Hawaii Trip 2014 - Big Island Day 9

September 6, 2014 (Saturday)

Pu’uhonua O Honaunau NHP

The last day of our trip was spent at Pu’uhonua O Honaunau NHP. Back in the day if you had broken a law the penalty was death. This site served as a place or refuge, or as it is known in Hawaii a puuhonua.  If law breakers could get to a Pu’uhonua and receive absolution for the kahuna pule (priest) they were given a second chance at life. Pu’uhonua O Honaunau serves as royal grounds and a sactuary. Ki’I (carved wooden images) surround the Hale o Keawe, which house the bones of chiefs that infuse the area with their power or mana. The site is still considered a sacred site and many restrictions are in place.

There was a park ranger talk that we listened to that was interesting. More interesting were some of the films that were shown. 

After leaving the park, we headed out for lunch. We opted to try the Mahina Café in Captain Hook. It was a small place but the food was good. I had the kalua pork and cabbage and Mike had Wahoo fish.

Back in Kona, we wondered around a little and got some Scandinavian Shave Ice. There were so many flavors to pick from. I think I picked Pineapple, Kiwi and Pina Colada. The small size is quite large. They have some recommended flavor combinations listed on the wall if you have trouble deciding.

Sunset

We revisited the Kona Brewing Company – this time to take the brewery tour. The tour was $5/person and you get 4 samples and a glass to take home. The tour lasted about an hour. Since we were there we also had dinner. We had the KBC’illa Po’okela (kalua Park quesadilla) and Naalehu Nachos. Both were excellent – better than the pizza we had at our previous visit.

The sun was about to set so we went in search of a place to see the sunset one last time during our vacation. We decided to try Kaloko-Honokahau NHS – the marina location. Jackpot - great sunset and two green sea turtles resting on the beach! There were also a ton more turtle lurking in the water (I think waiting for us to vacate the beach so they could come ashore). It was a super great way to end the trip.

Sea Turtle at Kaloko-Honokahau NHS Marina

Gas prices on both islands that we visited were about $4.25-$4.50/gallon, which were not all that much higher than they were in Michigan before we left. We were speaking to someone about the gas prices and they said that they had been to Hawaii about 15 years prior and prices were $4/gallon (compared to $1/gallon here in Michigan). Thank goodness prices did not increase as much in Hawaii as they did in the mainland.

Our flight out of Hawaii was not until 10:45pm. We got to the airport kind of early since there really was not a lot to do once the sunset. The airport was not busy but we had to wait quite a while for the airline workers to allow us to check-in.  We had hoped to get luck like we had on the way to Hawaii, but that did not happen – the plane was pretty much full. About an hour or two into the flight a young lady started screaming and acting out. She got restrained and we were able to continue to Phoenix (we really hoped we would not have to turn around and go back to Kona). 

September 7, 2014 (Sunday)

After the smooth flight from Phoenix to Detroit we made it home late afternoon – exhausted. Until next time happy travels.

Hawaii Trip 2014 - Big Island Day 8

September 5, 2014 (Friday)

Heading to Hilo, we passed all sorts of different terrain – lave fields, desert (with cactus), tall trees and tropical areas. It was interesting to see trees having a permeant bend in them from the wind. There was a bit of maintenance along the drive – the area was hit a little harder by the hurricane, which hit a couple of weeks earlier, than other parts of the island.

Akaka Falls State Park

Akaka Falls State Park was our first stop. There was a $1/person fee to enter the trail if parking outside of the gate, or $5/car if parking at the park. There were two falls at the park, one of which was largely blocked by trees (Kahuna Falls). The Akaka Falls has a 442 foot drop and was lovely.

Back on the main road, we pulled off to the 4-mile scenic drive, which takes you past the tropical gardens. We did not visit the gardens, but there were a couple of nice overlooks that we visited.

While in the area we also visited Rainbow Falls, which had a nice viewing platform. It was not worth taking the trail, as the view was not as good. Just down the road from Rainbow Falls are were some boiling pots, which are basically a series of pools and Pe’epe’e Falls. About a mile up the road was another waterfall called Wai’ale Falls. Nice views are available at the roadside bridge, but there is a trail you can take to get closer to the falls.

