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Adventure: Yellowstone 2020

8/9/2020

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It was the morning of June 24th. Jeremy and I woke up in our hotel room at The Pollard in Red Lodge, Montana. My uneaten birthday cake was on the dresser in the room, my recently finished novel lay on the end table next to the chair at the end of the room. Jeremy had booked us the king suite on the third floor with the jacuzzi tub, and got a special deal where he also had purchased dinner, which we had the night before, and breakfast.

He grabbed our breakfast voucher and we headed down to the main floor to the dining room. Our waitress was handling the breakfast crowd by herself, but she was such a hard worker and did a wonderful job. We had our coffee and our food - Jeremy had Eggs Benedict, and I had pancakes. We headed back up to our room, packed our belongings, and made our way back to the counter to check out. Everyone on the staff at The Pollard was extremely pleasant, and I would definitely stay there again if we found ourselves back in Red Lodge.

The front desk clerk asked us what our plans were for that day, and after we told her we were heading into Yellowstone, she made a remark on how "interesting" the drive was into the park from Red Lodge. The previous night at dinner a young man had mentioned that the drive was a "trip in and of itself". Jeremy and I thought they just meant the drive was pretty at the time... and it was! It was also truly a journey driving up steep roads that switch-backed, a true mountain road trip.

The road you drive on to get to Yellowstone from Red Lodge is called Beartooth Loop. It was a thrilling drive, especially for me with my anxiety in driving near steep mountain slopes and driving downhill towards turns. I was once in a driving accident where the axel broke while I was driving down a bluff in Minnesota, and I haven't been the same since then when it comes to driving downhill.

Nonetheless, Jeremy and I have agreed that it was the best way to enter the park. It was such a gorgeous drive, offering magnificent views. During our time in Yellowstone we explored three entrances/exits into/from Yellowstone, and this one was, by far, the most interesting.
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Gardner Lake
We had stopped several times on our way through Beartooth Loop. Most of the stops were to get out and admire the view at our high elevation, other times were to let the motorcyclists and braver drivers go by (can you tell that I was driving?). We were almost to the other side of the loop, to start going down the mountainside, when we saw this lake with the mountain backdrop. I, of course, had to get a photograph of Jeremy with the sign: Gardner Lake in Shoshone National Forest.

He also looked quite comfortable peering out over the lake.
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Gardner Lake
Jeremy started noticing small creatures off to the side as I was focused on photographing the lake. We didn't know what they were, but we determined they were related to groundhogs.

The entire time we were sitting there admiring the lake, no one else stopped. Everyone else drove by, missing this beautiful sight. Everyone, except this couple from Michigan. The lady stayed near the truck and was admiring the view and the animals, but the gentleman came forward and we talked a bit about Yellowstone. He told me that the animal we were seeing were marmots. They are so cute!
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Not only was the view beautiful, but the natural terrain of the mountain we were standing on was gorgeous and full of these tiny wildflowers. I think I would like to picnic amongst wildflowers one day.
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We started making our way down the mountain towards Yellowstone. The valleys were vast, and as we made our way down it was clear that Gardner Lake was not the only lake in the nearby vicinity. We even came across a waterfall, which was barely visible between trees along the side of the highway. Luckily there was a pull-out right near the waterfall with a footpath leading back to it. After doing some research, we believe it might have been Crazy Creek Falls.
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Pilot Peak
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Pilot Peak
I loved this very pointy mountain, so of course I had to stop and get pictures. There was hardly any traffic on this road, so I decided to get the shot from the middle line. 

Don't worry, Jeremy was watching for cars for me.

I had dubbed this mountain as "Witch Hat Mountain", obviously due to its shape. It reminded me of the sorting hat from Harry Potter. I think  "Witch Hat Mountain" is better than its real name, which is quite plain: Pilot Peak. The little flat edge next to it has its own name as Index Peak, but I'm sticking with Witch Hat.
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Soda Butte Geyser
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Soda Butte Geyser
The two photographs above are of Soda Butte Geyser, not that far from the Northeast Entrance into Yellowstone. When we arrived, there was a man climbing all over the geyser, despite signs saying that it was dangerous to do so.

We ignored the man and his disrespect for nature and went around to the back side of the geyser, when we found ourselves a bit too close to a pair of bison. We slowly backed away, while I took photographs, of course. I loved how these birds were just hanging out on top of the bison on his yet un-shedded coat.
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The views on the Northeast side of the park were spectacular.
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Lava Creek Tuff
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Undine Falls
There were many herds of bison on the Northeast side of the park that day, so it definitely was the correct place to be that morning. We even got to see bison calves. You can see this one bellowing for its mama in the second image.
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As we got closer and closer to Mammoth Hot Springs, we came upon a group of cars all stopped on the side of the road. We are no dummies, so we figured there was an animal nearby. Sure enough, there was a black bear just hanging out in the meadow heading towards the campground. He was probably hungry.
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We stopped in Mammoth Hot Springs for lunch. We had to eat outside, of course, due to COVID restrictions. We sat at a picnic table, enjoyed our food, and headed into the gift shop where we found gifts for Jeremy's family who was watching our dogs and rabbits while we were away.

