adventure – Exploring With Gratitude

Honeymooning in Kaua’i – Part 2 of 2

Well, I think it is safe to say that this has not been my most active year for writing blog posts. Even my goal of writing shorter, more focused posts, did not help – it has been 3 months since I published my last post. For those who do not know, I work a full-time job and also do photography professionally on the side, and I had an incredibly busy year between weddings, family sessions and other events.

Now that I am done with my excuses, it is time to write the sequel to my last post. In Honeymooning in Kaua’i – Part 1 of 2, I discussed the hikes we completed on Kaua’i, while in this blog post, I will talk about other activities we did on the Island, where we ate, and where we stayed!

Accommodation

Let’s start with accommodation. While researching different places to stay, we quickly learned that Kaua’i is expensive – if you want to come here for a visit, the faster you realize this and accept it, the easier it will be to choose your accommodation. After hours of searching, we decided to stay at the Lawai Beach Resort.

The Lawai Beach Resort is a beautiful property located on the southern part of Kaua’i. While it is a timeshare property, owners have the option of putting their unused weeks into a rental pool via Hawaii Time Share Exchange, which is how we completed our booking.

We ultimately decided on a 1-bedroom ocean-view suite in the Banyan Building at the Lawai Beach Resort – it was very clean, well-equipped and spacious with a full kitchen, living room, dining area, bedroom, bathroom and in-suite laundry. While we did not spend a lot of time in the suite, we liked having a comfortable space to return to after a long day of exploring. The property also has great amenities such as multiple swimming pools, roof top decks, as well as a gym. The only amenity missing is a restaurant; however, there is one right across the street, Beach House Restaurant – Kaua’i (although, we did not eat here as it is considered fine dining aka $$$ and had limited vegan options), and many others within a five-minute drive.

While we were very happy with our accommodation overall, the only downside was that we did not spend a lot of time on the southern part of the Island. While this area is stunning, we just happened to spend most of our time on the east (near Kapa’a). It also takes almost one-and-a-half hours to drive to the northern part of the Island, a drive we ended up doing twice. A couple of our friends who are seasoned Kaua’i visitors will spend two weeks on the Island and split their accommodation time equally between the north and the south – something for us to consider for our next visit ツ.

*The view of the ocean from our room in the Banyan Building at the Lawai Beach Resort*

Food

Now that you know where we stayed, it is time to talk about where we ate!

Remember how I said Kaua’i is expensive? Well, the high prices do not end with accommodation – the restaurants are expensive, too, which should not be a surprise – I can only imagine that it is very costly to bring supplies to Hawai’i from other areas of the world, and then add in the exchange rate…

This is why it was important to us to have a kitchen at our accommodation, as we opted to make most of our meals here. We stopped at Costco and Walmart to pick up oatmeal for breakfast, snacks (apples, protein bars, etc.), and items for making sandwiches for lunch and basic dinner meals such as pasta with veggies and vegetarian meatballs. While I know this does not sound exciting or glamorous, this was the only way we could keep the trip affordable. We also picked up a “paper” cooler from Walmart to keep our food cold while we were on the road during the day!

But, do not worry – we did treat try some of the local restaurants during our visit:

RUSSELL’S by Eat Healthy Kaua’i: One of two fully vegan restaurants on the entire Island, and as it turns out, they are now permanently closed. I am really glad we had a chance to try and support this restaurant while it was open – I enjoyed the Jalapeño Cheddar Bites and Tempeh “Bacon” B.L.T. Sandwich. I also had a lovely chat with the owner, and learned that the restaurant was named after his beloved late Golden Retriever, Russell.
Kaua’i Island Brewing Company: Our friends know that Justin and I are always on the lookout for a brewery, especially after a hike. We went to Kaua’i Island Brewing Company during happy hour (another great way to save a bit of money while traveling) and ordered the edamame, onion rings and a cold beer – would highly recommend!
The Greenery Cafe: This was our first stop after getting off the plane and getting our rental car – we were looking for something quick but healthy, and stumbled upon The Greenery Cafe as it was close to the airport. I enjoyed my Kale Salad from here – everything tasted very fresh and made for a nice first impression of the Island.
Paco‘s Tacos Cantina: This was my first time having Paco’s Tacos Cantina, even though it appears to be a chain restaurant throughout the United States. We ordered the veggie vegan burritos from the Kilauea location on our way back to the Lawai Beach Resort after completing the Hanakapi’ai Falls trail earlier in the day. At this point, it was past 4pm, I had just completed over 12kms of hiking, and I had not eaten anything except a few snacks since breakfast that day – I was definitely “hangry” (and I was also soaking wet – to add to my mood), and while it was not the best burrito I have ever had, it hit the spot (you can ask Justin, but hangry is a real emotion for me).
We had shave ice from three different locations: Waikomo Shave Ice, Wailua Shave Ice and The Fresh Shave. Shave ice is very popular in Kaua’i and we loved all the flavours we tried from all three places.

*I am horrible at taking pictures of food, but I did manage to get a photo of this Gold Dust Day Gecko who was licking shave ice droplets off the picnic table!*

Dark Horse Coffee Roasters: Justin always like to have a coffee for the road (and we did a LOT of driving in Kaua’i), and he really enjoyed the oat milk latte from Dark Horse Coffee Roasters – we stopped here multiple times before leaving the southern part of the Island!
Holy Grail Donuts & Bakery: These donuts are made fresh to order! You get to choose your toppings, and then a few minutes later, you have hot, fresh donuts – delicious!

