Postcards from Yosemite National Park

The smell of things on the verge of change hung in the air.  It is unmistakable.  The waterfalls that were supposedly down to a trickle a few weeks ago are now completely dry.  The river beds are practically empty.  And if they are not yet, they would be soon.  It is a time of bated breath, of silence, of anticipation of what is to come.  It is a moment of suspension in that sweet empty space of .. nothing.  Like the fading notes of music, you cling to its last reverberations before it is finally gone, as silence, slowly but surely, like the creeping darkness, descends.  

The camp closes today and one can sense the itch, the restlessness to get on, to move on to what's next.  There is a sadness in the transition too, I guess.  At least, that's how I feel.  The grass has faded, the trees are ablaze. The morning chill is rather brutal especially after days and days of what felt like a promising endless summer.  Some places have already shut down for the season - chairs turned upside down, windows boarded up, campgrounds eerily empty.  It feels somber, lonely and hollow.  Change is inevitable, palpable, but how or what is coming, no one knows for certain.

However grim you might feel about change, I hope you have tucked away enough of the warm, delicious stuff to tide you over.

From Yosemite Valley after two nights of sleeping in a bag and waking up to deer antler-fights...  Farewell, Summer. Welcome back, Autumn.

Postcards from Zion National Park: Hiking Angels Landing

Oh Las Vegas. It's good fun once, twice.. but to someone who's been there, done that, Zion National Park is a close enough drive to north to escape the Las Vegas scene.  While I love (and also hate) Vegas for its over-the-top vibe and for its repertoire of impressive restaurants, I truthfully would rather not go.  The diversions and stimulations of Sin City are decidedly endless, but somehow, there is just not enough of the right kind for me.

So we gunned for the national parks within driving distance of Las Vegas the minute we landed.  Our first stop was Bryce National Park, then we drove back to spend the night in Washington, UT.  Bright and early the next morning, we drove up to Zion National Park (a mere 20 minute drive) with the intent of going mountain biking.

The rental mountain bike selection at the adventure shop was mediocre so instead we opted to go for a hike.  We were not able to go hiking in Bryce Canyon the day prior, so I was thrilled to have the opportunity to get close and personal with these canyons. Without doing any research prior to the park visit, we heeded the recommendation of the shop guy to hike Angels Landing.  Zion has numerable religious references, it being once an early settlement of Mormons.  Angels Landing was named such in the belief that it is a place so beautiful, it is the place for angels to gather.  

It was a spontaneous decision to hike this trail.  2.5 miles shouldn't be that extreme.  I also always have it in my head that if I can mountain bike it up, I can certainly hike it up.

In this case, I am happy we were hiking (no mountain bikes on the trail).  It was definitely a challenging and steep hike up to the top of a cliff then the trail would level out, then resume climbing another cliff, and yet another.  If you look closely at the photo below, you would see tiny dots of people traversing up the switchbacks.  There are guardrails only in 5-10% of the trail so on one hand, it is amazing to be that unrestrained to wilderness, but on the other, it's daunting that you're also that close to falling to your death.

We are in fairly good shape and did not stop much.  With our relatively brisk pace, we made it up in about an hour.  (And we actually stopped at Scott's Landing, 500 feet away from the actual Angels Landing peak.  There was a throng of people all trying to get to the top, clinging to guard rails and it didn't seem like it was safe to be hiking behind someone clutching on to a guard rail).  The unobstructed views from where we were was already staggering.  What a sight to behold!  It was so wild!

I was berating myself for only taking a fixed point lens, but no matter.  I wouldn't have been able to capture the magnificence of the 360 views all around us anyway.  It would have been impossible.  It also astonished me that no matter how high we got (I believe it was 1,000 feet of ascent), the sky overhead still felt as infinite as the way it did when we started.  I was bewildered.

We snacked on raisins and split a banana and watched these cliffs, taking deep breaths of the pure oxygen.  Who knows when we will get this chance again?

