Tag Archives: Explore

Weekly Photo Challenge: Home

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3 years ago over Christmas the Life Bus took an amazing journey to Tanzania.  Pam, Greg, Emily, Todd, and I climbed Kilimanjaro, experienced the wildebeest migration along with numerous other spectacular animals on safari in the Serengetti, and spent a week on Zanzibar.  I became fascinated by the Masai culture which manages to maintain many traditional customs while living side by side with the modern world.  On our drive from Arusha to the Serengetti, we had the opportunity to stop at a Masai village.  Despite the fact that this community probably sees its fair share of visitors, there was nothing that felt touristy about the experience.  It was, however, an incredible opportunity to actually step into (crawl into is really more what we did) one of the mud hut homes of the Masai.

The women traditionally are the ones to build these homes.  The huts are made of dung, sticks, grass, ash, and really anything else they can find.  These homes are intentionally simple as the Masai have been a nomadic culture.  That, is of course, changing to some degree.  The homes are very small, approximately 9″ x 12″ x 5″.

We were invited inside and the reality of how small the space is became very apparent.  Within this space the family does everything:  cooks, sleeps, and socializes.  The sleeping area consists of a small alcove off to the side.  The cooking area dominates the small space.  The smell of smoke inside was so thick I wasn’t sure how they are able to breath.  There was one funny moment while we were in the hut.  While sharing stories about Masai customs with us, our Masai guide took out his machete and waved it in the air.  We were all crouched shoulder to shoulder in this tiny space.  For an instant, my eyes got quite large.  Emily and I were quickly assessing the exit plan.  Unfortunately, I don’t remember what he was trying to show us in that moment.  The machete had my full attention.

I am choosing this as my selection for this week’s photo challenge because I continue to remain thankful to travel for opening my eyes as to how others in the world live and the places they call home.

Red Rocks, Blue Skies, Gorgeous Scenery, and Solitude …. Gateway, Colorado

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[slideshow]Even though we Life Busers definitely like visiting far-flung corners of the globe, we often say that there is still so much yet to discover just in our own Colorado backyard.  This was the motivation behind a recent getaway trip Todd and I took to the western slope of Colorado.  We set out to put a little gravel in our travel and discover a lesser known part of Colorado (at least to most of us on the Front Range.)  The destination of this road trip was a four day getaway to the Gateway Canyon Resort in Gateway, CO.  Gateway Canyons

When this was presented to me as my birthday present, I had never heard of Gateway, CO or of the resort.  I quickly got on line to do some research.  The resort looked like Todd had done well in choosing this place.  The secluded location, the soaring canyon scenery, and the fact that you have to drive along the Unaweep Tabeguache Scenic Byway to get to the resort all really peaked my interest to explore this part of our state.  The byway is a 140 mile route that cuts through some of the oldest rock on the planet (1 billion year old pre-Cambrian to be exact) and runs from just north of Delta to Ridgeway.  Unaweep and Tabeguache Scenic and Historic Byway

We arrived at night so didn’t have a chance to see our surroundings until the morning.  When we woke up we had a beautiful view of the Palisade right outside our window.  For those seriously ambitious folk, the Palisade is a narrow fin of sandstone surrounded on all sides by vertical walls and can be climbed.  The leaves on the cottonwoods were still a vibrant golden yellow in the sunlight.  The sky was a beautiful, intense, Colorado blue.   I would, however, suggest going in early to mid-October to experience peak seasonal colors.  This area does have quite a bit of scrub oak which is one of the few plants in Colorado which has that deep fall red color.  Unfortunately, all of the scrub oak leaves were already off by the time we were here.

On our first day we went for one of those drives that we call “discover your world.”  We headed out onto a dirt, canyon-hugging, road towards an area called Sinbad Valley.  On the map, at the Adventure Center, Sinbad valley looked like a  really cool depression in the surrounding, unrelenting walls of red rock.  We had been told there was a good 4×4 road there and a few years ago Gateway Resort had actually held a trail marathon on this dirt road.  The drive in was beautiful vertical canyon walls with a salt wash along the side of the road the entire way.  We finally arrived at the turn off (with only one misstep) and pulled over to try our mountain bikes on this road.  Of course, Todd had no problems.  I found it somewhat challenging as it was misleadingly steep and had very rocky, technical washes one after the other.  After going about 3 miles up and back, we headed out to check out the Hanging Flume Historic Site.

