tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91485691122684173702024-02-02T12:56:11.176-08:00A is for AdventureA is for Allyson. Anne. Adventures. This will be a place to share photographs of and stories about our outdoor adventures. I take pictures because I appreciate the incredible beauty of the natural world around us, and I share them and our stories to hopefully inspire others to appreciate it too. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04082090351473247738noreply@blogger.comBlogger94125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9148569112268417370.post-22579664854953747182015-11-11T08:14:00.002-08:002015-11-11T08:15:09.484-08:00Kauai AdventuresBefore I share our adventures on this beautiful island of Kauai, I want to say that our goal for this vacation was relaxation. Unlike our typical vacations, after which we need a vacation from our vacation, this one was meant to rejuvenate us. However, we still managed to go on a couple of hikes, do lots of snorkeling and body surfing, explore a beautiful botanical garden (which was basically another hike), get a Lomi Lomi massage in a cabana, and eat a lot of tasty food. Oh yeah, and take tons of pictures!<br />
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This was my first time to Kauai and, of course, I fell in love with it. We could have definitely spent more time on Kauai and there are a ton of places to see and activities to do that we didn't get to on this trip. Thankfully, it's such an easy place to get to from the Bay Area, so I know we will be back soon!<br />
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We got to the island mid-day on a Saturday and drove to Princeville. After we checked into our place and unpacked our things, we got back in our red Jeep (!) to check out the beach at Hanalei Bay. I think my favorite part about this place, besides the incredible beauty surrounding us, was that most of the people there were locals. This is what they do every Saturday afternoon. Sigh.<br />
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My future child. </div>
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Another one. They are already so much cooler than me. </div>
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Paddle Out - Family Time</div>
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We had dinner that night at <a href="http://thenui.com/" target="_blank">Tahiti Nui</a>. This place just oozed North Shore Kauai. Super relaxed vibe with good food and local music. This definitely wasn't the only night we spent at Tahiti Nui.<br />
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Another favorite for dining out in Hanalei was <a href="http://www.restaurantbaracuda.com/" target="_blank">Bar Acuda</a>. This is fancier than Tahiti Nui but definitely still had a casual vibe. But the food! Their menu features tapas and you will seriously want to get everything on it. We didn't have a chance to go here twice, but we should have. We need to go back to Kauai just to try the rest of their menu. Favorites were: Risotto Fritters and Banderillas.<br />
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We rented snorkeling gear for the week in Hanalei at <a href="http://www.pedalnpaddle.com/" target="_blank">Pedal & Paddle</a>. We brought it with us everywhere and snorkeled at as many beaches as we could. I would say Tunnels Beach was my favorite for snorkeling but you have to walk quite a way down the beach from the parking to get to the good snorkeling. We definitely saw a sea turtle there and probably 40 different types of fish.<br />
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Tunnels Beach</div>
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One morning that was kind of rainy, we decided to check out <a href="http://ntbg.org/gardens/limahuli.php" target="_blank">Limahuli Gardens</a>. This place was magical! Definitely worth a visit. And I think because it was on and off raining, we pretty much had the place to ourselves. </div>
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This little guy blending right in. </div>
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One day that was forecast to be a little clearer (it rains a lot on the North Shore but usually not all day!), we drove around the island to Waimea Canyon. First, we went almost to the end of the road to Kalalau Lookout (Mile Marker 18). This spot is the highest elevation that most people can reach by road on the island (4,000 ft) and also has been in scenes from many movies, so may look familiar. </div>
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Continuing just a bit farther up the road is Wai'Ale'Ale which is one of the wettest spots on earth. It gets somewhere around 460 inches of rain a year! We walked along the trail here for a bit, waiting for the fog to clear out of the valley. The weather changes here really quickly, so if you pull up and don't see any of the view, WAIT! More than likely, within a few minutes, it will clear out!</div>
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In the meantime, I got some awesome pictures of the lush ferns along the trail.</div>
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Now you see it...</div>
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Now you don't...</div>
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Now you see it again!</div>
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By the time we headed back down the road, the canyon had gotten pretty hazy so it wasn't ideal for pictures. This is the best I could get of Waimea Canyon.<br />
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Waipo'o Falls in the distance.</div>
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We went for a moderate hike (about 4 miles) to the top of Waipo'o Falls. The coolest part of this hike for me was walking right along the cliff in the middle of the canyons. The views were surrounding us and incredible. I'm not sure I would've taken small children on this hike, because it was definitely a little sketchy. </div>
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We started the hike at the parking lot at Pu'u Hinahina Lookout around Mile Marker 13.5. There is a spur trail that connects to Cliff Trail and then Canyon Trail. If it's been raining, expect to slip and slide down the hills. The red clay gets very slippery. </div>
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The red cliff to the left of the falls is where we were hiking! </div>
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Of course, we couldn't be on Kauai and skip the Na Pali Coast trail. We didn't bring our backpacking gear (remember...this was a <i>relaxing</i> vacation!) and I was a little worried about how treacherous the trail would be after all the rain we had been getting that week, but it was mostly fine! We only hiked along the Kalalau Trail to Hanakapi'ai Beach and back, but it was definitely full of breathtaking views and plenty of work. I highly recommend getting started early because man, there were a lot of people on that trail!</div>
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Casual girl doing yoga in a cave.</div>
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Our hike along the Na Pali Coast definitely lived up to my expectations! I can't wait to go back and do the whole thing one of these days. </div>
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We explored many beaches during our time on the island, including Salt Pond (south shore), Anini, Hanalei Bay, Lumaha'i (see surfer below), Tunnels, and Ke'e. We enjoyed snorkeling most at Tunnels, walking along Anini (from our resort), and body surfing in Hanalei Bay. But there are so many other beaches we left to explore next time! </div>
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I'll leave you with the sunset at the Hanalei Bay Pier</div>
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</script>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04082090351473247738noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9148569112268417370.post-38221406714547423312015-08-10T18:47:00.001-07:002015-08-10T18:47:27.166-07:00Cycling on Lopez Island<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Bike Ride:</b> Lopez Island Loop</div>
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<b>Ride Difficulty:</b> Moderate </div>
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<b>Ride Distance (Round Trip): </b>22.5 miles biking, plus whatever hiking at each park</div>
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<b>Time:</b> We took about 6 hours with lots of time for lunching and swimming and exploring</div>
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<b>Elevation Change: </b>820 feet total gain; same total loss</div>
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Every day of the year, I wish I was in the San Juan Islands. Although I don't count down to the next visit, I might as well. It was so great to be back in the islands this summer for a short family reunion and then some solo adventure time on Lopez Island. Lopez Island has a reputation for a) being super bike-friendly and b) just being friendly in general (it's known as "the friendly isle" and you may notice that almost everyone waves at you from their car when driving on the roads). Unlike some of the other islands, Lopez is relatively flat and doesn't have a lot of traffic (at least it didn't on the Monday that we were cycling), making it ideal for cycling. </div>
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We rented bikes from <a href="http://villagecycles.net/">Village Cycles</a> in Lopez Village. We wanted to do a loop that was somewhere between 15-25 miles. The bike shop recommended heading down to Shark Reef Sanctuary and then on to Agate Beach and Iceberg Point, but we were staying down on the south part of the island and had been here already. We decided to first ride out to Fisherman Bay Spit Preserve, then down to Shark Reef Sanctuary, and then over along the east side of the island and up to Spencer Spit State Park. From there, we headed back to the Village via Hummel Lake Road. I will provide road by road directions of our route at the end of this post. </div>
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We really got the most incredible weather for our cycling adventure. I loved the big puffy clouds that made incredible reflections on the water throughout the day. </div>
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We started south on Fisherman Bay Road and then turned right on Bayshore Road towards Fisherman Bay Spit Preserve. We turned left on Peninsula Road to continue out to the Spit. This road turns to gravel towards the end, but was completely reasonable for a hybrid bicycle. </div>
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Fisherman Bay from Fisherman Bay Road</div>
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Fisherman Bay to our right and the channel between Lopez and San Juan Islands to our left</div>
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One of the cool things about Lopez Island is all of the parks have great bike racks at the trail heads. We parked our bikes at the Spit and walked out to the water before continuing on our way. </div>
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We took Bayshore back to Fisherman Bay Road and continued up the hill and south. We missed Airport Road because it isn't marked, so continued to Davis Bay Road and turned right. </div>
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I absolutely loved this little church with a beautiful view and cemetery. They hold both Lutheran and Catholic services at Center Church. </div>
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We continued along Davis Bay Road, turned right on Burt Road and then left on Shark Reef Road. We reached the Shark Reef Sanctuary parking lot (with restrooms) and trailhead shortly after turning left. </div>
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From the parking lot, it is a 10 minute walk to the coast. Once at the coast, there is a lot of coast line to explore and it is easy to find a place for some solitude. We ate an early lunch here and enjoyed watching the kelp dance and listening to the seals on some of the small islands right off the coast. </div>
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Shark Reef Sanctuary</div>
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We probably spent an hour or so at Shark Reef before continuing our ride. We rode back up Burt Road, right on Davis Bay Road, and then up Fisherman Bay to take a left on Center Road. This next part of the ride was challenging for us. I don't cycle regularly, and while I never thought I couldn't make it, I was definitely working hard. </div>
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We turned right on School Road, then continued on Lopez Sound, right on Port Stanley Road, and then right on Bakerview Road all the way to Spencer Spit State Park. We may have seen one car on this entire stretch. It was quiet with stretches of farmland and stretches of woods. It really was delightful.<br />
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At Spencer Spit there are bike racks and restrooms and then a short trail down to the spit. I really loved it here. It took me awhile to realize that to the north I was looking out on roughly the same view that I see from the other side when we stay in Olga on Orcas Island. Allyson's great-aunt has painted this view numerous times, so it felt pretty special to see it from the other side.<br />
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This was also where I finally got to take a (brief) swim. Supposedly, the water was about 47 degrees, according to our whale watching captain. It was pretty cold but very refreshing! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIaibOKO-7PEiRCce11ESfHNfx_d5271sbCGx2h5FV8wJFuus7dFlGWctLp5KeuEx4i03mnNLGFEIB-SKp_iVzKGUPYW_uPF-Y7TlX-_HsjkwIyNo6TXwyVP6VQDP2svaJGj-9Jj05pws/s1600/San+Juan+Islands+57+Lopez.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIaibOKO-7PEiRCce11ESfHNfx_d5271sbCGx2h5FV8wJFuus7dFlGWctLp5KeuEx4i03mnNLGFEIB-SKp_iVzKGUPYW_uPF-Y7TlX-_HsjkwIyNo6TXwyVP6VQDP2svaJGj-9Jj05pws/s640/San+Juan+Islands+57+Lopez.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Spencer Spit State Park</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH45TI3FM_vLAzzMQTPmP5c75OHohlh-ZJMWf0UADb8Md48HLRlyEG0d-d6JrpbodvQncWoHLPALwq4KA3LBTS-Ydg0m3Qa5C-hW1MoKz58BV36Y21l3oRQBzxQqIIfqfAYdqFbS0n-Ho/s1600/San+Juan+Islands+58+Lopez.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH45TI3FM_vLAzzMQTPmP5c75OHohlh-ZJMWf0UADb8Md48HLRlyEG0d-d6JrpbodvQncWoHLPALwq4KA3LBTS-Ydg0m3Qa5C-hW1MoKz58BV36Y21l3oRQBzxQqIIfqfAYdqFbS0n-Ho/s640/San+Juan+Islands+58+Lopez.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOMncak827g3neSu28edHvlp6esxi8UKCgJGsJkBOW9AlggplplBREo7c3KZfd6zhjuvhZZqYONdrxVJltsC4jCJvL087AA-orLfMruiqETnvvRTlK-J58XR4lrV9_8MW-kEuVhm0ufUc/s1600/San+Juan+Islands+59+Lopez.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOMncak827g3neSu28edHvlp6esxi8UKCgJGsJkBOW9AlggplplBREo7c3KZfd6zhjuvhZZqYONdrxVJltsC4jCJvL087AA-orLfMruiqETnvvRTlK-J58XR4lrV9_8MW-kEuVhm0ufUc/s640/San+Juan+Islands+59+Lopez.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinegKE7WS2WsTdEIKUwmfjwXe8AG6M9TTsjN8h9i22C5uQKPVkvR4rcAHJIm7MmHla-U4PK-hkwKurvzdiKccbMTCSKzUBPqyqz9LbRXsIwGQ4OwbsiahDlD_6JAw5bRBd_ovr9vOFV5w/s1600/San+Juan+Islands+60+Lopez.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinegKE7WS2WsTdEIKUwmfjwXe8AG6M9TTsjN8h9i22C5uQKPVkvR4rcAHJIm7MmHla-U4PK-hkwKurvzdiKccbMTCSKzUBPqyqz9LbRXsIwGQ4OwbsiahDlD_6JAw5bRBd_ovr9vOFV5w/s640/San+Juan+Islands+60+Lopez.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhRAg6z8qDG9Z9XBr6juCp5sQgWfyPXRICIv-alsOg2N_Rw41zlO8bTGvH2sJ8kDwdzxXYKOEivCNuylZQXKdb3L4Jr7D21-Pv0DUF6FX-c3MVcSh0DwqobubqTlPxZAhiBFsSCEaw-Rk/s1600/San+Juan+Islands+61+Lopez.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhRAg6z8qDG9Z9XBr6juCp5sQgWfyPXRICIv-alsOg2N_Rw41zlO8bTGvH2sJ8kDwdzxXYKOEivCNuylZQXKdb3L4Jr7D21-Pv0DUF6FX-c3MVcSh0DwqobubqTlPxZAhiBFsSCEaw-Rk/s640/San+Juan+Islands+61+Lopez.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzLkK-3b4FDlDmwszhFH69ZZR0TIjDu06u6C8AteHuNBIoZ0OtPok5v8XnkTAjkTr4TmaIUACFNy10aLudjNcpM8LWufwaCI0Si1Slprl1pGV8_AAZRxBDnUvPzjubsPwYkarNDkVnvjM/s1600/San+Juan+Islands+62+Lopez.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzLkK-3b4FDlDmwszhFH69ZZR0TIjDu06u6C8AteHuNBIoZ0OtPok5v8XnkTAjkTr4TmaIUACFNy10aLudjNcpM8LWufwaCI0Si1Slprl1pGV8_AAZRxBDnUvPzjubsPwYkarNDkVnvjM/s640/San+Juan+Islands+62+Lopez.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Frost Island</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZi6KYzSluD6Kbj2gKKKvwOdI01bp2J0mEkfNTNKBXflnBY3a8fhxA-uBSz_KZOxbWwFl9Hb36Xp6RRiDM894koYxKjzz98y_3pYtEnyDzVoKUwRvOWWElD9rthjhdYiwQ5db5-i66OPA/s1600/San+Juan+Islands+63+Lopez.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZi6KYzSluD6Kbj2gKKKvwOdI01bp2J0mEkfNTNKBXflnBY3a8fhxA-uBSz_KZOxbWwFl9Hb36Xp6RRiDM894koYxKjzz98y_3pYtEnyDzVoKUwRvOWWElD9rthjhdYiwQ5db5-i66OPA/s640/San+Juan+Islands+63+Lopez.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Looking out towards Orcas Island</div>
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Getting back on the bikes was tough, considering how much pain our booties were feeling at this point. Thankfully, we didn't have too much farther to go. We took Bakerview Rd back out of the park, turned left on Port Stanley Rd and right on Hummel Lake Rd. Hummel Lake is a quaint little lake and this road was generally very pleasant to ride on. It was a nice way to finish up our ride. Well, actually, we finished up with ice cream in Lopez Village at Just Heavenly Fudge Shop and THAT was the best way to end our bike ride! </div>
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If you wanted to make this ride longer, I definitely recommend checking out Agate Beach and Iceberg Point; however, I highly recommend checking those spots out around sunset. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFreCi7a7L3lYAiXwglYMz7yISr0tpOUA3eX0QYVAKHgNZE8DR541AFuUN88k6TIkiD2MnmDnuuO5dfwXpgcGFxHYujP9uC7e_o4QJfhNVLlMhQxBcinlkXyRejr9wkkG__8oNpa3aWuU/s1600/San+Juan+Islands+23+Lopez.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFreCi7a7L3lYAiXwglYMz7yISr0tpOUA3eX0QYVAKHgNZE8DR541AFuUN88k6TIkiD2MnmDnuuO5dfwXpgcGFxHYujP9uC7e_o4QJfhNVLlMhQxBcinlkXyRejr9wkkG__8oNpa3aWuU/s640/San+Juan+Islands+23+Lopez.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Barlow Bay</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRGP9hlXc7uO-hjdyCIrVYG34NtL6eSMvmqi1OXMV8CkxK9aeKiYkeDss0bOaWKyO_EgxFPC3A9sanWQBH-lzNsqM9tU9zMLpa2P4SgYxyrUzyMiKC8QdDv70Zb1Wck9DITpBd5YTZqr4/s1600/San+Juan+Islands+25+Lopez.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRGP9hlXc7uO-hjdyCIrVYG34NtL6eSMvmqi1OXMV8CkxK9aeKiYkeDss0bOaWKyO_EgxFPC3A9sanWQBH-lzNsqM9tU9zMLpa2P4SgYxyrUzyMiKC8QdDv70Zb1Wck9DITpBd5YTZqr4/s640/San+Juan+Islands+25+Lopez.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Barlow Bay</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBNILWdwLwCOZ_vmk8Hj5aZbtg3oDhYri1w2tdPir3qM3yRRHKY7pZZoO3wGE-mzMiQDnFZ4sIjffv4PRieW22b3qpKpofoMT_Wehwu8LWPr6bJ9gnUbL0dCrAGNxurlUbCaPLBz93G1A/s1600/San+Juan+Islands+30+Lopez.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBNILWdwLwCOZ_vmk8Hj5aZbtg3oDhYri1w2tdPir3qM3yRRHKY7pZZoO3wGE-mzMiQDnFZ4sIjffv4PRieW22b3qpKpofoMT_Wehwu8LWPr6bJ9gnUbL0dCrAGNxurlUbCaPLBz93G1A/s640/San+Juan+Islands+30+Lopez.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMi12j8adY7gQ2n6HXIlGmtecy_YlhVqezZksgVc2OBQUMBUqRELC5bTRILrRqqW1SPrBXX9TKCI1Biaew8-7YuPuVpbEx4IVqyjXbNp08AJhg9ePM2BPlYWPJKzlvcj-avqAylA86E4Q/s1600/San+Juan+Islands+34+Lopez.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMi12j8adY7gQ2n6HXIlGmtecy_YlhVqezZksgVc2OBQUMBUqRELC5bTRILrRqqW1SPrBXX9TKCI1Biaew8-7YuPuVpbEx4IVqyjXbNp08AJhg9ePM2BPlYWPJKzlvcj-avqAylA86E4Q/s640/San+Juan+Islands+34+Lopez.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Agate Beach</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKaxELDA9qwyKURi8a_g2K4xilvADE8QOqha3g8IpLbyEPg7tf13hSzu-VAnx-349izGaXahiNWFhppHnqiTQiVQ1-tH4nvwagTgVHFfG_QFWr9dQpGfXCXRftGGQfHBR40QAjEbEQBb4/s1600/San+Juan+Islands+35+Lopez.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKaxELDA9qwyKURi8a_g2K4xilvADE8QOqha3g8IpLbyEPg7tf13hSzu-VAnx-349izGaXahiNWFhppHnqiTQiVQ1-tH4nvwagTgVHFfG_QFWr9dQpGfXCXRftGGQfHBR40QAjEbEQBb4/s640/San+Juan+Islands+35+Lopez.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBI_FQ7iCysRBnYSDxcFnYs5dTpc5ZalWoUWZfKTQY69jXrsnuuE64l5iLWnUmOPZgbonjYiE6f-4ihPKu3xon8dnV51J9Xf6QO0JcvW5W0GEJP60Na-nw6GXtfFiz42lTuo-0YMMa2Jo/s1600/San+Juan+Islands+67+Lopez.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBI_FQ7iCysRBnYSDxcFnYs5dTpc5ZalWoUWZfKTQY69jXrsnuuE64l5iLWnUmOPZgbonjYiE6f-4ihPKu3xon8dnV51J9Xf6QO0JcvW5W0GEJP60Na-nw6GXtfFiz42lTuo-0YMMa2Jo/s640/San+Juan+Islands+67+Lopez.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAcQFsYdkLsMdslNEgz-6-h6lRKXahrRiWDY34OOd5uZqgdynxeomKG8rquejo3bUJ75cpxaYzg6XQkKiEHJLDuwf_fxEcNmeCdC3dmAO3VCuDeMpSZMvPpR7ele0UPAWfWJu80uwy9ag/s1600/San+Juan+Islands+68+Lopez.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAcQFsYdkLsMdslNEgz-6-h6lRKXahrRiWDY34OOd5uZqgdynxeomKG8rquejo3bUJ75cpxaYzg6XQkKiEHJLDuwf_fxEcNmeCdC3dmAO3VCuDeMpSZMvPpR7ele0UPAWfWJu80uwy9ag/s640/San+Juan+Islands+68+Lopez.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9DnVdwceHnis4XutfAKWlXkBuTk84IAbLN1nOGBgsMENU6bXgqYZHBggYu3536IHCrfMuhn18ZBWNDVUu3RLyAASKrNFxqsYv9fD4LqFuax8ZUvtVG-VpUnbO9KM8jBeMqypEyVy-hP0/s1600/San+Juan+Islands+69+Lopez.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9DnVdwceHnis4XutfAKWlXkBuTk84IAbLN1nOGBgsMENU6bXgqYZHBggYu3536IHCrfMuhn18ZBWNDVUu3RLyAASKrNFxqsYv9fD4LqFuax8ZUvtVG-VpUnbO9KM8jBeMqypEyVy-hP0/s640/San+Juan+Islands+69+Lopez.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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Iceberg Point</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifC54hPmc9VVSKlSR_9esj1JJI9WAaXOsKYqKM1vy53ILCs-p6ofUIdnWrKjlaVStOpgoWixAGwj1duCYFfnhQ572TYiHOEkNDbKILPnr5wDeDZNzyeKwvFcyYGYSJdyfoOWu0Gc0n-ds/s1600/San+Juan+Islands+70+Lopez.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifC54hPmc9VVSKlSR_9esj1JJI9WAaXOsKYqKM1vy53ILCs-p6ofUIdnWrKjlaVStOpgoWixAGwj1duCYFfnhQ572TYiHOEkNDbKILPnr5wDeDZNzyeKwvFcyYGYSJdyfoOWu0Gc0n-ds/s640/San+Juan+Islands+70+Lopez.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCW_keesQjTyq6zrf0aCvwhFkAScBh34aDhRYuCrTpFs9eINbfVZp3aXNZCrIP8Au1qjk1tiwk3A7MQzkH26wYGpO-bI3C8gggvdS7sIC-5-gTqL04WYfHAXlvXO4gatqGnMI5tGJwoXU/s1600/San+Juan+Islands+72+Lopez.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCW_keesQjTyq6zrf0aCvwhFkAScBh34aDhRYuCrTpFs9eINbfVZp3aXNZCrIP8Au1qjk1tiwk3A7MQzkH26wYGpO-bI3C8gggvdS7sIC-5-gTqL04WYfHAXlvXO4gatqGnMI5tGJwoXU/s640/San+Juan+Islands+72+Lopez.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis_zrgcmTM3bK2eiEpO2VqArLHQbmfVZK5HwFugn_iXEVj6CY08elVW_33G8aIBWuyu5DhgB7zdBM30IHyjz_Ra5AGE_ZW6yjVUyslG8Lfj3H2F565_LRbhU5sh55o1lUYGb91FeZwRgk/s1600/San+Juan+Islands+73+Lopez.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis_zrgcmTM3bK2eiEpO2VqArLHQbmfVZK5HwFugn_iXEVj6CY08elVW_33G8aIBWuyu5DhgB7zdBM30IHyjz_Ra5AGE_ZW6yjVUyslG8Lfj3H2F565_LRbhU5sh55o1lUYGb91FeZwRgk/s640/San+Juan+Islands+73+Lopez.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>Turn by Turn Directions for Bike Ride:</b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
1. Lopez Road and right on Fisherman Bay Road. </div>
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2. Right on Bayshore Road.</div>
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3. Left on Peninsula Road. </div>
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4. Continue onto Chestnut Lane. <b>Arrive at Fisherman Bay Spit Preserve.</b></div>
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5. Back on Chestnut and continue on Peninsula. </div>
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6. Right on Bayshore Road. </div>
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7. Right on Fisherman Bay Road. </div>
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8. Right on Davis Bay Road.</div>
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9. Right on Burt Road. </div>
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10. Left on Shark Reef Road. <b>Arrive at Shark Reef Sanctuary.</b></div>
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11. Shark Reef Road and right on Burt Road. </div>
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12. Left on Davis Bay Road. </div>
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13. Straight onto Fisherman Bay Road (don't turn left). </div>
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14. Left on Center Road. </div>
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15. Right on School Road. </div>
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16. Continue on Lopez Sound Road. </div>
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17. Right on Port Stanley Road.</div>
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18. Right on Bakerview Road. <b>Continue into Spencer Spit State Park. </b></div>
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19. Bakerview Road and left on Port Stanley Road. </div>
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20. Right on Hummel Lake Road. </div>
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21. Right on Fisherman Bay Road. </div>
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22. Left on Lopez Road. <b>Arrive back at Village Cycles. </b></div>
