Marrakech, the arrival

Traveling can be stressful at times even if it is a magical destination. We arrived, with a delayed flight, and luckily had already planned with the Riad to get picked up. It was painless but passport control always proves to be a little difficult, no matter where you're going. Not like unmanageable difficult but the person checking papers seems to put on this I-hate-my-job face most of the time and the lines can seem like your waiting for a new drivers license at the DMV, endless. It took under an hour so we were happy. Since we are traveling with just our packs, yes ladies, just one, very small pack on our backs, with limited variety, we zipped through customs and found our driver. He was nice and boy, did he know how to drive. Taxi drivers are of a different breed, always knowing their way around and having such faith in the roads they travel and the other people on those roads. The streets are tiny and with cars, scooters, bicycles, people, people riding on carts pullled by donkeys or horses, and cats everywhere, I was a bit overwhelmed to say the least but I had faith in our driver. He was of that breed, a part of the taxi-man clan. 

As I look out my open window, I breathe deep and try and feel the place out. My apprehensions, trying to make their way to the surface but I swallow hard to keep them at bay, there is nothing to be afraid of. The landscape so parched of water, brown and beautiful, filled with palm trees, houses that are much different in appearance than my own, and people, literally everywhere. We had arrived at dusk and the sky was of perfect orange sherbert with hints of lavender towards the top escaping to the dark, dark skies above. As we travel to the riad, I'm acutely aware that we are in a much different place with different customs and rules. The energy here is fast moving, in every direction, making me swirl to a tizzy just trying to keep up and notice everything. We were at our riad before I knew it. The door opened and immediately it hits you, the noises, the smells, the what seemed like confusion but wasn't. Massimo, our Riad's owner met us and showed us the way. It was a small feat just getting there. Street names are not common and even if it had a name it wasn't visible anywhere to our eyes. We learned the landmarks to look for and took some mental pictures. I have to say after just a day here, it is much easier than first thought to navigate your way. We get to the riad, sit down, get our welcome gingery iced beverage and I notice my bag, not my pack with clothes and toiletries but my bag with passports and money, got left in the car. With the fast pace of everything, my nerves, and having my hands full of a shawl for around my shoulders, I totally forgot it. 

This is the worst thing to happen while away from home in a foreign land. With passports, money, credit card, and the only debit card we brought along this trip, all seemingly gone forever, I was almost in tears. I wasn't sure what was going to happen. Massimo, told me not to fret and after a little friendly jabbing, called the driver. Language here is Arabic or French, most people learn both starting in primary school. I'm proficient in neither, so a slurry of words being exchanged that sounded promising was all I heard. He had the bag! Let me repeat, he had the bag! I went with Georgina, Massimo's wife, to pick it up along with a very nice tip. The streets so full of life, energy moving every which way, its hard not to be distracted. The driver was just as elated to receive the tip, as I was to receive my bag. Everything was right in my world again and my heart was finally starting to slow down, panic attack was averted. We arrived back at the riad with smiles and a great lesson learned. The people here are wonderful, nice and friendly, and just as curious about us as we are about them. Most are not here to rip you off but make a living like the rest of humanity. 

The place we are staying in Marrakech is the Riad le Clos des Arts. I highly recommend it if you are going to be visiting Marrakech. A Riad was once a single family home built around an open courtyard. Most are now being converted into hotels, ours has 7 rooms to choose from, all decorated and themed in different colors. Georgina and Massimo, the owners, have put so much into making this a wonderful stay and are the most helpful with finding things to do and places to eat. We also got some tips and pointers from them about navigating the Souks. 

This Riad even had a pool on the top floor. It isn't a big pool but after walking around in the heat for hours, it is a welcomed sight. This is where we enjoyed breakfast most days too. There was a small kitchen on the roof as well as the main floor. This made distributing food easier. 

Ours was theTurquoise suit, including its own bathroom and a little extra living space. It was beautiful with so much attention paid to the details. I felt like a princess staying here. 

Half way through and our London adventures!

When traveling abroad you can be inundated with getting around, finding places to eat, and just understanding the language. Half way through the trip, I can't believe it. London was a welcomed destination, not only because it's an English speaking country but also because we have family living just outside of the city center. Don't get me wrong, Paris was a beautiful city with much to see; Notre Dame, the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre but the people were not the friendliest or the cleanest. Like it was someone else's job to clean up after them and pick up their trash and even their dog poop. Also they would just walk right in front of you with no concern for your presence. I'm not a tiny lady and by the end of 4 days in Paris I was ready to kick people or at least step on their feet. We were lucky to get some time with a good friend, Kenna. She was so great at showing us around and taking us to some local bars and restaurants. I would say that besides the cool things to see and do, she was my favorite part of Paris.