As we headed out of the park, we saw an elk herd, parked in a nearby parking lot, and walked to a safe distance and admired the beautiful animals. They were all resting near the houses where the park rangers reside. There were even elk fawn! It was a wonderful experience. There were even some younger bucks, showing off their smaller antlers covered in velvet.
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After admiring the elk we headed back towards our car which was parked at this attraction.

It took us a while to cross the street itself, as so many cars were stopping to take photographs of the elk.

The rock formation to the right is officially called the "Liberty Cap" though it has gone by many different names, which I will leave up to your imagination. To be fair, if you Google a cap of liberty you can see where its name comes from, and of course its official name couldn't be vulgar.

Below is what is right next to Liberty Cap. This photograph is of Devil's Thumb and Palette Springs.

Devil's Thumb is the dark cone to the left in the image, while the rest of he formation makes up Palette Springs.

I love the way Palette Springs is shelved out with the various hues - its name suits it well.
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Liberty Cap
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Devil's Thumb and Palette Springs
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Obsidian Creek
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The obsidian wall itself is actually hard to photograph as it just looks like a dark cliff. I loved the scenery along the trail though, with the little stone bridge. And, of course, I took a picture of the obsidian rock along the walk.
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Obsidian Creek
The bison pictured below is my number one favorite animal that we saw on this trip. He was laying there, munching on grass, with his eyes closed. Definitely felt this bison on a spiritual level.

​Of course, I loved the elk down below too. How can you not love those majestic creatures??
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Nymph Lake
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Jeremy and I made our way over to Yellowstone Canyon where the Yellowstone waterfall is. Here, you can clearly see why the park got its name. Yellow rock lines the canyon above Yellowstone River. It was a steep switchback trail, but it was full of beautiful scenery. We stopped at this tiny footbridge that had a waterfall behind it. Jeremy is pictured below on the bridge. Yellowstone Upper Falls is pictured below as well, surrounded by the yellow stone that provided the namesake.
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Yellowstone River
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Yellowstone Falls
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Yellowstone Falls
The Norris Geyser Basin is quite expansive, as you can see from the images below. We walked around the first loop. 
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Norris Geyser Basin
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Norris Geyser Basin
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Sunday Geyser
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Norris Geyser Basin
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Norris Geyser Basin
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Norris Geyser Basin
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Norris Geyser Basin
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Crackling Lake
The last thing we did on our first day in Yellowstone National Park was to go see Gibbon Falls. This raven was perched up in a tree greeting people walking to the viewpoint. Isn't that polite?
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Gibbon Falls
After leaving the park on June 24th, we headed out of the West gate and drove towards Island Park, Idaho where our hotel was waiting. We stopped at a small gas station that was also a local store and bar.  Such a landmark for a small town, it was great.

We dined that evening in a bar and restaurant called Connie's. The service and the food was excellent, and I definitely recommend for anyone traveling to Island Park.

After dinner, we were very much ready to go to our hotel and collapse for the evening. We headed out to our hotel, Springhill Suites by Marriott. This hotel chain is one we have stayed at before and enjoyed immensely. We greatly appreciate the taste in decor and the rooms. However, this hotel was not set up properly to take in the amount of guests that had rooms reserved there. Their parking lot could only hold a portion of the vehicles of guests staying in the hotel, and we had to park on this weird side street behind the building itself.

We went to bed, and when we awoke the next morning, we found that our vehicle was blocked in by some guy that blocked the entire back street behind the hotel. This pushed our departure time back quite a bit as we waited for the hotel to try and find the owners of the truck, which ended up being two young men who were quite rude about the entire situation.

Jeremy grabbed our breakfasts, which were in to-go bags provided by the hotel. I was definitely not impressed with this either. They had run and gotten gas station breakfast sandwiches, oranges with brown marks on them, and little cartons of milk. The sandwiches were cold, and it was just an overall bad experience. 

The truck was eventually moved, and we headed back towards Yellowstone, me fuming in the front seat with Jeremy agreeing with me as I ranted about the rude men and their truck.

Before we headed into the park, we stopped in the town located right outside the West Entrance, fittingly named "West Yellowstone" to do some more shopping. We ended up buying very few things in the town, as the stores were overtly crowded, and we wanted to beat the line into the park.

After entering through the West side of the park, we headed South, towards Old Faithful.
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Firehole Falls
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Firehole Falls
Our very first stop for the second day in Yellowstone was Firehole Falls. 

It was nice driving along the river, and of course, I always love waterfalls. 