The Hanging Flume is perhaps one of the most risky and lofty plans in mining history.  The Flume, built on the side of a cliff over the San Miguel RiverIt, is now on the National Historic Register and slated for renovation.  It is quite an engineering feat, especially given that it was built between 1889-1891.  Even if you’re not a history nerd like I am, visiting the Flume is an effortless pit stop worth making while you’re on the Unaweep Tabeguache Byway.  It will truly make you wonder how did they do that!!  The Hanging Flume 

Given that the Canyons has such beautiful horse stables, we decided to take advantage of this and go horseback riding … even if only for a good laugh.  Our guides, Amy Wilkinson Equestrian Manager and her side-kick Cheyenne, were AMAZING!!  To call Amy the horse whisperer would be an understatement.  She had a wonderful way with both horses and clients.  You can see she is a woman who is passionate about her horses and, in turn, they ensure her clients have a great time.  Our horses were gentle and yet did show us some spunk as well.  Todd’s horse, Frog, got a little feisty which caused my horse and another to get a little feisty and the next thing I knew my horse was up and running … albeit for a short distance.  Amy was great at assuring everything was always copacetic!!  We rode the horses on some sweet single track trails through scrub oak and cottonwood groves.  Cheyenne is a great young girl who helps out at the ranch.  Her horse-handling skills were so impressive for someone of her age.  Gateway Canyon Stables

From here, we continued the pursuit for gravel and backroads up and over John Brown’s canyon on to the La Sal Mountain Forest Area.  We stopped where the dirt road met the paved road.  If you continue on, it’s only about another 30 miles to Moab.  This back road option to Moab is a much shorter route than driving back up to Grand Junction and on into Moab via 1-70.  A nice way to fit some really epic mountain biking in if you’re staying at the resort.  At the location where we stopped, there are some magnificent dinosaur prints pretty much right off the road.  This area also has some gorgeous scenic overlooks.  The edge of these overlooks is not for the faint of heart.  The drop is a good several thousand feet down.

The last day I got in a great 8 mile trail run and Todd road mountain bike on the BLM trails a hundred yards or so from the resort grounds.  Some beautiful views to be had while running or riding.

On the way home, we drove over the Grand Mesa.  There will definitely be posts on the Mesa this coming year.  At the bottom of the Mesa we wanted to continue with our backroad theme and wound up on 40 miles of beautiful, uninhabited Colorado wilderness area!!

Oh Colorado, you still have so much for the Life Bus to explore … how are we going to fit it all in?

Gettin’ Crazy at D Land

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For those of you who are not Disney Land/World fans, I just don’t understand it.   Is it kind of cheesy?  Yes.  Is the food bad?  Yes.  Should you be afraid to touch anything?  Yes. Despite all of those unfortunate attributes, the place is pure entertainment.  Where else can you act like a kid and no-one notices or gives a crap?

Greg and I had the most priceless Life Bus moment at D Land this week. Since I am a HUGE fan, I took advantage of some down time at the office and dragged Greg to the Happiest Place on Earth.  Once we arrived, we ran straight to the Pirates of the Caribbean and on to the Haunted Mansion.   I don’t love those rides nearly as much as I did when I was 10 (or even 20), but I still do thoroughly enjoy them.   Clearly others feel the same way – we had zero wait time on both rides.

Since it was a little warm outside and we were in need of some excitement, we decided to take the plunge on Splash Mountain.  You know the ride – you pile into a fake plastic log and float on a ‘raging river’ through a forest rife with rodents.   At some point, you just know you will be drenched with the filthy ‘river’  water.   I was so overwhelmed with concern about how wet I was going to get, I couldn’t tell you what we saw in the forest – sorry folks I know that was the nugget you were dying to hear about.

After what seemed like an hour, we finally reached the 50 foot drop.  Now 50 feet does not seem like an excessive amount of a drop, but when you are the first and second passengers, it looks and feels like 1,000 feet. Right when the log starts to descend straight down into the pool of water at the bottom, a camera takes an action shot.  THAT was the priceless Life Bus moment for Greg and me.   Once we saw the results, the giggling ensued.  We were clearly the only ones scared out of our minds – or really it was just me, everyone else appears bored and Greg is laughing hysterically.

Every time I have a bad day at work or in my day to day life, I now have something to remind me not to take life so seriously – I am pretty sure I have looked at our photo at least 100 times in the past 48 hours and have laughed just as much as I did the first time I saw it.

How did the day end? We had a blast running around like school kids.  I am not ashamed of the fact that I went to Disney Land without kids and had a wonderful time.  May I continue to act as though I am still a teenager and be grateful to have a partner who is just as goofy at heart as I am!

The Awesomeness that is St. John’s USVI

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Who knew that you could find quiet beaches, secluded hikes, pristine snorkeling, and an environmentally friendly resort in the Caribbean without shelling out hundreds of dollars a night? Todd and I certainly didn’t until we happened upon St. John’s USVI and the Concordia Eco Resort.[slideshow]

On a whim, Todd and I decided to go to the Caribbean over Christmas. Not exactly the cheapest place to visit that time of year! Just as we thought it wouldn’t work out,  without a huge financial commitment, we came upon an article I had torn out about snorkeling Waterlemon Cay on St. John’s and the Concordia Eco Resort.  We called immediately and, as luck would have it, they had one room left for the nights of our trip.

