Grand Staircase Escalante

Grand Staircase Escalante

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!

The Wave

By wabisabisole

On December 3, 2024

In Hiking, Lucky, The Wave, Travel, Utah

The Wave, properly know as Coyotes Butte North is a geological phenomenon. It is located in an area of Utah/ Arizona as the Vermillion Cliffs. The area is protected by the US Bureau of Land Management (BLM). In order to hike The Wave you must obtain a permit from the BLM.

You can enter the lottery three months in advance or one day in advance. Only 64 people per day are allowed in the area and as a result, demand far exceeds supply. Obviously, December isn’t a high demand time for hiking and so obtaining a permit is a little bit easier. Nonetheless, it requires a little bit of luck. And as the saying goes, sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good!

Dave, as always, was the lucky one. He won the lottery for the four of us. We found out in early September he won and have been planning this adventure since then. There is no true trail to hike to The Wave. It is about a three mile hike to it through a desert landscape. We decided to hire a guide for peace of mind and safety. We were beyond happy with the decision. Our guide, Andrea, was very knowledgeable about geology and photography. Besides The Wave, she showed us dinosaur tracks and artifacts. Without further ado, here are our amazing pictures.

The formation of the Wave began 190 million years ago during the Jurassic Period. The desert dunes compacted and solidified into striped sandstone. The peculiar and unique fluctuating layers were created by slow wind and rain erosion.

Not to be ignored was the beautiful desert landscape as we hiked.

The dinosaur tracks were definitely a highlight along the way. because science is cool and real.

The hike to and from was beautiful. Although not as challenging as some hikes we have completed, it was the first we have ever witnessed an emergency situation. We stopped for a drink of water right before the last climb to the wave. While we were resting a group of four passed us. Not even 10 minutes later, as we were packing up to continue, we heard a scream. Turns out one lady in their party slipped and broke her ankle. We provided assistance and so did a BLM volunteer who was nearby. In the end, she had to be medically evacuated.

Andrea showed us evidence of ancient civilizations. What looks like just a rock is actually a mealing stone.

I would highly recommend adding The Wave to your bucket list. It truly was a once in a lifetime experience. Unless you’re a guide like ours, Andrea has hiked it over 100 times!

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!

Kura Conveyor Sushi

By wabisabisole

On December 1, 2024

In Japan, Sake, Sapporo, Sushi, Sushiro, Travel, Vegas

Dave was in charge of selecting where we ate on our “one night in Vegas.” He selected Kura Conveyor Sushi restaurant. It’s not located on the strip and so we had to catch a cab. We were thankful not to have to drive because the traffic was terrible. But to sum up the dinner and his selection, it was delicious! He knocked it out of the park!

We left Japan almost exactly 6 years ago to the day! Our final meal in Japan was at the sushi-go-round. I know you’ve heard me tell the story about our first time eating at a Sushiro. How we kept stealing other people’s food because we didn’t know how to change the kiosk to English and order properly. We were professionals after almost 3 years! Anyways, it was super easy to order here and food was delivered right to your table or you could take from the conveyor.

We ate all the tuna, eel, salmon, edamame and karaage. Plus, enjoy a delicious draft Sapporo and house sake.

Another fun and so “kawaii” part of the experience was the cartoon that played after you loaded your plates into the rubbish slot. The cartoon played after every 5 plates.

Also, there was a robot that would bring waters to the tables. Again, kawaii!!

This may not have been the most “upscale” dining experience most people would want in Vegas. But for us, who miss all the goodness about Japan and sushi, it was perfect.

Thanks, my love, for finding the absolute perfect spot for dinner. And taking a trip down memory lane as we talked about our favorite experiences in Japan.

Vegas, Baby!

By wabisabisole

On December 1, 2024

In Las Vegas, Nobu Hotel, Vegas

Let’s Go!!! Here we are in Las Vegas. Definitely not a typical Dwyer destination. We are only spending one night before picking up friends (Jenn and Danny) in the morning and heading to Utah. That is where the adventure begins. Dave “won the lottery” for The Wave hike. Properly known as “Coyote Buttes North” – there is a daily limit of 64 people. Our group is 4 of those. We hike Monday. (Super excited!!!😆)

We decided to fly out early and spend a night in Vegas because Dave has never been and well, why not? Most of you know, Vegas is A LOT. And for this little country mouse who has lived in rural Florida for the past two years, it’s Extra A LOT. Crowds, noise and smoking!?!

Still fun. We’ve walked around and ate lunch. Played the slots and got “free” wine. Not really because we paid to gamble away our $20. We are staying at the Nobu Hotel. It is part of the Caesar Resort. It is a Japanese owned hotel and it’s Ah-mazing. Huge room, bathrobes, and Japanese slippers. ❤️ oh! And they have a yoga mat!! I highly recommend it. It so quiet and comfy.

There will be several more blogs this week as we hike not only the wave, but also Zion and Bryce NP. Meanwhile, please enjoy the Bellagio Fountains.

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.