Ecola State Park, Oregon

August 14, 2018August 14, 2018 / Cate Tracey / Leave a comment

Friday, July 27 (continued)

After our time relaxing at the beach, Al and I knew we had some hiking to do!

Our walk to the state park wasn’t all flowers and sunshine though! We had to walk up to the entrance of the park, which consisted of walking uphill for ~30 mins-1 hour and made us short of breath even before the “real” hiking began!

Once we arrived at the entrance, the guide helped us pick which trail we wanted to hike. Since we craved high, ocean views, we chose to head west and felt the ocean air.

Prior to heading back uphill to continue on our path, a huge bug landed in Al’s mouth as he was talking! I was laughing so hard that I couldn’t even walk back up on the trail!

Even though I couldn’t get his bug incident on camera, I’m happy we took the above pictures 🙂

The views were incredible, the stories were endless, and the laughs were much-needed after a long day of hiking!

Cannon Beach, Oregon

August 12, 2018February 16, 2019 / Cate Tracey / Leave a comment

Friday, July 27

Al and I took a bus from Portland to Cannon Beach early on Friday (that way, we could spend a full day at this gorgeous place)!

We ate a great lunch at the Pelican Brewery in town then went straight to the beach. The air was fresh, the water was freezing, and there were dogs EVERYWHERE! I was in heaven!

We had both been to California on separate occasions (Al in San Diego, myself in San Francisco), so being back on the West Coast meant a lot to us.

I was worried that everyone was going to think that Al and I were a couple (especially because 1. I have an engagement ring on and 2. we were talking a long walk on the beach together…), but no one did! We still wanted a picture together though!

I prefer the photo that the kind stranger took as opposed to our poorly-attempted selfie!

On our walk, we were remembering some of our favorite family trips from our childhood (Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Florida…). Exchanging those memories and funny stories was something I’ll never forget. We also found some interesting wildlife along the way…

Full disclosure: I thought I was stepping on a plastic wrapper filled with water, when it was actually a piece of a washed up jellyfish!!!

Aside from the jellyfish scare, our time at the beach was perfect!

So many “Foss’s”! Seljalandsfoss and Svartifoss Falls, Iceland

July 17, 2018February 16, 2019 / Cate Tracey / 1 Comment

“Foss” in Icelandic is “waterfall” in English, so there are many long names with “foss” at the end in this country!

Seljalandsfoss and Svartifoss were two of the last sites seen on our South Coast tour. It was breezy, hailing and damp, but well worth it 🙂

That’s a wrap for my Iceland posts! Thank you for reading and following my story. Now I need to start writing about Peru… 😉

Black Sand Beach, Iceland

July 7, 2018July 7, 2018 / Cate Tracey / 1 Comment

My mom and I returned from Peru yesterday evening! I really need to wrap up my Iceland posts to start my Peru ones…

After Bethany and I left the glacier, we were able to visit a black sand beach! It was great because the sun was out (at first) and the landscape reminded me of Ireland all over again!

As you can see, the sun doesn’t stay out for long in Iceland…

The sand was so pure and dark, that my boots blend in here!^

My Michigan roots have always led me to water, and I’m happy to have seen this side of Iceland!

Sólheimajökull (South Coast Glacier)

June 26, 2018June 26, 2018 / Cate Tracey / 2 Comments

I can’t pronounce, let alone SPELL, the name of this glacier. What I CAN tell you is that this glacier is a must-see on Iceland’s southern coast!

The walk to get here from the parking lot wasn’t short; however, with views like these, I would’ve walked an extra mile!

I had Iceland layovers in 2014 AND 2016, so I had to make 2018 count 🙂 Going outside of the city is something I should’ve done four years ago…

Being so close to the water made me want to swim in it (or at least go kayaking)!

The walk back consisted of hail, rain, snow, and sunshine all in one! But with the sunshine came a lot of green.

Note: I chose not to lighten any of these photos because I want you to see the glacier (almost) as I did!