There were not a lot of people at this spot at that time, in fact, we lucked out relatively well throughout the day.

Even the Geyser Basins were not that full of people, which was nice, because we got to stroll around and enjoy everything.
The first Geyser Basin we went to was the Lower Geyser Basin. It was amazing how far away we were when we first started seeing the steam rise up over the horizon.
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Lower Geyser Basin
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Lower Geyser Basin
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Lower Geyser Basin
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Silex Spring
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Silex Spring
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Leather Pool
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Volcanic Tableland Lower Geyser Basin
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Spasm Geyser
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Spasm Geyser
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Spasm Geyser
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Spasm Geyser
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Lower Geyser Basin
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Firehole Spring
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Surprise Pool
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Great Fountain Geyser
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White Dome Geyser
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White Dome Geyser
This geyser is probably my favorite one of the entire park because it looks like a tiny volcano. 

It even has the orange and ashy coloring, and the little drain off was perfect for arranging the image. The cloudy day just added to the effect I wanted to achieve with these photographs.

It's in the same loop as the Great Fountain Geyser if you are going to Yellowstone and are interested in seeing it.
We went to the Midway Geyser Basin next, and this is where some of the more colorful hot springs and geysers are. You have to cross a bridge to get over to it, and you can see the hot, steamy water running off into the river from the geysers and springs. The Firehole River is marked as unsafe in this area due to the run offs.
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Excelsior Geyser Crater
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Excelsior Geyser Crater
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Midway Geyser Basin
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Prismatic Spring
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Prismatic Spring
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Opal Pool
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Turquoise Pool
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Excelsior Geyser run offs into Firehole River
The Midway Geyser Basin was probably the busiest place we were at in the park that day besides Old Faithful.

There's a parking lot for Midway Geyser Basin, but we had to park quite a ways down the main road as there were no spots left.

I didn't really take pictures of us on the trail on the way there, but here's the fiance wandering through the woods ahead of me.
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Old Faithful is such a popular attraction that there's a whole exit system for traffic going and seeing the landmark. We happened to time it all out perfectly, we truly do have good luck, because when we arrived at Old Faithful, there was still ten minutes before it's next estimated eruption. We were able to get a front row bench!

While we were waiting for Old Faithful to blow, we watched the birds flitter about, and even saw a Bison get a bit uncomfortably close to a group of spectators quite a ways down.

Old Faithful does steam quite a bit before it goes, and you can definitely tell when the time is getting close as the steam increases immensely.
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We really only had one more plan after Old Faithful before leaving Yellowstone. We wanted to go drive around Yellowstone Lake. It's off on the East side of the park, so it was a bit of a drive to get there, especially with the heavy rain we experienced, but when we got there it was completely worth it. The lake is beautiful. If Jeremy and I lived close to Yellowstone, I could see us just going to the lake and enjoying a day on the water. It's truly a magnificent scene.
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After all of the beauty we were able to witness, we are so thankful to have the National Parks to protect nature and the magnificence of Mother Earth.



TLDR; Photographer and fiance go to Yellowstone National Park, enjoy a lot of adventures, and share photographs.
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Adventure: Monterey Bay Aquarium & Capitola

3/12/2020

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Monterey Bay Aquarium in California is a very popular attraction on the coast. It opened back in 1984, and was the first aquarium to have a living kelp forest. The kelp forest is pictured above and to the left, with the aquarium life swimming amongst the greenery in the tank.

A leopard shark decided to hang out for a bit fo a picture in the left image. 

One creature that you could find in several locations around the aquarium was the anchovy. The aquarium had this round tank where the fish swam around in circles, and all I could think about was that scene from Finding Nemo where the fish are playing charades by making shapes.

I did learn that when these fish are hungry, they swim forward with their mouths open. I can relate, fish. I can relate.. 
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Jeremy and I were convinced that the puffer above was broken. All it did was swim into the glass of the tank. Poor thing. She wants out!
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One of my favorite creatures to photograph at aquariums is the jellyfish. They are so majestic and poetic with the way they move.

I love watching their tentacles ribbon through the water. It's like watching music play. 

Also, for some reason, the lighting is usually the best in the jellyfish tanks, making for super clear shots. Maybe the glass is flatter for the jellyfish than for the rounded tanks that warp the imagery for other creatures. 

I could definitely spend a large portion of my time just watching the jellyfish move.
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By the time we made it over to the penguins, I think they were all tuckered out. Most of them were napping, or just standing there and staring off into space. Do penguins have third eyelids that allow them to sleep with their eyes open? I'm going to Google this....
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Yes, yes they do. So they were probably just sleeping standing up.

There were two penguins doing... um... naughty activities, but I decided to not share the penguins' intimate moment. Ha! My sister, Jeremy, and I had a good laugh about it though.

