“Spanish Inquisitions” (Andalucian Spain – May 23, 2015 to May 31, 2015)

…I drove up to the machine controlling the barricade, inserted the ticket to open the lever guard on our way out, and then suddenly when I pulled forward, we heard a brief crunch…

“Sensory Overload” (Morocco – May 13, 2015 to May 23, 2015)

…we got back to the cafe by the car park after crossing over the bridge fronting the dam. This included a small break where Mohammed went to the reservoir to put water on his shoes to cool off…

“Spring Breakaway” (Big Sur and Monterey, CA – April 2, 2015 to April 4, 2015)

Anyways, the road seemed busier than I would have expected for a weekday, and when we noticed that there were a ton of cars parked at a vista point, we were wondering what all the fuss was about…

“Fleeting Windows” (Angelus Oaks, CA and Forest Falls, CA – March 7, 2015)

I even overheard someone conversing amongst his own family saying something to the effect like “that’s why we come here; to get away from the craziness down there…” I couldn’t have said it better…

“Endless Summer” (Santa Barbara, CA – February 15, 2015 to February 16, 2015)

Julie was having doubts about stream scrambling, but given how dry the conditions were, I’m sure the stream scramble was now much easier than it would’ve been had we had to climb the waterfalls…

“Once Every Five Years” (San Antonio Falls – February 7, 2015)

…the air was noticeably thinner up here. I guess we were just getting old now as such effects didn’t really bother us in the past (or at least I didn’t remember it)…

“Dancing Trees” (Etiwanda Falls – January 24, 2015 and February 1, 2015)

The force of the winds were becoming even more apparent as we were driving through the local streets along both Base Line and Etiwanda Ave. That was because we saw a handful of downed trees and…

“Three Week Retry” (Sturtevant Falls – January 18, 2015)

As we were anxiously making our way up Santa Anita Ave, we ultimately got up to the twisty mountain road leading up to Chantry Flat. That was when we found ourselves following a caravan of…

“Kastom Kings” (Vanuatu – November 20, 2014 to November 30, 2014)

And on the ridge we traversed to get up to the final climb, Frederick pointed out the fresh new rocks that had landed on the very ridge we were walking just this past Monday…

“The Remaining Kingdoms” (Wales, UK and Cornwall, England, UK – August 31, 2014 to September 12, 2014)

When Julie returned to the car, she dropped me some bad news as we learned that there was a NATO Summit going on at exactly the two full days that we would be spending in Cardiff…

“Scotland Yards” (Scotland, UK – August 20, 2014 to August 30, 2014)

The GPS made it seem like it wouldn’t take long to get there. However, when we ultimately got to the B869 road, we saw that the single-track road persisted and was more dangerous than we thought…

“Being One With The Force” (Cotswolds, York, Yorkshire Dales, and Lakes District, England, UK – August 12, 2014 to August 19, 2014)

Outside, I could hear rain hitting the roof and the windows. The winds were also blowing pretty hard. The thought did cross my mind that I could very well do the 2.5-mile hike from the town of…

“National Mall Rats” (Nation’s Capital – June 9, 2014 to June 11, 2014)

In any case, I definitely felt like I was coming down with something as my congestion was now stuffing my nose. Fortunately, I was so tired that I was ultimately able to sleep, and I knew that I…

“Easter Surprises” (Monrovia Canyon Falls – April 20, 2014)

Ultimately, we would go on the familiar winding road up to Monrovia Canyon Park. We were worried about the parking situation here given the past troubles the last time we were here. At first…

“Recovery By Waterfalling” (Solstice Canyon Falls – April 13, 2014)

So we kept forward hoping perhaps to find a plaza or fast-food restaurant to stop at to see what was going on. But moments later, Tahia started puking. And it seemed like she was heaving quite…

“Our Pink-Eyed Pea” (Eaton Canyon Falls – April 6, 2014)

…there was a bit of unusual circumstances on our way out as we heard a loud circling chopper hovering right above the canyon. It was kind of ironic that we saw some memorial dedicated to “Arturo”…

“Waterfalling Independence” (Paradise Falls – March 30, 2014)

Then, we turned left at the familiar signposted junction for Paradise Falls. Tahia was doing quite well during the hike, and we were still proceeding with Julie in front and Tahia trying to play…

“Wild Goose Chases” (Ontario, Canada – October 11, 2013 to October 14, 2013)

But already, I was feeling a bit uneasy when I saw wet rocks and muddy spots on the descent. A slip and fall here could potentially be fatal. Even with the ropes tied to trees here…

“From Albany to Buffalo and More” (New York City and Upstate New York – October 10, 2013, October 11, 2013, and October 15, 2013)

…I attemped to cross above the rope. All it took was the first step and the slip of that step (without me losing my balance fortunately) to make me realize that the initial approach was too risky…

“Waterfalling Quebecois Style” (Quebec, Canada – October 4, 2013 to October 10, 2013)

After walking through the rain to the Auberge from the car park on the quai, I was finally in our room at 3:55pm. It turned out that our room was big and charming, and it was easily the best…