Alberto spent 3 hours each day carving the cliffside on his farm. Since the carvings are etched onto the mountainside in his farm, it’s not that he could sell them. Why would he do this?
I went hiking in the cloudforest of La Selva Negra and came face to face with its treetop inhabitants.
Nicaragua was a slightly impulsive trip.
This is what happens when a wanderlust freelancer gets stir crazy working from home. February was a busy work month for me. I was juggling many projects at one and working long hours. It was awesome (yay money!), but it was also stressful.
I decided that this year, we’re finally going to get scuba certified. Considering I don’t know how to swim, it was a major decision.
Mauna Kea, Big Island
Our destination is the peak of Mauna Kea, 13000 ft above sea level. The drive from sea level to 13000 ft takes about 3 hours. During the drive up, I could feel the change in air pressure. I kept moving my jaw to get that satisfying ‘pop’ in my ears.
Passing the clouds on the way up Mauna Kea
We were climbing so high soon we were above the cloud cover. It was grey and overcast in Kona when we left. Up here it’s like a perfect winter day in San Francisco. And just as windy and cold.
Cinder cones on the flank of Mauna Kea
The summit of Mauna Kea is one of the best spots on the world for astronomical observations: the air is dry and there’s little disturbance in the atmosphere. There are currently 13 observatories, a cluster of helmet-clad sentinels guarding the summit of the sacred mountain.
During sunsets, their silhouettes stand out against the brightly painted sky.
Mauna Kea sunset, Big Island, Hawaii
(MORE: Racing Among the Treetops)
Mauna Kea observatory, Big Island, Hawaii
Jack and I made a run up the actual peak of Mauna Kea, pausing often for breaths. The air is much thinner and colder here. As we reached the peak, we wrapped our parkas just a little bit tighter around us.
We got up there just in time to see the sun set for the day.
It’s beautiful up here above the cloud covers with puffy clouds stretching in front of us as far as the eyes can see. It’s the kind of view one usually sees from inside an airplane.
10 years ago, catching sunset at Mauna Kea was one of the highlights of my visit to Big Island.
(MORE: Chasing Lava)
I’m glad that despite the changes the island has gone through, some things remain the same.
The shadow of Mauna Kea peak on the clouds down below
Info Box
You can drive all the way up to the peak of Mauna Kea. 4 wheel vehicles recommended. As an alternative, Hawaii Forest and Trail runs tours up the peak which includes a stop at the Visitor Center to stargaze with their 11 in telescope.
The spot where the current lava flows from Kilauea changes all the time. Jack and I were lucky enough to be on the island when the current flow is within a reasonable hiking distance.
I love the sensation of flying through the air, seeing the blurry ground as we made our way from one tree to another hundreds of feet above the ground.
Maybe I’m getting in touch with my evolutionary ancestor?
Racing a sports car in a racetrack is one of funnest things to do in Vegas for non-gamblers. While Jack could barely contain his glee about getting behind the wheel of a Ferarri, I was understandably nervous about this. Visions of a scratch or a dent on these 300k cars were making me sweat.
The Valley of Fire State Park is only an hour away from the gawdy light show of Vegas’ strip. But it sure feels like a world’s away. We might as well be on Mars.
Despite the looming ginormous grey clouds, I insisted that we kept on driving towards the Rocky Mountain National Park. As Jack often points out, I can be quite stubborn sometimes.
We went to Colorado to see if we’d love to live there someday. We found many reasons why we would move to Boulder, Colorado. And one reason why we won’t.
Everywhere we look in Boulder, we see ridiculously good looking people that look they just walk out of REI catalogs. We think we know their secrets.