After wanting to go for several years, we finally made the time to go to Albuquerque, New Mexico for their annual balloon fiesta. And wow, am I glad we did!
The balloon fiesta is now in its 52nd year, with over 700 balloon pilots and their teams working hard every day for two weeks to launch their balloons every morning, and provide other fun activities in the evenings, such as a “glow”, a drone show, concerts, indigenous dancing, and skydiving.
Skydivers and the fireworks showWatching the “glow” and then the mass ascension of 700 balloons
We stayed with friends of ours who live in the area, and one of them is a “zebra”, or Launch Director, for the fiesta. They are called zebras because they wear black and white only, so they can be seen on the fields as they direct the launch of multiple balloons near them during the daily Mass Ascension.
A zebra in action, helping to launch a balloon
Because balloons most frequently launch at sunrise, we had to get up very early in order to get to the festival and be in place in time for sunrise. By 5 AM, thousands of visitors were arriving at the balloon fiesta complex, getting ready for the 7 AM sunrise. We had backstage passes from our friend, so we were able to access the breakfast provided to the pilot and their teams, as well as warm up a bit in the facilities. It’s very cold in the morning before the sun comes up. Be sure to dress in layers, and even bring a blanket to wrap up in. The city of Albuquerque is at quite a high elevation, in the mornings and evenings can get very cool.
I would recommend purchasing tickets to both a morning event and an evening event, and possible a third morning or evening as back up. The tickets are fairly inexpensive at $15 for general admission, and kids 12 and under are free. Each year, one day of the festival is free for New Mexico residents. Visitors can pay for parking at the balloon complex, or can purchase Park and Ride tickets and board a bus at the nearby mall or churches.
A wave of balloons get “fanned” with cold hair, before using hot propane gas to “stand up” and then launch
Have you been to a huge balloon festival? If you haven’t, I definitely recommend the one in Albuquerque! Now in it’s 52nd year, it is a classic.
Even though I’m from Texas, I try everything I can to get out of the insane southern heat each year. Last summer we visited Maine, Newfoundland, and Labrador. This year we decided to head to some of the US national parks up north in an attempt to find cooler temps.
Time to head north
As we crossed the Mackinac Bridge into Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, we felt the cool breeze coming off the Great Lakes, and knew we had arrived in “the north”. If you’ve never been to the UP, I highly suggest you take a few extra days and visit Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, as well as the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum. Those are two of my favorite tourist attractions up that way, and definitely worth a visit.
Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore- do yourself a favor and do the boat ride!
The first park on our list was Isle Royale National Park– the least visited park in the continental US. As it is an island, you can only access Isle Royale from upper Michigan (from Houghton, by boat, or Copper Harbor, by boat or sea plane), or from upper Minnesota (from Grand Marais by seaplane, or Grand Portage, by boat). Whichever mode of transport you choose, make sure to book well in advance (at least a month), and be forewarned that although it’s a national park, the transport is private, and quite costly. Of course, bring your national parks pass if you have one for free entry, and our camping on the island was free as well.
Established as a national park in 1931 by Herbert Hoover, this gem is only accessible by boat or seaplane
From Pictured Rocks, we drove to Grand Portage, Minnesota, and took a 7:30 am ferry (stay at the nearby Grand Portage Lodge and Casino for an easy morning). By 9:30, we were getting dropped off at the island’s Windigo visitor center, and walked to the nearby Cottonwood Campground with our camping gear. It’s only 1/4 of a mile away, so you won’t have to lug your stuff too far. There are potable water spigots at the campgrounds, so don’t worry about extra water for all your days in the park. We lucked out and were able to get a small camping shelter rather than a tent site, which was nice, because Isle Royale is often rainy (and putting up or taking down a tent in the rain is no fun).
Feldtmann Lake Overlook hike, about six miles, definitely worth it
In our time on the island, we hiked, explored the Visitor Center, checked out the small store (they do have food there, including hot breakfast sandwiches, so you can supplement the camping food you need to bring), hiked some more, and looked for wildlife. Isle Royale has both moose and wolves, so visitors like to keep a sharp eye out. The Windigo side of the island only gets about 50 visitors a day, so it won’t take long to get to know your fellow campers and hikers and find out where they’ve spotted some wildlife.
