Willow - Winter Solstice

Cory booked a night stay at the Winter Park Cabins in Willow for Saturday Dec 21. We were super excited to find a warm place to sleep and take our snowmachines out. Every cabin we searched for online owned by the state was booked every weekend through winter, so those were out of the equation. These cabin rentals were from a private vendor and owned by a very nice and hospitable married couple. We stayed in a cabin that sleeps 6 comfortably. The cabin included two full beds on the lower level and 1 queen bed in the loft. There was also a full kitchen and a fire pit. It could of slept 8 with the futon, but that would have been too crowded. We even had a little portable toilet inside for tinkling. Otherwise, there were full bathrooms down a trail near the cabin.

We brought 3 sleds on this trip so our friends that don't own any may use them. We had two 800s and one 600. So thankful we are able to have the luxury to provide recreation for our friends. Growing up, my parents never had these big toys, but my friends were generous enough to let me use their toys with their parents' supervision.  

On this trip we invited 2 couples, Banan & Crystal an Jody & Bri. Both couples also brought their dogs. We arrived at the cabin around 10:30am meeting with Bill, the owner, to greet  us and collect fees. He gave us a map of the trail system, which was super helpful. The nice thing about this place is that we all had cell reception. So if we really got lost, Google maps would help. Jody cooked us some burgers for lunch while we all unpacked and got the innertubes blown up. After we got our bellies full we were ready to hit the trails and lakes around noon.

We were so fortunate there was an air compressor on site to blow up our two inner tubes. Cory and Bri were using lung power at first until I found an air compressor.  Unfortunately, one of the tubes had two holes in it. Patching didn't help too much. What a bust, but at least one tube was pumped and ready for fun.

Each couple had a snow machine to ride. It was so fun adventuring out on the trails and spitting out onto lakes. I liked riding on the lakes a lot because you can go as fast as you like. I loved the variety of terrain we encountered. On one of the lakes we tied the ski rope to the snow machine and took turns getting pulled while sitting on the inner tube. The inner tube was made out of this slippery material. I found that I cannot go at high speeds being pulled because I just fly right off. I was laughing so hard every time I wiped out. Each of us definitely had a few good wipe out moments that provided good laughs.

After screwing around with the inner tube, we kept on trekking on the trail system. We definitely had to stop a couple times to figure where we were on the map. I was dubbed The Navigator since I held onto the map and kept referring to it.  I was not about to get lost in the cold.  After about 2.5 hours in, mine and Cory's snow machine died. It was acting funny in the beginning of our trip, but it didn't seem too serious. We had to take a few minutes for the men to figure out how to get it started again. Let's just say thank goodness Cory had his tools on hand and Banan had a good idea of unplugging the sensor. After that, the machine was good to go and we continued on!

On our way back, Cory wanted to race the other two couples on one of the lakes. I don't know how fast we were going, but I was clenching on so tight we were zooming. We went so fast, we didn't even see this little mound on the lake. All of the sudden I see Banan & Crystal zoom pass us. Simultaneously, I felt like we were so light and I realized we were airborne. We landed soft and we weren't very high. Jody&Bri caught up next to us and as we slowed down, Jody was laughing so hard at us. He witnessed Cory and I fly about 3 feet in the air. We stopped our race and everyone was laughing at what just happened. Seconds later, a couple intersected with us and the man was asking for directions to a visitor center we had no clue about.

While this couple was with us, I asked if they could take our group photo and the man told me his wife can take it. As I was walking over to his wife, I tripped on his sled skis and I went down. Everyone was laughing and so was I at my glamorous fall. At least I saved my phone. So, we got our photo taken and then we were off to head back to the cabin. We were out sledding for about 4 hours, which was awesome.

As we were all warming up in the cabin, the power went out at about 4:20 pm, twentyish minutes after returning. The sun was just about to go down, so it was going to get real dark and cold. Come to find out most of Willow had a power outage. Cory got the fire started in the fire pit right outside the cabin. Once our cabin got cold, we all went to the fire to chit chat, tell stories, and enjoy our libations.

