How’s it going everyone? What has been your favorite place you’ve ever visited? Was it a popular monument, a certain city, a place that can trace its roots back through history, or a natural landscape that knocks the wind out of you from shear awe? If you could visit any place in the world, where would it be? Would you go to one of the seven wonders of the world, a city you’ve always been wanting to stroll through, or a location untouched by the hold of mankind? These are all questions you’ve probably heard before, but the interesting part is the response and the reasons. This can reveal a lot about how a person thinks, their perceptions of the world, and their interests. This question is also interesting because everyone wants to travel. There’s something amazing about opening one’s self up to new experiences and relating to people of a different culture. The unspoken connections we can form with people without speaking the same language is a language beyond words. In this post I will be talking some of the favorite places I’ve been and maybe influence where you spend your next vacation.
Growing up, I would say my family did our fair share of traveling. We took multiple trips to Colorado and Florida to visit my mom’s side of the family. I love both of these places, and they’re both very different types of vacations. In Colorado, we got our boards and headed straight for the Rockies. This is where I learned and developed an interest in snowboarding. In Florida, we trekked to the beach to get a prime plot of sand. Once we unpacked it was pure relaxation for hours. My family also vacationed at a handful of other locations, such as Hawaii (unfortunately I was too young to remember much), Asheville, Gulf Shores, and Toronto. In the recent past we have gone to locations farther and farther away. Places such as Seattle, Portland, the Grand Canyon, Phoenix, the Caribbean’s, London, Paris, Vancouver, and Alaska. I have been fortunate enough to go to these places and am grateful for the experiences shared with loved ones. In this post I will be sharing some of the more outdoor and adventurous vacations. These are trips were to the Pacific Northwest, Alaska, and Arizona.
I absolutely loved the Pacific Northwest. My parents, brother, and I took a week-long trip across the country in the summer of 2016. Our two main destinations were Seattle, WA and Portland, OR. It was absolutely amazing. Our plane touched down just outside of Seattle, so we had to take a shuttle into the city. The skyline was breathtaking, and I immediately fell in love with the city. Once our bags were put away in our hotel, we were off on our adventure. The first day we just took everything in and figured out where everything was. Stand out locations were Pike Place Market and the Space Needle. The market was bustling with people and had all types of foods for sale. There was a lot of fresh seafood, so if that suits your fancy, I would recommend taking a trip here. Also, in the market is the original Starbucks. As you can imagine, this store was overflowing with people. We didn’t even try to get in line because it extended a few blocks down the street. The Space Needle was a lot cooler than I thought it would be. The whole experience of it had a retro feel to it. I’m somewhat of a history nerd, so I appreciated the informational panels as we made our way to the top of the tower. The view of the city at the top was wonderful. Standing at 605 feet tall, this massive structure gives people breathtaking views of downtown, Mount Rainier, Puget Sound, and the Cascades and Olympic mountain ranges. Needless to say, I had a great first day in Seattle.
We were eager to experience as much as we could from our remaining time in Seattle. Kayaking the crisp morning waters of the Puget Sound was one of my favorite things we did. While paddling we saw otters, a variety of birds, salmon, and million-dollar houses. Our tour guide was very friendly and knowledgeable about the area. We told him where we were from and he said, “Muncie? Where have I heard of that place before? Oh yeah! That’s the place in Parks and Rec!” So, I’m glad Muncie is famous for something. Eventually we had to pack our bags and leave for Portland to stick to our schedule. We rented a car and took off south toward Oregon.
The plan for Oregon was more up in the air. We wanted to not just experience the city, but some of the area around it for hiking. Also, our relatives live just outside of Portland in a town called Salem, so we wanted to stop by and hang out for a bit too. I’ve got to say, the countryside of Oregon is gorgeous. The fields of lavender were like purple waves rolling against the backdrop of snow tipped mountain ranges. It’s a good change of pace from Yorktown’s flat cornfields as far as the eye can see.
There were two places where my family was wanting to hike: Silver Falls State Park and the Columbia River Gorge. We hiked the nationally recognized Trail of Ten Falls in the state park. This seven-mile hike brings you up close and personal to mesmerizing water falls in the forests of Oregon. These falls stand out between the towering trees of the Pacific Northwest. On the hike we saw a 177-foot waterfall, that’s taller than Ball State’s Shafer Bell Tower! I would highly recommend this trail if anyone is out there wanting to hike. The Columbia River Gorge was a much harder hike than the Silver Falls. It was a straight incline all the way to the top of the hill/mountain. The trail was no stranger to steep switchbacks, rocky terrain, and abrupt cliffs. One loose rock could send you plummeting thousands of feet below. Given the dangers, it was worth the risk because there was a stunning view waiting for us when we eventually made it to the top. The trail was called Angel’s Rest Lookout and it earns the name by having the most heavenly view of the surrounding landscape. As far as the eye can see is just pure beauty of the natural world.
