astrophotography – life on macro.

From NY to Shenandoah (Virginia), it was about a 5.5-hour drive. So we made some pit stops.

1) Philly. Gotta get Dalessandro’s cheesesteak!!!

2) Washington DC – Maine Avenue Fish Market – Captain White’s Seafood

Pleasant Pops Farmhouse Market & Cafe:

3) Front Royal, VA

Love the wooden tables with their unique shapes. Love the decor and everything in it! Loveeeeed my Valencian: orange zest, milk, espresso, mocha, happiness. GET THE VALENCIAN! Wish they had this in NYC!

And finally, we reached Shenandoah National Park.

Driving through Skyline Drive, we saw a lot of cyclists.

We stayed at the Big Meadows Lodge and went out at midnight to try to catch the stars. It was way too cloudy but we saw glimpses of the moon here and there. And a bunch of deer… in headlights… literally.

Note: If you want to go to Fiery Furnace, you better book months in advance! We missed out on it. You can also risk it and ask for any last minute spots at the visitors center. (More info here)

Devil’s Garden.

Landscape Arch is the longest of the many natural rock arches in this park.

Time for sunset at…

Delicate Arch.

Walking to the middle of the arch was amazing. It was windy and the view was kind of, well, majestic. I was surprised at how polite people were, letting others have their photo opportunities and not crowding the arch.

If you plan to see the sunset at Delicate Arch, I recommend you start hiking up an hour before the sunset time (check the weather). Also, bring flashlights or headlamps. We were the only ones with headlamps so people were following our light source going down the trail afterwards. It was pitch dark.

I really liked camping out in Utah. The campgrounds we stayed at were all really good. There were lots of convenience stores around. The Utah night sky was the best part.

The view at the campsite next morning: