United States Archives - Tierney Photography

oregon

October 2nd, 2023 by Tierney Farrell

I'm astonished at how much beauty one state can hold. Oregon is an emerald gem of our beautiful country, one that's sweetly unpretentious and welcoming. We took a road trip down the entire coast and back up through central Oregon, making a full loop. The rocky coast is softened by a blanket of moss, evergreens and quaint towns that are in no hurry. The coast is home to some of the biggest trees in the world and to silly barking sea lions that play in caves and pools along the shorelines. We enjoyed oysters by the water, witnessed whales roaming free in their natural waters, and explored the nostalgia of where Mikey and the other Goonies started their adventures. We were humbled to be able to stand small at the base of the giant old-growth redwoods, marveling at their magnificence, in an isolated area far away from crowds, hearing nothing except the pure sounds of forest life.

We made our way back up through central Oregon, and on the way we came across the most precious little lamb pastures, Christmas tree farms and quirky hole-in-the-wall roadside art galleries. Getting into the Umpqua and Silver Falls areas, we were embraced by a truly magical land of waterfalls and dense green forests, sprinkled with autumn yellow and orange. We even made a day drive out to Crater Lake, which was the most vivid cobalt blue in nature I've ever seen. Sadly and to my surprise, there are areas in these forests that have been devastated by forest fires in recent years. It is honestly so heartbreaking to see, I couldn't stand it. There was a fire near one of the inns we stayed at not long before, and they said they think the moisture from the river prevented the fire from spreading past a certain point, protecting the trees around the inn. I don't know if that's true, but that comment just stuck with me for some reason, I guess because forests are delicate but they are also huge networks always trying to balance things out.

Overall, this trip once again reinforced my desire for nature to be one of my life's north stars, and to cherish all the lessons we can learn from it. Slow down, notice, appreciate, be humbled, be curious, care for, respect, reprioritize. It's so hard to exist like that in the world we live in. And it's a terrible shame how far we have disconnected from it as a whole. But I strive to always try to make it my compass, commit it as a priority, and never stop loving it.

yellowstone

June 22nd, 2023 by Tierney Farrell

Yellowstone is a national treasure and a must-visit. It's the first national park in the United States and has some of the most fascinating geological features and wildlife in the country all within the park. You’re pretty much guaranteed to see bison everywhere, but the other wildlife is a bit more rare to see, but we saw lots! In total we saw a black bear, a grizzly bear mama with three cubs, a moose, elks with one baby, a fox, pronghorns, prairie dogs, and loads of bison (including very up close views as they walked in front of our car). The land is incredibly diverse with geysers, colorful hot springs, waterfalls, rivers, canyons, and gorgeous valleys that are home to all the thriving wildlife, all sitting on top of a massive supervolcano. We couldn't believe the vast difference of landscape within an hour drive from one spot to the next. I've never seen anything like it.

For anyone looking to plan a trip, we went in spring (early June) and loved it for many reasons. The mornings were cold and crisp but warmed up by mid day without being too hot. Waterfalls are usually heaviest in the springtime due to the recent / ongoing snowmelt. And our favorite perk, there were a lot of baby animals. Crowds weren't too shabby either, they really pick up in the summer when kids are out of school.

Here was our itinerary:

Day 1 - Flew to Jackson, walked around town at night. We stayed at the Flat Creek Inn. For some reason motels out west just work. I’d never stay at one in the east. Can’t tell you why.

Day 2 - Woke up early and drove to Yellowstone. We stayed at the Old Faithful Inn, loved it. We started at Old Faithful Geyser, and walked all the way to Biscuit Geyser Basin and saw everything in between (which is the entire Upper Geyser Basin). Took about 3.5 hours or so. Early evening we went to see Grand Prismatic Spring and the other springs/geysers in that little area. I would recommend going on the Fairy Falls Trail to see Grand Prismatic Spring from the overlook on that trail. Seeing it ground level is really interesting in itself, but you can’t really see the full size and color of it that make it famous.

Day 3 - We drove from Old Faithful to Mammoth Hot Springs which was a fairly long stretch, but stopped a lot along the way. On the way we saw Gibbon Falls, Artist Paintpots, and the Norris Geyser Basin. The closer you get to Mammoth, the more mountainous it gets with super steep drop offs and winding roads. Hot tip: Get you someone who drives mountain roads with no issue. Mom was equal parts a nervous wreck and awestruck of the views from the roads. Lots of gorgeous look outs. No guard rails on the curves though (wtf). We stayed at Old Faithful Inn one more night.

