The Flying Dutchmen

Source: ESPN

 A wonderful goal by Robin van Persie at the end of the first half was the start of the deluge of goals that was only matched the rain. Holland poured on four more goals after halftime to hand Spain the worst ever loss by a defending world cup champion. An excellent outing by the Oranje exposed a suspect Spanish defense. While the end scoreline suggested easy work, it was not that way to start. 

Spain controlled the the first 45 minutes and took a 1-0 lead through a penalty converted by Xabi Alonso after Diego Costa was brought down (softly, in my opinion) by De Vrij. While Van Persie tied it before halftime, the feeling was that Spain had control of the match. They exposed the three center backs for Holland and had control of the midfield.

The second half though brought a change in attitude from Holland as the personal stayed the same. They got the ball on the right foot when Robben took on two defenders and put Holland up. That wasn't the end though as both Van Persie and Robben struck again after De Vrij scored from a cross. 

While I'm sure that any fan of Holland would prefer winning in 2010, this goes a long way towards healing that wound and puts Holland in a strong position to win a tough group. 

World's Greatest Adventure

   
   

     Every four years, the worlds largest celebration takes place; the FIFA World Cup. It is the pinnacle sporting event in the world. It is the olympics except with a sport that the entire world loves. For the next 31 days, the world will be watching as Brazil hosts the spectacle this time around. While there is much controversy in many areas, it doesn't change the excitement going around. Daily life will stop in some areas. Legends will be born. Dreams will be crushed. In the end, one team will be able to call themselves true world champions of the greatest game on Earth. Follow me as I go on adventure with the world cup. And even though we're a long shot to even get out of the group, go USA!!!

A Pirate's Life for Me

Pirate flags are plentiful during Buccaneer Days.

The first weekend of October, hundreds of boats and thousands of people converge on the tiny town (it's really more of a village) of Two Harbors on Catalina Island. The occasion? A weekend full of drunken debauchery while dressed up as pirates, formally known as "Buccaneer Days". If you're looking for an adventure, there is no need to look any further.

The adventure usually starts on Thursday for a fair portion, if not a majority of people. The moorings (parking spaces for boats) are usually full by Thursday afternoon, or Friday morning for the farthest out ones. Then you have more people coming by way of ferry that'll fill the multiple campsites to capacity on Friday and Saturday. I'd be willing to bet that some even come without a place to stay and sleep on the beach.

Moorings fill up fast. Only a part of the bay is seen here. 

Friday night the fun officially kicks off. Everyone dons their pirate attire and heads ashore (unless they are already passed out). If you choose not to dress up, you will stick out like a sore thumb. You may even be forced to walk the plank. They put up a fence enclosing the two bar areas, the restaurant, and a stage area with open spaces for conversing or dancing. There is a band that plays till about 11 and then a DJ for the rest of the evening. They "close" at 2 am but many people continue the party after that.

Donning our finest pirate attire

The next morning it's not unusual to be woken up to the sound of a cannon going off, followed by tons of people yelling "AAARRGHHH". Ashore you will see people, still in full costume, already starting to drink. They may even still be drinking from the night before. As the day turns into night, the shenanigans are plentiful. Saturday night is a repeat of Friday, but with more people and more time spent drinking. I will commend the sheriffs and the lifeguards there who do a fine job of making sure everyone is safe yet allowing them to have fun.

Sunday morning comes. After two days of living like this, reality starts to set back in. The restaurant offers a great breakfast buffet for people to feast on before departing back to the real world.

Monday morning, you wake up almost depressed. Then, while at work, you look down and see the remains of the black nail polish you forgot to take off and laugh. For just a few days, you were living without worries, taking life in by the moment and savoring it. Yo ho yo ho a pirates life for me.

Good Mornings

Waikoko's, Kauai

I have always been an early riser. I feel like part had to do with the fact that we had a pretty strict bedtime growing up so we constantly got 8 hours, if not more, of sleep most nights. Being so rested, it was never a problem when it came time to get up. Add in waking up around 6 for school during the week and sports during the weekends, it is little wonder why I can wake up early now. However, I also have a different theory.