Next, I want to talk about my trip to Alaska in the summer of 2017. This trip was a week and a half long cruise, and as you can imagine was jam packed with things to do. I don’t want to go in detail over the whole trip because that could be another post in itself. I want to just briefly reflect on two parts of the trip that I thought were the coolest to see. These two things are: College Fjord and Yukon.
College Fjord is a national park in Alaska. For those of you who don’t know what a fjord is, Wikipedia defines it as a “long, narrow inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created by a glacier.” It is essentially a narrow bay, and this particular one is surrounded by glaciers on the sides. It is called College Fjord because many of the glaciers are named after prominent colleges. The ship took us close to a few of the glaciers and we got to see the calving. Calving is when big chunks of the glacier fall off from warmer temperatures. I had some mixed thoughts about seeing this unfold. On one side it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity to see this happen. As the ice cracked and fell loose, it sounded and felt like thunder was rolling in off the coast. But no, it was a bright sunny day. I was watching this glacier melt with just a t-shirt on! And that brings me to the other side of how I felt. It was sad watching this magnificent phenomenon retreating up the mountain on its way to extinction. It’s sad because humans are the ones that are causing this destruction to happen. And the worst part was the very thing that made it possible for me to see this happen has a tremendous effect on why the glaciers are melting in the first place. There was some cognitive dissonance going on in my head while seeing this, but it was truly remarkable to have seen a calving glacier.
On one of our stops we got to take an expedition into the mainland of Yukon and Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park. We took a bus up through the same mountains and valleys that a couple hundred years before, gold rushers were risking their lives to pass through. This is a truly lawless and untamed area of the world. Hardly anyone lives up there because of the harsh weather mother nature inflicts on its inhabitants. Only the toughest survive. At one of the spots the busses stopped at, there was this beautiful lake that was emerald green. It is aptly named the Crown Jewel of the Yukon. At the halfway point we stopped at a dog mushing camp. We got some food, rested up, and watched the dogs do their thing. When it was time to go, we hopped back on the busses and it was time to make our way back to the port. The busses took us to get on a train that descends down through the mountains. This ride was the finale. The train hugged the inside of the mountain all the way down that gave spectacular views of the valleys below us. It was thrilling knowing that 20 feet to my left was a sheer drop all the way down the mountain. For me, the view from the train was the highlight of the trip.
The next trip was to Arizona in the summer of 2018. On this trip, my family started in Phoenix, then made our way up to Grand Canyon National Park, and finally drove back south to Sedona. I had never been to an arid climate before, so the dry heat was something new to me, and I loved it. It was 104 degrees and I wasn’t even sweating as we were walking around downtown Phoenix. The best way I can describe this kind of heat is when you open the oven and stick your face close to the opening. It’s like that but the sun is a huge oven overhead. I’m used to wet, humid heat. It’s important that you drink a lot of water because this dry heat can sneak up on you and dehydrate you before you know it.
Two things we did in Phoenix were hike Camelback Mountain and ride four-wheelers through the surrounding canyons. Camelback wasn’t an easy hike. It took us a few hours to get up to the top and I don’t think we prepared enough on the hydration front. Once we got up, we could see all of Phoenix stretch in every direction. Off in the distance we could see canyons encapsulate the flat valley Phoenix lived in. The next day, we took off for these canyons on our four-wheelers. These towering formations of rock offered us narrow passage through its crevices. The guides lead us to an old Pony Express rest station. This is where men on horseback rode tirelessly day and night to deliver messages across the country. It’s the equivalent of instant messaging for a couple hundred years ago.
The highlight of this trip was definitely the Grand Canyon. I didn’t really have any expectations about this place and growing up I didn’t see what was so exciting about a big whole in the ground. But wow, it was magnificent. I almost couldn’t believe what I was seeing. It’s hard to comprehend how vast this canyon is until you’re staring out into the nothingness of the abyss. It is something that can’t fully be described in words and a picture is a worthless representation of this natural phenomenon. Even better, we got to see it at sunset. The different hues of red, orange, and blue were dancing with each other as the sun sank in the sky. This place is a must see at some point in your life.
Those were my favorite outdoor vacations. I am blessed to have been given the opportunity to visit these places. Visiting these places has given me a much greater appreciation for the natural world. In the great outdoors the possibilities are endless. Get out there and see for yourself.
The Great Outdoors 