Joshua Tree National Park

I had planned to journey to Joshua Tree National Park on Saturday but woke up to the sound of rain pattering against the window and after a quick consult with my Weather Channel app, I realized that I would have to journey through ice and rain for about 2 hours to get there so instead I went back to bed and watched the This is Us (LOVE that show!) marathon all day and now I am caught up and ready for the new shows to start.

After being a lazy bum all day on Saturday, it felt really good to get out and be active on Sunday.  The weather was a bit cloudy in the morning but cleared to beautiful sunny skies in the afternoon so I definitely made the right choice in waiting a day.  I chose to enter at the Oasis Visitors Center and grabbed a map there to plan my day.  I started my day at Split Rock and was amazed by a rock climber that was going up between the two rocks.  I'm pretty sure I ate too much during the holidays to even think about fitting between those rocks.  There were lots of people rock climbing in this area in particular but I just hiked around and up on some rocks to get a better look of the giant rocks around me.  I am not sure exactly what I was expecting when I entered the park, probably more sand and very flat with a few cacti and, of course, Joshua Trees scattered around but I was amazed by how much of a change in elevation the place had and changing from huge rocks and mountainous dry landscapes to flat planes with desert trees.

 Split Rock- if you look really closely you can see a guy climbing up the middle

My second stop (after a little backtracking) was at the Cholla Cactus gardens.  This is a spot to not miss if you make it out to Joshua Tree.  A pathway wanders through hundreds of cacti.  I imagine when they are in bloom it must be incredibly spectacular because just wandering around and seeing cactus after cactus was pretty amazing.  A short way down the road was the Ocotillo Patch.  These are trees that resemble dead branches during the dry season but after rain look a bit more like flowering cactus I am told.

 Cholla Cactus Garden

Ocotillo tree

I made a brief stop at Skull Rock because it is literally just off the road which makes it easily accessible but also crowded before moving on to Keys View that overlooks the San Andreas fault line and you can even see the town of Palm Springs out in the distance.  At 5185 ft it is one of the highest points in the park but is easily accessible with a 1/4 mile round trip paved but steep trail to the top and the view is incredible.  It is another must see if you are visiting the park.

 Skull Rock

 One of the many Joshua Trees that the park is named for.

 Overlooking the San Andreas fault and Palm Springs

My final stop for the day was a hike around Hidden Valley.  It was a relatively easy hike with many rock climbers working their way up the rocks around you.  It was busy enough that I felt safe being by myself but not so busy that it felt crowded.  There is a path to follow but it is all sand and was easy to get off the path without realizing it so I ended up following the guy in front of me and trying to not let him get so far that I couldn't see where he went.  He probably felt like I was stalking him but I made it out!  I had no cell phone reception for the entire time I was in the park so I definitely had to remember my old school map skills but at the same time it is nice to get away from technology for a day.

Big Bear Lake, California

I finally made it to California!  After months and a few headaches of applying for my license to practice physical therapy and landing an assignment, dad and I packed my car and made the long trek out here.  However, somewhere in the middle of nowhere west Texas, I received a phone call cancelling my assignment with no other options offered.  After some yelling, a little bit of crying, and finally talking it over with my dad, it was decided that I would continue my journey out here.  I had already paid for the first month of where I was going to live and had tickets to the Rose Parade and a hotel there that was already paid for as well so why not try to make the best of it.  I will give it a few weeks of working with another company to find a different assignment and if it doesn't work out then I'll make my way back to Florida to regroup.  Until then, I am going to make the most of my time out here and try to see some of what is within a day's drive of the area. 

My first stop on a random Wednesday was Big Bear Lake.  It was an hour and a half drive from where I am staying and was a fun way to spend the afternoon.  They had recently had some fresh snow but the day I went was fairly warm and sunny.  Snow was melting off the buildings but people big and small were still taking advantage of the sledding runs and screams of pleasure and giggles were heard as I walked about town and stopped in different areas. 

I headed straight for town when I arrived at the lake and walked through the shops and art galleries that were filled with work from mostly local artists and was surprised at how affordable a lot of the pieces were.  If I actually owned a wall to hang it on, I would probably have bought a piece.  There were fire pits placed at areas along the street that I could stand next to and warm my hands and face and sledders took a break from nearby activities to warm as well.  There were sculptures and wood carvings of bears around town and I got a kick out of looking at them all.  From fierce bears to smiling happy bears, there were all kinds to look at.

