I started creating a blog post for this trip, the old way. There was so much packed into this trip that I would never get that done. So, I’m going with a different approach to make things go faster.
I have separated the trip into 14 locations (listed below), and each location has its own photo album covering that area. The collection of those photo albums can be found on my Adobe site: Mark Pastor – Morocco. This approach allows me to organize photos as I normally do, in Adobe Lightroom. Then I avoid the next steps of converting them and transferring them to this blog site. Instead, I just link to the Adobe photo albums.
It was a 17-day trip, starting in Casablanca and wrapping up in Marrakesh. We covered a lot of territory visiting many cities and locations during that time. We arranged the trip via Intrepid Travel.
Here is a high level view of the path we followed. (Map courtesy of Intrepid.)
Below is a list of the location/albums, each one links to that respective photo album. These are listed in chronological order of when we visited those locations.
Leslie treated me to a train ride for my birthday (September 7): Denver Union Station to Glenwood Springs. The train travels through the rocky mountains, going through Granby and Winterpark and eventually meeting up with the Colorado River and follows that to Glenwood Springs. The train is the California Zephyr and actually runs between San Francisco and Chicago, so we were on a small part of the whole run. Our trip took about five and a half hours one way. We spent a couple nights in Glenwood Springs at the Maxwell Anderson Hotel (formerly Hotel Denver) which is right across the street from the train station.
We traveled to Glenwood Springs on Sunday. On Monday we rented e-bikes (I’ve never been on one before) and rode along the Colorado River from Glenwood Springs to Dotsero, about a 36-mile round trip. It was a beautiful day and the scenery was awesome. The hot springs pool was a welcome site later that afternoon. For the rest of the time in Glenwood Springs we explored the shops, the eateries and some local trails.
We headed back to Denver on Tuesday. It was a short trip, but a great getaway.
From the TrainFrom the TrainFrom the TrainFrom the Train“Nixon Cloud” from the TrainAlong the Bike PathAlong the Bike PathHot Springs PoolFrom a Local Trail
Last week Leslie and I went on a hike she’s been talking about for a long time. Sky Pond is an alpine lake destination in the Rocky Mountain National Park with trailheads along Bear Lake Road. What that means is you need to get a coveted timed entry permit waaaayy in advance. Fortunately we were able to get that done on July 1.
Rather than narrating the journey, I will instead mention some highlights and provide a gallery of photos to peruse below.
We got to Glacier Gorge Trailhead at around 6:30am (left the house at about 5am to get there at that time). There were 3 parking spaces left; good thing we only needed one of them. If we didn’t get that, we could have gone on the Bear Lake Trailhead without sacrificing too much extra hiking. It was a beautiful morning. We ate the breakfast we brought in the car and then ventured to the hike.
One of the first points of interest is Alberta Falls. I’ve been there before, and I didn’t even take a picture because there were so many people there. It’s popularity is likely due to the short hike to get there. As we continued on, we had some trail connections to choose from. Unfortunately, I chose a wrong one causing us at least a half mile extra distance.
Once on the correct trail, there were plenty of beautiful features and views to take in. The trickiest part of the hike was going up a waterfall area. I captured a photo of Leslie working her way up this area in one of the pictures below. There were several bodies of water along the way, most notably, (1) The Lock, where I snapped a great photo of a trout; (2) Lake of Glass, more trout, and stunning reflections, and (3) Sky Pond, the beauty expected from a remote alpine lake.
The total hike was about 10 miles round trip. We both did quite well, but acknowledged it was a great workout for the day.
Leslie and I have never been to the Grand Mesa in Colorado. We have only seen it from the highway many times. According to Wikipedia, “It is the largest flat-topped mountain in the world…reaching an elevation of about 11,000 feet.”
We made reservations at the Grand Mesa Lodge cabins several months ago and were excited to explore the area. We planned to be there for 3 nights, so we basically had 2 days to explore.
Thursday
On the morning of the first full day (Thursday), we took an easy hike along Mesa Lake to Lost Lake. It was a beautiful hike.