The propane stove was working and thank goodness that didn't need electricity. Crystal and I were able to heat the spaghetti they made for us the night before on the stove. We used Jody's grill to warm up the garlic bread. Once we all had amazing spaghetti and partially burnt garlic bread, we realized we were out of drinks. Bill stopped by to check on us. He brought a portable generator and hooked up the Toyo heater to get our cabin warmed up again. For light we used our cell phones and Banan's very powerful illuminating flashlight.

Banan talked Bill into bringing us a handle of tequila, margarita mix, ice, triple sec, and fire wood. Banan and his persuasion works very well on people. People will do anything for money. I thought it was comical of Banan. He really knows how to use his resources. Bill's house is connected to the shower, bathroom, and laundry facilities, only 80 yards away. Bill took a few trips from his house to us bringing the goodies riding his snow tracked ATV. That thing was bad ass. Once our cabin reached 72 degrees, we called Bill to take the generator back.  He needed to share the generator with the folks at the other cabin.

Late into night, about 9pm., Crystal wanted to go to the little market on the highway about 3 miles from the cabin. I came with her for navigation and to get a few things. She bought an oil lamp we spotted in the little store. Lucky to have found that in such a tiny town. While we were gone, the electricity came on for about 1 minute, then blacked out again. That gave us so much hope. However, we were ready to accept that the power wasn't going to come back on. I am actually glad the power was out so we could all bond and just enjoy each other at the fire.

At around 10:30pm, the power came back on to stay. We were so happy that we can go back inside and start a poker game. Poker was super fun, as always, but sometimes gets competitive. Banan was too tired to stay in so he was first out and decided sleep was better. I stayed in as much as I could, but the bed seemed better. I stayed in the game until 1:45am and just thought, screw it, I am going to bed. Cory followed me shortly.  In the end, Crystal won the $60 pot against Jody. Nicely done.

The next morning, Cory and I made breakfast burritos and French pressed coffee for everyone. When I turned on the oven, there was a horrible gas-like smell coming from the oven area. Everyone was coughing and we had to open the door. We thought the propane was leaking from the oven. We switched to using the stove after I had put bacon and tator tots to bake inside the oven. We fried the eggs, bacon, tator tots, and mushrooms for burritos. Yummy in our tummies.

We all cleaned up and packed up most things. Dishes took awhile because there was no running water and we had to use the water jugs for rinsing. Crystal and I made a team effort of getting those done.

Cory, Jody, Bri and I decided to take the sleds out one more time before we had to check out. Crystal and Banan decided to rest and slowly pack up. We only went for about an hour. I was so stoaked to have a sled to myself. We decided to go off course on one of the lakes. Come to find out real quick, we were in super deep snow. It was hard to turn and you have to go fast to avoid sinking. Well, we all got stuck. Thankfully we were not too far from the main trail. After about 15 mins of getting each other out, we were on our way again. If we had powder skis, maybe we could of managed. We learned to just stay on the trails and ride on the lakes.

When we got back, Crystal discovered why the place smelled of gas while I was using the oven. She had placed the oil bottle for the oil lamp into the bottom drawer of the oven. Come to find out, that wasn't a storage area, but the broiler! Yikes! The plastic melted while the oven was on and the oil was seeping everywhere inside the broiler. Thank goodness we were safe and the place didn't catch on fire or make a huge explosion. We would of been doomed.

All in all, what a great trip. It snowed all weekend and everyone was safe.  I loved the cabin stay and cannot wait to do it again with friends. I wanted to stay there in solitude and adventure forever.

Memorial Day Weekend 2013

What a great way to start off the summer this year.  We had the toys, the trucks, the good people to accompany us, great weather, and most importantly, the time off.  Let's not forget about the men and women who sacrificed their lives in the US Armed Forces.

