A Literary Tapestry of Travel Memories

My Year End Recap 2022. Life and Travel

Some rocks in the middle of the ocean; a destination synonymous with paradise. The island of Maui in Hawaii is so incredibly beautiful and diverse. In the course of a day, the fine sand of world-class beaches can slip through your fingers, you can fight your way through the density of a lush and verdant jungle, inhale the cold mist from waterfalls that flow eternal, get lost in a vibrant field of…

It’s a balmy evening and a younger me is cruising north leaving Waikiki in the distance and towards Makapuu just after sunset. He’s watching the final dying glimmers of sunlight clinging to the surface of the darkening horizon across the Pacific ocean to his right. Entranced in the beat of song on the radio, gazing back at the fading land sprent with the city lights of Waikiki, drugged by the…

Eureka/Redwoods, California 2021 Select Photos

There has been one bucket list trip that I had been planning since the before times; the Redwoods in Northern California. After returning from Paris last month, I still had some vacation time so I figured I’d take the opportunity to drift towards more experiences that will help me to smile in my future. Usually, I travel alone. This time, I invited a young friend of mine to take his first trip…

Paris, France 2021 Select Photos

A Look Back It’s been nearly 10 years since I gained the courage and had the financial means to take my first international trip. Back then, I was filled with curiosity and a youthful mix of anxiousness and determination. I remember that time in my life vividly and fondly. 10 years later, I’m still filled with curiosity but am now armed with a solid sense of accomplishment and a deepening well…

My year End Recap 2020. “Travel” and Life

What can one say about this year that hasn’t already been said? Call this year what you want, everyone has experienced it differently and I’m extremely fortunate not only to be surviving but happily thriving. If you’re on the opposite end of that spectrum, reach out to me, maybe I can help you. Travel How does a traveler stay put and respect the situation happening to the world? It’s not easy…

My Year End Recap 2019. Travel and Life.

Travel

This year didn’t find me going as far as years past. That’s totally fine with me, though. I don’t have to go too far to find some of the best food, log some lasting memories, and let experiences build on top of who I am. Given that I didn’t visit any place new this year, I’ll just showcase some of the best food I had in each destination.

Chapala, Mexico

This was my fourth time to Central…

This post consists of two separate trips to Las Vegas during the last two weeks of December. The first was a solo trip to enjoy the food and get some writing done. While the second was for a friend’s birthday. I didn’t take too many photos during this trip as most photographers know, photography is usually a solo sport. You don’t want your group to slow down or stop while you’re composing and shooting. I spent most of the time as a tour guide and someone to give restaurant and dish recommendations.

Looking back to 2016 and 2018, I can definitely see that my skill has improved and my eye for what to photograph has expanded. This trip found me trying to find new compositions to try to capture. What makes it difficult is the amount of people and advertising signage that I tried to avoid.

The last few photos are compositions I like to capture when I’m in a room with a nice view. Just a solo traveler, listening to slow flowing yet melodic music in the dark while gazing out into the future.

I had some pretty decadent food so if you’d like to see more snapshot and even a crumby picture of Carrot Top shopping in The Forum Shops, the entire photoset can be found here. See you all next year, wherever that may be.

What did I eat and how much weight did I happen to gain? Well, I ate some ramen, a matcha donut, Italian food, homemade ice cream, non-traditional tacos, and some pretty standard American breakfasts. I like my American breakfasts. All of it was delectable. It’s a good thing I walked everywhere since I ate a disgraceful amount of the aforementioned, amazingly rich and delicious food. I actually walked to Balboa Park from Gaslamp. I’ll let anyone from SD tell you how exhausting that just sounds. I actually lost weight, despite all the food I consumed.

One thing I should mention is that I felt like I was the only person in the city not walking a dog. They love their dogs in San Diego. They even have an official town dog. His name was Bum and he lived a life of adventure and of gentlemanly leisure. Good boy, Bum.

I guess it’s time for the photos. You’ll see from the gallery below, I was mostly in the Gaslamp and Marina areas where I then made my way on foot north to Little Italy. The timing and weather were perfect to capture the sunbeams or “God rays” and then the sunset on the water. It seemed fitting that I experienced the sunset from Mallory Square in Key West last year and now take in the sunset on the other side of the country in San Diego this year. In the past I would just point my camera and shoot at almost anything that looked interesting. These days I’m taking less photos but I do think they’re of better quality. I hope you all enjoy. Next stop, Las Vegas.

Marina

Seagull wonders what traffic is like on the way to Coronado.

Seagull contemplates her life choices.

I photoshopped forks out of their hands.

Rumination…

The last photo is one I always like to take from my hotel room that has a nice view. I don’t really watch TV or stare at my phone. Instead opting to just listen to music and stare out the window knowing that this could be the last time I ever see something like this again.

If you’re interested in more photos of my extended weekend in San Diego, all the snapshots and food photos can be found here.

I had no real plan on what to do when I got there. No research was performed but I wasn’t worried. You can go far away, close to home. The only thing I really knew about Jerome heading into this, was its artist culture, wineries, and haunted history.

The main area of the town can be walked within an hour but if you slow down and take a tour or two, you’ll find there’s a strong, macabre past packed into such a small area. Some seriously messed up and nefarious stuff happened here. I guess that’s what happens when money is pretty much flowing from the ground in a lawless and remote town. This may as well have been called Vice City or the original Sin City.

The present day Jerome embraces its wicked past and has now become an interesting little town with great dining options and plenty of wine to taste. I’m not much for wine but I did enjoy every restaurant I patronized and met some really nice proprietors and proprietresses. It’s worth the trip up from Phoenix and would definitely to go back again.

As you can see, the snow came down with a vengeance on my last day but I made sure to enjoy every bit I could. This was my final trip of 2018. Looking back at all the places and memories I made in such a short period of time, and the people I met and may never see again, sometimes I can’t believe how lucky and blessed I am. I don’t know how much longer I’ll be able to travel like this so I’m making sure to never take it for granted.  Thanks for coming along for the ride. Cheers everyone…

Moscow Mule

Bordello

Festive line

Saguaro skeleton

Skeleton driver

Famous flamingos

Cold

Literally open

My own theatre

Jerome Grand

Ghostly

Snow catcher

Ghost City Inn

House of Joy

Trekking

J Mountain

Behold

I made this shot

Snow dunker

Champion

Vicky and I stayed at two hotels on the island. One walking distance from Grace Bay and another towards the northern tip of the island in a much more secluded and deserted area. I’ve been on beaches all over the world and that level of seclusion is something I’ve never quite experienced before. It was beautiful and something I’ll never forget.

When I wonder why I haven’t been back to The Caribbean in a while, I’m quickly reminded by the mosquitoes and sandflies that literally swarm on me and figuratively eat me alive. I’ve heard some people have a gene in there body that attracts all the flying, biting bugs and if that’s a real thing, I must have it. The price of paradise is often paid in bug bites and itchy legs but pain is temporary and memories follow us forever.

Since we were almost exclusively on the beach, most of the photos will be from there. I took some long exposure at the empty resort and made good use of my GoPro in the clear and warm water. I think the last time I swam that far into the ocean may have been last millennium. A time when I had no idea I would travel the world and have such a blessed life.

I made several good memories on this trip. By the looks of things, 2019 could be a good year for travel for me. I still plan on practicing my photography more at home this year as well. Either way, I’ll post what I like and hope you’ll join me for the ride. Stay safe out there Vicky and Buddy. I hope you achieve everything you want this year and into the future.