New Mexico: Carlsbad and Guadalupe Mountains

Our base for the first few days of this trip was located in Carlsbad, New Mexico on the border of Texas.  An uneventful three hour, nighttime drive from El Paso (besides the border patrol checkpoint 30 minutes outside the city...) brought us into one of the oil boom parts of the United States.  The unusual number of pickup trucks with various company names such as Halliburton in hotel parking lots quickly explained the high hotel rates we had noticed when booking our room (points to the rescue!).

The next morning finally allowed a chance to see the desert scenery as we drove to Carlsbad Caverns National Park.  We had booked the morning tour of King's Palace online, which was good because the tour was in fact full even during our winter visit. The Ranger led tours allow visitors to access caves otherwise off limits, but some require crawling on your belly so if small spaces aren't your thing...pick a different one.

We were advised that we had arrived too late to start the Natural Entrance self guided tour.  It takes an hour, so if you want to combine that with your guided tour inside the caves make sure to arrive early.  We'd have to come back for the Natural Entrance another day.

Rock walls were visible through the glass as the elevator descended underground.  As our ears popped, we eyed a counter that displayed feet underground, rather than levels.  First 50, then 100, and on until we reached the end, 750 feet below ground. We exited the elevator into a large dark room (surprise!) and waited for our eyes to adjust to the dim lights. While waiting for the start of our tour, we perused the gift shop and visited the restrooms since an ice storm earlier in the month busted the pipes to the ones in the visitor center above.  

Soon, a ranger announced the the beginning of our tour and we lined up with forty or so others visitors. Mike, our ranger, gave a brief introduction and led us towards the King's Palace area of the cavern. Although it used to be open to self-guided tours, the park service closed it because people kept misbehaving and causing damage. Sigh. Now there are actually phones throughout the parts that still remain open for self-guided loops so that visitors may phone rangers to report (tattle) vandals or rule-breakers. If you know Ashley, you know she thinks these phones should be available throughout the national park system...for when people are trying to pet the wildlife. 

Yosemite: The Valley Part 2

Glacier Point again?  You betcha!  Only this time, we'd be taking a shuttle to the top and then hiking back down along the Panorama Trail (make sure to reserve the shuttle ahead of time, and yes, you have to pay).  We chose the earliest shuttle to get started before it was too hot, as well as in the hopes that it would mean less hikers.  

Besides the fact that this hike goes down into the Valley, it was great for several other reasons: unique views of Half Dome and the valley, less populated (for the upper part), and the hike includes the Mist Trail which passes both Vernal and Nevada Falls.  In other words, it was our favorite hike in(to) the Valley.

The nine mile hike would take us down to Illuote creek, up across the ridge, and then down again past the waterfalls to the Valley floor, where we'd pick up the Valley Shuttle back to our hotel.

Yosemite: A Bike Ride in the Valley (Part 1)

After spending several days in less crowded areas of the park, it was finally time to descend into the valley for a few days to complete our visit to Yosemite.  Leaving from Glacier Point, highway 41 once again took us through the Wawona Tunnel to one of the best views of the Valley - Tunnel View.

Each time we passed this point (going or leaving), Nate was sure to hop out for a few minutes to snap a few pictures.  Though the waterfalls were light this time of year, the overall scale of the scene was impressive each stop.  Both of us want to return earlier in the year for our next visit to see the full scale of these massive waterfalls (that is, assuming a decent winter snowfall).

We'd driven through on a few occasions, but had not spent more than a few minutes in traffic on our way to another section of the park.  The high country was warm, but the valley would have a high of around 100 each of the days that we'd be there.  This, as well as the crowds, would play a part in our plans over the next two days.

Yosemite: Wawona, Mariposa Grove, and Glacier Point

We descended from the Alpine Meadows, but it took us a little longer than we expected to finally arrive at Wawona Hotel. After dropping our bags off, we sprinted over to the shuttle stop in order to try to catch the last tram tour in Mariposa Grove. The Park Service operates small, open-air trams (kind of like in the Disney parking lot) that allows you to admire the giant trees while sitting down rather than hiking the entire loop. We planned to take the tram to the furthest point and then hike back down.