I loved the Sandy Shore & Aviary exhibit, because I love looking at all of the different birds. The bird pictured below is a phalarope.

One of the other birds featured was the western snowy plover, which reminded me of the adorable birds in the Disney Short, "piper".PS, the bird in the Disney Short is a sandpiper.
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One of Jeremy's and my favorite animals that we could watch all day long is the otter. Especially when they are lazing around with their little paws on their face. Yes, please! I could adopt you right now, little otter, but that would be irresponsible. 

After the aquarium, we stopped at a little coffee shop and waited for mom and dad to join us. 

We ended up dining for lunch at Bubba Gump, which was sort of on its own mini pier. We had to scare away some birds several times to ensure the safety of our food. It's all good!

After lunch, we drove to Carmel-By-The-Sea for a very, very, very brief visit. My parents essentially drove us to the parking lot down by the water, said "This is the beach" and then we left.

We made our way down to Capitola, where we actually got to go to the beach.
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Jeremy was so excited to walk along the shore. He changed into his flip flops when we arrived and was ready to go dip his toes in the ocean. We both discovered how cold the water was in February, but we still had a lot of fun.

I loved the sea-worn wood of the pier in Capitola, the roughness complimenting the ripples in the water as it meets the sand.

We made it to the beach just in time to watch the sun set, and it was a beautiful thing to witness, and I'm so happy I was able to watch the sun go down with my fiance. Next time we are in California, we will definitely spend more time at the beach!
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Before Jeremy and I went to the beach, we ran into Jaqi and her babies who had previously planned on meeting us in Capitola.

Giovanna and Oracito were very interested in Aunty Boo's camera, and I let them take pictures for a while. Well, Oracito can't figure out the button, so he just kept telling people walking by, "PICTURE!" and they'd stop and pose for them. It was great.
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Giovanna really enjoys taking photos of murals and the art around her.
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I love the patterns in the sand left behind by the waves, too. They resemble trees , or veins, so well, and it was a reminder of how connected we all are to nature.

After our time in Capitola, we drove out to Santa Cruz for dinner and ate at a restaurant on the pier. We ate at a place called Stagnaro Bros.

By the time we made it to Santa Cruz, it was dark outside, so we didn't get to see much of it. Again - something for next time!

We really enjoyed our time going to the various towns on the West Coast, and we really can't wait to explore more next time we are in California.

​Maybe Jeremy will win us another free flight voucher at the next Furry Scurry which takes place on May 2nd! And yes, we are already registered!
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After dinner, we did drive out to an ice cream place, so I was pretty happy with how the night ended! Thank you, family, for showing us the West Coast, and we can't wait to be back! Love you all.
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Adventure: Yosemite National Park 2020

2/23/2020

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We woke up early the next morning after staying at Yosemite View Lodge the previous night. We had no idea how spectacular the view was from the lodge until the morning, as it was dark when we checked in at 11pm the night before. We were greeted by the sunrise and cliff faces, and it couldn't have been a better start to the day.

You feel like you are already in the park before you technically are.
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We started stopping at view points before we even entered the park as well, that's how beautiful it was. Jeremy, Katy, and I all stood on the edge of this hill, debating on if we should climb down, when Jeremy took off. He found a good route to go down, and Katy and I followed suit, but not before I could snag a pictures of him making his way down and then posing proudly on the log below.

PS - for those with cameras that want to complete similar adventures - I tuck my camera into my shirt/sweater. That way it can't swing and accidentally hit a rock as you're making your way up and down the rocks.
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It was definitely worth it to make it down to the river. It was beautiful seeing the river, which was low, trinkle its way around the boulders and rocks.

We even found a big rock to climb up on, for a better view, and of course, for poses.
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After our miniature adventure, we entered the park. The first sight we went to see what Bridalveil Falls.

The water all around was low, as it gets in early spring. The water will typically be at its fullest in later spring before the hot summer weather hits and dries everything out. It was neat to see the snow that sticks to the rocks from the mist of the waterfall this time of year. I also found it interesting to see that the rocks are still dark and stained from the water from when the waterfall is at its fullest. Keeping this in mind, look how wide Bridalveil Fall gets in its prime.

Jeremy and I took the short hike to the base of the waterfall, and since the water was so low, we were able to climb on the rocks within the river, getting closer to the fall itself.

If you've read my previous blog post on my trip to Yosemite in 2017, then you read where I stated that this waterfall creates its own purple hue, and it held true even with the waterfall being smaller.
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It was a pretty windy day in Yosemite when we were there, as demonstrated by the waterfall in the above photograph. If you ever question the power of wind, just refer to this image and remember - it can move waterfalls!

Jeremy, Katy, and I had each purchased sweatshirts that morning at our hotel's gift shop to combat the wind that day. Obviously once we started hiking, it felt a lot warmer. I was constantly removing and putting back on my hoodie - but mine was a zip up, which made it easy enough.

