In August 2021, on my way back from a long weekend in Niagara, I decided to cut the road back in two and spend the night in Presqu'Ile Provincial Park, a small protected strip of land on Lake Ontario, in Canada. I spent an afternoon and one night there camping by myself and decided that I would need to come back for a few days and explore the park properly. Then in May 2022, my friend Amy and I were looking for a place to visit during a long weekend at the end of the month and I jumped at the chance to visit Presqu'Ile again. I think it's the perfect camping destination for beginners and it has plenty of fun activities!
Our weekend in presqu'ile
Amy and I arrived in Presqu'île passed 10 PM on the Friday of our long weekend. We had a reservation so we were able to go in to our campsite without any issue, which was good because the campground office was closed. There are indications that were easy to follow to our campsite.
It was the end of May when we visited so it was pretty cold, but still comfortable with a regular sleeping bag. In the two and a half days that we were there, we had one day of rain, but the other days we had perfect weather. There was also a huge thunderstorm on our second night that lasted about 30 minutes, but our tent was protected by the surrounding trees and we were able to take shelter by the amphitheater. We then had a beautiful evening and the weather cleared up for the night. All in all, it was a great weekend where we were able to do multiple activities, enjoy the park amenities and even try a new recipe: we baked chocolate cake in an orange peel on the fire! The campground
the activities
There is so much to do in Presqu'île, but at the same time there is a relaxed atmosphere. There is no rush!
We personally spent the rainy day exploring the small town near the park and going on a hike in the forest to be somewhat protected from the rain. During the sunny days, we went swimming and paddleboarding in the perfect turquoise waters, we went for a walk on the beach and spent time reading by the water. We also saw plenty of swans and other small birds that we couldn't identify as we are very much not specialists in that area. Most people had bikes and could ride along the bike path around the peninsula or went bird watching. There is also a lighthouse and museums that you can visit and guided activities with the park rangers are offered for children and adults alike. Honestly, it's just a great place to relax, unwind, enjoy the beautiful scenery and spend quality time with friends and family. Why it's perfect for beginners
I would have loved to be in Presqu'île when I first started camping. Back then we were in British Colombia and Alberta in huge National Parks where the closest grocery store was two days away.
You don't have that problem in Presqu'île. Although it feels secluded by being on a smallish peninsula, it is a 15 minute drive to the closest town where you will find a grocery store, liquor store, sports equipment store, as well as cute little books and souvenir shops. So if you are missing anything, there is always the possibility to go and buy it. Another thing that I love is the rain shelter. By the group sites, there is a large building with tables, big enough to seat about 30 people, where you can go to cook or eat if its raining and you don't feel like eating in your car or in a small tent. For people that don't have a lot of equipment, it is great and allows them to enjoy their food in all weather. We went there for breakfast and lunch during the rainy day that we had and we even saw deers from the window while we were eating. There is also a camp store with last minute items like butane cans or bug spray and the staff was really helpful everytime that we had questions or needed anything even if it was the beginning of the season and they probably were still being trained. What you need to bring
Honestly, except for camping essentials, you don't need anything in particular. A tent, a sleeping bag, clothes for all weather, rain gear, a mattress, a camping stove if it's easier for you than cooking on the fire and cutlery, a cooler, and that's pretty much it. Most of these can even be rented at local outdoors equipment stores if you would like to try camping out before buying your own equipment. The water is drinkable and available at multiple places around the campground so there is no need to bring a big tank. Like I said, if you are missing anything, you can always buy it in town.
Presqu'île is one of those lesser known places in Canada where I would like to go back year after year. It's just as pretty as Bruce peninsula, but less crowded and the water is just so clear and nice that I can't help, but love the scenery.
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10/1/2023 0 Comments THE GIFT OF THE LAMP
One of the best parts of my travels is always the people I meet on these trips. Whether we stay in contact afterwards or just meet for a moment, I love learning how other people live and hearing their stories.
