SUNDAY (pictures of hike on next post) We grabbed breakfast at a restaurant called The Dog Patch before heading out for a day of hiking. I packed all sorts of food to eat at the campground, but the Piranha Flys had a tendency to kill the mood. Our first stop was Munising Falls. It was a little over a 1/2 mile to the falls and back - no biggie. The view was nice, but a tad boring on the adventure side. There were bathrooms and wooden walk ways there and back. Our next stop gave us two options. Chapel Rock to the right or Mosquito Falls to the left. Ooooor a third option of doing the whole loop totaling ten miles. We decided to head toward Chapel Rock and just play it by ear. Nobody thought ... read more

I am having a hard time concentrating on much other than our trip out west. The trip was canceled last year and is finally coming together for September. I have been researching a proper tent to get, looking up scenic routes, historic sites, national parks, and even booked a concert. Someone suggested we visit Red Rocks. When I Googled it, the first thing to come up was the Red Rocks Amphitheater. It looks amazing. As it turns out, there are three concerts in the beginning of September so I snagged seats for The Killers on 09/09/09 (AWESOME!). Does it get much better than live music and nature? The venue is a half hour from my good, good, good friend, Kat Wrozek, who I am hoping to be able to stop and see in Colorado if her ... read more

Last full day here and then we get to come home tomorrow. We’re both Mexico’d out. There’s only so much being lazy by the ocean two people can take....we’re kind of bored. Last night we had a fantastic meal at the restaurant at this resort. It was the first time we ate there instead of the snack bar (that has more casual burrito, burger type meals). It was also the first time I’ve ever had prime rib.....and THAT was incredible. We split a prime rib meal, a bowl of black bean soup, and a piece of key lime pie. MmmMMMmmm. They had a live Jazz band that was great and the atmosphere of the place was perfect. We wrapped up the evening with a stroll along the beach, under the stars. We spent most of the ... read more

12/18/2008 - 7:30 p.m. It’s 7:30 and I’m struggling to find the energy to type this. It doesn’t help that it’s pitch black by 6 p.m. The city of Akumal wound up being nothing that we had anticipated and quickly came back. Definitely no crab to satisfy our craving. Yesterday we went to Playa Del Carmen, hoping to find crab there since Akumal was a little disappointing, but a local said you can only find crab at upscale restaurants. Lobster you can find anywhere, crab....not a chance. We spent hours there shopping, eating, and walking the beach. This is the first vacation VACATION we’ve taken. No sight seeing, no adventures (aside from very occasional diving), just relaxing and enjoying the sun. Speaking of that....our savage tans are now savage burns. I wear 50 proof block, baby ... read more

We landed in New Hampshire Thursday morning, followed by a car ride that took less than an hour to get to our destination in Massachusetts. It wasn't until I sent my little sister a text message that we landed safely and got a response of, What? Where? Why? that I realized that I forgot to tell my family I was leaving other then one sister on the other side of the family and a cousin in Ohio. Alex had invited me to Westford, Massachusetts to meet more of his extended family and attend a wedding for his second cousin. The time spent was jammed packed. I forgot my bathing suit and the hotel has a pool so we went shopping. Got a really cute top and a new suit at Marshall's and never had a chance ... read more