Back to our London fun time! We decided to stay a week here to connect with family, some had visited the states last year. I was looking forward to the inside scoop on the best pubs and Indian restaurants, as well as just checking in with how their lives were going. Our hotel was pretty much in the center of everything, the SOHO area. This was good for getting around, with many underground stops close by but man were there people everywhere all the time and at all hours of the day and night. The Underground or Metro is what we would call a subway, a myriad of tunnels taking you almost anywhere within and just outside the city. I love them and wish that Seattle or the Pacific Northwest would get on board with cheap, easy, environmentally friendly transportation. Yeah, there were times that it was a little crowded or certain lines were closed for maintenance, but so effective and way more affordable than your own vehicle. Can you say no car payment, no insurance payment, and no filling up the gas tank? Let alone there's no where to park in London and they drive on the wrong side of the road. That can just make walking around difficult. I was always looking the wrong way first when crossing the road, luckily we had some locals on our side. 

We had to hit some of the sights; the Tate Modern Museum, the Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, and many many pubs inbetween. We walked along the Thames River numerous times, watching buskers doing all sorts of things to grabbing some frozen yogurt to just walking around and people watching. I loved all the outdoor spaces that were available to anybody and everybody. There was an outdoor sandbox where many people brought their kids to play and a skatepark being used by all sorts of folks. Public spaces are just more prevalent and commonly used throughout Euroupe and the UK. The parks and green spaces always had people in them, day and night, with such a mixture of people just hanging out, socializing and in some cases even drinking. London being such a big city, had no shortage of outdoor spaces and put importance on having them accessible to all. 

There isn't a shortage of pubs either. You think there is a lot of drinking establishments in Olympia! Drinking at pubs is expensive at almost 5€ a pint, that's about $7.50. Those were the happy hour prices too. Drinking in public isn't legal but it's like if you're being responsible and not making a ruckus it's no big deal. People had more self accountability and weren't in the park to get drunk but instead they were there to hang out with friends and alcohol was present. Don't get me wrong, lots of people drank in pubs but the idea of a pub was that is was your local neighborhood hangout. Most of them, back in the day, had living quarters upstairs for the family who ran the bar. They close around 11pm to midnight so people can still make it to work the next day. Liquor is a whole separate thing with everything being measured. There is no free pouring so we stuck to pints cause it was more cost effective. We also learned that nobody tips in bars. That seemed so foreign for us coming from the states where the culture is to tip a $1 a drink. It did show in service at times but overall all the pubs were pleasant places to be. You could even stand on the street corner, with drink in hand, and nobody ran after you to leave your drink. Again, people were just self accountable and expected to not impede pedestrian traffic or walk away with the drink. We even got to meet up with our good friend, Jim Foley and his son Finn on their own European adventure. 

We got to spend some great quailty time with family, see some amazing things, eat great Indian cusine and are looking forward to exploring more upon our return. 

Travels continue ...

Two countries, my first high speed train ride, and lots of map navigating. I'm feeling much better too which makes travel all the more enjoyable. We don't have to deal with an airport for another week since we are taking advantage of the amazing train system here. This last week as been filled with so much, I'm not even sure where to begin ...  

Budapest, the capitol and largest city in Hungary, is filled with charming streets, ancient old everything, and a rich turbulent history. I was enamored at first glimpse, not just with it's beauty but also it's perseverance. It's considered one of the most beautiful cities and also one of the largest in the European Union. Budapest is split into the Buda and Pest sides seperated by the Danube River and geographically very different from each other. We stayed on the Pest side in the heart of the Belvaros or inner city. With this being the only place that my partner, Pit, had not been to we wanted to see sights but also wanted to just take in the city and get a feel for it's essence. 