As we made our way back to the car from Bridalveil Falls, I noticed how cool these stone bridges are that pass over the river from the fall. I made my way down, and I was standing on a rock just big enough for my feet to get the shot to the left.

​You can tell that there's a very thin layer of ice on top of the water where this was shot - but I still didn't feel like sticking my shoes in the water, especially since I wasn't wearing my waterproof boots!
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Just as with every national park, there is more to see in Yosemite than El Capitan, Yosemite Falls, Bridalveil Falls, and the Half Dome, which are the parks biggest tourism draws.

Just about everywhere you look, you see a beautiful landscape. The evergreens appeared to be greener than usual against the yellow of the stone faced cliffs, and the golden hue of the land. 

The trees that go dormant during the winter had not quite woken up yet, which I wasn't surprised about considering it was early February, which made the evergreens stick out that much more against their surroundings.

It's interesting to me how the evergreens grow, with the branches down below becoming barren, leaving the leafy branches towards the top the only pop of green.
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Before we found our way to the paved trail which leads to the base of Yosemite Falls, we stopped at this picnic area which included a bridge with an amazing view of the namesake waterfall.

I joked that since I am always the one taking photographs, that am rarely in them, so I took the picture above of Jeremy's and my shadows in humor. PS - my sister Katy does have several photos of me in the park, but unfortunately I cannot include them in the blog as they are .HEIC files.

The land was truly golden during our time in Yosemite Park, something that I'm pretty used to seeing being from Colorado. The golden hue was gorgeous against the clear river which ran from Yosemite Falls, and the greenery of the trees along with the blue of the sky. The river was so clear, that the yellowed leaves and grasses that coated the bottom gave the water a golden hue as well.

The waterfall in the distance in the shot to the left is Yosemite Falls.
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Look how bundled up we all were! This is the famous paved path that leads to Yosemite Falls, and gives you a gorgeous view the entire time you are upon it.

Mom and Katy were completely bundled up in hats, scarves, the works! By this point I was pretty warmed up from walking around and had my hood down from my sweatshirt. I may or may not have made Jeremy take his hat and hood off for the selfie to the left. You couldn't see his face with them on!
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Jeremy and I stood at the base of Yosemite Lower Falls with my mom and Katy. Then, thinking Jeremy was following me, I set off unto the woods to the left of the viewpoint to try to get a different angle of the waterfall. I had barely walked into the woods and turned around when I noticed he was not following me, and he was no longer within my view. He had gone somewhere else. I decided to continue hiking my way up towards the base of the fall. Eventually I made my way back out towards the open rocks, and who do I see on the other side? My bearded man.
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Miraculously, he was messaging me to figure out where I was, at it turned out we had cellular service in this very random spot within the park. I shouted his name and he decided to climb across the rocks to join me on my side.

The photos to the right and below were as close as we got. At this point the rocks were becoming slippery from the mist of the waterfall, and we had been away from my family for quite some time at this point, so it seemed to be a good spot to stop. If the waterfall was in full force, we would not have been able to make this trek, but it was neat being there in February to be able to climb the river boulders to get to this view.

Jeremy took the photograph of me (below). I had taken his first to ensure my settings were correct, and then we switched places so he could take my picture. I am appreciative to have a fiance who has the patience to allow me to set my camera to have pictures of me taken. I am no longer the invisible camera woman!
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My handsome goofball found a tree stump to park his rump (haha). We also found the United States District Court building within the park! Good thing my sister has a Court Badge, otherwise we wouldn't have been able to see the building :).
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Towards the end of the day, Jeremy and I set out on a hike, just the two of us.
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The hike was to go up to Vernal Falls, or at least the bridge where you can see it from. It's a really steep hike the entire way (the photo above is of a flat part, don't judge), and I was exhausted by the time we made it to the top. 

It was so worth it though. The views you get are incredible, just look at Yosemite Falls in the distance in the two pictures below!
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We finally made it to the bridge to see Vernal Falls. We could have hiked further to actually get to the falls, but it was getting dark out and I didn't feel like being on the steep trail that had no guard rail in the dark, ya know?

Plus, like I said, I was exhausted.

I got a picture of Jeremy on the bridge, and yes, he is carrying my backpack because he's an amazing fiance. 

The bridge itself is beautiful, and I loved getting the photograph below of the bridge with the trail and woods beyond it. 

​We made our way back down the trail, just as it started to get dark, down under the trees. While I would have loved to continue hiking, I stand by the fact that it was wise to head back down so we weren't left in the dark.
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We saw this fluffy coyote looking for food near one of the campsites on our way out of the park. When he realized I was watching him, he stood very still, trying to not be seen. I left him alone, of course, but I was happy to see wildlife! 

​The sunset made everything glow, and was magical to witness.

