Living Someone Else's Dream: Part 2

Before heading out on our trip to Havasu Falls, I had to make one final stop at the local CVS to pick up a couple last minute travel items. While I was there I happened to meet this woman named Pat. Pat was an older woman, but young enough for me to be surprised that she needed specialized walking assistance. Pat an I caught each other’s eyes in passing, and when she saw me picking out my travel sized items she wanted to know all about my upcoming trip. Asked where I was headed, for a description of the place, who I was traveling with, and how long we would be staying. Our conversation slowly came to an end as she wished me safe travels along with an obligatory “be careful”. I helped her grab a couple items off a shelf out of her reach, and before we parted ways she asked me one last favor. She turned to me and said, “When you finally get to your destination, complete your hike, and settle for the week, can you think of me and all the other ‘Pat’s’ out there that can only make a strenuous trip like that in our dreams?” I was caught off guard to say the least, but she couldn’t have picked a better time.

Waterfalls never get old. Their beauty and raw power are endlessly inspiring. I have been fortunate enough to see several towering falls across many regions and landscapes, and each one has been unique in their ability fascinate me. Despite having three stunning waterfalls within a few miles of each other at Havasu Falls, my happy places were not the waterfalls, but instead the miles of creek between them. The contrast between the red rock canyons with the blue water and lush trees was a sight I made sure to remember. You don’t find contrasts like that out here in New England. The luxury of clear water is one thing, but combine that clarity with a beautiful blue-green shimmer of color? I felt like I was walking through a river of diamonds. Around every bend there were new cascading waterfalls, but never overpowering. The current was always at just the right strength to safely explore and cross wherever we chose. Heck if you wanted to sit right on the edge of a few you could do that too! Every step I took I expected to find myself fighting for balance over slippery rocks, but to my surprise I was met with rough rocks and secure footing. Did I mention there were no people around? Sure there were plenty of people at the campsite and congregated around the major waterfalls, but when it came to exploring the creek, there was only an occasional passer-by. I can’t remember many times I was THAT stress free.

As we explored one hidden area after another along the creek, we took some time to just sit and enjoy. With not a stress in sight and my body on sensory overload, I did what Pat asked. I thought about her and how privileged I was to be able to enjoy such a perfect destination I thought about her wide eyes and eagerness to learn more about my trip in CVS that day. And perhaps that is what made this trip feel a little more magical than ones prior. Taking a little extra time to be grateful for my health and the health of my wife. Taking the time to be grateful that we are physically able to reach destinations we choose, and have the funds to help us get there. I am potentially living someone else’s dream that they may never fulfill, and we owe it to them and to ourselves to never take that for granted.

One of several spots along the creek we took the time to enjoy. This particular spot was on the hike to Beaver Falls.

Living Someone Else's Dream: Part 1

Since it has been a while, this is going to be a long one…

I couldn’t believe I was going to Arizona AGAIN. It was time for our yearly summer adventure, and somehow my wife and I were going back to a state that I felt I knew just as well as my home state. You name an activity in Arizona - exploring Phoenix and Scottsdale, hiking all over Sedona, visiting the Grand Canyon, Antelope Canyon, Horseshoe Bend, and Saguaro National Park - we likely did it. Arizona was one of those places I could confidently scratch off my travel map knowing we did a pretty thorough job exploring it. That was until a friend of ours proposed a trip to one of her bucket list destinations, Havasu Falls.

For those that have never heard of it, Havasu Falls is one of several waterfalls along Havasu Creek, located in the Grand Canyon on the Havasupai Indian Reservation. The trip is best known for 3 waterfalls: Havasu Falls, Mooney Falls, and Beaver Falls (5 miles round trip from the campsite), and the beautiful blue-green water that flows through them. To earn yourself a trip, not only do you have to go through the insane process of securing a permit, but you also have to hike just over 10 miles (one way) to get to the campsite with 20-30 pounds of gear on your back. You do have the option to pay to have your pack brought in and out on mules, but we opted for the hard way.