We couldn’t have imagined a better Caribbean experience.  Even at the busiest time of year in the Caribbean, we found ourselves frequently alone on hikes and on beaches.  Thanks to philanthropist John D. Rockefeller, approximately two thirds of St. John’s is preserved as a US National Park.  This means that for most of the island there are few roads, mega resorts, mobs of sunburned tourists, or drunk cruise ship passengers over running your paradise.  Cruz Bay, despite being a port town,  is remarkably laid back and retains it’s charm.  Coral Bay, on the opposite side of the island, is even smaller and more laid back than Cruz Bay.  It does have amazing dining, however.  (See Food Finds post on restaurants here).

So, what to do while you are on this paradise?  The options are numerous but here are some of the things we did which turned out to be fabulous!  Waterlemon Cay surpassed our expectations for snorkeling.  To get to Waterlemon Cay, you hike along a beautiful trail around Leinster Bay.  You can snorkel all the way around Waterlemon Cay but be mindful that with strong winds, the far side can be a bit rough for a novice swimmer.  Be sure to bring a picnic lunch and sunscreen.  Combine this with a hike up to the Anneberg Ruins for an amazing day of sun, snorkeling, views, and sheer Caribbean beauty.

The Reef Trail hike was a beautiful hike where you can get some good exercise.  Todd and I started at Little Lamshur beach and hiked up.  There was actually a decent amount of elevation gain on this hike.  We made it to the old plantation ruin, covered in a beautiful pink vine, before it got too late.   Little Lamshur is in the national park, it is a rather quiet beach.  At dusk, when Todd and I found ourselves alone on this beach, we threw caution to the wind and skinny dipped!!  The road to the beach is a bit bumpy but well worth the ride.  (4×4 may be advisable.)

Then of course there is Trunk Bay, Hawksnest, Cinnamon, and Maho Bay.  These have all been written about extensively and rightly so.  Beautiful, beautiful beaches.  FYI – Trunk Bay does get a lot of day-trippers from the cruise ships.  We went here later in the afternoon and had the beach all to ourselves.  No skinny dipping this time.

Driving is of course a small thrill unto itself on St. John’s.  You drive on the left side of the road and the steering wheel is also on the left.  Not too bad getting used to.  The roads are narrow two lane roads with sharp turns and 20% grades.  Nothing scary, just fun.  4×4 totally the way to go.

Last but not least, is our awesome hotel the Concordia eco resort.  Concordia is not for someone seeking a luxury 5 star Caribbean hotel experience. Concordia is a special place for so many other reasons. The location of this resort is unbeatable. Concordia is near Coral Bay.  Even though it’s only approximately 12 miles across this island, the steep, narrow, curvy roads make it hard to drive faster than 10 mph. Most people don’t even venture over to this side of the island.  The Coral Bay side of St. John’s is so much quieter you feel almost like you are alone in the Caribbean. The USVI National Park lies between the two sides of the St. John’s.  www.concordiaeco-resort.com/

Todd and I stayed in Premium Eco Tent #19.  A permanent canvas tent with everything a happy camper could want.  Full pan and dish set with 2 cooking burners, a sink for washing dishes, a cooler chest for food / beverages, a separate smaller building with solar shower / WC, and endless beautiful scenery. Potable water stations are located everywhere.  The way the tents are situated it is almost impossible to have any of your neighbors get a glimpse of you unless they are really motivated to do so.  Given the secluded setting of each tent, you can (and should) unzip all of the walls of your tent and let the amazing breezes blow through your tent along with the sounds of the sea and the glimmer of the stars.    In the event  you don’t feel like leaving this great place, the food here is very good as well.

St. John’s was a serendipitous, spur of the moment Life Bus experience.  One I could repeat year after year!  Enjoy this Caribbean jewel.  Oh yeah, don’t forget to keep a look out for the donkeys and sheep that roam the island freely.

Southeast Alaska – Cabins, Float Planes, Grizzlies, and Fish

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If you really, REALLY want to get away from it all:  TV’s, cellphones, spouses, kids, work, escape to Alaska where it is easy to get lost!   What’s that saying about dating in Alaska?  “The odds are good but the goods are odd.”   Pretty sure there is some truth to that saying based on what I have seen.  What does that have to do with travel you say?  Absolutely nothing.

After plowing through multiple guidebooks, Lexi and I concluded we needed to reserve a cabin in the Tongass National Forest in Southeast (SE) Alaska – we wanted to experience the true Alaskan wilderness and exit off the grid for a few days with Greg and Todd in tow.  I did a bunch of research – went to Outside and Backpacker magazine websites and Google, scouring for reviews on the experience. I came across a few but never found the information I was looking for – what to expect, what to bring, how to get there, etc.  Hopefully this blog will save you some time and reduce the headaches associated with planning a trip like this.

Here is the low-down on the cabin situation.  There are approximately 150 cabins in SE Alaska.  The cabins are managed by the US Forest Service and can be further researched at http://www.fs.fed.us/r10/tongass/cabins/cabins.shtml.   Descriptions on this site are relatively good and will inform you as to the location and the basic (VERY) amenities available – bed configuration, fire ring, boat availability and hiking opportunities.  They are generally located on pristine lakes, rivers, streams and salt water beaches and require a float plane to access.

