Yellowstone - 2: Geysers

After some break I am getting back to Yellowstone trip from August 2012. The Part 1 was here.

Backpacking the Pemi Loop, June 22 - 25

Below there are lots of pictures and quite a lot of text. The pictures don't give any credit to the steepness of terrain and pain in knees, hips and back from walking on it with the backpack. You tread along thinking why the heck are you doing this to yourself, and knowing that for sure you'll do that again, and soon. The pictures also don't give credit to the sweeping expanse of space from the mountaintop, with the mountain range from the horizon to horizon, with the wind in your face and acute feeling of being alive in that very moment. Especially after that terrain. In its turn, the text doesn't give credit to the story behind the journey. But I tried.
The White Mountains National Park, New Hampshire

Life near home

I will get back to the story of the Yellowstone trip of 2012, but somehow I got inspired on yesterday hike through Minnewaska SP ("Stay hungry, stay foolish" SJ). So I weeded through the pictures from the last month or so. All the escapades are in the vicinity of home, with exception of surfing trip to Sea Isle City, NJ. But then the only picture from there is the ocean at dusk. So here is my month (or month and a half) in pictures (in no particular order).

Yellowstone - 1: Teton Mountains, Hot Springs and Yellowstone Canyon

We returned from Padre Island, got our own tent/bags/cooking stove, and after the second Summer semester, in August 2012, set out on a big North-Western Loop (the map is below). The first stop (after the morning in lovely Laramie, WY) is Yellowstone National Park, sitting on top of supervolcano with out-of-this-earth colours, geysers and pools, bisons, wolfs and canyons.

Strange trip to Colorado part 5 - The Highest Highway in US

From the Green Ridge we turned North, to drive on Highway 34 through the Trail Ridge Road - the highest highest continuous paved road in US. It reaches the altitude of 12,183 ft (3,713 m).

Strange trip to Colorado part 4 - Green Ridge

From lush green of Haviland Lake, through mountain passageways, we reached the Grand Lake on the border of Rocky Mountains and Rio Grande National Parks. The mountain (or hill) near the lake bears the name of Green Ridge, shared by the over-family-friendly campground. We were just learning.

Strange trip to Colorado part 3 - Driving through the Rockies

Leaving Haviland Lake behind, we started driving North towards Rocky Mountains National Park, via mountain highways carved in rock. We were up for a treat, and knew nothing about it.

Strange trip to Colorado part 2: Hymn to Spring on Haviland Lake

After barren landscapes around Grand Canyon and Four Corners we came to Haviland Lake near Durango, Colorado. The place was chosen... for I have no idea what particular reason, but after dry deserty Lubbock it was almost like a lush green paradise.

Strange trip to Colorado part 1: Grand Canyon

This was almost the first of our trips, the pre-car one. Almost doesn't take into account various conferences, trip to Palo Duro Canyon, and kayaking on San Marcos river with the TTU OPC club, and random drives to Dallas/Houston on business.

After looking through three-year old pictures, I think I need another visit to Grand Canyon - this time to take some pictures actually.

Texas: Padre Island

Early July 2012 took us to Padre Island National Seashore near Corpus Christi.

Southeast - 4: Atlanta Aquarium

All roads rivers run to the ocean, so after the Seaworld we headed to Atlanta, Georgia. The last stop of our journey is the famous Atlanta aquarium: whale shark, manta rays, dolphins beluga whales, and different fish of all shape and colours.

Southeast - 3: Orlando Seaworld

We left the mosquito infested Everglades National Park to drive north through Miami overcrowded beaches with huge hotels (beeehhhh) to Orlando, to see the Seaworld park. I was quite sceptical, but it turned out to be quite nice.

Amorous seals with observing heron

Southeast -2: Everglades National Park

After New Orleans and the highway on the pilings we drove further East to Florid. The main destination was Everglades National Park, the tropical wilderness at the southern end of Florida, is wetlands, the endangered habitat of endangered birds, crocodiles and manatees, full of mangroves, strange birds and fish. For us Everglades turned out to be about mosquitoes, mud, sunsets and mosquitoes. Lot's of mosquitoes. On New Year's night. The tent still bears the bloody evidence of those battles. After mosquitoes there are palms. And sunsets.

