• Wyoming

    Grand Teton

    October 21, 2014 - By 

    Driving north for only half a day completely transformed our surroundings with Wyoming’s alpine mountains, dense forests, year-round snow, and countless lakes replacing Southern Utah’s endless deserts, dry canyons, and wind-sculpted rock formations.  Although quite the opposite of where we’d spent the last 2.5 weeks, it was not difficult to fall in love with Grand Teton National Park. We left Salt Lake City in the afternoon and arrived in The Grand Teton long after dark.  As we made our way up toward Wyoming, we even ran into other Scampers!The mother-daughter pair who owns this 2014 13′ Scamp spend a lot…

  • Utah

    Slot Canyons

    October 17, 2014 - By 

    Within the Utah/Arizona region that holds the highest concentration of slot canyons compared to anywhere else in the world, Antelope Canyon is probably the most famous of them all.  Almost everyone has seen a photo of or been to Antelope Canyon. Typical photos include abstracts of glowing orange and subdued purple colors twirled together as if Mother Nature’s paintbrush swept the walls.  If it weren’t for the people posing within the narrow river-carved and wind-swept canyon, it would be easy to assume that it was a corridor of fantastical dreams. Even the drive between Zion National Park and Antelope Canyon awed us with indescribable…

  • Utah

    Zion

    October 15, 2014 - By 

    They say it’s a magical place. They say it’s the most visited national park in the United States. They say they come here for a weekend trip or a vacation and skip the other parks because they only have time for this one. They call it Zion National Park. One quickly realizes these statements are facts within minutes upon entering the park as heads turn here and there into a dizzying frenzy of enchantment.  However the well-seasoned traveler will also soon discover what they don’t tell you about Zion National Park, which I’ll lay out below. In the outskirt of the park lies the town of Springdale, which…

  • Utah

    Capitol Reef, Bryce, and Cedar Breaks National Parks

    October 10, 2014 - By 

    Capitol Reef Though not as grandiose and epic as the nearby Bryce and Zion National Parks, Capitol Reef still has its charm.  We ended up spending 3 days and 2 nights in this quaint park, hiking several trails and enjoying the ride through its known 15-mile round trip scenic drive. I can’t remember the last time we drove through majestic walls such as this–Capitol Gorge Road.  We occasionally stuck our heads out the window to gawk at the natural wonder: This road ended with 2 trailheads: Golden Throne Trail and Capitol Gorge Trail.  We hiked both since they were easy. The Golden Throne…

  • Utah

    Little Wild Horse Canyon, Goblin Valley, and Capitol Reef

    October 5, 2014 - By 

    After I completed my hike at Canyonlands National Park, we headed out for our next destination: Little Wild Horse Canyon and Goblin Valley State Park.  With storms swirling overhead the past couple days and even forecasted for the following day, we were surprised to be granted one sunny day with scattered clouds.  The day turned out to be perfect for cruising and enjoying the scenery. Boondocking in the vacant lands between Little Wild Horse Canyon and Goblin Valley State Park was recommended to us by a friend; little did we know that this area would expose us to a desert beauty…

  • Utah

    Canyonlands National Park

    October 3, 2014 - By 

    The autumn thunderstorm that struck on Saturday afternoon lingered throughout all of Southern Utah, teasing us with glimpses of warm sunshine between periods of lightning, curtains of cold rain, and violent winds.  Fortunately when we left Castle Valley on Monday morning for Canyonlands National Park, there were only billows of fluffy clouds in the sky. Getting stuck in the mud was no longer a probability and we ventured out for our next leg of our adventure–Utah State and National Parks. We were already in Moab and had previously visited Arches National Park.  Canyonlands National Park wasn’t too far away, so we figured…

  • Utah

    Salt Lake City to Moab

    September 29, 2014 - By 

    Day 1 after Lake Tahoe: Drive the 580 miles to Salt Lake City and arrive by evening.  The beautiful drive took longer than expected due to towing (we had to fill up the tank every 180 miles, ugh!), and after an entire bag of Cheetos and a twinge of guilt, we made it to my friend’s house by 9pm. Driving through the salt flats at sunset: Our original plan called for only one night in Salt Lake City, but with so many errands to run and such wonderful hospitality from my friend, we stayed for two nights.  For only $500,000, you…

  • California

    The Ironman Race That Didn’t Happen

    September 24, 2014 - By 

    The pro athletes usually plummet through the waters exactly at 6:30am the Sunday morning of race day, followed by the amateur athletes at 6:45am.  That was at least the case last year when Chris and I dreadfully stepped into the chilly, placid lake to face our first Ironman triathlon race despite air temps shockingly reading 30ºF.  (We found out later that our first Ironman is now considered the most arduous Ironman race.) This year, we looked forward to taking the year off from triathlons, and instead eagerly awaited race day to volunteer for the event and cheer on our friends who had spent all…

  • California

    Romping & Nguyening Part 2 Begins: Abalone Diving

    September 18, 2014 - By 

    Having only spent exactly 1 month and 1 day at home with 2 weeks of it at Burning Man, our planning and preparation for the adventures of Romping & Nguyening Part 2 was no doubt a challenge.  With only a hasty 9 days, we knocked out our jam-packed list of to-do’s which consisted of unpacking and cleaning 2 weeks of Burning Man gear and our trailer, packing for our 3-month U.S. road trip, and meeting a handful of friends and family for lunch/dinner before departing. In a way, packing for the 3-month road trip was a bigger pain in the ass than…

  • Nevada

    From Home to Burning Man

    September 6, 2014 - By 

    The obvious reasons for our excitement upon returning home were familiarity and comfort, but the other reason was simply the sheer fact that home is San Francisco. I had looked forward to satisfying my thirst for wanderlust, but unlike many travelers, I had not planned on using travel as a means of escape from uncertainty. Preoccupied with an amazing career and countless hobbies, sports, activities, and friendships, I at times wondered myself why I was leaving behind the dream life to embrace the unfamiliar arms of culture shock and scams. But the answer was obvious–my heart yearned for new challenges that exist far beyond the pressures within the office…