Our National Park Awards

Normally I wouldn't do 2 blog posts in a single day, but you know it's my birthday, and I'll blog if I want to. Not my birthday so much, actually, but don't tell anyone, cuz I'm still bloggin.

Now that we have officially been to 9 National Parks, 5 Canadian Provincial Parks, and 1 Indian Reservation Park, we have, for your convenience, given them each their own award based on our experience there. Hurrah!

Now before we begin, I'd like to state a few ground rules: we are in no way stating a definitive list of the 'best' places that you HAVE to or should NEVER go to, but rather what our experiences were there. You have the right to disagree with our experiences, but they are our experiences, so none of this 'Well you're wrong! This place was the best in the world and your blog is lame!' kind of stuff. That being said and without any further delay, let's get into the meat! Oh boy! I can't wait to see what the nominees are wearing on the red carpet...

In chronological order of our times there, with picture that may/may not have anything to do with its award, we would like to issue the following:

Alice Lake Provincial Park-Wettest Campground

Wells Grey Provincial Park- Most Serene Campground

Mt Robson Provincial- Best Backpacking Experience

Banff Provincial- Most Overrated 

Jasper Provincial- Best Scenic Drive

Glacier National- Best/Only Wild Bear Sighting

Yellowstone National-Quintessential National Park

Grand Teton National- Most Possible/Worth Seeing with Drive Through Only

Havasupai Indian Reservation- Most Adventurous Camping Experience

Carlsbad Caverns National- Most Unique Park

Mt Rushomre National- Least Surprising

Badlands National- Most Underrated Park/Biggest Surprise

Arches National- Best Rock Climbing

Bryce Canyon National- Most Average Park

Zion National- Most Impressive Park

So there you have it folks! Stay tuned for the next awards ceremony, where we discuss fuzziest fluffy things!

Home and Thankfulness

(Kindra posting)

Is it too hokey to do a post on thankfulness around Thanksgiving? Possibly...but hey, hokey isn't always bad as far as I'm concerned.

So as we've finished our North American travels, and we're now searching for our new WWOOFing host in Ireland (where we will be starting January 15), the climate of our hearts has naturally turned inward to reflect on all that has happened during our travels.  9560 miles, 275.5 gallons of gas, and who knows how many peanut butter and jelly sandwiches later, the first part of our trip is over. Now that we have been given the delicious gifts of time and space, we are turning back more deeply into our hears and into God's arms to talk with Him about what happened during our travels. He's had a lot to say =)

It's funny the things you do and don't miss as you go on the road to foreign places. What surprised me most was how sad I was to leave Orange County after my dear friend's wedding. After being on the road for a month previously, it was more refreshing and satisfying than I can express to be with close friends again.  To be near those whom you are so close to that sometimes words are not necessary, just a knowing glance; whose very presence is a comfort in and of itself no matter what you are doing; those very few friends who you can may even be able to call 'sister' or 'soul mate'-these people are truly to be cherished, and I enjoy them dearly. Siiiiiigh, what a gift! Nevertheless, leaving that place was harder than I had expected, and I was aware of my heart's initial response of panic. The thoughts of 'Where am I going? Why am I going there?' and most poignantly, 'Where is my home?' all surfaced out of the city city smog and sat with me on the desert drive to Arizona. The following interaction with God was one of the most important I have had. Once I turned to Him and asked about it, He gently whispered, with characteristically profound simplicity, 'I am your home.' He began to show me that no matter where in this world I go, no matter who is or isn't with me, since He is ALWAYS with me in ALL circumstances,  I am always home. What a sweet truth for God to reveal, and what perfect timing!!

 So the first big thing I am thankful for as we returned to California for Thanksgiving is the reality and experience of 'home.' In all the shapes, sizes, and places it may be experienced.

The second thing I am thankful for was definitely a direct result of the road trip experience. I continued to be stunned and stopped in my tracks with the wonderful generosity and hospitality of the people we saw. Some people we have considered close friends for years; some people we hadn't spoken with in years. And yet the warmth and kindness we were greeted with was universal and overwhelming. No matter the time that had lapsed from our most recent contact, our relationships with people picked up right where they had left off and were affirmed. In a very new way, I am this year thankful for the gifts of friendship-whether dear, 'soul mate' friendships, or the ones that continue to breeze in and out of life with the season. This road trip couldn't have happened without them both.

