Home of Bacardi and History

A Day in San Juan

To say I was excited to visit San Juan, Puerto Rico would be an understatement.  San Juan was high on my list of places to visit, because when I turned twenty one I made a list of breweries and distilleries I wanted to visit.  It was not a long list, and having already made it to the Guinness St James Gate Brewery in Ireland and the Markers Mark Distillery in Kentucky I only had one left on the list: the Bacardi Distillery in San Juan, Puerto Rico.  With the one day I had in San Juan on a cruise I made the Bacardi Distillery Tour my prime objective, although there would be time for more than that.

Waiting for my tour of the Bacardi Distillery to start in Puerto Rico.

Alcatraz: Island in San Fransisco Bay

A Fort, Jail, and National Park

Alcatraz seems to have made it into too many TV shows and movies to count.  It seems to be a particular favorite of science fiction films like The Book of Eli and X-Men: The Last Stand.  For all of the films it's been in, I didn't know much about the history of the island until I visited it.  Now a part of the National Park System, a trip to the island is perfect for history buffs wishing to broaden their knowledge.

I stand in front of one of the many cells on the main cell blocks of Alcatraz.  What a dismal place to live.

Oregon and Crater Lake

More Fourth of July Fun in a National Park

My trip to Crater Lake National Park was part of my epic Fourth of July national parks road trip with three friends that also included Lassen National Park and Redwoods National Park.  Crater Lake was a stark contrast to the other parks, and also my first (and only time as of yet) visiting Oregon.  In some ways I never want to go back to Oregon as I don't think another trip could top the fun we had with this one.

Enjoying the view of Crater Lake after taking a swim in its icy waters.

A Daddy-Daughter Hiking Trip

Exploring the Nation's Third National Park

Growing up my dad was my hiking buddy.  The two of us would go on backpacking and hiking trips to the Appalachian Mountains.  So when he came out to visit my in California by himself, I knew exactly what activity I wanted to do, hiking in Yosemite National Park.  So we hiked three trails in three days in our Nation's third national park.

My dad and I at the summit of Sentinel Dome.  Half dome can be seen over my shoulder.

Fulfilling a Life Long Dream at Petrified Forest National Park

A Forest Turned to Stone

Most of the places I've visited since I started seriously traveling were not places I dreamt about visiting as a child.  Many of the places I've visited I had never even heard of until I planned a trip there, like the Faroe Islands or Lassen National Park.  Petrified Forest National Park is the exception. I wanted to visit this park since I was a child obsessed with natural history.  Who doesn't want to see a forest where all the wood has turned to stone?  It sounds like something out of a fairy tale.  I was able to loop this park in on my American South West road trip in November 2014.  

Excited to finally have made it to Petrified Forest National Park.

A Pueblo and a Blowhole: Wupatki National Monument

An Ancient Mansion

The Ancient Pueblo People of the American southwest were awesome.  They are most known for carving out cliff dwellings like in Mesa Verde National Park and Walnut Canyon National Monument.  However, long before these ancient people got desperate enough to build massive cliff dwelling complexes, they were building pueblos, for which they were given their namesake.  Wupatki is home to to one of the largest complexes still standing built by the Ancient Pueblo People.

The largest Pueblo (building built of mud bricks) in Wupatki.

The Arizona and Other Hawaiian WW II Memorials

Valor in the Pacific

Valor in the Pacific is the name given to the collection of World War II museums and memorials on Oahu, the most famous of which is the Battleship Arizona Memorial.  The collection of sites and exhibits is so comprehensive and vast that it took me two separate trips to see everything I wanted to. 

Taking in the Arizona Memorial constructed over the remains of the battleship Arizona.

Sunset Crater at Sunset

Another Arizonan National Monument

Sunset Crater is not so much a crater as an ancient volcano, once part of an active volcano filed spanning much of the south west.  A national monument just north of Flagstaff, it's adjacent to Wupatki National Monument, allowing visitors to make one loop form the interstate to visit both monuments.  While a small monument, it had some impressive features that left me agape with awe. 

Standing in front of Sunset Crater, the ancient volcano the monument is named for.

Another Great National Park in Utah: Canyonlands

Land of Canyons and Views

With national parks like Zion and Arches and extensive snowboarding, it's no surprise Utah is one of my favorite state to visit.  In this post I want to talk about one more reason I love Utah, Canyonlands National Park.  Canyonlands is comprised of a series of canyons cut by the Colorado and Green rivers.  I posted earlier about how the Colorado River formed the Grand Canyon, and the same process of uplift of the Colorado Plateau combined with erosion by the Colorado River formed the vast canyons of Canyonlands.  I guess we have the Colorado River to thank for more than one national park.

Taking in the view at the Island in the Sky at Canyonlands.

Mesa Verde: Green Tables and Cliff Dwellings

Desperate People Do Desperate Things

National Parks preserving cliff dwellings are pretty common in the American South West, my personal favorite being Walnut Canyon National Monument.  Probably the most famous of these parks in Mesa Verde National Park in south western Colorado.  

The buildings and an ancient kiva at Spruce Tree House.