Activities

Believe it or not, but we did participate in activities other than hiking – hard to believe, right ツ? Here is what we did:

Kaua’i Coffee Company: We did a self-guided walking tour of the Kauai Coffee plantation, which takes you through a series of information boards that talk about the history of the estate, types of coffee grown on the farm, the growing process, and more. Note that the self-guided tour is free and can be completed any time during operating hours, but you will need to reserve your spot for one of the paid guided tours in advance – here is your warning to plan ahead! While on the property, you can also try different coffee samples, get a coffee to-go, or buy your own coffee beans to take home (Justin bought the biggest bag available, and I am surprised he found somewhere to put it in his luggage).

Spouting Horn Blowhole: Not far from the Lawai Beach Resort, and on the way to to the Kaua’i Coffee Company, we stopped to see the Spouting Horn Blowhole – this is a natural phenomenon where the ocean water shoots through a lava tube along the coast. The Spouting Horn Blowhole is fenced off, as people have died by getting too close to blowholes in the past.

Warehouse3540: This is a small series of shops located right by Waikomo Shave Ice. I love browsing through small shops while traveling, and this was probably my favourite find on Kaua’i – I ended up purchasing a fresh water pearl necklace from one of the vendors here (Lily Koi jewelry). Other shopping areas I enjoyed were Old Koloa Town and The Shops at Kukui’ula.
Makena Charters – Nā Pali Coast Boat Tour: One of the activities we “splurged” on during our trip was a boat tour of the Nā Pali Coast. The tour was around 5-hours long, and there are two time options – 8:30am and 2pm. We opted for the afternoon boat as the reviews we read indicated better lighting for photos, although I will say it was still very bright! The tour takes you from the south-west of the Island, all the way to the north, allowing visitors to see the entire “rugged” Nā Pali Coast. All throughout, the tour guides talked about the history of the Coast, discussed film productions, and pointed out different points of interest such as waterfalls and small goats walking along the ridges. Once we turned around to start heading back, we stopped for a short snorkel where Justin swam next to a sea turtle (at a respectable distance), and we even saw dolphins and a humpback whale! The dolphins truly put on a show, as they were playing and riding the waves from the boat. Overall, we really enjoyed the tour – the only downside was that the water was very rough. However, our boat driver was very skilled and experienced – Justin was incredibly impressed with his ability to approach the coastline; he even managed to drive under some waterfalls, where several people voluntarily got wet!

*The picturesque Nā Pali Coast. Also, it is very difficult to take a good picture on a moving boat, especially on rough waters!*

*Another picture of the Nā Pali Coast* *– can you spot the waterfall?*

Lydgate Farms Chocolate Tour: The other activity we splurged on was a tour of Lydgate Farms. We really enjoyed the chocolate tour we did in Costa Rica in 2024, and wanted to have another opportunity to learn more about the chocolate making process. Lydgate Farms is situated on 46 acres of land in Kapa’a and was rated in the top 50 best chocolates in the world. Hawai’i is the only US state that can grow chocolate, since it is situated 22° north of the equator (within the tropical zone for growing chocolate). During the tour, we learned about the chocolate making process, toured the property, and tried multiple chocolate and fruit samples. I really appreciated how one of the tour guides would give me extra dark chocolate samples when I told her I was vegan – I ended up with so much chocolate that I had to put all my samples in a bag, and ate them over the next few days! Overall, we really enjoyed the tour and would recommend it to others!

*A *Whit*e-Rumped Shama hanging out in a papaya tree at Lydgate Farms*

We also checked out several beaches during our trip. My top two favourites were Poipu Beach and Hanalei Bay. Poipu Beach is located on the southern part of the Island, and was very close to our accommodation. It was a great spot for relaxing and swimming, and likely snorkelling, although we did not attempt to snorkel here. We also saw many sea turtles and sea lions resting here on the beach! Hanalei Bay and Pier, located on the north side of the Island, was the nicest beach on the Island, in my opinion. It is a great spot for a beach walk (especially since you can also walk out onto the pier), for swimming, lounging and surfing. I wish we could have spent more time here.

*Sea turtles and sea lions resting at Poipu Beach*

Sunsets: There is nothing quite like a Hawaiian sunset! We watched the sunset almost every evening right across the street from our accommodation – it was beautiful.

Rainbow Eucalyptus Trees: We made a quick stop at the Keahua Arboretum after we finished the Moalepe Trail (discussed in Part 1) to see the beautiful red and green colours of the Rainbow Eucalyptus Trees!

*The colourful Rainbow Eucalyptus trees*

The last thing that I will share about Kaua’i that has nothing to do with accommodation, food or activities is that there are so many wild chickens roaming the Island! Legend has it that “domestic” chickens (belonging to the Polynesians) escaped their coops during the hurricanes in 1982 and 1992, which is why there are now chickens literally everywhere on Kaua’i. The best part is that the roosters will let you know when it is time to rise and shine in the morning – around 4:30am – meaning you do not need to worry about setting your alarm clock when visiting Kaua’i ツ.

Always grateful,

Michelle

A Quick Visit to Mount Rainier

It has been a busy few months – it is hard to believe that 2025 is now half over! Does anyone else feel like this year is flying by, or is it just me?

But in all seriousness, between local hikes and adventures, as well as trips to the United Stated, Europe and Galiano Island, I have a lot to write about. But, I am going to start with our most recent trip to Mount Rainier National Park as it is currently fresh in my head!

Our trip to Mount Rainier National Park was booked pretty last minute – we had some extra time off from work, and found accommodation available near the park entrance… so we went for it!

