Minnesota for the Weekend

admin December 2, 2024 0 Comments

I’m a few weeks late posting pictures, but earlier this month Kenzie and I went to Minnesota for a long weekend. The goal of the trip was to see some of the history from the “Little House on the Prairie” series of books (and later TV show). The books by Laura Ingalls Wilder were based on her experiences growing up here in the late 1800’s, and seeing this seemed like as good a reason as any for a road trip through Minnesota.

We made a big loop around the state and along the way went to Walnut Grove (where the Little House museum was closed unfortunately), saw the property where the Ingals first homesteaded in Minnesota (along with “Plum Creek”, the little creek running through the property), saw an authentic “mud house” (the typical homesteader home of the time), Sleepy Eye, and also Mankato. Mankato was great. If you remember the stories, this is where the Ingalls would go to the “big city” to deliver and pick up supplies. As we drove into Mankato we stumbled upon the old train station, the same one they would have gone to for deliveries. None of these places were the least bit touristy, and you were free to wander around on your own. It was a lot of fun to see firsthand the places associated with so many of the stories from the series.

The highlight for Kenzie though was probably when we happened up on Minnesota’s Biggest Candy Store. It was in the middle of nowhere but stood out because of the huge yellow grain silo (which had been converted into part of the store). It took us more than an hour to get through it, and we spent a small fortune but it was totally worth it! Oh, and if you ever want to see the world’s largest jigsaw puzzle…they have it. 🙂

Where we were in town we had to check out The Mall Of America too. It took us 3 days (about 4 hours per day) to get through it all. It’s very impressive and includes an amusement park and aquarium. After 3 days we were ready to be done, but it was worth a visit.

Our last day in town happened to be Veterans Day, so we decided to visit a nearby veterans cemetery. We looked up some Kuhns and even found one with the same name as my father, so while we didn’t know the person, we went looking for the headstone. These cemeteries are just beautiful.

Minnesota is not necessarily the first place I think of to visit for a vacation, but I can’t recommend it enough if you’re up for a bit of adventure. We had a blast!

Day 7 – Last Day In Costa Rica

admin August 31, 2024 0 Comments

This was our last full day in Costa Rica, and it turned out to be the best one.  We had several hours of driving to get back to the capital for our flight out the next day, but we had half a day with no plans.  So we had asked our guide from the mangrove tour for suggestions the day before.  He suggested a hike along our drive back.  We had no idea what an amazing place he was sending us to.

Kenzie and I followed his directions, turned off the main road, and drove 30 minutes on a dirt road into the jungle.  We were starting to wonder if we’d gotten lost again when we finally found the unassuming entrance to the park. 

It was a 3-mile hike roundtrip, and over the several hours we were there, we only saw 5 other people.

The first half of the hike was up steep mountains and included a bunch of very high (and sketchy) hanging bridges crossing valleys and next to waterfalls.  So beautiful!

The second half of the hike was even better.  We worked our way back down to the river and followed it back.  All of the waterfalls we’d seen on the way in drained into the river we followed back out. For a mile and a half, it was swimming hole after swimming hole fed by the waterfalls and river.  We spent the next hour swimming in a few of them and taking lots of pictures.

This place is not anything we had read about or found in any guidebook, so we were so appreciative that one of the locals shared it with us.  It turned out to be one of the highlights of the whole trip!

Day 6 – The Mangroves

admin August 30, 2024 0 Comments

Day 6 was a trip through the mangroves. It was a completely different experience from yesterday, but still full of amazing wildlife. Lots of birds, snakes, and of course, MORE MONKEYS!!!

Our guide today was great and had lived in Costa Rica most of his life. His ability to spot animals in this thick jungle was incredible. I found even after he spotted something and told me exactly where it was, it sometimes took me another minute or two to find it.

The driver of our boat was also really interesting. He and his family lived on an island isolated out in the mangrove forest. He was born in the house he lives in, as were all of his kids, and he lives off of the land except for earning some extra money driving the boat on these tours. He took us by his place on the tour as we were looking for snakes, and mentioned that apparently crocodiles coming up on his beach and to the house are a real problem. So interesting!

We’d gotten pretty luck with the rain in general, but this day was a heavy one. And on the drive home it was clear looking at the roads just how much water they see during the rainy season.

