Travel Photos

Joshua Tree

Wed, 23 Dec 2009 11:27:41 -0800

Tris, Dan and I wanted to get together for a great trip, a “last” hurrah, you know that final get together before we all grow up and go our own ways. Well, actually, we just wanted to hang out. We had all been working pretty hard and wanted to have an experience. So, in less than a week we decided to go to Joshua Tree, rent a house, and eat like kings. The house was so-so, the food was spotty (good=Bekka+Tris,bad=Nate±Dan), but Joshua Tree and the company were spot on. We also got the amazing news that Dan was offered one of the most prestigious postdocs (if not the most prestigious) in our field. A significant fraction of the professors in our field at Caltech had the same postdoc at some point in their past. Amazing news on an amazing trip.

São Paulo Favela, Brazil

Wed, 20 Dec 2006 12:16:58 -0800

Lucia and I had returned to Brazil on our way to Uruguay to spend the holidays with her family. While in Brazil we had the opportunity to visit an outreach program for children located in one of the large favelas of São Paulo. Favelas are the brazilian equivalent to slums or projects, and, in general, are not places frequented by “outsiders”. It was a special opportunity.

Lake Manitou, Canada

Thu, 3 Aug 2006 16:37:09 -0700

So, I had just finished my qualifier after several months of studying. I was relieved and ready for a brief break. William and I had been tentatively planning a canoe trip and it seemed that then was the natural moment. I called William, asked if he would be up for doing the trip in a week, bought a ticket (he said yes), and a week later we were on our way to paddle the Canadian lakes. We chose a lake which was not in a National Park and a ways from civilization, all of which was determined using Google Maps and Google Earth. We were delighted to find out that Lake Manitou (the location we finally chose) was as amazing as our wildest imagination could create. Perfect weather, perfect temperature, perfect humidity, perfect water temperature, perfect... and the list goes on. It was what we concluded was the most relaxing trip either of us had ever been on, and the best we had ever eaten consistently for five days. It proved to be the only camping trip known to us where the campers gained weight. You see, canoeing has its advantages in that you can take your oversized five day cooler filled with organic turkey burgers, tender steaks, wine, fresh vegetables, and other luxury items. Life was as good as it gets. With at least one bottle of wine for every dinner, a world class chef (William), and a world class sidekick (me) we ate like kings every meal of every day.

Wedding Reception

Sun, 7 May 2006 00:00:00 -0700

Let’s face it, the third time’s a charm. Not to mention, having three parties for a marriage is, in general, just a great idea. I am in the midst of trying to convince Lucia to do a wedding “get together” sometime in August to increase the festivities by one. In all seriousness, the wedding in Brazil was pretty far for most of my family’s friends, and the wedding in Yosemite was pretty last minute, so we really needed a wedding reception where all of those people who weren’t able to make it for the distant and poorly planned festivities would be able to get together with us and meet the bride. And so it was. Nearly 60 people made their way to the Bode abode with the intent to meet the bride and groom. Check out both sets of photos, those that I took and those that others took.

Wedding Reloaded

Sun, 2 Apr 2006 00:00:00 -0800

For legal purposes Lucia and I had to do a wedding in the United States. At first we were just thinking of going to the local courthouse and for a few bucks getting some dude to sign the sheet and voila it’s done. But, we thought about it, and it really seemed like a great idea to get married in the little chapel where my parents got married some 37 years ago or so. It seemed so perfect, not just because of the tradition effect, but also because the chapel is in Yosemite Valley, a place which never ceases to amaze me with it’s beauty. Unfortunately the weather was not always great and didn’t allow for us to capture photos of some of the amazing things we saw, like avalanches falling thousands of feet from the valley walls. Throughout the night you could hear the echoes of avalanches in the valley, and along with the location, it served to remind us of the awing power of nature.

Hayana, Scuba - HONEYMOON

Fri, 23 Dec 2005 00:00:00 -0800

Lucia and I wanted to visit a country that would leave a lifelong impression. And that we did. The photos will attest to a very different way of life and a people unlike those I would have imagined from what I had heard in the media and what I had heard from people who had been there. Mixing with the locals led for a very different experience and showed how other perspectives were skewed. What a place to do a honeymoon.

