WHAT?! WHAT'S GOING ON?!?!
Alright, calm down, everything is okay. Since you're so so concerned and confused, this blog is to document my upcoming road trip. Since January, I've been planning a major road trip to visit national parks.. I've wanted to do something like this for most of my life, and it just made so much sense. So, I'm doing it and nobody can stop me(nobody's trying to stop me). Don't even try to stop me(nobody is). When I approached my parents about this, I had everything figured out, and since they couldn't say no, my Dad told me he wanted to build out the truck bed of the Tacoma I'm taking with me. So at the start of the summer, we started building. I'll include before and after pictures. Since then, we created an entire home in the back of my truck, it's basically an ecosystem(it's got a drawer and a lock box). I'll also include a vague map(vague because I only want people I want knowing where I am when I'll be there). But I'm going to Badlands, Grand Teton, Glacier, Olympic, Mount Rainier, Crater Lake, Yosemite, Sequoia, Grand Canyon, and Rocky Mountain National Parks. And I'll visit some family in Utah and Colorado. Then, at the end of my trip, I have the insane honor to attend a photography retreat in SLC Utah!! It's such an incredible opportunity that I will remember for the rest of my life, and I'm gonna use this paragraph to thank Layni Becker and Peyton Hayes for having me. Alright, moving on, welcome to adventures with Connie and his camera(s), I hope you enjoy, and if not, then don't tell me.
*triumphant reveal music*
Tommy(the tacoma) BEFORE
Tommy AFTER
Ew, so empty
BOOOO
WOOHOO
SO FUN
Hand cut and sewn monkey curtains^
START
August 2-4, 2024
Location:
Great Smoky Mountain National Park
Welcome to travels with Connie and his camera, on this week's episode, we are recounting the smoky mountain details.
A couple weekends ago, to practice solo-traveling, I drove myself all the way to the Boonies of Tennessee and had a blast. Stayed at a little campground in the back of my truck. I did everything I could to stay alive. Fought so hard(it wasn't hard, nothing tested me.) I also got to test my new(old) Polaroid 600 camera, and it works so well, I'm so thrilled.
My first(and only) full day there, I drove towards Gatlinburg and hiked the Alum cave bluff trail. It followed a creek almost the whole way up, which was great for those who get lost easily. The people were super fun to see, this one lady was hiking in a dress and heels; queen of the jungle.
On the trail, I met these two girls, Cora and Maya and they were super awesome. They are both aspiring pilots and insane artists. Maya literally pulled out a travel watercolor palette at the top of the trail. And Cora carried around her tiny digicam; my kind of carry-on. Talking to them made me a lot more secure in my abilities to talk to people when I'm out and about across the country.
The same day, I almost died when I encountered a deadly black bear. As I pulled my car into the parking lot of "Our Place" a coffee/book shop in Cosby, TN, the lovely shop owner told to "get inside, there's a bear". Much to her surprise, the bear felt so welcome there, he tried to make it "his place" two minutes before I had arrived. Unfortunately, he realized he didn't need another coffee and went on his way without even saying hello to me, but it's whatever I don't even care.
Then, on my second morning there, it was time to go, but I needed to dilly-dally, and I hadn't hit up the visitor center yet, so that was my mission for the day. Then I explored a river, fell in, showed the world my underwear on accident, and drove home, not knowing that my cooler was leaking all over my car.
It was a perfect practice trip, to say the least, I think I'm ready to take on the world.
​
WOW COOL MOUNTAIN
Wet overalls drying set-up
September 1-3, 2024
Location:
Badlands National Park, Scenic, SD
Incapable of closing doors
Hello and welcome back to travels with Connie and his Camera. These past two days I was riding on the backs of Bison and racing prairie dogs in the Badlands of South Dakota. The wind carried me up hills and down really really slippery, crumby rocks and I think the park rangers must've gotten intimidated by me because I never saw them after I visited the center(the visitor center). ​
The campground I stayed at was first come-first serve, and the first night I got one of the last spots so I didn't have an option to pull onto the grass In the center of the circle. But I got to watch the stars from the top of Tommy(my truck, if you forgot). The next two nights I got a spot where I could pull onto the grass, so I wasn't lopsided on the shoulder of the road, which was very nice. The prairie dogs were everywhere and they screamed. I'll let it slide because I would scream too if cars and bison were barreling towards my home and just... sitting there for a while. No warning, no knock.
I also visited a local tourist destination that was part drug store, jewelry store, cafe, trinket shop, chapel, bookstore, Photo Booth, etc. It was the size of an entire strip mall. So I sat there, bought nothing, and edited photos like a nerd. But it was a very fun place, so if you ever find yourself in South Dakota, get yourself to 'Wall Drug' in Wall, SD. If you can't find it, there's billboards surrounding it for literally 300 miles, so you'll find it.