The final thing I am especially thankful for began before we left for Canada, when God began healing my relationships with family. As we drove around the country, I felt the support and love of family behind me, which I know not everyone has. Coming back to California has confirmed that this year, I am remarkably thankful for the wonderful family in my life.  

 After all we have been through on this North American road trip-hail storms and snow storms, gardening and walking goats, barely making it up seemingly vertical inclines through Canadian Rockies and being pulled over twice for speeding through the Midwest (with no tickets, just warnings!), hiking up actual vertical inclines with chains on the cliff side on Angel's Peak/Havasupai and bison encounters-those three things shine out to me with more importance than ever before. Home. Friends. Family.

As hokey as it may be to be thankful for friends and family, if it's the first time you're truly experiencing the truth of it, then it's just as important of a realization for you as it was for the first person who ever had the thought. And for me, this Thanksgiving was the most deeply I have ever felt truly thankful for those things. That, and snuggly kitties.

As we prepare for our next unknown adventure in Ireland, our experiences of this first phase of the trip will remain with us help and guide us through the countless questions that must be answered: where will we stay? Who will be our new hosts? How will we get from the Dublin airport to wherever that ends up being? What will we end up doing there, and how long will we stay? Some of these things we can answer before we board the plane, and others will have to wait and be answered along the journey. The only things we know for certain at this point are that we are flying to Dublin on January 15, and it's going to be a learning, adventurous, and most likely rainy ride! Who knows? Maybe we'll even meet a leprachaun ; )

Some of the beautiful Irish scenery that awaits us!

Getting Back in (Blog) Shape

Romance and leaves flurry at our stay in Zion National Park.

(This blog by Austin)

Well, we have officially been blog slackers.  Normally, I would playfully blame Kindra, but really it's her fault.  No, just kidding, if anything is to blame, it has been our blistering pace of road tripping through the Midwest.  Our last post covered Texas, a gunslinging roadshow in itself, and since then we have spent an average of two nights per state cruising up to Minnesota and windily back to good ol' California.  Right now Kindra is making paper poinsettias for Xmas across the table in our current residence (my dad's in Pasadena), and I am taking advantage of some time without a food coma to catch you up on our last two weeks.  Ready?  Here we go.

Fayetteville, Kansas

Right before leaving for Canada, I discovered that my good friend Cagdas from Turkey was staying with his wife Gulden in Fayetteville, which is a stone's throw offcourse our original route of Texas to Minnesota.  Cagdas is a splendid fellow; besides being Turkish (which is automatic +10 point for me), he is friendly, comedic and doesn't mind my sloppy Turkish.  At one point we were roommates in Turkey, and we would have meaningful conversations while eating karisik sandwiches at 2 AM (don't even ask, they are so gross yet tasty).  Kindra and I toured briskly cold main street Fayetteville with them, and best of all, Gulden cooked us authentic Turkish grub, which is hard to pull off well in America.  We lamented about the missing fresh produce in the States that Turkey has in spades, and had a very pleasant stay before hitting the road once again.  I should also add I got pulled over for speeding in Oklahoma (83 in a 70), but got away with a warning.  You Midwest cops are so nice!

Lenexa, Kansas (basically Kansas City)

Kansas almost feels like Arkansas with nice parks.  Here we rendezvoused with good friends Nile and Caitlin from college who recently relocated to Kansas for school and work (wow, lots of friends leaving Cali for the Midwest!).  Caitlin is an excellent health cook, and I felt right at home with organic eggs and vegetarian chili.  When they went to work, we took their Golden Retriever Parker for a seven mile walk and almost got lost in a huge public park.  The second evening, we met up over "world renowned" Kansas BBQ with one of my old friends from New Jersey.  Super fun, and off to see more friends up north!

Caitlin, Nile, Kindra and I in Kansas City

Minneapolis, Minnesota

Minnesota, the land of nice people, supermalls, and snowstorms.  Actually, our weather was 95% spent wonderfully warm, it didn't snow until our departing morning.  We crashed with our close friend 'Jep' and his wife Laura for a few nights, and during one day also enjoyed exploring the city with Kindra's former Turkey teammate, Jessica.  Jep and Laura were fantastically fun to be our around, and we played strategic games, giggled at silly youtube videos (see Gangum Style), walked the massssive Mall of America, and mostly just watched their cow spotted bunny Twitch hop through cardboard boxes.  After hugs a plenty, we spent a Sunday with my old rommmate from college Keith and his wife Lauren.  Being of our same blood in the hiking, adventure, and pursuit of knowing people deeply, we had a blast with them.  Hikes around woody lakes (Minnesota has 10,000; need a fact check there, right?) were brisk and well needed for our car cramped legs, delicious food and great genuine conversation fed the soul.  Add some spontaneous sock floor sliding competitions at their spacious new home, and it made for a refreshing and too short of a time.  :)

Jessica, Kindra and I near the Mississippi River.

