Went out to the Smoky Mountains. Tennessee’s (and North Carolina) natural woodlands is absolutely stunning. Sad to say though that much of the “smoke” that is seen today in the mountains aren’t pure clean clouds, but instead trapped gasses that we’ve released into our atmosphere. However, this day the air quality was pretty good. And my favorite part? The mountains are much cooler than the rest of the state. Even though it was a brisk 68 degrees, I still chose to run around in my tank top. I enjoyed the cool air caressing the bare skin of my back (do I make that sound sexy or what?). Due to the contrast of the rest of the trip, I decided to enjoy every ounce of coolness I could get.
We drove through Pigeon Forge. It reminds me of Orlando or a family friendly Vegas with all the activities you can do. We didn’t have time to stop however, because it was still a two hour drive to Nashville.
About 4 miles from our hotel in Nashville traffic came to a near standstill. The blinking red of the roadway emergency light was flashing, so we tuned in to the radio to see what had happen. All we could figure was that all lanes going our direction were closed due to an “incident.” We took our trusty GPS and tried to find al alternate route. We managed to find a pretty good one through a backcountry road. We hear a car lightly tap their horn at as us we turn a corner and we stop in our tracks. Ahead is a police car perpendicular to our own flashing its lights and a large chunk of tree blocking the roadway behind it. The best we can figure is that the lightening storm that we had seen up ahead earlier had passed through and taken the tree down with it. We let the GPS guide us turn after turn through a residential neighborhood. I noticed another down tree, but this one didn’t interfere with the road system. Now, I’m good with a map, but I don’t know if I could have created this route to our hotel. Next thing I know, we’re pulling up into the hotel parking lot thanks to our handy GPS system. (And no, I didn’t forget to praise it!).
Of course, no trip out to Nashville would be complete without visiting the Grand Ole Opry. The venue is beautiful. Nashville’s culture and character as a whole is charming. There’s so much history here and so many opportunities to enjoy it.
June 27, 2009
June 23, 2009
Missouri
After a three hour layover in Denver, I finally arrived in Kansas City. I left California at an early 5:30 am start and landed in Denver shortly after 10 am. My flight wasn’t scheduled to leave until 1 pm, so I decided to meander down to Terminal B and get myself a Jamba Juice. I decided that would be my “brunch,” and save some room for the good eatin’ in Kansas City. I arrived in Kansas City around 4 pm local time (1 pm in CA), so I was plenty ready for lunch. My favorite was the Burnt Ends Sandwich from Gates. If you ever find yourself in Kansas City, it’s definitely on my list of top places to eat in America. However, there was no time for dilly dallying. Our reservation was set for St. Louis which is a 4-5 hour drive from Kansas City. Having eaten late, I wasn’t too hungry in St. Louis, so I went straight for dessert. My favorite there? Ted Drewes Frozen Custard.
To burn off those heavy calories, we walked by the Mississippi River and wandered around the famous arch. We spotted a couple of fireflies as we walked (nothing like the ones you see on the Pirates of the Caribbean at Disneyland). They’re fun to watch though, and shine a lot brighter than I thought they would.
To burn off those heavy calories, we walked by the Mississippi River and wandered around the famous arch. We spotted a couple of fireflies as we walked (nothing like the ones you see on the Pirates of the Caribbean at Disneyland). They’re fun to watch though, and shine a lot brighter than I thought they would.
June 22, 2009
New Zealand - Final Entry
The Antarctic Center really is a nice way to kill a few hours if you’re waiting for your flight out of Christchurch. It wasn’t nearly as hokey as I expected it to be. They have a lot of interactive displays and remnants from past Antarctic journeys. The only flaw being the colony of Blue Penguins it houses. All of the penguins are not able to be released back into the wild, so it’s refreshing to see that they are being taken care of. However, being the Antarctic Center, I found it ironic that of all the species of penguin it has, it has one of the few non-Antarctic penguins. However, they are a New Zealand native bird, and I’m sure that sharing such close quarters to humans, there are many birds that need additional care.
