adventure travel Archives - Page 7 of 10

Good-bye to the Humpbacks

From the Silver Bank to the Dominican Republic

Today we waved farewell to the Humpbacks, as we navigated through the coral heads and then completed the eight hour crossing during the day. It was rocky as items on the table slid from one side to other and trash cans fell over. We killed time by editing pictures, reading, and even watching movies. Rootie had Captain Phillips…I loved it! I was so entranced, I could hardly pull myself away when I knew I should be taking in the view of land again as we were pulling into port. I made it up to the top deck just in time to enjoy views of the picturesque harbor. Continue reading “Good-bye to the Humpbacks” →

Fire Worms, Scorpion Fish and More….SCUBA Diving Sosua, Dominican Republic

Traveling to Sosua

After one heck of a day of travel, we finally reached Sosua, Dominican Republic after 11pm at night. I actually started my travels on Wednesday, made a short stop in Dallas to see my family, and left for DFW with my friend Rootie at 6 in the morning. After connecting in Tampa and Miami, we eventually landed in Santiago around 9. Santiago, unfortunately is a two hour cab ride from Sosua! We normally would have flown into Puerto Plata, but the airline connections were even worse!

The people here are extremely nice! Our cab driver found Rootie’s sweater in his car, and he brought it to her while we were checking in. Our hotel, Sosua by the Sea, is right on the beach. I look forward to exploring tomorrow afternoon. For the immediate future we had a challenge with the A/C in our room. After an hour, it hadn’t cooled and eventually we realized, while the fan was blowing, no air was coming through the vent!

We planned on melting through the night, but called to have someone fix the problem tomorrow. The staff was extremely attentive and a worker was knocking at the door in a few minutes! They ended up carrying all our unpacked items to another room! We enjoyed a cool, deep sleep night until 5 am when an alarm began beeping in the hallway. Thanks to Rootie’s and the staff’s efficiency, the beep was gone in a few minutes.

I suspect, so far, this sounds like a dumpy hotel and several complaints. Frankly it didn’t really bother me, as the staff is fantastic! And who can complain about a hotel right on the beach, with beautiful views, a great buffet breakfast, and a nice pool area! It was just a short night! Continue reading “Fire Worms, Scorpion Fish and More….SCUBA Diving Sosua, Dominican Republic” →

Beautiful Big Bend!

After a long travel day, I enjoyed a beautiful weekend in Big Bend National Park. I started by getting to Midland from Denver via Southwest Airlines which was reliable as usual. Steve drove from Dallas to pick me up, and we continued on to Alpine for the evening in order to shorten the drive to the park in the morning.

We booked rooms at the Holland Hotel, known as the best accommodations between El Paso and San Antonio. The historic hotel was built in 1928 for $250,000 and in 2011 was renovated while keeping its 1928 delights. It’s certainly a place that supports the phrase “Don’t judge a book by its cover”. It’s façade isn’t terribly appealing, but the lobby, reading room, fireplace heated patio, bar and restaurant are quaint and charming. After enjoying the atmosphere with dinner at the bar, we called it an early night.

Before heading toward Big Bend, Steve took a short run while strolled around the quiet town with a heavy art influence, and then we indulged in the Holland Hotel’s complimentary continental breakfast. Try the cinnamon roll – it was heaven!

After a couple of hours of driving through barren West Texas, we finally arrived at Big Bend, a national park that I loved while I was on my year long venture across America. We set up camp at the Village Campground, before we set out for a few hikes, the first being the Boquillas Canyon Trail. The trail started with a short uphill climb and then descended down to the Rio Grande. The river, a greenish color, snaked through the canyon where we encountered a “singing Jesus” on the Mexican side of the border. He stood near his canoe, sang, and hoped we’d add a tip to one of the jars lining the trail on the USA side. We continued across the sandy trail past the sand dune created by the wind blowing sand into the canyon wall. We spotted a turtle sunning on the river’s edge, before we turned back toward the trailhead while passing a variety of cacti and a few butterflies flitting around the only thing in bloom – a weed!