We spotted four moose while we were on Isle Royale. They can be unpredictable, so keep your distance, and keep a tree between you and them (we have a good telephoto lens)
In addition to Windigo, you can visit the other end of the island, Rock Harbor. You can take a boat there (from Windigo or from the mainland), or you can do a multi-day hike of the 45 mile stretch. Rock Harbor also features a nice lodge and restaurant.
Boardwalks, bridges, and hiking trails connect various campgrounds on the island
Even in July, the temperatures on Isle Royale ranged from pleasantly sunny and warm low 70s, down to cool and rainy 45 at night. Bring lots of layers, bug spray, and waterproof bags. We had a spectacular sunny day, cool night, and rainy morning while we were there.
After ferrying back to Minnesota, we were only a few miles from the Canadian border. Just after crossing over we saw a wolf! Canada has the best wildlife!
Voyageurs National Park is only 4-5 hours west of Isle Royale, so we drove the Canadian route to get there, stopping at Thunder Bay and Kakabeka Falls along the way. I always love taking Canadian roads because of their beautiful scenery, and lack of advertising billboards. We spent a lovely evening at the Bay View Motel in Fort Frances, next to the delicious Harbourage Restaurant. At International Falls, we crossed back over to the US, and visited the Rainy Lake Visitor Center and then the Ash River Visitor Center.
Our 51st National Park together!
Spread across 210,000 acres, the star feature of Voyageurs National Park is the lakes, rivers, and inlets, so I’d highly recommend booking a NPS boat tour in advance, renting a kayak or canoe, or even staying on a houseboat nearby. There are also plenty of hiking trails and wildlife to view from land or from water, including beaver, otter, moose, and bears.
We actually saw this handsome fella about an hour after we left the park
Similar to Isle Royale, this northern national park features excellent weather in the summer. Temps while we were there ranged between 77 and sunny, down to about 60 during a rainstorm. Voyageurs does tend to be very buggy, so long pants, bug spray, and even a net hat might be a good investment if you plan to spend a few days here.
Bring your rain jacket too!
After Voyageurs, we had one more northern park on our list that we had not done yet. We passed into North Dakota, and after stopping at the Geographical Center of North America, we arrived at Theodore Roosevelt National Park.
We are soooo centered
Theodore Roosevelt National Park is spread across three distinct “units” (north, south, and Elkhorn, linked by the Little Missouri River), and we visited two. This park is 70,000 acres, and was designated a National Park in 1978- the only one named after a person! Roosevelt built a cabin at Elkhorn and lived there for several years, studying ranching, hunting, and conservation, before he became president in 1901.
Similar to the Badlands of the Dakotas, the rock formations here are shaped by erosion
The park has a semi-arid climate and features pronghorn, mustangs, elk, bison, bighorn sheep, prairie dogs, coyotes, cougars, and more. We almost crested 80 degrees while we were there, but some late afternoon cloud coverage kept us in the upper 70’s. Since it was 101 back home with a hurricane bearing down on our state, we were happy with 79 degrees and a light rain shower!
Wild buffalo roam the prairie in the park
You can visit several prairie dog towns and watch these cute critters at play!
Formed by layers of ash from volcanoes 65 million years ago, layered with sediment brought by wind, water, and freezing, the hills of the badlands can present really interesting striped colors and formations. Lazy rivers that have formed oxbow lakes meander along the prairie as well, growing rings of cottonwood trees along their banks. Fossils from a long-ago swamp in this area have revealed large clams, crocodiles, alligators, turtles, and champsosaurs.
Oxbow overlook
Exploring our national parks is a fun pastime for us. We love getting out in nature, taking a hike, watching for wildlife. Learning about the history and geography of each area is fascinating too. Each park has its own unique setting to enjoy and partake in. Which national parks have you visited? What was your favorite? Leave us a comment.
