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I had to post this video to my site, it’s one of the craziest walks I’ve ever seen. I like to think of myself as fairly adventurous, but this would be too much! Enjoy!

Finally… I got my first real taste of sailing a ship. Marisha and I took a weekend trip to New Port Richey to go sailing for Valentines day. We went through a wonderful company called Windsong Charters who provided a nice sunset cruise for us. The weather was absolutely perfect, the wind was blowing light from the northwest and the temperature was hovering in the mid-low 70s. For my birthday I want sailing lessons!

I found a nice little hidden gem in the area. It’s called Split Oak Park, which is located right on the county line between Orange and Osceola county. It has a small network of trails with a lot of wildlife in the area. On a short 3 mile hike I saw a doe, gopher tortoise, squirrels and hawks. The most interesting part, and where the park gets its name, is the giant split oak tree which fell apart under its’ own weight and kept growing. 

I just wanted to share the perfect weekend for all those up north. Today, Marisha and I headed out to the beach so I could do a little surfing. We got there around 11:00 in the morning and were greeted by a beautiful & sunny day with a high temperature of 80 degrees – warm, but not to warm. There was a light south breeze and the water was about 70 degrees, which sounds cool, but feels refreshing with the warm sun on your back. The waves were coming in around 2-3 feet and all in all it was a perfect day!  Now it’s time to get into the lazy boy and get ready for the Superbowl tonight. 

So, I’m a little behind in updating the blog.  But, two weekends ago I surprised Marisha with a trip to St. Augustine to “officially” propose to her and present her the engagement ring (no clue about that either).  I booked two nights at the Casa de Solana, located in the historic downtown district.  Obviously she said yes and had a wonderful time to boot.  We arrived kind of late Friday night (7:30ish), and quickly made our way to find something to eat.  We had a wonderful dinner at the AIA Ale Works, where I started dropping hints to the wonderful weekend she will have.  Afterward we headed back to the room to get ready for bed. While she was in the bathroom washing her face I scrambled around and surprised her with the ring, on my knee, and proposed.  She loved it.

From here it was a great weekend.  The next morning we enjoyed a great breakfast and headed out to the “Fort.” My favorite part – watching them fire the canon.  We then explored the town and made our way back to the B&B for a nap.  That evening I planned a wonderful dinner for us at the Raintree, which is a Steak & Seafood restaurant in an old Victorian House.  By far, one of the best steak dinners I have ever had!  Afterwards we changed, visited the wax museum, and took a ghost walk of the town. Such a nice weekend.

I’m back from my cruise this week. I had a wonderful time with my Fiance and her family on this cruise. We spent time in Cozumel, Belize, Costa Maya and Nassau. Hopefully they all fared well with hurricane Dean following close behind us. Anyways, I wanted to share some of my latest photos with you.

One of my favorites

Castro Lives!

I love the new-age art

Some of the cutest hand-made dolls can be found here

Finally, I’m getting somewhere with the photos I took out west. This time I’m trying my luck with a few panorama shots. Of course, these are stitched in photoshop from several different photos. I think I’m going to have to save up some money to buy a nice Horseman Panorama camera.

This is the final chapter in our adventure.  After leaving Bryce we headed over to Zion, which is a big outdoor playground for me.  For the rest of the trip I put the camera’s down and tried to enjoy myself outdoors.  Marisha and I hiked the day away.  First we made our way up to Angel’s Landing, where we learned it was harder to overcome the fear of falling than we thought.  Then we made our way down to the Emerald Pools, where we hiked all three levels of the falls. Finally we made our way out of the park, hiking a total of almost 8 miles and around 2,500 feet of elevation gain.

After leaving the park we made our way to Vegas, the MGM Grand in particular.  We checked into our new room in the Signature at MGM Grand.  We loved the room instantly, and enjoyed the whirlpool tub and the king size bed.  We explored the town, and all the different casinos along the strip. We quickly found NY NY was one of our favorite places to find a meal, but they didn’t compare the Grand Buffet at the MGM.  We saw the “O” Cirque du Soliel show at the Bellagio, which was one of the most interesting things I have ever seen!  And this is where the adventure comes to a close.  I hope you enjoyed the story as much I enjoyed telling it.

Following Monument Valley we worked our way north via the Scenic route. The driving was incredible, but it was a distance to cover before arriving at Capital Reef. The park is very different from the other places we’ve visited. It’s very quiet and cool, due to the Fremont river flowing through. We hiked a few of the trails and marveled at the Mormon past, then stayed the night under the stars once more.

Capital Reef

The next day we head out over the Bur Trail through Escalante-Grand Staircase park on our way to Bryce National Park. Another long drive, but we enjoyed a nice lunch at the top of the switchbacks crossing over Capital Reef and enjoyed the scenery unfolding before our eyes. Next time I want to spend some time exploring Escalante-Grand Staircase to see some of the gems that must be hidden within. Finally we arrived at Bryce and enjoyed the sunset overlooking Bryce Point. The next morning I awoke early and enjoyed the sunrise over the garden.

Bryce Canyon

Bryce Canyon

Bryce Canyon

Bryce Canyon

Canyon de Chelly

After leaving the Grand Canyon, we headed East towards Canyon de Chelly, which is rich in Native American heritage. We hiked down to the “White House” and enjoyed a nice picnic lunch before heading out to Monument Valley. Next time I’d like to ride with one of the outfitters in the area to get a better view of the canyon.

Monument Valley is a really special place for me, I love it. We decided to camp out this night, which was absolutely beautiful. We had a campfire going, roasted smores and slept under the stars. The next morning we hit the road headed north for a drive through a little-known place called Valley of the Gods. Which is where we want to “rough it” next time we’re out. It was an incredible place, every bit as impressive as Monument Valley.

Monument Valley

Monument Valley

Monument Valley

Marisha at Valley of the Gods