Upon return to the campground, we checked out a looped trail nearby. I had actually hiked this trail before near sunset, and the banded colors of the Sierra del Carmen glowed red and purple in the setting light. It was a lovely stroll past marked natural features, as we passed by a horseman carrying reeds on our way up to an overlook that provided a panoramic view of the US/Mexico border. We spotted horses trekking to the water’s edge for a drink on the 70 degree say and even one or two small flowers, though April is supposed to be the month to see the cacti in bloom.

The light hikes were perfect for Steve’s prep for the 50K he was running in the morning. More power to him…cheering is all I plan to do, though I did participate in the pre-race dinner at the Chiso’s Lodge, another camping area in the park. While Steve “Carb-loaded”, I savored luke-warm Elk chili and enjoyed the restaurant’s heat before we headed to our tent! The weather forecast called for lows in the 40’s, not too bad, but when we arose at 5:30 a.m. the next morning it was a frosty 28. I did not pack the appropriate clothing!

Steve’s run began at 7:30, so I joined him at the start line to send him off on a rocky road. The race followed rocky road and trail where spectators couldn’t reach, so I opted for a hike on the Lost Mine Trail in the Chisos Mountains. After an hour drive, I was the first car to arrive at the parking area. The trailhead was peppered with warning signs…do not hike alone…mountain lions and bears have been spotted in this area…do not hike in the early morning. Well, hopefully 8:30 wasn’t considered early. I picked up a walking stick and headed out for my five mile hike. The trail changed from paved to rocky after the first rise, much to my pleasure. I prefer natural. The scree path led me past oaks, juniper, prickly pear, ocotillo, and many more low water surviving plants as I climbed to an overlook providing me magnificent views or the Chisos and the “window” as the sun rose over the mountains.

There was a bit more wildlife in the mountains than the desert, and they seemed immune to humans. The bluebird perched on the rock and didn’t mind me getting somewhat close to shoot a photo – a rarity for birds. The whitetail buck feeding on the prickly pear must have been hungry! I dropped my water bottle which barely got him to look up for a minute. He just kept eating while I stood (not even quietly) not ten feet away?!?

The trail continued switchbacking up the mountain at a low grade before I reached the peak from which I was supposed to be able to spot the “lost mine”. Legend has it that the Spanish forced Indians to work in the mine until they revolted and hid the mine. I find it hard to believe there was a mine, since there isn’t much precious metal or water in the area…mercury is the only mining mineral.

From the peak, the trail crosses a ridge rock pinnacles. While the ridge is relatively wide, it still made me a little sick to my stomach as I knew a big misstep would slide me right of the mountain. I explored carefully and enjoyed some trail mix beneath morning sun before I began my descent as the next pair of hikers summitted. It was nice to have to majestic beauty to myself. It wasn’t long that I shared the trail with ten more hikers. I heard one group trying to determine how many feet are in a mile…I chimed in, “5,280…I live in the Mile Hi City”.

I continued on to the base, dropped off my walking stick, and headed back for a shower in time for the race after party. I watched the presentations to the winners while I waited for Steve, who was only using this as a training run for a 50 miler in May, to be shuttled from the finish to the food tent! He had a successful run, but certainly wasn’t hungry immediately, so after cleaning up we went for dinner in Lajitas.

Lajitas was far…but what isn’t in West Texas? I think we drove for an hour or more. There isn’t much in Lajitas except the golf resort with a nice little bar. I had a grilled romaine salad which was fantastic when I visited three years ago, but the menu wasn’t quite as fancy this time. It didn’t really matter. Hungry and happy to catch the last five minutes of the Broncos game, we sunk into the cushy seats and wondered if we’d make it back to the camp ground.

I was happy to find that Steve had a small heater, and we slept with on for the night. Clearly I am not a winter camper! The stars both nights were magnificent. We could see the Milky Way, though it took until midnight to spot the Big Dipper which was very low to the horizon.

