Anna & Jan in America

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Death Valley National Park, CA

After spending one night in Atlanta, we continued our trip to Las Vegas. After landing in the desert city, we immediately jumped into our rental car and made our way to the Death Valley National Park. We can recommend coming here in winter since you don’t have to battle the immense heat. And it’s not too far from Las Vegas (about 2.5 hrs.), so perfect for a day trip. We drove across the park and stopped at Badwater Basin. It’s an endothelial basin and marks the lowest point in the US, with a depth of 282 ft. below sea level. For sunset, we made another stop at Dante’s View, a viewpoint terrace, overlooking Death Valley.

Song: JOXION & MADZI - Flow [Arcade Release] Music provided by NoCopyrightSounds Free Download/Stream: http://ncs.io/Flow Watch: http://youtu.be/

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Goodbye St. Croix – Hello new adventure, USVI

After spending some amazing Christmas holidays on this tropical island, it was time to say goodbye. But before leaving, we spotted a very special aircraft at the airport of St. Croix – The Air Force One. Because not only we but also the President of the United States likes to spend the Christmas holidays on St. Croix. But this vacation wasn't over yet, we didn't go back to Detroit, but headed toward Atlanta. There we spent one night before it went on to the next adventure. Stay tuned for our New Year’s trip!

Song: Time To Talk, Avaya & RYVM - Found You [NCS Release]Music provided by NoCopyrightSoundsFree Download/Stream: http://NCS.io/FoundYouWatch: http://youtu.be/qw6ylrPd05M

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The Waves at Cane Bay & Point Udall, USVI

We left “The Fred” in Frederiksted and spent the last two nights at “The Waves”, right at the ocean and a perfect spot to watch the sunset. We also visited “Point Udall, the most easternmost point of the United States.  

Song: Beave - Talk [NCS Release]Music provided by NoCopyrightSoundsFree Download/Stream: https://ncs.io/TalkWatch: https://youtu.be/uZi8_rnqgHg

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Snorkeling Trip to Buck Island Reef, USVI

Snorkeling at the Buck Island Reef National Monument, is one of the main attractions when visiting St. Croix. And since we enjoyed the snorkeling at Frederiksted, we decided it’s time for the next snorkeling level – a reef! We booked a half day tour with Big Beards Adventure Tours. After getting our gear, we headed out to Turtle Beach on Buck Island to get our self familiarized with the masks and the fins. After this “training session” it was time to go to the reef and explore the under water world! In winter, the ocean can get rough – and that’s what it was like on December 27th. And due to the high swell, die water was churned up and the visibility not as great as in the summer month. But nonetheless, it was an awesome experience and a fun trip!  

Song: Raven & Kreyn, KDH - Dum Dum (feat. Scarlett) [NCS Release] Music provided by NoCopyrightSounds Free Download/Stream: http://ncs.io/RK_DumDum Watch: http://youtu.be/

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Snorkeling at the Frederiksted Pier, USVI

The pier of Frederiksted was just a footstep away from our hotel and when walking along the town, we’ve seen a lot of people snorkeling and scuba diving close to the pier. And so, we though we also want to explore to under water world out there. And we are so grateful that we did! This was the first time for us, snorkeling more far away from a beach, so once a again a new adventure. We would definitely recommend the pier for snorkeling! We saw a lot of colorful tropical fish, turtles and even an eagle ray.  

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Sandy Point National Wildlife Refuge, USVI

When you think of the Caribbean, one of the first things that come to mind is: beautiful beaches and turquoise water. Well, Sandy Point Beach, fulfills all requirements for a Caribbean beach! When we walked from the parking lot to the beach and saw the color of the water for the first time – we hardly couldn’t believe our eyes. Those different shades of blue were breathtaking! But Sandy Point Beach isn’t just only one of the most beautiful beaches, it’s also a National Wildlife Refuge and home to the endangered leatherback turtle. Therefore, the beach is only open on weekends and entirely closed during the turtle nesting season from April – August. A very special and beautiful place!

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Off Road Tour to Annaly Bay / Carambola Tide Pools, USVI

When we were planning our trip to St. Croix, we heard about the off-road trail that leads you to the Annaly Bay tide pools, a series of large naturally formed pools. And so, when it was time to reverse a rental car, we signed up for a Jeep Wrangler, the optimal car for an off road adventure. And yes, this tour was an adventure, for sure! The trail started pretty moderate and filled us with confidence, that this would be an easy and smooth ride to the ocean. But oh, have we’ve been wrong! The trail enclosed to be a real challenge for us, mentally but also Jan’s driving skills were challenged mightily. It looks us about 1hr to drive through the rainforest down to the beach and cost us a lot sweat and nerves. Once, we arrived at the beach, we realized, that the swell was far to strong and there’s no way that we could take a dip into the tide pools. And so, after a very short break at the beach, we turned around and drove all the way back. What an adventure! There is also a hiking trail that leads you to the tide pools, so maybe next time, we’ll swap the 4x4 car for our hiking boots.

