Synopsis: Trips 2014-15

This site is no longer going to be updated. I have upgraded my site and the new location is:

http://worldgallivant.com

As the first blog I should probably give you the low down of what's in the works.

   

First trip: Grand Canyon (oh yeah, for not much of a hiker, definitely jumped into the deep end).

We (my mother and I) are going meet up in the Salt Lake City Airport and fly down to Phoenix, AZ. Pick up the rent-a-car and drive to the Canyon edge. As this will still be March, it may be a bit chilly. We are making the transition from Northern US to a little bit father south, so I'm not expecting too much of a temperature shock, but just in case it is too chilly for camping on the rim, we will have a car to sleep in. We are fine with sleeping in cars, tents, hostels, pretty much anywhere as long as we have running water and cheap food somewhere close at hand. 

Havasupai Falls, Grand Canyon

After a night on the rim, we will be waking up bright and early to hike down into the Havasupai Indian Reservation. This place has always been on my mothers bucket list to go back to. I grew up hearing "If there is one place I could take someone before they died, that would be the place". How can you blame that idea when she's actually been there once before and it looks like that. Naturally, when thinking of a place to get our feet wet and "test" out our gear before a big trip, we wanted to check it off.

Second trip: Japan

When asked about where we are going in Japan, the simple reply is everywhere, of course one cannot travel to every single place in a country in 49 days, but we will sure try. This will be taking place right after my Junior Finals are over, from mid-May to the beginning of July. We will be taking off from Seattle- Tacoma Airport and landing in Tokyo with our Japan Rail Passes in hand. Some of the highlights are:

Hagurosan Approach (2,266 steps),
Dewa Sanzan

• Tsukiji Fish Market, Tokyo
•  Ueno Zoo (Giant Pandas!), Tokyo
• Sumo Tournament, Tokyo
• Ghibli Museum (yes, I am one of those Americans that grew up with Miyazaki; yes, I do own all of his movies; and I have made a quilt that is captions from all the famous movies that he produced, that were out in 2010).
• Hakone Loop
• Takeda Castle Ruins, Asago
• Kii Peninsula Hike
• A-Bomb, Hiroshima
• Bike Shimanami Kaido (Shikoku to Honshu)
• Floating Torii, Miyajima Island
• Takachiho gorge
• Dinosaur Park, Sakrajima (next to Kagoshima)
• Yakushima Island 
• snorkel with turtles
• watch turtles lay eggs



Shirantani Unsuikyo, Yakushima Island

• forest that Princess Mononoke was based on
• Akiyoshi-dai Tablelands
• Noto Peninsula
• Hagurosan, Dewa Sanzan
• Rishiri-Rebun
• Jigokundani Onsen, Nakano (bathe with monkeys)

We will be seeing plenty of shrines, temples, rice patties, museums, ryokan, and other attractions along the way. Didn't want to bore you with all of the details in one shot, when all I know is what I and my mother have gleaned off of the internet.