Parati, Brazil - WEDDING

Sun, 18 Dec 2005 00:00:00 -0800

I finally convinced Lucia to marry me, it was hard, but I finally succeeded. Anyhow, we were married in the small town of Parati where we first started going out. It was a beautiful time when we were surrounded by friends and family.

Puerto Nariño, Colombia - BACH TRIP

Fri, 2 Dec 2005 00:00:00 -0800

The idea was simple: find a monk who may or may not exist deep in the Columbian Amazonian jungles within a week. No problem. I took the most daring (most foolish) of my bachelors and we headed out for a week on the Amazon. We first stopped in Mexico City to visit some of William’s family, and then we went to Bogotá, Colombia to see what the fear is all about. Another misconception broken. Next thing we knew, we were on a boat deep in the Amazon. What a life.

Thanksgiving 2005

Thu, 24 Nov 2005 00:00:00 -0800

It was a great Thanksgiving with Lucia’s sister Veroka, and some of our friends Ketan and Laurence. Of course, there were also the usual suspects like the Magrady’s and Harriette. On a day like this it really couldn’t be nicer. It was Veroka’s, Laurence’s and Ketan’s first real Thanksgiving and I think our laid-back family spirit really left them with the impression of what it means, at least to us.

Zane Goes to San Diego

Sat, 3 Sep 2005 00:00:00 -0700

Zane was coming to visit his super-cool older brother (my buddy Tristan) and we all decided to head down South to visit my homestead and sleep out under the stars. We also took a fun trip to Oceanside Camera & Telescope and, then, eventually down to Oceanside Beach & Pier.

Three Amigos go to San Diego

Mon, 29 Aug 2005 00:00:00 -0700

We were looking for a relaxing weekend, and what better place to go to relax than to my parent’s house. And that is exactly where we went. After a day of working on Saturday, we took Sunday off to visit Balboa Park and the Spreckel’s Organ Pavilion.

Sequoia National Park

Sun, 21 Aug 2005 00:00:00 -0700

So, Tristan’s friend, Reyneir, has a girlfriend, Jen, who decided that it would be fun to go camping. Reyneir being a good pal invited all of us along to go with them to Sequoia National Park. With essentially no plans, the bravest (most foolish) of us headed up for an amazing camping trip. It ultimately was just Reyneir, Hernan, Alison (my officemate at the time), and myself. With some of the most spectacular scenery in the world it left me with many amazing images, hopefully some of which I captured here.

Olivenhain

Fri, 12 Aug 2005 00:00:00 -0700

These are just some photos of the local flowers and animals. Hope you enjoy.

Teague & Family in Olivenhain

Tue, 19 Jul 2005 00:00:00 -0700

We, in So. Cal. had the special treat of a visit from my Teague, Jessica, and all of my nieces. What a great time. Lucia and I packed up our stuff and went to hang out with the whole family down in Olivenhain. The girls got to play, Teague got to play, I got to play, and Lucia got to play. It was a rough weekend all around :). Who could resist three fun and enjoyable kids?

Martin’s Visit

Mon, 27 Sep 2004 00:00:00 -0700

Martin and his girlfriend, Monica, were coming to the United States to travel. After doing a tour of Northern California, they decided to come down and see what the real California was all about. To give him a good idea of So. Cal. culture we took him to Idyllwild, a very old-school town up in the mountains. Besides this remarkable introduction to SoCal we also let them stay with us in the apartment with our very weird flatmate Jeff and Jeff’s imaginary friend Phil.

Kashmir, India

Tue, 3 Aug 2004 00:00:00 -0700

Lucia was in India, I was at school. It wasn’t fair, so I went to visit her for a month. One of the places which attracted me most was Kashmir, because of the fact that it was a place that nobody goes to. Of course, this was because it was a purported war zone. Because of this, we proceeded cautiously and within a week we were deep in the Kashmiri Himalaya. An experience we will never forget, it was filled with magical moments, scary moments, beautiful moments, and several once-in-a-lifetime moments.