It was told that the massive sandstone cliffs were formed by sand blown away by wind thousands and thousands of years ago.  These cliffs would have had the volume of sand of an entire desert.  The sand mixed with minerals that caused it to harden, and with iron, that caused it to turn red.  I'm not a geologist, though, and I could refer you to one if you need more explicit information. :)

Pretty soon, we were descending and we had the opportunity of seeing everything again, from a different vantage point this time.

The skinny switchbacks to get to the top of Angels Landing

Hikers cooling down in the Virgin River

I could remember a time when I could barely run half a mile without sending in the ambulance.  Its extraordinary moments like these that I am so grateful to be healthy and well.  I never really was fit or athletic growing up, and to hike such extents (this hike is called "extreme" by many, taking some five hours to complete) without batting an eyelash is really an accomplishment.

I advocate for living a healthy and active lifestyle and this is precisely why.  The photos speak for themselves.  I want to keep hiking to heights and exploring the world until I am very, very old.  Being a voracious traveler, it is imperative that I stay healthy, and more importantly, I am able to say yes to experiences, rather than confront them with an attitude of "Oh no.  I can't do that."  

If you go:

• If you have a car, you will need to pay the park entrance of $25 per vehicle.  If you are visiting Bryce in the same trip, it is almost worth it to get the National Parks annual pass for $80 which is valid for one year and will you give all access to all the national parks in America.  We haven't been to Yellowstone or Denali and with this pass, we just make a go for it in a year.
• If you are visiting for a day, you can save $25 per vehicle if you catch the free shuttle bus in Springdale, right outside the park.  More information can be found here. 
• If you are the less adventurous type, you can just ride the shuttle around the park.  It stops at the major sights and the entire tour would take you about 80 minutes.
• I love my Merrell Gore-tex hiking boots, but when we hiked Angels Landing, we actually did them in running shoes that had great grip.  I had on my all-around Asics Noosa Fast (which I also wear mountain biking and traveling - they are GREAT) and they did amazing.  If it was raining or muddy, then it would be the hiking shoes for sure, but with thinner sole shoes, I felt I could move my feet and toes around more to grip the trail and rocks.
• If you are prone to vertigo or have never hiked in your life, I would prepare a few weeks in advance of this hike.  I don't think the hike itself is very technical.  It does require a fair amount of stamina and endurance.  
• Be also prepared for the elevation where air is thinner.  Elevation is not to be scoffed at because it could really make your day miserable with headaches, vomiting, oxygen shortage, etc.  Our elevation at home is 4,500 feet, so for us to be high up at 9,000 feet is no trouble.  We are used to it.  I can imagine it is not the case for everyone. 
• Pack your wide angle lens if it is no trouble.  It could be a hassle lugging that thing around up the cliff, but it is worth it.

Full of Hot Air (at the Reno Balloon Races)

Every year, at the tail-end of summer, Reno hosts an air balloon race for a weekend.  The best time to go is very early morning, at dawn.  "Dawn Patrol" is timed so because the flair of these hot air balloons are exhibited at their most dramatic in the dark.  I've seen pictures of when these massive balloons glow in the dark.  It must be such a magnificent thing to photograph!  I have not seen it myself and perhaps one day, I could be bothered to yank myself from bed at 4AM on a Sunday and wrestle with ugly parking situations.  Although that didn't happen today (yet), I roused myself at 6:30AM (on a Sunday) to gawk at hot air balloons and snap a few photos.

While I'm exactly not sure how the races work, how one wins, what one wins, where the "race track" is, etc., I am a (very distant) spectator out there to take pictures.  And it doesn't look like I'm the only one!

And I ended my morning with a fritata, an excellent cup of joe and the Sunday NewYork Times al fresco at Coffee Bar (where the rustic farmhouse table was just gorgeous - just like the weather this morning was!).  

Happy weekend, everyone!  Enjoy the last remaining days of summer and here's to hoping we get the polar vortex this winter!

