The Wisconsin Peninsula - Day Three and four

So we woke up and fired up the propane burner to heat water for oatmeal and to make coffee in our new French Press that Big Bro Jeff (that’s my sister Ashley’s amazing husband) had bought Sandy for her birthday. After we ate breakfast we went into the Walmart to brush our teeth and wash our faces…oh the looks we got by the other women that came into that restroom = ) We decided to check out the shoreline of Lake Michigan as we traveled some back roads up the Wisconsin Peninsula. The drive was so beautiful!!!!! We stopped up at the Whitefish Dunne’s State park and ate some lunch. Then we spoke to a park ranger about what hike to do there. He told us of the undeveloped trail that ran right along the water line. As we walked the shore line you could feel fall in the air!!!! So good for the heart and soul!!! There were beautiful rock formations, places that when it is warmer it looked like you could swim into some underwater caves. Just beautiful. After our hike we asked where we could camp a bit further up the Peninsula and we were told about Peninsula State Park…so that is where we headed. More scenic back roads took us to this amazing state park that was on Lake Michigan. There were many well developed paths and beautiful views. We got a campsite right on the water and spent part of that day and the next morning running and biking the paths. That night we built a fire and cooked up some Kidney beans in our cast iron skillet. We added a little seasoning we had brought back from Costa Rica. We then just sat around the fire, I wrote in my journal, and we just enjoyed nature. The next day after we biked and ran, we ate breakfast , and went to go take showers before heading down the road…I backed into a rock I could not see = ) I really don’t mean to abuse this loyal vehicle that is taking us on this journey!!! I apologized to Lenny (that’s the van’s name). I gave Lenny some love, we showered and headed across the state of Wisconsin. We wanted Wisconsin Cheese, so just a bit down the road we went through some very cute towns called Fish Creek and Egg Harbor. We found a small winery where Sandy got 6 free wine tastings, we tasted ciders, tart cherry juice, jams, and more. There we bought a couple apples, two chunks of cheese, and a garlic cheese spread that is so very tasty!!!! = ) Further down the road we stopped to take a picture of a tractor that was made out of hay bails, and about 10:00pm we crossed the upper Mississippi River into Minnesota. We stopped a little further down the road and slept in another Wal-Mart parking lot in Albert Lea, Minnesota. It’s hard for me to write this blog sometimes because so much happens that I want to share with all our loved ones, but the main reason that we share is because we wish so much that we could bring you all with us!!!! Sending our love and energy to all of you!!!!

The Launch of Road Trip USA - Chicago (Day 1 and 2)

We left out on Saturday, September 13from my (Sam) parents home in Mount Vernon Ohio. Our first stop was Chicago where we planned to look in on our friend little Rachel = ) We were lucky and that the big city traffic was not too bad, parking however was a different story. We searched for about 25 minutes before finding a public parking garage. When we grabbed our ticket from the machine and I drove forward I realized the clearance was not high enough for our awesome van. So right there in the middle of downtown Chicago I had to do what seemed like a 300 point turn to get turned completely around and back out to the street = ) I did it but not without scraping the front of the van slightly and shaking like I had just drank 15 shots of espresso in a row = ). So we pulled over (downtown Chicago mind you), got out a measuring stick and measured the height of the van. There were many looks and giggles = ) We finally found a place with high enough clearance on the very first level of the garage only. I think most the spots were made for compact cars,. But we made it fit!!! I couldn’t get out of my door., but it fit between the white lines = )

We put what we needed in our camelback packs and headed to Rachel’s appartment. It was very rainy in Chicago due to weather coming up from Hurricane Ike, so we decided to stay only the night and part of the next day. Rachel was amazing and showed us the big City of Chicago. She helped us ride the subway and bus system, showed us where she goes to school, amazing buildings that disappear into the sky., and we even splurged and ate some famous Chicago Style Pizza at Giradono’s = ) Rachel thank you so very much for all you did!!!!! What a trooper she was doing it all in the down pour. So after we toured the city that second day, we headed up to Wisconsin. We drove a couple hours and hat night we stayed in a Walmart parking lot in Manitowac, WI. Getting colder the closer we get to Lake Michigan.

Santa Elana, La Fortuna, Arenal Volcano, and KIM AND RUE LYNN!!!!

