UPPER ANTELOPE CANYON | SPRING 2016

This tour was later in the afternoon, giving way to deeper purple and more orange hues. Read more about my trip to Upper Antelope Canyon here.

LOWER ANTELOPE CANYON | SPRING 2016

I love everything about nature, but there's something about deep red canyons that stays with me long after I come home from my trips. I haven't been able to forget this place since. I think it's the way the light shines through the cracks, how the dust dances along the walls and the long hollow emptiness of the walkways that makes this place even more beautiful. I wish we got to stay here longer (and with fewer tourists), but it was still worth it. Definitely on my list of places to re-visit in the future. 

To visit Lower Antelope Canyon, you will need to book a tour with Ken's Tour or Dixie Ellis. My friends and I booked our tour with Ken's Tour for $20. The tour was about an hour and 15 minutes. 

Tips: to photograph the deep purples and orange hues of the canyons, reserve an early morning or late afternoon tour time when the sun is not as high in the sky. To capture the popular sunbeams and light, book a tour when the sun is highest in the sky (around 10:00am to 12:30pm). 

taken with canon t3i

JASPER NATIONAL PARK | WINTER 2016

Jasper National Park in the wintertime is fog city heaven. Although Banff and Jasper were both stunning, I liked exploring Jasper a little bit more because it was less touristy and wilder. Anywhere we went, there was no soul to be found. We had the place to ourselves and it was the type of peace that just grabs you and sucks you in. Canada, you stole my damn heart. 

Abraham Lake, Jasper National Park

Athabasca Glacier

Sunwapta Falls, Jasper National Park 

Maligne Lake, Jasper National Park

Medicine Lake, Jasper National Park

Athabasca Falls, Jasper National Park 

BANFF NATIONAL PARK | WINTER 2016

Oh, Canada. This was place surreal. The Canadian Rocky mountains are so massive, so beautiful, and just so unbelievably stunning. No place has left me so emotionally in-tuned with nature the way Canada did. I hope you enjoy the little bit of photos that I took here. 

DEATH VALLEY NATIONAL PARK | WINTER 2016

Sand Dunes 

This was a day trip to Death Valley National Park in January 2016. Though it was wintertime, the weather was still extremely hot. My friend and I didn't include a lot of hikes in our stay, but there were a lot of great sights to see - sand dunes, canyons, and salted lands - and lots of peaceful drives down unpaved roads. More than anything, Death Valley is definitely worth visiting for the sunrise and sunsets. 

(Didn't include them in this post, I didn't take a lot of pictures during this trip. Sorry!). 

Badwater Basin

Zabriskie Point

Zabriskie Point

Dante's View

dusty barren land

I spent the first day of 2016 at Joshua Tree National Park. It was the best first decision I made this year. Besides all the cool rock formations,  I am in love with this place for the calming sunsets and the milky way night sky. We spent the day exploring the roads, napping on rocks, and mostly just enjoying being outdoors.

In the evening we hopped on over to Indian Cove to catch the sunset - barely made it in time only to realize the sun sets on the other side of the rocks, sigh. All was good though because it was a clear night, so we slept under the stars and marveled at the milky way & shooting stars. To say the least, it was an amazing start to the year. Thank you, Vivian and my brother Steve for being such a great company.