Nikki Anne

Jackson Hole in the Fall

February 06, 2017

We got the opportunity to go to Jackson Hole in October. I hadn't been there in forever so I was so excited and Jeff was so excited because they finished the biking path from Jackson Hole to Grand Teton National Park.

We stayed at the Cowboy Village, let me just say that they are the coolest little cabins around. They were cozy and perfect size. The one we had slept 5 people with 2 full and 1 sofa sleeper. The location of the Cowboy Village was also a couple blocks from downtown and if it wasn't cold we would have just walked there.

We also went for a small 30 mile bike ride from Jackson to Grand Teton National Park, Jenny Lake. It was a really beautiful ride. As I was riding I kept staring at the Tetons and then the next thing I knew I was almost off the path. I guess it wouldn't have been the worst view if I got a flat there haha.

The ride was easy, there was a slight elevation gain once you got into the national park but nothing too bad. Can I just say how cool it was to ride into the national park! But don't forget they also charge you, so just be aware.

Once to Jenny Lake we hiked a little and then caught a ride back to the cabin to see baby N, who just woke up from her afternoon nap. Perfect timing :)

Trip facts

Month of travel: October

Length of trip: 3 nights 4 days

Hotel we stayed at: Cowboy Village

Thoughts on hotel: Awesome, I would live there if I could haha

What we saw: Jackson Hole, Grand Teton National Park-Jenny Lake, Jackson Hole Lodge, and Tetons(they are hard to miss)

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Dead Horse Point

April 28, 2016

If you've ever been to Moab then you've probably driven by Dead Horse Point or have even been there. Dead Horse Point is a quick little side trip from Moab and is a spot you shouldn't miss.

It's full of beautiful views and lookouts that can't be beat. We had a little too much fun with the camera here.

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Glacier NP part II

September 21, 2015

A trip to Glacier wouldn't be the same without a stop by Lake McDonald. This place is probably my favorite place ever. I love to sit on the rocky beach and just watch the nice calm lake. This is the first time EVER that I've seen the lake choppy. Usually the lake is glass, like see your refection plus more glass. So with it being choppy I got a new view and different perspective of this lake and life.

It taught me that even perfect things/people/places have their wavy times. Life isn't always glass, but in the end it always goes back to glass. The next day the lake was back to it's beautiful peaceful self.

Just down the road from the Lake McDonald Lodge is Avalanche Gorge. This is a very short hike mostly on a boardwalk, which made for a perfect hike for a pregnant lady. Yes, it was still slightly overcast and it was down pouring before we got there which means there was literally 5 people on the path. I can't imagine what this hike would be like on a nice sunny day, crazy crowded.

This trail also takes a turn so you can head up to Avalanche Lake. I'll do that hike when it's me, the husband, and the babe.

Lets just say Glacier is still one of my favorite spots and I've been every year for the past 3-4 years minus last year when we decided to go to Yosemite NP instead. I can't wait to share these places with baby Hepworth. Next year will be different and a new adventure, until then!

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montana

Babymoon @ Glacier NP

September 17, 2015

Now this is my style of babymoon. Me, my fam, the mountains, and a little chill in the air = PERFECT! I never understood why pregnant ladies always wanted to go some place warm/hot when they are already stinkin hot as it is. Most of the time I walk around in my undies at home or minimal clothing lol

So where did I go? Glacier National Park of coarse, only the prettiest and most peaceful place on earth. Not to mention my favorite place ever! I usually visit every year, which is not always the easiest to get there when you drive. It's almost a 10 hour drive from home but well worth it every single time.

I try and visit a different side of the park every time I visit, this time we visited Two Medicine.

Welcome to Two Medicine Lake. Isn't it gorgeous. The day we went to Two Medicine was a little cloudy and a little rainy which made hiking a little unsafe for the pregnant lady. Wouldn't want to slip and hurt myself or baby so we took it easy and just hung out in the area and then headed back to the lodge near by and had lunch.

What is there to do around Two Medicine?

* There is a boat that can take you to the other side of the lake where there is a short hike to Twin Falls and to Upper Two Medicine Lake. We were planning on do that but we missed the boat, I'm not too worried because we will go next year when more of my clothes fit me and I actually have rain gear haha

There was this cute little ranger station, shop, coffee shop right on the lake. It was a nice place to just get out of the rain for a second and buy a drink or treat.

We also did this little walk to this water fall, its called Running Eagle Falls. Super easy 0.6 mile to such a cool looking falls. I'm glad we turned around to do this short little walk.

PS do you see the black bear?

That's kind of all we did at Two Medicine this time. Like I said the fact I am pregnant definitely limited things especially with the rain. But it was fun just to see this new area and enjoy the scenery. Two Medicine we will meet again and I'll be able to explore all areas of you :)

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adventures

5 tips for traveling to Yosemite National Park

February 23, 2015

Yosemite National Park and 5 tips for traveling there

We went to Lake Tahoe and Yosemite NP recently. The top 5 words to describe my trip are gorgeous, exhausting, cold, adventurous, and stunning!