As it turns out, my flight out of Christchurch was delayed. I originally had an hour and a half lay-over in Auckland, but that was made all the tighter with the delay. Not to mention the flight out of Auckland was the last flight of the day, and if I missed that flight I wouldn’t be back in the states until Monday, and oh wait, I work Monday! As we disembarked the plane we had to run out of the building and to the International Terminal. This should be a 20 minute walk, but considering I had 30 minutes to catch my flight, there was a lot of running involved. As we ran into the terminal we anxiously stood in the customs line looking nervously at our watches as precious minutes ticked away.
Fortunately, we did make it onto the plane as everyone started filtering onboard. My muscles were sore and I was out of breath, but we made it. Plus, due to a generous tail-wind, we managed to shave an hour off our flying time.
As it turns out, my flight out of Christchurch was delayed. I originally had an hour and a half lay-over in Auckland, but that was made all the tighter with the delay. Not to mention the flight out of Auckland was the last flight of the day, and if I missed that flight I wouldn’t be back in the states until Monday, and oh wait, I work Monday! As we disembarked the plane we had to run out of the building and to the International Terminal. This should be a 20 minute walk, but considering I had 30 minutes to catch my flight, there was a lot of running involved. As we ran into the terminal we anxiously stood in the customs line looking nervously at our watches as precious minutes ticked away.
Fortunately, we did make it onto the plane as everyone started filtering onboard. My muscles were sore and I was out of breath, but we made it. Plus, due to a generous tail-wind, we managed to shave an hour off our flying time.
June 19, 2009
New Zealand - Kaikoura
Kaikoura is probably one of my favorite places in New Zealand. It’s located amongst the mountains on the east coast of New Zealand, but it’s probably best known for its coastal eco-tourism activities. It’s an ideal location for many marine mammal sightings because the continental shelf plunges about 1000 meters down after about 100 meters out. It’s the only place in the world where Sperm Whales (a deeper diving whale) can be seen so close to the shoreline. The warm and cold currents also converge in this location which causes nutrients to rise up from the seafloor. This creates an ideal feeding ground for many marine species, and nearly 200 species of marine life can be found off the coast of Kaikoura.
One of the most commonly seen marine mammals in Kaikoura is the New Zealand Fur Seal. And just to confuse you further, like Panda “Bears” or Koala “Bears,” the New Zealand Fur Seal isn’t actually a seal, it’s a sea lion. How do you tell them apart? The easiest way would be to note their protruding ear flaps and the use of their flippers to move (you think sea lions aren’t graceful on land, just watch true seals). While hunted extensively in the 19th century, this species has since been protected and recovered quite well. We visited a number of seal colonies along Kaikoura’s coastline.
Just off the freeway is a small little trail for the Ohau Waterfall. While it’s not the most spectacular waterfall I’ve ever seen, it was certainly one of the most memorable walks I’ve ever done. It’s amazing how dense the forest becomes just a few meters from the coast, and what’s more amazing are some of the things that the forest holds. The trek to the waterfall is fairly flat and short, which makes it easy for even young children to experience. However, it’s kind of tucked in off the freeway, so it would be easy to pass. For those that do find it, it’s an absolute treat. You follow the river passing vegetation at every corner and can hear the roar of the falls in the near distance. Because there are so many twists and turns to the waterfall, it’s hard to get your bearings to exactly how close you are. Suddenly, the forest will open up and in front of you will be the falls. Even more impressive, the seal pups seem to have made this area their own private playground. It’s like walking straight into a fantasy, or some sort of “secret garden,” which only you have been granted the privilege to see (and maybe whoever else has trekked the trail with you).
One of the most commonly seen marine mammals in Kaikoura is the New Zealand Fur Seal. And just to confuse you further, like Panda “Bears” or Koala “Bears,” the New Zealand Fur Seal isn’t actually a seal, it’s a sea lion. How do you tell them apart? The easiest way would be to note their protruding ear flaps and the use of their flippers to move (you think sea lions aren’t graceful on land, just watch true seals). While hunted extensively in the 19th century, this species has since been protected and recovered quite well. We visited a number of seal colonies along Kaikoura’s coastline.
