First Stop: Rarotonga

Posted on November 11, 2016 by soldstone

Well, we are finally on our way! We are now in the Cook Islands and having to get into travel mode with our electronic tethers. Actually, it has not been that hard. Spending a few days without cell service, internet, or WiFi is a good way to shift gears at the beginning of a trip I think. We finally got our WiFi sorted just in time to cry over the U.S. presidential election results. Enough said.

The last couple of weeks before leaving San Diego were a whirlwind which included a lovely 5 day trip up the coast to visit friends in the Santa Barbara and Los Angeles areas. Navigating through Los Angeles made San Diego seem like a breeze! We enjoyed three awesome days with friends who live up on Rincon Mountain, south of Santa Barbara. The weather was hot and sunny providing a good backdrop for surfing, hiking, visiting Ojai, and generally enjoying the incredible views from their mountaintop retreat. It was fantastic to catch up with our good friends Kim and Steve, whom we don’t often get to see. Here are some photos from that time.

The view from the house – Wow!

Rincon Point sunset

After that, we stopped to see a friend in Santa Monica and then went on to spend a night in Burbank with another of Michael’s college friends. Anders and his lovely wife Anki gave us a quick tour, and we took a walk with their dog in Runyon Canyon Park. The views were great and there was a nice off leash dog park! We saw the Hollywood sign along the way and passed all kinds of landmarks. It was an all too brief visit, but wonderful to reconnect with them. Here we are on our walk.

Michael and Anders with Goucho

The next day we spent the afternoon in Newport Beach with yet more college friends before finding our way back to San Diego. Here is Michael with some early college roommates. We definitely took the college buddy tour on this trip and it was great!

Brian, Jeff, and Michael

Once back in San Diego, we spent a fun evening at the opera enjoying Cinderella. The people watching at the opera was terrific, as was the performance!

The following weekend we jetted off to Chicago to attend the wedding of Michael’s oldest niece. The wedding was lovely, the weather cooperated, and it was nice to have a large group of the extended family together. The events were held at the University of Chicago, my alma mater. I had not returned there since I graduated a very long time ago, so it was interesting to see the changes that had taken place at the school and in the neighborhood. It felt a bit like being in a dream – everything was familiar, but fuzzy. I struggled to tug some forgotten memories out of my brain to make the picture come into focus.

Here I am in front of my old apartment building

Finally it was time for us to be on our way. Since we were to fly out of Los Angeles, we had to get to L.A. from San Diego. This proved to be easier than we thought. I highly recommend taking the train! We boarded the train in Solana Beach and rode it into Union Station in L.A. It was easy and comfortable. Our business class seats came with free WiFi, a terrific view of the beaches we passed, and even snacks and a drink! And no one had to deal with traffic.

Waiting for the train

In Union Station we transferred to a bus that goes directly to the airport every half hour. This also was easy, and inexpensive at $9 per person. LAX was a bit of a mess, but we got through it all okay. Our gate was about as far out as you can go in the Tom Bradley International Terminal. And then, when we boarded our Air New Zealand flight, we still had to take a bus even further! I had purchased exit row seating for the 10 hour flight to Rarotonga in the hopes of giving us, and especially Michael, whose legs are so long, a little more comfortable flight. It was nice to have the extra leg room, but the seats were slightly narrower due to the tray table being in the arm rest. Still, I guess it was worth it. A meal, a movie or two, some sleep, another meal, and the next thing you know we were landing.

Rarotonga is the gateway to the Cook Islands chain of islands. All the international flights land here. However, it is still a small airport and we deplaned via stairs from the jet and walked across the tarmac. The immigration line wasn’t too bad. We filled out the forms while we waited since the ground crew in L.A. had neglected to supply the flight crew with the forms to give us in flight. Our luggage arrived safely (Whew!) and customs declined to inspect it. Meanwhile, we were being serenaded by an older gentleman playing a ukulele and singing traditional songs in the airport. Not a bad start! Our Airbnb host, Carlo, was there to meet us despite the early hour, for which we were grateful. There was another couple on our plane who also were staying at the Tree House B & B. We waited a while for them and it turned out their luggage had been lost. Oh no! So glad it wasn’t us. Fortunately, it was found in L.A. and sent on to them via New Zealand, arriving two days later. We all piled into Carlo’s van and off we went. Carlo gave us a little tour on our way to his house and also obliged us by stopping at the ATM.

