Tag: outdoors

325 days, 13 countries, 65,000+ miles

On By amyirish1In africa, Australia, Botswana, Euro Travel, New Zealand, road trip, Southern Africa, US TravelLeave a comment

My first retirement is over.

325 days ago I left a great job to spend time exploring the world. What I thought would be between 3 and 6 months turned into almost a full year – and an experience of a lifetime. Now, I have found a new career with Energy Circle – creating digital marketing plans for companies & organizations that work to build and outfit efficient and healthy buildings. It’s a bittersweet ending to an incredible year – as I would love to keep traveling (and will continue to some extent), but like all things, traveling costs money so I need to pay the bills…until my next retirement 🙂

So now, a full wrap-up, reflections and thoughts about this past year:

  • 325 days (June 17, 2016 – May 7, 2017)
  • 4 continents (North America, Europe, Oceania (Australia), Africa)
  • 13 countries (US, Canada, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Italy, France, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, UK)
  • 28 states (Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, West Virginia, Kentucky, Virginia and Maryland.)
  • 14,000+ miles of road trips (doesn’t include every day driving while home)
  • 65,000+ miles of total travel (estimate including air travel)
  • 9,500+ photos (some better than others)
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My Instagram feed of photos since I began traveling back in June 2016

Favorites:

  • Country: New Zealand. When someone asks what my favorite place has been there is no question, and no hesitation when I answer, New Zealand. From the people to the geological features, New Zealand was absolutely incredible. Africa would also go on my favorites list, but it still doesn’t come close to how much I loved New Zealand.
  • State: Utah – I would have loved to spend more time in Utah – specifically the Moab area!
  • Activity: Bungee Jumping. Such a rush (and surprise! I did it in New Zealand) as well as hiking all over!
  • Airport: Heathrow, London. This may be just because there were clean showers that were welcome between 10+ hour flights!
  • Border Crossing/Immigration: Dobe border crossing from Botswana into Namibia. We had to track down officials for both countries to get our passports stamped! The border was so remote that they only get one car every 2-3 days!

Least Favorites:

  • Country:  None. There was something amazing about every country I visited – and I would revisit every single one!
  • State: Again, I don’t know if I have a least favorite state!
  • Activity: Going to drug stores in Australia. Unfortunately I was sick through my entire travels in Australia so frequented the drug store to get medicine! They don’t sell over-the-counter cold medicine so I had to speak to a pharmacist every single time. Plus, they only provide around 4 days worth at a time, so I was going every 4 days!
  • Airport: LA. I didn’t have to go far within the airport, but it was crowded and my terminal didn’t have many options for grabbing a bite to eat!
  • Border Crossing/Immigration: Boston/Logan airport. I don’t think I spent less than an hour in this line in any of my travels this past year – and at one point the line was so long people couldn’t even get off the plane!

I learned so much during this time,  and if I were to share anything with you it would be that if you need a break, take it. Time away from the office, a desk, or your home can be extremely refreshing and give you greater perspective and a better idea of who you are. I hope that in another 5-6 years, I may be able to retire again for another year. My advice to everyone is to take risks, get outside your comfort zone and never stop traveling. Whether it’s across the globe or across your town – there is something new and exciting around every corner!

One word for Kruger National Park…GO.

On By amyirish1In africa, Kruger National Park, National Park, road trip, South Africa, Southern AfricaLeave a comment

Scroll to the bottom for all the good animal shots!

We left the Kalahari and began making our way towards Johannesburg. We stopped for the evening in a small town called Vanzylsrus. We pulled up to the Vanzylsrus Hotel, and after reading that reception was closed (outside of cities, hotels tended to close early on Sundays), we looked in and around the corner, and to our luck, we found the proprietor who set us up with a room that included dinner and breakfast. The hotel was really unique and quirky – almost hippie-ish and super artsy. The name, and theme of our room, was “Cunning Critters.” The owners were there and shared a wealth of information – especially on places to avoid stopping on our way through to Johannesburg as they preyed on tourists.

The tub had carvings around it!
The vanity was full of ‘critters’

From there, we headed to Johannesburg and met Luan from SA 4×4 to get a new air filter put in and a spare in case it happened again. We then started heading towards Kruger! Unfortunately, we got off to a slow start as there was a bad accident that made the 6 lane highway essentially shut down. We made it to Sabie River Camp late that night, a little more than an hour from Kruger. We woke up the next morning and made our way to Kruger via the Panoramic Route and Blyde River Canyon. The views were absolutely stunning.