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It’s been a while since our fearless traveler, Chris, the other half of Palm Tree Musings, took a trip by himself. On this journey he started off with me (Deah), in Hawaii, and then visited Samoa, Tonga, Vanuatu, Fiji and Tuvalu on his own. Here are a few questions and answers about his trip.
1. Why’d you leave your wife behind?
I asked her to go in this trip, but she refused. I think she’s tired of islands, plus she hates long plane rides. I did finally talk her into coming with me as far as Hawaii, though, and we spent ten days there. Then she was happy to spend some time at home by herself, a little stay-cation.
Ready to venture fearlessly alone
2. Why did you pick these 4 nations for this trip?
I only have 23 countries to visit in the world left, but a few are active war zones and a few have visa issues. So I figured I’d better get these while I have the time. It’s tough getting all the way out to this area of the world, and you have to allow a little bit of extra time, because the flights are sometimes unreliable and can really domino into a problem if there’s a cancellation or delay.
If you’re looking for almost-deserted beaches, Tonga is a great place to start
3. Did you have any trouble like that on this trip?
Yes, my plane leaving Vanuatu was cancelled due to mechanical issues, and that airline doesn’t have any backup planes. That put me returning to Fiji much later than I planned, endangering my connection to Tuvalu. I had to do a wild cab ride from Nadi to Suva, Fiji at break-neck speed, at high cost, but it turned out all right. A few other travelers were in a similar position. You have to be pro-active to make sure an issue gets fixed in time.
4. You visited both Samoa and American Somoa. Any differences between the islands?
I found the culture on both to be about the same. People commute between the islands frequently because of family ties. There are several small flights a day, as well as a ferry once a week. There is a National Park on the US side, and you can use US dollars there. The international date line runs between the two.
Somoa
5. The low-lying island of Tuvalu is quite threatened by climate change and sea level rise. Did you discuss the topic with any islanders, or see evidence of concern while you were there?
I talked to several islanders that brought it up. Some of them had friends or family that have already migrated to Australia, New Zealand, or the US to avoid sea-level problems in the future. It’s definitely present in the minds of the islanders, as they look to preserve their culture if not their home island. Also they are seeing the coral reefs start to die off as the waters warm.
6. While you were on Tonga, you probably ate a lot of fish. What other foods are popular there?
A lot of starches, like ramen noodles and roots and tubers such as taro and cassava, potatoes and yams. On Sundays everything is closed so you’d better go to a shop the day before and buy some instant noodles and tuna. Of course there’s fish all day, every day. I went on a boat trip and the guy caught a fish and used his knife to fillet it right there- the freshest sushi I’ve ever had. Red meat is much harder to come by.
Extremely fresh fish, with taro, cassava, yam, and corn. A typical meal in these islands.
7. Vanuatu and Fiji are part of Melanesia, while Tonga, Tuvalu, and Samoa are Polynesian in culture. What’s the main difference?
It’s mainly a difference of geography, but there are some cultural and historical differences as well. Polynesia spans from Hawaii to New Zealand, and as far east as Easter Island. Melanesia is north of Australia, and north of that is Micronesia. Melanesia sort of encompasses the “Ring of Fire”, so volcanic islands with high cliffs and eroding volcanos. Polynesian islands are flatter, with more coral reefs. The volcanic activity there was much older, forming atolls, which are made by ancient volcanoes that collapsed back into the sea. Culturally, the Polynesians came from SE Asia, while Micronesians are descended from indigenous islanders. The Polynesians were seafarers and knew how to navigate by the stars.
8. I know you love scuba diving, so did you get a chance to dive on this trip?
Yes, I dove with Big Blue Vanuatu. They visit several reefs and wrecks around the atoll. I really enjoyed diving “the cathedral”, an underwater cave with an open roof. If you’re staying in or near Port Vila, I recommend them.
9. What’s the hardest thing about planning a trip like this?
You have to plan a lot of one-way and return-trip flights on a variety of airlines. It’s helpful to have some airline miles with some of the big ones like American Airlines, Fiji Airways, or Hawaiian Airlines. You’re also crossing the international date line several times, so it’s easy to get confused while you’re booking flights. I found that making a mind map helped me.
