Local Summer

Maybe you know, maybe you don’t. But September and the still warm part of summer is known around these parts as “Local Summer.” It is surely the best. People go away and you can enjoy all the good parts of summer life without the crowds. This year, both regular summer and local summer took me all around. Here are some of the best parts:

A fun yoga photoshoot in Tom’s River. I’m slowing expanding out to see other shore towns. I’ve loved Point Pleasant and Asbury Park. There’s so much more to get to know.

Glad life has brought me back to my old stomping grounds at the University of Delaware. I got to visit my favorite ice cream shop of all time (Woodside Farms Creamery). And I’ve eaten a lot of ice cream, so that’s saying something.

No summer is complete for me nowadays without a couple of trips to Harrisburg, PA. My sister lives there (she’s engaged now!!), and I appreciate being near enough to visit her for a weekend.

Central PA frequently exceeds my expectations. We tubed down the river at Sickman’s Mill.

I made a quick stop in the Hudson Valley to celebrate my dad’s birthday, retirement from IBM after 40 years (!!!), and my cousin’s wedding. We went to the Dutchess County Balloon Festival.

Back in Jersey, I walked around Stockton University’s pretty campus for the first time.

Oh yeah, and there was another dead whale.

That’s all the update for today.

Colorado (Day Two)

The say it’s about the journey, not about the destination. Which is true, except when you’ve made it through hours of airport and shuttle travel, and it’s really all about the destination. But a full day on the slopes made it well-worth the transport. We started around 8:30am and stayed out until 3. The sun was shining the whole time.

It was nice that our condo was slope-side, because I was more than ready to pass out for a long nap afterwards. I was only able to wake myself up for a soak in the hot tub. We didn’t make it into town for dinner on night number two. Instead we had pizza delivered to the Airbnb and went to bed early.

It’s definitely good living in Colorado during April. I hope to make it back someday for more!

Winter Wanders

Hello and Happy New Year to all of you, friends! I started writing up a 2020 reflections post and going through my phone for pictures to pair with it, but I found all of these photos from Longwood Gardens in the winter, and they were too beautiful not to share with you.

While going to school in Delaware, I’d visited the gardens a few times in the summer months, but I had always wanted to come back to see their Christmas display. I finally got the chance last month. My sister came over from Harrisburg and we met for breakfast. It’s wonderful to be living in a place where you can meet up with a treasured family member for a day! She introduced me to her favorite restaurant, and I’m a little embarrassed to tell you that we ate there for breakfast, left one of our cars, and came back for lunch when we picked up the car. It was that good!

It was a warm day for December, so we wandered around comfortably outside and in the greenhouses all afternoon. I may bite my tongue later, but so far I’m appreciating the mildness of Mid-Atlantic winter. It’s been seven years for me without a real winter, and it’s not as bad as I remember. Ask me again in late February…

The decorations were gorgeous! I’m curious to come back at night, but those reservations filled up quickly, so we’ll have to wait until next year.

The Hamptons

My sister is having her last hurrah in NYC this week before she and her boyfriend pack up and move to Pennsylvania to start his medical residency. I feel bad for them since their last months in the city were dashed by Covid quarantines. They’ve been fully cooped up, so I’m sure the trails and forests of PA will be a welcome change. I took a couple trips down to see them and make the most of our rare time together in the same state.

During one of the trips, I decided to take a drive out to the Hamptons, because I’d never been. I knew it would be a long drive, but I don’t have much else going on these days. I started out following this guide to the scenic stops along Montauk Highway, but after about 4 stops, which were certainly beautiful and worth stopping at, I decided I’d better just make my way to Montauk or I’d be on the road all day.

There are so many gorgeous views along the way; it doesn’t hurt to stop at any of them. And it was so nice being outside and on the water after so many cold and rainy days this spring.

I was surprised at how rural and scenic everything is once you get further out onto Long Island. It’s a far cry from the hustle and bustle of Queens and the rest of NYC.

Since it was midweek, the stops weren’t crowded at all. It was even strange to see the touristy beach towns almost deserted. On the other hand, I was glad to have views like these all to myself:

Montauk was the main attraction. I couldn’t believe how many trees and how few cars I saw along the highway. I wouldn’t have believed that I was less than two hours outside of New York City. Once I got into town, I could tell that I was in a beachy vacation neighborhood by the number of cars and people walking around, but it still felt calm in the offseason. Restaurants were open for takeout, so I grabbed a bagel for the road.

Of course the main lighthouse park was closed due to quarantine, but I was still able to walk around the beach and the base of the lighthouse. The restrooms were open, which I thankfully found out before I had to duck behind the nearest tree! I did see more people walking around on the trails down to the beach, so I put my mask on and kept my distance.

