Da Nang

A Whirlwind Motorbike Adventure through Da Nang
A Whirlwind Motorbike Adventure through Da Nang
August 10, 2016 In Da Nang Explore Southeast Asia Vietnam No Comment

I’m presently in Ho Chi Mihn city (or Saigon as every local calls it) sitting in my cozy little room listening to the regular afternoon storms pummel the windows outside. It might be tranquil if it weren’t for the fact […]

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Four Planes to Vietnam – The Adventure Starts Now!
Four Planes to Vietnam – The Adventure Starts Now!
July 15, 2016 In Da Nang Explore Southeast Asia Vietnam 7 Comments

7/14 Denver 6:15PM Here we go – I can’t believe the day is finally here! I’m about to get on the first plane from Denver to LAX, and the reality still hasn’t quite hit me yet. I don’t think it […]

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  • Let’s go on an adventure

    Hey, I’m Jules, a visual designer based in Denver, Colorado. When I’m not moshing at punk shows or playing the latest video games, you can find me getting lost in the great outdoors and working my way around the globe.

    This is my travel journal where I write about all things color, wilderness, and wanderlust. I hope it will give you the tools and inspiration you need to make your own travel dreams a reality. Let’s wander together!

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    • Yesterday was a first for me - I somehow managed to be the only person in the Chautauqua parking lot at 4:45am 😱 ─ The solitude didn't last long as this is one of the most popular hikes on the front range, but I was one of the few people there for sunrise, with the birds singing and the rustling of the grass to keep me company as the sun crept over the horizon and ignited the flatirons in their famous fiery glow. ─ Yesterday morning was sort of a personal accomplishment, for reasons I'll go into in the following posts. But for once I was able to follow my heart instead of my head, and do something for the sheer joy of doing it rather than in a misguided fury of anxiousness and FOMO. ─ When was the last time you utterly and completely followed your heart?
    • I think it's beautiful that no matter how rigidly we try to control our lives, in the mountains our hearts can be nothing but wild. 🌙
    • Hold onto your hats - things are about to get wild. 🤘 ─ This is the first July in two years that I will get to spend entirely in Colorado. Traveling is fun and all, but missing a whole month of camping, hiking, wildflowers and all of the other summertime beauty in this state was killing me. This year I'm going to pack every free second with mountain adventures and explore the wilderness until my little heart bursts. ─ How is summer shaping up for you?
    • Life is a colorful adventure, whether it is made of big journeys or small treks. You are getting exactly where you need to be, regardless of everyone else's pace.✌️ ─ I am trying to be more mindful of simply enjoying the present, and of recognizing beauty in the little things. Lately I've become obsessed with the forest floor; there's so much magic right at my feet! Makes me wonder how many small opportunities we miss on a daily basis because we're so focused on the bigger picture. ─ What are some little things that you appreciate?
    • Happy 4th of July! I'm celebrating this perfect summer day by doing my favorite activity...can you guess what it is? 😉 ─ I do not take for granted how lucky I am to live here; there are so many opportunities available to me and the wilderness is right in my backyard. Let's keep making our voices heard, so we can create an America that is beautiful inside and out. This past month I have donated to help preserve and save our National Parks, drastically cut down on single-use plastic and most importantly voted in the Colorado primaries, to help ensure that this country will be an open, welcoming and safe place for all. ─ I hope everyone has a wonderful day! 🇺🇲✨
    • When I was a kid, one of my favorite outdoor pastimes was picking dandelions. I would twist their golden yellow bodies into crowns, present them as bouquets to my delighted mother, and when they were in seed, I would make wish after wish and watch the wind carry the fluffy white puffs away. ─ When I got older, I learned that dandelions were not the magical, wish-granting plant of my childhood fantasies. They are weeds that spread and take over the "good" earth, defiling the perfect, well-manicured lawns. I learned that people bought poison to eliminate them from their perfect, well-manicured lives. ─ I was once told that dandelions carry your dreams on the wind forever, so that you will never forget them, and they will always come back to you. As adults we lose that sense of boundless hope, letting our dreams float away before they even have a chance to manifest. We stamp out what we consider to be imperfections, even though more are always springing up like weeds. We bury things we love about ourselves, because society dictacts what is beautiful. We don't stop to embrace the little things that once filled us with joy. ─ Why set our true selves adrift to please the world, when we can define it by being exactly who we are?
    • Is there somewhere you love to be, or something you love doing that is cathartic to you? ─ I rely on nature to heal my heart. When it gets battered by the stress of life, I escape to the mountains for the quiet and stillness that only the trees can provide. ─ I hike for miles and miles, letting the lush canopy completely engulf me, letting the smell of wet earth permeate my nostrils, letting the crisp air swirl around my lungs. Leaving my troubles behind with every step and letting the fog lift from my mind, dissipating faster and faster, until I can see the solutions with clarity. ─ Problems always seem smaller when the wilderness is so vast, and the mountains are so tall...
    • One of the many reasons I love Colorado is how deceivingly beautiful it is. On a map, the state is a boring rectangle - but get in a car and you're treated to towering mountains, stunning red rock formations, thick pine forests, staggering canyons and even enormous sand dunes. ─ The scenery changes are drastic depending on which direction you drive, and you can easily experience four seasons in a day. I've been here for four years and still feel like I have barely explored my own backyard. ─ Black Canyon stretches 48 miles total (insane!) and was named because parts of the canyon only get minutes of sunlight per day. I'm used to feeling awe at the sheer scale of the mountains reaching up into the sky, but to see a massive crevace snaking down into the depths of the Earth was another experience entirely. ─ I've never been to the Grand Canyon so I feel like my mind has yet to be fully blown, but I think this did a good job of getting me prepared. ✌️
    • We arrived at Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park to a pastel sunset drenching our campsite. The perfect backdrop for cooking dinner on the camp stove, knocking back some cider and setting up the tent. ─ The first night camping is always my favorite. The excitement of reaching my destination, knowing I'll be spending the night coexisting with the birds, the trees, the entire planet - it's a kind of soft, kindred love that envelopes me only when I'm surrounded by nature. ─ Time passes but all I can smell is pine, and all I can feel is the dirt beneath my fingernails. All I can hear are the sounds of the mountain singing me to sleep. ─ What do you love about camping? ⛺
    • Fridays are universally looked forward to, but in Colorado they seem just a bit more magical. ─ Weekends mean mountains; driving on long roads, the smell of pine invading the car, your eyes glued to the scenery dripping in beauty all around you. ─ Weekends mean camping; with nothing but a tent to protect you from the elements, listening to the leaves rustle at dusk and the birds stir at sunrise. ─ Weekends mean adventure; when the mountains are so close you can see them from your window, it's almost impossible not to answer their call. ─ Last weekend embodied everything I love about this state, so I'm excited to take you along on the journey over the next few days. What adventures are you getting up to this weekend?