bigaladventures

[bigaladventures]

Days 42-45: ⛰️✨ North Cascades & Seattle WA

The 5-hour drive to North Cascades went by quickly. I have been listening to a combination of music and audiobooks on my drives — after finishing Sapiens, I started on How to Change Your Mind, a fascinating chronicle by Michael Pollen about the history of psychedelics. I listened to it most of the way to my campsite, only stopping a couple times - to check out the Grant Coulee Dam and to grab some lunch (+ ice cream!) and ask for local hiking recommendations in the adorable and historically-preserved town of Winthrop, WA.

Due to nearby wildfires, the hiking options were limited for my visit to North Cascades. Fortunately the smoke was much clearer on the eastern side of the mountains, which was the main focus of my visit anyway: I wanted to see the Larches, upon many recommendations from local friends.

My reaction when they said “you have to go see the larches!” was originally, “what is a larch?!” — I soon learned that larches are a rare type of coniferous tree which turns bright yellow and then and loses its needles each autumn, more similar to a deciduous tree! I was so lucky to be arriving in the north cascades just in time for peak larch foliage. I’ve been amazed by my impeccable unplanned timing visiting many of these natural wonders.

I camped overnight at Lone Fir campground so I could get up early to complete Maple Pass, a stunning trail that offers panoramic views of the cascades for half of the hike. This is one of the most popular trails in the area, and I can understand why! WOW it was so beautiful. The moon was out all day against a crystal blue sky (despite the smoke in the distance), and the cascade mountains were breathtaking. The larches were so unusual looking and incredibly beautiful! I also made a new friend, Sylvia, from Seattle, and we shared much of the hike together.

After finishing Maple Pass around noon I decided to take advantage of the clear day and hike to Blue Lake nearby (the smoke could take over any moment and crush my hiking plans… and did the next day). It was another gorgeous hike - I sat at the top by the lake watching the pika pop in and out of the rocks.

After another night at Lone Fir, I drove straight to Seattle the next morning — due to the smoke, I cancelled my plans for the hikes I had hoped to complete on the western side of the park. 

Despite the hazy air, I had a lot of fun exploring Seattle. What a unique city! I’m not sure which I was more impressed by - the houses floating on the water, or the houses nestled along either side of steep uphill walking paths. I also got my first glimpses of the sheer size of the trees on the northern pacific coast.

Over the two days I was in Seattle I checked out the old boat museum and harbor area, hiked to the top of the water tower in volunteer park, visited the iconic Public Market (but didn’t stay long - the crowds were very overwhelming), and took a ferry over to West Seattle where I checked out Alki beach (its ok, but I’ve been spoiled by San Diego.)

And most importantly I got to reunite with an old and dear friend, Karla, who showed me around the adorable Ballard neighborhood for drinks and pizza! 

While Seattle turned out to be one of my favorite cities, I was eager to get up and going on Sunday morning — the national park I was most excited to visit other than Glacier was Olympic, and I was on my way there to spend 5 days there exploring the rainforest, mountains, and finally reuniting with the Pacific Ocean! 

[bigaladventures]

Days 33-41: 🚜 Spokane WA with the Funks

On Tuesday October 4, after a fun farewell brunch Kalispell, MT, with Tori and Chris and some fun thrift shopping in Kalispell with Tori, I made the 4.5 hour drive to Spokane WA to visit my dear friends from Boston, David and Roni Funk! 

I met David at my first job after college, working together at the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center. Shortly thereafter, he met Roni, and the rest is history! We’ve been friends for 12 years, literally weathered storms together (we were locked in for 3 days during a massive blizzard), spent family holidays together, and I consider them practically family. And thanks to the pandemic, I hadn’t seen them for 2 years!

I arrived at the end of the day in time to go with David to pick up their adorable son, Ryan, from school. David made a delicious taco dinner, and he and Roni shared their plans with me for the week! There were many!

On Wednesday, Roni and I went to a yoga class together, and then we had lunch (and a bottle of wine) with David at an adorable little wine and cheese shop in downtown Spokane.

Roni and David had gotten a babysitter so we could go out for dinner - we explored a great Chinese restaurant, Gordy's, which was mostly very delicious. But we also tried a Dan Dan noodle dish that we subsequently learned is cooked with Sichuan peppercorns… turns out these peppercorns cause you to experience a strangely numbing and cold sensation in your mouth! We all agreed while it was an adventure to try this, we probably would not be ordering that dish again. 

We also enjoyed THE BEST CHEESECAKE I'VE EVER HAD at a new tapas restaurant downtown, De Espana.

Thursday was a catch up day for me - after a month of travel I had some housekeeping to do. At the end of the day I joined David and Ryan for their Thursday ritual visiting a local brewery, Bellwether, to pick up their CSA and get a beer for David and a Kombucha for Ryan. I got an incredible sour beer called the Albion. Our trip to the brewery added some extra fun to cooking a delicious asian style meal once we got home, recipes I had picked out earlier that day and certainly plan to make again! 

Asian salmon Miso glazed eggplant (Sara and Aaron - you inspired me on this one!) Cucumber + radish salad

On Friday afternoon we returned to Bellwether to spend some time with Roni and David’s new Spokane friends, and then we headed to Roni’s family’s wheat farm and home, Rolinco Farms, in Harrington Washington for the weekend. 

I had been to the farm once before for David and Roni’s wedding, and was excited to return so I could spend time with Roni’s wonderful parents Ron and Linda, her sister Alicia who I had gotten to know well during our time in Boston, and Alicia’s new husband Matt! We were also celebrating both Roni and David's (6), and Alicia and Matt's (1) anniversaries.

We had a wonderful weekend enjoying the beauty and fun of the farm: we visited the baby chicks in the hen house (there are nearly 30 of them!), picked veggies from the garden, made homemade salsa and sauerkraut, and to-die-for eggplant parmesan with fresh eggplants straight from the garden. We also saw beautiful sunsets and got to spot Jupiter and the moon through Ron’s telescope! 

Before I knew it, the weekend was over and on Monday afternoon we were back in Spokane for a couple of days just me, Roni and Ryan (David had a business trip). Roni, Ryan and I had a delicious dinner at Baba, a Mediterranean style restaurant. It was one of the best meals of my trip! We ordered whipped feta with honey, warm olives, cauliflower, smoked & grilled chicken skewers, and curried cous cousin with carrots and raisins. 

On Tuesday Ryan ended up staying home from school with me, and we had a lot of fun playing with cars (we did that all week!), coloring, and listening to the Monster Mash (on repeat). 

Wednesday morning came around in a flash, and after a relaxing week with my friends it was time to hit the road again, this time en route to the North Cascades on my way to Seattle WA! 

[bigaladventures]

Days 29-32: Glacier National Park 🧊🐻😍

I’ve been trying to choose one word or phrase for each park I’ve visited on this journey.

Indiana Sand Dunes = Underdog

Rocky Mountain = Majestic

Grand Teton = Awesome

Yellowstone = Mesmerizing

My desire to visit Glacier National Park was one of the inspirations behind my itinerary. It is one of the older National Parks, and I had heard nothing but gushing reviews. And unfortunately, time is of the essence to visit: soon, there will be no glaciers in Glacier. 

So, did Glacier live up to the hype? No... 

…it was better. 

Glacier = Magnificent. 

In the end, Glacier made it to the top of my list as my favorite park that I’ve visited on the trip so far, and it’ll be hard to beat. There is no doubt in my mind that I will return, hopefully in time to see the Glaciers at least once more.

