Went to Costa Rica, my first time ever in Central America, from February 26 – March 5. This one goes down in the books. Best outdoor-adventure vacation to date! Celebrating 10 years of volunteering with the MOC and previously the AOC, with lots of longtime and some new friends too. Add into that a great man to spend it with. I couldn’t have asked for more!
On August 19th, eight members of the MOC met up with six members of the AOC for an adventure in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Each member of the group averaged about 15 miles on rocky terrain, including going up the famous Tuckerman’s Ravine and Mt. Washington. We gained about 4,000 ft of elevation in total and lost about 3,000 ft. It’s a trip I’ll not soon forget. The group was fun, and it was a view-rewarding challenge. The huts and centers run by the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) are a great way to see the presidential range by foot. Before and after the backpacking, I was able to fit in some sightseeing in Boston, MA.
About a dozen members of the Maryland Outdoor Club ventured to Hawaii to witness the joining of two hands in marriage, and to do some adventure-style exploring. Here’s my personal recap from the trip, along with photos:
Well, I’m back home. It was quite an adventurous journey.
The last full day in Hawaii, I lounged around the lagoon, pool, and water slides a bit more before checking out around 1 pm from the hotel. With 6 hours to kill prior to the rental car return, we decided to do some more sightseeing. Instead of going towards Diamondhead and the Polynesian Culture Center, on the East side, we headed straight into the heart of Oahu to see the Dole Pineapple Plantation. Here, we took a 20-minute, 2-mile train ride into the plantation, walked around the gardens for a bit, and tasted fresh pineapple. We did not have time for “The World’s Largest Maze,” but it looked pretty cool.
Afterward, we drove a bit further north, to the North Shore, and found a sleepy little surfer town. Here, Pat got fresh shrimp from Macky’s roadside stand, and I grabbed lunch at Killer Tacos.
We returned the rental car just before 7 pm and made it into the airport with plenty of time before our 8 pm flight. By 8:40, we were back in Kauai with a layover until 10:50 pm. So, what else to do, but call up the Marriott Beach Club Resort shuttle to pick us up for one last feet dip in the pool. One last Lava Flow frozen drink too.
It was perfect. Excluding the shuttle to and from the hotel, we had about 45 minutes to enjoy the last little bit of Hawaii before the red-eye out.
We landed in Phoenix around their breakfast time, and then back in Baltimore around 4:15 pm ET.
It was quite a trip to say the least. The friends, the adventures, the photos to last a lifetime.
I can’t wait to go back.
And so, the laundry and unpacking begins…
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The first truly lazy day I’ve had on the trip so far. I slept in. Then went to a local diner for breakfast. I had pineapple pancakes, and yes, I did try out the coconut syrup that you’ll see in the photos. Quite delicious.
Next, my friend Pat moved onto surfing lessons. You’ll see some digital shots taken by the surfing school staff uploaded to this album, as well.
During this time, I rented an intertube and floated for about an hour or so in the hotel lagoon (approximately 2 acres in size). After meeting back up with Pat, we hit one of the many hotel pools. This one had water slides, one of which was an enclosed tube.
Next, we made it down to the beach for the sunset, and soon thereafter, the hotel (Friday night) fireworks display. Dinner followed at a Japanese restaurant in the hotel village.
It was a car-free day, and I loved it.
I’ll be doing some of the same this morning, before checking out the hotel and sightseeing the Oahu island by car before heading to the airport. I’ll be starting my flights around 8 pm local time, tonight, and ending around 5 pm ET tomorrow (Sunday). Oahu to Kauai to Phoenix to Baltimore. I’m tired already thinking about it…
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With only three full days left in Hawaii, and on a new island, we decided to fit in the stuff that were must-do’s first, and have the remaining two days to take it easy.
So, we got up early and headed for Pearl Harbor. We spent about four hours here, between the movie, Arizona Memorial, museum, gift shop, and Missouri tour. This is an amazing sight to see. And, even though from another time, being there brings it in real close to your heart. About 900 men are entombed in the Arizona, that sits below the memorial, accessible by boat. 2,400~ men and civilians died, another 1,200 injured.
Following our time at Pearl Harbor, we went to the nearby Honolulu airport for a 45-minute helicopter ride over the island, with Blue Hawaiian Helicopters. Man, was that a treat! There were six of us on board, plus the pilot (from Switzerland). He gave us a really smooth, informational ride. We saw areas for different outdoor activities, the island’s tallest waterfall, the largest maze on earth (the Dole Pineapple Plantation), the Magnum P.I. house, filming locations for Lost, Jurassic Park, Gilligan’s Island, and Pearl Harbor from the air.
In the evening, we stayed in Honolulu. Enjoying the last few moments of sun by the pool, shopping on the main drag, and grabbing a bite to eat at Maui Taco.
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On Thursday, I woke up around 6 am, ahead of my alarm going off. This was so that I could fit in a kayak trip up the Wailua River prior to departing the island. I hit the river around 7:30 am, paddled about 2 miles, hiked another mile, into see Secret Falls. Kayaking and hiking, combined, are the only way to reach these falls. After this, I hiked a mile back, and paddled up the river a bit further and quickly docked at the Fern Grotto (part of the Wailua River State Park) and got some photos before the 2 mile trip back, into the wind. That part was rough. But, I got back around 11 am, back to the hotel at 11:30 am.
A quick dip at the pool, lunch there, and a shower and I was ready to depart for Oahu. Having a hotel just 5 minutes (or less, maybe) to the airport, was awfully convenient. Pat and I left the hotel just 45 minutes prior to the flight and were not rushed at all.
Oahu is a totally different island, which we expected. It’s a lot more commercialized. But, even with that, Waikiki Beach is not nearly as crowded as you would think. Honolulu holds a great majority of all of the island’s tourists. About 30,000 rooms in all. There is Turtle Bay on the north shore, but most of the action is south in Honolulu. We’re staying at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Resort and Spa. It consists of: 7 tower hotels, on 22 acres, with 3,000+ rooms, 90 shops and restaurants, several pools, and it’s own private (2~ acre) lagoon. The Hilton has more overall oceanfront property than any other hotel on Waikiki.
For dinner last night, we walked down Waikiki, towards Diamondhead (our hotel is at the far west part of the beach). The sun set to our backs, and I got several good photos of this. Parts of the beach were really narrow and we had to stay on sidewalks. There was one part that was a good 10′ higher than the water. I loved it when the waves came in, crashed on the wall and splashed us as we walked by. We went to eat at the beachhouse at the Moana Surfrider (now a Westin hotel, but originally a Sheraton). It is the oldest hotel still standing on Waikiki. Very southern plantation-like. The food at this place was out of this world, and we paid for it.
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