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</script>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04082090351473247738noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9148569112268417370.post-73753541216202529882015-05-14T06:54:00.002-07:002015-05-14T06:54:40.874-07:00Marin Headlands Wildflowers Hike at Muir Beach<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPil_sRpcfeGi6uIfbLxO-iL0ox1SnJg0WAgVudRQLN4jDDFy8BCT3kBQTe30NZyhGGRdnss5QtVrhiYarQ-CZOV5Y2fLLidqkyDCtfPPiP4DzolS02gL1sMfuhBoOe-jnifDQtT2LB7A/s1600/Marin+Headlands+10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPil_sRpcfeGi6uIfbLxO-iL0ox1SnJg0WAgVudRQLN4jDDFy8BCT3kBQTe30NZyhGGRdnss5QtVrhiYarQ-CZOV5Y2fLLidqkyDCtfPPiP4DzolS02gL1sMfuhBoOe-jnifDQtT2LB7A/s640/Marin+Headlands+10.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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<b>Hike: </b>Coastal Trail/Green Gulch Trail Loop from Muir Beach</div>
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<b>Hike Difficulty: </b>Moderate to Strenuous (lots of climbing)</div>
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<b>Hike Distance:</b> A little over 5 miles or almost 7 miles (this depends on whether you cut over on Coastal Fire Road or Tennessee Valley Trail)</div>
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(I recommend printing out the <a href="http://www.parksconservancy.org/assets/park-improvements/pdfs/marin-headlands-map.pdf">Marin Headlands Trail Map</a> before you go on this hike because the map at the trailhead is only for a very small portion of the area. It does not cover this entire hike.)</div>
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We've hiked the shorter and longer loops and both are great. If you end up out here on a beautiful, clear day, I recommend taking the longer loop. On Sunday, it was pretty cold and windy, so we opted for the shorter hike. You still get your heart rate going good on the hills, great views and the unique experience of walking right through Green Gulch Farm. </div>
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For the shorter loop, we started out on the Coastal Trail for 1.9 miles. As the name suggests, we were right along the coast. This trail has a lot of ups and downs, but you have views the entire time. It's pretty awesome. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO8zpsUgWJe6JaM-RnxDyLpOyq2IDLszwv6lzkql2_DsZVIU6FEvLTbZTIxJpAZ2wiYk2JyAni7LcSsjCcAHokTyqLCu1Jhn3ft6vX8gQmLmaU68cY1_tyT_2zf_jX2bx28WauyRl4hqg/s1600/Marin+Headlands+8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO8zpsUgWJe6JaM-RnxDyLpOyq2IDLszwv6lzkql2_DsZVIU6FEvLTbZTIxJpAZ2wiYk2JyAni7LcSsjCcAHokTyqLCu1Jhn3ft6vX8gQmLmaU68cY1_tyT_2zf_jX2bx28WauyRl4hqg/s640/Marin+Headlands+8.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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View of Muir Beach from Coastal Trail</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLbMzYXGLpVNyT04xOX3ofUSH2Fv763I6lpdetFhcT7HsKf17yStotzMfYm6Q8hDUoa4HMwXmIEpu3CbfNrqexOsxQjdLpSL32dodlMX1yKJ__dCqv6LXeL-0uVKtEVvaF4lQaYjoFxj4/s1600/Marin+Headlands+7+black+and+white.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLbMzYXGLpVNyT04xOX3ofUSH2Fv763I6lpdetFhcT7HsKf17yStotzMfYm6Q8hDUoa4HMwXmIEpu3CbfNrqexOsxQjdLpSL32dodlMX1yKJ__dCqv6LXeL-0uVKtEVvaF4lQaYjoFxj4/s640/Marin+Headlands+7+black+and+white.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-uQVQJozfIeENqOK9iSkirKilNlQ2g30hYmSrww9Pipch2VQEVxjLcxZ2AFLU4vpUahkCfwNOIljv2DWaEVYME6lk19GyqP3zMBD0trg_RY60VGjVp2meeYpAUrOWA1-J60Ji2ZcEc_Y/s1600/Marin+Headlands+11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-uQVQJozfIeENqOK9iSkirKilNlQ2g30hYmSrww9Pipch2VQEVxjLcxZ2AFLU4vpUahkCfwNOIljv2DWaEVYME6lk19GyqP3zMBD0trg_RY60VGjVp2meeYpAUrOWA1-J60Ji2ZcEc_Y/s640/Marin+Headlands+11.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The Coastal Trail up ahead</div>
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We went left onto the Coastal Fire Road. At the Fox Trail, we turned left and then shortly after turned right on Coyote Ridge Trail. Then we took the <i>second</i> Green Gulch Trail (not Middle Green Gulch). When you get to the farm, it is tricky. We've done it a couple ways and we always feel lost. Don't worry about it. I get the impression that as long as you are quiet and respectful, it's fine to just keep walking until you meet back up with the trail on the west end of the property. While you are there, take your time admiring their beautiful gardens and greenhouses. </div>
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We've hiked here multiple times at different times of year. I did not expect to see so many wildflowers on this May Day. I highly recommend going to check them out if you love wildflowers as much as I do! </div>
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I love wildflowers and taking pictures of them, but I don't claim to be an expert. If you know what a flower is that I don't name, or you think I'm wrong with the name I provide, please feel free to comment! I'd love to learn more. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjW7I-hD54MXlSgS1V68pE3ZzRpqkfX69BTFAx-178IHA8zPn84a7tq4xXBh9E-ggZoEp6WbNBhukw8cVcAgDtFgYBCRsMPZp300BrIW0tD9pwZSBn4zt7b_Pc2VcHwYRxfjUJHvlyWUE/s1600/Marin+Headlands+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjW7I-hD54MXlSgS1V68pE3ZzRpqkfX69BTFAx-178IHA8zPn84a7tq4xXBh9E-ggZoEp6WbNBhukw8cVcAgDtFgYBCRsMPZp300BrIW0tD9pwZSBn4zt7b_Pc2VcHwYRxfjUJHvlyWUE/s640/Marin+Headlands+3.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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Columbine</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwkiZcXAozZWC8Vf16hL5HZebO9JSEz6VC_wCZmvdZBLtofB4qYx-roYW4_eMvkrLsKTdNAa0tRFXPFOFv1wnDsuJUi2xBf3r4Vv6lm5-y91OgRcqNOmdichg41RwCgNVB7JWuZyOD4VM/s1600/Marin+Headlands+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwkiZcXAozZWC8Vf16hL5HZebO9JSEz6VC_wCZmvdZBLtofB4qYx-roYW4_eMvkrLsKTdNAa0tRFXPFOFv1wnDsuJUi2xBf3r4Vv6lm5-y91OgRcqNOmdichg41RwCgNVB7JWuZyOD4VM/s640/Marin+Headlands+4.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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Lupine - definitely made me think of <a href="http://ais4adventure.blogspot.com/2013/03/new-zealand-key-summit-and-glowworm.html">Milford Sound</a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaiozxtpXdhv0nCc9UIze-4lZEvEkIDddaz5XXmVAbK8grcj5_J6bjk8-Q8t8eZ2Ae3l-SgCalDVCIZi46s_H7iSqcznskMMaqQL0y5kp8gXJUkJEfCC8TdotdyBRwQ-olFMma9lSawrA/s1600/Marin+Headlands+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaiozxtpXdhv0nCc9UIze-4lZEvEkIDddaz5XXmVAbK8grcj5_J6bjk8-Q8t8eZ2Ae3l-SgCalDVCIZi46s_H7iSqcznskMMaqQL0y5kp8gXJUkJEfCC8TdotdyBRwQ-olFMma9lSawrA/s640/Marin+Headlands+6.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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Indian Paintbrush - My absolute favorite</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXI5K9CS5d0MdKkPkKTrnwmo3GRdUB5aU7AARIJiTwZLCGWzUvQO8zlSyu9_B2gmpcNjNsO8swrOCF7M4ue1KqN4zUvvvUupQSM1p7EoDA1U0HmuMvl7SKPpKnfEr0DGq8pEMjv3uUO9s/s1600/Marin+Headlands+12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXI5K9CS5d0MdKkPkKTrnwmo3GRdUB5aU7AARIJiTwZLCGWzUvQO8zlSyu9_B2gmpcNjNsO8swrOCF7M4ue1KqN4zUvvvUupQSM1p7EoDA1U0HmuMvl7SKPpKnfEr0DGq8pEMjv3uUO9s/s640/Marin+Headlands+12.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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Sweet peas - definitely a reminder of our <a href="http://www.onabicyclebuiltfortwo.com/2013/02/wedding-anne-and-allyson.html">wedding day</a></div>
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More lupine? How incredible are the colors on this one? </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu7nxr_Ywv-YGy8cUkot8pXCBr6DGhZRNdKeiqGqQ1WZWoqePo2z5F0B6Mz7RKInBuFbA5Y3Cj-1H802HLN8PhmgK1YmOnnhjxR6Yb-GoJwkre4VU6mUKb8WlWbN4sWL2NVPynfRKxviU/s1600/Marin+Headlands+14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu7nxr_Ywv-YGy8cUkot8pXCBr6DGhZRNdKeiqGqQ1WZWoqePo2z5F0B6Mz7RKInBuFbA5Y3Cj-1H802HLN8PhmgK1YmOnnhjxR6Yb-GoJwkre4VU6mUKb8WlWbN4sWL2NVPynfRKxviU/s640/Marin+Headlands+14.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Before they become flowers</div>
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Muir Beach from Green Gulch Trail</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWhceI5i2jfxhSTIvrhj3xYc0K_it98EDbQoTFK7SNj49LU1nhrWUSYH7-B7AK9jSGLnHs5GIz-0O2tgdbCRoHpG7gI0uLZI-2pV36_IdvuEkSNQ6GykyGjAtWOGCnUSCpde54oyxDAKg/s1600/Marin+Headlands+17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWhceI5i2jfxhSTIvrhj3xYc0K_it98EDbQoTFK7SNj49LU1nhrWUSYH7-B7AK9jSGLnHs5GIz-0O2tgdbCRoHpG7gI0uLZI-2pV36_IdvuEkSNQ6GykyGjAtWOGCnUSCpde54oyxDAKg/s640/Marin+Headlands+17.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Douglas Iris</div>
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The rest of my pictures are from beautiful Green Gulch Farm. </div>
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We didn't do it this time, but one of the coolest things about this hike is that the <a href="http://www.pelicaninn.com/">Pelican Inn</a> is right at the end of the hike. You can get a drink there, sit out on their beautiful lawn, and relax a bit after your long hike.
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</script>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04082090351473247738noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9148569112268417370.post-74745845916764164612015-02-13T08:11:00.002-08:002015-02-13T08:11:55.775-08:00Fairyland Loop at Bryce Canyon National Park<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ1qBYz7cm9r3_uuPf3HCsBrhZCYH__M6wZZSbRKk6V45AY_Q8DX8nrLJJaKPvIENkaGUnRHhi7jb6ntgyY29W1qU-2l3EL1Aab8cKYsp6APO2Kbcw0ChpKyik2VzereB4nCGc_c_IbGo/s1600/Bryce+Canyon+42+Fairyland+Loop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ1qBYz7cm9r3_uuPf3HCsBrhZCYH__M6wZZSbRKk6V45AY_Q8DX8nrLJJaKPvIENkaGUnRHhi7jb6ntgyY29W1qU-2l3EL1Aab8cKYsp6APO2Kbcw0ChpKyik2VzereB4nCGc_c_IbGo/s1600/Bryce+Canyon+42+Fairyland+Loop.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
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<b>Hike: </b>Fairyland Loop </div>
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<b>Hike Difficulty: </b>Moderate/Strenuous</div>
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<b>Hike Distance: </b>8 miles</div>
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<b>Time (Round Trip): </b>4-5 hours</div>
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<b>Elevation (Min/Max): </b>7163ft/8152ft</div>
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<b>Elevation Change: </b>2309ft climbing and 2309ft descending</div>
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If you can only do one hike at Bryce Canyon, I think I would recommend the <a href="http://ais4adventure.blogspot.com/2014/09/figure-8-loop-queens-garden-peek-boo.html">Figure 8 Loop</a>. It is just so big and impressive. However, it also has a lot of crowds at the beginning and the end. If you have some extra time and want to get away from the crowds and feel like you've really seen all this amazing park has to offer, definitely do the Fairyland Loop. We saw very few people on this hike, and it's long enough that I really got into that hiking zone in my head. That mental state where I never want the hike to end and that this is what life is about. </div>
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The National Park Service website describes this hike as starting at Fairyland Point and taking the loop clockwise. We started at Sunrise Point going counter-clockwise. Either way, you spend the last 2.5 miles on the Rim Trail. Although there are incredible views from the Rim Trail, it does seem like a little bit of a slog at the end there. Keep in mind I haven't done it this way, but I might recommend starting from Fairyland Point and hiking the Rim Trail first. That way you get those views first and then head down to experience all the hoodoos and wildflowers close up. </div>
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I will be describing our hike as starting from Sunrise Point. We parked in the Sunrise Point parking lot and easily found the Fairyland Loop Trail off the Rim Trail (it depends on where you park whether you'll head north or south on the Rim Trail to find the Loop Trail but hopefully you'll have a map and can find it no problem!)</div>
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After about a mile and a half, there will be a sign to turn off for Tower Bridge. Definitely worth a quick stop, but I would have felt a little disappointed if I had hiked just to see it.<br />
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Tower Bridge</div>
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After viewing Tower Bridge, we made our way back to the loop and continued right on the trail. There isn't much in the way of tricky navigating on this loop hike, so I am not going to detail all the twists and turns. We just followed the trail and all its ups and downs until meeting back up with the Rim Trail.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivNW6FrBqESzL7zqhNI7mNSr5TkDFUqjuf5rg5lbw2pOmSpX0EjNM_Kq_hNhZUxuoeMTDPnVcxwjCS1CEQNW1dm39NAJlAskvnNuSnb2ZQd-K6_uY50tQskpRlGEhxfxElbIRReA38tzg/s1600/Bryce+Canyon+51.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivNW6FrBqESzL7zqhNI7mNSr5TkDFUqjuf5rg5lbw2pOmSpX0EjNM_Kq_hNhZUxuoeMTDPnVcxwjCS1CEQNW1dm39NAJlAskvnNuSnb2ZQd-K6_uY50tQskpRlGEhxfxElbIRReA38tzg/s1600/Bryce+Canyon+51.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
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Weirdest flower ever. Like gumdrops or gummy bears.</div>
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Our lunch spot </div>
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Once we climbed back up to Fairyland Point, we went left on the Rim Trail and made our way back to Sunrise Point. I was so excited to find an abundance of Sego Lilies (Utah's state flower) along this section of the Rim Trail.<br />
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After our hike, we spent the rest of the afternoon hanging out at our campsite at Sunset Campground. We hung our hammock and took a nap in the sun with the breeze making beautiful music in the trees.<br />
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After having an early dinner, we decided to check out some of the viewpoints in the southern portion of the park. Favorite viewpoints were Rainbow Point (the one all the way at the end of the road) and Bryce Point (the highest point in the park).<br />
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Rainbow Point? </div>
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The Grottos</div>
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Bryce Point </div>
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Best View of Bryce Amphitheater! </div>
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It was really fun to drive out this way and look down on all of the places we had been hiking over the last couple days. We could definitely see some of the trails and follow them winding their way through the hoodoos. </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04082090351473247738noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9148569112268417370.post-17126524660416319182014-10-16T11:06:00.000-07:002014-10-16T11:06:08.548-07:00Sky-Bear Valley Loop at Point Reyes National Seashore<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Hike: </b>Sky-Bear Valley Loop</div>
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<b>Hike Difficulty:</b> Moderate to Difficult (only due to distance)</div>
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<b>Hike Distance (Round Trip):</b> 10.5 miles</div>
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<b>Time (Round Trip): </b>4-5 hours</div>
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Back in July (yes, I am very behind on updating the blog with all our summer adventures!), we spent the afternoon at Point Reyes National Seashore in Sonoma County. It was shortly after we moved back and was such a perfect reminder of why we love it here and want to live here.<br />
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We started out our afternoon with lunch at <a href="http://www.stationhousecafe.com/">Station House Cafe</a> in Point Reyes Station. We had a delicious lunch in their very pleasant outdoor seating space, before heading the additional 10 minutes or so to Bear Valley Visitor Center.<br />
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There is A TON of hiking to do in Point Reyes National Seashore area and many of the hikes start in other places. However, we wanted to hike the 10 1/2 mile Sky-Bear Valley Loop that starts right at the end of the parking lot at the visitor center. The national seashore <a href="http://www.nps.gov/pore/planyourvisit/hiking_guide.htm">website</a> provides one option (and a couple of side trips) for the loop route. We spoke with a ranger who recommended a slightly different route, and that's the one I'll describe here.<br />
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We started at the Bear Valley trailhead at the very end of the parking lot. The Bear Valley trail is a wide, very well maintained and pleasant trail. Before spraining my ankle again, I had thought this trail would be a really good one for trail running.<br />
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After 0.8 miles on Bear Valley Trail, we turned right on Meadow Trail. Supposedly, this is a more pleasant hike over to Sky Trail than Mt. Wittenberg trail. Meadow Trail and Sky Trail were my favorite parts of the hike. Talk about magical.<br />
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Crocosmia</div>
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After 1.6 miles on Meadow Trail, we turned left on Sky Trail and quickly came upon the most enchanting part of the hike. The fog was coming back in, the trees were towering above us, and it was like a dream. </div>
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We hiked 3.6 miles along Sky Trail, eventually seeing views of the coastline although they were limited by the high fog. This loop hike is already 10 1/2 miles. Although the park website suggested a side trip to Arch Rock, we decided it was time to head back to our car. We turned left on Bear Valley Trail to complete the loop. </div>
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Fields of Crocosmia</div>
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Sweet Peas will always remind me of our wedding day!</div>
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Spiderweb Art</div>
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Muted coastline</div>
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When we arrived back in the visitor center parking lot, we were startled to see this guy "blending in" with the U-Haul truck. Is he the biggest heron you've ever seen?!</div>
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A week after this hike, we headed back out this way to check something off our bucket lists: a bioluminescence kayaking tour on Tomales Bay! I didn't take any pictures, but oh my goodness! It was incredible. I highly recommend making reservations with <a href="http://www.bluewaterskayaking.com/">Blue Waters Kayaking</a> for a night time paddle to experience the bioluminescence. </div>
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I still have two posts left about our cross country hiking adventures, but I needed a break from that to focus on where we live now! Feeling so fortunate to be here and feel like we are finally settling in. Plus, we are heading back out to Point Reyes this weekend with a good friend, so I had it on my mind!</div>
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</script>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04082090351473247738noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9148569112268417370.post-31383780260216008792014-09-19T08:08:00.003-07:002014-09-19T08:08:40.498-07:00Figure 8 Loop (Queens Garden, Peek-A-Boo, and Navajo Trails) at Bryce Canyon National Park<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuvw69Y2jy16aboxtkBWKD7h0bC30OgVnQck3Ii4p1g5ZTbzq1rnvB57ZPeyvqBbkqWLv_ZSqn_hninOENCSwkosazG7EH4cEgL4tcp9URW5eR4YSCoPjx7qBYtKGhfXltOfQTcxa2CCw/s1600/Bryce+Canyon+13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuvw69Y2jy16aboxtkBWKD7h0bC30OgVnQck3Ii4p1g5ZTbzq1rnvB57ZPeyvqBbkqWLv_ZSqn_hninOENCSwkosazG7EH4cEgL4tcp9URW5eR4YSCoPjx7qBYtKGhfXltOfQTcxa2CCw/s640/Bryce+Canyon+13.jpg" /></a></div>
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<b>Hike:</b> Queens Garden/Peek-A-Boo/Navajo (Figure 8) Loop</div>
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<b>Hike Difficulty:</b> Strenuous</div>
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<b>Hike Distance (Round Trip): </b>6.5 miles</div>
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<b>Elevation Change:</b> 3570 feet total gain; 3574 feet total loss (starting at about 8,000 feet)</div>
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If you are in Bryce Canyon for one day and want to go on one spectacular hike that gives you a sense of all the park has to offer, this is your hike! We arrived on a Sunday afternoon, so we were worried that the trails were going to be a bit crowded. And the Queens Garden and Navajo portions of this hike were (for good reason!), but the good thing is you get to soak in the Peek-A-Boo Loop with very little company. </div>
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The park's brochure shares a pretty clear message: wear shoes with good traction (i.e. hiking boots). We only had our running shoes, and it is true that the dirt is pretty slippery. I saw people on the Navajo Trail with straight tennis shoes with zero traction behaving completely insane. I highly recommend decent shoes (and steering clear of the crazy not-so-experienced hikers!)</div>
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We didn't really do this trail as a Figure 8. We just did the loop counter-clockwise. To begin, we started at Sunset Point and walked toward Sunrise Point along the Rim Trail until we found the sign for Queens Garden Trail and began our descent. (Tip: There were lots of people sitting around the sign, so look carefully or you may miss it!)</div>
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Obviously, we had plenty of sunscreen and wore hats because that sun was strong! But I really enjoyed the contrast between the orange/red rock and the blue, blue sky in the middle of the day.</div>
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At the bottom of the canyon, we reached a junction that was rather confusing for us (lots of people and multiple trail signs). I believe there are three options. We went left to head toward Peek-A-Boo Trail (straight or right take you on the Navajo Loop). </div>
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At Peek-A-Boo Loop, we took the left trail and went clockwise. I think more people take the trail the other way (for a true figure 8), so we felt like we had the trail to ourselves for a good portion of it. I can't imagine the other way would offer more views and/or be any easier, so I guess it's up to you!</div>
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Peek-A-Boo Loop is 3 miles long and climbs and descends a lot (exact numbers on various websites/blogs are conflicting because people start in different places and include different trails in their hike. Just trust me....lots of climbing on this one!)</div>
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A peek at the Wall of Windows</div>
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When I came around the corner to this view, I literally gasped. I don't know that I've ever had that reaction hiking before. This spot literally (and yes, I'm using this word correctly) took my breath away. I can't even begin to describe how incredibly grand the wall of windows is. Please go check it out for yourself because my pictures don't come close to doing it justice.</div>
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Once we completed the Peek-A-Boo Loop, we headed back on the trail towards Navajo and Queens Garden. At the same junction as earlier, we took a left towards Wall Street. I completely understand why the Navajo Loop/Wall Street is a popular hike at the park. It is incredible. However, the massive crowds and irresponsible hikers really detracted from my experience. I definitely still enjoyed it, but it certainly wasn't the spiritual experience I had 45 minutes before on Peek-A-Boo Loop.</div>
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I believe these are Douglas Fir trees.</div>
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Where's Waldo?</div>
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I realize my pictures make the trail look not crowded. I do this on purpose so I can appreciate what is meant to be beautiful. But trust me, there were people in slippery tennis shoes pushing their way up the 28 switchbacks. </div>
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The switchbacks are steep. And with as many people as there were, I highly recommend doing this loop the way we did it, and finishing the loop going up these switchbacks. Seems more enjoyable and safer to me. </div>