This year we decided to go to Sutton, Alaska off Jonesville Road.  This is the ATV playground with many trails and mud puddles to ride through.  There are no regulations, fee, or rules here.  I have never seen this place so full of campers, atvs, and trailers.  Our large group consisted of around 20 people and 7 dogs  This is the largest group I have ever camped with.  We all had tents and camped away from the trailers in our own private area.  I called it Tent City.  I am very thankful for the wonderful weather we had.

Nobody in the group had ATVs, but we were awesome enough to let our friends borrow our 3 quads.  We had the wheelers parked at our camp and we would come and go as we pleased with approval from Cory or I, of course.  One of our friends even purchased more gas for the toys, how generous.  We definitely talked a good number of our friends to purchase one for the next time we go camping.  Now when I camp, it has brought my perspective on camping to a different level.  I can't go camping without our ATV anymore.  It is so fun to ride these!

All in all, I am glad everyone had fun and was safe.  I got to knock back a few brews, had some sun, got to relax and read, venture around on the atv, and best of all, make great memories.  It was a great group of people and I can't wait to go camping again!

Hawaii-Oahu Trip

We finally treated ourselves to a real vacation this winter and I am so happy we did!  We even invited another couple, who are our close friends, Banan & Crystal.  I am just going to talk about the places we ate and what activities we did as if someone that has never been to Oahu is reading.  I recommend you get a car so you aren't stuck in Waikiki with all the tourist.

The weather in January was pretty unpredictable.  It was mostly sunny, but there was random rain fall for a few minutes and it was a little windy.  Must of been because we came during the "winter".  The wind felt good though since it was "hot" to us Alaskans.  Regardless, every day I packed beach towels and wore a bikini under my tank top and shorts, because there was always opportunity for the beach.  It is a good idea to pack a very light coat cause at night it can get a little "chilly", but you can still rock the shorts.

Hotel:  Seaside Hotel - Waikiki

View from the rooftop

This hotel was the "most affordable" for our budget.  It was smack dab in the middle of Waikiki.  The walk to the beach was like 3 minutes.  An ABC store was just down the street for any necessities. There are ABC Stores at every block.  On the roof there was a small pool. It was nice to go up there and be away from the busy Waikiki Beach.  If you decide to hit up the beach, the front desk has beach towels and mats you can borrow.  The main shopping strip is on the road, Kalakaua, and that is only a 2 min walk where you can access all the popular shopping and dining.

The staff was really nice and one of them,  Alex, was the one we went to for questions.  He is a local and totally a friendly giant.  He told us places he recommended for eating and what beaches to check out.  He was on point for everything.  If you want to find him, he works in the valet area and you can't miss him, he is the biggest Hawaiian you will ever see.  And he is always smiling.

The hotel room was pretty small and we had a full size bed.  You could upgrade to a king size for way more money.  Also, the bathroom had NO fan!  There was air conditioning, so that was nice. But, no microwave or refrigerator.  We bought two styrofoam coolers from a store you need to get to by car for our beverages and what not.  Otherwise, you could fill your sink with ice for a fridge.  But alas, the hotel was only a place to sleep.  The house keeping staff did a great job vacuuming all the sand we brought back from the beach, always made our bed, and gave us new towels every day.

Me in our hotel pool

The valet was always full so we had to park at a public parking lot across the street.  It was $24 a day to park in either lot. So expensive I know!  There is  no on street parking, so the parking garages are the only places to keep your car safe.

In the lobby there is coffee and water 24/7.  Through the lobby of our hotel, there is a Mexican restaurant called Cha Cha Cha's, where you can have drinks at happy hour.  Food-wise, I only tried their chips and salsa and I did like their guacamole dip.  This little place was pretty popular though.

Overall, I would give this hotel a 2.5/5.  I couldn't give it 3 because there was no fridge, no continental breakfast, and the valet parking is ridiculously expensive.  Plus the wireless internet was a little slow and sometimes would shut off for a few minutes.  But, the location is pretty decent considering how close you are to everything and it a good place to pass out every night.