The Park Service and various guidebooks recommended taking a shuttle to Mariposa Grove since the parking lot is usually full. However, after waiting and waiting and waiting for the shuttle, we got nervous that we would miss the last scheduled tram tour. So, Nate decided to risk the "full" parking lot and drive while Ashley continued to wait for the shuttle. We're not really sure why we split up. It's unlike us as we strongly believe in the buddy system. We weren't sure whether the car or shuttle would arrive first so we hedged our bets so one of us could at least buy the tickets and stall the tram. Ashley probably would have "won" on the tram since it arrived soon after Nate took off for car. Yet, for some unknown reason, the shuttle driver pulled over halfway there for a break. Sadly, Ashley watched Nate pass in the car through the window. The shuttle ride seemed especially long since a local decided to sit next to Ashley and ask an endless number of random questions and then criticize her answers. He also didn't seem to believe her that she was meeting her husband when she got off the shuttle. That led to another line of random questions. She has a knack for attracting weird interesting strangers.

After finally arriving at the Grove, Nate sadly informed Ashley that the last tram tour had already departed. Thus,we'd have to hike a little more than we anticipated. At least we were at a lower elevation. Ashley remains disappointed in the shuttle system.  (Update: The tram has since been closed permanently due to renovations in and around the Mariposa Grove).

Undeterred, we started hiking the roughly three mile uphill Lower Grove Trail. The trail leads past most of the tree all-stars located in the Park. Not far from the Parking Lot, we saw the Fallen Monarch - made famous by a photograph of cavalry lined up in front of and on top of the tree. Although she didn't have a horse, Ashley posed for a picture in front it as well. Get ready for a lot of photos of us in front of big trees to demonstrate scale.

Yosemite: Tuolumne Meadows and May Lake

Since we had spent most of our time in the high country completing alpine hikes, we started the morning in the area's namesake meadows. Still recovering from our Cloud's Rest summit (or near-summit in Ashley's case), we chose a leisurely path (i.e. flat) through the meadows along the river for an opportunity to view the Soda Springs. Despite the ease of the trail, we encountered few hikers this early in the morning and enjoyed the peacefulness of the High Country. We probably wouldn't truly appreciate that peacefulness until entering the chaos of the valley later in the trip.

Yosemite: Tuolumne Meadows and Cloud's Rest

"Half Dome without the crowds."  "No chains."  "No lottery to get a coveted spot to summit."  "Views of Half Dome from the top."  That's what we heard about Cloud's Rest.   It sounded like the perfect high country alternative to the more famous Half Dome hike.

Yosemite: Tuolumne Meadows

Tuolumne Meadows Lodge sounds fancier than it actually is. The "Lodge" refers to the dining room and reception area, but the rooms consist of semi-permanent canvas tents.  Beds, linens, and a wood burning stove are included, but communal restrooms and showers are located in a separate central building.  We are still debating whether this constitutes camping or glamping. You be the judge.

California: Monterey and Big Sur

Monterey:

After landing at the San Jose airport at nearly midnight west coast time, we drove to Salinas to be closer to Monterey for the next day's adventure. San Jose served as an excellent gateway to the Monterey area and Yosemite without the congestion of the San Francisco airports. 

Feeling better after finally getting some sleep after the prior day of traveling cross-country, we drove to Monterey Bay for a guided kayak tour. Monterey may be best known for their aquarium, but we opted to experience the local sea life in their natural habitat by kayaking in the bay. 

Monterey Bay Kayak allows visitors to rent kayaks or participate in guided tours. Unfamiliar with the area, we chose a guided tour, which also included the necessary gear such as spray skirts, tandem sea kayaks, and wetsuits - their strong suggestion to wear the wetsuit and the repeated safety demonstrations on how to exit a capsized kayak did make us slightly weary that we may end up closer to the sea life than preferred. 