Climb Like a Girl: Mountain Biking at Spooner/Tahoe Rim Trail

It is perhaps the toughest thing I've done all summer yet, the most grueling mountain bike ride ever for sure.  As stubborn and unyielding as the rocks under my 29" tires (and there were countless of them), I always get chastised for not using my lowest gears.  "You're not yet on the lowest gear!", The Dutch would bellow as we would climb.  Yes, I am aware and it's done on purpose.  Part laziness (I'm still new at the sport and I still have to give shifting my left gears a conscious thought - ascending, push down, descending, push up), yes, but also partly because I dislike spinning my wheels, which is how I feel when I use the lowest gears.  I would rather feel the resistance under my feet, burning my legs, but at least I'm going somewhere.  But like I said, I have a tendency to be obstinate as a rock.

But this ride was different.  We went in cold, which means, devoid of any semblance of a warm up, we started a steep ascend on the mountain right away.  To me, that means a punishingly breathless, reprieve-less ascend, all the while pedaling, muscling through rocks, gravel, sand, tree roots.  The Dutch seems to manage just fine, perhaps because he's done this many, many times.  I think of myself a good climber considering, but this was just excruciating.  I had a heart monitor on and when my heart felt like it would burst (over 180+ for me), I have to stop and catch my breath for a minute until it went down to 150 again.  I would cycle through these high intervals for the next two miles and never for a second did I felt giving up and turning around was an option.

The total was eight miles long, 4.1 miles of which were straight climbing.  The first mile was at a 10% grade.  Meaning there was a 500 ft. elevation gain just on the first mile alone!

The views up top of Lake Tahoe were rewarding for sure, but honestly, there is no better reward than affirming to yourself that you are alive, healthy, and well, able to do these things.  I couldn't have been prouder of myself.  It takes a certain strength and stamina to pedal your way up and although it could have taken me quicker to climb, it was my first taste of a real climb, the kind that only boys do (and some boys cannot even attempt to do), and I am mighty proud of what I accomplished!  With all the starts and stops, the whole trip took 2 hours and a half and I burned 1,426 calories in the process.

We could have gone further, but after taking a break for a quick snack, I felt I've cooled down more than I wanted that I just didn't have it in me to keep climbing.  So we headed down and never before have I appreciated the laws of physics than that day.  What comes up must oh-so gloriously come down.  I have a Specialized 29er Myka, a mid-range women's hardtail mountain bike, and I LOVE that thing.  It bombed down that trail through gravel, rocks and roots, sometimes in loose soil, sometimes in narrow singletracks.

And in between yelps of "wahooo!!!" in exhilarating speed, I was extremely grateful that I have The Dutch to drag me to places and experiences considerably extreme in my standards.  There are some misses (namely, skiing), but mountain biking has been one huge hit.  After I've gotten to know my bike, tested it on a variety of trails of varying undulations, I have learned to trust what my hydraulic brakes can do.  My learning curve for this sport has been very short (and very sweet indeed) and I cannot even imagine what other adventures await on the saddle!

P.S.  The world is still a wonderful place despite all the conflict happening in many places in the world right now.  We ended the afternoon on the beach in South Lake Tahoe with a couple of friends.  Lady Gaga has an outdoor concert that evening and although I am not a fan in any sense at all, I appreciate real talent and hard work.  We were hanging out outside the Lady Gaga concert venue when a girl randomly approached us and asked if we wanted two tickets for free.  She had bought them and just couldn't go anymore.  We offered to pay her, but she didn't want any money.  She just gave us the tickets and left.

If you've seen a show at Harvey's Lake Tahoe, it is one of the most intimate venues I've watched a concert in.  The capacity is only 7,000 people and if a big name like Lady Gaga comes to perform, it is a must-watch since you can get really close to the action.  Like I said, I am not gaga about Gaga, but she put on a great performance.  Her talent is amazing and although the profanity is at times too much, she does balance it out with a strong and vocal stand on gender equality, beauty in art, and that elemental pursuit of dreams.  Artists have such an influence on their impressionable fan base and it was a welcome surprise to know that Lady Gaga (who I didn't know anything about prior) at least tries to put something positive out there outside of her pop craziness.