I love the ocean. The power, the beauty, everything about it. I also love nothing more than surfing. Any person who does surf will agree that the best time is often early in the morning. There is usually no wind so the water is like glass. The crowd is, usually, at a minimum since it's early (although if the waves are good enough, it will be crowded before the sun even comes up). Since I never had trouble getting up, I used to love going surfing in the morning before school; likewise, I still enjoy a morning session before work nowadays. And while I am a morning person, even I need an alarm to get up that early. Hearing an alarm brings back these memories. Ask anyone who surfs and they will all say the same thing, you can never be in a bad mood afterward you are done. This is where my positive morning attitude comes from. So, while the early bird gets the worm, the early bird will also get the best waves.

It's Been Awhile...

Well Hello everybody!

It has been a while indeed. Almost 5 months to be specific. It is funny how I started writing this blog as a means to get away (at least mentally) from the grinds of daily life yet those very grinds took me away from writting. One of the many quotes I am quite fond of goes as follows "Never get so busy working that you forget to live." I did. However, I have forced myself to re-prioritize a few things and here I am again.  So yay! Now this isn't to say I've had no fun, I have. I just didn't make time to write about anything. Hopefully that changes starting rrrright now. To start things off, a little video I put together. Stay tuned for more to follow. Welcome back to adventure :)

Z is for Zzzzzzz's

The end has finally come. All I can say right now is "sleeeeep". I've been burning the candle on both ends this month to keep up with this challenge. While I have my idea mapped out, I never really got ahead on content so I was either up late writing or early the morning of usually. Note to self: Write ahead next year. This was certainly been quite an adventure though. Despite the energy, I have had a lot of fun. I found a number of blogs that I will continue to follow. I will fill in the couple missing letters over the next couple days. For now I'm going to take a day of rest and try to get over this sore throat I have. I hope you all had as much fun as I did. I'm looking forward to next year already.

W, Welcome to the Wild West

When I think of the term "wild west", Cowboys, horses, beer and the desert come to mind. Music wise,  Country is the obvious choice. Today, I get to incorporate at least 2 of those. Today I will be heading to Stagecoach, a country music festival in the desert of California. That is why for "W", I picked the wild west.

Growing up, I was exposed to many different varieties of music. I feel this is the reason I have such a love for such a broad range of music. One genre of music I could not get into when I was younger though was Country. That all changed when I went to college. Most of  my friends listened to country music up there. Eventually I found some artists that I liked and now I do enjoy most country music so this weekend should be fun. I am leaving from now through Monday. I have been busy to make up work for the 2 days I'm going to miss, hence the lacking posts and especially comments. While there are a ton a great bands that will be performing, I am most excited about seeing the Zac Brown Band. I've seen them once before live and they were fantastic. I can't wait to see them again. Here is one of my many favorite songs of theirs:



I apologize for the short posts these next few days. I will be busy enjoying myself. I will be sure to do a nice long write up afterwards to make up for it;)

V is for Venice

The hustle and bustle of Los Angeles is obvious almost anywhere you look in Southern California.  It is something that I am still not tuned to. I move at a slower pace due to my laid back attitude which I got from growing up in Hawaii. Everyone moves at that speed there. There is just something about the island that gives off a feeling of relaxation and ease. So it is not a surprise that I find most comfort in the town of Venice, California. That is why V is for Venice.

Image courtesy of Salzano Photo

Venice first got on the map back in the 70's where the "Z-boys" first introduced the world to skateboarding. It was also brought up when "Muscle Beach" moved from the Santa Monica pier to Venice. Today, a stroll along the Venice beach boardwalk will provide you with people from many different walks of life as well as vendors selling any and everything one could imagine.