First things first.  You have to figure out just how remote you want to be and how much time (and money) you have on your hands.   The islands in SE Alaska are not connected by highways so your mode of transportation is either by boat, float plane or by Alaska Air – as you can imagine, they have full marketshare of the airways up there so options are slim.  Because the islands are not easily connected, the time to get from place to place can take some time.

We were limited on time and cash so we chose a cabin that was very close to Juneau on Turner Lake.  At first, I was disappointed it was only an hour from civilization.  I really wanted to be WAY out there.  However, the further out you want to go, the greater the cost – similar to the cost to fly to Europe – fuel costs are ridiculous.  In the end, it doesn’t matter where you are.  You will definitely feel as though you are away from it all.

Key Tip:  Book the cabin at http://www.recreation.gov/ as soon as the reservation systems open up for that time period – at least 6 months ahead.  Note the cabins closer to Juneau have a tendency to fill up fast.

The next item to tackle is to determine how you are going to get there.  We chose Ward Air http://www.wardair.com/.  We have a friend who works there and has been a pilot in Alaska for a VERY long time.    We called other companies to validate pricing and they were all pretty comparable.

Key tip:   Book well in advance and ask for pilot Dan at Ward Air to escort you on your journey.  Also inquire about potential boondoggle routes you can take – over glaciers, special lakes, etc.  It will cost extra but it is well worth it!

Packing the right clothes and gear for a trip like this can be a challenge – mostly because it can be cold and rainy (even in the summer) and if you are on a lake, you may be able to partake in some fishing, kayaking or swimming activities.

Key Tip:  Bring a fishing pole (there is potential for snagging Salmon and Trout depending on cabin location), warm and cold weather clothing – preferably not cotton – that stuff doesn’t dry, I don’t care how cute it is – and rain gear.    Also, march down to your nearest bookstore and load up on books.  You will not have the option to check Facebook or read this blog!  If you want to bring a kayak or 2, don’t be shy about that – the plane should be able to accommodate you, however, I would double check with the float plane company.  You will have to bring a sleeping pad and sleeping bag with you as the beds are not equipped with mattresses.

Face it, unless you plan on hunting and fishing to feed your family and friends, you need food and drink to survive out there in the wilderness.   Pack as though you are car camping and don’t skimp.  We ran out of adult beverages on day 2 and it was painful.

Key Tip:   Bring a camping stove and plenty of fuel (cabins are not equipped with kitchens), utensils, foil (for cooking fish on the fire ring) and bring coolers of food and drink for a few extra days beyond what you are planning. We brought backpacking cooking gear with us and that worked out fine too – it just limited what we could cook.  Also, pack a water filter so you can drink the water from the near-by lake.   Chairs are a must, we had backpacking chairs which worked great.  Double check with the float plane company to see if they have weight restrictions.

Now for the good stuff.   From the moment you take off in the float plane, you will instantly feel as though you are part of something special.  Pilot Dan took us on a boondoggle past some of the most phenomenal glaciers I have ever seen in my life. After about an hour of flying around in paradise and a surprisingly smooth water landing, we made it to our destination – a small, log cabin on an emerald colored lake – nothing surrounding it but an outhouse and a couple of aluminum fishing boats. I think all of us were so excited we nearly peed our pants.

We unloaded our gear and said goodbye to Dan who said, “I will see you Tuesday noon, assuming the weather is good.”  What does THAT mean you ask?  The weather in SE Alaska can be, shall we say, moist.  So much so, the pilots cannot always come and get you as scheduled, hence the dire need to pack more food and drink than you need.  It could be days before you see your pilot.  It drizzled about 80% of the time we were there, so when Tuesday noon rolled around, we sat there like anxious dogs waiting for their owners to come home from work (he showed on time).

One last parting comment:  If you happen to see coarse, brown fur wedged in the cracks of the outside awning of your cabin and claw marks on the door and windowsills – yes folks – that means you are in the midst of grizzly country.  Understand it, respect it, and by all means, don’t do something stupid like leave your food and cooking equipment outside over night.   If you do so, rest assured you will have a visit from one of these 600 lb creatures – you could potentially put yourself and others in harms way – can’t say that would be a pleasant experience for the animal either, unless you have some tasty thighs on you.

Sound fun?  To date, It is in the top 10, “most fun things” I have ever done in my life.  I say, jump on the life bus for the experience of a life time and give it a go – grizzly bears and all.

Glow Worm Caves in New Zealand

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In 2005, I left a job that was toxic to my soul.   This is one of the rules of the Life Bus – under no circumstance is it ever acceptable to stay at a job that nearly pushes you to the brink of insanity.    As part of the healing process from this ordeal, I decided to go on a 3 week solo road trip around New Zealand (NZ).  One thing to note, I was not a photographer back then, so the only photo I could find to attach to this post is one of Jersey cows meandering on the side of the road.   Jersey cows = glow worms.