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After the hike, we headed back to our campsite at Sunset Campground, but went back to Sunset Point to "watch the sunset". I use quotes because you are not looking west, in the direction of the sun setting. However, it was still beautiful to watch the sky change and the sun shine on the Bryce Amphitheater in all its glory. A perfect end to a near perfect day!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5Z7lBMwSqdXhQZ-YPy_5ilcyVTGcGysigA8iciUbbGJ-h-QWyy8kX3A5b4vUTSisAbcDo8eLqRiBtjzMkUts7sFHjhmfPFb3HFTPLPuHPiQ1z1lNWH679JCEy0WAKrBn2vvL1c35mysE/s1600/Utah+84+Capitol+Reef+Hickmans+Bridge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5Z7lBMwSqdXhQZ-YPy_5ilcyVTGcGysigA8iciUbbGJ-h-QWyy8kX3A5b4vUTSisAbcDo8eLqRiBtjzMkUts7sFHjhmfPFb3HFTPLPuHPiQ1z1lNWH679JCEy0WAKrBn2vvL1c35mysE/s1600/Utah+84+Capitol+Reef+Hickmans+Bridge.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
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A couple weeks before heading out on our cross country road trip, we realized we would most likely end up in Bryce Canyon National Park on a Saturday afternoon/evening. I knew how quickly first-come/first-serve national park campgrounds fill up, so I decided to figure out an alternate plan for Saturday night. However, no hotels, bed and breakfasts, or airbnb options could be found right around Bryce Canyon. </div>
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And I'm so glad for that! I ended up stumbling across this awesome airstream resort in Escalante (about an hour outside of Bryce Canyon). <a href="http://www.shootingstar-rvresort.com/">Shooting Star Drive in and Resort</a> was such a perfect mix between camping and hotel staying. We got a shower and a bed to sleep in, but also cooked outside and watched the sunset over the mountains with absolutely no one else around. Plus, booking our stay at the airstream resort on Saturday night changed our route from Moab to Bryce Canyon. Google maps originally suggested I-70 to Highway 89 as the quickest way to Bryce; however when has the quickest way ever been the best?! This definitely held true on this terrific road tripping day. Scenic Highway 12 was one of the most beautiful roads I've ever been on. And Highway 24 before that goes right through the best of Capitol Reef National Park (I guess I don't know that it was the best since we only ventured about a mile off the road, but it was spectacular!)</div>
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Tip: Make sure you fill up your tank in Moab (and probably stock up on snacks), because gas stations are few and far between on this route! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZvy6_hWpZhuhmaTnzCn23ADKTHzgE2yJ3b4COUcpr6evgbFCshdQ60vwmjTWXQdKbfZa_FbfuIEOMHLz4AOzu2fPgjyF9zkOw_t5bCgoyWda995a7LH3_heDANXgtd0KUdwnyFzjfgZQ/s1600/Utah+Scenic+Byways.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZvy6_hWpZhuhmaTnzCn23ADKTHzgE2yJ3b4COUcpr6evgbFCshdQ60vwmjTWXQdKbfZa_FbfuIEOMHLz4AOzu2fPgjyF9zkOw_t5bCgoyWda995a7LH3_heDANXgtd0KUdwnyFzjfgZQ/s1600/Utah+Scenic+Byways.png" height="334" width="640" /></a></div>
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Reference: Utah Office of Tourism Website: <a href="http://travel.utah.gov/scenicbyway/">http://travel.utah.gov/scenicbyway/</a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">24 and 26: Canyonlands and Arches National Park</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">15: Capitol Reef National Park</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">16: Shooting Star Airstream Resort</span></div>
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From Moab, we took I-70 west past Green River and then headed south on Highway 24. We continued on Highway 24 by heading west at Hanksville (this is where the official scenic byway begins but it's pretty interesting before this too) and got to Hickman Bridge in Capitol Reef National Park about 2 1/2 hours after leaving Moab. After a short hike and a stop at the visitor's center in Capitol Reef, we continued on our way west on Highway 24 and then began heading south on Highway 12 through Dixie National Forest before arriving in Escalante about 2 1/2 hours later (really estimating here but we took our time stopping at vista points).</div>
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<b>Hike:</b> Hickman Bridge at Capitol Reef National Park</div>
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<b>Hike Difficulty:</b> Easy </div>
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<b>Hike Distance (Round Trip):</b> 2 miles</div>
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<b>Time (Round Trip): </b>1 hour </div>
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(maybe a little longer if you plan to stop and appreciate everything!)</div>
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The trailhead parking lot is easy to access and has two pit toilets. It is about 2 miles east of the visitor's center and on the north side of the road (well marked). Most of the trail is in the sun, so make sure to wear that sun protection! </div>
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The first part of the trail is crazy because there is a big sign that basically says it's a rock fall area and you aren't allowed to stop until you get past that section (two pictures down you can see that area). The beginning of the trail is easy to spot and right along the Fremont river.</div>
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The trail ascends through lava rock spattered fields. These lava pieces were moved into the Capitol Reef area by glaciers and mudflow and rounded from the tumbling in this process. </div>
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Hickman Bridge (125 feet top to bottom and 133 feet from left to right)</div>
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Vista Point along Highway 12 in Dixie National Forest</div>
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Sugar's Shack - Our airstream was decorated like Marilyn Monroe's trailer for <i>Some Like It Hot</i></div>
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Made ourselves some dinner on our propane grill (be sure to bring food for grilling because the stove inside doesn't work).</div>
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The airstream resort rents these classic cars and will play a movie that you select and bring you candy and popcorn to the car. We were asleep pretty early, or we totally would've done this! </div>
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We seemed to have the whole place to ourselves, so enjoyed rehearsing for our friends' wedding while watching the sun set on a great day.</div>
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Sunset from the airstream</div>
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</script>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04082090351473247738noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9148569112268417370.post-164188356704844772014-08-01T11:16:00.000-07:002014-08-01T11:16:26.729-07:00Mesa Arch and Neck Spring Trail at Canyonlands National Park<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDQs847PWvSx9Ppsf28rLmiedOu_ZKtYXKEWotyv-xfsEmao21C6no_hoU9Q_rH6EUhkLZT6HHop6LMfp3Wu-bv01O7dBYq0kEuPIKqHGOGOFtiKH8L8wdpn_BgmqyHp9YpoE3gbJz6Eg/s1600/Utah+43+Canyonlands+Mesa+Arch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDQs847PWvSx9Ppsf28rLmiedOu_ZKtYXKEWotyv-xfsEmao21C6no_hoU9Q_rH6EUhkLZT6HHop6LMfp3Wu-bv01O7dBYq0kEuPIKqHGOGOFtiKH8L8wdpn_BgmqyHp9YpoE3gbJz6Eg/s640/Utah+43+Canyonlands+Mesa+Arch.jpg" /></a></div>
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<b>Hike:</b> Mesa Arch (see Neck Spring Trail details below)</div>
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<b>Hike Difficulty: </b>Easy</div>
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<b>Hike Distance (Round Trip):</b> .5 miles</div>
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<b>Time (Round Trip):</b> 30 minutes - 1 hour (with plenty of time for enjoying the view)</div>
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We woke up at 4:30am on our second morning in Moab. (We were camping at Up A Creek campground in town because we were worried we wouldn't find first come, first serve camping when we arrived. Pros - only tents allowed at campground, good shower/bathroom facilities, ice to purchase, easy walk to restaurants and grocery store. Cons - we were in town, really windy and dusty so our stuff got covered in dirt even with the rainfly on.) It is about 50 minutes drive to Mesa Arch in the Island in the Sky District, and we wanted to be there for sunrise. We made it right as the sun was rising, and we definitely were not the first ones there. Lots of folks with tripods waiting to get the same shot as everyone else. However, we just walked a little bit away from the swarm of 20 people or so, and it was fine and peaceful and definitely worth being there for sunrise. </div>
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The "Honey Moon" at dawn on our way to Mesa Arch.</div>
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People waiting to take a picture at Mesa Arch.</div>
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On Eagle's Wings (no?)</div>
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The shot everyone was dying to get. </div>
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The most beautiful "potted plant arrangement" done by Mother Nature herself.</div>
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After spending some time at Mesa Arch, we drove over to Green River Overlook to see the sun rising over the canyons there. Pretty spectacular view!</div>
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Green River Overlook</div>
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At 7:30ish, we were already at the Shafer Canyon Overlook Parking Area to eat some breakfast before heading out on the Neck Spring Trail. </div>
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<b>Hike: </b>Neck Spring Trail</div>
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<b>Hike Difficulty:</b> Moderate (some scrambling up slick rock)</div>
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<b>Hike Distance (Round Trip): </b>5.8 miles</div>
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<b>Time (Round Trip): </b>3-4 hours</div>
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<b>Elevation Change: </b>300 ft</div>
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First off, I highly recommend this hike! We had been reading a lot of different descriptions of hikes in Canyonlands. A lot of the longer hikes sounded a bit sketchy because they were super steep and had slippery rocks and a lot of elevation change. We <i>could</i> have done them, but we only had our running shoes with us and we felt like we didn't need to push it. The description for Neck Spring did NOT do it justice. The Canyonlands National Park Service website describes it as "a loop trail that passes historic ranching features as well as two springs and diverse plant life." While all of this is true, it also had it's own canyon and great views. I was really impressed with this trail. It changed a lot so it didn't get boring. And we saw NO ONE on the whole hike. Literally, zero people. If you have been to Arches or Canyonlands, you know how rare this is.</div>
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The hike starts out at Shafer Canyon Overlook Parking Lot on the south side of the parking lot (away from the big views). The trail immediately begins going down hill and quickly crosses the road. This trail does a lot of moderate descending and climbing, but nothing that is too challenging. The trail crosses no other trails, so it's pretty easy to follow. Just make sure you keep an eye on the cairns and it's easy. </div>
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Historic Ranching Remnants</div>
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Utah's State Flower - Sego Lily</div>
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Lizard tracks everywhere!</div>
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I believe this is Taylor Canyon. Great spot to stop and have a snack. </div>
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The only moderate part of this hike is the 250 vertical foot climb up slick rock to get back up to the top of the Island of the Sky Mesa. There was nothing sketchy about it. The cairns were easy to spot and none of the climbing was challenging. We then walked awhile along big expanses of slick rock before reaching the main road again. We crossed the road and then the trail hugged close to the road for the last 1/2 mile to a mile (because this section is basically "the neck" and there isn't that much land between the two canyons). The views of Shafer Canyon heading back to the parking lot were incredible. </div>
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The rest of the afternoon, we checked out some other parts of the park, including Upheaval Dome. It was really crowded here, which proves once again that it just takes hiking on the longer trails to completely escape the crowds at national parks. </div>
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Pretty meadows along the road in Canyonland National Park "Island in the Sky" District.</div>
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</script>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04082090351473247738noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9148569112268417370.post-68162420205716747982014-07-12T08:55:00.003-07:002014-07-12T08:56:24.299-07:00Devils Garden Primitive Loop at Arches National Park<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMbwJHSwVvel-Z0A5tA2VTITph2vnzAza0HXuuIUvQVHr6-ma9v10I2V2ZZ_YTwlxVzb8mPkXnwozouRRlXLUL75tGk5MfLuwPDGwfNz1Msq3k630cU0GXF_IxbBcq0ZHV7-p7_VEc3-8/s1600/Utah+18+Arches+Devils+Garden+Partition+Arch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMbwJHSwVvel-Z0A5tA2VTITph2vnzAza0HXuuIUvQVHr6-ma9v10I2V2ZZ_YTwlxVzb8mPkXnwozouRRlXLUL75tGk5MfLuwPDGwfNz1Msq3k630cU0GXF_IxbBcq0ZHV7-p7_VEc3-8/s1600/Utah+18+Arches+Devils+Garden+Partition+Arch.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b>Hike:</b> Devils Garden Primitive Loop at Arches National Park</div>
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<b>Hike Difficulty: </b>Moderate to Strenuous (sand and slick rock, not necessarily elevation gain)</div>
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<b>Hike Distance (Round Trip):</b> 7.2 - 8.1 miles (different websites report different distances; including all side trails to arches)</div>
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<b>Time (Round Trip):</b> 4-6 hours</div>
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Elevation: 1204 feet (total round trip elevation gain)</div>
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We spent 2 1/2 days in the Moab area, giving ourselves some time to explore both Arches and Canyonlands National Parks. I will be writing 3 separate posts about our hikes in those parks: 1) Devils Garden Primitive Loop in Arches; 2) Neck Spring Trail Loop in Canyonlands; 3) Delicate Arch in Arches. We went on smaller hikes and stopped at several vista points in both parks, so I'll mention those as well. </div>
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<span style="text-align: center;">Our morning drive into the park was really pretty. With the red rocks, morning and late evening are the best times of day to really appreciate their colors. </span></div>
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We began the Devils Garden Primitive Loop trail at the Devils Garden Trailhead (which has bathrooms) at about 7:15am. It gets really hot at Arches in the summertime, so we wanted to get the hike done by early afternoon. I am also glad we started early because we beat a lot of the crowds. I think many people don't hike the whole loop but instead only hike to Pine Tree Arch and Landscape Arch (1.6 miles round trip), so that section of the trail was really crowded. </div>
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We took the loop clockwise. I can see pros and cons to hiking the loop both ways, but ultimately I am glad we hiked it clockwise. The primitive part of the loop (second half for us) can be accessed shortly before Landscape Arch, if you want to go counter clockwise. If you do, then you will encounter several slick rock scrambles that you will be going up instead of down (this is a good thing, much easier to go up). However, unless you start the primitive loop section at like 5:30am, you will be hitting the majority of the arches when the rest of the Disneyland visitors are reaching them as well. I am definitely glad we got to see the arches before the swarms of people arrived, so because of that, I suggest hiking the loop clockwise (if you are leaving early...it will be crowded either way if you leave after 9am or so.)</div>
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Going clockwise, we saw Tunnel Arch, Pine Tree Arch, Landscape Arch, Partition Arch (I think my favorite...but loved Pine Tree as well), Navajo Arch (this one was ruined by too many people with tripods trying to get the same picture of a not-that-spectacular arch), Double O Arch, and Private Arch. We also took the side trip out to Dark Angel and came back to take the primitive trail right past Double O Arch. </div>
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The first section of the trail is very well maintained and easy to follow. Below is an example of what the trail looks like, and the turn off for Pine Tree and Tunnel Arches. Make sure you take the short detour to the right to at least see Pine Tree Arch. After those arches, we came back to this point and headed toward Landscape and Double O Arch (the left trail in the picture below).</div>
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Pine Tree Arch </div>
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Pine Tree Arch</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1LtvPumMWB6itQCTXZCwBkEPWy2sbQSEIU1RRBUt8frrbYdn3j2RajiwOgQkpLrikEZUgMPaqe9mQI5w98hOqJXKeYVk2iXgJogu3nP8xxT_8Gki1Ui5Yv_dWAbsAvsprMwuaMukyHV8/s1600/Utah+9+Arches+Devils+Garden.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1LtvPumMWB6itQCTXZCwBkEPWy2sbQSEIU1RRBUt8frrbYdn3j2RajiwOgQkpLrikEZUgMPaqe9mQI5w98hOqJXKeYVk2iXgJogu3nP8xxT_8Gki1Ui5Yv_dWAbsAvsprMwuaMukyHV8/s640/Utah+9+Arches+Devils+Garden.jpg" /></a></div>
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Nature's Artwork</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhodu1vXi-bkMwfJXsFqT7VyMDjIRz7nMP22G8N74iOh35eBO6pJ1GdVg8Bqef-duIeXYnxg_Uj6vKZvQD6aWflhedmUSx_5wYuyPvsQkld5Hf4U6Kz7TlH_5iTRTsUBsg4T1aFo0G6ypg/s1600/Utah+10+Arches+Devils+Garden.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhodu1vXi-bkMwfJXsFqT7VyMDjIRz7nMP22G8N74iOh35eBO6pJ1GdVg8Bqef-duIeXYnxg_Uj6vKZvQD6aWflhedmUSx_5wYuyPvsQkld5Hf4U6Kz7TlH_5iTRTsUBsg4T1aFo0G6ypg/s640/Utah+10+Arches+Devils+Garden.jpg" /></a></div>
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Sage against the red rock is one of my favorite color combinations.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2rdZPhm4dTy-8nynTG4JaC3qkc5Mx6ZXrwDCMFYzpH7uHaUMxWCP8sla-rbQfuV5SJRQqyIso9W5S5VSjyKXaIFoa3X47eolLVGWwG6xeq0dzx_3y9zOaEiwQNlVcb5iRpk1GGXyoWAw/s1600/Utah+11+Arches+Devils+Garden.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2rdZPhm4dTy-8nynTG4JaC3qkc5Mx6ZXrwDCMFYzpH7uHaUMxWCP8sla-rbQfuV5SJRQqyIso9W5S5VSjyKXaIFoa3X47eolLVGWwG6xeq0dzx_3y9zOaEiwQNlVcb5iRpk1GGXyoWAw/s640/Utah+11+Arches+Devils+Garden.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsvyWi5JasUvApL5d9EJJ8iob5xAVBz3ZVFMiHEN2TXVwEZIyB9i8Wl95cVdwFgNiF4Y0Qmo7WK0P60rHPUYPXcbFRv2IlP6luoddn1Ds-3uD6AOiOh_LeMErt_xkuWSK_BgpFEeyT6no/s1600/Utah+14+Arches+Devils+Garden+Landscape+Arch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsvyWi5JasUvApL5d9EJJ8iob5xAVBz3ZVFMiHEN2TXVwEZIyB9i8Wl95cVdwFgNiF4Y0Qmo7WK0P60rHPUYPXcbFRv2IlP6luoddn1Ds-3uD6AOiOh_LeMErt_xkuWSK_BgpFEeyT6no/s640/Utah+14+Arches+Devils+Garden+Landscape+Arch.jpg" /></a></div>
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Landscape Arch is 290 feet long and only about 6 feet wide in the thinnest section. Pretty incredible that it can stay as it is! Back in 1991, a section of it fell off and visitors captured videos and pictures of it. Since then, a small trail leading right up under the arch has been closed off. </div>
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Shortly after Landscape Arch, we weren't exactly sure where the trail was until we realized the only way was up...right up a narrow fin of rock. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqmPgSJ6PxrCWvVZXWkeJFwKGVNsQxvkx3CDAZygveonaEQajjxbrVOMnqHiJdGHBrQdr22XrQn42M892IaPN0t2g5ocCj7sXPF6Ad9THXUDvEhip90DhkWtOwunDYxbZI_gZ1bUCySOA/s1600/Utah+16+Arches+Devils+Garden.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqmPgSJ6PxrCWvVZXWkeJFwKGVNsQxvkx3CDAZygveonaEQajjxbrVOMnqHiJdGHBrQdr22XrQn42M892IaPN0t2g5ocCj7sXPF6Ad9THXUDvEhip90DhkWtOwunDYxbZI_gZ1bUCySOA/s1600/Utah+16+Arches+Devils+Garden.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
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Yup...that's the trail!</div>
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We took a trail off to the left for Partition and Navajo Arches. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWafWfzFFmy-xYsFFJMrwjPGvva-y0S6fLiR124NKNEOXEPrntiEznygNzPxDNUvyiZ78S6aCoSE_rNAr46Rwm0rcePXDbXz2OLs8O0RVybiOrmZrfpxId1a3saa_SOdL7D5Adf9Y4Of0/s1600/Utah+17+Arches+Devils+Garden+Partition+Arch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWafWfzFFmy-xYsFFJMrwjPGvva-y0S6fLiR124NKNEOXEPrntiEznygNzPxDNUvyiZ78S6aCoSE_rNAr46Rwm0rcePXDbXz2OLs8O0RVybiOrmZrfpxId1a3saa_SOdL7D5Adf9Y4Of0/s640/Utah+17+Arches+Devils+Garden+Partition+Arch.jpg" /></a></div>
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My fave!</div>
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Partition Arch</div>
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The trail continues along another narrow fin towards Double O Arch. I'm scared of heights but this wasn't so bad when there weren't many people out there. I wouldn't have wanted to be out on it with a bunch of other people though!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3-bAe-TdHb_K-gz2LLo-qbZjN8Ddf0xs_t8fTe6zJwKIgaOAMG-qXBrO-4GVSA9YtQkDHh8djZSywiWsuOFKyarxWUg558oRA5r36uccGN7vSk3PjV9teae1-2RDXMUf2keiFaBFO8qg/s1600/Utah+22+Arches+Devils+Garden.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3-bAe-TdHb_K-gz2LLo-qbZjN8Ddf0xs_t8fTe6zJwKIgaOAMG-qXBrO-4GVSA9YtQkDHh8djZSywiWsuOFKyarxWUg558oRA5r36uccGN7vSk3PjV9teae1-2RDXMUf2keiFaBFO8qg/s640/Utah+22+Arches+Devils+Garden.jpg" /></a></div>
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Follow the cairns! I have so much fun following the trails out west, when basically all you have to do is seek out the beautiful cairns showing you the way.</div>
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Double O Arch in the background</div>
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Double O Arch</div>
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There are a couple trails that head off away from Double O Arch. You can see Dark Angel from there, so follow the trail heading out in that direction. We stopped and had a great snack close by Dark Angel with views of Double O Arch from behind.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6yWkfWNxJpNMbCNvVDqyMmB-Kw1VDbLUf9jy7KEdz-i0je1ke00HKZ1mRVdkrDe5QS4a80KYf8meHY0f7mf4ErScxINdlbzq1JS77BvvGiWi1k2GFkKf4gXMG_cTBJ4zo55ntZbymbBU/s1600/Utah+27+Arches+Devils+Garden+Dark+Angel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6yWkfWNxJpNMbCNvVDqyMmB-Kw1VDbLUf9jy7KEdz-i0je1ke00HKZ1mRVdkrDe5QS4a80KYf8meHY0f7mf4ErScxINdlbzq1JS77BvvGiWi1k2GFkKf4gXMG_cTBJ4zo55ntZbymbBU/s640/Utah+27+Arches+Devils+Garden+Dark+Angel.jpg" /></a></div>
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We took the same trail back towards Double O Arch and then veered left to continue on the Primitive Loop trail. It was a little trickier to stay on this trail. We actually had to help some sort of eagle scout troop find their way back to the trail. I think the key is just staying focused, and it's not that hard to keep watching for the cairns. And yes, if the cairns look like they are taking you up and over a fin that definitely doesn't seem passable or safe, that is the trail. And it was passable and (mostly) safe. I highly recommend good hiking shoes though for hiking this section of the trail. Nothing that will slip down on the slick rock. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7tcqKYSKbJcLTLuR9AJ3GzrLVVvfHNyULhaGsPM_JqpCBjIRcnsxkmuF2vViFKe09vBvCIgKQVF_Eb4IBeM0__s2CJb5edCG_w-nH0hYCNr1YUuRpLz1U5NW0-ItbnWwdAdCFEIwd-IQ/s1600/Utah+30+Arches+Devils+Garden+Primitive+Loop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7tcqKYSKbJcLTLuR9AJ3GzrLVVvfHNyULhaGsPM_JqpCBjIRcnsxkmuF2vViFKe09vBvCIgKQVF_Eb4IBeM0__s2CJb5edCG_w-nH0hYCNr1YUuRpLz1U5NW0-ItbnWwdAdCFEIwd-IQ/s640/Utah+30+Arches+Devils+Garden+Primitive+Loop.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWpngUNXmeWM7AOTYJoCOzJa-hah4I38N-YJlhu0bFGeVrWAw3LdGZ8bLJJfR0XO7io-OsLQwTZ3Nyt5gSZeyu_2OXpdVVjsXMgzDD1Sl5uZksQPIb6omDPWscK0L1Ed0EBQY7FGofxv8/s1600/Utah+31+Arches+Devils+Garden.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWpngUNXmeWM7AOTYJoCOzJa-hah4I38N-YJlhu0bFGeVrWAw3LdGZ8bLJJfR0XO7io-OsLQwTZ3Nyt5gSZeyu_2OXpdVVjsXMgzDD1Sl5uZksQPIb6omDPWscK0L1Ed0EBQY7FGofxv8/s640/Utah+31+Arches+Devils+Garden.jpg" /></a></div>