Day 5 – Manuel Antonio National Park

admin August 29, 2024 0 Comments

Monkeys and sloths were high on our list of things we wanted to see on this trip to Costa Rica, and Manuel Antonio National Park was supposed to be a great place for this and other wildlife viewing. It did not disappoint! Hiring a guide was highly recommended, and I’m so glad that we did. Not only did we learn so much more about the forest, but his ability to spot animals was incredible and we’d have missed most of what we ended up seeing if we’d done it alone. During our time there we saw 8 sloths, howler and white face capuchin monkeys, reptiles, birds, and lots of interesting plants. Not to mention the beautiful beach at the edge of the park. An absolutely amazing experience and something I’ll never forget.

After our half day at the national park, Kenzie and I drove south just exploring the area. We wrapped up our day at a “soda” (a roadside cafe) to wait out the regular afternoon downpour.

It was a great day, and we definitely got to see all of the wildlife we were hoping for!

Day 4 – Crocodiles, Monkeys, Iguanas and Driving to Manuel Antonio National Park

admin August 28, 2024 0 Comments

Our fourth day was mainly a travel day. We left La Fortuna and drove through several hours of beautiful jungle and then along the coast to our destination, the Manuel Antonio National Park. We made several stops along the way including taking a walk along the “Crocodile Bridge.” It’s just a bridge along the road, but crocodiles are known to hang out here. And it did not disappoint. When we looked over the edge, there were several waiting for a meal to float down the river to them.

We continued our drive to Manuel Antonio, and when we arrived in town it was still light so we drove down to the beach and came across several monkeys just playing in the park!

We wrapped up our travel day by checking into the hotel and having dinner at “El Avion.”. This is a restaurant with a beautiful view, but what’s more interesting is the C-123 cargo plane the place is built around. The inside of the plane is the bar and you walk through it to get to the seating area. This plane, and another just like it (which crashed in the jungle), were used by the CIA to fly arms and drugs back and forth to Central America as part of the Iran-Contra scandal in the 80s. The plane was abandoned at the San Juan airport and the restaurant owner had it brought to Manuel Antonio as an attraction. Random, but definitely made for a unique attraction.

Day 3 – La Fortuna, Costa Rica

admin August 27, 2024 0 Comments

Today was our big adventure day.

The number one thing Kenzie wanted to do on this trip was Zip Lining. One of the biggest zip lines in the world is in La Fortuna. You take a tram up the side of the mountain (actually a volcano), and then a series of 7 zip lines take you back down. One of the zip lines is about 3/4 of a mile long, and you are about 600 feet above the jungle canopy. She was so excited! I was dreading it…

Almost all of the pictures are of her, but the company did manage to capture one of each of each of us on our first zip line. You can see that look of total excitement in her face, and total terror in mine!

It’s hard to describe how high, and fast and high this is. The pictures and video do not do it justice. I was surprised to find that about halfway through, the wheel on the carriage that attaches you to the line was so hot you could not touch it with your bare hands (from the friction and speed of it running down the cable).

She had a blast, and by the end, even I was enjoying it.

We also saw our first monkeys and sloths in the trees. These were both high on our list for this trip so that was really cool to see them along the way.

On the drive back through the jungle we stopped to buy some fruit on the side of the road and found that the few other cars that were stopped were actually a movie crew filming a movie. So we hung out for a bit and watched them, then headed back for a little souvenir shopping and dinner in town.

Our hotel was at the base of the volcano here in La Fortuna and the view out of the door was beautiful.

Day 1 and 2 – Costa Rica!

admin August 26, 2024 0 Comments

Kenzie and I had a chance to slip in a quick trip before school started again, so with the help of a great deal on airline tickets we decided to spend a week road-tripping around Costa Rica!

It was a long travel day, starting at 3:30am. We were so tired that we forgot to get the typical PDX carpet on the way out. Instead, we got San Jose, CA (not nearly as nice). After a long travel day, we got some sleep at a nearby hotel and then set off the next day for the drive to La Fortuna.

We had planned for an easy day of driving without any set plans. And I’m glad we did because we got lost on the back roads in the countryside. But as is usually the case, we have some of our best experiences when we are lost or have no plan. As we wandered through the little villages and back roads, we came across a little farm that offered tours of their plantation. They grow coffee, chocolate, and other miscellaneous fruit.

