Empire Mines State Park in Grass Valley California provides a fascinating historical view into one of California’s largest, deepest, and most abundant gold mines. Across more than a century it produced over 5.8 million ounces of gold from its 367 subterranean miles of mine shafts (most of which are […]
Velocity Island Aqua Park in Woodland California is a fun family getaway with a number of things to do on hot sunny days. The water park includes a wide range of activities for different ages and interests. A complex set of floating water obstacles fill a large artificial […]
After a six-hour bus ride from Tayrona National Park that included riding on a flat tire for miles, we arrived in Cartagena. The town offered intriguing history as a primary strategic Colombian location for centuries. It was filled with pretty painted homes, huge ornate wooden doors with metalwork, and a […]
Following our long and sweaty trek to The Lost City / Ciudad Perdida, we headed for a little pre-planned luxury at Los Naranjos beach on the northeast edge of Tayrona National Park. We enjoyed an air-conditioned beach side cabin at Casa Tayrona Los Naranjos, with fancy meals and a pool […]
Across our entire cross-Colombia excursion, my overall favorite and completely different experience was the jungle trek to Ciudad Perdida, The Lost City.
To get near Ciudad Perdida, The Lost City, we stopped over for a visit to Santa Marta. Santa Marta was a smaller, somewhat rundown city with some history and […]
I entered Colombia in a brain fog from a night of sporadic 20-minute naps totaling two hours of sleep. I flew overnight from Seattle to Medellin, across four flights and attempts at sleep constantly interrupted by tilting sideways, neck strain, or a pilot announcing air turbulence at 3:00 am as […]
Jardin beckoned to us: a small, colorful, beautiful town cradled by surrounding green mountains. We arrived after a 4-hour drive from Medellin. Even just getting there was fun.
Alex, our driver, took us from the paved urban roads of Medellin to the bumpy, rocky, rutted, dusty roads among small mountain towns. […]