Another really fun thing was the fact that Badlands is a free hike park. That means it's a playground for anyone who likes to explore where they probably shouldn't. You can go anywhere you want, so that was very cool to try and do on my own. I didn't ever get very far though because the rocks just kind of fall apart and I carry too much camera equipment to fall down.
I did so good problem solving guys, I opened a can of beans with my bare hands(a knife) because I didn't have room for a can opener(I forgot to put it on my list). So please be proud.
All in all, it was a great trip full of reading, walking, taking pictures, and sweating surrounded by dangerous beasts who don't acknowledge your existence, and tiny rats that live in the ground. Highly recommend.
QUIZ
Match the image to the answer!(answers at the bottom of the section)
1. Marmot
2.Squirrel
3. Chipmunk
A.
B.
C.
September 3-7, 2024
Location:
Grand Teton National Park, WY
A. 1 B. 1 C. 1 (they're actually all squirrels)
Should've counted the amount of times I would fall on this trip.
String Lake
Jackson Lake Overlook
Hey hello welcome back to travels with Connie and his camera.
These past few days I spent with all the moose in Grand Teton national park. They’re much better company than my coworkers (just kidding, I love you all)
Let’s get serious for a second. There have been a lot of people who are confused. They seem to think that chipmunks, squirrels, and marmots are interchangeable. I don’t know when we went down as a society but it must have been recent, because I'm now the one enlightening you folks. Squirrels have big bushy tails and pointier ears, they are also much bigger than chipmunks. Chipmunks have stripes on their backs and are tiny, and have short tails(think Alvin and the…). Last but not least, marmots are much larger than the two, usually and look more like an angry groundhog In fact, they're probably related to groundhogs . If I hear one more person on the trail ask if a chipmunk is a marmot or a squirrel, I'm gonna lose it. What. Would. You. Do. Without. Me.
With that out of the way, my time in the Tetons was incredible. The mountains were nothing short of anything(because they were actually quite tall). I swam in some cold lakes, hiked 6 miles(roundtrip) to the summit of Mt. Signal without getting eaten. Since I was solo hiking, I had to make noise to scare away the bears(they don’t like big noises, they think you’re cat-calling, especially when you whistle or say "hey bear" so they hide). I jingled my keys throughout the entire valley, not making any friends along the way, much to my surprise. So I jingled up the hill, jingled back down, jingled to the town, and jingled on to bed.
I also have been having the best sandwich every day for lunch. Let me describe it to you in detail. Bread(stay with me). Salami. Pepper jack cheese. Mayo. Sliced cucumbers. Let me tell you it is the best thing ever and I highly recommend.
Among all the jingling, I missed my family a bit this week. It’s hard not being able to share these places with them, all of them, blood and chosen. I usually go on hikes with people, so seeing views with strangers is fun and cool, but it’s not the same as marveling at something new with someone familiar. Instead, it’s all new. But at the same time, that’s good. I get to take it in so much more deeply. Since no impatient child is telling us to move on, I can dilly dally by a lake for 4 hours with no questions, so I have loved that. But it has been a little difficult to do these amazing things with just me and my cameras.
I mean, I saw some of the most amazing views and sunrises in the entire world. And that's crazy to just write about in a library a few days later. I went immediately from the summit of a mountain to a pay shower/laundromat where I was editing a video and checking emails. That's insane.
I can't wait to come back someday with other humans.
All in all, the Tetons get a 10/10 in my book.
Cool backpacker girl Carly!
September 7-11, 2024
Location:
Glacier National Park, MT
Hey hello welcome back to travels with Connie and his camera.
Hello, hi. This is Connie, and his camera. I will start this with some sad news. Marjorie, my beloved, 35mm Pentax KX is out of commission. At picture 29/36 she decided to stop working and so I have been dragging her along to new places praying for her to be fixed, but it has yet to happen. So please send her your happy thoughts and pixie dust and she’ll be good as new soon.
I wrote down my blog thoughts as I went so this is gonna be a long one.
I was sitting at a view overlook on the Going-to-the-sun road and thinking about the best way to capture these places. As a photographer, I want to find the best way to figure out how to show people exactly how a place looks. But I’ve been finding it very difficult to do so when I know that millions of pictures are taken in these exact places, what will make mine stand out. It then occurred to me that maybe that doesn’t matter. It’s not the point. I can’t capture these places. The best way to ever experience these places is to go to them. So all I can do is share how it felt to be there through my pictures, through my own eyes. That’s the best I can do and I will do that to my best.
I was hiking and staring and marveling and I just wanted to hug the mountains. They look so incredibly vast and huge that if I could hug them from where I am standing, so far away, they would fill my entire arms(obviously they would fill much more than that, but this is how I felt and this is what I wrote down, if you get it, you get it, if you don’t understand I cannot explain it to you better than that.)
