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:

Sedona, Arizona

View of Courthouse Butte from Cathedral Rock Trail

We only had a short day in Sedona with more than enough to do in a week. We first stopped at a bike rental with nearby trails. It turns out that they close really early in the summer and at 2:30 we would not have gone far by the time we would have needed to return, so we all decided to come back a few days later on our return trip when we were passing through Sedona again.

At of the foot of the trail with Cathedral Rock in the background

The next place we headed to was Cathedral Rock. The hike is only around a mile long but it requires some nice climbing. A soon as we arrived we started hearing thunder nearby. It was in middle of monsoon season and quick thunder showers are always imminent. In fact, we passed by many storms on the road. We certainly did not want to be out in the open when the storm hit, so we headed back into our car and went on the road yet again. And with that, our already short day just got shorter!

Driving trough the "Red Rock Country" to Huckaby Trail

The next place we drove to was Huckaby Trail. The 2.6 mile long trail includes views of Oak Creek and Sedona. After walking through one of the dried up creeks (there was still a bit of mud in places) we walked a bit more until the vista and headed back after a short snack and picture break.

View from Huckaby Trail

We could have continued on Huckaby trail but I really wanted to get back to Cathedral Rock. Thank God the weather was much better but now we were racing the clock to finish the hike before dark. I am so glad we went back because not only were the views stunning but the hike itself was so much fun. The terrain was steep with smooth rocks. There was a lot of climbing up rocks and sliding on the way back down.

Climbing the steep trail (and not even the steepest part!)

There was this one area where the trail goes up this really steep area. I wish I can find out how how that particular climb is, but the elevation change for the entire hike is somewhere between 600 and 700 feet.

Looking down the steep trail during sunset.

At that point it was past sunset and we still had one more stop to make before we continued on the road so we climbed back down hoping to return again someday and then made our way to the airport in Sedona.

Besides going to check out the tiny airport, we also stopped at the lookout point next to it. At around 4800 ft in elevation, the lookout offers an aerial view of the city of Sedona. It was already dark as we were driving up the steep and winding road leading to the mesa. We passed a few cars on their way down but we were the only ones going up. The parking lot was completely abandoned and we had the entire lookout to ourselves, or so we thought. As we were taking in the views we suddenly heard "You guys got here at the best time!" It took us a moment to locate where the voice came from. A young man was sitting among the bushes camouflaged by the darkness of the night. Even after our eyes adjusted to the dark, it was still difficult to make him out. We may have come after sunset but we missed the packed crowds and had a quiet night view of the city.

Read about more adventures HERE

Check out more stunning photos below:

Driving into Sedona, a.k.a. "Red Rock Country."

Cool shadow!

 

Cathedral Rock

 

Cathedral Rock

Climbing up. Note the moon next to the tree.

panoramic shot including Courthouse Butte

similar view to above picture, but with the sun
reflecting on the rocks at the end of the day

New Year's Eve in NYC

Spending time in NYC on New Year's Eve was certainly a first for me. There definitely were MANY tourists (in fact, most of the people there were tourists). There were many police directing traffic and there were no-parking signs all over the area. As the area around Times Square was filling up, police blocked off roads from traffic and when it got really crowded that block was closed off to any more pedestrians even! When the next street filled up, same thing. If you want to get really close to see the ball drop, I would suggest getting there a good few hours in advance. The Times Square subway station was closed off as well, so you had to get on or off at a stop before or after. 

The streets were filled  with vendors selling New Year's and 2015 paraphernalia and other general party goods.

There were vendors at every corner for blocks tooting their party horns trying to get people walking by to buy from them which got really annoying after a few hours, but it was nice to be around the festive spirit that filled the streets. Happy New Year!

you can see the road blockades already blocking all vehicles and soon even pedestrians

old escalator in Macy's

 

inside Macy's

demonic owl at Herald Square

at Herald Square

 view of the Empire State Building