Birthday 2016 - Southwest Road Trip

We went to White Sands National Monument in July to celebrate my birthday! It is an amazing place. The roadtrip consisted of:

• Scottsdale, AZ 
• Las Cruces, NM 
• Tucson, AZ

 The southwest is really such a beautiful place. There are so many places to discover. Hopefully we get to head back out there. But not in July. Or any month during the summer. It was 99 degrees at 9:00PM in Scottsdale. I like heat but that is a little much for me.

White Sands NM itself did not disappoint. Luca had an incredible time running and jumping on the dunes. The sand itself wasn't hot since it isn't actually sand. It's a gypsum where if you stuck your toes in, it was almost cool! However, he started getting cranky and complained of feeling sick. We thought he was constipated due to potty training stress. But then he was getting kind of listless and his skin was cool instead of hot like I thought it would be in the heat. We became alarmed and left early. I looked up the symptoms and he was likely entering early stages of heat exhaustion which can lead to heat stroke, which is really scary for a little one! So, I'm really glad we left despite spending the least amount of time in the place that was the goal for the entire trip. 

China 2015

instagram: #elsiemeetschina



















So many feelings about China. Some deeply personal. Some cliché. It's a wondrous, amazing, staggeringly complex place. I felt fortunate to have gone and even more fortunate to have traveled there with my mom. Also, I ended up giving my mom my shoes on this trip.

There is a wishing tree that sits on the grounds of the temple my uncle built for his village. My mother told me a story about how construction workers saved and moved the tree to where it now stands. It seems to be flourishing and now also houses a flock of doves. Or maybe they are pigeons. I can't remember. Red ribbons of villager's wishes fluttered with the breeze, surrounded by the birds and so much bird poop. Such was my experience in China. So much beauty and hope, intermingled with so much, well, the opposite.


I took 1000+ photos. I managed to edit it down to 552 and uploaded to an album on my Flickr account.

China - Itinerary

My cousin got married! In China! Mt mom and I got to go! It was an amazing trip. Probably a once in a lifetime experience to travel one-on-one with my mom. I was grateful every step of the way.

Guang Zhou 4 nights
Tai Shan 1 night
Guang Zhou 2 nights
Beijing 2 nights (should have been 3 nights but missed our flight, which meant we spent an extra night in GZ)
Guang Zhou 1 night
Hong Kong 3 nights
Guang Zhou 1 night

The big event took place early in Guang Zhou which became our home base. There is definitely a more efficient way to travel that would have allowed us to loop in additional cities and sights. But family and cost consciousness was wound tightly around this trip which dictated many of the moves we made.

I can't even list all the different foods and meals we ate. I learned a lot about...everything. I missed Sergio and Luca like crazy.

January 6, 2015 - San Francisco

Douglas Playground, Noe Valley

January 5, 2015 - San Francisco

Waiting for the trolley car with Papa.

Fort Bragg - January 8, 2015

We arrived in Fort Bragg after the scariest drive of my life. We took the 20 over from the 101 and that was a huge mistake. Extremely curvy, this narrow road snaked through dense woods, and it was dark. A car was on my tail for much of the two lane road and I was already going too quickly for my taste. We learned later that it was really mostly a locals/logging road.



We didn't hang out in Fort Bragg for very long. That drive really took the wind out of our sail. But we did visit Pacific Star Winery, the westernmost winery in the country where I tasted a Muscat I liked and bought. Then I took a quick walk over to the cliffs above Glass Beach for a few photos. Luca had fallen asleep in the car and Sergio stayed behind with him.







It really was beautiful.







Damn. This is one set of photos I really wish I had time to edit, color correct, etc.

This day was part of a 10 day roadtrip exploring northern California.
Itinerary: LA, SLO, SF, San Rafael/Mill Valley (Muir Woods), Fort Bragg, Napa, SLO, LA
Travel Dates: 1/2/2015 - 1/11/2015

The light in Muir Woods - January 7, 2015

I fell in love with the sunlight breaking through the dense canopy, illuminating intimate spaces in the woods. I marveled over how the rays brushed past each branch, frond and leafy tendril in their path, enrobing each touchpoint in bright, gold light. "Wow, look at that light," was a phrase I whispered quite a few times - mostly to Sergio but sometimes just to myself.

























There are a few things I wish I could fix or crop but I just don't have time! So everything posted here is totally raw. Don't get me wrong, I'm itching to bring a few of these into Photoshop but honestly, I have other things to do.

This day was part of a 10 day roadtrip exploring northern California.
Itinerary: LA, SLO, SF, San Rafael/Mill Valley (Muir Woods), Ft. Bragg, Napa, SLO, LA
Travel Dates: 1/2/2015 - 1/11/2015

JTree

Many years ago, I spent a day in Joshua Tree on a guided tour, part of a corporate team building exercise. I recall being impressed by the otherworldly beauty of the park. But returning to explore on our own was an entirely different experience.

This place is pure magic.













IG Gallery: #elauincJTree2014



Travel Dates: December 6-8, 2014