Sunday included nine miles of hiking after we broke down our tent which was big enough to fit his Mini Cooper. Many joked that we were sleeping in the garage. The hikes were located in another area of the park along the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive…I think it took us an hour to get there too. The park is enormous…at least 50 miles in every direction!

Steve has purchased a trail guide book that provided a description of each trail in the park. I’m impressed with the author who could write two entire pages about trails the simply crossed the desert. I’m going to shoot for a paragraph!

The first trail we followed was the Mule Ears Trail which undulated across lava flow and desert to Mule Ear Springs. The four mile roundtrip took us past a variety of cacti under the beating hot sun in the late morning of a relatively cool day in Big Bend! It was so still, we could hear the wings flapping of the four blackbirds that flew overhead. Much to our relief a cool breeze kicked up and stayed with us as we investigated remnants of manmade structure and finally ducked into the shade of trees near the “spring”. Reeds hid the stagnant water and a little greenery covered the trickle of water coming from the ground that we climbed right over not knowing it was our final destination! We followed footprints on what we thought was the rest of the trail before turning around after getting scratched by a few thorny branches. While the changing view of the Mule Ears rock structure was nice, the spring was a let-down. Having said that, a day in the desert beats a day in the office!

Our next hike, according to the guide book, was easier and not as hot. It was definitely hot, but fortunately for us a light breeze came and went. The trail once again led us past a variety of cacti. Admittedly, both trails probably would have been tremendous had these thorny plants been blooming! Our final destination was the “Chimney”. The rock formations, volcanic dikes, looked so close, yet they were 2.5 miles away. Once we arrived we found proof Indians once lived here… Petroglyphs carved in the southern spire, mortar holes for crushing grains, and rocks piled up to make a wall. After circling the spire, we followed the path to explore the other rock structures featuring a few cool arches. Before heading back to the car, we enjoyed a little shade the formations provided.

After our nine miles, it was time to bid farewell to Big Bend and we exited the park from a different direction on our way to Marathon. We had originally planned to stay at the Gage Hotel, another famous haunt, but being sold out, Steve found a house online. I didn’t know much about it, but when we drove up to it, I wondered what we had gotten into…Yikes! Our tent looked better from the outside. Once again, the phrase “Don’t judge a book by its cover” came into play. The two bedroom adobe house was precious on the inside. The beds were covered in old quilts, the furniture were antiques, and there was even a non-functional, wood burning stove in the kitchen for decoration.

Since we couldn’t stay at the Gage, we at least enjoyed dinner at the 12 Gage Restaurant. My spinach salad and crab and shrimp cocktail were both fantastic! Actually, for a small town with about five buildings along Main Street, I was surprised by the tasty food. Our breakfast at the soda fountain before heading home was delicious too! I’ve wanted to return to Big Bend National Park since I visited three years ago, and it was well worth the trip…I might have to visit in April sometime in order to enjoy the cacti in bloom! For anyone planning on going, the locals say this will be a good year because the area has received so much rain. ETB

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The Rockies: Ouray’s Awe-Inspiring Outdoors

One of my friends, JB, organizes the “Super Awesome Outdoor Group” on Facebook. It’s a place where we post different outdoor activities to do every week. He loves ice climbing, and he organized a trip to Ouray to climb and watch the ice climbing competition. Unfortunately, for him, he got very sick and couldn’t attend, but ten of us did (at different times).

The Ouray Ice Park is considered the best park in the United States and also one of the best in the World. Located in the Uncompahgre Gorge, originally climbers came to Ouray in the 70’s to test out two steep classics…”Stone Free” and “Tangled Up in the Blue”. Over time, equipment improved and some local climbers came up with the idea to spray water from a nearby source on the mile long gorge forming a mile of crystal blue, farmed ice. In 1994, the volunteer organized, free ice park was born.