After our hike, we had lunch at the lodge. Then we decided to check out this road we saw. It had a sign that said “Observatory 12 Miles”. We didn’t find anyone that could tell us much about what we would find on this road, so we went to find out for ourselves.
The name of the road was “Land’s End Road” 😨
The drive was beautiful! Along the way we discovered the Raber Cow Camp. Most of the abandoned cow camps on the Grand Mesa were thought to be hazardous so the Forest Service tore them down. However, the Raber Cow Camp was spared and was actually renovated in 1993 as an example of what life here was like in the 1940’s and 1950’s, the heydays of cow camp life on Grand Mesa. Winifred Raber, who stayed at the cow camp every summer from the 1930s until 1966, has helped document the history of the camp.
We continued on Land’s End Road and after more wonderfully scenic driving we arrived at the Observatory.
Land’s End Observatory is a Ranger Observatory, built in 1936-37 by the United States Forest Service and the Works Progress Administration (WPA). It is marked by simplicity and craftsmanship, appearing to grow out of the earth rather than intrude upon it.
While near the observatory we spotted another road to get there; this one looked like fun, so we took it!
That was an awesome drive! Great job Leslie. The road is a narrow one-vehicle width road near the top, so you have to be pretty careful as you wind around all those switchbacks. It relaxes in width slightly as you make your way down this incredibly fun and beautiful drive.
As we made our way back, the very long way (rather than going back up Land’s End Road), we meandered into the Adobe Badlands. After gawking at the badlands initially we tried to find a place to stop to take pictures, but the narrow road with traffic didn’t allow for it until we got to this place; which was OK but doesn’t truly capture the moon-like landscape we saw along the drive. I would love to go check these out again some day.
Friday
On Friday we decided to take another hike. Thursday’s hike was pretty flat, and we wanted to take a slightly longer hike that had some gain to it. We found the Crag Crest National Recreation Trail.
We opted for the out and back as opposed to the much longer full loop. We were delighted with the fantastic scenery along the way, and the spectacular views once we reached the summit.
Saturday
We had planned to take an indirect route home and stay in Cripple Creek that night, since Leslie had not yet been there. On our drive we passed Black Canyon, and since Mark had never been there, we stopped for a look. Beautiful place.
It was a pretty long driving day with nice stops as mentioned above, and I should also mention Teller County Road 11 which was a short but very fun roller coaster of a road with its blind ups and steep downs. We arrived at our home for the night, Cripple Creek Hospitality House. This was a very nice place to stay, and fun and interesting given its history as a turn of the century (19th to 20th) hospital. That evening we ate in Cripple Creek and Mark checked off one of his bucket list items by finally eating rocky mountain oysters (the easy way… deep fried with cocktail sauce). Yum. 😋
Sunday
Before heading home, we were compelled to visit a nearby town we spotted on the map: Victor. We found Victor to be a wonderfully quaint town. We walked around the town as they were having a Rock and Gem show that morning. We were both taken by the town’s charm and may very well have to visit again sometime soon.
We took a very long and arduous route to home trying to avoid Highway 25. We’ll probably take Highway 25 next time. What a fun quick getaway it was, exploring more of our home state.
Matthew wanted to use his existing vacation time before changing his job at Southwest Airlines. I was immediately on board to be his traveling partner for the trip, we just needed to pick a destination. After much discussion of various interesting options, we landed on exploring the great redwoods of California. There were several airports to choose from including Portland, Eureka, Sacramento, and San Francisco. We played it by ear based on seat availability and wound up starting in San Francisco and ending in Portland. So, our journey looked like this.
Matthew wanted to make sure he saw the Golden Gate Bridge.
The first day was filled with a long drive and a couple stops for pics, food and relief.
Our first destination was in the town of Trinidad, CA, a very nice B&B named Turtle Rocks Oceanfront Inn. The building is situated about 250 feet above the coast with excellent views of the ocean. It was very comfortable for the three nights we were there, and the hospitality was excellent.
Here’s a picture of a part of the backyard of Turtle Rocks Oceanfront Inn.