Polar bear!!  At the free Minneapolis zoo.

Good times with Jep and Laura.

Having a blast with Keith and Lauren.

Mt Rushmore, South Dakota

One snowstorm and ten bleak driving hours later, we pulled into our dark campsite at Badlands National Park.  Badlands was actually pretty cool, and receives a definite "most underrated" national park on our rankings.  Mt Rushmore was predictable, but still worth a stop, despite having to dish out $11 with our National Parks Pass not working at this location.

Future five face of the monument?  Doubtful, but worth a try.

Colorado Springs, Colorado

Being my birthplace, it was important to make a stop here.  We also had incentive that Kindra's awesome friend from high school Khristin and her equally great husband Dominique lived in the Springs.  We made our adobe on their floor for a few nights, and amidst meaningful conversations about emotional connection with our spouses and discussions of building sustainable homes called Earthships we got to explore the city as well.  Garden of the Gods, a rock climbing refuge, fulfilled my appetite for danger and challenge.  The Olympic Training Center, where Olympic hopefuls come to train at high altitude, made for a fun tour.  On our way out, we visited the house my parents built in the Springs, where I spent my first two years growing up. It was a very surreal experience.

Come join me in the Olympics!

Bouldering.

Being silly with Khristin and Dominique.

Arches National Park

Arches was awesome!!  Located in central east Utah, it was on our list of stops but not expected to be as epic as we thought.  Tons of sandstone rocks, positionally perfectly by heaven as if to say "come, climb me if you dare!"  And climb we did.  Small scrambles, high overlooks, you name it.  Kindra is the better technical climber, while I am more comfortable with heights.  We spurred each other on to push our comfort zones.  We reached Double Arch, where two arches stacked on the other.  I led Kindra up to walk near the towering top arch, while she encouraged me in scrambling up a crack and through a small boulder's hole to reach the bottom arch.  We felt like kids on a playground.

Arches in action.

My ankles started hurting a lot at Arches for no apparent reason, and every stretch I tried didn't seem to work.  It was super frustrating, and I found it revealing a lot of my issues of being super grumpy and not joyful when things don't go my way.  Basically, most of my life I have needed things to go my way to feel happy, which leaves little room for flexibility, or perhaps rather even more so a serenity when things go wrong.  This began a journey of learning to unlearn this silly pattern of my heart.  I'll probably blog more on this later, so let's get back to the adventure!

 Bryce Canyon and Zion National Park 

Bryce was overrated.  Don't get me wrong, it was scenic and had a cool trail or two.  But when Kindra and I pulled into this park mid afternoon after Arches, to found a few big beautiful canyons and cold temperatures, we did a short hike, caught a sunset, and hit the road for Zion.  Now Zion, that is a national park to behold!  We came in at night, so when we awoke to our surprisingly overcrowded campground that morning, we discovered a gorgeous, picturesque canyon walling us in on all sides.  We day hiked the canyon, gaped at deer and turkeys by the bucket load, and savored the last moments of a wonderful half country tour.  Yeah, we got pretty sentimental about it all.  Our final trip hike was Angels Landing, a monster of a trek 1500 vertical feet up a viewpoint of the whole canyon.  Along the way up we desperately clung to chains in place to keep our young, vagabond selves from tumbling a thousand feet down on either side.  The journey was adventurous, the view on top was divine.  It bonded us and prepared us for our return to civilization.

Bryce Canyon

Kindra taking on Angel's Landing.

Nearing the summit of Angel's Landing.

Back to SoCal

So here we are, back in Pasadena, had a great Thanksgiving with family and friends, and ready for some down time before continuing on to our next adventure.  And that begins January 15th, when we fly to Dublin!  Until then, more updates and reflections will be coming up here.  Happy Thanksgiving to you, may your weekend be blessed!