Day 29 - Friday, September 30 - Avalanche Lake and Going To The Sun Road

I got up early on Friday morning to do laundry (did you know that many hotels, at least Hiltons, have a guest laundry room? I didn’t but now I do!), and then I hit the road as soon as possible. The famous Going To The Sun Road in Glacier National Park was partially closing starting the following day, and I was determined to make it to the park in time to drive the whole thing.

The combined drives from Yellowstone to Helena to Glacier is one of the more beautiful drives I’ve had. Montana’s state and national forests feel soulful. I wrote down multiple lake-speckled forests along the way for return trips! 

I made it to West Entrance of Glacier by around 2:30pm, enough time for a short hike and to drive to the East side of the park where the Going To The Sun road was still open, many of the hikes I wanted to do were located, and where despite the lateness of the season, two campgrounds were still operational as primitive (this means there is no running water or amenities other than a pit toilet). 

My first hike in Glacier was to Avalanche Lake. The hike itself goes through some pretty old growth forest with streams with multicolored rocks (the rock colors turned out to be one of my favorite features of Glacier, more on that later). But Avalanche Lake itself is really why you do take this walk. Because it was an overcast day with little wind, the view was spectacular, and I ended up taking one of my favorite and more surreal photos of the trip there. I was disappointed to have missed only by 5 minutes seeing a grizzly bear on the other side of the lake, but I would have more 🐻 chances to come… 

On the hike back from Avalanche, I made another new friend, another nomad named Chris from Chicago. As it was getting late, we decided to team up for the rest of the Going To The Sun Road drive, and to find a campsite at Saint Mary’s campground. We got there just in time to snag one of the last available first-come-first-serve sites with plenty of room for both of our tents, made some dinner, and hunkered down for the night.  

Day 30 - Saturday, October 1 - Grinnell Glacier

Everyone, and I mean everyone, I have talked to who had visited Glacier told me “you have to do the Grinnell Glacier hike!” So I made sure the first big hiking day was reserved for what would turn out to be one of if not the single most beautiful day hike of my life! 

The Grinnell Glacier trail isn’t just about the destination - the entire journey offers up sweeping panoramic views of lakes, including the turquoise Grinnell Lake, waterfalls, and of course, the Grinnell Glacier itself. The cliffs are purplish magenta and stand out against green grasses, and at this time of year, lots of red and yellow foliage. About halfway up blue slate merges with the purple and pink to make for a rainbow geology. It was just - so - unbelievably - beautiful!  

To have the opportunity to sit by the Glacier at the top was a surreal experience. While it is clearly receding quickly, with chunks of ice floating in a lake that was once fully frozen, the remaining Glacier is still fairly large. And because of the little icebergs you can also touch this ancient ice! We ate lunch by the Glacier and spent about an hour or so basking in its glory. (And since you’re probably wondering, yes, some people did jump into the frigid lake. No, I wasn’t one of them).

This day also offered up an incredible amount of wildlife viewing opportunities! Between our drive into the Many Glacier area of the park and the hike itself, Chris and I, along with our new friend Tori from Ithaca, who we met shortly into the hike, were lucky to see:

Three black bears (mom, two cubs)

Three grizzly bears (mom, two cubs)

A mother cow moose with her calf

Six big horned sheep

Two mountain goats

And countless wooly caterpillars

Chris had a real camera with longer range lenses, so I left it to him to photograph the animals. Still waiting to see his pictures so stay tuned for those (Chris, I’m counting on you!).

After about 12 miles of continual awe, and with tired feet, our now-trio made our way back to the campground to cook up a feast of what we coined “burracos” - burritos that were stuffed so full that you have to eat them more like a taco because you can’t fold them up all the way. I had bought the ingredients for burritos in Kansas City but realized shortly into the trip that if I cooked them just for myself I would be making enough food to eat for a week… and leftovers while camping, they’re just not good. It was nice to have a small group of friends to share a meal with! 

Day 31 - Sunday, October 2 - Three Waterfalls

On Sunday morning I made a leisurely breakfast and hung out at camp for a while before Tori, Chris and I headed back up the Going To The Sun Road for an easier hike to 3 waterfalls: Baring Falls, Virginia Falls, and St Mary Falls. This hike has a very high reward to effort ratio - it’s a short hike and the waterfalls are spectacular. The forested area surrounding the hike had a big fire in 2015, but after some getting used to it we remarked on the alternative kind of beauty that the landscape presented: rebirth, new life, new growth.

We spent a lot of time simply being present at each fall, photographing and admiring the views.

By the time we made it back towards the parking lot it was already sunset… and what a spectacular sunset it was! After the prior few days of more cloud cover, the sky began to open up, but with just enough remaining clouds to create bright fiery colors followed by cotton candy-looking skies as the sun tucked behind the mountains. 

 Day 32 - Monday, October 3 - Iceberg Lake

On Monday morning I packed up camp, said goodbye to Chris, and Tori and I headed back into the Many Glacier area to embark on a trek to another glacial lake, Iceberg Lake. In the earlier months of spring and summer there will be actual icebergs floating in the lake, a similar crystal blue color to the other glacial lakes I had visited (Am I getting to used to this beauty? Will normal lakes be boring to me now?). 

Iceberg Lake is about 10 miles round trip, and while the views along the way are less grandiose than those on the Grinnell Glacier hike, it’s still worth the effort! The view on the shore of the lake at the top is beautiful. In warmer weather, I might have been more brave to jump in… Tori and I brought our bathing suits, and even changed into them, but I got as far as piercing pins and needles in my feet and ankles before I chickened out.  Tori was braver than me, though, and she went all the way in! And inspired another hiker to do so in the process. 

We got down from Iceberg Lake with barely enough time to drive to a hotel near Kalispell Montana for a night’s rest — I wanted to be energized for my next day’s long drive to Spokane WA to visit mv friends, David, Roni and Ryan Funk! 

[bigaladventures]

Days 26-28: Yellowstone National Park 🦬💛

Day 26 - Tuesday, September 27 - Old Faithful, Grand Prismatic Spring, Fairy Falls, and Imperial Geyser

I was up and out of Lewis Lake campground soon after sun up. And yes, it’s cliche, but I headed straight out through a patch of fog to Old Faithful. 

I mean, come on! How could I not? This is a naturally occurring fountain that reliably shoots 3,700-8,400 gallons of water 100-180 feet into the air roughly 20 times per day. After reading all about the phenomenon at the visitor center, I sat for 30 minutes waiting for it to happen (lucky for you I cropped the video!)

Plus, Old Faithful isn’t just the one geyser, it is an entire basin. There are actually over 150 geothermal features within 1 square mile, and I spent the next hour or so exploring many of them. From afar I could see a structure shaped like a castle, and sure enough, it was named the Castle Geyser!

But one of the most visually interesting things to me about the volcanic features is how the various microorganisms turn the ground around them brilliant colors, depending on the temperature of the water. I saw pools in acid green, deep navy, and perfect teal, and streams of rust orange and gold.

Of course, the greatest most colorful pool of all, of course, is the Grand Prismatic Spring. Located about 10 minutes up the road and a short hike away from old faithful basin, the Grand Prismatic is the third largest hot spring in the world, measuring 370 feet in diameter and deeper than a 10-story building. It is both beautiful and brilliant: bright blue, orange, yellow, and red, it looks like a kaleidoscope brought to life, and has also contributed to major scientific developments including the sequencing of the human genome! It’s the coolest thing ever, but also extremely hot, at ~160 degrees F. Look, but don’t touch!