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Doing the primitive section of the trail last is the way to go, but it is a bit of a sandy slog. It's a fairly long trail and the sand makes every step harder. However, we saw maybe two people after we helped the eagle scouts. It was quiet and beautiful and we did manage to find a couple of shady spots for water breaks. Bring plenty of water, go early, and make sure you see all of the arches. I can't imagine coming to Arches National Park and not doing this hike! It's the best way to see a ton of arches in one half day. </div>
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</script>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04082090351473247738noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9148569112268417370.post-68085848592249820202014-06-27T09:14:00.002-07:002014-06-27T09:14:12.127-07:00United States Cross Country Road Trip - From the Dirty South to the Best (West) Coast<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
On June 8, Ally and I closed the door on the North Carolina chapter of our lives and embarked on a spectacular cross country adventure. North Carolina was good to us and we will miss it and the friends we made there. Thankfully, a couple of those friends talk of moving to the West Coast, so we may be seeing a lot of them again soon! </div>
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I will be writing several blog posts about our adventures. Mostly, our national park adventures in Utah and California. However, I thought it would be fun to first re-cap the entire road trip with only my instagram pictures taken with my iPhone 5c. Other future posts (about hiking and other fun things in Arches, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, Bryce, and Yosemite National Parks) will include pictures taken with my Canon 70D, so stay tuned for much more! </div>
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We started in Durham, NC and finished up in the San Francisco Bay Area. The map below was our original itinerary, which we stuck to for the most part. We only detoured once outside of Louisville, KY because of an accident on the freeway, and once to the west of Denver based on a recommendation from a friend we stayed with. Both detours were worth the little bit of extra time, so I will highlight them below.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3rrHeePqCCOBjnFwdgRR5RUy0i10cGow4Fl4Si1JL49DF86KeAK_8Jd4xxzxlIODml0dQUO944ArXFTGMQwX3TJ_furQtfKZE5jhfulFukKCzJxQsG1bkmEiPMLmPUE6UFOqsSECnH2Q/s1600/Map+of+General+Route.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3rrHeePqCCOBjnFwdgRR5RUy0i10cGow4Fl4Si1JL49DF86KeAK_8Jd4xxzxlIODml0dQUO944ArXFTGMQwX3TJ_furQtfKZE5jhfulFukKCzJxQsG1bkmEiPMLmPUE6UFOqsSECnH2Q/s1600/Map+of+General+Route.png" height="356" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b><u>Day 1: Durham, NC to Evansville, IN</u></b></div>
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Durham to Evansville was about 650 miles. It was a really long day in the car. We tackled 5 states this day: North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, and Indiana. We stopped for lunch in Charleston, WV at Pies and Pints (delicious pizza recommended by a West Virginia native that Ally went to school with) and stopped in Louisville, KY only briefly at a Whole Foods for a quick dinner. </div>
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We had some crazy fog through the first part of Virginia in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Really cool but a little scary in the car. Thankfully, there weren't a ton of people on the road.<br />
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Pies and Pints building in Charleston, WV</div>
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Random beautiful, old building in Charleston, WV</div>
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Somewhere near Shelbyville, KY we got off interstate 64 and drove 30 miles or so on highway 60. It was late afternoon/early evening so the sun was casting a beautiful light on the land. On both sides of the road was a ton of land surrounding huge houses, with barns and horses and the green, green grass. </div>
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From the passenger seat, on Highway 60 to the east of Louisville, KY</div>
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Evansville, IN was nothing more than a hotel room for us. We stayed in an average hotel right off the freeway. We just needed a bed and a shower and we were off again the next morning. </div>
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<b><u>Day 2: Evansville, IN to Topeka, KS</u></b><br />
It is not shocking that most of the drive on this day was pretty boring. However, we broke things up by spending a few hours in St. Louis. I really enjoyed checking out the old buildings and I found that the downtown area was really nice and clean and pleasant to walk around. We went to <a href="http://roosterstl.com/">Rooster</a> (highly recommended!) for delicious crepes before taking a walk to the Gateway Arch (past the capitol building...also worth checking out). </div>
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Illinois</div>
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Gateway Arch</div>
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St. Louis</div>
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Shortly after we left St. Louis, we got stuck in a downpour that just didn't let up. We had been aiming to make it to somewhere half way through Kansas, but by the time we got to Topeka we were sick of driving in the rain. It just felt unsafe and it didn't make sense to keep pushing it. We found a really nice <a href="http://topeka.place.hyatt.com/en/hotel/home.html">Hyatt Place</a> in Topeka. I was pleasantly surprised when I walked in and it felt like a boutique hotel, complete with a little bar (alcohol and espresso). I was happy to have a nice place to stay, given that we were there around 5pm and would be spending several hours hanging out in the room. I was also grateful for the nice bed and good night sleep I got, given the not-so-great sleep I'd gotten the night before. </div>
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<b><u>Day 3: Topeka, KS to Denver, CO</u></b></div>
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Our original plan had been to camp somewhere around Vail in White River National Forest this evening. However, since we didn't get as far as we wanted to on Day 2, we called some friends in Denver and decided to stop there and stay with them instead. Kansas was painful enough to drive through and we were definitely ready to stop in Denver! But it wasn't our longest day and we got to Denver around 4pm. We also stocked up at the local Whole Foods for camping/hiking food in Utah (our next destination). </div>
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Kansas</div>
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<b><u>Day 4: Denver, CO to Moab, UT</u></b><br />
Our friend recommended that, instead of taking 70 from Denver to Vail and beyond, we check out Golden, CO and then take highway 6 through a beautiful canyon before meeting back up with 70 prior to Idaho Springs. This may have added a few minutes onto the trip, but it was definitely worth it.<br />
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From the passenger seat, on Highway 6</div>
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From the passenger seat on Interstate 70</div>
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We stopped in Vail for probably 45 minutes, just to stretch our legs and get a look at the famous ski resort area. We checked out some overpriced Patagonia gear before continuing on our way on Interstate 70 through the rest of Colorado and on to Utah. </div>
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From the passenger seat....I believe these are Book Cliffs (might be Mt. Garfield) east of Grand Junction, Colorado</div>
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Crazy sky in Utah</div>
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This section of Colorado and Utah was a little rough to drive through. You could see crazy mountains and rock formations way off in the distance, but it was pretty desert-like and flat by the road with very few places to stop. I was very happy to be out of the car by the time we got to Moab, especially given that we planned to stay in Moab for 3 nights. </div>
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From the passenger seat, heading into Moab</div>
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<b><u>Days 5 and 6: Arches and Canyonlands National Park</u></b></div>
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We made reservations to camp at <a href="http://www.moabupthecreek.com/">Up The Creek campground</a> in Moab, because we were worried we wouldn't be able to find camping and wanted to be somewhere we could easily access both parks. There were definitely pros and cons to staying here. It was nice to be able to walk into town (it's right in town) for ice cream, groceries, or dinner. There are several options for a good meal (Moab Brewery, Twisted Sista was AMAZING, or Jailhouse Cafe for breakfast). The campground has great facilities, with showers, ice, water, etc. However, I never felt like I was camping there. It just never felt that relaxing. I was happy for showers after the long, dirty, hot hikes in the parks though! </div>
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On Day 5, we did Devils Garden Primitive Loop in Arches. On Day 6, we got up to watch the sunrise at Mesa Arch in Canyonlands, then hiked Neck Spring Trail, and then basically checked out the rest of the park by car. Loved Canyonlands!</div>
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Sunrise at Canyonlands</div>
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<b><u>Day 7: Moab, UT to Escalante, UT</u></b></div>
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Before leaving for Escalante (about an hour east of Bryce Canyon), we got up pretty early to hike Delicate Arch before too many people were there. Unfortunately, there were still a lot of people. I had to be really patient to wait for a line of people to pose with the arch, before I could take a few pictures with no one in them. </div>
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Delicate Arch</div>
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The next part of our adventure was one of my favorites of the whole trip, and it almost didn't happen! Our plan had been to head straight to Bryce from Moab. However, it was Saturday and we knew we wouldn't be getting there early enough to snag a first-come/first-serve campsite. I had called around to a few hotels and bed and breakfasts and nothing was available. So I broadened my search, and found what looked like an awesome airstream resort in Escalante. We booked that for Saturday night and that changed our route to include Capitol Reef National Park and scenic byway Highway 12. I am so glad we did this drive!</div>
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Capitol Reef seems like maybe the ignored sister of some of the more famous Utah National Parks. It shouldn't be ignored! It was beautiful. We went on a short hike to Hickman's Bridge and saw very few people (unlike Arches) and Highway 12 goes right through the park so it's an easy stop. </div>
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Highway 12 also goes in and out of Dixie National Forest and it's beautiful with big vistas and beautiful trees. A very pleasant surprise to see a bunch of green after several days in the desert. </div>
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Capitol Reef National Park (from the passenger seat)</div>
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We stayed at <a href="http://www.shootingstar-rvresort.com/">Shooting Star Airstream Resort</a> in Escalante. They have several airstreams and it recently changed ownership and was closed for awhile, so they are really trying to increase their visibility. I actually liked that people don't know about it, because it meant we basically had the property to ourselves. We set up shop at Sugar's Shack (decorated like Marilyn Monroe's trailer for "Some Like It Hot") and made dinner out on our deck. Then we watched the sunset over the mountains while playing guitar and singing. </div>
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<b><u>Days 8 and 9: Bryce Canyon</u> </b><br />
There is so much to do in Bryce! We camped at Sunset Campground, which was busy but had tent only loops so it felt quiet and finally like real camping. We hiked the Figure 8 Combination Loop (Queens Garden, Peek-A-Boo, and Navajo Loop combination) on Day 8 and then Fairyland Loop on Day 9. I definitely recommend both hikes and it is worth getting out past the crowds. The hoodoos are a lot more breathtaking when you don't feel like you are going to get pushed off a cliff by an idiot who is hiking in white tennis shoes.<br />
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Figure 8 Combination Loop</div>
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<b><u>Day 10: Bryce Canyon to Mammoth Lakes, CA</u></b></div>
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It made leaving Bryce a bit easier that we were heading home to California. I really enjoyed Bryce and hope to get back there very soon. Because we wanted to do Yosemite on our first full day back in California, we had to take a bunch of secondary roads through Nevada. Wow. It is desolate. Thankfully, we were driving a dependable car but still I was worried if we broke down or got a flat tire. There are literally no towns for like 250 miles and no cell service that whole time either. I'd be seeing aliens too if I lived out here! We definitely saw a few mirages and many Joshua trees (which I love!)</div>
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That's right...ET Highway</div>
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Getting close to home! </div>
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Entertaining myself in the passenger seat.</div>
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<b><u>Day 11: Mammoth Lakes to Home</u></b></div>
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Ally was excited to see that her favorite bakery in the world (the original is in Bishop) now has a shop in Mammoth Lakes. It was my first time at Schat's and now I see why it is her favorite. Dang! As long as you eat gluten, you will be able to find something heavenly there. We brought a loaf of the asiago bread home and it is incredible. </div>
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Then we made our way to Tioga Pass and stopped for a hike along the John Muir Trail. We had been doing a lot of hiking and wanted something with views but didn't really want something super hard. Lyell Canyon is an out and back on the JMT on which you can go out as far as you want. We ended up hiking about 12-14 miles, but the view below can be seen within the first two miles.<br />
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Lyell Canyon</div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">Olmstead Point was a great lookout point to stop at along Tioga Road (and see Half Dome from the east). </span></div>
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Granite and ponderosa pines from the passenger seat</div>
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We were feeling pretty loopy by the end of our drive. We hadn't thought out food very well for this day, and were getting really hungry after the long hike. We had to stop in Manteca for a quick bite to eat before finishing up the drive and heading over the Altamont Pass (past Livermore). A perfect way to end our journey: watching the sunset over the windmills on the golden hills of the Altamont Pass as we drove our last 20 minutes home. So good to be back in the Bay!</div>
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</script>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04082090351473247738noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9148569112268417370.post-63127409578474590512014-05-16T12:05:00.003-07:002014-05-16T12:05:48.312-07:00Eno River State Park - Cox Mountain Trail<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Hike: </b>Cox Mountain Loop Trail at Eno River State Park</div>
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<b>Hike Difficulty: </b>Easy to Moderate (one steep incline)</div>
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<b>Hike Distance (Round Trip):</b> 3.75 miles</div>
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<b>Time (Round Trip): </b>1 1/2 hours</div>
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<b>Total Elevation Gain (Loss):</b> 395 feet (398 feet) </div>
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This is one of my three go-to hikes/trail runs in the Durham area (the other two are Company Mill Trail at Umstead State Park and New Hope Overlook at Jordan Lake State Recreation Area). When I'm running it, I add the Fanny's Ford Trail loop on for a 5 mile run. The trail is almost entirely shaded so it's even a nice hike during the heat of the summer. Once again, I don't know why they insist on calling this Cox "Mountain". It is hardly a mountain! But there is one section of the hike that I would call strenuous, especially for a trail run. The rest is pretty easy, as long as you are watching your footing with all the roots in the trail.</div>
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The trail starts in the loop parking lot at the end of Cole Mill Road. Driving directions can be found at the end of this post. There are bathrooms and a drinking fountain, as well as a picnic area and trail maps to take with you. </div>
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We started out the hike down the paved path through the picnic area and then followed the trail to the right when we reached the bluff. The Eno Trace Nature Trail is off to the left (a sign indicates this), but we continued the Cox Mountain Loop by turning right at the bluff. We quickly descended to the river before heading across the suspension bridge. </div>
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After crossing the bridge, we continued following signs for Cox Mountain Trail. The trail heads up a little from the bridge and then veers right at the sign below. </div>
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We always do this loop clockwise so the steepest section is uphill instead of down. We turned left at the Cox Mountain Trail sign (need to keep your eyes open for this because the sign isn't super easy to spot.) After the steep ascent, we quickly began to descend back down to the river. The descent isn't too steep, but it does last awhile and might be challenging for someone with bad knees. </div>
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Once we got back down to the river, the trail veers right again and stays along the river. This is my favorite part of the hike. It always has the most amazing reflections! And if you are lucky and enjoy taking pictures, you will visit on a day when there is moisture dripping from the trees. I love these pictures!</div>
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The trail then veers to the right (again) and we began going back up; however, this ascent is much more moderate. </div>
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Bottom line on this trail, except for the one left to go up the mountain, we always turned right. Once we climbed and then descended again, we reached the trail we came in on and turned right to head back to the footbridge. (When I add on Fanny's Ford trail for a longer loop, I turn left here). </div>
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The signage is great on this hike and all you need to remember is Cox Mountain Trail and/or Footbridge. It is hard to get lost. The worst thing you can do is miss the first left to go up Cox Mountain the steep way, and then you'll just have to turn left at the next turn and do the loop counter-clockwise. </div>
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<b><u>Driving Directions from Durham</u></b></div>
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Take 147 North towards I-85 South and US-70.</div>
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Continue onto I-85 South.</div>
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Take exit 170 onto US-70.</div>
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Turn right onto Pleasant Green Road.</div>
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Turn left onto Cole Mill Road. </div>
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Continue to the end of the road where there is a loop parking lot. </div>
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</script>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04082090351473247738noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9148569112268417370.post-58884239692023753792014-04-20T12:57:00.000-07:002014-04-20T12:59:43.990-07:00Occoneechee Mountain Loop Trail<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Hike: </b>Occoneechee Mountain Loop Trail at Occoneechee Mountain State Natural Area</div>
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<b>Hike Difficulty:</b> Easy to Moderate</div>
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<b>Hike Distance (Round Trip):</b> (supposedly) 2.2 miles</div>
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<b>Time (Round Trip):</b> 1-2 hours</div>
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<b>Elevation:</b> A whopping 867 feet! (Highest point in Orange County, North Carolina)</div>
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We didn't move to the Piedmont of North Carolina for the hiking. There are a lot of other fantastic things to do here and I will miss Durham when we leave, but I won't really miss the hiking. That being said, there are some great trails to go out and enjoy if you are ok without big sprawling vistas and with lots and lots of trees (which come along with lots of roots in the trails, so you have to watch your feet). Spring is the perfect season for hiking around here, because all of the trees are flowering and turning green but there isn't so much vegetation that the sun can't get through. And of course, most importantly, the humidity is low and the insects and spiders are not out in full force yet. </div>
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We had never been to Occoneechee Mountain State Natural Area before, but had a very lovely morning hike there this April weekend. The trail is pretty easy to follow and they have trail maps that you can take with you at the trailhead parking lot (see driving directions at the end of this post), so I'm not going to go into great detail with step-by-step directions for the hike. </div>
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We hiked Occoneechee Mountain Loop Trail clockwise and started at the trailhead up the hill from the bathroom and trail map stand. Along the way, we saw many cool rock formations. At about a mile or so in, the trail follows along the Eno River for awhile before heading back up the "mountain" towards the lookout. I recommend taking little side detours to see the Occoneechee Quarry and the lookout over the Eno River. </div>
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Amazing bark on a tree that we had to climb over on the trail. </div>
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At the sign below, we went right to explore the abandoned pre-Civil War era quarry. The quarry rock walls are composed of sericite, quartz, and pyrophyllite minerals, which makes them a white-ish color.<br />
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After checking out the quarry, we headed back to the trail sign and continued on (and up) the Occoneechee Loop Trail.<br />
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Hard to escape signs of civilization on hikes in the Piedmont, but it didn't seem to bother me much on this hike. We could hear Highway 85 for the first little bit of the trail, but mostly it was wind blowing through the trees and quite pleasant.<br />
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At the junction below, we continued straight toward the lookout and then came back to this sign and continued on the Loop Trail. There are other trails that could be short cuts, but we wanted to complete the loop.<br />
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View of the Eno River from the Lookout</div>
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<b><u>Driving Directions from Durham</u></b></div>
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1. Take 85 South to exit 164 for Hillsborough.</div>
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2. Turn right on Old NC 86. </div>
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3. Turn left on Mayo Street.</div>
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4. Turn left on Orange Grove Road.</div>
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5. Turn right on Virginia Cates Road. Continue on this road past a little pond (look for turtles!) until you see the parking area on your left. There are signs for Occoneechee Mountain after you get off 85 and they are really easy to follow. </div>
