Kauii February 2012

Mar 6th, 2012

We were lucky enough to have 3 glorious weeks in Kauai right before all the heavy rain and floods. The last week we were there we had rain, but it was on and off, It did not affect our time at all. The Garden Isle is definitely one of the most gorgeous places on this earth. Every time I return I find something new and revisit all my favorites from past visits. Below are a few things we did that made our trip memorable.

One day we decided to check out The back country on ATV’s. I had never been on an ATV before. We found Kipu Ranch Adventures and decided to book a trip with them. What a great time we had with our 2 great guides Eric and James.

“Kipu Ranch is a 3,000 acre property extending from the Huleia River to the top of Mt. Haupu. It is home to many movie sites and wildlife! The ranch has seen many changes through the years, from a sugar plantation to the working cattle ranch it is today. Kipu Ranch is a private ranch – not accessible to the general public. Ride through the ranch on your very own ATV or kick back, relax and take a ride on one of our passenger vehicles! Come and let us share some of Kauai’s hidden beauty with you and your family.”

Ready to take off and see the Ranch.

The beautiful view of the beach that is part of the Ranch. Same view we saw in the movie "The Descendants".

The other fabulous experience we had was with the ” Napali Riders”. This company had a wonderful staff that has been taking Groups whale watching for over 20 years. We began our experience at 6 am watching the sunrise as we headed out to the Napali coast. We saw over 50 whales that morning and an amazing double breech!

Napali Coast at Sunrise

What an incredible feeling to see whales so up-close. They are Magnificent creatures!

I highly recommend this company. They give a thrilling day and the ride is a blast. If you have a bad back it might not be a great choice- otherwise the staff is knowledgeable, friendly and in love with what they do.

Posted in: Travel.

Thanksgiving in Morro Bay

Nov 29th, 2011

by Kbeckerley.

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Morro Bay- a wonderful place to explore.

This Thanksgiving we decided to get away. Our family were all busy or too far away and getting together was not going to work out. We decided to meet my husband’s Sister and her husband half way and have a golf vacation. We had a great time and really gorgeous weather. We were so thankful for this great week together.

We spent 6 days in Morro Bay . We stayed at Sea Pine Lodge where we were able to get a great package which included daily breakfast, golf and 2 bottles of wine. The rooms are not fancy and the ambiance is low key and very quiet. The resort has every amenity one needs and it is clean. The best part of staying there is the feeling of total relaxation and the friendliness and service from the staff. We had a delicious Thanksgiving meal at the restaurant. It was so wonderful to not have to cook! Every meal at the restaurant was excellent and breakfast was my favorite.

With the golf package we golfed at 3 different golf courses. There are 10 you can choose from. The Sea Pine Golf Course is a fun little 9 hole executive course . We played there twice. We played Monarch Dunes and Morro Bay Golf Course. We enjoyed each golf course , but especially love Morro Bay Golf Course because of the spectacular views.

View from 3rd hole On Sea Pines Golf Course

Difficult shot at Monarch Dunes

Morro Bay Golf course - view from clubhouse.

In our down time we hiked and rode bikes. There is a hot tub at the resort and we loved resting our sore muscles in the warm water.

The area is so beautiful. There is so much to see and do. We still can go back and experience things we missed. Between golf, hiking, biking, exploring wineries and shopping there is the lovely stroll around the Sea Pine property and lots of places to relax and unwind. There is , also , many wonderful restaurants.

Sunset hike in Los Osos state park

Sunset at Pismo Beach where we went after golfing Monarch Dunes. You can drive on the beach and there was hundreds of people camping in Motor homes and tents for the weekend!

View of motor homes

We ate at 3 restaurants and enjoyed each one. The 10th St. Grill was my favorite. I had vegetable raviolis with a light pesto cream sauce that was to die for. We ate at La Casita Mexican our first night there . The food was great, fun atmosphere and the price was right. I loved the chile rellano. We ate Italian at Jimmy Bumps. This is a family run restaurant, very small in size so call ahead to eat here. It is inexpensive and the food is good. I had the eggplant parmigiana and enjoyed every bite.