10. What is next in your travel plans?
After hiking both the Appalachian Trail and Pacific Crest Trail, I’m ready to start the Continental Divide Trail. Hopefully Deah will provide support for that, as she did on my other hikes. Also I’m hoping we can both go to Western Australia this summer, making a few stops at Palau, Micronesia, and Solomon Islands along the way.
Thanks Chris for showing us the Pacific Islands, and answering these questions!
When we started planning a visit to Hawaii, I knew it was going to be pricey. But it was my 50th state, and we wanted to do it up big. While I was booking our hotels and flights in and out of two islands, I questioned whether we needed to rent a car. I checked a few rental prices, but at an average cost of $140 a day for 10 days it was really going to add up. Instead I used a few savvy traveler tips and saved us over $1100.
No car? No problem
1. Walk away from the airport
When we arrived in Kona, on the Big Island, we checked to see how much an Uber to our guesthouse would be. It was only 4 miles away, but the price of the ride was $40. I didn’t want to walk all the way, because it was up in the hills, but after being on a plane for seven hours, I was ready to stretch my legs. We strapped on our backpacks (we always travel light) and we walked about 1 mile from the terminal until we were off the airport grounds. At that point we checked the Uber app and at only $16 we were ready to hop in. Obviously this tip won’t work in busy airports like DFW or LaGuardia, but you can try it at airports that are more walkable, or that have metros to leave the airport grounds.
Airport Ubers, Lyfts, and taxis often add an airport tax, so avoid that by leaving the airport grounds if it’s safe to do so
2. Take the public bus
As of February 2024, the public buses on both the Big Island and Maui are free. I don’t know about the other islands, because I did not visit them on this trip. We were able to pick up a public bus going from Kona to Hilo, very close to our accommodations. It was a beautiful ride across the island, meandering in and out of quaint little towns, along the seashore and over the mountains. We enjoyed our “tour” of the island, and saved ourselves the price of a rental car, or a shuttle from Kona to Hilo. Normally the Hawaii buses are $1-2, depending on your age. Not bad!
This bus on Maui took us from Ka’anapali back to the airport in about an hour- free!
3. Check the website of your destination attraction
When we are visiting an attraction that is a bit outside of town, I often check their website to see if they mention if they are on a public bus route, or a metro or subway. We knew we wanted to visit Haleakala National Park and since we didn’t have a car, I wasn’t sure how we were going to get there. When I checked the National Park website, I noticed that the Big Island public bus goes straight to the Visitor Center. While the bus is free, getting into the national park does cost $15. The bus driver will stop at the front gates so that you can pay. If you have a US national parks pass, you can use it at the ones in Hawaii so make sure you bring it along on your trip. There were four buses a day that dropped off at the national park, so you could return in the same day or like us, spend the night in the park itself.
I love national parks that are in public bus routes!
4. Rent a car with Turo
I wanted to do two other things that were not on a public bus route. But I still wasn’t willing to pay $140 to rent a car for one day. So I checked on the Turo app, and found a car near our hotel for just $56 a day. Turo is a way for regular people to loan out their cars for short periods of time. With taxes and fees it came to about $80, and unlimited miles so I knew we could get to the places we needed to go. We picked up the rental car at 10 AM, and drove to the Green Sand beach for a hike. Then we drove all the way up to the Mauna Kea observatory to watch the sunset. I was worried we would not be back in time to turn in the car, but when I messaged the car owner in the app, he very quickly responded and encouraged me to enjoy the sunset and get the car back when we were finished. On the way back down from the hill, we refueled the car, returned it to the owner, and walked back to our hotel. By turning in the car on that same night, we also saved ourselves a $25 parking fee at our hotel.
We carefully inspected our Turo rental before taking it out for the day
5. Look for free tours with your hotel or hostel
When we arrived on Maui, we could tell that accommodations were going to be very expensive. We decided to stay at a hostel in Kahului, in part because they offered a shared van tour every day of the week to different parts of the island. One of the days we were staying there, we signed up for the “Road to Hana” tour and along with 13 other people, we had a fun day trip, stopping at waterfalls, black sand beaches, food trucks, and getting vegan ice cream, as well as swimming at the beach, and watching the sea turtles and surfers. It was a great way to spend the day and we got to see way more than we would’ve even known to go look at if we had been traveling on our own. At the end of the day we tipped our driver to show our appreciation.