Camping with Dad

Fri, 16 Jul 2004 00:00:00 -0700

Dad and I wanted to do a brief camping trip before I left for Kashmir with Lucia. We didn’t do anything too crazy just a short hike down into a valley to spend a bit of time in nature. This was up in the Angeles National Forest.

Sespe Hot Springs, Los Padres Nat. For.

Sun, 28 Mar 2004 00:00:00 -0800

Lucia and I wanted to go for a camping trip, but we really didn’t know where to go. We headed up to the Los Padres National Forest and started looking around. After a stop at a local ranger station we found Sespe Hot Springs on the map. It became very clear to us that we were very, very out of shape. At one point two sixty-year-olds passed us at a non-trivial speed. I was too tired to be embarrassed. That aside we had a great time and it was a beautiful hike.

Il Primo goes to Borrego

Tue, 17 Feb 2004 00:00:00 -0800

Hernan’s cousin, Sleepy (aka Il Primo - after the salami), was in town. After working at Disney World he came to visit us on the Cali side. We thought we would treat him to a trip to the Anza Borrego Desert. It was quite an experience to see someone sleep so much. We came to the conclusion that Sleepy could literally sleep just about anywhere in just about any position. We then went to visit my parents and eventually headed back to L.A. making a big loop out of Southern California.

From Uruguay to São Paulo

Tue, 6 Jan 2004 00:00:00 -0800

We had just spent Christmas in Uruguay with Lucia’s family. It was a wonderful time, but now we had to make the trip home. Instead of just driving straight in an attempt to just get the long trip done with, we took our time and stopped at a few places along the way. We had several amazing experiences including New Year’s in the Brazilian mountains where the Brazilian summer seems like a San Diegan Winter and the experience of a lifetime on a ranch in the South of Brazil.

Wild Animal Park, San Diego

Sat, 15 Nov 2003 00:00:00 -0800

So Tristan and I were doing a trip to visit my parents in San Diego and so I took him to do one of my all time favorite tourist activities in the greatest place on Earth. That’s right, we went to the Wild Animal Park and every time I learn something new. He got to meet the late Lolita and her compadre and see one of the most amazing and influential zoos of our time.

From Chicago to L.A.

Mon, 15 Sep 2003 00:00:00 -0700

So, the whole experiment at the Univ. of Chicago was a success and I was finally off to graduate school. I was fortunate enough to get into a great grad school in Los Angeles called the California Institute of Technology (or just Caltech for short). I had to pack up my stuff, end my lease and get out of town. These are some of the photos I took on the way to California.

Visconte du Manaus

Tue, 2 Sep 2003 00:00:00 -0700

It was yet another trip (or maybe the same one as Campos :), but it was definitely a different place. We went for a long hike into the woods to a small waterfall tucked away into nowhere. In the walls of the cliff were small crystals of quartz. I don’t remember the name of the waterfall, but it was something to do with the quartz that was in it. Anyhow, we got some great photos of some cool animals and some great views.

Campos, Brazil

Wed, 20 Aug 2003 00:00:00 -0700

Okay, so my memory of exactly what happened on this trip isn’t so great. What I do remember was that I was down in Brazil for a couple months before starting grad school. Although Lucia was working she was able to take off a bit of time so that we could go for a short trip. And though I don’t know exactly where here is, we stopped here for a fun hike. I don’t think that it’s that far outside of São Paulo. But essentially “Campos” is a code word for “somewhere I don’t remember”.

Pantanal, Brazil

Fri, 15 Aug 2003 00:00:00 -0700

The Pantanal is a large area of grasslands in the western state of Brazil, Mato Grosso do Sul. You first go to the city Campo Grande and then you make your way to the border of Bolivia where the small city of Corumbá is. From there you leave in jeeps and reach the savanna of Brazil, though here it will become a huge lake during the rainy season. However, I visited during the Winter which is the dry season in the Pantanal. Though this is not the best time to see birds, since the birds prefer the security of having water around their trees, I still saw an amazing variety of birds which you will see in the photos. The rivers are filled with large caimen (sometimes up to 20’ long) and several varieties of fish including piranha.