The drive from our home to Ashford, Washington was about five hours long. This included our wait time at the border, and we also made a couple of stops along the way, one of them being our mandatory stop at Trader Joes (in Bellevue). If you have read my other blog posts, you will know that all of our trips to the United States involve a visit (or multiple visits) to Trader Joes. Here, we picked up a couple of premade meals, along with snacks and all the fixings for making sandwiches.

Our accommodation in Ashford was a cute, small cabin located just 9-minutes from Mount Rainier’s Nisqually Entrance. We arrived here on Saturday afternoon around 2:30pm, quickly dropped-off all our stuff and changed before heading off to the park.

For our first partial day in the park, we decided to do the Comet Falls via Van Trump Trail. This trail is located about 30-minutes past the park entrance. I will note that because we were entering the park quite late in the day (3:00pm), there was only a small line-up of cars in front of us.

The drive towards the trail was down a windy road, mostly in a forested area, and there are no views of Mount Rainier, itself, from this part of the park. Speaking of Mount Rainier, it was not until after we arrived at the park that I learned Mount Rainier is an active volcano – it is a bit scary to think about! But, I digress…

While our research warned us that the parking lot for Comet Falls was small, we did not realize just how few spots would be available! The pull-out on the side of the road has room for around 15 vehicles, which were all taken when we arrived, forcing us to park on the side of the road. Pro tip: If you find yourself in a situation where you need to park on the road, make sure your tires are behind the white line, otherwise you will receive a violation notice. We saw many vehicles with orange tickets stuck to their window!

Anyway, after parking, changing into our hiking shoes, and grabbing our backpacks and hiking poles, it was time to start the trail. The Comet Falls via Van Trump Trail is rated hard on AllTrails – it is about 5.6km in length, and apparently has an elevation gain of 392m. However, my activity for this trail in the AllTrails application indicated that I completed 549m in elevation gain – I do not know which one is correct… let’s split the difference! Either way though, I agree with this rating – the trail is difficult as it has a steady incline all the way to the main falls. There are very few flat areas on the trail, and there are also a lot of rocks and tree roots to navigate.

However, do not let this rating deter you – the views are all worth it!

Soon after starting the trail (while you are still near the main road), you will be rewarded with views of Christine Falls, which is a much smaller waterfall compared to Comet Falls. After this, you will enjoy a peaceful walk through the forest before reaching a rocky opening on the trail. I found this to be the most difficult part of the trail, mostly due to the uneven ground, the heat (since there is no shade), and there was also a tree that had fallen onto the trail that you have to climb over or under. But, we persevered!

*Christine Falls along the Comet Falls via Van Trump Trail*

After the rocky opening, you will once again enter the forest, and after a series of small switchbacks, you will turn the corner and be greeted by Comet Falls.

One word: Wow. This was probably my favourite view of the Falls – nestled amongst the mountains and trees, with the water flowing through the valley.

After taking in the Falls from this view point, we continued along the trail to the very end, where we got close and personal with it – I could feel the water spraying me, which was actually very refreshing!

Given that it was quite late in the day by the time we finished the Comet Falls trail, we decided to head back to our accommodation and eat, before heading to bed – we were getting up early the next day to do the Skyline Loop.

According to AllTrails, the Skyline Loop is the number one trail in the park. This hike is 9km long, and has an elevation gain of 542m. The trail took us a total of 4-hours and 20-minutes to complete, including the many stops we took to eat and take photos, but our actual walking time was 3-hours and 15-minutes, which is very comparable to the AllTrails estimate.

Our research indicated that the parking lot near the Skyline Loop trailhead fills-up quickly. For this reason, we left our Airbnb at 6:45am, and arrived at the parking lot around 7:30am, and by this time, the lot was nearly half full! The Jackson Visitor Centre is also located near the trailhead, but take note that there is a separate parking lot for hikers – the Visitor Centre parking has a limit of 2-hours.

The Skyline Loop starts off on paved concrete, which made me think we were getting off to an easy start. But do not be fooled – while the path might be paved, there is an immediate incline. This, combined with the fact that the trailhead starts at 5400ft above sea level, made for a difficult start to this hike. I have noticed a couple of times now from our trips to other National Parks that I have difficulty breathing (while hiking) at higher elevations. Is it just me?

Anyway, it was not long before we were unable to see the concrete beneath us – we encountered snow, and lots of it! Even though it was late June, our visit to Mount Rainier was still considered to be the shoulder season. And, given the high elevation, it was no surprise that the trail was still predominantly covered in snow. Fortunately, we came prepared with crampons and hiking poles. I would not have been successful on this trail without these items – we saw many people slipping and sliding in the snow.

Shortly after we started the trail, we came across marmots! A couple of them were sunbathing on the rocks, while others were looking for food. We actually saw marmots multiple times throughout the hike. Our favourite encounter was when we saw them “in action.” I say it like this because it was not clear to us if they were playing, or fighting – but either way, it was very entertaining to watch. At one point, one of the marmots stopped playing/fighting, laid down and did not move for several minutes – we got a bit concerned. But not long after, we noticed the marmot had moved, and was making a mad dash across the snow-covered hills!

Some hikers we talked to on the trail apparently also saw a bear, but we did not see any other wildlife aside from marmots and a couple of deer at the other end of the trail.