Lexi had been to NZ a few times to visit an old boyfriend and mentioned the Waitomo Glow Worm caves…sounded interesting to me so I looked into it.  Waitomo is about a 3 hour drive South of Auckland and is known for the infamous Glow Worm caves.   Visually it looks like something out of the Lord of the Rings – very ‘shire-like’. The tour Lexi took included a repelling component – I happily skipped that part and found an option less terrifying.  I booked a tour with the Blackwater Rafting Company and buckled my seatbelt for a pretty cool adventure via the Black Labryinth Tour.

Once my comrades (4 other tourists) and I paid the fees and filled out the necessary legal paperwork, we took a small bus to a shack to gear up.  And by that, I mean don some VERY heavy wetsuits with extra padding on the knees, butt and elbows.   I made the mistake of not pulling up my wetsuit appropriately and had a saggy crotch for several hours – not recommended.   We were also given some very attractive white booties and a hard hat with a headlamp attached.

We then all lined up like ducks, walked across ‘the shire’ in our getups to a mysterious crack in the earth and climbed down into the darkness.   Once we were situated in the cave, our guide Nikki tested our ability to handle the adventure – i.e., were we claustrophobic and going to have a panic attack?   We were asked to crawl, twist and turn through a VERY small ‘test’ cave – I think we had our photo taken – perhaps to see the potential terror (or not) on our faces.

I am proud to say, we all passed with flying colors and moved on to start the tour.  The first thing we saw was a 3 foot eel – it had to have been a plant (at least that is what I told myself).   The next 2 to 3 hours were spent swimming, climbing, and tubing through the immense cave system under the earth.  The water was about 10 degrees Celsius so it was definitely chilly at times.

After what felt like eternity, we stopped on a large rock and turned off our headlamps – we finally got to see what we came for – the glow-worms – they literally covered the roof of the cave.   Contrary to their name, they are not really worms but larvae that grow long, sticky tendrils.  Insects get trapped in the tendrils and are subsequently eaten.   When the glow-worms are excreting toxins, their light shines from an organ which is the equivalent of a human kidney.  The light is what ultimately attracts the insects as they believe it is the light shining at the end of the tunnel and is perhaps, a chance to escape from the cave.

I have to say the caves were cool, but I was 100% ready to see the light at the end of the tunnel.   It was pretty evident I was a little stressed down under as my wetsuit reeked of B.O. when I stripped it off.   All in all, the experience was truly amazing and I am glad I did it.  The world we live in is an incredible place with new adventures around every corner in the most unexpected places.

If the thought of crawling down into a crack in the earth makes your skin crawl, then this trip is not for you.  I believe they have boat tours that may suit you better and would still be amazing.   If you are remotely excited about the thought, jump on the Life Bus and give it a go, you will not be sorry!

The Gypsy Road Trip – Yosemite National Park

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Let me start by saying this, I rarely (if ever) go on vacation without at least securing lodging reservations ahead of time. My internal logic believes it is not prudent to waste precious vacation time hunting for a place to lay my head at night. The last thing I am interested in is sleeping in the car or ending up in some sort of rent-by-hour motel. This road trip was different. In the spirit of the life bus philosophy, Greg and I decided to throw the lodging logic out the window and wing it like gypsies.

Let’s talk about Yosemite for a moment. This National Park is, as you would expect, a complete jewel.  Yosemite is by far, one of the most beautiful National Parks we have in the continental United States. Unfortunately, I am not the only individual with this opinion – I read a statistic that on any given day in the summer, there could be up to 20,000 visitors. Winging it in Yosemite is a risky endeavor.

Our gypsy road trip in Yosemite spanned 7 nights. As luck would have it, we found a place to bunk every night we were in town. Please do your research on the lodging in Yosemite as I am not getting to the nitty-gritty details of each location and there may be things outside of my opinions that will further entice you. The best place to go to for further information is the official Yosemite lodging  website via the following link: www.yosemitepark.com/lodging.aspx.  All of the options I describe below are outlined in more detail here.

In my opinion, pickings are slim if you want luxury, however, the Ahwahnee Hotel will deliver. We did not stay here, but, we ate nearly every meal here as much of their food is fresh and homemade – just an FYI, you do pay a pretty penny for that freshness, but your hips, heart and blood pressure will appreciate you in the long run.

Key Tip: If you are looking for rooms inside the park for a just in time reservation, go to the reservation desks at ANY of the lodges. They all have access to the same reservation system as the Yosemite lodging hotline. (Don’t call this hotline, they don’t pick up in a timely manner and you may starve to death waiting). You may pay a little more for a room or get one near the toilets or elevators, but hey, it’s a roof over your head.

