Kayaking Through the Mist

Story by Nicole

On Thursday we did an all-day kayaking trip that included a hike to McGilvray Fort, which was built and abandoned after two years near the end of WWII. I have nothing but great things to say about this day trip. Our guide, JD, was not only helpful and fun to talk to but was also just a genuinely nice, sincere person. There were only seven of us, including JD, and everyone was fairly close in athletic ability, which was nice. 

Kayaks awaiting passengers (Photo/Jason Rafal)

All suited up (Photo/Jason Rafal)

The scenery and weather were kind of amazing together (even JD thought so). Resurrection Bay is stunning just because that’s the way it is, but when we woke up to dense fog, we weren’t sure how much we would be able to see of it. As we prepared to set off, though, the majority of the fog lifted, save for strips that hugged the mountains across the bay and led them a dramatic and ethereal quality. It barely rained on us, which was shocking to everyone, and it was warm enough to make it a little hot while we were hiking.

Kayakers in the fog (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Yeah…it was crazy beautiful (Photo/Jason Rafal)

JD contemplates the shoreline (Photo/Jason Rafal)

On the way to the fort we stopped at a waterfall. Everyone we’ve talked to in town has been amazed by the amount of water in the waterfalls and streams–these small coastal waterfalls are mostly based on rainfall, so they quickly dry up when it begins to clear. It’s been an unusually rainy August, so we’ve been seeing small waterfalls everywhere. This particular waterfall was roaring.

The very large waterfall (Photo/Jason Rafal)

When we got to Caines Head State Recreation Area, we pulled the kayaks up on the rocky beach and began our hike. A fascinating thing about this area (that we noticed when we visited Exit Glacier) is that you can have a temperate rainforest right next to a glacier. You can be standing on a hillside of shale and looking at a glacier, then you can hike 50 feet to your left and find yourself in a dense, incredibly green, moss-covered forest. It’s quite remarkable. The hike up to the fort was very wet, and everything was covered in dense green moss.

Tromping through the mud (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Pretty mushrooms (Photo/Jason Rafal)

I am somewhat uninterested in the remnants of forts, but it was pretty cool to walk around in, if a little creepy. We also got to have lunch looking out at the amazing mountains across Resurrection Bay.

Some sort of weapons storage bunker (Photo/Jason Rafal)

The remnants of the dock (Photo/Jason Rafal)

When we got back to Seward, we walked around the town and took some sunset pictures. It was a very photogenic day.

Some of the day’s catch (Photo/Jason Rafal)

The beautiful view from our hotel (Photo/Jason Rafal)

The Great Alaska Railroad/The Shrinking Alaskan Glaciers

Story by Nicole

Boarding the train in the early-morning fog (Photo/Jason Rafal)

On Wednesday morning we caught the train to Seward. We had heard that the Anchorage-to-Seward train ride is one of the most beautiful in the United States, and it did not disappoint. The train winds along the ocean, through mountains, and alongside mountain lakes on its way to the small coastal town of Seward. The green, snow capped mountains next to the greenish, bluish gray water (it’s an odd color because it’s full of silt) is incredibly striking. Our ever-helpful and informative train conductor taught us a way to remember the five main specifies of salmon in Alaska using your hand:

• Thumb: chum salmon (it rhymes with thumb)

• Forefinger: sockeye or red salmon (use this finger to sock out someone’s eye and make it red; yes, kind of violent)

• Middle finger: king salmon (the longest finger)

• Ring finger: silver salmon (silver like wedding rings)

• Pinkie: pink salmon (pinkie is like pink)

He also advised us that no matter what we’re here to see and do in Alaska, we should never show anyone our king salmon.

Emergency train tools (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Nicole leans out of the train in an inadvisable way (Photo/Jason Rafal)

The train winds through the mountains (Photo/Jason Rafal)

The train continues to be absurdly photogenic (Photo/Jason Rafal)

The train ride is long and so beautiful that you actually get a little desensitized to the beauty. At first, everyone is taking pictures of everything. After a couple hours, though, there is a sense of “oh, it’s just another multi-colored mountain with glacial ice over a glassy mountainous lake, nothing special.” It is stunning, though. We highly recommend it.

Looking back as we arrive in Seward (Photo/Jason Rafal)

About three hours later, we arrived in Seward. A few words about coffee in Alaska: it’s huge. Apparently it’s the original hipster coffee state. They are obsessed with espresso, they started serving cold brew first, and everyone just expects there to be coffee everywhere. We noticed the espresso stands every few miles while we were driving to Talkeetna, and when we arrived in Seward, we noticed that the tiny building that housed our kayaking company actually had a sign on the door apologizing for not having coffee inside and naming a couple of options for disappointed, undercaffeinated visitors.

