Monuments

It’s early morning – just light -- and I’m running toward the United States Capitol.  Atop the famous dome, the bronze Statue of Freedom is standing, dressed in her flowing robes, the fiery orange sky her backdrop.  The temperature is a perfect 65 and a flock of urban birds, maybe pigeons, cough and croak from the bare naked limbs that lean over the sidewalk.  This is my last day in D.C. and I’ve caught a bug that I can’t seem to shake – sentimental, sappy, idealistic patriotism.

I got here a couple of days ago, in a haze of jet lag, and have been breathing the charged Washington air ever since.  Yesterday, we walked by the Capitol on our way to the Senate offices and were stopped by armed policemen guarding the crosswalk.  They weren’t letting anyone walk along the north side of the building.  At that moment, we didn’t want to ask questions, but later we heard that an incoming motorcade had caused the ruckus.  Maybe it was Obama or the Russian Prime Minister or an Emir from a Middle Eastern nation.  In D.C., unlike where I live, that’s actually possible.  Heck, it’s even likely, considering the President lives about a half mile down the street.

Girls Gone Local

During the first weekend of spring, the smell of lavender seeped into the air around me and heat soaked into my skin.  Yet, I was not in Minnesota or South Dakota where unseasonably warm temperatures were making the news and setting the stage for a Midwestern drought.  Instead, I was in Anchorage, Alaska happily undergoing my first spa treatment, the Sea Holistic, and heading toward the re-balancing and relaxation Allure Day Spa’s brochure promised.  Somewhere down the hall, my mother and my sister, Saree, were also being tended by massage therapists and estheticians.  I had joined my mom and sister for a weekend in the city and Saree, who hadn’t been out of Alaska since last fall, was fondly calling this our “staycation”.  It was only Friday, but we were off to an excellent start at Allure.  For fifty luxurious minutes the three of us lay on heated beds, suspended from Anchorage’s muddy breakup outdoors, getting stretched, massaged, exfoliated, and wrapped with cocoa butter, sea salt and oil, minerals, and mango and shea butters.  By the time we were released back out onto the streets of Anchorage, we all believed Allure’s claim that it was about the “experience” and not merely about making an “appointment”.

The idea for our weekend originated last October when Saree and I were trying to settle on an appropriate and effective motivation for staying fit through the dark and cold days of Alaska’s winter.  We eventually decided to book a room at the Hotel Captain Cook for a weekend, schedule spa treatments, and take in a concert.  The rest, we determined, would fall into place.  Mom agreed to join us and we had our girls' weekend set.

Captain Cook lobby

The Hotel Captain Cook, our base of operation, is a top tier hotel towering over downtown Anchorage.  The floors, even in the hallways, are covered in hardwood and the walls are adorned with woven blankets, dramatic paintings, and other Alaskan artwork.  Whereas the Hilton and Sheraton also offer fine lodging, the Captain Cook trots out character with its luxe surroundings.  In the summer, rooms are filled months in advance and rates are high.  During the winter, however, the Captain Cook offers great weekend deals with extras attached.  Saree booked us the 14^th floor executive suite which consisted of two bedrooms and a shared corner living room with bar.  The views from the cushy sofa swept over Cook Inlet, the Sleeping Lady, the Chugach Mountains, and the Port of Anchorage.  In addition, our package included breakfast and evening hors d’oeuvres in the exclusive Captain’s Deck lounge on the 17^th floor (you need a special golden key for the elevator to get there), free parking (which can run $30/day otherwise), and access to the hotel’s health club. 

Hawaii Part II (Activities)

The following links will take you to ideas for activities that will burn calories while you enjoy our 50^th state.  Most of these are located in or near Honolulu (on O’ahu).  As with any trip, there’s far more to do than one has time for, so I haven’t tested all these options.  I tend to travel inexpensively and independently, avoiding tours and paid excursions, so most of the ideas below can be considered “budget” options.

Walks

Diamond Head. 
Plan on having alot
of company!

Diamond Head State Monument (did it)

Charge:  $5 per car parking fee or $1 per person if you walk in from outside the gate.

