Yosemite!

I FINALLY, after all these years, made it to Yosemite!!

San Jacinto!

That's me on top of the world!

CABINOLOGY goes to Ecuador

Behold... Ecuador!... :-)

The AMAZON:
The big splurge of this budget backpacking trip was well worth it. Below are our adventures with Sacha Lodge:

One day we saw a group of monkeys outside of our cabin. We couldn't resist and followed them out into the jungle. Along the way we saw the most incredibly colored butterflies a person could imagine. Shades of neon pink and blue, we never knew existed. Also a little capybara friend! ...We found out later that we weren't supposed to wander away from the lodge when we showed our guide where we'd gone... "Anaconda River"!!!

BANOS:
After a bizarre all-day hike, my travel buddy and I found our way to this incredible structure on a volcano in Ba nos, Ecuador.

 

Here I am on a swing that swings (with a loud creaking sound) off of the cliff, overlooking a stunning valley below. There was a separate building with a friendly volcano ranger living inside. He invited us in to show us his collection of lava rocks and newspaper clippings and to meet his cats! Cats everywhere! ...Always a good idea if you're going to inhabit a cabin. I learned that the hard way in Santa Cruz when I was in between cats and got my clothes eaten by rodents! Ew.

Peru

Hey, I never posted any CABINOLOGY from Peru last October. You wanna see? :-)

There's a ton more, so this post may grow and change a little. :-)

Next stop is Ecuador. Leaving in a few weeks!

THE WORLD IS BURNING a short film

http://vimeo.com/54686165

A CABINOLOGY fan is working on this project. Check it out! Help if you can!
(Always makes me a bit nervous when a coyote decides to follow me at night near my own home.)

Costa Rica

Just a few cabin-y highlights from my adventures in Manuel Antonio, Quepos, Costa Rica with my Appalachian Trail hiking buddy from FIT...

¡Sloth Sanctuary!

(I feel a Kristen Bell meltdown coming on!)

Check out this amazing project to save the sloths and their habitat! ...I haven't even been yet and I already can't wait to go back.

http://www.slothsanctuary.com/

http://www.slothsanctuary.com/

Delfin Amazon Cruises

http://www.delfinamazoncruises.com/

Aloha Lanikai

I'm back from a Hawaiian adventure with Airplantman, illparagraphics, and friends. We had a great time in Lanikai/Kailua on Oahu, beaching, hiking, BBQing, drinking Lanikai Juice every day, and cruising around the island in our convertible rental cars. We also conveniently arrived just hours before the area's weekly farmer's market, where we stocked up on the best papayas, apple bananas, rambutans, and avocados I've ever tasted!

I am normally never a fan of graffiti, but it's a completely acceptable local art form at the WWII bunkers we hiked to above Lanikai, where it contrasts beautifully with the stunning island views and lush mountain greenery. I couldn't resist urging Airplantman to ask some awesome local Hawaiian boys to let us borrow their spray paint for a quick little tag of our initials. They generously obliged! They also let me photograph them in action:

I'm usually a bit of a souvenir hog but, since I was traveling with mostly guys (who were awesome BTW), and we were in a condo on a hotel-free side of the island, the selection this time is simplified... and also more locally supportive than some of my typical (imported) ABC store finds. (Not to say I don't love it all!)

Coconut hand sanitizer from Lanikai Bath and Body and Monstera Leaf earrings by Leighton Lam.

¡Cabins!

Check out these incredible cabins in Guadalupe, Mexico!

http://www.designboom.com/weblog/cat/9/view/18486/gracia-studio-endemico-resguardo-silvestre.html

Cold Spring Tavern, I wish you were closer

Another family trip North! Here's a little more of Cold Spring Tavern:

I had my usual vegetarian quiche and then attempted this poor old piano we found outside... it worked slightly better than it looked like it would.

Santa Ynez Day Trippin' Part V: Solvang Antique Center

Yes, the day wasn't over yet. My parents and I are determined and focused. Before dinner and the drive home we hit up the Solvang Antique Center, one of my mom's antique teacup sources. I haven't appreciated antiques in the past but I found a few treasures to hold my interest.