Espresso everywhere (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Apologizing for lack of coffee (Photo/Jason Rafal)

After we walked around Seward for a bit and got lunch, we caught the shuttle out to the Exit Glacier, which is on the edge of Kenai Fjords National Park. Exit Glacier is the only glacier that comes out of the Rhode Island-sized Harding Icefield into a valley instead of the ocean. Exit Glacier is losing about 130 feet of ice per year. As the glacier freezes, it crushes up rock, and as it melts, it pushes the silt out into the river with the water. Because of glacial melt and rain, the river has been running over the road to the park entrance, so they’re raising the road 5-8 feet right now. Our driver has been coming out here every summer for 12 years, and this is the highest the water has been. There has been retreating of the glaciers since the turn of the 20th century, but the past decade has been unprecedented.

A ranger-led tour was leaving the visitor center when we arrived, so we tagged along. Our ranger, Stephanie Larson, was a great source of information not only about the glacier, but about the landscape that a retreating glacier leaves behind. She taught us what a glacier is (a slow-moving river of ice), the four moraines represented (lateral, terminal, medial, recessionary), and a whole bunch of other things that you can ask Jason about if you’re interested. 

Two observations about Exit Glacier: it’s both impressively large and depressingly small. The amount of glacial loss in the last 10 years is crazy. Stephanie gently tried to make people think about global warming and the impact it’s having on these glaciers, but it’s hard to make people change.

Raindrops on large forest leaves (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Stephanie explains chattermark (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Exit Glacier (that big half-moon shaped cut at the bottom is only a couple of days old) (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Off to the Last Frontier

Story by Nicole

On our way to Anchorage, we had an 11-hour layover in Seattle that we used to visit a friend of Jason’s and explore Seattle, which he had never seen. We spent the time walking about 15 miles around the city, from Capital Hill to Pike Place Market. 

I adore the Pacific Northwest, and Seattle decided to go even further and spoil us with beautiful weather. The clouds slowly cleared throughout the day, so we went from slightly cold to a little hot during our 15-mile walk around the city. We ate great food, we saw the sites, we hung out with an awesome person. It was a good day. 

Thai iced tea with lunch (Photo/Jason Rafal)

What Nicole thought was a giant coffee roaster in the Starbucks Reserve (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Pike Place Market (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Nice branding (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Delicious and adorable empanadas (Photo/Jason Rafal)

On Tuesday we had a leisurely morning to recover from the previous day. We had brunch at the Snow City Cafe, which was packed with people and had tasty food and a lively atmosphere. After brunch we drove up to Talkeetna, where we were supposed to take a plane ride into the park. Unfortunately the weather refused to cooperate with our plans and the planes weren’t flying, but we enjoyed the cute town and spent some time hiking around in the Talkeetna Lakes Park. Next time we’re in Alaska we’re going to take a little longer and spend some time in Denali National Park, so this was a good teaser. 

Drink offerings at Conscious Coffee (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Rainy day latte (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Moss being photogenic in Talkeetna Lakes Park (Photo/Jason Rafal)

A very attractive mushroom (Photo/Jason Rafal)

All Sorts of Waterfalls

Story by Nicole

For Monica’s birthday, a group of us went to Steamboat Springs for a night. Steamboat is a lovely small town about three hours from Denver, and it is home to the wonderful Strawberry Park Hot Springs.

We arrived in Steamboat on Saturday and spent a few hours at the Yampa River Festival, where we watched people ride over the rapids on rafts, kayaks, boogie boards, and stand-up paddle boards. Many people made it over the rapids successfully, which was an impressive feat, and many more made it over unsuccessfully, which was an amusing feat.

On Saturday night we went to Strawberry Park, which was wonderful. The springs are in a fairly remote location and it gets quite dark at night. It’s a beautiful place, but we don’t have any good pictures, so you’ll have to visit yourself.

On Sunday morning, we got up fairly early, checked out of the hotel, and went to Fish Creek Falls to go for a hike. We walked to the main falls, then hiked a couple of miles to the upper falls as well. It was a really beautiful spring hike, and I would highly recommend it.

Starting off down the trail (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Leaking water impedes our progress (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Cameron doing…something (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Climbing through the Aspen grove (Photo/Jason Rafal)

The mountainside (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Nicole and Monica pose on a bridge (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Jason and Nicole at the upper falls (Photo/Someone Else)

Photogenic waterfalls (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Eric at the upper falls (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Nicole, Monica, Eric, and Cameron near the top of the falls (Photo/Jason Rafal)

View of Steamboat (as well as Cameron and his absurd swim trunks) (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Aspen grove (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Beyond Lusk and Lingle

Story by Nicole

For Memorial Day weekend 2016, we loaded our camping stuff and our roommate, Martin, into Jason’s tiny car and drove to Wyoming and South Dakota. We headed to South Dakota because neither of the guys had ever been there and to see my uncle. Because we wanted to have Monday in Denver to catch up on things, we planned a Friday through Sunday trip.

After work on Friday we drove to Guernsey State Park, Wyoming, and spent the night camping next to the Guernsey Reservoir. Since it was Memorial Day weekend and we were showing up at 7:30 p.m. to try to get a first-come, first-serve camping spot, we were a little concerned, but we were able to get in and get a space without issue. We even had our entire campsite area to ourselves until a huge caravan of cars showed up over an hour later.

The reservoir was really beautiful, especially at sunset.