Well, we have been without internet access for a while now...so i am going to write an update but so much has been happening that it will be hard to not write a book. So here´s the readers digest version of the last few days = . We made it to Santa Elana and found a Hostel called La Pension where we decided to stay. It was a neat private room for $10p.p. There was a full size bed, a bunk bed, and a loft above. The lobby had rough cuts of wood made into tables, the lyrics to La Vie Boheime from Rent written on the walls, great music played, a Hammock out Front...it was just a really neat place to be. During our stay at this Hostel and in this town we met people from Spain, Germany, Austria, and of course Texas and California (the two main places that people for the USA traveling in Costa Rica seemed to be from) We hung out at the hostel, cooked dinner, relaxed, and later in the evening we went to the "tree house" which was actually a hostel,bar,restaurant built around a huge tree. it was really neat!!! we then spent the night talking to people at the hostel,making new friends,and went to bed.The next day we got up and took a shuttle to the Santa Elana Forest where we took a two hour hike through the rain forest. We looked for Wildlife but saw very little...many humming birds, a domesticated wart hog that was more like a pet dog, and sandy saw a nearly transparent butterfly.It was beautuiful there.After that we returned to our hostel where we waited for transportation to La Fortuna and the Arenal Volcano.That was about a three hour trip by boat and land, but more importantly where we met Kim and Rue Lynn!!! They are a cousin duo traveling costa rica from Texas. They had just gone over to Santa Elana to do some SKY Tram type activities, but were staying at the Tabacon Hotsprings Restort!!! We all had a great chat on our travels to La Forutna and decided to meet up later at the Hotsprings. They were dropped off at their hotel and we went into the town of La Fortuna to find a Hostel. There we were taken to "Gringo Pete´s" where we decided to stay for two days. We dropped off our stuff and headed to the Tabacon Hotsprings...there we decided to treat ourselves to the resorts dinner buffet and the hotsprings!!! One of the most relaxing things we have done here in costa rica. we all have been living off of peanut butter and jelly, spagetti, and beans and rice, so the buffet was like heaven. After gorging ourselves (seioursly we each ate enought for 5 people = ) we went to change into our bathing suits and hit the hotsprings. We finally then met up with Kim, Rue Lynn had decided to stay in the room for the evening. The four of us then went to the bar that you could sit at that was actually in a pool, had some drinks (all but me of course = ) and then went to check out more of the hotsprings.the hot springs are naturally created from a river that runs down into this area from a still active volcano. the volcano itself is just breathtaking to see!!!! at one point while sitting in the hotsprings we could hear the sound of the volcano,as each night and morning it lets out a small amoung of lava. there were several waterfalls, and areas where there was hotsprings that you could sit under flowing water and feel as if you were getting a massage,there were also cool pools where you could go sit and get cooled off!!! it truly was spectacular!!!! after that we caught a cab back to our hostel and all went to sleep.the next morning we all woke up (well russel slept in = ) we went to the supermarket, ate breakfast, and then fell back asleep.the the hotsprings had just been so relaxing!!! we woke up a few hours later and were just getting up and around again when we saw kim and rue lynn at the front of our hostel. they came to spend some time with us, well acutally i think that Rue Lynn had come to make sure we were ok = ) she had such a big heart and was worried about what $6 dollars a night rooms looked like = ) she had to head back and get some work done, but Kim stuck around and explored the town with us and helped us search for a few things we needed to take back home with us. Kim kept us laughing constantly, and has many great stories of other amazing travles she has taken. Later that evening we all met Rue Lynn at a little restaruant called the Lava Lounge. There we all ate very very very well and Rue Lynn (the Texan Earth Angel) picked up the tab for all of us!!! She had also arranged our transportation to San Jose Area the next morning. We would ride in the Shuttle with the two of them (they flew out today). After dinner we headed back to our hostel and got packed up to leave. This morning we met Kim and Rue Lynn and took the three hour journey here to the San Jose Area. We have found a very nice hotel/hostel that was a home built in the 1920´s and has been turned into a bed and breakfast kind of place. we will check out this town we are staying in and then have a free breakfast here in the morning and they will shuttle us to the airport tomorrow. So.... unless something crazy exciting happens this evening this will be the last post for our Journies here in Costa Rica. We will revise this post and put a few pictures up when we can get them uploaded. It has been an amazing journey and one we will not forget!!!! We love and miss you all, and will be back home soon for a few days, and then will start our tour of the US. when we hit the road again we will start up this blog again as well. Must end by saying once more THANK YOU TO THE LOVELY LADIES FROM TEXAS THAT MADE THESE LAST FEW DAYS SO ENJOYABLE!!!! NO LONGER STRANGERS BUT FRIENDS!!!!! (and in twenty years we will give back to some hungery, hostel staying travelers!!!!) Bless you in all that you do!!! stay in touch!!!!

