#cascade creek

[mizar113]

Cascade Creek.

[ry-nm]

I don’t think I ever showcased my first (and currently only) tattoo. I got this piece in Sydney after a nine day backpacking trip across New Zealand. The mountains in the tattoo are two different mountain ranges (Milford Sound and Cascade Creek). I had the most powerful summation of emotions and thoughts when gazing at these magnificent works of nature. The idea of the tattoo happened in a moment, and I’ve never felt so sure of something so permanent. I showed the artist, and she traced the ridges of the mountains into a panorama to fit around my ankle. She did the dot work shading free hand. It was a great collaboration of my photos and her artwork together to create this piece. I’m still so happy with this tattoo two years later. I’ll be moving back to Sydney to start a new journey in less than a month. I couldn’t be more excited with where my life is going right now. 

[keithcurrypochy]

Hidden Falls and Cascade Creek.

Grand Teton National Park, WY

[graveyardrabbit]

[leeandtrace]

Flagg Ranch/Grass Loop Road

Flagg Ranch/Grass Loop Road

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[tinytourist]

Blue Skies and Sandflies

En route to the Cascade Creek campsite we stopped at the Mirror Lakes to get a taste of what Fiordland had to offer. Again, the sights were unreal. We stood there in awe for about 15 minutes before getting back in the cars and driving the rest of the way to the campgrounds.

On New Year’s Eve we awoke to a swarm of sandflies and piled into the van for shelter. We threw together a quick brekkie and some sandwiches before we started making our way to Milford sound. The drive over was beautiful, watching the clouds shift to reveal huge mountains. The trip took longer than expected but we didn’t mind.

We parked about 20 minutes away to avoid the $20 fees and hustled our way to the terminal. When we boarded the ship we secured a dope spot in the back of the boat with an open view of the water, slightly shielded from the wind.

It was a cloudy and cold afternoon, but we got lucky and avoided rain in the wettest place in NZ! I felt smaller than usual as we passed giant mountains covered in cascading waterfalls. We ventured to the front of the boat right as the captain steered the ship under one of the waterfalls. A cold mist overtook us as we looked up in awe.

When we got off the boat, we grabbed coffee at the onsite cafe and then did the short Lookout Track to see the sound from above. Next, we went for the Foreshore Walk which was a lovely 30 minute loop. The tide was so low at the time that we were able to take a detour onto the beach and walk out to the waterfront. This brilliant perspective of the sound was my favorite of the whole day.

Back at the campsite, we immediately went to explore the lupin-covered grounds and rocky creek. Later, we threw together a taco night on the camping stove, queso and all. After dinner, we started a fire which Al kept well fed - just like her sourdough starter.

At 10:45 PM Evan placed a 4ft long 1x6” board in the campfire for a little vertical flame spread experiment. We all took bets on if it would fall before or after midnight. It turned out to be the perfect NYE countdown as the last piece of wood fell into the flames at 12 AM on the dot! We all cheered and celebrated making it out of the hot pile of garbage that was 2020.

On January 1st we packed up camp and drove to the Divide car park for a day hike. We decided to do the Key Summit Track which is a 3 hour hike along the Routeburn Track - one of NZ’s Great Walks. While we lucked out by avoiding rain the previous day, we were not as lucky in the new year. We bundled up with several layers including waterproof hiking boots and rain jackets, but still ended up getting soaked. We made it down to the lake and squeezed into a tiny woodshed for shelter and to eat our lunches.

It was unanimously decided not to go the rest of the way to the top, as we could see little more than clouds and mist above the tree line. Once we made it to our cars, we drove straight to our hostel in Te Anau where we showered, did laundry, and caught up with friends and family. For dinner, Greg cheffed up a delicious pasta with veggie tomato sauce. We ate dinner in the common area and played President until we went to sleep.

The next morning, we began our drive to Queenstown. What should have been a 2-hour drive turned into an all-day affair. It was pouring rain and all of a sudden we approached a standstill of cars. We waited for a bit as we researched the traffic. When we found out that the road was closed due to landslides, we decided to go back into the small town we had just passed and talk to the locals. We stopped in a quaint honey shop and chatted with the animated French owner for a while. She warned us that it was possible to get blocked in to the town as there was only one road through.

We were quickly convinced to take the long route (4 hours) back to Queenstown and get out as soon as we could. Unfortunately, Al’s stomach was not doing well and the driving was not helping. Luckily the rain started to lighten up as we drove and we eventually made it to QTN! We were greeted by our Airbnb host and her extremely friendly cat, Sonic. We picked up some Thai food for dinner and went to bed straight afterwards.

[greatlakesfilm]

Winterfest 2018

Sunday, February 11, 2018 — 12 pm to 3:30 pm at Frontier Park  The Lake Erie Arboretum at Frontier will hold the 13th annual Winterfest on Sunday, February 11, 2018, from 12 noon to 3:30 p.m. at Frontier Park. Admission to the family-friendly festival is free and open to the public. Winterfest is a great family-friendly opportunity to celebrate winter and be active out of doors during one of the…

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[nomadicmoments]

Sunset on Cascade Creek

Experiences like this one are why we travel. #NewZealand #CascadeCreek

In the heart of New Zealand’s Fjordland National Park and along the road to the Milford Soundlies a campground on Cascade Creek. We parked here for the night before heading through the tunnel to the Milford Sound the following day. It was rainy as we pulled into the campground, which is more of a gravel road that becomes lined with RVs and campervans every evening. There are outhouses to use,…

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