I also figured out a dire situation. The park used to have over 80 glaciers and now they’re down to the 20s. I know why. It’s the dang mountain goats. They climb so high that they need something to drink so they start eating the ice. Guys we need to put a stop to the Mountain Goats, they are taking away our glaciers. Please, put an end to this massacre.
I would love to be a mountain goat, they live such a killer life.
I showed some people how to find a couple of goats on a faraway mountain that had been pointed out to me, and the next day, I saw the people again on a different hike and she said to her friends after we chatted it up, “That’s the mountain goat guy.” I’m actually so impressed with myself that I am now in somebody’s memory with no name other than “mountain goat guy”, I love that so much.
I saw those mountain goats on the Hidden Lake overlook(whoever hid that lake did a HORRIBLE job, there were hundreds that found it on a random Sunday). Amazing hike, would recommend, I saw about 17 trillion(3) big horn sheep and an insane amount of lakes(1 lake)
I have loved hiking in this park, everywhere I go is so incredible. I just really want to be a Junior Ranger when I grow up. Give me a magazine and a little vest and throw me on the trail. I would thrive there. The whole park is filled with views and rivers and lakes and it’s just so fun to hike. I remember one time I was hiking with my grandparents, Noni and Fe, and I was climbing a rock and my grandma told me I had very sure-footing. I took that straight to my head and lodged it so surely in there that I still think about it to this day and try to live up to it. Heck yeah I have sure footing, Noni said so.
I ate lunch by Lunch Creek after my hidden lake hike which I thought was silly. I then went back down to my campsite after getting ice and, to go on a tangent, the kids these days don’t understand the LUXURY that is an ice block. It is so nice and I will not explain except for the fact that they are nearly impossible to find but so incredible when you do(I’ve literally only experienced this once, so take what I say with a grain of salt) be grateful for your ice kids.
On my last day, I hiked to Grinnel Glacier, the most mileage I’ve ever hiked before, 11 miles round trip. On the way up, I passed a lot of older folk, and was called a “whippersnapper” for the first time in my life. This other lady who I had passed several times earlier was having her photo taken by her husband on the way back down. She said, “I’m not very good at posing” and then continued to get on the ground, lay on her side, and strike the sassiest arm-on-side, hand-on-her-head, model-faced pose I’ve ever seen in my entire life.
After seeing three bears and a big horn sheep do a runway walk on the trail, I met this very cool girl on the way back down from Grinnell. She lives near Yellowstone and has only ever seen a bear once before. She’s a super cool backpacker and hiker and physical therapist and it was super fun to chat with a hiking buddy. When we were near the bottom, the part of the trail that led to our cars was closed suddenly, and since we didn’t want to add a mile to our hike, we(and several others) passed the sign with a second thought that we agreed to ignore. After about five minutes of walking down the forbidden trail, we heard yelling up ahead and watched as a woman literally fought her way through a park ranger to get past the section of the trail that had been dug up within a matter of hours for maintenance. She was screaming and crying and he was saying, “ma’am I will not negotiate with you” and she was hitting him back with, “no don’t you touch me I’m getting through!” It was quite possibly the most dramatic thing I’ve ever seen, and she won. She got through. But we promptly turned around and made our way around the lake to our cars.
So far, Glacier has been my favorite park. I’ve been here once before this, and now I’ve been again, but I already know I need to come back here and do more. Plus, I’ve gotta see the glaciers as much as possible before the goats eat them all.
​
Bear sighting! zoom-in maybe?
Grinnell Glacier(the one and only)
Grinnel Lake (lower)
The rocks here are so cool, I want to be a geologist
Hidden lake overlook
September 12, 2024
Location:
Olympic National Park, WA
Hi and welcome back to Travels with Connie and his camera. For one day, I was in Olympic national park and it was… a time. The stress of traveling and driving and moving and everything was really getting me, so it dampened my visit. Plus, I was only there for one day, so it was a tad more difficult to figure out what to do and when and how and what to prioritize, etc.
With that being said, I did not let that get in the way of me seeing the rainforest, no rain, which was beautiful. Those trees are the craziest little (big) freaks and I love them they've all got beards all over them, they look so so cool. I also got to see one(1) banana slug that was more the color of a banana’s insides once it gets mushed, but the name still stands. I then drove up to the Olympic mountains to Hurricane ridge and waved at my grandparents through a webcam that was delayed 30 seconds. On the way back, of course, I got pulled over by a lovely gentlemen in blue and his broken ticket printer(I tried to pass people and didn’t have enough time so I panicked and pulled to the left side to wait for a second and to no surprise, the car that I was trying to beat coming straight at me was a police officer) But, I got no tickets and no warnings other than the ones that ran through my head for the entire day. I was disappointed that my campsite was not overlooking the beach like the wonderful website recreation.gov told me it was, but nonetheless the beach was close, and I am proud to say I made it COAST TO COAST(*fog horns*) Now need to watch twilight because I passed through Forks, WA twice and it’s my duty.