Tuolumne Meadows Lodge – Loved, loved, loved. We were about to stop and pitch a tent for the night, when we came across this lodge. It’s near the East entrance and is often used as a base camp for backpacking trips. This is a tented camp setup which means it is rustic, but, the tents are spaced far enough from each other, they have cozy, wool blankies, and a wood burning stove. The restaurant on site is family style, so I found it to be a great way to meet some really interesting people and uncover tips on things to do. The dinners were so-so, but the breakfast was pretty awesome. If you need more togetherness with strangers, they have a fire pit in the middle of the property.

Key Tip: Ask for a tent along the river, or at the back of the property. Your chances of seeing a wild animal will increase and it will keep you away from the hustle and bustle of the shared, central bathrooms.

Curry Village – Oh what can I say about this place that will make it seem cool? Unfortunately, I can’t think of a thing except that it has been around since 1899. This was my least favorite spot in the Valley. Every time we walked on site, my skin crawled and I immediately was thrown into a funk. I think because it reminded me of a refugee camp (no offense to folks who have had that unfortunate experience). People everywhere, bad canned food, tents within 3 feet of one another – BOO. We stayed in one of the tented cabins that were so close together we heard every conversation going on around us. We were convinced that the brisket Greg had for dinner was labeled as meatloaf the night before.

Wawona Hotel and Spa – The guidebooks were right on this one. This quaint B&B located near the South entrance of the park is lovely. The wonderful thing about this place is that the property is quiet and you can grab a cocktail and/or a good book and relax on the porch. The potential drawback here is that half of the rooms have shared central bathrooms.  Unfortunately, we could hear we our 30 something neighbors playing video games at the crack of dawn. I think the lack of soundproofing in our room had to do with the fact that we did get the last room available and I am certain it was not the most desirable.

Housekeeping Camp – As you are driving down the main road to get to the end of the Valley towards Half Dome, you may notice a shanty town on the left hand side of the road. Well, that is not a shanty town people, it is the Housekeeping Camp. These places have 3 solid walls and essentially a plastic curtain used as a 4th wall. I actually really liked this place, despite the strange odor in the ‘tent’, the rampant beggar squirrels, and the fact you felt as though you were sleeping in a bunker. My affinity for it was most likely due to the fact that I thought it had character – it is located right on the Merced River, it has laundry facilities, you can cook at the campsite, there are fire pits, and you have your own covered seating area. It was like car camping without the tent as there was one double bed and a set of bunk beds included. If you don’t bring your own sheets, they have them for rent – cheap – like $2 to $5 a set.

Key Tip: Do request a ‘tent’ right on or close to the river and do not think you are going to get a shower at 7:00 pm at night. No way Jose – you will have to wait an hour in line – pick another time or go to bed with dirty feet.

When you go to Yosemite – and I think everyone should – ignore the crowds and find a way to enjoy the magnificent scenery at your finger tips. It is truly a special place. ENJOY!

The Journey to the Top of Kilimanjaro

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First things first, I have to say this was the most physically and emotionally challenging journey of my life …It is also a difficult experience to describe as you had to be there to witness the people, the process, the conditions and the chaos of the climb to fully understand. The trip was filled with so many highs and lows – all the way up to the last minute of reaching Denver after about 40 hours of unbelievable, issue free travel (ha).

Our trekking group was 11 total, but our core traveling group was my hubby Greg, 16 year old daughter Emy, Lexi and Todd.   Coincidentally, this was Lexi and Todd’s honeymoon – as you read on, you will find this to be an interesting way to spend a romantic post-nuptial trip with your new spouse!  We took the Marangu route up the mountain which is supposed to be the easiest route, I think because you sleep in huts along the way – I am not convinced there is an easy route – but if I had to do it again, I would sleep in a tent and dig my own toilet.

Days 1 and 2 – We spent the first 2 days in an old coffee plantation on the edge of Arusha called the Moivaro Coffee Lodge. The place was gorgeous and lush – our cottages were situated back in the “jungle” of the property. We were able to relax and soak in some of the African vibe. It really didn’t mentally prepare us for things to come, but gave us a chance to get over our jet lag from roughly 30 hours of travel.   A few of us got massages – if you have no issue lying butt-naked on a massage table without the security of a cozy, warm blanket to cover up unsightly body parts, this is the perfect experience for you.

Key tip:  When you do a trip like this, bring your hiking boots and some clothing with you on the plane (in case your luggage gets misplaced) – else you may end up having to wear some raspberry pink hiking pants loaned to you by a porter.

We took a tour of Arusha one afternoon – the amount of poverty and poor living conditions in the area was pretty unbelievable. One thing that was AMAZING to me was that although most people lived in houses with what appeared to be dirt floors, all of their clothing was impeccably clean.   They also appeared to be content and living in the moment – and guess what?  They didn’t have an iphone or an ipad in their hands! (I personally could not live without mine – I shudder to think about it).  We went to the central market, which I thought was incredible – you could buy anything from used underwear – holes, stretched elastic and all – to exotic spices, fruits, vegetables and live chickens.