Laupahoehoe Point Beach Park

Pineapples was our lunch destination. It was located in downtown Hilo. I had the pork sandwich, which was too saucy for me (and to think – I like things saucy!). Mike had fish and chips again – this time the fish was Ahi. I had the Onion soup – it was awesome (a bit spicier than most I’ve had).

Heading back to Kona, we visited Laupahoehoe Point Beach Park. The park has a monument which is dedicated to those who lost their lives during the “April Fool’s Day Tsunami” back in 1946. The park was very nice and definitely worth the stop if in the area.

Waipio Valley

Waipio Valley is also not far off the path. There was not a lot of parking available at the overlook, but we were able to nab a space. To get to the valley you MUST take a tour. The grade to get to the valley is super steep (25% average grade), possibly the steepest road in the world. Hawaii Islands tallest waterfall, Hiilawe Falls (1,300 ft) is located in the valley. The valley itself is about a mile across and over five-miles deep with cliffs exceeding 2000-feet in height. Some interesting facts include the valley was the final scene of the movie Waterworld (where the main characters find dry land) and Waipio Valley was the boyhood home of King Kamehameha I.

As we headed back to the road to get to Kona we stopped in a town called Honokaa to get some ice cream at Simply Natural. I had a scoop of coconut flavor and a scoop of passion fruit sorbet (it was yellow and tart).

Back in Kona, we wondered down the pier and snapped some sun set photos and had dinner at Splashers. Mike had Wahoo fish yet again and I had a burger.

Hawaii Trip 2014 - Big Island Day 7

September 4, 2014 (Thursday)

We were on the road early again for the long drive (about 2 hours) to Volcano National Park. The drive was quite lush for a portion of the trip – banana trees, coconut trees, and coffee trees (I think since there were a ton of coffee farm tours along the way). There were not nearly as many flowers on the Big Island. Approaching the park, we spotted a Nene bird (Hawaiian goose), which happens to be Hawaii’s state bird. The Nene is the rarest goose in the world – there were tons of signs to alert drivers to watch for them.

Volcano National Park - Kilauea

Once arriving at the park, we visited the Kilauea Visitor Center where we watched the twenty minute video giving a park overview. We joined the “How it all Started” talk (approximately 20 minutes), which was interesting. During our visit, some of the park road was closed, as were some hiking trials, due to the active volcano action.  The Jagger Museum provides the best view of the Volcano.  There was a decent amount of steam coming from the volcano, but we were unable to see any lava.  The Jagger Museum had a ton of scientific instruments and data, all of which was neat to see.

Volcano National Park - Cave

There was a guided hike called Craters and Caves (1.5 hours) that we decided to join. The hike was enjoyable and we learned a lot about the plants and volcanos. The hike started with walking through the rain forest and ended with walking through the lava tube. It was a nice hike and the guide was pleasant.

A little bit of time before the next guided hike, we checked out Pu’u Pua’i and the Devastation Trail. Back at the visitor center, we joined the Explore the Summit Hike (45 minutes). A lot of what the guide spoke about was covered by the guide from the other hike – but that just made us seem really smart since we knew all the answers!

Volcano National Park - Lava

Before heading down the Chain of Craters Road, we checked out the steam vents and sulfur banks. The steam vents were neat and the sulfur banks smelled horrid as expected. The Chain of Craters Road lived up to the name with a lot of craters and lots of lava. We stopped at a few of the pull-offs, some were better than others. The sea arch at the end of the road was neat. The water sounded like thunder as it crashed in the 60’ tall sea wall. The 2003 lava flow can also be reached from the end of the road.

Volcano National Park - Sea Arch

Initially, we had intended to check out the Petroglyphs, but it had been a lot day and we had a 2+ hour drive to get back to the hotel. Overall, it was an awesome day. The rain forest lived up to its name by sprinkling most of the afternoon. The temps at the park were mid 60’s – low 70’s – a huge relief to the 90’s we experience most of the other days.

Food for the day consisted of leftover pizza for lunch (not a lot of food options at the NP) and Quinn’s Almost by the Sea for dinner. Mike tried the fish and chips – which he absolutely loved. The fish was Wahoo (or Ono as it is known in Hawaii), it is a close relative of the King Mackerel. Me, the non-fish eater tried it. The fish was very dense and did not smell or taste like fish. 

