Our Nomadic Experience

16/10/2024

Here is our updated page of where we have been. Our previous update was back in March, so there is quite a lot of ground that we have covered.

In a few weeks we will be resuming global travels heading to Panama on November 6.

We have had a great time back in North America since May 21st visiting friends and family and having some amazing hikes and experiences in national parks and other wilderness areas.

Our time in the USA and Canada is always more expensive than our typical living expenses living abroad. Accommodation expenses have been reduced this time since so many people opened up their homes to us. To those people, thank-you. We are very grateful.

Six continents, thirty-six countries, and five territories (US Virgin Islands, Hong Kong, Macau, Wallis and Futuna, New Caledonia) since January 2016. (Carey 51 countries total in his lifetime, Susan 44) One hundred and thirty-six UNESCO World Heritage Sites in our lifetimes. Seventy churches since....

30/09/2024

Our final national park this trip was Arches NP near Moab, UT. A very popular park, the only way you can get in between 7:00 AM and 4:00 PM is by purchasing a timed entry pass in advance. We booked ours for 9:00 AM many months ago. However, we ended up entering at 6:30 AM to beat the heat and the crowds. We are glad that we did.

As the name implies, there are many rock arches in the park and we got to see quite a few of them. Our main hike was 13 kms (seven miles) on the Devil’s Garden trail. We also did a few short jaunts on some other trails.

29/09/2024

Canyonlands is the largest National Park in Utah by area. Some of the areas are only accessible by permit and a four wheel drive. There are a couple of hikes that we want to come back and do one day.

We spent the day doing a number of small hikes in the Island in the Sky District.

28/09/2024

Capitol Reef National Park is the least visited of Utah’s “Mighty Five” national parks. We are glad we spent a couple of days exploring and hiking here.

Outlaw Butch Cassidy hung out in this area and even has an arch named after him.

24/09/2024

Today we completed the most adventurous hike we have ever done, Coyote Gulch via the sneaker route.

What made it adventurous? First of all, it was an hour and a half drive on a gravel BLM road (Bureau of Land Management). Second, you need to bring your own 200 foot (70 meter) rope to tie off and drop into the canyon. Third, a good portion of the hike you are wading through the stream.

It was worth all the effort. Take a look at the photos. About 15 km round trip (9 miles). We only saw one other couple the entire time.

23/09/2024

Hoodoo you love!!

Just spent a couple of days in Bryce Canyon National Park. The park contains the largest collection of hoodoos, spires of eroded rock, in the world.

The landscape is beautiful and unique. We enjoyed a couple of 10 - 12 km (6 - 7 mile) hikes as well as a few shorter ones and driving by a number of viewpoints.

18/09/2024

Today we started our Utah National Parks tour and completed our final hike that required an advanced permit: Angels Landing, Zion NP.

The Angels Landing hike isn’t that difficult, the primary reason a permit is required is that the last couple thousand feet (kilometer) of the hike is very narrow with sheer drop offs on each side. It can only accommodate so many people at a time. We saw a few people that chickened out, and I must admit that for the first time in a while I got the heebie jeebies looking down a few times.

The views are spectacular! Some of the best we have experienced.

16/09/2024

Yesterday we visited Lower Antelope Canyon near Page, AZ. We have seen photos of slot canyons before, but nothing compares to experiencing it in person.

We took dozens of photos, here are just a few.

16/09/2024

We have wanted to visit Mesa Verde for years and finally got to spend two days there.

For about 700 years, until about 1200 CE, the Ancestral Pueblo people made their home there. The 600 or so cliff dwellings are some of the best preserved North American archeological sites and what Mesa Verde is best known for.

There were actually more people that lived on the mesa top than in the cliff dwellings. A few of those areas have been preserved and are open to the public.

10/09/2024

We are having a great time in Gallup, NM visiting dear friends. We have been treated to Navajo tacos and diced mutton.

Today we traveled from Gallup through Buffalo Canyon to Monument Valley. Some spectacular scenery!

