Moments later I was tuned out to listening to music on my iPod, daydreaming, and not really paying attention to the scenery.  While I my mind was in a haze, Michael said, “Rachel!  Look!”  My eyes popped out.  Canyons were at my sight!  As I was admiring the awe-striking scenery, we were driving through a very curvy road.  I felt as if I was on an amusement park ride like ‘It’s a Small World’!  There were trains roving on the very steep walls of the canyons.  A glistening green river weaved through the canyons.  Along the river, there were people kayaking and swimming.  I wanted to splash into the water, but I had to keep on going.

Shortly before reaching the finish line, a more stunning set of canyons came in sight.  The canyons were redder.  I asked Michael to stop to enjoy a moment in the canyons.  Once the car was parked, I hopped out and snapped a few shots.  We continued on.

The city of Moab was a bit disappointing and so, there is no need to go into details.  It was just simply a pit stop with a few shops and restaurants.

In order to enjoy the sunset and viewing beautiful lighting on the landscape, Michael and I headed to Arches National Park in the evening.  As the planet was turning westward, the landscape appeared more and more dramatic to the point that it became a silhouette.  It was a sentimental moment to view the West.

The following morning, Michael and I went for an off-road trekking through the canyons.  It was a very bumpy roller coaster ride!  We were riding on the edge of the canyons and going steep down the hill while the rocks on the ground were causing our bodies to jerk and wobble like popcorn popping.

Shortly after trekking down and up through the canyons, we headed back to Vail.  As we were heading back, I suddenly felt trapped in another planet.  The sky was gray.  The air was thick and filled with dust.  Wind was blowing so hard that I could feel the car rattling.  I was experiencing a dust bowl!  What a grand western life!

While Vail is known as a ski resort, the town has a lot to offer in the summer – hiking, biking, riding the gondola, art festival, eating, and just relaxing. The following morning after arriving in Vail, I headed to the top of the world by taking a gondola. Being at the top of the mountains provided nothing but a serene moment. A number of evergreen trees stood on the rolling hills filled with lush green grass. The weather couldn’t be anymore perfect. The sun glimmered in the sky while there were a few clouds scattered everywhere. Mj, her husband, Merril, her son, Max, and I hiked throughout the beautiful landscape.

The following day, Mj, Max, and I walked for about a half mile on the road and then we went into the woods. When I think of woods, it often brings magical treasures. After about a mile or so, I was brought to an open vast space of mountains with a field of grass with a few flowers scattered throughout the ground. Then about another mile into the hike, I heard the sounds of water running from somewhere. A few moments later, I approached a beautiful waterfall nestled in the mountains. Life couldn’t be anymore beautiful…

A week ago, my friends from internship and I headed for another journey to the top of the world by taking a road trip to Estes Park, Trail Ridge Road, and the Rocky Mountain National Park.

At 9 AM in the morning, when we were in the suburbs of Denver, while the temperature was warm, the sun was sparkling in the sky.  The mountains were brilliantly green.  Pine trees with evergreen leaves adorned the landscape.   As we continued to drive, a mountain filled with snow on the top peaked in the background of our own views.  As someone who grew up in the south where snow rarely existed, seeing snow is a treasure.

While we were driving down the road towards Estees Parks, mountains with snow appeared larger and larger in our eyes.  While we were getting closer to the snow, the weather was still warm.  So warm that I was still in short sleeves.

Shortly after we passed by Estees Park, we finally entered the Rocky Mountain National Park and drove along the Trail Ridge Road.  We were driving towards the sky.  As we emerged to the higher altitude, the temperature dipped to the point that it felt wonderful.  The feeling of cool breeze swooping by me felt really good.

We continued to go up and up towards 12,000 ft above the sea level.  The higher we traveled, we felt closer to the North Pole.  Snow appeared right in front of our eyes.  The minute my friends and I saw a field of snow, we pulled the car to the side.  The minute we entered outside, we felt we were living in middle of a winter season!  It was so cold that I had a coat on me.  Aside from the freezing temperature, the wind was so fierce that girls’ long hair were flowing upwards.   As I was walking, the wind obviously wanted to be in charge of my journey because it pushed me forward giving me the signal to keep on walking.  There were occasions when the wind pushed to the side.

