State Hopping Along the Delaware River

Our trip to the Delaware Water Gap, located at the Pennsylvania/New Jersey border was the perfect trip for the short time we had. The drive there was beautiful with the winding river to one side and green mountains on both sides. We finally arrived in the late afternoon and headed straight to the trails. We started our 1250ft. ascent on the Red Dot Trail to Mt. Tammany. The steep climb along a rocky path makes it one of the hardest trails in the region. Lucky for us, we love that sort of stuff!

After around a mile and a half, we reached a beautiful overlook where we took pictures (and made sure not to get too close the the edge of the drop off).

After continuing up the trail a bit more and climbing up a really fun rocky area, we had to finish our hike soon. Instead of continuing on, we turned around and climbed back down. The common way of going is by continuing on the Blue Dot Trail and connecting to the Appalachian Trail to head back and complete the loop, but we were not sure how much longer it would take us and we were fine climbing down the rocks.

The next day we headed into NY to canoe down the Delaware River. Normally we would have rented canoes or even kayaks, but we decided to all go together in one big raft this time. It was really nice and relaxing drifting down the river and eating lunch, and of course we had a blast maneuvering through the rapids!

The rest of the day consisted of meeting with relatives, revisiting some childhood memories, and heading to a wedding. It may have been a very short trip but we really enjoyed and that's what is important!

Check out another trip we did nearby by clicking HERE.

White Mountains & Green Mountains: A New England Road Trip

The first leg of the trip began by traveling to the Catskill Mountains in NY for a photo shoot job I helped with. The real trip though started right after. Once we finished working, we met up with some relatives while we were nearby and went out to eat. Originally we were planning to go to a farm and pick some fruits and vegetables, but we were enjoying ourselves so much with our family that we did not have any extra time left. Instead we drove straight to Albany and stopped at a restaurant for an Italian dinner. After we stretched our feet and filled our stomachs, we continued on to Vermont driving through some very heavy rain at points. Luckily it was all on the highway so I was able to see the road better than had it been on small country roads. Once we arrived at our hotel, we settled in and went to sleep to be ready for the next day.

Could the rain have been worth it for
this amazing sunset!?!?

We spent the morning relaxing and eating breakfast at Killington Mountain, a big ski resort in the winter. The scenery was very pretty and the sound of the birds chirping and the slight breeze really made it so serene. It was also cool to see the slopes green with grass as opposed to the usual white snow.

Mt. Killington, VT

We got back on the road and drove through the Green Mountains (which are filled with tall green maple trees) and drove to Franconia Notch State Park located in New Hampshire's White Mountains.
We paid the entrance fee to have access to the Flume Gorge, a natural granite chasm rising 90 feet high with waterfalls cascading down. The ticket includes access to nearby glacier boulders and historic covered bridges.

Back at our hotel we relaxed, ate dinner, and then went for a walk.The night sky was so clear that we took a spontaneous drive back to Franconia Notch to take some photos. The moon was still close to the horizon, the humidity was low, and there was practically no light pollution around. We even saw some meteorites, including a wobbly green one.

View of Mt. Liberty from Franconia Notch. A popular hiking
spot since the early 1900's, it is said that the top of the
mountain looks like George Washington lying face up.

The next day we hiked for about 2 hours and then drove on the highway that goes through the park. You are surrounded by such beauty on all sides! We exited by the Old Man of the Mountain. It was named that because rocks jut out from the mountain creating a profile of a face. It was a place I always wanted to visit as a child, but in 2003 it collapsed and the face was no more. I was not expecting much and that was okay because it would just be a nice place to pull over and eat lunch before we head back home. Well, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that a few years back the Old Man of the Mountain Profiler Plaza was created where you can see the mountain as if the rocks were still jutting out creating the appearance of the face that once was there. It was kind of neat and a nice tribute to the wonder what once was.

Driving through the White Mountains of New Hampshire

Stand behind these to see how the mountain
looked before the face fell.

How the mountain would have looked before 2003

 

Paying tribute to the
Old Man of the Mountain

All in all, it was a nice small trip and maybe next time we go we will have more time to do other things, like perhaps climb Mt Washington, the tallest mountain on the east cost and with the highest wind speed ever recorded! Until then, I have these pictures and nice memories.