08/09/2024

After our hike to the bottom of Grand Canyon we spent one night camping on the South Rim.

We had a pretty chill day and used the park’s shuttle buses to go to view points ranging from the far eastern and far western ends of the canyon.

We saw quite a bit of wildlife.

The main water pipe bringing water to the facilities on the South Rim was broken. All hotel rooms had been closed for a week. The showers and laundry at the campground were closed. There was water for the flush toilets at our campground and water in the sinks for a sponge bath.

06/09/2024

Another successful hike. From the south rim of Grand Canyon down to the Colorado River. Spent the night at Bright Angel Campground. Sixteen km one way down and back up the next day (10 miles one way, 20 round trip), 1400 meters elevation gain (4600 feet)

This was probably our most “painful?” hikes. We have done longer, more elevation gain, etc. What made this painful are two major factors:
- the heat (Grand Canyon gets hotter as you descend, rising about 20 deg F hotter than the rim)
- packing a tent, sleeping mats, and enough food and water for twenty-four hours plus. I have never carried a pack that heavy for a hike of this length.

Nevertheless, it was a beautiful hike. I highly recommend it, maybe just at a cooler time of year.

03/09/2024

We made a brief visit to the largest national park in the continental USA, Death Valley. Yeah, I didn’t know it was the largest national park either.

Yes, it was hot. The hottest spot according to the car temperature gauge was 114 degrees F (45 C) this. Was at sea level at the Mesquite Sand Dunes. I got out of the car to snap a few photos.

We did a short walk at Dante’s View at about 5500 feet above sea level, it was cooler at only 95 degrees F (34 C)

If it were a cooler time of year, we would have liked to have done some hiking. We were really just driving through on our way from Sequoia National Park to the Grand Canyon.

We are spending a couple of nights in Las Vegas to sleep in real beds and catch up on laundry before heading to the Grand Canyon.

02/09/2024

We are back in cell phone and internet service after spending two nights in Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks.

Of course, we saw many sequoia trees. Sequoias are the largest trees in the world by volume, redwoods are the tallest.

In addition, we did the Lakes Trail - 21 km with 876 m elevation gain (13 miles, 2900 feet). Quite a beautiful hike.

30/08/2024

Day two in Yosemite, National Park. Although I have been to the park five times, (this is Susan’s second time) there are many areas of this large park that we haven’t been to.

We started the day at Tuolumne Grove. There is a small stand of Sequoia trees here. Then we drove the Tioga Road to Tuolumne Meadows with a couple of stops along the way. Only 12 km (7 miles) of walking today after our 30 km (19 mile) hike the day before.

28/08/2024

Half Dome completed! We were able to get a permit in the three day lottery. It was a long and strenuous hike, but worth it. Perfect weather. Susan said, “I’m glad I did it. Once is enough.”

Nineteen miles round trip, 5520 feet of elevation gain (30 km, 1686 m).

This was Susan’s first attempt. My third.

1981 - spur of the moment trip, cables down, no water, no food, no gloves, just the energy and naivety of an 18 year old. Successful summit.
2008 - attempt with our son, I made it to the sub dome but couldn’t make the last half mile.
2024 - success! Thirty pounds lighter than 2008 attempt.

It took us longer than average.
- added a couple of miles since we walked from our camp site, not the trail parking lot
- I sprained my ankle a few weeks ago so no conditioning for the past couple of weeks, a little sore during the trip.
- we are in our mid-sixties

Yosemite is a beautiful place. I highly recommend it and the Half Dome hike.

25/08/2024

We have spent a great five days staying with friends on the Oregon coast. We have had excellent weather and are having a great time.

The house is right on the beach near Depoe Bay. We get to see whales spouting in the ocean right in front of the house. In the past few days we have visited some nice places up and down the coast.

We are grateful for time with our friends and for their hospitality. Tomorrow, we are on our way to Yosemite National Park in California. We will break it up into two days of driving.

