Trail Report- Havasupai Falls, Arizona

The Quick and Dirty:
Location: Havasupai Falls, Arizona
Distance: 20 miles round trip
Terrain Type: Trail is flat most of the way to Supai Village and the waterfalls
Difficulty:  Moderate when the weather is cool, difficult in the summer heat
Best Time: Early summer, late fall
Special Conditions: Advance permit reservation needed for over night camping and lodging. Water is not available throughout the hike into the campground, drinking water is available inside the Supai village and campground.

Duration: 2 days for us, 3-4 recommended for less experienced hikers looking for a more relaxing trip.

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Havasu Falls

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Trail Report- Momyer Creek Trail

The Quick and Dirty:
Location: San Bernardino National Forest
Distance: 11 miles round trip
Terrain Type: Steep elevation gain for the first 3 miles, trail not maintained at some parts
Difficulty:  Moderate
Best Time: All year round, water is abundant throughout the trail!
Special Conditions: Permit needed for over night camping. One of the lowest points in San Gorgonio, water is available pretty much all year round.

Duration: 2 days

We headed out to San Bernardino National Forest a couple weekends ago for a quick one night backpacking trip. The weather was gorgeous, perfect for a fall hike near home.

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Japan- Kyoto Imperial Palace

We woke up in Tokyo the next day and had a big breakfast before taking the JR train to Kyoto. The weather took a turn for the worse and it began raining hard early in the morning. Thankfully, the weather got better by the time we arrived in Kyoto.

The train ride from Shinagawa to Kyoto is a little over 2 hours. We are staying at Hotel Keihan Kyoto. It is a modest hotel at about $80 per night and it is within walking distance from the Kyoto station. We left our bags with the front desk and ventured out the a Kyoto for a place to eat lunch since we arrived much earlier than the check in time. We discovered a line of restaurants at the basement of the hotel we are staying at and each enjoyed a steamy bowl of udon for lunch, it was perfect rainy day food.

Udon, good eats

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Japan- Riding the JR Train

I have to admit, Japan has never been a country high on my list of must visit places. Being called one of the most expensive countries to visit, it’s a place Louis and I decided to splurge for ten days on our way to visit family in China. The trip all started from Louis’s mom insisting we pay homage to his relatives in China after our wedding in the U.S. When I saw plane tickets to Tokyo for $700, I knew this was the perfect chance to loop in Japan during our mandatory family visit. Continue reading

Trail Report: The Wave, Arizona

After spending a day hiking around Zion National Park, we spent another night in Hurricane and left early Sunday morning and headed towards The Wave, in Arizona.The drive from Hurricane to The Wave is about 2 hours. One thing we forgot to take into account was the time difference between Utah and Arizona, since this was before day lights savings time, we actually gained an hour going from Utah to Arizona and made it to the trail head around 7:30 AM. Once you turn off from Hwy 89 onto Red Rock Canyon Road, the road becomes unpaved and this last 10 mile stretch will take about 30 minutes depending on the road condition and weather. Based on our permit, a high clearance, 4WD vehicle came highly recommended but since there was no rain in the recent forecast, we decided to test out the road with our 2WD. The trail was surprisingly well maintained and luckily, we arrived at the trail head with no problems.

My recommendation for anyone who wants to drive a 2WD to The Wave is to check the weather forecast and make sure there is no rain predicted in the forecast. The  soil is fine and clayey on the road, with rain, it would be VERY easy to get stuck.

The Wave

The start of the trail, note the bright pink permit I had to hang off my backpack. Only 20 people are allowed on this trail per day.
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