Check out the rest of the photos:

Suzhou: The Venice of the Orient

Suzhou is a "small" city near Shanghai famous for its silk and beautiful gardens. After visiting the city in 1276, Marco Polo called it "The Venice of the Orient" because of its intricate network of canals and bridges.

We took a high speed train from Shanghai and arrived in Suzhou in only a 30 minutes. When we exited the terminal, we were met with seven to ten ladies who surrounded and bombarded us trying to sell maps of the city. I knew they would be overpriced and the ladies were not going down in price enough for me, so when I told them the price I would be willing to pay for it, they told me that that's the price for the map in Chinese but I need the English map. The shocked and confused look they had when I said I would take the Chinese map was epic. They definitely did not see that coming. The were sure that I would come back to them asking for the map in English. Little did they know, however, that knew a very very basic Chinese. Not only that, but the street signs were only written in Chinese (or at least most of them). In addition, the Chinese map included the bus routes and stops which was extremely helpful.

Our Chinese map that I bargained for, 
with bus routes and even public bathrooms!

Since it was later in the day, we decided to skip paying for the gardens and instead get an authentic feel of the city. So armed with our newly acquired Chinese map, we headed to the bus stop to continue our afternoon adventure.

After a few minutes on the bus, we got off and walked down a main street lined with shops on either side.

 
Some locals were wondering what us foreigners were doing in this part of town.

After a few blocks, we turned into an alleyway along one of the canals and spent the next maybe half hour taking pictures and enjoying our scenic stroll. 

I really enjoyed exploring the narrow roads along the ancient canals. There were few people around and it was quiet and relaxing.

After a while, we crossed the Grand Canal and entered a beautiful park filled with weeping willow trees (one of my favorite).


A group of men were focused on a game of mahjong and another elderly couple were playing badminton together. It was the perfect atmosphere to sit and relax, especially once the sun started to set. By then we were ready to head back, but not before stopping to take some final pictures for the day.

Read about Taiwan, our first stop here!
Read about Hong Kong, our second stop here!

Victoria Peak

We traveled to Victoria Peak via the Peak Tram taking us to the highest peak on Hong Kong Island. The ride up is so steep that the buildings along the way appear to be built on a slant. I was hoping to get a window seat so I could take some pictures. But not only did I not get a seat, the ride was so full of people that I could hardly see outside!

The tram took us to a building containing some stores and a post office where you can mail a postcard back home. Right across the post office is Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum which is the first place we went to. It's not as big as the one in NY, but we still enjoyed.

A wax figure of Madame Tussaud herself!

After we finished at the wax museum we walked to Victoria Peak Garden. The road was steep at times but the scenery was beautiful which turned it into a really nice quiet and relaxing stroll. We passed at least three different couples taking wedding pictures at different parts of the park. It was a shame we had to leave so soon.

Instead of taking the tram back down we opted for a much more scenic and cheaper option, the bus. This time I was able to get a seat! The bus is a local mini bus that took us probably around 20 minutes. We must have been very lucky because it says online that it takes around 40 minutes and sometimes even an hour!

The last thing we did that day was take the famous Midway Escalators. Since Hong Kong is built on a steep mountain, there are stairs cutting through to the different street levels. The escalators make it easier for people to go up (and during the afternoon rush hour it goes down). It was perfect for us because we were staying not far from the top.

Long stairway in between high risers

Staircase next to the escalator just in case
you need to go in the opposite direction

One of the entrances to the escalators

Mid-Levels Escalators

While we were relaxing in a gazebo, a couple came to take their wedding photos.

Check out the rest of the pictures:

To the right of the river is Kowloon; To the left is Hong Kong Island

	From the end of the tram line looking down where it disappears into the steep mountainside.
Riding the Mid-Levels Escalator	View from our hotel window (the green space is part of the Hong Kong Zoological & Botanical Gardens)
View from our hotel window (the green space is part of the Hong Kong Zoological & Botanical Gardens)	View from our hotel window

Read about our first day in Hong Kong here!

Read about Taiwan, our first stop here!