Snorkel-fest!

Today we went out to the Molokini Crater... it was a fantastic day! The tour company we went with was Four Winds, and honestly, the boat's crew totally made the trip! From the laughs to the food to the fun facts.... all of the guys were amazing!



Early morning at the marina - checking in at 6:45am!

It's not exactly a 'secret spot'....

Wheeeeee!! Toni exits the boat via the water slide!

Do not touch!

On the way back to the harbor, we were super fortunate and saw whales and sea turtles....

A momma and her very young calf, and the escort whale.
Note that these guys surprised us by surfacing sooooo close to
the boat - my camera is NOT zoomed in, at all!! Extremely cool!

LOVE the sea turtles!!

The crater has such interesting history, not to mention fabulous snorkeling, and the day was great! Oh yeah, and it was +28C yet AGAIN.... I've been hearing winter horror stories from back home.... yikes....

Hope all is well with everybody!

Cheers!

So much to do... so little time...

It has been unbelievably hot here.... and even on the one and only slightly overcast day, it was incredibly warm. So needless to say, many an hour have been spent enjoying the sand and surf!

Black Rock Beach

Surf lessons!



 

Front Street - Lahaina

 

We ate at Mick Fleetwood's place!

 

 

This evening, we had dinner at a groovy roof-top restaurant in Lahaina, and we booked a last-minute trip to snorkel the Molokini Crater for tomorrow. Monday is a sailing trip to Lanai and a luau in the evening, and then Tuesday a few of us are still planning to drive to Hana and beyond. So fun - but the time is flying by way too fast! And there is just so much to do. Love it!

 

Cheers.

 

 

 

 





Pacific Paradise

Wow, I forgot how much I love this place..... Maui.... so amazing!!

Dragon's Teeth

Nakalele Blowhole

Best banana bread EVER!

I'ao Needle

 

How's my luck - I'm on my second visit to this Pacific paradise, and it is as awesome as I remembered! There are seven of us here, staying in the gorgeous Kaanapali area.

Yesterday was pretty chill, and today we drove the West Maui loop. The road is narrow and gnarly in places and the sights are super cool! We checked out the Dragon's Teeth, the Nakalele Blowhole, Julia's banana bread stand, and the I'ao Needle.

The temps are supposed to stay in the high 20's and we have lots more cool stuff planned.... a trip to Hana, sailing to Lanai, a luau, sunrise on Haleakala, surf lessons.... the fun just never ends!!

And in case you're wondering, I'm not missing home one bit.... can you tell!!?

Cheers!

Four more sleeps!

As most of you are already aware, it doesn't take much to convince me to get on a plane. So, when random chit-chat with friends the other evening turned into, "You should come to Maui!".... well heck, twist my rubber arm.... barely! LOL!

I couldn't resist! I've been there before and totally loved it. And in just a few days, I'll be heading back! Can't wait!!

A couple of pics from my last visit to Maui.

In the interim, I'm enjoying a bit of outside time in Canmore, where it appears that spring may really have sprung! Today was awesome, and the rest of the weekend is shaping up to be even more fun!

Happy Easter everybody!

In Like a Lion....

EEEEEEEK!!! I just checked EnviroCan for the Banff forecast, and OH.... EM.... GEE....

I couldn't resist posting this, because it is going to be one friggin amazing weekend to be in the mountains! In the words of my favorite 9-year-old kid, "There are suns across the whole page!"

Skiing, hiking, more skiing.... I can't wait!! March was in like a lion, but it looks as though it's definitely going out like a lamb. Nice!

Enjoy!

The Land of the Midnight Sun

They are on the same continent, but they're over 5000 km apart.... I've seen one, enjoyed it immensely, and now I think it's high time I see the other.

What the heck am I talking about?? Tombstones. Yes, you heard me correctly. No, not the thrash metal rock band, and no, not the kind that are often found toppled over in creepy graveyards. Of the Tombstones I'm referring to, one is a famous desert town - Tombstone, Arizona.... and the other is an amazing wilderness area - Tombstone Territorial Park, Yukon.

Tombstone, Arizona

 

My sister lives in Phoenix, so on more than one occasion I've visited the cool, historical, wild wild west which has been so awesomely preserved in Tombstone, AZ.

Late this summer, I'm hoping to head in the opposite direction.... and backpack through Tombstone Territorial Park in the Yukon. The 9-day trek that I am considering signing up for will venture through surreal, remote, breathtaking landscape.

Image courtesy of Yukon Wild

Image courtesy of Fritz Mueller

This adventure would immediately precede my West Coast Trail trip, so August and September could end up being busy! But it's my favorite kind of busy - traveling to new places, meeting new people, with some extraordinary hiking thrown in as a major bonus! Hell yeah!

A few details still need to be worked out.... but the thought of all this sight seeing is super exciting! Love it! Stay tuned.

Cheers!

Time well spent....

What a holiday! I am now home from Cuba.... such a beautiful place, filled with beautiful people. Not surprisingly, internet cafes were non-existent.... and the computer and internet access at the hotel we stayed at were archaic to say the least.... so I wasn't able to post while I was away.

But the vacation was amazing! The beaches around Varadero are gorgeous - soft, white sand and stunning turquoise water. The Cubans are definitely a happy bunch - always smiling and chatty and very approachable.

Of course we enjoyed the unlimited sun and rum at the resort.....

Life is good! On the beach at Brisas del Caribe.

Besties enjoying the sun and fun!

Hotel lobby - Brisas del Caribe.

 

Probably the busiest place in the hotel - the lobby bar!

Brisas del Caribe, Varadero

Classic!

Artwork in the piano bar at the hotel.

It's official - I was there!

And aside from lovin' life on the beach, we checked out many, many cool things. We hopped the bus and went into Varadero a few times....

Riding the double-decker 'red' bus.

Streets of Varadero

The Beatles Club - way too fun!

Most excellent band at The Beatles Club

Live Cuban music at La Calle 62 - awesome!

Lunch and beverages at El Rancho

We went on a jeep safari, which took us on a totally cool, 150km adventure through the rural areas between Varadero and Havana....

Cassidy and Kathy joined us to make a foursome for the jeep. I drove.
The others probably regretted that by the end of the day. LOL!

The crew of 'jeeps' - such a fun time!

Gnarly conditions - we stopped here to snorkel, but had
had to settle for pina coladas at a beach-side stand instead.

Cool cave!

Snorkelling IN the cave! The water was ~22m deep.

Sugar cane growing on the farm.



 

 

On the farm - a barn, me on a bull (yes that's right), and horseback rides.

Groovy sky on the riverboat ride at the end of the jeep safari day.

 

 

Lucky for us, the hottest day of the entire week was the day we went sailing....

 

The new marina on the east end of the Varadero peninsula.

 

Sweet!

 

A quick swim with the dolphins.

 

Jessica! These creatures are smart!

 

Cayo Blanco - where we docked for the afternoon.

 

 

How could I not be ecstatic to be here!!

 

A fantastic day on the boat!

 

I have to say that my favorite day of all was the day we spent in Havana. It is an incredible city, and I've written a separate post about it.

 

Well I'm pretty sure there are still so many fabulous things to see and do in Cuba, and it is a place that I would love to go back to. The country has a certain 'charm' if you will, that I've not experienced elsewhere in my travels, and I highly recommend visiting Cuba. And do it soon!

 

Cheers!