Cathedral Cove

The town of Hahei, on the Coromandel Peninsula of New Zealand's North Island, has some spectacular beaches. From a parking lot near the sea, a trail leads down to several bays and coves. Along the way, the trail passes through flax and fern, and even a small corner of pasture. The ferns were so thick that some children were using them as very effective camouflage. We skipped a stop at Stingray Bay in favor of reaching Mare's Leg cove, and the Cathedral Cove beyond it. The two are connected by a cave, which was very prominently featured in the early part of the Narnia movie Prince Caspian. Both Beaches are absolutely beautiful. White sand, surrounded by high cliffs, and fronted by some of the bluest water I have seen, and this even on a somewhat overcast day. We stayed briefly to explore, then made our way back, this time taking a slightly different route that led us through some unexpectedly mossy and dark forest.

Blue waters from the trail


Fern tree forest


Children in the Ferns


A Spot of Sunshine


Cave connecting mare's leg and cathedral cove


A Mossy Route Through the Forest

Cape Canaveral: Lift Off!

On the last weekend in may of 2008, we headed off to Florida with tickets in hand to watch the launch of the shuttle Discovery from the Kennedy Space Center. We used Thursday night and Friday morning to make the drive down, taking our time to stop off at Daytona Beach and New Smyrna Beach as well. In New Smyrna we stopped for some great burgers at Breakers, right on the beach. After filling up, we headed a little further south to the Cape Canaveral National Seashore. Most of the areas were closed due to the next days launch, but we were able to park in a parking lot just off the main Turtlemound Road.

Walking over the dunes to the beach, we were excited to get into the water. The beach was shaped into quite a steep slope, and the power of the water was immense. Each wave lifted us into the air, and, quite often hurled us a bit up the beach. Jake was having the time of his life. I, however, was quickly tired, and was further discouraged by the seaweed in the water, and before long, inside my suit. Finally I was too exhausted to be sporting any longer, and we returned to our belongings on the beach. As we headed back towards one of the dune crossings, we noticed several men down the beach, who, though a little too far away to tell for sure, appeared to believe it was a nude beach. Apparently this happens sometimes in this area when the beaches are not crowded. After showering and changing, we were ready to continue on.

Having our fill of the beach life, we continued south hoping to spot some manatees at a viewing platform located at the Haulover Canal, carved through the isthmus north of the land mass occupied primarily by the NASA launching and landing facilities. When we arrived, the sun was near to setting and the water was inky and impenetrable. We had all but given up when we did witness a manatee spouting, but it was gone before we could really fix our eyes on it. A little disappointed, we returned to the car and, finding the road to the south blocked due to the next days shuttle launch, took the long way around to Titusville. In Titusville we hunted out a spot for dinner, being across the water from the very brightly lit shuttle, waiting patiently on its launch pad. The place we found was Paul's Smokehouse, where Jake tried a swordfish steak, and I stuck to the regular kind. The food was OK, but not fantastic.

The next morning, we woke early and returned to the viewing platform to continue our hunt for a manatee. We spent long minutes waiting and searching the murky green water, and had just given up when a dolphin swam into the channel. He entertained us in the way dolphins will, and we spotted a large moon jelly swimming/floating in the channel. The dolphin continued to circle in the area, and then, suddenly right beneath the railing of the platform we saw a manatee! She was moving along the bank, stirring up its muddy edge as she grazed on what water plants were growing there, She moved up and down the bank, creating distinctive pairs of smooth spots in the water above her whenever she moved close to the surface. They were like a shadow of flatness above her, created by the gentle down current as she flicked her tail and sank lower again. As she moved away from the bank, we watched her come to the surface briefly a few times to breath. Finally, and she and her dolphin herald moved on.

Finally, it was time to head to the space center, to enjoy the complex and watch the launch. We joined the long line of cars moving into the parking lot, and used our tickets to get through the gates. We arrived just minutes to late to take the last bus leaving on a tour of the facilities, which was a real shame, because it represented out only chance to get fairly close to the shuttle before launch. This made me a little angry, since we had waited to arrive at the time that our parking ticket said we should, and therefore missed out on this opportunity. Still, there were plenty of other things to see and do at the complex. We watched an 3d IMAX movie filmed in space which was my first ever, and was really very moving. We visited an interactive show where a few mad scientists educated the kids. It was perhaps a little too childish, even for us. We went on a simulation of blast off, which was fun, and another "ride" where we walked through hallways from one animatronic scene to the next. We also took some time to go into the shuttle they have set up, and examined some of the rockets placed around the area. Overall, the Kennedy space center is most worth visiting when there is a launch going on. It the day were not ended by that massive roar, I would have been rather disappointed by the experience.

Eventually the time did come, and from out location, which was not the best available due to my forgetfulness with regards to buying the tickets the day they went on sale, we could not see the shuttle where it sat on the platform, but there was a large outdoor monitor set up. As the clock ticked down, we waited in silence, then as the shuttle lifted off on screen, it became visible above it, almost as if the digital version had become reality. As the NASA chatter continued, the rocket climbed silently into the sky. Then came a dull vibration, the preliminary shock waves, which were felt rather than heard. Finally the sound reached out ears as the shuttle shot high into the air. We all continued to wait until the shuttle itself had made the separation, then cheered as a group with childish delight. STS 124 had successfully launched. You can find out more about the mission HERE. There aren't too many things which inspire a sense of patriotic pride in me, but this is definitely one of them. The shuttles only have a little more time left before they are replaced by a new launch system, so see it while you can.

