Defining Surreal Moments

How would you explain surreal moments in your life? 

 Lately, I was asked a question from a game called “We’re not really strangers” that asked “what is a surreal moment that is near impossible to explain?” As I took a moment to think, the first thing that popped up was the powerful effect of nature and how it impacts the mind and the body significantly in the moment of awestruck. Many times when people ask me about National Parks I visit and my favorite part about visiting, and it’s near impossible to explain how otherworldly beautiful they are and the tingling feeling your body feels when you’re absolutely stunned by the beauty in real time, it’s almost a high. You can’t get the feeling from anything else.

Arches National Park

At least I can show it, but it’s still not the full beauty as it is in real time. There are a few specific moments I can recall feeling taken away by nature’s mighty beauty. One moment was when I was in Arches National Park to capture the Milky Way, as Arches is an internationally dark sky certified park, it has ZERO light pollution, meaning that you can see the stars at their brightest without artificial light dulling out the stars. As it was on my best friend and I’s photo bucket list to capture the Milky Way in a dark sky certified park. We found our first location and parked the car in the parking lot. As soon as we got out of the car, we could see the whole celestial arch of the Milky Way. It was absolutely breathtaking. We couldn't believe what we were seeing with our own eyes. In the foreground were tumbleweeds, cactus, and hoodoos, as well as the beautiful red rock landscape of arches. But the most magnificent scenery was seeing a full celestial cloud arch in the sky, as if I was seeing a rainbow of stars at night. It’s so surreal and hard to explain, the lenses I had on me couldn’t capture its full length and beauty. My friend and I both shed a tear and didn’t want the night to end. We felt so giddy, like children in an ice cream shop. I still can’t explain how spectacular and surreal that moment was. The photo above is a tiny glimpse of the night. 

Yosemite National Park

Another moment was being in Yosemite National Park, seeing the glory of the mountains and astonishing views everywhere you turned, especially when hiking the four mile trail. That trail kicked my butt, but at least it was a magnificent hike with glorious views. We started at the bottom of the waterfall and ended up at 7,000 feet elevation, looking over the waterfall and standing on glacier point (photo above). We made it to our destination just by sunset to capture the array of hues washing over the magnificent landscape of waterfalls, valleys, forest, and mountains. My friend Dustin and I took in the beauty and were elated while capturing photos of the sunset over the various landscapes. Our cameras couldn’t do justice to how it actually looked, sounded, and felt. We were the only ones there and were able to take in the breathtaking views and savor the moment. We ate our sandwiches and looked out to the Half Dome, Yosemite Falls, Tunnel View, El Capitan, and many other landmarks in the park. It was a moment I will savor and will always be so taken aback by the beauty, as it felt so surreal.

Snow on the beach

Recently, the South had a pretty surreal moment, with over eight inches of snow in the southern states. As a Florida native and one who didn’t grow up around snow, I HAD to get snow photos! And what better place to capture snow photos in the south than on the beach? That’s right, I got photos of snow on the beach, and it’s weird and beautiful. The weirdest part is hearing the snow crunch when you’re used to walking barefoot in the sand in the same spot. Seeing the waves crash into the snow, then wash away as you catch a glimpse of sand, is not something the eyes are used to comprehending. The seashells are so shiny and beautiful, like you’ve never seen, they glistened and shimmered as if I were in a fairytale. The birds were feeding along the shore, unsure and shivering in the cold. The snow created shelves, so when attempting to walk to shore, I took a step in, and the snow went up to my thigh. The oddest part was building a snowman on the beach. It was so much fun but so weird as I used shells for the eyes, mouth, and buttons. His name was Sheldon. It was an odd moment for many, almost apocalyptic. But yet, the day was absolutely gorgeous, childlike, and I felt like I was in a winter wonderland with the ocean breeze. It will be a beach day I will always remember. It marked history as the last time snow stuck or had more than three inches of snow was in the 1830s something. So it was another historic weather moment, I’m glad I was able to capture this one!

Peace & Love ✌️💜

Erica