The women were beautiful – I would kill to have their perfect, smooth skin. Women in Africa are expected to work and raise the children but are, of course, considered lower on the totem pole of society and less educated than men. The amount of weight they carry on their heads is unbelievable.  I get a neck cramp just thinking about it.

After a few days of R&R, we began our journey to the trailhead to Mt. Kilimanjaro (‘Kili’) which is at roughly 6,000 feet. The waiting time to start seemed to last for eternity – our guide Peter was busy checking us all in and weighing our bags. The weighing exercise was to determine how many porters we needed for the 11 of us. In the end, we had 44 people physically carrying our gear, food and water for 6 days. What these men did for us was incredible – they bent over backwards to make sure we were as comfortable as possible – our bags were at camp ahead of us, they cooked amazing meals for us, offered support when we needed it and delivered hot chocolate, tea and coffee to us in bed every morning!  The daily post hike popcorn was the best EVER.

Before we began our trek – all 44 porters lined up and sang traditional African songs to us to ensure we felt comfortable and welcome on the mountain.  It was one of the sweetest gestures I have ever seen.  If I remember correctly, we all had to do some humiliating solo dance in front of everyone – not one of my finer moments in life.  After the ceremony, we began our trek through a pretty dense rainforest. We climbed  about 3,000 feet to our first hut. When we got there, there were hundreds of people milling around to and fro in what appeared to be organized chaos.

All 11 of us went to our living quarters for the night – essentially an army bunker/dorm room with solar powered lighting….yes, 8 of us piled into one room – tit to elbow – with 4 sets of bunk beds – the other 3 slept in the room next door with a Japanese couple (bunking with 11 loud Americans was probably a nightmare for them).

This was the official introduction to my favorite – the pit toilet – this became the bane of my existence for the next several days of the trip – not a fan in the least (I have since discovered the ‘Sani-Fem Freshette Feminine Urinary Director’ – I affectionately call mine ‘Mimi’.)  The rain started that day so our clothes we had on were nice and wet – a sign of things to come. We did see our first (and actually, only) glimpses of wildlife with the Black and White Colobus monkeys …I have to say, it was pretty cool to see them swinging to and fro in their natural habitat – a million times better than a zoo.

Day 4 and 5 – Every day we were expected to be up and about by 6 or 6:30 so we could make it to the next destination in time for some R&R and preparation for the next day’s activities. We climbed another 3,000 feet to the next hut – Horombo (~ 12k) where we stayed for 2 days for acclimatization. Along the way, the guides threw down a picnic blanket and placed an amazing spread of food down for us – soup, pasta, potatoes, rice, beef, etc. The meals always included some sort of fabulous soup to make sure we met our quota of liquids throughout the climb. They seemed to get saltier and saltier as the days passed – it was good for our kidneys – I am sure of it.  Overall, given what we were doing and where we were – the food was excellent.  The sunsets from this hut were magical.

The Horombo hut was a bit better than the last. Greg, Emy, Lexi, Todd and I were able to get a hut together. The hut was the size of a small (very small) dorm room with no heat but with solar electricity – it was pretty cool for us to all be together.  Unfortunately, our dreams of a warm, sunny Kili trek did not come true – none of our clothes ever seemed to want to dry – this is not a good thing – as Todd says, “Wet pants will give you butt crickets.”  Not only that, but full-blown hypothermia is not a very enjoyable experience and can be quite deadly.

The bathrooms were pretty disgusting with the pit toilets and a few hundred of our ‘closest’ friends all sharing together. The floors always seemed to be wet from rain and whatever bodily functions that went astray.  I saw the biggest poop pile of my life sitting right on the edge of the toilet – in the women’s bathroom – I think it was the handy work of a man.  Greg kept wearing his camp shoes in the bathroom and then crawling back into his sleeping bag – WITH THEM STILL on.  I can assure you – there was no cuddling going on.

Our group of 5 took Diamox which is supposed to help prevent Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS) – studies have not absolutely concluded this is necessary, but we took it as a precaution as several of our other friends took this on their high altitude climbs with success. This little drug was a blessing and a curse…it makes you urinate like a racehorse – so several times during the night, we had to get up and hit the bathrooms….and you know how I feel about those….The jury is still out whether this was a good idea.

Key Tip:   I would do some major research the topic of ‘to Diamox or not’ before taking on a high altitude adventure.

Day 6 and 7 – We got up early and performed our daily routine of repacking our clothes, searching for dry clothing, and eating a big breakfast. The key on this trek is to drink a ton of liquids and EAT as you need every ounce of hydration and energy as possible. At high altitudes, it’s tough to maintain a good appetite so sometimes you have to force it whether you like it or not. Another 3k feet up to the Kibo hut (~15k) – our final destination before we hoofed it to the summit of Kili. The climb at this point, is through the Alpine Desert so you can see for miles – pretty cool.   The only bad thing about this part – one of our wonderful hiking colleagues had the African 2 Step BAD – poor guy had to find a boulder when he could – in the desert, there are just not a lot of options.