The next day, we returned to the space center, as our tickets provided a 2 day pass. This time we took the bus tour, and witnessed the now empty launch pad and the now crushed stone that had shouldered the weight of the shuttle as it was moved from the
assembly building to the launch pad. Here we also checked out a Saturn V rocket, massive when compared to what is used to launch today. Then we continued on to see the landing strips for the shuttles, before returning to the space center. As a bonus, along the way we saw roseate spoonbills, ibis, and wood storks. After the bus tour, we stopped by the Astronaut Hall of Fame, a separate facility, included in the Kennedy Space Center admission. As we waited to enter, we were asked to join a tour, since they had room. We did, at first thinking it was a free tour provided by the museum, then realizing it was a commercial tour group. I can only wonder how those who had paid for the tour must have felt. The leader did provide some good info, but was mostly looking to entertain. And he kept referring to himself as the bad boy of dolphin tours. That was a little strange. Eventually we had to go, and returning to the car began the long drive home.

Overall, the wildlife and beaches here are beautiful, and the space center is the go to place for a hands on feel for the history that has happened here. But nothing beats timing a visit here to coincide with a launch.

CA 06: Point Reyes, Muir Woods, and the Rock

Point Reyes is a great place to explore some of California's beautiful shoreline. The first thing we did when we visited was drive to the farthest reaches, to visit McClures Beach, where we walked a narrow path down to the shore. The path wound between small hills covered in a dozen different kinds of flowers. Around a bend we finally came into view of the sea, white capped and dark blue. Once we were down on the sand beach, our only company was a family with some small children. It was very quiet and peaceful with only the sound of the ocean and a few birds. There was a small stream cutting through the sand and flowing into the ocean. I became distracted with digging trenches into the the pebbled stream bed, and well could have spent the whole day there, but Jake pulled me away, and we loaded back into the car and headed towards the light house. Along the way we spotted some of the Elk which are kept in a reserve here, with cattle inhabiting much of the rest of the point.

There's a visitor's center on the cliffs above the light house, that you have to walk a little way to get to. On the particular day we visited it was extremely windy, and it was something of a struggle to walk into it. By the time we reached the visitor's center, our cheeks were stinging. Outside the visitor's center is a whale skull on display, and I scanned the water for whales, but I fully realized I wouldn't be able to make them out with all the white caps, unless possibly if one decided to beach itself. The very nice lady inside the visitors center told us that we couldn't go down to the light house because the wind was too high, but she was more than willing to sell us the California Audubon book we'd been looking for all week, and finally found on the gift shop's shelves. It was a cold and cheek stinging walk back to the car after that. We drove a little way to the elephant seal overlook, and though it wasn't as impressive as what we had already seen on our first day, it did provide good viewing for these unique animals.

We were starved at this point, so we stopped and had some BBQ chicken pizza at an adorable little shop just outside the park. The building looked like it belonged on the New England coast, not thousands of miles away near the opposite shore. It was called Priscilla's Cafe. The website claims the food is organic, and I can attest that is was very fresh.

After our lunch, it was on to Muir Woods, a redwood forest north of San Francisco. The forest was dappled in shadow and light from the branches high over head, and we explored along long winding wooden board walks. Horsetails and sorrel grew among the thick trunks, and a small stream with trout flowed between the trees. From the gift shop, I was able to pick up gold plated redwood needles to add to my Christmas ornament leaf collection, and then it was time to head off for our evening cruise to the most infamous U.S. prison: Alcatraz.

At Fisherman's wharf, we had enough time to grab some ice cream before hopping in line for the cruise. As we arrived onto the island, the sun was surround by a pleasant glow as it began to set. There were enormous sea gulls everywhere on the island. The park rangers split us into smallish groups and escorted us up the hill to the doors of the prison, while explaining some of the history of the island and buildings. Once at the prison, were were given audio devices, and given our leisure to walk about and listen to history. after we had finished with the audio tour, we had a little time left to explore the facilities on our own. I guess one thing that surprised me was how beautiful the island is, and how beautiful the view of the city. Finally, we were herded back onto the boat, the city now lit, the sun gone, and the boat turned back towards the city's shores.

Savannah, Georgia

Savannah is a wonderful place to spend a weekend, even in the cold months. You can spend a Saturday in February walking on the beach shells and even a good sized sand dollar can be found.

After you're finished with the beach, You can take a trolley tour of the town, or just follow behind to get a good view of this beautiful city. I've never seen a downtown so nice. I really just wanted to get out and walk around, but on my visit, I had little time to spend. The city was built on a plan, and has about 20 small squares, one every other block in the old part of town. Each square is filled with Live Oaks, some of which are grown with Spanish Moss. Live Oaks live to be very old and get to be rather huge. They are also evergreens, so they will still have their leaves in winter. Many of the squares have their own church, each one different from the last, but all of which are very beautiful. All the homes are also beautiful, with lots of wrought iron and wood. Someone with a little more time than I had might visit one of the forts there, take a trolley tour, and visit the cemetary with the famous statue featured in "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil". I'm definitely going to have to go back, to really tell you anything about it, but it's a beautiful college city by the coast with many places to eat and some interesting things to do, that should speak for itself.