Day 4 - We drove all the way to Lamar Valley from Old Faithful in the morning. It was beautiful and so full of life. It made us so happy that all the animals were living their best life there. On the way back down, we went to Tower Fall. There’s an easily accessible viewpoint of the waterfall, but mom and I also walked all the way down to the base of it, which was gorgeous. We stayed at Canyon Village.

Day 5 - In the morning, we had a short 5 minute drive to the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone and all the famous lookouts it has. We spent most of the day walking around that, all the way down to the water and around the rim, and right up to the waterfalls. It was totally gorgeous.

Day 6 - We drove back down towards Jackson, on the way there we saw Mud Volcano with some grumpy bison boys squishing around in the mud, we drove through the Hayden Valley (tbh we didn't see anything here like we did at Lamar) and around Yellowstone Lake. We stopped plenty and took our time, reaching The Rustic Inn in Jackson by around 4:30pm. The Rustic Inn in Jackson is amazing and I’d definitely stay there again.

Day 7 - We spent most of the day in Jackson shopping and just checking it out. It was rainy and cloudy so it was a good day to do the town vs the mountains.

Day 8 - This is the day we hiked in the Tetons, it was the most we could have gotten out of one day there. We also saw Mormon Row, those famous little barns with the Tetons in the background. Check out these photos in "the tetons" blog.

Day 9 - Flew home. Battled the depression of the impending reality of going back to work. Seriously wondering why I'm not a park ranger or something.

the tetons

June 20th, 2023 by Tierney Farrell

Grand Teton National Park is absolutely breathtaking. The Tetons are definitely now one of my favorite mountain ranges. The land around is completely flat, and then BAM, jagged snow-capped mountain peaks tower out of the earth, claiming authority over all the land. Mom and I only had really one full day here, but we made the absolute most of it. There’s tons of hiking here. We got very lucky as we just picked a trail kind of randomly, and it was fantastic. It started at the String Lake Trailhead all the way to Hidden Falls and Inspiration point, which runs alongside Jenny Lake. It was about 6 miles out and back, and it was an easy hike til you get to the mountain and go up to Inspiration Point.

Major shout out to my 67-year old mom, who was a total and complete badass. She was nervous about bears (we didn’t have bear spray, highly recommend you rent or buy some for your own peace of mind), so she didn’t want to hike just us two. I tried to not be disappointed because I was itching to hike and assumed we wouldn’t easily find another group. However this group of late 20s folks walked by us right at the trailhead, and we asked if we could just stick with them so my mom felt better. They said sure but warned us that they’re fast. We went for it. They honestly were going really fast even for me (like too fast as in no time to take anything in, felt more like a race, jogging at points). In fact we passed this gigantic marmot standing eye level on a log at one point and they didn’t even notice ha. I was worried about mom at first but dang, she completely kept up even on the rocky, rooty trail with no complaints. I was honestly so impressed. THEN - we get to the mountain and it was a very steep climb and parts were really exposed with a surely-fatal drop off, and she has a little fear of heights. She CRUSHED it with a good attitude and made it to the top like a friggin' champ. I was so inspired and she felt really accomplished too. Yay!

We spent one day in Jackson shopping around and it was lovely. Next time I come to this area, I’d be totally fine staying in or around Jackson and getting into more localized outdoor activities like rafting, fishing, horseback riding, etc. There’s so much to do there, and the town is so adorable with tons of good food, shops and fun bars like the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar. Our favorite restaurant was a Mexican spot called Hatch.

Overall, this is an absolutely gorgeous part of the country. I felt healthier and more balanced just having been there.

maine with mama

November 4th, 2022 by Tierney Farrell

As a kid growing up in the 90s in North Carolina, I spent much of my time outside in the yard and walking through the woods along a winding creek. When I was inside, I was writing stories about magical paths through the forest and all the fantastical things one would encounter along the way, illustrating my backyard woods as the setting. Until I left in my late 20s to seek what I felt I was missing (city life, dating, wooo), I never knew how much I took for granted the things that surround my childhood memories; giant oak trees, the sound of birds in the morning, cicadas in the hot afternoon, the surprising comfort of steamy humidity and rainbows after a summer storm, and fresh snow that would remain unbothered. Ironically, it was living in New York that made my soul absolutely sure that I belonged living around nature. Once that clicked, each day in the city felt more and more unnatural and my patience thinned along with my hair (seriously).