Hawaii Trip 2014 - Maui/Big Island Day 6

September 3, 2014 (Wednesday)

View from the plane

It was time to pack up our luggage and get ready to head to the Island of Hawaii, aka the Big Island. We headed down to the beach to snap a few last photos and then headed to the airport. When shopping for airfare, I came across Mokulele Air. It was a lot cheaper than many other airlines. Our flight time got changed by an hour, which was not a big deal, since they gave us a couple of day notice. The plane held twelve people, including the pilots.  It was super great to fly with this island hopping plane – no security check-ins, no lines, window seating… 

Fishtrap at Kaloko-Honokahau National Historic Site

Landing in Kona, we were welcomed by a non-existing wait for the rental car – hooray!  First things first we visited the visitor center, known as Hale Ho’okipa (House of Welcome), at Kaloko-Honokahau National Historic Site, which was just south of the airport and is located on the Honokohau Bay. There was a short walking trail and that was about it. There are two other units for this park. First the Kaloko Fishpond, where we were able to see some Hawaiian green sea turtles (Honu). There was some shade at the park and other than some park construction workers the place was deserted. The road to get to the parking lot was very rough, but provided nice views of the lava fields. Lastly, we visited the ‘Ai’opio Fishtrap, which you can either hike to or park at the harbor. We parked at the harbor since who really loves to hike in 90 degree heat over a lava field? The beach was very popular at the area by the ‘Ai’opio Fishtrap.

Lava field at
 Kaloko-Honokahau National Historic Site

For lunch we went to Ultimate Burger, which has local grown beef. The cheeseburger was $8 and fries were $4. The fries were yummy – I believe they are fresh cut daily. After lunch, we headed to the hotel we were going to be staying at – Courtyard by Marriott King Kamehameha’s Kona Beach Hotel. Our room was not ready thus we just ventured on to our next destination.

Sample of the bracelet

We visited Puukohola Heiau National Historic Site next, and we arrived at a perfect time! We were able to participate in bracelet making (checkerboard pattern). It was a lot of fun and we got a great souvenir. The bracelets retailed for $20 in the gift shop. There are also other activities at the park – canoe rides in the bay occur a couple of times a week, we missed out on that.

Canoe ride at
Puukohola Heiau National Historic Site 

The purpose of the park is to protect the temple of Kamehameha the Great. Kamehameha was the most renowned king of Hawai’i. There was also a temple turned fort at the site, it is called Mailekini Heiau. There is a hiking trail that wraps around the temples and along the ocean. There were some videos available for viewing at the visitor center.

Returning to the hotel, we were able to check-in. Our room had a minor issue that was resolved within a few minutes of calling the front desk. Dinner was a short walk away at the Kona Brewery. There was a coupon in a visitor guide book for free garlic twists with a beer sampler, which of course Mike was interested in trying. People raved about the pizza so we tried that, half Hawaiian Lu’au and half Pepperoni Ali’i. There were many other interesting varieties to choice from. The pizza was okay.

Hawaii Trip 2014 - Maui Day 5

September 2, 2014 (Tuesday)

Venturing north of the area, we were staying we caught a glimpse of some sea turtles at a beach in Napoli. We also purchased a little carved turtle from an artisan set up by the parking area. His prices were a bit lower than the prices we saw earlier in the trip.

Nakalele Blowhole

Continuing north, we came across the Nakalele Blowhole. Blowholes are created when the ocean wears away the shore below the lava shelf. Waves force water though the hole in the lava shelf resulting in the eruption of water. The degree was eruption varies vastly depending on the tide levels and wave action.

Next stop was the Olivine Pools. The pools were named after a semi-precious gem that is found encrusted in the surrounding lava and sandstone. The pools are a popular area for swimming, wading and sunbathing.

After the pools, the road way became rather interesting – meaning lots of single lane road that lasted for very long stretches. We had planned to go back the way we came, but decided against it. Luckily, we only had to back up to let a truck pass once.

In Kahakuloa, we stopped at Julia’s for banana bread and coconut candy – both were very yummy! While at Julia’s we enquired about the Lower Makamaka’ole Falls. We were told that we would be able to see it from the road, but we could not find it despite knowing what mile marker it was at.