On our trip to the American Southwest, we stayed in a small campground in Kanab, Utah. In the evening, I was seated on our picnic table, writing in my journal as the sun was slowly going down and it was getting darker. This nice woman approached me from the RV parked behind our van with a small lamp and said I looked like I needed it. I just said "Thanks" and she walked back to her RV.
At the end of the evening, when I was ready to go inside, I pulled a page from my notebook and wrote her a note to thank her and left the lamp and the note on the steps of her RV since it was late and all the lights were off inside.
The next morning, we woke up to their RV gone, but there was the lamp on our picnic table with a note saying we reminded her of her grand-daughters and she was happy to see us traveling by ourselves and wishing us a nice trip. I don't remember what she looked like, but it has been years and I still have the note and the lamp and think about her everytime I use it. It might not have meant much to her, but I will always remember the kindness of this stranger that I met for barely a minute. I hope one day I get the chance to do something similar for a stranger that I meet along the way.
For more information on our road trip, click here.
Let's be clear right away! I 100% loved my trip to Iceland. I am not looking to convince you not to visit Iceland or not to visit these places, quite the opposite! You absolutely should visit ALL of these places and make sure you have the time to enjoy them as they should be. But, I'm just saying you should be aware of these aspects and maybe change your expectations a little so you won't be disappointed and your visit meets your expectations.
Now that we have that cleared up, let's have a look at these magical places! The smell at namafjall and Myvatn baths
The Myvatn Lake area has a lot to offer and plenty of things to see. From the Myvatn Baths (the lesser popular, newer version of the Blue Lagoon), to the Namafjall fumaroles and bubbling mud pits and the mars-like landscape, it is unlike any other area of Iceland and we spent two full days exploring the lava fields and other geothermal features. I loved that there were no big crowds and we were free to explore and take our time. The only part that wasn't great was the smell. I'll be completely honest, it was pungent and seemed to follow us everywhere. Anyone having visited Yellowstone or any other sulphurous mud springs will know they smell like rotten eggs, but this was something else. I was barely starting to get used to it at the end of our two days in the area. Imagine trying to relax in the blue waters of Myvatn Baths and then you suddenly get a whiff of rotten eggs that are being boiled in dead waste... I'm hoping once they are done building the baths the smell will be less intense. We still had a good time and I don't regret going to Myvatn Baths.
the crowds in diamond beach
Diamond Beach was one of the places in Iceland that I was most excited to visit, but the moment we got there I felt uncomfortable. There were people everywhere, running, screaming, jumping in front of your camera when you finally get a split second without people in your frame. It was ridiculous. A tour guide arrived with his group at some point yelling they had 10 minutes before they had to be back on the bus. They all start running every direction and yelling at each other for pictures all the while almost hitting you with their selfie-stick. 10 minutes later the guide starts whistling with an actual whistle for them to get back on the bus like they are dogs.
We walked all the way to the end of the beach and found it a little bit quieter, but not by much. The whole time we were there I was jumpy. After two years of Covid, being in the middle of a crowd that looked more like children at recess than adults on a nature visit, it was a shock. We went back the next day in the early morning instead of the afternoon and it was so much better. There were other people, but they weren't on a tour and were taking their time to walk around. I was finally able to actually enjoy the sight of the thousands of ice diamonds on this beautiful black beach. the fences at Fjadrargljufur canyon and skogafoss
We started our trip by visiting the East and North of Iceland and finished our tour in the crowded South. By the time we got there, I had gotten used to being able to walk freely, take my time, approach the waterfalls (by still being safe) and the South is definitely not like that. There are gates and ropes everywhere so you can barely see the canyons and there is no place to get nice pictures of waterfalls. Everyone is just walking over the ropes for pictures, but I'm just not the type of person to disrespect rules so I was just left frustrated that these ropes and gates were necessary. I get the necessity to protect Iceland's natural beauty and protect hordes of tourist that are not careful with their lives, but I hate that not everyone has the sense to be safe and not destroy these beautiful landscapes.