We dropped in to see if they had a tour available and as it happened there was a group of people from Spain who had arranged a tour and they were kind enough to let us join them.

We spent several hours wandering the property, eating LOTS of fruit off of the trees as we went (we were stuffed by the time it was over), and learning about how coffee and chocolate are made. This farm does everything from growing the coffee and chocolate beans right through roasting and processing both on-site. All on a small family farm. It was really interesting seeing (and sampling) the process at every stage.

We’re here in the rainy season, and the rain is no joke. It’s so warm, so it’s not bad being in it, but I’ve never seen rain and thunder/lightning so intense. We were caught in a rain storm during part of the tour and had to hike through a sudden flood of water that runs through the farm. But we both had a blast doing it!

After our tour it was another hour of driving to our hotel at our destination for the next few days, La Fortuna.

Day 5, Headed Home

admin June 30, 2024 0 Comments

Day five and it was time to head home. I had originally planned one more day, but for the last two day’s I’d been watching a storm brewing and based on what I was seeing, it seemed like something I did not want to be out in.

I was a little disappointed to be leaving early, but after seeing the storm building on my way back, I was sure that it was the right call. And I was happy to see that what I’ve learned over the last year about reading marine weather, wind predictions, etc paid off and translated into making a good decision and not finding myself in weather that was more than I could handle.

I left Fishermans Bay about 5am to take advantage of the high tides to get out and the smooth water before waves increased later in the day. By the time I’d made it to Bellingham Bay, the waves were enough that the boat was riding waves and the stern was being tossed around pretty well. Not so much that I was uncomfortable with the conditions, but enough that it confirmed I was right to call the trip a bit early!

Along the way in the morning, I saw seals, a beautiful sunrise, and spent a little time traveling alongside one of the Washington State ferries.

I feel like I’ve come a long way in the last year! A year ago at this time I barely knew how to raise a sail. And this week I visited four different islands and did nearly 100 nautical miles of solo ocean sailing. It’s been an adventure and I’m looking forward to learning so much more!

Day 4, Lopez Island

admin June 29, 2024 0 Comments

Day 4 was a short hop from Friday Harbor to Fishermans Bay on Lopez Island. It was only about a hour sail across the bay and the weather was beautiful in spite of it getting ready to turn bad the next day. The entry into this bay is tricky and has to be done at just to right time of day when the tide is high to avoid grounding. But all went well, and by noon I was set up and ready to explore the island.

I brought an electric scooter and it was the perfect way to tool around the sleepy little island. There are just a few country roads, one small grocery store, 2 gas pumps, a town library. But I had a great time over a few hours (until my battery ran out) exploring. I’d read that Lopez is know for everyone being so friendly and waving as they passed each other. I didn’t realize how true it was. EVERYONE drove around with their car windows down, and I don’t think a single one passed me with out waving. The grocery store even sells t-shirts that mention the “Lopez Wave” so I had to pick one up.

I had dinner at the marina restaurant and on my way back to the boat for the night stopped to look at a beautiful catamaran that was docked near me. As I was looking at it, the owner stepped out to see if I needed anything. I told her I was just looking at the boat, and she invited me in for a tour. They spent the next hour showing me all around every nook and cranny. I’ve been very impressed with how incredibly friendly and welcoming all of the folks in this boating community have been.

I ended the night sitting on the dock watching the float planes come and go, and taking in another beautiful sunset.

Day 3, Next Stop Friday Harbor

admin June 28, 2024 0 Comments

Day three was an easy day, with the destination being Friday Harbor. After a few hours of sailing and some motoring (I had to time my trip to avoid some very strong currents between some of the islands), I was definitely ready for a shower, some reliable internet service, and a real meal at a restaurant.

I had the new experience of calling into the marina on the radio to arrange a slip as I got close. When the marina is talking to you, they refer to you as “Captain” and “Skipper”. I feel like this experience definitely increased my street cred, and you know I’ll be placing my Amazon order for a captain hat very soon! 🙂

I had the afternoon to wander the town, had dinner while watching the float planes take off and land, and picked up a few supplies. Friday Harbor is definitely worth a return visit!