In this process of coming back home in my heart, I have been sifting through the settling debris of the many experiences I've had over the years to uncover who I am. What remains the clearest are the foundations that were there all along, one being the gravitational pull towards the outdoors. And now I know that a massive part of that foundation stands firm because of my mom. Watching her as a kid, I learned to notice and love every bit of nature, the way she whole-heartedly loved it all. And I think now I subconsciously see her in all of it. I see her in the gentle deer in my backyard, in the birds making their nests in the spring, in the hummingbirds feeding on pink flowers. She's there when my hands are in fresh soil and it smells so earthy, and when new flowers bloom. It's all interconnected and feels truly like home, more than the inside of my house.

Now that I'm back living in North Carolina, mom and I have bonded on a new level around nature since I now experience similar to the way she always has. The bond is the way we both truly admire trees but also think they're super cute, the way we love and respect all animals and will always save that lost bug in the house, the way we notice how clean the air in a forest smells, the appreciation of kindness in a small mountain town, and the genuine peace felt hearing the orchestra of birds, water, and breeze.

So we have made it a point to appreciate these things more together. Starting with this trip to Maine down to Martha's Vineyard. While we did the whole coast in between, Acadia National Park was our favorite. Even this trip confirmed again for both of us, we are happiest in nature. What's funny is that if you saw all the pictures of us throughout the trip, particularly of mom, she's giddy laughing and smiling around all the trees. The further away we got from the trees down the coast, the smiles slowly dwindled, ending in frowns in the Boston city center, haha. Either place, I wouldn't have wanted to be there with anyone else!

saguaros and sunrise

October 20th, 2022 by Tierney Farrell

There are few things like the soft hues of the desert sunrise and sunset. We ended our road trip at a super swanky inn in Tuscon, Arizona and it was undoubtedly one of most incredible places I've ever stayed. I can't speak enough to the attention to detail in all the spaces, the way they brought the outdoors in and reflected the desert lifestyle in every corner. The property itself was in the middle of the desert, so without really leaving, we could walk around a few little nature trails. Neither of us are early morning people, but for some reason while we were in the desert, we were both awake and ready to go at sunrise almost daily. This rhythm feels impossible at home but it honestly felt SO good. So right. There's something pure about being outside while all the animals wake up as the sun rises and all is calm. We were only about 5 minutes from Saguaro National Park, so we drove through the incredibly scenic Gates Pass many times and took a couple of hikes through the park and saw nobody. So grateful for this beautiful experience!

zion

October 16th, 2022 by Tierney Farrell

Zion National Park left me speechless at every turn. Angel's Landing and The Narrows were two of the most unique and breathtaking hikes I've ever done.

The Narrows hike went along the very cold Virgin River, so the whole hike is in the water, on river rocks and sometimes a sandy bank. The further you go upstream, the thinner the crowds get. You can walk upstream for many hours but we turned back about two hours in and barely saw anyone by that point. We went in the morning so the sun poured through the canyons and reflected a rich orange color off the rock. Most people who come to Zion seem to be pretty experienced hikers, but we did see some occasional surprising things at the popular spots. The most absurd hiking attire award in the Narrows went to a man (undoubtedly from Texas) wearing short jean shorts and leather cowboy boots. Crazy, but I guess props to him, ha!

I did Angel's Landing solo. It was a pretty difficult hike, the path was paved up til the very top but was extremely steep most of the time. I was also trying to beat sunset so I didn't have time to make it to the very top of Angel's Landing without risking missing the last bus out and getting stranded. It was actually a great time to go because most people cram in the popular hikes early mornings, but nobody was really on the trail when I went so it was pretty peaceful. The views were absurd, and definitely reminded me of The Land Before Time.

Other than the main two hikes, we went horseback riding through this gorgeous field with prickly pear cactus to the base of the Three Patriarchs, and did several other hikes around the park. We also went on a private canyoneering adventure with a guide which was incredible (outside the park). Every day we put in around 35,000 steps so we were wiped out at the end of the day. Felt so good!

red earth

October 14th, 2022 by Tierney Farrell

The land of Arizona is truly special. There's a striking, unconventional beauty about it, especially when shades of desert green dance across the red surface, and jewel-toned water runs through it, reminding the enormous walls what carved their existence. Much more elegant than the obnoxious red clay in North Carolina that stains everything (if ya know ya know). Horseshoe Bend and Sedona were two pretty quick stops on our road trip, but they were incredibly memorable.

