Norway, Day 5, Å

This morning, we all woke up tired at 5:45am. That could be due to the fact that at least I went to bed after midnight. They boys fell asleep a bit earlier. We got ready and quickly headed out the door to head to Hamnoy to photograph the sunrise. There are doing some construction on the bridge so the "typical" view was blocked. It's still a gorgeous view no matter where you stand from, so we set up and waited. Our photographer friends running the workshop here also showed up, which was fun. The bridge was full of us and tripods! Unfortunately it was very cloudy and quite socked in and though the sun did rise behind us in a little sliver of open clouds, we did not get and pinks or purples or much light at all. We have a stormy sunrise shot now!

We came back to the cabin after sunrise and I had some breakfast and tried to figure out my SIM card which is not working, but may start to work soon, who knows. Andy and I both took naps, which is very unusual for me, but just shows how tired I was! Midday we left to explore further south towards A, which is the southern most town on the archipelago. We explored several spots along the coast line looking as far south as we could be. The road ends but there are still mountains we hiked out as far as we could. The locals here like to be outside and we see many running, skiing, walking their dogs, and using sleds to get around as they get older and for kids (it's so cool!). We then went to a lake right near the end of the road and walked out a while to find some nice shots. This lake is large but completely frozen. We had hoped that it wouldn't be totally frozen as that is nicer for photos, but there were some nice designs on the ice that I shot. We also walked around the rest of the lake and found some nice compositions for sunset. Near where we parked was a fish drying rack too so we took some close ups of the disgusting fish smell fish!
The islands are fishing islands, so there are drying racks for fish everywhere. It smells like fish pretty much everywhere, and either we are used to it or it's actually not that bad. On a side note, as we walked to dinner tonight, we all noted that is smelled like the raw drying fish and cooked fish at the same time. Maybe we smell too?!
We drove around for a bit more exploring until it was time to head back to the lake for sunset. We set up right by the edge of the lake and every few minutes we would hear ice cracking. It's very unsettling to hear, but the sunset was pretty.
Dinner was at the restaurant where we are staying which was probably the best meal we've had so far. I had the Arctic char and some chocolate mousse! So delicious. The boys had fish soup, which was also very good, and whale filet, which I thought was gross and tasted like veal. Hello world wildlife foundation, whale adoption funds, etc. Apparently, 500 minke whales are caught each year and stored for the winter. Although I had some whale yesterday, a taste was all I needed. I love whales too much!

The kp for tonight is supposed to be quite high. The clouds are also supposed to be here. However, as we walked back to our cabin from dinner, both Aaron and I thought we should at least take a photo to see if what we were seeing in the sky were clouds or Aurora. It ended up being both. A faint Aurora sliver in the distance and clouds. So we grabbed our gear, almost too full to even move, and drove to the bridge in Reine to take some test shots and see for sure. It was super faint. We are now back in the cabin waiting a bit and then we will probably drive north a bit to see if it's clearer up there for some aurora!

Stay tuned!

Jackson

First up this year was a trip back to Jackson, Wyoming! A work, ski, play trip. I still have many clients out there and so when I travel back, I see clients and find some time to explore and ski! Always a fun time. This year, I was able to venture into GTNP for a hike with a client. There is so much snow out there right now, it's looking to be an epic snowfall year if it keeps on snowing! Enjoy this view from a little exploring.

And a few more fun ones from the trip!

Summer

For the first summer in many years, I didn't travel as much. It was actually a nice change, though I still feel the travel itch quite often! That doesn't mean I didn't go on weekend trips! Maine, Berkshires, Upstate NY, and most recently California for two weeks. That was my big summer trip. Visited a large ranch in northern California which was beautiful and a whole other world. Living in Wyoming for ten years, I was prepared for the ranch life, not necessarily the political views, but the lifestyle, yes. It was beautiful too and wonderful to explore.

Seattle

A quick trip to Seattle for a friend's wedding! The wedding was quite nice and not very organized and not much planned, so I was able to explore Seattle a fair amount for a couple of days! I hadn't been to Seattle since I was a teenager so it had been a while and it was great to see it again. It's always been a favorite city of mine. Luckily at somewhat of the last minute, my boyfriend was able to join me, so I had a travel partner to spend the weekend with. We were very fortunate that one of my best friends from graduate school and her husband live in a beautiful home in Seattle and offered for us to stay with them. They also were our tour guides all weekend and created a wonderful trip for us!

We arrived Thursday evening at 2:30am... just enough time to drive to my friends past the Space Needle and see it totally empty, sleep for a few hours and then wake up bright and early and head to the Public Market. I knew I wanted to go there early on Friday so we could try and avoid some crowds... it was still busy! We had yummy yogurt and tiny doughnuts, then some ginger beer, coffee and stuffed ourselves. We took the tram over to the space needle and walked around near the glass museum, the EMP and a great water spot with music for kids and adults! What a fantastic idea!