The B&B gave us a nice write-up of sites to see depending on how long our stay was to be, ranging from one-day to three days. That was very helpful to get started with planning our time.
We started by hiking around the local area (Sue-meg State Park), first stop was a place called Wedding Rock and surrounding areas, including Agate Beach.
We then took over an hour drive North to check out the Grove of the Titans.
Trail to Grove of the Titans
The trail was amazing, and the trees are awe inspiring. The last part of the trail was elevated on metal grates to protect the ground for the trees.
We had some time left in the day, so we decided to check out Enderts Beach to see if we could spot any tidepools.
As the end of the day neared we decided to have dinner in Crescent City. We found an excellent Thai place called Kin Khao.
As we headed south back to our B&B we happened upon a sunset. As you may notice there was a lot of moisture in the air, so we couldn’t really see the sun.
The next day we wanted to check out Fern Canyon for which we heard a lot of cool things. This was another drive, but not as long as the day before to Crescent City.
This was an amazing drive! Thank goodness Matthew was driving. A narrow dark trail among the ferns. The Park Ranger insisted on telling us “We cannot guarantee your safety for the three stream crossings you might choose to make in your car.” It definitely impacted others, as they parked WAY back before the stream crossings and had to walk an extra couple miles each way.
Walking an extra four miles wasn’t our favorite option so we crossed the streams. No big deal once you get past the intimidation (greatly caused by the Park Ranger).
Fern Canyon was beautiful. On the way back, we took another short hike to Trillium Falls, another place of great beauty.
Road to Fern CanyonFern CanyonTrillium FallsTrillium Falls
We returned to the B&B just in time to see another sunset, and this time the sun showed up (mostly).
The next day was a driving day: Trinidad, CA to Florence, OR. Along the way we saw some great beaches, were amazed by Fort Orford, and had a great lunch at Tony’s Crab Shack in Bandon, OR.
Fort OrfordTony’s Crab Shack
That evening we settled into Florence, OR. We walked around the quaint and pretty town, stopped into some of the shops, and had dinner at International C-Food Market Restaurant (which we thought was Novelli’s, until we left and found Novelli’s down the dock ramp). Nevertheless, dinner was good, including the oysters on the half shell, which, as any good father would, I made sure Matthew got to sample.
We headed out the next day for Portland, OR. We made stops whenever we felt compelled, taking in the vistas and some bridges along the way. Matthew found Thor’s Well, which was an awesome waterspout (just a pain in the arse to try to time your photo when the water is shooting).
Thor’s Well
Our final segment of the trip was to hang out in Portland, OR. We stayed at the Mark Spencer Hotel, which was very nice, especially given their free wine sampling hour shortly after we arrived. Then we had a short walk to get some ramen at Ramen Ryoma for an excellent dinner.
For the last day of our trip, we decided to visit the arboretum in the early morning followed by a visit to the Japanese Gardens. What a beautiful way to spend some time.
Portland Japanese Garden
And then we flew home.
The end.
Epilogue
What a wonderful 5-day trip. Thanks to Matthew for instigating the trip, for doing ALL the driving, and for arranging flights for us. Since this trip, Matthew has graduated from a month-long training program to be a flight attendant for Southwest Airlines. I am excited for the many adventures in front of him, and very thankful for this wonderful visit to the Pacific Northwest area.
I was nominated to travel to New York to represent my business unit’s products at the NAB (National Association of Broadcasters) East (NY) trade show. I’ve been to New York several times, but always on business and I have never taken time to take in the city; I was determined to do whatever I could on this work trip to get a better sense of the New York scene.
My first observation – mind you, I just got back from the pristine island of Iceland – was how this was absolutely a concrete jungle. There was tension in my bones as I took in the crowds and the concrete, getting high on second hand pot smoke everywhere I walked, the noises that go on 24/7 along with the construction and everchanging skyline.
View from my room at the Edison Hotel… meh.