I hiked up to see the Grand Prismatic viewpoint on my way to Fairy Falls and the Imperial Geyser, an ~7 mi walk. As I entered the trail, I was treated to a quintessential Yellowstone moment: a lone male bison hanging out by a vibrantly colored hot spring. It was the first Bison that I got to see relatively up close and I was giddy with excitement! I hung out with him for a while, and then started the trail as I wanted to make sure I finished in before sunset.

I won’t lie, the trail itself was pretty flat and boring after having been hiking in Grand Teton for 3 days, but the destination was worth it! About a mile past fairy falls sits the Imperial Geyser, a lonesome and active tu pool complete with paint pots and without the crowds of the geyser basins closer to the road. I stayed and watched Imperial erupt for about 20 minutes, and then headed back past an impressive hot spring stream and to my car.

Driving to Madison campground during golden hour, I passed a herd of bison grazing in a vast yellow field — this was what I expected Yellowstone to look like.

Day 27 - Wednesday, September 28 - Norris Geyser Basin, Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, Hayden Valley

It was very cold when I woke up the next morning, and it was the first time in nearly a month that I was even close to a sour mood — I could not after 45 minutes of trying get my camp fire going! Eventually I gave up and sat in my car to warm up for a while while I prepped for a new day’s adventures.

Feeling a bit fatigued from the prior days excitements and a shivery morning, I kept things pretty leisurely. I stopped by the Norris Geyser Basin, the “hottest and oldest of Yellowstone’s thermal areas” according to the National Park Service.  Most of the area is highly acidic running boiling point temperatures at the ground’s surface. The hottest temperature ever recorded there was 459 degrees F! And that was just ~1,000 feet below ground surface! There are bright green streams and literally a feature there called “Crackling Lake” which is aptly named as it sounds like a bowl of Rice Krispies held up to a megaphone. 

Next I drove to the canyon area of the park, and bumped into Katie and Karen, a pair of friends I had met at one of the geysers I stopped at earlier in the day and whom I kept running into at every stop that morning! We joked that since we seemed to be following each other, we might as well eat lunch together. So we did! Such interesting and kind people who knew each other from years of living in Juno, Alaska. One more place on my bucket list to visit! 

After lunch it was off to Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, which, like much of this park, surprised me by being more spectacular than I had expected. I got there at a great time of day to witness beautiful light and shadow play with the sun lower in the sky.

I also went through a roller coaster of an experience with my favorite water bottle, which I have been decorating with stickers from my adventures, when it fell into one of the waterfalls as I knelt down for a photograph! Despite my pleas to just leave it, a random witness actually climbed over the barrier and down the rocky slope to fetch it for me (I couldn’t even watch! But he did it! And I have left this special water bottle in more safe and secure places from then on.)

A few miles from the Canyon lies Hayden Valley, known as the best spot in Yellowstone for wildlife spotting.

This was my last stop of the day, and it didn’t disappoint. A herd of Bison, while far off in the distance, was wandering across and grazing in the meadow. I didn’t get to take any photos because of how far away I was, but a kind person let me borrow their binoculars (I have since acquired some of my own), through which I was able to spy what they call a “little brown dog” a.k.a a very young bison calf! Baby bisons are brown a reddish brown color because this means predators have a much harder time seeing them. They are also well protected by the herd: while adult Bison bulls like the one I had met earlier in the day often travel alone or in small groups, Cows team up into large herds and together protect the calves. 

Watching the Bison kept me entertained for about an hour, but eventually it was nearing sunset and time to head back towards camp. My heart full of reverence for the beauty of nature, I witnessed a beautiful sunset to close the day, a lone Bison bull, and a gently steaming hot spring below the horizon.

Day 28 - Thursday, September 29 - Mammoth Hot Springs, Drive to Helena Montana

As much as I was enjoying my time in Yellowstone, waking up after my 6th night camping and entering my 7th day in the wilderness I was looking forward to a night in civilization — primarily to the shower — at the Doubletree in Helena Montana. But first, I had one more site on my list of “must see” in Yellowstone: Mammoth Hot Springs. 

Originally I had planned to visit Mammoth on my way out of the park, but due to the flooding in Yellowstone earlier in the season the north entrance to the park is closed. Still, I felt it would be worth it to drive an extra ~75 minutes to visit this feature: it seemed otherworldly from the brochure photos and exhibits in the visitor centers, and I wanted to see it with my own eyes. 

I was right! Wow. Mammoth was really spectacular. The only way I can describe what it looks like is a hand moulded clay mountain merged with coral reefs, then hand painted. It was formed over many years of hot springs depositing layered sediments. It was a cloudy and slightly drizzly morning which added an additional layer of visual intrigue for photography. I also experimented with some close up photos, which I hope to use as inspiration for a watercolor series when I am somewhere more stationary. 

As the rain started to fall a bit more heavily, I headed out of Yellowstone towards Helena. Upon my arrival, a hot shower was waiting.

[bigaladventures]

Days 23-25: Grand Teton National Park ⛰️💕

Day 23 - Saturday, September 24 - Bradley & Taggart Lakes Hike, camping at Jenny Lake

I woke up with the sun on Saturday filled with anticipation for my first day in Grand Teton National Park. After the prior afternoon admiring the striking mountains from afar, I was eager for a closer look, and to learn more about the geology and the history of the area.

My first stop was at one of the park’s primary visitor centers, where I was able to get much of the information I was looking for. 

I learned that the Teton Range is the youngest mountain range in the Rocky Mountains, formed by many earthquakes along the Teton fault and a combination of volcanic activity, oceanic reefs and receding tides, and glacial movement. The evidence of people populating the area dates back ~11,000 years to the recession of glaciers at the end of the ice age.

When Europeans arrived the tribes included Shoshone, Bannock. Blackfoot, Crow, Flathead, Gros Ventre, and Nez Perce. In addition to being an important source of food and materials, the mountains were of great spiritual significance to the American Indians, who the US government pushed off of their traditional lands. Another reminder of the painful history that put me in a position enjoy this majestic place.

I also spoke with a very nice park ranger who helped me plan my hikes and also practice using my bear spray (with an empty can of course!). Grand Teton, Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks are home to grizzlies as well as black bears. (By the way, if you don’t already carry bear spray in bear country I highly encourage you to do so! Not only will it help you feel more adventurous and secure going deeper into nature, but it also is 90% effective at deterring an attack and can save your life and the life of the bear.)

After the visitor center (which had a beautiful view behind it, pictured above)I headed out for my first hike, a 6 mile loop around Bradley and Taggart Lakes. Wind was minimal on the lakes and the lighting was just right create a glassy surface for perfect reflections.

Upon the completion of my hike, I headed further north towards Jenny Lake, where I had reserved a campsite on the last night this very popular campground was open for the season. Many of the national parks book up far in advance for the more peak seasons, so I had to be diligent about checking for cancellations - and fortunately luck was on my side. My campsite was pretty private given its great proximity to the bathrooms and its amazing location within a quick 3 minute walk to a peaceful lakeshore spot.

After setting up camp, I headed down to the rocky lakeshore to practice yoga and meditate on a fairly flat rock. I found so much inner peace stretching, sitting, and breathing to the sound of the crystal blue lake lapping the rocks beneath a setting sun. Even after having spent many more weeks on the road, this moment on Jenny Lake ranks as one of the main highlights of my trip to date. (Play the video below with sound on for the full effect!)

