Geo: 39.2904, -76.6122It was three summers ago in Glacier NP while hiking that we met a woman who had done the Camino de Santiago. She could not say enough about what a wonderful experience it was. We thought we were hikers, but she was talking about hiking 15 miles a day for more than a month; 500 miles, wow! In today's world what do you do next? Google it, of course. We did a little research and watched a great movie called "The Way" with Martin Sheen as the main character. Then last summer, one Sunday, the Deacon's sermon at St. Richard's in Columbia Falls, was centered around his experience of hiking the Camino the previous year. The hook had been set. As we read more and talked to more people, we were being reeled in. ... read more

Geo: 10.164, -84.193After getting ready and packed, we called Dan, and caught up on the diary (would-be blog). Following breakfast and checking out, we headed toward Vulcan Poas and the Poas Volcano Lodge. Like our drive to Arenal, this would be an all day drive in the rain; and to make it worse, there were patches of fog so thick you couldn't see much beyond the hood of the car! However, during the breaks, there were great vistas of the surrounding mountains. Our first stop was Zacaro, a beautiful town surrounded my mountains (okay, tall hills), and like all towns, the large Catholic church was the center. Unlike others, Zacaro has beautiful sculptured shrubbery (topiary) in the park in front of the church. After a stop in the church, we played tag in the park, never ... read more

Geo: 10.4797, -84.7156Happy Birthday, Mom! We woke to light rain and no view of Arenal. The lodge offered a good complimentary buffet breakfast: scrambled eggs, sausage, fried plantains, beans & rice, pancakes, several kinds of fresh fruit, juice, coffee and an assortment of continental breakfast items. While eating breakfast, we watched the birds feeding on the feeder platforms loaded with fruit outside the dining room window; Brennan must have taken 50 pictures of them. Our day's choices for a hike included the Observatory Lodge, NP Arenal, Park Silencio, and Park 1968. We opted for Park 1968, mainly because it was the only one we hadn't been to on previous trips. It turned out to be a good choice. The park's namesake is from the violent eruption that occurred in 1968, after Arenal had been dormant for ... read more

Geo: 9.73, -82.85It rained most of the night but we woke up to sunshine. Breakfast would be the same, but today we had no deadlines, so it was much more relaxed. Brennan was able to take a few pictures of the parrots and we had time to enjoy the coffee. By 10:00 we were at Cahuita N.P., which is located just on the south edge of Cahuita. The admission is by donation and the single trail runs pretty much parallel to the beach with the inland side being all jungle. The trail runs about six miles with entries at Cahuita to Puerto Vargas. There is a set entry fee at the PV entrance. Our plan was to go about half way to Cahuita Point. The trail was pretty crowded and there was always someone in sight. ... read more

Geo: 9.91, -83.69Awoke to a beautiful blue sky with birds singing after a night of Sue not sleeping because the Security Guard was on the prowl with flashlight in full glow! Breakfast to order: fried or scrambled. Dave did the "tipico" with sides of beans and rice while Sue and Brennan ordered toast and some kind of unidentifiable meat. As throughout the trip, we had generous portions of fresh fruit - papaya, watermelon and pineapple. After breakfast, Brennan had a game of fetch with one of the dogs, a golden lab. He wouldn't fetch a stick but was all over a rock! We tried to walk through the orchid gardens but with the steepness and last night's rain, we didn't get very far. However, the views of the surrounding mountains and valleys below were incredible.Our drive ... read more