OK – that was the first 12 hours. I stayed at the Edison hotel which gave me the opportunity to walk 1.3 miles to the convention center on Wednesday and Thursday – 1.3 miles that I could zig zag around to see what I could see. The Edison hotel is located in what I believe is called the “Theater District”, also very close to Times Square. So, after I arrived I sought out dinner at a close by trattoria (Trattoria Trecolori), and a stroll to see Times Square.
Linguine Nere Alla Monsignore
homemade black (squid ink) linguini with shrimp, scallops, squid, clams, and mussels in our flavorful marinara
On Tuesday morning I took an early (7am) brisk walk to the convention center – focused primarily on staying safe (mostly out of ignorance) and finding my way to the Jacob Javits Convention Center.
I made it early to the convention center, so was there when set up began at 8am and stayed through until closing at 6pm. We had good traffic at the booth, and I was able to reconnect with some old acquaintances I know from the industry.
After a long day I was beat. Walked back to the hotel, and had dinner downstairs at Friedman’s where the wait staff entertains the diners with song – some really good, some REALLY LOUD. After a Manhattan and French Dip I went to my room to relax my achy bones.
Thursday… another early walk to convention center with gorgeous weather. I discovered 46th street and other nice segments of the walk along the way. After another long day (but a couple hours shorter than Wednesday), I moseyed along the Hudson river next to the convention center to see what sights might be there.
I eventually changed direction to continue the stroll toward my hotel. I found an awesome eatery: Yum Yum Too. The service and the food were both excellent, and the area around there offers so much more to explore. This is the point where I decided I want to come back to New York to explore more of this area and many others.
Friday – time to go home. However!… I had a couple hours in the morning before I needed to head to the airport, so I decided to go see Central Park. I’ve never been there and I wanted to gain a first hand perspective. The walk to the park was about three quarters of a mile, and then I strolled for about 30 minutes within the park. I only covered about 25% of the park in that time, so add this to more reason to come back to spend some more time in New York.
I returned from Central Park via Madison Avenue, and had a wonderful Nova Scotia Salmon on Bagel sandwich at the Deli on Madison.
The End
All in all a good trip. The show was good and opened up some new opportunities for me to pursue. I finally got my own taste of New York; enough to lure me back to explore more.
My Fall adventures included a trip to Iceland with friends and family. Seven of us in total signed up months ago for the fun, and before we knew it we were on a plane heading for the geologically active and beautiful country of Iceland.
Saturday October 7, 2023
In addition to the amazing landscapes and cultural experiences, one item on everyone’s list was to see the Northern Lights. We could tell from weeks earlier that weather was going to be quite variable for the trip, as it clearly proved to be, and so aside from a questionable citing of Northern Lights later in the week, Leslie, Matthew and I had the only unquestioned citing while on the plane a couple hours or so before landing in Iceland.
Northern Lights as observed from the Plane
Sunday
Our flight was about 7 hours spanning from 5pm-ish in Denver, Saturday to 6am-ish in Reykjavik on Sunday. After catching our ride to the Storm Hotel to drop off our bags, we walked the streets of Reykjavik in search of a meal and whatever else comes our way.
For dinner that evening we found Reykjavik Kitchen – the food was phenomenal.
(image courtesy of Reykjavik Kitchen)
Monday (Very Rainy)
After getting our cars from the rental car lot, there was lots of driving in very rainy and wet conditions. We drove on the order of 150 miles east along the southern coast and stopped to visit some waterfalls on the way to our hotel. The Seljalandsfoss waterfall is very fun as you can walk on a trail that goes behind the waterfall. It didn’t matter much to us as we got just as wet in the rain as we did behind the waterfall. That didn’t make picture taking very easy.
Then we visited the Skógafoss waterfall where we could walk up to the base or to the top.
Skógafoss waterfall in Skógar
After battling the rain on the road we arrived at our home for the next couple days, the Magma Hotel. The rooms were great, the views were stunning, and the food was delicious.
View from Magma Hotel Room
Tuesday (Extreme Wind)
On Tuesday our plan was to visit a glacier bay, diamond beach, and a hike through a canyon. We were told to expect heavy winds and probable road closures by 2pm, so we took off on our drive early to squeeze in what we could before the wind gods showed their fury. On the road we saw many examples of glacier eruptions (heated waters emerging from the base of the glaciers) causing massive flooding and destruction of highways and bridges.