Ruby Beach
Hoh Rainforest
Panorama Point
September 13-15, 2024
Mt. Rainier National Park, WA
GUYS! BIG NEWS!
Through blood, sweat, and tears Marjorie is fixed and working like a charm(I unscrewed the bottom and screwed it back in, she's definitely gonna break again)
While driving through Washington, I saw that all the license plates said, “The Evergreen State” and for some reason, the Coloradan in me got really offended. We have evergreens too, they taught us this in school. And then I took a couple huge breaths, realized that multiple states have evergreen trees, and that maybe, just maybe, Washington has more than normal and deserves that title. It really struck me at first, but it’s not that serious.
My first day in Mt. Rainier, I went on a hike that I had written down six months ago in my little red planner. It’s called the Tolmie Peak Lookout Trail. It’s cool because at the top, there’s a lookout tower(hence the trail name) and a great view. To my dismay, neither were present. Because of the thick fog and wind and rain, there was no view. Because of unwarned maintenance on the tower(no signage until I got there, by the way), the tower was fully off-limits. However, the hike up was super beautiful. The lookout was a let-down, but the foggy dark forest, dewy spider webs, blue alpine lake, and mossy rocks were worth it, and I really enjoyed.
My second day, I was really really trying to look for a shower. I’m not going to share with the world the exact amount of days I had gone without a shower, I’m embarrassed. But just know that I did feel gross and I was on the hunt. But public showers DON'T EXIST ANYWHERE CONVENIENT. Fun fact: If you look up “public showers” on maps it takes you to Dublin, IR and that’s it. Many times I have found myself driving and I suddenly pass 3 showers on my way to my next stop where I either 1) have literally zero time to shower 2) have just showered that day or 3) can’t actually use the shower because of E. Coli or because I’m not a guest.
So anyway, surprise surprise I did not find a shower.
But what I did find was Mt. Rainier. Again, the fog had blocked my views the whole time there and I had not caught a glimpse of this mountain since I had been there. It made me start to wonder if it was real. I knew where it was supposed to be but could only rely on the visions in my mind. They were entirely wrong.
I went on the skyline trail. I almost didn’t go due to my bodily fatigue, but I did. After about two miles hiking, I stopped to take off a layer. As I looked up, the sky had parted and, much closer than I had anticipated, there was the peak of Mt. Rainier. It was glowy and beautiful under the film of the light fog lingering before it. And then it went away. As I kept hiking it showed up more, as did the mountain range behind. They peaked through the clouds like the moon on a cloudy night except not the moon, and it was during the day. It felt like we were all above the clouds, almost walking on them.
So. So. Incredible.
On the way back down, I was behind this group of really cool kids around my age. I wanted to talk to them, but I didn’t really know how, and they intimidated me with their coolness, so I didn’t. But next time this happens, I will, mark my words. It just wasn’t meant to be.
It’s crazy to me that I’m doing these things and I’m completely okay with it. Don’t get me wrong, when I do these amazing hikes and adventurous things, I’m amazed. But I’m also simultaneously unfazed(rhyme). I just do them. I’m alone, a billion miles from home and I still have to remind myself of that from time to time while I’m on literal mountain peaks and jumping into rivers.
Later that day, I wanted to take some pictures to finish my roll of film, so I went down to this lake, it was a short trail. When I got down there the light was horrible where you could easily access but across the lake was the perfect spot. So I went against my nature. I would just like to publicly apologize for leaving a trace. It was genuinely one of the hardest things to do, I had to crouch down and scratch my back along bushes to not get soaked in the lake. This shoreline was NOT MEANT TO BE WALKED. Then, not wanting to go back the way I came, because I wouldn’t be able to, I hiked back up towards the trail. Yet again, not a painless, sanctioned hiking trail. You really take established trails for granted until the forest is so thick that only squirrels and bugs go into those parts. It reminded me of this time when my grandpa, Pappy, got us lost in the woods. We had to walk back along the highway to find where we had come from. I wish I remembered more from that story, but maybe ask him and he’ll know. So my tip to you is to always know where you’re going. If you don’t, then figure it out or something, that’s what they always say I’m pretty sure.
​
Stupid Broken Tower
me^
Zoom in to see the "scientist"
September 16, 2024
Cascade Locks, OR
So on my way from Mt. Rainier to Cascade Locks, I got my ear pierced. I had planned on doing it sometime during my trip, and so I just decided to get it done. The sooner a hole is punched into you, the sooner it heals, again, that's what they always say. So after hitting up Portland and asking a lady if she could stick a needle into the cartilage of my ear, I headed to an Inn at Cascade Locks, OR.
The only reason I was there was to take a very specific waterfall hike. It's called Tunnel Falls and I was so excited because you can go behind the waterfall. Unfortunately, due to nearby fires the trail was closed and so my plans were called off. It was a more than a little frustrating since I had booked a room at an Inn just for this hike. But, I did get a bed and a shower for the night. I also got internet so I was able to blog(you're welcome). All in all, I would love to come back here if I'm ever in the area again because I now need to take this hike.
