Fifty Shades of Green!

The Traveling Idiots, Martin and the Arenal Volcano

On the drive from San Jose to La Fortuna we crossed the Continental Divide, passing from the Caribbean to the Pacific side.  As we made our way closer to La Fortuna the difference was very evident.  While it's green and tropical on the Caribbean side, it's greener and even more tropical on the Pacific side. "Fifty Shades of Green" seems to be the best description of this lush, rainforest filled country.
Friday we enjoyed relaxing here at the hotel, bouncing from one spring fed hot water pool to another.  The temperatures vary from a high of 104 down to around 80 degrees.  I steered clear of the 80 degree one, although Beth did try it out for a minute or so.  One interesting thing we've learned is that because of the abundance of hot water, no chemicals are used in the pools.  Every pool is drained, cleaned and refilled nightly
Late in the day we walked from the hotel into the small town of La Fortuna.  The walk was around three miles and was along the main road. While there was a decent shoulder most of the way there were a few times we were pretty close to traffic.  The drivers here are very courteous so we never really felt like we were risking life or limb, but it's not a walk for the faint of heart.

Along the walk to La Fortuna we passed a small Cocoa Plantation and restaurant called a Chocloteria………….no way we were going to pass it without stopping!

Beth in one of her "happy places".  This one is among the Cocoa plants

La Fortuna itself is fairly small. There are a couple of very nice blocks of restaurants and shops around a town square that consisted of a large Catholic church and city park.  We were impressed with the cleanliness and the fact that while it had plenty of tourism related businesses it was not overly filled with "tacky tourist shops".   As we often do on our travels, we simply enjoyed finding a couple of benches around the park, sitting back and taking in the sights and sounds.  It was getting near dark when we were ready to make our way back to the hotel.  Walking into town in the light of day was very doable.  As the sun was setting it would not have been a very smart decision so we opted for a cab ride back to the hotel.

The church in the center of town.  

It looked like we were in for a heavy rain but it only sprinkled for a few minutes

There's plenty to do in this area besides sitting in the hot springs.  There are zip lines galore, white water rafting, waterfalls, hiking and ATV adventures just to name a few.  Yesterday we opted for a three activity combination.  All three activities involved hiking, although they were all very different hikes.  Our guide for the day was a young man named Martin.  His partner and driver was Carlos.  They were both very friendly and as it turned out, were also very knowledgeable.  We picked up two other couples at different hotels, who joined us for the first activity, and we were soon on our way to Mistico Hanging Bridges Park.

Mistico is a 600 acre private reserve in a rainforest.  There is a two mile walking trail through the forest that crosses sixteen different bridges, six of which were "swinging bridges".  Along the way Martin provided some great information on both the plants and animals in the area, especially the numerous colorful birds that call the rainforest home.

Getting ready to cross the first of six hanging bridges

Floating over the rainforest canopy. 

Roots of the Walking Palm Tree which is appropriately enough often referred to as the penis tree

One of the many colorful birds in the rainforest.  Of course we've forgotten all of their names.

After completing the hike through Mistico, we dropped the other two couples off and we were quickly off to our next adventure.  This hike was to the La Fortuna River and Waterfall.  According to Martin, because of the rainforests there is always water flowing in the river and over the approximately 100 yard waterfall.  To reach the base of the falls was a hike that wasn't very long but included 486 stairs.  Once we were at the bottom there were two natural pools of water for swimming.  One right at the base of the falls and another around 20 yards downstream.  Beth hopped right in the second pool and called it refreshing.  I got in up to my ankles and called it cold.  She frolicked around for 10 minutes or so while I took pictures and cheered her on from the frigid ankle deep water.  There's one catch about hiking down something with 486 stairs, and of course that is a hike up 486 stairs.  We were motivated on our return hike because lunch was next on the agenda.  It was at a small restaurant that we had actually passed the day before on our walk into town.  The food was excellent and gave us a lift for our third and final hike of the day.

Martin was an expert at taking pictures through his binoculars using our I-phones

Arenal Waterfall

Bats sleeping under a palm frond

Beth chilling out in the water below Arenal Falls

Lunch was what Martin described as "traditional"  Meat, Red Beans & Rice, Salad, Plantains and Mashed Potatoes...….all of it was excellent!

