Africa, Morocco
Jonathan Jung
THE SAHARA

September 27, 2017

Today was a looooong drive from Fes to the Sahara just outside of the city of Merzouga. A friend of a friend runs the Sahara Garden. Brahim coordinated everything for us and welcomed us upon our arrival with open arms. Truly an amazing human being. We were welcomed with dinner and singing and dancing around a bonfire.

THE SAHARA
Africa, Morocco
Jonathan Jung
CHEFCHAOUEN

September 24, 2017

Our second stop in Morocco was the blue city of Chefchaoen. A small city located up on a hill, wandering thru the medina surrounded by so many shades of blue was quite a different experience from Tangier. We stayed at Casa Perleta, a small bed and breakfast recommended by our friend. It was perfectly located within the upper hill area of the medina. The blue hues of the walls of Chefchaoen are believed to have originated when the Jews came while escaping Hilter in the 1930s. The blue is said to serve as a reminder to lead a spiritual life while symbolizing the sky and heaven.

CHEFCHAOUEN
Europe, Iceland
Jonathan Jung
ICELAND - CHASING THE AURORA BOREALIS

September 11 - 15, 2017

Enroute to our close friends' wedding in Greece we found a cheap flight to Paris via Reykjavik, Iceland and decided to take advantage and do a little stopover in an effort to (fingers crossed) see the northern lights. We decided to restrict our few days to just the southern highlights along the coast. The first thing we noticed was that even though it was supposedly shoulder/low season in Iceland there were significantly more people than when we came the year before in August.

ICELAND - CHASING THE AURORA BOREALIS

United States

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ARCHES NATIONAL PARK

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ARCHES NATIONAL PARK

The both of us had visited Arches a couple years back but it was awesome to come back another time. We decided to do the short three mile hike to Delicate Arch. What an incredible formation! We're still in awe of how the heck this thing formed, but it's a thing of beauty, sitting by itself out in the open. The weather was awesome when we got up to the arch. As we began our hike down it began to drizzle, then rain, then pour, and then hail until we finally reached the car. It was cold…but actually refreshing too.

- Allie and Jonathan

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CANYONLANDS NATIONAL PARK DAY 1

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CANYONLANDS NATIONAL PARK DAY 1

Feeling pretty small here in Canyonlands. This place is UNREAL. I don’t know how my family missed this place on other trips, but this is a definite must visit place. The first day we hiked to Grand View Point, White Rim Overlook and Mesa Arch. All amazing.

This is one of our top parks so far. The views are just completely insane.

I’ll let the photos speak for themselves.  

- Jonathan

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CAPITOL REEF NATIONAL PARK AND GOBLIN VALLEY STATE PARK

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CAPITOL REEF NATIONAL PARK AND GOBLIN VALLEY STATE PARK

Both of these were just a stop thru for us on our way from Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument to Canyonlands. Lots and lots of driving! Nonetheless, each was definitely worth the stop. Capitol Reef has some awesome canyon views with some incredible colors and all the hikes are fairly short. Not too far away is Goblin Valley, which was a fun place to wander around amongst the “goblins”. We are now a few days ahead of schedule, so we had to rearrange the entire itinerary!  

- Allie and Jonathan

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HORSESHOE BEND AND THE TOADSTOOLS

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HORSESHOE BEND AND THE TOADSTOOLS

After our stop at Antelope Canyon, we couldn’t help but drive down the road to Horseshoe Bend. What an incredible view for such a short hike. We hung out for a bit til the crowds dispersed to get some good shots. The next day we hiked a short day hike to The Toadstools in Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument after failing to win the lottery to hike the Wave yet again. Pretty cool spot with some balancing rocks and some insane color changes from white to red to white again as you go up the layers of rock.

- Allie and Jonathan

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ANTELOPE CANYON

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ANTELOPE CANYON

A lot of people and reviews say the crowds are insane. Well…we went anyways, we just couldn’t resist ourselves. We opted for the lower canyon, which is narrower and tends to be less crowded. Yea, it was a little rushed and crowded at times, but it’s still a beautiful place -with surprises and amazing views at each turn. Definitely worth the visit. I can only imagine what it’s like with no one there.

- Allie and Jonathan

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DEATH VALLEY NATIONAL PARK AND VALLEY OF FIRE STATE PARK

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DEATH VALLEY NATIONAL PARK AND VALLEY OF FIRE STATE PARK

Lots of driving this trip. We decided to take a drive thru Yosemite on the way to Death Valley and took a lunch stop at Tenaya Lake. The weather was perfect. We spent the first night at Eureka Sand Dunes in the northern area of Death Valley, the tallest sand dunes in California and maybe even the western US. The campgrounds are dry, meaning no running water and no flushing toilets, but there is a lonely pit toilet. One of the benefits of camping here is how remote it is. Once the sun went down, the night’s sky wasn’t subject to any light pollution. We sat out in our beach chairs and stared up at the sky for a few hours before going to bed. The next morning we drove thru Death Valley and out to Valley of Fire State Park. This is a random little park just outside of Las Vegas. The red rocks literally pop out of nowhere. We were supposed to camp our second night here, but failed to follow our itinerary and pushed on. The campgrounds there were pretty awesome too. Guess it will have to wait for another visit in the future.