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</script>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04082090351473247738noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9148569112268417370.post-11810585943049296162014-02-13T11:07:00.002-08:002014-02-13T11:07:35.526-08:00Ice MagicI'm not really sure I can call this an adventure. We only walked about a quarter of a mile through the ice covered snow in our neighborhood. But in North Carolina, this is a rare treat. It was quite magical and I'm glad Ally and I both got to stay home to enjoy it today!<br />
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I think this looks like it belongs at the Chihuly Glass Museum</div>
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Not quite spring</div>
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Ice patterns on our wrought iron outdoor furniture</div>
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</script>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04082090351473247738noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9148569112268417370.post-21160519020225019562014-02-04T04:36:00.001-08:002014-02-04T04:36:16.360-08:00Ship Peak Hike on Orcas Island<div>
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<b>Hike:</b> Ship Peak Loop in Turtleback Mountain Preserve</div>
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<b><b>Hike Difficulty:</b> Moderate </b></div>
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<b>Hike Distance (Round Trip):</b> about 3 miles</div>
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<b>Time (Round Trip):</b> 1.5-2 hours</div>
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<b>Elevation:</b> Ship Peak 931 feet</div>
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In previous posts, I gushed about Turtleback Mountain Preserve and how incredible it is. We went on two hikes in the preserve when we were on <a href="http://ais4adventure.blogspot.com/search/label/orcas%20island">Orcas Island</a> in December. Details about our hike in the north section of the park can be found <a href="http://ais4adventure.blogspot.com/2014/01/turtlehead-trail-at-turtleback-mountain.html">here</a>. We enjoyed Turtlehead Hike in the north section of the park so much that we made sure we had time to go on another hike before leaving on the ferry at 12:15pm on our last day. I honestly couldn't tell you which one to go on if you had to pick one. Both were awesome, so either do both or know that you won't be disappointed with either one!<br />
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I realize this photo is not terrific because of the condensation on the trailhead map; however, it can still help you in visualizing the trail and planning your hike. </div>
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We started out on the South Trail from the Wildrose Lane trailhead, and then veered off the wide trail to the left for the single track Lost Oak Trail. And then we hiked up and up and up. The forest in this section of the park is very different from the forest on the Turtlehead hike, and I was glad we got to check out all of the park's diversity. </div>
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I just can't get over how GREEN it was on Orcas. I was so thankful for this trip, since it is incredibly brown and bare in North Carolina right now. </div>
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There were many vista points along this trail, not just at Ship Peak. And the views seemed to change before our eyes because the fog continued to move. </div>
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Considering a Madrona tree tattoo and this one looks like the perfect one!</div>
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At this sign, we turned right towards Ship Peak. </div>
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This section of the trail didn't seem to exactly match what the map indicates. We just kept following signs for Ship Peak and continued on the trail after Ship Peak to meet back up with loop trail. In other words, there is no need to go out and back to the vista point. The trail loops back to the main trail.</div>
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This actually reminds me of the spanish moss in <a href="http://ais4adventure.blogspot.com/2014/01/low-country-adventures.html">South Carolina</a>.</div>
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Once we met back up with the main trail, we followed it down with a short stop at West Overlook (760 feet). We could see all of Crow Valley out to the north side of the island and south towards West Sound. It was beautiful to see the fog hanging over several of the farms perfectly placed throughout Crow Valley. Can you tell how much I love this place? </div>
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Yes, it looks like sunset, but it's actually 11am. Welcome to the Pacific Northwest in winter. </div>
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Crow Valley</div>
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It was really this green. I did not do a thing to this picture. </div>
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We made it back down the trail quickly (too quickly for my taste) and drove the 10 minutes to the ferry. Our visit was too short, but it always is. I am just thankful we know of this place and will come back to visit again and again. In the meantime, I'm glad I got some good pictures to remind me of the feeling I have on Orcas. </div>
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Quick stop on the side of the road on our way back to the ferry. </div>
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The sun lighting up the Madrona trees</div>
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<b><u>Directions to Wildrose Trailhead from Eastsound</u>: </b></div>
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Head south on Orcas Road for 1.2 miles. </div>
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At Y, turn right on Crow Valley Road.<br />
In 5.3 miles, turn right on Deer Harbor Road.<br />
Turn right on Wildrose Lane. Parking area will be on your right. Enjoy!</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04082090351473247738noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9148569112268417370.post-83186588985116820022014-01-29T14:18:00.000-08:002014-01-29T14:18:11.111-08:00Low Country AdventuresThis will be a brief post because I could not do my typical adventuring on our trip to "Low Country" last week. Two weeks ago, I was out on a 6 mile trail run at Umstead State Park and badly sprained my ankle and foot. Our trip to Edisto Island was scheduled for the following week, so I was in no shape to even walk, let alone run, like I normally would on my beach vacation.<br />
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This is the fourth winter in a row we have spent some time on Edisto Island. It's a super laid back island without a resort and with a great campground right on the beach. Much of the island is marshland, which means the bird watching is incredible. We always see a ton of pelicans, egrets, and herons. There are alligators too, but we never see them in January when we are there.<br />
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On my 250 yard walk on the beach. Crutches on the beach were not super enjoyable!</div>
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Lovely sun rays from the car</div>
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Edisto Island is not super easy to get to. It's about an hour off of I-95 on back roads that I highly advise you stay off of at night. It's about an hour south of Charleston and two hours north of Savannah. It's a perfect spot to feel disconnected from the hustle and bustle of "real life" and connected with nature. And if you are needing something more than reading, walking, or running on the beach, then there are plenty of options for day trips.<br />
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Because I sprained my ankle, we didn't do much. However, we did adventure out one day to the cute town of Beaufort, South Carolina (pronounced bew-fert). I've read just about every Pat Conroy book since moving to the South, so was excited to check out the town he has lived in and written about. Also, several movies, including Forrest Gump, The Big Chill and The Great Santini were filmed in this cute historic town. I just wish I could've walked more, because it is full of incredible antebellum homes and tons of great photo opportunities. I was limited to taking pictures from the car and on the couple of blocks of Bay Street that I hobbled around.<br />
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Spanish Moss covers low country</div>
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A crazy thunderstorm came in while we were there. Was kind of fun to watch it from under an awning on Bay Street. </div>
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So many cool homes! I wish we could've walked around all afternoon. We'll have to make a trip back someday!</div>
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On previous trips to Edisto, we've done quite a bit right on Edisto Island. Botany Bay is one of my favorite spots for a walk on the beach. We've also rented kayaks and explored the marshes for an afternoon.<br />
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Boneyard at Botany Bay</div>
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For eating, I recommend getting some locally caught fish from the Edisto Seafood Market and cooking it at your place. If you feel like driving, The <a href="http://www.oldfirehouserestaurant.com/">Old Firehouse Restaurant</a> has some great southern food (make sure you get a side of cabbage. Seriously, you won't regret it.) I've also heard the <a href="http://www.theoldpostofficerestaurant.com/">Old Post Office Restaurant</a> in Edisto is great, but we've never been because they are always closed for the month of January. On our way home this trip, we stopped and ate lunch at <a href="http://hominygrill.com/">Hominy Grill</a>, which was recently written up in <a href="http://www.foodandwine.com/slideshows/best-biscuits-in-the-us">Food & Wine</a> as having some of the best biscuits in the country (and I love biscuits!!!) These biscuits did not disappoint and they had a great veggie plate with really unique and southern options, like mashed sweet potatoes, grits, braised cabbage, and squash casserole. </div>
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</script>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04082090351473247738noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9148569112268417370.post-32959411171321259852014-01-08T06:08:00.002-08:002014-02-04T04:37:01.693-08:00Turtlehead Trail at Turtleback Mountain Preserve (Orcas Island)<div style="text-align: center;">
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<b>Hike:</b> North Trail and Turtlehead Trail</div>
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<b>Hike Difficulty:</b> Moderate</div>
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<b>Hike Distance (Round Trip): </b>5.4 miles (add a bit more for the two overlooks)</div>
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<b>Time (Round Trip): </b>3 hours</div>
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<b>Elevation: </b>Turtlehead 1005 feet<br />
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Just when I thought Orcas Island couldn't feel more magical or special, we had an opportunity to explore Turtleback Mountain Preserve on the west side of the island. Maybe it was just that in the winter there are fewer people on the island. Or maybe it's that a lot of love and money from local islanders and conservation groups recently made sure this land would never be sold off so rich people could build absurd houses on it and ultimately ruin this pristine, undeveloped, beautiful land. Whatever the reason, Turtleback Mountain Preserve felt special. It is peaceful, quiet, lush, and spiritual. The trails were well maintained and all of the overlooks are worth spending a few moments to breath it all in (and snap a few pictures). </div>
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This hike started at the North parking area off Crow Valley Road. The parking lot is right next to the Crow Valley School Museum. Directions to the trailhead can be found at the bottom of this post. It is really obvious where the trail begins. Below is a map of the north section of the preserve.<br />
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We took a few minutes to check out the historic school and its surroundings before heading off down the trail.<br />
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Pleasant Valley School (later called Crow Valley School) built in 1888</div>
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After the school, we started up North Trail (and it is up, for most of the trail), taking a short detour to enjoy North Valley Overlook. </div>
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North Valley Overlook. Mount Constitution in the distance and Crow Valley down below.<br />
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Several beautiful Madrona trees at the overlook<br />
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North Trail<br />
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We continued up North Trail for 1.5 miles to Waldron Overlook (Waldron Overlook can be found by following a little trail to the right. There is a sign that points you in the correct direction.)<br />
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The view from Waldron Overlook of Waldron Island. We kayaked right along the coast down below on our San Juan Islands <a href="http://ais4adventure.blogspot.com/2013/10/kayaking-san-juan-islands.html">kayaking adventure</a> in 2011. </div>
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We took the Waldron Overlook Trail back to North Trail and almost immediately to the right is the Turtlehead Trail sign. This sign says the trail is 1.0 miles, but the map at the parking lot says 1.2. It definitely felt longer than 1 mile (but every step was awesome)!</div>
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The Turtlehead Trail is no longer a fire road, but instead is single track. The sign says no bicycles are allowed on this trail. From this point, we were going down hill for awhile before heading back uphill to the vista point. </div>
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Not sure what type of critter this is. Maybe a fox? </div>
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So much green! And yes, it's dark and feels like the sun is about to set, but it's really only 1:30pm. </div>
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The moss was literally glowing. So magical (and hobbity)!</div>
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Views from Turtlehead. </div>
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How awesome is this little character!?</div>
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We encountered 3 families and one single guy on the entire hike. We basically had the afternoon to ourselves. I loved every second of it. So much so, that we figured out a way to get one more hike in at Turtleback Mountain before leaving the island. Next post: Ship Peak at Turtleback Mountain Preserve</div>
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<b><u>Directions to North Trailhead from Eastsound</u></b></div>
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Head south on Orcas Road for 1.2 miles. </div>
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At Y, turn right on Crow Valley Road. </div>
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Continue south on Crow Valley Road for about 1.5 miles. You will go through one stop sign. </div>
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When you see Crow Valley School Museum on your right, the trailhead parking lot is right beyond it on your right. There is room for probably 5-6 cars.</div>
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</script>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04082090351473247738noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9148569112268417370.post-84422445880179260052014-01-04T07:42:00.002-08:002014-01-08T06:10:12.480-08:00Orcas Island in Winter<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Allyson and I decided kind of last minute to head to Washington State for the holidays. We hadn't met our 5 month old twin nephews yet, and the rest of Allyson's family was planning a trip up there to see them and the rest of the clan. Obviously, we couldn't be in the Seattle area and not make it back to Orcas Island. We were last there for our wedding in August 2012. We have been there several time during summer months, but I had never been there in the winter. I was expecting dark and rainy the entire time and I was still fine with that. Nothing quite like getting cozy next to a fire looking out on the rain over the water with the fog covering the trees. However, we were pleasantly surprised! It only rained one morning in the 3 1/2 days we were there. And even then, we made the most of it.<br />
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I'm going to highlight what we did during our time on Orcas in this post. Then I'll dedicate two more posts to the hikes we did while we were on the island.<br />
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<b><u><span style="font-size: large;">Day 1 - Getting to Orcas</span></u></b></div>
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Yes, it's a pain in the butt to get to Orcas, especially when you are coming from the east coast. We flew (not a direct flight) to Seattle and had to spend the night at the airport that night. The next morning we rented a car, stopped at a grocery store in Seattle (it was Christmas Day, so we are lucky something was open), and then made our way up to Anacortes (about a 2 hour drive from SeaTac). From Anacortes, we took the <a href="http://www.wsdot.com/ferries/Schedule/">ferry </a>to Orcas. Of course, we had to time all of this very carefully, because the ferries only leave a few times a day from Anacortes to Orcas Island. </div>
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Despite all the careful planning and extended travel time, the rejuvenation I experienced on the island more than made up for it. </div>
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The island experience starts in Anacortes. As soon as I see the ferry (or even hear it approaching), I get goosebumps. But even before we made it to the ferry, we made our way to a marina and park (I think it was Seafarers Memorial Park off Q Street) in Anacortes for lunch and a walk. We had such a blast checking out all the boats and encountered our first hooded merganser!</div>
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We lined up for the ferry about an hour before our scheduled departure time (3:35pm) and then were on our way. By the time we got to the island, the sun was setting. The days are so short up there in the winter! I knew they would be, but it was pretty crazy to wake up an hour and a half before the sunrise every morning!<br />
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The Olympic Mountains from the ferry. </div>
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We stayed in a well-appointed studio at <a href="http://www.seastarorcasisland.com/">SeaStar Lofts</a> right in Eastsound, directly on the water. It's a great little place from which we could walk to restaurants, beaches, shops, etc. I think in the summer, the noise from the bar and grill next door would get annoying, but in the winter it was perfect! And watching the sunrises and sunsets while warming up next to our gas stove was exactly what we were aiming for on this trip!<br />
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<b><u><span style="font-size: large;">Day 2 </span></u></b><br />
In the morning, we took our time getting up and around. We watched the sunrise while drinking our tea. We didn't feel like getting in our car right away, so we decided to go for a long walk around Eastsound. We went down by Odd Fellows Hall, where we got married (you can see more of our wedding photos <a href="http://www.onabicyclebuiltfortwo.com/2013/02/wedding-anne-and-allyson.html">here</a> and <a href="http://jonathanmsteinberg.com/blog/2013/8/28/anne-ally-married-orcas-island-wa">here</a>), and out on the dock at the end of Haven Road. Then we went north of town by the school, and then over to Ship Bay to walk along the beach for awhile.<br />
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Skate park at the school</div>
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I think this guy is a Bufflehead duck, but I'm no bird expert. If you know, please comment!</div>
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Looking out on Ship Bay</div>
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After our lovely walk, we went back to our studio and made some lunch. Then we got in the car and drove over to <a href="http://www.sjclandbank.org/turtle_back.html">Turtleback Mountain Preserve</a> for a hike. When I first started coming to Orcas Island, this area wasn't open for hiking. This was our first time exploring the trails on Turtleback Mountain. Most visitors frequent the more popular (and also incredible) Moran State Park. Both are worth a visit! If you have never been to Orcas Island, you have to hike Mount Constitution. You can see details of our last hike up Mount Constitution <a href="http://ais4adventure.blogspot.com/2012/09/mini-moon-adventures-on-orcas-island.html">here</a>. However, since we've done that a few times, I was excited to explore a new part of the island.<br />
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I provide more details about our two hikes in Turtleback Mountain Preserve on other posts (<a href="http://ais4adventure.blogspot.com/2014/01/turtlehead-trail-at-turtleback-mountain.html">Turtleback North</a> and Turtleback South). However, here are a couple highlights from this day's hike (5.5 miles) from the North Trailhead out to Waldron Overlook and Turtlehead (1005 feet).<br />
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North Valley Overlook and Mount Constitution in the distance</div>
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Waldron Island</div>
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Magical view from Turtlehead</div>
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<b><u><span style="font-size: large;">Day 3</span></u></b></div>
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The forecast for this day was rain all day. We were prepared for that. This day is when I realized that when I check the Eastsound weather forecast on my phone from North Carolina, I shouldn't believe it. All day my phone said 70% or higher chance of rain. It always said it was raining. And yet, the sun came out in the afternoon for an absolutely gorgeous afternoon and sunset! </div>
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But back to the rain. It did pour in the morning. We decided it would be fun to do a trail run at Mountain Lake in Moran State Park. The trail around the lake is a 3.9 mile long loop and through big redwood trees. We figured we would be sheltered from a lot of the rain. I obviously didn't bring my camera for the run, but it was beautiful and the cold rain was invigorating. I'm glad we didn't chicken out because of a little rain. </div>
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No better way to follow up a run in the rain than with brunch. We went to Mia's Cafe in Eastsound and had an incredible brunch with hot tea and some of the best biscuits ever.</div>
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After a warm shower, we spent the rest of the day relaxing in our studio and walking around town. We spent some time shopping in <a href="http://www.darvillsbookstore.com/">Darvill's Bookstore</a> and had dinner at a fabulous farm to table pizza place called Hogstone. Yum! We finished up by getting a drink at the best-named bar, The Barnacle. </div>
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Odd Fellows Hall</div>
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<b><u><span style="font-size: large;">Day 4 - Heading back to reality</span></u></b></div>
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We headed back to Seattle/Tacoma and began that journey on the 12:20pm ferry. This gave us plenty of time to get one more hike in! We hiked to Ship Peak from the South Trailhead at Turtleback Mountain Preserve, so we could get a good sense of all the preserve has to offer. Another great hike that I will provide more details about in another post! For now, here are the highlights from our morning hike to Ship Peak. </div>
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West Overlook</div>
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Quick stop on the side of Deer Harbor Road on the way to the ferry</div>
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If my pictures don't sell you, I'm not sure what will. Turtleback Mountain is a must do when you are on Orcas Island. If you are looking for a place that isn't swarming with people but has some of the best views you will see anywhere, this is your spot. Either of the hikes we did will not disappoint. And the hike to the vista points is just as beautiful, with moss covered trees, rocks...heck, everything is covered in moss. It's incredible. </div>