We finished the day hiking up a rocky trail in the Mirador El Silencio Reserve.  According to Martin that would take us as close to where the 1968 eruption of the Arenal Volcano occurred as possible. Like the waterfall trail, it wasn't particularly long but it was somewhat challenging because of the elevation change.  This time it was hiking uphill first and downhill on the return.  The views from the top overlooked the volcano and lava fields and by turning around we had a great view of Aernal Lake, which is a manmade lake that was built after the volcano erupted.  One interesting thing we learned about this volcano was that the initial eruption did not occur at the top.  It actually started at the base, by blowing out a huge crater known as Crater A.  Over several years rockslides filled the hole made by the eruption, gases and lava built up and the next eruption was higher up the mountain, which appropriately enough was named Crater B. This process happened two more times giving us Crater C and D.  The side of Crater D is actually the highest point on the volcano.
As volcanos go, the Arenal Volcano is a mere child, at around 7500 years of age.  Between 1500 and 1968 it sat silently and was considered to be extinct.  It's unexpected eruption in 1968 was a complete surprise, destroying two villages and killing 87 people. In addition to being young, from 1968-2010 it was considered one of the ten most active volcanos in the world.  There has been no activity since 2010.

At the beginning of our final hike.

A type of orchid growing wild along the trail

We were dropped off back at the hotel with tired legs and way too much information to remember for too long.  A good soaking in the hot springs was a great way to end the day after roaming through some of Costa Rica's fifty shades of green!
If you're in the La Fortuna area the combination package is a great way to see this amazing area and it's equally amazing wildlife.  Here are a few things about this package that you might find helpful:
It's pretty much an all day affair.  We were picked up at 7:10 AM and didn't get back to the hotel until around 4:00 PM.
All three places had excellent restroom facilities.
Changing rooms and showers are available at the waterfall.
Our tour operator provided water throughout the day.
Lunch was included with our tour.
We walked in our regular walking shoes.  Hiking boots aren't necessary  We did see some folks in flip flops but I wouldn't recommend it.

Blogger at work

Here we are..........Costa Rica

Tabacon Hot Springs

If the title of the last post was "here we go", it's only appropriate that the title of this one is "here we are".  From Fort Lauderdale to San Jose, Costa Rica is only a two and a half hour flight.  That's pretty much the same as flying from Dallas to Tampa.  There were only two minor hiccups on our travel day.  First, for some reason my laptop screen remained completely black when I turned it on in Fort Lauderdale.  A quick google search revealed that this condition is known in the IT world as the "Black Death Screen".  Certainly not an encouraging name for what seemed like a terminal condition.  I was afraid this was going to limit my blogging capability since it's difficult to do on the I-phone.  Fortunately once we arrived in San Jose another google search revealed several remedies for this dreadful sounding condition.  The first two I tried didn't work, but the third one worked like a charm and the "Black Screen of Death" has been laid to rest, hopefully for a long time!
The second hiccup was something that couldn't be avoided and that was the hour and a half wait in the customs line at the San Jose Airport.  It's a fairly small airport. The majority of flights are international and there were eight flights arriving at about the same time.  The agent serving our line was a fairly old gentleman who seemed to lack any enjoyment for his job and moved at a pace that would make a sloth seem incredibly fast.  What the heck, we survived and it provided me with a paragraph of material for the blog.
We had arranged transportation through the hotel and our driver (Fernando) was waiting for us outside of the secure area and we were soon on our way.  We'll be staying in three different areas over the next twelve days.  First up is the small city of La Fortuna which is located near the Arenal Volcano.  This is an active volcano, although hopefully not too active for the next five days.  The last major eruption was in 1968 so I'm feeling pretty good about our odds of getting out unscathed.  Plus, it's worth the risk because something commonly associated with volcanos are natural hot springs and this area is full of them.  More on that later.

Our Costa Rica Loop:  San Jose to La Fortuna (A).  La Fortuna to Monteverde (B). Monteverde to Manuel Antonio (C). Manuel Antonio back to San Jose (D)

Briefly, here's a little bit of information on both Costa Rica and the small city of  La Fortuna. Costa Rica is a Central American country bordered by Nicaragua on the North, the Caribbean Sea on the Northeast, Panama on the Southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the Southwest and Ecuador to the South. The countries population is around five million.  The largest city and capital is San Jose, which has a population of around 400,000.  Although they have had some economic challenges with rising government debt (sound familiar?) Costa Rica is in many ways the shining star of Central America. It scores very high on human rights initiatives, healthcare (affordable and often ranked higher in quality than the US), literacy, affordable housing and environmental issues.  The primary economic drivers of Costa Rica are tourism and agriculture, with coffee and sugar being the two main crops.
La Fortuna is a small town of around 15,000 that is about a three hour drive northwest of San Jose.  It is known as the Gateway to Arenal Volcano National Park.  Fernando (our driver from the airport) was born here and shared with us that it was a sleepy little village until tourism, related to the volcano, hot springs and natural beauty of the area began to develop in 1990.  He was very proud to let us know that even though it has grown, it has maintained it's quaintness and that it is very safe and filled with friendly people.  We're looking forward to exploring it over the next couple of days.
We arrived just after sunset (around 5:30 local time) and although it was a fairly short flight, combined with getting up early in Fort Lauderdale, the wait in the customs line in San Jose and the drive to the hotel we had packed in most of the fun we could for one day.  But there was one thing left...…….no, not that!  Remember I had mentioned the natural hot springs earlier?  The hotel has six small hot springs teeming with muscle relaxing water of various degrees, as well as two large pools also filled with warm water and another with cooler water.  We enjoyed kicking back in a couple of different ones before it was off to dreamland.