The night before we stayed at one of the closest hotels to the trail head, woke up at 2:30 AM, drove an hour and a half to the trail head, managed to avoid hitting several deer, and began our hike just before 5:00 AM. The hike in was everything you would expect a hike into the Grand Canyon at sunrise to be; I was awestruck by the colors as the sun started to rise, and by the canyon walls that grew taller as we hiked further in. After 5 hours of a relatively pleasant hike, we were finally able to make it to the campsite. I will go into the details of the next 3 days in part 2 of this post, but the one thing I have to say is this. You can look at as many pictures as you want, but absolutely nothing can capture the beauty found here. Nothing will come close. It is the paradise oasis I see in my dreams, and the serenity I never thought possible to find. For anyone even remotely able to take this trip, do it. If I haven’t convinced you yet, stay tuned for part 2.

Havasu Falls Money Shot. The contrast between the water and red rock cliffs never got old.

Living Up to the Hype

I may or may not give a straight answer about where I would go back to, but I can absolutely tell you which place so far has lived up to all the hype. Santorini, Greece. In fact, this destination exceeded my high expectations which were first molded by Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. Don’t judge me. We were there for 3 days and despite it being a small island, I could have easily stayed there for at least another week. It will surprise no one that my fascination starts with the geological aspects of the island formed by the volcano. Thermal waters, volcanic activity, implosion, Greece’s own Pompeii at the Akrotiri Archaeological site - Enough said.

Putting all the volcano talk aside the island is packed with some great scenic versatility. From the black, white, and red sand beaches to dramatic cliffs, to cliff-side villages and fishing docks, to the sun-dried grilled octopus and other fresh seafood there was always something new and beautiful to experience and photograph. There are two areas that seemed to get most of the tourist attention - Oia and Fira. My wife and I stayed in Imerovigli, which after some small talk with locals seemed like the best decision  - and we were proven right on our first night there.

Imerovigli is a small town perched on the cliff not too far from Fira. We stayed at a place called Above Blue Suites with views to the Aegean Sea and picturesque views of the towns around us where beautiful white houses with blue tops packed the cliff-sides. It seemed like while we were living in each moment, nothing could possibly get more beautiful, yet we were proven wrong over and over again. And then it was time for sunset and I found extremely hard to appreciate beautiful anymore after getting punched in the face with breathtaking. The sunsets here are something that words can’t honestly describe other than this; I felt like Robin Williams in the final heaven scene of What Dreams May Come. I am sure many may disagree, but the hype of Santorini sunsets alone lived up to expectations. Just make sure you enjoy the best part of it when the sun finally sets behind the horizon and the afterglow brings out amazing colors.

Do yourself a favor and explore the whole island from all perspectives. Get on a boat, climb to the highest point, get lost in some ally-ways, walk the steps to Amoudi Bay. It is ALL worth it on this island.

Santorini sunset afterglow with the town of Oia to the right.

I See You Sardinia

I am going to be very honest with you. I am not a beach person. Yep, I said it – thinking about going to the beach stresses me out. Granted I grew up going to the lakes of NH, but it is so much more than that. Too much traffic, WAY too many (annoying) people, the mixture of salt and sand everywhere with body-numbing water. I can’t say I really understood all the hype. The only time I have enjoyed the beach in New England is after 5PM.  

Sardinia was the place that managed to change my mind. Even my travels prior to this couldn’t sway my tarnished opinion of a “beach vacation”. Some of you are probably saying to yourself “where the hell is Sardinia”? Or maybe I am the only one out there that had never heard of it until my wife recommended we make it the final stop on our Italian vacation. Sardinia is a large Italian island in the Mediterranean Sea and is home to some of the best beaches I have ever been.