The part that I enjoy is the laid back, easy-going feel that Venice has. I reminds me a lot of Hawaii. I can walk along the boardwalk here and I'm moving at the same speed as many of the people. That doesn't happen when I'm on the streets of Beverly Hills. I get honked at for crossing the street too slow in a crosswalk (the self-important drivers of Beverly Hills are a whole other topic).

Image courtesy of Me

Some of my favorite places to visit are the canals which were created by the founder of the city of Venice to make the marshlands into residential areas. Before you get super environmental, this was way back in the late 1800's so he did not know. I also recommend coffee or tea from "The Cow's End". It is quite tasty and makes a perfect fit for any occasion.

Image courtesy of Me

Venice is quite a unique place to visit, especially in LA. I'm sure the same can be said for many of the little suburbs but I have yet to get the same feeling in any that I have been to. Perhaps it just comes down to walking speed, no where else that I have been to in California, do people walk at a pace I do. On the other hand though, perhaps this whole time, it is really just a fact of me moving at an extra slow pace.

U is for Utah

Forgive me for the late post for U. I have been very busy this week and you will find out why with my "W" post. We are so close to the end yet it still feels so far away. I have a feeling though that once it is done, I am going to miss it. What can I say, I enjoy pressure on me. It is one reason why I do my adventure runs, to put pressure on myself to run and stay in the best shape I can. One of these mud runs, the "Spartan Beast", will bring me to Utah at the end of June. So I thought Utah would be fitting for my "U" post.

For any who haven't read yet, one of my goals for 2013 is to complete the Trifecta for Spartan obstacle races. This means completing one race at each of the distances in one calendar year. I started the year off strong by completing the Super Spartan at the end of January. If you want, you can read my post for Super Spartan by clicking here. With the short distance coming back to Southern California in November, I was just left with finding a place to do the longest distance. Enter Utah.

Utah has always had my attention as an outdoor person. There are so many things to do, so many places to go and explore. When I saw the distance I need was going to be there, I knew that was where I was going to do it. Now it is a catch-22 because since I am going to race, I can't do too much extra activity before and I certainly won't feel like doing much the day after. So I will get to see some of Utah but this time it will likely be limited to a little bit of Salt Lake City and then whatever I see on the course. If it is anything like the Super Spartan, I will see plenty of mountains and hills. In fact, I will probably hate the mountains of Utah afterwards.

Utah has so much outdoor beauty. Summer or winter, you will find it somewhere. I am sure the Spartan Beast will change my mind about it for a little while but I know in the end I will go back and spend time truly exploring it as I desire to right now.

Have you ever been to Utah? Where did you go? What did you like? What did you see or do? If you are curious about the Spartan Races, you can click here to check out their website and read more. Also, my post for "V" is set to publish this afternoon so please check back for it. I just wanted to give U some time to get read. 

T is for Trans-Siberian Railway

“A man on foot, on horseback or on a bicycle will see more, feel more, enjoy more in one mile than the motorized tourists can in a hundred miles.” ~ Edward Abbey

One thing that I have not been able to get used to with living in Los Angeles is the pace of everything. People here are always in a rush to get somewhere whether it be walking, driving or whatever else. I'm that driver who will be cruising along at 65 or 70 even on the freeways. When I'm walking, I'm often passed. I'm in no hurry anywhere. I feel that slowing down in life is one way to not only appreciate more, but see more too. The trans-siberian railway would be just that, way to slow down your life and see parts of the world very few people see. That is why T is for the trans-siberian railway. 

Image courtesy of wikipedia

The trans-siberian railway runs from Moscow to the Sea of Japan. It is the longest railway in the world with branches reaching parts of China, Mongolia and Manchuria. The construction started in the late 18th century and was completed in 1916. Its completion had a great impact on Siberian agriculture as goods could now be transported to larger cities. 

As mentioned in my post for "M", I am hoping to complete the Mongol Rally. A stop on one of the lines would be Ulaan-Bataar. My plans do not stop when I reach the end of the rally. I do intend to take the railway back to continue my adventure. I know it is still just a dream and at least two years away but I already am getting excited at just the thought.