Our last night in Jaco, CR

Hello Everyone,
We have just been relaxing and getting rest here in Jaco, Costa Rico. Today we went to a local laundry mat and did some laundry and walked around town a bit and saw what a saturday is like here. But tomorrow we leave Jaco. We will catch a bus at around 9:00am tomorrow morning. The bus ride will take about three hours and we will be taken to Monteverde, CR where we will see what is referred to as the Santa Elana Cloud forest and check out the town of La Fortuna. We will spend the night there and then take a three hour boat ride to Arenal where we will see the volcano and spend some time in the Tabacon Hotsprings. We will be two days in that area and will then catch a ride to San Jose on Thursday to fly back to the states. We will try to write and post pictures over the next few days but are not sure that we will have internet access where we are going. If not we will update as soon as we can...and of course we love and miss you all!!!!!

Hermosa Beach

Today we woke up and decided to catch a taxi for the seven mile ride to Hermosa Beach. Hermosa Beach is one of the most famous beaches for surfing in Costa Rica. It is known for the most consistent waves. We did not surf there. Hermosa is not an area to be surfed by beginners. The waves are large and there are many rip tides. The town of Hermosa is very small and yet undevloped. A couple of small restaurants and hotels/hostels, but mostly there is black beach and waves as far as you can see in either direction. We took a long walk on the beach and then decided to head back towards Jaco. We were going to check out a bigger store in Jaco and look for materials for me (Sam) to start making some necklaces and various gifts from shells and rocks we had found on the beach in Montezuma. On our walk back we saw a group of construction guys taking a break and I saw a cement mixer next to the small slab they had just poured. So dad i had to take a picture for you. it made me think of all the work we have done together...and how much i know you would have loved to have had a cement mixer in some of the countries you have built churches in = ) Hope you like the picture. We continued walking back on the road and were waiting to flag down a cab when a man with a pick-up truck stopped and asked if we were going to Jaco. We said yes, and he told two of us to get in the bed of the truck and one up front. We are told that it is to assertive if women sit up front, so sandy and i got in the back of the the truck with his load of rough cut planks of wood. the rails on the side of his truck (which we ended up having to hold onto very tight) were hand made and beautiful. we took off down the road, up the mountain, around the curves...at speeds that made russel a little nervous even while sitting inside the cab. = ) it was quite an adrenaline producing experience and one we will never forget. it was the very first time sandy has ever hitch-hiked. we made it to a gas station about a mile from where we stay and we got out. we tried to give him a few dollars for the ride, but he refused to take it. just a really nice guy!!! so we continued our journey towards jaco. we caught a cab for two dollars to the bigger store we wanted to check out. once there we discovered that it was a store that was (not so cleverly disguised) owned by WALMART...yes folks Walmart is taking over the world!!!! We did not find anything for me to make gifts with, but we did grab a few groceries and left. We decided to walk the mile back to where we stay. On the way back we passed a hotel that had been shut down, but on a wall enclosing an area of the hotel there were pieces of glass sticking out of the top so no one could climb over. as we walked back we could see the rain clouds coming over the mountains...even beauty is to be found in the rain. here are som pictures of the day. the picture of sandy and i on hermosa beach is funny. if you look at it closely it looks like we have been digitally placed in the picture...but it is just that beautiful. hope all is well back home. Love and miss you all!!!!
xoxoxxo

