Amour in Labrador!

Have you ever had one of those times when things just seem surreal? When you ask yourself “Is this reality, or maybe I have died, and this heaven?” Like a series of things that “never happen,” happen all at once?

I’ve had an ongoing love affair with lighthouses since I was a small child, allowed to climb the tower of the Port Isabel lighthouse on our family vacations to South Padre Island. So consider the irony that I end up spending the night with a lighthouse called “Amour,” defined as “a secret or illicit love affair or lover.” Continue reading

The Password is “Fresnel”

On my last visit to Mazatlan in 2013, there was one thing I wanted to do, but due to a commitment to meet Don in Oaxaca for New Years, there wasn’t time.    I wanted to climb “El Faro.”   And if you haven’t figured out by now, El Faro stands for
:::(drumroll):::   “The Lighthouse!” 

I knew very little about Mazatlan’s lighthouse….only that it was atop a very large hill at the end of the shipping channel, and was reported to offer spectacular views.   So given that it’s a lighthouse, and I am a self-proclaimed “lighthouse nut,” it was a must-do this visit. Continue reading

And Finally, When One Island Just Isn’t Enough…

It’s not possible to move between the Channel Islands by way of commercial transportation.  Only by private boat can one visit multiple islands in one boat trip.  Otherwise, one must go back to the mainland and book another excursion with Island Packers.  Which is precisely what I did.

So why would I do this after having spent three delightful, fulfilling days hiking, kayaking, and exploring Santa Cruz…really, all the best that the Channel Islands has to offer?   What has Anacapa Island got that Santa Cruz hasn’t got?? Continue reading

Moo-leh-hey and the Beautiful Bay

One of the benefits of traveling the “Gringo Trail,” i.e. staying in hotels and following the recommended itinerary in guidebooks like the Moon Guide or Lonely Planet is that you end up interacting with like-minded travelers.  This can be a blessing and a curse.  It can tend to insulate one from the local culture, but at the same time, the exchange of information among fellow travelers is invaluable. Continue reading

Escape to the Cape

With the rally now behind me, I found myself facing a three day holiday weekend with no plans.  I had originally thought I might hang around Seven Feathers for the holiday, but it just wasn’t for me.  A gorgeous, immaculately manicured place, but it was too “homogenized” for an extended stay beyond the rally.  Not being a casino person, there didn’t seem to be much to do there, amidst a state with an abundance of hiking, biking, and beaches. Continue reading