Does the tran-siberian railway sound like something you would do? What about some other railway systems?

Image courtesy of Internet Auto Guide

S is for Shark Cage Diving

The movie "Jaws" came out in 1975. While having much success in the box office, it had quite an effect on society. It brought out a fear of sharks and the ocean. As someone who has spent a good portion of their life in and around the ocean, I feel much differently. Sharks are very much misunderstood and misrepresented. What better way to get to know them than to take a dip and see them up close. That is why S is for Shark Cage Diving.

After "Jaws" came out, there was mass hysteria every time there was a shark attack. The knee jerk reaction was to go out and kill as many sharks as we could hoping that one of them might be the so-called "man-eater". The fear of sharks and more so, the unknown, was great.

Image courtesy of biganimals.com

The reaction is still the same today whenever there is a shark attack. The days and weeks following, you will see many pictures of sharks hanging dead. While this may be comfort for some, there should be a different approach. I feel people should become more educated about them. Take a second and think about things. Sharks have been around millions of years compared to our thousands. They are a perfect example of evolution doing its job.

Shark cage diving is one of the newer trends. I have seen a number of sharks up close yet it is still one thing that is on my bucket list. It is one thing to see them from above the water while surfing but another entirely to be underwater with them, seeing them face to face. The most sought after shark would probably be the Great White simply because of its reputation (courtesy of "Jaws"). The best places for these would be off the coast of San Francisco or South Africa. For the less adventurous, I would recommend even going to a local aquarium to see leopard sharks, just as fascinating.

Image courtesy of Dive Discovery

I apologize if this sounded a little save the world-ish. I have been told I should be a PR person for sharks. The truth is that they are amazing creatures. 99% of the time an attack happens, they are merely "checking" to see if we are a seal. When they realize we aren't, they go away. Don't you check your meat before you eat it? Besides, if some stranger came into your house wearing a speedo, wouldn't you attack them too?


Aside: For anyone that hasn't seen "Jaws", please go watch it. I will admit it is a classic movie. It does a great job of capturing horror and suspense. While the book is loosely based on true events, it is in no way a true story. That would be like saying "The Ghost and the Darkness" is an accurate portrayal of lions (another good movie in my opinion). And if you still think all sharks are out to eat people, check out the video below:

GoPro: A Blonde and a Great White Shark from GoPro on Vimeo.

R is for Rafting

Growing up in Hawaii, I was constantly in the ocean surfing. When I went to school up in Oregon, I to find new ways to entertain myself because I could no longer just go to the beach and surf. During the winter I tried my hand at snowboarding and found that I picked that up rather quickly because it was similar to surfing. I still was feeling a void with liquid water (snow kind of hurts when you land hard). This was where I found rafting. My first trip was as a sophomore. There was a trip through the school that was nothing more than class 3 rapids. I still had a blast. That is why R is for Rafting.

For those that don't know much about rafting, there are six classes of rapids. Class one and two are very mellow. I would say they pose no threat but there is always a treat when water is involved. Class 3 is when you can start feeling the rapids and if you want you, you can try and flip the raft. Class 4 and 5 is where things start to get more serious. Guides are normally required for anything above class 3. Normally they will stop, check out the rapid and pick out a line before going down the rapids. There is a fair chance you will get either tossed or flipped. Class 6 is considered unridable. This normally involves a waterfall of sorts.

Lower Klamath River. Image courtesy of Rogue River Trips

I've done everything from class 1 to 5. I've seen a class 6 rapid that didn't have a waterfall but it was ridiculous. One thing that people might lack appreciation for is the strength and power of water. It can give you the time of your life but if it is not respected, it can take away a life in the blink of an eye.

Cal Salmon River. Image courtesy of Noahs Rafting

Have you ever been rafting of any sorts? What did you enjoy about it? If not, is it something you might consider doing (even the mellow rivers are fun)?