St. Stephen's Basilica was one of those sights. It was not only grandiose but it housed the mummified hand of St. Stephen himself. He was crowned king by the pope in 1000 for being the first Magyar to accept Christianity. It was built between the mid 1800s to early 1900s but underwent major renovations in the 1980s after WWII seriously damaged it. Churches are almost always free to visit and the bells, on the hour every hour, are a welcomed sound throughout the city. I love church bells and this one was of significance because it was a gift from some private German citizens after the original one was taken by the Nazis and never recovered. We were lucky enough to even see an organ concert there; pretty special because they don't happen that frequent. There is something to be said about the accoustics in a place that big, it gave me chills. The organ was accompianed by a flute and an opera singer for some of the songs, which was an added treat since I truly appreciate the opera. 

The hills of Buda have been there forever but the surrounding castles got there start in the 13th century, thats right a long long time ago. The land known as Buda has had many inhabitants and lots of war in its history. One of the things that has stayed constant throughout the years are the bath houses. Some are reminants of old Turkish baths but most are from or were redone in the early 1900s and even more remodleling happened after WWII. Think public pool but on a much grander scale and with lots of guys in speedos and no shame. They had indoor and outdoor pools, thermal baths, and saunas. These thermal baths are said to have magical properties and are heated to perfect bath tempurature naturally, coming straight out the hills and from the depths. The Gellert Bath was the first to introduce a mechanical wave pool too. The changing rooms were separated by gender but not with very clear directions. I was almost naked, wet suit off, about to get dressed when a group of 4 guys walked through our lady side. No one seemed to mind so I didn't either, luckily I'm not a shy one. The look on their faces was priceless, not sure if it was the tattoos or the peircings but I'm pretty sure they'd never seen anything like it. 

The baths were not the only thing to survive all the years of turmoil. Budapest has many underground cave systems with much still being unexplored. We were lucky enough to visit 2 of them, the Pàlvölgyi and the Szemiö-hegyi caves. They say it can get chilly down below but it was downright cold in the caves. They were so interesting and foreign. Being that far below ground, 30 meters with another 26 meters you could go if you were an actual caver, felt different than being on a mountain top. I'm an avid hiker and living in the Pacific Northwest, am very lucky to have the Cascades, the Olympics, and Mt. Rainier real close to explore aytime I want. Being below the ground felt clastrophobic and some of the passage ways were tight and we weren't even in the difficult parts. We got to see sea shells and a sea urchin from a time long ago, crystals that had formed who knows when, and lots of earth, in all shapes and colors. The caves were beautiful and mysterious with so much unknown and so many layers. 

Budapest, like most of the European Union, offers squatters rights if a building is uncared for or unattended too. A person or group of people can come in and make it theirs. This is an amazing opportunity for creative spaces to come to life and actually get used and cared for without being purchased. The "squat bars" are like nothing I've ever seen. We visited two while there with one being on the rooftop of an abandoned building. Trying to find the entrance can be challenging since it's not alwayas marked that well. We found the doorway and walk through only to find two large men security gaurds. They pointed up the stairs and we were off, passing the empty floors that get used in the winter, and finally we make it to the roof. We didn't know what to expect but we were lucky to find the 10th Annual Budapest Short Film Festival happening. The other, much like the Griswalds building in Olympia, is a front facade and open in the middle. They had a little food stall in the front and again security gaurds. I think this is to keep the quite, so neighbors don't complain. We ordered our drinksand walked through. It is an open courtyard with some accessiblity to a second level on one side. Who knows what happens when it rains but I'm sure its full just the same. Dark and dingy but full of cool lamps, lots of plants, some old Trabants turned into seating areas, and everything inbetween. This one even had a old black and white movie playing on an empty wall. These places are hubs of creative juices but somebody was making a killing. 

There was just so much to see here. We spent 4 days walking around exploring, people watching, and that was still not enough time to fit everything in. I would have loved to see the countryside too but that gives us a great reason to come back. 

Almost a week away ...

I can't believe that it has been a week already. Time seems to fly by these days but especially when I'm adjusting to different time zones, learning new city streets, and still regulating my sleep schedule. Europe, at least the parts that I've visited so far, is 9 hours ahead of the states. Your whole body has a hard time adjusting to that kind of change, like when you eat, sleep, and I'll go there, even poop. I've not gotten a full nights rest since we've been across the pond and I think that has attributed to my now, very present, cold. I'm walking around Budapest looking like Rudolph, constantly looking for napkins to take or some toilet tissue to soften the blow. 