At the Luau

Our evening plans included going to the Old Lahaina Luau. Research repeated said that the Old Lahaina Luau was the most authentic one on the island. The price was a bit steep (over $100/person), but everything about the evening was fabulous! We arrived about 20 minutes before the start time and the place was already quite busy. The check-in process was super smooth and efficient. Once arriving they give you a choice of water, juice or mai tai and lead you personally to your table. Once at your table there is a long list of available drinks. While waiting for the luau to begin, there are many different stations set up that you can visit – hog roast pit, fabric printing, coconut breaking, Hawaiian games, and instrument playing.

Old Lahaina Luau - hog rost pit

We were one of the last tables to get our food so we were given appetizers, or pupus as they are known in Hawaii. The pupus was banana bread and pineapple. I must say the pineapple in Hawaii is amazing! The food buffet was huge – tons of choices. I was brave and tried pretty much everything. The only thing that was absolutely horrid was Poi - it was purple, pasty and did not have good flavor. The desserts were not that great in my opinion. There were four bite size dessert choices – brownies with chili powder and lavender iced shortbread cookies were two of the choices.

The entertainment show was very nice – lots of action and colors. When leaving you received a mini loaf of banana bread to take home. All in all going to the luau was one of the highlights of the trip.

Hawaii Trip 2014 - Maui Day 3 & 4

August 31, 2014 (Sunday)

Banyan Tree in Old Lahaina

Rise and shine, up and at them bright and early yet again.  Per research, the best time to get photos of the Banyan tree in Old Lahaina was early to help insure that the tree would be people free. Also, parking would be easier to find. We walked around and watched the surfers. We also did our shopping - since we had a list of requested things – mostly Hawaiian shirts. J We spent the rest of the day hanging out by the resort.

We had Maui Pizza for lunch – it was yummy! For dinner we checked out Duke’s Beach House, which was good. We had the “Hula Pie” for desert – it was huge! Hula Pie, at least their version, was Oreo crust, macadamia ice cream, hot chocolate and whipped cream. 

Along the Road to Hana

September 1, 2014 (Monday)

We were on the road by around 5 A.M. to head to the infamous “Road to Hana”. Prior to leaving for our trip to Hawaii, I used the “Maui Revealed” and “Big Island Revealed” books as reference on what to see, do and eat. The “Road to Hana” portion was very useful – notifying us of places that we probably would not have seen had we just been driving down the road. There were some places that we just were not able to find, but in general was a good reference.

Along the Road to Hana

Along the drive, we stopped at many waterfalls and were also rewarded with many great coastal views. The flowers were amazing.

Along the Road to Hana

Once reaching Hana, we continued ten miles further to the Haleakala National Park. We hiked two trails at the National Park, both were quite nice and had fulfilling waterfall views (Pools of Oheo and Waimoku Falls).

Luckily, we had stopped by the places mentioned in “Maui Revealed” on the drive to Hana and not on the way back. The return trip was much more harrowing due to increase traffic volume. The “Road to Hana” (HI-360) features 620 curves, 54 one-lane bridges, and covers over 52 miles.

At were a bunch of food stands at one place along the route. We went to the Mexican place and it was good. We also got some coconut pineapple bread from the café.

Sunset

For dinner we went to Ka’anapali Beach Club. There was live entertainment, which was really good, apparently, the guy use to do back up for Michael Jackson. We also got to enjoy a lovely sunset.

Hawaii Trip 2014 - Maui Day 1 & 2

August 29, 2014 (Friday)

View from the room

Maui bound! We had an early morning flight to Maui, with a layover in Phoenix. As normal, the car rental line was thirty plus minutes long. The airport (OGG) was about 45 minutes from where we were staying in Lahaina. The place we stayed, Aston Kaanapali Shores, was really nice and we even had an ocean view.

After settling in, we headed across the street for something to eat. We decided to try L&L Hawaiian Barbecue. I had the Kalua Pork (shredded smoke flavored pork with cabbage) and absolutely loved it! Mike had the Chicken Katsu (breaded deep-fried chicken) and thought it was pretty excellent also. Portions were very large so there was leftovers for the next day.

Sunrise over Haleakala National Park

August 30, 2014 (Saturday)

The time change, 6 hours, was a bit hard to adjust to. We were up at 3:30am, which worked out well since we had a bit of a drive to get to Haleakala National Park. We just missed the 6:00 sunrise, which I guess we did not miss much anyways – apparently it is very difficult to get photos due to clouds. The sunrise colors on the drive up the summit were very pretty.