Photos links:

https://picasaweb.google.com/117860913937238604610/UtahNationalParks
https://picasaweb.google.com/117860913937238604610/ArksanasToColorado

That time I was called 'Sugar Lips' aka our time in Texas

Hey, y’all, Kindra here!

Yep, we’ve been in Texas for about a week now, and needless to say, “we’re not in Kansas anymore.”

I first understood that things were slightly different in TX vs CA when we stopped at our first gas station just outside of Austin, and a trucker next to me said, “Hey, I see you have California plates! You’re a long way from home, sugar lips.” ..........Having never been called sugar lips in my life before, and with Austin in the bathroom, I had no social preparation for this moment whatsoever, and mainly attempted to not laugh at him. *successfully* We continued to sense only slight differences as we journeyed deeper into the heart of Tx. Like when we how the majority of people crowding the local bars had hats that could fit a small animal underneath matching their jean belt buckle, or how we saw more Christian religious signs than we had in our entire life during the drive from El Paso to Austin, including my personal favorite: ‘Vote God’s Values: Pro Traditional Marriage, Pro Israel, Pro Life. Do your candidates match God’s values?” Yeeeeeeeeeeah, pretty sure that sign couldn’t have been put up anywhere in California. Anywhere. Ever.

During our stay in Texas, we have been to most of the major cities, starting in El Paso, then Austin, Houston, Dallas and Arlington, visiting friends and family on the way.

After our visit with the Dagens in El Paso,  we got to explore Austin with a best friend from college, Caroline, and her awesome boyfriend Dan, along with one of Austin teammates from Turkey, Rachel. We got to stay at Caroline’s parents house, complete with our own bedroom and bathroom- which, needless to say, coming directly from tent camping at Carlsbad Caverns, was quite the luxury. After visiting the beautiful state capital building (where we learned that Texas has the right to secede from the US anytime they like with no ramifications, which by that point did not surprise us one bit), UT campus, and having coffee at Mozart’s Cafe by Lake Austin, we felt pretty familiar with the city, and were understanding why people were raving about Austin so much. After we went out to get drinks, see live music and played oversized games like Jenga, the understanding was complete. *As a side note, the whole joke of Austin’s name being the same as Austin the city has been pretty fun to milk, from the ‘Keep Austin Weird’ movement to people saying ‘Austin is so great!’*

rockin the gigantic Jenga with Caroline and Dan

wonderful local coffee shop by Lake Austin

Hanging with Rachel at Lake Austin

by the infamous 'Hi, How Are You' frog downtown

With the Texan air permeating our nostrils more and more, and having the new fear/understanding/shock that tons of people here really DO carry loaded guns on themselves ALL the time, we headed out to Houston to stay with the Messarra’s, other teammates of Austin’s from Turkey. After having an amazing Turkish meal in the city where Austin dressed up as a Turkish man for Halloween and we were serenaded by a local singer, we thankfully got to play in their pool-really not sure how it’s 75/80 F with significant humidity in November, and how it’s possible to survive in the summer, but apparently it happens all the time. Not only did we get to fulfill on our Spades fix for the year, but Nate, a professional wedding etc. photographer,  took the time to show Austin the ropes of photography, since we’re considering buying a nicer camera for our world trip just around the corner. And, just for kicks, we took the hour drive down to poke our toes in the warm, beautiful Gulf of Mexico before we left, and visited the COOLEST Trader Joes ever! It's in a converted old movie theater, and every part of the store has some part of old Hollywood glamour attached to it, with advertisements for products all shown on converted old classic movie posters, such as "Scone with the Wind" on the Gone with the Wind movie poster, with a subtitle "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a jam." Good stuff.

The Messarra's showcase the infamous 'Turkim', a stuffed M&M that has been around the world through various teammates from Turkey, that we will now bring with us for part of our travels

They also had a Jaws movie poster that said 'Joes' instead =)

From Houston, we hit the road yet again to Dallas, making a special stop on the way to have a delightful lunch with some family friends, Harold and Lisa, then continued to stay with good friends from college, Cory and Jessica. (And their adorable year old dog, Kahlua, who we both fell absolutely in LOOVE with!) We had a blast in Dallas-going to the local Farmer’s Market, checking out the new park in the middle of downtown providing free games/books/newspapers, countless Hearts games, and incredible Texan/Southern home/buffet style cooking Celebration. Seriously, if you're in Dallas, go, it's amazing local, fresh, and a great deal to boot.