Just off the freeway is a small little trail for the Ohau Waterfall. While it’s not the most spectacular waterfall I’ve ever seen, it was certainly one of the most memorable walks I’ve ever done. It’s amazing how dense the forest becomes just a few meters from the coast, and what’s more amazing are some of the things that the forest holds. The trek to the waterfall is fairly flat and short, which makes it easy for even young children to experience. However, it’s kind of tucked in off the freeway, so it would be easy to pass. For those that do find it, it’s an absolute treat. You follow the river passing vegetation at every corner and can hear the roar of the falls in the near distance. Because there are so many twists and turns to the waterfall, it’s hard to get your bearings to exactly how close you are. Suddenly, the forest will open up and in front of you will be the falls. Even more impressive, the seal pups seem to have made this area their own private playground. It’s like walking straight into a fantasy, or some sort of “secret garden,” which only you have been granted the privilege to see (and maybe whoever else has trekked the trail with you).
May 27, 2009
New Zealand - Dunedin
Arrived in Dunedin early this morning. The past few days we’ve been traveling through rural countryside, and Dunedin is more of a university town. There’s a lot of action, and the town center is called The Octagon, and where we had a sophisticated Italian dinner tonight.
We went to the Otago Peninsula to see the yellow-eyed penguins come to shore at dusk. They’re a solitary penguin, so they don’t come to shore in massive hordes like other species. They’re the third largest penguin species at about 2 feet and 10-15 pounds. Considered the world’s rarest penguin (didn’t I hear/read that about another penguin species recently) there’s only about 4000 of these guys left. About 3000 live on the outlying islands and the other 1000 live on the southern points of New Zealand’s south island. The cause for their threatened status is numerous. Part due to predators (as with many native species of birds the introduction of stoats have been devastating to the population) and habitat loss as well. In recent years the numbers of been declining even more. It is believed that this is in part due to the recent La Nina effects. The temperature fluctuation has created warmer waters, and the yellow-eyed penguin is a specialist in diet. With the fish populations low due to higher water temperatures the penguins haven’t fared well either.
We watched the penguins through trenches as not to startle them, and I have to admit that half of the fun was wandering through the endless maze of trenches to pop up in little huts to observe the penguins in their territories. It is a little disappointing that the habitat almost seemed like an open zoo, but it’s an ingenious way to take conservation efforts. The penguins are still wild and live freely, but on land they have added protections from non-native predators.
While I did get to witness one penguin come ashore, two making their way to their territories, and one resting comfortably at home, I was disappointed that I didn’t get a chance to witness more. I saw more penguins in the penguin hospital than I did out in the wild (I think that‘s the saddest part really). Tomorrow I’m off to Oamaru to hopefully see some more penguins.
We went to the Otago Peninsula to see the yellow-eyed penguins come to shore at dusk. They’re a solitary penguin, so they don’t come to shore in massive hordes like other species. They’re the third largest penguin species at about 2 feet and 10-15 pounds. Considered the world’s rarest penguin (didn’t I hear/read that about another penguin species recently) there’s only about 4000 of these guys left. About 3000 live on the outlying islands and the other 1000 live on the southern points of New Zealand’s south island. The cause for their threatened status is numerous. Part due to predators (as with many native species of birds the introduction of stoats have been devastating to the population) and habitat loss as well. In recent years the numbers of been declining even more. It is believed that this is in part due to the recent La Nina effects. The temperature fluctuation has created warmer waters, and the yellow-eyed penguin is a specialist in diet. With the fish populations low due to higher water temperatures the penguins haven’t fared well either.
We watched the penguins through trenches as not to startle them, and I have to admit that half of the fun was wandering through the endless maze of trenches to pop up in little huts to observe the penguins in their territories. It is a little disappointing that the habitat almost seemed like an open zoo, but it’s an ingenious way to take conservation efforts. The penguins are still wild and live freely, but on land they have added protections from non-native predators.
While I did get to witness one penguin come ashore, two making their way to their territories, and one resting comfortably at home, I was disappointed that I didn’t get a chance to witness more. I saw more penguins in the penguin hospital than I did out in the wild (I think that‘s the saddest part really). Tomorrow I’m off to Oamaru to hopefully see some more penguins.
