#gienwashere

people.places.experiences.

[gienwashere]

2016 was such an epic year. I started off my year by flying out of stockton to go meet up with some friends in vegas for a roadtrip to Zion. Hiked angels landing, saw the horseshoe bend, went inside the antelope canyon. Good vibes followed me throughout the year. I been surrounded by good people and i've been blessed with so many things. I seriously can't say anything is impossible because i did what i felt was not going to be possible. In 2k16, not only did i go to the places i've always wanted to see, i went to go see it alone and not once have i ever felt lonely. I've met a lot of wonderful people of different cultures, age, personalities, beliefs and i'm glad to call them my friends. Here is a chronological summary of my 2016.

[gienwashere]

rise lantern festival.

[gienwashere]

[gienwashere]

Echo lake summit to Echo Lakes, South Lake Tahoe. 9+ miles. We were supposed to start at echo lake, but aris' gps took is to The Echo lake summit trailhead so that added some miles to our hike. The hike wasn't strenuous, but to make it more of a challenge Nate found a stump and decided to carry it. Him and i took turns. I named him Milton. Milton didn't make it all the way back with us. Too bulky to carry. The trail: well travelled. It is a part of the Pacific Coast Trail and is also a part of the Tahoe rim trail. It's picturesque. I felt like i was in Canada but i was only 2 hours away from home. #

[gienwashere]

Caught an early bird flight to Portland,Oregon. Got off the plane, grabbed coffee and went straight to Wahclella Falls. The hike wasn't too hard. I'd say it's a medium difficulty. Mildly strenuous for a little bit, but definitely manageable. It's hard to take a pic of the waterfall because it's so misty. On the way back there was this elderly couple taking selfies of themselves on a bridge facing the creek towards to waterfall. The lady said "don't kind us, were just taking selfies on the bridge" sooo adorable. Please wear boots, sneakers will get muddy. #gienwashere

[giensadventures]

Came back to Yosemite today and finally got my interagency pass. I been here so many times, but this place never gets old. It was raining for most of the day. I felt kind of sad coz days like these I wish I could just go check in a cabin and cuddle with someone right next to the fireplace sipping on some hot chocolate… Laughing, sharing stories, and just get held by someone. Nice little day trip for me today.

[giensadventures]

Best view of the Golden Gate Bridge is the view from Marin county. Two thumbs up from me!

[giensadventures]

Del Valle Regional park in Livermore. Got there late, only had an hour left to walk around and explore, but i did catch a lovely glimpse of the lake as the sun was setting. Glad i went on this mini adventure. Zavier came over and was being a jerk about dishes and what not…after he ate food at the house. The moon was hella big and bright too!

[dailysweetnothings-blog]

Hiked up mission peak with my husky. Conditioning myself for that big supai trip! Ahhhh!!! Wasn’t feeling broken today. I haven’t been for a while. i’ve done a good job staying away from him. My dad is right.

[gienwashere]

January 4. The day we headed back to vegas. We had breakfast, then we stopped by to see the Lake Powell dam… That thing was so majestic. The man at the hotel told us that it looks better when it’s all lit up at night. Too bad it was our last day. I drove the whole way back and it started to flurry in Kanab, Utah. We were worried we were going to get snowed in, but we still stopped and took a photo. When we got to vegas, my friends mentioned that they have never seen the vegas sign… I took the scenic route and made sure my friends saw that. It was a pretty eventful birthday weekend. Going to places i’ve never been to just adds to my list. Zion, Antelope, Glen canyon, Page… #gienwashere 😍

[gienwashere]

January 3. Happy 27th Birthday to me! 🎂 the best gift i ever gave myself was the gift of experience. Went to the antelope canyon, got a tour for free and went to the horseshoe bend after that. No fancy dinner... All i had was a bologna sandwich and not to forget the awesome cake my friends got me! This proves to me that a big party doesn't mean much, it's really the company you are with that makes the moment special. Here's to 27!

[gienwashere]

January 2. Angel's landing hike in zion. I was so close to the top too, however i did not keep going because the trail had nothing but ice, and no chains to hang on to. That was the part hat was challenging. The sucky part is that the only thing that stopped me from going up is not having this $6 boot attachment you can get off amazon. I felt so defeated, but happy nonetheless. #gienwashere and will be back to finish the trail in better conditions.

[giensadventures]

One day as i was looking through the interwebs i saw a beautiful picture and i said… “I must go there. Now!!!” So i asked google and found sone info. it was stated on there that a reservation takes 6 months to a year in advanced to get a spot open. I called them anyways and wanted to see if they had an open spot for a lodge in 2 weeks. with my luck they had a spot open on a weekend that i was off. I took it and reserved it right away! Posted an invite on facebook and the only person who came through was my good friend johnny. We met up with 2 other people there. Sunny and Nico. We shared the lodge with 2 strangers that turned out to be really cool people. 26 plus miles of hiking in 2 days wasn’t so bad because i was so excited to be there and i had a good time walking and catching up with an old friend. One of the best weekends of my life!

[gienwashere]

January 1st 2016. I got off work early, packed my bags to meet up with my friends in vegas. Thank goodness allegiant airlines had hella cheap fares for that day, $49 for a one way flight to vegas! $49! Yayyy! In that hour that i was on the plane, my body was already so exhausted from the lack of sleep from the night before. However my brain was awake…. Where to go? What to do?

[gienwashere]

Welcoming 2016  New years eve. I went to the Global Winter Wonderland at the Sacramento Cal Expo. I went with a couple of new friends. Our first time there, it was so cold for a california night i definitely recommend bundling up: gloves, scarf, wool socks, a thick coat, and some lip balm. There wasn't much people there which was perfect for us. We went on a couple of rides. First things first, the ferris wheel. Gave us an overview of the whole place! Wahhhh!!!🙎🏻sooo magical! We then went on a couple more rides and then walked around for a bit to enjoy the lights before we went to watch the acrobats on ice show. #amazing  We completed our night by grabbing some bite to eat paired with a warm cup of apple cider. We sat down, people watched and enjoyed the rest of our night. Global Winter Wonderland... #gienwashere

[gienwashere]

#gienwashere idea

Hello! While i was at work an idea popped in my head. “Why don’t you start a travel blog!?” Then the doubt came… There are plenty of travel blogs out there, no one would want to pay attention to yours… Then i slapped myself and said… “Who cares, do it for you. Do it because people are inspired by your travels and your bravery to go and explore places.” It didn’t take much convincing myself to start one. So there… I am creating this travel blog… So that people will know that #gienwashere