Category: #Travel

Hawaii - Germaine's Luau

11/5/2020

Here's a throwback!

I was fortunate enough to go on a trip to Hawaii in 2007 with my grandmother to visit my brother, his wife, and their eldest daughter, Natalie.

Of course, attending a luau was on the agenda for this trip. My brother and his wife took my grandmother and I to Germaine's Luau in Kapolei. Of course, baby Natalie was also in attendance.

My grandma was very good at entertaining Natalie.

Just look at this adorable face!

Even Aunt Boo got to entertain Natalie a bit at the Luau before the events began. Of course, the luau takes place later at night, so Natalie was swaddled and coaxed to sleep by her parents.

My brother took the photos of me on the beach and with the performance artists.

The venue for Germaine's Luau is set right on the ocean, making for a spectacular view.

The luau is not just performance entertainment, as one may suspect. They also serve kalua pig: pork roasted in an underground oven called an imu. Several men come out to light the torches and to lift the beat out of the imu, and the guests of the luau get to witness the entire process.

The luau was a wonderful experience, and as previously stated, the location just made it all the better. I remember snapping the photograph below, thinking that it looked like an older Window's computer screensaver.

Just in case you are interested in learning more about Germaine's Luau, here is their website: https://www.germainesluau.com/

Please note that I am not in any way receiving monetary gifts/rewards for this blog post and for mentioning Germaine's Luau. I simply write these blog posts to share my personal experiences and travels.

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Adventure: West Coast - Monterey Bay Aquarium & Capitola

3/12/2020

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Monterey Bay Aquarium in California is a very popular attraction on the coast. It opened back in 1984, and was the first aquarium to have a living kelp forest. The kelp forest is pictured above and to the left, with the aquarium life swimming amongst the greenery in the tank.

A leopard shark decided to hang out for a bit fo a picture in the left image.

One creature that you could find in several locations around the aquarium was the anchovy. The aquarium had this round tank where the fish swam around in circles, and all I could think about was that scene from Finding Nemo where the fish are playing charades by making shapes.

I did learn that when these fish are hungry, they swim forward with their mouths open. I can relate, fish. I can relate..

Jeremy and I were convinced that the puffer above was broken. All it did was swim into the glass of the tank. Poor thing. She wants out!

One of my favorite creatures to photograph at aquariums is the jellyfish. They are so majestic and poetic with the way they move.

I love watching their tentacles ribbon through the water. It's like watching music play.

Also, for some reason, the lighting is usually the best in the jellyfish tanks, making for super clear shots. Maybe the glass is flatter for the jellyfish than for the rounded tanks that warp the imagery for other creatures.

I could definitely spend a large portion of my time just watching the jellyfish move.

By the time we made it over to the penguins, I think they were all tuckered out. Most of them were napping, or just standing there and staring off into space. Do penguins have third eyelids that allow them to sleep with their eyes open? I'm going to Google this....
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Yes, yes they do. So they were probably just sleeping standing up.

There were two penguins doing... um... naughty activities, but I decided to not share the penguins' intimate moment. Ha! My sister, Jeremy, and I had a good laugh about it though.

I loved the Sandy Shore & Aviary exhibit, because I love looking at all of the different birds. The bird pictured below is a phalarope.

One of the other birds featured was the western snowy plover, which reminded me of the adorable birds in the Disney Short, "piper".PS, the bird in the Disney Short is a sandpiper.

One of Jeremy's and my favorite animals that we could watch all day long is the otter. Especially when they are lazing around with their little paws on their face. Yes, please! I could adopt you right now, little otter, but that would be irresponsible.

After the aquarium, we stopped at a little coffee shop and waited for mom and dad to join us.

We ended up dining for lunch at Bubba Gump, which was sort of on its own mini pier. We had to scare away some birds several times to ensure the safety of our food. It's all good!

After lunch, we drove to Carmel-By-The-Sea for a very, very, very brief visit. My parents essentially drove us to the parking lot down by the water, said "This is the beach" and then we left.

We made our way down to Capitola, where we actually got to go to the beach.

Jeremy was so excited to walk along the shore. He changed into his flip flops when we arrived and was ready to go dip his toes in the ocean. We both discovered how cold the water was in February, but we still had a lot of fun.

I loved the sea-worn wood of the pier in Capitola, the roughness complimenting the ripples in the water as it meets the sand.

We made it to the beach just in time to watch the sun set, and it was a beautiful thing to witness, and I'm so happy I was able to watch the sun go down with my fiance. Next time we are in California, we will definitely spend more time at the beach!