The Kibo hut is quite the place. Once again, all 11 of us piled into a cold, damp bunker. I was so tired and feeling the effects of the altitude, I nearly stepped right into a pit toilet – Slumdog Millionaire style.  I would have flung myself off of the nearest cliff had that actually happened. This was Day 5 without a shower or any kind of clean running water – my hair was slowly turning into a helmet and I was becoming quite cranky. Our fabulous guides did boil water for us every morning so we could wash our face and do some spot cleaning (at least the pits).

After we had dinner later that afternoon, we were told we had to sleep from 6 to 10 pm – be up by 10 pm for ‘breakfast’ and be ready to start the climb by 11:00 pm.  We all did what we were asked to do – When was the last time you went to bed at 6:00 pm and actually fell asleep?  I am pretty sure most of us had not slept more than a few minutes in the past 24 hours or more.  I think out of 11 – 6 people were sick with one thing or another.

We were all ready to hit the trail by 11:10 pm – we bundled up in our multiple layers, with head lamps clamped to our foreheads, and headed outside where it was snowing – lovely. Peter re-assured us this was good news in that it would not be so cold and windy. I don’t think any of us bought that story initially, but I think in the end he was right.  I had heard horror stories of cold weather freezing camelback tubes thus limiting access to water supply, but that was not an issue for us.

Key Tip:  Be prepared for cold weather on the mountain – do your homework and find a good packing list from your tour guide or other reliable source.   Backpacker.com or Outside.com will have good information.

We made our way up the mountain which seemed to jut STRAIGHT up into the darkness – the switchbacks seemed endless. The good news is, we couldn’t see how steep it really was in the dark and we had very kind guides who took our packs if necessary.  Several people vomited on the way up – this is supposedly a normal event and once you do it – you feel like a rock star until the next wave of nausea comes over you.  If you don’t feel so swift after puking, they will rush you down the mountain as soon as humanly possible – this most likely means you may have AMS, which could be deadly and should be taken very seriously.

We reached Gillman’s point (18K) at about 8:00 am.   It was an emotional time for most of us as this was the highest any of us had ever climbed.  The sunrise views were UNBELIEVABLE!  It was truly an amazing experience.   4 people in the group turned around and headed back down the mountain for various reasons. The rest of us carried on for the last 1500 feet (ish) to reach Uhuru Peak (19,340k). The weather seemed to clear up a bit – the snow stopped and the sun came out for a few minutes. We were about 2 football fields away from the summit and we were able to strip down to base layers as the sun was blazing…within minutes, weather started in again and the snow became a little more intense than when we started the night before. Emy, Greg, Todd and I scrambled to the summit as quickly as we could so we could start the descent as soon as possible. Emy made it to the top FIRST!!  It was awesome. Our certificate reads 9:45 am which I think is 45 minutes later than what they want for a summit time – oops.

After all of that effort, we only stayed on the top for about 15 to 20 minutes – enough for a picture or 2 – I felt bad because I was standing smack dab in the middle of the sign in the group picture (nice work I know).  The time to get back to the dreaded Kibo hut seemed to last forever but really only took us about 3 hours. We reached the hut, changed clothes, took a short nap, ate lunch and headed back down to Horombo for the night – another 7 miles to add to the day.   We finally reached the hut at 5:30 pm. We skipped dinner, got into our bags (Greg had his camp shoes OFF) and slept until 6:00 am the next day.

JDay 8 – Rise and shine at 6:00 am – we left the hut at 7:00 am and made our way down to the main gate.  It was about a 14 mile day downhill – in a hideous, torrential downpour I might add. NOTHING was dry when we reached the bottom – our daypack covers couldn’t keep out the rain. Once we reached the bottom – there was a feeling of total relief and excitement about our accomplishment.  (I was personally dying for a hot shower and a sit-down toilet.) We waited a bit for our entire group of 11 to finish the trek and then assembled for a celebration.

All 44 porters and guides, made it down the mountain with all of our stuff. They met us at the bottom where we shook hands and shared hugs in what was our final farewell to our amazing caretakers and guides. Peter went through the ritual of popping some champagne and issuing our certificates – it was WAY cool.  We donated whatever clothing we could to them – in fact, we had a Kili Porter Gear Donation Drive at our home in Colorado and thanks to the Alpine Rescue Team, we were able to donate about 20 boxes of gear to the Kilimanjaro Porters Assistance Project!

It was an amazing experience all the way around, there were plenty of tears, frustration and laughs along the way. All 11 of us came down without injury or hospitalization which was fantastic. It was truly a life changing experience that my words cannot fully describe.  Even though it was hard and grueling at times, and I obsessed about the toilet situation, I would not have traded this experience for the world and would highly recommend the trip to anyone with an open mind, heart and good hiking gear …..and some unbelievable hand sanitizer, the one guy who used it like body lotion every 10 seconds was the only one who didn’t get sick.