Word traveled fast in the small ice climbing community, and by 1996, the Ouray Ice Park held its first festival which is now recognized as being a premier event. It attracts climbers from all over the world who compete and test out the latest gear from the gear manufacturing exhibitors. It is the only ice park with over a mile of farmed ice located within the city limits, thus it attracts several spectators like us!

Having said that, three folks in our group arrived in Ouray on Tuesday night after a LONG, snowy drive and hired a guide to take them out for a day of climbing. They kicked their feet into the ice with their crampons and used their ice axes to hack holes in the ice and climb to the top of several routes. They all loved it!

I joined them on Wednesday and we opted for a snowshoe on the Perimeter Trail, highlighting Ouray’s treasures. The five mile loop was described in Ouray’s Visitors Guide as starting and ending at the Visitor Center at the altitude of 7,800 feet, climbing steeply at first, but mostly undulating through the forest with parts of the trail great for family friendly hikes.

We started from my hotel and we climbed a four wheel drive road before we finally reached the trailhead. The trail was snow packed, and while we had strapped on our snowshoes, the best option for the hike looked like micro-spikes which we left in our rooms. Not long after we strapped on our snowshoes, we reached some stairs and a metal bridge which led to Box Canyon Falls…the snowshoes came off! We trounced around just in our boots for a while, but tired of carrying the snowshoes, so we strapped them on again as we looped around the back side of the ice park. We climbed over pipes that took water to the park, crossed over a wood bridge by Ouray’s old water tunnel, and continued back up to the road. The views of the surrounding snow capped mountains were magnificent.

Too lazy to unstrap the snowshoes, we crossed the asphalt carefully, found the trail and started climbing…SWITCHBACKS! Our little pamphlet did not show switchbacks…it was a simple dotted line that looped straight around the city. Probably eight or more switchbacks later, we finally reached the ridge and descended down toward the Portland Trailhead. The snow much deeper here made the snowshoes somewhat useful, as opposed to a hindrance.

After a short detour, we reached the Baby Bathtubs (rock formations carved out by water) and then carried on to Cascade Falls which was mostly frozen though some water still tumbled down the cliff. After the Cascade Falls, the trail hugged a cliff formation. Fortunately, the sun had melted the snow here, otherwise this part could have been treacherous. And of course, off came the snowshoes. After passing by the ledge, we descended down the trail and even made the first tracks in the snow as the few hikers that had followed it missed the descending switchbacks! Our hike/snowshoe included a bit of sliding and was much more challenging than expected, but it offered fantastic views of the snow covered town.

For our evening activities, we drove to Ridgway for Colorado Boy pizza and beer and then attempted to go see Ueli Steck, a famous Swiss climber known for his speed, give a presentation. It filled to capacity (200), and we were right at the cutoff.

A front moved in on Friday. We went to the ice park for a bit, and I checked out the railroad museum in Ridgway. It’s a stretch calling it a museum. There are a handful of railway items and some cars parked outside with a description. Beyond that, we played cards, grabbed the best burger in town, watched a climbing presentation and greeted the rest of our friends that trickled in to town the rest of the day/night. They had long drives too, due to the bad weather. I was the only one that didn’t, but there was still time!

Saturday included a day at the ice park. Six of us tested out the free climbing at the beginners wall. It’s definitely an adrenaline rush for the first time. Some of us, having never tried it, were a little nervous about what to expect. The volunteers who belayed us gave a variety of tips…form an A shape, kick your crampons into the ice, take small steps. We all topped out! I’m certain they made it easy, so we’d all want to become members of the ice park. Those who had rock climbed, still liked rock climbing better, including myself, but it was a little hard to compare to ten minutes of scaling the ice.

