Magic of the Iao Needle in Wailuku Valley

Was it just a coincidence that the Maui Beach Hotel where I was staying sits on Kahalui Bay where Kamehameha landed in the late 1790 with his armada of Alapa warriors?  From the beach at the hotel, I can see the mouth of the impregnable Wailuku Valley backed by steep cliffs and the primordial Iao needle

Iao Needle

piercing clouds hovering on its flank. .

 I tried to imagine the scene. Hundreds of warriors landing in double-hulled outriggers wearing the red malos of war, carrying spears and short knives. They trampled over the Mauin forces that met them at this beach and then marched “onward to Wailuku” several miles inland to defeat Kahikili,

Mauin Warrior

Kamehameha’s arch rival for power over the Islands. They rolled Lopeka, a cannon seized from a western sloop, up the rocky trail until they backed the Mauin forces into a corner at Wailuku. The slaughter that ensued was harsh even for the time.

Was it just chance that Kona Winds literally blew me off the beach at Paia yesterday and forced me to the venture to the sheltered valley?  When I arrived, the iconic Iao needle normally obscured by thick clouds flashed a brilliant green spotlighted by afternoon sun. The sheer 3,000- foot-pali that protect the valley sheathed in thick blue-green verdure are impossible to climb.

Wailuku River

 Water whispers sweetly through taro ponds with rust-red ti leaves on the edges creating an Eden-like setting for a Hawaiian village. Four streams merge here to form the Wailuku River that was clogged with bodies and ran red when Kamehameha’s warriors finally did conquer the Mauin forces after many failed attempts.
It seemed a guiding force brought me here to witness the glory of this valley. Was it the spirit of Ka’hahumnu who wanted me to know the beauty of this place haunted by the ghosts of so brave warriors? Was she trying to help me get the Hawaiian story right? I like to think so.

Adventure-travel writer, Linda Ballou, shares Great Outdoor days in L.A, as well as a host of travel articles on her site, along with information about her travel memoir, Lost Angel Walkabout-One Traveler’s Tales, her historical novel Wai-nani, A Voice from Old Hawai’i and her latest action-adventure novel The Cowgirl Jumped over the Moon at-www.LindaBallouAuthor.com.  

View from the top of a Clydesdale

I never thought I would have to use a stepladder to mount my horse, but life is full of surprises.

Don't look down

The Covell’s Clydesdale Ranch in Cambria is home to over 100 of these gentle giants. They offer rides on their 2,000 acres of privately owned land in the heart of the Central Coast. If you ever yearned to experience the vast green meadows framed in green fringes of forest and to know the intense beauty of early California, this is your chance. 

Tara Covell

Tara Covell will meet you at the gate and deliver you down about a mile of dirt road to the staging area. There you will meet your ever so sweet mount for the next hour or so. The bulk of these horses is intimidating at first, but once aboard you feel like you in a comfy recliner. Their stride is so huge you cover a lot of ground at a walk. The trot is bouncy and the canter feels like you are floating. Because these horses are mostly used for driving carts you are told to steer them like the handlebars on a bike.

The ride takes you through a forest of Monterey Pine  A cooling sea breeze greets you after a heart-thumping canter up a hill to a panorama you won’t soon forget.

to the top of the world with an eye-popping 360-degree vista that stretches to the shimmering Pacific. You will see hawks, wild gobblers, and finches flitting through the canopy on the way. Shy bobcat, mountain lion and foxes live here as well, but they don’t come out in the daytime.

If you are not a rider, tours of the ranch are offered by owner, Ralph Covell, by request. If you get to the Cambria in the heart of the Central Coast don’t miss this special opportunity for a totally unique experience.

 You must make reservations.

Covell California Clydesdales

http://www.covellscaliforniaclydesdales.com/home.html

For more adventures in Cambria Download Visit Cambria App

Adventure travel writer, Linda Ballou, has a host of articles on her site along with information about her novels and articles at www.LindaBallouauthor.com

Subscribe to Linda’s blog www.LindaBallouTalkingtoyou.com to receive updates on books, and travel destinations and events.

Hot Tips from Travel Gurus at L.A. Travel Show

I had the pleasure of listening to Pauline Frommer and Peter Greenberg. Here are some of thier best tips.
 I

Pauline Frommer at www.Frommers.com  has tons of good info including podcasts of recent Travel Show Talks.

Peter Greenberg of Travel Detective fame. PBS show with lots of nuts and bolts information that helps you “Get off the Brochure.”