13/08/2024

We spent a great week in Salt Lake City. The best part was staying with good friends our entire time. We also got to meet friends that we haven’t seen for a while.

Another positive thing was getting some hiking in. On August 26 we will arrive in Yosemite National Park with hopes of hiking Half Dome. This will be followed by a month of camping and hiking in national parks.

We hiked up Adams Canyon four times. It is a relatively short hike - 6km (4 miles) with a 500 meter (1500 foot) elevation gain. Our time improved from 2:22 the first time to 1:47 by the fourth time.

Today we head back to Washington State for a family reunion on Saturday. Through parts of Idaho the speed limit is 80 mph (130 mph) so we can cover ground quickly. Still, it is about 13 hours of driving that we will split up into a day and a half of driving.

04/08/2024

Garden of the Gods is a beautiful park in Colorado Springs. We went for a 10km (6 mile) hike this morning. Incredible views.

02/08/2024

Got a nice hike in today in Santa Fe, NM. It is nice to have dry air and to be at altitude. Santa Fe is at 7200 feet (2200 meters). Our 12 km (7.5 mile) hike took us over 9000 feet (2800 meters).

I love pollo al carbon - Mexican charcoal grilled chicken. We have been in New Mexico three days and I have had it twice already.

31/07/2024

We visited Carlsbad Caverns and White Sands National Park in the past two days.

Carlsbad Caverns are some of the largest we have been in. There are certainly some spectacular formations.

White Sands is a unique area of gypsum sand dunes covering 275 square miles. The sand ia very white and drifts quite a lot. The roads and parking lots have to be plowed quite often. At first glance it can look a lot like a snow plowed road.

30/07/2024

The past month or so has been spent primarily visiting friends and family. Our hearts are full of the love and friendship we have felt. Unfortunately, our bellies and waistlines are also full and have expanded as we have enjoyed wonderful meals together.

For the next three weeks or so we will be exploring some National Parks and doing some hiking. In a couple of hours we will head to Carlsbad Caverns, tomorrow, White Sands, and work our way north through Denver and to over to Salt Lake City.

Here are a few photos of some of our activities.

17/07/2024

Another great visit. This time in Vero Beach, FL. We met John and April Anderson in Bangkok. We eventually met Deogie (D.O.G.) and even dog-sat a couple of times.

I don’t think we have seen them since about 2018. They now live in Florida. The way Deogie reacted to us, we think that she remembered us in some way. You never know what goes on in that little dog brain.

We fittingly ate at a Thai restaurant last night and were treated to April’s stuffed waffles today. Delicious!

17/07/2024

Susan and I are having an incredible time on our cross countries (Canada and the USA) trip. Since beginning our nomadic lifestyle in January of 2016, this is only our third time revisiting North America. We moved around quite a bit during my working career, so we have friends from many places across Canada and the USA. Not only that, but people that we knew from other cities have moved and we have been able to reconnect with them even though they now live in a different place.

We have been able to see people that we haven’t seen for three, eight, twenty, thirty, and even forty years!

Here are just a few photos of some of the people we have met with in the past couple of weeks. We didn’t get a photo taken of everyone we met, nor have I been able to comment on everyone we have seen.

Our hearts are full of joy and love seeing all these wonderful people.

08/07/2024

We are now in Nashville. TN. We are looking forward to being able to slow down a little for a week or so.

We post about our travels quite a bit and like to highlight some of the unique things and cultural differences we observe. This post I will focus on some of the cultural differences or unique things we find in the USA that we have experienced recently.

The USA (and Canada) is the land of cars. Very few places have walkable cities. The US Interstate highway system of about 50,000 miles (80,000 km) of multi-lane highways is truly impressive.

Buying fireworks as individuals at the volume we observe in the USA for July 4th, Independence Day, is something we have not observed anywhere else in the world to date.

Finally, food choices vary depending on the area of the USA you are in. We have enjoyed some of our favorites here in Nashville, although they must be enjoyed in moderation - although delicious, they can be loaded with fat and sugar.