Our hostel van tour took us to some great spots that we may not have found on our own
6. Talk to your fellow travelers
One day we took the van tour, a few people missed the chance to sign up and the tour spots filled. Four of the other guests decided to go in on a car together. They followed the van tour, and each one covered 1/4 of the cost of the rental. In the past I have wound up sharing a car and the costs with hostel or guesthouse friends, and it’s a great way to see some sights that are further away than the immediate city- and make a new friend!
Our hostel tour guide took us to a beach that had sea turtles chilling out
7. Try a carpooling app
Speaking of sharing costs, there are other ride-sharing and car-pooling apps. I’ve looked at both Hitch (Texas, Florida, Oklahoma area) and BlablaCar (Canada and Europe), which are great for one-way trips. The CarpoolWorld app offers rides between various Hawaiian cities. Basically, if someone needs to go from, say, Austin to Houston, they can check and see if a driver is planning on making that drive (or a longer one that includes those cities). The driver will probably charge a small fee, but it’s not exactly the same as a taxi or Uber, because the driver is already planning to take that drive and is happy to have a passenger to share the costs. It’s an interesting way to match up drivers with passengers, with over 26 million people a year using BlablaCar.
Share the ride and split the costs!
In short, there are lots of ways to avoid renting a car. Using public buses, sharing rides, and taking a walk now and then can help overly-congested tourist places have fewer cars on the road, save on costs, and lower carbon emissions. For us, it meant we could spend more time gazing out the window and enjoying our surroundings, while still getting to where we wanted to go. A win/win situation!
The view from one of our bus rides on Maui
Have you tried an alternative method of transportation? Let me know about it in the comments below!
Busy with life and other adulting things, C and I decided we needed a break. I checked my Google Map to see what fun locations we had pinned as “Want to Visit”, and Oaxaca caught my eye. A month later, we were immersed in this cool town, wowed by the laid-back lifestyle, the temperate weather, and the fun things to do nearby. Read on to find out more about vibrant Oaxaca!
Dia de Muertos: Although the main day for this festival is the night of November 2, in Oaxaca they celebrate for a week straight, so try to stop by the town sometime in that week. You’ll find the plazas awash in yellow and gold chrysanthemums, ofrendas in front of every business, calendas parading around town, and skeletons everywhere. Not sure what Dia de Muertos is? Try watching the Disney movie Coco for a fun overview!
This ofrenda (altar) features flowers, fruit, corn, and other products as offerings
Besides this one-of-a-kind festival, there are plenty of things to do in Oaxaca. An area of great importance to the Zapotec people, the Oaxaca valley has been settled for thousands of years. Families in the region still make mezcal from the blue agave plant using the same time-honored traditions as their forbears, and nearby, entire families use natural ingredients to dye wool and create rugs and tapestries using ancient techniques.
Mt Alban historical site: Inhabited for over 1500 years, Monte Alban is an important site for the Zapotec people, as well as the Olmec and the Mixtecs. The archeological site is laid out according to the stars, and features several pyramids, tombs, and terraces. Visiting the site is fairly easy; you can join a day tour, on sale at the zocalo (main plaza) in Oaxaca, you can take a private taxi, or you can take a shuttle bus, which departs from the front of the Hotel Rivera del Angel (2 blocks south of the zocalo, costs 100 pesos). Once at the ruins, plan for about 3 hours, and entry is 90 pesos for foreigners. Tip: Take an umbrella or wear a hat; the sun is strong up there.
