I woke up inspired from my visit to Acoma and I wanted to experience/learn more of pueblo culture while I could. I had looked up what the most popular attractions in Albuquerque were and found the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, a museum dedicated to the history and culture of the New Mexico Pueblos. It had really good reviews online. A couple of other visitors and I showed up right at opening only to find the doors locked. We weren’t sure if they were closed because it was Labor Day or if the staff was running a little behind.

While waiting outside of the doors I met a lovely, older couple, Joy and Arnold. Joy noticed my Virginia license plates and told me that she had lived in Richmond for her job a few years ago before moving back to New Mexico. We had an instant connection seeing that I lived in Richmond and still love the little city. I’m not sure how we got started on the topic but Joy told me she recently discovered that she is related to the Pamunkey Indian Tribe of Virginia. Arnold was born and raised in one of the local pueblos of New Mexico. Arnold proceeded to show me one of his hand made drums he had in his car and some silver jewelry he and his son made. Come to find out, he had donated one of his drums to the museum and wanted to come and see the display. Unfortunately, it turned out that the museum was closed for the day. Womp.

I told them all about my trip to the Acoma Pueblo the day before and they suggested I make a trip about an hour north to the Santo Domingo Pueblo. They were thrilled that I wanted to experience pueblo culture and insisted that the drive would be worth the trip, especially since it was the final day of their arts and crafts festival. They even had me follow them so that I didn’t have any trouble getting onto the highway. So sweet! Who knew I would meet the nicest couple in Albuquerque in a parking lot, let alone a professional pueblo drum maker.

Traditional dance and costume worn durning a performance.

A man working on some of the pottery he sells at the festival. The shimmer on the finished potter occurs naturally from the mica found in the caly.

Indian taco on frybread, purchased from one of the stands at the festival.

There were rows after rows of tables with various merchandise displayed: jewelry, pottery, blankets, knives and so much more. There was a small farmers market and a few food and drink booths too. Every so often a live band would come out and play or accompany a dance performance. All of the vendors were so nice and explained the materials that they used, the techniques they used, and how family members worked together. For example, one woman said she liked doing a lot of beadwork for jewelry but her brother enjoyed creating inlay stone pieces.

It was hot, in the 90’s, and dry. Every breeze blew dirt into the air and in my eyes and I was thankful for the shelter of all of the tents and cold water being sold (I have a pretty solid Teva tan from this visit). Somehow, I managed to spend several hours here getting lost in all of the rows, eating, speaking with different merchants, and playing with some of the pups hanging around. It was a really insightful day and far better than wandering around an air conditioned building, no matter how much I love museums.

Cute pup staying cool in the heat.

Acoma Pueblo in New Mexico

Just west of Albuquerque, New Mexico, the ancient Native American village of Acoma is located on top of a mesa. While still currently occupied, the village does not have any plumbing or electricity giving you the feeling of living in the past. Residents split their time between their family home on the mesa and their modern homes in surrounding villages located within the reservation.

Walking down the tiny dirt streets, there was a unique blend of old and new. Women and men came out of their homes to say hello to us and sell their hand crafted  jewelry and pottery. Everyone was extremely friendly and open about sharing their culture, explaining the different dialects of their language, the meanings behind their art, and what their history means to them. It was interesting to note that Catholicism and their traditional religion are both still practiced today.

While we were not allowed to take pictures of certain things like inside the church or the graveyard, we understood the sacredness of everything. There are many museums all over the country dedicated to American Indians but nothing beats the experience of going to an active village and learning from the community themselves.

17th Century San Estevan del Rey Mission Church

View from the South Rim

I spent a full day at the Grand Canyon.The park was full and it filled up fast with tourists from all over the world. Most of my time was spent walking around the South Rim of the Canyon and climbing down to various viewing points. Off of the rim trail there were different “stops” where you could grab a bite to eat at a grille or a lodge, do some shopping at Hopi House, or take a break from the heat in a museum. If walking to all of the stops was too strenuous, they offered a free shuttle bus. As soon as the canyon came into view you could hear all of the oohs and aahs from the crowd. Overall, it was a once in a lifetime experience.

View from the top of Moro Rock

Sequoia National Park, home to some of the largest trees in the world- the Sequoias, is located just south of Yosemite. Driving past the parks entrance on Generals Highway you were able to see these towering giants along the narrow, winding roads. I wasn’t sure what to expect other than trees but, there were plenty of trails to hike and sights to see.