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Blyde River Canyon

We finally made it to Kruger – and it didn’t disappoint. We initially planned for two nights, but decided after we got in to stay 4 nights in various areas of the park. We finally saw the elephants we so desperately wanted to see – they would just come out of the bush where you were least expecting them too! We also saw many giraffe, zebras and impala. It was a magical place – we could sit for hours just watching the animals.

Keep scrolling down for the bulk of the animal photos!

We had another issue with the Defender… the rear door wouldn’t open. We tried everything, but because all the tools were in the drawer accessible only from the rear, we weren’t able to open it at all…which also meant the food we had bought we couldn’t get to either! We called Luan back and he said there was a shop in the park somewhere. We head there on day 2 and spend the entire morning and a good part of the afternoon there as they literally unhinged the door from the truck – and even then the latch was still jammed. Unfortunately they couldn’t fix it, but we were able to get the necessities out of the drawer. Because they “didn’t win,” they didn’t charge us for working on it. We did, however, tip them and make them sandwiches for lunch!

The animals at Kruger were really something special…vehicles didn’t really phase them a whole lot. It was a great way to end our journey through Africa!

We finished up at Kruger and stopped on our way back to Johannesburg at a Lodge we found in the GPS. As we were driving up.. we decided on a max we were willing to spend – as it looked like it was going to be pricey. Turns out, it was less than half of what we were expecting it to be! Staying at the Kloppenheim Estate, including dinner, drinks, breakfast and a little laundry, cost the two of us a total of $140. Based on the buildings, activities offered and gated entry way, we were expected it to be closer to $400. It was a beautiful place to relax and clean up before we started our 30+ hour trip back to the US.

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Last day in Africa with the Defender. Chris Bennett Photo

So that’s all for Africa… and unfortunately wraps up my 11 or so months of travel around the world.

Luxury, lions and trouble with the Defender!

On By amyirish1In africa, Namibia, road trip4 Comments

Please note.. there is an image of a lion’s meal towards the end of the post, so don’t scroll past the first couple lion pictures unless you want to see it!

We didn’t have far to go for our next stay. We decided it was time to treat ourselves to a luxury African lodge, which happened to be fairly close to Sossusvlei. We drove about an hour to Hoodia Lodge, and to our luck, they were able to accommodate us in one of their bungalows!  It was stunning. We were able to clean up, enjoy the pool and catch up with a little wifi (albeit slow). Photos by Chris Bennett.

It was a typical African Lodge where they come out and meet you with a cold beverage and then treat you like royalty, constantly checking to see if anything is needed or if they could do anything. We had some laundry done, as our clothing was starting to get a little stinky, and simply relaxed. We had been driving significant distances for the past week, so it was nice to unwind and relax.

Our next stopping point was towards Mata Mata – a border crossing into the Kalahari in South Africa. We decided to check out the Kalahari Game Lodge just before the border to South Africa, which offered both lodge facilities and camping, as well as a large lion reserve.  I had emailed the day before to check availability, as we were unsure if we would make it the whole way or not.

Maybe I jinxed us, but as we were driving, we had to cross a couple very large puddles (there was no avoiding them). A few minutes after going through, the engine slumped and we lost most of the power to the engine. We got out the satellite phone and called the rental company. They said try to get to the nearest town and find a garage, then call back. We were about 15 km from the smallest town, and we found a couple garages in the GPS. Going about 35 mph the whole way, we made it around 10:30, and since it was Saturday, one garage was closed and the other had to call in the guy who worked on diesel engines. He came, took it for a drive and said it was the fuel filter. He said he couldn’t help and for us to drive to the next town, a small city where they would have more options. We started making our way there and called the rental company back. They told us to find the Toyota fuel/service station and to ask the attendant where Christie lived. Apparently he lived nearby and they would know.

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After going through the water

We get to the fuel station and ask, and they direct us around the corner to Christie’s. He came right out and started taking apart the engine. He pulled out the air filter. The engine had essentially started eating the filter after it got wet. He cleaned it up with the air compressor, flipped it around, took the defender for a spin and we were off! Even better, we weren’t charged a thing. We got that sense throughout our travels – people in Africa are inherently kind – and not looking to make money at every instance!  It may sound like it was a seamless day, but it’s a little stressful when your car breaks down in the middle of nowhere and your satellite phone only works some of the time!