These places are still beautiful and worth the visit, but just be warned that you won't be able to get a good look as you are blocked on the paths that are sometimes pretty far away from the falls or the edge of the canyon. the naked showers at Blue Lagoon and Myvatn baths
Alright, I know in Europe people aren't as prudish as we are in North America, but I personally prefer getting changed and showering in a private cabin. Just a preference. Having worked as a swimming instructor at a public pool, I totally get the importance of taking a shower before going for a swim. In these baths where the water isn't chlorinated it is especially important, but I would have preferred closed showers and changing cabins. Just be aware that you will have to shower naked in front of everyone.
the killer waves of Reynisfjara
The Reynisfjara black beach is absolutely beautiful! And the basalt columns on the side of the beach are also nice and pretty. But the waves on that beach are unsuspected killers. You'll be walking on the beach with plenty of space between the rock wall and the ocean and then suddenly there's a big wave and the water almost reaches your feet. They crash on the shore and just hearing them you know you wouldn't have a chance if you were caught in them. The beach is a must-see, but just make sure you are careful and keep an eye on the ocean.
the "Insta crowds" in multiple places, but mostly seljalandsfoss
Like I said earlier, we spent a full week in less crowded areas before getting to the very crowded South of Iceland and I just wasn't expecting such a difference. Of course, wherever there are crowds, there are people having full on photoshoots. I'm not going to lie, I love taking pictures and I definitely like getting pictures of myself wherever I go on trips, but I am also aware that the people around me are also trying to get nice pictures of their trips so there is no way I will stay in front of the view that everyone else is trying to photograph for like 10 minutes. I go, get a few pictures and get out of the way. If I'm not satisfied with the pictures, I"ll wait again for my turn and get some more. Is that so complicated?
Plan for extra time in every place you visit in the South because you will be stuck behind photoshoots pretty much everywhere you go... Good luck!
Let's be real, if these are the worst parts of my trip, you have to guess that it was a pretty incredible trip! Iceland is a wonderful destination for nature lovers and I loved every minute of my time there, but you never see any articles mentioning these less than great aspects and I think it's important to manage expectations so you are not disappointed when you visit.
Enjoy your trip! other articles you might enjoy
During our trip to the American Southwest, my friend and I had made an itinerary, but we hadn't made reservations for our campgrounds as we wanted the liberty to stop for the night if we were tired or to drive as long as we wanted if we were feeling up to it.
One afternoon, we left Arches National park and made our way to Page, Arizona, knowing full well that we wouldn't make it there before the night fell. The villages and small towns in that part of Utah are really tiny and pretty scattered so when the sun started setting, and we saw a sign for a campground in Bluff, Utah, we decided to stop for the night.
In the last few kilometers, we could see the sun setting on our right, the colourful sky turning pinker all around us, and to our left, the full moon. It was so beautiful! I kept trying to take pictures and videos, but none of it made it justice.
When we arrived at the campground, the sunset was almost all the way down behind the mountains and there was only one other family there.
We checked in and barely had time to build a fire before it was completely dark out. We had dinner by the fire and suddenly we heard "Tabarnak". That word doesn't lie, there were other people from Quebec! What were the odds that the only other family in the campground, all the way in tiny Bluff, Utah, would also be French Canadian?!
It was such a simple, quiet camping night, but I don't think I will ever forget the beauty of that sunset, the randomness of making it to Bluff at the only campground for miles around, and the chance of meeting other Quebecois in this far away town.
For more information on our road trip through the American Southwest, click here.
In September 2022, during our two-week road trip accross Iceland, we had the chance the go on a zodiac tour of Jokulsarlon with Glacier Lagoon. They offer amphicar tours as well and other companies had kayaking tours, but I think we chose right as the zodiac tour was incredible and seemed to cover more of the lagoon as the others who stayed closer to the shore.
The first step of our tour was to put on a pretty heavy one-piece yellow winter suit that floats if you fall overboard and keeps you warm while the zodiac zooms accross the lagoon. Then, we walked about 200m to the shore and stepped aboard our boat. There were about 8-10 people per boat so we had plenty of space to sit or move around to get a better view if needed.