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Beach day at Frederiksted and exploring Christiansted, USVI

As our hotel The Fred was right at the oceanfront, it was the perfect location for a relaxing beach day on Christmas Eve. We enjoyed the sunshine and the beautiful ocean view and did some snorkeling. In the afternoon, we drove to the eastern side of St. Croix and explored Christiansted, the largest town of the island. It was interesting and fun to walk along the city and see all the Christmas decorations, while wearing summer clothes and hearing the sound of the waves! A totally different Christmas experience to what we’ve been used to. On our way back to Frederiksted, we saw a “bright spot” on the side of the highway and stopped to take a look at a very impressive decorated yard.

Song: Egzod & Maestro Chives & Alaina Cross - No Rival [NCS Release]Music provided by NoCopyrightSoundsFree Download/Stream: http://NCS.io/NoRivalWatch: http://youtu.be/

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Welcome to St. Croix in the Caribbean, USVI

For the Christmas Holidays of 2022, we escaped the cold winter in Michigan (actually with the perfect timing just before the historic blizzard hit) and flew out into the Caribbean Sea to St. Croix, which is one of the U.S. Virgin Islands. For the first days, we stayed at The Fred in Frederiksted on the western side of the island which made it the perfect spot to watch the sunset!  

Music credit: https://soundcloud.com/no-copyright-music-211953282/ehrling-sthlm-sunset-no-copyright-music

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Big Island Part#5, Punaluʻu Beach, Southernmost Point in the United States & Pu’uhonua O Honaunau National Historical Park, HI

For the remaining hours on Big Island, we drove along the southern coastline towards west and made some stops on the way. Our first stop was at Punaluʻu Beach, a beautiful black sand beach, ringed by coconut palm trees. Our next stop marked the Southernmost Point in the United States, where you can watch cliff jumpers – very impressive! Our last stop before we had to leave this island, was at the Pu’uhonua O Honaunau National Historical Park, where you can learn about the Hawaiian culture. As a farewell gift – we got two beautiful rainbows!

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Big Island Part #4, Sunrise at the summit of Mauna Kea, HI

With this early bird expedition to the Mauna Kea volcano, we were able to catch two birds with one stone! To have perfect vision of the lava flow of the erupting Mauna Loa volcano under the night sky, and to watch a beautiful sunrise at the summit of Mauna Kea, a dormant volcano that marks with an elevation of 4.207 m (13,803 ft) the highest point in the state of Hawaii and the second highest peak of an island on Earth. To get to the summit, you need a 4x4 drive, luckily our little pick-up truck had been a loyal companion, brought us to the top of the volcano and provided us a perfect look-out platform. This trip to Hawaii just become more and more special with every day – and will for sure be remembered as one of the best trips of our life’s!

Please find some additional information if you're planning to visit Mauna Kea for the sunrise:

Follow the Mauna Kea Access Road to Onizuka Center for International Astronomy Visitor Information Station. If you're under 16, pregnant or have poor health, it's recommend that you enjoy the view from here at 2.800 hm (9,200 ft). From that visitor station, it's mandatory to have a 4x4 vehicle with low range (mostly abbreviated with 4WD Lo)! It is extremely necessary for the way down. As in this altitudes, the mechanical brakes will get too hot and your break might not work at all without the low range of your 4x4.

Make sure, that you are breaking with a a) 4x4 Lo activated b) Break with your engine c) and just use the mechanical brake as little as possible

Rangers will open the road 30 minutes before the sunrise. So if you arrive at the visitor center and the road is closed, wait until it will be opened. Also, the ranger will make vehicle checks on the way down and check if your vehicle is a 4x4 (AWD) and check your temperature of your breaks!

With that, please enjoy the sunrise and drive carefully!

Song: Jim Yosef - Samurai [NCS Release] Music provided by NoCopyrightSounds Free Download/Stream:  Watch: http://youtu.be/

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Big Island Part #3, Volcano National Park, HI

On Big Island, it’s all about volcanoes. And besides the eruption of the Mauna Loa volcano being a beautiful surprise, visiting the Volcano National Park was an activity that was planned ahead of visiting this island. In the park, we did some small hikes and explored this very unique landscape. We walked through the Lava Tubes, a cave where a river of lava flowed 500 years ago in the middle of lush rainforest. A totally different experience was, to stand on the solidified lava lake on the floor of Kīlauea Iki crater. What a special view and moment! We also walked along the Crater Rim Trail, alongside the summit of one of the most active volcanoes in the world – very impressive. On the way, you can find steam vents and feel the heat from inside the volcano.