Before Jeremy and I went to the beach, we ran into Jaqi and her babies who had previously planned on meeting us in Capitola.

Giovanna and Oracito were very interested in Aunty Boo's camera, and I let them take pictures for a while. Well, Oracito can't figure out the button, so he just kept telling people walking by, "PICTURE!" and they'd stop and pose for them. It was great.

Giovanna really enjoys taking photos of murals and the art around her.

I love the patterns in the sand left behind by the waves, too. They resemble trees , or veins, so well, and it was a reminder of how connected we all are to nature.

After our time in Capitola, we drove out to Santa Cruz for dinner and ate at a restaurant on the pier. We ate at a place called Stagnaro Bros.

By the time we made it to Santa Cruz, it was dark outside, so we didn't get to see much of it. Again - something for next time!

We really enjoyed our time going to the various towns on the West Coast, and we really can't wait to explore more next time we are in California.

Maybe Jeremy will win us another free flight voucher at the next Furry Scurry which takes place on May 2nd! And yes, we are already registered!

After dinner, we did drive out to an ice cream place, so I was pretty happy with how the night ended! Thank you, family, for showing us the West Coast, and we can't wait to be back! Love you all.

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Adventure: Bonnie Brae

3/7/2020

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Jeremiah and I decided to go on a day adventure over to the Bonnie Brae neighborhood in Denver. Bonnie Brae is Gaelic for "Pleasant Hill". I originally thought the neighborhood was named after some pioneer woman, but it turns out it's not!

The touristy part of the neighborhood is one short block, but it boasts an adorable ice cream parlor, a quaint gift shop, and a great coffee shop to hang out at.

The ice cream parlor was the first place Jeremiah and I went to, and in case you're wondering, it is fittingly named Bonnie Brae Ice Cream. We had to park around the block, this place is so busy!

It was a super nice day today in Denver, at 70 degrees, we decided to sit on the bench outside and enjoy our cones. Jeremy got chocolate with cappuccino crunch, and I got chocolate with coffee.

After we finished our ice cream, we headed over to this gift shop called Wish Gifts, which was right across the street. It's a super cute store and I highly recommend it for gift shopping. We ended up buying a birthday present for Jeremy's youngest brother, Joshua, and we bought ourselves a new coin bank that looks like a globe.

We walked down the rest of the block, crossed back over to the other side of the street, and went to this coffee shop called Ink!.

The coffee shop was awesome. Not only was the coffee excellent, but they had giant Jenga out on the patio, along with corn hole!

Jeremy and I played a game of Jenga, and we did pretty well considering the blocks were a bit wobbly. The top half was like a leaning tower for a good while, but eventually evened out as we kept removing more blocks. In the picture to the left, you can see the stack with several missing blocks.

After we played Jenga, we played several rounds of corn hole. I greatly improved my tossing skills today thanks to Jeremy's coaching, and actually shot the bean bag into the hole at least five times. I don't think I've ever scored in corn hole before today.

After the coffee shop, there wasn't much else to do, so we went for a drive. Jeremy ended up showing me the first home he lived in as a child, his first elementary school, day care, and childhood friends' houses.

After we got home, we let the bunnies out on the porch since the weather was so beautiful. It was Midna's very first day out on the porch! She's the little black bunny :). As you can see in the pictures below, she's about half of the size of Tetra. After I had them settled outside with their water and food, it was time for me to give the Golden Girls a bath while Jeremy swept up the condo.

You can just see the anticipation in Sequoia's face.

The Golden Girls each got shampooed and rinsed off. I let Sequoia out of the tub first, and had to hold her in a wrestling position to rub her dry with a beach towel. Autumn, of course, was much more calm and let me dry her off. Of course, I couldn't get them completely dry, so they went to hang out with their bunny sisters on the porch.

All the girls are back inside now that it is dark, and they are all tuckered out. It was a great day!

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Travel Post: Yosemite National Park

2/23/2020

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We woke up early the next morning after staying at Yosemite View Lodge the previous night. We had no idea how spectacular the view was from the lodge until the morning, as it was dark when we checked in at 11pm the night before. We were greeted by the sunrise and cliff faces, and it couldn't have been a better start to the day.

You feel like you are already in the park before you technically are.

We started stopping at view points before we even entered the park as well, that's how beautiful it was. Jeremy, Katy, and I all stood on the edge of this hill, debating on if we should climb down, when Jeremy took off. He found a good route to go down, and Katy and I followed suit, but not before I could snag a pictures of him making his way down and then posing proudly on the log below.

PS - for those with cameras that want to complete similar adventures - I tuck my camera into my shirt/sweater. That way it can't swing and accidentally hit a rock as you're making your way up and down the rocks.