The views along the trail, especially of Mount Rainier, were absolutely stunning. I found myself stopping to take photos every few minutes – which definitely contributed to the extra hour of our non-hiking walking time. There were also amazing views of other nearby mountains along the trail – Mount St. Helens, Mount Adams and even Mount Hood which is located in Oregon. The best views of these three neighbouring mountains was from Panorama Point, which is located around 3km from the start of the trailhead.

*Views of Mount Adams from Panorama Point; Mt Hood is also visible in the distance*

By far, the trickiest part of the trail was going downhill. Downhill is difficult enough on its own, but the soft, partially melted snow added another element of challenge. While crampons and hiking poles were helpful in this situation, I still went down once, and also had many other close calls. Some hikers resorted to sliding down the bigger hills – while it looked like fun, it is not something I was willing to try!

While navigating the snow provided for extra challenges, we encountered a couple Mount Rainier volunteers on the trail who educated us on the importance of hiking in the snow, and not being tempted to step into the meadows where the snow had already melted, as this is damaging to the plants trying to recover after a long, cold winter. We were even lucky enough to see some wildflowers starting to bloom!

Mountain views, marmots and wildflowers were not the only sights that the Skyline Loop offered – we also passed several water streams during the hike and saw another waterfall – Myrtle Falls – near the end of the trail. The waterfall area is very busy, as many visitors will start the Skyline Loop trail in the opposite direction, and some will even turn around after Myrtle Falls, as it is located only a short walk from the Visitor Centre.

*Myrtle Falls, with Mount Rainier in the background*

Overall, we very much enjoyed this hike – it is not surprising that the Skyline Loop Trail is considered the top hike in Mount Rainier National Park – we were surrounded by beautiful sights of nature and 360 degree mountain views for a little over 4-hours – what else can you ask for?

After completing the Skyline Loop Trail, we had lunch and grabbed a couple of souvenirs from the Visitor Centre (a colour poster with marmots, obviously ツ, and a magnet) before making our way to Reflection Lake. The Lake is appropriately named, as you are able to see a reflection of Mount Rainier in the water. It was stunning!

From here, we somehow found the energy to take on one more short, easy hike called the Bench and Snow Lakes Trail. This trail is 3.5km in length, has an elevation gain of 139m, and AllTrails suggests that it takes around an hour to complete.

As the name suggests, you will encounter two lakes along this trail, starting with Bench Lake. This was a beautiful lake, providing more views of Mount Rainier, because let’s face it, you cannot get tired of this sight. However, we preferred the views at Snow Lake, but only because it provided us with something new to see.

While walking towards Snow Lake, you will encounter a fork on the trail, and there will be a sign that indicates the direction for the camp sites – go left at the fork towards the campsites, as this area provides better views (in my opinion) of Snow Lake. My favourite vantage point was actually along the log that you need to cross to get to the camping area – the logs in the lake provided some beautiful foreground for photos, as we took in the sights of Snow Lake.

While the lakes were beautiful, the biggest downside to this trail was the bugs. While I did not think that the bugs were landing on me, they were just flying near me, I was wrong – I ended up with 7 new bites from this hike! I think they were mosquito bites, but I cannot be certain. Make sure to put on bug spray or wear loose clothing if you attempt this hike.

After completing the Bench and Snow Lakes Trail, we decided we were done with hiking for the day and started to make our way back to Ashford. Before going back to our Airbnb, we stopped at Rainier Basecamp Bar & Grill for a refreshing beverage – this was a cool spot to enjoy a drink after a long day of exploring, as it had great vibes and a massive patio, but they clearly had a busy day as they ran out of certain items on the menu!

Overall, we really enjoyed our short visit to Mount Rainier National Park, and look forward to returning one day to explore more areas of this beautiful landscape.

Always grateful,

Michelle

Local Hikes of 2024

Well, it is that time of year again, where I do a recap of all the local hikes we did in 2024! As a reminder, “local” means the start of the trailhead is within a 2-hour drive from home.

A quick note that all my references to trail length and elevation are from the AllTrails app, cross-referenced with the statistics from my Apple Watch. If you do not already have the AllTrails app, I would definitely recommend downloading it, as it is great for discovering trails in areas you are visiting, and you can download offline maps to use when you do not have cell service.

Make sure to also check out my Local Hikes of 2022 and Local Hikes of 2023 blog posts for more hiking inspiration!

Lindeman Lake Trail, Chilliwack – July 2024

When we were deciding what trail to do, we settled on the Lindeman Lake Trail due to its length and tree coverage. The day we had picked for this hike was expected to be quite warm (over 30°C), and we had 3 dogs with us, which is why we were looking for a short trail that offered shade. We started the hike at 8am (which meant I had to get up at 5am… ouch!), and we were done around 10am in order to beat the heat. I would definitely recommend starting the hike at this hour or earlier, regardless of the weather, as the trailhead parking is small and fills up quickly.

This out-and-back trail is 3.4km round trip, and I would classify it as moderately difficult due to the large rocks and tree roots you have to navigate at the start (and end) of the trail. Overall, we really enjoyed this hike – Lindeman Lake is stunning, and it offers a fun and relaxing atmosphere with many people camping in the forest along the trail, and swimming and paddle boarding on the Lake.

*The turquoise blue waters of Lindeman Lake*

Cheam Peak, Chilliwack – August 2024

Cheam Peak has been on my bucket list of hikes for several years now. However, the road to get to the trailhead is only accessible with a 4×4 vehicle, which we do not have, and when we tried to coordinate going in the past, the dates we had picked were impacted by wildfire smoke.