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Big Island Part #2, Sunrise at Pāhoa, HI

On Big Island, we stayed in a room of a private house right at the cliffs of Pāhoa. In the morning, we watched the sunrise at the property. A very different experience from the sunrise’s we watched at Maui, way more rough, but still very beautiful.

Song: Aero Chord & Anuka - Incomplete [NCS Release]Music provided by NoCopyrightSoundsFree Download/Stream: http://ncs.io/IncompleteWatch: http://youtu.be/UaiqX2syHT4

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Big Island Part #1, Eruption of the Mauna Loa Volcano, HI

We ended our stay on Maui with the best vegan Fish Tacos (Earth Aloha Eats) and hopped on a plane to Big Island. Already during our stay on Maui, we’ve heard the news from the eruption of the Mauna Loa Volcano on Big Island. Mauna Loa is the largest subaerial and second largest overall volcano in the world and begun to erupt two days before we’ve planned to visit Big Island – what a perfect timing! Luckily, the lava flow was in an area without any residential areas, so nobody had to be evacuated. The lava flow from the eruption of the Northeast Rift Zone of the volcano, flew towards the Daniel K. Inoye State Highway. And since this is a spectacle of very high interest, an old road had been reopened for us and other “lava tourists”; haha :). On this road, you had the opportunity to park safely and watch this beauty of nature!

Song: Andrew A & VIANI - Lost [Arcade Release] Music provided by NoCopyrightSounds Free Download/Stream: http://ncs.io/AV_Lost Watch: http://youtu.be/

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Maui Part #8, Another magical sunrise at Kaluaihakoko Beach in Kihei, HI

Like every morning, we watched the sunrise at the beach, also on our last day on this beautiful island. And again, we got lucky and saw some wild sea turtles at the beach. Thank you, Maui, for these amazing memories; we will be forever grateful and will never forget your beauty and magical wildlife!  

After spending some very special days on Maui, we thought it couldn’t get any better! But we were wrong! Stay tuned for our next adventure on Big Island, where we were able to make a breathtaking, once in a lifetime experience.

Song: Leat'eq - Sunrise [NCS Release]Music provided by NoCopyrightSoundsFree Download/Stream: http://NCS.io/SunriseWatch: http://youtu.be/

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Maui Part #7, Swimming with Sea Turtles, HI

It would be wrong to say that our expectations before flying out to Maui have been low. But what we were able to experience during our Maui vacation exceeded our expectations! Every morning, we got up before sunrise, once the daylight started to rise, went on a walk at the beach and had the honor to meet wild sea turtles! What a magical and special moment. And it got even better – we also got lucky and had the chance to swim and snorkel with sea turtles. A moment of excitement and joy that we will never forget. Again, we ended this day with an epic sunset.

Song: Poylow, Harry Taylor, MAD SNAX - Drop In The Ocean (feat. India Dupriez) [NCS Release] Music provided by NoCopyrightSounds Free Download/Stream: http://ncs.io/DropInTheOcean Watch: http://youtu.be/

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Maui Part #6, Road to Hana, HI

The Road to Hana is a very famous, about 100km (64.4-milie) long scenic route that connects Kahului and the town of Hana. We started this route in Kahului and made our first stop at Ho’okipa Lookout, one of the most impressive places for (wind)surfing. We continued our journey along the road and stopped again at the beautiful Rainbow Eucalyptus Trees. For the rest of the route, we stopped at some other viewpoints and were amazed by the number of breathtaking waterfalls. The landscape felt like we were driving through a jungle! For an afternoon snack, we stopped at a little banana bread stand at the side of the road – yummy! For the finale of the day, we visited the other side if the Haleakalā National Park and hiked through the Bamboo Forest to the Waimoko Falls. It’s really insane, how diverse and beautiful Maui is and what of a hiking, sightseeing and beach paradise it is – all in one!

Song: hayve - Half Alive (feat. imallryt) [NCS Release]Music provided by NoCopyrightSoundsFree Download/Stream: http://NCS.io/HalfAliveWatch: http://youtu.be/xD822NexBkE

Song: SirensCeol - Stay [NCS10 Release]Music provided by NoCopyrightSoundsFree Download/Stream: http://NCS.io/StayWatch: http://youtu.be/tqBJWfBrev