I felt peaceful walking along the water by the ocean. It ended up being a long-ish drive from Queens (about 2 hours each way), but I found it to be worth the trip. I’m not sure the next time I’ll be on Long Island after my sister moves, so I’m glad I took the chance to travel out there while it was accessible. However, if anyone has a Hamptons beach house, I will gladly accept any invitations (wink, wink).

The Big Smoke

Well, I did’t do many outdoor activities on this day off, because it’s been a bit smokey here in Sydney, if you haven’t heard. It’s actually been pretty scary and has left me and I’m sure many others not feeling so good! Today was worse than any of the smoke and fire days I experienced in LA. I’m thankful for having an inside job and feeling bad for anyone who has to be outside. Instead, I made it a day of acai bowl eating, resting, and getting my nails done— all indoors and all very rewarding.

However, yesterday when I got out a little early, I was able to make a small local getaway to Watson’s Bay on the ferry. Maybe it wasn’t the best idea since the ferries aren’t running today due to all of the smoke and low visibility, but yesterday the skies weren’t as bad and there were many more people out and about.

After riding the ferry, I found the hiking path that would lead me to this sweet sandy cove:

Past some wild rock formations:

And eventually to this striped lighthouse:

It’s the Horny Lighthouse in Sydney Harbour National Park, and I’m glad I included it as an after work adventure. Tomorrow I’m back to the “office” (kiosk) and I’ll be staying inside until the winds change direction!

How I packed for a year in Australia

I am not the expert here, so I probably shouldn’t be writing this. But whenever I told anyone I was going to Australia for “up to a year”, that was the first thing they wanted to know. So, here’s what I brought:

I would say, overall, that I packed for this trip with reckless abandon. I don’t officially know how long I’ll be staying since I don’t have a job yet—a month? six months? a year? forever? I’m not planning on backpacking this time around, so I wanted to bring most of my life in order to stay in Sydney and live with it. Clothes weren’t too hard because it doesn’t get terribly cold here. Shoes were the hardest. I brought nine pairs.

I tried to limit myself to seven yoga pants, but I couldn’t. I like them all too much. I packed a couple versatile dresses for the wedding weekend and in case I get invited to any others, plus my sequined jumpsuit in case anyone wants me to come to a party. The green backpack has mostly exercise and casual clothes, plus my rain jacket. I stuck two pairs of sandals in the water bottle holders, and they almost fell out mid-flight, but they didn’t—whew! I slipped in a pouch of pens, highlighters, and pencils, just to have. I brought an alarm clock, two bars of fancy soap that I got from the Dutchess County Fair, a big contact solution and many pairs of contacts thanks to 1-800-Contacts filling my prescription last minute.

You can’t really see it, but under my jean jacket, there’s a canvas bag that holds my backpack, water bottle, and camera, which is really a great idea because you can fit almost three personal items for the price of one. I also have my traveling tripod, external hard drive, and microphone to hopefully make some yoga videos for you. In my backpack, there’s my laptop, iPad (that I use as a Kindle), two books, two planners (one for next year!), a fresh journal, chargers, and my work notebook. I squeezed in a reusable coffee mug because I try to care about the environment whenever I remember.

The patterned bag has my winter attire. I left it in LA at Katherine and Nath’s house so that I wouldn’t have to check three bags on the flight to LA. And I’d like to use it as a carry-on if I go on any international Asian adventures. I ditched my yoga mat and ukulele at the last minute with a few tears in my eyes, but I figured those would be easier to repurchase in Sydney than to carry on the plane with my other items. My mom is shipping a box with my wetsuit for surfing and, no, that is not a sarcastic joke; I am a real surfer!

I think that about covers it. I was tempted to try public transportation with one bag on the back, one on the shoulder, and two rolling in my hands, but Uber was just affordable enough not to have to. I’m safe and I’m here!

Sisters in California: Yosemite!

Anything I have to say about Yosemite seems very minuscule when compared to the beauty of the place itself. Our hostess was a true park expert, and she gave us great advice for planning the day, not to mention preparing a delicious and above-and-beyond breakfast in the morning. The park was crowded, of course, on a Sunday in summer, but it didn’t hinder our explorations at all. We parked at the far end of the village loop, rode the shuttle back in, and started by hiking the Mist Trail.

As we were climbing up the stairs and getting drenched by the waterfall, we saw a lovely little rainbow. iPhones are all waterproof now, right?!

After our hike, we rode the shuttle back to the car and drove up to Glacier Point. The views were breathtaking! I’ve been to Yosemite twice before (once as a baby), but this time felt like a whole new experience.

There was a little bit of traffic, and it takes a while to drive around the park at any time, however with these views we certainly didn’t mind. We added an extra hike in at the end by taking the Sentinel Dome trail. At the end of the day, we were glad to have taken the extra two miles, because it was much less crowded and offered similarly incredible vistas to Glacier Point.