Martin staves off the evening chill (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Our campsite view (Photo/Jason Rafal)

A non-functional but attractive remnant of the past (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Dusk falls (Photo/Jason Rafal)

In the morning, we got up and drove to Lusk, where we ate breakfast at a greasy diner before heading north. When we got to my uncle’s house, we wandered around the property for a while before heading to Custer State Park.

An old motor home (Photo/Jason Rafal)

A very colorful rock (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Hiking up the hill (Photo/Jason Rafal)

We spent most of the rest of the trip hanging out with my uncle and exploring Custer State Park, which is a lovely place (and quite peaceful when the threat of rain has driven off most tourists).

Unattributed words (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Watching the rain roll past our perch (Photo/Jason Rafal)

A large heard of bison (Photo/Jason Rafal)

At one point, when we were driving along the park roads, we found ourselves between two large bison walking down the road. We stopped the car and waited, hoping they would ignore us. It is very humbling to be so near an animal that could so easily ruin you and the vehicle in which you sit.

Bison coming toward the car (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Awesomely but uncomfortably close (Photo/Nicole Harrison)

Right before we left South Dakota to head back to Colorado, we went to the Sylvan lake area. The lake is really stunning, and there are lots of great rocks to climb.

Martin squeezes in with a small waterfall (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Nicole and Jason pose in someone else’s wedding setup (Photo/Martin Brandt)

Our last stop was the Cathedral Spires. It’s a really incredible area of narrow, high-reaching rocks, and climbing around was a great way to finish up the trip.

Nicole sits on one of the shorter, squatter rocks (Photo/Jason Rafal)

The Spires (Photo/Nicole Harrison)

Spring in Portland

Story by Nicole

I decided to take some of my free time between jobs to go to Portland, Oregon, to visit my grandparents and an old friend. I adore Portalnd, and I wanted to share some of the visual highlights. Jason didn’t come with me this time, which means I took all the photos with an iPhone camera, so they may not be quite up to usual quality.

For me, every trip to Portland includes a trip to the International Rose Test Garden. We went the first evening around sunset. It wasn’t quite as crowded as earlier in the day, but there were still dozens of people wandering around taking photos and strolling through the roses. The majority of the bushes were blooming, so there were many layers of color variation.

Roses with Portland in the background (Photo/Nicole Harrison)

Multicolored roses (Photo/Nicole Harrison)

On Wednesday, I went with my grandfather to hike Dog Mountain in Washington. It’s a fairly long and rather steep hike to the top of the mountain, but the views are well worth it. Unlike the forested hillsides in the area, Dog Mountain has a large area of hillside that has few trees and supports the growth of countless wildflowers. We were there slightly after the peak of the wildflower season, but the flowers were everywhere. There was an amazing view of the Columbia River Gorge and the surrounding area. It was beautiful.Light through the trees near the bottom of the trail (Photo/Nicole Harrison)The view near the top of Dog Mountain (Photo/Nicole Harrison)Rock penstemon alongside the trail (Photo/Nicole Harrison)

We stopped for lunch in Hood River before heading back to Portland. While there, we stood for a while and watched the people windsurfing on the river. It looked a fun activity, but I’m not sure I’d have the coordination. It also looked a little cold, with all the water and the wind.

Windsurfers (Photo/Nicole Harrison)

Thursday was periodically rainy. After some delicious ramen, we took the Portland Aerial Tram, which some locals call the Twinkie, up to OHSU and back down to the city. It’s a pretty unique way to get to the hospital.

The view from the Twinkie (Photo/Nicole Harrison)

The Twinkie going back down the hill (Photo/Nicole Harrison)

I won’t go through my whole trip, but here are a few more pictures. I hope to be able to return soon.

My favorite fountain, Ira Keller Fountain(Photo/Nicole Harrison)

Vegetables for sale in Alberta (Photo/Nicole Harrison)

Washington Park (Photo/Nicole Harrison)

Rain in the Desert

Story by Nicole

For the last weekend in April, we went to my Dad’s new house in Mesquite, Nevada (about an hour east of Las Vegas, and close to the Arizona and Utah borders). If you’d like to visit Nevada and look at all the pretty rocks, but don’t want to endure ridiculous heat, April is a pretty nice time to go. The temperature was in the 60s and 70s with spotty rain and clouds. We flew into Vegas on Friday night and flew out on Sunday night, so it was a quick trip.

On Saturday, we visited Valley of Fire State Park, which is known for its landscapes of large, unusually shaped red rocks. The rainstorm was always visible on the horizon, but we never got much of it where we were. The first place we visited was the Rainbow Vista Trail, which led to a beautiful view of Fire Canyon. Because of all the recent rain, there were a surprising number of green plants covering the sandy landscape. The dogs enjoyed sniffing bushes and climbing rocks.

A storm rolls in over the Valley of Fire State Park (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Nicole and Tilly pose on some rocks (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Trying to get the dogs to pose together (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Tilly and Mocha finally cooperate (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Tilly and Nicole climb down off a rock that was a little too high for Tilly’s taste (Photo/Jason Rafal)

When some rain arrived and drove us back into the car, we drove up White Domes road to see more of the dramatic scenery. The rocks aren’t just red—there is a lot of yellow, and we even found some purple veins. The landscape is simultaneously very beautiful and very harsh.

