Summertime Road Trips

On June 28, 2018 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Colorado, New Mexico4 Comments

We don’t have time for any extended trips at the moment, so we have been taking shorter, weekend trips for the time being. It is a great time of year to hop in a car and find places near you that you have never visited before or perhaps haven’t gone to in a long time. Since travel is often more expensive during the summer months when many families are taking vacations, driving to local destinations is also a nice way to keep costs down. The downside, of course, is often spending hours upon hours stuck in the seat of a vehicle.

We never used to take photos from the car when would travel to places, but now we often do, just like we now take photos from the window of a plane when flying to a different country. Taking photos through the windows of a moving vehicle doesn’t always produce the greatest results, but capturing the changing scenery is actually a nice reminder of how beautiful some of the places are that you travel through on your way to your final destination.

Another drawback to traveling during the summer can sometimes be the weather. First of all, it can be quite hot, which likely means that the windows are rolled up and the air conditioning is on instead of enjoying the fresh scents of nature. Another issue can be rain or, even worse, hail. Driving through torrential rain storms with water standing on the highway can be as much of a white-knuckle drive as driving through a snow storm in the winter. We certainly ran into a little bit of everything during our drive from Colorado to Santa Fe, New Mexico, this past weekend.

Hiking Around a Mountain Lake

On June 8, 2018 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Colorado, Hiking4 Comments

There probably isn’t anything more relaxing than getting away from the crowds and walking around a lake in the mountains with no one else around. With temperatures heating up, we are enjoying hiking once again and the higher altitudes mean more comfortable weather. We really enjoy this trail, which is one of our favorites, as we are able to make it as long or as short of a hike as we would like. We went on a weekday afternoon so that we could avoid the crowds and truly immerse ourselves into nature.

The trail is located about 20 minutes from our house and takes you past a couple of reservoirs. The first part of the trail is relatively steep, but then it somewhat flattens out. As we always say, you can’t go hiking in the mountains without expecting some difficult terrain. There are often people fishing in the lakes or sitting on the shore enjoying a picnic. It certainly made for a relaxing afternoon and a good way to start getting back into hiking shape. We are planning to get on a trail again this weekend, but this time we expect to choose a trail that we’ve never hiked before.

Winding Your Way Through the Mountains

On May 24, 2018 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Photo Challenge, South America4 Comments

Living in a place that is surrounded by mountains, one thing that is clear is that the shortest distance between two places is not a straight line. Roads have to twist and wind based upon the contour of the land. Especially with high mountain passes that can be closed because of snow on a frequent bases, it also becomes important to provide ways to wind through the valleys so that you can avoid those high mountain passes. Driving through the Andes mountains in South America was a clear example of these winding roads that navigate the rugged scenery. Also, with such steep slopes, using switch-backs that go back and forth allow for vehicles to go up or down in a relatively safe manner. After passing through the mountain passes, we descended down the other side using Death Road. It has since been replaced by a modern highway, but it still draws travelers like us, especially those that want to ride bicycles down the twisting road. Roads like these are definitely ones that prove the saying that the journeys is as rewarding as the destination.