Being in need of anything immediate, cold medicine in my case, in a foreign country can be difficult but doable. Pharmacies are not always that easy to find and when you do find them, there is usually a language barrier. Today I was searching for a decongestant to stop the endless running of my nose and the pressure in my head. We found one close to our hotel and the young guy behind the counter was beyond helpful. He spoke broken english, which was welcomed, and he was more than willing to let me use hand gestures to explain my need. Decongestant found, or at least that is what I think it was since there was no english on the package. I'm hoping I feel better soon with the popping of these mystery pills and our little break at the room. 

That being said, I'm having a wonderful time and trying to just soak it all in! 

Amsterdam was everything I thought and more; lovely canals, beautiful old buildings, and markets galore. You can visit a church, smoke some doobies, and see legal prostitutes all on the same street, before dinner. The tolerance the city and its people have is admirable and there is no shame in people trying to make a living as they see fit. With on average 4.5 million visitors a year, everyone was pretty nice too with English being widely spoken. Only once in a bar did we encounter unfriendly behavior. A couple; she was nice and gave us directions while he was so unimpressed that we were Americans he couldn't be bothered. He only 'knew' of people from the states and gave us the impression it was beneath him. We thanked them and went on our way. I'm sure the locals get sick of tourists and their indulgent behaviors, I might if I lived there, but it is a tourist town after all and people are there to spend money or make it. 

The boats are abundant and varied. Some you can live on, some you can ride on, some you can park on, some you can work on, while others have seen better days. There are new boats and old boats, house boats and canal boats, tourist boats and work boats. In a city built around canals there is no wonder why boats are a main source of transportation. We took a canal cruise with Friendship Amsterdam boats and got a way different perspective of the city. It was nice to move around the city by boat after so much walking and feel like we were starting to know our way around. 

Bikes are abundant too and the other means of getting around the city. The culture around biking here is marvelous. Everyone bikes everywhere without exception; old and young alike. This almost got me hit a few times, since you not only have to look for cars but also bikes and locals move fast. The bikes are simple, 3 gear cruisers with hand brakes and are cheap to rent. We rented ours and hit Vondelpark, a green oasis in the city where many people and activities take place. Who knew there are just has many rules to biking as there are to driving and once we got the hang of it, we were feeling good but only took to the streets for a little jaunt around the outside gates of the park. 

In a city full of canals, it only makes sense to have bridges. The bridges are either full of parked locked-up bikes or cute little restaurants or in most cases, both. They utilize the space so effectively to maximum effect. Most are permanent structures with a few being drawbridges that are occasionally used for big boats or goods. They are all lit up at night and beautifully romantic to walk across. We even found one filled with love locks!

What makes a city but its buildings. Amsterdam is architecturally beautiful. The buildings are a mixture of old and very old, some from the 1600s, and most are leaning, using each other for support and purposefully slanted forward. Amsterdam is not built on solid ground and you can tell by being in the city and looking around. 

Amsterdam's diversity, wealth of history, and liberal attitudes are why I could see myself living here and think you should pack up, cross the pond, and see this place for yourself! 

less than 48 hrs' til take off ...

You know what it's like...

The cars, endlessly dropping off and picking up

The people, rushing around trying to get somewhere, anywhere

The security lines, boundlessly meandering through time and space but seemingly going nowhere

Finally,  

you get the call, it's your turn, you made it, and the process just starts all over again... 

The queue, flowing down the path ever so slowly

The rows, inviting an adventure to cram into the tiny space provided

The waiting, reading the latest edition of whatever's freshest till it happens

The sounds get louder as the air gets colder and the lights go darker. 

I always tend to hold my breath during those first few moments. 

The point it leaves the ground I feel free, excited for my journey and what's ahead. 

I know what I'm in for this trip, at least a little bit better than my last whirl-wind adventure around the globe a few years ago. I'm finally getting to a place of calm; where I'm just trying to absorb all the planning and organizing, the researching and packing, the love and energy that has gone into making this trip happen. 

Heres the journey ... 

We leave on Thursday for Amsterdam. Yup, that's tomorrow folks!  We are arriving to Thunderstorms but I'm actually looking forward to some early fall weather. Luckily, most of the activities that I will be partaking in are not weather dependent.  

We next head to Budapest, Hungary. It's actually Buda and Pest with the river, Danube, running between. I'm looking forward to checking out the Architecture and some of the worlds largest thermal water cave systems. 

It wouldn't be a trip to Europe if we didn't include Paris. We'll be there for a few days to soak in the sights; the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, the Catacombs, and visit with our good friend, Kenna. We are coming for you darling! 