Trusses from a destroyed highway bridge
We arrived at glacier bay around 11:30am, most of us were in awe of the site, but Anna had the wisdom to beeline it to diamond beach. After gawking at the glaciers several of us started walking to diamond beach. Our walk was interrupted by Icelandic officials yelling panic at us, “leave now! You may not have time to make it back to your hotel!” And so we scurried back to our hotel, and the rest of us never made it to diamond beach.
Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon
Driving was a challenge with the strong winds blowing cars out of their lanes. You would think we would heed the warnings and go straight to our hotel… and pass up these cool photo opps?!
Foss á Síðu
… and then we made it safely to our hotel.
Wednesday
On Wednesday we headed west, visiting various sites including Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon, the black sand beaches of Reynisfjara, the basalt columns and rock formations of Reynisdrangar. (Yes, it all sounds very Hobbit-like). We also squeezed in a visit to a school bus that serves coffee and pastries and offers a variety of trinkets.
FjaðrárgljúfurFjaðrárgljúfurFjaðrárgljúfurSokol Beans Cafevolcanic black sand beaches of Reynisfjaravolcanic black sand beaches of ReynisfjaraReynisdrangar basalt columnsHálsanefshellir sea cave and the Garðar cliffHálsanefshellir sea cave and the Garðar cliff
… and on our drive we even saw evidence of Hobbit life.
Rútshellir Cave
Many of the churches we saw had some common architectural themes.
Thursday
We really packed things in on this day. We started our journey early, driving through what looked like would become a major blizzard – fortunately it never got that bad; but there was wind and snow. That did not deter us as we visited the major waterfall of Gullfoss, the Strokkur Geyser of, uh, Geysir, the greenhouse restaurant and stables of Friðheimar, the Þingvellir National Park, the Kerið Crater, and most of all, the home of my favorite meal (deep fried hot dog) at Pylsuvagninn!
GullfossGullfossStrokkur GeyserFriðheimarFriðheimarFriðheimarFriðheimarÞingvellir National ParkKerið CraterKerið Crater
Thanks to Anna and her Googling to find this gem – the crater above.
Pylsuvagninn – Deep Fried Hotdog- best meal of the trip
Thanks again to Anna and Google for finding this awesome dining spot!
Friday
This day was for exploring the peninsula and Reykjavik as desired, follow by sunset at Sky Lagoon. We all started together to visit Seltún Geothermal Area, then some of the group went to Reykjavik while Leslie, Cynthia and I decided to continue our drive around the peninsula.
And one more shout out to Anna and Google for finding the geothermal area below! Lesson: take Google with you to explore new lands.
Seltún Geothermal AreaSeltún Geothermal Area
While Car#1 went back to Reykjavik, Car#2 took a drive around the peninsula where we saw some fishing villages, stumbled into the Brimketill pool, visited the Reykjanes lighthouse, crossed the Bridge Between Continents, and drove past the Reykjanes geothermal power plant that could easily be mistaken for a Mars colony.
BrimketillReykjanes LighthouseBridge Between ContinentsReykjanes Power Plant
Car#1 and Car#2 regrouped for the evening where we went to watch the sunset from Sky Lagoon.
Sky Lagoon at Sunset
After over 2 hours at Sky Lagoon we decided it was time to leave and grab a bite to eat. Google found us Vikinga Pylsur.
Friday dinner – Vikinga Pylsur – yum
Saturday (Heading Home)
But first! A visit to Blue Lagoon – to warm the bodies for a long flight home.
We left Denver on July 22 and returned on August 2. The trip started and ended in Lisbon. The on-board (cruise) experience was along the Douro River from July 25 to July 31. I loved the shores and small towns along the river and I especially like the towns of Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia. I hope you enjoy the trip report.
Leslie introduced me to this hike a few years ago; this is one of her favorite hikes out of the 4th of July Trailhead near Eldora. This is now one of my all time favorites as well.
