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In August, Gabe and I drove up to Ventura to do a quick, before school starts up, camping trip with the Tinsleys. We decided to camp locally at Lake Casitas just outside of Ojai in the Los Padres National Forest, since we only had two days. The drive up only took about an hour, but it probably felt longer for Gabe who literally had to "hold down the fort" packed in the back of the car!
We set up camp late at night and Robeson joined us around 11pm after his shift at the hospital. The next morning we headed out for hikes in the Sespe Wilderness. We did two really great and different hikes - the first one was up to Piedra Blanca. The Piedra Blanca is an outcropping of white sandstone rock formations that rise high out of the deserty landscape. We hiked a couple of miles in and then climbed up the slippery rocks to see the beautiful views and get a much needed breeze. The summit made a great place for us to have lunch!
The second hike we did was up to waterfall in a more lush and verdant part of the Sespe Wilderness. The trail started out pretty brushy, with typical California oaks and such, but soon turned into a very green and lush beautiful waterfall area. This was a wonderful place for us to climb around on the rocks, drink some fresh mountain water and just cool off. Lots of fun and two great hikes!
When we got back to camp, we noticed that a very clever animal (likely a squirrel) had sneaked into our dining tent, eaten through the bottom of a grocery bag and taken some snacks home with him - bold and clever little rodent, I must admit! Oh well, nothing very important was missing and we put together an awesome dinner of grilled chicken and veggie-kabobs followed by s'mores for dessert. Everything was delicious! The next morning we made breakfast, then packed up and headed home. This was a great trip and a perfect way to end summer vacation.
Gabe, chillaxing among the coconut trees
By the beautiful sea
"Prohibit Coco Not"...seriously, that's what the sign said.
Mmmmmm, yummy! Tapas!
These guys were, seriously, everywhere! Anywhere from 1 to 3 ft. long, and the bigger they were, the ornerier they were!
Thankfully, this one was "petrified"
At one of our resort's nightly variety shows
Getting dipped in the ocean while parasailing...so much fun!!!
An ice cream break in Playa del Carmen
The Mayan ruins of Tulum - this was the sacred temple
Our last walk on the beach before we flew out
Awesome little cabanas!
This pretty much sums it up! Hasta luego, Riviera Maya, te amemos mucho!
I was going to start off the new blog with pictures and tales of our wonderful, magical, hoedown wedding, but it looks like it's going to be a while before we have access to the professional pictures. So, instead, I will begin with the honeymoon! Gabe and I left the morning after the wedding for the Riviera Maya, a newer resort area about 70 miles down the coast from Cancun. WE LOVED IT!!! It was hot and humid - rarely below 95 degrees and 95% humidity, but when the Caribbean Ocean is literally 100 footsteps from your bedroom, life is pretty dandy! We stayed at an all-inclusive resort called the Catalonia Royal, and that's exactly how we felt there - ROYAL! Besides all the food (and we ate TONS!), my favorite thing about the resort was being situated in the middle of a rain forest just footsteps from the sand and 90 degree, clear, azure water. We variably spent our days swaying in hand-woven hammocks hung from coconut trees, walking leisurely up and down the beach, floating in the soft waves among the flitting tropical fish, visiting the Mayan ruins of Tulum, exploring Playa del Carmen (a bustling port city), snorkeling (well, kind of) and hiking through the Xel-Ha eco-park, parasailing over the coast of Playa Adventuras (where we saw sea turtles!) and eating our fill of amazingly delicious food! We had a truly wonderful time and would love to return someday. Here are some pictures from our trip. Enjoy!
When we got back to camp, we noticed that a very clever animal (likely a squirrel) had sneaked into our dining tent, eaten through the bottom of a grocery bag and taken some snacks home with him - bold and clever little rodent, I must admit! Oh well, nothing very important was missing and we put together an awesome dinner of grilled chicken and veggie-kabobs followed by s'mores for dessert. Everything was delicious! The next morning we made breakfast, then packed up and headed home. This was a great trip and a perfect way to end summer vacation.