May 26, 2009
New Zealand - Te Anau
The hills of Arrowtown are covered with the autumn shades of red, yellows, and greens. The neatest part was that all of the reds in the hills were actually bare trees with red berries, and not red leaves. The path followed the Arrow River, and in one section ropes hung from trees. I imagine in the summer kids swing from the ropes and jump into the river below.
Speaking of jumping into cold water, I decided to be daring and jump into Lake Te Anau, despite the fact that it was a brisk 7 degrees outside. I ran off the dock and jumped in, and sure enough, it was freezing!
We took a tour bus out to the Milford Sound (which is actually a fjord, not a sound) in Fiordland National Park. The scenery was beautiful. The mountain/lake scenery reminds me of Yellowstone with the mountain reflections in the water., but as a whole it reminded me of my trip to Alaska. Alaska had many of the same mirror images, and the cruise section of Milford Sound was reminiscent of Glacier Bay (and just as cold). The whole trip through the mountains and in the “sound” out to the Tasman Sea had “waterfalls” or vertical steams running from the mountain top. The snow melt carves all kinds of crevasses through the rock. You can see marks on the rocks where water once ran its course, and hundreds of new tiny steams form new ones.
It was certainly my day for wildlife. Just before we entered the Milford Sound Tunnel we spotted a kea. The world’s only Alpine parrot, and a native New Zealand bird. On our trip back from the sea we saw several New Zealand Fur Seals near the coast and on a few rocks. New Zealand Fur Seals being one of two endemic marine mammal species in New Zealand. As I looked out toward the bow, I also noticed the dorsal fins of a pod of dolphins. I pointed this out to the captain who then confirmed my sighting of bottlenose dolphins and took us in for a closer look. As we approached the dolphins greeted us and enjoyed playing in the wake of the boat. I saw numerous dolphins not only leap completely out of the water, but do tricks as if to entertain us. Some did flips and threw their bodies to the side as they leapt out of the water. As I was leaning over the railing in excitement, one dolphin leaped up toward my face close enough for me to touch. The only other “notable” animal that really lives in the sound are the crested penguins, which I did not see, but that was to be expected (they’re seen mostly in the spring months -- that is their spring months).
My trip through the sound was incredible. This experience alone I would say could make the whole trip to New Zealand worth it (not that the other events are any less worthy). I have five more days left, and I can’t wait to see what will happen next!
Speaking of jumping into cold water, I decided to be daring and jump into Lake Te Anau, despite the fact that it was a brisk 7 degrees outside. I ran off the dock and jumped in, and sure enough, it was freezing!
We took a tour bus out to the Milford Sound (which is actually a fjord, not a sound) in Fiordland National Park. The scenery was beautiful. The mountain/lake scenery reminds me of Yellowstone with the mountain reflections in the water., but as a whole it reminded me of my trip to Alaska. Alaska had many of the same mirror images, and the cruise section of Milford Sound was reminiscent of Glacier Bay (and just as cold). The whole trip through the mountains and in the “sound” out to the Tasman Sea had “waterfalls” or vertical steams running from the mountain top. The snow melt carves all kinds of crevasses through the rock. You can see marks on the rocks where water once ran its course, and hundreds of new tiny steams form new ones.
It was certainly my day for wildlife. Just before we entered the Milford Sound Tunnel we spotted a kea. The world’s only Alpine parrot, and a native New Zealand bird. On our trip back from the sea we saw several New Zealand Fur Seals near the coast and on a few rocks. New Zealand Fur Seals being one of two endemic marine mammal species in New Zealand. As I looked out toward the bow, I also noticed the dorsal fins of a pod of dolphins. I pointed this out to the captain who then confirmed my sighting of bottlenose dolphins and took us in for a closer look. As we approached the dolphins greeted us and enjoyed playing in the wake of the boat. I saw numerous dolphins not only leap completely out of the water, but do tricks as if to entertain us. Some did flips and threw their bodies to the side as they leapt out of the water. As I was leaning over the railing in excitement, one dolphin leaped up toward my face close enough for me to touch. The only other “notable” animal that really lives in the sound are the crested penguins, which I did not see, but that was to be expected (they’re seen mostly in the spring months -- that is their spring months).