We stayed in a small seaside town called Cala Gonone. The town itself is adorable and fun to walk around with a perfect mixture of shops, markets, restaurants and scenery to enjoy. The rocky coastline and mountain views make everywhere you go a scenic destination, the food is fantastic however keep in mind I either had a meat and cheese plate or a full grilled fish every single night .  And take this how you will, but we learned that very few Americans bother visiting Sardinia…but those beaches! If you ever find yourself in Cala Gonone, rent a boat for the day! It is the best way to experience all 5 different beaches along the cove – all the way down to one of the best, Cala Goloritzé.  There are only two ways to get to this beach, take a boat, or hike a grueling hike.  We did both since we loved this beach so much.

No matter what your preference, Sardinia beaches will not disappoint. For me personally, I loved that several beaches had smooth pebble beaches while others had soft sand. I loved that there was a way to avoid crowds (tour boats stopped between 11-3). And just look at that picture below.  Last time I checked, no beaches in New England offer that kind of view.

My unobstructed view on Cala Goloritzé - the furthest beach from Cala Gonone accessible only by boat or a grueling hike.

Everywhere and Nowhere.

“Of everywhere you’ve traveled, where would you want to revisit the most?” I get this question a lot, especially when people are looking for travel recommendations. I am not sure what the typical answer is, but for me, the answer undoubtedly is everywhere and nowhere.  I have never come back from a trip regretting my choice of destination.  If anything, there is even more excitement for round two because you can skip right over the standard touristy must-see items and dive into the details of a place.  Why not skip the touristy things? For me, they are touristy for a reason so that is never an option. 

The Everywhere part of “Everywhere and Nowhere” seems a bit easier to understand than the Nowhere part, but hear me out. There are two major reasons why there is "Nowhere” I would go back to – one is simply that some of my favorite travel experiences were once in a lifetime, chance happenings. For example, my trip to The Big Island of Hawai’i was planned long before it first started erupting in May 2018. Experiencing a Lava Boat Tour that summer with so much lava entering the ocean is something I will never forget, and something that may not occur again in my lifetime. Not to say I would never go back to The Big Island again (I absolutely would since there is SO much to do), but I would likely opt to explore another of the Hawaiian Islands first. Which leads me to my second major reason.

The world is so big and there are so many things to see and do!  I would love to go back to every destination I have been lucky enough to see, but how can I justify visiting a place a second time when there are so many things on my bucket list waiting in destinations I’ve yet to visit. At the end of the day I would be honored to share stories of my favorite travel experiences for those looking for advice. But just know that if you ask me where it was that I loved so much if I had to go back, my answer won’t be too helpful.  

*The one exception to this mentality? Future diving excursions once I become SCUBA certified 😊

My travel experience of a lifetime occurred while viewing the lava ocean entry in the Summer of 2018 on The Big Island.

Giving Thanks to my Cliff-Jumping Wife

Those that have gotten to know me over the years know that I often find myself conflicted by my love for adventures and my conservative approach to taking risks. Thankfully I married the right person. I think it is safe to say my wife, Sam, is an adrenaline junkie - or a least a very committed thrill-seeker. One of those thrill-seeking activities she has come to love is cliff-jumping - something naturally I naturally avoid.

I know what you are thinking, and no this is not a story about my better half pushing me to overcome my fears. Sam is yet to get me to jump off anything higher than maybe 20 feet with no obstacles to potentially hit on the way down. Though I guess you could say that getting over my fear of HER jumping is pushing me to face my fears…but I digress. The best thing about married to a thrill-seeker is the constant desire to get of the beaten path, and as a photographer many of my best days of shooting have come from searching for the next adrenaline rush. The jumping I can absolutely do without, but the adventure spent trying to find the perfect spot is something I am up for any day. So I wanted to give a shout out to the woman that gives me a nice balance of anxiety and appreciation for the adventures she seeks, since it allows me to pursue my passion in environments that would otherwise be left undiscovered.

My wife cliff-jumping at Cala Goloritzé in Sardinia, Italy. Approximate height, 50 feet.