acadia national park, maine

I'm so thankful Meg was all like "let's go to Maine" for Labor Day Weekend. I had never been and it felt like our final impulsive summer roadtrip for the season. We had one last long weekend to get out of dodge before both of our schedules filled up with a lot more obligations. I've just passed my 11th year anniversary of moving to New York City, and the more roots I grow here having a place of my own, the more I want to invest in my little corner. Adulting: le sigh.

I'd like to say becoming an official New Yorker also means becoming well versed in all of the New England getaways, right? Well, I will definitely dream of becoming a Maine regular with age. Our little travel squad of 3 couldn't have loved Maine more on our 3-day weekend. (Charley, the family dog who also goes by Charles the Feminist, proved to be quite the pro at the hiking and camping bit too!)

Though it's about an 8 hour drive from NYC, we made it in record time thanks to waking up super early to avoid traffic and the 90s hip hop station. Upon arrival, we set up camp at Blackwoods Campground and headed over to explore the seaside at Bass Harbor Lighthouse in the late afternoon light. I had my first ever proper lobster dinner complete with local blueberry beer with little blueberries floating around in it. Charles happily sat at our feet (and flirted with everyone else there) on the deck of the restaurant as we enjoyed the sunset over a bay of sailboats... I'd say that's a pretty good welcome to Maine. 

If you visit Acadia National Park, going to the top of Cadillac Mountain to see the sunrise is hands down the top thing you should do (pun intended). It's the highest point in the North Atlantic seaboard and the first place that you can see the sunrise in the USA for the majority of the year. You won't be alone in your venture and you'll have to get a head start (sunrise was at 5:50am), but there's enough room for everyone to find their own rock to enjoy the panoramic views of the sun drenching up over the hundreds of little islands in view. 

We took a pitstop for breakfast at the Sunrise Cafe in Bar Harbor for a refuel before a few hours of hiking. It was comfy and crepes may have been involved... Charley was a champ on our hike, making it up several impressive scrambles, surveying the area around Bubble Rock, and strutting his stuff around Jordan Pond. I may be the last person on Earth to learn this, but walking around with a dog is the best way to make a lot of friends. We stopped and met many new friends on our walk around Jordan Pond (which is a beautiful mixture of planks, paths, and rocks) and once we crossed the halfway point to make our way back around the other side of the loop, we met those cheerful familiar faces again. Several of them said how they had been talking about how cute Charley was for the past 30 minutes since we last saw them. It's a really tough life being a Westie in Maine.

Though Acadia and Mount Desert Island were an epic start to our laborious Maine vacay... the island hopping was just beginning. 

blue mountains, jamaica

It’s a weird place to be in when you choose to make yourself a sleep-deprived, stressed-out human being. I don't think I am alone in this; it's an easy spot to find yourself in.  You want to do all the things whether it's being successful at work, having the grandest adventures, or even just managing to keep the 4,938 parts of your life together.  The thing is it's not sustainable - or at least it is not for me.  

Throughout this past winter, I took my hibernation seriously and by the time spring arrived I was ready to bust out of survival mode.  My program offers a 6 week study abroad so my new year's goal became to have my life organized enough to take advantage of that opportunity.  Also, did I mention one of the options was to go to Jamaica?  Who doesn't want to spend spring soaking up the sun and enjoying all things island life?

I arrived in Jamaica with some big goals in mind, especially coming off the high of choosing to leave a job and move out of my apartment of almost 4 years.  Go big or go home? Much of the past 12 months has been spent constantly playing catch-up at work and/or school and to be honest I was wholeheartedly exhausted.  I wanted nothing more than to create some stability in my life, reorganize my priorities, and take some time to breathe.  

Perhaps then it is no surprise that upon arriving in Kingston, all I wanted was to escape my new urban environment, stretch my legs, and get some mountain air in my lungs. (Side note: you may have thought being that I was in the Caribbean my first order of business would be to get my bum to the beach, especially given my love of salt water.  I know.  I am just as surprised as you are. Judge away.)  Interesting life choices aside, my first weekend in Jamaica and I found myself packing my bag for a 24 hour getaway to the Blue Mountains.  Three hours of rain-filled, nausea inducing twisty roads later, including a very necessary pit stop to switch out a glorified hatchback for a Land Rover, I arrived at a guesthouse run by some Rastafarians. 