- Allie and Jonathan

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GRAND CANYON DAY 11 AND 12

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GRAND CANYON DAY 11 AND 12

This area of the river was affected by lava flow a long time ago. Remnants of lava flows can be seen surrounding the river. Vulcan’s Anvil is a volcanic remnant that towers in the river a mile above Lava Falls, a lava plug from the past. I didn’t even know there was historic volcanic activity in the Grand Canyon until this trip.

These last two full days of the trip bring us to a close, sadly. Both of us feel like we could stay on the river forever. This trip has been incredible and amazing. The Grand Canyon will now and always have a special place in our hearts and minds. We will definitely be back!

Thank you to our incredible guides (Jeff, Jason, John Dunn, Ted, Brie, Matt, Trevor and Bill). This was truly a trip to remember.

Thank you Grand Canyon Whitewater!

- Allie and Jonathan

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GRAND CANYON DAY 11

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GRAND CANYON DAY 11

Lava Falls… this was the biggest, most fun rapid of the whole trip. This rapid truly lived up to the hype. Although we were warned to hold on with both hands, I clearly didn’t listen and ended up with this cool video instead :oP.

But in all seriousness, the guides did an amazing job thru this rapid. Every run is different and rapids change daily depending on water levels, debris runoff from side streams flash flooding. Anything can happen and this rapid scared each of them. It would be scary for us as passengers if they weren’t scared to be honest. Their respect for the power of the river is important.

Props to all our guides for getting everyone thru this rapid safely.

- Allie and Jonathan

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GRAND CANYON DAY 10

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GRAND CANYON DAY 10

Time for some AWESOME day hikes. Just below Olo is Matkatamiba Canyon. A short scramble up a very narrow slot canyon takes you to a wide side canyon with clear pools and streams a side cavern and large courtyard. Best of all it’s in the shade! A little bit further down the river is Havasu Creek. The clear waters of Havasu Creek mix with the Colorado at its entrance. The difference in clarity and temperature creates a very cool mixing effect. We spent a few hours swimming upstream and floating back down Havasu Creek. What an amazing place, a true oasis almost of another world somehow just off the side of the muddy waters of the Colorado River. Insane. We pulled in to camp at Tuckup around mile 164. Tomorrow morning we will raft the biggest rapid of the Grand Canyon, Lava Falls.

- Allie and Jonathan

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GRAND CANYON DAY 9

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GRAND CANYON DAY 9

The day hike today was to Deer Creek Falls and up Deer Creek to The Patio. What an incredible hike, scrambling up a steep trail to edging along a narrow trail hundreds of feet above a slot canyon with a running creek. Not advisable for those fearful of heights. The destination, The Patio, is worth it though, the slot canyon opens up into an area with large flat areas to relax under the shade of the canyon walls and cottonwood trees. Small pools and waterfalls surround the area. A longer hike takes up further up the side canyon to the origin of the creek, an opening in the redwall with a small waterfall. At the bottom of the hike, right next to the Colorado River is the the massive Deer Creek Falls, much too high to stand directly under without getting crushed, but the blast of air and mist feels amazing after a long hike. We pulled into camp in the mid afternoon at Olo around mile 146.

- Allie and Jonathan

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GRAND CANYON DAY 8

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GRAND CANYON DAY 8

Today we hiked up a slot canyon to Elves Chasm, a green haven of clear pools, dripping moss and ferns. Unfortunately, the pictures we have of the small falls weren’t that great. In the slot canyon we were treated to some great music from our guides Ted and John Dunn. Nothing like relaxing to some chill music in a canyon far far away from the rest of the world. We pulled into camp that afternoon at Stone Creek. Just up the creek from camp there was a small cascade which was nice to rinse ourselves off in, quite refreshing from the muddy waters post thunderstorm.

- Allie and Jonathan

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GRAND CANYON DAY 7

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GRAND CANYON DAY 7

Deeper into the Granite Gorge, Day 7 was filled with rapids from Mile 95 thru 109. Vishnu Schist, millions of years old, formed by high pressure and heat invade the canyon walls. This area of the canyon differs dramatically from the upper canyon’s clear layers, almost feels like we’re somewhere in middle earth in Lord of the Rings. When we woke up in the morning the color of the river was a deep reddish brown, likely from all the flash flooding of the side canyons and streams pushing more debris and sediment into the Colorado River. This video is of Granite Rapid, rated a 7-8 and dropping 18 feet in total, the first rapid of the day. Today we cruised thru Granite (7-8), Hermit (7-8), Boucher (4-5), Crystal (7-10), Tuna Creek (5-7), Lower Tuna (4), Sapphire (6), Turquoise (2-4), 104 Mile (5), Ruby (4-5), Serpentine (6) and Bass (3) before setting up camp at Bass. Lucky for us it was a hot day and being wet was a welcome feeling to cool us down in the heat.

