Wednesday photo: Aspen trees

Posted on July 6, 2011 by elliewick

On other trips out west, I have seen these trees from the car and have been awed by their beauty. In June, I got to spend a night camping by an aspen grove and then hiked through them on the way to the summit of Mount Elbert.

When I first read about the paths to the summit, I thought there were many reasons to choose the southern route. The trail is shorter if you can drive to the end of the four-wheel drive road. There is plenty of free camping along said road. And the trail begins in an aspen grove.

The light was playing wonderfully on these trees on both the hike up and down, thanks to the length of time it took me to get to the summit. It was around 6 p.m. at the time of this photo, which created warm hues and lots of shadows.

I even learned a couple interesting facts about these trees. First, they are not at all similar to birch trees, even though that is what I thought they were when I first paid attention to them along the Pacific Coast Highway in redwood forests in California. Second, the trunks grow from the roots of the original seed, so really, theses are all one tree. The root system can live for thousands of years, sending up new sprouts as other trunks die.

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Saturday Spotlight on Ohio: Progressive Field, home of Indians baseball

Posted on July 2, 2011 by elliewick

When I first started this blog I posted about places in Ohio I would like to visit. I have visited some of them since then, but there are still many places on my list. Now as my time here is dwindling, there are sights and sounds around the state I want to spotlight. Some are old-time favorites, others I have been introduced to only recently and the rest are places on my to-do list. These places include restaurants, museums, gardens and other institutions, all reasons why I truly do love this state.

My last installment was about Cheese Haven in Port Clinton. Up this week is Progressive Field, home of the Cleveland Indians.

Baseball games are an essential for summer for me, and last year, I went without hearing the crack of the bat on the ball. I was not letting that happen again this year, so a few weeks ago my family and I headed to a Cleveland Indian’s game.

The Indian’s won with a walk-off home run after a rain delay, which made for a pretty exciting day. I love the atmosphere of the ball park, along with the chance to scream and dance like crazy all while cheering for your team.

View inside from the upper deck to the Jumbotron

I am partial to Indians baseball and know I always will be. I have had many wonderful memories at Jacob’s Field (this was my first visit since the name change!), and the one topping my list is from around 1992.

It was a bases-loaded situation with Lee Smith of the Angels pitching (we’d received his autograph before the game, and it’s the only one we’ve ever received at the stadium) and Albert Belle up to bat. We had seats in the mezzanine section and Belle slammed one over the center-field wall into the barbecue pits.

But I like the minor leagues, too, and have many fond memories from games at the Akron Aeros and Mahoning Valley Scrappers.

So check out a game sometime. Even if you do not have a favorite team, the atmosphere at the stadium is worth the trip.

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The Top 5: Memories of Canada

Posted on July 1, 2011 by elliewick

In honor of Canada Day, I wanted to write a “top 5” for Canada. My visits in Canada have been limited to the provinces of Ontario and Quebec, but I have seen a variety of sights, many because of school trips, beginning in 1998 to Ottawa and Montreal, in 2001 to Toronto and Niagara Falls, and in 2006 to Stratford. I have since been back to Stratford and have visited Windsor a handful of times for curling and with my family.

5. Toronto’s CN Tower

I toured the tour when it was still the world’s tallest free standing tower, and I remember being quite impressed. I like views from towers and admiring their construction. I remember the CN Tower had a glass floor, and there’s a picture of me on the glass with views of Toronto below. I also remember the elevator operator pointing out the gap of free space between the elevator and the floor.

4. Niagara Falls

The roar of water is also something I am quite fond of. The falls were quite impressive, and to this day, I have not seen anyting near its equal. We went into the rock under the falls and were also able to look out at them from there. The only thing my experience at Niagara Falls is missing is a ride on the Maid of the Mist.

3. Curling in Windsor

The Canadians know how to make good ice, so curling in Windsor is always a pleasure, especially with six sheets at Roseland. On my first trip to Canada for curling, my team was short one person and the border agent searching our car was questioning us about curling with only three people. And then the American agents did not know anything about curling.

2. Stratford Shakespeare Festival

Last August I traveled to Stratford for its Shakespeare festival, which I had been to in college. I went this time because Christopher Plummer was playing Prospero in The Tempest. It was phenomenal and absolutely worth the 10 hours in the car over two days to see the show.

1. Montreal’s Biodome

When I think of my first trip to Canada, this picture is what comes to mind. This was part of a display at the Biodome, a science museum in Montreal. I do not remember anything about who these people are or anything else I saw at that museum, but I remember this. I am posing in the second head from the right.

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A Colorado round-up

Posted on June 30, 2011 by elliewick

It’s always sad coming home from a trip, not only because I love traveling and seeing and doing new things, but because these trips are the only times I get to see my boyfriend. Going to Colorado was special because Jon has spent a lot of time there, so he was able to share some familiar things with me and also do some new activities.

