Oregon Bound: pt.11

Our days in Yellowstone were finally done, though the wonderful views contained by this country's national parks was not quite finished yet, for connected to Yellowstone is another of Wyoming's treasures: Grand Teton National Park. To be perfectly honest, there is a lot less to see here than in Yellowstone, and unless you plan on parking the car and going on a long hike, you won't really get too up close and personal with the mountains. However, I've been told that these are the very mountains that "purple mountains majesty" was named after! A vast plain separates the road and the mountain range, but it seemed that in the spring, when all the snow melts and water flows abundantly down the slopes, this vast plain actually became a lake. Just like Yellowstone, Grand Teton National Park offers a slew of pull offs to be able to see the mountains, and though you know you're always looking at the same collection of them, you end up taking a kajillion pictures because each view seems more picturesque than the last! The pictures pretty much speak for themselves here, so peruse away!

the parking lot of the visitor center

one of my favorite pictures i took -- would be worth printing out!

Funny story about the next picture, I actually wasn't in a car to take it. As we were driving along the road, I thought that this would be such a cool shot, given that the road looked like it was about to crash straight into the mountains. There wasn't much traffic along the road, but I decided that I was going to pull off and try to take a shot from the absolute middle of the road. Sure enough I found my break in the traffic, but there wasn't much time! I must have looked crazy running into the middle of the road to take a photo, but I love the result!

Upon leaving Grand Teton National Park we came upon Jackson, Wyoming, home of the famed ski slope Jackson Hole. I suppose it's named as such because the town seems to literally sit in a hole in the mountains. Despite its small size, I even knew of Jackson Hole because of the slopes open for skiing and they even have their own airport! I would imagine that there are a great many people that go directly from the airport to the slopes and the ski resorts and never actually visit the town itself. However, our stomachs were grumbling and we made a stop at the Shades Cafe in Jackson. Shades Cafe was actually a Foursquare find, as I had been using it to find out cool local places to eat with good ratings. The place was really nice, with a little veranda out on the side you could sit on, with notes of jazz seeping into your ears.

Leaving Jackson Hole was not quite as easy as rolling in. The US highway that takes you out climbs through a mountain pass, and it is a 10% grade. For those of you who don't know, 6% grade is usually enough to get a sign posted warning truckers of steep grades and the need to use low gears. The hill was so steep (and perhaps my engine so weak) that I literally had to drive 10 or 15 below the limit in third gear in order to make it up with a full car load. Once we got to the top, we pulled off to have a look. Sure enough, there was Jackson, nestled into the valley, the one flat spot amongst the mountains. It was quite a sight, and as per the usual, pictures simply do not do it justice.

you can barely make out the buildings, but they are down there if you look close!

 The next stop was Idaho and as we finally got back onto an interstate highway, we racked up the miles quickly and made good time. We even escaped a massive storm on the way! Boise was not a place where we really had planned to do much of anything, but rather just a stop along the way that was convenient and easy to find a hotel at. As the land flattened out again as we made our way out of the mountains, all I could think about was whether or not I was finally going to see some real Idaho potatoes... my dad and I made a game out of trying to guess which farm fields were potatoes.

massive storm clouds

Mountain Escape .

One of the reasons I applied to so many schools out west is to get into the mountains. When I took a trip to the Canadian Rockies years ago, I loved the scenery out there. Talk about having the most perfect backdrop to do anything. You don't even need to be doing anything to enjoy it, all you have to do is look. I'm sick of the humidity, the heat and all that other nonsense that make the southeast virtually intolerable. I almost wish I could just go and live on a cliffside for awhile, to clear my head and be able to meditate and enjoy all of creation that is out there. Sometimes I think that we all forget all of the beautiful things that are here. People spend thousands on elaborate and ambitious trips to Europe and other corners of the world to see history and beauty, when it's all here in the States. Want cities? We got it. Deserts? Got it. Luxurious homes fancy hotels? Got that too. Lush greenery, got it, snowcapped mountains, got it, golden beaches: Got. It. All. Why go anywhere else?

My mom is trying to plan a family vacation when my brother and I get home from school this summer; we'd be flying out to Arizona and then taking an RV up through parts of Utah and Colorado. I don't think it could possibly get any better. Time spent with my brother and family, beautiful scenery, an escape from everyday life in an area I would love to one day live in. Count me in.

oslo, norge

I use the MapLoco widget to keep track of the places where views come in. Lately, they've been all over the world! Today I happened to go check where people were viewing from and the one at the top was from Oslo, Norway (or Norge in Norwegian). It brought all the memories of being there back, and I couldn't help but stop and just reminisce. I unfortunately only had a little tiny bit of time there, but I would love to go back, so badly. Being there in winter, I loved the cold. It was just all around, always seeing your breath in the air, the frigidness just wrapping around you as soon as you walk out the door. It was relentless; awesome. I've seen some videos of base jumping in Norway, and given that Oslo is pretty far south as far as the country is concerned, I'd love to go and visit the north -- where the mountains come into play, where the northern lights shine, and just more of everything. For those of you who live there, consider yourselves lucky to have such a beautiful country (albeit having Monopoly money... haha). Figured I'd just take a moment to visualize for you guys the time I had there. Enjoy. (Read more for pictures and captions)

the wicklow way .

One of the places I went while I was in Ireland was Glendalough, home of Wicklow Mountains National Park. It is probably the most beautiful place I have ever been in my life. Prior to going, I had read about a trail that exists in Ireland called the Wicklow Way. It is a hiking trail that takes you through the secluded countryside, and can be done pretty leisurely over about a week. There are a multitude of bed and breakfasts along the way that you could stay at. Ever since I was there I've wanted to go back and walk the Wicklow Way. I guess a more challenging yet reasonable idea would be to hike (part of) the Appalachian Trail, but I think this one would be something exotic and beautiful at the same time.

down the road .

It's always great to think about the future. Life down the road, you know? It's great to review where you've been, and where you're going. It's even great to take a step back and look at the big picture of the present. I had the pleasure of having a good talk with one of my roommates about all of this... and being that he is a few years ahead of me and thus a bit farther down the road of life, it's always interesting to hear about a different perspective on various things, mainly related to occupation, career, and other things of that nature.

random search .

I opened Blogspot tonight not having a clue of what to write about. Nothing hit me today, and so I took to Youtube to randomly click through some videos and see if anything inspired me. It's quite rare that I don't have something to write about, what with the quotes I receive daily, daily devotionals, and other little tidbits that get emailed to me or thrown my way. I found this video, a trailer by Red Bull for a video called the Art of Flight, featuring Travis Rice.