My trip through the sound was incredible. This experience alone I would say could make the whole trip to New Zealand worth it (not that the other events are any less worthy). I have five more days left, and I can’t wait to see what will happen next!
May 24, 2009
New Zealand - Queenstown
I guess sleeping in means waking up at 7 am, and being out on the trails by 8:30 am. We checked to see if the café was open for breakfast, but nothing was open yet (at least some people get to sleep in). The trails today were nice. All were just off the road and a short walk to scenic photo opportunities. We saw a couple of waterfalls, unfortunately the blue pools were closed off. We passed by it the first time, and then noticed that an area was closed off with caution tape and a large danger sign. Now, if it were just me, I might be tempted to venture out into the unknown, but alas my sense of adventure was hindered.
We are staying in the small town of Arrowtown near Queenstown. It’s a quaint little residential town, and has that wonderful small town atmosphere. The people here are really friendly, and very trusting. When we were scoping out places to stay for the night we came across a lodgings called Shades of Arrowtown. The reception office was closed with a note on the door saying that the keys were in the doors and we were free to check out the rooms. If we decided to stay we should just take the keys and check in later in the afternoon. We checked out all the rooms and chose the only one that could accommodate three people. I get my own bedroom which is neat, while the master is situated in the main room.
Arrowtown is home of an old Chinese settlement. We checked it out and it has the old relic buildings. The story is similar to that of the immigrants that came to Columbia, CA in the California Gold Rush. In fact, they came to New Zealand for the same exact reasons. The entire town has a very “old town” feel which helps emphasize the history.
The heart of town is a few minutes walk, so we decided to give the car a break. Tonight we ate a restaurant called Willow Tavern. The food here was excellent and locally and organically grown and raised. I had the Maryland Chicken which came with a tomato based butter sauce, a baked potato, broccoli and cauliflower, and a small side salad. Then for dessert I had a delicious date pudding.
On our walk back I looked up at the sky and noticed that the stars are especially bright (wait, we have stars?) . It’s like staring at a brand new sky. Not only because there’s too many lights in California to ever see the stars, but because the southern hemisphere has a whole different set of stars ahead. It took a while, but I eventually found Orion (a autumn/winter constellation). It was lower in the horizon and at a completely different angle than what I‘m used to. The rest of the stars remain completely foreign to me, but a complete joy to contemplate.
We are staying in the small town of Arrowtown near Queenstown. It’s a quaint little residential town, and has that wonderful small town atmosphere. The people here are really friendly, and very trusting. When we were scoping out places to stay for the night we came across a lodgings called Shades of Arrowtown. The reception office was closed with a note on the door saying that the keys were in the doors and we were free to check out the rooms. If we decided to stay we should just take the keys and check in later in the afternoon. We checked out all the rooms and chose the only one that could accommodate three people. I get my own bedroom which is neat, while the master is situated in the main room.
Arrowtown is home of an old Chinese settlement. We checked it out and it has the old relic buildings. The story is similar to that of the immigrants that came to Columbia, CA in the California Gold Rush. In fact, they came to New Zealand for the same exact reasons. The entire town has a very “old town” feel which helps emphasize the history.
The heart of town is a few minutes walk, so we decided to give the car a break. Tonight we ate a restaurant called Willow Tavern. The food here was excellent and locally and organically grown and raised. I had the Maryland Chicken which came with a tomato based butter sauce, a baked potato, broccoli and cauliflower, and a small side salad. Then for dessert I had a delicious date pudding.
On our walk back I looked up at the sky and noticed that the stars are especially bright (wait, we have stars?) . It’s like staring at a brand new sky. Not only because there’s too many lights in California to ever see the stars, but because the southern hemisphere has a whole different set of stars ahead. It took a while, but I eventually found Orion (a autumn/winter constellation). It was lower in the horizon and at a completely different angle than what I‘m used to. The rest of the stars remain completely foreign to me, but a complete joy to contemplate.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