It was definitely worth it to make it down to the river. It was beautiful seeing the river, which was low, trinkle its way around the boulders and rocks.

We even found a big rock to climb up on, for a better view, and of course, for poses.

After our miniature adventure, we entered the park. The first sight we went to see what Bridalveil Falls.

The water all around was low, as it gets in early spring. The water will typically be at its fullest in later spring before the hot summer weather hits and dries everything out. It was neat to see the snow that sticks to the rocks from the mist of the waterfall this time of year. I also found it interesting to see that the rocks are still dark and stained from the water from when the waterfall is at its fullest. Keeping this in mind, look how wide Bridalveil Fall gets in its prime.

Jeremy and I took the short hike to the base of the waterfall, and since the water was so low, we were able to climb on the rocks within the river, getting closer to the fall itself.

If you've read my previous blog post on my trip to Yosemite in 2017, then you read where I stated that this waterfall creates its own purple hue, and it held true even with the waterfall being smaller.

It was a pretty windy day in Yosemite when we were there, as demonstrated by the waterfall in the above photograph. If you ever question the power of wind, just refer to this image and remember - it can move waterfalls!

Jeremy, Katy, and I had each purchased sweatshirts that morning at our hotel's gift shop to combat the wind that day. Obviously once we started hiking, it felt a lot warmer. I was constantly removing and putting back on my hoodie - but mine was a zip up, which made it easy enough.

As we made our way back to the car from Bridalveil Falls, I noticed how cool these stone bridges are that pass over the river from the fall. I made my way down, and I was standing on a rock just big enough for my feet to get the shot to the left.

You can tell that there's a very thin layer of ice on top of the water where this was shot - but I still didn't feel like sticking my shoes in the water, especially since I wasn't wearing my waterproof boots!

Just as with every national park, there is more to see in Yosemite than El Capitan, Yosemite Falls, Bridalveil Falls, and the Half Dome, which are the parks biggest tourism draws.

Just about everywhere you look, you see a beautiful landscape. The evergreens appeared to be greener than usual against the yellow of the stone faced cliffs, and the golden hue of the land.

The trees that go dormant during the winter had not quite woken up yet, which I wasn't surprised about considering it was early February, which made the evergreens stick out that much more against their surroundings.

It's interesting to me how the evergreens grow, with the branches down below becoming barren, leaving the leafy branches towards the top the only pop of green.

Before we found our way to the paved trail which leads to the base of Yosemite Falls, we stopped at this picnic area which included a bridge with an amazing view of the namesake waterfall.

I joked that since I am always the one taking photographs, that am rarely in them, so I took the picture above of Jeremy's and my shadows in humor. PS - my sister Katy does have several photos of me in the park, but unfortunately I cannot include them in the blog as they are .HEIC files.

The land was truly golden during our time in Yosemite Park, something that I'm pretty used to seeing being from Colorado. The golden hue was gorgeous against the clear river which ran from Yosemite Falls, and the greenery of the trees along with the blue of the sky. The river was so clear, that the yellowed leaves and grasses that coated the bottom gave the water a golden hue as well.

The waterfall in the distance in the shot to the left is Yosemite Falls.

Look how bundled up we all were! This is the famous paved path that leads to Yosemite Falls, and gives you a gorgeous view the entire time you are upon it.

Mom and Katy were completely bundled up in hats, scarves, the works! By this point I was pretty warmed up from walking around and had my hood down from my sweatshirt. I may or may not have made Jeremy take his hat and hood off for the selfie to the left. You couldn't see his face with them on!

Jeremy and I stood at the base of Yosemite Lower Falls with my mom and Katy. Then, thinking Jeremy was following me, I set off unto the woods to the left of the viewpoint to try to get a different angle of the waterfall. I had barely walked into the woods and turned around when I noticed he was not following me, and he was no longer within my view. He had gone somewhere else. I decided to continue hiking my way up towards the base of the fall. Eventually I made my way back out towards the open rocks, and who do I see on the other side? My bearded man.

Miraculously, he was messaging me to figure out where I was, at it turned out we had cellular service in this very random spot within the park. I shouted his name and he decided to climb across the rocks to join me on my side.

The photos to the right and below were as close as we got. At this point the rocks were becoming slippery from the mist of the waterfall, and we had been away from my family for quite some time at this point, so it seemed to be a good spot to stop. If the waterfall was in full force, we would not have been able to make this trek, but it was neat being there in February to be able to climb the river boulders to get to this view.