We toured the central part of the state and the eastern part of the Rocky Mountains, staying mostly east of the Continental Divide and south of Interstate 70. Before heading to Colorado I knew there would be too much to see and do. What that means is that I have to go back to see places like the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness Area, mountain lakes, Rocky Mountain National Park, Independence Pass and the bustling I-70 area in the daylight.

But we still accomplished and saw many things, and I am pleased with the activities we chose. While I am still trying to recover (spending nine hours climbing a mountain really wore me out), I will begin my posts on this trip with a round-up of what Jon and I saw and did over five days in Colorado.

Some of these photos will contain my traveling gnome, Cedric, who was featured predominately in the older version of this blog. I am always taking pictures of Cedric and I have decided I need to get back to showing off the pictures of him, too. A couple of the pictures I post here will be ones I took of Cedric that I posted to Twitter and Facebook while I was traveling.

After flying into Denver, we headed south to Colorado Springs, where we spent the night. The next day we drove farther south, heading to Great Sand Dunes National Park. These are the mountains that came into view south of Pueblo.

Sangre de Cristo mountains

When you get to the turnoff for the national park, the sand dunes are not immediately visible, but then the sand slowly starts to rise in front of the mountains. Once you get to the main day-use area, the dunes are a short hike away.

Dunes and mountains at Great Sand Dunes National Park

 My first hike here was a bit difficult for me and I did not make it to the top of High Dune. This is as close as I got.

Cedric in the sand dunes

After spending the night on the dunes, we headed to Bishop’s Castle, west of Rye. One man has built this castle from scratch and has it open as a tourist destination. It definitely wasn’t the safest structure I have ever been on, but it was impressive to see this man’s dream.

Bishop Castle

From Rye we headed back to Colorado Springs and then up in to the mountains and Pike National Forest, where we spent the night. This was the view of Pikes Peak as we headed down the mountains the next morning.

Pikes Peak

Jon and I were on our way to Garden of the Gods, a free park in Colorado Springs. It is famous for its red rocks.

Garden of the Gods

After the wedding we planned this trip around, we drove to Mount Elbert, between Twin Lakes and Leadville. We followed a road up to around 11,000 feet and camped here in front of this lovely aspen grove.

Mount Elbert aspen grove

Six hours later we made it to the top of Mount Elbert and were awarded with a wonderful mountain view.

Mount Elbert

All in all I was quite thrilled with this trip, especially with plenty of opportunities to push myself. I plan on writing about all of these adventures because they were all so new to me. Come back to check those out!

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Wednesday photo: Rocky Mountains

Posted on June 29, 2011 by elliewick

Last week I asked for some awesome mountains in the Colorado Rockies. This is what I got:

This is the view from the top of Mount Elbert, the highest mountain in Colorado and the second-highest in the lower 48 at 14,443 feet.

The hike to the top took an excessive six hours. Jon was expecting it to take about half that time, but it was not only my first fourteener but also my first American mountain. I didn’t have the strength or stamina to make this a quick or easy journey, but I made it, without any problems other than some bug bites, sore calf muscles and exceedingly swollen hands, which have now returned to normal.

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Wednesday photo: Austrian Alps

Posted on June 22, 2011 by elliewick

This evening I am flying away from the flat land of Ohio to a much more mountainous state: Colorado. There are many things I am looking forward to there, but what I want most is to see some amazing mountains, just like these, the Austrian Alps south of Salzburg.

I took this picture in October 2008 from the entrance to Nonntal Abbey on the back side of the Festung. There was already plenty of snow then, and I hope I get to see some snow on the Colorado Rockies.

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Postcard arrival: Thailand and Hawaii

Posted on June 21, 2011 by elliewick

The first postcard shown here is from Bangkok, Thailand, my third postcard from there.

 I have really enjoyed all of my Thailand postcards and I definitely want to visit Thailand someday. I also think everyone is Thailand has the same handwriting, because each postcard I have received from there has the same handwriting style! I’m fascinated by that.

My second postcard here isn’t from postcrossing, but from my roommate. Earlier this year she visited a friend in Hawaii and sent me a postcard from Waikiki Beach.

Amanda chose a great card for me because I absolutely love sunsets, and this one looks phenomenal.

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Dirty no more! And other thoughts (and firsts) about my upcoming trip to Colorado

Posted on June 17, 2011 by elliewick

After a few frantic days of wondering where I will shower after camping for three days and then needing to attend a wedding in Colorado Springs and writing Searching for a shower, a college curling friend has come to my rescue.

In my distress, I had forgotten Leah lived there, and after posting my blog entry on Facebook, Leah saw it and so wonderfully told me that she would share her shower.

I am quite thankful and excited about her generosity. Additionally, I am excited about many firsts I expect to happen this trip.

Thanks to my boyfriend living 1,600 miles away in Utah, I have really expanded my travel horizons this year and experienced many things I likely would not have tried on my own.

I have been to Arizona, California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon and Utah with Jon since the fall. I have climbed up and down scary rocks. I have camped under the redwoods and on the beach.