Playing Batche ball at the awesome park downtown

Finally, feeling thoroughly Tex-ified, we got to meet up with my stepbrother Will and his girlfriend Denissa, stepsister Danielle, and meet my adorable nephew Nathan and niece Emma for the first time! We had so much fun getting breakfast then heading to a local park, where we had a playground themed obstacle course, which, incidentally, I won by 1 second =) 

The whole gang, L-R: Emma, Danielle, me, Austin, Nathan, Will, Denissa

having lots of fun at the park

We have had such an amazing time in Texas, and have so enjoyed re connecting and spending time with family and friends along the way. We already finding ourselves heading to Arkansas to visit  some Turkish friends. Am I going to incorporate “y’all”
 into my daily vocabulary? Perhaps...it is pretty convenient to only say 1 word instead of 2. I guess that’s for me to know and you to find out.

California to Texas

Since our last post, we have done some of the following:

-cliff jumped into naturally turquoise blue waters
-driven 1500+ miles
-stayed with some very good friends from earlier days of our lives
-seen swarms of bats arise from a cave

 In sum we have been having a blast.  Our first stop was the Grand Canyon, but not your typical South Rim/North Rim experience.  No, we headed for the Supai Indian reservation, a town eight miles into the canyon on a piece of paradise.  This region could seriously be the modern Garden of Eden; nestled between rich red canyon walls, surrounded by lush green vegetation, lays some of the most beautiful waterfalls and creeks Kindra and I ever set eye on. 

We camped a few miles past the town, and walking to the site I encountered Havasu Falls, the place of my heart.  For the past two years I have had up in my office a picture of this glorious waterfall, and it daily inspired me to continue resting and enjoying in the midst of chaos and work.  It represents to me the peace of God, the restful and flowing presence of love, a place where I am safe.  Kindra and I set up our tent and headed back to the falls to go swimming.

Havasu Falls

Despite the tribe's obvious policies prohibiting diving and jumping into water, we couldn't resist making a splash into the numerous turquoise pools at the base of Havasu Falls.  We laughed, we swam, we even tried swimming towards the powerful falls itself, only to be pushed around by a forceful current.  We were in paradise. 

After a warm night's sleep (it was in the balmy 50s compared to our camping in the 20s only a few weeks earlier), we set off on an adventure for Beaver Falls, a three mile trek across creeks, chain ladders and various waterfalls.  Forgetting our water shoes, Kindra soaked her tennis shoes in the creek while I went barefoot most of the way.  The start of the trail took us down a chain laden cliff side to Mooney Falls, and then we trekked through turquoise pools and along a wispy red dirt trail until our eventual arrival at the tranquil Beaver Falls. 

Way to Mooney Falls!

Creek crossing

Just past there our real adventure began, as we rock climbed a precarious perch over a small waterfall.  Following this strenuous and exhilarating climb, where several times I thought for sure I would fall into the water, we found a perfect spot for 20 foot cliff jumps, and had some fun making a splash. 

Site of our precarious climbing and cliff jumping.

This whole journey into the canyon was memorable, and a highlight of the whole trip thus far for me.  Kindra and I made friends with a few travelers while camping, one from Arizona and one from Nebraska.  They treated us to wine and freeze dried eggs, and we had some good laughs with them.  After a grueling ten mile hike out of the canyon, we stayed with our friends the Kepners in Flagstaff, and the following day the Dagens in El Paso.  Both families were incredibly hospitable and fun to catch up with.

Us with Jeremiah and Lori Kepner in Flagstaff.

Craig and Heidi Dagen with their daughter Lydia in El Paso.

Months ago, Kindra told me she had never seen Carlsbad Caverns, and so following El Paso we explored this National Park, full of stalactites and stalagmites.  That evening, we went to a 'bat show,' where thousands of bats flew out of the Cavern at sunset in fantastic swirling, darting style.  As if the night couldn't get better, our campsite head for that evening supplied us with free firewood.  It was a cold night, in the 30s, so a warm fire hit the spot.  We awoke in the morning to the paw prints of raccoons saturating our car :)

We are now in Austin, TX, my namesake, and are thankful to be staying with the one of Kindra's bridesmaids, Caroline.  In the this week we will be in Houston, Dallas, Arlington, Arkansas and Kansas.  The adventure continues!

For more pictures of Grand Canyon: https://picasaweb.google.com/117860913937238604610/HavasupaiGrandCanyon#