Explore with Elisha

Eat a local resturant tonight...
Get the cream sauce...
Have a cold pint at 4 p.m. in a mostly empty bar...
Go somewhere you have never been...
Listen to someone you think may have nothing in common with you...
Order the steak rare...
Eat an oyster...
Have a negroni - hell have two!..
Be open to a world where you may not understand or agree with the person next to you, but have a drink with them anyway...
Eat slowly....
Tip your server...
Check in on your friends...
Check in on yourself...
Enjoy the ride and stop over-complicating life xo

I had forgotten how gently time passes in Paris. As lively as the city is, there’s a stillness to it, a peace that lures you in. In Paris, with a glass of wine in your hand, you can just be...
In April, 2022 we have a AMA Waterway Cruise booked from Paris to Normandy and are beyond excited. First time to France for Darrin and his first cruise - cheers to life. ..

Accept what life offers you and try to drink from every cup...
All wines should be tasted, some should be only be sipped, but with others drink the whole bottle.

Watch your thoughts, for they become words. ..
Watch your words, for they become actions. ..
Watch your actions, for they become habits. ..
Watch your habits, for they become character. ..
Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny

Have the most BLISSfull weekend friends! And remember to take time to believe in yourself and invest in yourself 💕..
Rocking Vibe

Sunset is my favourite color..
Dreaming of the ocean in Cascais Portugal

And what do we have here? The matrix of life!..
A simple crystal made from the same elements as all the stars and all living things. ..
A crystal formed over generations holding within it the secrets to so much unknown and intimately linked to our essence. Whenever you feel lost try holding one in your hand while you journey within for answers...
One of the pieces I always travel with!

And just like that summer collapsed into fall..
What are you fall travel plans?

Day 3 – Sunset and Sunrise Points; Distance:

One of the things I love about is that these crystals allow me to take my intention setting to another level. Each piece I own holds a different energy and with my simple ritual of touching the piece I choose to wear is my way of checking in with myself, giving myself a moment of ‘me’ time in midst of this chaos of this thing we call life. ..
Each piece has a unique intention that I set before adding it to my outfit of the day where it acts as a constant reminder to manifest my intentions and what I want in life. My Sphere piece is my clarity intention to serve as my third eye to help put my desires into focus, showing me my path, and allowing me to get crystal clear on not only what I want in life, but how to make it happen. ..
What energy and intention do you want to set today? Put that intention into the universe with one of these exceptional statement pieces.
…
Much Love
E xo

Queens Garden Hike; Distance: 4.7km and Elevation Gain: 600 feet..
This hike gets the name the Queens Garden as it is said that one of the rock pillars at the viewpoint looks like Queen Victoria. I didn’t really see a resemblance. You can start this hike at either sunrise point or sunset point and will descend by switchbacks than climb your way back up amongst the hoodoos. We combined this hike with the Navajo Loop since they are short and close together...

Noteworthy Eateries: A couple of our favourite spots from our stay in Tropic, Utah. ..
Stone Hearth Grille – D and I knew this trip wasn’t going to be fine dining, but I stumbled across this place and decided to book us all a reservation. My treat for the four of us, on our last night. It offers mountainside dining on an outdoor patio – the food, the views and the company – amazing! The perfect way to end this trip! Reservations recommended. D and I shared a nice bottle of wine pairing it with our local grass-fed steaks! There was even a cauliflower steak for Amy! We sat outdoors on the patio, listening to the sounds from the waterfall while watching the sun set against the mountains turning them from shades of pink to red as dusk fell around us. ..
Cowboy Ranch House at Bryce Canyon Resort – During a walk-through town (remember it’s not that big of place), we stumbled across this gem. A western-themed restaurant serving steaks, Mexican and craft beer! Perfect way to re-fuel after a day of hiking. The best part was there was a live band, yes country music, while we dined!..

Navajo Loop Hike: Distance: 2km and Elevation Gain: 550 feet..
Not a long hike, but you will feel the elevation gain over this short distance. This trail is known for some of the park’s most iconic switchbacks. On this this hike, you will find two of the more famous formations including Thor’s Hammer and the Natural Bridge. This bridge, quiet fragile looking, offers a beautiful window to view the canyon through. ..
The Queens Garden and Navajo loop are popular hikes as they allow people an opportunity to view the hoodoos without having to hike a great distance – hence the reason why the Fairyland and Peek-a-Boo loop aren’t as admired – they are too much work...