Ouro Preto, Brazil

Mon, 28 Jul 2003 00:00:00 -0700

Lucia was working hard, I was not, but we found the time to make this amazing trip in general vicinity of São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Espirito Santo, and Minas Gerais. This was my first trip into the innards of Brazil and introduced me to a whole new perspective of what it means to be Brazilian.

Madison, Wisconsin - BILL’S FAMILY

Sun, 15 Jun 2003 00:00:00 -0700

I spent the weekend with William and his family in Madison, Wisconsin, where they now reside (Apr. 2006). Both William and I were looking into attending the Univ. of Madison at the time, though ultimately never did.

Canary Islands, Spain

Thu, 20 Mar 2003 00:00:00 -0800

It was my Spring break, and I was going to visit Lucia in Loughborough, England. After a couple days there, she finished her work, and we got an amazing trip to the Canary Islands. It was nothing like I was expecting the islands to be like, but in most respects they were even better. Pretty amazing. In the end, I proposed to Lucia at the peak of one of the mountains.

Seattle, Washington

Thu, 2 Jan 2003 00:00:00 -0800

I was off to my very first conference in Seattle. It was a AAS conference which was actually perfect for burgeoning young physicists (or not so young as the case was :). It was a wonderful time, where I got to see some old Camino buddies, stay in the house of Paul and Elaine off in the rural areas, and see physics in action.
One of the great things was seeing Arran and Rachel, two girls who I walked with on the Camino de Santiago with, and their significant others. And another highlight was seeing a family who I had met when deep in the middle of nowhere on the Catalan Camino de Santiago. I had a wonderful time with all of them.

Time with Opa

Sun, 29 Dec 2002 00:00:00 -0800

I had been studying at the Univ. of Chicago for around a year-and-a-half after having lived with my opa and parents for just about a year. During that time I became very close to my opa, with whom I spent a great deal of my days, but he was getting older and suffering from congestive heart failure. By a stroke of luck my brother Teague was also able to come back and here we are in the last family photo with Opa a month before he passed away at the age of 86. He was a great man, and an amazing example of how one could live their life. Here are some photos from that visit, including many of the people who were there with him during his last weeks.

World Tour

Tue, 5 Jan 1999 00:00:00 -0800

I was young and filled with wanderlust. There is little doubt that I was confused about where to go in life and also needed time to sort out priorities, perspectives, desires, and wishes. It was essentially a year long trip traveling through Europe in the most extreme fashion I could palate; working, learning, teaching and ultimately just being alone. Truly a life-changing experience, here are the photos of my year as a traveler.

Sherman Pass

Wed, 7 Oct 1998 16:59:20 -0700

I had graduated from Knox a year and a half before, then worked in Pennsylvania (see photos) and now had returned home where William had been living for around 9 months. It was time for our world tour (to Africa; see photos) and we were getting our stuff together to set out on this great adventure. There was also a guy who had been staying with my parents who left his kick ass pickup with us with an blank check to use it. Okay, we thought, we’re off to use it. We headed up to one of the highest passes in the Southernish California area called Sherman Pass and the beast took some fairly crazy dirt roads like the animal it was. Here we are as the snow started to fall. Our campfire in the rocks kept us warm our super-duper extra-grande tent pulled us through a rather chilly night. Great times.

Adirondack Mountains

Sun, 15 Mar 1998 00:00:00 -0800

After my life as a college student I began my next life as a mainstream worker. I got this great job working at a research laboratory at Penn State. The university is located in State College which was actually an amazing town in central rural Pennsylvania. There were many great experiences during this “previous life”, but the most memorable centered around a great friend and amazing person, Lucho, and a fantastically fun ex-girlfriend Karen. This period of my life was marked by breaking out of a relatively thick shell and beginning to let a more childish fun-loving Nate out. I began to develop optimistic philosophies of life and created completely new ways of viewing the world around me. These photos were supplied by my pal Lucho.