Cinder Cones at Kalahaku Overlook -
Haleakala National Park

We checked out the short walk to the Lelewi Overlook (supposedly great for sunsets). We then continued to the visitor center, where there were a few displays. There were a few trailheads around the visitor center. We hiked the White Sands trail and then drove up to the summit (elevation 10,023 feet). Returning down, we stopped at the Kalahaku Overlook, where we were welcomed by great views of cinder cones and an awesome cloud display. We also visited the Hosmer Grove nature trail – not that great of a hike, but it did smell nice.  Our last stop was the Halemau’u Trail to get a view of the rim. We left the park at about 10am. There were some other trails that looked interesting, but I was not too excited to walk around in the blaring sunshine to do the longer hikes.

'Iao Valley State Park

After picking up sandwiches at Safeway, we headed to ‘Iao Valley State Park. It was $5 to get in and parking was tough to get (the lot was way too small). The cost and wait for parking was definitely worth it. There were lots of beautiful flowers and waterfalls. We spent about an hour at the park – mostly because we hiked on part twice because it smelled so great (thanks to the smashed passion fruit).

4th of July Weekend 2014 - "Up North"

Mackinaw Bridge

Typically, we just stay home for the holiday since places are usually packed. With the 4^th being on a Friday, this year we just could not resist – we headed to northern Michigan. We had not been “up north” in quite a few years. We camped at Wilderness State Park, which we had not stayed at before. The park was nice, but there were a lot of mosquitos. It seems that there are a lot of mosquitos everywhere this year so it was not a big surprise.

We spent the 4^th checking out the campground (lots of trails) in the morning and then headed to Mackinaw City in the afternoon. Mackinaw City was not overly busy, which was a bit surprising. We walked around at the park near the Mackinaw Bridge and lighthouse and snapped some pictures. Fort Mackinaw is near the park, but we had visited the fort last time we were in that area so we skipped it this trip.

After the park , we headed to the downtown area. We bought some fudge and ice cream and then headed to the McGulpin Point Lighthouse. This lighthouse opened for tours in recent years. There was no fee, but they do ask for donations. There is a lovely wood chipped trail down to the lake. Once to the lake there is a nice view of the Mackinaw Bridge.

Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse

As we headed back to the campground we checked out some of the day use parks along the lake – they were a little bit busy but parking was easy to find. We rounded out the day with a campfire.

On Saturday, we were up early to get a head start on the day. The plan for the day was to head to Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, which was about a three hour drive from Wilderness State Park.  The drive did not have much traffic. We stopped at a few places once we got over the bridge to take some photos along the US-2 lakeshore.

Sable Falls -
Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

We attacked Pictured Rocks from east to west, with our first stop being Sable Falls near Grand Marais. Sable Falls was a nice view, there was a staircase that provided a viewing platform. The falls are said to be about 75 feet tall. The mosquitos were really bad, so we did not stick around too long.

The next stop was the Sable Falls Visitor Center where we were able to pick up the Park pamphlet and get some passport book stamps. The guide recommended stopping just up the road at Log Jam. The site provided a great view of the sand dunes.

Au Sable Light Station -
 Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

The Au Sable Light Station was next on the docket. Parking was available at the Hurricane River Campground and there was about a 1.5 mile hike to the lighthouse. There were lots of mosquitos and flies along the hike – yuck! For a portion of the trail, the water is far enough back from the woods that walking on the beach is an option. There are a few shipwreck remains that dot the shore near – with a majority being near the lighthouse. Lighthouse tours are only offered a few days a week and cost $3/person. The tour was interesting and if you are luck and have a clear day you can see a large portion of the rock reef that extends a mile into the lake.

Continuing west, we arrived at Miners Castle Information Station. There was a passport stamp available, as well as some rock cliff overlooks. There is also a waterfall nearby – just down the road. Miners Falls is about a 1.2 mile hike round-trip. The falls are about 50 feet tall. There are two overlooks, the one down the stairs being far superior.  The falls and information station area were both VERY busy.