​
September 17-18, 2024
Willamette National Forest, OR
I then made my way south to an extremely empty campground. It was just me and it was very nice. I made some disgusting mac and cheese, tried to make it less disgusting, made it worse, read by a creek, and went to sleep. ​
The next morning I went to three different waterfalls which made me think about those fish that scale literal waterfalls. They can suction, but what if you're a fish born with less suction power. What do you do? Find another waterfall, or give up on your instincts? Makes you think. The forest is known for its rivers which then fall down far heights(hence the name waterfall) and continue to flow down the mountain. I can't remember what they were all called, but they were gorgeous. I also saw this researcher climbing right next to the waterfall. Whoever's employee this is, please ask him why he is just throwing moss into the river. He's actually probably just a rogue climber who felt like destroying things. Someone come get him and bring him home.
I then found a last minute campsite very close to Crater Lake.
This was the nicest campground I've ever seen, they rake the gravel. But I have a bone to pick with certain campgrounds, like this one. When you tell me that there is drinking water at the campground, I'm looking for a spout or a pump, or a well, even. But when I ask and you point me to a giant sink that flushes like a toilet and has its own closet on the side of the bathroom like it was obvious that's where my drinking water comes from, I'm going to smack you. what. do. you. mean. I thought it was a broken toilet, not where I fill my water cooler. On that note, this water wasn't drinkable anyway as there was a possible E. Coli incident, so I did not touch it. They unfortunately had very nice showers that I couldn't use because of this.
Cool coffee shop in Cascade Locks
Living large at the nice campground(two ply paper!)
September 19, 2024
Crater Lake National Park
Hello and welcome back. Lots to discuss people.
I started a fight with a chipmunk. I'm not proud of my course of action, but he initiated it. It was very warranted on my part and it was dealt with in a calmly, but firm manner. He wanted my goldfish. As I've been told, "a fed bear is a dead bear", so I am assuming that this applies to chipmunks as well. So I was not going to give him a cracker, as is my civic duty. But he sensed the plastic open and crawled over my lap, around my arm, and onto my knee to just possibly get one from me, as I'm sure he has gotten before from other park visitors. But I didn't want to harm him, so I said, very respectfully, "no, I don't have anything for you, stupid." That was my mistake. Earlier, other chipmunks had gotten into my backpack, I'd shooed them away. But this guy kept coming back from every angle just hoping to get something. He would even paw his hands out in a grabbing motion towards me like that would close the 12 inch gap between what his tiny limbs couldn't, but were trying to, reach. So call me Cinderella because I had a chipmunk crawl on me and I talked to him. Moral of the story, a fed bear is a dead chipmunk or something like that.
In other frustrating news, Marjorie broke again, thankfully after majority of my roll had been shot. I tried my very hardest to fix her, and maybe that shouldn't be advised because I broke her more, losing a part that I can't get back. Stay tuned for updates, this is turning out to be quite the journey that has me wondering why I set a goal of one roll per park. I've already been set up for failure by my own gear. More Marjorie news to come, I'm sure.
Crater Lake is insanely cool, I think we would be friends. It has the deepest blue water I've ever seen, it's incredible. Yet again, this pristine water made me thirsty. These lakes never fail to look so drinkable. I sat there and read for a while and, of course, fought chipmunks, like a grown adult would.
So then I had to go swimming. I had taken the only hike down to the lake, so I wasn't going to pass up my opportunity to get in. I was right next to this rock people were jumping off of, so I jumped (off of a lower height, I will admit) and it was so nice. I jumped again and then dried off because it was, of course, freezing.
The hike back up was sort of brutal(dramatic). If you will, imagine the lake being sunken down into the earth 650 feet. It's not much, but in only one mile, the whole way back up is inclined switchbacks, so after swimming and sword-fighting rodents, I was just waiting to see my car at the top of the hill.
This is when I tried to fix Marjorie first, then decided to find wifi so I could look up a youtube tutorial, drove down to the village center, found wifi(after walking to the cafe, the inn, the visitor center, and back to the cafe), realized there were no tutorials, and went on tinkering anyway. After breaking Marjorie again, it was hard not to feel like things were going against me. Traveling solo is very fun and cool but you take on a lot of responsibility and stressors at once, on your own. You have to protect yourself constantly, wash yourself whenever possible(which isn't often), keep your food stocked, don't run out of water, wash your clothes, keep gas in the car, make sure the oil life is good, talk to your family, meet new people, make the most of your time, read while you have the time, take risks(but not too risky), take your meds, don't lose your retainers or your phone, work on college applications, document your time(now without your best camera), make a plan for when you stop traveling, budget, etc. etc. I"m attempting not to complain but to outline all that living out of your car for two months as an 18-year-old entails. Not as glamorous as it sounds, all the time.