That evening was the bachelor party, which I was invited to... and we went to the first part which was a cookout hosted by the groom's brother. Pretty good BBQ!
Saturday we had the entire day to explore and my friends thought it would be great to take us over to Bainbridge to walk around and get ice cream. Before we hopped on the ferry, they took us to this wonderful Vietnamese place for brunch and the Pho was delicious!! I am dreaming about having it again as I type this.

Right nearby was Starbucks roastery, where we went in and saw the creation of coffee. Pretty neat spot! From the bathrooms, you can see the whole process as you wash your hands!

Onto the ferry, which was about an hour and fifteen minute ride. Beautiful to see all of Seattle from the water too. When we arrived in Bainbridge, we had the best creamy ice cream i've had in a long time! And I love ice cream! :) We walked around for a few hours and then took the ferry back home. We were all in the mood for a beer, so they took us to a great brewery near the train tracks.

Then to Discovery Park for a nice 5 mile hike along the beach to a lighthouse and a large loop. It was good to get some exercise in. That evening we had a nice meal in a new neighborhood that we hadn't explored yet.

Sunday was the wedding, midday, but first we went to an unbelievable french patisserie that had the best chocolate pistachio croissant's i've ever had. Mouth Watering. I wish I could have them sent here!

Wedding was at the Seattle Yacht Club which had a nice view of the water and many moored boats, but was beautiful! So glad I was able to get to Seattle for this special occasion and be able to explore and take photos!

Can't wait to visit Seattle again!

Iceland!

In just 72 hours, I will embarking on my second trip to Iceland! I'm starting to get excited and I am crossing my fingers that the kp level for the aurora stays high while I am there. This trip I am again going with three other traveling partners, though only one of them is a photographer as well. Our itinerary is full and many of our locations are new, yet there are a few that are on my list to return to as they are too beautiful to skip. (such as the ice beach!) Plus a few adventures will be added in. We are not renting camper van's this time so I'm hoping to have a little bit more Wi-Fi than I did last time and will update the blog daily if possible.
Follow along on my journey and comment and ask questions if you have any!

Our first sighting of the Northern Lights last year, February 2015!

On a side note, for as much as Aaron and I have traveled together, we have never flown on the same plane to any of our destinations. This trip will be a first as he is meeting me at JFK from SFO! Yay for not flying international alone! :)

Prepping for 3 trips... and a 4th

Over the past couple of years I've perfected my packing abilities for trips and for learning how to take only the essentials. Usually the trips I take are spread out just enough that I have plenty of time to be at home, regroup, do laundry, relax and plan. The past couple of months, my trips have coincided and overlapped a bit, but they revolved around going to similar places so my gear was the same.

However, in just a couple of weeks, I will be embarking on three trips spanning a month, and heading to three very different locales around the globe. Hence, packing for three trips. I certainly do not have enough underwear for a month and Victoria's Secret or Hanky Panky has not lowered their prices enough for me to carry a month worth of them with me! Plus, that takes up space and underwear is very easy to clean in the shower! (One of my tips for traveling lighter)

The only clothing that will be the same for all three trips is my bathing suit. That's not super helpful! When I pack, I use these amazing different size bags to organize by Eagle Creek, so I can separate different types of clothing into each of them. When I arrive at a destination, I can just put the individual bags in drawers (if i'm at a location long enough to do so), and then open the zipper and can gain easy access to my clothes without having to dig around to find what i'm looking for. Gallon size zip lock bags also work to help organize.

Packing for the first trip... my initial pairings!

 I will have a 12 hour layover to do laundry and repack for the second two trips which will be Vegas and Utah... Flying into Vegas with three pairs of skis will be interesting!

The fourth trip I mentioned is actually my brother's and since he literally has no time, except maybe to shower, I am packing for him for a trip he's taking to another continent!
I will update with more as we get closer and of course, I will try my best to write daily updates when I travel.

January Travels

I spent most of January out west in Utah and Wyoming. Much work and some skiing. With about 10-12 feet of snow throughout the month, it was hard not to ski. I had the pleasure of photographing a four month old for a week; he was absolutely adorable! Time spent with family was also wonderful. I have a big trip coming up at the end of February so stay tuned!  In the meantime, I may venture up to Vermont or Maine for a weekend of snowy photos!

Vegas, Baby, Vegas... Again?!

This time Vegas on Christmas Day with my entire family and 15 other family friends?! What were we thinking??! A birthday party.... that ended up being quite fun and we all had a great time and fun adventures! Terrific meals, go carting, indoor skydiving, a little gambling, night clubs, a show... Yep, vegas.  Plus, a little exploring at the Valley of Fire State Park!

Mom not being able to say no!

Yes, I would like this bag....

Chocolate Fountain!!!

Canoe sculpture!