Q is for Quoteception

Q was always going to be a hard post. There are not many bucket list items or places that begin with "Q". Then it hit me. I love quotes. So I was going to do a list of some of my favorite quotes. However, I decided to take it one step further and make an A-Z list of quotes, thus "Quoteception" was born. For anyone that doesn't know the reference, it is to the movie "Inception". The quotes will either have an author with the corresponding letter in their name or will start with that letter. Without further adu:

A:   ”Adventure is in the eye of the beholder.” ~ Annie Andre


B:   “All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware.” ~ Martin Buber


C:   “A journey is best measured in friends, rather than miles.” ~ Tim Cahill

D:   “Do not lose hold of your dreams or aspirations. For if you do, you may still exist but you have ceased to live.” ~ Henry David Thoreau

E:   “Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.” ~ T. S. Eliot

F:   “There’s no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing” ~ Sir Rannulph Fiennes

G:   “Travel makes one modest, you see what a tiny place you occupy in the world.” ~ Gustave Flaubert

H:   “It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.” ~ Harry Truman

I:   “If you’re not living on the edge, you’re taking up too much space.” ~ Anonymous

J:   “People don’t take trips. . .trips take people.” ~ John Steinbeck

K:   "Death is just life's next big adventure." ~ J.K. Rowling

L:   “Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming – “WOW – What a Ride!” ~ Anonymous

M:   “The bad news is time flies. The good news is you’re the pilot.” ~ Michael Althsuler

N:   “Never take life too seriously. No one gets out alive. ” ~ Anonymous

O:  "I never travel without my diary. One should always have something sensational to read in the train.” ~  Oscar Wilde

P:   "A man practices the art of adventure when he breaks the chain of routine and renews his life through reading new books, traveling to new places, making new friends, taking up new hobbies and adopting new viewpoints.” ~ Wildred Peterson

Q:   Like is said to start, Q was a hard letter to work with. If you can think of any, please let me know.

R:   “When you come to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on.” ~ Franklin D. Roosevelt

S:   "Every exit is an entry to somwhere else."  ~ Tom Stoppard

T:   “Tourists don’t know where they’ve been, travelers don’t know where they’re going.” ~ Paul Theroux

U:   "Adventures don’t come calling like unexpected cousins calling from out of town. You have to go looking for them.” ~ Unknown (I know I cheated here...)

V:   “As a well-spent day brings happy sleep, so life well used brings happy death.” ~ Leonardo da Vinci

W:   “Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

X:   "Writing is an extreme privilege but it's also a gift. It's a gift to yourself and it's a gift of giving a story to someone." ~ Amy Tan

Y:   "Your good friend will come bail you out of jail at 3 am. Your best friend will be sitting right next you say saying 'That was f@$%ing awesome.'"

Z:   "Zero. That is the total number of regrets you should have in your life. Anything you might regret, view as a lesson. This will help you continually learn and life live to the fullest." ~ Me

What are some of your favorite quotes? How about some favorite people to quote?

O is for Others

We have reached the halfway point for the A to Z challenge. While part of this challenge is to push us as writers by having us write every day, another aspect of this challenge is to both expand our reader base as well as make new friends. For today, O is for others. While I've been browsing many different blogs while doing the challenge, these are some of the ones I find myself reading on a daily basis.

The Warrior Muse - Shannon is one of the team members of the challenge. So I feel bonus points for not only posting every day but also helping coordinate and check on how every many blogs are in her section. Her theme is history's mysteries and she has had some great ones. Stop by and check it out. You'll probably learn something new.

Destination Unknown - Kellie has traveled around the world and has the pictures to prove it! As a great photographer and adventurer, she has already experienced more than most people do in a lifetime. Check out her travels and explore someplace new through her photography

The Transformed Nonconformist - I look forward to the comedy style of his writing every day. His topics are varied but his humor is consistant. If you need a good laugh, take a look. I'm sure it will put a smile on your face.