A National Park Unlike Any Other: Arches

When Wind Erodes Sandstone

Arches National Park is not just unique among other national parks in the US.  Arches, in eastern Utah, is home to the largest collection of natural arches in the world.  Let me reiterate, it has the most arches and the highest density of natural arches in the entire world.  The US does not need to be number one in everything, but in this micro category we certainly are.  

Getting ready to take in all the arches of Arches National Park.

Yep It's a Big Canyon, It's a Grand Canyon

Starring Into the Abyss of the Grand Canyon

I'm not sure what I was expecting from Grand Canyon National Park.  I know I was expecting beautiful vistas and awesome hiking.  I was not expecting to spend less than two hours, including lunch.  

My first view of the Grand Canyon at the South Rim Visitor's Center.

Volcanos and Such on the Big Island

The Big Island of Hawaii That Is

I spent two days on the big island of Hawaii, so called the big island because its actual name is Hawaii.  The first day I spent based out of Hilo on the eastern coast of the island.  This was the day I decided I would visit Hawaii Volcanos National Park to see some flowing red lava.  

Cruising around the Big Island in the convertible I rented.  The last minute upgrade was 100% worth it.

The Red Cliffs of Zion National Park, Utah

A National Park With Mormon Names

I remember when I first learned about Zion National Park.  I was in middle school at the time at home on a Saturday.  My dad had just finished paging through the latest edition of Backpacker which recently came in the mail.  The two of us went backpacking together for a week every summer and so he splurged for a subscription.  I picked up the issue and an article in the table of contents caught my eye.  I don't remember exactly what its title was, but it was something along the lines of "Best Day Hikes in the US".  Among the hikes featured was The Narrows at Zion National Park.  I promised my self I would make it to Zion one day and I finally did on a cross country road trip at the age of twenty-six.

So proud having finally made it to Zion National Park.

Capulin Volcano

A Random Little Volcano in the Middle of New Mexico

I've been posting about Israel a lot recently, and I want to bring it back to the USA for just a little while, an ode to my home if you will.  Not that I am homesick or anything, although I am starting to miss my kitchen aid stand mixer.  Last fall I went on an absurdly long road trip with a National Park Annual Pass.  The possession of said annual pass led to us stopping at every national park and monument that the pass granted us entry to.  Were it not for this pass, we probably would have kept driving right past Capulin Volcano National Monument.  

The entrance to Capulin Volcano National Monument.

South Dakota: Badlands and More

South Dakota: The State I Never Thought Would Be So Awesome

I did not think much of South Dakota growing up, or ever.  It's not that I thought badly of South Dakota, I just never never crossed my mind.  Maybe a couple of times while staring at a map the question "Who would want to live there?" crossed my mind, but that was the extent of South Dakota in my mind.  That was until I drove through South Dakota on my way to California in 2010.  

The entrance to the Minute Man Missile Silo in South Dakota.

Alaskan Glaciers

Glaciers: Alaska's Mountains of Ice 

I've been to Alaska several times as part of my PhD research, but it was not until my third trip to Alaska that I finally set time apart to explore glaciers up close.  As a geologist from Florida, I have always wanted to climb and hike over these expanses of ice so dense, it emits a blue hue.  If not the sheer size of glaciers impresses visitors, the fact that these mounds of ice move should.  The immense mass of glaciers combined with the pull of gravity ensures these ice masses move downhill, although often so slowly as to be imperceptible to the naked eye.  I am not a glaciologist, and this is by no means a glaciology class.  I give an introduction to these wonders so as to explain why I wanted to explore them so badly.  

Standing in front of Exit Glacier in Kenai Fjords National Park.

Above the Clouds and Under the Sea in Maui

First Days in Hawaii: Maui 

I spent two days in Maui last summer while on a cruise.  Maui, much like Oahu offers a a lot of diversity in activities and culture.  No matter our mood, there was something to suit it on Maui.  Maui was the first of the four islands we visited on this trip, and of course the first thing we did was rent a jeep wrangler.  I mean its Hawaii right?  Also jeeps and compact cars were the same price at the rental agency.  I think everyone who stood in line in front of or behind me rented a jeep.  

The entrance to Haleakala National Park on Maui.

Ancient Cliff Dwellings in Arizona

Why Not Visit. . . Walnut Canyon National Monument?

Technically Walnut Canyon is a national monument, but the monument is maintained by the National Park Service.  We visited the monument in 2014 when on a road trip through the southwest.  Visiting Walnut Canyon was a last minute decision.  We had no idea it existed until I was checking in on Facebook at a nearby national monument, and Walnut Canyon came up as a check in option.  It was past closing time, when we discovered this national monument was so close.  So we checked into our Flagstaff hotel and vowed to visit first thing in the morning.  

The view of the canyon from the visitors' center.

The Endless Tundra: North Slope Alaska

Why Not Visit the North Slope of Alaska?

The north slope of Alaska consists of all land north of the Brooks Mountain Range, which is itself over 200 miles north of Fairbanks.  The north slope is comprised of tundra, slopes of hills or flat land covered in sponge-like brush and grasses.

The tundra of north slope Alaska, with the Brooks Range in the distance.