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Once again, Orcas Island, you have taken my breath away. I am already thinking about when I can next come to visit...hopefully for longer than a few days. How about forever? </div>
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</script>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04082090351473247738noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9148569112268417370.post-74868580574311064652013-11-26T04:53:00.000-08:002013-11-26T05:28:42.186-08:00Take a Hike in Your Local Botanical Garden<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Hkc5M1H4ZtoDY2jaivXkn9jdEY92fVH07kk_u5jcpFQcIAOweYgFcWDm66_FK31x5bvsrLQAVQiA4ouTzZIS0rim1EPHG354Nj51uVQj4eVXvlUI44l_KForbEH5wepT8YiE9S_dtqA/s1600/Longwood+12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Hkc5M1H4ZtoDY2jaivXkn9jdEY92fVH07kk_u5jcpFQcIAOweYgFcWDm66_FK31x5bvsrLQAVQiA4ouTzZIS0rim1EPHG354Nj51uVQj4eVXvlUI44l_KForbEH5wepT8YiE9S_dtqA/s640/Longwood+12.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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We can't all live in the San Francisco Bay Area or Santa Fe, New Mexico. We don't all have easy access to hiking trails with awesome mountains, redwoods, or coastal views. However, that doesn't mean we have to stay inside and play video games or watch television all day. Most cities (especially if there is a university near by) have botanical gardens. <br />
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I'm posting pictures from some of the incredible gardens I've been to for two reasons.<br />
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1. Because I've been pouting about living in a place where I don't have 12,000 foot peaks within 20 minutes of where I live (like we did in Santa Fe), and I needed a reminder that there is still natural beauty to be had in urban places (or other places where the highest "peak" within a 60 mile radius is 867 feet).<br />
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2. Because it's already grey and wintery here and I'm in need of some color today.<br />
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One of my favorite gardens is <a href="http://longwoodgardens.org/">Longwood Gardens</a> in Kennett Square, Philadelphia (also the mushroom capital of the world!). Unfortunately, admission is on the expensive side for a garden, but it's worth a visit. Students and seniors get a great discount and children ages 4 & under are free). Often when I visit my dad, we make an afternoon of it and get a lot of walking and talking in while enjoying the beautiful grounds.<br />
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I'm already anticipating spring. It's going to be a long winter!</div>
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The cool thing about Longwood Gardens is you can go all year. They have lights and special holiday events in the winter. They also have a ton of greenhouses, and they rotate exhibits. </div>
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For all you Lost fans out there...</div>
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Some other gardens that I have been lucky enough to visit or live close to are:<br />
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<a href="https://gardens.duke.edu/">Sarah P. Duke Gardens</a> at Duke University (Durham, North Carolina)<br />
Free admission; parking is reasonable. If you live in the area or are here in the summer, make sure you check out their Music in the Gardens series. Some great bands come and play outside for I think $15 a ticket (cheaper for Duke students). Shows are usually during the heat of the summer, so you <i>will</i> sweat, but it's so much fun. Bring a blanket and snacks and a bottle of wine or a couple cold beers, and enjoy your evening!<br />
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<a href="http://www.getty.edu/visit/center/gardens.html">Getty Museum Gardens</a> (Los Angeles, California)<br />
Admission is free; parking is $10. They occasionally have concerts (we happened to be there for one and it was awesome!) and one of the best views of West Los Angeles can be had from the cactus garden.<br />
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So don't let the winter get you down! Spring will be here before we know it! And until then....find a local garden (or move to California, where you can find pretty flowers somewhere all year round). <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUeYxjKsWP8re3W0h5cGAx58LcwlgQ6QhWYolaKqkD9bwJbXyOAb-W62gLgrIuJeUTg1XFudeAxvrPn3Ch8TdvfMGRM1ccECJJdB58TduLIgSYb-_ujIUj8hAq5komM-5lg7ty_itIvRM/s1600/Hendersonville+11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUeYxjKsWP8re3W0h5cGAx58LcwlgQ6QhWYolaKqkD9bwJbXyOAb-W62gLgrIuJeUTg1XFudeAxvrPn3Ch8TdvfMGRM1ccECJJdB58TduLIgSYb-_ujIUj8hAq5komM-5lg7ty_itIvRM/s640/Hendersonville+11.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Last fall, Allyson and I spent a terrific weekend up in the Blue Ridge Mountains near Hendersonville, North Carolina. A former colleague of Allyson's owns a small cabin on Lake Summit, which is about 20 minutes south of Hendersonville or 40 minutes south of Asheville. This quiet lake got very little traffic (at least in the fall when we were there), so the dirt road around the lake made for a great place to walk or go for our morning run.<br />
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The water was really low when we were there. Not sure if it is higher in the spring, but I would think so. I would've liked to have some kayaks to explore the lake by water. I recall seeing some rental houses that had kayaks, so it would be worth looking into that if you are planning a trip here.</div>
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The highlights of the trip, besides just hanging out at Lake Summit and in the precious cabin, were apple picking and our quick stop in the little town of Saluda. </div>
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We went apple picking at Sky Top Orchard in Flat Rock, North Carolina. The Henderson County Tourism <a href="http://www.historichendersonville.org/apple_orchards.htm">website</a> has a list of all the apple orchards in the area. Our goals for our apple picking excursion were to pick our own apples and get donuts and warm apple cider. I have vivid memories from childhood in Michigan of our family heading up to Uncle John's Cider Mill for apples, cider, and donuts. This is what I wanted at Sky Top, and we definitely <i>could have</i> had this. Picking our own apples was super fun. Also, they had a store with bushels of apples already picked and lots of other food items, like apple butter. </div>
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My only complaint about Sky Top was how crowded it was. It was like Disneyland in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Yes, this activity is a perfect one for little kiddos, so I understand why so many families chose to do this on a Saturday in late September. And we didn't get as early of a start as we could have, so we didn't get there until 11am or so - prime time for apple picking apparently. However, we easily lost the crowds because we were willing to walk farther than 400 feet down the rows of apples. The issue came when we wanted apple cider and a donut. The line was at least 50 deep when we were ready for our long-awaited snack. We were both really hungry, so we decided to head to Hendersonville for lunch and then we planned to go to one of the many other orchards in the area for our cider and donuts. </div>
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The town of Hendersonville is a cute, historic town with several restaurants and some little shops along Main Street. We spent a couple hours in town for lunch and kept ourselves occupied with the wide variety of candy and toys in the general store while it totally dumped rain outside. </div>
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On one of the streets in Hendersonville</div>
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Unfortunately, our search for apple cider and donuts was unsuccessful. We drove to two different orchards and a store, and they were either closed (the orchards) or didn't have cider or donuts (the store). We were bummed, but at least the drive was beautiful and it took us through Saluda on our way back to Lake Summit. </div>
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Saluda is tiny. It is a few historic buildings along a Main Street that parallels the train tracks. We got here in the late afternoon when the sun was shining and the town was quiet. We found a little general store that had ice cream (always a reasonable alternative when plans don't go exactly right) and found some packaged apple cider to take home with us. </div>
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All in all, this trip was exactly what we aimed for heading up to the Blue Ridge Mountains, except for the donuts.
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The nice thing about Hanging Rock State Park is its close proximity to the Triangle area. From Durham, it takes about two hours to get there. Although the first part of the drive is on Interstate 40, the last half is through cute, historic towns and on winding roads with little traffic.<br />
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I've only been to Hanging Rock State Park in the fall, and I do think it is a lovely time to visit. However, I'm guessing it is also the busiest time. Both times I've been here, the number of people at Hanging Rock itself took away from the experience. It's just impossible to get that magic feeling you can get in nature with 25 kids running around on cliffs they could easily fall off of and plunge to their deaths.<br />
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Hanging Rock State Park is in the Sauratown mountain range and Moore's Knob (the first hike I describe) is the highest "peak" in the range at 2,579 feet.<br />
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I'm going to describe three of the hikes I have taken at Hanging Rock State Park. One could easily do all three in a day. None of them are mind blowing, but it's a lovely way to spend a fall day.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Hike 1: Moore's Knob Fire Tower (Moore's Wall Loop)</span></b></div>
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<b>Hike Difficulty</b>: Easy/Moderate</div>
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<b>Hike Distance (Round Trip):</b> 4.2 miles</div>
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<b>Time (Round Trip): </b>We did this earlier last year, so I don't remember.</div>
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<b>Elevation Gain: </b>about 880 feet (highest elevation: 2,579 feet)</div>
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Parking for this hike is by the lake. Continue on Hanging Rock Park Road past the signs for the Visitor Center and the campground until you reach the parking lot by the lake. The trail begins down by the bathhouse and beach.<br />
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Unfortunately, I did this a year ago and don't remember it well enough to recount my every step. I don't recall it being very difficult to follow the trail. We had our <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Hiking-North-Carolina-2nd-Carolinas/dp/0762731389">Falcon Guide: Hiking North Carolina </a>with us, but I don't think we really needed it.<br />
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The hike was nice. I am spoiled and it isn't the West. It isn't even Western North Carolina. But it is lovely to walk in the woods and have some pleasant views in the sunshine while eating lunch. If I were choosing between <a href="http://ais4adventure.blogspot.com/2012/09/autumn-fun-in-nc-stone-mountain-state.html">Stone Mountain</a> and Hanging Rock State Park, I'd go with Stone Mountain. However, both are nice and probably your best day trip options from the Triangle area.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Hike 2: Hanging Rock Trail </span></b></div>
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<b>Hike Difficulty: </b>Easy/Moderate</div>
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<b>Hike Distance (Round Trip): </b>2.6 miles</div>
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<b>Time (Round Trip):</b> 1 - 1 1/2 hours (if you take some time at the rocks)</div>
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<b>Elevation Gain: </b>about 590 feet (highest elevation: 2,070 feet)</div>
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Parking for Hanging Rock Trail is at the visitor center. After entering the park on Hanging Rock Park Road, turn left at the sign for the visitor center. There is a trailhead sign on the opposite side of the parking lot from the visitor center. No way to get lost on this trail. Hike out and up and then hike back. The trail is marked by orange circles, but we didn't really need to pay attention to these markers.<br />
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Like I said before, this is a really pleasant 2.6 mile hike. There is some climbing, but it's manageable for even children. I'd keep my kids close to me at the rocks though. There are a lot of people up there, and not a lot of room for error. I kept my distance from people while up there. I would love to be up here without all the people, because I can see it being a very quiet and meditative spot. However, both times I've been here, I've just been worried I was going to watch someone fall to their death. <br />
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A little past peak on the colors this weekend, but still pretty. </div>
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My friend and I coincidentally have matching shoes. Super cool.</div>
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The next three photos are from our previous trip to Hanging Rock, last fall. </div>
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I'm much happier back here, away from the crowd (and the ledge!) </div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Hike 3: Lower Cascade Falls </span></b></div>
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<b>Hike Difficulty: </b>Easy</div>
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<b>Hike Distance (Round Trip): </b>0.8 miles</div>
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<b>Time (Round Trip): </b>30 minutes to 1 hour</div>
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We had to drive out of the park's boundaries to reach the trailhead for Lower Cascade Falls, but it was very easy to find. We did this hike last. We drove from the visitor center back to the entrance of the park, and then made the first left on Moores Spring Road. Then we took another left on Hall Road, and the parking lot for the trail was within a 1/4 mile on the right hand side. This trail is another well-marked and well-maintained trail. No chance of getting lost here! </div>
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We lucked out on this trail and got to the falls when only a couple of people were there. We planned to eat lunch at the falls, and within 20 minutes there were several people. The falls are pretty and worth the short hike down and back up. </div>
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Lower Cascade Falls</div>
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We couldn't have had a more beautiful fall day both times I visited Hanging Rock State Park. It's a great option for an easy day trip from the Triangle Area.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04082090351473247738noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9148569112268417370.post-10440892155504545092013-10-30T04:05:00.004-07:002013-10-30T04:05:51.676-07:008 Things You MUST Do on New Zealand's South Island<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOakZmmpXqG3ca33itsDtWIAibL1lRzyW083nQiOMPCaFKc8UYKyehIX-8ISXbYfDIzu-Xsd1LoGBWENxMSblJlYj3Sfu5fHxQgcJ0OzYjIcULbCFUr-sAcXXkLqo0QnCwxG5uHg9wrow/s1600/Abel+Tasman+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOakZmmpXqG3ca33itsDtWIAibL1lRzyW083nQiOMPCaFKc8UYKyehIX-8ISXbYfDIzu-Xsd1LoGBWENxMSblJlYj3Sfu5fHxQgcJ0OzYjIcULbCFUr-sAcXXkLqo0QnCwxG5uHg9wrow/s640/Abel+Tasman+2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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When we were getting prepared for our 3 week campervan trip in New Zealand last year, I did a lot of internet searching. I looked at more itineraries, travel reviews (<a href="http://www.rankers.co.nz/">www.rankers.co.nz</a>), and blogs than I knew was possible. Some were more helpful than others. I like lists. I find lists easy to read. Lists force the writer to be concise and prioritize. So I decided to create a "Top 5" list of my favorite things on the South Island (I suppose I could make a list for the North Island too, but we were only there for 5 of our 22 days in New Zealand.)<br />
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Well, this list proved to be much more difficult to come up with than I anticipated. I came up with my list and then went to Allyson to hear what her list would be. In doing so, we both realized we missed a few key experiences that could not be left off the list.<br />
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Allyson suggested that instead of naming specific activities you must do or places you must go, I could group them. For example, you must kayak the waters, hike to a high peak with 360 views, drive a particularly scenic road (e.g., Haast Pass, Crown Range Road), eat fish and chips somewhere (everywhere), experience hot pools (the best pools and massage ever are on the North Island at Polynesian Spa). Ok, well there you go. If that's what you are looking for, you got it!<br />
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After much thought, here's what I've decided to do. I'm going to share my "Top 8" list. These were my (our) most amazing eight activities/experiences while we were on the South Island. Eight things that I highly recommend you do on your trip to New Zealand. But if you can't do all eight of these activities, go back to my more general list above and make sure you accomplish one of each while you are there.<br />
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I'm going to try to put them in order from "you really ought to do this" to "do this, or you might as well not go to New Zealand!"<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">1. Bike the wineries of Marlborough. </span></b><br />
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I read some blog when we were getting ready for the trip that said essentially "don't do things that you can do at home." Well, since we lived a good portion of our lives in the San Francisco Bay Area, we've done a lot of excellent wine tasting in beautiful Sonoma and Napa Counties. However, I am still so, so glad we went wine tasting in Blenheim (Marlborough). It just seemed like a fun activity for our honeymoon and it more than lived up to our expectations.<br />
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Rent bikes from Nigel at <a href="http://www.winetoursbybike.co.nz/">Wine Tours by Bike</a>. He's wonderful and he'll help you map out a route. All bikes come with carriers for the wine you will most certainly buy and he gives you a couple bottles of water for your tour.<br />
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My favorite thing about this activity: we literally had most of the wineries to ourselves! We had lots of undivided attention from the people working at the wineries and learned a lot about the area and the wines. Compared to Napa and much of Sonoma, this was surreal. We had an absolute blast doing this. Wine tasting gets a "you ought to do this" rating rather than a "do it" because you can do it somewhere else, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't do it here!<br />
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More details about our wine tasting adventure <a href="http://ais4adventure.blogspot.com/2013/02/south-island-adventures-begin-day-6.html">here</a></div>
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Fave winery: Cloudy Bay</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">2. Wake up at Nelson Lakes National Park. </span></b><br />
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Unlike most of the activities I suggest doing on my blog, this one doesn't take much effort on your part. All you have to do is wake up and be quiet. Well, I guess the effort required depends on whether you are a morning person or not. Me, I wake up with the birds right before dawn, especially when I'm camping. And this particular morning, I will never forget. I cannot describe for you the incredible music I heard this morning and I didn't think to record it. It was the most incredible thing I've ever heard, and I've heard a lot of incredible things. I'm a musician. I love music. I've been to more concerts than most. This chorus of birds echoed louder than anything I've ever heard. I believe they were Bell Birds, mostly because they sounded like church bells (hundreds of them, echoing each other, over and over). There could have been some Tuis, because it's my understanding they imitate other birds. Whatever they were, they are worth hearing.<br />
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Spend the night at Kerr Bay Campground. Wake up early to the choir of birds and then experience the sunrise over Lake Rotoiti (I didn't get much of one this particular morning, but if you are lucky I bet it's amazing). If you have time, hike <a href="http://ais4adventure.blogspot.com/2013/02/nelson-lakes-national-park-day-9.html">Mt. Robert</a> (9.7km loop) for great views of the Nelson Lakes area. I want to go back and spend days backpacking here!<br />
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Who can sleep when a choir of Bell Birds is sharing their song?! I guess everyone but me and a few ducks. </div>
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On our Mt. Robert hike</div>
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The water is cold, but do it! So refreshing to jump off the end of this dock after our hike!<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">3. Abel Tasman (kayak, hike, or both)</span></b><br />
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Abel Tasman is beautiful. We should've spent more time there than we did. And because we didn't, we felt rushed. Don't do that to yourself. Give yourself at least 3 days here. I highly recommend a guided kayaking trip if you plan to go from Marahau to Anchorage, unless someone can guarantee you that the waters in the Mad Mile are calm and will stay calm. We got stuck in some crazy swells and waves and were super scared, but basically had to get the boat to Anchorage by a certain time.<br />
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I still recommend kayaking here and also hiking. It was really cool to kayak all that way and then walk back out and look out over all the water we had just paddled on. I provide more details about the trip on my <a href="http://ais4adventure.blogspot.com/2013/02/abel-tasman-national-park-days-6-and7.html">original post</a> about our kayaking/hiking Abel Tasman adventure.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">4. Hike to a glacier (or on a glacier). </span></b><br />
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We planned on taking a helicopter to Franz Josef Glacier and walking on the glacier, but weather prevented this from happening. If this wasn't our honeymoon, there is no way we could have justified the cost of the helicopter trip anyway. We spent some of our day at Glacier Hot Pools, hoping the rain would give us a break long enough to at least hike to a glacier.<br />
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We lucked out! Instead of Franz Josef, we hiked to <a href="http://ais4adventure.blogspot.com/2013/02/new-zealand-glaciers-day-11.html">Fox Glacier</a>. What an awesome valley! After it had been raining all day, there were little waterfalls everywhere and the mountains were so lush and green. Yes, there were quite a few people on the trail, but it didn't take away from the experience. If you've never seen a glacier, you have to see one of these on the West Coast of New Zealand. We had seen glaciers before, but never this close. I imagine it would be really awesome to be right up on top of one, but still really cool to hike to the face of one.<br />
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More details about our Glacier day can be found <a href="http://ais4adventure.blogspot.com/2013/02/new-zealand-glaciers-day-11.html">here</a>. </div>
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Fox River Valley </div>
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70 meter long suspension bridge built in 1929 across the Fox River </div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">5. Raft the Rangitata.</span></b><br />
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This one doesn't show up in all the travel guides, but it is so worth the money and the time it takes to get to it. I love whitewater rafting and have done it several times. Northern California has some great rafting opportunities. However, this trip will be a highlight of my life for sure. I couldn't bring my camera on the river, but trust me. So awesome! See my <a href="http://ais4adventure.blogspot.com/2013/08/new-zealand-rafting-and-akaroa-days-19.html">original post</a> for more details about the trip, <a href="http://www.rafts.co.nz/">Rangitata Rafting</a>, and camping afterward.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">6. Hike/Camp in Wanaka. </span></b><br />