Once all of the passengers were on board, our tour guide explained quickly how to stay safe and we were off to the glacier. It's better to stay seated once the zodiac gets on the way as it goes pretty quickly and you really don't want to fall in the icy water. But once we got to the glacier, our guide stopped the boat and we were able to look around at the huge icebergs and the glacier behind them.
We were pretty lucky during our visit. A huge ice block had fallen off the glacier a few hours before so there were a lot of icebergs and they were a bright blue color. Our guide, Teddy, told us that even the biggest icebergs, once they fall into the lake, will melt in a few days or weeks at most as the lagoon is filled with salt water from the ocean. We also learned that the ice will be a bright blue color when it first falls in the water, but will turn white in about 10-12 hours. They will only get their blue color back if they turn over in the water from loosing chunks of ice.
As we were looking around at the different icebergs and listening to the ice cracking all around us, we had the chance to encounter two little seals. They were so cute and way more curious then they were scared as they let us approach so we could see them up close.
Unfortunately, the glacier is rapidly melting and has retreated as much as 2 km between 1973 and 2004.
I have to say, this tour was one of the highlights of our whole trip. The view was so beautiful and completely different from everything else we had seen before. It was also fun to get some information and some history of the glacier, lagoon and the animals that live there. I would have stayed longer, to be honest. We were comfortably warm in the suits and I was almost hypnotized by the sound of the ice cracking and the icebergs floating all around us. I absolutely recommend this tour if you are visiting the south of Iceland!
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27/12/2022 0 Comments SUNSETS IN RIOMAGGIORE
On the day that I was arriving in Cinque Terre, I had a pretty late train from Florence. I left my hostel pretty early to go explore. I had an appointment at 1 PM to go up to the roof of the Duomo so I went up the 398 steps up the Campanile (the Bell Tower), then up the 463 steps to the top of the Duomo. I then ran all the way back to my hostel to get my backpack, and all the way in the opposite direction to the train station for my train at 3 PM. I took the train to Pisa, then another to La Spezia and then got on the Cinque Terre train to Riomaggiore. I got lost on the way to my AirBnb and ran up and down the steps and streets of Riomaggiore, then up the three sets of stairs to my room. Let's just say I was completely exhausted when I got there, but the sun was about to set and I wasn't about to miss it! So I ran back down to the marina and made it just in time! My first Cinque Terre sunset, but definitely not the last as I made a point to see all of them during my four-day stay.
The next day, I took the train to visit the other villages, but made sure to come back to Riomaggiore in time to get pizza and walk back to the marina and find a nice spot to eat dinner with a view.
The 3rd day I spent at the beach, soaking in the sunshine and didn't go back to town until dark, just to make sure I wouldn't miss the view.
Honestly, I would never tire of those sunsets even if I saw one every night for years! It's just so pretty and peaceful!
If you ever visit Italy, Cinque Terre is a must and be sure to never miss one of these magical sunsets while you are there! For more information on Cinque Terre, click here.
To be fully honest with you, I profoundly dislike winter. I hate being cold, wearing so many layers that you feel like the Michelin man and weight twice as much as you usually do, having to shovel your driveway twice a day, walking on ice or in sludge for 3 months, etc. But, having lived in Quebec City almost all my life, winter is part of the deal and I've had to find somethings to like about it. I have to admit that winter has a way of making some destinations just a little bit more magical!
As most people in Quebec would say, there is no bad weather, the are only bad clothes! Honestly, winter here is pretty harsh and you need to be dressed appropriately, but otherwise, it can. be a lot of fun. I hope you get the chance to explore the region of Quebec City in your travels.
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Iceland was our Covid trip. You know, the one that got canceled and you thought you would just push back for a year and then that got canceled again? So basically, we had a whole three years to plan, look up photos, read way too many blog articles, tag locations on Google Maps after seeing them on Instagram and go completely crazy waiting for the trip to finally happen. Let's just say, when we got there, we were prepared and ready to go EVERYWHERE! So this article is for the places that don't usually figure in the guide book, but that I believe deserve a chance.
