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Sleeping in the Car: What Adventures Are Made Of

We never arrive at our camping destinations in the daytime. It’s become a standing joke now, but sometimes it’s not that funny!

We were planning to stay at Sweetwater camping ground in California before a longer stay in Wawona, Yosemite. Looking at the sat nav, our drive was estimated at about 6 hours, however we failed to take into account the food/ water stops, our supply run through Target, the bumpy forest roads and the fact that our sat nav lost signal and was directing us backwards and forwards across forest roads that looped around and around.

By 10pm when we still hadn’t found the campground, we woke up the two passengers in the back of the car, swapped drivers and pulled out the paper map to try and identify our location.

Finally, pulling into the campground at around 1am, it was too dark to see the pitches, so we opted to sleep in the car by the side of the road. There were four of us in the car. With sleeping bags, tents, fire wood and food. It was cramped to say the least. It was cold. Every noise was a bear (probably). We managed about one hours sleep between the four of us. It was one of the most uncomfortable nights I’ve ever spent.

To make things worse, the toilet facilities were terrible. They were ‘long-drop’ toilets and I swear that something was running around in the pit below. The smell was terrible, but at least some kind soul had left hand wash and toilet paper in the ladies- the guys didn’t even have that!

The next morning, as soon as it got light, we found our spot and set up the tent. Snatching a spot next to the water, we sat up bleary-eyed and took in the sights.

It was beautiful. The water was crystal clear and refreshingly cool in the hot summer sun. The camping area was immaculate and we had loads of space. Our morning view was a riverbank. The trails were pretty and the wildlife was all over the place!

All the things that went wrong fuel our stories of that trip. Instead of focussing on them as negatives, they are the excitement that turns memories into adventures. I love telling people about our stay in Sweetwater.

Other similar experiences are really common when you are travelling. Things don’t go to plan, it’s not all sunshine, blue skies and Instagram friendly photos, but sometimes, a trip that doesn’t go to plan results in some of the best memories of travel.

Hoodoos at Bryce Canyon

A Day at Bryce Canyon

Sitting on the little shuttle bus, we trundled in the heat around Bryce Canyon, jumping on and off the bus from stop to stop to make sure we saw as much as possible on our brief day trip.

The key sites at Bryce Canyon are Bryce Point, Inspiration Point, Sunset Point and Sunrise Point – all with great vistas over the natural cliffs and drops throughout the park.

Looking out over the view, we took our time soaking in the natural beauty of the area. Although it was a very dry and dusty place, there was wildlife all around and we spent ages watching the birds flying in and out of the holes in the rock face.

We didn’t get chance to do a hike or take in a Ranger programme, although both are on offer throughout the park. In particular, if we were there a little longer, I’m sure a hike through the tall, spiky hoodoos at the bottom of the amphitheater would have been incredible and created some great photographs!

Emerald Lake

Avoiding visitors to Emerald Lake in Canada

It’s in all of the travel pictures – stunning, calm, serene emerald waters, but what is Emerald Lake really like?

On our road trip around parts of Canada, we took some time to visit Emerald Lake as a stop off en route towards our next location.

The first thing that struck us about this place was the different approach it had taken towards visitors to the lake. Many of the other places we had stopped at were full of cars, visitors and camping vans, parked up as close as possible to the edge of the water. Whilst this is great for getting a viewing spot, it’s not so great for trying to find a calm, quiet place to absorb the beauty of the view. Some of the places we visited were busier than their town centres!

Emerald Lake differed in this respect, as cars were not allowed over the small wooden bridge towards the accommodation. Instead, a car park and shuttle bus was provided to support people too and from the cabins. This resulted in the lake being a little less crowded – not that it wasn’t busy (it certainly was), but it wasn’t anywhere near as bad as some of the places we visited (Lake Louise we’re looking at you!).

The trip over the little bridge was also quite exciting, it made the lake feel a little more hidden and cut off from the rest of the world.

We were staying in one of the cabins alongside the lake and they were beautiful! Looking out of the window, past the balcony (yes we had a little balcony!), the colours of the lake were so vivid, even from a distance. The rooms were basic but fairly spacious and included a little log fire which would be lovely in colder weather. They were beautifully designed to blend in with the blue skies and green waters.

The main lodge was a great place to hang out in the evenings – a mixture of pool, beer, TV and music made sure that we were all well entertained (one night a little girl jumped on the piano and she was incredible!).

The path around the lake is the jewel in the crown when visiting Emerald Lake. We only did the lake circuit (you can head up to the basin for more stunning views) but it was one of the most memorable walks of our trip. The lake trail is around 5km and is a fairly easy walk in most places – although there are some muddy, forest parts which would be challenging for someone with accessibility needs.

The start of the path takes you out on to a gravel path and as soon as you get past the first couple of yards, most of the visitors to Emerald Lake fade away. We only saw one or two other people for the rest of the walk – this was brilliant as the escape from the crowds left us feeling much more immersed in nature.

The first half of the walk keeps you close to the shoreline on a gravel path and gives a close-up view of the path the glacier follows as it melts down to the lake. Whilst making our way around the lake, a fire helicopter made numerous visits, filling up the water bucket on the way to a nearby forest fire.

The wooden bridge at the far end of the lake marked the start of the return journey. The path ran through a forest area for most of the walk home, giving very different views. This was my favourite part of the walk as it was fairly dense and almost had a jungle-like feel to it.

Staying on the lake is an excellent idea if you want to grab some photos that don’t include 20 other visitors. Once everyone goes home, you get a much more natural experience of the environment.

Evenings by the lake were beautiful, particularly once most day visitors had gone home. We were lucky enough to find a pier without anyone around and sat looking out on to the lake in silence, admiring the colours and stillness in the early evening.

From the Banks of the Danube River

An alternative view of Budapest

Whilst in Budapest, one of the main things that we wanted to do was to spend some time on the Danube. As Europe’s second longest river, we wanted to take some time to explore properly.

We had travelled to Budapest with a group of us, but had split up for the night to allow some time for the other two people in our travelling party to have a romantic meal out. Therefore, we found ourselves hopping on board a night boat to take a stunning trip down the Danube before meeting back up with our group for a trip to the ruin pubs.

The day before we had strolled down the riverbank in the Pest side of the City to take a look at the ‘Shoes on the Danube Bank’ memorial. Sixty pairs of shoes, made from iron are lined up on the river side to commemorate the massive loss of life of 3,500 people (mostly Jewish people) who were shot in 1945. After being told to remove their shoes and being shot, their bodies fell into the river, being swept away by the current. It’s a terrible reminder of the worst of humanity and seeing sixty pairs of shoes lined up along the river gives a sense of the scale of the atrocity.

The nighttime boat ride was a very different view as we passed the Hungarian Parliament buildings. Brightly shining against the dark night, it was an imposing building, full of grandeur and twinkling lights.

Chain bridge was magnificent to see in the dark and the sounds of the water rushing past us added to the experience. Illuminated gargoyles standing out in the darkness created a gothic edge to the views.

It was a beautiful way to see a different view of the city and travelling by river always feels much more exciting and exotic than by road.

Have you visited Budapest? What were your favourite experiences?