We are hitting London next. Pit has family there and we want to connect. Some of the family came last year for a visit and I'm excited I will be getting to see them again and in their element. Also it is Helen's birthday and those are always fun to celebrate! 

After London we head to Morocco. That's right, northern Africa...Who would of thought? Not me, up until we decided to embark on this journey earlier this year. We are going to 4 different cities; Marrakech, Essaouira, Fez, & Casablanca, and I'm definitely riding a camel somewhere. We are even going on a Marrakech food tour.

Following Morocco, we fly to Barcelona for a long weekend of sunshine and more sights. I'm looking forward to seeing a bunch of Gaudi's work; La Sagrada Familia, Casa dels ossos, Park Güell, Casa Battló, and Casa Milà. We are also going on a side trip to Figueres, a town north east of Barcelona to visit the place of Salvador Dalí and his museum. 

All of this, is of course, subjective to life on the road. 

We have most of the trips main features booked, like places to stay but there are so many details that we get to fill in along the way. I'm ready to actually see these places with my own eyes, to be inspired by the world, to be opened up by all that is out there, to become a part of something bigger.  

  Hans Christian Anderson said it best ... 

To move, to breath, to fly to float, 

To gain all while you give, 

To roam the roads of lands remote, 

To travel is to live

Protesting for peace

Lately I've been compelled, compelled to stand, to stand and protest.

It's something not a lot of people actively do in this country. Call it complacency, call it fear, call it an 8-5 job that demands your time or kids to wrangle out of bed before getting ready yourself, or just not wanting to do it that day. I don't blame anybody or point fingers, everybody gets a choice. I think we get stuck into these cycles of living, and believe in ideas that came before us without thinking about them for ourselves. Maybe its the mass produced chemical-laced foods that we over consume on a regular basis and the TV programming that we naively listen too and watch but take for fact. It dumbs us down to the point of cattle, where we just blindly walk into the slaughter house of our true selfs, taking in everything but processing nothing. 

We forget or choose not to think about all that came before.
The struggles, the heartache. 

The ability to change.

I've been compelled, compelled to stand, to stand and protest. 

Preparing to go and then some ...

Leaving is not the hard part, but getting ready is!

I was born to journey, to go, to feel connected to the wanderlust that resides within us.

A long trip, 5 weeks to be exact, takes time to plan out. Not every detail of course but with the timing of our trip, late August through early October, we decided it would be nice to have a rough outline.  I've actually always liked outlines; just enough to get you going but not enough that you can't create your own story or change your mind in the end. 

 It is mesmerizing to explore all the options available to you in these far away lands from the comforts of your own home. For me that means, PJs and coffee in hand, drooling over all the awesomeness that is to come. There are so many tool these days too that help you get good accurate information. I use Travelocity.com and Tripadvisor.com for most reviews, tips, and traveler bewares. Also you can get contact information and connect directly with the hotel, which is recommended in some places. Especially the ones that are a little more remote like Morocco and parts of SE Asia.

I've spent months planning, looking, reading reviews, organizing, and connecting with people, trying to find the best of the best for our adventure. Not the best things really, but instead the simple pleasures, the most different, the weirdest and kindest things we can do the better. I want to see a different side of humanity. One that is not within the US confines of culture and media, social hype and stereotypes. I guess they'll have there own misrepresentations of the way things should be but at least it will be a divergent opinion from what I'm used too. I try and read some history too cause we are shaped by the things that come before, there is no way around it. 

Our trip, will be epic! 

5 weeks in Europe and Northern Africa, 6 countries, and lots of towns and cities in-between. My partner in crime is a seasoned traveler and a wonderful companion for this journey across the pond and beyond. We will be visiting family in London and a friend in Paris. We are luckily to have both during our travel abroad and are looking forward to getting a local feel and a trusted source on how to find the best French 75s. 

Where to go and what to see, you ask.
We will be traveling around Europe and hitting Morocco, yes Africa. 

It will be no surprise to anyone that knows me well, that my first stop had to be Amsterdam and the only place we'll spend time twice. The other emerald city in my heart! My life has been so influenced, both for the good and the bad, by a single plant. I've always been a lover of dirt and the things grown in it, I'm an avid gardner to this day, but this plant was very different. Things are finally starting to change in the states; People are seeing the medical benefits as well as the, unfortunate but inevitable, commercial benefits too. Amsterdam has always had acceptance for this style of life and activity. I want to see it, before its something of the past.

