Travel Photography

Oaxaca

Oaxaca (pronounced wa-HAH-kah) wasn’t even on our travel radar, in fact we really wanted to go hiking in Canada but decided we’ve been putting off visiting friends in Oaxaca long enough. How did we learn of Oaxaca, Mexico? My friends are retired and have been wintering there for the last few years. Not knowing how we’d like the place, we came back home LOVING Oaxaca. This was our first venture into Mexico. It is located in the southwest, bordered by Veracruz to the north, Chiapas to the east, Guerrero to the west, and Puebla to the northwest. It is one of the most indigenous areas of Mexico. We actually visited twice in 2019. The first time was in February to visit friends and the 2nd was because after watching Coco, I wanted to see Day of the Dead (Dia de Los Muertos) at the end of October. It’s a place to go if you want to experience the authentic artsy and indigenous side of Mexico. Oaxaca is known for it’s textiles, pottery, indigenous culture, mole sauce, and it’s history. Continue reading →

Advertisement

Discover Banff & Gondola

Since I found out I am sensitive to altitude, we switched our Johnston Canyon Ice walk to Discover Banff. It would help If we could find a private tour for ice walking at our own pace but a 6 night trip is not enough time for my body to adjust to go at the pace of our guides. It was actually nice being on the tourist bus since I was winded walking up hills on this tour. Our guide who is from Wales told us it took him 6 months to get used to the altitude. Continue reading →

Big Horn Sheep

Bahhhh!!!! Male Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep can weight up to 300 pounds (140kg) and female up to 200 (90kg), they are native to North America. A very long time ago, sheep crossed over into North America over the Bering Straight land bridge from Siberia into Alaska. Continue reading →

Bow River & Frozen Rapids

The Bow River begins in the Rocky Mountains flowing through hills, prairies, and eventually running through Calgary, a city in the Canadian Province of Alberta. The river is an important source of water, providing drinking and irrigation. It’s water source is from the Bow Glacier. Continue reading →

Grotto Canyon Ice Walk

Grotto Canyon is located about 10-15 minutes from Canmore. We booked the Grotto Canyon Ice Walk with Discover Banff and to our delight, we had Anik as our guide again. The views are amazing while you walk on a frozen creek. You’ll be given cleats or spikes to walk. One of the coolest things about this walk is getting to see Hopi pictographs up-close. Continue reading →

Cabrillo National Monument

Cabrillo National Monument sits at the tip of Point Loma Peninsula in San Diego, California. The views of San Diego Harbor, skyline, Naval Air Station North Island, and Coronado are amazing. In 1932 it became as California Historical Landmark and on October 15, 1966 it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. Continue reading →

Aquarium of the Pacific

California Aquariums are pretty cool. We haven’t been to that many but we love the Monterey Bay Aquarium and California Academy of Sciences out of the few we’ve seen. When my cousin said that the Aquarium of the Pacific reminds her of the one in Monterey, it went immediately to our must-see list. Vic’s a fish by nature and if we had aquariums like this close to home, he’d volunteer in the shark tank to feed the fish and give demonstrations. Continue reading →

A Death & A Trip to Long Beach

My Dad died this summer and I haven’t really felt up for much so I thought I’d take a break from my Banff, Canada posts and start here. I’ve been feeling better since my trip to California to visit my Aunt and cousins. In fact, my cousin, her kid, and my Aunt spent time with my Dad in NY about a month before he passed. They felt bad for not going to the funeral but we felt it was better to end on the note of their trip. The wake and funeral were very small. Only 2 other relatives live in NYC except my immediate family. Continue reading →

Castle Mountain and Bow River

Eons ago…the universe was born.

Sometimes by starlight when the quiet sets in you feel as if you’ve descended into a little bit of heaven. Continue reading →

Lake Louise & Banff Ice Festival

Getting outside the city is a breath of fresh air. It took us many trips to figure out how we needed to travel. Since we don’t drive, most of our trips were to other cities. We like visiting cities but they feel too much like home in a different setting. A vacation is to getaway from it all. Banff was the perfect place to getaway and on this day, we were headed to Lake Louise.  Continue reading →