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Don't just hike here. Live here if you can. Seriously, this is where I want to live. I love Wanaka. The drives to and from Wanaka (we came in on Haast Pass from the West Coast and continued out of Wanaka on Crown Range Road toward Arrowtown) were some of the most beautiful we were on in New Zealand.<br />
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The hike we did, Isthmus Peak, had 360 degree views. Please see my <a href="http://ais4adventure.blogspot.com/2013/02/new-zealand-wanaka-day-13.html">original post</a> about Isthmus Peak before you do it. This hike was very strenuous. It was long and steep. We went to the Mt. Aspiring Visitor Centre to ask about hiking. They suggested this one, but I also remember the woman saying that the trail is sometimes closed because it is through private farm property. And after you hike in the beating sun for hours and hours, make sure you take an ice cold dip in Lake Hawea. So refreshing!<br />
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From the top of Isthmus Peak</div>
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Swimming in Lake Hawea</div>
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If you are going the campervan route in New Zealand, I highly recommend Lake Outlet Holiday Park. It isn't right in Wanaka, but it's right on the lake. We went for a (freezing) swim the evening we got there. It has great facilities and good staff.<br />
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Lupines on Cardrona Valley/Crown Range Road</div>
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Crown Range Road from Wanaka to Arrowtown</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">7. Do something "crazy" in Queenstown. </span></b><br />
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Bungee jump. Paraglide. Go on a jet boat ride. Do something that gets the adrenaline going, because this is what Queenstown is about. Honestly, I will never paraglide again. I get motion sick and was the whole time we were paragliding. However, I am so glad I can say I did it. And in one of the coolest places ever! See more about Queenstown and paragliding at my <a href="http://ais4adventure.blogspot.com/2013/03/new-zealand-day-17-and-18-queenstown.html">original post</a>.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">8. Kayak Milford Sound.</span></b><br />
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Do this, or you might as well not go to New Zealand. I'm serious. This is it.<br />
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Going to Milford Sound is not enough. If you have ever been kayaking, please do yourself a favor and book the Morning Glory trip with<a href="http://www.roscosmilfordkayaks.com/"> Rosco's</a>. They are super professional. Their boats are amazing. And kayaking the whole length of Milford Sound gives you enough time (if you are lucky) to watch the sunrise, paddle with a pod of Southern Bottlenose dolphins (They were seriously right next to us and under us. I could've touched them.), paddle under a waterfall, say hello to some seals, learn a bunch of neat facts about the area's geology and animal life, and jump off the top of the water taxi into the Tasman Sea. All before noon!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLhfMKjMb_ov-D5zFs8309k5Gbxx8ImhHWRgD7caZMKN4XROf1jM2PE7-WMgutW5xiLshd6BbL5HCfVvyTg5lh934edVVZEbhgxOhqbnzLGSLt_syYB9lOf-hvFWHNyBf-Eky-cp9LI44/s1600/Kayaking+Milford+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLhfMKjMb_ov-D5zFs8309k5Gbxx8ImhHWRgD7caZMKN4XROf1jM2PE7-WMgutW5xiLshd6BbL5HCfVvyTg5lh934edVVZEbhgxOhqbnzLGSLt_syYB9lOf-hvFWHNyBf-Eky-cp9LI44/s640/Kayaking+Milford+1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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See more details and pictures at my <a href="http://ais4adventure.blogspot.com/2013/03/new-zealand-kayaking-milford-sound-day.html">original post</a> about our Christmas Day on Milford Sound. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrMeFqnSnVj70Yf2YJykJam1tBVZq_pgb8pPN6NiEj6Yx43cAzumdJSQQF4pAWv6uwW8aJLOu7mNTW2UHhAPbjBa_d_BdY32KnV1cimdGfQ9h3rexVwH3JaPN90yox5Vhx5qK02WUznRo/s1600/Kayaking+Milford+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrMeFqnSnVj70Yf2YJykJam1tBVZq_pgb8pPN6NiEj6Yx43cAzumdJSQQF4pAWv6uwW8aJLOu7mNTW2UHhAPbjBa_d_BdY32KnV1cimdGfQ9h3rexVwH3JaPN90yox5Vhx5qK02WUznRo/s640/Kayaking+Milford+2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Sunrise</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibEJTgAKON1rgoaLmV7nSGUONdFg9eSVh1PTZVwV0Mx_H55PVsqPeWoCaF80gIlmBcZVTdDoz704DrGhCbA30gEHb94G9_mfafstO0AshGwfgJz0d_gi2qFaPrRrfkKCW-XrPdmTWdN4E/s1600/Milford+Sound.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibEJTgAKON1rgoaLmV7nSGUONdFg9eSVh1PTZVwV0Mx_H55PVsqPeWoCaF80gIlmBcZVTdDoz704DrGhCbA30gEHb94G9_mfafstO0AshGwfgJz0d_gi2qFaPrRrfkKCW-XrPdmTWdN4E/s640/Milford+Sound.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwWAKbsClbQeWGCEHrL7P2D6dLoAhoApCJvmQz9l8lThzsg0yApzEG6grmad7nEPCemeEUgKcDYpfRqiViZZiUPgWDIUWwIwbrS-V02BtejagpQ0fYS5itiuLJauN8bm0UWmcqHjRwP6g/s1600/Kayaking+Milford+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwWAKbsClbQeWGCEHrL7P2D6dLoAhoApCJvmQz9l8lThzsg0yApzEG6grmad7nEPCemeEUgKcDYpfRqiViZZiUPgWDIUWwIwbrS-V02BtejagpQ0fYS5itiuLJauN8bm0UWmcqHjRwP6g/s640/Kayaking+Milford+4.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_GgA5UvlzU9znIPXVdt_-6dgpNz98kBui1DrxRPI30dUWTQk59TaBK17OAQ7Wo5P821Tn2YD23fq7vp_KnXAC2328d95xyRq8LWFNERaWVqi6YswNFinVsVvGMvWtiZ7uWEgnVfEdDD0/s1600/Kayaking+Milford+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_GgA5UvlzU9znIPXVdt_-6dgpNz98kBui1DrxRPI30dUWTQk59TaBK17OAQ7Wo5P821Tn2YD23fq7vp_KnXAC2328d95xyRq8LWFNERaWVqi6YswNFinVsVvGMvWtiZ7uWEgnVfEdDD0/s640/Kayaking+Milford+5.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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This dolphin was right next to us, about the size of our boat, 30 seconds before I took this picture. I couldn't justify taking the camera out then because the whole thing was just so amazing. I still have a vivid picture in my head though. </div>
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I am sure you'll make your own "top 8" experiences while you are in New Zealand, but I hope this list helps steer you in the right direction for a couple of "must do" adventures.<br />
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</script>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04082090351473247738noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9148569112268417370.post-32651002268525625192013-10-24T06:36:00.001-07:002013-10-24T10:30:54.900-07:00Kayaking the San Juan Islands<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTZBnN4gg2TX6dcjtoLcj5-U-ceGRRRPrSvqejlhcuyHZM_r55wQatgbqQX1ZZD3VR_as-w6_8q4kv1Nv9c0-a-18xdSpoQsgHPv8wGjFf5Vj7CzuUOrkAJzG5JstqEm_TDrhpQtnYEZk/s1600/San+Juan+Islands+2011+32.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTZBnN4gg2TX6dcjtoLcj5-U-ceGRRRPrSvqejlhcuyHZM_r55wQatgbqQX1ZZD3VR_as-w6_8q4kv1Nv9c0-a-18xdSpoQsgHPv8wGjFf5Vj7CzuUOrkAJzG5JstqEm_TDrhpQtnYEZk/s640/San+Juan+Islands+2011+32.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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In Summer 2011, right after I finished graduate school, it was Allyson's turn to lose herself in graduate school. Before diving in, we wanted (desperately needed) an adventure. Several months before, I had entered a lottery to hike the Wonderland Trail around Mt. Rainier in Washington and we got the permit! We were so excited! And then a week before we were planning on going (with two of our friends), we discovered that much of the trail was still under several feet of snow. Our bucket list adventure was not going to happen in 2011. But of course, we were not going to give up on adventuring and we already had our tickets up to Washington (plus we had to be on Orcas Island a couple weeks later to find a caterer for our wedding in 2012). </div>
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One of our friends had some experience with kayaking, reading tide charts, etc. and we are pretty experienced kayakers (even more so now, after this adventure and our amazing <a href="http://ais4adventure.blogspot.com/search/label/Kayaking">kayaking trips</a> in New Zealand), so we decided to spend several days kayaking in the San Juan Islands. Most kayak rental companies in the San Juan Islands want you to or require you to go on a guided trip, and rightfully so. Honestly, if you have money, the guided trip would be a lot simpler and require less planning on your part. We had to take care of a lot of details last minute and some of them were tricky. </div>
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Also, the trip I'm going to outline here shouldn't be done unless you know what you are doing. At the end of this post, I will outline an easier trip that might be better for people with a little less experience and still plenty of fun! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1bVcCrnH5YAgmnRAZF8CKDSilXJUH_a3EU43CQob6rmSXIN7keVrQvdKLPvKn7wPwuaFCKqKX4MDZx_QPpMhoeh2_sSasNpxWrLiSmzbkzu02TaoDh99kBIM-TNAANl5KSP2asn1BP-g/s1600/San+Juan+Islands+2011+2+Ranier+bandw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1bVcCrnH5YAgmnRAZF8CKDSilXJUH_a3EU43CQob6rmSXIN7keVrQvdKLPvKn7wPwuaFCKqKX4MDZx_QPpMhoeh2_sSasNpxWrLiSmzbkzu02TaoDh99kBIM-TNAANl5KSP2asn1BP-g/s640/San+Juan+Islands+2011+2+Ranier+bandw.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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Views of Mt. Rainier from Seattle. See all that snow! We spent a couple days in Seattle with family and friends before heading out to the islands. </div>
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Getting to the islands is an adventure in and of itself. You can either fly to the islands on <a href="http://www.kenmoreair.com/">Kenmore Air</a> or take the <a href="http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries/">ferry</a> from Anacortes (about a 2 hour drive from Sea-Tac International Airport). I've done both and both are cool. Both have limited schedules, so it can take some planning to coordinate your flights to Seattle and your travel to the islands. It's worth the hassle, trust me! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho8secDxG17prSVZgakBsuBLebStYV0CWlDDsPQvDwLmcOVr0SKdL73XUwHccOzWkbSYeFVFmMhu4C2ABg3oMJQMjwknBpJwqj4DwpoETS63IZNe-kOz7GOvmSo-5BPn9WZsDWvs3sVFc/s1600/San+Juan+Islands+2011+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho8secDxG17prSVZgakBsuBLebStYV0CWlDDsPQvDwLmcOVr0SKdL73XUwHccOzWkbSYeFVFmMhu4C2ABg3oMJQMjwknBpJwqj4DwpoETS63IZNe-kOz7GOvmSo-5BPn9WZsDWvs3sVFc/s640/San+Juan+Islands+2011+5.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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At the ferry dock.</div>
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Already worth the hassle. Riding the ferry is one of my favorite parts of going to the Islands. </div>
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We rented a car and drove up to Anacortes to take the ferry to Friday Harbor (San Juan Island). We had reserved two tandem kayaks from <a href="http://www.sea-quest-kayak.com/kayak-rentals/sea-kayak-rental-washington">Sea Quest Expeditions</a> on San Juan Island before leaving for our trip. We checked in with them on the day we got there, but didn't pick the kayaks up until the following day. </div>
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We camped the first night on the islands at <a href="http://www.co.san-juan.wa.us/Parks/sanjuan.aspx">San Juan County Park</a> on the west coast of San Juan Island (this was also our launching point the following morning). This was a great place to camp and look for Orca Whales while watching the sun set. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-_Kr2_UScoNPPdGNWA7a0r006rfH-qdgGt9F0QZR5Bfcj5FD4ML-bytTUyvrfIiIOHOTJC33NwNshu2WENn_RHVfEVnkmjBQtJSjgHPr6EOqovyrNud0EHwCBMlGTbEyJ6Z_M8dKhpKQ/s1600/San+Juan+Islands+2011+10+Lavender+bee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-_Kr2_UScoNPPdGNWA7a0r006rfH-qdgGt9F0QZR5Bfcj5FD4ML-bytTUyvrfIiIOHOTJC33NwNshu2WENn_RHVfEVnkmjBQtJSjgHPr6EOqovyrNud0EHwCBMlGTbEyJ6Z_M8dKhpKQ/s640/San+Juan+Islands+2011+10+Lavender+bee.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSYXWY7GfvQrumUQzY_X4Uzivm8NplTERFzMHbShnhDdgAHECOU-BB0pBJ9dSnmey7UnE_LdX2_JNZ5Vf9O7o_YIabK-RZlS5mJvWW1mcSr5R4l3bnsOpuytbfT5nnT14Z_96bInjicHI/s1600/San+Juan+Islands+2011+12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSYXWY7GfvQrumUQzY_X4Uzivm8NplTERFzMHbShnhDdgAHECOU-BB0pBJ9dSnmey7UnE_LdX2_JNZ5Vf9O7o_YIabK-RZlS5mJvWW1mcSr5R4l3bnsOpuytbfT5nnT14Z_96bInjicHI/s640/San+Juan+Islands+2011+12.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2CgL_2IeepYMorB3hyphenhyphen8haWvqZKkR6p7YC5yNkPWPqh39-NYred-ER_hnuI8mlTurpQmjrt7bbcWN5JyINypbyt8HahhyYlhfptSNq1Vu8W5a0WK5eOUL-YVBbrFWByEEh6ZOersBLmeg/s1600/San+Juan+Islands+2011+13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2CgL_2IeepYMorB3hyphenhyphen8haWvqZKkR6p7YC5yNkPWPqh39-NYred-ER_hnuI8mlTurpQmjrt7bbcWN5JyINypbyt8HahhyYlhfptSNq1Vu8W5a0WK5eOUL-YVBbrFWByEEh6ZOersBLmeg/s640/San+Juan+Islands+2011+13.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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We did see whales way off in the distance!</div>
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The next morning we had to get the kayaks to San Juan County Park and watch a safety video required by the park in order to launch from there. We couldn't leave our car at San Juan County Park while we were gone, so our two friends drove the car into Friday Harbor, had a taxi/shuttle (they are equipped to move kayaks...it just costs more) take them to pick up the kayaks at Sea Quest Expeditions, and then headed back to San Juan County Park. Allyson and I watched the video, so we were basically ready to go when the other two got back to the park. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiczqQtmpRVuYGcJq34_SjaBSnL0mPY5J4velRS3jJx0kAI5IjExEbo4HvGNWb8xd8PWDsmWgV69nmZPSBARmhkonFfs1iaNnyV652BSOjmEiPuzHHDX34MB7NK7IJPdVUliihMtp85TeI/s1600/San+Juan+Islands+2011+42.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiczqQtmpRVuYGcJq34_SjaBSnL0mPY5J4velRS3jJx0kAI5IjExEbo4HvGNWb8xd8PWDsmWgV69nmZPSBARmhkonFfs1iaNnyV652BSOjmEiPuzHHDX34MB7NK7IJPdVUliihMtp85TeI/s640/San+Juan+Islands+2011+42.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Clearly pumped to get out on the water!</div>
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I'm not an expert kayaker, but from what I know we had incredible luck with the currents and tides for our trip. I am not sure this trip would always be as manageable as it was for us. I really appreciated the help Sea Quest gave us in planning the trip. Our trip was 5 days and 4 nights, starting at San Juan County Park and finishing up in North Bay on the east side of San Juan Island. All of our campsites were part of the <a href="http://wwta.org/">Cascadia Marine Trail</a>, a network of campsites, access points, etc. from Olympia, Washington to Canada. </div>
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We made stops at Henry Island, Stuart Island (overnight), Point Doughty on Orcas Island (overnight), Jones Island (overnight), Deer Harbor, and Turn Island (overnight). Note: I would cut Deer Harbor out of the trip....we desperately wanted a warm breakfast but there were no restaurants, just egg and cheese biscuits at the harbor store.</div>
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<b><u>Day 1 - San Juan County Park to Stuart Island</u></b></div>
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We took off from San Juan Island, and paddled for awhile before stopping for lunch on Henry Island. I would never have imagined we would see such a beautiful fox on the beach, especially right after we began! </div>
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Henry Island</div>
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A beautiful Madrona Tree, which our friend used as an example when designing our wedding invitations.</div>
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After lunch we continued north across the Salish Sea (and the ferry route so kept our eyes open!), to the west of Spieden Island and up through the channel between Stuart and Johns Islands.<br />
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Passing by Spieden Island on our way to Stuart Island </div>
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After the channel, we went left/west along the north side of Stuart Island, and the north side of Satellite Island, before turning into Prevost Harbor. We stayed the night in Stuart Island State Park with beautiful views (obviously!) and a campsite right on the water.</div>
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Our campsite</div>
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<b><u>Day 2 - Stuart Island to Point Doughty</u></b><br />
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The next morning, the tide was coming in, so we planned on staying on Stuart Island for the morning. We took a nice hike to Turn Point Lighthouse. The trail is actually a dirt road, but there are few cars on the island. We walked by the Stuart Island school. It was really interesting to see old class pictures of the small number of students that attended the school, and they had some artwork by the children for sale as well.<br />
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In early afternoon, we took off and headed out of Prevost Harbor, back along the coast of Johns Island, and (I think) to the north of Flattop Island. This was one of the most challenging (and frankly a bit scary) sections of our trip. It took a long time to get across this fairly open stretch of water and there were pretty big waves. It was nothing like our experience on the Mad Mile at <a href="http://ais4adventure.blogspot.com/2013/02/abel-tasman-national-park-days-6-and7.html">Abel Tasman</a> in New Zealand, but it still took a lot of work and was not all that pleasant.<br />
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When we got to Orcas Island we took a short break on a beach before continuing up the west coast. I think the beach we stopped at was close to Lover's Cove, but I don't know for sure.<br />
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We then paddled the rest of the way up the west coast of Orcas Island to Point Doughty. This place was so amazing! It felt like we were at the edge of the world or something with incredible views all around. In reality, Point Doughty is not that far from Eastsound and really close to a YMCA camp, so we could hear people at night. </div>
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The staircase up to the campsite at Point Doughty (it is located on the south side of the point) </div>
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Love this spot </div>
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Our campsite at Point Doughty. I think there are four primitive sites total. </div>
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<b><u>Day 3 - Point Doughty to Jones Island</u></b><br />
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The next morning we took off pretty early and it was raining and foggy. Because I'm a self-proclaimed sun worshiper, most people would think I could not enjoy a morning like this. But quite the contrary in a place like the San Juan Islands. These are their most special mornings. These mornings, the water is like glass and the seals and bald eagles and other creatures are all out enjoying the quiet morning.<br />
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We shared the beach with this regal bird for quite some time. He didn't seem to mind. </div>
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We had heard that we needed to be careful with the seal pups this time of year, because they'll follow your kayak and lose their mamas. We were very careful not to paddle away from this little one until we knew she wasn't following us. </div>
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We got to Jones Island on the early side, and we welcomed the easy paddle day. Jones Island had more people than anywhere else we had been so far, but not so many that it was crowded or anything. We paddled around to the west coast of the island and found some kayak only sites (on the north side of the island, motorized boats can anchor and stay the night). We did a lot of just hanging out at our campsite (which was lovely!) but also explored the island a bit. There were lots of little trails around the island, so fun to go out and explore on foot (rather than by water) for a change. </div>
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We shared our campsite with this critter, who was just waiting for us to go to bed before he and his friends came to rummage around our campsite!</div>
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Sunset at Jones Island</div>
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<b><u>Day 4 - Jones Island to Deer Harbor to Turn Island</u></b></div>
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We woke up really wanting a plate of hot food (eggs, potatoes, bacon, biscuit was what I was picturing) and decided to venture off course a bit to Deer Harbor on Orcas Island. The paddle over there was really nice but we kind of had to be sneaky about where we pulled up on shore. Then we discovered there weren't really any restaurants right at the harbor. We were super disappointed, but made the most of it and ate some egg and biscuit sandwiches and drank some coffee before heading on our way. </div>
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This morning/afternoon was the only other sketchy moment on our trip. We had to cross another ferry route, which was a pretty wide channel, with some choppy waves, and several large eddies. I was pretty anxious for moments of the crossing, but it went fine. Again, we went around the west side of Turn Island because there were some people already camping on the north side. We had the west side of the island to ourselves all evening, and I'm now realizing why wouldn't you go with the west side? Best sunset views from there! <br />
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<b>Day 5 - Turn Island to San Juan Island</b><br />
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We got up early on the fifth day because Allyson and I planned on catching a morning ferry to Victoria, Canada. This morning was one of my favorite memories of the trip. I have no pictures because it was raining pretty steadily and it was just too magical to take out the camera. The water was, again, perfect glass. We paddled around Turn Point, and along this stretch, I've never seen so many Harbor Seals and pups in my life. With the water so perfectly calm, we could see their little heads pop up really far away from us (and really close). They were everywhere!<br />
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I think we took our kayaks out at Jackson Beach Road, but I'm not positive. It was a boat launch (motorized), and the taxi came to pick us and our kayaks up there. The taxi then dropped us off in Friday Harbor and then took the kayaks back to Sea Quest Expeditions for us. (Don't quote me on this, but my notes say this shuttle service cost us $40 per kayak each way, so $160 total.)<br />
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We were soggy, smelly, and cold, but Allyson and I hopped the ferry to Victoria, where we had the most luxurious hotel room (sure felt like it after 5 days in the water). After a hot shower, we felt so satisfied with our kayaking adventure and were ready to enjoy the rest of our time in the Pacific Northwest on land!<br />
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Just a few of my other favorite pictures from our time in Victoria and on Orcas Island...<br />
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Beacon Hill Park in Victoria</div>
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Back on Orcas...</div>
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We saw <a href="http://elephantrevival.com/">Elephant Revival</a> play in our wedding venue and it was the perfect way to experience the magic of Odd Fellows Hall. For wedding photos, see our wedding photographer's (Jonathan Steinberg) <a href="http://jonathanmsteinberg.com/blog/2013/8/28/anne-ally-married-orcas-island-wa">blog</a>. </div>
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<b><u>Other Self-Guided Kayaking Options in the San Juan Islands</u></b><br />
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I recommend contacting <a href="http://www.outerislandx.com/Kayaking.php">Outer Island Expeditions</a> on Orcas Island. They will rent kayaks for multiple days and can help you plan out a good trip. From here (you can put the kayaks in here at the north short of Orcas Island), you could go to Point Doughty, Jones Island, Blind Island, and Obstruction Pass State Park. When I last spoke with them, they offered to pick us up at Obstruction Pass. This is a good beginner route. You could even fit Turn Island in there between Jones and Blind, if you were comfortable crossing the big channel.