Description:  A gazillion people a day can’t possibly be wrong!  On this walk, you’ll climb from inside an extinct volcanic crater to its rim for a terrific view of the Pacific Ocean, Honolulu, and O’ahu’s south shore.  The trail gains 700’ and includes stairs, so you will get your heart rate up.  The trailhead is about a 10 minute drive from Waikiki.

Ka’ena Point State Park (did it)

Charge:  No entry fee

Description: Park at a beach access lot at the end of the paved Farrington Highway, then wander down the rutted 4x4 road and along the rocky shoreline to O’ahu’s farthest west point.  This 2.7-mile (one way) track is mostly flat, very easy to follow, and you’ll see far fewer people than at Diamond Head.  Big surf pounds the black pahoehoe lava tidepools and leaves treasures like seashells, coral, and sea glass in protected pockets.

Hiking with a Purpose

Sierra Club Hikes (maybe next year)

The Sierra Club’s Hawaii Chapter, O’ahu Group looks very active!  Group hikes are scheduled for every weekend and posted on the website about a month in advance.  Look for opportunities to join the club’s service hikes (beach clean ups, trail clearing and maintenance), summit hikes, excursions to botanical gardens, and even a yoga & hike event. 

Hawaii Audubon Society Hikes (maybe next year)

The Audubon Society doesn’t appear to host nearly as many hikes as the Sierra Club or the HTMC (below), but the treks they do schedule take you to interesting, off the beaten path locations.

Hawaii Trail & Mountain Club Hikes (maybe next year)

The appealing thing about the HTMC is that they take groups into hard to access spots.  Although O’ahu holds two dramatic mountain ranges, much of the upland wild lands are off limits without a permit, and the HTMC secures the permits for groups.  Some of their excursions require reservations and some are are multi-day trips.

Yoga

YMCA (maybe next time)

Options:  Yoga and other exercise classes, exercise equipment, weight room

Try these locations nearest to Waikiki and Honolulu:  Kalihi Street Location (in downtown Honolulu near Bishop Museum) and Nu’u’anu Location (where Pali Highway joins H1)

Silent Dance Center (did it)

Options:  Yoga classes offered 2-5 times daily, levels from beginning to advanced.

Silent Dance Studio is a non-profit organization.  Their large studio is comfortable and airy and some teachers make use of the bar.  Classes are $10 for a one-hour class (more for longer sessions) and props and mats are provided.

Chocolate Pineapple Yoga Studio (maybe next year)

Options:  Sunrise and sunset yoga in Kapiolani Park (Waikiki) and Beach yoga at 6:30 a.m.

The setting should make the expensive $20 per session fee worth it.  If you’re there for a while, try the $45/3 class pass.  Located at the Waikiki Trade Center in central Waikiki.

Races



Valentine's Day Biathlon Starting Line.  Photo by Matt Kinney



Waikiki Swim Club’s Valentine’s Day Biathlon (did it)

When:  Early February

What:  5K beach park run (paved trail)/1000 meter ocean swim.  Individual and team divisions.  The hand-off for Sweethearts and Married teams is a kiss at the transition point.

Where:  Ala Moana Beach Park

Kaiser Permanente’s Great Aloha Run (maybe next year)

When:  President’s Day

What:  8.15 mile run.  Huge community event with a 3-day fitness expo preceeding the race.  Adult & kids divisions.  Wheelchair & handcycle events.

Where:  Starts in Honolulu and ends at the Aloha Stadium’s back goal line of the north end zone on the stadium floor.

Haliewa Triathlon, North Shore O’ahu (maybe next year)

When:  Early March

What:  3 mile run (1.4m on sand), 500 meter ocean swim, 12 mile bike ride (alternate beach cruiser division!)

Where: Haliewa Beach Park

Water Play

Kuhio Beach (did it)

This is a beautiful white sand beach with plenty of room to spread out even with the loads of people that flock to it.  The water is typically good for beginning boogie boarding, bobbing, and snorkeling.