Chasing Waterfalls in Tamanique

Although it’s tempting to spend every possible moment basking in the sun and infinity pool at the hotel, we’ve managed to be very active during our time here. On Monday, we drove away from the resort to explore more of the countryside. We were dropped off in the town of Tamanique, and our guide led us down a dirt path to hike to a waterfall.

It’s the end of the rainy season, so the scenery is lush and vibrant. We hiked for about an hour, winding down the hillside and listening to the sounds of the rushing waters below us.

Once we got to the waterfall, don’t tell my mom and dad, but we jumped off the 20 ft. cliffs into the waters below. Our group of 12 was finally all together, after a few late arrivals due to varying travel plans and work schedules. There were a few different heights, but everyone ended up jumping off one of the cliffs! It’s been a blast to be with such an adventuresome crew.

We could hear the sounds of an afternoon thunderstorm rumbling in the distance, and our guide urged us to get dressed quickly so we’d have time to visit the second, lower waterfall. We hiked a little further down, and jumped in to swim underneath the cascading streams.

I almost didn’t go in on the bottom level, because I’d dried off and didn’t want to get wet again. That would have been a mistake, because it started raining heavily while we were all in the water. The guide rushed us out and warned that the waters could rise quickly. We scrambled to put on our clothes and shoes, then slid over the muddy rocks to pull ourselves out. After a fast and breathless hike up the trail, we were back in the town, soaking wet but smiling. It was a sticky and soggy ride home in the van, but we all made it back safe and sound to Puro Surf to dry off.

Skiing in Squaw Valley

I didn’t think I could enjoy a ski area as much as I’ve enjoyed Mammoth, but, think again, because my dad and I found another outstanding competitor a few weeks ago. Spring skiing in Squaw Valley has made it’s way to the top of the list of best trips ever. I mean, Spring skiing almost anywhere is my favorite kind of skiing—60 degrees, blue skies, and soft ice-free snow—but an early May weekend at Squaw really made me feel spoiled.

Ok, this is coming from a mainly Northeastern skiier up until last year, but I was amazed to find that there was still SO MUCH snow! Most of the mountain was open and stayed open until 1pm, when it would get a little too slushy to carry on, but the highest part would remain open until 4pm, i.e. the entire day… in May!

The Saturday that we were there was the day before Cinco de Mayo, i.e. Cuatro de Mayo, so there were a lot of other fun happenings going on (like the annual pond skim) and tacos to eat. We were hesitantly ok with calling it quits around 1 o’clock, but it would have been easy to keep going. However, we had to move on to partaking in one of the other benefits of Squaw Valley—its proximity to Lake Tahoe!

Wow, wow, wow! Check out these aprés ski vistas! I’m beginning to think I could consider living in other parts of California besides the southern third.

Winter Wonderland

If you’re at a standstill wondering if you should go on a ski trip or be practical, stay home, work, and not go on the ski trip, I’m here to tell you that you should most definitely go on the ski trip. Even if you just got back from Mexico City and are leaving three days later for another continent, just go on the ski trip.

I was invited to go skiing with a group of friends last month, and I immediately wanted to go, because Mammoth, of course, and what a dream it was to be there last year. As the trip got closer, I started having doubts because 1.) all this travel means I haven’t really been working (ie. earning money) that much, and 2.) I was feeling wildly disorganized by the lack of time between trips. I couldn’t make up my mind about going, but I guessed that it had been made up for me since we’d already purchased lift tickets and booked the Airbnb.

Then, sort of miraculously, a * normal * person from Craigslist decided to sublet my room for the month. She came on the last day of February—she was the only one I showed the room to and mine was the only room she looked at, but we were both ready and it seemed like a good fit (and still does). Around the same time, I got an offer for a new freelance writing job to bring in a little side income while I flutter around teaching yoga for two hours a day. Two loads off my shoulders. Whew!

(I’m sure many of you who read this wonder how I can afford to do the things I do, and the answer is somewhere between my grandma giving us an early inheritance along with my being a bit reckless and very resourceful when opportunities for adventure present themselves.)

So all that could’ve fallen into place did, and the ski trip was happening. We drove the 5 hour trek up to the snowy mountains (not a problem for Suzie’s Suburu Impreza) , checked into the very 80’s ski condo, and sipped some cocktails, because, well, of course. There were four of us in the first car, waiting until later in the night when the rest of the group would arrive. Once the second car made it to the condo area, they got stuck at the bottom of the hill, and we had a bit of an exciting time putting chains on their tires (ie. me holding my phone flashlight while the guys did the work).

The first day of skiing was hampered by the biggest blizzard I’ve seen in a while, so many of the lifts were closed. We drank Irish coffees in the lodge and almost called it quits, but as we were about to pack it in, we found an open chair with great conditions and did laps there for the rest of the afternoon.