The storm passes by close to the park (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Christina makes her way from the parking lot (Photo/Jason Rafal)

After consulting the Visitors Center, we headed to Mouse’s Tank Trail to find some petroglyphs. The sign at the trailhead instructed us in possible ways to interpret the different petroglyphs. Everyone’s favorite was the Mystical Bat Woman, but alas, we were never able to spot a Mystical Bat Woman in the wild. We hypothesized that she may have mystically stolen her own likenesses.

Mocha and Britt among the petroglyphs (Photo/Jason Rafal)

On Sunday, after we had brunch with my family at a casino, we headed up to a mesa in Britt’s truck. The road to the top of the mesa is a one-way, rough, and sometimes steep dirt road. It’s ideal for four wheelers, but fairly challenging in a full-size vehicle.

Partway up the mesa (Photo/Jason Rafal)

At the top of the mesa, there are several dirt roads crisscrossing the somewhat flat top. There are several dramatic cliffs to look off of, and there is a lovely, prickly forest of Joshua trees.

The Harrisons consider a Joshua tree (Photo/Jason Rafal)

A baby Joshua tree (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Nicole at the top of the mesa (Photo/Jason Rafal)

In the end, we had a lovely quick trip that got us away from Denver’s spring snow.

An Abundance of Vastness

For the first time in three years, we did not go to the Pacific Northwest for the 4th of July. Instead, we went to Gunnison to see Nicole’s family. Jason had never been to Gunnison for on-season, and he found the crowds rather surprising.

On the morning of the 4th of July, we (Nicole, Jason, and Maia) got up at 6:30 and drove to Schofield Pass. Britt (Nicole’s Dad) informed us on Friday night that there’s an annual 1/3 marathon run from Gothic to Crested Butte, which is why we left so early. When we got up to Gothic at 7:30, the race organizers let us know that the road would shortly be closed until 9, so we had excellent timing.

From Gothic, we drove over the very narrow and dramatic Schofield Pass. We took Maia’s Toyota Highlander for the higher clearance, which was a good choice. The dirt road was sometimes fine, but sometimes very rough. We reached the summit at 10,707 feet and stopped to look at the two sticker-covered summit signs. From there, we dropped down into a meadow and parked at the West Maroon trailhead.

One of the signs marking Schofield Pass (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Starting off on the trail (Photo/Jason Rafal)

I had decided that we were going to hike Hasley Pass, which starts on the same trail as the West Maroon trail to Aspen. Part way up the trail, we took a fork to the left toward Hasley Pass.

We hiked along a very full creek for the first part of the trail (Photo/Jason Rafal)

There were lots of flowering plants (Photo/Jason Rafal)

There’s something truly remarkable about being surrounded by mountains and completely alone. After walking past a couple of people camping near the trailhead, we saw no one. When Jason and Maia split up from me so we could all hunt for the trail, it started reminding me of the epic landscape scenes in the Lord of the Rings. Just a couple of tiny dots of people against the massive mountains and the blue sky. I have never experienced that kind of vastness, and it was sublime, humbling, and completely gorgeous.

Snow near the top of the pass (Photo/Rafal)

Vastness (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Despite our best efforts, we did not find the return loop trail. We thought we had at one point, but it abruptly went off a cliff. Not sure what else to do, we picked our way down through the rocks and the skunk cabbage until we reached the lower trail we had come in on. As started back to the car, we started seeing groups of people just heading out for a hike. Getting up at 6 had been worth it for the solitude.

Starting down the steep mountainside (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Nicole and Maia pick their way through the skunk cabbage (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Columbine flowers against a skyline of mountains (Photo/Nicole Harrison)

Emerald Lake below Schofield Pass (Photo/Jason Rafal)

We spent the rest of the day eating, walking the dogs, and discussing Maia’s final cake decorating submission for the county competition. She was making a three-tiered cake, wedding style, with flowers and other intricacies. Inspired by our hike, we all decided that she should try to make columbines out of royal icing and put them on the cake. It’s a testament to her talent that this was possible (after searching google, we only found one other person who had done it).

Our other afternoon activity was making challah. Surprisingly, the final loaf was huge. Less surprising was that it was delicious.

Maia provides scale for the giant challah loaf (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Instead of going to the fireworks, we stayed inside and watched the Fellowship of the Ring (we still had the music stuck in our heads).

On Sunday morning, we went up Taylor Canyon for one more hike. This was a heavily forested trail along a very full creek. The dogs were very excited to get out and run.

The dogs enjoy freedom (Photo/Jason Rafal)

A fallen tree reflected in a beaver pond (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Tilly drinks water as if she was trying to catch fish in her mouth (Photo/Jason Rafal)

The forrested trail (Photo/Nicole Harrison)

A heart left behind by a beaver (Photo/Jason Rafal)

The trip was great, but the drive home was pretty rough. Maybe we shouldn’t drive to the mountains for 4th of July weekend.

