Today we went to see the Poas Volcano (almost 9 thousand feet elevation). We were warned that it was cloudy on the mountain today, and we might get wet. But we got lucky and the weather turned out to be beautiful. Because of the sulpher fumes, the clouds, the humidity and the elevation, you often cannot see the crater at the top of the mountain. At first, we saw only clouds, so we hiked up another trail to see a mountain lake. The trail is in the Escalonia Cloud Forest, and is a steep ½ hour hike. The air is a little thin up here, plus we are not in the best shape, so we had to stop to catch our breath a few times. The mist rising off the trail was interesting to see. All ... read more

This map shows the first part of our planned route: (1) 10 days around Costa Rica beginning and ending in San Jose.... read more

Zion Park is even more beautiful than we remembered from last time we were here. The muddy Virgin River cuts a deep valley through red sandstone cliffs towering above in multi-hued peaks. In the spring, trees and grasses are green, providing a pretty contrast to the red rocks. Driving through, we were so struck by the beauty that, on the spur of the moment, we decided to stay a night in the Best Western just outside the west entrance in the town of Springdale, Utah to allow us to have some time to really see the park. We were so glad we did. Utah State highway 9 is one of the prettiest drives that you can take, taking you from the west to the east entrance, on the south east corner of the park, and going ... read more

Too soon, our long-planned and long-awaited vacation is over, and we have to return home. In some ways, we are tired of traveling and look forward to our own home and our own bed. On the other hand, the beauty and rhythm of the Hawaiian Islands has captured us and we really hate to leave. Sigh….. This vacation experience has been so wonderful. I can’t even find the words for it. Great; wonderful; fantastic; beautiful………the words all seem to fall short. Each place was unique. Each place had its own set of pros and cons. Each place was such a neat experience. Foods, sights, sounds, people, scenery, weather, birds, experiences. Sometimes we were too hot, sometimes too cold. Lots of times we were tired and footsore. Sometimes we got lost. Some things were too expensive, and ... read more

We just about killed ourselves hiking up to Diamond Head one day. We dawdled over breakfast at the B&B where we were staying, taking pictures of a family of birds whose babies were just starting to leave the nest. Our B&B host, Bob, was so excited, and we took a bunch of pictures of the birds which Steve later printed to give to Bob. The only downside of that decision was that we didn’t get to the start of the hike until close to noon. They tell you to get an early start because it is a strenuous uphill hike with no shade, and it is hot. Well, they were right! Good thing we had our hats and lots of water, but Wow, it was much harder than we expected. We were rewarded by views of ... read more