garthmonroe

I was introduced to world travel by my friend Cathy, from graduate school, and I’ve been hooked ever since. Prior to this, I really didn’t have the financial means to travel. Cathy introduced me to hostels, which remains my preferred lodging choice. Besides being affordable, I appreciate the sense of community with similar-minded people.

What follows is a brief description of my past travels. World travel has taught me patience, humility, and gratitude. I enjoy slow, overland travel, and my travel has become less hurried as I have become older.

• September 2008: China | visited China right after the summer Olympic games with my friend, Cathy. Visited Beijing, terra cotta warriors in Xi’an, graduate school classmates in Shanghai, karst formations in Guilin, Macau, Hong Kong.
• September 2009: Alaska | visited Alaska and Canadian Rockies with my friend, Cathy. Visited Denali National Park, Alaska Railroad, Holland America cruise, Vancouver, Jasper and Banff National Parks, Icefields Parkway, Calgary.
• September 2010: Trans-Siberian Railroad | traveled 10,000-miles with my friend, Cathy. Traveled from China through Mongolia to Russia. Visited Beijing, Ulan Bator, Irkutsk, Moscow, and St. Petersburg. Continued on through Belarus, Poland, and Germany, and wrapping up the trip in London, before flying home to Canada.
• September 2011: India | traveled across the country on a 30-day India-rail pass, including: New Delhi, Srinagar, McLeod Ganj, Jaipur, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Mumbai, Goa, Varanasi.
• March 2012: California Desert | road trip and camping to Anza Borrego State Park, Salton Sea, Palm Springs, Amboy Crater, Joshua Tree National Park, Mojave National Preserve, Death Valley National Park.
• June 2012: Pacific Coast Hawaii | road trip along California Highway 1, departing from home in San Diego, visiting Point Reyes National Seashore, Redwood Forest National Park, Medford OR, returning south on Interstate-5.
• September 2012: Hawaiian Islands | visited Oahu and Hawaii with my friend, Cathy. Visited Pearl Harbor, Volcanoes National Park.
• March 2013: Desert Southwest | road trip and camping: Red Rock Canyon, Valley of Fire State Park, Hoover Dam, Arches National Park, Oak Creek Canyon (Sedona AZ), Grand Canyon National Park (south), Monument Valley, Four Corners, White Sands National Monument, Saguaro National Park, Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument.
• June 2013: California national parks | road trip and camping: Bristlecone Pine Forest, Manzanar National Historic Site, Bodie State Historic Park, Devils Postpile National Monument, Yosemite National Park, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks.
• September 2013: Utah national parks | road trip and camping: Canyonlands National Park, Arches National Park, Mesa Verde National Park, Capitol Reef National Park, Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park.
• September 2014: more national parks | road trip and camping: Grand Teton National Park, Yellowstone National Park, Glacier National Park, Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument, Devils Tower National Monument, Badlands National Park, Wall Drug, Mount Rushmore National Memorial, Minuteman Missile National Historic Site.
• April 2015: Florida | road trip to Big Cypress National Preserve, Biscayne Bay National Park, Alligator Alley, Everglades National Park, Key West.
• September 2015: Pacific Northwest | Olympic National Park, Oregon Coast Highway, Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area, Lassen Volcanic National Park, Lava Beds National Monument, Crater Lake National Park, Mt. Saint Helens National Monument, Mt. Rainier National Park, North Cascades National Park, Bainbridge Ferry, Pike’s Place Market, Space Needle.
• April 2016: Mexico | Cancun, Mexico City, Teotihuacan, Chihuahua, Copper Canyon Train, Baja Ferry, La Paz, Cabo San Lucas, Tijuana, San Diego.
• September 2016: national parks | Big Bend Ranch State Park, Big Bend National Park, Grand Canyon: South Kaibab Trail, Grand Canyon: Bright Angel Trail, Horseshoe Bend, Grand Canyon: North Rim, Vermilion Cliffs National Monument, Canyon du Chelly National Monument, Albuquerque International Hot Air Balloon Festival, Santa Fe, Taos, Palo Duro Canyon State Park.
• April 2017: Puerto Rico – Dominican Republic – Haiti | El Yunque National Forest, Arecibo Observatory, San Juan, Santo Domingo, Port-au-Prince, Pétion-Ville.
• September 2017: national monuments | Petroglyph National Monument, Tent Rocks National Monument, Bandelier National Monument, Aztec Ruins National Monument, Chimney Rock National Monument, Canyons of the Ancients National Monument, Natural Bridges National Monument, Colorado National Monument, Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, Dinosaur National Monument, Great Sand Dunes National Park, Caprock Canyon State Park.
• April 2018: Cuba – solo travel, bus travel between cities, and “home stays” using AirBnB, visiting Havana, Santa Clara, Camaguey, Santiago de Cuba, Pinar del Rio.
• June 2018: Amtrak | Sunset Limited: Houston > Los Angeles | Southwest Chief: Los Angeles > Chicago | Empire Builder: Chicago > Seattle | Coast Starlight: Seattle > San Francisco | Zephyr: San Francisco > Chicago | City of New Orleans: Chicago > New Orleans.
• March 2019: sabbatical | Natchez Trace Parkway, Blue Ridge Parkway, Shenandoah National Park, Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, Mammoth Cave National Park, Theodore Roosevelt National Park, Scotts Bluff National Monument, Agate Fossil Beds National Monument, Wind Cave National Park, Jewel Cave National Monument, Fossil Butte National Monument, Craters of the Moon National Monument, Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument, Minidoka National Historic Site, Manhattan Project National Historical Park (Richland WA), Lewis and Clark National Historical Park, Oregon Caves National Monument, Torrey Pines State Reserve, Pinnacles National Park, Fort Ord National Monument, Congaree National Park, Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Carlsbad Caverns National Park, Organ Mountains–Desert Peaks National Monument, Chiricahua National Monument, Coronado National Memorial, Tumacácori National Historical Park, Ironwood Forest National Monument, Casa Grande Ruins National Monument, Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Joshua Tree National Park, Painted Canyon (Mecca CA), Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument, Death Valley National Park, Alcatraz Island.