Unexpectedly, the park was not terribly busy and I was able to walk into a campground and reserve three nights without a problem. I stayed in the Lodgepole village, which was fairly close to all of the main attractions and I had easy access to the free shuttle.

Giant Tree Forest

On my first full day, I took the shuttle to the Giant Forest Museum where the Giant Tree trail began. It was a loop that led around a meadow surrounded by huge Sequoias. On occasion, you would see two or three trees that had fused together to become one or hollowed out tree trunks you could fit in. The forest connected to a trail leading to General Sherman, the largest tree in the world by volume. The hike was pretty short, albeit extremely hot and dry. I wasn’t able to get a great picture of General Sherman for the fact the he was just too big!

General Sherman Tree

After, I decided to go to Moro Rock. The brochure said it was a strenuous climb but entirely worth it. They were right. It wasn’t hard, but it was a steep climb up narrow stairs with a 300 ft gain. The stairs were cut into the natural flow of the rock and often only one person could pass at a time. I was mostly chugging water the entire way up but the view almost made you forget about catching your breath. At the top, you could see miles of untouched mountain ranges and I even got the slightest bit of cell service up there.

Yosemite Valley

Earlier this week I had to make a change to my original schedule due to weather. I proceeded onto the next part of my trip which was driving along the scenic Pacific coast of California. I decided to head to  Yosemite, it wasn’t part of my plan but I was in California and had a week I had just nixed from the agenda. The National Park Service turned 100 and they celebrated all week long by having special programs and giving free admission to all of their guests.

View of Half Dome from Glacier Point

I stayed in Yosemite Valley at a walk in group campground, centrally located in the park. It was extremely inexpensive and I shared the site with two other couples. I was within walking distance from trails, “beaches,” markets, and the free shuttle that went between various points of interest.

Yosemite Valley

Bridalveil Fall dry due to draught

Black bears are prevalent in Yosemite and are known to break into cars and campgrounds looking for food. Everyone was always reminded to take extra precautions with food, trash, and toiletries. There was plenty of other wildlife around too. As silly as it sounds, one of the favorite things that I saw was a baby deer following a bird around a shrub in circles.

Highway 1, probably the most iconic drive in America, or so I’ve read. For those of you who don’t know, highway 1 runs along the Pacific coast, where you can see little beach towns, farms with cows, and a lot of ocean.

Originally, I had planned on stopping at Glacier National Park in Montana and swinging by Seattle after Yellowstone. Unfortunately, the cold weather (freezing and below at night) forced me to skip ahead in my trip. I was not physically or mentally prepared to jump from 90 degree weather to a measly 30 degrees. So, I jumped ahead to highway 1!

I’ve been doing a lot of driving in the last couple of days so I already knew that I would only be completing a fraction of the scenic route. From Yellowstone, I stopped overnight in Idaho- I came across a Five Guys and couldn’t walk away from their cajun fries (I had no idea Five Guys was all the way out there)! I started my drive in Bodega Bay in California, a little beach town north of San Francisco and drove all the way through San Francisco to Carmel. I saw a little bit of everything: winding roads on the sides of cliffs (guard rails not included), the massive Golden Gate Bridge , super colorful houses stacked on steep hills in San Francisco, and tons of surfers in the ocean.

My friend Kellie suggested I take a look into 17 mile drive. It is a scenic drive between Monterey and Carmel looking out over Pebble Beach. I made it right before sunset and it was entirely worth it. The houses were beautiful (mansions to little cottages) and the beach was gorgeous. It was a great way to end a long drive.

Golden Gate Bridge

Carmel By The Sea

Pebble Beach

Yellowstone national park pt. 2

With little to no cell service in Yellowstone,  you really do feel like you’re getting off the grid (think Ron Swanson). Occasionally, I’d get a bar in a gift shop or visitor center but if I took a step to the left or right, it was gone. I struggled to send a text or make a quick call to let people know I was still alive but I learned how to live without my phone permanently glued to my hand…other than to take pictures. It was was because there was so much to see and do. I’ve already told you about the wildlife in Yellowstone but, there are so many natural features that are equally amazing. Here are a few things that I made sure to see:

Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone: I went on a Ranger led canyon rim walk. Our Ranger guide took us through about a mile of a trail that traces along the edge of the canyon while discussing the parks history and teaching us about the canyon.After parting ways, I continued down the trail to Artist’s point to get a full view.

Mammoth Hot Springs

Old Faithful: Old Faithful was…faithful, erupting every 60-90 minutes.

Grand Prismatic Spring: This was probably my favorite place in Yellowstone. It was hot and steamy and even smelled like sulfur but, the colors were so vibrant.

