Counting it Down – 50 Travel Memories (Part 3)

It’s been close to 2 months since my last post, and I am lagging behind on the deadlines by which I wanted to complete my 50 posts. But I’ll try my best to not take a break from blogging at least until I am done with the top 50 countdown. For those of you who just started reading, this is a series of 5 posts where I count down my top 50 travel memories :):):) If you’ve missed 31-50 on the list, you can read about those here (Part 1) and here (Part 2).

30. Riding an ATV in Moorea, Tahiti – Winter 2008
In winter of 2008, we visited a couple of exotic islands in the French Polneysia. We decided to go for an ATV Quad Tour to explore the mountains and farmlands of Moorea. Although it wasn’t our first time riding ATVs, the experience was fantastic since the tour was really on all-terrains. From concrete roads, to flats, to climbing mountains, to riding in the farmlands accompanied by rain, dirt and panoramic views of the mountains and the oceans, the tour was worth every penny!

ATV Quad Tour – Moorea

29. NatGEO Tour at Grand Canyon – Fall 2007
I strongly feel that if you visit Grand Canyon for just the vista points, after 3-4 vista points, the views all look the same. To really appreciate the beauty of Grand Canyon, you need to hike down the canyons. We signed up for the National Geographic tour at Grand Canyon where the guide took us on a mini hike down the canyon. It was the best part of my Grand Canyon trip.

Nat GEO Mini Hike at Grand Canyon National Park

28. Parasailing at Tahoe – Spring 2007
I have been petrified of water almost all my life, so for someone who’s afraid of water, any water adventure feels like an achievement 🙂

Parasailing at Tahoe

27. Niagra Falls – Summer 2006
Niagra falls has been one of the most hyped destinations, but if it’s a trip with your favorite people, you are bound to have great memories associated with it. I graduated in Summer of 2006 and I made a trip to the East coast with my family. It was my first trip in the US with family and I loved every bit of it.

At Niagra Falls

26. Shasta Trio – Summer 2009
We’ve visited Shasta a couple of times, and it is one of the most beautiful drives in Northern California. When we travel, we like to make the most use of time so that we can cover as much as possible. Shasta was one of those trips where we used almost 14-15 hours a day for travel and very little time to rest. Great weather and picturesque hikes was the reason why Shasta trip of Summer 2009 was so memorable.

Mount Shasta

Inside Shasta Caverns

25. Yosemite National Park: The car lockout incident – Thanksgiving 2006
Yosemite is one of my favorite places in Northern California. You can visit it any season and you’ll be amazed by the variety of things the park has to offer. Also, a lot of friends would know why Yosemite trips are so memorable 🙂 Our first trip to Yosemite was unforgettable, because 5 of us got locked out of our car on our way to Tenaya Lake at a random vista point and it started snowing. Our jackets were in the locked trunk, and we only had 2 phones with minimal battery with us. Ranger calls, waiting for AAA, rescue by a family from San Diego, and a white Thanksgiving! How can it not be memorable 🙂

First trip to Yosemite – Car lockout and a snowy white Thanksgiving 🙂

24. Lassen National Park – Summer 2009
Lassen has the prettiest lakes out of all the national parks in North Eastern California. And these are frozen until mid June after harsh winters. Lassen was our first hand experience watching climbers summit the Lassen peak with uphill skiing skills like I have never seen before! That was a first making the trip pretty memorable. And of course, we were awed by the frozen lakes.

Frozen Lake Helen and Lassen peak in the background

23. Skiing at Sierra at North Lake Tahoe – Winter 2011
I started skiing since winter of 2005, however; it took me a long time before I actually started enjoying it. There were a few seasons when we missed out and I can only ski green slopes after these many years :(. With a surgical knee, I have always been scared of hurting it again and that’s the reason why I have tried being extra careful when I ski. Needless to say, I still don’t have a ski trip when I haven’t bruised myself but Winter of 2011 was memorable, because that was the first time I tried a few stunts (mini ski jumps) with the help of an instructor. And since I do try and keep going back, I wanted skiing to be one of the 50 memories!

Spot me! I am not even sure if this was taken at the trip I am referring to, but I hardly have pics of me skiing!!!