Among the Goats

On May 15th, we took the day off of work. We spent the morning walking around the Denver Botanic Gardens with Nicole’s grandparents, and then we all drove up to Gunnison in the afternoon. Maia’s graduation was not until Sunday, so we planned to have her graduation dinner and party on Saturday night, and then leave for Denver directly after the ceremony.

A bee at the Denver Botanic Gardens (Photo/Jason Rafal)

On Saturday, we went to the goat ranch to help Ann and her 4-Hers deworm and de-lice the goats. We helped catch goats and hold them, and then spent a while wandering around the ranch and hanging out with the animals. Nicole got an arm workout by holding baby goats while we waited for them to get treated, which involved oral deworming medicine and topical pet de-licing stuff.

Kids with kids (Photo/Jason Rafal)

A very vocal kid (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Nicole holds a young buck in line for medication (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Nicole with the weanling does (Photo/Jason Rafal)

(Photo/Jason Rafal)

Rain (and snow) coming over the mountains while the human kids start catching the bucks (Photo/Jason Rafal)

We spent the rest of Saturday helping out in the kitchen while Maia made apple turnovers and cran-raspberry shortbread bars. It kept raining, so there was not a lot to do outside. We went to an early dinner at Garlic Mikes, an Italian place in town, and enjoyed pasta and wine (except for Maia, who got a very fancy Italian soda). Then we headed home to prepare the snacks for Maia’s graduation party.

At 7:30, people started arriving for Maia’s party. We had a feast laid out, with food ranging from cheese and crackers to hummus to baked deserts, and we snacked before heading out to the bonfire.

Although it had been raining all day, the skies miraculously began to clear, and with a little help from some fuel, we were able to get the flames started. The next two hours were spent standing and sitting out by the fire, roasting s'mores and throwing the occasional marshmallow into the fire to watch it burn.

(Photo/Jason Rafal)

(Photo/Jason Rafal)

Watching a marshmallow burn (Photo/Jason Rafal)

On Sunday, Maia’s graduation filled the Western State College gymnasium. After speeches from the class president, valedictorian, and co-salutatorians, which ranged from congratulatory to nerdy, the class of 66 students graduated. See the relieved graduate and the proud family below.

Maia on graduation day (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Maia in line to get her diploma holder (Photo/Jason Rafal)

(Photo/Jason Rafal)

Nicole and Maia after graduation (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Maia and her grandparents (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Eric and Maia (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Britt and Maia (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Maia and her parents (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Maia and the whole family (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Maia and Jason (Photo/Nicole Harrison)

Glowing Rocks

Story by Nicole

The last two days of our trip were very driving-heavy, but we were looking forward to spending a night camping in Zion National Park. After hours of flat desert, we began seeing the stunning white and red rocks that made Utah so appealing for outdoor recreation.

We got to Zion at around 5:30 p.m. and decided to take a hike before dinner. We were staying at the Watchman Campground, and since we did not want to do any additional driving, we decided to hike the trail that began next to the campground. Zion is dramatically beautiful, and we weren’t even in the famous parts. We’ve both said that we’d like to go back and explore the canyons in depth.

Watchman Campground (Photo/Jason Rafal)

(Photo/Jason Rafal)

(Photo/Jason Rafal)

(Photo/Jason Rafal)

After our hike, we set up camp and started dinner. The woman at the park gate had said that there were no bears, but to put our food in the car or the locked box to protect against overeager squirrels. The lack of bears was something that I couldn’t quite wrap my head around. When I took some garbage out, I had a moment of panic because they were not bear proof. I must admit, though, that not having to worry about bears is nice and relaxing.

Our amazing decades-old cooking stove (Photo/Jason Rafal)

I thoroughly recommend camping in Zion at the beginning of May. There are beautiful dark rocky silouettes all around, which is great, but it’s also just such an incredibly pleasant temperature at night. The low when we were there was 55 degrees. I’ve never been on a camping trip in which it did not get down into the high 30s at the very least. Between the warmth and the lack of bears, it felt kind of like we were cheating at camping. We rose before dawn and watched the rising sun touch the top of the rocks as we drove away.

Sunrise light (Photo/Jason Rafal)

We’re now home in Denver. I love having adventurous vacations, but we are both really looking forward to sleeping.

Otter Sight, Otter Mind

Story by Nicole

On Thursday, we explored Monterey County. We started by driving up the PCH. We drove through Carmel-by-the-Sea, decided we did not need to stop and hang out, and continued on to Monterey. In Monterey, we walked around the strangely empty but still adorable town. We walked out to the dock and spent several minutes watching the sea lions attempt to fit as many individuals as possible on a tiny rowboat. One of them had been curled up on the bow with another, and then decided it was too uncomfortable and bailed, and then wanted back on the boat, and this really upset the sea lion that had been on the bow the whole time. We were so entertained by the sea lions that we were late for kayaking.