If you guys haven't been to Yosemite it is a place you have to visit at least once in your lifetime!

But it's not easy to get there, believe I know!

Here are MY tips for planning a trip to Yosemite National Park

Yosemite Falls upper and lower

1. Time of year

With my research I found that if you want to see the amazing waterfalls at their best you have to visit Yosemite in the spring time. But be careful, spring time and Memorial day weekend are the busiest. I went the weekend before Memorial day and it wasn't that busy, but then we had bad luck with the weather. That's the other thing about visiting in the spring time, the weather is so unpredictable. Weather can also play a part on how you actually get to Yosemite Valley. If it's early enough in the spring time you can only enter the park from the West side because Tioga Pass, which is the major highway that enters the from the East is usually still covered in snow. The National Park Service website is updated daily on the road conditions about all major highways in the park. When we went we got lucky and were able to drive the gorgeous Tioga Pass into the park, but as we enjoyed our time in the park the pass closed due to snow.

Mirror Lake

Can you see how many layers I have on??

2. Attire
If you are going to visit in the spring time, be prepared for that unpredictable weather that could occur and don't let it stop you from seeing the falls and hiking the hikes you want to do. Bring waterproof shoes and a rain jacket along with your usual camping/traveling attire. Although some bad weather can cause you to be blue, it sure makes for a unique and beautiful photographs than the usual sunny weather day.

Cloudy weather….

Tunnel View

Sunny weather…
Tunnel View

3. Accommodations

There are 4 types of accommodations that are common when visiting Yosemite. You can camp, stay in the hotel, backpack, and/or stay just outside the park.

If you plan on camping there are 13 campgrounds in Yosemite NP, 4 of those are in the Valley. Out of the 4 of those, 3 require a reservation that needs to be set at least 5 months in advance (can do that here). The last one is on a first come first served, but be in line early it fills by noon.

Backpacking is a great way to be able to see all 1,100 square miles if you have the time. Make sure you're prepared by packing everything out, correct food storage, and wilderness permits.

I don't know much about staying outside the park, but there are little towns I believe about 45 minutes outside the park with hotels. The little towns were so cute though as I drove through them.

There are hotels/lodging in Yosemite called The Ahwahnee (AAA Four Diamond hotel), Yosemite Lodge at the Falls, Curry Village, and Housekeeping Camp. Here are simple descriptions of each one. The Ahwahnee- fancy and expensive, Yosemite Lodge at the Falls-centrally located in the valley and easily accessible to all things, Curry Village- standard motel rooms, cabins and canvas tents, last Housekeeping Camp-3 concrete walls and a canvas roof gives you the camping with a tent feeling, there are showers available here too.

When I went we camped in Upper Pines campground. Since we went in May I had to reserve right when reservations were open up in January. The camp spots went super fast and actually I didn't even get the one I wanted. Upper Pines was a nice campground, it had all the usual campground water, parking, and fire pits. The only thing different with camping there from camping in Utah was we weren't allowed to have fires in the morning. I guess the collection of smoke can cause the Valley to become smoggy, so you were only allowed to have 1 fire a day. Bathrooms were fine, flushable toilets and running water. They have bear lockers in each camp spot and it's a must to use them, there was actually a few bear sightings in our campground while we were there.

Lower Yosemite Falls

Bridalveil Falls

4. What To See

Now that you have picked when you're going, what you're going to wear, and where you're going to stay it's time to research what you're going to see. Oh man there is so many hikes, views, and falls to see that there is no way I could talk about all of them here. Instead I'll just point out the ones that I saw or wanted to see.

The Valley offers views of Yosemite Falls, Bridalveil Falls, El Capitan, Sentenial Rock, and Half Dome. To get to the bottom of Yosemite Falls and Bridalveil Falls it's a short walk on a paved walkway which is very family friendly. The Mist trail is a hike that leads you to Nevada Falls and Vernal Falls, I wasn't able to do this hike but really wanted too. We did do the Mirror Lake Loop which was easy and so pretty once we got to the lake. Literally there are too many hikes to name so here is a link so you can do some research.

There is more to Yosemite than just hiking, you can also go rock climbing it's a rock climbers heaven, fishing, horse back riding, birdwatching, rafting, and biking. The Valley can get very crowded so it's best to either ride the shuttle that has frequent stops at the bottom of all popular hikes or take a bike to ride around on.

5. Just do it!

No, this isn't a Nike commercial, it's ten times better. This trip taught me to just do it, 'it' being whatever you set out to do unless of coarse it might cause harm to you or others…damn it, the nurse in me just came out. I didn't just do it when I went to Yosemite, I let the rain get me down and stop me from doing a few hikes and seeing what I set out to see during this trip. And that my friend is my new life lesson!

Until next time Yosemite where I will do the whole trip completely different! PLEASE DON'T STEAL MY PICTURES…IT'S NOT COOL! :)

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Stories

Jackson Hole in the Fall

Dead Horse Point

Glacier NP part II

Babymoon @ Glacier NP

5 tips for traveling to Yosemite National Park

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