Expedition Me & You

Chris walked in the footsteps of an earlier traveler until we reached quite the scenic view! We're quickly coming up on our first wedding anniversary! October 12th! Eek! When I first started this blog I had a feeling I wouldn't be updating it as much as I'd like. I never expected, however, for it to take a year to finally finish writing about our honeymoon. I should have known better, but it is what it is. While Chris and I are adventurous types we are also the kind of folks who depend on steady jobs in order to pay our bills. Traveling isn't something we can afford to do as often as the two of us would actually prefer. Especially considering the heat of Texas summers. But we're coming to the end of the 100 degree months soon enough. Labor Day weekend will be our first excursion since the spring. Actually, we just returned from REI where we purchased a couple of self-inflating mats to use under our sleeping bags. They're on the heavy side compared to h...

Even though many months have passed since our final day in New Mexico, I still recall the events of our visit to the Very Large Array. When we last left you , Chris and I had spent the evening staring into space (literally) at an Earthship rental in Taos, New Mexico. When we awoke the next morning we packed the car and headed south. Our schedule did not permit us to see any sights while in Taos (very unfortunate) but we drove through the town on the way out of dodge. It seems like a neat place. Maybe on our next visit we'll squeeze in some sightseeing there. We left mid to late morning in order to stop in Albuquerque to have lunch at the Loving Vegan restaurant. Traveling throughout the Land of Enchantment ended up being a little challenging for we two vegans but the Loving Vegan was simply amazing. I had never had such excellent Asian food even prior to going vegan. I'll be sharing a more depth analysis in another post, however, devoted to food and not to the VLA. As soon...

When Chris and I first started planning our wedding one of the first things we did regarding the honeymoon was book one night in an Earthship in Taos, New Mexico. Chris's coworker mentioned it to her. We took a look at the Earthship Biotecture website and made our reservation about two months into planning our trip. Yes, we were THAT excited about it. I have been a huge nerd for Earthships since I was a teenager. Truth be told, I spent my summer vacation at age 16 researching eco-friendly things at the library (we did not have access to the internet at home that year). I learned all about electric cars, sustainable building methods, and conservation practices that you can use in day-to-day life. I fell in love with Earthships at a young age and you bet your sweet bippy I was going to spend the night in one if I could. The Earthship village we stayed in Getting to Taos from Puye had been difficult. Our GPS and phones gave us two completely different sets of instructions. We...

While Bandelier National Monument was relaxing and inviting, Chris and I were most definitely interested in additional exploration when it came to cliff dwellings and New Mexico's historic sites. Our schedule permitted us one destination on Tuesday. We could choose to visit the Taos Pueblo or Puye Cliff Dwellings . Although the Pueblo is supposed to be pretty spectacular, Chris and I are wary of crowds. The Taos Pueblo is a very popular place. Although it's filled with authentic Native American artisans and craftspeople, she and I felt more like we wanted a one on one experience doing something a little more exciting than shopping. Puye is beautiful . A Pueblo guide provides an intimate tour throughout the site. What I enjoyed most about it is that her experiences were firsthand. She is a direct descendant of the individuals who used to inhabit the cliff dwellings and her knowledge about the area was not only complete but also genuine. In fact, the people who used to...

For anyone interested, I thought I should compile a complete list of resources for anyone who may want to replicate our destination wedding! As mentioned previously, Chris and I had a vegan wedding in Santa Fe, New Mexico. We planned everything ourselves with much help from our moms. I had a very difficult time with everything and any help I can provide to others attempting something similar could be valuable. So, here goes. Venue Hyde Memorial State Park It cost $500 for an entire day's use. It is a state park and is run by rangers. They are not overly helpful, but the price is amazing. The scenery is fantastic. We booked for their final week. Unless you want to risk ran, sleet, hail, and snow, I would suggest booking a week or two before their final weekend for your fall wedding and probably the opposite for spring. Officiant Marilee Harrison, Humanist Celebrant We could not have asked for a more professional officiant. We loved Marilee. She provided us with options f...

Chris and I visited Bastrop State Park today for a nice hike. It's been a few weeks since the last time we went exploring and Chris was really itching to get out there. Her goal for the both of us is to one day backpack so the sooner we start training, the better.  Several years ago, wild fires destroyed homes, land, and public areas throughout Bastrop. The state park stands as evidence. Regrowth is happening, but it will be decades before the park is normal again.  Despite the destruction, the park really is beautiful. It has vibrant fall color. The ground is speckled with mushrooms, ants, and wild animal scat. Our path led us over fallen, charred trees, but the trails were level and otherwise easily navigable.  Entrance to the park is $4 per person 13 and over. We started our journey at the scenic overlook near the route 1C leading to Beuscher State Park. From there we picked up the Purple Trail until we found the Old Road...

A very, very long time ago, Chris and I lived in Elkins, West Virginia. In 2008, the two of us drove 1-2 hours to visit the Green Bank Radio Astronomy Observatory located in the same state. I was a nerd-in-training then so the immensity of its importance didn't strike me at the time, but I still found the experience worth remembering. And I had fun taking pictures. You are not allowed to use digital photography close up, so this is the best photo I got. The sun was setting. It made everything very picturesque.  The telescope is used in a number of sciences including Chemistry and Physics. Here's what the website has to say about its use in Planetary Science: When the GBT is used as a partner with a transmitting radar antenna, it can be used to map asteroids, moons, planets, and comets to a level of accuracy that is often better than spacecraft which are actually in orbit around those objects. Also, radar penetrates the soft surfaces on some of these worlds, giving...