Knowing that I would need to pack up my campsite before departing for a very big hike the following day, I made dinner and turned in early to get a good night’s rest. I also set up a new set of LED string lights that made my campsite feel so much more homey (and easier to find in the dark!).

Day 24 - Sunday, September 25 - Hiking to Lake Solitude, camping at Signal Mountain

I woke up just in time to scurry over to my meditation spot on Jenny Lake and witness the spectacular pink colored mountains as the sun rose.

It was hard to say goodbye to my special spot, but I had a big day ahead, so I packed up my campsite and waited in line for the first shuttle boat across Jenny Lake (there was a rainbow in the wake!) to start my journey into Cascade Canyon, a 10 mi hike, with the option to add an additional 6 miles to glacial Lake Solitude. 

Fairly early on in the hike, as I turned a corner near entering the canyon, I heard a rustling in the bushes. My heart beating more quickly, I stopped in my tracks, and then heard what I thought for sure would be the first bear I met in the park, say “I’m not a bear!” - I replied, now laughing, “or you’re a lying talking bear!”

It turned out that this not-a-bear was a human from Nebraska named Andrew, who became my hiking buddy for the day and my inspiration to trek all the way to Lake Solitude! 

I am so glad that Andrew and I met for so many reasons — we were both nomadic adventurers who share similar passions for personal growth, spiritual exploration, human connection and nature (Andrew, if you are reading this, you are so awesome!).

And if we hadn’t met, I almost certainly wouldn’t have had the motivation to complete the trek to Solitude, a route that turned out to deliver absolutely breathtaking views along the way and a destination well worth the effort. I only wish we had had more time at the lake, as it was such an incredibly beautiful spot to rest and meditate, and it was warm enough outside to swim (unfortunately I didn’t come prepared for that!).

It was very helpful to have a friend who enjoyed deep conversation to share this hike with, as it was surely challenging and very long - I clocked 16+ miles in the end (and Andrew gets extra credit because he didn’t take the boat shuttle in the morning so he did the full 19 miles!). After meeting a very cute Pika on the way down (finally! I saw one! and boy was it cute!), we made it back to the parking lot and said goodbye as the sun set and light was fading. 

This would be my first evening setting up camp in the dark! Fortunately I have multiple lights (an inflatable solar powered lamp, very handy, as well as a headlamp, my string lights, and a fan that doubles as a light as well) and setting up / taking down camp had become second nature to me at that point, so it was an easy process. Needless to say after 16 miles of hiking, I was very ready for a good night’s sleep! 

Day 25 - Monday, September 26 - Easy exploring in Grand Teton, arriving in Yellowstone and visiting West Thumb Geyser Basin

After the huge hike to Lake Solitude I was ready for a more restful day. In the morning I made coffee and breakfast and watched the sun rise over Jackson Lake by my campground. It was another dazzling vista, with the intrigue of cloud cover coming and going over the course of the hour or so I was sitting there. 

But it was also a view colored by the realities of a warming world and the drought-stricken west: Jackson Lake is a reservoir feeding irrigation for neighboring agricultural region in Idaho, and while it’s normal for water levels to lower over the course of the summer, the past few years of extremely dry weather have led to significant draining of the lake. 

By mid morning I was ready to pack up camp and continue exploring the more northern parts of Grand Teton while I made my way towards the border of neighboring Yellowstone. I found many peaceful spots to sit and explore new perspectives — the banks of the snake river at Oxbow Bend, and the meadows of Willow Flats were two particular highlights of the day. At Oxbow Bend I saw two bald eagles, and in the Willow Flats I tried shifting my perspective by laying on the ground to take a plants-eye-view of the Tetons! 

Upon entering Yellowstone, I stopped by my campground at Lewis Lake to set up and get some recommendations from the campground ranger. Turned out that I had enough remaining daylight to check out West Thumb, my first geyser basin.

I arrived just as the sun was setting, and my breath was truly taken away. I really had no idea what to expect from Yellowstone, which I subsequently learned much more about. Yellowstone is a Caldera, a concave plateau located atop a super volcano capable of massive eruptions, one of a small number globally. The only volcanic site I had ever seen was a mudpot area in Lassen Volcanic National Park, which is a mini representation of what you’ll find in the mesmerizing Yellowstone. 

The glow of the setting sun made my time in West Thumb truly magical. I took my time meandering along the wooden boardwalk from fountaining geysers, to colorful hot springs, to steaming fumaroles, to bubbling paint pots. 

I left West Thumb bubbling like a geyser with excitement to wake up early the next morning and explore more of Yellowstone, the first national park, home of thousands of bison, bears, wolves and many other animals and plants, a truly unique national treasure 🥹 ♨️ 🦬 💕

[bigaladventures]

Days 19-22: Boulder CO to Jackson WY ⛰️⛰️⛰️⛰️⛰️

And so begins a series of overdue posts!

Days 19-21 - September 20-22, Boulder CO

After Rocky Mountain National Park, I spent 2 nights with my friend Sarah Jane and her adorable son Hendrix in Boulder, CO. In addition to getting to spend quality time with a dear friend, was nice to sleep inside after 4 nights of camping, and to cook in a real kitchen! 

Before heading out of Boulder I also had the opportunity to grab a coffee with my cousin Max who I discovered via Instagram had recently moved there! It was great to reconnect, and to discover that I have family in yet ANOTHER amazing part of this country!

Day 21 - September 22, drive to Lander WY

On day 21, I hit the road towards Grand Teton National Park, with a layover stop in a small town called Lander, Wyoming, which was a trading post along the original Oregon trail. 

Wyoming was the most dispersed state I had yet to drive through — even more than Kansas, because much of the land isn’t even developed as farmland, it is just mustard colored wide open space / grazing land for cattle dotted by painted rocks, brush, and cabins. It felt like the wild west! There were very few other cars were on the road, and it was a windy day (40 mph gusts) which made the drive a bit spooky. I practically expected a hay ball to roll by. 

I arrived in Lander just before sundown, which I was grateful for as I had just enough time to check into my very Schitts Creek style motel and get settled. One of the challenges of traveling alone as a woman is that I have to be extra careful about my safety, and I didn’t feel totally comfortable being out and about in this unknown place after dark without enough time to get familiar with my surroundings. So I tucked into my room early and waited till morning to explore.

Day 22 - September 23, drive to Jackson WY

When the sun was up, I made my way into town and popped into an adorable coffee shop called Rise — it was a mix of boho and ranch style chic and served up a delicious mini breakfast burrito and latte! Then I spent some time browsing in a local artists collective, and finally hit the road for Jackson mid morning. 

The drive to Grand Teton National Park builds anticipation as the flat expanse gives way to sudden rock formations jutting up from the landscape. After I entered Bridger Teton National Forest, I turned a corner finally got my first glimpse of the Tetons.

The Tetons are spectacularly lined up like a they are participating in a choreographed dance, each pointed peak emerging from the one next to it. From a distance they appear bluish purple, but as you get closer the colors change with the time of day. I visited a number of view points and also stopped in the town of Jackson to do a big grocery shopping before settling in at my first campground, Gros Ventre, which sits along the snake river near the southern entrance to the park. It was a beautiful campground with wildlife and great proximity to a number of sites.