Sea lions struggle for room on the boat (Photo/Jason Rafal)

A seagull takes off from Jason’s car as we approach (Photo/Jason Rafal)

We drove out to the Elkhorn Slough to meet Ron, Eric’s friend and old coworker. He spends a lot of time studying sea otters; we were very lucky to be kayaking with an enthusiastic expert. Ron helped us get situated in our kayaks, and then we headed out into the water.

There was marine wildlife everywhere. There were many types of birds, including cormorants, egrets, brown pelicans, and a massive white pelican. There were dozens of crabs in the mud, and they scuttled away as soon as they felt the water vibrations caused by our paddles. There were harbor seals, which poked their eyes and noses out of the water and followed us around, watching curiously. My favorite part, though, was seeing dozens of endangered sea otters.

There are around a hundred happy sea otters living in the slough, and we saw males, females, and even pups, which cried when their mothers stayed under the water longer than they did. We spent a couple of hours kayaking around with the animals and asking endless questions of Ron.

Students catch and measure sharks on their regular rounds (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Nicole watches a sea otter (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Ron watches as a flock of birds takes off (Photo/Jason Rafal)

For lunch, we all headed to Phil’s, a famous fish shop in Moss Landing. Phil’s is right on the beach in the midst of Monterey marine labs. The fish and the atmosphere were both great. After lunch, we drove back through Monterey and Pacific Grove, both of which are beautiful. Jason was disappointed that we weren’t able to visit the aquarium, but we decided that we had to save something for next time.

A view of the Big Sur coastline, including the Bixby bridge (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Is This Poison Oak?

Story by Nicole

The goal of Wednesday was to explore the Big Sur area. We began by visiting Andrew Molera State Park. The bridge over the creek at the beginning of the trail was washed out, so we removed our shoes and socks and waded across. Once on the other side, we re-donned shoes and walked to the Molera beach. Jason was not pleased about getting his feet wet.

Nicole and Eric wade across the creek (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Jason’s reaction to crossing the creek (Photo/Nicole Harrison)

The beach was, of course, stunning. We hung out for a few minutes and watched a sea otter.

Windblown flowers (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Eric celebrates successfully balancing small rocks (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Eric contemplates the ocean (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Nicole watches a sea otter (Photo/Jason Rafal)

For the next couple of hours, we hiked along the bluff, followed constantly by strong winds. Nicole’s grandfather, Eric, pointed out native and non-native plants along the trail. After he pointed out poison oak, Nicole was constantly concerned about accidentally touching it (pro tip for those who have not been trained to recognize poison oak: it has three leaves grouped together, like a berry, but it has smooth stems). We continued for a couple of miles before turning back toward the car.

A view of the ocean (Photo/Jason Rafal)

The hills above the Big Sur coastline (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Eric leads the way on the trail (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Next, we decided to return to Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park and walk the famed waterfall trail, which we had not had time to visit the previous day. It was very easy and touristy walk, but the view of a thin waterfall falling directly onto the sand in a turquoise bay surrounded by huge rocks was definitely beautiful and worth putting up with the tourists. We have been seeing a lot of selfie sticks, which we had first seen in Italy. It’s amusing how it seemed to follow us back to the states.

The waterfall view (it’s a located on the left side, and falls onto the beach near the ocean) (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Another coastal view from Julia Burns Pfeiffer State Park (Photo/Jason Rafal)

After the waterfall walk, we headed to Nepenthe for lunch. This restaurant has been in Big Sur for generations and is famous for the amazing views of Big Sur visible from its balcony. Since our day pass got us into all of the state parks in the area, we went to Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park to wrap up the day, and then headed home.

Lack of internet and phone service means that I’ve been writing these blogs in bulk to post when I feel like going down to the check in and grocery cabin to use the wifi. It’s not the ideal way to blog, but it works.

Nicole types blog posts in the cabin (Photo/Jason Rafal)

The Pacific Coast Highway

Story by Nicole

The drive from Los Angeles to Big Sur was the shortest drive we’d had yet in the trip, so we were a little more leisurely in our schedule. From Venice Beach, we drove through Santa Monica and Malibu north to San Luis Obispo, where we had lunch at a local pizza and Mediterranean place. After eating more pizza than was strictly necessary, we began the classic Pacific Coast Highway drive.

Saying goodbye to our cottage (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Jason and his car were delightfully happy to be driving the PCH. We made a game of stopping to take pictures and then waiting for a decent stretch between cars before getting back on the road so that Jason could speed through the tight corners. No one really kept up, except for a very ambitious white Toyota Yaris that was probably driven by Mario Andretti. That tiny car actually passed us on a small straight stretch and sped away.

The Big Sur coastline (Photo/Jason Rafal)

A word about the central coast and Big Sur area, for those who have not been there: it’s stunning. There’s the Pacific Ocean, stretching out as far as the eye can see until it joins with the sky in a haze of blue. There are the jagged cliffs, which stretch out into the water in never-ending layers. There are the forests of redwoods and oak trees, which conceal beautiful creeks and surprisingly steep canyon trails. It all comes together in a very unusual and striking beauty.

