black beach, we continued our sail to White Beach. White Beach is only accessible by boat. During the summer months, it becomes a very popular hangout with boats parked everywhere. We didn’t swim here. Just sailed past. Please notice the sea caves under the rock at the edge. The caves connect back to Black beach.

Our final swim spot was at Red Beach. In case it wasn’t obvious, all the beaches are named by their sand color. Red Beach was also extraordinary. The rock formations are from numerous eruptions and erosion from the wind and waves.

After our swim, we boarded and headed back to Vlyhada Marina. Again, the marina was clear and beautiful. It was tough to leave the boat. It truly was an incredible experience to be able to see all of the beaches on the southern side of the island.

The amazing guide for the day and all the wonderful people we met on the cruise.

We returned to the hotel and cleaned up for dinner. One final Greek feast and Santorini sunset. Neither disappointed.

We have truly enjoyed every minute of this vacation. If Greece isn’t on your list of places to visit, please add it. It is completely beautiful and the people are so kind and friendly. Thank you for reading and following along. Until the next adventure…

Be well!

Good Night from Santorini

By wabisabisole

On June 4, 2024

In 2024, Greece

We had an incredible day on the catamaran. We packed our last day as full as our suitcases. We have an early flight out in the morning to Athens. And then Athens to Atlanta. And then Atlanta to Destin. Too much to fun to share tonight in tonight’s blog because it’s time to sleep. Here’s a sneak peek at our last sunset in Santorini. The sunset is brought to you by the colors Blue & Gold. Go Navy!

Hiking Oia to Fira

By wabisabisole

On June 3, 2024

In 2024, Greece, Hiking, Macs Adventures, Maneki Neko

Today was our third official hike day. We had a transfer scheduled to pick us up at 9am at our hotel. Before we left, we enjoyed the breakfast at the hotel. It was delicious and had a little bit of everything. Including normal scrambled eggs, stuffed grape leaves, mushrooms and of course feta.

Our driver picked us up in his fancy Tesla. We chatted during the drive to Oia. Turns out, he is a former Greek Navy Seal (retired). He trained several times in San Diego. He was very nice and encouraged us on our hike. Oia was chaos. It was incredibly crowded with everyone wanting to get the perfect picture. Plus, there were multiple women doing photo shoots and clogging the paths. We honestly just wanted to snap our pictures and get on with our hike. Here are a few from Oia. It is beautiful and stunning. I just could do with out the crowds.

Here are my favorite doors from Oia.

Here was the crowd, waiting to get “the” shot of the three domes. Also, I took a picture of the lady who was causing the line. And then I photoshopped her out. It was a quick edit. I’m sure I can do better.

I would also like to share my pictures of the cats of Oia. So cute.

Most of the hike was along the top of the ridge. However, there were a lot of ups and downs. And lots of stepping on igneous rocks. They are so sharp and pointy. They really started to bother my feet towards the end. Here are a couple up pictures of the trail.

I’m not sure I’ve mentioned, we booked our trip through Macs Adventure. They have truly been amazing. All hotels, transfers and ferries have been prearranged. Also, they put everything on an app that is easy to access. The app includes maps of all your hikes. Here was our map for today.

Once you start hiking, it will track your journey and give you alerts for upcoming points of interest and way points. If you’re looking for a guided trip, we highly recommend. We would both consider booking another adventure. Ok, let’s continue. The east side of Santorini is so different from the west. Here are a few pictures looking down at the farm land on the east side.

I would also like to share my favorite bougainvillea pictures from the day. I’m so inspired, I want to plant one when I get home!

There were so many churches along the route. They are striking with the blue domes.

The buildings and flowers were beautiful. It was also incredibly peaceful walking above the caldera. We were so high up!!

Humor me with a couple more doors.

The middle section of the hike was through a bunch of fancy hotels. Most said no pictures and do not enter. The view remained incredible.

The highlight of any hike is the cold beer at the finish line. The finish line for this hike was conveniently our hotel. We came back and showered before our well earned beer. Cheers!

We picked a nice local spot for dinner. We watched the cruise ships boarding passengers as we dined.

As always, thanks for reading. We have our last adventure tomorrow. We are sailing on a catamaran in the caldera!

