Cinque Terre

The spring weather has finally decided to grace Florence with its presence. You can now easily sight Americans because many of them will be wearing shorts. Be warned, though, when choosing to wear shorts in April in Florence, you are ensured to get at least two up-downs. Apparently Italians continue to wear jackets and scarves in 70-degree weather. The perfect weather came just in time for my weekend in Cinque Terre. It was a gorgeous Saturday and Sunday in para..para…paradise, and I am so glad I will experience it again with my parents when they visit in May. It was a great foretaste of what is to come.

 Cinque Terre consists of five colorful fishing towns (Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore) on the coast of the Mediterranean. On Saturday we explored all five towns by way of the train that connects the “lands,” and it’s only about a four-minute ride to each town. Every town had its own feel and was different from each other. I would say Vernazza and Riomaggiorre were my favorite.

 We had lunch in Vernazza at the incredible Belforte Restaurant. You walk up these stairs that lead you to the restaurant that looked like it was in a little stone tower. We ate on the top overlooking the gorgeous blue sea. A straw roof protected us from the sun and a cool breeze kept us refreshed. They serve incredible local seafood and homemade pasta. Cara and I split the Tagliatelle pasta with zucchini and shrimp. It was divine. Our waiter was quite nice and gave us several refills of bread as well as some complementary wine and a shot of something (I don’t even know what it was haha). Every meal is better when something free is included! We definitely felt like we were living the high life.

 We watched the sun set in Riomaggiore. If you’ve ever seen pictures of the colorful houses on the coasts of Italy, it was more than likely taken in Riomaggiore. Definitely postcard worthy.

Sunday was spent taking a super cool hike with Laurel and Cara. We started walking a paved biking/running path that used to be a railroad. It had lots of tunnels. Dark cool tunnels. It was beautiful because it followed the coastline to another beachy town. There we did a short hike up along the rocky coast. It reminded me a lot of the Californian coast.

The rest of the day was spent on the beach in Monterosso. We weren’t about to spend 18 euro on a bottle of sunscreen so…. I am now the hue of a cherry tomato and I’m pretty sure I crunch when I walk. #worthit.

 My editing system has been acting wacky, so none of these photos have been edited, but I wanted to share them with you so you can see the natural beauty of the Italian coast.

Vernazza

Lunch time

Breathtaking views from the restaurant

Vernazza

The not-so-secret beach

Riomaggore

Sunset at Riomaggiore

Such a fun hike

My Favorite Family Vacation

In July of 2010, the Scheel Family got on a plane and flew to Las Vegas. We journeyed through places they would never forget. This trip has been my favorite family trip in the states thus far. It is possible that that bold statement may be changed in the future depending on a bigger and better vacation, but for the moment, this trip goes down in the books as a trip everyone relished. We only wish Becky could have shared it with us. She unfortunately...and both fortunately was working at CAMP-of-the-WOODS that summer. From shaking the glitter off in Las Vegas (that’s what you get for waking up in Vegas), to watching the sun both rise and set over the Grand Canyon, to driving off-road in the canyon-lands of Moab National Park, to picnicking in the wildflowers of Utah, to horseback riding in Zion, every moment out west is a priceless memory.

The western landscape is both baron and magnificent. I wish every human being could see the Grand Canyon in person. I just absolutely adore the place. I hope to take my kids there one day so they can hopefully experience the same pleasure I did in seeing the God of the Universe’s creativity in landscaping. I took a video camera and taped some footage that doesn’t do the place justice, but you’re welcome to partake in my amateur video skills. I’m also putting up our itinerary and some notes, because if YOU ever need ideas of places to explore when you take your trip southwest, you can perhaps get some plans from ours.

July 10:
Arrive in Vegas.
Sleep.

July 11:
Impressively hot.
Walk down Freemont Street in Vegas.
Disco Festival. Colorful people.
Main Street Station Buffet. Lots of food for cheap.

July 12: Nevada
Leave Vegas. Head to Phoenix.
Hoover Dam. Massive.
Chloride, AZ. Awesome ghost town. May have spotted the Mystery Machine.
Phoenix. pooool.

July 13: Grand Canyon
Gas station lunch.
Grand Canyon sunset. Glorious.
Set up camp.

July 14:
Grand Canyon sunrise. cry.
“Ooh Aah Point” hike into canyon. Nice weather in the morning.
Dad, Kate, Amy hike the rim to visitor center
Nap.
IMAX movie of Grand Canyon. Recommended.
Saw Elk at camp.
Sunset.

July 15:
Sunrise/pack up camp. Raced the sun. beat it.
Last look at Canyon. Meet friends from the Netherlands. Suggested we check out Antelope Canyon.
Indian Reservation. Met Chief Tsosie.
Antelope Slot Canyon in CO. Met Italians Valentina and Antillo. Took amazing pictures.
Horseshoe Bend River.
Mesa Verde Lodge. Stargaze.

July 16: Mesa Verde, CO
Cliff Palace of the ancient Pueblo’s in Mesa Verde National Park.
Balcony House. Ancient carved house from rock. Looks like Italy.
Eat wild boar.

July 17: Moab, Utah
Leave Mesa Verde.
Arches National Park. ROCKS.
4-Wheeling in Canyonlands.
Stayed in cabin that night. AC.

July 18:
Castle Rock in Arches NP.
Mountain bike trail on slickwalk.

July 19: Bryce, Utah
Sunrise.
Drink coffee in the beautiful lodge at Bryce Canyon NP.
Hike.
Nap.
Swim with Germans.
Dad and Amy hike rim trail, Momma and Kate hang at lodge.

July 20:
Bryce Point.
Drive through Cedar Banks. Wildflowers and beautiful valley with rolling green hills.
Set up camp at Zion NP.
Swim in river.
Weeping Rock Hike in Zion.
Hang at lodge.

July 21:
Horseback riding in canyon. Sweaty butt. Ride Charley.
Hike The Narrows. River hike.
Swim in river.

July 22:
Angel’s Landing Hike in Zion. Adrenaline rush.
Drive back to Vegas. Stay in Tuscany Suites. Night swim.

July 23:
Cut flight close!
Home.