A beautifully old city, with deep history and scars, built alongside canals and open public spaces where you can partake in almost any of your heart's delights, all of them if need be, with no abasement from others.  I'm hoping for kindness, I'm longing to connect. 

Amsterdam, I come to you giddy, wide-eyed, yearning for an acceptance, a welcoming to the part of me most unknown and a side I'm so ready to explore....

May the journey begin ... 

Lake Siskiyou, CA with a side trip to Burney Falls

Camping, by default is badass but road trip camping is better!

You're in close quarters, hopefully with someone you like, for an undisclosed duration of time, that could change at any minute,  headed somewhere magical. I mean not always but most of the time there is this sense of fleeing the reality that is and going out into the world, into the woods, into the open space and filling it up differently.

    

Lake Siskiyou, CA was our destination. It's just on the other side of I-5 from Mt. Shasta, which is another beautiful spot in Northern CA. We had 4 days, our car loaded to the max, and an appetite that couldn't be sated for the sublime outdoors.

We arrived to the campsite 8 hrs later and this was there to greet us. We had arrived! The drive was beautiful and filled with the sounds of the Grateful Dead, Jack Johnson, and Bob Marley to name just a few. One a side note, I never knew or appreciated the Grateful Dead until a few years ago and many road trips later. We set up camp and enjoyed a local brew to call it a night.

I'm a morning person, always have been. I like to get up and watch the world take shape, energies stirring to life, things waiting to happen. Drinking my coffee before most people wake up is a normal occurrence. Camping is no different for me and my sweetie. We got up with the sun, made a little breakfast of bacon and pancakes (cause we're camping), drank some instant coffee

 

 and we were off to hit the trail for our monster walk around the lake and some exploration.


We headed out clockwise around the lake and it was beyond beautiful. The natural world is something else, it reminds me of untold truths and limitless possibilities.

     

       

  

         

This place is just so beautiful. We started in the trees but found there was so much more here than forest. Barren grassy lands with lots of California poppies, tons of dead old trees that birds where using as homes, and the water was so inviting. The walk, just over 7 miles, around the lake was not that difficult but even in the early morning when we got started it was already hot, hot, hot out. We had finished our 2.5L of water in the 2 hours it took us to explore and were sweaty ready for a dip in the lake.

This was our view of Mt. Shasta from the "beach" at Lake Siskiyou!

One of the neat things about camping here, besides the magnificent lake that was way colder than it looked, was that our campground was not only outfitted with a working bathroom, a few sites down, but the bathrooms had showers. I don't know about you but usually showers aren't an option while camping and it was a refreshing change this camping trip.

Rose with the sun the next day and decided to drive to McArthur-Burney Falls state park. It was a 30 min drive south east but so worth it. The falls are not the longest or the largest California as to offer but I think they are the most beautiful. Teddy Roosevelt even declared these falls "the eighth wonder of the world."

There was a 1.3 mile trail loop around the falls from the marina so we parked the car and headed out.

       

The trail was pretty flat, and an easy walk around. Beautiful fallen trees being reabsorbed into the earth. Birds, squirrels, I'm sure there were insects too, all making use of it, finding a way to make life from the departed. This being all being surrounded by healthily flourishing green trees and some volcanic ash too. We even crossed paths with a Pacific Crest Trail access point where I had a "Wild" moment... haha 

           

You can hear the falls before you see them. We get to little bridge above the falls, photo-op and continue on. The creek is Burney creek that helps feed the falls. We got peek-a-boo views of the falls through the trees as we made out way down the switchback trail. 

           

These twin falls are 129 feet high and accompanied by numerous plumes of water. The falls are feed by an underground aquifer so it flows year round even when Burney creek is dry. There was water flowing from every directions out of the rocks, not just at the twin falls. 

 As we proceeded down the path, we saw a fly fisherman actually in the water. I knew I had to get to where he was, a place most people didn't go. I jumped off the trail, slide down the rocky descent, and there I was at the bottom. I could feel the spray of the water hitting against my face, so invigorating. I felt connected to the earth in that moment; the powerfulness of the water rushing from somewhere unknown, the beauty that surrounded me from all directions effortlessly, the energy that was pulsating through everything, unseen, just being.

It felt good to be present, in the moment.
On our way out of the falls and back to the car, we miss a whole busload of tourists coming down to experience the magic of the falls. Luckily, we had gotten our private moment, well mostly private with just us and the fisherman.