Misadventure Abound - While she has been a little inconsistant due to some bad timing with things, I look forward to new posts. They are filled with a unique perspective and sense of humor that I enjoy. Stop by and say hello, it might inspire her to keep posting.

Strange Pegs - Ever want to learn how to be a lumberjack? How about a model? Strange pegs will tell you. His theme is "How to" with topics being from lumberjacks and models to an Ornithologist. His wit and humor make the posts entertaining yet still somewhat informative.

These are a few of the blogs I look at every day. Do you have any? What do you like about them?

N is for Nepal

I'm sure being a writer, everyone has experienced the following. You're stuck trying to think of what to write or write about, you turn your focus to something else and Bam!, there it is. That is what happened with me. I was toying with writing about something simple and broad like nature. I checked my e-mail and found a deal for a mountain biking trek in Nepal. Suddenly I had my "N" topic. N is for Nepal.

Nepal is a destination that would undoubtedly be among the top adventure destinations. You have tons of beautiful areas that are full of outdoor activities. Not to mention the Himalayan mountains which are among the tallest mountains in the world. There are tons of places to explore from cities such as Katmandu (the capitol) to quaint native villages as well as monasteries.

The offer that got me was a 19-day mountain biking trip going around the Annapurna massif. This is no ride in the park with part of the trek going over the Thorong La Pass which tops out at 17,700 feet. While challenging I'm sure the views would be spectacular and there would be a great sense of accomplishment.

This just proves to me that there is always more out there. Big or small, I can always find some other type of adventure. While I may not be able to do that one right now, I will start with something smaller and work my way up to that, one adventure at a time.

Have you been to Nepal? Tell me about your adventures there. If not, is there something you would like to see in Nepal?

Image courtesy of Nepal Travel and Tour

Image courtesy of Ottsworld.com

Aside: The travel deal I found was through theclymb.com. They do have a ton of great deals for all types of outdoor/fitness items. And no, I'm not getting any type of reward/payment for mentioning them. I simply like their site. 

M is for the Mongol Rally

For as long as I can remember, I have been wanting to travel across Europe and see the many different sights it has to offer. There are many different ways to travel through Europe. One could take a plane, train or even an automobile. Any which way would be a blast but then I heard a challenge of sorts. Something a bit more adventurous than just your standard backpacking across Europe. The first time I read about the Mongol Rally, my brain just went "Yes!"

The Mongol Rally started in 2004 with just 6 participants and has grow tremendously ever since. It is not so much a race as a trek starting in Sussex, England and ending in Ulan Bator, a journey 8 to 10 thousand miles. And while there is an entry fee to join, a good portion of the costs are all donated to charity as are any monies raised from the car auction at the end of the rally.

Now I specify that this is not a race because it is not. There is no prize for finishing first. There are no checkpoints or routes that need to be taken. There are no support vehicles or accomodations made for the teams. There is no time that you need to finish under. It is an adventure in its purest form, something that one does just to do it. Not for recognition of any sort.

The one other catch is about the vehicles. This isn't about hoping in an RV and road tripping it. None of the vehicles can have an engine displacement of over 1200cc. Motorcycles are also permitted with 125 cc or less. Think about driving back and fourth across the United States. Now think about doing that four times, in a Fiat.

I'm sure some are thinking, "Why on EARTH, would you want to do that?" Well why not really? You get to explore half the globe. You get to go places most people would never go. And you get one of those adventures of a lifetime. I'm aiming for 2015. Who wants to go?

To find out more about the Mongol Rally, click here. 

L is for Lazy Days

One of my biggest fears is one day looking back and regretting something in my life. To make sure this doesn't happen, I try to life each day to its fullest, to make each day an adventure. Like every person though, I do need my breaks. On occasion I like to spend an entire day doing nothing but read, writing, watching a movie or a combination of all three. Lazy days are my L. The irony of me writing about lazy days today is that I'm having anything but one today. I'm going to a boot camp fitness class this morning followed by sailing this afternoon. Have a good weekend everyone.

What do you like to do for your lazy days?