Miners Castle -
Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

Nearing the west end of the park, we stopped at the Munising Falls Visitor Center. We had been to this Visitor Center on our last trip up north. After obtaining yet another passport stamp, we hiked out to look at the Munising Falls. Munising Falls is about 50 feet tall. There were a couple of viewing platforms with the best being the one up stairs on the right. The lower platform is quite good also. Definitely skip the upper left platform.

The last visitor center that we visited – Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore/Hiawatha National Forest/Interagency Visitor Center - is the only one that is open year-round. There was not a lot to see there, so we got the passport stamps and headed out of town. There is a very popular boat trip in Munising that takes you around to see the neat rock formations along the lake, but since we had done that last trip we skipped it.

Just south of Munising, there are a few other waterfalls that we visited. Wagner Falls is a State Park and located near the MI-28/MI-94 junction. It is a short walk to the falls and a nice view of the 20 foot tall falls. Right at the intersection there is another waterfall called Alger Falls.

Wagner Falls

Our drive back to the campsite was uneventful and we stopped at a turnout along US 2 to take a few more lake photos.

That pretty much sums up our quick trip up north. Until next time…happy trails!

West Virginia Day 3 and 4

May 25, 2014 

Gauley Bridge Waterfall

Off to an early start yet again. The adventure that awaited us was water rafting with the River Expeditions Company. We rafted the Upper New River, which is class I-III rapids. Our guide, Kim, was great. I was kind of surprised on how little paddling was actually involved – only between 2 to 5 strokes at once and only a handful of times. Breakfast provided before the trip, lunch provided riverside, and drinks provided when we returned.

We searched long and hard for an ice cream place (other than Dairy Queen) near the rafting location and luckily were able to find a place that recently opened called “The Stache”.  There were many hard serve flavors to choose from. The place also had all sorts of candy and toys.

After dinner at camp, we ventured out to find a waterfall that we passed on the way into WV. We found the huge gorgeous waterfall on the side of the road in Gauley Bridge. We had a ton of fun traversing the rocks to get the best views of the falls.

A view from Hawks Nest State Park

Heading back to camp for the night, we stopped to check out the overlooks at Hawks Nest State Park. It was a short walk with rewarding views.

WV Capitol - Charleston

May 26, 2014 

Since there was a long drive ahead of us we packed up and left camp around 8am. Traffic was not too bad at all. We stopped by the capitol in Charleston – luckily it was an easy on and off of the freeway. I had hoped to stop by the capitol in Columbus also, but traffic always seems to be heavy in the area so we skipped it. 

West Virginia Day 2

May 24, 2014 

Babcock State Park Grist Mill

There was a big list of places to visit today. The first stop was Babcock State Park. Babcock State Park is one of the oldest in West Virginia and is located in the New River Gorge National River area. There is a very popular grist mill at the park that people from all over take photographs of. The water was not yet running in the wheel when we were there and we did not get a chance to go later in the day.

Our next destination was the New River Gorge Sandstone Visitor Center. This visitor center had lots of informative displays and a 12-minute video. There were not any views from the site.

So close, yet so far was the Sandstone Falls. The falls are only about 3.5 miles from the visitor center if you were a bird, but since we are not it took about 20 miles to get the falls. The parking area was packed. Many of the people visiting were fishing. We were able to snag a picnic table and enjoy our lunch at the falls.

Sandstone Falls

Before hitting our next major location, we made a quick stop to check out the Bluestone National Scenic River at the dam. There is not a visitor center for the Bluestone. To reach the water the best option is Pipestem Resort State Park, which was pretty far out of our way.

Thurmond Depot

Onward we went…next on the docket was the Grandview area of the New River Gorge.  The Grandview visitor center was not open there, but we did checkout the overlooks.

The last stop of the day was the Thurmond Depot area of the New River Gorge.  The town of Thurmond is an old ghost town. During the beginning of the 20^th century, Thurmond was the commercial center for the region. There is a visitor center with a few displays and well as the remaining structures that still exist to check out.

West Virginia Day 1

May 23, 2014 

New River Gorge Bridge

Yahoo!  Another adventure and three more NP stamps down! This trip was about an eight-hour drive to our base camp in Hico, WV. We camped at a place called Ray’s Campground. It had really good reviews on trip advisor. The campground was nice and had really clean bathrooms. Camp was pretty loud the first night and got quieter as the days progressed.

