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My foreign trips are to the US. Driving the coast from Washington to San Francisco thrilled me this last fall. Before that, a two day and one night drive though the Big Sur two years ago was exhilerating. In Europe? Hiking the Scottish Highlands, west of Inverness, last Spring.
Iceland. Went in 2011 and the absolutely incredible natural beauty inspired us to seek out nature on our vacations instead of largely focusing on cities. That interest in nature prompted subsequent trips to places like the Canadian Rockies, the west of Ireland, Big Sur, and the Oregon Coast.
Probably diving the Santa Rosa Wall off Cozumel. It is an amazing coral wall starting just a few meters below the surface, dropping dramatically into the depths. It is one of the few times that I have been diving that I could not see the bottom.
Rays, lobster, sea turtles, exotic fish, and fantastic coral formations.
Driving the Cabot Trail in Nova Scotia.
Going on an all-day underground hike in Mammoth Cave, KY.
Hiking at daybreak through virgin forest in the Great Smoky Mountains, TN/NC.
Hiking on Mount Desert Island, ME.
Walking the beach at low tide on the Bay of Fundy, NB.
Visiting the Tower of London.
Winter snow at the Grand Canyon; Machu Picchu and Ollantaytambo in Peru; a certain 5th century church in Italy that was the most spiritual and serene place I’ve been; the desert night sky in New Mexico.
Yes, the Grand Canyon. The view into the Canyon is, of course, spectacular. But what I wasn't prepared for was that you walk from the parking lot - lots of empty sky, and you know you're in the right place - and then when you see it, it's there all at once. Bam! No subtlety, no warmup. Just all there at once. A definite "ta da!" shock & awe moment (contrast w/ driving west through Colorado and seeing the mountains for hours and hours - they loom larger the closer you get, and when you're in them, yeah, wow! But for sheer "huh, parking lot, out of the car, walk, BAM!" factor, GC impact is hard to overstate.
Too many to choose just one! Cliff diving in Hawaii was amazing, but so was holding apes in Gibraltar! I also agree the GC was "where is it?" Then 10 feet away it's "omg, amazing"!
I had many great experiences living and traveling around the world. The one that I still
think about are the two Roman archaeological sites of Sabratha and Leptis Magna in Libya North Africa.
What made it so memorable is that I would dig all day looking for artifacts. I found many, from old Roman coins to ivory hair pins.
This was in 1962, as you can tell by the old grainy picture I took with a small film camera.
The book Cities in the sand, Leptis Magna and Sabratha in Roman Africa*Hardcover*– 1957 is available on Amazon.
walking beneath the giant redwoods/sequoias of California for the first time
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- and then when you see it, it's there all at once. Bam! No subtlety, no warmup. Just all there at once. A definite "ta da!" shock & awe moment (contrast w/ driving west through Colorado and seeing the mountains for hours and hours - they loom larger the closer you get, and when you're in them, yeah, wow! But for sheer "huh, parking lot, out of the car, walk, BAM!" factor, GC impact is hard to overstate.