Peter insists that you get good travel insurance before you go. www.Insuremytrip.com is a good site to compare companies that offer travel insurance. He loves Medjetassistance.com and buys an annual policy. I use Travel Guard. They are the only company I know of that will give you medical emergency travel insurance separate from a larger all-inclusive policy

He likes .Darksky weather app because it lets him know the weather conditions where he is going.

www.TourRadar.com  according to Pauline is a wonderful source for finding the right outfitter for the region you want to explore. Outfitters from around the globe are listed here. Just enter your destination and away you go.

www.stridetravel.com is another site that gives you a roundup of outfitters

www.hostelbookers.com  is Pauline’s favorite source for lodging search. She says hostels are much nicer than they used to be and are cheaper than hotels.

www.autoslash.com. They give you best price on car rentals and apply any coupons that are applicable. What is more they will drop the price if it changes while you are waiting to begin your trip. Be sure and get their insurance if you are traveling in a foreign country.  Especially, if you are not used to driving on the “wrong side” of the road.

www.toursbylocals.com   is a great site if you have a couple of days before connecting with a group, or are an independent traveler. Just contact them ahead of time and they will be happy to give a very personal tour of their region. Let them know what you are especially interested in and they will try to comply.

HAPPY TRAVELS

Find a host of adventure travel articles at www.LindaBallouAuthor.com.

 Subscribe to her blog   http://lindaballoutalkingtoyou.blogspot.com

 and receive updates on her books, and travel destinations.

Join her on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/linda.ballou.9  

Sneak Peek of Iguazu Falls

My South American sojourn with Overseas Adventure Travel began and ended in Buenos Aires, but fellow travlers went on to explore Iguazu Falls. Susan Pedrick, an avid photographer, captured highlights of the worlds largest falls and is sharing them here. I admit that after seeing her photo essay that I wish I had gone the extra distance. 

Catwalk to the falls

Igauzu Falls

Devil's throat

Local children

Buffet at Eco Lodge

Relaxing at days end

Thank you Susan Pedrick for sharing your images


My mission is to get to as many beautiful places I can before they are gone!!
www.LindaBallouAuthor.com

South American Sojourn Trilogy

 My sojourn in South America began and ended in Buenos Aires where half the population of Argentina reside. Like most Americans, my knowledge of the geography of South America is a bit fuzzy. The journey took me to less-traveled parts of Argentinaand Chile providing an overview of the landscape and high points, which I have shared in a series of pieces. 

First Stop: Buenos Aires to Bariloche, Argentina

Church bells ring outside my window and remind me that Buenos Aires is a strongly Catholic town.

You may recall that Pope Francis is from Buenos Aires and and he often returns to speak at the Metropolitan Cathedral, considered the heart of the city—a city that is a frenetic beehive of activity.  Buenos Aires to Bariloche

Second Stop  

Puerto Varas, nestled sweetly on the south shore of Llanquihue (“yan key way”) the largest lake in Chile, is the adventure hub of the Chilean Lake District.  On the far shore, the snow-tipped Orsorno Volcano offers head-spinning vistas for hikers in the summer (November-March) and in winter, thrilling downhill ski runs.

In the glacier moraine valley below lies the gateway to Vicente Pérez Rosales National Park, where you can explore the Petrohué Waterfalls. Puerto Varas is also the headquarters for Pumalín Park, a pristine wilderness area with native forests laced with cascading waterfalls. Let Adventure Find you in Puerto Varas

Third Stop

I am sipping coffee at Hotel Lago Grey in Torres del Paine, Chile before everyone arrives for breakfast. An exquisite rainbow is arcing to the left of a panorama of turquoise glacier-fed waters framed in snow tipped-giants that soar to 10,000 feet. I feel as misty as the gauzy clouds drifting over the Paine Massif; privileged to behold the grandeur before me.  Wet and Wild Patagonia

The Iconic " Horns" are behind me

This was an incredible journey. I would love to go back and horseback ride, river raft and hike in all of these regions. Thank you to Overseas Adventure Travel for giving me this overview

My mission is to get to as many beautiful places I can before they are gone!! 

www.LindaBallouAuthor.com

Let the Adventure Find You in Puerto Varas,Chile

 Puerto Varas, nestled sweetly on the south shore of Llanquihue (“yan key way”) the largest lake in Chile, is the adventure hub of the Chilean Lake District.  On the far shore, the snow-tipped Orsorno Volcano offers head-spinning vistas for hikers in the summer (November-March) and in winter, thrilling downhill ski runs.