We left at a decent time and were able to set up camp and visit the New River Gorge Canyon Rim Visitor Center before it closed.  We checked out the overviews of the New River Gorge Bridge from the visitor center. We then drove the scenic Fayette Station Road. The visitor center has a CD that you can listen to while you are driving the route.

Gauley River

After a quick dinner at camp, we headed to Carnifex Ferry Battlefield State Park. We visited this site since it was supposed to offer the best views of the Gauley River. The drive to the state park had overlooks of the dam. The Gauley River National Recreation Area is 25 miles long, but does not have a visitor center. The river is a world class whitewater rafting location in the fall months.

We also pulled over to check out Summersville Lake - so pretty!

Later in the evening we were joined by our friends from Ohio – Pete, Suzanne and Tommy.

Summersville Lake

April 26, 2014 Las Vegas

Carroll Shelby Heritage Center - Las Vegas

We had to pack up and head to the airport, but we did have time to visit one last place – the Carroll Shelby Heritage Center, which was very close to the airport.  Tours are offered, but we were worried that it might make it tight on time to catch our flight so we just walked through the museum area. There were a lot of neat cars to check out and a huge gift shop area. 

We had lunch at the Burke in the Box in the airport – it was okay. We mostly picked that place since it was the only place with a TV playing the Red Wings game. J

The flight home was uneventful for the most part, except for the kid two rows ahead of us that threw up all over the place.  Luckily, it was after the plane landed so we did not have to deal with the smell for too long.

April 25, 2014 Las Vegas

Botanical Cactus Garden at Ethel M Chocolate

We visited the Ethel M Chocolate shop, which opened early and was right on the way to our planned destination.  It really was not much of a tour, just walk though and look at some signs and check out the factory behind large windows and then receive a sample of chocolate. The chocolate was okay. 

We then headed to the Lake Mead Alan Bible Visitor Center. The visitor center is quite new and had some really nice displays. We then drove towards the Hoover Dam, but decided that we did not want to pay $10 to park the car thus we headed back towards Las Vegas, visiting  a majority of the pull offs on the portion of Lakeshore Drive that we did not drive the prior day.  Lakeshore Drive between the Visitor Center and Las Vegas Bay is much nicer than the portion to the north.

Lake Mead 

The afternoon was spent visiting miscellaneous places around Las Vegas. Some places we visited included:

We drove by Gold & Silver Pawn Shop, as featured on Pawn Stars.  There was a huge line out front. Needless to say we did not visit the shop.

Counts Customs, also seen on TV, was neat place with a quite a few cars on display. We got to see some of the guys from the TV show since we were there around lunch time.

Counts Customs

So-Cal Speed Shop had a couple of cars in the shop. Mike got a tee-shirt and some stickers for the garage cabinets.

We also walked the strip. We had a list of “free” things to see at the hotels so we checked some out some of the things we did not see in the past including:

A live act at Circus Circus – kind of neat.

The wild life habitat at the Flamingo – lame.

What we think was the World’s Largest Chandelier at the Cosmopolitan – okay I suppose.

Las Vegas Strip

We had dinner at Holsteins, a burger place, inside of Cosmopolitan. It was tasty. We also stopped by The Cheesecake Factory for a slice of Carrot Cake Cheesecake!

Originally, hitting the downtown area was the plan, but we were just too tired to stay up and check out Freemont Street.

April 24, 2014 Glen Canyon Dam, Valley of Fire SP, Pipe Spring Monument

Glen Canyon NRA

After breakfast at the hotel, we were off to see the Glen Canyon Dam up close. The tour was $5 and lasted about 1.25 hours. It was very similar to the Hoover Dam, which we visited a few years back.

Pipe Spring National Monument was our next site to visit as we headed back towards Las Vegas.   Pipe Spring has a joint Tribal-Nation Park Service Visitor Center and Museum. There is a 25 minute video which discusses the history of the Kaibab Paiutes and the Mormon settlement.  Tours of Winsor Castle are available on the half hour.  There is a fee of $5/person to visit the site and take the tour.  An hour to an hour and a half is all the time needed at this site.

