wedding-bells

Doubtful Sound

Published March 11, 2017

Queenstown ⇨Lake Manapouri ⇨Doubtful Sound

2 buses, 2 boats. 7:15am pickup, 8pm return. FULL day – but first, a 3-mile pitch-black run along Lake Wakatipu thru Queenstown Gardens. Would purchase a flashlight later in the day – last time getting spooked in the early a.m. 🙂

2 hour 45 minutes west over the Southern Alps to Lake Manapouri. Box lunch purchase, then ferried ‘cross glacier-fed water, where a 2^nd motor coach awaited. Travelled on New Zealand’s most expensive road over Wilmot Pass, stopping twice to walkabout/experience the dense rainforest of Fiordland National Park. Clouds parted, sun appeared – snapped several shots of Deep Cove, our catamaran entrance on West Arm.

3 hour cruise thru pristine water, surrounded by lush volcanic mountains. If you’re limited on funds, this is the one place to splurge. Just WOW! Gotta/hafta/must [see] Doubtful Sound (or Milford Sound) on NZ’s Tasman Sea.

Doubtful Sound was named ‘Doubtful Harbour’ in 1770 by Captain Cook, who did not enter the inlet as he was uncertain whether it was navigable under sail. It was later renamed Doubtful Sound by whalers and sealers, ‘though it is not technically a sound but a fiord.

Beautiful sunshiny day. Deep Cove to Crooked Arm, Crooked Arm to First Arm, First Arm past the Shelter Islands.

Fur seals sunbathed on the tiny boulder-faced islands, last land before entering the turbulent Tasman Sea. Boat lurched in ocean waves – up, back, side-to-side – before turning back, returning to the Sound.

Extra time available so…explored First Arm’s inlet waters. Stopped our Patea Explorer, cut the engines entirely. Ship staff asked for 2 minutes of silence, [would be] the day’s most memorable takeaway. Island waterfalls splashed, saltwater lapped against our drifting vessel. Silence. Emotional, visceral & exotic.

Easy half-day adventure tomorrow – panning for gold…in New Zealand.

: Queenstown ⇨Lake Manapouri ⇨Doubtful Sound

: Fiordland National Park

: Deep Cove

: Crooked Arm

: Shelter Islands

: SEALS!

: the Tasman Sea

: First Arm

…meanwhile, far far away in New Jersey — Ash’s bridal shower; next up: a Colorado wedding

: Maid-of-Honor

: Mom

: Mom-in-law

Posted in New Zealand | Tagged watercraft, wedding-bells, wildlife | 1 Comment

zoo lights & wedding bells

Published November 26, 2016

Running December 2 until January 1, is one of Denver’s most anticipated events, which is a great opportunity for folks of all ages to enjoy the holidays or kick off the New Year with family, friends and colleagues. Zoo Lights will span through 70 acres of Denver Zoo’s campus, with nightly entertainment, animal encounters, Santa meet-and-greets and, of course, illuminated animal sculptures that swing through trees, jump across lawns hide in bushes and appear in places where they’re least expected.

Special Friday nite preview, day after Thanksgiving – timing couldn’t be better, 4 tickets please 🙂 20 minute drive to Westminster; piled into Ash & Tom’s SUV for my first-ever evening trek to the Denver Zoo. Christmas tunes, festive lights & hot chocolate. Notta lotta animals visible in the dark, however the Zoo’s indoors enclosures & aquarium were crowd-packed. Ice sculptures, elephants, giraffes, river otters, bats, crocodiles, birds, exotic fish & reptiles. Much to see & do.

Nite concluded with cards & board games (M/cards, Ash/Clue champ…yet again), tomorrow a.m. road trip.

Been 3 years since Tom ‘popped the question’ to Ash on Pikes Peak. May 2017, it finally becomes official – the kids have scheduled their Colorado wedding in Silverthorne, a mountain community just outside of Breckinridge (west of the Divide). M & I tagged along, as Ash & Tom reconnected with their event planner Saturday morning. Food, check. Bar, DJ, Lighting – check, check, check. Centerpieces, glassware, tables/chairs, discussion ‘bout the dance floor. Whole lotta details.

Only surprise centered around the couple’s outdoor ceremony – appears a large building will soon obstruct their natural Colorado 14er backdrop. ARGH! Plan B: wedding photos before the ceremony (mountain meadow per the bride’s request), vows exchanged river side. In the event of snow, an impromptu set-up will happen at the Pavilion.

MUCH appreciated the opportunity to see/hear/watch Ash & Tom finalize wedding details. Excellent way to end the long holiday weekend – yet another thing to be thankful for 🙂 my gift? the couple’s honeymoon. Stay tuned.

Denver Zoo Lights

: holiday lights, animals too!

: Colorado Christmas season

Silverthorne Pavilion

: a family fave, the Happy Hooker

: early a.m. kahlua & coffee

: hearty breakfast – LOVE LOVE this place!

