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Liana
- About Me
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- Africa
  - Tanzania
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  - Austria
  - France
  - Germany
  - Netherlands
  - Portugal
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  - Mexico
  - United States
- South America
  - Colombia
  - Ecuador
  - Peru
Savour
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Sundries

lianaelise

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United States

A Road Trip Through the California Desert

November 7, 2016
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Favorites, United States
|
2 Comments

California is a large state with many empty or even uninhabitable swaths of land. It is easy to understand how and where one could live off the grid if one…

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From the Archives: continuing with my favorite iso

From the Archives: continuing with my favorite isolated places ⇢ our visit to Petra and Wadi Rum.⁣
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Ok, ok, the day we visit Petra was coincidentally the same day that they had reached one million visitors for the year. So... It's not exactly "isolated". However, it is easy to get off of the main tourist trail and explore areas of the ancient Nabatean city that are quite empty (besides the herds of free-range goats and sheep).⁣
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Wadi Rum also has its fair share of visitors, but with the vast spread of golden desert sand, it can feel pretty darn desolate. The feeling of being so far removed from metropolitan chaos, out in the wild, is what makes Wadi Rum so appealing.

From the Archives: continuing with my favorite iso

From the Archives: continuing with my favorite isolated places ⇢ our trek into the Colombian Paramo.⁣
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While in Salento, we wanted to do a trek that was beyond the five-hour Cocora Valley hike and we're debating whether or not we should splurge for a guide. Having to negotiate room and board at the farms along the way and the difficult altitudes were the primary reasons I preferred we not go alone. We joined two additional adventurers on a trek into the Los Nevados with Paramo Trek Company. ⁣
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We packed our bags with water, snacks, and lots of SmartWool, hopped in an old army-style willy, and headed towards the Cocora Valley. The trek started out great. I can do this! It was fairly easy walking across pastures, over rivers, and up some forest steps. After two hours, the trail got steep. It was hard to breathe. The guide suggested I take a lip full of coca leaf to help fight the elevation-induced shortness of breath, which actually made the climbing even more difficult!⁣
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After lunch is when we hit the mud. For the next two hours, we were slopping through thick, sticky, gloopy mud. Regularly we’d step in a spot we thought was solid, only to find ourselves ankle-deep into the trail. After several hours, we were finally out of the forest and in the Paramo. ⁣
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The Paramo is a unique ecosystem found only in the high, tropical areas of the Andes. Colombia has the largest area of Paramo, which has been declared a biodiversity hotspot. As we hiked, we saw more and more of the Espeletia plant, the symbol of this type of environment. ⁣
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By now we were above 3,000 meters, and it was getting very difficult for me to keep up. After several hours I could finally see it in the distance; a tin roof glittering in the golden light of the setting sun like the North Star directing us home. The illusive Finca Primavera – we had arrived at last.

From the Archives: continuing with my favorite iso

From the Archives: continuing with my favorite isolated places. Our first stop on a road trip through the desolate Sonoran Desert was the Salton Sea, the largest inland body of water in California. ⁣
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Some time in the very-early 1900’s, the Colorado River was accidentally diverted when it burst through a poorly built irrigation system. It began to fill the Salton Basin (named for the salty earth) until the error was corrected and the river was reverted back to its original course. By then, the Salton Sea had been formed.⁣
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There is no natural source of water that can maintain this sea, nor is there much rain (it is the desert after all). Each year, as more water evaporates, the sea becomes shallower and saltier. The only fish that can survive the briny bath are Tilapia.⁣
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However, an interesting thing happens at the end of the dry, hot summer months. Water has evaporated; the sea is at its saltiest. The desert winds pick up, blowing dust into these warm waters, creating an algae paradise. The combination of increased salt, warmer temps, and algae is deadly. The oxygen levels are now very low and millions (actually millions) of fish die each day. Their bodies line the shores of the sea. It is a gruesome sight, but at the same time, it is wildly fascinating.

From the Archives: Continuing with my favorite iso

From the Archives: Continuing with my favorite isolated places. Today's picture features a walk along the Pembrokeshire coastal path.⁣
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This exquisite walkway is a 186-mile path along the coastal cliffs of southwest Wales. The path meanders along the coast, passing towns here and there, but mostly there is just green pasture on one side and the dark-blue Celtic Sea on the other. ⁣
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We decided that ten miles would be a decent walk for us. It was enough to feel as though we had accomplished something, but not too long that we needed to be fully equipped. ⁣
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We started at Whitesands Bay, a short drive from St. David’s, and then walked along the coast to Porthgain. We chose Porthgain as our final stop because of an awesome fish and chips spot.⁣
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The walk was beautiful. We could not have had a better day. The sky was perfectly blue, and the pastures were lush and green. We saw sheep, happily grazing in fields of yellow and pink wildflowers. We even saw more seals! There were a few other walkers, but for the majority of the time, we had the path to ourselves.

From the Archives: Continuing with my favorite iso

From the Archives: Continuing with my favorite isolated places. On our road trip through Mexico, we found a quiet corner of Baja to pitch a tent and avoid the crowds. ⁣
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About two hours down the road from La Paz is Cabo Pulmo National Park. We found a nice little beach that allowed camping. ⁣
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During the day, we read and relaxed under the shade of our palapa. Arie searched for surf (there wasn’t much at the time). We rented snorkel gear and paddled around enjoying the loads of fish, all different shapes, sizes and colors. ⁣
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When the sun started to hang low in the sky, we’d take a walk along the shore, watching the crabs scuttle into their holes as we passed by.⁣
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At night, we’d cook dinner on our camp stove and we’d sit on our towels with our toes in the buttery sand and watch the sunset over the calm, cerulean water.

© lianaelise, 2016