rough water and hot sun

Hello everyone. Well we spent today, day eight in jaco. we slept in a bit, sandy went for a run, and then russel and i went in search of surf board rentals. after renting the boards we all three headed out to the ocean. we had decided to try out the short boards today. we are told they are harder to ride, and it turned out the water would be rough and difficult to manage as well. the tide pulled us so bad to the right that we would take five minutes to walk out to catch a wave and then would be lucky to catch one. russel and i both tried very hard...russel caught a few, and i mostly got rolled over and over wave after wave = ) but we still had lots of fun. it was a cloudy day so none of us realized how much sun we were getting. we all got a bit red, but unfortunately sandy got the worst of it. she had sat on the beach and watched us, to make sure we did not drown most likely. and tonight she has been taking some pain medication and applying aloe every hour of so. we had an excellent diiner of pan fried tilapia and stewed potato's, onions, and carrots. today was the first day with no rain. tomorrow we will be surfing in the morning and then we are not sure of our plans for the rest of the day...the greatest part is...it doesn't matter = ) we can do whatever we want!!!! sandy saw a flyer for a 10k race being put on by nike here in jaco on the 31st of august. this is something we are considering doing while we are here. however the race does not start until three and it will be very hot. so we will see. well today was not too terribly exciting to write about, but drank a lot of coffee so decided to blog a little before bed. hope this finds all our friends and family back home healthy and happy. we all send our love and miss you!!!!

Days 5-7 - Montezuma

on friday morning we set out to find our way to Manuel Antonio for the day, but aftern talking to a travel agent in Jaco, we were convinced to go spend the day and one night in Montezuma. We ended up spending three days. we only had one change of clothes and limited cash. There is no ATM in Montezuma. we were recommended a hostel down by the waterfall we would explore "hotel lucy". it was within just a few feet of the ocean. you woke up in the morning and fell asleep at night to the sound of the ocean..the water crashing against the rocks. after checking in we headed back to the waterfalls. there was somewhat of a trail, but the fun part was when you had to make your own. the first waterfall we found was small and beautiful. the second was tall, powerful, and breathtaking. there was even another fall to the right of it that was less powerful. we were also told that had we kept climbing up we would have found three more falls. we swam in the pool of water beneath the fall, and jumped from the rocks beside the fall, and even went almost behind the falls and jumped off. That night we went out to the only bar that stayed open at night...chicos. We played pool with a nice TN boy that was also staying at our hostel. we watched some locals do some salsa dancing and then headed back to our hostel. we loved it there in montezuma that we decided to stay another night. the next day we got up and ate breakfast. we saw that a local had caught a stingray...we went down to see it and he was gutting it...a little disturbing but interesting. we relaxed most of the day and later took a walk down the beach towards a hotel/resort that you can only reach by the beach. it was so sad.... massive amounts of trash had been washed up onto the shore. we are not sure where it came from, but we had passed most of it just floating in the ocean on the hour long boat ride from Jaco to Montezuma. Further down the beach though we found pools of water among the rocks that were like hot tubs, and thousands of tiny hermit crabs. we ate dinner and relaxed the rest of the night. on our third day in montezuma we took a local bus that dropped us off in the middle of a small town called cabuya. there we got lost a little walking around, but finally found "rain song sanctuary" this was a privately owned animal sanctuary. there we got to see beautiful views of the country side, we were able to play with ant-eaters, baby deer, porcupines, kinkachoo's, monkey's, and so much more. it was amazing, and something we could have never done in the states. after we had finished we realized that the next bus would not be by for at least two hours. so we decided to start walking back the seven miles back to montezuma, and catch the bus as it came by later. on our walk back we found a small river that emptied into the ocean. you could rock hop, or just sit in the clear cool water. there we also began to hear howler monkey's and later were able to see about 15 fully grown and some baby howler monkey's watching us, just as much as we were watching them = ) we then resumed our hike and caught the bus back to montezuma. once back in town we had to find a new place to stay that would accept credit card. we met a wonderful couple that owned a house right in town, right by the ocean. she had come from australia and married a costarican man and together they had built this house. it was beautiful! it could have comfortably housed four people, there was a ladder that led to a small balconly upstairs that overlooked the ocean. we ate dinner at the "pizza connection" and loved it! we relaxed the rest of the evening and the next day caught our boat back to jaco. we were all sad to leave. when any of us return to costa rica we all agree that montezuma would be the place to go and stay. it is so beautiful, and has a sustainability focus and all organizations seem to work to support the local economy. we absolutely loved it!!!! we got back here to jaco and all showered and put on clean clothes = ) we took a trip into town and dropped off our laundry. for 18 dollars all of our laundry was washed, dried, and folded! we went to the market for groceries, made a delicious dinner, and are just sitting around enjoying costa rican coffee and costa rican life. we love and miss you all!!! will write again soon.