Yosemite Valley

The last site on our road-trip to San Diego. Ithaca to Seattle to San Diego about 4,400 miles and a lot of great memories made. This is the famous Yosemite Valley. 

Crater Lake

If I didn't know better, I would be convinced this place was the end of the world. That nothing exists beyond those mountains and across that water. This place is reminds me of the Danish light, that soft glow that illuminates and highlights.  It is quiet and long, a pleasure to take in. 

Taiwan On!

A big crew of American's go to Taiwan! Peggy and Jonathan take the plunge and we got to go along for the ride. It was a great wedding full of love, family, friends, and good food! At the end Peggy shares the bouquet, each woman takes a ribbon and gives it a tug. The longest ribbon wins - you are married next!  

After the wedding, the newlyweds gave us a primo tour of the Island. We spent a day by the ocean, a day in Taroko Gorge hiking, explored Tainan, and river rafted! The trip was absolutely wonderful and we felt so lucky to be there.

Rockface

The sedimentary rocks of Glacier National Park with colors and textures abound!

Glacier

"The mountains are calling and I must go."  

- John Muir adventurer extraordinaire

Absolutely stunning. Hiking the Highline Loop Trail and the Siyeh Pass Loop took us away from the main roads and deeper into the mountains. It felt so good being there. The calm, the wind, the air so fresh and peaceful. We camped just outside the park and cooked all our meals outside the back of the van. It was lovely spending so much time outside. The water at Glacier too, awe there is almost nothing better than cooling yourself in a clear stream after a long hike. Our national parks, an invaluable treasure for the world to cherish. 

Devil's Tower National Monument

Feel the power, the legend, the sacred space at the Bears tipi. 

Traveling West

Stunning and raw, the Badlands National Park. Absolutely dangerous with its blazing heat. Beautiful in the exposure of the layered colored bands and quickly eroding in the span of time. This site will only exist for 1 million years and then will disappear once again. 

Farewell Ithaca

And finally the time has come to say goodbye. 

We moved here very unsure of what we would find. The country side, the deep glacier carved lakes, the white wine, those were the things we were told to expect. Only a slice of Ithaca of course, we also found a deeply liberal and funky little town. Full of people who want to be just beyond reach, unchained, and living life in less of a rush. It is a very nice place. Quiet, very welcoming, and if you can find home, you stay. 

Changing Seasons

One of my favorite places in Ithaca - Sapsucker Woods. A very serene place full of walking trails. Wondering through the woods and listening to the birds brings peace to the soul.

The forests of the East are so strikingly different to those at home. The ground floor is dense with foliage in the summer, you could not see 10 feet ahead of you without the trail. And then in the fall, all the deciduous leaves fall and the path becomes golden, especially when the light is hitting it. The wind blowing gently through the leaves is one of the most beautiful sounds. Come winter, the forest is bare, and remains so for what seems like an eternity. Where has the green gone to? Snow is the only reprieve - providing contrast and sparkle to the quiet sleeping forest. And stirring again, slowly slowly spring emerges. Almost hiding away until suddenly it is summer once again.

All so beautifully captured in the lovely Supsucker Woods.