Shawn Ngirmang

Adventure | Photography | Storytelling

[shawnngirmang]

Belize x Guatemala - June 2014

[shawnngirmang]

Fishing in Pacifica, CA with Steph.

[shawnngirmang]

Fishing at Hume Lake with Tim, just before the Rough Fire.

[shawnngirmang]

Roaming the desert.

[shawnngirmang]

William Hearst hired Mark Twain and Jack London to write for his newspaper.

We took a spontaneous family trip to Hearst Castle, which is insane!  The grounds are vast and the interiors are like no other.  It is fun to imagine living in such a place. The pools are grand.  The rooms are grand.  Everything is grand!  One day...

We don't have the Hearst riches, but we stay golden by California coastin'.

[shawnngirmang]

Birthday shenanigans continued!

After camping in Big Sur, we traveled up PCH towards Carmel, stopping along the way to see McWay Falls and hike Ewoldsen Trail.  The Falls is why many people go to Big Sur and the Trail is serene and simply nature at its best.  

The birthday shenanigans continued in downtown Carmel at La Baelana, where we had polpo grigliato - grilled octopus.  It's a must!  Afterwards, we walked to the beach.  We started a small fire, turned up Jack Johnson, and just relaxed, counting our blessings.

We crashed at the Colonial Terrace Inn.  In the morning, we sat by the outdoor fireplace, sipped coffee, and read the local newspaper as grownups do.

After breakfast, we traveled to Monterey and rode our bicycles around town, checking out the local digs.  We made a stop at Point Pinos Lighthouse, which has a rich history and killer view.  We concluded the birthday trip by picking up fresh seafood to cook for dinner later that night. Another great adventure in the history books!

[tigerlilyscout]

Shortly after the first time I talked Shawn in 2009, I felt drawn to him.

The first time we talked he was eating tri tip and pilaf, and playing on his iPhone in the break room at Matthews & Pittman. I LOVE tri-tip, so I started up a conversation about it. I also had a beloved Blackberry...

[shawnngirmang]

Happy Birthday, Steph!

We camped in Big Sur for Steph's birthday, and it was everything we imagined.  The Pacific to our left, redwoods to our right.  Epic weekend!  The night sky was surreal, as the stars were countless and vibrant.  This is my favorite place in California.  Each time I arrive here, I feel I have reached the edge of the world.

[shawnngirmang]

[shawnngirmang]

Floating dock at Block Rock Lodge.

[shawnngirmang]

Traveling - It leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.

Ibn Battuta

[shawnngirmang]

Banana Banana Banana!

The Aggrolites came to town and played in Tower.  The show was awesome!  Great music + great friends = great night!

[shawnngirmang]

Local digs in Dominican.

[shawnngirmang]

Let’s go eat fresh crab!

Steph and I were relaxing one February evening, pondering what to do with ourselves.  After a brief discussion, we both realized we had the next day off, so what did that mean?  California coastin'!  We decided we should eat fresh crab.  I booked a room at the SeaVenture and we were off.  

When we arrived, Pismo seemed somewhat like a ghost town, which was perfectly fine.  We quickly unloaded our gear, got the beach cruisers and hit the town.  We dined at Cracked Crab, which was great!  Afterwards, we headed towards the beach.

Our resort had the sickest location!  It sits on the beach and is just ideal.  We traded our bikes for lawn chairs and Steph's ukulele and walked towards the water.  It was a great time!  Steph played the uke and sang a few songs and we watched the sun set on the Pacific.

The next day, we woke up early, enjoying the morning with coffee and each other.  After a quick breakfast, we were on the road, headed to our jobs.

We came.  We saw.  We ate crab.  

[shawnngirmang]

Happy Birthday, 'Merica!

We honored our country's birthday with some California coastin'.  What was originally a one-night stay turned into a three-day adventure.  We set up camp near the ocean and cycled throughout this chill beach town, even pedaling out to Morro Rock.  On our last night, we ran into Steph's relatives and had a grand time.

[shawnngirmang]

Driving down PCH is a high.

[theponceman]

Big Sur. 

[shawnngirmang]

Nice!