Category Archives: Travel

Feb13

Top 3 Funny and Ridiculous Travel Moments

Posted on by
Top 3 Funny and Ridiculous Travel Moments

As I was packing for my winter travels the other day, I started thinking about some of my travel experiences.  Some of my favorite moments were originally really terrible -  like getting robbed, but others have been funny or absurd.  I came up with my top three:

1.  When I lived in Ohio years ago, I flew with my now-husband to Hawaii to get married and have our honeymoon.  I made advance reservations with the airline to have my wedding dress properly stored so it wouldn’t get wrinkled.  It turns out that the “special accommodations” was actually a closet where they stuff wheelchairs and various supplies on the plane.  My wedding dress was severely wrinkled after the long flight.

After arriving in Honolulu, we were robbed the day before our wedding and our marriage license was even stolen.  Because we were in Hawaii, our credit card companies wouldn’t send us new cards so we had to make due with what cash we had in our hotel room.

2.  I was staying in Mexico at an eco-resort on the ocean that only had water and electricity for part of the day.  It had a salt water shower and just one light bulb in the entire cabana.  It was a really hot summer day, and I decided to walk down the road to the local restaurant and get a decent meal.  When I walked back to the “resort” I saw the mattress and chair from my cabana being removed and carried to a nearby two-story building.  When I asked one of the staff members what was happening, they said a hurricane was coming and everyone had to stay in the two-story building until the hurricane passed  in case the area flooded or rogue waves hit.  I didn’t stick around to find out how this would all work out.  Instead, I headed over to Valladolid a few hours away to stay at a hotel that resembled a castle in the middle of the town square.

3.  After hiking ten wet and soggy miles on Kauai’s Pihea Trail, I was soaked head-to-toe and covered in mud.  Even my camera was completely covered in mud and filth.  This wet trail forced me to climb up vertical stretches covered with mud and use tree roots to pull myself up.  I have hiked many trails over ten miles, but this trail (when wet) is an absolute killer!  I was so exhausted when I was a mile from the end of the trail that I just tuned people out.  I think people were talking to me, but at the time I did not realize it.  I heard a group of several people remark that I must not speak “American” because I wasn’t saying anything.  I began laughing hysterically after hearing that, which in hindsight probably just made me seem crazy.

Dec7

Hiking the Kau Desert Trail

Posted on by
Hiking the Kau Desert Trail

Hike: Kau Desert Trail
Length: 3.6  miles
Difficulty: 2/10 (moderate)
Beauty: 8/10
Views: Desert, Mauna Loa, occasionally Mauna Kea

You can view the entire article for the hike here:  http://www.examiner.com/islands-in-honolulu/exploring-the-kau-desert-on-the-big-island

I thought I would just post some other photos of the trail.  The area is always so sunny and strikingly beautiful – it is such fun to capture it on film!

Nov10

Hiking Kauai: Kuilau Ridge Trail

Posted on by
Hiking Kauai: Kuilau Ridge Trail

Kuilau Ridge TrailThe Kuilau Ridge Trail is one of those trails where the effort required to get to the end of the trail is far too little for the amazing views that lie ahead.  Hiking on Kauai always feels like a magical experience with all the lush tropical foliage, beautiful scenery, and breathtaking vistas.  The Kuilau Ridge trail is no exception.  The trail is about 4.5 miles roundtrip, and the elevation gain is extremely gentle, only gaining about 760 feet over 2.25 miles. 

The trail going up is surprisingly wide and has excellent footing compared to many other trails on Kauai.  The area is often a favorite spot of hunters – so be aware that hunting dogs may be in the area.  When you begin your ascent to the top of the ridge, you will often catch a glimpse of Mt. Waialeale, the wettest place on the planet – but only on a very rare clear day. 

For most of the way up, you will only have limited views of the mountains to the west.  But, that is not a problem because the trail offers up some stunning native and non-native plant life.  Depending on the time of year, you may see strawberry guava, ohia, lantana, and hala. 

Once you reach the picnic area at the top of the ridge, this is a great place to stop for lunch and photos.  If you have more energy, you can take the trail near the picnic area and continue to the bridge where the train meets the Moalepe Trail.  It’s a fun .25 mile jaunt with great views of Kapaa and the ocean.  

How to get there:  From Kapaa, turn right on Kuamoo Rd, and follow until it ends.  The Kuilau Ridge Trail is marked – it’s the last trail on your right just before the arboretum parking area.

