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Kauai

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In a testament to how well we achieved our goal of playing every day by ear with our primary focus being on relaxation, I rarely remembered to bring my camera with me. I took only a handful of pictures, and really only on a single day; the day I realized “oh shit, I haven’t taken one sunset photograph this whole trip. Can we please push our dinner reservation tonight so we don’t miss the sunset?” We pushed the reservation and caught a magnificent stunner. I only wish I could’ve better captured the “secret” beach we went to earlier in the week.

Glacier National Park

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After Yellowstone and Grand Teton with friends, Ting and I drove north to Whitefish to tone down the camping aspect a notch, enjoy some time in a town (with showers), dining, shopping, and exploring. And, more importantly, making a day trip to Glacier National Park. It was a bit of a gamble, as we only had a day to spend in the park, but we decided to rise early to ensure minimal crowds. We had planned a couple of hikes, but despite the initially cloudy, rainy weather, lots were completely full even at 7am. We soldiered on through the clouds up the Going-to-the-Sun Road to Logan Pass - Ting cringing with acrophobia - and managed to find literally the last parking spot at the Pass’s visitor center. Although our intended hike, to the Hidden Lake Overlook, was closed due to bear activity, we had the opportunity to hike the Highline Trail to Haystack Butte. I can’t say we were disappointed - Ting was once again apprehensive of the exposed cliff-edge hiking, but we were rewarded with breathtaking views as the morning sun partially cleared the clouds.

Grand Teton National Park

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It seems unfair that Grand Teton National Park is a stone’s throw from Yellowstone. Two of the most beautiful national parks in America in such close proximity - but we took full advantage, traveling there not once but twice. Of course, the first time we made the day trip down to the Tetons, the smoke was so bad, we literally couldn’t see the mountains. Still, that made the second trip all the more spectacular, as anticipation had built, and our desire to see the range and their surroundings was strong.

Orcas Island 50k Weekend 2020

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I ran the Orcas Island 50k in 2018 as my first ultramarathon. It was a magical weekend and it went spectacularly well, but the weather wasn’t great. This time, although rain of biblical proportions fell in the days leading up to the race leading to the wettest conditions on record, sun and scattered clouds made for beautiful views as my wife and I enjoyed ourselves on the island, the ferries, and at Rosario Resort.

Trail Running in East Asia - iPhone X Photos

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I run a lot. Running a lot is a requirement for running trail ultramarathons; being on vacation is no excuse not to run, but I’d do it even if I didn’t have a race the week after! Running - and especially trail running - is an incredible way to see a country or city. I ran a total of 76 miles during our vacation in Korea and Japan, most of it in the mountains. On almost all of my runs, regardless of where I am, I carry an iPhone X, which has really exceptional cameras. Here are a collection of photos from those runs on: Bukhansan, Ansan, Namsan, Han River, Achasan (Korea), and Inariyama, Kamo River (Kyoto).

Cusco, Peru

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Although we spent one night in Lima, it was a very short sleep before heading back to the airport to fly to Cusco. The city sits near 11,000ft high in the Andes; airport billboards warn travelers (with images of puking gringos) to beware of altitude sickness. Coca tea, which is supposed to help, is abundant. None of us fell ill with altitude sickness, but we were all exhausted from travel, the lack of oxygen, and general excitement.

We left Cusco after one night to explore Machu Picchu and returned; we left again for a day to climb Vinicunca and returned to stay again. While in Cusco, though, we ate amazing food (Gaston's Chicha is fantastic; Bodega 138 has the best pizza; you can get street food - risky, I know - for 3 soles) and found the good beer spots (Cholo's is tucked away up a hill and has quiet, courtyard seating). We even found delicious breakfast (The Meeting Place - a Christian mission-based, not-for-profit, volunteer-run organization) with kittehs.