A Machu Picchu Kind of Morning

If you’re making the trek to Machu Picchu, be sure to set your alarm clock early. The sun breaking through the morning fog of the lost city of the Incas is not an experience to be missed!

To make the morning hike to Machu Picchu, resting at 7,970 feet above sea level, make your start a few hours before dawn. Strap on your walking shoes and grab a head-lamp: the climb up from nearby town Aguas Calientes is long and winding.

Your hike up the mountain will be rewarded with the still dawn rising onto the ancient grounds of Machu Picchu. Spend the morning wandering around the misty labyrinth of this UNESCO World Heritage site as the morning fog slowly dissipates. There’s no better place than this to settle in for a breakfast picnic, sharing the the fields throughout the site with llamas munching on the grass.

Fog burning off of Machu Picchu, with Huayna Picchu in the distance

There are certified and informed guides available to walk you through the history of the lost city. I would highly recommend taking a guided tour around the city to learn about the colorful stories of the site. I had a new appreciation for the effort required to transport the stones needed to build the city after my morning climb!

If you’re an adventurous type, you should tackle the mountain overlooking Machu Picchu, called Huayna Picchu. Head over to the gates early to get a pass to climb or purchase tickets beforehand. Only 400 visitors are allowed to make the climb daily to preserve the area’s structures.

Climbing a few of the final stairs to the top

The climb up is not for the timid: Huayna Picchu looms over Machu Picchu promising bursting lungs and slippery stones. You will wind your way up steep hills and weathered stairways to reach the peak at 8,922 feet, almost a thousand feet higher than Machu Picchu. The stairs are narrow and steep—many times barely wide enough for one person to navigate! In many areas a steel cable will help you steady your trip up, so hold on tight! The view from the top is unparalleled: you can see all of Machu Picchu stretching below you and down into the sloping, lush, valleys surrounding the site.

Machu Picchu is an often-visited destination, but you will understand what draws people from around the world once you step foot on its grounds. It will transport you to a different time and different world. Just remember to bring reliable shoes!

Westward Wanderings

My brother worked on a cattle ranch in Montana for the summer. When my summer job took an unexpected downhill turn (they closed our branch), I seized the opportunity to do a Westward bound road trip. We had two weeks and a lot of destinations to hit, and we did a pretty good job at seeing most everything we set out to see.

Beartooth Cattle

This is a slideshow of many of the places we explored:

Rocky Coast

Every other summer, my mother’s side of the family heads to Maine for a two-week getaway. My grandmother grew up in Maine, and her brother and 106-and-counting year old mother both still live there. My mom is one of five children, so the house is always packed and the tables overflowing.

The best part of these biannual trips is the food. We are a “cooking” family, blessed with more than a few talented chefs. Each year is a mini Iron Chef competition, each branch working to wow the crowd. I am a happily designated food-eater and dish-washer.

Beach by our house

After dinner comes a round of card games, Clue, or—the group favorite—charades. We are a competitive family. Our mother taught us young to “breast our cards” as she handily guessed all of our cards in Go Fish. Charades always brings out this playful competition…each team trying generating increasingly difficult or embarrasing clues.  The game that will always go down in infamy is when fourteen-year-old me tried unsuccessfully to act out “Debbie Does Dallas” to my confused team of my father, grandmother, nine year old brother, and uncle….the FULL two minutes. Needless to say, Maine is always full of good family fun, but it’s not necessarily always wholesome.

This year in Maine was slightly shorter due to increasing grown-up responisbilities and limted time schedule; however, our retreat to the rocky coast had all the restorative powers I remember from my childhood. Each year the cousins get taller, but the food always stays fantastic.

Fruit Pizza: Always the kids' favorite dessert to make

Graduation

My sister graduated from college this May, soon after I arrive back home. Her graduation provided a perfect excuse for a big family reunion right after my arrival: perfect timing! Family was one of my biggest motivations to come back to my home state, and I had a great time seeing and re-connecting with everyone. We had a crowd of 16 cheering her across the stage.

The family

Sister and pony Castine

Ginormous new addition to the family: an F-250 Super Duty with an 

extended bed....hot new wheels for the pony.

New Beginnings

I arrived back to the states in May. Since my arrival, my life has been a whirlwind of travelling, family, friends, and general summertime gallivanting. My blog fell to the wayside as I began transitioning back to living in the states and getting busy seeing all of the wonderful people that I’ve been missing for so long. Now, I’m giving my blog a slight face-lift: a new look for a new stage of life.  And here I will also chronicle my summer exploring new areas around the states.