By this time I really felt like I had started to master my camp set up game! Popping up the tent was quick and easy, and I had all of the items I needed in just the right spots to avoid multiple trips to the car. After a bit of star gazing at the campfire (and experimenting with some night photography!), I turned in early ready to get up and enter the park come daybreak. 

[bigaladventures]

Next time on bigaladventures…

I’ve received some reader feedback that you are all anxiously awaiting the next episode drop! So here’s a little preview 😋

I’ll be sharing about Grand Teton, Yellowstone, and Glacier National Parks this week! Stay tuned!!!

[bigaladventures]

Days 14-18: Rocky Mountain National Park, CO

There are no words or even photos that can do justice to Rocky Mountain National Park. But, I'll try my best. For you.

Friday, September 16 - Arriving at RMNP and Timber Creek Camp

Given campground availability and my plans to spend time in Boulder after my visit to RMNP, I decided to start on the west side of the park and make my way eastward over the course of my time in the park.

I spent most of Friday driving to the park (about 2 hours), visiting the Kawuneeche Visitor Center (another hour or so - it was raining so I wanted to see if it would dry up a bit, get my collectible sticker, patch, and passport stamps, and gather some hiking tips from the rangers!). I then wrapped up the day settling in for my first night at Timber Creek Campground.

The rain let up for long enough to get a fire going, enjoy the stars, and go to sleep. It then proceeded to pour most of the night! My tent held up great - I was totally dry and warm inside.

Saturday, September 17 - Hiking Little Yellowstone & Lulu City

Hit the trail after my favorite breakfast of yogurt, blueberries and granola (the Yeti 45 Cooler is truly amazing and worked as an effective refrigerator for 5+ days)!

On the agenda: Little Yellowstone and Lulu City. This ~7-8mi hike took me along the source of the Colorado River with a combination of rich emerald colored forests and lush golden meadows under a crystal blue sky painted with cotton ball white clouds - the color contrasts were eye popping and made for great photo ops. I also visited the site of a small 200-person settlement from the 1800s, (Lulu city). And along the way, I even made some animal friends, a deer, a moose, and a lil marmot!

I'll let the photos to the rest of the talking:

Sunday, September 18 - Trail Ridge Road & Alpine Tundra

I woke up at dawn to pack up and drive east on Trail Ridge Road across the Continental Divide my next home base at Moraine Park Campground!

The elevations on Trail Ridge Road get so high that you are in what is called the Alpine Tundra, a landscape with such harsh conditions that trees cannot live there.

On a stop at the Alpine Visitor Center (the highest National Park Service facility!) I learned all about the ecosystem and animals of the Alpine Tundra including Elk, Big Horn Sheep, Marmot, Pika (in danger danger due to climate change and their conditioning to very cold climate), Coyote, Weasels, Ptarmigan and many plants!

I hiked the Rock Communities Trail to try to spot some Pika, and unfortunately I didn't see any but I did get to see some pretty cool mushroom rocks and stunning views!

The drive down towards Estes Park was equally stunning with views of the forested lower peaks and absinthe-green valleys

Finally I made it to my campsite! It was my favorite campsite of the trip so far, spacious and set back from the road in a glen with perfect trees to set up my hammock.

Monday, September 19 - Four (Five, Six) Lakes Hike

I got up at dawn again to start my hiking day early - I was determined to hike most of the Bear Lake area of RMNP via the Four Lake Loop (but I added in a few extra lakes!)

I watched the sunrise over bear lake, and then found a perfect spot to make breakfast and coffee on my way to Dream and Emerald lakes.

The colors of the various glacial lakes on this hike were beautiful variations of turquoise and teal. Dream Lake (pictured above) was more of a greenish color similar to Emerald Lake just a bit more of a climb past it. I got to see a beautiful small waterfall on my way up to Emerald.

My favorite lake by far on this hike was Lake Haiyaha, which was a light mint turquoise color due to a recent rockslide releasing many glacial minerals into the lake!

On the way down from Lake Haiyaha towards the Loch I made some new friends, Suzy, Beth and Wyatt from Georgia! We hiked most of the afternoon together trading adventure stories. Because I was with them I continued on towards Sky Pond where they were headed (a bit further of a hike than I had planned for myself) and got to see some incredible vistas from a higher elevation!

Finally the sun was making its way down in the sky so I decided to head back down towards camp. The cottonwoods were changing color in this more arid part of the landscape, and the yellow contrast against the dark green and bright blue sky (seriously the most blue sky I've ever seen) was absolutely gorgeous.

On the drive back to my campsite, I saw a lot of people gathered by a meadow, and realized that there must be elk to view there! I was too tired to check it out, but decided I'd do so in the morning. Exhausted, I collapsed in my tent after making a quick dinner and was asleep by 9pm!

Tuesday, September 20 - The Elk Rut, Sprague Lake & Heading to Boulder

Again I got up at dawn, this time to go visit some Elk friends! I didn't know prior to my visit, but I got so lucky that the Elk Rut was just beginning upon my arrival in RMNP.

What is the Elk Rut? It's an incredible annual mating ritual for elk where males (bulls) compete to build harems of females (cows) by sparring and making haunting bugling sounds!

A large herd had settled into the meadow just by my campground, so I was able to walk over as the sunrise was turning the mountains into a bright pink backdrop. There were dozens of professional and amateur nature photographers out already.

I even got to witness some sparring! I tried to upload the video here but for some reason it wasn't working.

After I watched the Elk for an hour or so, I headed back to pack up my camp. I stopped by Sprague Lake to make lunch and got to see some trout swimming up stream (Natalie, if you're reading this I thought of you the whole time!)

Unfortunately it was then finally time for me to head out of the park. I made one more visitor center stop at Fall River on my way out. And I even got to say hello to another herd of elk just hanging outside a Safeway Supermarket in the town of Estes!

My day ended with an arrival that evening in Boulder to visit with my good friend Sarah Jane and her adorable son Hendrix for a couple of days.

I'll share more in a post next week about my stay in Boulder, and my journey to Wyoming to explore Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks!

[bigaladventures]

Days 11-13: Kansas City MO ➡️ Wilson KS ➡️ Denver CO

Tuesday, September 13, 2022 

Another city, another state, more surprises! Kansas City, like St Louis, was rich in local history and culture. While most of my stay was dedicated to preparing for my upcoming journey into the wilderness, I did have the opportunity to take a tour of some local sites and neighborhoods with a well regarded historian: my cousin Drew of course (seriously he is a history professor at University of Missouri Kansas City, how lucky can I get?). 

After I finished my errands (stocking up on food and also getting some warmer gear - forecast was for it to be pretty cold at night when I got to the parks of the Rocky Mountains), Drew took me to the World War I monument and museum. It was too late in the day to go inside the museum, but I got the full history from Drew, not only of the monument, but of Kansas City more broadly. 

I learned so much! Here’s a lightning round:

The KCMO WWI monument was the largest WWI monument built in the post WWI era

Many WWI memorials were converted to WWI + WWII monuments after WWII, because many cities didn’t have much funding to build secondary memorials

KCMO’s WWI monument remains the only dedicated WWI monument because the city had no funding to expand it to WWI+WWII

As you may have already noticed, the monument itself looks very phallic, and as such the gay male community decided to make it their local pickup spot

The entrance to the WWI museum is designed to resemble a WWI trench

KCMO has more theaters per capita than any other US city

KCMO was a big mafia town in the 20s, and prohibition was very loosely enforced there. People used to come to drink and party! 