Nov8

Visiting the Inyo National Forest in the White Mountains

Posted on by
Visiting the Inyo National Forest in the White Mountains

 Several years ago, I hiked in the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest, in the White Mountains near Bishop, California.  The area is extremely remote and desolate, but it is so incredibly beautiful – you will never forget visiting here.  I was raised in the Southeast, so summer always meant unbearable heat, intolerable humidity, and driving rain.  But, summers in the White Mountains are something else entirely:  dry, hot, and without a cloud in the sky. 

 During my first visit to the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest, I was struck by the desolation, dryness, and the rich blue cloudless sky.  I hiked the 4.5 mile loop at 9,000 feet, known as the Methuselah Trail.  Hiking this trail was one of the most surreal hiking experiences of my life.  Like so many other higher altitude trails,  you often notice what you don’t see first - the lack of animal life and the immediate lack of noise. 
 

 Walking among these 4,000 year old trees, you wonder how they are even alive.  They leech nearly nonexistent nutrients from the rocks they are so precariously perched on, and they drink what little water they can from melted snow.  Lightning strikes them, and yet they live on to see another day.

Nov6

5 must do hikes while on the Big Island

Posted on by
5 must do hikes while on the Big Island

Each Hawaiian island has many hiking trails, but none are as diverse and unique as the Big Island’s trails.  You can explore the desert, traverse trails covered with volcanic rock, hike in the rainforest, and even climb peaks with snow. 

These are the 5 must do hikes, when visiting the Big Island:

1)  Kilauea Iki - Hawaii Volcanoes Park:  If you do only one trail on the island, this is the trail!  In only four miles, you will get views from the rim into Kilauea Iki that are absolutely surreal.  Spending time in both the rainforest and the barren lava field below makes the hike even more interesting.  From the trail, you can even see the plume rising from the Kilauea Caldera, and when it is clear you can often see Mauna Loa.  Also, after finishing the trail, walk over to Thurston Lava Tube and see what all the fuss is about.

2)  Pololu Valley – Hawi:  While the trail into the valley is only one mile each way, it is quite steep and rocky.  The views from the top and the beach below are absolutely beautiful.  Make sure to spend time hiking around in the valley around the beach, swing on the tree swings, and even hang out on the beach for a while.  Another trail leads up to the top of the other side of the valley where you can get great views of the next valley over.  Only do these extra few miles if you have brought a lot of water and are in good shape.  The trail can be overgrown and hot because the airflow is somewhat stagnant.

3)  Waipio Valley – Honokaa:  This is probably the steepest paved mile you will ever drive or walk down.  It’s best to get into Waipio Valley in a four-wheel drive vehicle or on a booked tour.  Walking down isn’t difficult, but walking up is!  The grade is extremely steep, but at least the views are scenic on the way down.  Most people head to the beach and think that is all there is to do, but this is not the case.  You can try the first part of the Z trail on the other side of the valley near the beach or, my personal favorite – hike to the waterfall at the rear of the valley.  It involves locating a trailhead which isn’t too easy to find and hiking along a path that is relatively easy.  You also have to walk in a stream up to your waist until you get to the falls.  It’s a fun hike, but it isn’t for everyone!

4)  Lake Waiau - Mauna Kea:  This one mile round-trip trail seems like it might be easy, after all, it’s just one mile, right?  Wrong!  It’s one mile at over 13,000 feet elevation meaning you won’t have much oxygen to breathe during your trip.  The hike is to a high altitude permafrost lake that was thought to be bottomless by ancient Hawaiians.  The lake isn’t bottomless, but the area is surreal.  It’s extremely quiet – almost like being in a vacuum.  Seeing the lake in person is a really unusual experience – one that you must do if you are heading up to the summit or going to Mauna Kea for stargazing. 

5)  Petroglyphs Trail – Hawaii Volcanoes Park:  Far away from the lush rainforest at the summit of Kilauea, you will find that the barren lava fields off Chain of Craters Road offer glimpses of ancient petroglyphs.  The best trail to view petroglyphs is near the end of the road – you can’t miss it - it’s across the street from the Puna Coast Trailhead.  The trail is two miles round-trip with no elevation gain.  Along the trail, you will see plenty of petroglyphs, but the real treat is at the end, where you will walk on a boardwalk loop that will take you around to the best petroglyphs in the area.  Many of the petroglyphs are from birth rituals where families came to deliver the umbilical cord to the goddess Pele – they are easy to spot because they look like single holes in the lava rock.