The weather in the Tetons this weekend could not have been more perfect (and the valley could not have been more green).
Instead of camping, we stayed at Spring Creek Ranch, which sits atop the East Gros Ventre Butte near Jackson, Wyoming. The views of the Tetons from the property are amazing. Aside from spending the night, the easiest way to enjoy its views is to grab a drink at The Granary Restaurant’s lounge.
We didn’t plan a particularly action-packed weekend, for once. On Saturday, we explored the Spring Creek Ranch area and drove into town for dinner at the Gun Barrel Steak House (also highly recommended). On Sunday, we did a short hike to Cascade Canyon from Jenny Lake to get some exercise before heading back home.
A simple, uncomplicated and relaxing trip—perfect.
CenturyLink Field panoramic after the 2015 NFC Championship game
This weekend, I went to the NFC Championship game between the Green Bay Packers and Seattle Seahawks at CenturyLink Field in Seattle. We planned the trip at the last-minute. We didn’t get to see much of Seattle, but being around for all the excitement surrounding the game was fun. To top it off, the game itself featured a memorable come-from-behind win by the home team. It was a great time.
Last Thursday (October 30, 2014), I returned from a vacation to the Hawaiian Island of Oahu. The trip was very fun, but–make no mistake–Oahu is not a paradise. No paradise should be as crowded as Oahu! Kauai is a paradise. Oahu is more like an awesome playground, which is not a bad thing.
Over the course of my week-long trip, I hiked, surfed, kayaked, drove around the entire island (except for a 10-mile stretch west of Hale’iwa) and visited a lot of the major sites. I stayed very busy.
My only complaint about Oahu is in regards to the hiking. Oahu’s hiking simply cannot compare to the hiking on Kauai, in my opinion. It was difficult for me not to compare the two islands during this trip. For example, the biggest hike I did on Oahu was a portion of the Maunawili Trail. The trail did have a few excellent front-row views of the Ko’olau Range’s steep cliffs, but, overall, I was mostly bored by the scenery. The best parts of the Maunawili Trail were not even as good as the worst parts of the Kalalau Trail on Kauai. Oh, well. The hike was enjoyable, nonetheless.
Oahu does, however, seem to have more accessible water activities compared to Kauai. Waikiki is a perfect spot to learn how to surf. Kaneohe Bay is a calm bay great for a kayaking novice like myself. Hanauma Bay is a very inviting snorkeling area, although I do regret that I never made it back there to do some snorkeling on this trip.
Overall, this trip to Oahu went very well and I have very few regrets. So, now I’ve visited two of the six main Hawaiian Islands. I look forward to visiting the rest of the islands someday. Enjoy the photos and video!
A couple weeks ago on May 17, 2014, I hiked the Virgin River Narrows in Zion National Park. It’s one of the more unique experiences one can have in a national park because the trail is the Virgin River, which has carved its way through 1,500 feet of sandstone. I did take a few photos, but mostly I recorded GoPro video footage. Enjoy!
