The Traveling Widower

Category: travel

Default category for all travel related posts.

  • Bored in January – How about a trip to Yosemite

    After returning from Ecuador, I was back alone at home, with over two months to kill before my next big trip (Baja with National Geographic). The holidays were difficult for me, since this was the first since my wife had passed, and the memories from out last Thanksgiving and Christmas were hitting hard. I did make a few trips back to the South Bay to be with friends, which helped to some degree. Once New Years was passed, I was depressed and bored, needing something to do. I’m not a skier anymore, and did not feel like driving back to the coast, so I thought hard about where I could go to get away, and do some winter photography. I was planning to try my luck at Mono Lake, but looking at the drive and distance, realized that I could just as easily make it to Yosemite. January was turning into a dry month, and the roads (and valley) to the park were clear of snow. And a miracle occurred – I was able to get a room at the Lodge at Yosemite Falls. That can be difficult any time of the year. So, I loaded up the Forester with winter gear, including chains just in case, and headed off to Yosemite.

    I’ve been to this park a couple of times in the spring and summer. My wife and I went in early summer at the peak of the waterfall “season”, and hiked up to the top of Nevada falls – a long but beautiful hike. I had a work trip to the park once, but did not do a heck of a lot other than watch all the younger Googlers get drunk at the hotel. And then there was my assault on the Half Dome cable route….a true adventure. My memories from the past all included large crowds, pretty much everywhere you go.

    Winter on the other hand, can be relatively deserted. I managed to hit it at one of those times. It was very cold, but completely snow free in the valley and most of the trails. 

    The Lodge at Yosemite Falls is aptly named – it is located a short walk from the base of the lower falls. And when you walk out of your building in the morning, the first thing you see if you look up is an amazing view of the upper falls.

    View from the Lodge

    Early in the morning, there is a frost arrowhead around the falls – never seen that before. I spent a few early mornings at the base – it’s not really photogenic there, but it’s an amazing place to just sit and enjoy the beauty and solitude. Only in the winter. In the summer, this spot is a zoo. The early morning I wandered over, I had the place to myself for an hour. The fact that it was only 5F may be why it was deserted. But, it was almost a religious experience to be in such an incredible place, without the usual hordes of tourists cramming around the viewing area to take selfies. A great place for some morning meditation.

    Yosemite Lower Falls (not much water in the winter)

    The nice thing about staying at this location (aside from a really nice bar and restaurant…and a Starbucks), was the proximity to a number of great spots for photography….within walking distance. I discovered the first day, a great spot for capturing reflections of the Upper Falls in quiet spot along the Merced River, by the Swinging Bridge. It was about a 10 minute (brisk) walk from the hotel. This was another spot where bus loads of tourists stop for selfies – I had it for myself most of the time.

    Reflection in Vernal River

    So I spent a wonderful couple of days, wandering around the park, taking lots of photographs in the morning and evenings, and hiking a couple of trails as well. 

    Upper and Lower Falls
    Halfdome (I’ve been on top of that)
    Halfdome Sunset (very cold it was)

    It’s hard to stop taking pictures there. Another great feature of digital cameras. 

    I did have one of those moments where I had to remember that I am not 25 years old anymore. I was interested in doing the trail to the top of the upper falls since it was free of ice and snow. The trail head was just a half mile from the lodge, so I decided to give it a try. I think it’s just 5 or 6 miles to the top, but most of it is switch-back rock steps. Not a good thing for a bad knee. I trucked along quite a ways, and started thinking about how much this will hurt going back down. When a very young couple came running down the steps, without skipping a beat, I figured this would be a good place to turn around. Good move on my part.

    I wish I had booked another day or two, but I was tired enough to head home. I felt recharged again and I was close enough to my next trip to start thinking about working on a packing list. Mission accomplished.

  • In search of Darwin – National Geographic “Expedition” to the Galapagos Islands

    My wife and I had a long list of places to visit in our “golden years” – mine was a bit more on the adventurous side, while her interests were more around culture, food and tennis. But we had a lot of overlap, and the Galápagos Islands were one of those. So, as I started to peruse the many tour catalogs I had received, it was an easy pick for me. We had looked at National Geographic before – Jan was not into cutting costs/comforts, and the NG/Lindblad trips had it all. So, I signed up for a fall trip, leaving plenty of time to start gearing up!

    National Geographic/Lindblad tours are quite a bit different from traditional cruises – their ships are all relatively small, so there are fewer guests, only one dining area, no shows or casinos, no pools or playgrounds for children – just the basics, but these are all extremely well done. The focus is all on exploring the destination, and providing the tools and guidance you need to get the most out of the experience. The ships are packed with zodiac boats for getting you out to shore for hiking, snorkeling gear, kayaks, paddle boards – pretty much everything you need for the adventure. The staff includes National Geographic photographers, naturalists, and locals who know the culture and history of where you are going. They cover all the bases.