After settling in and unpacking a bit, we went off for a walk on the beach. Since we had arrived just after 7 a.m., it was still pretty early in the day, though it didn’t feel that way to me! The beach was just a short walk down a jungle path and we were there in about 3 minutes. Aaaaah, paradise! Rarotonga has a coral reef that surrounds the island creating a lagoon of varying width all the way around its circular shape. This creates a perfect place for snorkeling and swimming while being protected from the open ocean. Because of all the coral however, I immediately understood why reef shoes were recommended for walking on the beach. Flip flops also serve the purpose. There is white sand, but also many chunks of coral mixed in, which are quite sharp. Waves crashed on the reef, the water was warm, and there was an ocean breeze stirring the palm trees, so we had nothing to complain about. We walked the beach down to Black Rock, a local landmark, at which point I was starting to feel the effects of a rather poor night’s sleep. After a little rest on the beach, we started back. Michael was excited to see bonefish in the water.

Bonefish in the water!

Sea urchin in a pool

At the Edgewater Beach Resort, next door to our own accommodation, we decided to stop for an early lunch and a drink. There is nothing quite like a Piña Colada to make you feel like you are on a tropical vacation! Though usually a bit sweet for me, having one seemed like the appropriate thing to do. Properly fortified, we returned to our rooms for a nap.

In the afternoon, we went down to the beach for a snorkel. The water was clear and warm and we swam down the beach in the lagoon and around various coral heads and outcroppings. There were lots of sea cucumbers and black tentacle-looking things stretching out from the rocks. We saw many colorful fish, some we didn’t recognize, and even a large grayish-white eel! He came out from under his rock and swam around near us so we got a good view. One of my favorites was the bright blue starfish! There were quite a few and the color was so dramatic against the more muted coral and sand. I also saw purple coral and sea urchins. All in all we had a wonderful time. I’ve snorkeled quite a bit in a lot of different places. This might not have been the best ever, but the conditions were pretty darn good with excellent visibility and easy access. After our swim we rinsed off by poaching the freshwater shower at the Edgewater next door, then dried off on the rocks. Later, after a shower and change in our room, we returned to the beach for sunset. It was a beautiful evening and a lovely sunset. For dinner we strolled back to the main road at the end of our driveway and ate at Tumunu, one of the oldest restaurants on the island. It was ok, but nothing to write home about, so I won’t bore you with the details. As you can imagine, we fell into bed exhausted that night and slept soundly.

The view from our porch

Since then we have been acclimating to island life and exploring this beautiful place. For now I will sign off, but I’ll fill you in on our adventures with taking the bus, hiking, and a tour in my next post.

Until then, see you down the road!

Kia Orana!

Endless Summer

Posted on October 16, 2016 by soldstone

Life is pretty rewarding in the pursuit of an endless summer. Quite frequently, Michael declares gleefully that “endless summer” is the goal of our trip. Whenever the weather seems a little cooler, he says we’ll have to move further south soon! Indeed we have been blessed with warm days, sunny skies, and nary a need for a jacket. For the last month we have been basking in the autumn warmth of southern California, specifically La Jolla, near San Diego. Michael’s parents still live here in the house he grew up in, and we have taken over the basement guest room. Pretty nice digs if you can come by them! Most mornings I go for a walk along the cove and cliff tops to see what the ocean has to offer that day. Sea lions, pelicans, sea gulls, cormorants, and harbor seals are frequent companions, as well as a plethora of multilingual tourists. Michael goes off to surf at one of the nearby spots whenever the conditions are to his liking. Many afternoons we make time to go to the beach to top up our tans and breathe in the ocean air and sound of the waves. It’s a rough life, I know! In between these leisure pursuits, we’ve been spending quality time with family, reconnecting with old friends, and preparing to go overseas.

Here are some scenes from my morning walks.

Cormorants and Sea Lions

Harbor Seals

Children’s Pool on a super clear day

Children’s Pool on a very different day!

High tides and heavy surf make for a dramatic coastline!

While we’ve been lolligagging in San Diego, we’ve had a few small adventures of note. One weekend we camped at San Elijo State Beach in Cardiff-by-the-Sea. The campground is run by the state and the sites start booking out 6 months in advance, which is when they become available in the system. We had a stroke of luck back in March and secured a prime campsite right above the beach, close to the beach access, and just the right distance from the toilets.

The view from our campsite, #52

The campground also has showers, a camp store, and a taco shop. It is situated just across the road from eateries, a coffee shop, and a fantastic gourmet market called Seaside Market. So if you want to go minimalist on the cooking, as we did, it’s easy to eat well. The beach has a good surf break, so Michael was happy to have such easy access. It really was lovely to have the sound of the waves lull us to sleep and to witness incredible sunsets each evening from the comfort of our picnic table or the beach below!