From our hotel balcony.  On a clear day the Aernal Volcano is in the background.

We're planning on dividing our time here in La Fortuna between relaxing here at the hotel, exploring the city, and a few adventures including several hikes, one on a volcano trail, another on hanging bridges and another to a waterfall.  But our first full day was dedicated to the fine art of relaxing, hot springs style.
We spent the entire day at Tabacon Hot Springs Resort which is located just a few miles from our hotel.  There are several options of day passes that can be purchased.  We opted for the full day and one meal pass.  It's open from 10:00 AM until 10:00 PM and while we weren't there when the doors opened they hadn't been open for long when we arrived.  The hot springs were actually streams of water flowing over waterfalls and into small areas where you could sit and relax while taking in the lush surroundings.  To say we got our money's worth would be an understatement. We were there from shortly after opening until around 7:00 PM.  We left with full bellies from a very nice meal, relaxed muscles and big smiles on our faces!

If you go to Tabacon Hot Springs here's a couple of things to keep in mind:
Book it as early as possible.  They only offer a limited number of day passes.  We were fortunate to be able to book ours the morning we wanted to go but we understand it does frequently sell out.
There are options that include either one or two meals.  We opted for the one meal and selected dinner as our meal.  It was a buffet with a very nice variety of both local and international dishes.  I'm pretty sure lunch is also a buffet and it is priced the same.  You can choose two meals if you're so inclined to have a buffet for both lunch and dinner...….good luck with that!
Bring some type of water shoes.  There are several pools but the real treat is getting in the streams and sitting under the waterfalls.  The streams are "natural" so there are rocks and uneven surfaces.
Although the springs are open until 10:00 PM, if at all possible plan to arrive before sunset.  The gardens are immaculate.

Don't forget your watershoes

Here we go.........

Lunch with a view...…...not just of each other but also overlooking the beach @ Lona Cocina

We're on our way to Costa Rica, but we haven't left Florida yet.  Today we crossed the state, driving from Anna Maria Island on the west coast, down to the Everglades, across Alligator Alley, ending up at Fort Lauderdale Beach.  For those who may not be familiar with Fort Lauderdale it's located on the east coast (the Atlantic Ocean side) and is just 30 miles north of Miami.  With 23 miles of beaches, more than 100 marinas,  over 50,000 registered yachts and 300+ miles of waterways , Fort Lauderdale is all about the water and is sometimes referred to as the "Venice of the United States".
It was an easy trip across, and thanks to Beth's sisters (Debbie and Cindy) we were able to leave early enough to spend the afternoon here.  There is a nice long walkway along the waterfront that we enjoyed in spite of the winds whipping at around 20-25 mph all afternoon.  We were able to also enjoy a walk through the Hugh Taylor Birch State Park which had some nice trails out of the winds and along the Intercoastal Waterway.

When the wind blows...….the crowd goes

There are numerous motorized scooters that you can rent through apps all along the beach.

Fort Lauderdale Beach
Hugh Birch Taylor State Park
We're spending the night at the Sonesta on Fort Lauderdale Beach (great rate on Hotwire) and flying out tomorrow morning.  Southwest flies to Costa Rica which means Beth flies free thanks to the Companion Pass.  This is our sixth year having the Companion Pass and it's an amazing deal.  When we got it the first time it sounded too good to be true but it's not.  If you're shopping for a credit card one of the Southwest Credit Cards is now offering the Companion Pass for the rest of the year.  I've attached a link to the offer.  Make sure you read the minimum spend requirements carefully!  If you're interested please note, it's a limited time offer.
Southwest Credit Card/Companion Pass Offer
Here we go...………..

  

Volcanos, a Cloud Forest and Beaches

Our current stint with NaNa will come to an end next Tuesday.  We'll be off for our next adventure.  This time we'll be heading to a tropical destination known for it's active volcanos, a cloud forest and it's beaches.  Some of you may be thinking Hawaii and if you are, well you're wrong this time.  We're off to Costa Rica.
We spent some time in Costa Rica a few years back and really enjoyed it.  On that visit we were on the west coast at Punta Islita.  This time we will be exploring inland as well as on the coast.  First up we'll be spending time in La Fortuna near the Arenal Volcano National Park.  From there we will be going into the clouds in Monteverde before finishing up at Manuel Antonio National Park.  More to come...………….