As the rains began to let up, the surrounding property glistened in the intermittent late afternoon sun.  Not to be all sappy (but to be sappy), it was magical.  I wandered about the property, investigating the various fruits and vegetables growing and stumbling into some hooved garden thieves.  The only sounds to be heard were the crunching of earth under my feet, the reawakening of evening birds and bugs, and an occasional goat bleating presumably in protest to being identified as an interloper.  As I stretched my legs out scampering up and over the garden’s sloped paths, I was tempted to just scurry up the trail to the peak.  I would have to wait though until the early morning hours of the following day.  Mostly because I was not traveling alone but also because everyone I had spoken to about the Blue Mountains either thought I was a ridiculous person for wanting to ascend them or insisted that I arrive at the peak for sunrise.  Watching the sunset over the range, I was able to catch a glimpse of the hillside down to the sea giving me hope for what the following day’s hike had to offer.

Because of our planned 2 am departure, we asked Everton, the guesthouse caretaker for the weekend, to lead the way.  After a quick cup of coffee, we were on our way into the dark and misty morning.  As we slowly began our climb, what had started as a mere misting turned to more of a drizzle.  To be honest, I welcomed the initial drops as even in the early hours of morning I was beginning to feel the heat.  Up and up my legs carried me and as the weather became more miserable and damp, my persistent attention on the seemingly large issues in my life faded out until all I could do was focus on the present.  We ascended as a group, ensuring that no man was left behind and creating a lighthearted atmosphere to counteract the nagging question of what in the world were we doing for hiking 16 miles in the cold, pouring rain. 

Eventually, we made it to the peak which was completely surrounded in fog.  I couldn't see more than 30 feet in front of me let alone Cuba.  After the obligatory peanut butter sandwich eating and documentation of making it to the top, we began our descent, retracing our steps.  It didn’t take long for most of our group to make a literal run for it while my friend and I moseyed along accompanied by Everton.  If it wasn’t for a friend with hesitancy towards slippery, downhill slopes, I probably would have been part of the speedier pack.  

I can have a tendency to rush through things.  Racing from one thing to the next, always scheming another adventure in my brain, at times to the detriment of the present.  Instead the way back down was filled with the sounds of rain hitting the forest canopy, a few birds braving the weather, and the intermittent songs and commentary from our mountain guide.  I have to admit I had begun to romanticize the Rastafarian life - I could live simply in the mountains, surviving off my vegan farm, trekking down to the sea for surf on the weekends.  But as Everton shared about his life, it became clear that his life was anything but simple.  Which yes, of course, because people are people and we all have these messy, sometimes beautiful, sometimes ugly, lives.  His family was scattered across the globe, the magical and organic farm I loved was under constant threat of being contaminated from the neighbor's pesticide use, and he too was wondering why he agreed to take us up the mountain this damp and drizzly Sunday. 

The funny and glaringly obvious life lesson here is that even if you can change your location oftentimes the situation remains the same.  Don’t get me wrong; Jamaica was/is absolutely amazing.  I loved my mountain retreat (despite the cold/rain/fog/clothing soaked through to my skin), however my work, school, life responsibilities didn’t suddenly disappear when I stepped off the plane.  As much as I wanted all the loose ends to be tied off and neat tick marks next to every item on my to do list, it just didn’t happen despite my best efforts.  I’m slowly learning that’s ok, emphasis on slowly.  In the meantime, I'll be here just daydreaming of my vegan farmer/surfer lady lifestyle.

notes:

if you’re down with [nice] hostel accomodations and cold showers, stay at Jah B’s Guesthouse. and please, buy the coffee.  it is delicious and far better than the more expensive varieties i was able to find in kingston. 

bring snacks with you, especially if you plan to hike before sunrise.  while coffee was provided, about thirty minutes into the hike you’ll be wishing you had some food in your belly.  if you are hiking with a guide, bring extra snacks to share - they will be much appreciated.