But, 2024 was the year we were finally able to do this amazing hike, and we owe a big thank you to our friends Josh and Jess for driving us! While Google Maps will tell you that the road up the mountain to the trailhead is only 30 minutes, it is actually closer to an hour, as you have to drive very slowly and carefully through the cross ditches – hang on tight!

Cheam Peak is an 8.7km out-and-back trail, and has an elevation gain of 679m. Fortunately, the switchbacks make the elevation gain more tolerable, but there is very little shade along this trail – it is definitely recommended to start early. An early start has other benefits, as well – parking is a premium at the trailhead, and as the temperature increased during our hike, so did the bugs!

Overall, Cheam Peak is probably the nicest hike I have ever done – you are surrounded by wildflowers, beautiful meadows, and views of Mount Baker for the entire duration of the trail. Once you reach the top, you are rewarded with 360° views of the Fraser Valley – on a clear day, you can see Chilliwack, Harrison Lake, the Fraser River, Cultus Lake and more. It was also very cool to see people paragliding near the peak. This trail is a must see!

*Views of the Fraser Valley from the Peak*

*Wildflowers along the Cheam Peak Trail, with Mt. Baker in the background*

Grouse Grind Trail, Vancouver (Grouse Mountain) – August 2024

The Grouse Grind Trail, otherwise known as Mother Nature’s Stair Master, is likely not the most enjoyable hike, but it is definitely a trail you should attempt at least once. It is a one-way trail that is 2.5km in length, and has an 800m elevation gain. Hikers cannot go down the Grouse Grind Trail – they must purchase a gondola pass to return to the parking lot.

I have done the Ground Grind a handful of times in the past, but this was my most successful attempt with a time of 46-minutes and 11 seconds. Somehow, I found the energy to sprint up the last rock scramble, beating Justin by at least 3 seconds – I will make sure he does not forget it, too ツ.

While there are no views along the trail, I feel the views of Vancouver at the top are definitely more rewarding if you hike to them rather than taking the gondola (although I realize this is not an option for everyone). There are many activities you can do at the top of Grouse Mountain such as visiting the Chalet, seeing the Lumberjack Show, and seeing the Refuge for Endangered Wildlife. Following our hike, we paid a quick visit to the wildlife refuge to see the Grizzly Bears, Grinder and Coola, before heading back down the Mountain.

*Views of Vancouver from the top of Grouse, featuring one of the gondola towers*

Saint Mark’s Summit, West Vancouver (Cypress Mountain) – August 2024

Saint Mark’s Summit is a 10km hike located on Cypress Mountain in West Vancouver. While we picked an overcast day to do this hike, but were hoping that with a later start (10am), the weather would clear up; however, our views at the top were completely cloud covered – we were very disappointed!

I would consider the hike, itself, to be more challenging due to the length, elevation gain (567m) and the exposed roots along the trail. I would strongly recommend hiking poles if you have them, especially on the way down – we witnessed a couple of bad falls. This hike was also very busy – similar to the other hikes, definitely try to get an early start, and try to go on a clear day!

*The “views” from Saint Mark’s Summit, aka no views at all*

Teapot Hill, Chilliwack – August 2024

As the name suggests, there are actual teacups and teapots hidden throughout the entire Teapot Hill Trail, making for a fun scavenger hunt throughout the hike! Overall, this is a fairly easy to moderate out-and-back trail (under 5km in length, and 255m in elevation gain) with views of the Fraser Valley at the end. We decided to do this hike last minute after a rain storm – it made for a leisurely afternoon stroll, since it only took us 1.5-hours to complete.

*One of many teapots along the Teapot Hill Trail*

*Views of the Fraser Valley at the end of Teapot Hill*

Norvan Falls, North Vancouver – September 2024

Similar to Cheam Peak, we have been talking about doing the Norvan Falls trail for the last couple of years – 2024 was the year we finally checked it off the list!

While Norvan Falls is rated as moderate on AllTrails, what made it challenging was the length – it is 14km long and took us around 3.5-hours to complete. This was a great hike for us to do on a warmer day, as the trail offers generous shade and tree coverage. We enjoyed walking amongst the luscious greenery and along the Lynn Valley Creek before getting to the major attraction – the 30m waterfall at the end. The waterfall area is a great spot to enjoy lunch or a snack, and to take a break before getting back on the trail.

Eagle Bluffs via Black Mountain Trail, West Vancouver (Cypress Mountain) – September 2024

If you have been following my blog over the last couple of years, you will know that we have previously completed the Eagle Bluffs Trail – this was actually my third time doing the hike. However, it was a great reminder of just how beautiful this hike is – it has multiple viewpoints along the way, passes many small lakes, and provides stunning views of West Vancouver at the end.

*One of the small lakes along the Eagle Bluffs Trail*

In case you need the reminder, this trail is just under 8km long and has an elevation gain of 437m. Most of the incline is at the start of the trail, which means you get the hard part out of the way early, and can enjoy the rest of the hike. With that being said, I would definitely recommend bringing hiking poles for this trail – they are especially helpful on the way back, as the steep incline contains loose rock and gravel, and can be quite slippery.

*Views of West Vancouver from the top of Eagle Bluffs*

Jack’s Trail, Four Lake’s Trail and 50 Shades of Green Trail, Squamish – September 2024

Back in September, my friend Jeanette took us on an adventure through a network of trails in Squamish. We completed an 11km loop in 2.5-hours that touched three different trails: Jack’s Trail, Four Lake’s Trail and the 50 Shades of Green Trail. We passed multiple lakes on this trail, one of which was Alice Lake – another location I have been wanting to visit. Overall, we very much enjoyed exploring these multiple trails in Squamish.

