Author Archives: antitouristtraveler

There’s No Place Like Canadia

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Planning is for suckers, and that’s why I was delighted to hear my friends were going on a last-minute camping trip to Canada land. I could get all my freelance projects done before leaving, so I happily accepted the invite.

We drove from New York to Montreal, then west to Parc national d’Oka. After exploring Montreal for a few days, it was time for the beautiful Ile d’Orleans, an island east of Quebec City. After cooking and camping, we explored a rainy QC. A hotel with a waterslide was last event, and though I did it with just a friend watching, it was nonetheless quite fun.

Can’t wait to see you again, Canada! I really need to explore you more.

Destination Wedding in…Rhode Island?

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Sure, Rhode Island may not be the first thought that pops into your mind after hearing of a destination wedding, but it’s New England’s little Hawaii. Okay, all kidding aside, it was a very, very lovely wedding and I couldn’t have been happier to explore more of the small, but wildly eccentric, state of Rhode Island. Sure, I’d been through several times before, but as a state that takes less than an hour to drive through, I’ve had little temptation to stay overnight and explore. Seeing as many of my friends are from this state (and are quite loyal about it, too!), I felt I should give the place another chance.

As the wedding photographer for Candace and Matt, I was given a lovely room at a nearby hotel for two nights. As I drove to the rehearsal dinner, I couldn’t help but notice the Massachusetts-like bogs and green waterways that met up in small streams and ponds, giving the whole place a small ocean-like appearance with a salty breeze. Decidedly Rhode Island! I loved it. After meeting with the bride and groom (a very lovely and informal couple), we munched on sandwiches and cookies, then called it a night.

The wedding itself was quite lovely, and one of the most real displays of caring I’ve ever seen. And no one needed all the pomp of a usual wedding, as this one took place right in their yard. How wonderful is that?

8 hours of shooting later, it was time to relax. After meeting up with a friend at a Providence restaurant for a fairly terrible meal (I won’t even go into the bloody bar brawl we witnessed), I had a wonderful sleep. The next day, a friend and I took her car down to Newport. We did the entire cliff walk in the stormy weather–beautiful and probably the least crowded it could be, mind you–skipped the rest of the expensive, touristy activities, and camped on the island.

True, weird people seemed to follow me the entire trip, but after enough nice folks, a beautiful wedding ceremony, and enough Del’s Frozen Lemonade to last me a while, I enjoyed my Rhode Island visit well enough. Next stop? Canada! See you there.


Wedding photos and our rain-ready tent shot can be seen above.

Waterfalls Galore in the Ithaca Gorges

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If you know me at all, you know that I adore waterfalls. Whether I’m hiking to them, photographing them, jumping off them, or sliding down them, I think they’re an amazing creation of nature. Add to that great friends, lovely new folks, and eating galore, and it’s pretty much a perfect road trip.

You guessed it! I just returned from a visit to Ithaca, NY. Though I go every year, this year was definitely the best, partly because so many friends were there, partly because I had my own car with which to explore (I used to always take the bus from the city), and partly because everything was so darn gorgeous! I stayed a couple of nights each with several different friends and had as many hiking and food adventures as possible along the way. After seeing friends in Binghamton and playing the world’s longest mini-golf hole (who knew?), I ate my way through Ithaca, saw about 30 friends who all happened to be studying or teaching during that specific week, and hiked and cliff jumped to my heart’s delight. 

We went waterfall sliding near 1st Dam, cliff jumping at 2nd Dam, hiking around the reservoir, exploring in the Secret Glen, and hiking in Treman Falls State Park, Buttermilk Falls State Park, Cascadilla, and more. All the favorites, I’d say. Eating commenced at the farmers market twice (breakfast burritos and Khmer mung bean balls, of course!), and stops were made at Viva, Purity, Taste of Thai, Cayuga Creamery, and so on. Did I feel good after my week-long visit? Of course not, but it was absolutely worth it. We also made pita bread, explored a wild blueberry patch further upstate, created a summer salad, visited old professors, and hung out with so many friends. When I had time to myself, I went to my favorite spots for some quiet photography moments in the early morn. What an absolutely delightful trip! 

Above are images from the various state parks and local spots. If you go, I only hope you enjoy it as much as I did!