After our short climb, we watched the mix climbing event. The competitors started on ice, then switched to rock and then had to climb a tower with wood “nuggets” hanging on it to reach a pinata in twelve minutes. I wasn’t sure I’d enjoy watching the competition, only because I wasn’t sure I’d be able to appreciate their moves. But it was quite enjoyable! We could tell the difference between the elite and the others as they made it look effortless. It was also exciting because only three climbers made it to the pinata. I don’t know how many competitors there were, but they started at 9am and didn’t finish until almost 3pm, so the route proved challenging!

In addition, the weather was glorious which made it easy to hang out in the sun! Only the last hour with the sun behind the mountain became a little unbearable, but we had to see if we won anything in the raffles at the exhibitor tents. We got a little swag and a free shot of whiskey before we headed back to the hotel or hot springs or ice skating rink. Yes, we split up for a bit.

Then the news came that a horrible winter storm was going to hit at midnight, so half the group skipped dinner, the presentations and the party packed up and headed out. It may have been a smart decision as the four of us who stayed until the morning got trapped in Glenwood Springs. Sadly, it wasn’t due to bad weather, but a semi jack-knifed and closed down the highway and there is no other way out! We had a nice lunch at the brewery before we headed back out, but by this time, an inch of snow seemed to challenge countless drivers at Vail Pass. Not to mention, the truck drivers decided to stop in the middle of the road to chain up. What happened to pulling over? Eleven hours later, we arrived at home after a fun time in Ouray! I’ll definitely be going back. ETB

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World War II Sites on Peleliu, Palau

Today Bax picked us up at Carp Island “Resort”, and took us by boat to the Island of Peleliu to visit WWII sites and see leftover artifacts. On our way we spotted an ornate eagle ray. Jayden had never seen one and Bax had only seen one in the last five years. They were so excited over it!

EXPLORE HISTORY!

Carp Island, Palau

The Wilderness Travel crew sent us on our way this morning. It was sad to say bye to them all, each with such a different personality, but all so nice. Wilter hardly said a word that many times he faded into the background, but he was a good fisherman and assistant chef. It was Hamilton’s first trip. He gave a great coconut show and could dive deep the one day he came snorkeling with us. Michael, was from Nigeria and always eager to help! Ludy was the head honcho and master chef. All of them seemed like masters of the ocean because they need fish to survive.

Barnum Reef and Turtle Cove

Bax took us by boat to two snorkel sites, Barnum Reef and Turtle Cove. A bunch of white tip reef sharks circled below, and we even spotted a few small black tips. I was blessed to see some squid which I haven’t seen in some time. We saw two more clown triggerfish which I really think are pretty, and a school of hundreds of goatfish. Of course, as the name of the reef suggests, several turtles hung around the reef…at least six! The green turtle had a prettier shell than the hawksbill.

Carp Island Resort

After our snorkel, we paddled to a small beach for lunch and then to Carp Island Resort where we rested for the afternoon. “Resort” was a bit liberal. Camp might be a better description with free-standing, unair-conditioned cabins with a connected bathroom accessible from an outside door. The open air lobby was like a sauna under the tin roof, so we ate our dinner at a covered picnic table while the sun set, which was quite pleasant.

I think we may have been better off camping after our expectations had been lifted to “Resort” level. I recognize many third world countries’ plumbing cannot accommodate toilet paper being flushed in the commode, but if resort is being used in the title then the ability to flush the TP should be a requirement!

Tomorrow brings a lesson in WWII history as we visit the Island of Peleliu, Palau. ETB

Exploring the Rock Islands: Snorkeling the Best Dive Sites in the World

Jackson’s Beach

Boy did we ever have the storm of all storms last night! Rain, thunder, lightening…something rare for Palau. It did offer a nice breeze for the tents, which were relatively hot. Some people might say that relatively hot was an under statement as they were considering sleeping out on the beach or in a hammock like some of the crew. If I were assured I wouldn’t be eaten alive by ants and mosquitos, I may have slept under the stars as well, as they were magnificent. Interestingly, while Palau is in the Northern hemisphere, 4° above the equator, the North Star can’t be seen. Sailors navigate by the Southern Cross and moon.