Pacific Ocean campsite view at Gold Bluffs Beach

I ran into the Pacific Ocean in Oregon on a crisp October day. I have skied down imposing mountains. I tried rock climbing.

Rock climbing at Red Rock National Conservation Area in Nevada

And next week I will try a few more things on my first trip to Colorado. It will be my first flight on Southwest. It will be my first time in Colorado (I don’t count airport stops.) It will be my first time in the Rockies. It will be my first time climbing up and then down a mountain. (I have been to the summit of the Untersberg in Salzburg, but got there by gondola. I did climb down, though.)

Untersberg summit

We are planning on ascending Mount Elbert, and that will be the highest I have been, at over 14,000 feet. We will be spending a night or two in the sand dunes at Great Sand Dunes National Park, another first, too. I also suspect there will be camping done without a tent, which is Jon’s preferred style. (His friends didn’t even know he had a tent until he took me camping the first time!)

With all of these new things, which are what I love so much about travel, I always look forward to learning to adapt and learning about myself. New things involve patience and a good attitude. And when I am traveling with Jon, most organization and planning tactics are thrown out the window because we function quite slowly together. My travels before Jon may have been a bit of a whirlwind, and I always knew and accepted when I needed to slow down, but our travels together truly are slow, which has taken a bit of getting used to.

A requisite reflection photo of Jon and I at Valley of Fire in Nevada

These things are what makes traveling so wonderful, and my travels this year have definitely made it a great one.

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Wednesday photo: A door in Salzburg

Posted on June 15, 2011 by elliewick

I’ve missed Salzburg a lot this week, after going for a bike ride, a friend traveling through Austria, Lichtenstein, Switzerland and Germany, and all my thoughts of the mountains I will see in Colorado next week. But I didn’t want to share a photo from Austria of something common, so I chose this door of a house at the Salzburger Freilichtmuseum, an open air museum with displays of rural buildings from the 16th to the 20th century in the Province of Salzburg.  In the museum, the exhibits are organized according to the districts of Salzburger Land. This is like a Colonial Williamsburg, Salzburg style.

There are many things I love about this door. The pattern, the colors of the chipping paint, the handle in the center. It was a glorious fall day, with warms winds coming over the Alps from Italy.

The museum was fun to explore. We particularly had fun at the playground and playing Austrian-style bowling. But, of course, we also learned about the development of trades and houses.

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Climbing my first sand dunes

Posted on June 14, 2011 by elliewick

Before Memorial Day weekend, I was a novice when it came to sand dunes. I had seen the towering dunes along the Pacific coast of Oregon from Highway 101 when Jon and I drove the Pacific Coast Highway back in October, but up to that point I hadn’t touched one, and that’s what counts.

When Caitlin first suggested visiting sand dunes along the coast of Lake Michigan, I was super excited. I was so excited not only because they were something new to me, but I would be heading to Colorado’s Great Sand Dunes National Park with Jon in June. And next Thursday I should be spending the night camping out on the dunes. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

I visited Caitlin in Kalamazoo, Mich., for Memorial Day weekend, and with all sorts of dunes not too far away on the coast of the lake, we knew that’s where we should head for a day.

We decided to go to Saugatuck, a cute town selected this past fall as one of Budget Travel’s coolest small towns. One of the other selections was Bandon, Ore., south of the sand dunes there, but also on the coast with an impressive selection of sea stacks.

With a mistake made in the driving, that fortunately did not set us too far off course, we headed to Saugatuck Dunes State Park first. This mistake paid off, because we beat the crowds of Saugatuck’s Oval Beach and instead, took a beautiful hike through a coastal evergreen grove. We chose the longest path to the beach, which fortunately led us to one of the tallest, if not the tallest dune in the park. The tallest dune was listed at over 200 feet, and I think this could have been it.Climbing the dune was not as difficult as I thought. I will probably change my mind about that when trying to climb a 700-foot dune or even a couple of 200-foot dunes in a row next week at Great Sand Dunes.

The view from above was pretty fantastic, and we could finally see Lake Michigan, as well.After admiring the view and after being stung by enough grains of sand, we decided to head down to the beach.

It was just a tad bit windy on top of the dune

And finally, the beach:The water was frigid, but nice, and I didn’t notice much of a smell.

After a while hanging out on the beach, we decided it was time to head back to the car and to Saugatuck, to check out the town and grab a bite to eat at the English pub, Chequers.

Kalamazoo Lake in Saugatuck

We walked through some stores and up and down most of the streets, and I quickly remembered how I am not very good at browsing. I am quite good at looking at arts and crafts and gag gifts, and did purchase a couple of handicrafts from South America along with bacon-flavored mints (Mom, don’t tell!) for my brother. I had my eye on a table runner, but nearly always talk myself out of buying furnishings, especially now with plans to move.

After a tasty, but expensive ice cream from Kilwin’s, we headed back to Kalamazoo, which ended our wonderful Memorial Day at the beach.

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