On Sunday, we decided to avoid the crowds and possible windy conditions and opted to check out June Mountain, which is still as much of a gem as the first time I saw it. What a perfect day!

Anyway, the moral of this story is to stop all of your non-skiing nonsense, expect everything to fall into place, and go on the ski trip.

3 Tips for Solo Camping (as a Lady)

As you know, I’ve now been on a solo camping trip to here, and I’ve returned to share some wisdom of the wilderness. These are not very gender-specific rules, and they might even be helpful for everyone, but I did take being a lady into account when sleeping in the woods alone. And I bet I am not the best person to give this advice since I’ve only done it one time, but I’m obviously very excited about it and have been talking it up a lot, so here’s what I’ve learned:

1. Plan ahead

   It was important to me to pick out my campground ahead of time. Even though my site didn’t end up having the best view, I was glad to be close enough to other campers to feel safe without being overcrowded. Solitude can be sweet, but for my own security, I preferred not to be too isolated. I planned to arrive with plenty of daylight to establish camp and scope out the area before dark. Years ago, I also practiced setting up my tent ahead of time just to get the hang of it.

2. Do some activities (but not too many)

   I knew I wanted to squeeze some planned activities in—like June Lake Beach and the June Lake Brewing Company—but I also left plenty of time for lounging and breathing. I thought I might get bored in the dark and hit my sleeping bag at 8pm, but my fire kept me interested well into the night, and then I looked up and saw all the stars!

   Also, you should know how to build a fire on your own. It’s pretty easy in a dry climate. The internet has tips. Luckily, I once went on a camping trip in Austin with a mountain man and two bada** ladies who knew what they were doing, so I acted all “Oh yeah, I know about fires, too,” and observed their tricks while pretending to gather sticks and be helpful.

3. Lie

   Unfortunately, in the life of a lady (or general person) on her own in the world, sometimes bending the truth is required. I made some friends at the brewery who offered an invitation to come out in Mammoth Village with them later that night. They seemed fun and friendly, but I fibbed and told them I had other plans and hadn’t decided where I’d be staying that night. I might have missed out on some good times, but I had a separate date planned with Nature. I think if someone is going to turn into a real friend, they would understand why you couldn’t be completely honest.

That might be all I learned this trip, besides not to eat too many Hot Cheetos on the drive up. If you can get past the initial scariness, camping on your own can be a wildly empowering experience and a great way to enjoy spending time with yourself.

June Lake

Hi sweet friends!

Last week, I made a spontaneous pilgrimage to NorCal to visit June Lake, one of the places where I skied with my dad this spring. It's crazy how time slips by--I can't believe I've been out here for almost six months already! After seeing June Mountain in the winter, I knew I needed to check out the area in the warmth of summertime. 

Even with the five hour drive up there, the day was full and peaceful. I found a musical road in Lancaster, CA on the way, then spent the afternoon hiking around the campground and lounging at the beach. August had made the grounds hot and dry, but the waters of the lake were perfectly cool and refreshing. And I don't think any trip to June would be complete without a stop at the local brewery. 

I drove around the June Lake Loop whilst eating too many hot Cheetos and scoping out some other more scenic campgrounds. I was pretty happy with the one I chose, but could've used more access to the water (like at nearby Silver Lake in the photo below). Anyway, mine was safe, bear-free, and with bathrooms so I really can't complain.

The next day including a brief visit through Yosemite, and I think that deserves a post of its own. I hope you're still out seeking summer adventures wherever in the world you are!

On the Zipline

During this trip to Central America, I made the tough and boring decision not to go ziplining. For me, it was one of the more expensive activities, and I had already done it a couple of times before in Mexico and Costa Rica. We took a day tour on Ometepe Island, where our hostel owner drove us around to stop at different sights to see, one of which was a ziplining course because Andrea, my newfound travel companion, had her heart set on soaring through the canopies.

It was hard to resist saddling into the harness once we were at the sign-in booth, but the guides told us we could all hike up to the first platform together to check out the views from the top. Even though we were walking up the steep sides of a volcano, hiking felt so refreshing after a few days of traveling and typical holiday overindulgence. As we climbed higher, I could feel the crisp air invigorating my lungs as my body worked toward a physical goal.

Once we slowed to a stop at the lookout point, my racing heart and the awesome view reminded me that I could enjoy hiking just as much as ziplining. I could find these same sensations while kayaking, jumping off a rope swing at a swimming pool, or simply on a brisk walk through the woods. Our bodies crave movement, and almost any activity can provide an adrenaline rush if your brain is fully attuned to what you're doing. You can even find a sense of awe in the changes of your heartbeat and the rhythm of your breath. Of course, there are some adventure sports that seem unmatched in their sense of excitement, but a lot of the time, our level of attention is what makes the difference.