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The engine ate the air filter

We did eventually make it the Kalahari Game Lodge, and when we arrived we opted for camping – as the sites were set up with individual eco-friendly bathrooms and washing stations. It was an impressive set up!

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Our camping set-up. The stars were insane! Chris Bennett Photo.

We signed up for a ride through the Lion reserve the next morning. All the ‘dangerous’ animals were kept in a large (read thousands of acres) area that was blocked off from the camping/lodging area for safety.

The next morning, we woke up early, layered on clothes (it was probably around 50 degrees, but after 100 degrees it felt like 20!) and headed out in the truck to find some lions. The excursion didn’t disappoint – we saw 1 female and 4 male lions. 3 of them were relaxing after a nice meal of orix, which we saw nearby. Also nearby was an enormous giraffe – the photo doesn’t do the size justice. If you don’t want to see the orix leftovers, only scroll through the next 4 photos, the 5th is a little graphic!

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The photographer
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The photo doesn’t do the size of this guy justice
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We got pretty close!
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Watching the lioness.
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They had just feasted.

After the tour, we decided to head towards Johannesburg, where we were going to meet the rental guy for a new air filter. From there, and in my next (and I think final Africa post) – on to Kruger National Park!

For a split second I thought I was going over the falls

On By amyirish1In US TravelLeave a comment

We’ll get to that in a minute… (Scroll to the waterfall pics to read about it if you don’t want to read about the rest of my explorations).

The day after Thanksgiving I headed south in my car to Long Island to spend the weekend with my college roommate. We explored around her town as well as go back to campus. I did my undergrad at Long Island University, C.W. Post Campus. They have since re-branded and changed the name to LIU Post. It was a little scary how much I didn’t remember about campus – like where my classes were and which roads led where. It was also neat to see that people were actually attending a football game! When I was there, there was very little school spirit. And in full Long Island fashion, someone decided to bring a Hummer limo to tailgate.

Post is notorious for its mansions on campus
The view from the main classroom building

My roommate, Jessie, happens to be a huge Jets fan – and her and her husband invited me to the game on Sunday. I was a little hesitant, as I’m not a HUGE football fan and I wanted to get to the mountains at a reasonable hour that night, but when I looked and found out they were playing the Pats, I had to haha. It was a blast. We had great seats (row 4 end zone). I left a little before the end of the nail-biter game just so I could get on the road before traffic got to crazy!

Surrounded by 90% Jets fans
Our seats! Row 4 end zone!

From the game I drove a couple hours north to an AirBnB I booked in the Catskills. The following day I got up early to head to Mount Tremper and Overlook Mountain. It was a short, easy hike (my Airbnb host told me to give it 4-5 hours… I did it in less than 2), but it was beautiful at the top. I had 360 degree views of the surrounding mountains. Part way up there are the ruins of the old Overlook Hotel which was fun to explore as well!

Overlook Hotel Ruins
Views from the summit

After that hike I drove a little ways to another hike at Kaaterskill Falls. I walked the short distance to the viewing platform – where they happened to be filming a section for the news. They were saying they get around 70,000 visitors to the falls each year (mostly in the summer). It’s a two-tier falls that cascades over 250 feet total.

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News crew filming!

From there I did another short but more intense hike to the lower section of the falls. This is where it got interesting. The ground wasn’t frozen and there wasn’t any snow, so I didn’t have my spikes on my boots (but they were in my pack). As I got to the bottom of the top tier of the falls, the path was clay and I followed that to get a view at the base of the falls. What I didn’t see, was black ice as I rounded the corner. I immediately fell and was sliding on my hands and boots (with really good tread) down about 4 feet until I was about a foot from the top of the second tier of the falls. I starfished and my feet found a couple small rocks to grip (literally 4 inches wide by about an inch high). I thought for sure I was going to go in. I have never really been scared that I was going to get hurt or have a major mishap when traveling – this was a first for me!

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From the base of the top tier – where I almost went in. Worth it!

From there I hiked down even further to get a view of the entire falls. A guy was down there and had seen my slip and told me that he thought for sure I was going in!

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The full Kaaterskill Falls – it was gorgeous! The ledge the slants down to the left in the middle is what I slid down.