Jeremy took the photograph of me (below). I had taken his first to ensure my settings were correct, and then we switched places so he could take my picture. I am appreciative to have a fiance who has the patience to allow me to set my camera to have pictures of me taken. I am no longer the invisible camera woman!

My handsome goofball found a tree stump to park his rump (haha). We also found the United States District Court building within the park! Good thing my sister has a Court Badge, otherwise we wouldn't have been able to see the building :).

Towards the end of the day, Jeremy and I set out on a hike, just the two of us.

The hike was to go up to Vernal Falls, or at least the bridge where you can see it from. It's a really steep hike the entire way (the photo above is of a flat part, don't judge), and I was exhausted by the time we made it to the top.

It was so worth it though. The views you get are incredible, just look at Yosemite Falls in the distance in the two pictures below!

We finally made it to the bridge to see Vernal Falls. We could have hiked further to actually get to the falls, but it was getting dark out and I didn't feel like being on the steep trail that had no guard rail in the dark, ya know?

Plus, like I said, I was exhausted.

I got a picture of Jeremy on the bridge, and yes, he is carrying my backpack because he's an amazing fiance.

The bridge itself is beautiful, and I loved getting the photograph below of the bridge with the trail and woods beyond it.

We made our way back down the trail, just as it started to get dark, down under the trees. While I would have loved to continue hiking, I stand by the fact that it was wise to head back down so we weren't left in the dark.

We saw this fluffy coyote looking for food near one of the campsites on our way out of the park. When he realized I was watching him, he stood very still, trying to not be seen. I left him alone, of course, but I was happy to see wildlife!

The sunset made everything glow, and was magical to witness.

Seeing El Capitan brightened by the sunset was the perfect way to end our day in Yosemite National Park.

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Travel Post: Sequoia National Park 2020

2/23/2020

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On February 8th, 2020, Jeremy and I woke up early in the morning ready to head out to Sequoia National Park. My parents and my sister Katy were also joining in on this adventure.

We had originally planned on leaving in the wee hours of the morning, but I don't believe we ended up leaving until 8:00am due to various reasons. Jeremy and I were quite antsy to leave, and were excited for the road trip ahead.

The journey from Campbell, California to the park took us over four hours. My parents were in the front seats, and Katy, Jeremy, and I crammed into the back. I took the middle, as I had previously promised.

I ended up being the car DJ and played my "Wedding Playlist" for everyone that I have saved on my Alexa app. It has a little something for everyone, and it ended up being quite the car-karaoke filled trip.

We got to the park in the early afternoon, so the sun was quite fierce. We got to the park entrance gate, and my parents purchased the America the Beautiful pass as Jeremy's and my Christmas present. The pass allows you to have free admission to any National Park for one year.

If you plan on visiting more than one National Park within a year, I highly recommend getting the America the Beautiful pass. It only costs $80.00 which is usually about the same or cheaper than two admission fees into different parks. For example, the admission fee into Sequoia National Park costs $35 for a vehicle, and is the same for Yosemite National Park. We were just on vacation, and happened to go to two national parks. For $10 more, the annual pass is well worth it.

Jeremy and I live relatively close to Rocky Mountain National Park where I plan on adventuring a few times this year. Let's say I go three times over the course of the next year. A vehicle day pass at RMNP is $25, which means that would be $75 spent in admission fees alone. Jeremy and I are also going to Yellowstone for my birthday in June. Yellowstone's admission fee is $25.

So, basically, instead of spending $170 this year on national park passes, the America the Beautiful pass is just $80. Get one! It's worth it if you plan on visiting the parks.

Okay, I'm done trying to sell you on that point :P I just love my pass!

The family kept joking that I wanted to stop and take photographs so much that we wouldn't even be able to get through Sequoia National Park in one day. Sort of true. Since I had been there before, I was a little less adamant on stopping for pictures than I was my first trip there back in 2017.

Jeremy, Katy, and I all got out to check out this giant "Tunnel Rock". I personally enjoy Katy's "Captain Morgan" pose.

We found a dirt path off to the side that took us to the top of the Tunnel Rock. We were able to climb up on top of it. The rock is actually quite steep, and there are signs warning you of climbing up on top of Tunnel Rock, so we didn't climb too far up.

Katy was the bravest of the three of us, perching up on the hump of the rock. Jeremy and I stayed by the slab on the side, which made for a perfect foot rest.

Sequoia National Park is a beautiful drive, even before you get to the famous Sequoia trees. I highly recommend soaking in the view. Plus, a lot of people don't know that Sequoia National Park is also home to the tallest mountain in North America - Mount Whitney! That is on the completely opposite side of the park from the trees, so we did not go and visit the mountain. Maybe next time! PS - the mountain in the above photo is NOT of Mount Whitney. I believe it is Mount Eisen - I could be wrong! If anyone knows what the snow-capped mountain is in this image, please feel free to comment!