GO SNORKELING!

Day Sixteen, In Antarctica – Crossing the Drake Passage

The worst part of our comfortable ride came between midnight and 3 am last night. Waves slapped the side of the boat while the ship rocked above the water in a clockwise, circular fashion which made for an interesting night’s sleep, if any. But at least our items stayed in our cabinets on deck 2. Cathy and Greg had a crazy night. The lock that held their closet door closed broke open, so the doors swung freely. All the DVDs in the owner’s suite flew out of the TV cabinet and across the sitting room. I think they managed to stay in their bed, but I’m certain daylight could be seen between their bodies and mattress. And to think we had an easy crossing! We were hearing of reports of ships getting the windows of the captains bridge knocked out and of passengers being sequestered to their cabins. We dodged all of this…awesome captain!

We made up for an adventurous night, with another another slow day. We opted for a few presentations and then watched a short film about rounding Cape Horn that was very funny. Later we got hear about some of the trips to the Arctic…I’m sold on seeing the polar bears…that will have to be an adventure in the next few years.

We made it to the Beagle Channel early, so we have throttled back as we don’t disembark until tomorrow. While we have been putzing around, the Quark Team put on a live auction to raise money for penguins. There were a variety of items, but the two big tickets items were the map with our itinerary which also included some pencil sketchings by one of the team members, Colin, and the ability to captain the ship with supervision of course. Our Arkansas friends, Greg and Cathy, won the bidding. At the hands of our friends, the Sea Spirit pulled a 360 in the Beagle Channel! Not even Cheli had done that!

We earned several certificates on our trip…..including a certificate for crossing the circle, kayaking, climbing the hill and riding a snow slide on the Antarctic Continent, and the polar plunge. The polar plunge certificate was my favorite…”In Paradise Bay on a sunny, blue sky day, a puzzled penguin audience observed Beth of questionable sanity and near to nude plunge into 2 degree Celsius Antarctic waters.”

I’m sad to be disembarking tomorrow! We made some great new friends from around the world and enjoyed some incredible experiences, including watching dolphins jump during the captain cocktail hour and a farewell night of dancing with the expedition team. Our team leader left us with an appropriate quote, “Life is not measured by the number of breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away.” Antarctica is breathtaking! The end…ETB

PS…Stay tuned for Colorado hikes, a weekend in Hilton Head, and a warm climate trip to Palau and some more weekly photo challenges.

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photographic note card, chinstrap penguin in Antarctica — CHINSTRAP PENGUIN

Day Fifteen, In Antarctica – Crossing the Drake Passage

The port holes were closed up last night, in preparation of the crossing. The port holes weren’t closed going south, thus the crew definitely geared up for rougher weather. Though the thirty foot sea predictions turned out to be closer to 12 to 18 foot seas, whew! In the briefing this evening, we found out the captain had to change his course 100 nautical miles and travel at full throttle for us to enjoy this “improved, more comfortable” ride. I hope the trend continues as even with the change, chairs tipped over, dishes fell off the table and people tossed up and down out of their bed (glad we are on deck 2). From what I understand, our passage has been very smooth compared to other larger ships in that passed through earlier, though not smooth enough to keep the hallways free of barf bags. There were several available on deck 2…not so many on the higher decks…I suppose they were being used!

EXPLORE!

Day Fourteen, In Antarctica, Landing Attempts Unsuccessful…Bad Weather

I awoke at 4:45 to a rocky sea this morning and the waves aren’t very big yet! The captain is zooming! I didn’t realize the leisurely pace we were taking until now…we’ve been hauling at almost 15 knots for hours. We tried a landing at Hannah Point around 8 am, but we had sustained winds around 40-50 knots, and gusts up to 93 knots, so we had to continue on. We tried for a second landing later in the day, as the winds were supposed to die down, but our luck wasn’t any better at Yankee Harbor. It was snowing with fifty knot winds, and we couldn’t see land.

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