Aloha! Diamond Head

Charles and I debated a little on what hike to take while visiting Oahu. I wanted to hike Diamond Head. He wanted to hike Koko Crater. Koko Crater looked a lot more challenging and Charles was pretty sure he had a broken toe so we ended up hiking Diamond Head. (yay!)

It is a fairly easy hike. There are a couple parts that are a little challenging, but it's really not that bad.

There are several scenic lookout stops. They all offered beautiful views!

I had wanted to hike another trail. The day we went it was so windy. Our eyelids were flapping all over the place and we both knew the hike would not be a pleasant one. Maybe next time!

A day outdoors

Last weekend Charles and I went hiking in Cool, CA. Yes, that is the town's real name. The last time we went hiking there Charles made me do a ridiculous steep hill. I was not looking forward to that. We brought our new hiking poles with us, but, luckily, there was a trail run happening in that area so we avoided it and headed to another trail.

We were not successful in avoiding the trail runners. We kept having to move out of the way. We saw way too many people that day for being on a hiking trail. It kind of dampened the fun and seclusion of going hiking. But, what can you do?

We hiked to the river and relaxed for a bit. I tried to skip stones, but was not very successful. Charles had a really good one that skipped 6 times!!!

Afterward, we ate pizza at a local spot. Yummy! I think anything would have tasted amazing after hiking. I was starved.

Gorgeous Tahoe

We celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary at Tahoe this past weekend. It was gorgeous and the weather was perfect!

We stayed at a great spot right across from the beach. It is called Cedar Glen Lodge. Our room had a painted sign above the bed with cupcakes on it. How did they know I love cupcakes? :)

On our first night we enjoyed s'mores by the hotel's fire pit and took in the wonderful pine smell that envelops you as you are in Tahoe. It was glorious.

The next day we took a hike and saw the lake from up above. Then we walked around Tahoe City and got lunch at the Bridgetender. Yum!

On Sunday, we hit up a local bakery. My Swiss chocolate croissant was amazing. Then we drove around the lake and stopped a couple of times to check out different vantage points. We stopped in South Lake Tahoe to find an ornament to remember our trip.

It was so nice to get out of town for a couple of days and enjoy some cooler weather. It is still in the mid-90's here and I'm hating it! I am so ready for cool weather so I can truly appreciate fall and wear my boots.

I took home two of these sapped covered pine cones. I love them!

A really hard mini golf course. I lost by a lot.

A random bear chair at the beach

Emerald Bay--said to be the most beautiful section of Lake Tahoe

Cruising: Juneau

The second part of our trip was an Alaskan Cruise via the Golden Princess (Princess Cruises). I forgot how crazy the cruise terminal is, but we got through and on the ship without too much annoyance. Our room was tiny (as is expected), but comfortable with a nice window.

The first day at sea was rough. The boat was very rocky and I got seasick. That has never happened to me before, but luckily I brought medicine with me. The only downside to the meds are they make you sleepy. I felt bad for Charles because it was his birthday and I just had no energy. We did go to formal night, so it was not a complete loss.

Normally I do not share crappy pictures of myself, but this just shows how bad we felt that first day at sea.

At least someone was able to do some decorating for his birthday

Happy Birthday cake!

Our first stop (and I was glad to get off the boat) was in Juneau, AK. It was a little rainy and gloomy, but we were going on a hike to see a glacier. And you have to say glacier the British way just because it sounds better.

The hike was lovely, although I probably complained about hiking at least half the time. I just cannot appreciate things as they are happening. However, we got to one part that looked like you had to rappel up a mountain. I could just picture myself slipping on the wet rocks and tumbling down to my death. I was not doing that. Charles climbed up to see the glacier and I waited below.

After our hike, we took the tram to the top of the mountain for lunch and a view. We also saw a short film about the Tlingit people, a native group to Alaska. It was very informative.

A rescued Eagle

Let's Go Hiking

Yesterday Charles took me to a trail that he raced on. We leisurely walked it and took in a lot of nature. One part of the hike was up a ridiculously steep hill called the Training Hill. It was about a mile uphill which took us almost an hour to complete. Being the unfit person that I am, I had to take several breaks along the way. All the while old people were passing us. That was kind of demoralizing, but we completed it and got milkshakes from Chick-fil-a on the way home.

Walkabout

Right outside the base is a nice trail. Charles and I decided to try it out. The weather has been amazing. It feels like spring, but it is only January. I am not looking forward to summer; I may melt away. The trail leads to a lovely waterfall. We brought some of our Boudin sourdough bread and sat by the waterfall for a while. Sorry for the cell phone pictures. Next time we'll bring a proper camera.

A Saturday hike

For Charles' birthday last year, I gave him a bunch of "coupons" to redeem for various things throughout the year. Yesterday he redeemed two coupons, so we had a fun Saturday! One coupon was redeemed to visit a state park in our area and hike. The other was to go to Young's Dairy which has mini golf, a driving range, the best ice cream and more.

The day was perfect for a walk in the woods. It was sunny, but not too hot. It was great on the trails through the trees because we were in the shade and kept cool. We were hoping to see the waterfall, but must have chosen the wrong trail. We never saw it.

At Young's, Charles and I played a round of mini golf. I was ahead for most of the game, but ended up losing by 1 point. That's probably the closest I have ever come to beating Charles. Then we tried our luck at the driving range. I didn't do too horribly. And we finished off the time there with two scoops each of ice cream. I picked my usual--chocolate peanut butter. Yummy!

I love days were we have fun things to do together that are out of the norm. We usually go to the mall or do stuff around the house. But we got out in the sunshine and spent the day together.