I stopped at Big Bear Lake Mountain Brewery for lunch and got over my fear of eating alone in a restaurant.  The roast beef sandwich and pumpkin beer in a cinnamon and sugar rimmed glass were way better than anything I could have eaten at the fast food restaurants in town.  I have not been a big fan of the pumpkin beer in the past but I really enjoyed this one with the cinnamon rimming the glass.  They are the only brewery in town that makes their beer onsite and the restaurant overlooks all the big brewery equipment.

I wanted to visit the Discovery Center that was suppose to have information and exhibits about the area but unfortunately it was closed.  I would love to visit the town in the summer time when there are many trails that you can hike and get a better view of the lake. I didn't bring my weather proof boots with me on this trip and I am realizing that may have been a mistake.  I always think of the sunny beachy side or the vineyard side when I think of California and often forget they have mountains and snow as well.

Caribbean Cruise to the Bahamas and Turks and Caicos

I haven't been on a cruise in almost 15 years and thought it would be fun to take a cruise around the Caribbean with mom and dad after finishing my contract in Ft. Myers.  I first started planning this trip before most of the other adventures that I am lucky enough to go on during my two months between contracts.  We had to look at several different cruises before settling on this one with dates that fit perfectly into our schedules.  We booked our trip on the Royal Princess with Princess Cruise lines and before long were on the ship saying "Bon voyage!" to the main land and on our way to the Bahamas!

Bon voyage to Ft. Lauderdale!

Party on deck to start the cruise

I had been on a cruise to the Bahamas before but part of the appeal on this trip was going to the island of Eleuthra where I had never been before.  Princess is the only cruise line that stops at this port as it has a privately owned resort area at the tip of the island.  We opted to book an excursion taking us up further onto the island and getting to see a little more of the life and culture that exists here.  Bahamians are a laid back, friendly people who seem proud of their heritage and happy to share it with those who are visiting.  Our stop here was on a Sunday so we didn't get to do the school visit or see the Market like you normally would but we peeked into a church before services started and stopped at other scenic places to take in the view.  We saw the outside of the Parliament building in all of its Bahamian pink splendor and learned about the official flower that makes a popping noise when you pull the petals.  Lunch was typical Bahamian food with a view of the multi colored blues and greens of the water and Junkanoo performance by some of the locals.  Junkanoo is the Bahamian version of Carnival but is performed at anytime there is a celebration and not just at one time of the year. 

 Eleuthra, Bahamas

 Parliament building

 Popper flower

 Fish market

 Lunch time view

Junkanoo celebration

The next day we arrived in Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos.  They are known for their beautiful water viewed from both above and below the surface line.  I took a boat a short ways out to the "shelf" where there is a significant drop off and the fish gather along the coral for some awesome snorkeling.  An hour breezed by quickly in the underwater world and before I knew it, I was back on the boat and heading to the beach to meet up with mom and dad.  We had booked a day at the beach at the Bohio Dive Resort through my travel agent (Elizabeth Dominguez of Dream Vacations- seriously- she's awesome!) and it included my favorite meal of the entire trip.  An amazing and relaxing view always helps to elevate the meal to the next level but this one would have been incredible if I was sitting in a cardboard box.  Rum punch that went down smoothly but had quite the kick, grilled snapper with some kind of coating that tickled the taste buds, local lobster salad that could have been a meal by itself, and one of my Caribbean favorites- conch fritters!  All very fresh and served with a smile.  We had some time to lie on the beach in our beach chairs until the rain ran us off for a few minutes.  Apparently it rarely rains on the island so we were just lucky.  The great part of being at the resort was we actually had a place to hide from the rain instead of getting drenched and then after the few minutes of rain we were able to return to our chairs before catching the cab back to port.

 Lunch time view

 A great place to escape the rain!

Lots of fish at the shelf

Our final day on the cruise was a day at sea.  I made my way up to the pool after breakfast to get a good seat for the Movie at Sea program they have with a giant screen showing concerts and movies throughout the cruise.  Unfortunately, I had a cold when I first boarded the ship so when I wasn't in port then I spent a significant amount of time taking naps and going to bed early but by the last day I was feeling pretty good.  The movie at sea that I was most looking forward to was Finding Dory.  No, I'm not 5, but it was super cute and how fun to sit in the middle of the ocean and watch a movie about the fish swimming underneath you.  I spent a lot of time on our balcony watching the view between flipping pages of my book in the afternoon. 

All in all it was another great trip and a fun time with mom and dad.  The food was nothing short of delicious and the ship had a fancy, tasteful elegance throughout the décor.  The staff were friendly and attentive and I always find it fascinating to talk to the crew about where they are from.

Asheville, North Carolina

The final stop on my road trip was actually my first stop that was planned.  Cortney and I were looking for a place to meet for a girl's weekend and neither of us had been to Asheville.  I have wanted to see the Biltmore for a while and had heard great things about Asheville in the past so we decided to make that our destination.  The rest of the trip fell into place from there. 