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</script>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04082090351473247738noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9148569112268417370.post-43967953729652961662013-10-21T14:00:00.001-07:002013-10-21T14:00:50.308-07:00Hiking Atalaya Trail (Santa Fe, New Mexico)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVdN29z_gY_XKMhwrXjWGPLuD0CTG5QcNr9q04ILhB4sJYUa9c3ivVZZuTDS0y_8LyVmuwXgct5AmaoAIavDTZXghRW_vsatLdttQIf7fbLc49DaBAXRWl64W_Iu0oUmB86mtC_vyx6Zs/s1600/Santa+Fe+Mountains+After+the+Storm+BandW.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVdN29z_gY_XKMhwrXjWGPLuD0CTG5QcNr9q04ILhB4sJYUa9c3ivVZZuTDS0y_8LyVmuwXgct5AmaoAIavDTZXghRW_vsatLdttQIf7fbLc49DaBAXRWl64W_Iu0oUmB86mtC_vyx6Zs/s640/Santa+Fe+Mountains+After+the+Storm+BandW.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b>Hike: </b>Atalaya Trail</div>
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<b>Hike Difficulty:</b> Moderate to Difficult (it's a steep one!)</div>
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<b>Hike Distance (Round Trip):</b> 5.5 miles from Ponderosa Ridge parking lot</div>
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<b>Time (Round Trip):</b> 3 hours</div>
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<b>Elevation: </b>7,540 feet to 9,121 feet</div>
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It's hard for me to type up this post, because it will be the last Santa Fe hike I post (at least in the foreseen future). My time in Santa Fe has come to an end. I loved every second of it and just wish we'd had more time to explore there! However, I think we did a great job of seeing as much as we could while we were there. One of our last hikes was Atalaya Trail. It's a popular one because it's so easy to get to and has incredible views of the city. Don't let its popularity fool you into thinking it is easy, because it's not. This trail is steep! However, the views at the top are totally worth it. </div>
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We started at the entrance to Ponderosa Ridge neighborhood. There is limited parking here. The other option is at St. John's College, but that adds 1.5 miles to the hike. At the end of this post, I'll share driving directions to the Ponderosa Ridge trailhead. </div>
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The beginning of this hike is a bit unique. We walked through the neighborhood to get to the trail. The signage was really good for the hike, so it would have been difficult to get lost. We followed the sign that directed us into the neighborhood and then took the first left up a dirt road. After passing under some power lines, we saw the staircase in the picture below off to the left. We took the staircase to continue the trail (Trail 170). </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhccc3S4qJeth8mRYaZovh73iRxoZ5bgBhD0X_A1s4en5DiXTnIXsQIwCPa2AGJ6Jz33VycCctUUhMlQ2jn4_7x54O47vICCMkSHVEVcKu8DZQxVgVOOvaDsjM8nsdmP0Yda0_A6Wqhx9U/s1600/Atalaya+Trail+24+Stairs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhccc3S4qJeth8mRYaZovh73iRxoZ5bgBhD0X_A1s4en5DiXTnIXsQIwCPa2AGJ6Jz33VycCctUUhMlQ2jn4_7x54O47vICCMkSHVEVcKu8DZQxVgVOOvaDsjM8nsdmP0Yda0_A6Wqhx9U/s640/Atalaya+Trail+24+Stairs.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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After about 10-15 minutes of walking, we came across options for the "easier route" or the "steeper route". We decided to take the easier route up, and the steeper route on the way back, and I recommend this to others. The steep route is<i> super </i>steep, and the easier route was still plenty steep. However, the easier route is a bit longer, so since the sun was getting close to setting, we opted for the steep route on the way back. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglMz8S5BoQHPFRlFdcmUNFWSFBt2-l5VUotpC6HMDBegAjlRGAvGmmhMLwlnWIlkASH9MNjmGPMr_A3MUpAjMqIkoe_42Uq3xSvgufloysWG8hqw5zqRpYmZ62ym53I2cWwxwkX01AFrM/s1600/Atalaya+Trail+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglMz8S5BoQHPFRlFdcmUNFWSFBt2-l5VUotpC6HMDBegAjlRGAvGmmhMLwlnWIlkASH9MNjmGPMr_A3MUpAjMqIkoe_42Uq3xSvgufloysWG8hqw5zqRpYmZ62ym53I2cWwxwkX01AFrM/s640/Atalaya+Trail+1.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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On the easier route, we came to a sign that read "Atalaya Lookout Trail" and turned left to stay on Trail 170. We then came across another Trail 170 sign and took a left there as well to stay on the trail. This section of the trail is pretty flat and along a low ridge for a few minutes. Then we met up with the "steeper route" trail and continued right up the trail. The rest was very steep with plenty of switchbacks. The coolest thing about this trail is we had views of the city several times when the trees opened up to the west.<br />
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When we reached the ridge on Atalaya, there was another Trail 170 sign at which we turned left to head north on the ridge. Soon we came across several great spots to sit and have a snack and look out on the soon-to-be setting sun. I really wanted to see the snow on the mountains to the north, because I knew they had gotten snow the previous night. I kept walking north until the trail started going down. I didn't get any wide expanse views, but I did see the snow!<br />
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Snow on the mountains from the night before</div>
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Like I said previously, we took the steep route back down. The signs made it really easy to follow the trail and it didn't take very long to get back down to the car.<br />
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I am really going to miss Santa Fe, even though it's nice to be back in our home. I hope we can adventure out there again some day, because there is so much more to see!<br />
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<b><u>Driving Directions to Ponderosa Ridge parking</u></b><br />
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1. Take Alameda Street West from town.<br />
2. Alameda turns into Canyon. Continue on Canyon Road.<br />
3. Canyon turns into Camino Cabra. Continue on Camino Cabra.<br />
4. Turn left on Calle Picacho.<br />
5. Turn left on Camino de Cruz Blanca. Continue on this until you see the gate for Ponderosa Ridge. You cannot go into the community, and a few parking spots are on the left. If you can't find a spot, I think you have to go to St. John's and hike from there.
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</script>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04082090351473247738noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9148569112268417370.post-7644322745870006112013-10-16T15:25:00.003-07:002013-10-17T05:16:46.484-07:00International Balloon Fiesta (Albuquerque, New Mexico)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
If the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta is not on your bucket list, it should be. It wasn't on mine. It was on my mother-in-law's. And because we have been living in New Mexico for a brief stint, Allyson's parents flew in for the event. I just can't even begin to express how incredible this was. Hundreds of balloons. Hundreds! All around us. Just when you thought there couldn't possibly be any more, there were more! </div>
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Yes, we had to get up at 3:30am. It's worth it. We got there without sitting in traffic. We got ourselves breakfast burritos and claimed a couple hay bales to sit on while we waited for Dawn Patrol. It is totally worth getting there early for Dawn Patrol, when several balloons go up while it's still dark out and have lights inside them so they glow while flying. So cool! Then we stuck around for Mass Ascension and, just wow! My neck hurt from looking up and my face hurt from smiling so much. It was incredible. This was the best $8 I've ever spent. </div>
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Dawn Patrol</div>
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America</div>
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Sunrise</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
My fave balloon!</div>
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Doesn't it look like a Chinese lantern?</div>
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Love this one too! And one of my favorite adventures while we were in the West was our trip to <a href="http://ais4adventure.blogspot.com/2013/09/autumn-weekend-in-durango-colorado.html">Durango</a>. </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04082090351473247738noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9148569112268417370.post-86834740608802219882013-10-10T13:07:00.001-07:002013-10-10T13:08:25.623-07:00Kitchen Mesa Hike at Ghost Ranch (New Mexico)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAzmpPOZCwxdhcpNRhLDWT5045VUgowScxaKqOdmBJFrPFgsj9UNEPzevmjgkbw2LUdQp4IPi-8-qEx6A7qi9IJ-HgkAWTpNx4wDSW0RPqArtbDQwozozZ0LGL-gjv3pEJE2DCopan4cg/s1600/Ghost+Ranch+36.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAzmpPOZCwxdhcpNRhLDWT5045VUgowScxaKqOdmBJFrPFgsj9UNEPzevmjgkbw2LUdQp4IPi-8-qEx6A7qi9IJ-HgkAWTpNx4wDSW0RPqArtbDQwozozZ0LGL-gjv3pEJE2DCopan4cg/s640/Ghost+Ranch+36.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b>Hike: </b>Kitchen Mesa</div>
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<b>Hike Difficulty: </b>Moderate to Difficult</div>
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(Most of the trail isn't hard, but there are parts that require careful footing and rock scrambling.)</div>
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<b>Hike Distance (Round Trip):</b> 4 1/2 - 5 miles</div>
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<b>Time (Round Trip): </b>3 - 4 hours</div>
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<b>Elevation: </b>6500 feet to 7077 feet</div>
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A couple of weeks ago, Allyson and I took a long <a href="http://ais4adventure.blogspot.com/2013/09/autumn-weekend-in-durango-colorado.html">weekend trip</a> to Durango, Colorado from Santa Fe. On the way there and back, we drove past Ghost Ranch and knew we had to come back for some hiking. We drove back through on this trip right before sunset when the rock colors were even more magnificent than they are at other times of the day. We decided to make a trip back to Ghost Ranch on an afternoon after work, in hopes of enjoying an incredible sunset. </div>
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In preparation, the day before, Allyson and I visited the Georgia O'Keeffe museum in Santa Fe. She spent a lot of her time at Ghost Ranch, hiking and painting. This woman was enchanted by New Mexico, and I totally understand why. </div>
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Ghost Ranch is located off Highway 84, about 10 miles past the Trujillos Store and gas station. (We stopped here to buy some Monk's Ale, brewed by monks at the Monastery of Christ in the Desert in Abiquiu.) The entrance to Ghost Ranch is on the right hand side of Highway 84 and marked by a large wooden sign over the driveway. The trail head is all the way at the back of the property. We just followed signs for Kitchen Mesa and parked right by the trailhead and the Long House. </div>
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I highly recommend purchasing the "Day Hikes in the Santa Fe Area" book by the New Mexico Group of the Sierra Club. They provide very specific details about this hike. The whole hike is marked by old "coffee cans" painted green or white; however, it still got a bit confusing once we climbed up the slot. I don't plan to provide specific enough details here to get someone through the hike. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw2-zfnVVSUPHSiUt_6kAIAhT5KPAR83a4wRfWeinhI83dQ7UKcDLvLxk9fW6XqprTblalW84tNXwvhyphenhyphen7LDbLEzDYCUtocTmPzLR-IZW6MA0qpuIpyflrg3wV0CruOwXMq3VvLJrz3pMM/s1600/Ghost+Ranch+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw2-zfnVVSUPHSiUt_6kAIAhT5KPAR83a4wRfWeinhI83dQ7UKcDLvLxk9fW6XqprTblalW84tNXwvhyphenhyphen7LDbLEzDYCUtocTmPzLR-IZW6MA0qpuIpyflrg3wV0CruOwXMq3VvLJrz3pMM/s640/Ghost+Ranch+5.jpg" width="425" /></a></div>
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Walking along the floor of this valley was easy, enjoyable, and breathtaking. High rock walls all around us. Many times, I just had to stop and do a 360 degree turn to take it all in. </div>
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This section of the hike was a little tricky. I can imagine this would be really dangerous if it was wet. The dirt was very loose and the ledge is very steep (you can't really tell that here). </div>
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The slot. You can see one of the coffee cans I mentioned at the lower left corner of the photo. At any point of the hike, if we felt confused about where to go, I just looked around for a can. All but once, I found one quickly. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidfUolEy3uvncbWdHvTXrDSgDHkWEtQjJbb7vhyl1z3Ml3QqVfYSevcu96sUITIoL_xfJ7TI08wVqG4ChH-RqfskGm6DtKwGkaNRNcyxtk1XU1VhFuOXbsj0ruBXlt-Byq6c_wQV-nfEg/s1600/Ghost+Ranch+24+Kitchen+Mesa+Top.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidfUolEy3uvncbWdHvTXrDSgDHkWEtQjJbb7vhyl1z3Ml3QqVfYSevcu96sUITIoL_xfJ7TI08wVqG4ChH-RqfskGm6DtKwGkaNRNcyxtk1XU1VhFuOXbsj0ruBXlt-Byq6c_wQV-nfEg/s640/Ghost+Ranch+24+Kitchen+Mesa+Top.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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At the top of Kitchen Mesa. There was no one else up there, so it was pretty incredible to be up at the top with this view and have the only sound be the wind. I wish we could've stayed up here to eat our dinner, but we were worried about climbing back down the slot and the tricky part right after it in the dark. We still took some time to just take in the views. </div>
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Abiquiu Lake and Pedernal in the distance. Georgia O'Keeffe once said about Pedernal, "It's my private mountain. God told me if I painted it enough, I could have it."<br />
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Georgia O'Keeffe's <i>Pedernal </i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcMZc0V5oogbwW0b92J3fV_aO_vZvKY7LK5S_eSLkn79OhIt0L94khH_4jbTKh9vjgXyRHOdluyXf3jXIXYaAP3nDzGqQWXknUpXtcEnZfOYV0yiIyhOw7Y6ePuhe4LhSIc5J5wdG3_ic/s1600/Ghost+Ranch+35.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcMZc0V5oogbwW0b92J3fV_aO_vZvKY7LK5S_eSLkn79OhIt0L94khH_4jbTKh9vjgXyRHOdluyXf3jXIXYaAP3nDzGqQWXknUpXtcEnZfOYV0yiIyhOw7Y6ePuhe4LhSIc5J5wdG3_ic/s640/Ghost+Ranch+35.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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I like how the background of this photograph looks like a painting. Or maybe I've just been viewing too many Georgia O'Keeffe paintings this week!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYUJ2Alp5If6dl_qCEjpu1EyBEUxmppC8EmYHMExTKwwmAXR2t3rEpa1wQ4He9JsTd-ke7VBez2wYXHnNYVzMMDO4kq9Nxu7dKCmtvxN1Xkkatp792Clt5xfrMLVxMd_OadILKbK4vkOg/s1600/Ghost+Ranch+62.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYUJ2Alp5If6dl_qCEjpu1EyBEUxmppC8EmYHMExTKwwmAXR2t3rEpa1wQ4He9JsTd-ke7VBez2wYXHnNYVzMMDO4kq9Nxu7dKCmtvxN1Xkkatp792Clt5xfrMLVxMd_OadILKbK4vkOg/s640/Ghost+Ranch+62.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBEipNdyt7oRD9-WMtOmyg3hCq67bWQ7m5U8RZnDQDPvwVM32I6h2NYdDRCt5g-I-hfo-W8cSGFiklwpjF9z-UCjceCpt9Si7u8Yf0Nam3H4FKeuYsfFliNk1-cDCgxRVFqM_kTqLtLLc/s1600/Ghost+Ranch+63.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBEipNdyt7oRD9-WMtOmyg3hCq67bWQ7m5U8RZnDQDPvwVM32I6h2NYdDRCt5g-I-hfo-W8cSGFiklwpjF9z-UCjceCpt9Si7u8Yf0Nam3H4FKeuYsfFliNk1-cDCgxRVFqM_kTqLtLLc/s640/Ghost+Ranch+63.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXOBhrPCLkny2Lu2MFJ3u0O3XuwqGTIdEb_ZEUUou1tIBuXGW2mE4KUrEFTtjG0E0X4bf_2WQdHXoxKYuTUyuYaVIWkeC5SO1lxZWnamOHQ8c0P0OZJ6abl0Nv_wzBiorScJe9J41na1o/s1600/Ghost+Ranch+66+Shadows+Sharper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXOBhrPCLkny2Lu2MFJ3u0O3XuwqGTIdEb_ZEUUou1tIBuXGW2mE4KUrEFTtjG0E0X4bf_2WQdHXoxKYuTUyuYaVIWkeC5SO1lxZWnamOHQ8c0P0OZJ6abl0Nv_wzBiorScJe9J41na1o/s640/Ghost+Ranch+66+Shadows+Sharper.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYTjd-Q9hgnVV9cDBtXub0Sjqe8Q08HrfipxjBbIj_gREYxzmufN0HHHr3JE9iFQZWSlQw4MEB5bf6MujS9qUAA24CVyNGjXLvegtHwDBcMz07BsAFITltKmIyy4RJQjjZ2wbYTnvV8bM/s1600/Ghost+Ranch+70.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYTjd-Q9hgnVV9cDBtXub0Sjqe8Q08HrfipxjBbIj_gREYxzmufN0HHHr3JE9iFQZWSlQw4MEB5bf6MujS9qUAA24CVyNGjXLvegtHwDBcMz07BsAFITltKmIyy4RJQjjZ2wbYTnvV8bM/s640/Ghost+Ranch+70.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRVSBiixqseJCxuXQJFGwmf5vUcLwDJRK_c-EfPShoHjn3mNTEWrJtLWrj-mOATgws39mc9jkdJfMzfXft7DUsRW16sRcnTXVC3vSVAA8b9MbjRYNSvTGWcWt9WXOaGmOgVcUo0UEmb2A/s1600/Ghost+Ranch+72.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRVSBiixqseJCxuXQJFGwmf5vUcLwDJRK_c-EfPShoHjn3mNTEWrJtLWrj-mOATgws39mc9jkdJfMzfXft7DUsRW16sRcnTXVC3vSVAA8b9MbjRYNSvTGWcWt9WXOaGmOgVcUo0UEmb2A/s640/Ghost+Ranch+72.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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We were just up on top of that!</div>
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<a href="http://ghostranch.org/">Ghost Ranch</a> is an education and retreat center. When we drove in this afternoon, several painters were out painting in this lawn. As we drove out, people were out on picnic tables eating dinner watching the sunset. Seems like a very peaceful and lovely place to attend a retreat or workshop. </div>
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Other hiking options at Ghost Ranch can be found at their <a href="http://ghostranch.org/tours-activities/hiking/">website</a>. I am starting to get really bummed that we will be leaving Santa Fe soon. Allyson's clinical rotation is coming to an end and we will be heading back to North Carolina. I'm hoping we get a second fall colors display when we head back east! </div>
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