La Fortuna
Arenal
Monteverde
Manuel Antonio National Park
  

UNDEFEATED!

A "Rummy Savant" at the table

Having lived in Texas for so long, I learned that "it ain't bragging if it's true".  So this really isn't bragging, simply stating a fact.  In head to head competition with NaNa in rummy so far in 2019 I'm undefeated.  So what if we just played for the first time in 2019 today.  So what if we only played one game.  I'm undefeated and I guess you could also say I'm the proud owner of a modest win streak!
It'll likely end soon, probably the next time we play but I'm going to soak it all in while I can...……NaNa and Alabama winless in 2019...……………..sweet!

We play to 250...……...not even close!

Wet,windy and chilly Stinson Beach

Beach Weather!

You can't have sunny skies everyday.  We were blessed with six sunny days in a row here at Stinson Beach, and then yesterday (Saturday) happened. Unfortunately the weather forecast was right. It rained and the wind blew on and off throughout the day.  Little did we know at the time that it was the highlight of the weekend weather.  Today has been steady rain and wind.  It really wouldn't have mattered too much except that Sarah and James came over Friday afternoon from Novato to spend the weekend with us.  Joey came over around noon on Saturday for the afternoon and evening.  The rain cleared out long enough to allow us to get out on the beach a couple of times.

Digging while also keeping an eye out for big waves.

Rosalia's Beach Cottage

When we weren't outside James kept us busy with puzzles, games and coloring.  We were also able to grill some burgers and sausage on the covered patio prior to the Cowboys game.  Speaking of the Cowboys, if you really want to be entertained during a football game let me make a suggestion.  Watch a Cowboys game with Joey...……..he's a true fan!
Sarah and James just left and the beach cottage seems a little quiet.  We'll be heading back to Florida early Tuesday morning.  It was so great being able to spend time with them, especially those days when we also had Ben with us.  Sitting in this cozy little beach house listening to the rain gives me a chance to reflect on the last few weeks.  I'm very grateful!

During the middle of the week we were able to enjoy James at the Old Mill Park and the Mill Valley Library. 

Helping Pop put together a puzzle in the library

Boy's being boys...…..jumping off the stage at the Old Mill Park

Picnic in the park with MiMi!

Looking up at the top of the Redwoods in Old Mill Park

Showing some good rock throwing ability!

Enjoying watching a dog play in the water

  

Kick starting 2019-The Dipsea, Steep Ravine and Matt Davis Trails...............

Great views from start to finish!

For the record, we didn't even make it up until the ball fell in New York last night.  We were sound asleep well before 9:00 local time.  As it turns out, we probably needed the rest based on the hike we did to kick off 2019. 

There are so many hiking options to choose from in this area, ranging from flat treks along the waterfront, to extremely difficult with steep elevation changes.  After doing a little research we decided on a moderately difficult hike of around 8 miles with approximately 1,700 feet elevation change.  It was a combination of three trails; a small portion of the Dipsea trail, the Steep Ravine Trail and the Matt Davis Trail.

Steep Ravine Trail

We put in a bunch of miles every year and we've enjoyed some hikes in some pretty spectacular places around the globe.  There may have been some as scenic as this one, but we couldn't come up with one.  It's not everyday we get to hike through a redwood forest along side a ravine with numerous small waterfalls, that would occasionally give way to meadows that allowed for panoramic views of the coast line and the Pacific Ocean.  The views were so amazing that we almost forgot the length and elevation changes.  If hiking is something you enjoy and you're in the Stinson Beach area I would highly recommend this loop trail.

Stinson Beach from the Matt Davis Trail

The trails are so well marked even we never got on the wrong one!

Ferns, forest and Beth along the Matt Davis Trail

Here's some information you might find helpful.

• We parked at the trailhead at the intersection of Shoreline Highway and Panoramic Highway.  This meant we were going uphill for the first half of the loop which we much preferred while our legs were fresh.
• We took the counterclockwise route going up the Steep Ravine Trail and down the Matt Davis Trail.  It was just a guess, but it seemed as if the elevation change was more gradual going this way.  There is a small waterfall about half way up the Steep Ravine Trail where you have to go up a ladder.  

• The trails are all well marked, making them practically "idiot proof".  There were a couple of very small muddy spots that were easy to get around.  It hadn't rained in about a week, and it did seem as if the trails could be muddy and slippery for a few days after a heavy rain.  Walking shoes/boots with good ankle support are advised.
• The top of the loop is at Pantoll Campground (Mt. Tamalpais State Park).  There are restrooms and water is available.  

 A few pictures from last nights sunset...……….