​Seeing El Capitan brightened by the sunset was the perfect way to end our day in Yosemite National Park.
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Adventure: Sequoia National Park 2020

2/23/2020

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 On February 8th, 2020, Jeremy and I woke up early in the morning ready to head out to Sequoia National Park. My parents and my sister Katy were also joining in on this adventure.

We had originally planned on leaving in the wee hours of the morning, but I don't believe we ended up leaving until 8:00am due to various reasons. Jeremy and I were quite antsy to leave, and were excited for the road trip ahead.

The journey from Campbell, California to the park took us over four hours. My parents were in the front seats, and Katy, Jeremy, and I crammed into the back. I took the middle, as I had previously promised.

I ended up being the car DJ and played my "Wedding Playlist" for everyone that I have saved on my Alexa app. It has a little something for everyone, and it ended up being quite the car-karaoke filled trip.
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We got to the park in the early afternoon, so the sun was quite fierce. We got to the park entrance gate, and my parents purchased the America the Beautiful pass as Jeremy's and my Christmas present. The pass allows you to have free admission to any National Park for one year. 

If you plan on visiting more than one National Park within a year, I highly recommend getting the America the Beautiful pass. It only costs $80.00 which is usually about the same or cheaper than two admission fees into different parks. For example, the admission fee into Sequoia National Park costs $35 for a vehicle, and is the same for Yosemite National Park. We were just on vacation, and happened to go to two national parks. For $10 more, the annual pass is well worth it. 

Jeremy and I live relatively close to Rocky Mountain National Park where I plan on adventuring a few times this year. Let's say I go three times over the course of the next year. A vehicle day pass at RMNP is $25, which means that would be $75 spent in admission fees alone. Jeremy and I are also going to Yellowstone for my birthday in June. Yellowstone's admission fee is $25.

So, basically, instead of spending $170 this year on national park passes, the America the Beautiful pass is just $80. Get one! It's worth it if you plan on visiting the parks.

Okay, I'm done trying to sell you on that point :P I just love my pass!
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The family kept joking that I wanted to stop and take photographs so much that we wouldn't even be able to get through Sequoia National Park in one day. Sort of true. Since I had been there before, I was a little less adamant on stopping for pictures than I was my first trip there back in 2017.

Jeremy, Katy, and I all got out to check out this giant "Tunnel Rock". I personally enjoy Katy's "Captain Morgan" pose.
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We found a dirt path off to the side that took us to the top of the Tunnel Rock. We were able to climb up on top of it. The rock is actually quite steep, and there are signs warning you of climbing up on top of Tunnel Rock, so we didn't climb too far up. 

​Katy was the bravest of the three of us, perching up on the hump of the rock. Jeremy and I stayed by the slab on the side, which made for a perfect foot rest.
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Sequoia National Park is a beautiful drive, even before you get to the famous Sequoia trees. I highly recommend soaking in the view. Plus, a lot of people don't know that Sequoia National Park is also home to the tallest mountain in North America - Mount Whitney! That is on the completely opposite side of the park from the trees, so we did not go and visit the mountain. Maybe next time! PS - the mountain in the above photo is NOT of Mount Whitney. I believe it is Mount Eisen - I could be wrong! If anyone knows what the snow-capped mountain is in this image, please feel free to comment!

The rock formation in the foreground is known as "Castle Rocks"... naturally.
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The trees above are other Giant Sequoias, and it's interesting how some grow so close together - almost like that group of trees is a triplet!

We had to drive relatively quickly through the park to get to General Sherman, which is off by itself. A lot of people think it is grouped with the rest of "Congress" over by General Grant, but Sherman stands off by itself.

Are you wondering why General Sherman is off by itself and why people go to see it? Mistakenly, people believe it is the "biggest tree" on Earth - which is true to an extent. It is actually the largest known single-stem tree by volume. Believe it or not, it is not the tallest tree, and it is not the widest tree! I have included a list below with the record-holding Sequoias.

The image on the left is of this adorable older couple that was visiting the tree together. I had taken their photo on their phone, but I love this image I took on my camera of them gazing up at General Sherman.
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He is quite massive, but he's not the only tree "standing tall" in the forest. Ha, sorry.

Largest Tree by Volume in the World

General Sherman
Located in Sequoia National Park. His total volume is 1,486.9 cubic meters, or 52,508 cubic feet!

Largest Sequoia Tree by Circumference

Boole
Located in Converse Basin Grove in the Giant Sequoia National Monument outside of King's Canyon National Park. This tree is 34.4 meters around, or 113 feet!

Tallest Sequoia Tree

Diamond
Located in Atwell Mill Grove, outside of Sequoia National Park. She stands at 87.2 meters, or 286 feet tall!
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Oldest Sequoia (Non-Living)

Muir Snag
Located in Converse Basin Grove in the Giant Sequoia National Monument outside of King's Canyon National Park. This tree has been standing for more than 3,500 years!