Santa Ynez Day Trippin' Part IV: Farm Fresh

Yes, we kept going! Our next stop was the peace barn I blogged about previously. I cannot pass this exit off of the I-101 without buying their organic heirloom tomatoes, and the pumpkin everything was delightful as well.

Wait a minute. There's more. Just past the farms is a hike so easy, it should be called a stroll. Even my mom could enjoy this one. So we took a short detour to see the waterfall and take in some fresh air.

Santa Ynez Day Trippin' Part III: Huber Cellars

Yes, we packed a lot into this one day! ...Next up was wine-tasting. This is something that my family hasn't been interested in for long, but after my parents dropped their last daughter, me, off at school in Santa Cruz, they passed through wine country and stopped on a whim. Good thing, because they could use the excitement! Now they like to do a tasting now and then. None of us have the most sophisticated taste, (I'm thinking of a certain purchase of a case of unpleasant Merlot my mom "loved.") but you really don't have to know much to enjoy yourself.

We went to Huber Cellars because the grandson of the owners sold my dad is last car. Good way to pick a tasting room right? Well, it worked. We had such a lovely experience!

The winery is run by a sweet elderly couple, who's tasting room is attached to their home on their vinyard. You drive up a dirt road lined with vines, park in their driveway, and follow the signs around the side of their house to the patio. Here you'll be greeted by a sweet dog named Heidi, who has two different colors eyes and is beautiful. The tasting room is tiny and built into the house, but we went on such a beautiful day that they'd set up outside. The tasting was accompanied by home-made treats by Mrs. Huber herself, including Jalapeno Jelly which was available for a $5 donation to the Humane Society. (Obviously this woman and I have a few things in common.) Mr. Huber poured the wine and we sat on their patio with their dog and admired the gorgeous property and weather. It was so very comfortable and so perfectly beautiful. To me this was a flawless presentation. ...and the wine was good too. We bought a few bottles of three different kinds. I loved it so much. Huber Cellars is a lovely secret to share with your friends on a beautiful day on the central coast.

Santa Ynez Day Trippin' Part II: Cold Spring Tavern

Cold Spring Tavern, in the Santa Barbara Mountains, is a restaurant my family has visited and loved for years. We even had Thanksgiving there one year, long before I became a vegetarian. I love the place and hadn't been since starting CABINOLOGY, so I ate a lot of good food and took a lot of cabin photos. So many photos, that I had to make a series of collages to make it easier to share most of them. I can't wait to go back soon.

Santa Ynez Day Trippin' Part I: Solvang

As if Catalina Island weren't enough, I then took a jam-packed day-trip North with my parents to run some errands around Santa Ynez.

We started with a stop at my mom's favorite yarn store in Solvang, Village Spinning & Weaving, which carries special peruvian yarns she can't find anywhere else. I thought I'd be bored, but the place was really interesting. (Turns out we own a small loom somewhere in the house, and I'm feeling inspired to learn to use it.)

We stopped at a mission on our way out of town. My dad and I appreciate the mossy old roof tiles:

Catalina Island, CA

The weekend did not go as planned... we went to Catalina Island instead of Palm Springs!

The trip was great. We took a motor boat out on the water to look for hidden coves, spotted garibaldi and other fish, played mini golf, bowled, played arcade games, explored the island via golf cart, vegged on the beach, etc! We happened to arrive on the day of the local arts festival in Avalon, so we listened to live bluegrass music and checked out crafts and games. There's also a Jazz festival going on during most weekends in October right now, so there were musicians and instruments everywhere we looked. We stayed at the Zane Grey Pueblo Hotel, which I've been eyeing for years now. It's not fancy... it's like a cross between a friend's ranch house and a motel... but I love it. The atmosphere is so natural and it has the best views of any hotel on the island. It almost felt like camping, but with a few more amenities at hand. I'm looking forward to staying there again.

http://www.zanegreypueblohotel.com/

And, of course, the CABINOLOGY...