Ala Moana Beach Park (did it)

Ala Moana offers protected water perfect for lap swimming and playing in the water.  This beach is frequented by locals and tourists and is especially busy on the weekends.  As a bonus, there’s a paved running trail in the park.

Lanikai beach (did it)

Known as one of the most beautiful beaches on O’ahu, Lanikai is located on the eastern side of O’ahu, about a half hour drive from Honolulu.  It is a lovely swimming and snorkeling destination.

Snorkel Bob’s (did it)

Get your snorkeling gear and boogie boards here for reasonable rental rates.  I’d recommend renting this gear for the entire time you’ll be in Hawaii.  Keep it in your car so you don’t miss out.  Snorkel Bob’s offers prescription lens snorkel masks for many levels of near-sightedness.

Running

Trail:  Ala Wai canal running trail (did it)

Run toward the zoo and continue up toward Diamond Head along pleasant sidewalks to get more distance.

Trail:  Waikiki beach front (maybe next year)

Run along the main drag of Waikiki amidst high rise hotels, condos, chic shops, and tourist traps, to the farthest east oceanfront parks.  Run in the early morning to avoid crowds and be able to keep your pace up.  Otherwise, you’ll be dodging strolling tourists.

Trail:  Ala Moana Beach Park (did it)

Run the approximately 5K distance on a paved trail that circles the grassy park and nearby Magic Island.  Follow your run with a dip in the calm ocean.

Four Days in Great Basin National Park, Nevada

The Great Basin sprawls across the southwestern United States, occupying a wedge of western Utah, most of the state of Nevada, and small cut-outs of southern Oregon and Idaho.  It is bounded by the Wasatch Mountains on one side and the Sierras on the other, and a cold desert and expansive flaxen ranchland lay flat between these two ranges.  Sets of rayed mountains rise from the Basin floor, such that the lonely two-lane highways which weave across the region constantly climb and descend, gaining altitude, then plunging again.

The geographical region known as the Great Basin is distinguished by its remoteness, its anomalous high mountain peaks, and by its hydrology:  it is a closed system where water that drains into the Basin stays in the Basin, never flowing out to meet the sea.

Three Small Desert Parks Not to Miss

Now is the time of year to head into the desert regions of the southwestern U.S. With the monsoon season coming to an end and temperatures beginning to moderate, there is no better place to hike than in the circuitous canyons, red rock mazes, and open mesas of Nevada, Utah, and Arizona.  The majority of visitors to the area will stick to the centerpiece attractions of the so called Grand Circle Tour:  Zion, Bryce, and Grand Canyon National Parks.  And, for good reason.  The boundaries of these three park units enclose spectacular rock formations, breath taking canyons, and soaring walls.  But, for the traveler with a bent for places that remain off the beaten path, several smaller parks tucked between the headliners should not be missed.  Three such gems are Cedar Breaks National Monument (Utah), Valley of Fire State Park (Nevada), and Kodachrome State Park (Utah).  All of these parks are easily added into a tour of the region.

Cedar Breaks amphitheater

Cedar Breaks National Monument (Utah)

This postage-stamp sized park, located just 22 miles east of Cedar City on Utah SR 14, is perfectly situated for a day or overnight visit on the way to or from Bryce Canyon National Park.  Because of its size, the fact that it requires a side trip (albeit a very short side trip), and its chilly high elevation (over 10,000’ at the visitor center), far fewer visitors compete for camping and trail space.  A mere 500,000 people stop by Cedar Breaks annually compared to over 4,000,000 to the Grand Canyon, over 2,000,000 to Zion, and just over 1,000,000 to Bryce.  The monument’s main attraction is a deeply cut amphitheater with walls decorated elaborately with auburn and gold hoodoos.  The best and longest hiking trail leads from the rustic Civilian Conservation Crew era visitor center to Rampart’s Overlook.  This four-mile (round trip) trail keeps hikers close to the rim of the canyon most of the way, drops into a cool forested valley for just about ½ mile toward the end, then leads back to the edge for expansive views across and deeper into the canyon.  An added bonus of this route is the presence trailside of ancient Bristlecone Pines, including one wizened and dramatically contorted grandfather which dominates a sandy viewpoint about half way down.

