Unexpected returns

August 17, 2019August 17, 2019 Tigerotor77W#thatwanakatree, Air New Zealand, Auckland International Airport, Blue Pools, Boeing 777, Cape Jackson, Cardrona Distillery, Grandview Mountain, Hapuka estuary, Isthmus Peak, Lake Wanaka, Makarora River, Matukituki River, Milky Way, Mount Aspiring National Park, Mount Cook National Park, Mt. Iron, Polaris Business, Roaring Billy Waterfall, Rob Roy Glacier, Roys Peak, South Island, Sunrise, Sunset, United Airlines, Wanaka, waterfall1 Comment

On the second of my two trysts with New Zealand, one enclave in particular attracted my attention, despite the weather being uncooperative both days of my stay. This year, when I should be galavanting around Europe to take in all I can before I commit myself to the insane asylum of localizing a manufacturing line to Charleston, I admitted defeat to there being too many unvisited places in Europe and booked a flight to New Zealand instead. I landed scrutinizing a rain shower and double rainbows to the north, but Auckland airport — and my luggage — remained, incredibly, dry.

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A New Favorite

June 12, 2017June 24, 2017 Tigerotor77WEmerald Lakes, Forgotten World Highway, Huka Falls, kakariki, karearea, kea, Lake Rotorua, Lake Taupo, Milky Way, Mottletop Espresso Bar, Mount Nguaruhoe, Mt. Nguaruhoe, Mt. Ruapehu, National Park Shuttles, New Zealand Falcon, Otorohanga Kiwi House, Red Crater, State Highway 43, Taupo McDonald's, Tongariro, Tongariro Alpine Crossing, Tongariro Crossing, tuatara, volcanic, volcano, Wai-iti BeachLeave a comment

When Peter Jackson brought J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings to film, it was not just the storyline that mesmerized me but also the geography. The landscapes were gorgeous, topologically a far cry from the Illinois flatlands I was familiar with. Despite the admiration, it wasn’t until four years after The Return of the King released that I realized how much mountain air mattered to me, and only a chance trip with friends fourteen years afterwards did I get to visit New Zealand, home of Middle Earth. I arrived in NZ on a Sunday after two twelve hour flights with a wearying border control in between, a seven hour layover, and a ten hour time zone adjustment. After a day of flying and during which I literally left winter for summer, Auckland welcomed me with bright and sunny skies and a quick check of my hiking boots to make sure I wasn’t bringing in foreign soil.

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… mais pas cette semaine

November 28, 2015January 6, 2016 Tigerotor77WFurka Pass, Grimsel Pass, larches, Matterhorn, Milky Way, Stellisee, Sunset, ZermattLeave a comment

A week after the comment that there were too many people in the Zermatt area, I ended up going again. That’s a third time in a month: of the five weekends in October, I went to Switzerland for three of them and worked the other two. I left work and headed west, catching the sunset from my favorite mountain pass along the way.

This time, even though the weather was arguably even better than on the prior two trips, the trails were just about deserted.

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Hark! Blueberries!

September 17, 2014September 17, 2014 Tigerotor77WBlack Balsam, Blue Ridge Mountains, Blue Ridge Parkway, blueberries, Ivestor Gap, long exposure photography, Milky Way, Sam Knob, star trails, Sunrise, Tennent MountainLeave a comment

A few weeks after I got back from China, I drove out to the mountains to pick blueberries. We found them in droves, but I wasn’t really successful in substantiating that as I ate as I picked and never took a picture of the rather small blueberry bushes. Instead, I ended up going on four hikes and soaking up the awesome weather.

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