On our way to the cabin we rented in Big Sur, we stopped at Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park to do the Ewolden hike, which was a 5-mile trek that included a steep trail up the creek within a redwood canopy, a gently meandering trail through an oak grove, and an impressive view of the ocean. After the hike, we drove the 20 minutes to our cabin, which was just beyond Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park (a lot of the park names here sound the same, mostly because there were only a few families who had key roles in developing the area).

Redwood canopy (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Nicole stands under a giant redwood (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Ocean views from the mountainside (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Our cabin is both very adorable and very large, with two bedrooms, a large living room, and a complete kitchen. It manages to be both rustic and easily livable, which is nice in a cabin. It’s very old-style Big Sur.

We’re Just Not Beach People

Story by Nicole

After spending 5 hours playing the game Desert Bus in real life, we arrived in the greater Los Angeles area. We were cutting the timing a bit close; we had meant to get to Venice Beach by 3 to beat some of the more horrendous traffic, but because I was messing with blog photos in the morning (did you see they got bigger?) we were hoping to just get to our airbnb by 4. That being said, it only took us two hours to get through LA to the beach, which is pretty good. We pulled up to the house at 3:45.

Our room is absolutely adorable. It’s basically a stand-alone studio apartment with a screened off bathroom. The family lives in the house that’s on the property, and they have apparently been there forever and have a few generations in the house. It’s about a block from the beach.

We like Venice Beach, but we’re not enthralled. I think part of the issue is that I love mountains and Jason is not fond of sand. But, it’s pretty and has good seafood. I have no real complaints. The city is rather delightfully weird, which we appreciate as people who have lived in Boulder.

Perspective on a dreidel (Photo/Jason Rafal)

A somewhat patiently waiting dog (Photo/Jason Rafal)

An enticing offer (Photo/Jason Rafal)

We spent a lot of time walking along the beach. Jason tried to climb one of the ropes at Muscle Beach, which did not go as well as it could have. After dinner, when a lot of people had left the beach, it was a mix of calm ocean and random nightlife. There were a few people who had spent a considerable amount of time adding lights to their bikes.

Santa Monica Pier (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Jason attempts to climb the rope (Photo/Nicole Harrison)

Evening beach colors (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Silhouettes and a lighted bike (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Next stop is the PCF and Big Sur. We’re excited.

The Rainy Desert

Story by Nicole

On Saturday, we drove from Denver to Sedona. Jason has been to Sedona, but I have not, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. It was an 11-hour trip with frequent and sometimes terrifying rain. We later realized that the flight to Vietnam (we have a trip planned for November 2015) would be even longer with less legroom, which was an alarming thought. 

Sunroof reflections. (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Arizona’s refusal to switch to Daylight Savings time led to much confusion. Our phones, along with Jason’s car, had no idea what time zone we were in, and thus we had no idea what time we were getting to Sedona, which resulted in an unnecessarily late dinner reservation. When we started coming down the canyon into Sedona, there were low clouds and heavy rain obscuring the scenery, but I was able to get an idea of how stunning the canyon is. 

Driving into Sedona in the rain. (Photo/Nicole Harrison)

Our room in Sedona is massive. I can’t remember if I got a massive room on purpose, but I’m hoping it’s not far more expensive than I thought it would be. We have a small kitchen, dining room, living room, porch, bedroom, and bathroom. It’s much larger than our apartment. 

Our resort is immediately next to Tlaquepaque, which is some sort of upscale “traditional Mexican village” shopping experience. It’s very quaint, and cute, and full of expensive art shops. Staying here made me feel uncomfortably rich and white, but it is nice, in a surreal sort of way. 

Tlaquepaque. (Photo/Jason Rafal)

On Sunday morning, we woke to light rain and fog. We had been fairly concerned that it would just rain the entire time we were in Sedona, but it seemed to be lightening up. We took advantage of the break in the weather to hike to Devil’s Bridge, which is a fantastic natural stone bridge against a hillside. We spent a few minutes talking to an excitable woman from the Czech Republic who was traveling alone. She was very excited to see the bridge, and asked me to pose with her while Jason snapped some pictures with her camera. She had come in from California, and had already been to Big Sur. She said there would be lots of bridges. 

Along the road to the Devil’s Bridge trailhead. (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Muddy reflections. (Photo/Jason Rafal)

The Devil’s Bridge. (Photo/Jason Rafal)

During lunch in a Tlaquepaque café, we noticed a storm was headed in, so we quickly ate and headed out for another hike. Doe Mountain was supposed to have amazing views, and we wanted to make it to the top before the inevitable rain. As we climbed, we watched the curtain of rain move toward us across the valley. 

The view from the top was, indeed, incredible. I appreciated the fact that I was not afraid of heights; some other hikers winced watching me go up to the edge. We snapped a couple of pictures, felt the storm beginning to blow rain at us, and started running off the mountain. 

Rain approaching Doe Mountain. (Photo/Jason Rafal)

While we drove away from Doe Mountain, we decided to head to Slide Rock State Park, which was reputed to have a lovely stream on a rock bed that allows people to slide over the rocks. It was far too cold for swimming, but we did walk along the stream and hop across on some rocks. 