22. Zion National Park – Fall 2011
I love Utah and all that it has to offer. Zion was memorable since it was a great family outing! I am hoping Zion will climb up the top memorable places list once I hike the Narrows some day 😀

Riverside Trail along the Virgin River – Zion National Park

21. Colorful Hot Springs at Yellowstone National Park – Spring 2010
Yellowstone has been one of my most cherished travel destinations. But M and I had totally different agendas when we planned our YNP trip. I love to paint and I wanted to explore the colors on the trip and M’s sole purpose was chasing wild life! The best natural color palette did make YNP’s colorful hot springs a memory just a tad bit shy of the top 20 🙂

Morning Glory Pool – End of Old Faithful Loop at Yellowstone National Park

Hope you enjoyed 21-30 on the list. Top 20 travel memories to follow soon 🙂

Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks: More of magnificent Utah

I live in California and we have traveled to quite a few places in Cali, but I have to admit, Utah is one state that is blessed with tremendous natural beauty. From stupefying natural arches at Arches National Park, to colorful canyon formations at Canyonlands National Park, to the enchanting hoodoos at Bryce National Park, to the world-famous slot canyons at Zion National Park, Utah is home to the most scenic natural formations in the world. We visited Zion and Bryce during the Labor Day weekend in 2011 and my first reaction to Zion was ‘Been there, seen that, done that!!’. And that reaction was probably because our Zion/Bryce trip was after a successful hike to the top of Half Dome, and it would have been hard to beat that feeling if you decide to skip things in Zion that are MUST DOs. But in retrospect, while I was going through the photographs, I realized that Zion is in fact extremely pretty and I would like to go back to conquer the Narrows some day!

Zion National Park: Zion is a 3 hour drive from Las Vegas, Nevada. There is only one lodging option inside the park and since we made reservations at the last moment, we did not get accommodation inside the park. However, we stayed at Cliffrose Lodge and Gardens which is literally outside the park entrance and I am glad we did not get to stay inside the park. The lodge is along the Virgin river surrounded by canyons of Zion so it feels as if you are staying inside the park. I highly suggest this lodging option. It is walking distance to the park entrance from where you can board the park shuttle and close to a lot of dinner options in Springsdale. During crowded seasons, you have to use one of the shuttles run by the park. I say, even if it is not peak season, use the shuttle if available to avoid driving and the hassle of finding parking.

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What to do in Zion: Plan on spending at least 2 nights if you want to enjoy the beauty of the park. The easiest way would be to sit in the park shuttle and visit all the vista points that the shuttle stops at. But there’s not much fun if you don’t explore the vistas, right? We started with the Riverside Walk at the Temple of Sinawava. Even though we were not planning on doing the Narrows, this trail can be hiked to view the Narrows of the Virgin River Canyon and so we decided on doing it. We also hiked the Lower, Middle and Upper Emerald Pools. Only the Upper Emerald Pool is impressive. The short walk to Weeping Rock is only worth if you go during Spring time. Court of the Patriarchs can be easily viewed from the bus stop itself! The East side of the park is missed by a lot of visitors to Zion because the shuttles don’t go there. Take the drive through the Zion-Mt. Carmel tunnel and the scenic byway. On the way you will also pass through the Zion Arch as well as Checkerboard Mesa and if you are lucky enough spot some wildlife too. But while you are at Zion, make sure to view either sunrise or sunset to see the white, ochre, orange and red colors of canyon walls change. Having said that, my trip to Zion was incomplete because I skipped Angel’s Landing as well as Narrows! So if you absolutely enjoy hiking, that might be high up on your things to do for Zion.

Bryce Canyon National Park: Bryce Canyon is about an hour’s drive from Zion National Park and route from Zion to Bryce is full of stunning vistas. You pass through Red Canyon and is definitely one of the top scenic routes I have traveled on. We stayed in Bryce Canyon for one night. Bryce is at a much higher altitude than Zion so it is much cooler. Bryce Canyon National Park is home to spectacular and colorful hoodoo structures. A lot of people are bound to like Bryce more than Zion because of the picturesque landscape it has to offer, not to mention: the enchanted hoodoos too 🙂

Bryce Amphitheater

What to do in Bryce Canyon: Start at the visitor center and take the shuttle to cover the major vistas which include the Inspiration Point, Sunrise and Sunset Points. All three vista points offer amazing views of the Bryce Amphitheater. You can walk from one point to the other if you follow the rim trail and that is a great way of enjoying the stunning vistas. The main loop would be best visited through the shuttle, however; it would be good idea to drive through the rest of the 18 mile scenic route in your own vehicle. Stop by at the Natural Bridge for sure. If you have not been to Arches in Utah, this vista could be a quick preview. We also stopped by at Ponderosa Point, Rainbow Point, Blackbirch Canyon. But after a while, it seems as if each point is just a different angle of the same view-point. So, if you have more time in Bryce, I highly suggest hiking down the canyon in the hoodoos. It is going to be much prettier from within the canyon then outside. I have heard that sunrise in Bryce is not to miss, but it rained when we were in Bryce, so we missed sunrise.

Zion happens to be the most visited national park in Utah so it is definitely more popular than Bryce, but I personally like Bryce a tad bit more than Zion. That might change if I ever hike the Narrows in Zion.