    So, off I went to Ecuador (they own the islands) for my first solo trip. I was OK with the travel, since I was used to that from years of consulting, but absolutely petrified about being on a small ship, with 84 perfect strangers. I knew I was going to have to walk up to a table in the dining area and ask “May I join you?” What if they said no? My fears were totally unfounded. Pretty much anyone on a NG trip is there for the same reasons, be it photography, snorkeling, hiking, and for the most part, enjoy making new acquaintences. By the time we boarded the ship on Isla San Cristobal, I had already met 5 or 6 couples, and a few others who were interested in photography. After a day or two on board, I was usually invited to join groups for lunch or dinner rather than having to wander around to find somewhere to sit. 

    The problem with touring the Galapagos Islands is that there are at the very least 11 islands worth visiting, spread out over an extremely large chunk of ocean. You have to cross the equator to visit a few of them. And you can spend more than a day on each of these islands – they really are amazing. This particular trip covered the eastern islands, which included two of the inhabited islands. The largest island, with the active volcanos, is included in a different tour. I’ll catch that the next time I go there.

    I could probably write a few pages about this trip, but that was not my intent for starting this blog, so I’ll just cover a few highlites of the trip:

    If you are familiar with Charles Darwin, and his Origin of Species, you know about the finches, and the variations of the same species found on different islands. Not much has changed other than the extinction of many of the animals due to human presence. Ecuador manages the islands as a national park, so there are very strict rules on tourism, and who gains entries to  the remote islands. This is not a place to party on the beach. Because of these rules and the lack of more recent human activities (whaling, hunting, etc) the animals have no fear of us, and basically ignore you as your group meanders along trails. It is bizarre. On one hike, we were able to gather around a female sea lion feeding her newly born pup…from a foot or two away. Birds nest on the trails, and completely ignore you as you step over or around the nest. Large iguanas just about sit still as you walk right up to them to snap a photo. At one lagoon, an immature flamingo wandered through our group, on the way to the beach.  I was sitting on a rock at one stop, photographing a pelican, when a big sea lion waddled up to me, stopped a few feet away and checked me out, then waddled away. I’ve never quite seen anything like that before. It is a birder’s paradise – there are so many species of birds, and it is so easy to spot and photograph them. Here are a few shots of some of the beasties we saw:

    Yup…they even have flamingos there
    Mother Sea Lion and newborn pup next to trail
    Waddling over to say Hi
    Nap time…
    Sea iguanas, watching us walk by
    Blue Footed Boobie
    Brown Pelican
    Red Footed Boobie babies
    Blue Footed Boobie baby

    The tour also included a stop at the Darwin Center on Isla Santa Cruz – this is one of the locations where they breed the giant tortoises. We also visited a “ranch” where the tortoises are wild, doing there thing. Which is basically lumbering slowly around, eating grass, and then fertilizing on the other end. Rubber boots are a must.

    Racing along in the wild…
    Doing what they do best….eating. No photos of the other end

    We had a few snorkel opportunities on the trip – the water is quite cold there, even with the proximity to the equator, thanks to the Humbolt current passing through from Antarctica. At a couple of locations, we were lucky enough to have visitations by playful juvenile sea lions. They just enjoy showing off. We also saw penguins in the water (and on the shore). 

    Just hanging around…

    And finally, here is the ship, sitting in the middle of an enormous volcanic caldera (flooded obviously)

    Home for a week – Endeavor
    One of many great sunsets

    The trip was fantastic, and I survived being on my own for 10 days. I did learn something else about travel from my wife. First or business class is the only way to fly. Worth every penny. It takes the pain out of flying.

    One sad note from this trip. A few days into the trip, I received a message from my sister-in-law (they had Wifi on the ship) that my brother was in the hospital. I had just spoken with him a day or two before, while I was waiting for my next flight in Miami. Two days later, he passed from stage 4 liver cancer. Ouch. The crew let me use the ships satellite phone to make some calls, and were so helpful the next few days. I decided to keep on with the activities, since my brother was so excited about me being on this trip – he and his wife were master birders, and had been to the Galapagos Islands before. Later that day, I was sitting alone below the bridge, just meditating, when I noticed what looked like the Bat Signal in shadow, moving around on the deck. I looked up to see a squadron of frigate birds, riding the air wave from the bow of the ship (we were moving to the next location)

    I took that as a sign to keep enjoying the trip.