Tag: day trips

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U.S. Road Trip Re-Cap: Week Three (Louisiana to Missouri)

U.S. Road Trip Week Three

U.S. Road Trip Week Three

After crossing the big wide state of Texas in week two, this week started with an epic day of gluttony in the New Orleans French Quarter. We filled our bellies with pralines, boudin and beignets and then turned north so Ian could experience the best baseball in the country and what I think is one of the most unique state parks in the entire U.S.

For the third week in a row, here is a photographic recap of our spring and summer road trip across the U.S. This week we’ve got a balance of city and nature, with lots of delicious food and wonderfully varied weather in between.  Continue reading “U.S. Road Trip Re-Cap: Week Three (Louisiana to Missouri)”

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Where Men Become Gods: The Pyramids of Teotihuacan, A Photo Journal (Estado de México, México)

Piramides de Teotihuacán, Teotihuacán Pyramids, Estado de Mexico

Piramides de Teotihuacán, Teotihuacán Pyramids, Estado de Mexico

Last week we sat down to plan our final week in Mexico City. With the unstable political situation here, we weren’t sure how soon we’d return. So we made a list. All the places we wanted to be sure to visit before we left. Obviously Los Pirámides de Teotihuacán were on the list.

I can’t believe we didn’t visit the pyramids of Teotihuacán sooner, because it was definitely one of my favorites of our whole Mexico City trip. If you’re planning a trip to Mexico, you DON’T want to miss this.  Continue reading “Where Men Become Gods: The Pyramids of Teotihuacan, A Photo Journal (Estado de México, México)”

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Los Perros de Xochimilco, The Dogs of Xochimilco: A Photo Journal (Mexico City, México)

The Dogs of Xochimilco, Perros de Xochimilco, along the trajinera canals (Mexico City, Mexico)

The Dogs of Xochimilco, Perros de Xochimilco, along the trajinera canals (Mexico City, Mexico)

Semana Santa (Holy Week) in Mexico is a time to stop working and spend time with family and friends. With a shortage of the former in México, we spent this day (Holy Thursday) with new friends! Seven of us in total hired a trajinera in Xochimilco — a popular activity for locals and visitors alike —  for a fun, relaxing afternoon… Passing the time floating up and down the canals with delicious grilled meat and veggies to eat… a plethora of alcohol to drink… and observing one particular species that kept stealing my attention…  Continue reading “Los Perros de Xochimilco, The Dogs of Xochimilco: A Photo Journal (Mexico City, México)”

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Volcán Poás National Park: An Affordable Costa Rica Tourist Activity (Alajuela, Costa Rica)

Poas Volcano (Volcán Poás) National Park: an affordable Costa Rica tourist activity

Poas Volcano (Volcán Poás) National Park: an affordable Costa Rica tourist activity

*Photo: “Poas Volcano 2” by Sergio Quesada (license: CC BY-NC-SA 2.0. Photo has been cropped and text added.)

A visit to Poás Volcano can be a gamble due to potential view-obstructing fog, but it’s a cheap enough risk to take. Despite thick fog during our visit last week (thus the borrowing of another photographer’s image for this post), Ian and I still had an enjoyable time in Poás Volcano National Park.

Here we share an overview of our rainy visit to Poás, including instructions for how to get there affordably bus, a list of what to take with you, plus photos from our foggy trip!  Continue reading “Volcán Poás National Park: An Affordable Costa Rica Tourist Activity (Alajuela, Costa Rica)”

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Shot of the Week: View from the Top (Sandstone Peak, Santa Monica Mountains, USA)

Shot of the Week: View from the Top (Sandstone Peak, Santa Monica Mountains, Malibu, California, USA)

Shot of the Week: View from the Top (Sandstone Peak, Santa Monica Mountains, Malibu, California, USA)

Determined to get outdoors one final time before the new year, we set out on Sunday for the top of the Santa Monica Mountains: Sandstone Peak. A bit out of shape, there was a little more huffing and puffing involved than what’s typical for us, but we made it! This photo captures our celebration after making it to the top. (That’s me and our friend Maya, and Ian’s behind the camera.)

Note: We’re actually not standing on Sandstone Peak in this photo; we took a detour about 5 minutes to the right and just a touch lower in elevation.  But from this vantage point, we had an arguably better view of the Pacific Ocean, Channel Islands and the setting sun. We hiked over to Sandstone Peak afterward and signed the logbook to make it official.

The above photo was taken with the Sony a7s and Sony E 10-18 f/4 OSS and edited with the Whitefall preset from Film Speck One, our free pack of Lightroom presets on lonelyspeck.com.  Continue reading “Shot of the Week: View from the Top (Sandstone Peak, Santa Monica Mountains, USA)”

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Shot of the Week: Wine Country (Apple Hill, USA)

Shot of the Week: Wine Country

Shot of the Week: Wine Country

We’ve been busy bees, moving around a lot the last couple weeks, so we’re playing catch up and posting this photo a little late. On November 2, 2014, Ian and I went wine tasting in the Apple Hill area with Ian’s parents on a cool day in Northern California.

The above photo was taken with the Sony a7s  and Voigtlander 40mm f/1.4 Nokton.  Continue reading “Shot of the Week: Wine Country (Apple Hill, USA)”

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Zion National Park, Utah, USA

Zion National Park, Utah, USA on northtosouth.us

Zion National Park, Utah, USA on northtosouth.us
Above: Zion Canyon from Angels Landing at sunset

June 18-19, 2014

Without a cloud in the sky, our second destination on Road Trip USA: Summer 2014 was hot but breathtakingly beautiful (and also quite appropriately named). Zion — or “the promised land” — is a large National Park in Utah home to the popular Zion Canyon, an expanse surrounded by sandstone and limestone formations tall enough to almost entirely shade the valley below by early afternoon. Continue reading “Zion National Park, Utah, USA”

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Salton Sea, California, USA

Salton Sea, California, USA on northtosouth.us

Salton Sea, California, USA on northtosouth.us

June 1, 2014

ABOUT THE SALTON SEA

This vast, shallow desert lake is the largest in California, with higher salinity levels than the Pacific Ocean. With no outflow, salinity levels continue to rise, creating an ecosystem in which few species of fish can live.

Salton Sea, California, USA on northtosouth.us

After our weekend camping trip to Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, we visited the Salton Sea in Salton City, California, near the middle of the lake on the western side.
Continue reading “Salton Sea, California, USA”