Beaches
In general, the beaches are amazing and clean.  No alcohol is allowed.  Each beach has their own signs of potential dangers like caution for jelly fish, strong currents, etc.  Every beach had their own flavor of uniqueness.  Although, I was very surprised not to see any sand volleyball courts set up on any of the beaches we went to.  I was totally down to play.

Waikiki

Waikiki:  This beach is always packed full of people and children, again, this is the beach where all the tourists hit up since it is just off the main strip.  There are signs warning of jelly fish, but regardless the ocean was full of people playing.  People were able to boogie board, surf, and paddle board.  You could also rent equipment from the beach.  There were many hotels just off this beach where you can rent large umbrellas and lawn chairs.  Its not a bad place at all to lounge or swim if you don't mind all the people.

Hanauma Bay:  This beach is about 30 minutes east of Waikiki.  There is a $1 parking fee and a $7.50 entrance fee since it is a nature preserve park.  Before you enter, you are required to watch a 9 minute video that gives you history of the park and learn some do and don'ts.  You can rent snorkel gear here for $12, but we decided to rent from Aqua Zone in Waikiki for better equipment and to bypass long lines.  This beach is very popular for the snorkeling and I totally recommend you do it!  Cory and I tried this out for our first time and I can't wait to do it again if we go back.  We saw so many different fish!  I recommend you go to this park either early in the morning or later around 2pm because the parking lot gets full.  If the parking lot is full, they close the lot for no entree until the parking lot frees up again.  Also, this park is closed on Tuesdays so plan around that.  Otherwise, I loved this bay!

Cory boogie boarding in Waimanalo

Waimanalo:  This beach is about 30 minutes east of Waikiki and is very quiet.  There was pretty much nobody here when we went except for some locals.  Again, signs for jelly fish, which we saw two on shore.  They were about 2 inches and you have to be careful not to step on them cause they can still sting you.  This is a great place to boogie board if you are a beginner, which we all were.  There were other boogie boarders out in the ocean and they seemed to know what they were doing.  Our friend that came with us had a jelly fish brush his calf a few times and left a red rash on him, but he was fine through out the day.  Otherwise, this beach was really peaceful with the light waves.

Lanikai:  If you drive 20 minutes after Waimanalo, you will reach Lanikai Beach, which is a residential beach.  The entrance to the beach is in a neighborhood.  This beach is also quiet and nice.  Again, no tourist or fuss.

Kailua:  Kailua was only a hop and skip east of Lanikai.  This park was nice and also less crowded.  This was a big beach so there was tons of space to relax and play in the ocean.

North Shore:  These beaches are known for their surfing because of the awesome waves.  There are about a handful of beaches to check out up on the north shore, such as Sunset Beach, Waimea Beach, and Turtle Bay, to name the ones we hit up.  Sunset Beach was a great beach for surfers, which we watched from shore.  Waimea is another chill beach that you can relax on.  Turtle Bay is in a resort that is easy to access and another great spot to snorkel.  We decided to do North Shore in one day because the drive from Waikiki took about 1.5 hours to get up there.  There are tons of cool crab shacks to eat lunch at, which are amazing.

Ala Moana Beach

Ala Moana:  This beach is about 10 minutes west of Waikiki.  I really liked this beach because it was so close to Waikiki and didn't have too much people.  The water is very calm, which made it easy to swim around and float.  There were more sun bathers here than any beach I saw.  Not much for surfing since the waves were pretty much nonexistent.  I saw paddle boarders out on the ocean, which was neat.  There are no equipment rentals here, but like I said, it is a lounge beach.  I also noticed a handful of couples get married on this beach.  Not bad for a job to take photos and wed couples all day :)