Horseshoe Bend is located in Page, Arizona, and was something we quickly stopped at on our drive from Zion to Sedona. We had planned to go to Antelope Canyon which is also in Page, but got rained out, lucky for us though because the rain itself delayed our trip so we would have missed our booking anyway. Lake Powell is also there, so you really could make a full day out of it if you wanted. The Colorado River is what cuts through Horseshoe Bend, and we saw some people kayaking there, which looked really cool.

Sedona was so fun and cute. It's pretty quaint and swanky having some high end spa resorts. They had some really amazing hikes, and so many of them! We definitely only scratched the surface. It's definitely a place I could go back to for a long weekend for some hikes, four wheeling, shopping and spa time. Overall when I think back to being in Sedona, I just remember feeling really happy and healthy there. Zam and I felt like we "got in shape" after all the Zion hikes and we were just flying through the hikes all day in Sedona.

the grand canyon

October 11th, 2022 by Tierney Farrell

An American staple of the wild west, the Grand Canyon! We were in awe as we approached its rim, overcome with the vastness of what was just a fraction of its colossal size. It's hard to even comprehend how far the other side is, but it's just about as far away as you can see. What's even harder to wrap my head around is the magnitude of time and force that it took to form this. Mind-blowing to say the least.

We were only here for a few hours since it was a stopping point on our way to Zion National Park, where we spent most of our time. After walking the rim for a bit, we hiked the South Kaibab trail for about two hours before hitting the road north. This trail was striking and certainly worth experiencing rather than staying up at the rim, which has pretty much the same view from each point. If I went back here, I'd like to maybe do some kind of kayak or white water rafting trip, as that would be super immersive and take many days. Otherwise, for us just seeing it in a day was enough time.

magic of the san juans

July 1st, 2021 by Tierney Farrell

Fresh Colorado mountain air really is all you need sometimes. This time was pure magic and I left feeling totally renewed and grounded. A few months before I got hitched, one of my best friends and I did a little road trip around this piece of Heaven on Earth. We started in an old saloon-style western town, Fairplay, before heading up to the San Juan mountains to camp for a couple nights, and galavanting through Ouray, the most perfect mountain town you've ever seen. A couple days later, in my ripe old age of 33, I pulled my back within 5 minutes of an overly-aggressive rowing move while white water rafting down Browns Canyon on the Arkansas River. Lucky for me, T held down the raft in all her might, and the trip concluded by soaking in the healing powers of the hot springs in Buena Vista of the Sawatch Range. Most of this not pictured, because of fun being had in the moment.

vermont cabin

September 29th, 2017 by Tierney Farrell

Dearest City -- You know I got love for ya, but sometimes I think we need a break from each other. I didn't think I'd say this, but, I'm interested in someone else too. Someone a little more grounded and who understands me on a deeper level. Someone I probably see myself with more long term. Yeah, you're fun and sexy, you make my heart race, you offer so much. You're wild and adventurous. But I just can't keep up all the time. So... I'm going to see nature this weekend. It's no surprise that we don't agree on a lot of things and your cat calls and rancid garbage lying around annoy me to no end. And I know that every relationship has problems. But I'm not myself around you lately; I need some space. I believe a little balance will be better for us long term. Sometimes, I just want to have ice cream at home on a Friday night without feeling guilty about it. But no, you always have to honk and holler to make sure I can hear you outside my room. I'm sure you don't care, though. I know in a weird way you'll always be there for me no matter what. In fact, I'll see you in three days when I get back home to you from this charming cabin in Vermont with my lovely gentleman friend. I appreciate all that you are and what you do give me, but I guess I realize I can't handle you all the time. Love ya but, let's be friends. For now, the soul doc has prescribed me trees, swimming holes, farm fresh eggs + veggies, and a hand-built fire and my 5D. And a gracious impromptu portrait model who lets me take out my pent-up photo aggression on him. Thanks for always understanding. Your girl that it's complicated with, T. PS -- I've gotten a lot of questions about where this gem of a cabin is. It's located in Bolton, Vermont and I found it on AirBnB. Highly recommend, especially for beaten down New Yorkers. Cell phone service sucks, so there's your excuse for being unplugged. Vermont-1

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