After grabbing lunch, I headed to a mountain drive that I heard was good for sunsets. It was a seasonal road, so I said what the hell, I have a Jeep, I can give it a shot. There was some snow on the road, but you could see where another car or two had passed previously so I headed up the road. I get near the top and I happen upon a young couple with their Subaru Impreza stuck in the ditch. The had slid off about 50 feet up and had worked their car down the ditch trying to get it out. I offered my assistance – pushed, drove the girl to the store to get some kitty litter (helps on ice!) but it was just too stuck. We were able to find a place with cell service (service in the Catskills is slim to none) and she called AAA. I figured I probably shouldn’t push my luck after nearly falling into the water earlier, so I headed back for a relaxing night at my AirBnB.

Unfortunately, the next few days were all rain so I took my time working my way through Vermont and back home. Now, I’m up at Sugarloaf crossing my fingers that we get a lot of snow in the storm tonight!

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Sunset we caught on Long Island

4 Hikes and the Holidays

On By amyirish1In US TravelLeave a comment

I’ve been home for about 2 weeks now, and though I’ve been silent on the blog front, there has been a lot going on! Those who follow my Instagram account (amyirish1) may have seen some posts from recent hikes. In addition to those, I’ve been thinking about and trying to figure out my next steps.

I’m going to stay in the New England area through the holidays…and go to warmer climates and get my scuba certification in January. So until then… I need to find things to do! I’ve booked Airbnbs for a road trip the week starting the day after Thanksgiving. I’ll drive to New York to visit my old college roommates, and then head north for a couple days to do some hiking in the Catskills. I’ll spend a final day in the Burlington, VT area for another hike before heading home.

I’ve found myself easily bored since I’ve been home, so I’ve done some pretty awesome hikes more locally. More locally I mean within a two hour drive. I took Blythe’s dog Pua (Blythe is my brother’s girlfriend) up Pleasant Mountain in Bridgton last weekend. It was a nice short hike that Pua could handle. It took less than two hours and with the leaves covering rocks, it was a little tricky coming down with Pua pulling!

Summit of Pleasant Mountain with Pua
Selfie!

On Thursday I drove a couple hours to Mt. Major in New Hampshire. I’d say it was a comparable hike to Pleasant Mountain and had some great views of Lake Winnipesaukee.

Sun peaking through the trees on Mt. Major
Summit of Mt. Major – overlooking Lake Winnipesaukee
Summit!
Little waterfall on the brook

Friday I went to the border of Maine and New Hampshire to Blueberry Mountain. I think I was the only person on the mountain – I didn’t see anyone else. It was about 4 miles up and back with views of the surrounding mountains. The trails were not very well marked, so at times I had to stop and try to figure out which direction was which.

I downloaded the maps.me app on my iPhone before I started traveling and it has been a lifesaver (you can download maps of regions/states for offline directions). It has quite a few trail maps in addition to the standard road maps and I’ve found it has some additional trails/roads that Google Maps doesn’t have. This came in very handy when there was no visible path/markers indicating the trail!

Gorge at the end of the hike
Top of Blueberry Mountain
This is where Maps.me came in handy. There is a trail in this picture…

Saturday I woke up early and drove almost two hours to hike Tumbledown in western Maine. It was a gorgeous day (all these days have been mid-50 degree weather). I was the second car in the lot (and it turns out the other car were people camping up there the night before). I, once again, had the mountain to myself – at least on the way up! Tumbledown was incredible. I took the Brook trail up and did the connector to the saddle of the western peak. It was more challenging than the other hikes, which was what I was looking for with some rock scrambling. It was about 4.5 miles roundtrip with waterfall after waterfall up to Tumbledown Pond. I then kept going to the east peak for views down at the pond and of the surrounding mountains. Maine is truly breathtaking. This has been my favorite hike so far.

Summit of the east peak of Tumbledown
So many waterfalls
Selfie over Tumbledown Pond

I was expecting the hike to take about 4.5 hours (the sign said the 3 mile hike would take 4 hours), but I was back to my car in just 3 (I’ve been looking for some 4-4.5 hour hikes). I was so happy I got an early start too, because by the time I got to the top, a number of other people were at the pond and by the time I got back to my car the lot was full!

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Tumbledown Pond

After the dusting of snow last night (well maybe a couple inches) we’ll be prepping to host Thanksgiving at my brothers house this year. Enjoy the holiday!!