Hveragerdi geothermal park
rHveragerdi is a village build in a hot zone, which means that it has geothermal activity. Actually, it is so hot that there are three naturally heated swimming pools and a geyser in the middle of the village! The surrounding mountains are smoking and almost every yard has its own greenhouse, isn't that so cool? So while some of the springs in Hveragerdi Geothermal Park have gone dry since an earthquake in 2008, it was one of the rare places that we saw in Iceland that explained geothermal energy and that had little activities that helped understand how it works and how it helped the inhabitants of Iceland survive in such a harsh climate. You can visit the greenhouse, cook an egg in a hot spring, taste bread baked in steam, take a foot mud bath and put you feet in a warm spring, and understand life in the region. It is a pretty short visit and costs a few dollars, but it reminded me of the Land pavilion in EPCOT in Disney World and I loved it.
Gljufrabui waterfall
I had never seen this waterfall anywhere on internet and we just happened to see it on a sign while in Seljalandfoss and decided to check it out. It was complete luck that we saw it, and it turned out to be one of my favorite spots in Iceland. Gljufrabui is located in the same park as Seljalandfoss, but being completely hidden by the canyon walls and only reachable if you walk in the water, most people don't visit even though it is really pretty and quite easy to reach with hiking boots and a rain jacket. Honestly, it's worth getting splashed!
reykjadalur hot spring thermal river
The Blue Lagoon and Myvatn Baths are absolute musts when visiting Iceland, but one thing I really wanted to do was swim in a natural hot spring. We went to Seljavallalaug swimming pool, but since the water source is broken, the water is quite cold and really murky. So when I found Reykjadalur while looking for things to do on Google Maps, I decided we had to go! I honestly thought it would be close to the road and easy to reach, but the river is actually a 45-minute hike up a mountain away from the parking lot. I recommend hiking boots, at least a full bottle of water and some snacks. Like most things in Iceland, you need to earn the beautiful things you want to see, but they are worth it and these hot springs are no exception. The hike is not technical, the trail is large and well maintained, but it is pretty steep in some places. Once you get to the spring, though, you forget all the effort that it took to get there as you soak in the warm shallow water. It is so relaxing and the view is great!
Even though there were quite a few people while we were there, it never felt crowded as there are so many little basins separated by rocks. There are no changing room or bathrooms, but there are some screens were you can change out of your bathing suit before the walk back. I recommend putting on your bathing suit before you leave and bringing a change of underwear. Water shoes or flip flop/crocs are also a good idea to walk on the rocks. grjotagja
Grjotagja is a grotto filled with bright blue water near Myvatn Nature Baths. Unfortunately, swimming is prohibited, but visiting is free of charge and it is a beautiful, quick stop while in the Myvatn area in Northern Iceland. The sun shines through the entrance of the grotto and allows you to see all the way to the bottom of the clear water. The water is also warm as bath water and steam rises form it.
glymur waterfall
Glymur is one of my favorite waterfalls in Iceland and features in my top ten waterfalls as you can see here. It is the beautiful reward you receive after an hour long hike. Although the hike isn't hard for most people with a normal fitness level, it is pretty technical. You do need to cross a river on a tree trunk and hold onto ropes as you hike up so I would recommend having done some hiking in small mountains before. Otherwise, the view is gorgeous all the way up and there are a few other people hiking along, but it isn't crowded. The descent was fairly easy as you can use the ropes to rappel down the steeper inclines. You do need proper hiking boots, snacks and plenty of water. When we visited in September we found it was warm, but you would need proper clothing according to the weather.
Meleyri Beach
Unfortunately, it was raining pretty heavily the day we visited and the visibility was horrible (so bad that we drew an arrow in the sand pointing to the parking lot so we wouldn't have a hard time finding it on the way back), but Meleyri Beach is a beautiful black sand beach that stretches on for miles. It isn't as popular as other beaches like Reynisfjara so you could have the place completely to yourself!
Honestly, there are so many incredible things to see in Iceland, that you probably don't need to add anything to your already packed itinerary, but these are places that we found by chance and that I am so happy we found! You won't be disappointed!