Nairn Falls Trail, Pemberton – October 2024

Last but not least for our 2024 hikes was the Nairn Falls Trail. This Trail is technically 2.5-hours away from home, but I wanted to make sure it was included in this list! We had planned a day trip to Pemberton that day, as one of our favourite restaurants (The HWY. Cafe) was closing down, and we wanted to fit in one last visit. On our way back, we made an impromptu stop at Nairn Falls to complete this short, scenic trail. You will walk along the Green River for a little under 1.5km (one way) before reaching the waterfall. The entire hike takes under an hour to complete, making it easy to fit into your itinerary when visiting the Pemberton area.

*Views of the Green River along the Nairn Falls Trail*

Well, I think that covers all the hiking we did in 2024! I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season, and I want to wish you all the best in 2025! Thank you so much for continuing to support my blog this year, and I hope you will enjoy reading the blog posts I have planned for 2025!

Always grateful,

Michelle

Welcome to the Jungle – Costa Rica!

Back in March, Justin and I had the chance to spend a week exploring Jaco, Costa Rica, and the surrounding area, and I cannot wait to tell you all about it! But, since we kicked-off our adventure by spending a couple of days in Los Angeles, perhaps I should start there ツ.

Los Angeles (LA), California

As far as I am aware, travellers from Vancouver cannot fly direct to Costa Rica – they either have to connect through a major city in the United States, or through Toronto, Canada. We decided to fly through LA for two reasons: 1) it provided the shortest flight path, and 2) we had never been to LA before and thought it was a good excuse to visit the area!

Since our time in LA was limited, here is a short list of attractions we were able to see:

Hollywood Sign: In order to see the famous Hollywood Sign, we drove up to the Griffith Observatory, as this is considered a top viewing spot. However, we did not have the best weather during this day – it was raining and overcast for the entire morning and part of the afternoon. For this reason, our first attempt to see the sign in the morning was unsuccessful. We decided to go back to the Griffith Observatory in the afternoon and while the weather had cleared up, it became incredibly busy and we were not able to find parking! Luckily the drive up the hill (as the Griffith Observatory is located on Mount Hollywood) was slow, and I was able to jump out of the car to take photos of the Hollywood sign and the views of LA. But, this meant that Justin was not able to take in the views – sorry, Justin!

*Views of LA from the Griffith Observatory*

The Oppenheim Group Real Estate Office: We took a drive down Sunset Boulevard, as I was determined to see the Oppenheim Group Office in real-life! To all the Selling Sunset fans, while the office was closed that day (it was a Saturday) and I did not see any of the cast, I can confirm that the office is as nice as it looks on television! Has anyone ever been near the Office on a weekday? If yes, please tell me what you experienced!
Rodeo Drive: Think of an expensive, luxurious brand, and you can guarantee that there is a location on Rodeo Drive. We opted not to stop here, but rather drive through and observe stores like Louis Vuitton, Prada and Dior from afar ツ.
Hollywood Walk of Fame: While our walk amongst the stars was short-lived due to the weather, we were still able to find stars for Michael Jackson, Frank Sinatra and the Beach Boys, to name a few.
Beaches: As you probably already know, there are tons of beautiful beaches along the California coast. The first beach we visited was Santa Monica State Beach, which includes a small theme park on its Pier, and then we also enjoyed a walk along the Manhattan Beach promenade.

Other than the sights above, we indulged in some local plant-based cuisine – the baked cashew ricotta and pepperoni pizza at Pura Vita West Hollywood, the vanilla and chocolate soft-serve at Bestie’s Paradise, and we also ate at Veggie Grill. LA is quite well known for its diverse plant-based restaurants – we hope to be back in the future to try more delicious food!

Jaco, Costa Rica

The next stop on our trip was to fly to San Jose, Costa Rica! From here, we would drive for 1.5-hours to our final destination – Jaco (pronounced “Haco”). We had a private ride arranged by our hotel from the airport.

It was quite late when we arrived in Jaco, around 10:30pm – we received our keys from security and it was time to get ready for bed!

We spent our first full day in Jaco getting ourselves organized and exploring the town. Our first stop was at Claro to purchase SIM cards for our phones, and then we checked out a couple of different supermarkets to get groceries. Our go-to supermarket (we came here multiple times during our trip) ended up being the Mas X Menos – it had a large selection of produce and packaged food, and also carried other items such as toiletries, sunscreen, etc. making it a convenient one-stop-shop for tourists.

Once we had (mostly) organized ourselves for the week, we went for a beach walk along Jaco Beach and then went back to our hotel to read and swim in the pool. You will notice as you are reading this blog post that this holiday was not like some of our other action packed trips – we actually took some time to relax ツ.

For dinner on our official first night, we went to Karma Cafe & Restaurant and very much enjoyed our experience. We each had a delicious bowl, drink and the best part was carrot cake for dessert!

We were up early the next day to explore Tortuga Island – a “must see” according to the concierge at our hotel. We had to take a 45-minute catamaran boat ride to reach the Island, where we then spent the entire morning and part of the afternoon enjoying its sandy beaches and turquoise blue waters. Our trip to Tortuga included a banana boat ride, a traditional Costa Rican lunch (lots of rice and vegetables – non carne para mi), unlimited margaritas and a short self-guided hike. One of the main reasons we wanted to visit Costa Rica was to experience the wild life, and this small Island had wild pigs, deer and iguanas.

