outdoors – Page 3 – thosecoolkims

KimTrippin: Pacific NorthWest — Day 2 (Ashland, OR)

Peek-a-boo, we see you, Mt. Shasta.

Today was another long day as we tried to get out of California and finally get into Oregon. Our destination was the beautiful border town of Ashland. We saw lots of changing landscapes on the way there, but probably the two most notable pieces of scenery were Lake Shasta and Mt. Shasta.

We were reminded of just how real the California drought is when we drove past Lake Shasta. It was shocking to see the water level so low and all of the massive land that used to be hidden underwater. :(

It was difficult to capture the majesticness of Mt. Shasta, but we tried. It was the only snow capped mountain in a sea of hills and trees.

Once we got into Ashland, we stopped for a bite to eat, and Ruby mastered the art of chopsticks!

After dinner, we headed off to Lithia Park to stretch our legs. It was truly gorgeous and Ruby even made a few friends!

We even saw these two different trees growing into one. It was amazing!

And to our surprise, on our walk through the neighborhood, we ran into a deer just hanging out in someone’s front yard! We didn’t want to startle it, but it just looked at us for a long time and went back to eating the landscaping!

Ashland is really something! We hope to take in a few more sights before heading off to Bend. Getting closer and closer to Portland!

Roadtrippin’ thru Utah – Temple Square, Park City and the Tracy Aviary

Today was an action-packed day. Ed + Ruby kicked off the morning by having breakfast with his old roommate Heidi and then heading to storytime at the City Library (all while I recovered from a stomach bug I caught the night before). After more quality library time, we decided we couldn’t be in SLC and completely ignore Temple Square, so we made our way over to check out the action. We must say — those are some pretty impressive grounds!

After catching a quick bite, we wanted to get a little closer to the gorgeous snow-capped mountains that surround this city, so we hit the 80 East and drove up to Park City. What an awesome little mountain town — it was charming and we even got to drive by the ski jumps and bobsled track used in the 2002 Winter Olympics. Ruby slept the whole time in the backseat!

After she woke, we really wanted to check out the Tracy Aviary at Liberty Park. We had no idea how cool it would be! It is really amazing and we are so glad we went.

We wrapped up the evening with a great meal at The Wild Grape and dessert at Hatch Family Chocolates. Here are a few highlights from the day!

Roadtrippin’ thru Utah – Bryce Canyon, Day 2

Today was Day 2 of Bryce Canyon and frankly, based on the epic majesty of what we saw on Day 1, we weren’t sure that we could be wowed more. We were…wrong.

We started off VERY early, getting up in time to haul our sleepy selves to Sunrise Point to watch the waking sun illuminate and highlight the thousands of breathtaking hoodoos of Bryce Canyon. This spot is legendary, and while cloud cover unfortunately prevented us from getting the full effect, we weren’t complaining. The view was spectacular and unlike anything we’d seen before.

After heading back to the Ruby Inn to get a little more shuteye, we decided to drive the main road through the park all the way to end, and stop at each of the thirteen viewpoints coming back. Each of these viewpoints, starting with Rainbow Point at the southern end, offered their own unique and unforgettable vistas.

One of the most impressive was Natural Bridge, which isn’t technically a bridge but rather an arch created by erosion over many millennia.

And here’s a little video clip at the Aqua Canyon viewpoint, elevation 8800 ft:

After heading back into town, I saw the last thing I expected to see. Many of you know my obsession with East German relics and artifacts, so you can only imagine the sound of my jaw dropping to the ground when I spotted a derelict Trabant 601, parked against an equally derelict looking Old West-style tourist trap. The Trabant is synonymous with East Germany, made famous to the world when the Berlin Wall fell in 1989, and thousands of these little smoky 2-stroke cars streamed westward, carrying countless dreams of a better life. Well, this Trabant certainly went westward too – far more westward than any Trabant could dare to dream!

After doing some research online, I found out that this car had been left here by a former East German who goes by the name of D-Rolf, who travels around the world in these cars. This particular car had been left behind by him in 2002, after the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. At the moment, he is traveling through Pakistan…in a Trabant, naturally.

Now, one thing that had been lacking over the last few days was decent food. Being on the road, we’d eaten a lot of mediocre garbage, and we’d had enough. So, we headed to the Lodge at Bryce Canyon for a decent meal.

It was just what we needed. Organic chicken, real vegetables, fresh ingredients, you know, the good stuff. And as you can see here, even Ruby was pleased.

Goodbye, Bryce Canyon. You are…beyond words.

Next stop: The Kims leave the wilderness behind and go back to city life. Salt Lake City, watch out!

Roadtrippin’ thru Utah – Bryce Canyon

Today we said goodbye to Zion National Park and hello to Bryce Canyon. All we can say is, WOW. It’s absolutely stunning. We scoped out Sunrise Point and meandered down the trail for a bit, then checked into our home for the next two days – the infamous Ruby’s Inn! We tried to catch the sunset tonight — it was a little too cloudy for a dramatic view, but it was still gorgeous nonetheless.

Highlights from the day:

Passing through Dixie Forest en route to Bryce Canyon

Tunnel!

Watch your step!

Wow.

We think she likes it here.

Waiting for sunset.

We’re aiming to be at Sunrise Point by 6:30 am to catch another view.
Lots more pics here!

Roadtrippin’ thru Utah – Zion National Park

Now that Ruby is a little older, Ed + I decided it was time to get a road trip back into the rotation. We decided to step out of our comfort zone and get a little closer to nature, so a trip to Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon seemed like a good fit. After spending our 1st night in St. George and spending two days in Zion National Park, we know we made the right choice! We are floored by the scenery, thrilled that Ruby is such a great traveler, and happy to be taking in some hiking and fresh air together.

Highlights from the last few days:

Breakfast at the cutest cafe ever in St. George, Utah.