So when she broke a second time, I didn't know what to do.
My favorite camera, where I do my best, most personal work, broke and wasn't getting fixed and I had to figure out a solution, or go to my next stops without her. Film is very important to me. I can't explain why, but it resonates with me a lot. That's all I'll say on the matter. I started working on a solution and it took me until my drive to Yosemite to figure it out. A replacement is on the way, same camera, different color. Everything seems okay again. I have it under control and that is one less major thing to worry about.
This is such a cool place and I want to dive into the water and swim all the way down to bottom and never return, that's how blue it is.
September 20-24, 2024
Yosemite National Park
Hello. How is everybody doing.
I would like to start this post with a shoutout to my grandfather. Thank you for gifting my mom things that are extremely useful that she doesn't use very often such as a sturdy rain jacket and a flashlight that can shine on things that are so far away you don't even need to see them. They've been very helpful, thanks Pappy.
I was in Yosemite, simple as that. I thought the other parks I had been in were busy. But Yosemite takes the cake. And then smashes it on the table. You can tell how many millions of people have been here over the years by the state of the trails. Compared to other parks, they're much less maintained. But that makes a lot of sense, it's much harder to upkeep trails while people are actively walking over them, and that is always the case. It's nice to see that this place is so popular.
I also thought about how cool it was that I was able to experience so much of the park just by standing in there. All around you, you can see everything without needing to go on major hikes. On one side, you have El Cap, and the other is Half Dome, and all around are waterfalls and other huge giants in a relatively small valley. It's incredible. Since I don't have so much time everywhere, that was cool. Three hikes wouldn't normally cover much of a park, but with those and driving around the valley, I got much more outdoor experience.
The first day had me a bit bummed out. I could only focus on all of the people around me. No matter where I went, I could not manage to get away from them. I don't know where they kept coming from. I mean, I did have a lot of errands to run(as one does when in Yosemite) so I was in the highest concentration of people in the park. They were all very loud about their misery and woes, and their noise rubbed off on me. So I just had to get away from the thick of the village and get closer to the mountains where I could frolic.
My second day got me that, thank goodness. I got a much deeper appreciation for the park and its unique beauty. I hiked around Mirror Lake(not a lake, by the way), and it was a very nice day. Then I drove back to my campsite, which is a long drive, because it's above the valley, and you have to drive up and around. When I got back, there was a different couple camping next to me. They passed me on their way to the trail nearby that leads to Ellery Lake. I asked them to tell me how the sunset view was and when they came back, he showed me the pictures he got and invited me to their campfire. They had also invited the couple on the opposite side of me.
I almost didn't go because that's my first nature, I don't originally think about how fun it could actually be, I just say 'ok' and decide against it silently. I for some reason don't connect meeting people with things that I know I should prioritize like learning new things, gaining new experience, overcoming things, and talking with new people can bring all of that. But this time I actually told myself it would be nice to talk to some older folks around a campfire, because why would it not be.
We talked for a while, and Chad ('the builder', as his work truck named him), was a hobby photographer who knew a ton of techniques for landscape photography and was very intrigued by my film interest. His wife, Emily, was super sweet. She was telling me about their new DVD player in their camper. She had gone to the thrift to get some DVDs and found one of her favorite movies. It was only after she had bought it that she realized it already belonged in her very small collection of DVDs she had. When trying to remember the name of it, she said, "It's that Beatles song, 'Through the Universe' or something." I got really excited then because of my small knowledge of the Beatles discography, "Across the Universe" is my absolute favorite one. Long story short, she gave me the DVD because she had two now, and I'm so excited to get my hands on a DVD player so I can see what the hype is on this movie based around The Beatles covers. No spoilers please.
The other couple, Wendy and Richard, had a previous connection with Chad so they talked with him a lot, and Emily and I chatted it up. It was nice to talk to people a little bit, and have a campfire because I haven't made one yet.
The next day, I hiked "Four-Mile Trail" up to Glacier Point. First off, it's a lie. It's 4.8 miles. It's like how the Hundred Years War is actually 116 years, but somebody just decided to round down, like a chump. So anyways, it was quite hard because of the elevation gain, but worth the view, as you can see in the complementary photos I included on the side, in case you didn't notice.
I need to include a quick PSA:
If you think that a hike you just took wasn't very hard, keep that crap to yourself. I don't need to know, because I was out of breath. Some people don't live at 8,000 ft above sea level.
-thank you
​
I really avoided taking the shuttle bus at first, but once I did I really enjoyed it. The lady who drove in the morning was super sweet. At one stop she had to go to the bathroom so bad and her little skedaddle to the bathroom was so silly. I took the bus to a shower facility. If we've talked recently, I have definitely told you about this shower, but I thought I would share for anyone who missed out. If you're showering at the Housekeeping Camp in Yosemite Valley, do NOT use shower 6. No matter where I put the dial, it cycled through getting as hot as possible, to where I literally couldn't touch it, staying that way for about two minutes. Then it would slowly cool down for about thirty seconds. And then it would rinse and repeat. Washing in intervals is not ideal, and it was not the best experience, but hey, I did get clean and if you've been following along, that's a win.