*Views from our short hike on Tortuga Island*

For our third day in Costa Rica, we were off to find the monkeys! Costa Rica is actually home to four species of monkeys (squirrel, white-faced capuchin, howler and spider monkeys) and we were lucky enough to see three of the species on our trip. We signed up for a Mangrove Boat Tour in the city of Quepos (about an hour away from Jaco), which took us along a water channel surrounded by Mangrove trees. We learned during the tour that Mangroves are actually very important to Costa Rica as they provide protection during severe storms.

While we very much enjoyed a relaxing boat ride through the jungle, and were able to see bats and various types of lizards throughout the tour, the most exciting part (obviously) was finding the white-faced capuchin monkeys! The monkeys were very curious and were not afraid to approach the boat or the humans. At the time, we did not know that we would actually see several more monkeys during our trip to Costa Rica, but the boat tour was the closest we were able to get – it was truly incredible!

*One of the monkeys we saw during our Mangrove Boat Tour*

On our way back from the Mangrove Boat Tour, we stopped at the Welcome to Jaco sign for some photos and beautiful scenic views, and at this point, we also saw our first scarlet macaws hanging out in the trees! While at the time I was disappointed we could not get closer to these beautiful birds, it would not be our last time seeing them (this appeared to be a theme for the day).

After an eventful afternoon with the monkeys, we had worked up an appetite and went for dinner at SER Restaurante (another fully plant-based restaurant in Jaco) where we indulged in delicious tacos and a veggie bowl.

For our fourth day in Jaco, we signed up for a tour of Carara National Park. This Park was not actually on our original itinerary, as we were planning to go to Manuel Antonio National Park instead – which is a much more well-known park in the area for experiencing wild life. However, we are very grateful we did not pass up the opportunity to go to Carara National Park!

Our hotel concierge recommended JungleXpeditions for touring Carara National Park, and the owner, Mauricio, was the best tour guide we experienced during our trip. Our visit to the Park was scheduled for the early afternoon, and on our way, Mauricio made a road side stop at a scarlet macaw nest (remember how I said we would see many scarlet macaws on the trip?) – there was a family of these beautiful birds living inside a hole in a tree. Mauricio had a very powerful telescope that allowed us to see the birds up close, and you could even take pictures through the telescope.

*Scarlet macaw nest outside Carara National Park* *(note: this photo was not taken through the telescope)*

Carara National Park is considered to be a transition forest – where dry and tropical climates collide – making it an excellent area for observing wildlife. You can read more about transition forests here. We were greeted by various types of reptiles at the Park entrance, along with one of my favourites, a two-toed sloth. Other animals we saw at Carara National Park included: howler, spider and white-faced capuchin monkeys (yes, we saw all three!), an owl butterfly, northern ghost bat, more scarlett macaws, an orange-collared manakin, turquoise browed motmot, and a snake – unfortunately, I did not take notes on the specific type.

The snake incident was kind of a funny story, actually. Mauricio had suggested Justin and I stand next to a very tall tree for a photo. We started walking towards the tree, Justin a bit ahead of me, and then all of a sudden Justin started screaming and ran back towards Mauricio. He was so shocked he barely got out the word “snake” – Mauricio, myself and the other person on our tour were dying of laughter. As we inspected the snake, Mauricio confirmed it was not poisonous and that it had just eaten – you could see the belly was full. The snake had apparently made eye contact and hissed at Justin, which is why he got spooked! I am sure we will be telling this story for years to come ツ.

While we were absolutely thrilled with our trip to Carara National Park, the one animal we did not see (which was very high on my bucket list for Costa Rica) was a Toucan. Mauricio told me he would try to find a Toucan on our drive back.

Carara National Park is also very close to the Tarcoles River, which is home to approximately 2000 crocodiles. We had originally hoped to go on a crocodile tour (which in hindsight, I am glad did not work out), but instead, Mauricio brought us to the Crocodile Bridge, where we could view these massive creatures from a safe distance ツ.

On our drive back to the hotel, I could tell Mauricio was looking hard for a toucan (I made it very clear how much I wanted to see one). At one point as we were all chatting in the van, he quickly pulled over and said “Michelle, here is your toucan.” We all jumped out of the vehicle – I turned on my camera and Mauricio setup his telescope, and of course in that moment, the toucan flew away. We got back in the vehicle and Mauricio was actually able to follow the toucan. We made another road side stop and started looking, and yes, Mauricio found the toucan… only for history to repeat itself – by the time we got setup, the toucan once again flew away. I was quite disappointed as I did not actually get to see it, but I had not given up hope – I knew there would be more opportunities to find a toucan.

The next day we actually went to visit the other National Park in Costa Rica – Manuel Antonio. This Park is much more popular for tourists than Carara – this was evident, as our tour bus was full! While we were able to see a lot of wild life at this Park, our group size made it difficult to see things through the tour guide’s telescope and we were not able to take pictures on our phone through the telescope. The park was incredibly busy with other groups, as well, which meant we did not see any birds – we definitely did not see a toucan. I much preferred the intimate group size we had for Carara National Park.

*Two-toed sloth outside Manuel Antonio National Park*

Our trip to Manuel Antonio also included a traditional Costa Rican lunch, as well as some time at the Manuel Antonio beach. On our walk from the beach back to the Park entrance, we saw several white-faced capuchin monkeys as they climbed trees along our path – apparently the monkeys here are not afraid of people, and will even open up your backpack!