Oldest Known Sequoia (Living)

President
Located in Sequoia National Forest. This tree is approximately 3,200 years old!

Number of Sequoia Groves

There are 65 named Sequoia Groves in the world.
The tree shown to the right is none of the trees listed in the fun facts - it is a younger Giant Sequoia growing near Grant Grove!
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The tree above with the sun shining next to it and the one on the left directly above this sentence are both images of General Grant.

In the Grant Grove loop, there is this fallen tree called the Fallen Monarch. The tree was hollowed out by a fire more than 300 years ago before toppling over. The fallen tree served as shelter to cattlemen who later built a cabin very close by, a saloon, and a horse stable! Now it is a tourist attraction that one can walk through. The right image above shows Jeremy standing in front of one end of the Fallen Monarch.

When the family, Jeremy, and I were there, it was beginning to get dark, so it was very black inside the tree. I don't believe I would have noticed this heart shape hole on the top curvature of the fallen tree if it wasn't for the setting sun shining through it.

The following image after shows the other end of the Fallen Monarch.
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The two trees above are more of the Giant Sequoias, and the one below is another image of General Grant. You can tell by the one significant branch that reaches out towards the sun in the image below. 
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Earlier I had mentioned that there were cattlemen who lived in the Fallen monarch who later built a cabin close by. The two men were Israel and Thomas Gamlin, and the cabin is respectively known as the Gamlin Pioneer Cabin.

My mom has a picture of her with each of her kids inside this cabin. Dan and Katy were both little when she got pictures with them, while Jaqi and I were adults when she got pictures with us. Mom was able to get an updated picture of her and Katy on this trip, and I was able to get one of Jeremy and I. It makes for a fun photo story within our family!

​I now have pictures of mom and I, dad and I, and Jeremy and I in this cabin together.
The sun was almost gone when Jeremy and I finished walking the Grant loop. We went back to the Fallen Monarch, and I got this photo to demonstrate how smooth her bark has gotten over the years. 

She really is remarkable.

Please note that there are three famous trees known as the "Fallen Monarch". One is very close by in Yosemite National Park in Mariposa Grove, with the other also nearby in Nelder Grove in the Sierra National Forest.

Jeremy and I had finished walking the Grant Loop before my parents and Katy were finished, and we went and admired some more trees surrounding the parking lot.

​There was another set of "triplet" trees right at the end of the lot, so naturally I decided we needed some selfies in front of them. To demonstrate the trees' sizes, I also took a photograph of Jeremy walking towards the trees. Look at how small he looks, and he's closer to the camera than the trees are! Truly incredible.
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After the family reunited at the car, we set out to drive the additional four hours to Yosemite National Park. We ended up booking a room at Yosemite View Lodge right outside of the park, and I can confirm that I slept very well that night after all of the adventuring!
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Adventure: San Francisco 2020

2/20/2020

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On Friday, February 7th, Jeremiah, my Mama, and I set out for the city by the bay, San Francisco.

Sorry if this little clip makes you dizzy - sometimes Boomerang is a bit fast!

We were told several times that we'd be sitting in traffic, not that the idea bothered the two Denverites too much, and Mom didn't seem phased by the idea either.
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However, we had a very quick drive to the city from Campbell, so we really lucked out!

We wanted to see the Oakland bridge, so we drove through San Francisco to cross it, and then looped around to the Golden Gate bridge.

​Now, when I was in San Francisco in 2017, we had gone to this place right on the water that had great views. We couldn't remember what it was called, and Dad had referred to it as Presidio, but that ended up being a general name for a larger area.

After looking at the GPS, my mom and I determined it must have been down on Marine Drive on the San Francisco side, down by Fort Point. You can see the historical building under the bridge in this image taken on my cell phone. Don't mind our squintiness - it was bright outside!

I also took a selfie video... because #millennial. ​
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One of the things on Jeremy's "List of things to see" for San Francisco was the Golden Gate bridge, so I am happy that my mom and I were able to remember this view point, as it truly is a great place from which to admire the bridge.

We had tried to go to the look out point on the other side of the bridge, but the Golden Gate Bridge Vista Point was not accessible due to construction. I bet it'll be open for tourist season!

That's okay, though. We got to the viewpoint I wanted for Jeremy.
Before we figured out how to get to Fort Point, we did find the Presidio parking area, as advised by my dad.

As soon as we pulled in the parking lot, my mom was like "This isn't it" and I completely agreed. We still took photos of the bridge from there, though.

This was Jeremy's first look at the bridge after getting out of the vehicle.

As you can see compared to the image above, we were much further away from the bridge in the Presidio parking area. There were trails to follow, but I knew we could make it by car to the spot that I had been to in 2017.

