La Paz

Barely missing the ferry, we found ourselves in La Paz for a few days. Not a bad place to ‘kill some time’… (The ferry from La Paz to mainland MX, Mazatlán, only runs every couple days).

Just like its name, La Paz is a very peaceful city, especially for being one of the largest cities and the capital of Baja California Sur.

Downtown was outlined by the famous malecón, sprinkled every few meters with sculptures… The Dove of Peace pictured above.

Amazing seafood, ice cream stands, calm turquoise-blue water, and white sand…

Lazy, lounging days of free beachfront camping, coffee, little hikes and entertaining people watching… our fav was our ‘jolly’ neighbor who would dip in the water, jog a few feet, skip back into the water, then play racquetball against himself, using their large RV as an opponent 😉

He was a friendly fellow, who enjoyed his food and drink. He even brought us a container of homemade ‘chocolate clam’ ceviche he had prepared the night before… Which I have to admit, I didn’t eat, but appreciated the gesture!

After cave dwelling and tide pool hopping, we enjoyed a nice long shower at Hotel Catedral and a finale dinner at a secret garden pizzeria decorated with cafe lights!

Beaches visited:

Playa Tecolote, Playa Tesoro and the best… Playa Balandra, known for “El Hongo” rock formation. (Looks like a giant mushroom), captured on many Pacifico cans…

Rhythm of the Ranas

Our time at the Cañón de Guadalupe went by like a sweet song… rhythm of the ranas (frogs) every night and soft symphonies of little birds in the mornings.

This stay was all about ‘catching up on slowing down’ …

Morning swims in the springs, coffee, hiking, reading, (more soaking in the springs), ukulele-ing, relaxing and trying to absorb the beauty in every direction – mountain ranges and the grand ‘trono blanco’ (The White Throne) in one direction and the canyon desert oasis in the other.

3 days and nights of this lifestyle was like a wellness retreat in a “wings suit” … we felt so relaxed…rejuvenated… invigorated…ready to ‘carpe diem’ the hell out of this 3 month trip! Si… ¡FUERTE!

Utah: Life Elevated

Ever think a ‘waterpocket fold’ would land in the list of things that excite you? 😉

Well, better add a bullet for this one…

Utah continues to amaze us. J has been more than me, but this third trip certainly was a charm. We really packed it in with this one:

Dead Horse Point State Park, Moab, Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Park, Capitol Reef National Park, Escalante State Park, Zion National Park…

What’s the longest you can go without blinking?

A trip like this was awesome to scratch the surface, but we were left wanting more… more of each place. There was so much to take in at each location, you didn’t want to miss a moment. And, with some of the back-country dirt roads, you couldn’t really afford to…

As a little girl, I was always fascinated by rocks. I wanted to climb them, collect them, figure out what made them…A roadtrip like this was a dream. Not only the red rocks, but the incredible history and Native American presence in pictographs, arrowheads… aaahhhh!

Pancho was not ready for a haul like this, but our other road warrior, Coco Loco Moco, was up for the challenge. Complete with a rooftop treehouse (as we like to call it); it is arguably the most comfortable ‘glamp’ set up one could ask for. It was a tidbit chilly this time of year, so Mr. Heater Buddy became a close companion.

We weren’t the only ones that were cold..

Pepe, our new fuzzy fellow re-emerged every 5 minutes for one of the nights, to toast his paws by the fire. He was uncomfortably welcoming to the neighborhood which kept me on the edge of my chair for most of the evening, much to J’s entertainment. In his backyard or not, it would have been a very untimely occasion for a spritz of this special outdoorsy cologne. Yep..

Hmmm what else can I say – we were so thankful to spend this special trip with friends, families, loved ones. There were so many happy memories made; I hope when I am older, there will be a special smile wrinkle for this one.

Belay on!

The Draw of Adventure

What is the draw of an adventure?

Is it the love hate relationship with your burning quads and lungs while ascending a mountain?

Wind tears streaming from your face as you fly down a hill on two wheels above 40 mph?

Maybe it’s experiencing a new place, for the first time, taking it all in and appreciating you’ll never feel that way again, then you did in that very moment…

For me, the most addicting adventures have unique combinations of physical, mental and emotional challenge. Adventuring is about discovering elements of the unknown and unveiling what life has to offer.

This weekend was filled with some of my favorites…espresso, trail exploring, bike riding, tasty food, great company as well as my first time viewing the Banff Mountain Film Festival Tour showing at a local theatre.

To anyone that has not seen this; I highly recommend! The festival itself is a competition of international films and documentaries about mountain sports, culture and environment. The tour includes a collection of top films that will capture your mind and transport your soul to incredible places and people around the world.

For me, watching this film series was like dousing my ‘adventure fire’ with a bottle of lighter fluid. Rrrooooaaaarrrrrrr! I could not get to sleep afterwards; storms of thought tornadoes blew through my head…all the places…all the things…so much to do… so little time…

The Mexico van search continues …as does the list of destinations…

Cactus to Clouds

Coffee

Did I mention, we love coffee?

The best mornings start with a cup…or let’s be real, 2 cups!

It’s one of those 5 sense experiences: sight, smell, the sound of making it, the taste and even the touch. A comforting cup in your hand and warm fuzzies in your belly?!

Not rushed, but to be fully enjoyed, solo or with the ones you love (my favorite). A coffee inspires the day and reminds of past experiences. These are some memorable coffees over the last few months….

(East Cape, Baja MX, Thousand Island Lake Backpacking and a freak snow storm in Joshua Tree)

No trip can be planned without coffee…