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In Iceland, there are a few things that you will see consistently: horses and sheep, mountains, and waterfalls. There is a waterfall in every little crevasse of every single mountain on the island and, though they are always beautiful, some are just more spectacular than others. Here are the 10 waterfalls that I found particularly memorable.
1. glymur waterfall
Glymur waterfall was the first one that we visited during our trip. So while it is not the first that we saw, it is the first that I can name. It is also the highest reachable waterfall in Iceland. There is one higher, but it is impossible to visit due to its location.
It took us about 3 hours to hike to Glymur and back to the parking lot, and while it is not the easiest hike, it is also doable for most people. There is a river to cross on a tree trunk and a few places where we had to use ropes to help ourselves up, but it is also very worth it. The waterfall is absolutely gorgeous and completely hidden in a canyon and the hike gave us wonderful view points over the valley and surrounding mountains. 2. skogafoss
Skogafoss is definitely one of the waterfalls you HAVE to visit in Iceland, but to be completely honest, we kind of forgot it existed as soon as we saw the rainbows! Skogafoss is also the highest waterfall on the Skoga river, but if you climb to the top, you can walk along the river and discover many smaller waterfalls and the most beautiful scenery. It is worth it to plan a bit more time and explore past the crowds.
3. seljalandsfoss
Seljalandfoss looks impressive in pictures because you always see it from the back, meaning you can walk behind it. What I wasn't expecting, was the massive size of the waterfall and the grotto behind it. In real life, the fall is so powerful that you need a rain jacket even if you look at it from afar. It is also way higher than it looks in pictures.
4. Gljufrabui waterfall
I think Gljufrabui was my favorite waterfall of all. It is located about 300m from Seljalandfoss, but most people seemed to completely ignore it and prefer it's sister. While Seljalandsfoss is bigger, Gljufrabui is hidden behind a canyon and you can barely see it from the trail. The only way to reach it is to walk through the canyon in the water, but boy is it worth it!
5. gullfoss
Gullfoss is a very powerful waterfall located on the Golden Circle in southwest Iceland. The crevasse where the water flows is so narrow that, from the viewpoint on the left side of the river, it looks like the water is flowing underneath the earth or falling to the center of the earth. I wish I could have seen it in the winter too as the water must form really neat icicles on the sides of the canyon.
6. godafoss
Godafoss is know for its legend. Apparently, in 1000 AD, one of Iceland's lawmakers came back home from the annual meeting at Thingvellir, where they decided to make Christianity the official religion of Iceland, and threw his statues of Norse gods in the waterfall. Although no one knows if the story is true, the waterfall is still one of the most beautiful in Iceland because of its width and the blue color of its water. The shape also reminded me of a small Niagara Falls.
7. Svartifoss
Svartifoss is so different from the other waterfalls in Iceland! With its basalt columns, it looks like the pipes of a giant organ and you would recognize it anywhere. This waterfall is also part of Skaftafell-Vatnajökull National Park where you can observe glaciers, volcanoes and other waterfalls so it was a nice visit. It takes between 30 and 45 minutes to hike to the waterfall and, like most places in Iceland, it is mostly uphill, but the view along the way is gorgeous and it's not a technical hike.
8. Haifoss
The interesting part of this waterfall isn't actually the fall itself, but the kettles carved by the river. Some of them seem to interlace while the water flows through. It's really impressive! There is a small parking lot near the cascades and the view from up there gives you a nice panorama on the whole fjord and Seydisfjordur.
9. dettifoss
Dettifoss may not be pretty with its greyish-white water and moon like surroundings, but it is the most powerful waterfall in Iceland and the second most powerful in Europe. Honestly, after walking along it, I have no doubt of its power. There is so much water falling so abruptly that even from the furthest viewpoint we were still getting splashed.
10. kirkjufell
Kirkjufell waterfall isn't the biggest or the strongest, it doesn't have the prettiest color, it isn't the highest either, but it's location makes it great. Right in front of the conical mountain that gives it its name, with the sun setting in the background, it has the prettiest surroundings.