Activities

Waimea Falls

Waimea Falls Hike:  This is on the North Shore and costs $10 each for the entree fee.  Prepare to bring your swim suit because at the bottom of the waterfall, you are able to swim around.  The pool is deep and tourists will be watching all the crazy people going in.  The hike is so easy; it is a paved walk to the waterfall.  You walk through the botanical gardens and it only takes about 30 minutes to the end.  Definitely can do this in just flip flops, which I did.  The waterfall is only 45 feet tall, so its not very big.   It was a very nice walk though :)

Manoa Falls

Manoa Falls Hike:  The trailhead is only about 20 minutes away from Waikiki and there is a $5 parking fee.  Definitely bring your hiking shoes and expect to get them muddy.  My poor friend was hiking in flip flops and eventually hiked the trail barefoot.  This hike was really cool because you were in the rain forest.  Some parts were rocky and others were muddy as you got in the gut of the hike.  The falls took about 45 minutes to hike.  Just be careful where the large rocks are at the end.  The falls has a 150 foot drop into a tiny pool.  We were so full of endorphins, we got in the small rocky pool with our swim suits on.  It started pouring rain on us while we were at the falls and on the way back down.  It was awesome!  It felt so good considering the heat. Manoa is also where they filmed the TV show Lost and the Jurassic Park movies.  When you return there are hoses to wash off the mud.  I liked this hike a lot, since it was so rugged.  There is also a little snack shop in the parking lot for any necessities.

The view on top of Diamond Head

Diamond Head Crater Park:  This is just outside of Waikiki and you definitely need a car to get there.  Parking was $5 and the hike was about 40 minutes to the top where you can over look Waikiki. If its a clear day you can see some of the other islands next to Oahu.  I recommend wearing hiking shoes for sure.  There are stairs at the end that are killer!  So worth the view though.  There was also a food truck in the parking lot for smoothies, burgers, and hot dogs.

Sea Life Park:  This is east of Waikiki, about 20 minutes away.  It is $29.99 to get in, but if you are military you save $10.  There are expensive programs you can add if you wanted to swim with the dolphins or sharks.  We passed on the programs.  But there are shows you can watch that come with the admission fee, such as the sea lion and dolphin show, which are separate.  They run at certain times of the day, so it is a good idea to check their website for times.  From the Sea Life Park you can see the ocean where Rabbit Island sits.  There is also a food court and I also found Dip and Dots.  I got my fix of kalua pork as well, so yum!  This place was really cool and I recommend it for a chill, entertaining day.  The dolphin show was my favorite.  There was a Wolphin, which is a mix of Orca and Dolphin.

FOOD

Here are my top 3 must eat places that we hit up that I recommend in no particular order.  Other places I liked were the Cheesecake Factory, Eggs N Things (long line to get in), and  Zippy's.  We pretty much ate out for lunch and dinner every day considering we had no fridge or microwave.  I loved how we could find spam masubi pretty much anywhere. So yummy and a quick snack :)

Loco Moco

Dukes:  Dukes is in Waikiki in the Outrigger Hotel.  You can eat inside or outside right on the beach.  The food was amazing.  I had the ribs and Cory had the Mahi Mahi Burger.  The drinks were good and there was a solo acoustic guitarist singing popular songs for great live music.

Rainbow Drive In:  This place is pretty cheap.  You order your food at a window and then eat outside at one of their few tables.  Place was delicious with their authentic Hawaiian plates.  I had the Loco Moco, which is rice stacked with a burger patttie, an egg, and gravy.  So yum!

Giovanni's:  This is on the North Shore and is a food truck that serves amazing shrimp plates.  Each plate was $13, where you get a dozen shrimp and rice.  You could also order half a plate for half the price.  I had the Shrimp Scampi, which was delicious. Their garlic hot dog was to die for and only $3.50.  This place is so worth driving to for lunch. We wanted to drive back to north shore again just for this place, but we never made a second round.

Garlic Hot Dog and Shrimp Scampi

Well I hope this was helpful for anyone heading to Oahu their first time.  It was our first time to Hawaii ever.  I had friends that told us to hit up many places.  I enjoyed my trip a lot and would love to go back to check out the other islands.


Mahalo!