Jeremy stood like this for several minutes admiring the bridge.
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I had asked Jeremy to turn around for a photo, but since the sun was so bright, he wasn't able to keep his eyes open. I handed over my sunglasses so he could face the camera in the shot below. He doesn't look bad in circular frames either!
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The one thing my mom really wanted to tackle on this day trip to San Francisco was to see Ghirardelli. Since it was not tourist season, we were actually able to park in the parking garage underneath Ghirardelli Square, which is only a few blocks away from the wharf!

Doesn't my mama look so pretty?
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We went into Ghirardelli, of course. It was still pretty early in the day, so we didn't get anything, but we all agreed we would stop by again before getting in the car to go home... after all we were parked right there anyway!
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Visiting California from Colorado in February is definitely an eye opener when comparing weather. In Colorado, we were having snow showers that week. In California, it was 65-70 degrees in the San Francisco Bay area, and there were flowers!

I took this image of the flower on the walk down to the wharf from Ghirardelli Square. We had strolled through San Francisco Maritime National Historic Park on the way down to the wharf, which is where this flower resided.
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While I would never want to live in San Francisco (sorry, San Franciscans), I love how each horizon is unique.

​You have the bay, you have foothills, you have the steep and sometimes narrow streets, and it's almost as if the city builds the taller buildings on the taller hills!

We were walking along Jefferson Street down by the wharf when I looked up one of the seemingly endless streets to see this view.

Of course, there were crowds that got in the shot, but I waited for them to move out of the frame. I was left with this lone pedestrian, but I liked having her in the shot! And I was so gleeful that a few cable cars appeared in the background!

There was bit of haze in the air, which paired with the bright sun, created these two different intensities of contrast, which, in my opinion, gives this photograph a more vintage, or timeless, feel.
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We wandered onto Hyde St. Pier, which houses a few historical ships and acts as a museum of sorts on your way out to the ticket booth. You can pay to actually tour the boats, but we decided that seeing them from the pier was good enough.

​PS - I don't think that seagull paid the admission fee ;)

The boat below is called C.A. Thayer, and I pulled the following from Google:
C.A. Thayer is a schooner built in 1895 near Eureka, California. The schooner is now preserved at the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park. She is one of the last survivors of the sailing schooners in the West coast lumber trade to San Francisco from Washington, Oregon, and Northern California.
Here is the link to the National Park Service web page on the ship if you would like to read more: ​https://www.nps.gov/safr/learn/historyculture/c-a-thayer.htm
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We stopped in several tourist shops on our walk down Jefferson Street. Jeremy found several good finds, and I had my heart set on a sweatshirt I saw in the very first store we stopped in - however I didn't purchase it in case I found it cheaper in one of the many other shops, and I didn't want to carry it with me all day.

​Every once in a while the buildings would open up and you'd get a view of the marina and the buildings across the way. Alioto's is a seafood restaurant, of course, and is located at the front if Pier 45 along the wharf.
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All along the wharf were flower beds full of tulips. Apparently there was an event going on called Tulip Mania.

If you shared your pictures using the hashtag you could win a Pier 39 Fun Pack and a two night stay at Hotel Zephyr... and while this year's contest is over, I guess it's an annual event!
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https://www.pier39.com/?s=tulip+mania

We continued our way down to Pier 39 (which was the end goal for our trip to the wharf). We stopped at these crab stations to check out the menus, but I have to say - everything is so overpriced! When Jeremy and I visited Oregon and Washington, we could get fresh seafood for much better prices. San Francisco really price gouges you if you want anything but clam chowder and bread. Tsk tsk!
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At last, we made it to Pier 39. The pier where all of the touristy fun hoopla is. Stores, museums, the aquarium, rides... it's all there! They even have a carousel towards the end of the pier. However, if you're planning on visiting, don't stop there! Go beyond it to get a great view of the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, and sea lions!
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When we made our way to the very end of the pier, fog was starting to settle in on the bay, and it started to enshroud the Golden Gate Bridge, which I thought made for a very cool effect. It even billowed up behind Alcatraz, which kind of just made it creepier than I already think it is (Shutter Island anyone?).

We were standing at the water's edge looking for the sea lions, that according to Jeremy's Google search should be there. He declared he didn't see any, and as if they were responding to his disappointment, they started barking.
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There were only a few active ones. Apparently it was nap time for the sea lions, as many of them slept on the docks below. However, there were two that were very much active, doing somersaults around each other, giving each other kisses, some playful nips, and were just really entertaining to watch.
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There are SO many things to do in San Francisco, that I have a feeling Jeremy and I could visit the city every time we visit my parents and sister in California and find something new to do every single time.

Jeremy already declared that next time we are in California that he wants to go to a Giants game. My mom added that we should go to Treasure Island too, so that's already two things to do in San Francisco for our next visit!

Looking forward to it!
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    Rebecca

    Photographer, visual artist, mother to five fur-babies, and travel enthusiast.

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