United Kingdom: Edinburgh

Edinburgh

Our train arrived in Edinburgh with the sun providing only an hour more of light.  Our hotel, The Glasshouse (Marriott), was close enough to the train station to comfortably walk with luggage in tow.  Immediately, we noticed a harder, grungier feel of the city and its residents compared London.  This isn't said with any real negativity, but the difference was quite evident during the 10 minute walk to our hotel.  In contrast to London, we received one of the nicest room upgrades yet to a large suite with a bathroom larger than our master bedroom at home.  Edinburgh was looking good already.

To further the positive vibe, we splurged for dinner at 21212, one of several Michelin Star restaurants that Edinburgh claims.  The concept was unique, with each number representing a course and the number of options to choose from for that course (though they had deviated somewhat, allowing each diner to choose from 3 items from the first, third, and fifth courses).  To add to the experience, we were seated at a small table for two in a corner that overlooked the small Victorian room, bringing back memories of sitting at our sweetheart table from our wedding.  It was a very nice evening showcasing Scottish hospitality.

We started the next morning early with another dose of Harry Potter.  The Elephant House, just off the Royal Mile, is a now well known coffee shop with views of the castle where JK Rowling worked on her first Harry Potter novels.  The view through the window of the Castle makes it very easy to understand where the inspiration for Hogwarts hilltop setting came from.

United Kingdom: York

A detour in York on the way to Edinburgh

We left London on an early train from King's Cross station to York.  Although we would eventually spend the night in Edinburgh, York is conveniently located halfway between the two cities, which provided the perfect daytrip/break in our journey. After arriving in York, we stored our luggage near the station, which is a great option if you are only choosing to spend the day. The luggage storage area charges a small fee and is located outside the station proper near a car park. 

Our train arrived early enough to allow us just enough time to catch the free volunteer walking tour in York which started at 10:15 in Exhibition Square and included Museum Gardens, St. Mary's Abbey, walking the walls, the Shambles, and plenty of history along the way. Local volunteer guides share their love of the city, with our tour being led by a lovely grandfatherly figure who was especially proud of Dame Judy Dench's connection to York.

United Kingdom: London Part 2

London Day 3 - Churchill War Rooms, Westminster Walk, and a Pub Tour

A light drizzle met us as we left our hotel for the short walk to our tube stop where we bought another daily pass and tubed to Westminster again in to begin the Westminister Audio Guided walk from Rick Steves. The walk is roughly a 45 minute narrated walk that starts on the Westminster Bridge, follows along White Hall, and ultimately ends in Trafalgar Square.  It was a nice way to admire and learn some of the history of the sites in the area at our own pace.

Our first major stop after Westminster and Parliament Square was the Churchill War rooms, conveniently only a 100 yard walk off the narrated route. So, we paused our walking tour to explore this incredibly interesting museum.  The museum contains two distinct sections: one on Churchill's life and the other on the underground meeting rooms and living quarters from World War 2. These dimly lit rooms under the Treasury building were essentially where Churchill and his advisers ran the European war effort for five years.

Amazingly, the rooms were locked up and abandoned after Hitler's surrender so they are well preserved and look exactly how they did in the 1940's.  In addition to the preserved rooms, the large museum exhibit focuses on the life and political career of Churchill. It was particularly interesting that he was born during the days of cavalry charges and his career ended in the midst of a nuclear arms race.  This is definitely worth a stop to see and learn about one of the 20th century's most influential figures. His determination and leadership in a time with little hope still inspires today.

United Kingdom: London Part 1

London Day 1: Buses, Mummies, and Chinese Food, oh my!

After our Mad Max tour, we rolled our luggage to the Bath train station and hopped on the next train to London. After traveling 1.5 hours through the English countryside with views of plenty of sheep and possibly one of the chalk horses, we arrived at London Paddington station. Since we were tired from the full-day tour and had our luggage, we decided to catch a cab to our hotel - plus, a ride in a black London cab seemed like a must-do experience. Our hotel was situated along Hyde Park, which was full of people enjoying the sunshine in the late afternoon...unfortunately, that was the last we would see of the sun for awhile...