K is for Kiteboarding

A quick bit of information for any new readers out there, I love water. I love drinking water. I love being on, in or around water. I was born and raised in Hawaii so I basically grew up with the water. That being said, this might come as a surprise. For all my love of water, adventure and trying new things, I have yet to ever try Kiteboarding. That is why K is for Kiteboarding.

Kitesurfing evolved from kite buggying (yes it is a real thing) in the early 1990's. It started to catch on in the late 1990's when mainstream windsurfing companies took notice and began manufacturing kites. Today you can find kite surfers at almost any body of water. Kitesurfing was even initially included in the 2016 olympics but were taken out because some of the panel who voted said they were confused by what they were voting for.

In case the name isn't self-explanatory, Kitesurfing is simply that, surfing with the power of a kite to move you. There are several "styles" of kitesurfing:

Freestyle: Go where you want and do what you want; jumping and tricks are the main thing here.

Wave-riding: Surfing waves while kitesurfing.

Course Racing: Similar to a yacht race but with kitesurfing. This was the sport that was initially      included in the olympics.

Speed Racing: The object here is to go as fast as you can in 500 meters.

While I'm sure given the chance I would partake inevitably surf some of the waves, I think that I would find the most joy in just going where ever. I would also love to get out and jump some of the waves and doing tricks hopefully.

One thing that makes the fact that I have never been kiteboarding really surprising is that one of my good friends that lives about 30 mins south of me has six, yes, six kites and boards to use. For whatever reason I've just never had the timing to go and learn and try it. He is a pretty adventurous guy like me and he says that kitesurfing is his most favorite water sport. I can't wait.

Photographer: Ethan Janson

Have you ever seen or better yet been kitesurfing? What did you think? Is is something you would try if you haven't yet?

J is for Joshua Tree State Park

One really frustrating thing for me about Los Angeles is that between smog and all the lights, it is impossible to see much of the night sky. That is why I relish every chance I get to get away from the city lights and see the stars again. One of the best places to do that is where I picked my for my "J" adventure. J is for Joshua Tree National Park.

As the saying goes, a picture is worth a 1000 words. Forgive my laziness for this and enjoy the pictures for I am using them instead of words today.

Note: As I haven't been there yet (planning a camping trip as we speak) these are borrowed pictures. All credit should go to the photographers. 

Image courtesy of: californiatravel.eu

Image courtesy of: The Lonely Planet

Image courtesy of: hintergrundbilder.com

Image courtesy of : Unknown

And just to add one more thing in, I saw this video a while back for a timeplapse of the night sky taken in Joshua Tree. I fell in love. If you have seen it, I say it is worth seeign again. If not, enjoy.

I is for Iceland

Iceland was one of the last large uninhabited islands. It is rumored that its name was conceived in order to deter people from visiting. Instead they were told to venture a little further to the more promising, "Greenland". However, despite its name, Iceland is yet another place I have been dying to go. That is why for today, I is for Iceland.

The exact date or person who first discovered Iceland is unknown. There are several different stories each with proof backing them up. Sometime around 870 though, Norse settlers made their claim and began inhabiting the island. Anyone who has looked through any pictures of Iceland would know why.

Image Courtesy of  The Guardian.

While Iceland itself does have a pretty unique history, in this case, the sheer beauty of the place is what attracts me. No where else in the world would you get such a huge cross of arctic beauty with the green of an island. This has a lot to do with how much volcanic activity is present. The danger of active volcanoes is obvious. The effect they can have was seen several years ago when an Icelandic volcano effectively shut down airports all across Europe. The plus side to this are the geothermic hot springs which are arguably some of the best in the world.

Another attraction for me is not necessarily unique to this area. Seeing the Aurora Borealis with my own eyes is pretty high on my bucket list. What better way to see this than to be sitting in a natural hot spring in what I feel is one of the more underrated island travel destinations.

Image courtesy of National Geographic

Have you been to Iceland? Feel free to share your experiences. If not, what are some things you would want to see?