The only downside was the noise from the trains that blow through at regular intervals, including at night. During the day it was pretty easy to tune them out, but their whistles seemed incredibly loud at night when they woke us from a sound sleep! Our second night there, my friend Sandy joined us with her sweet dog Jax. We had a fun time roasting marshmallows and making s’mores by the campfire!

Sandy and Jax

Shaking the tent out…Atlas holds up the world!

Another fun adventure consisted of riding our bicycles down to Pacific Beach from La Jolla. When we got to the boardwalk, we found a beach festival in progress with all manner of booths, crafts, beach volleyball tournaments, a surf contest, food, and bands playing. There was a “Best of the Beach” fish taco contest with entrants from local restaurants which caught our eye– $10 to sample 7 different tacos and vote on your favorite. What a deal! Of course we had to do it. Wow was it good!

Last year’s champion – mmmm, very tasty!

Another favorite

The beach scene

After sampling some tacos, we rode slowly down the boardwalk through Mission Beach all the way to the jetty at the end by the entrance to Mission Bay. The boardwalk was teeming with people and colorful characters, so it made for some superb people watching. That evening we went to a friend’s house for a barbecue.

Michael has been calling and catching up with old friends from high school, college, and even as far back as kindergarten! It’s been a particular pleasure to reconnect and get to know these people. There have been barbeques and snorkeling expeditions and we have plans for more visits next week. One Sunday we drove up to Newport Beach for the day to see one of Michael’s college friends. We really enjoyed spending the day with him and his family, going to the beach, and hearing about their lives.

A couple of times we have been in snorkeling by the La Jolla cove. The first was not so great due to poor visibility, but we did get inspected by a sea lion or two while in the water. The second time, the visibility was pretty good and the water quite calm. The cove is part of a marine preserve. There is a deep canyon in the ocean floor that comes quite close to shore at that spot, causing an upwelling, and making the marine life abundant. I spotted a leopard shark swimming by. They are small and harmless and come to breed right off the cliffs there. As you may have guessed, they have spots! We also saw plenty of garibaldi, which are bright orange and look like very large goldfish. The young ones are greyish, with bright, electric blue spots! I spied a large abalone as well as a calico bass too. In addition to snorkeling, we have been enjoying regular trips to our favorite beaches, sometimes at sunset.

Horseshoe Beach

In three weeks we leave the country. Our first destination is the Cook Islands in the South Pacific, where we will visit both Rarotonga and Aitutaki, two of the many islands. We’ll be there about two weeks before flying on to New Zealand. In New Zealand we have about three months. We have made plans for roughly three-quarters of that time, primarily because it will be the summer high season when accommodation and transportation can book out. We’ll visit both the North and South Islands using a combination of holiday houses, airbnbs, backpackers, motels, bed and breakfasts, car, camper, ferry, and airplane. Just this week, we booked our onward flight from New Zealand to Melbourne, Australia using miles. That is as far out as we have planned, although we don’t foresee coming back to the U.S. for at least a further 3 months after that. Tentatively, we’ll visit Australia, Bali and Lombok in Indonesia, and wherever else may strike our fancy.

It’s hard to believe it’s mid October already! We have certainly been having fun and have tried to soak up every minute of our sabbatical from work. Now, as our departure on the big overseas trip approaches, we have been taking care of the final details of what we will take with us, how we’ll carry it, how we’ll manage our technology, and getting excited for the adventures to come!

See you down the road…

From the Mountains through the Desert to the Sea

Posted on September 24, 2016 by soldstone

Friends are such an important ingredient in the recipe for a good life and we are blessed with some great ones! On our return to Denver, Colorado, we were met by a dear friend who graciously picked us up at the airport and delivered us to our car, which had been stored at their house. After a brief “Hello, how are you, how was your trip?” we were on our way to the foothills above Golden, Codorado, to overnight with other friends. It was a beautiful evening and we enjoyed the view from their house, as well as a fire outside with them after dinner.

The gorgeous view!

Michael and Dusk

The morning proved just as beautiful with abundant sunshine, so we made plans to take a little detour on our way to our hometown of Durango, Colorado. Neither Michael, nor I had ever been over Guanella Pass, west of Denver, and now that the whole road is paved, it really is quite easy. The road crosses a high mountain pass linking Georgetown on I-70 with Rt. 285 north of Jefferson, so it was only a small detour from our usual route. We were treated to a hint of fall color starting to show in the trees and spectacular mountain views.

At the top of Guanella pass

The drive to Durango was as beautiful as ever. We saw two moose in a pond at the top of Kenosha pass, very close to the continental divide! The white mass of Great Sand Dunes National Park shimmered in the distance as we drove down the San Luis Valley, and the San Juan River sparkled when we pulled into Pagosa Springs to stop for a soak at the hot springs.