After depositing our bags in the room, we headed out the back of the hotel to grab a late dinner at The Audley - a nearby pub. On the way, we quickly realized we were staying in a luxurious neighborhood as we passed a variety of high-end vehicles - Bentleys, Rolls Royces, Ferrari, Masarati etc just parked one after another along the street. 

The next morning we awoke to cloud covered skies and the first of 4 nonstop days of spitting rain. Undeterred, we donned our rain coats, packed our brolly and headed to explore the city. After all, as the Brits say, there is no such thing as bad weather, just inappropriate clothing. Unlike the torrential downpours of Florida, one can still manage to sight-see quite effectively in the light rain of London. 

To start our day, we jumped on the "hop on, hop off" big bus tour. Luckily, a section of the upper deck is covered so we were able to sit upstairs and enjoy the views while staying dry. We planned on using the London Underground to accomplish much of our sightseeing, but the doubledecker bus allowed us to first see the city from above before heading "underground."

United Kingdom: Bath, Stonehenge, and Surrounding Areas

Bath, England

After taking a convenient overnight flight directly from Florida to London, we landed at Gatwick Airport around 7:30 in the morning after catching very little sleep on the plane. We didn't have time to process how sleepy we were because we were trying to catch the next train to Bath as soon as we collected our luggage. Gatwick Airport has a train station literally in the terminal, which makes it an easy departure point for the surrounding areas. After transferring trains in Reading (with literally an 8 minute transfer window), we arrived in Bath around 11:30 - just in time for lunch! 

Bath gave us an immediate introduction to proper English weather - light, consistent rain. Undeterred, we stored our bags at our hotel (Abbey Hotel, which is just a short walk from the train station) and set out to explore the town. 

Hungry from (or is it for) travel, we popped into The Raven, a local pub, for some pies and ale (and cider). The pies and hand-pumped beverages helped us appreciate that we were truly in England. Although somewhat empty when arrived, the pub quickly filled up as the rain continued to fall. 

Concerned that the comfort food and sitting too long would allow jet lag to set in, we headed outside for a self-guided walking tour. Traveler tip: our key to fighting jet lag is changing our watch to the destination's time as soon we board the plane and to keep moving throughout the day. The historical society's audio walking tour of Bath was just the ticket to keep us active for the afternoon. This dreary weather certainly encouraged napping...

Waterton International Peace Park: A Quick Jaunt into Canada before Heading Home

Waterton Lakes National Park

Today's adventure involved crossing the Canadian border into the adjoining Waterton Lakes National Park, which together with Glacier NP forms the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park. We woke up early to start our drive through the customs checkpoint since we planned on catching an early boat tour.

Glacier National Park: Amazing Views in Many Glacier

Many Glacier

With the Swiftcurrent Pass Trail behind us, we navigated our way past the Swiftcurrent Motor Inn and continued along route 3 to Many Glacier Hotel.  We got a tip from a ranger to catch a small nature trail near the Grinnell Glacier trailhead.  This trail hugged Swiftcurrent Lake and provided our first views of this historic hotel that we would be calling home for the next two nights.  

Spurred on by the hopes of Huckleberry Ice Cream, we pushed through the final half mile and arrived sweaty and smelly into the Swiss Chalet themed lobby.

Glacier National Park: Away from it All at Granite Park Chalet

Our day began like most others with an early departure since we planned to drive along Going-to-the-Sun road in the early morning light. Our goal was to arrive at Many Glacier Hotel where we would be staying in two nights. Tonight, we were staying at the Granite Park Chalet, which is accessible only by hiking. So, we needed to leave our car at Many Glacier, take the hiker's shuttle to the St. Mary Visitor Center, transfer to a bus, ride the bus to Logan's Pass, switch to the west side bus which would take us to the Loop trailhead.