Tuscany in the Rough: Mountain Biking in Punta Ala

One of my most vivid childhood memories is sneaking out on my big brother's bike when I was about seven.  I didn't have my own bike so I either stole away on my older brother's bike, or if that wasn't available, my dad's race bike.  All of this to my mother's chagrin.  She hid my tsinelas (rubber flip flops) to prevent me from going out riding.  Girls, in my mother's opinion, were not supposed to ride bikes.  They belong indoors, not out.  I ran out anyway, barefoot.  How scorching that hot pavement was at high noon!  It was like walking on coals.  But I was unstoppable, burnt feet notwithstanding.  I probably got a mean-ass whopping afterwards, but that is not what I (choose to) remember.  I went on a bike ride and I was happy and free.

This love affair would come full circle close to thirty years later.  When I proved unnatural in the snow and on water, I figured I would cut my losses and get on something I actually am good at since I was little - get on the saddle.  Exactly one week before leaving for Italy, I got on a good mountain bike (a Specialized 29er, if you care) and rode trails in the canyons in our backyard all week.  It was like being reunited with a long lost friend.  

A week later, we would find ourselves in a less known part of west Tuscany (yes, in Italy!) called Punta Ala.  People almost always associate Tuscany with amazing wine and great food, but unbeknownst to most tourists, it is also a massive playground for those who love the great outdoors.  Its undulating hills are perfect for cycling - mountain or road.  The weather in May was perfect - sunshine and blue skies, with temps hovering in the 70's.  Not too hot, not too cold.  From the top of one hill, one could see the Mediterranean islands of Corsica and Elba, where Napoleon was exiled in the 1800's.


The best part of this sweet cross-country adventure was ending up at a very beautiful quiet beach, called Cala Violina, supposedly one of the most beautiful beaches in the Italian peninsula.  It was deserted when we got there, but according to our guide, Mario, it gets pretty packed in the summer.  One can only get to the beach on bike or on foot.  Again, Tuscany is not known for its beaches, but at from what we've seen, its coasts are stunners.

Here's a snippet of our little Tuscan mountain biking adventure.  We didn't take too much footage and the ones we did, we took from our smartphones.

IF YOU GO
If this stokes even a little bit of your sense of wanderlust and you’re inspired to have a little piece of this adventure for yourself, I recommend PuntAla Cycle Tours without hesitation. Especially being out in the trail in a foreign country where the propensity for things to go awry is magnified, the stress and fear of getting lost and therefore, not having fun, is eliminated when going with a guide who knows the trails. PuntAla Cycle Tours also had pretty great bikes, which is another confidence boost on a foreign trail. The bikes we rode we’re 27.5” (we’re used to 29ers), but even still, they had hydraulic brakes, good shocks, and were lightweight enough.

The cross country trail we did required some experience and skill, with some challenging climbs that I had to walk. But even those I did not mind. I was just thrilled to be out in the wild, on a wonderful day in a tucked away part of Tuscany, doing one of the things I love doing the most. There are also easier and family trails, so I’d go out on a limb and say there’s something for everybody.  And for the hardcore riders, there's some very challenging trails also.  A Superenduro Pro race actually just barely wrapped up when we went.



Mario, our guide, was a great person to be around. Not only did he confidently navigate us through the trails, but he would also give me really good technical advice here and there. When The Dutch almost crossed a family of wild boars, Mario did a great job reassuring me that the boars won’t attack or eat me.  That is great customer service in my books. :)

PuntAla is easy to get to from either Rome or the central part of Tuscany by car.  Instead of blindly following a GPS, I would strongly advise studying an old school map and outlining your route ahead of time.
For rates and information, go to the website of PuntAla Cycle Tours at www.puntalacycletours.com and Mario/Stephanie can be reached at info@puntalacycletours.com.  They both speak English so language won't be a barrier if you don't speak Italian.

Mille grazie, PuntAla Cycle Tours!