Milos to Santorini

By wabisabisole

On June 3, 2024

In 2024, Ferry, Greece, Ios, Japan, Santorini, Sunset

This morning we said goodbye to the island of Milos. As they say, all good things come to an end. I truly enjoyed the time we spent on Milos and Kimolos. Both islands are so beautiful and quaint. They are an absolute treasure.

We had one final breakfast at the hotel. I made a wiser choice this morning and opted for a hot ham and cheese sandwich. It was exactly as advertised. Plus, fresh fruit. I will miss my breakfast friend, neco.

Here is a screen shot of our journey to Santorini. We are going to Santorini via ferry with a stop at Ios.

The Greek ferry system is impressive. They have the embarking and debarking of passengers down to a science. I can honestly compare it to the Japanese and their train efficiency. The ferry will leave on time and you need to be ready to move as required. This ferry was a SeaJet. It was larger than the one from Athens to Milos and we had assigned seats. Luggage was stored in the lower area. It was organized chaos as passengers placed their luggage and then went upstairs to find their seats.

The view of the islands along the way was so beautiful and entertaining. Our ferry left at 12:20. Mom and I enjoyed lunch onboard. She asked the staff for vegetarian options. They encouraged her to buy both the ring with cheese, peppers and olives and the spinach and cheese – spanakopita. Both were delicious. We shared them plus a beer each.

Our first stop was Ios. I now have a place I need to return and visit. It looked beautiful and quaint. The ferries have forward and aft thrusters which allow them to turn “on a dime”. Never have I seen a ship pull into port and create such beautiful churn. I know I’ve said this before. The water is so blue and beautiful. More proof here in the pictures.

After Ios, we had another 30ish minutes on the ferry to Santorini. We made our way to our luggage once we were able. Being upfront to watch the doors drop and the passengers disembark was a sight! The ferry was still moving forward when the doors were dropping.

Finally the ferry turned and we had our first glimpse of the Athinios Port. I’m not sure what I was expecting… but, it wasn’t a giant rock face. Plus all the people coming and going in every direction. Wow! Our tour has arranged our logistics. Our driver was there waiting for us on time and with a smile.

The drive from Port Athinios to our hotel in Fira should take about 20 minutes it’s about 5 miles. It took us over an hour! The traffic was so terrible getting out of the port and then we had to drive up the cliff on a very windy and narrow road. Fortunately, we had an expert driver.

Our hotel is in Fira and it is amazing. It is built into the side of the mountain. We still haven’t figured out the room layout. But, we know how to find ours!

We got settled and had a glass of wine by the pool as we discussed our evening plans. We decided to talk a walk, meander around town and find dinner. We did all of that AND enjoyed a dinner sunset.

I also met my first Santorini neco. He was so cute.

We picked a perfect spot for dinner. Vanilla was the name of the restaurant. We were in the shade of the setting sun and had a view of the sunset. My mom was debating between the fish and chips and the grilled sun beam fresh catch of the day. She opted for the fresh catch. I ordered the bang bang shrimp and fries. And we split a Greek salad. As we were waiting for our food to arrive, somehow the conversation led to them serving her a whole fish. I asked her if it said filet or fish. She said fish. Hmmmm… I said, I think they are going to bring you a whole fish. Sure enough!

Our waiter asked if he could open it for her. Yes, please!

Here is a video of him prepping the fish. Clearly, he’s an expert.

Video of our waiter opening the fish

We enjoyed dinner as we watched the sunset. We truly had another amazing day enjoying all that Greece has to offer. Tomorrow we set off for another hike.

As always, thank you for reading!

Sailing Around Milos

By wabisabisole

On June 2, 2024

In 2024, Beer, cats, Greece

We started our morning with breakfast at the hotel. I ordered Greek Strapatsada (scrambled eggs with tomato and feta). Sounds delicious, right? Let me share the photo with you of what I was expecting.

Vs.

I honestly thought I was being served the vomit of my neco friend.

This neco ate breakfast with us each morning.

Fortunately, the dish actually tasted pretty good. I could taste the tomatoes (obviously) and the feta. I’m not sure where the scrambled eggs were mixed in?

Let’s move on from breakfast and discuss the day’s beautiful adventure. Today our itinerary included a sailing tour around the west to the south side of Milos island. Here is a map of Milos and Kimolos islands. (Kimolos is where we hiked the day before.)

