Greencaviar Travel

I was trying to fulfill a promise of a hiking trip long overdue, so I was not thinking about the drive.  I just wanted to get to Big Sur, a place that offers a bounty of hiking trails, as quickly as possible.  From Silicon Valley, I tried to avoid the winding Santa Cruz Mountains and decided to drive through US101 that connects to CA-156 to California Highway 1 to Monterey Peninsula.  Little did I realize that the drive to Big Sur was to become a long and exciting drive, and one of the most memorable parts of our hiking trip. We drove up into the scenic California Highway 1 to Carmel in the dense fog. The fog was like a prelude to the drama to come. About half an hour from Carmel, a streak of sunlight passed through the fog. Occasional salmon-colored carvings (carved by nature) walled the highway, which followed the natural contours of the cliffs falling into the ocean. We rounded a corner and a mountain covered in fog towered above the cliffs that towered a ...

After a feast of barbeque pork and chicken, grilled salmon belly and seafood, we decided to go for a walk.  As I stepped on the trail, I was captivated by a serene landscape. Streaks of light passed through the bare branches of birch and spruce trees and streamed down onto a carpet of lush green moss. In the distance, the snow-capped mountains melded into the horizon. Birds shrieked from the bare branches of trees; a bird called from a treetop like a nature ticking clock. Shortly after walking, we spotted a moose. I had a mixed feeling of excitement at seeing one of the shy creatures, and at the same time, I was afraid of the possibility of being attacked by it. We stopped occasionally to admire the crystal-clear water from a gurgling river.  My sister scooped up the water with her hands and pretended to drink.  And like an ethereal muse rising from the water, she tossed the water into the air. The following day, I decided to up the ante and hike the Fl...

Shortly after pulling off the Seward Highway, we spotted a strange-looking beast with big horns, and seemingly covered in a heavy dark brown fur coat made of twisted hair. It looked like a cross between a bison and a buffalo. We got out of the car and walked to see the animal up-close. It was a Musk Ox. Two more with long whooshing ropey strips of hair hanging to the ground joined in to greet us. As I mentioned in my post about our road trip to Seward, I surprised my relatives when I made a sharp right turn to visit the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center (AWCC) - a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving Alaska’s wildlife through conservation and quality animal care. Earlier that day I watched the Anchorage Visitor Channel that mainly discussed the Wood Bison restoration project.  According to the Anchorage Visitor Channel, the AWCC takes in injured and orphaned animals year-round and provides spacious enclosures and quality animal care.  After rehabilit...

I went to Anchorage to attend a relative's graduation ceremony, so I went without an itinerary. But earlier that day, I watched the Anchorage Visitor Channel and took notes of places I wanted to see and do during my visit.  One of the recommendations was to drive the Seward Highway and experience one of the world's best drives. We were having lunch at a Vietnamese restaurant when I announced to my relatives the plan of the day. For some reason, ‘Turnigan Pass’ was stuck in my mind. I kept saying ‘Turnigan” and did not realize I was mispronouncing the word until the Waitress overheard our conversation. She was so polite though and did not correct me. Instead, she offered a little bit of history as to how ‘Turnagain Pass” got its name. She said that 'Turnagain' was literally taken from what Captain Cook told his party when they explored the area. In trying to find a Northwest Passage, they first went up the northernmost arms, but found only a river. They th...