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!
Bryce Canyon Time Lapse
A short time lapse video of sunrise from Bryce Point at Bryce Canyon National Park on March 23, 2014. Enjoy!
Review: 311’s Stereolithic
311 released Stereolithic on 3/11 (March 11, 2014). After listening to this album probably more than 50 times in the past week, I think I’ve digested it enough to write a review.
Although I don’t (yet) consider any of the songs on Stereolithic “classic” 311 songs, there are several that are very close to that designation. My song-by-song review follows. Click on the song titles to listen to preview clips or (for the radio/internet singles) the full songs. The asterisks next to the song names indicate my rating out of five possible stars.
Happy 311 Day!
311 will release their new album, Stereolithic, today, and tonight they will put on their bi-annual 311 Day concert. Unfortunately, I will not be attending this year’s show in New Orleans, Louisiana. Enjoy some highlights from the 2012 311 Day show at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada!
Buy Stereolithic
Stereolithic
311 will (officially) release Stereolithic, their eleventh studio album, on March 11, 2014. I highly recommend that you purchase a copy. I have already received my copy of the album, and after listening to it non-stop for the past couple of days, I’m happy to report that it is excellent. It’s 311 as an eclectic, mature group that still hasn’t forgotten what made them great.
They have released a radio single, Five of Everything, two songs via various national media outlets, and they played two other songs live recently.
Kauai
Last Sunday (November 3, 2013), I returned from a nine-day trip to the Hawaiian Island of Kauai. Quite frankly, the trip was awesome. Kauai is an amazing place with a perfect combination of awe-inspiring scenery, lush, tropical foliage, nearly perfect weather, endless recreational opportunities, and a laid-back, relaxed atmosphere devoid of the seedy party culture you’ll find on many other tropical islands (in the Caribbean, for example). And then there are the smells. Kauai smells! Sometimes it’s the pungent odor of fermenting fruits, but mostly it’s the sweet aroma of whatever tropical foliage happens to be prevalent in that particular area. I’ll never forget all of Kauai’s different smells.
While I can certainly continue to wax poetic on Kauai’s amazing characteristics, instead I’ll dive into some details about the trip. We kept ourselves very busy. In fact, I didn’t see the beach in front of the hotel (Kalapaki Beach) during the daytime until the fourth day of the trip because we were always out exploring the island.
We visited beaches (Lumahai, Kalapaki, Pu’u Poa, Lawai, Ke’e, Kekaha, Shipwreck and Hanakapiai), hiked 22 miles of trails (Awa’awapuhi and parts of Kalalau twice), went on a Na Pali Coast sunset dinner cruise, visited roadside attractions (Waimea Canyon, Kalalau Lookout, Pu’u o Kila Lookout, Wailua Falls, Opaeka’a Falls and Kilauea Lighthouse), visited resorts (Kauai Marriott, Grand Hyatt Kauai and St. Regis Princeville), golfed (Kauai Lagoons), visited towns (Lihue, Kapa’a, Poipu, Waimea, Kilauea, Princeville and Hanalei), watched sunsets (from Kekaha Beach, Ke’e Beach, the Kalalau Trail, Shipwreck Beach and the Pacific Ocean), ate at cool restaurants (The Beach House, Duke’s Barefoot Bar and Bubba’s Burgers), and even fell asleep on a beach one night (Kalapaki Beach).
There were certainly plenty of things we wanted to do that we did not do (Kayaking, more hiking, possibly a helicopter tour, perhaps surfing and paddleboarding, et al.), but I have no regrets. This trip was about as perfect as a vacation can get. Enjoy the photos!