In spite of the powerful winds, it didn’t stop me from enjoying the snow.  I picked up some snow, created a snowball, and threw it.

We continue to travel on top of the world and admired the beautiful scenery.  After a few hours of driving, we made back down to the sea level where I was able to take my coat off and eventually no longer saw snow on the ground.

If I suffer from heat one day, all I have to do is go to the Rocky Mountains to cool off!

Being in the office for 8 hours everyday where we’re trapped inside a box, my friends from internship and I crave for fresh air, mountains and soft, green grasses.  One evening after work, I asked a friend of mine who was my mom’s good friend from Boston, Mj and her husband, if there is a place for us to escape from the society of big box stores, commercials and other corporations.  Mj and her husband took me for a journey to a mystical land.

Daniel’s Park couldn’t be any more stunning for a quick place to escape.  Watching the sun set behind the mountains was glorious.  What was even more beautiful was watching the bikers ride into the sunset!  It was a symbolism of a typical life in Colorado.

The following day, I brought my friends to Daniel’s Park where we enjoyed another magnificent view of the sunset.  Best of all, we enjoyed hearing the sounds of winds gushing by our ears.  Aside from enjoying the world of nature, we had a picnic dinner.

On a very bleak and gloomy Saturday, two weekends ago, three friends and I headed south of Denver to venture on the COG railway to the top of the mountain.

As we were riding on the tracks to the top, we looked out the window.  There were many pine trees along with rocks in various formations.  While we could see the foreground, we could not see the background.  It was totally gray.  It was OK because I devoted more time to seeing the land itself rather than to both the land and the sky.

As soon as we arrived at just over 14,000 feet above the sea level, we could see nothing but the ground.  We were practically inside the clouds!  It was one of those moments where I had the opportunity to feel what is like to be in the massive thickness of clouds.  When I fly on the plane, I always wondered what is like to be inside those clouds.  I got an answer to this feeling.  There was no sense of feeling softness like as if we touching the cotton balls.  I was walking through a sauna except it was FREEZING.  While at the sea level ground, it was in the 60’s, the temperature was around 30 degree Fahrenheit with strong winds at the top.

Aside from immersing inside the clouds, we saw snow!  As someone who is from the south, seeing snow is a real treasure.  Unfortunately the combination of cold temperature and winds did not signal any motivation to play snowball fights.

The high altitude obviously messed up my friends’ and my brain because during the entire journey back down, we did nothing but laugh hysterically.  We all looked like we were bunch of riots!

Before we headed on the COG railway, we stopped at a funky, little town called Manitou Springs where I felt was in a foreign country.  The architectural style was so different.  There were buildings with turquoise trimmings.  There was a pink house!  A few buildings had paintings of a fantasy world.  People were proudly hippie by wearing tie dye shirts and other hideous clothing.  The shops and restaurants were the best of all.  I was free from the world of big box and chain stores.  This gave me the opportunity to buy unique items – items made by artisans.  Because I met a residence of the town, he introduced me to a few locals including shopkeepers, which gave me a sense of close connection to the town.

I am now in Colorado for the summer to work and travel.  It’s really a  “kill two birds with one stone” moment because while I have an incredible opportunity to gain experiences in working in a corporation by interning with Cochlear, I am also immersing myself in the beautiful scenary of the state of Colorado!

While I have seen so much of the world, outside of my own country and culture, I still have so much more to explore in my own backyard, especially the West.

Just over a week ago, I had the privilege to spend a day in the mountains with a good friend of my mom’s who was her colleague in Boston over 20 years ago.

I always thought other places around the world such as Europe and New Zealand are far more beautiful than my own country; however, the US has many hidden treasures too.  Eldorado Springs, the mountains where I ventured, proved me that stunning landscapes exist in the US.

Mountains rose high above the sea level and trees covered a vast area of the land.  Watching the clouds move as the shadows shifted on the mountains and viewing the brilliant green leaves wave like a flag as the wind blows away are pieces of moments I enjoyed seeing.  There was one particular spot that made me stop and view the scene because not only it was so beautiful, but it made me think of American realism paintings – paintings that depicted the open vast landscapes of America with serene sentiments.