KCMO has one of the worst histories of redlining, and is still a heavily racially divided city

After the tour, we returned home to enjoy dinner with JJ - she made her famous macaroni and cheese. This was a better local delicacy than the prior day’s BBQ. In fact, it smelled and looked so good that I forgot to take a picture! 

I spent the evening packing and getting ready to start the journey to Denver on Wednesday.

Wednesday, September 14, 2022 

In the morning, I woke up early to say goodbye to JJ and practice Yoga / Tai Chi with Drew on the beautiful backyard platform that he had built this past year. He helped me pack up the car again, this time full of food and water! I was finally prepared to launch a weeks worth of camping! 

The drive across Kansas really surprised me. I expected Kansas to look similar to Michigan and Illinois, but the landscape is different. It’s drier and actually hillier. And there are spots where the original prairie ecosystem is preserved, due to the rocky topography making it difficult to farm. 

I learned this because during the drive, I saw a sign for “National Tall Grass Prairie Conservation Site” - so I spontaneously turned off at the exit and went to find the scenic view. 

It blew me away, and not just because there was a pretty gusty breeze. Again and again on this trip the places I least expected have brought me some of the most enrichment. I thought Kansas was going to be a big flat bunch of nothing sitting between me and the Rocky Mountains. Little did I know, I actually have found the prairie lands to be the some of most beautiful nature I have seen on this trip! 

After my prairie land pit stop, I hopped back in the car and drove straight to my campsite to make sure I had time to set up my car camper and make dinner before sunset. 

The location: Ad Astra Missile Silo Adventure Park in Wilson Kansas. 

Never heard of it? Neither had I, but I found it looking on camping apps for somewhere to stay on the way from Denver from Kansas City.  It’s really amazing how technology has changed the camping experience - you can find campsites and read reviews on multiple apps like The Dyrt, Campspot, and even Google. I love how much safer it feels (and is) with these services available - I honestly don’t know if I would have done this trip the way I am if I didn’t have these resources! 

Ad Astra was extremely highly rated by other travelers . And as the name suggests it is located on an abandoned Missile Silo, and it is also in the middle of a wind farm. Yep, I slept outside in a beautiful prairie the middle of a wind farm, to the sound of crickets and cicadas. It was basically a dream I never knew I had come true. 

The campsite was secluded, but close enough to other people that I felt both safe and like I could get some peace and quiet. I arrived at about an hour and a half before sunset, which gave me just enough time to unpack my things, set up camp, and cook  my first solo-prepped outdoor meal: pizza! Yes, you can make pizza a few different ways in the wild (in a frying pan or in a tin foil oven).

My car camping setup worked out fantastic for this first night out. I had spent a lot of time researching and planning, and I only made one (moderately sized) mistake with my gear setup, which was that I bought camp cookware that is incompatible (too big) with my JetBoil stove. At some point I’ll do an entire entry about my gear favorites, must haves and should have left homes, but today is not that day 😆.

As you all saw from my little teaser preview post last week, the sunset was absolutely stunning in Kansas - the best one I’ve seen on the trip so far (and I finished this entry after having spent 4 days in Rocky Mountain National Park). It reminded me of a west coast sunset in the way that the horizon just stretches on for miles and miles and you can practically see the curve of the earth. When the sky is so big all around you it makes you feel small in the best way possible: it’s a reminder of our simultaneous insignificance and impact on this precious planet. 

I got a decent nights sleep except that I woke up in the middle of the night because the moon was so bright that I thought it was morning! When morning really did come there was a gorgeous pink sunrise. 

Thursday, September 15, 2022 

Before heading out from Ad Astra, I took the tour of the missile silo offered by Matthew, the owner and manager of the property. What a fascinating experience! I didn’t know that nuclear warfare technology had been evolving so quickly during the 1960s that the federal government built these many-multi-million-dollar silos, only to abandon them within a 5-year timeframe of construction. 

If you watched Lost, you might remember the bunker the characters discover — the silo reminded me so much of that. It went down 9+ stories underground and had the biggest HVAC system I’ve ever seen (very exciting to me given my professional background). The walls were made of 9ft thick concrete! 

Matthew has a huge dream for converting the missile silo: In addition to operating a campsite and RV park on the grounds, he plans to create event spaces, a wellness center, and if he can raise the money, develop the silo into a sort of space travel preparedness camp / space museum. He is also using the property to showcase sustainable technologies, like the anaerobic digestion toilet that powers a cookstove! 

All in all, A+ for Ad Astra! 

After the tour, I drove about 6.5 hours to Denver. The weather had forecast T-storms, and boy were they right. I ended up having to pull off the highway to a gas station to let the torrential downpours pass. And as a result, I also got to witness a beautiful rainbow! 

Driving towards Denver, the Rocky Mountains literally feel like they just pop out of nowhere. First, they look like a faint outline, and then all of a sudden, they are there, bursting out of the flat plain towards the heavens.

Finally, I collapsed exhausted into bed at the Fairfield Inn in Lakewood, CO. I needed to get a great nights sleep for my first big camping weekend in Rocky Mountain National Park! 

[bigaladventures]

A little Kansas preview...

The home of toto is 🔥

I will post a much longer post that I have been working on for a couple of days as soon as I finish it... for now, here's a picture to sum it up.

Heading into Rocky Mountain National Park now! Two very long posts coming up soon!

[bigaladventures]

Day 10 - St Louis MO ➡️ Kansas City MO, 🧭📍 and how I got here.

Monday, September 12, 2022

So flat. So corntastic 🌽

Such was my drive from Chicago to St Louis, and again from St Louis to Kansas City. There were a few more hills, though!

I said goodbye to Jacob after he officially placed the Arch sticker on my Thule memory wall. Then I drove about 3.5 hours and was greeted by cousin Drew (moms side, second cousin - his grandma and my grandpa were siblings. Yes, you may have now noticed, I have tons of cousins!).

Upon arriving in KCMO, Drew immediately whisked me off to pick up some famous Kansas City BBQ for lunch, so the food tour of America continued! It is safe to say this was the best BBQ I ever tasted.

After so many days of nonstop action, it was really nice to spend the afternoon relaxing and catching up with Drew and his awesome wife JJ.

Something I’ve learned already on this journey is that it can’t be go-go-go all the time: travel like this is actually hard work in both planning and execution, and it’s important to take breaks! This stop is going to be a very helpful housekeeping opportunity for me to get last minute gear, service the car, and plan for the next few weeks.

My journey so far:

So it’s official: I am halfway across the country folks, but my trip is only beginning. Cousin Drew commented how Kansas City is really the first city on your way west that feels like you've made it to the west, and I agree.

It's appropriate then that I am about to enter a new phase of the journey now, which is mostly about exploring the natural wonders of the American West!

How did I get here?

I didn't just drive to Kansas City from St Louis. I have been making my way to this moment for 15 years. In the spirit of this moment of embarking on the next phase of the journey, I've been reflecting on how I got to this point.

It all started when I was 18.

Seriously, it did, maybe earlier (I just found a journal I had written when I was a sophomore in high school where I explicitly wrote that I love traveling and I want to visit all of the states by the time I am 30 - a little late but I'm close!). What really triggered my travel bug was when I opted (upon the very progressive encouragement of my awesome parents!) to take a gap year in Israel instead of going straight to college. This was one of the best decisions I ever made. That year I forged lifelong friendships (hi Sara!) and discovered my true love of the great outdoors. At the end of it, I wasn’t ready to stop traveling. I vowed I would take time off after graduating from college to travel again...