The pond on Kenosha with moose

The view from Kenosha pass

Pagosa Hot Springs has 23 outdoor soaking pools to choose from in a riverfront location, and it’s one of our favorite indulgences. There is nothing quite like slipping into the hot water of the Overlook pool and taking in the view of the river and other pools below. You can stay overnight if you wish, or partake of some of their spa treatments and massages if you want to go all out. Here’s their website if you’re curious or want to see photos. I didn’t take my phone or camera in with me. Pagosa Hot Springs

We languished there, sampling various pools, for more than an hour before cleaning up and finishing the drive to Durango into the setting sun. Although perhaps it felt a little strange not to be driving up to our own house down the street, we received a characteristically warm welcome from our dear friends Bill and Machelle. It was good to be home, albeit for a short visit.

We spent three days in Durango getting organized and geared up for the next leg of our trip – driving to San Diego, California, with camping and scenery stops along the way. Our tenants were gracious about our comings and goings to the garage to retrieve camping gear, other belongings, and returning what we decided not to take. Michael did a little maintenance on the house and garden and we enjoyed visiting with friends and fine weather.

The Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad on my morning walk along the Animas river.

In the end, after some trial and error, we loaded up the Subaru with about as much stuff as you could possibly fit! We had a box on top, one bicycle, and no rear view from the inside. Our tentative plan was to head to Monument Valley and then on to Page, Arizona to camp for a couple of nights. By the time we had breakfast with Bill, said our goodbyes, shopped for some camping groceries, fueled up and hit the road, it was late morning.

The drive to Monument Valley was mostly familiar as it follows a similar route through the four corners region as we took when we rafted a section of the San Juan river some years ago. However, neither of us had ever actually been to Monument Valley, so it was fun to recognize some of those iconic buttes and vistas as we approached, and hard not to stop every quarter mile to take more pictures!

When we arrived and paid the entrance fee to the Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park, we found it to be VERY windy. Since it was later than we had originally planned to be there, we thought we might just camp at Monument Valley and head to Page in the morning. However, after checking out the campground, we decided against that. Although the campsites had a fantastic view of the valley, we didn’t like the prospect of trying to set up in high winds or huddling in our car or the tent to get out of a sandstorm. Oh well. We did look at the visitor center and take the scenic drive around the loop in the valley. The scenery was awesome but with the wind, we limited our vehicle exits. Nevertheless, it was fun to finally see it in person and to take some photos. One couldn’t help but recall the many western movies that have made that scenery iconic on the big screen.

Here I am trying to take a selfie in the wind!

At one spot on the loop drive there was a native american man on a horse posing for photos on a ledge. By the viewpoint he had a sign asking for a dollar for photos and a jar beside it. Kind of cheesy, but I couldn’t resist the photos, so I guess it worked! Up by the visitor center I saw a native american man in traditional dress and paint looking at his cell phone. An illustration of our times I suppose.

Horseman in the distance

After the scenic drive, we debated where to go for the night. Our original plan was to camp in Page for a couple of nights to visit Antelope Canyon and then head up to Bryce Canyon. However, there was a high wind advisory for Page for the next day and we would be setting up camp after dark. So in the end, we bagged that idea and drove down to Flagstaff, Arizona, and got a motel room. The motel rooms in Flagstaff were about half the price of what was available in Page!

I had been looking forward to going to Bryce Canyon National Park because I hadn’t been there since I worked there as a Park Ranger 27 years ago. With our new trajectory, however, it just didn’t make sense to head back up to Utah. Maybe we’ll go there on the way back to Durango. In the meantime, we had figured out that Oak Creek Canyon and Sedona might be nice places to explore. After our motel stay, we drove down the scenic Rt. 89A into Oak Creek Canyon. The road follows the creek and becomes progressively more scenic as you get closer to Sedona. Along the way we checked out a couple of the campgrounds that lie by the creek. They are listed as some of the most popular in Arizona and I can see why. We chose a spot in Cave Springs Campground which has nice sites with good shade, well spaced, with some along the creek and some amongst the pines. There are vault toilets, showers, water spigots, and a camp store that sells firewood and sundries. The campground was not full our first two nights since it was mid-week. This made it quiet and spacious. On our third night, we noticed it began to fill up more with families come to camp for the weekend. This campground typically fills every night in season, so we felt pretty lucky to catch it at the right time. Cave Springs is about a 20 minute drive north of Sedona. We went back and forth a few times during our explorations and found it pretty convenient. As there was no cell service in the canyon, we had to drive down the road if we wanted to check our digital tethers or do any research, but for, us this was not really a problem. Here is our campsite.