Southeast - 1: New Orleans

Traveling back in time to winter break of 2012/2013 just before our flight to San Diego, we packed the car and drove to explore Southeast: Louisiana and New Orleans, Florida and Everglades National Park, Seaworld in Orlando and Atlanta Aquarium

For some unfathomable reason I was shooting jpeg-only up until Florida, so here it goes

Family outing: Caprock Canyon with Mom and Dad

One sunny Texan day in February of 2013, my parents and I found our way through dusty planes under the blue sky to Caprock Canyon to visit bisons.

Southwest part 7: The Pacific Coast, California

The last part of the journey - south on snaky Highway 1 along the ultramarine waves of the Pacific Ocean

Southwest part 6: San Francisco

From Lake Tahoe we drove South-West and finally reached the Pacific Coast at wonderful San Francisco.

Southwest part 5: From Yosemite to Lake Tahoe

Leaving Yosemite Valley, we drove through Sierras with the view of mountains...

Southwest part 4: Yosemite Valley

After Utah, Death Valley and Sequoia's we reached the place that for me so far is the crown jewel of California - the magnificent Yosemite Valley. The first panorama is the view on the valley from the Glacier point, Half-Dome is on the right

Southwest part 3: Giant Sequoia's

After Utah (part 1) and Death Valley (part 2), we explored the Sequoia National Forest and finally saw the giant sequoia's, the world's oldest and tallest living organisms. (Finally, since we miserably failed during last year trip from Oregon, as I hit some metal cord on the road, and instead of coastal Redwoods we spent two days in creepy town of Eureka - but that's totally another story.)

Southwest part 2: Death Valley

The second leg of our journey through the Southwest (part 1 is here) took us through ...

...the Death Valley National Park

Southwest part 1: Bryce Canyon and Zion

May 2013 found us on the road through American Southwest and to the Pacific Coast in California:

I will be adding links to other parts, once the posts are up.

The first leg of our journey took us to South Utah: Bryce Canyon and Zion National Park (red on the map above)

San Diego: Zoo

During our last day we visited San Diego Zoo, one of the largest zoo's in the world, pioneered the concept of open-air, cageless exhibits that re-create natural animal habitats. Below are just pictures in no particular order. Well, in order we saw the animals. Because I am lazy to come up with any other order :)

San Diego: USS Midway

USS Midway was an aircraft carrier in US Navy. Commissioned right after the end of World War II it served for 47 years until 1992. It was the biggest ship in the world until 1955 and was the first US Navy ship to pass the Panama Canal. Now it's a museum ship in San Diego.

San Diego: HMS Surprise

I wanted to visit HMS Surprise ever since... I started reading Patrick O'Brian Aubrey-Maturin series and of course watched Peter Weir's movie "Master and Commander". There will be lots of pictures and not many words :)

San Diego: the City of Contrasts

January 2013. After coming back from the road trip to Florida we flew to the conference in San Diego. We were there only for a couple of days, and did some sightseeing in the city and around the bay. The place struck me as the one full of contrasts. There is, of course, downtown filled with concrete, glass and palms...

Acadia - part 2: To the sea, to the sea...

Leaving Elvish woods Lothlorien Acadia, treading the stony paths we entered a different world of fog, mist and dominating ocean. Part two of Acadia adventures will be all about ocean. But at first the Elven magic transported us somehow to, perhaps, Patagonia?

Acadia - part 1: The woods of Lorien

Some two weeks after my Adirondacks adventures  I found myself heading up to Main, for lobsters, ocean and enchanted lands of Acadia national park.

Fall adventures: scrambling the Trap Dike on Mt. Colden

This is the first post, from the series of #diggingarchives: the GB's of RAW files from numerous trips. This one is about my solo trip to Adirondacks in the September 2014.

I got quite lucky that last September weekend: warm weather, blue skies, burning Fall colours, and it's actually Monday, so woods are pretty empty. I arrived on Sunday, and took some small hikes up to Mt. Van Hoevenberg for the sweeping area of the High Peaks region.