Some photos from my gap year in Israel!

My second gap year remained an unrealized dream.

I asked for Rosetta Stone Spanish for a college graduation gift. I started saving. I picked deadlines, but I never followed through on them. My career had taken off like a high speed train and it never felt like the right stop to get off.

I am not complaining at all. I am so unbelievably grateful to have had a wonderful life full of incredible experiences since I returned from Israel 15 years ago. I got an excellent college education, I built a career working on solving a problem I am most passionate about (climate change), and especially since 2016 I was able to make travel a bigger priority in my life. I even launched a nomadic lifestyle last year thanks to my COVID-induced remote work setup.

Some photos from my adventures

Finally this year I was ready to take the leap!

In my heart I could feel that the back half of 2022 was finally time for me to step off the high speed train at the next stop. Sealed, the startup I had helped build for the past 7 years, is in a great position with a great team. I could move on knowing the company was set up for success, and with confidence that with all of the experience I've gained there will be great new opportunities awaiting when I am ready to jump back into working again.

I set a goal to visit all of the US National Parks after I completed a life-changing trek of the Grand Canyon from Rim-to-Rim in 2017. Last year my visit to Yosemite with my cousin Natalie touched my soul so deeply that I decided to gave up my apartment and work towards my parks goal. And then, earlier this year I lived in Encinitas, CA, north of San Diego for 6 weeks, fell in love with surfing, and started planning this trip as my meandering cross-country return journey, visiting as many national parks as I can and people I love along the way.

So now here we are in Kansas City.

Over the course of the next two months (maybe more) I'll be realizing dreams that I've been building for the last 15 years, and experiencing some of the most breathtaking beauty that this delicate planet has to offer. It's hard to express in words how full of gratitude I feel, and how much joy is bursting from my heart. I am keeping this blog so I can share that with all of you: I hope you can all feel it in my energy and my words.

I'm going to take a break from updates while I get ready to go tomorrow. Stay tuned for an update in a few days from Colorado!

[bigaladventures]

Day 9 - St Louis Surprises ⚜️❤️

Sunday, September 11, 2022

When I started this journey, in my mind it was all about seeing people I love and the country's most beautiful natural places. I wasn't as motivated to explore cities, but I have found myself really loving the experiences of get to know each of the cities I have visited through their history, culture, and of course, food. It helps to have incredible friends and family in each place I've gone so far to act as tour guides extraordinare!

Jacob (first cousin on my Dad's side) and his lovely new wife Farin, both natives of St Louis, really showed me what this city is all about with their hospitality and knowledge!

First stop: Kaldi's Coffee House, a St Louis institution. I stocked up on coffee grinds there for the next phase of my journey because it was SO GOOD.

Next stop: Gateway Arch National Park including the historic St Louis Courthouse.

I had no idea about the truly fabulous museum located at the Arch, which was also recently redone. It was an incredibly positive surprise: I learned so much about the history of St Louis, and re-learned much about the history of the United States. It is really important to me as I travel west, to reflect on the people who traveled this path before me, and to learn about the history and culture of native peoples of the area.

I won't get too much in to the details, because I really think you should visit for yourself, but here's a synopsis of some of what I absorbed.

Due to its location at the intersection of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers, St Louis served as a booming center of trade during the period of water trade and travel (pre railroads), primarily for furs and foodstuffs.

St Louis also famously served as the hub for westward travelers during the periods of cross-continental exploration and manifest destiny. While initially many of the native tribes were welcoming to settlers with whom they sold hunting products, traded with, and provided services as guides, ultimately this process of westward settlement took the lives of millions of native people, destroyed millennia of indigenous culture, and decimated local ecosystems.

St Louis was also at the center of national fight over slavery, and a home of rich Black history and culture - the St Louis Courthouse was the site of the Dred and Harriet Scott trial, which inflamed the national debate over abolition and further sparked the US civil war.

During the age of industrialization, and the simultaneous slowdown of westward expansion, St Louis, which had built its metropolis and economy around a bustling riverfront port, was significantly impacted by the rapid development of the transcontinental railroad systems. Commerce shifted from water to land, and therefore the riverfront was mostly abandoned.

The Gateway park was originally built as the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial Park, to commemorate the history of the city and to redevelop the riverfront. The Arch itself was designed and selected as part of a 1947-1948 architectural competition, and wasn't finished construction until the mid 1960s. Due to its unique design, it was extremely challenging to build and its ultimate completion was possible thanks to new developments in engineering during the 1950s. And civil rights protests over the nearly all white workforce constructing the Arch actually resulted in the National Park Service moving towards non-discriminatory and more inclusive hiring practices.

So, I think it goes without saying that Gateway Arch National Park is absolutely worth visiting for anyone who wants to enrich themselves with history and witness a spectacular feat of engineering. The Arch itself was truly something to behold!

After our visit to the park, Farin and Jacob took me on a driving tour of Forest Park, an incredible 1,300 acre park home to museums, fields and trails.

We next landed in to University City at the famous Delmar Loop, where we ate lunch at Fitz's, a local craft soda company with a restaurant.

The portions in the midwest are actually shocking: I have NEVER IN MY LIFE seen anything like the root beer float that arrived in front of me. I was genuinely intimidated, and had to ask for a bowl so I could siphon off some of the ice cream. I love eating, but our visit to Fitz's sufficed as my breakfast, lunch, and dinner for the day.

I swear this photo was not posed.

A year ago today I completed my first triathalon. So this was a different kind of monumental effort, and a bit less healthy, but I conquered it with similar enthusiasm.

Obviously after lunch, we needed a nap. Once we emerged from the food comas, Farin and I drove over at sunset to meet her absolutely lovely parents!

I am so grateful to Jacob and Farin and the Swans for welcoming me and planning a truly special day with so much quality time together! Tomorrow morning, I hit the road again, driving across the state of Missouri to cousins Drew and JJ's in Kansas City MO!

[bigaladventures]

Day 8 - Chicago IL ➡️ St Louis MO

Saturday, September 10, 2022

I was excited to wake up on my last day in Chicago for multiple reasons:

First, I was spending the morning with my very dear childhood friend, Megan! It was so much fun to reunite and catch up. We hit a very challenging spin class at Cyclebar, and enjoyed coffee at a new park/cafe in River North. 

Second reason for excitement - heading off to my next destination!

I packed up and hit the road again, this time making my way to the Gateway To The West: St Louis Missouri!

I had never driven through the midwest before this trip, and there is something about the landscape that makes the skies seem so much bigger, dwarfing you in the best way possible as you cruise along long, flat expanses, zoning out, shedding, bringing the space inside.

Storms were rolling in, which made for particularly stunning visuals along the drive.

Grateful that the storms didn't turn nasty with tornadoes, I arrived just as the sun had set, and was welcomed by cousins Jacob and Farin, and the truly adorable Shih-Poo, Motzi!

[bigaladventures]

Day 7 - 💕🎡 The Chicago Love Affair, Continued

Friday, September 9, 2022

I continued my Chicago adventures: upon the recommendations of many friends inside and outside of Chicago, I spent the afternoon visiting the acclaimed Art Institute and taking an evening architectural river boat tour.

