Late season skiing
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Skiing has become one of my favorite sports since I moved to the U.S. I first learned how to ski back in prep school, and this year, we planned our very first skiing trip together. We chose Chestnut Mountain in Galena, a small town in Illinois. Surprisingly, the terrain there wasn’t as flat as most of the state. That’s where Poy had her first skiing experience—taught by me, a first-time coach! (That does sound scary.)
As shown in the picture above, we didn’t head straight to Chestnut but made a stop in Aurora, another city in Illinois, to watch one of the most famous musicals, Waitress. We’ve been regular visitors to the Paramount Theatre in Aurora since last year, after purchasing a season pass. The pass costs around $130–$140 and allows us to watch four plays throughout the year. This was our third play of the season, and we thoroughly enjoyed it—the performance was so moving that we almost teared up during the main actress’s heartfelt scenes!
The next day, we drove to Galena and started our ski lesson. I hadn’t skied in almost a year, so I was really excited to get back on the slopes. For Poy, however, this was his very first time skiing! We spent about two hours on the bunny hill to make sure he felt comfortable and wouldn’t risk injury on the actual green trail. He did fall a few times—well, quite a number of times to be honest—but thankfully none of the falls were serious. And despite that, he seemed to be having a lot of fun (at least, I hope so!).
After trying the Old Main Road trail, we discovered there was actually an easier one—long and gentle without too many curves. We ended up spending the rest of the day on that trail, which really helped boost his confidence! The food at the ski resort turned out to be surprisingly good, though we didn’t think to take any pictures of it.
For dinner, we headed to downtown Galena and dined at Vinny Vanucchi’s, a well-known Italian restaurant in the area. We don’t usually eat out at places that look this fancy, but since it was Poy’s birthday, we decided to go all out for the occasion! (Though, to be fair, the prices were actually quite reasonable.)
We ordered a lasagna and a fettuccine dish, and both were wonderfully comforting and delicious. But the highlight of the meal was their homemade tiramisu—it was incredibly light, custardy, and absolutely perfect. We savored every single bite!
And with that memorable meal, we wrapped up our weekend trip to Galena.
From July 1st to 6th, we embarked on a trip from Sacramento, driving over 2600 miles to explore five incredible National Parks across Nevada, California, and Oregon. Our adventure took us from the ancient bristlecone pines of Great Basin and the volcanic landscapes of Lassen to the brilliant blue waters of Crater Lake and the towering giants of the Redwoods. Along the way, we balanced raw wilderness hikes with unforgettable stops for local donuts in Portland, a coastal drive down the Pacific shoreline, and a wine tasting at a Tuscan castle in Napa Valley.
The Canadian Rockies had never truly been on our radar, not for lack of awareness, but simply because we never imagined we’d have the opportunity to visit Canada. That changed entirely when I was invited to the prestigious Women in Numbers workshop at the Banff International Research Station. Seizing the moment, we decided to turn this milestone trip into a grand adventure, arriving a few days early to explore not just Banff, but a stunning circuit of five neighboring national parks, including, Jasper, Yoho, Glacier, Mount Revelstoke, and Kootenay.
One of the most popular National Park routes that Poy and I hadn’t tackled yet was the Utah ‘Mighty Five.’ We’d heard nothing but non-stop hype from friends, and after checking off several harder-to-reach destinations, we decided it was finally time to go for it! We initially tried to squeeze in Great Basin National Park in Nevada, but a car shortage at the Las Vegas airport left us with an electric vehicle. As it turns out, there are no non-Tesla charging stations near Great Basin (aside from one incredibly slow charger), so we pivoted. We ended up focusing solely on the five Utah gems, which actually made for a much more relaxing, less rushed experience.
There are not many national parks that are ideal to visit in winter, except for those in the desert. For this Christmas trip, we chose three desert national parks, namely, Petrified Forest, Saguaro, and Joshua Tree. In addition to these, we also stopped by some of the most iconic landmarks in Arizona’s desert landscape, including Horseshoe Bend and Monument Valley. It was a dry, sandy, and breathtaking Christmas. One that turned out to be truly memorable for both of us.