We set sail from Adamantas. Our first stop was down to Kleftiko to visit the sea cave. Here are a few pictures of the first part of our sail. The pictures include leaving the port of Adamantas. I still cannot get over how clear the water is in a port!!! I attempted several times on the trip to capture the different colors of blue. We decided to add a new color to our color palette- Aegean Sea Blue. It is clear, ever changing and always remarkable. Our first shore approach was Vani rock. Vani rock is where there used to be a mine. It has not been operational for some time.

I took a couple screen shots of Google Maps along the journey to help orientate us on our journey.

After leaving Vani rock, we were served breakfast onboard. It was yummy. We both laughed when they had strapatsada. Neither of us took any! Everything was yummy. The cheese was goat cheese, which I normally don’t enjoy. However, because it was so fresh it wasn’t terrible.

Our sail continued south. It was filled with more amazing views and endless photo opportunities. I probably took 25+ pictures. I’ve selected the best to share.

The luggage icon is where we are staying.

We made it to Kleftiko about 1.5 hours into the trip. We anchored here for about 30 minutes. The southern winds made the sea state a little rough. I was more than happy to jump in the water for swim call! The water was chilly, super salty, and refreshing.

It is now time for our history lesson about Kleftico. Kelftico Beach is not actually a beach. It is a lot of sea caves where pirates used to hide. They liked the southern exposure because they could see ships approaching the Greek Islands. They would hide in the caves and come out when the ships were close and didn’t have a chance to advert course. The word kleftico comes from the Greek word “kleftis” which means “thief/robbery”. Our English word “kleptomaniac” (an impulse disorder resulting in the irresistible urge to steal) is derived from the Greek language.

We stayed for about 30 minutes. It was plenty because of being anchored in the choppy seas. After leaving the water, I even had to focus on the horizon to maintain equilibrium and not feel nauseous.

Side note: Our driver for Milos, Yiannis, told us in the winter, the seas are too rough to voyage to Kleftiko Beach. He said you must take a 1.5 hour drive and view the seas and caves from above.

Our next stop was to see another entrance to another sea cave. We didn’t have an opportunity to swim. Just pictures.

We continued to sail back along the coast to our second swim spot. The water was much calmer. But, so much COLDER! Mom swam this time and agreed the water was COLD! After 30 minutes of swimming, the crew served us lunch. It was delicious. We had traditional Greek moussaka. It is an eggplant dish that resembles lasagna. Although sometimes vegetarian, onboard it was served with ground meat. The sides included, Greek salad, two types of beans, cabbage salad, and bread. Again, the lunch view didn’t disappoint.

After lunch, we continued along the coast and stopped one final time for a third swim. We stopped off the coast at Plathiena Beach. I took yet another dip. The water was warmer, yet still chilly and an amazing color of turquoise. The rocky coast was amazing. We named the out cropped rock “Mo Rock” – because it resembled Mo, my Mom’s puppy.

As we set sail again, our guide told us this rock is actually called Aekoudes or “Bear Rock”. As we sailed, our perspective changed and we realized why it is called Bear Rock.

As we came back into the port Adamantas, we saw the sea village we hiked through on Thursday. It was fun to see it from the coast. We also had a chance to see the highest point we hiked to that day in the town of Plaka. Look for the highest white building on the mountain. It is a church we hiked to in Plaka.

The crew gave us a departing gift of a Greek donut and a shot of something like Ouzo but better. Cheers!

After showers, we finished the day shopping, dinner, and walking the lovely neighborhood streets. We definitely enjoyed our time in Milos. It is a hidden gem with all the Greek charm and hospitality without too many tourists.

As always, thanks for reading and sharing our experiences.

Sailing Around Milos

By wabisabisole

On June 2, 2024

In 2024, Beer, cats, Greece

We started our morning with breakfast at the hotel. I ordered Greek Strapatsada (scrambled eggs with tomato and feta). Sounds delicious, right? Let me share the photo with you of what I was expecting.

Vs.

I honestly thought I was being served the vomit of my neco friend.

Fortunately, the dish actually tasted pretty good. I could taste the tomatoes (obviously) and the feta. I’m not sure where the scrambled eggs were mixed in?

Let’s move on from breakfast and discuss the day’s beautiful adventure. Today our itinerary included a sailing tour around the west to the south side of Milos island. Here is a map of Milos and Kimolos islands. (Kimolos is where we hiked the day before.)