This site was the Zapotec capital city between about 500 AD and 800 AD, a home to almost 30,000 people
Day tour to the Hierve el Agua: Another popular day trip is visiting the Hierve el Agua. You can do this on your own, but it’s rather far out of town, so it’s very easy to do a full day tour, which visits several sites in the same general direction. We booked our day trip from one of the touts in the zocalo, and got picked up from our hotel at 8 am. We visited Santa Maria del Tule, a small town that features the largest tree (by circumference) in the world. Then we visited a family rug-making factory, and learned all about the natural dying techniques and how long it takes to make their intricate and colorful patterns. We also visited Mitla, another set of archaeological ruins, and had lunch. The afternoon was spent at Hierve el Agua (“the water boils”) to swim in the springs and see the limestone cliffs. We ended the day with a tour of a small mezcal factory, along with a tasting, and were dropped off back at home at 8 pm. The tours range from 400 to 500 pesos, so try to strike a good bargain!
These rugs and other tapestries take 2-4 weeks and are completely made by hand
Enjoy the coffee culture: Or, even better, enjoy a Mexican beverage of choice. We found so many cafes and outdoor terraces, perfect for enjoying a cold beer, a tasty coffee, or my personal favorite, chocolate y agua. Another fun one to try is tejate, made from toasted corn, cacao beans, cacao flowers, ice, and sugar. Of course, if it’s 5:00 somewhere, you may as well try one of the dozens of kinds of mezcals, made from the local blue agave cactus.
Seasoned with spices such as chile, anise, or cardamom, the Mexican hot chocolate drink is delicious day or night
Sample the culinary delights: If you like food, then Oaxaca is a great place for you. From dozens of varieties of corn, several different kinds of tomatoes, and of course all kinds of chiles, you can try a different meal every time you go out. Oaxaceños are known for their seven unique mole sauces (rojo, coloradito, amarillo, verde, negro, chichilo, and manchamantel), as well as the tlayuda, a thin, crispy tortilla covered with beans, cheese, lettuce, avocado, meat, and salsa. Yes, it sounds like a taco, but it’s also… not. Best to just try it for yourself.
Visit the historical city center: The Spaniards invaded Oaxaca and had declared it a city by 1529, and immediately began laying the streets in a grid pattern and building churches, cathedrals, and plazas. The zocalo, or main plaza, of Oaxaca is always filled with musicians, tourists, locals, art exhibits, concerts, and more. There are two sixteenth-century churches in Oaxaca, both of which are worth a visit for their architecture and their lovely surrounding grounds.
The Church and Convent of Santo Domingo de Guzman, dating back to 1551, also includes the grounds of the Botanic Garden
Explore nearby neighborhoods: In addition to spending a lot of time in the main historic center, we also did some exploring in the nearby neighborhoods. We especially liked both Barrio de Jalatlaco and Xochimilco, slightly north of the city center. Using our Guruwalks app, we booked a walking tour for each neighborhood. In Jalatlaco, we looked at some of the fabulous street art, and ended at a delicious local taco stand (which we returned to the next night for more!). In Xochimilco, we found a hidden organic market, visited a mezcaleria, and ended in a cemetery, still decorated for Dia de Muertos.
Mexico was the last country to still produce the old VW Bug, so there are still plenty to see on the streets here
Logistics: You can fly direct to Oaxaca from US cities DFW, Houston, and Los Angeles. If you’re already in Mexico or South America, you can fly directly from Cancun, Guadalajara, Guatemala City, Merida, Mexico City (Santa Lucia), Monterrey, or Tijuana. There is no Uber presently in Oaxaca. The best way to get around is to call a taxi company, take a collecctivo taxi from the airport, or take the public bus. Hotels in Oaxaca run anywhere from $10US a night to several hundred, depending on how fancy you need to be. We stayed at a hotel two blocks from the Zocalo called Hotel Dainzu, and paid $45 a night for a double bed, private bathroom, with a balcony. Later in the week we stayed at an AirBnB in Xochimilco for approximately the same price, and later we tried another hotel in Jalatlaco, Casa Gubidxa, which was $40 per night, and featured a king sized bed and several rooftop terraces.
Jalatlaco is a particularly fun neighborhood, with painted murals, lots of boutique hotels, small churches, cafes, and late night places to stop for a drink
Have you been to Oaxaca? What was your favorite part of the town? Did you visit during Dia de Muertos, or another time of year?
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