Chelan Century Challenge

The arid landscape of central Washington isn’t especially spectacular, yet its muted features, orchard lands, watersheds and communities offer much to enjoy, including a top notch destination cycling event called the Chelan Century Challenge. 

Looking at the base of the 7-mile McNeil Canyon climb

Lake Chelan lies in a scalloped bowl of buff-colored hillsides sculpted by the languid Columbia River.  Sparse ponderosa pines outline the spines of this rugged terrain and clumps of purple vetch bend in the wind along roadsides.  Little towns exist in this region.  They are agricultural and tourism communities, situated among acres of apple and cherry orchards which are quickly being replaced by crops of rambling vacation homes.  Along the picturesque city streets and country roads stand schools, grocery stores, fruit sorting warehouses, bunkhouses, gift shops, coffee houses, salons, and realtor offices.  Landscapers haul trailers of fertilizer and topsoil and lawn mowers to the next client’s home, groups of teenaged hip-hoppers gather at the park to listen to rap music and watch each other shoot hoops, vacationing Seattleites amble in and out of shops, and migrant workers husband the tender green fruits in the fields.

In June, I saw these scenes go by in slow motion from the saddle of my road bike during the 2011 Chelan Century Challenge.  A group of dedicated Rotary Club members host and manage the ride to raise money for charity.  My sisters, my mom, and I met one of these friendly folks on the morning after the ride.  When we met her, this woman, elegant and stylish, was working in her downtown gallery where locally thrown pottery, wood carvings, woven scarves, and beaded jewelry decked the walls.  Later, we met another volunteer in the kitchen store and she offered us fudge samples while telling us she and her husband had been flaggers at one of the intersections.

Mount Whitney Through the Back Door

Most people who climb the Continental United States’ highest peak use the crowded Whitney Portal trail.  At 11 miles, it’s the shortest way to get to the summit and for this reason, 100 people per day vie for limited Forest Service permits to travel this route during the May through October climbing season.

When my husband, Matt, and I decided to head to Mount Whitney, we opted for a longer, more circuitous approach.  In so choosing, we experienced a quieter Sierra Nevada, saw remote and infrequently visited places, and immersed ourselves in the crystalline high altitude environment.  For five days and four nights, we moved, breathed, and slept at over 10,000’.

Our route started at Horseshoe Meadows, high above Lone Pine and US highway 395.  From here, we planned to ascend New Army Pass to Lower Soldier Lake, hike north to Crabtree Pass, then travel overland to Trail Crest.  We would summit Mount Whitney and then begin our descent via the backside of the mountain to Guitar Lake, and exit over Cottonwood Pass and Horseshoe Meadows.  It would be a total of 48 miles on foot.

Ascending New Army Pass

The path over New Army Pass climbed gently at first.  Red-barked pines grew out of rocky soil and gave way to scrub oak further up.  The trailhead was at 10,000’ and we had chosen to spend the two previous days in the glorious heat of Lone Pine (6,000’), sitting by the pool at the Frontier Motel lazily gathering supplies, instead of acclimatizing in the campground near the trailhead as our guidebook recommended.  Thus, on our first day of hiking we adjusted to the elevation on the fly by keeping our walking speed low, taking breaks every hour, drinking loads of water, and eating Clif bars with abandon.  We passed people coming and going and leap-frogged with a group of middle-aged men heading for a camp site below the Pass.  The trail was hard packed and wide from horse trains and the feet of hundreds of people over a hundred distant years.  One of the things Matt and I have come to love about the Sierras is the beautiful network of trails, carefully mapped, cleared, and (in some cases) chiseled out of rock over the last century by trail crews.  In Alaska, our outings are often intensive route finding exercises that require attention to detail and complete focus.  In the Sierras, we can relax our minds and let our feet follow paths of least resistance through the wilderness and out the other side.  Instead of focusing so intensely on where to place each foot and where the safest creek crossing is, we listen for exotic birds, feel the sun warm our skin, set an easy gait, and smell rich pine resin.