In the glacier moraine valley below lies the gateway to Vincent Perez National Park where you can explore the Petrohue Falls. Puerto Varas is also the headquarters for the Pumalin Park, a pristine wilderness area with native forests laced with cascading waterfalls.Full article on my "Boomer Column."

NOTE: My sojourn in South America with Overseas Adventure Travel began and ended in Buenos Aires where half the population of Argentina reside. Like most Americans, my knowledge of the geography of South America is a bit fuzzy. The journey took me to less-traveled parts of Argentina and Chile providing an overview of the landscape and high points I will be sharing in a series of pieces. This is the second:

My mission is to get to as many beautiful places she can before they are gone! I shares a host of travel articles on my site, along with information about my travel memoir, Lost Angel Walkabout-One Traveler’s Tales.  

www.LindaBallouAuthor.com.  

Join her at Facebook –https://www.facebook.com/linda.ballou.9

Subscribe to her blog at -http://lindaballoutalkingtoyou.blogspot.com/

Let Your Spirit be Free

Frenchman's Creek by Daphne du Maurier
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What a treat. From the very first sentence you are drawn into the scene with descriptions of the sea and the Cornwall Coast that becomes a character in the story.
“When the east wind blows up Helford River the shining waters become troubled and disturbed and little waves beat angrily upon the sandy shores.”
Du Maurier infuses the story of an English aristocratic woman in the 1800’s, a caged bird, who yearns to escape the stilted trappings of court life in London. Dona yearns to be a man with all the privledges and freedom accorded her brothers and for adventure and romance. She is an intelligent, beautiful woman who wields power over her husband, but still yearns to escape the confines of her marriage. She meets the Frenchman, a pirate by trade, who spends hours doing sketches of birds. He takes her with him on a raid and lets her spread her adventurous wings. She falls in love with a mirror image of the spirit within her that yearns to be free. I was not happy with the ending because I would have let my heart lead the way. But, this story is set in time when women were struggling for emotional and financial independence. Still, the writing is superb with insights into the human dilemma, marvelous descriptions that place you at sea and in the forest where you smell the moss and dark earth. Plus, an intriguing plot filled with suspense. I have much to learn from this great writer


View all my reviews

Can We Talk? Interview on Author Express

Interview with travel-writer, Linda Ballou from Cindy Bauer

Buenos Aires to Splendid Bariloche

As promised, here is the first article Buenos to Bariloche in the heart of the Lake District in Argentina posted on my "Boomer Column" at www.nabbw.com

First Stop: Buenos Aires to Bariloche, Argentina

Church bells ring outside my window and remind me that Buenos Aires is a strongly Catholic town.

You may recall that Pope Francis is from Buenos Aires and and he often returns to speak at the Metropolitan Cathedral, considered the heart of the city—a city that is a frenetic beehive of activity. 

read full article here

Enjoy learning more about this diverse region full of outdoor adventures.

Adventure travel writer, Linda Ballou, has a host of articles on her site along with information about her novels and articles at www.LindaBallouauthor.com

Subscribe to Linda’s blog www.LindaBallouTalkingtoyou.com to receive updates on books, and travel destinations and events.

Sojourn in South America

My sojourn in South America began and ended in Buenos Aires. Like most Americans my knowledge of the geography of the South America was a bit fuzzy. This journey took me to less-traveled parts of Argentina and Chile providing me with an over-view of the landscape and high points I want to share in a series of pieces on my “Boomer” Column at www.NABBW.com. I will share the links of the pieces as they are published.

First Stop Buenos Aires

to Baraloche Lake
District-the chocolate capital of Argentina.

Second I take you across the Andes to Puerto Varas nestled on the shores of the largest lake in Chile where I hiked the flank of Orsono Volcano.

Not last, and certainly not least, Punta Arenas to Torres Del Paine the wild land at the end of the Earth.

 Finale: Christmas dinner in El Calafate and hiking the maze in Los Glaciares National Park

I hope you will join me on this epic journey orchistrated by Overseas Adventure Travel OATtravel.com

Adventure travel writer, Linda Ballou, has a host of articles on her site along with information about her novels and articles at www.LindaBallouauthor.com

Subscribe to Linda’s blog www.LindaBallouTalkingtoyou.com to receive updates on books, and travel destinations and events.