I took the Blue Ridge Parkway from the southern entrance of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park over to Asheville.  It was definitely the longer route with so many winding roads and gorgeous vistas to stop and gaze at but it was a more fun route than taking the highway.  At this time of year, a lot of the rest stops were closed so make sure you know your way and stop to use the restroom when you get the chance because you don't know when the next chance will be and cell phone/GPS through the cell phone service were spotty.  I picked up a sandwich from Publix in the morning and pulled into one of the pull offs to enjoy my lunch with an incredible view of the mountains with pops of fall color everywhere and a little bit of smoke off in the distance from the fires the southeast has been experiencing.  I stayed there for at least 20 minutes and never saw another soul in that entire time, it was so peaceful to get to have a little piece of paradise to myself for a time.  I took a little too long enjoying my peaceful lunch and had to boogey it to get to the Asheville airport to pick Cortney up but it was worth it.

 It was a little smoky from nearby forest fires but beautiful.

Love the fall colors

Our first event was to visit the Biltmore and see it all dressed up for its Christmas celebration.  When you arrive at the Biltmore, it was designed that you enter from the side through the gate so that you could see how magnificent it is with one awe-inspiring view instead of slowly seeing bits of the castle and the design was very effective.  Gasps could be heard as the full little bus bringing us from the parking lot pulled through the gates.  A giant tree in front of the home was covered in Christmas lights from top to bottom and the house itself was lit with up with giant lamps around the house.  We got there early (which is highly encouraged as it takes a little while to pick up tickets, park your car, and make your way to the house) and our entrance time was not for another hour so we wandered through the little shops adjacent to the house and bought a few little trinkets. 

 The Biltmore

 The impressive sight when you come around the corner!

Upon entering the home, there was a chorus singing Christmas carols in the atrium in the center of the house and a grand Christmas trip decorated to the nines.  Every room in the house had Christmas decorations and it is a truly magical experience to walk through each room and see the attention to detail in both the construction and craftsmanship of the home and in the decorations provided for Christmas.  There was a massive fireplace that went from the floor to the ceiling with beautiful carvings that was so big it was three fireplaces in one!  My other favorite room was the library with shelves upon shelves of books and a cozy fireplace that I could probably spend hours upon hours sitting and reading or writing.  The Biltmore was everything I had hoped it would be.  It was grand and tasteful but decadently decorated and completely magical with the Christmas touches in every room of the house.

 The grand tree in the entryway

 Quite possibly my favorite fireplace ever.  Amazing.

 I could sit and read in this library all day.

Now that's a Christmas list

Because we arrived for the candlelight showing of the Biltmore home, we were given access with our tickets to come back another day to view the gardens and grounds and to check out the Biltmore Winery and shops on the property.  We didn't plan far enough ahead to get reservations for one of their nicer restaurants which looked amazing but did snack at the Creamery before going for a wine tasting.  The wine tasting room has rows upon rows of counters that you can go to for the tasting although someone leads you to an open space so it is not overwhelming where a very friendly employee explains the wines and lets you taste as many as you want.  I left with a few bottles to try with our Christmas dinner this year.

 Sitting in the greenhouse

The family seal on the gate in the winery.

We started our next morning at the Early Girl for breakfast in downtown Asheville.  The french toast special was perfect for my very sweet tooth and I had to add in some banana bread that was big thick cut pieces of yumminess.  It was good fuel to get us ready for our drive to Pisgah National Forest and up to Roaring Fork falls.  The hike was an easy 1/2 mile gradual incline of a hike and the reward was worth it.  The falls were a gentle cascading kind with the soothing sound of rushing water and nature playing as a soundtrack while sitting and soaking it in.  We had planned to see one of the other falls in the area but my GPS wouldn't work due to lack of signal and after spending some time searching we decided to give up and head back to the city as we had plans for the evening.

For our final evening in Asheville we headed to the North Carolina Arboretum for their Winter Lights celebration.  All the trees were decked out in lights, some with fancy chandeliers hanging from them.  There was a light show set to Christmas music to get you in the holiday spirit and a hot cocoa stand with homemade marshmallows.  I choose the peppermint marshmallow in mine and it was a perfect choice to warm me up and get me in the spirit.

I can see why Asheville is becoming more and more popular.  It has a little bit of a quirky vibe like Austin but without feeling as crowded or as horrible of traffic.  The people are friendly and the area is beautiful.  We didn't try the many breweries or wineries in the area since my friend is pregnant (yay!!) but will definitely have to sample a few if I make it back to the area one day.  And I hope I do.