- Allie and Jonathan 

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GRAND CANYON DAY 5 AND 6

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GRAND CANYON DAY 5 AND 6

Day 5 was full of rapids. One of the boats actually got squarely stuck amongst two rocks in Unkar Rapid (John Dunn’s boat along with all the kids). Luckily John was able to put all the weight in the front of the boat and use an oar to pry the boat off the rocks, all with the parents (former Marines) watching from the shore. No pressure… The day hike was a stop by some old Indian ruins that were pretty well preserved. Don’t have any great photos from that stop, but very interesting how the bases of the structures are still preserved and shards of old pottery could be found around the site. Night 5 was our first great sunset.

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GRAND CANYON DAY 4

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GRAND CANYON DAY 4

Every morning we wake up bright and early to the announcement of “HOTTTT COFFEEEEE” at around 6AM. Breakfast shortly follows and we’re packed up and on the river by 8AM. The toilet (only used for #2 in the morning and at night) is named Oscar after someone who was apparently annoying enough to have the shitter named after them. As Jeff, our lead guide said, “there’s one in every group, so look around and if you don’t see them it might just be you.”

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GRAND CANYON DAY 3

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GRAND CANYON DAY 3

We woke up this morning and did a short morning hike up South Canyon to a small trickling waterfall. A few miles down river we stopped at Redwall Cavern, a vast chamber carved by the river. Major John Wesley Powell, who led an exploratory expedition thru the full canyon in 1869, estimated it could seat 50,000 people. After some medium rated rapids, we stopped to set up camp at Saddle around mile 48.

- Allie and Jonathan

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GRAND CANYON DAY 1

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GRAND CANYON DAY 1

One of the first rapids from Day 1, I believe this is Soap Creek, rated a 5-6. Typically rapids are rated on a 1-6 scale, with 6 being basically impossible and 1 being easy. However, the Grand Canyon is rated on a 1-10 scale. The backdrop looks fake, like it's a painting. This place is insane.

- Allie and Jonathan

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GRAND CANYON DAY 1 AND 2

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GRAND CANYON DAY 1 AND 2

Woke up bright and early before the sun came up to drive up to Lee’s Ferry for the first day of our 13 day/12 night Grand Canyon voyage with Grand Canyon Whitewater. The water starts out near crystal clear and a cold 50 degrees F, but the Paria River quickly puts that to an end with its muddy brown waters. We would soon find that one of the most awesome parts of this trip would be that every single campsite we stayed at had beautiful fine sand beaches and stunning views of the canyon. The first day we hit a couple rapids and camped at Hot Na Na around mile 17. Day 2 we stopped for a quick day hike up North Canyon where the rock walls of the canyon seemed more like waves that you wished you could somehow skate or surf up and down. We set up camp that night at South Canyon around mile 32.

- Allie and Jonathan

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GRAND STAIRCASE ESCALANTE NATIONAL MONUMENT

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GRAND STAIRCASE ESCALANTE NATIONAL MONUMENT

We went here with the mission to get permits to hike The Wave. If you haven’t heard of this hike, google “The Wave Grand Staircase” and take a look at the pictures. It's insane. So here’s the deal…only 20 people per day are allowed to hike in the Coyote Buttes North area. 10 of those spots are done thru an online lottery 4 months prior. The other 10 spots are done in a lottery for those who show up the day before they want to hike.

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BRYCE CANYON NATIONAL PARK

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BRYCE CANYON NATIONAL PARK

All formed by erosion, the hoodoos begin as long tall fins of rock and slowly erode to form windows and eventually hoodoos. Native Americans believed that hoodoos were “legend people” who were turned to stone by the trickster coyotes. 

The first night we drove the scenic route and just stopped at the many overlooks throughout the park. The view from above was amazing, but the following morning we hiked Queen’s Garden and the Navajo Loop descending down into the hoodoos. It's one thing to see these from the rim of the canyon, but being down below is a completely different viewpoint and definitely worth the trek.

- Jonathan

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ZION NATIONAL PARK - THE NARROWS

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ZION NATIONAL PARK - THE NARROWS

This was mine and Allie's second time doing the Narrows hike, and first time in a long time with my parents. When we were kids, my brother and i were too young to bring on the hike, so we only ever made it to the beginning and just played in the water building rock dams apparently. So this was our chance to give my parents the full Narrows experience. Needless to say…they loved it.

The Narrows hike is rated as one of the top 10 outdoor adventures by National Geographic. A definite must for anyone visiting Zion.

Make sure you rent shoes and a walking stick!

- Jonathan