To be honest, after a few days in Iceland, we barely noticed most of the waterfalls we passed along the road, but these ten were worth the detour or even the hike. Don't forget to tag them on Google maps or write them on your list of places to visit as they are absolute must-sees in Iceland.
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In September 2019, my friend and I went on a road trip through Nevada, Utah, Arizona and California. (For more information about this road trip, click here) While on this road trip, we of course visited the Grand Canyon National Park. How could you go to Arizona and not go to the Grand Canyon?! But, not only did we want to see it from the top like you can see in all the pictures, we kind of wanted to see it from the river too. And the best way to do that was to go rafting! Since we didn't have much time, the 14 days rafting trip through the whole Colorado River wasn't exactly a possibility, but with Hualapai River Runners, we could go rafting for a day at the West end of the Grand Canyon.
We arrived the day before in Peach Springs, Arizona, a small reserve on road 66. We were to leave early in the morning from the Hualapai Lodge, and since there was no campground in Peach Springs, we were allowed to park and spend the night in their parking lot. The lodge is beautiful and there is a restaurant and small shop where you can purchase everything you might need or have forgotten for your day of adventure, like sunscreen, watershoes, dry bags, etc.
Early in the morning, we had breakfast in the van and walked to the front desk to wait for our guide. There were about twenty of us going on this expedition that day so we all climbed on a bus for the 1-hour drive to the Colorado River. The ride wasn't exactly peaceful as it is a dirt road, but the views as we climbed down the canyon was incredible. Soon, we had made it to the end of the road where the rafts were waiting for us to board. We put on our lifejackets, put our personnal items in a barrel for safe keeping and climbed aboard. There were 6 of us in our raft, plus our guide, as we started our journey down the river.
As indicated on the website, the first few miles are rapids, small ones and medium ones, nothing to make you fall overboard, but just enough to be completely drenched and have fun! The water is freezing cold and my hands were white from holding on to the raft as hard as I could, but I don't think I had laughed that much in a long time. The whole time, our guide was telling us about the region, its climate, vegetation and history, about the Hualapai tribe and their legends and traditions, about the history of his ancestors and how they try to preserve their way of life while adapting to the 21st century.
Once we were completely drenched to the bones, it was time for our first stop on the side of the canyon. We hiked a short way through a side canyon to a beautiful waterfall where we could sit in shallow pools and take pictures or relax for a while. Then, it was time to get back on the raft and get through the last rapids before lunch.
For lunch, we stopped at a small beach. Lunch was provided and thankfully dry as we had a sandwich with our choice of juice, water or soda, chips, cookies and fruits. I probably ate way too much and it wasn't the most healthy, but after hanging on in the rapids, hiking and swimming, I was hungry! We had some time to dry off in the sun and get to know our boat mates while we ate and then it was back to the water as it was really hot in the sun. I think I put sunscreen on about four times that day and still got sunburnt.
The rest of the afternoon was spent cruising along the canyon and looking around trying to convince ourselves that we were living this for real. I think the canyon is even more impressive from the bottom. The walls somehow seem taller and the river seems narrower.
Our boat mates had also made the reservation to be helicoptered out and go to the skywalk, so in the middle of the afternoon, we left them on the side of the canyon where the helicopter would pick them up and continued our journey just the two of us and our guide. Since it was just the two of us for the remaining 10 miles, our guide let us drive the raft and decide when we wanted to stop for a swim so we had a great rest of our afternoon and definitely took advantage of the swimming and walking along the shores.
We arrived at the dock at about 7 PM and had an hour of bus ride by ourselves to head back to the lodge. Both of us were exhausted and slept almost the whole way back, but we were also very satisfied of this day on the Colorado River.
So, was this day crazy expensive and definitely not something I could afford at the time? Absolutely! Do I regret it? Absolutely not!
I think it was a once in a lifetime experience and I am so happy we took the opportunity. How many people can say they were in the middle or the bottom of the Grand Canyon? I would definitely recommend it or even the multiple day expedition. I would have kept going for a few more days without tiring. Other articles you might enjoy
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