Travel

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.

Tetons Deconstructed

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The Tetons and the surrounding area was so spectacular, they required a second look. True in both the sense that we made two day trips there to ensure good conditions and in that I decided to shoot frames specifically focused on the incredible light and textures of the mountains alongside those highlighting the near-fall colors of my previous post.

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.

Yellowstone

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Ting, our friends Chip and Miranda, and I all traveled to Yellowstone National Park for a week. We camped at Grant Village Campground, visiting West Thumb, Old Faithful, and the Grand Prismatic Spring, while casually exploring random other areas of the park. The weather was fantastic aside from some smoke, and the calls of the elk at night and close wildlife encounters will probably enter my dreams for quite a while. The bear you see below was captured at long distance; we saw him bare minutes after commenting that we hadn’t seen any grizzlies; almost immediately after, we saw folks stopped along the side of the road, looking into a meadow. We pulled over, and I grabbed the shot. I wish dearly I had a lens longer than 200mm…

Deception Pass

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When we picked up our teardrop camper, we decided that it only made sense as a purchase if we committed to using it nearly year-’round. To that end, here we are, on Halloween weekend, enjoying crisp fall beauty at one of Washington’s best State Parks, Deception Pass.

Cape Disappointment

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My wife and I bought a teardrop camper and took it for its inaugural trip with friends to Cape Disappointment State Park. The weather was typical: Occasionally torrential rain, cool temperatures, wind, and even some golden sun. Fall was in full effect, and I was reminded again why I love the season so much.

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.

Scottish Highlands

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On somewhat of a whim, Ting and I decided to rent a car and drive from Edinburgh to Fort William in the Scottish Highlands. We spent the night there, then drove south to Glasgow on our way back to Edinburgh. The drive from Fort William to Glasgow was one of the highlights of our entire trip, but the drive and easy hike to Steall Falls was also fantastic. The Highlands are worthy of a trip themselves.

Edinburgh

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Edinburgh is far more photogenic than London, but the even more ravenous hordes of tourists really really gum things up. Still, head out of the historic Old Town area and into Holyrood Park to climb its various peaks and plateaus. The views are stunning and surprising for being in the middle of one of Scotland’s largest cities.

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London

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London is very clearly a world city, and worth traveling to. With Brexit protests, construction, and hordes of other tourists, though, it isn’t the most photogenic. But I could envision a younger me living there and loving every minute of it. Loads of good food, beer, museums, and sights to see. The dichotomy of old and new is striking.

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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).

Osaka

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Staying in Kyoto for our trip to Japan, we only took a quick day trip into Osaka to check it out. Osaka castle, as expected, was beautiful but intensely overrun with tourists (like us). As was pretty much everywhere else. But I caught three frames that I think showed three sides of Japan’s third-largest city: Feudal, traditionally old, and modern.

Kyoto

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Although Korea is a second home, or even a second country for me and my wife, Japan is one of our all-time favorite places to visit. We’ve rarely gone to a country more than once, and typically only because we happen to know someone there. We returned to Japan because the holistic experience is off-the-charts good; the food, people, beauty… Almost nothing compares.

Return to Korea II - Gyeongju

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We decided to go to Gyeongju as part of our wedding anniversary/Return to Korea/Japan trip because we knew our friends Justin and Emma would appreciate the history of the place. An ancient seat of kings and home to many hill-like tombs, Gyeongju is full of culture, history, and these days, even craft beer!

Return to Korea - Seoul

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My wife and I met in Korea 9 years ago; she was there teaching English and Chinese, and I was writing text books. I don’t want to speak for her, but it was a hugely formative period of my life, and I think it was close to being that big for her. Regardless, although I’d been back to Korea for a very short trip a few years ago, we hadn’t been back together since we left in 2011. We planned this, one of our longest vacations together, as a wedding anniversary present to ourselves. Along for and enhancing the ride were our two best travel buddies, Justin and Emma.

Spartanburg, SC

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Ting and I traveled to Spartanburg, South Carolina, home of the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, Carolinas (VCOM) to watch and celebrate as Ting's brother, Matthew, and his girlfriend, Emily, graduated as Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine. Spartanburg was a charming little town!

Hong Kong

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Hong Kong describes itself as Asia's "World City." That may be true. Its unique blend of colonial Britain and China is unlike any other city I've visited, even vaunted, nearby Macao (which I found much less impressive). With off-the-charts density, amazing food, lively markets, and impressive hills, Hong Kong offers quite a lot to explore in such a small area. I'll be back.