: beautiful mountain location, just outside of Breckinridge

: bride with a vision

: details, details, details

: view from above (2-story venue)

: river to your left, mountains on your right

: Memorial Day weekend, mark your Calendar! (no marathons allowed)

July 5 2013 (Pikes Pikes proposal)

Posted in Denver Metro, Family | Tagged wedding-bells, zoo | Leave a comment

American Rockies meets Canadian Rockies

Published June 18, 2016

Ticket in hand, Friday night flight – next stop: Calgary, Alberta.

Sunday would be my first O’ Canada marathon, first race outside the U.S., my first in kilometers. Hold on, rewind – that’s still 2 days away. BANFF! Bucket list destination. Similar to Montana’s Glacier Nat’l Park last July, sometimes the marathon run is only a small subset of life’s Master Plan. I’m going to Banff Nat’l Park – heart of the Canadian Rockies. YES!

Rental car pick-up, hour drive to my Canmore lodging (short 20 minutes from the Park). Struggled motoring in kilometers. Gave up holding 80 on open highway, opted to stay with traffic – cruising 120 kph across the flat prairie landscape.

45 minutes in, the Canadian Rockies towered ahead – HUGE, spectacular. WOW!

Hotel check-in, quick bite to eat. Most amazing part of the evening? Met – in person, in the flesh – my favourite blogger OF ALL TIME.

Started reading Sarah’s Nunavut-based blog posts while trapped in my NYC metro-train commuter life, 5+ years ago. Sarah left behind her comfortable Ontario home, took a job in the Canadian Arctic & shared her adventures online: sarahontheroad.com HUGE fan. Ice fishing, polar bears, Inuit narwhal hunting, the Northern lights – telling ya, hooked.

KISMET. Booked my marathon spot last Fall. Meanwhile, Sarah took a professor position at a Toronto area university & left Nunavut. FaceBook messenger mid-May: Sar’s heading West for a cousin’s wedding. Just outside of Banff…in Canmore, Alberta. On the same EXACT weekend as my first Canadian marathon. Folks, can’t make this stuff up. KISMET 🙂

Saturday a.m. – curbside pickup. Banff in Sarah’s Jeep Liberty. [You didn’t think that kinda lead up was gonna end with late nite burgers? Come on. Kismet, remember?]

Towering snow-capped peaks. First stop: Lake Louise.

Clear, pristine, turquoise hue. Mountain reflection on the lake reminiscent of Colorado’s Maroon Bells. Quiet. No words. Just WOW! With as much solo trekking as I do – gotta say, life’s best memories are much better shared. Full heart.

Next stop: Lake Agnes. Back in Sarah’s rental? Heck, no. 2-mile hike UP. My kind of day. FAAANNNTASTIC!

UP UP UP thru towering lodgepole pine. Iconic views of Louise below. Mirror Lake. Waterfall. AND…a tea house.

LAKE AGNES TEA HOUSE

An iconic Banff & Lake Louise experience, accessible to hikers of many abilities.

The Lake Agnes Tea House was built by the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1901 as a refuge for hikers. Climb steadily on a forested trail, past Mirror Lake and the waterfall that cascades out of Lake Agnes, before arriving at the idyllic alpine waters of Lake Agnes and enjoying speciality teas and delicious homemade baking.

The family-run Tea House has no electricity or running water. Some supplies (such as flour and sugar for the baking) are flown in by helicopter at the start of the season, but all fresh food is packed up the trail by the staff.

The hike to the Tea House starts on the shores of Lake Louise near the Fairmont Chateau Hotel and climbs uphill on a wide switch-backed path for 3.6 kilometres (2.2 miles). It is rated as a moderate trail and takes most people around 1 to 2 hours, more or less depending on fitness level. The elevation gain is 400 metres (1,312 feet).

The Lake Agnes Tea House is open from early June to October (Canadian Thanksgiving).

Added a jacket & ordered a pot of herbal. Long soak of my alpine surroundings while the tea seeped. How many times in life is THIS gonna happen, right? Amazing life. Just WOW. Mountain weather turned ‘round the noon hour (just like the American Rockies) – light rain, lower elevations…snow on the peaks (but no lightning 🙂 ). Quick [downhill] hike return.

Bib pickup at Banff’s Curling Club – my favourite winter Olympic sport. Ok, maybe not top-top favourite…but always crazy intrigued when they bring out the broom & stone. Kinda like watching bowling on ice. Go Team Canada – gold medalists past 3 Olympics.

Early shut-eye before tomorrow’s first 42.2? Heck no.

What’s a marathon without a pre-race Canadian wedding, right? LOL> Wee bit weird attending a wedding party not knowing either groom nor bride. No regrets though – learned how to properly hold a hockey stick…it’s Canada, eh? 🙂

He said, she said — check out Sarah’s version below.

https://sarahontheroad.com/2016/06/the-american-rockies-meets-the-canadian-rockies/