Schmidt Adventures

A former coworker of Carl’s who used to live in the area recommended we kayak at Elkhorn Slough because there are typically sea otters around and who wouldn’t want to see sea otters up close?!?!  Crazy people, that’s who.

I kept my wildlife viewing expectations low because you never know with nature, but we were in luck and saw tons of otters, seals, birds (less exciting when there are otters and seals around), and a sea lion!!  We got to see otters eating, swimming, grooming and just generally being adorable.  We even saw a couple moms with their pups which was just the icing on the cake!

After that it was finally time to leave the Monterey Bay area (such a fun place) and continue north to San Francisco.  On our way, Carl found a delicious BBQ place called Sid’s and after that we stopped for coffee and to watch some surfers in Half Moon Bay.

I can’t believe how steep the streets of San Francisco are!!  Interested to walk around more tomorrow and check out Alcatraz!

We stayed in the Big Sur/Monterey area for an extra day because this place is great!  We hiked at McWay Falls and Big Sur and enjoyed all the scenery to be had on the way to and from both on Highway 1.  Unfortunately, the trail we wanted to do at Big Sur was closed, but the alternate trail we took provided some good exercise due to the uphill climb so we’re considering that a positive.  To cap off our day we visited Andrew Molera State Park and the beach there was beautiful!  We stood in the water where the Big Sur River meets the ocean and watched huge waves crash against Molera Point.

Off to bed in Watsonville for kayaking at Elkhorn Slough in the morning!

Geez we’ve sucked at keeping this updated!!  Since our last post we’ve been back in Illinois to visit our fams and for a super fun wedding, had a lovely week in Oahu, hung out in Rocky Point, Mexico, for another fantastic wedding, and made it to stop one of our two week West coast road trip!  Hope to add more details soon, but wanted to let everyone know we’re doing great!!

Inserted 01/16/18:

After staying at a hotel near the Phoenix airport for the night, we were off to meet up with our friends Matt and Anna who flew in from Illinois so we could carpool down to our friend Salli’s wedding in Rocky Point, Mexico.  After loading into the sweet minivan Matt had secured for us, we were in search of breakfast and ended up at Chicken and Donuts which serves exactly what you would assume based on the name and it was delicious!  Before heading for the border, we picked up a friend of Salli and Victoria’s who was waiting on the arrival of some photography equipment to use at the wedding.  Once Emma was all settled in the van, we were Mexico bound!  The ride went smoothly and was fun.  Since we hadn’t seen Matt and Anna in years, there was a lot to catch up on.  Crossing the border turned out to be very easy and we made it safely to the houses Salli and Victoria had rented for their wedding guests.  The houses were beautiful and right on the beach!!!  We found our rooms and decided on who would run to Sam’s Club for food and beverages.  Anna and I stayed behind while Matt and Carl went for goodies. Anna and I lounged on the patio and watched the sun go down before the boys came back and we had a wonderful evening hanging out around the firepit drinking tequila and beer.

Inserted 11/19/17:

On our first morning in Oahu, we got outside right away and did the Lanakai Pillbox hike.  Not only were there rocks to scramble on (one of my favorite things to do outdoors), but beautiful views from every angle!

The water looked so blue and sparkly and the sun was bright and warm, I wished there was a way I could jump in the ocean from the top of the hike.  (This started my belief that ziplines are an underutilized method of transportation.)

After hiking, it was time to head to the beach!  We spent a couple hours at Kailua Beach all set up with beach chairs, a beer cooler, and a pineapple raft (thanks, Claire!).

It was hard to leave the beach, as usual, but the Hilton Hawaiian Village was calling our name and it was time to head there to check-in.

After checking in and returning our rental car, the first thing on the agenda was finding a piña colada (my favorite tropical vacation drink).  We ended up at one of the Hilton bars called Tropix for drinks and delicious pork nachos.  (I could eat the nachos from this place everyday.)

Like the Hilton property we stayed at on the Big Island, there were new release dvds available every night so a movie was just the thing to cap off the night.  (It might sound lame to watch movies every night in Hawaii, but after full days of fun in the sun, you’re exhausted and movies are perfect.)

Inserted 11/19/17:

After a short visit home, it was on to the second half of our first retirement travels!  Up first…Oahu!  We loved the Big Island so much last year that it didn’t seem like a bad idea to fit another Hawaiian island into our travel plan.

When we booked, we could only get six nights at our timeshare property, but wanted to stay seven.  Around that time, a former vet med classmate of Carl’s posted on Facebook that she had recently moved to Oahu and had a guestroom for anyone who wanted to come visit.  Carl reached out and we were able to stay at Claire’s in Kailua for our first night!

Once we dropped our bags at her house we went on a hunt for lunch and ended up at this little nothing place connected to a bowling alley because their food seemed more authentically Hawaiian then anywhere else inexpensive we could find around.  Although the place looked like a church basement and was dead inside, I got to eat poke so I was happy!

We were hoping to find a happy hour to get a drink before Claire got off work and ended up sitting at a bar in a Whole Foods.  Not exactly local culture, but they had tons of beer on tap so it worked.  Next up, beers in Claire’s backyard waiting for her to get home from work.  Once she got home, we continued the backyard beer drinking while we caught up.  Claire’s friend Kinoah eventually joined us and the night involved a home cooked meal of steak and poke.  So delicious!!!!

After playing darts for a while, it got late and it was time for us to call it a night since we’d been up since 2 a.m. Chicago time.  Thank you to Claire for your hospitality and to Kinoah for your wonderful cooking!

Inserted 01/30/18:

On our final day in Florida, we headed to Eaton’s Beach, a cool outdoor bar with a little beach on Lake Weir.  My family only discovered this place in the last few years and it has quickly become my favorite hang out.  The weather was pretty nice so we spent our time sipping tropical drinks and laying on lounge chairs by the water.  Eventually we headed back to my grandparents’ house for leftovers and to say good bye before heading for the airport as it was time to head back to Illinois for a few days.

Inserted 01/25/18:

Today we got to visit our friends, Jeanne and Brad, in Gainesville, FL!  It was a beautiful day to sit in their backyard, drink some Oktoberfest, and catch-up since we hadn’t seen each other in years.  So glad Carl realized they lived there and we were able to make this work out!

We’ve been visiting my (Aubrey’s) grandparents since Sunday afternoon.  Our first full day here (Monday), we stayed around the house and spent all day catching up with Grandma and Grandpa.  They even offered to take us to breakfast which we jumped on because it’s rare to get them out of the house these days!  After breakfast they spent the day force feeding us and constantly reminding us that we were free to leave and do whatever we wanted to while we were there.

Today we drove an hour and a half south to the Richloam Wildlife Management area for some hiking.  We saw an alligator (I’m sure there were a million others looking at us, but we only saw one), lots of birds and butterflies, and a pygmy rattlesnake!

Before dinner we sat on the patio and read while we drank piña coladas since it cooled off a ton today and actually feels nice outside.  Now it’s time for a low key evening and maybe some pie…or cookies…or ice cream…or chocolate.  There is no shortage of treats when visiting Grandpa Jim.

Just wrapped up 5 nights in Miami filled with sun, the beach, Zoo Miami, a couple breweries, a walk through Wynwood Walls, a visit to Vizcaya, and a night drive through the Everglades.  Loved it!

Now visiting my grandparents in Summerfield, Florida for a few days!