The site is located in the Arizona Strip, at the foot of the Vermilion Cliffs and has some of the purest water in the area. Puebloan people arrived to the area around 300BCE, soon after the Southern Paiute tribes arrived (and still live there). In the 1700’s missionaries and explored passed though. In the mid-1800’s conflicts over water and land began.  Mormon ranchers began to bring cattle and sheep to the area. Navajo Indians began raiding the Mormon livestock.   In 1870, Winsor Castle came about to serve as a remote stop for Mormons who were trying to expand their religion. Winsor Castle served as a hideout for polygamous wives due to its remoteness.  

Valley of Fire State Park - Petroglyphs

Continuing towards Las Vegas, we checked out Valley of Fire State Park. There was a $10 fee that was paid at a drop box when entering the park. The park was okay, but after seeing so many rocks already on this trip I did not find these rocks to be all that special. There were some petroglyphs at different locations throughout the park.

We decided to take the scenic route for the remainder of the trip – Northshore Road through the Lake Mead National Recreation Area.  It was okay – not much traffic but you could not really see Lake Mead from the road.

For the remainder of the trip we stayed at Desert Paradise Resort. It was very nice, but traffic in the area was a bit heavy.

April 23, 2014 Monument Valley, Lower Antelope Canyon, Glen Canyon

Moo from Monument Valley

We started the day early with breakfast at the hotel - since the hotel was totally booked so we wanted the best choices and a place to sit! We had quite a drive again, but unlike most of our travels there was actually a lot of traffic.  A guy Mike works with recommended visiting Monument Valley. Monument Valley lies entirely within the Navajo Indian Reservation on the Utah/Arizona border. The cost was $5/person to get in.  There is a 17-mile driving path to take - it was not comfortable - very rocky and extremely bumpy. Cars were driving down the road, but I would recommend a higher clearance since you could see places where cars scraped their bottoms on rocks. After seeing rocks for so many days there really was not anything too special about these ones, in my opinion. It takes about two to four hours to make it through the one way looped road. There is one hiking path along the driving loop, but we did not venture out.

Navajo NM - Betatakin Dwelling

The next stop was at a NPS site - Navajo National Monument. There was a short video, which was very informative. The site also has a short walk along the Sandal Trail that leads to an overview of the old cliff dwelling – the Betatakin dwelling. It is believed that about 120 people lived in the dwelling area. Apparently, they do offer walks down to the dwellings, but I did not notice when they are offered. That walk is limited to a certain number of people and it takes a few hours (per the video).

Lower Antelope Canyon

It was still early afternoon, we decided to check out the Lower Antelope Canyon - one word to describe - AWESOME! The canyon was discovered not all that long ago by an Indian woman that was watching her sheep flock. The canyon entrance and exit is a very short walk from the area that you pay.  The operation is called Ken’s Guided Tour of Lower Antelope Canyon.  It was $28 for the tour and Navajo Park Permit.  Based on my research, the best times to go to between 11am-1pm, we were there later than that but still thought it was great. There is currently a building being built – which would be nice since then they would probably have real bathrooms instead of port-a-potties. There are a lot of stairs and tight spaces throughout the tour. The guide we had helped everyone set up their cameras to get the best shots - I was amazed by the number of people that do not know how to change the settings! The tour is not really guided – you more less along at your own pace and snap away. I would HIGHLY recommend this tour. There were young kids on the tour and they all seemed to manage okay. It should be noted that there is also Upper Antelope Canyon tours –those tours cost a little more and per tripadvisor reviews is a lot more crowded. I also believe that the slot canyon is wider.

Lower Antelope Canyon

Lower Antelope Canyon from up top

We still had a little time left in the day, we went to the Glen Canyon area. We watched a video on how the dam was built at the Carl Hayden Visitor Center. There are also two other videos available, the schedule was posted outside of the auditorium. While at the visitor center, we also reserved a spot for the 8:30 tour the next morning. You pay $5/person when you check in for the tour.

Bridge in Page, AZ

We checked out a BBQ place for dinner – Big John’s BBQ - it was just okay. I had the pork sandwich, not greasy or fatty, but a bit dry. We went to the Bigger Dipper for ice cream - good and very large scoops!

Horseshoe Bend

We checked out Horseshoe Bend, but we got there a little early for the sunset. The hike to the edge was very sandy and there were a lot of bugs flying around. We also checked out the Dam overlook behind the Denny's restaurant.