Downtown Reykjavik & Street Art

June 23, 2018June 23, 2018 / Cate Tracey / 4 Comments

Reykjavik is truly a melting pot, mainly due to increased tourism over the years! Even though the city had more authenticity when I first visited in 2014, this May was the first time I truly experienced all Reykjavik had to offer…

The “pops of color” and street art took over its downtown area, which is something I always feel the need to photograph!

Reykjavik is unique in many ways, one being that you feel like you’re in Norway, Ireland, and the early 2000s (at times) all in one!

Oh, and the gluten-free dessert AND savory crepes were beyond amazing!!!

No matter where you turned, you saw something special; you definitely weren’t in the States anymore!

My message to you: always go off the beaten path!

Iceland “Music Video”

June 20, 2018 / Cate Tracey / Leave a comment

Here’s a subpar travel vid for ya!

Song: Défiler (bande originale de la capsule n. 5 Mosaert) by Stromae

The Golden Circle, Iceland

June 9, 2018June 9, 2018 / Cate Tracey / 6 Comments

It has been FOREVER since I’ve taken the time to write. But it’s important for me to write and reflect on my travels; I need to make more of an effort to do so 🙂

On Bethany’s and my first full day in Iceland, we went on a 10-hour tour of the Golden Circle! Each location on the tour kept getting better and better!

Here were the stops we took:

Þingvellir National Park
Geysir
Gullfoss Waterfall

The national park was full of history. When we were walking on the main pathway with our tour guide, we essentially had one foot in Europe and the other in North America. This was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for me, as someone who loves geography and travel!

The Geysir was much appreciated for two reasons:

It’s the “original” one! This is how ours out west received their names!
The warm mist kept me much warmer than the wind tunnels at the park did…

I have never been out west with my family, unlike many other American families I know, but I got my fix in Iceland!

Our last stop was the Gullfoss waterfall, which was BY FAR my favorite destination!

Mind you, every-other 10 minutes hail would hit you diagonally; however, with these views it was incredibly worth the unpredictable weather!

Oh, and we saw some Icelandic horses along the way 🙂

Tip: DRESS IN LAYERS…that are waterproof!!!

Warm Mist of the Blue Lagoon

May 21, 2018 / Cate Tracey / 4 Comments

On chilly, rainy days like today, I’d LOVE to be back in this warm, soothing water…

…I hope this makes your bucket list now!

Blue Lagoon, Iceland

May 7, 2018 / Cate Tracey / 6 Comments

I’m about to head home (or back to Toronto, THEN home…), so I might as well post about what kicked off this adventure: the infamous Blue Lagoon!

You get here, and you’re immediately hooked! The water is a misty blue color, to the point of not being able to see your body underneath the calming waves. The skies above are filled with Iceland’s unpredictable weather, yet somehow the on-and-off hail/snow doesn’t faze you once you’re immersed in the pools…

As my friend Bethany put it, “There are no adjectives to describe this experience.” She’s absolutely right! You’ll just have to check it out for yourself!

You can even enjoy mud masks AND refreshing smoothies in the water!!

Highlight of the day: finally being in the water, despite two previous Iceland stopovers!

Worst part of the day: not being able to get the nasty, Icelandic salted chocolate taste out of my mouth!

Second worst part: combing my hair after the lagoon…it’s STILL gross four days later!

Pro tip: wear your hair up ladies and gents!

Mediocre Photos of Boston

April 22, 2018April 23, 2018 / Cate Tracey / 3 Comments

Here’s some mediocre photos from my weekend getaway, in a not-so-mediocre city!

National Pet Day!

April 11, 2018February 16, 2019 / Cate Tracey / 2 Comments

I LOVE to travel; however, my dog is making me more of a homebody these days (or at least if I’m not home, I actually WANT to be home…)!

My dog, Linley, is truly my best friend. I adopted him from Compass Dog Rescue in September and both of our lives have been enhanced ever since! He’s originally from Texas, but someone from the Detroit area rescued him before the hurricane in Houston.