My blog has moved over to Wordpress.  Check it out here!  Updates from 8 months living and working in San Francisco, CA followed by my journey roadtrippin all over the Western United States.

See you there!

raineytravels.com

raineytravels.wordpress.com

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Adios to Arizona: camping, music, & couchsurfer reunion

Joyous news!  I just accepted a job in San Francisco and now have 2 weeks to up and move.  I happen to find out about this job while I was camping and watching bluegrass with friends of mine , including a french couchsurfer of mine from when I lived in Ecuador.  In other words, the best possible way to celebrate.  Here's the quick recap.  See you all in San Fran!

Lots o' guitars and my little new hobby, the Ukelele 

Yellow flower fields on the way to Flagstaff, AZ

Our amazing campsite

Sleeping in wildflowers

Pickin' in the Pines Bluegrass Festival in Flagstaff, AZ

pickin fresh Pinon nuts 

Sunset

Prickly Pear Fruit 

Pinons

Adios Arizona, and thanks!

In Between

Wow.  It has been a year since I last posted.  Well, although my travels have not been outside the US, they have still be splendid.  I've been all over Arizona, from lakes to desert to pine trees to cacti, and have also ventured up and down the west coast somewhat.  Following are my favorite travel pictures from the last year "in-between" - as in in between South America and my next....well, something.

Telluride - January '12

Telluride - January '12

Oak Creek Canyon - February '12

Oak Creek Canyon - February '12

Oak Creek Canyon - February '12

Oak Creek Canyon - February '12

Deer Creek - March '12

The Grand Canyon - March '12

My puppy, Mikki <3 

Saguaro Lake - April '12

The Colombia River, WA - May '12

The Colombia River, WA - May '12

The Gorge Amphitheater for Sasquatch Music Festival, WA - May '12

The joys of pure Music and pure Beauty - Sasquatch Music Festival May '12 

Saguaro Lake - June '12

Saguaro Lake - June '12

San Francisco - June '12

San Francisco - June '12

 

San Francisco - June '12

San Francisco - June '12

Volcán Cotopaxi

Volcán Cotopaxi

Last thing to check off my list for things to do in Andean Ecuador: camping in Parque Nacional Cotopaxi.  Cotopaxi is the 2nd highest active volcano in South America.  It is covered in snow and breathtaking.  The total trip cost me $4.75....camped and hitched rides in.  Absolutely no one was there, and it felt like a surreal dream world with the volcano, wild horses, lakes, rolling clouds, the empty spaces.....hard to describe but maybe some pictures will help.  enjoy family and friends, because I know I sure did. 

Our picnic of avocado and chifles.  and rum?

morning clouds rolling.  freezing but beautiful

waiting out the rain in our surprisingly warm tent...i bought it primarily for the beach, so the fact that it survived the wind and rain at the base of the 2nd highest altitude volcano in South America, gives me confidence!

wild horses

high iron content spring near the lake (i think)

lake and volcano

hitching home