We chose to stay in a very small town (530 people) of Tropic, Utah due to the proximity to Bryce Canyon (13 minutes). Tropic, Utah is known as the base of Bryce Canyon National Park. This little ranching community is nestled in some of the most scenic southern landscape of the Red Canyon, Dixie National Forest, Grand Staircase of Escalante National Monument and of course Bryce. It makes it the perfect location to explore these areas. ..
We settled into our motel, The Red Ledges Inn. An affordable and clean motel style inn. Breakfast was minimal, but offered some selection to start the day. This was the ideal location due to the proximity for the park and was perfect again just for sleeping and showering. This type of motel reminded me of traveling with my parents across the states where we would always stay at these little motels rather than fancy chain hotels. It was like being pulled back in time to splendid childhood memories. ..
Why Bryce Canyon – hoodoos that is why! It has the largest collection of hoodoos in the world and they seem to dance majestically against the red rocks. This amphitheater of hoodoos is truly regal and I had been wanting to hike amongst them to fully experience their grandeur. ..

Day 2 – Peek-a-Boo Loop Hike; Distance: 8.2km and Elevation Gain: 1300 feet..
You can complete this hike in either direction and it begins at Bryce Point, which is a view point for either sunrise or sunset. Bryce Point offers the best view of the amphitheater of hoodoos. As this trail is more strenuous than the other nearby trails, you will have less people on this trail. You will weave your way through intricately sculpted hoodoos and various rock formations eventually making your way to the “Wall of Windows”. This memorable landmark stretches for hundreds of yards on this hike making some of the steeper parts of this trail worth it. ..

Day 1 – Fairyland Loop Trial; Distance: 12.9km and Elevation Gain: 2300 feet..
This is one of the longest hikes and it starts and ends at the northern part of Bryce. If crowds aren’t your thing – this is the perfect hike for you! I think we may have encountered four other people on this entire hike. Although the hike is not technical, the length and elevation change make it more challenging. There is a reason this trail is called Fairyland as the pillar-like rock formations are something pulled right out of a fairy tale. Walking this trail, you will see a unique landscape of hoodoos, bizarre rock formations and sandstone pillars which really sets this apart from the other national parks. ..

Welcome to Bryce Canyon, Utah! We will explore our highlights from this trip!..
We chose to stay in a very small town (530 people) of Tropic, Utah due to the proximity to Bryce Canyon (13 minutes). Tropic, Utah is known as the base of Bryce Canyon National Park. This little ranching community is nestled in some of the most scenic southern landscape of the Red Canyon, Dixie National Forest, Grand Staircase of Escalante National Monument and of course Bryce. It makes it the perfect location to explore these areas...

I hope you enjoyed our Zion recommendations. From here we were off to Tropic, Utah our next destination just outside of Bryce Canyon. I will highlight the best of Bryce next week. ..
Bryce Canyon is approximately a 1 hour and 30 minute drive with most of it through Zion National Park, which will require a fee if you don’t have a park pass. Unfortunately, I was driving these narrowing twisted roads so could not be fully engaged in the views of the surrounding landscape on our drive. ..
Cheers to the weekend friends! Enjoy!

Day 3 – Watchmen Trail; Distance: 4.8km round trip and Elevation Gain: 300 feet..
We were looking for something a little shorter as we were leaving Zion to head to Bryce Canyon later this day. If you are here during the prime summer months, this trail is completely exposed to the sun offering no relief. So, I recommend adding this one in earlier or later in the day during those months. The nice thing about this trail is it is usually not that busy as tourists are either hiking The Narrows or Angel’s Landing. Not the most glamorous start to this hike as you will weave behind employee housing and construction materials, but eventually head into the hills, looping around a valley until eventually you are on top of the first layer of cliffs above the canyon. ..
From the main viewpoint, you will see Springdale in the distance and the majestic towering Watchman’s Peak to the south. Stop here, grab a spot to sit and have a snack and just marvel in the beauty that surrounds you. ..

Hidden Canyon; Distance: 5.2 km round trip and Elevation Gain: 1391 feet

As Angel’s Landing is a shorter hike, we added on Hidden Canyon later that day. This trail is accessed by part of the trail for Observation Point with fewer switchbacks. This trail also has similar chains from Angel’s Landing along the upper part of the trail, but it didn’t seem as scary on this hike. Here you will get incredible views of Cable Mountain across the valley along with the red sandstone cliffs accompanying you for most of the hike.
Once you get to the canyon you can continue on following the footprints along the sand. The canyon is shaded, offering respite from the sun and you can continue as long as you wish. The trail officially ends at a very impressive natural arch where you can turn around and hike back the same way you came. ..

A couple of our favourite spots from our stay in Springdale while visiting Zion!

Café Soleil – Little did I know that the new girlfriend was vegetarian – so this was a perfect spot to please everyone. They offer a great selection of wraps and we stopped here our first night, grabbed a table on the patio and enjoyed some live music. The Turkey Bacon Guacamole Wrap, Hummus Wrap, and Superfood Veggie Wraps were hits!

Deep Creek Coffee Company – Another great little café offering healthy, vegetarian friendly and gluten free options. The Avocado Toast and Honey Mustard Wrap are noteworthy!