As you can see we ate well and far too much! Back on the old diet now. I highly suggest this area for a fun get-a-way. I love California. We are so blessed to live here and have the access to such beauty every day.

Hiking from Sea Pine resort. The colors and texture of the scenery were awesome!

Gorgeous hike along the coast

Posted in: Close to home, Fun and Adventure.

Great Day on Mount Tam watching the Blue Angels

Oct 24th, 2011

by Kbeckerley.

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Blue angels heading towards Marin

We spent Columbus day on the very top peak of Mount Tamalpias watching the Blue Angels. The fog was moving in and out the whole day. The view was spectacular from where we were. I had a great day taking photos and enjoying the ever changing fog patterns.

View of the Golden Gate Bridge with Fog swirling about it.

Blue Angel flying past City.

City is magical and the plane leaves it's tracks far left.

Marin with Bridge in Background.

View of Bon Tempe lake from Mount Tamalpias.

Planes performing over the City

Marin and San Francisco.

Ocean Beach in the background

End to a spectacular day enjoying our home- The Bay area.

Posted in: Close to home, Fun and Adventure.

Dunsmuir and Mount Shasta area

Oct 11th, 2011

by Kbeckerley.

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We had a wonderful time exploring Dunsmuir and The Mount Shasta area in August. We went to a wedding held at a wonderful property called Pine-gri-la. We decided to spend a week and make a vacation out of it. We stayed in a vacation home we rented in Dunsmuir . This gave us easy access to all the wonderful exploring available in the area. The first day we played golf at Mount Shasta Golf Resort. A very picturesque golf course and very challenging. It was a fun day.

Picture from Mt. Shasta Golf resort. The mountain appears at almost every hole!

Day 2 we hiked to Hedge Creek Falls where we had a spectacular view of the Sacramento River. It was an easy stroll through the forest to view the falls. Came back from that hike and headed uphill to the wedding. The wedding was really perfect and the setting was truly a Shangrila. The web site for this venue is: http://shastaweddings.com/.

Hedgecreek Falls

Day 3- Today we visited an old Railway Hotel and Museum. A very cool place to stay with cabooses being used as hotel rooms. Loved the idea of spending the night in a caboose all furnished as hotel room. After that we headed for Vista peak and a view of the Castle Craig and the Mountain. In the afternoon we had another round of golf and then dinner at a wonderful restaurant in Downtown Dunsmuir called Magdalena’s cafe. The food was fabulous and great service and ambiance. I highly recommend eating here if you are ever in the area.

Castle Craig - view from Vista point

Day 4- Headed for McCloud first thing in the morning. We hiked the McCloud River and enjoyed the waterfalls along the way. This is a very special area and whether you like to hike or ride you can see all 3 falls along this river. After hiking we went to the town of McCloud and bought dinner at the produce market there. Lots of delicious fruits and vegetables. We went back to our Cabin and grilled ribs and vegetables. A great day!

Middle falls McCloud

Lower Falls with swimming hole.

Day 5- Today we played golf at McCloud golf Club. This is nine holer that you play twice. It was very fun and challenging with such spectacular views and a fun walk. After golf we had a picnic lunch then headed to Lake Siskiyou to rent kayaks! This is a pretty little mountain Lake with kayaks, Paddle boards and other kinds of boats for rent. It is a fun swimming Lake, also.

Golfing with the bears!

Lake Siskiyou

What a great Lake!

Day 6- Today we went North to Gumball mountain above Lake Siskiyou. We had heard hiking along the PCT there was really worthwhile. We found the 7 Lakes trail and took a 6 mile hike along the PCT. It was another day in paradise!

Pacific Crest Trail

View of Shasta from the trail

First of 7 Lakes

Captured while walking

Pacific Crest Trail sign and me!

Day 7 has arrived and we are packing up and going home. This week was wonderful- great days soaking in with gratitude this wonderful area. I always have to reflect on the beauty in this world and the joy it can bring to the heart. We really do not have to travel far to experience the gift of this earth that is here for all of us to appreciate and love.