For our final day in Jaco, we attended the Chocolate Experience at Vista Los Suenos Adventure Park. During the Chocolate Experience, we learned about where the cacao plant grows (along the “Cacao Belt,” which is near the equator), the different species of cacao trees (23 species, 7 of which are found in Costa Rica), the process by which cacao becomes chocolate, and we even got to make our own chocolate. Costa Rica is actually not a big producer of chocolate – they only produce about 0.7% of the world’s cacao! Costa Rica is much better known for growing coffee; however, we were not able to participate in a coffee tour during our trip.

Following the chocolate tour, it was time to head to San Jose for our final night, as we had an early flight to catch in the morning. We actually received a ride from our Carara National Park tour guide, Mauricio, as he also offers airport shuttle services. One other request I had for Mauricio was to find me another toucan ツ.

When Mauricio picked us up, he had mentioned he spoke to some other tour guide friends and was made aware of a toucan nest nearby. As we slowly started making our way down a dusty dirt road, we saw a small bird flying from tree to tree – it was a toucan! We pulled over, got out the telescope and I watched the bird fly back and forth with the biggest smile on my face. It was actually very interesting to watch the toucan fly as it would start to “fall” when it stopped flapping its wings – apparently the toucan’s beak is so heavy it actually has a hard time flying!

Finally feeling like my time in Costa Rica was complete, we continued onward towards San Jose, making one final stop at Playa Pogeres to take in one final Costa Rican sunset.

And with that, I will end this blog post. This was definitely a long one – if you are still reading, thank you for being here! I hope you enjoyed reading about our time in Costa Rica and that it will provide you with some ideas on what to do when you visit the area of Jaco!

Always grateful,

Michelle

The Pacific Northwest

Back in November, Justin and I had the chance to spend an extra long weekend doing some exploring in the beautiful Pacific Northwest with our friends Iwona and Craig. Specifically, we spent time down in Washington in Leavenworth and Wenatchee.

The drive from the Canadian border to the Wenatchee/Leavenworth area is around 4-hours, but we managed to stretch this into a 7-hour drive by making several stops for lunch and coffee, and at Trader Joe’s.

One thing I have never mentioned in any of my previous blog posts is that when we are travelling in the US, we try to book accommodation with a kitchen (or at least a decent sized fridge) as our very first stop in every new city is Trader Joe’s. We always stock-up on the premade salads, wraps and snacks as this helps to keep the food portion of our trip cost effective, and it helps us eat healthier. Well, our trip down to Washington was no different ツ!

We ultimately had two full days in Wenatchee and Leavenworth, and during this time, we were able to fit in two hikes, as well as some time to explore the nearby towns and shops. Our first hike was a trail surrounding Clara Lake and Marion Lake in the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, which was around 30-minutes from our accommodation in East Wenatchee. The reason we picked this hike is because some reviews we read suggested we might still be able to see larches in the area, even though it was already mid-November.

Well, to our surprise, we did find larches on our drive to the start of the trailhead, but there were definitely no larches on the trail, itself, as it was covered in snow! Fortunately, we showed up prepared with crampons and ice cleats to help us enjoy our hike through the winter wonderland.

*The larches we saw when driving to the Clara and Marion Lakes trailhead*

As we were hiking along the trail, we remained hopeful that there might be more larches at the end of the hike. We decided to ask the first person we encountered whether there were larches by the lakes, and he laughed and said “sure.” He either did not know what larches were, or we missed the sarcasm in his response – he definitely got our hopes up! Either way, we will have to go back to this trail one day, hopefully a bit earlier in the year to see the larches and to see Clara and Marion Lakes without all the snow.

*Up close and personal with the larches!*

The other trail we did was the Icicle Gorge Trail, which is also part of the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest. This trail was actually closer to Leavenworth, and was around an hour away from our accommodation. To our surprise, the entire area surrounding the trail was surrounded by larches! I later learned that there are actually multiple types of larches, and I believe the ones we saw were western larches, which can be found in lower elevation areas (compared to alpine larches, which grow at high elevations).

While I would definitely consider the Icicle Gorge Trail to be an easy nature walk, it was a stunning walk along the river – I would highly recommend putting this on your must see list when visiting Leavenworth.

*Icicle River along the Icicle Gorge Trail*

*Larches surrounding the Icicle Gorge Trail*

Other than our time outdoors, we also made a point of checking out the local restaurants in the area. While we were in Wenatchee, we went to Wenatchee Valley Brewing to enjoy a local beer and some snacks, and also checked out Tap and Putt, which offers games and indoor mini-golf in addition to food and drinks. We ended up playing shuffleboard, and also three rounds of Monopoly Deal (which I brought from home), and we could not believe that Craig won every single game. It would not be incorrect to say I get a little bit competitive when playing Monopoly Deal.

In terms of eating establishments in Leavenworth, we enjoyed a Mexican lunch at South Leavenworth, dinner and live music at Yodelin (I definitely regret not trying one of their soups) and played a couple more rounds of Monopoly Deal over a drink at the Icicle Brewing Company. While I was not able to completely redeem myself over Monopoly Deal this time, thankfully I won one game ツ.

*Views from the town of Leavenworth – on the left is one of the Bavarian-style buildings*

I should note that our trip to Leavenworth was during the shoulder season and I would love to visit again one day in the winter. In case you did not know, Leavenworth goes “all out” for Christmas – thousands of decorative lights, live music, carolers and, of course, a special appearance from Santa, himself.

I know this was one of my shorter blog posts, but hopefully it gives you some ideas on what to do if you are ever visiting Wenatchee or Leavenworth!

Always grateful,

Michelle