Oak Creek at Slide Rock State Park. (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Oak Creek at Slide Rock State Park. (Photo/Jason Rafal)

We finished this blog while drinking a bottle of Asti Tosti, which was supposed to be a fancy bottle of bubbly to celebrate the beginning of our trip. It is almost gaggably (totally a word) sweet. We’re going to finish it anyway. Tomorrow: California.

The Backpacking Trip That Wasn’t

6/28/14

Story by Nicole

We’ve wanted to backpack to Herman Lake in the Arapaho National Forest since before we had backpacking equipment. It’s a stunning mountain lake at the top of a ridiculous four and a half mile hike that climbs from 10,000 feet to 12,000 feet. This trail is not for the faint of heart (or lungs), but as soon as we saw the top in the summer of 2013, we knew we would be back. So, in June of 2014, with 40-pound packs, we made our backpacking attempt.

With the starting of Map My Run, our journey begins. (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Nicole heads up the trail. (Photo/Jason Rafal)

One thing we had wondered about was whether the area would be melted out enough to camp. The ground was soaked, with water running down the trail, and we began seeing snow at around 11,000 feet.

The water-glazed path. (Photo/Jason Rafal)

We stopped a couple of times for snacks and pack readjusting. We were not quite fit enough to make it up in one go.

Nicole prepares her pack for the next step of the journey. (Photo/Jason Rafal)

It is fairly difficult to climb the Herman Gulch trail without the Sound of Music starting to play in one’s head. The scenery is starkly beautiful, with green fields full of wildflowers contrasting against white mountain peaks. Avalanches and late snow had pushed the full growth of the meadow, but the trees and mountains remained as stunning as always.

We pause in an avalanche path. (Photo/Jason Rafal)

About a mile from the top, we started running into significant amounts of snow. We put on crampons and followed the faint trail on top of the snowpack.

Footprints through the woods. (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Nicole takes on the final climb. (Photo/Jason Rafal)

At long last, we made it to the top. We instantly decided that it was far too cold, snowy, and wet to camp that night, but we were happy to see the lake again. A random man at the top took some out-of-focus pictures of us. In them, we are blurry, exhausted, accomplished.

We reach the lake at last. (Photo/Random Guy at Herman Lake)

We spent half an hour at the lake, catching our breath and eating a snack. We made friends with a marmot, who could not decide if we were sources of tasty food or danger. He waddled from rock to rock, hopping up to peer at us occasionally. Don’t worry, we did not feed him.

Our marmot friend hides in the rocks. (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Nicole perches on a rock beside Herman Lake. (Photo/Jason Rafal)

In the end, we headed home, promising each other that we would try again later in the summer.

Backpacks at Herman Lake. (Photo/Jason Rafal)

An Overabundance of Green

Story by Nicole

On Father’s Day weekend, we took a trip to Gunnison to see Nicole’s dad. After work on Friday, we drove southwest into the mountains. Gunnison Valley was incredibly green, with verdant rolling hills contrasting against the white-peaked mountains.

On Saturday, we went to see Ann, Nicole’s former 4-H leader. Ann raises cashmere goats in Gunnison and allows local children and teens to lease them. She feeds and houses them, and the 4-H kids care for them, comb their cashmere, train them, and show them at Colorado fairs. Ann’s farm also provides a home for miniature sheep, a llama, and two Great Pyrenees.

Casper bemoans his haircut and hurt nose. (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Ann offers her goats radish greens. (Photo/Jason Rafal)

A spotted kid considers her next move. (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Intense interest. (Photo/Jason Rafal)

The spotted kid decides on a nap in the shade. (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Nicole is attacked by a very small ram. (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Saturday night, the three of us went to the Gunnison Valley Observatory. Along with a roomful of children and parents, we learned basic facts about telescopes and space, then viewed Mars, Saturn and two of its moons, a globular cluster, and two galaxies through the 30” telescope.

The Gunnison Valley Observatory at dusk. (Photo/Jason Rafal)

On Sunday, we took the Silver Queen lift up Mount Crested Butte. We planned to hike to the peak of the mountain, but when we were waiting for the lift, we learned that the peak was still too snowy. We rode the lift up to hike anyway.

Beginning the ascent. (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Our view of the upcoming ride. (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Mount Crested Butte peeks above the trees. (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Scenic descent for an empty chair. (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Britton slides across some snow while fetching a long-lost chinstrap. (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Looking down onto the town of Mount Crested Butte. (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Following the Yellow Brick Road down the mountain. (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Britton making the final steps of the descent with his findings. (Photo/Jason Rafal)

We arrive at the base area. (Photo/Jason Rafal)

After the hike, we treated ourselves to burritos and tamales at Teocali Tamale and then headed out to Peanut Lake, home of the Gronk.

A proclamation of identity. (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Nicole stands in front of the Gronk. (Photo/Jason Rafal)

The Gronk stretches toward the sky. (Photo/Jason Rafal)

The view across Peanut Lake. (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Heading home from the lake. (Photo/Jason Rafal)