Yellowstone National Park Pt. 1

Where wildlife is abundant and nature’s wonders are around every corner. The National Park Service celebrated its 100th birthday today and I was lucky enough to celebrate  in Yellowstone, our nation’s first park. The park is vast and for the most part untouched covered in trails, geysers, hot springs, canyons, bodies of water, etc.  I think the most exciting part of it all for everyone was seeing all of the animals in their habitat.

The Rangers are pretty strict on human/animal interactions and understandably so. This is their home and they always have the right of way.  From the second you drive through the gates, to  the campground, at visitor centers, and from any passing Ranger you are warned about the bears- how to avoid interaction and what to do if you encounter one. Scary stuff.

My mornings usually started around 6 or 6:30 so that I could drive past Yellowstone Lake and hang out in Hayden Valley. Here you are most likely to see several animals in the morning while they are most active and almost guaranteed to have a bison traffic jam. I was especially lucky, one of the mornings that I was passing through and I saw everything I could have ever imagined.

Every time you see a group of cars pulled over on the road that early in the morning you know something exciting is going on. The first time I pulled over I headed to LeHardy’s Rapids, all I saw was a group of people pointing in one direction across the water, I saw nothing. After asking a nice lady next to me what everyone was looking at she pointed it out. There it was, a Black bear laying in the water on top of a small elk. Only its head sticking out of the water. After a few minutes, it got up and started tearing apart the small elk. This wasn’t the Discovery channel, I was seeing this in real life! The husband of the nice lady told me that if I kept heading up the road for a few miles I would be able to see a Grizzly bear.

So I got in my car and kept my eyes open for a Grizzly. After a few miles I saw the Rangers and the group of cars and knew this had to be it. I had to park a ways away. When I got out I saw a group of people looking at something through a telescope, I thought, “not important I need to get to the bear.” After walking back and making my way down a little hill, I saw a Grizzly bear laying in the sun across the water. He had just eaten and looked like he was ready for an after meal snooze. He even got up, looked around, and readjusted his position.

I walked back to my car and decided to check out what everyone was looking at. Can you believe I walked away from three wolves in the valley?! The owner of the telescope let me look though and I could clearly see one grayish wolf and two darker wolves chasing a Mule deer. After, more wolves  came out and it seemed that they were just playing and running around together.

I don’t think I’ve ever had a better morning, or one where I was out and about willingly at 6 am. The animals here are wild and amazing but, only a fraction of what makes Yellowstone a truly incredible experience.

Male Elk

Bear claw mark

Elk

Grizzly bear across the river

Bison traffic jam

Not the boozy brunch you were thinking of. I spent my Sunday in National Parks, Forests, and in my car. One place I’ve always wanted to go and was at the top of my list when planning this road trip was Yellowstone National Park. One of my friends graciously pointed out that Mount Rushmore would be on the way and I’m glad she did.

Back up to last night when I decided to camp out in my new tent and gear and South Dakota decided to drop to about 45 degrees unannounced. Needless to say, even with all of my layers, I did not sleep well. My car was packed and I was back on the road by 7 am. By 7:30 I was already snapping pictures of stone chiseled presidents. It was a quick visit but incredibly worth it. Mt. Rushmore was so peaceful without the hoards of tourists. Before I knew it there was coffee in my hand and I was back out on the road.

My route led me straight through Bighorn National Forest, an unassuming green blob on my map app. It was so beautiful. I can’t even count how many times I pulled over or took a slight detour.

Well, I’m off again! Next stop Yellowstone. A forewarning, my cell service may be a little shoddy.

Bighorn National Forest

Mt. Rushmore South Dakota

Wyoming, The Cowboy State

Bighorn National Forest

Sprinkles Cupcakes ATM

Music Row

Reese Witherspoon’s Draper James

Gluten Free Red Velvet Cupcake from Sprinkles Cupcakes

J & J’s Market & Cafe on Broadway

Nashville mornings are quiet, really quiet. It probably didn’t help that it was overcast and a little rainy while I was there. I ventured out a little further from where I was staying to see a different side of Nashville. I knew I had to stop by Draper James but, it wasn’t open when I strolled through this part of town (Hillsboro Neighborhood I think). I still peeked into the windows and everything is so pretty! I’ve heard that the store itself was beautifully done and I could not agree more. Luckily, I spotted Sprinkles Cupcake ATM right next door and couldn’t resist, I mean how many times will you come across a cupcake ATM in your life? Nashville, I’ll miss you.