Spotted Dog Café – A little more up-scale then we had planned on this trip, but a nice bistro with cozy art-filled dining rooms. If the weather permits, I recommend grabbing a table outside as it has that European outdoor dining vibe. Lots of options from fish, hormone-free meats and vegetarian dishes all handcrafted using fresh local produce. A cozy little place. Reservations recommended.

Zion Canyon Brew Pub – Welcome to southern Utah’s first micro-brewery! Located at the entrance of the park, you will find a large patio with a view of the Watchman trail. They serve up great beer and pub food with some of the best views. Some of our favourites were the Nachos, Kale Chicken Caesar, Elk Burger and Mediterranean Hummus. It was the perfect spot post hike to grab a brew and share some food!

Day 2 – Angel’s Landing; Distance: 8.7km roundtrip and Elevation Gain: 1488 feet..
Welcome to the most popular hike in Zion. I recommend going as early as possible for this hike to avoid the crowds. This hike is known for the strenuous zig-zagging climb referred to as Walter’s Wiggles and is not for the faint of heart. This section will leave you breathless and not from the view. As you continue you will eventually reach the section where there is a stability chain for guidance. As this path offers traffic going up and down and only one chain, it can be a little nerve-racking dealing with crowds – so again, the earlier the better. I just remember my brother with both hands in his short pockets hiking down and how bold I thought he was as I held the chain a little tighter in some sections. A side note is that people have tragically fallen to their deaths on this hike with the most recent in 2019. There has been a total of nine deaths according to the park website. Be careful, hike responsibly and know your limits...

We stayed at the Quality Inn & Suites Montclair – basic and simple accommodations for this trip as we just needed a place to sleep and shower. I picked this particular hotel as you can easily access the shuttle to the park. Although it was a bit further from the park entrance, I had read that the closer you stayed to the main entrance the more likely the shuttle would be full. We never had an issue getting a spot on the shuttle. ..
This hotel had great views!..
Springdale is a fun little spot with a main road full of hotels, local restaurants, boutique shops and stores full of gear mostly dedicated for hiking. There is a free hop–on-hop-off shuttle that runs along the main drag with pick up points to take you into the park. ..

Day 1 – Observation Point; Distance: 12.9km roundtrip and Elevation Gain: 2150 feet..
I have to say this was by far my favourite hike and it was only the first day. It is less crowded then the popular Angel’s Landing trail and some many say even more strenuous. ..
To access this trail, the shuttle drop off point is the Weeping Rock. The trail starts with a bunch of switchbacks providing no relief from the blazing sun until the trail turns east. Throughout the hike, you have views of Echo Canyon on one side of the climb. Eventually, as the trail wraps back around the other side of the mountain you will have sweeping views of Zion. There are many opportunities for photos with the most majestic landscapes. With more climbing, you will finally reach the Canyon Rim where the trail begins to plateau eventually leading you to Observation Point. At this point, you are higher than Angel’s Landing which offers infinite views of the valley, Angel’s Landing and the East and West Canyon rims. ..

We arrived a little later on the Saturday after our drive from Vegas, checked into our hotel and opted for a quick evening hike of the Emerald Pools Trail. ..
It is a network of trails of varied lengths to the lower, middle and upper Emerald Pools. A great way to break in the legs for a couple days of hiking. We picked the 4km round trip hike of all three pools, which took about an hour. ..
If you are looking for a small hike or to add something small to another hike in the area - this is perfect...

In September 2016, we decided on a trip to Utah. We were looking to spend some time with my brother and had been to Seattle a few times already, so we thought why not meet somewhere else instead. ..
We flew into Las Vegas, met him there, along with his new girlfriend, Amy, for the first time, rented a car and drove to Utah. We had 6 days to spend in Utah, so we opted for 3 in Zion National Park and 3 in Bryce Canyon. Zion is the most visited National Park in Utah. September felt like a good time – less crowds and not as warm as the main summer months. However, be prepared for crowds on every day of the week though as people are in search of red rock cliffs and challenging hikes with epic views year round. ..
Let's explore our trip to Utah together!

And just like that it has been more than a week since I drafted a post and said hello to my social feed community...
Why? Because when life gets hard and challenging for me these days something or more than one thing needs to give and this is the easiest one for me to drop off my plate. I used to believe that I needed to post to grow my community and on-line business, but one day it just hits you that your true followers and community will stand by you even during the rough patches. The others who fall off weren't meant for my mission or my path in life and that is fine by me...
Despite the challenges in my personal life, I am trying daily to find the joy and happiness. Is it easy? F*ck no - but I am showing up and trying every single day. Trust me some days are easier than others and I say to myself - bitch you are doing a good job. While other days - I truly want to stay in bed and let someone else for me. ..
With D in Vancouver supporting his brother through his double lung transplant from Co*vid and me in Ontario helping my dad recover from a massive left hemisphere stroke, our travel plans are on hold for a while. I have learned over the years that you can't wait for the storm to pass, you need to learn to dance in the rain...
Coming up this week - a virtual tour of Utah.

Much Love
E xo