I was thrilled to have the opportunity to see some of my favorite paintings in the acclaimed Impressionist Wing at the Art Institute of Chicago. I fell in love with Monet when I was an 8-year old aspiring artist witnessing his paintings for the first time at the Worcester Art Museum (fun fact: the WAM was an early leader in purchasing Monet's work!). I took my time making my way through the Art Institute, reading about the evolution of artistic styles in impressionism and pointillism, examining the works close and far back, and exploring more great works from the modern and contemporary movements. I photographed some of the pieces that struck me most.

After the art museum, I met up with Matt, a good friend from work, and we boarded Chicago's First Lady for the very educational architectural river boat tour. We learned about the history of Chicago's riverfront and how the various architectural styles reflected the city's evolving relationship to the river itself. I also never knew that people actually changed the direction of the Chicago River! Chicago's architecture is very purposeful, and beautiful, especially under a setting late summer sun.

We ate a delicious dinner at the Purple Pig and enjoyed the nighttime views of the riverwalk and ferris wheel. Good night Chicago!

[bigaladventures]

Day 6 - CHICAGO, I LOVE YOU 🤩💖🏙

Thursday, September 8, 2022

I first visited Chicago in December of 2017. It was cold. It was gloomy. I was mainly here visiting friends in the suburbs so I only had one day to explore the city. My pizza was soggy and lukewarm. I had heard from so many people that Chicago was this incredible city, but I left feeling like I still didn't see what all the fuss was about.

I get it now.

The best way I can describe this place is its like my two home cities of Boston and New York had a baby, but with nicer people and larger meal portions.

CHICAGO, YOU HAVE OFFICIALLY WON ME OVER!!!

Today was one of those perfect days. The weather was gorgeous - 80 and sunny and dry. It was like San Diego decided to visit Chicago, too. I didn't waste the opportunity to enjoy it.

I kicked off the day with Philz coffee with my friend Jeff. Like all Chicagoans I know, he is incredibly proud to call this city home and we spent much of our breakfast getting recommendations of things to do and see. He made sure that I took the scenic route over to Lincoln Park afterwards so I could see the magnificent houses in the neighborhood. They felt like Park Slope Brooklyn, Cambridge MA and Brookline MA merged into one.

Lincoln Park was beautiful: I sat by the pond finishing my coffee, and enjoyed taking a couple of phone calls from the butterfly garden outside of the Nature Museum. Then I ventured inside the museum, learned all about the native ecosystems of Illinois (and their decimation by humans, of course) and continued the butterfly extravaganza of the past 24 hours with the indoor butterfly sanctuary. One butterfly even landed on my jeans and hung out on my finger for a while!

I had originally planned to visit the Lincoln Park Zoo, but I was so enraptured by my surroundings in the park that I genuinely forgot my plans and started aimlessly exploring. I came across some Divvy Bikes (the local bike share system) and decided to take one out on a 2 mi ride along the Lake Shore Trail, which runs along Lake Shore Drive and Lake Michigan.

Lake Michigan apparently had a mussel invasion that turned the water even more blue than the past. I was completely mesmerized by the colors (but learned subsequently that the ecosystem might not like it as much). I also realized on this ride that Chicago is the perfect city for triathletes: runners, cyclists, and open water swimmers abounded.

My destination? A very highly rated hot dog stand and a famous ice cream truck near the aquarium, field museum and planetarium. I was very motivated to understand what, exactly, a "Chicago Style Hot Dog" was.

Here are some things that I learned:

There are many pickled things that can go on hot dogs other than relish and sauerkraut

One mustn't ask for ketchup on a hot dog in Chicago

Chicago isn't a good place to go on a diet

Replenished of dwindling sugar levels, I walked back up along the lake shore to Buckingham Fountain and The Bean. Because I just felt like you can't visit Chicago as a tourist and not do these things.

Somehow I managed to have enough energy at the end of the day to go to a strength training class with Rachel, followed by a yummy Italian meal just around the corner from home. (Rachel is my friend who I am staying with here - we know each other because she and my sister were best friends at sleep away camp, and we've developed our own friendship over the years, too!)

A perfect end to a perfect day. I am so glad I have a whole additional day and a half to continue exploring this vibrant city full of so much history and culture!

[bigaladventures]

Day 5 - Detroit MI ➡️ Indiana Dunes National Park ➡️ Chicago IL

Wednesday, September 7, 2022

One of my favorite things about traveling is that one day can feel like multiple, especially when you're changing locations.

Day 5.1

I enjoyed a lovely morning walk and breakfast + coffee with the beautiful (and very pregnant!) cousin Mariel and her adorable dachshund Benji.

After eating the best breakfast burrito I never imagined I would find in Detroit of all places, I headed west across the state of Michigan towards Chicago.

I was very excited to have discovered last month a lesser-known National Park in Indiana on the shores of Lake Michigan, Indiana Dunes National Park, so I set it as my first destination on the way to the windy city.

I listened to a few more chapters of Sapiens initially, but decided that my mood was really calling for some good old fashioned singing in the car, so I switched to my favorite songs on Spotify and rocked out pretty much the whole rest of the way...

Day 5.2

Largely thanks to the little known fact that Indiana has multiple time zones, I arrived just in time to stamp my national parks passport and to fit in a short sunset hike (the visitor center closed 5 mins after I arrived, but I would have missed it by an hour if the time zone hadn't changed to CST!)

Indiana Dunes was a great way to christen my newest America the Beautiful National Parks pass: this little known park packed a big punch! Upon the recommendation of the park ranger, I did the short but scenic 1.1 mi West Beach Dune Succession trail (if I had more time I would have done the 3.5 mi 3-loop trail). A sandy path and a set of staircases led to a vistas of the dunes and lake - you can even see the Chicago skyline in the distance in this next photo if you look closely!

I was surprised by how big the waves on lake Michigan were! I swam for about 20 refreshing minutes enjoying the warmth of the sun on my skin.

Walking back to the sound of crickets and the late day golden light, I observed a field full of wildflowers perched with monarch butterflies, which was a bittersweet treat given their recent addition to the endangered species list (fun fact about me: when I was in 1st grade I was obsessed with butterflies and caterpillars and I would take scientific books out of the library about them for fun).

Day 5.3

With the sun setting ahead of me, I continued west towards Chicago - less than an hour away from the park. I was so excited to see the skyline in real life that the Sealed team had depicted so many times in our Chicagoland launch visuals!

Greeted by good friend Rachel, I tucked Luisa safely into a garage for the night and we headed home for some Thai food and now, after 3 days in 1, a much earned rest. More updates to come from the next few days in Chicago. Next up after that, the gateway to the west, St Louis!

[bigaladventures]

Day 4 - Buffalo NY ➡️ Detroit MI

Tuesday, September 6, 2022

I kicked off the day after Labor Day by sending Aunt Patti off to her first day of school (... she's a principal 😆), and headed over to have some special girl time with cousin Zoe, age 6. We told Micheal that he could join us for lunch, if he was lucky 😉.

After checking "Dance Party to Higher Love by Whitney Houston" off our to do list, we headed with Micheal to the Swan Street Diner, my new favorite restaurant in Buffalo, for lunch. This place was as rich in history as it was in deliciousness - the old dining car was built in 1937 and transported to Buffalo, refurbished and revitalized.

With a fully belly I kicked off the next leg of my journey: did you know that you can shave 2 hours off the drive from Buffalo to Detroit by driving through the great nation of Canada? Sorry Cleveland, I'll have to catch you next time.

I landed in time for dinner in Detroit with cousins Mariel, Adam and Benji! Benji wasn't sure about me at first, but he warmed up eventually.

Stay tuned for my next update tomorrow from the windy city!