Sedona is a town nestled in the embrace of red rock canyons, cliffs, and valleys in the pine forested high desert of Arizona. Every direction you look there are stunning views. The main tourist area is replete with shops, restaurants, art galleries, and peddlers of new age paraphernalia. We walked around town, went for a beautiful hike up Brins Mesa, admired the incredible red rock scenery, and had a meal or two. Here are a few photos of the Sedona scenery, including some art installations in town showing painted javelinas. When you click on the photos you can see a larger version, if you wish.

Our hike up Brins Mesa was pretty spectacular. The view from the top in all directions was worth the climb.

One day we spent the afternoon at Slide Rock State Park, which has a series of rock slides and pools you can swim in. It’s a good thing it was hot out because the water was COLD!! There were quite a few people enjoying the water and relaxing on the rocks and it was a pleasant way to while away the afternoon.

Our last evening in Sedona, we were driving back through town after dinner when we saw the harvest moon rise above the canyon rim at twilight. We managed to find a high spot to snap some photos before stopping in town for an ice cream and a different viewpoint. Gorgeous!

After three nights in Oak Creek Canyon, we decided it was time to head for San Diego. So after packing up our campsite and shoehorning everything back into the car, we hit the road for the 7 to 8 hour drive to La Jolla, California. Most of the drive is through desert and very hot, but we managed it with minimal stops and not too much wind. Upon arriving at the Pacific Ocean, we couldn’t resist a quick stop at the beach to watch the sun set before ending the day at our next “home away from home” – Michael’s parents’ house.

Old Friends and Family

Posted on August 26, 2016 by soldstone

It was quite a heave to leave our house and hand over the keys to the tenants, but we did it. The last few days were a whirlwind of mad packing, moving boxes to the garage, and decision making. I don’t make very good decisions late at night, but sometimes you have to suck it up and work with what you have. Our tenants are nice people, so our house is in good hands. At least we have that going for us, and that’s a lot!

Our farewell party with friends was terrific. We enjoyed seeing all “the usual suspects” from our gang and had a wonderful summer evening in our friends’ garden. Here I am with the hostess, my dear friend Machelle. You can also get a glimpse of some goofiness with my husband, Michael! A good time was had by all. Thank you Machelle for such a lovely send-off!

P1060201

The first leg of our trip started with a drive to Denver from Durango. This is a drive both of us have done many times, but it’s been a while since we went over that road. The views did not disappoint however, and we even saw a fresh dusting of snow on the very tops of some of the highest peaks. We arrived at another good friend’s house in time to enjoy some cocktails on the porch and breathe a sigh of relief. The decompression had begun! This process was helped along by some mighty fine Painkillers – a concoction of rum, pineapple and orange juice, with coconut milk and a dusting of fresh nutmeg. Delicious! And a reminder of other great times shared at the Soggy Dollar Bar in the British Virgin Islands, whence the drink cometh. Many thanks to our friend Art for hosting our first night!

The next day we had a full day in Denver to relax as we didn’t fly out until the following day. It was strange to shift gears so abruptly from having so much to do in a short time, to having no agenda! We spent some time at the REI flagship store where I used to work, and I really enjoyed seeing so many old friends and former colleagues. It was a blast to catch up after so many years. It’s hard to believe it’s been almost 7 years since I left Denver and moved to Durango!

Late in the afternoon we made our way to yet another great friend’s house to spend the night. We were treated to a fabulous meal and a happy reunion. How lucky we are to have so many wonderful friends and what a great way to start this journey!

In the morning we flew from Denver, Colorado to Boston, Massachusetts on an uneventful flight and arrived to lovely weather. We spent the night at my brother’s house and enjoyed a leisurely evening catching up with my sister-in-law on their back deck. The next day we picked up a rental car and drove down to our family summer house on Buzzards Bay to join my mother, brother, niece and nephew. This is a house I spent many summers in growing up, but now that I live in Colorado, I haven’t been back very often. It is a lovely place in which to relax and unwind completely. There are beaches to walk on, swimming to enjoy, views to admire and all manner of relaxed or energetic pursuits to suit your pleasure.

We have spent this week basking in the fine weather and, as my husband would say, getting our slack on. Some highlights have included evening walks to the beach to enjoy the beautiful late light, watching the Wednesday evening sailboat races from afar, sailing my brother’s small sailboat off the beach, and a visit to the New Bedford Whaling Museum for a special event, which included a tour of the museum and wine and cheese on the deck with a magnificent view of the harbor. Here are a few photos that I hope capture the beauty of this place.