The rock formation in the foreground is known as "Castle Rocks"... naturally.

The trees above are other Giant Sequoias, and it's interesting how some grow so close together - almost like that group of trees is a triplet!

We had to drive relatively quickly through the park to get to General Sherman, which is off by itself. A lot of people think it is grouped with the rest of "Congress" over by General Grant, but Sherman stands off by itself.

Are you wondering why General Sherman is off by itself and why people go to see it? Mistakenly, people believe it is the "biggest tree" on Earth - which is true to an extent. It is actually the largest known single-stem tree by volume. Believe it or not, it is not the tallest tree, and it is not the widest tree! I have included a list below with the record-holding Sequoias.

The image on the left is of this adorable older couple that was visiting the tree together. I had taken their photo on their phone, but I love this image I took on my camera of them gazing up at General Sherman.

He is quite massive, but he's not the only tree "standing tall" in the forest. Ha, sorry.

Largest Tree by Volume in the World

General Sherman
Located in Sequoia National Park. His total volume is 1,486.9 cubic meters, or 52,508 cubic feet!

Largest Sequoia Tree by Circumference

Boole
Located in Converse Basin Grove in the Giant Sequoia National Monument outside of King's Canyon National Park. This tree is 34.4 meters around, or 113 feet!

Tallest Sequoia Tree

Diamond
Located in Atwell Mill Grove, outside of Sequoia National Park. She stands at 87.2 meters, or 286 feet tall!

Oldest Sequoia (Non-Living)

Muir Snag
Located in Converse Basin Grove in the Giant Sequoia National Monument outside of King's Canyon National Park. This tree has been standing for more than 3,500 years!

Oldest Known Sequoia (Living)

President
Located in Sequoia National Forest. This tree is approximately 3,200 years old!

Number of Sequoia Groves

There are 65 named Sequoia Groves in the world.

The tree shown to the right is none of the trees listed in the fun facts - it is a younger Giant Sequoia growing near Grant Grove!

The tree above with the sun shining next to it and the one on the left directly above this sentence are both images of General Grant.

In the Grant Grove loop, there is this fallen tree called the Fallen Monarch. The tree was hollowed out by a fire more than 300 years ago before toppling over. The fallen tree served as shelter to cattlemen who later built a cabin very close by, a saloon, and a horse stable! Now it is a tourist attraction that one can walk through. The right image above shows Jeremy standing in front of one end of the Fallen Monarch.

When the family, Jeremy, and I were there, it was beginning to get dark, so it was very black inside the tree. I don't believe I would have noticed this heart shape hole on the top curvature of the fallen tree if it wasn't for the setting sun shining through it.

The following image after shows the other end of the Fallen Monarch.

The two trees above are more of the Giant Sequoias, and the one below is another image of General Grant. You can tell by the one significant branch that reaches out towards the sun in the image below.

Earlier I had mentioned that there were cattlemen who lived in the Fallen monarch who later built a cabin close by. The two men were Israel and Thomas Gamlin, and the cabin is respectively known as the Gamlin Pioneer Cabin.

My mom has a picture of her with each of her kids inside this cabin. Dan and Katy were both little when she got pictures with them, while Jaqi and I were adults when she got pictures with us. Mom was able to get an updated picture of her and Katy on this trip, and I was able to get one of Jeremy and I. It makes for a fun photo story within our family!

I now have pictures of mom and I, dad and I, and Jeremy and I in this cabin together.

The sun was almost gone when Jeremy and I finished walking the Grant loop. We went back to the Fallen Monarch, and I got this photo to demonstrate how smooth her bark has gotten over the years.

She really is remarkable.

Please note that there are three famous trees known as the "Fallen Monarch". One is very close by in Yosemite National Park in Mariposa Grove, with the other also nearby in Nelder Grove in the Sierra National Forest.

Jeremy and I had finished walking the Grant Loop before my parents and Katy were finished, and we went and admired some more trees surrounding the parking lot.

There was another set of "triplet" trees right at the end of the lot, so naturally I decided we needed some selfies in front of them. To demonstrate the trees' sizes, I also took a photograph of Jeremy walking towards the trees. Look at how small he looks, and he's closer to the camera than the trees are! Truly incredible.

After the family reunited at the car, we set out to drive the additional four hours to Yosemite National Park. We ended up booking a room at Yosemite View Lodge right outside of the park, and I can confirm that I slept very well that night after all of the adventuring!