Epic 7 Travel

15/09/2023

Traveling to Amsterdam? I encourage you to take a day trip to Haarlem, Netherlands. Plan your perfect day with this Haarlem one day itinerary and find all the best places to visit and 19 popular things to do in Haarlem. Highlights include museums, restaurants, places for high tea, chocolate and beer, as well as wonderful cafes for people watching.

Planning a Haarlem day trip from Amsterdam? Use this one day in Haarlem itinerary to find 19 popular things to do in Haarlem, Netherlands.

28/07/2023

If you are looking for a short, fun, and fascinating day trip from Amsterdam, I have just the place for you - Amersfoort! Discover all the best things to do in Amersfoort, Netherlands, which has photogenic canals, historical architecture, bicycles, and delectable eateries without the Amsterdam crowds!

Discover all the best things to do in Amersfoort, Netherlands, photogenic canals, historical architecture, bicycles, and delectable eateries!

21/03/2023

Happy spring! It's been a while since I posted in my feed.

For the past six months, I have been consumed with taking care of my mom who sadly passed from cancer two weeks ago today.

I want to express my gratitude to my incredible husband, Jason, who supported me every step of the way, enabling me to spend two of the past six months with her being her advocate, making sure she had everything she needed and was surrounded by joy and friendship through the difficult journey that started 2.5 years ago. I want to offer my thanks to each and every person (family, friends, strangers) who have shown kindness and offered support. It truly means the world. The nurses and hospice team were also incredible throughout.

Some FUN FACTS:

1) My love of travel was spawned by my mom. Since she worked for the airlines, she got me a passport at six months of age and my love for immersing in the world has only grown with travel to 70+ countries on all 7 continents.

2) We adventured together to see orangutans in Borneo where an interloper leech took a liking to my mom, got caught in quick mud in the Amazon rain forest and explored Egypt's pyramids

3) My passion for wildlife and wildlife conservation was instilled by my mom. She loved wolves and I hope to photograph them someday soon in the wild in her honor. They've eluded me so far, but I'm hoping she's sending luck my way

4) My mom was fascinated by other-worldly things and loved the color blue, so I thought this image Jason captured while Black water diving in Banda Sea, Indonesia, would be perfect to share

Rest in Peace Mom

06/01/2023

If exploring polar regions strikes your fancy, Greenland should top your bucket list! To help plan your Greenland adventure, use this Nuuk travel guide to find the 25 top things to do in Nuuk, Greenland, including the best sites to see, places to eat, stay and shop as well as day trips around Nuuk.

Use this Nuuk travel guide to find the 25 top things to do in Nuuk, Greenland, including the best sites to see, places to eat, stay and shop.

11/11/2022

Taking a Montana road trip to Missoula, Glacier or Yellowstone? Stop in Great Falls for parks, museums and Lewis & Clark history. This travel guide showcases fourteen splendid things to do in Great Falls, Montana, to help you enjoy a wonderful day in the third largest city in Montana.

This Great Falls, MT travel guide showcases fourteen splendid things to do in Great Falls, Montana, including parks, museums and restaurants.

09/11/2022

Hawkfish are so pretty with their designs, but require patience and dedication. Just as you get your camera ready, they dart through the coral and hide on the other side. 🤣We always love challenging ourselves to find them. Jason and I were super pleased with ourselves that we managed to find and photograph these guys numerous times this trip❤️

TOP TIP: If you do see them, don’t bother looking for any pygmy seahorses as they will have eaten them all.😭

Our major discovery on our most recent Banda Sea diving trip is that your close vision begins to seriously deteriorate in your mid to late 40s. 😩We both struggled majorly when our eagle eyed dive guide would find these tiny nudibranches (sea slugs) that make pygmy seahorses look large. And Wed squint trying to figure out what he was showing us 🤣😂

I felt as if I need a go-go gadget arm to get my dive computer further away from me. I will say that my G2 computer with its huge display is now a necessity so I can read my air pressure, remaining bottom time, etc.

The struggle is real! Hands up if you relate ✋

And, I’m SUPER impressed with their warranty and customer service. My transmitter stopped functioning on Dive 6 of 32 so I could no longer get PSI readings, so had to use my backup console gauge. ScubaPro replaced the internal antenna on my transmitter after I got back to SF and it’s good as new.

07/11/2022

Mandarin fish are some of my absolute favorites to see when scuba diving. ❤️

These vibrant fish are typically seen at dusk when the males and females flit about finger coral to mate. The designs and colors are absolutely breathtaking and they have the cutest little puckered lips.

Have you ever seen mandarin fish when scuba diving? We’ve been lucky to seem them in Indonesia, the Philippines and Papua New Guinea.

This particular dive in Banda Sea Indonesia required us to be extra diligent and alert as the mandarin fish were hiding amongst sea urchins and we had to be careful to ensure we didn’t accidentally run into those and unintentionally impale ourselves while photographing them. 😳🥴

TOP TIP: When photographing these guys, red lights are key so as not to startle them.