All in all, I need to come back here to hike half-dome. It was a very nice visit, good place to chill in a river, hike like crazy, and be among almost only tourists and not have to feel super awkward about being one yourself.
​
Bus.
View fromGlacier Point.
National Park
September 25, 2024
I was wondering the other day if trees ever get tired of where they are. If they ever wish that they could've grown up somewhere else. And then I remembered Bridge to Terabithia and that trees are actually the legs of giants and that comforted me that they have a choice of where they stand. I then learned quickly by seeing them with my eyeballs that Sequoia trees are the biggest of those giants because dang. They're so big. They're also very resilient. You can see the scorch marks that past forest fires have made on their leg hairs, it's very unfortunate. But I applaud them for staying there through all of that. If that was me, I would be leaving and keeping my legs. They are such cool little(not little) fellas.
It was very much worth the drive to see them and talk to them. The road from my campsite to the grove I went to was the craziest road I've ever driven on. The curves were constant and harsh, my ankle got a little tired from braking for two hours. The views were also very unexpected. You wouldn't think that in a couple miles you would run into a giant grove of the biggest trees on earth. It's fairly dry-looking and you can see a lot of wildfire damage on old trees. But all of a sudden, you get higher in elevation and you enter a whole new world where fairies probably live and Elves definitely bake cookies in the bases of trees(this is probably the home of the Keebler Elf, Ernie).
Once I got up there, I got to read by the trees, walk around the trees, walk on a fallen tree, etc. You get the point.
I wasn't there for very long and since the drive back to my campsite was so long and unnecessary, I left a little bit early towards Arizona and stayed at a rest stop.
Driving through the rest of Cali was very cool. It looks exactly how you picture California, desert land(but somehow beach-y) with orange orchards and palm trees, and a beautiful sunset. 10/10, I need to come back here.
​
September 26-28, 2024
Grand Canyon National Park
September 29-Oct 1, 2024
Antelope Canyon/Alstrom Point
Picture from nice lady
Hello, welcome back to adventures with Connie and his Camera, on this weeks episode we're traveling to the depths of American geological history. The great mystery that is The Grand Canyon. When I got there I was determined to find out the truth about the formation of the biggest canyon on the continent. Most individuals are aware of the fact that the canyon was formed by the infamous rock-devouring monsters back in the late 6-million-years-ago period. While this does have truth to it, the real reason why it's the twelfth wonder of the world is that the dinosaurs themselves were crucial to it's development. Every Friday night, the dinos would throw epic dance parties, to combat stress. The ground deteriorated over time due to their marching, stomping, popping, and locking. So then years later, like maybe 5, they were driven out by the previous mentioned Rock-Eating Monsters. These monsters, who look like toothless office workers with four legs, found the valley that had been made by the dinosaurs and started carving out the more intricate details, revealing all of the many rock layers. Yet another work of art stolen by a later 'explorer' that happened to have gums of steel that the original artist didn't. It's truly the artistic collab of the century and thankfully it did get it's recognition in 2009 when it won the "Collaboration of the Past" award at the Neanderthal's Choice Awards, but nobody talks about that.(please don't take anything I say seriously)
When I got to my campsite, I got myself stuck. I reversed my back bumper onto a rock on the side of the road that is meant to keep you on the road. So I challenged it by hitting it with my car and asking a truck to tow me out. Prove to the rock that I cannot be contained. I broke a toe(strap). But I got unstuck and only have minor taillight damage and bumper disfiguration, nothing Benadryl can't help.
I would really like to know what "speed enforced by aircraft" means, so if anyone can let me know, hit me up. It's just the word "enforced" that confuses me, because am I gonna get an airstrike from a police helicopter for speeding, or what?
Back to the important stuff, the dinosaurs really did well on this one. It was super intricate and huge and it made me wanna run down into it and then back up the other side, no slowing down, like a hill but a little bigger than your average hill. So I did, on the South Kaibab trail. While doing so, a lady offered to take pictures of me, without me even having to ask, it was very kind. And she worked hard too, she got it from several angles, told me to move into the sun(there was only shade on this section of the trail), and sat on the ground to get a better view. They turned out horrendously lit, but the thought was there and I'm very grateful for her. That hike was quite steep and I was carrying way too full of a camera bag, as always, so I didn't hike for super long, just a few hours. I then went on my journey for a cool patch and postcards.
On my second day, I hammocked along the rim of the canyon and read and it was super epic. The ravens do tricks and spin moves in the sky here, it's wild. I really enjoyed my hammock here, the trees were good trees. As hot as it was, the shade was pretty common and so unless I was hiking in the sun, I was doing fine.