10 must sees for an arizona roadtrip

I don't know about you, but my father is quite excited about planning another family vacation this summer. Who doesn't love a roadtrip? The last few years he's been in a bucket-list mentality: "If we don't go see the Grand Canyon now, then we'll just put it off and never do it." We all nod and go along, and then surprisingly end up on quite the adventure. (We now call this the #freemanadventure.) This year, we're heading to Grand Teton Park, so more on that next month. However, last year we spent an epic week in Arizona... so here are some of the must-sees for all the summer roadtrippers out there: 

1. Arcosanti. This place gives me hope for the future. It's a community surrounding the idea of arcology (architecture + ecology) built over the past few decades by thousands of volunteers. It's a little oasis in the desert and artist haven... Arcosanti is worth stopping by if your driving North from Phoenix. 

2. Sedona. This is a magical place. As anyone who has been will tell you. You can happen upon a mysterious vortex, which is a spot where the Earth's magnetism is thought to have special properties. You can hike and stroll throughout the day, enjoy the shops and cafes, and catch some amazing sunsets. Sunset at Bell Rock Vortex pictured below. PS I woke up like this.

3. Red Rock State Park. While in Sedona, you can hop out into several hiking trails in Red Rock State Park, and you'll basically feel like a badass. I really don't know how people don't die climbing up these things. There are no rails, and you're often climbing up on all fours. It feels like a choose-your-own-adventure, if you're into those types of things. I'm glad we didn't lose someone over the edge and were able to find a nice watering hole to jump into after. 

4. Grand Canyon- South Rim. Yeah yeah, this is definitely the first thing you'll think about hitting up in AZ, right? Well the Grand Canyon is pretty grand. And though you may have seen millions of pictures of it, you've got to see it and climb all over it for yourself. It makes you want to put your hands out in reaction of the grandeur of it all! If you're just driving through, the South Rim has all sorts of trails, walkways, and viewpoints for any level or duration of stay.

5. Antelope Canyon. After spending a few days in Sedona, we headed up to Page, AZ to yes another part of that big hole in the ground we were checking out above. You must check out Antelope Canyon. It's in a Navajo Nation Park, so you'll need to make arrangements with a guide in order to have have access to it. We went to Upper Antelope Canyon, and they're careful about how many people they let in at one time. Our guide was awesome, it was picturesque, and we had a pretty sweet ride there. 

6. Glen Canyon.  Page, AZ may be the smallest town ever. Just a warning. There's not much night life, or food after 9pm for the matter. We spent the day on the first 15 mile stretch of the Colorado River in Glen Canyon. The boys were in heaven hearing the history of it all, and we rafted along the inside of the Grand Canyon's walls that rose thousands of feet on our sides...talk about a different perspective! Oh and we met 12 new friends that were motorcycling across the country. (We didn't make it to Havasu Falls like Meg did. Sad face.)

7. Horseshoe Bend. To finish out the day on the Colorado River, you must get the view of the sun going down above it. We rafted through that bend, and we made the trek out to see it. To get to the viewpoint from where you park your car, it feels like you're walking into a desert-y horizon. I'd have to say people were a little crazy about getting a good photo and were so close the edge that I got nauseous looking at them. One dude put his wife on a leash! 

8. Jerome, AZ. I'd have to admit exploring  Jerome is a bit depressing. It's an old mining town that is stuck in a time warp, because people don't really live there anymore once that industry ran its course. It's worth stopping in for lunch to see what a ghost town looks like.  

9.  Montezuma Castle National Monument. If you're super into history, or your mother is, this stop will appease you. A castle hundreds of years old on the side of a mountain! Montezuma is a quick stop and worth seeing with your own eyes.

10. Poolside. Before you hop back on the plane (or car) you owe yourself a day by the pool. Especially if you find yourself in Phoenix during the summer...it is hot as balls. Your phone can't even handle it. You can relax from your hiking days, stay cool, and prepare yourself for your trip back to reality. For us- that would mean heading back to the East coast. Like a Girlboss. (if you didn't read it last year, get with it.)

notes:

- this was my first adventure with a GoPro & and we may have had fun with it :)

- there are plenty of other things to do in Arizona (now I know!) so this list is merely what we encountered upon our bucket-list-driven-path

- family vacations aren't the worst, but i do recommend finding activities so you don't kill each other