With so few people on the road, we had ample opportunity to safely pull over and enjoy the early morning sunrise along Going-to-the-Sun road. Well, Nate enjoyed the morning light, while Ashley dozed in the passenger seat.

Glacier National Park: Going to the Sun

Although we had scraped ice off our windshield just a few days ago, a heatwave suddenly swept through the region and we found ourselves driving through Montana with temperatures in the 90s. Ashley recalled the hotels in Glacier National Park proudly advertising the lack of air conditioning because you "won't need it." They jinxed us!  Even when we checked into Lake McDonald Lodge after dark, the receptionist remarked "but you're from Florida" when we mentioned the unexpectedly warm temperatures. That doesn't mean we're used to sleeping in it. However, she did kindly remind us that a complimentary electric fan was in our room. 

Despite the slightly uncomfortable sleeping conditions, we were extremely excited to explore this Crown of the Continent on Going-to-the-Sun Road tomorrow morning. 

Yellowstone: The American Safari Experience

Having enjoyed several days focused primarily on geothermal features, it was time to change our home location to Roosevelt Lodge near Lamar Valley.  But we had a full day planned of wildlife watching and hiking before we would enjoy a Cowboy Cookout near our cabin.

We were out of our room by dawn in order to get to Hayden Valley for one more opportunity for animal spotting.  It was another chilly morning with the popular location (1.5 miles north of Trout Creek) already full of spotting scopes and binoculars when we arrived.  Only a few minutes passed before someone spotted a wolf coming out of the tree line in the distance.  Over a mile away, we strained our eyes through our binoculars and cameras trying to catch a glimpse of the wolf (click the picture to enlarge and look for the small dark spot on right half staring at the bison on the left half...just trust us, it's a wolf).

Typically one or two of the individuals with scopes at this location are volunteers who track the pack, documenting when they are spotted, how many were out, and if they are known to have made a kill.  They were friendly and willing to share information as well as occasional peeks through the scope.  It was amazing how powerful their scopes were, getting close enough to see the wolves wagging their tails, digging, and just having fun playing amongst themselves.  We would definitely consider renting or buying a scope for future trips and would recommend the same to others who are interested in observing animals in the valley.  

There was growing excitement when several other members of this pack also came out from the shadows.  At one point, there were six adults (or juveniles) pacing, playing, and laying near the tree line.  Unfortunately for us, we never saw the pups, though we heard they had been seen for a short period of time.  Reaching the limit of our camera and lens zoom capabilities, we were able to catch a few of the larger wolves (above and to the left of the buffalo below).  After playing for nearly an hour the wolves disappeared back into the trees. 

Yellowstone: Thermal features and a stay at Old Faithful Inn

Our last morning in Grand Teton National Park was met with low lying clouds and a light drizzle, meaning extra sleep (no sunrise photos) before heading to breakfast and leaving the lodge.

Before heading north to Yellowstone, we made a quick stop at Oxbow Bend to get some pictures of the cloudy peaks.  No more than 2 minutes after arriving and setting up the tripod, someone pointed out a commotion up the road.  A mother moose and young calf were crossing the road and heading towards the river.  It was an amazing scene with the mountains framed in the background and the two moose crossing the still river in the foreground.

We tracked the mother and calf across the river, where they got out, shook off the cold water, and then ran along the shore before turning into the thick willow brush.

Overall, we had unbelievable wildlife viewing luck while in the Tetons - as if seeing three bull moose wasn't enough, we ended with a mama and calf swimming right in front of us. What a great last experience in the Tetons before leaving for it's better known neighbor to the north, Yellowstone.  

Grand Tetons: Mountains and Bear Jams

Since we "slept in" the previous morning, we woke up around 4:00 a.m. today in order to reach the barns at Mormon Row in time for sunrise. This gave us plenty of time to set up our tripods and find the perfect angle. Warning: the small makeshift foot bridge across the mini-creek is unstable - see Ashley's wet right shoe as an example. Surprisingly, we were the first photographers at this iconic site this morning, but were soon joined by many fellow sunrise shooters.