It was so great to cross that off my bucketlist, it was so much bigger than I could've imagined. I always pictured it as a super steep, straight, red canyon where you can see the river below you, but that's not the case from the top of the canyon. I think maybe once you're in the canyon, but I never even saw the river because it's that wide, deep, and full of ridges. It's basically a mountain range inside the earth(not really).​
I then found myself on the border between Utah and Arizona, I was bouncing back and forth. I had booked a tour of antelope canyon so I could feel like I was in a horror movie where the walls are closing in fast and you have to get out as soon as possible. The day before, though, I needed to swim because I was so hot my sleeves fell off. I don't know how Arizona does, but it stays as hot as possible for as long as possible. Kudos to AZ for persevering, but I was dying. I camped at Lone Rock beach and got to drive on the sand for the first time. The next day was my slot canyon tour. It was so fun, the guides were very rad, they are very serious about everyone getting the most out their iPhone pictures, to the point where they tell you what filter to use and sometimes take the same picture for everyone on their phones so they can have the best shots. Very kind and useful for someone like me who has never taken a photo in their life. At some point, too, the guide in front of us was singing and it was the coolest thing ever to hear his voice echoing through the canyon, I got chills.
Then I made the drive up to Alstrom Point to overlook Lake Powell and camp for a couple nights. It was the craziest drive I've ever done, but I knew it would be. At some points, the road would go away and Tommy and I would be driving along literal rocks and boulders and down short steep hills.. It was so fun, I can now write off-roading on my resume, so catch me out driving on top of the mountains. I felt like one of those car commercials where they show what the car can do and it's literally a Nissan Altima driving in mud and on rocks playing super loud rock music, but for me it's an actual truck and I'm playing Fiona Apple.
I also saw Roadrunner, but no Wiley Coyote. He's probably recently been outsmarted somewhere with stars circling his head and a comically large hammer in one ear and out the other.
October 5-7, 2024
Rocky Mt. National Park
So I went to Rocky Mountain National Park. I've been here many a-time as a kid because it was so close and I'm very grateful for that. That being said, I recognized zero of what I saw while I was there this time, but that was actually kinda cool because it felt new. I was also super lucky to get there during the peak of aspens. There aren't a ton of aspen trees there, but the ones that are there looked very happy and connected as a community and so naturally I had to pause and pose for photos. I had a whole roll of film to fill so I had WORK to do.
Since I only had one full day, I decided to try and do as much as possible. I was going to go for a hike and then couldn't find one that wasn't insanely windy. I wasn't really in the mood for wind. I made the Trail Ridge Road drive from my campground to Estes Park. The road was so windy and breezy my car got blown over the edge on a curve and I had to deploy my parachute and initiate self destruct. But thankfully I was caught in the arms of a Grizzly bear(a nice one), who threw me back to the top. I defused the self-destruct bomb in Tommy and everything was fine. I saw the visitor center, got a patch for my jacket(there weren't good choices) and postcards, for the last time this trip:(. I picked the wrong day to go into Estes because 1) it was Saturday and 2) there was a fall festival going on. It took me almost two hours to get a parking spot. Before I got to the town square though, I needed to pick up a beanie. I didn't pack one and I knew I might want one because it was getting cold. So I got one. And since it was Estes park, it was too much money, but I justified it because it was wool, I would wear it a bunch, and it could be a keepsake. Guess what I couldn't find after that day: said $40 beanie. Note to self: don't buy anything nice when you're living out of your car. You lose it much easier and won't know until you're already back in Utah.
I did end up taking a short hike after walking around downtown. I hiked through Beaver Meadows(not a beaver in sight, but that made it easier to take off my thermal pants without a soul seeing). There I heard a lot of Elk, but saw none.
On the note of Estes park, I do remember coming here as kids and riding the lift to the top of a mountain(?) to feed the chipmunks. One time, this guy got up there and started chugging his water bottle and he said, "water tastes so good right now." I remember thinking that he was so dumb. Water doesn't have a taste, stupid. But I get it now, and this is me apologizing to that man for enjoying his water because I get him. I'm older now and water does taste extra good sometimes. Please forgive.
At night I heard the Elk yelling for hours and it was really cool. Very majestic. They do kind of sound like they're screaming, but it also reminds me of the Caribou scene from The Polar Express, so it's cool or whatever.
The next day I had time to kill before heading down to Boulder so I read next to a creek and almost finished my very depressing, stupid book. I really liked being able to have fall feels because I didn't think I would get much of those this year.
This was a really nice visit and I actually want to go back now because it's snowing there and it would be so magical. I need to visit somewhere snowy this winter or I'm gonna lose it.
Thank you, I'll see you next time.
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Infamous lost beanie
Trail Ridge Road
Set-up for this shot^^