Tag Archives: beach

Turks and Caicos: Leeward and Sharkbite’s

20151218_114233Our day was off to a slow start. We decided to do some prepping for the rest of the week and cranked up the grill to cook some chicken, burgers, and veggie burgers, as well as prep other food for the remainder of the week. After that, we were off to the beach. First stop, North East part of the island called Leeward. Continue reading

Spring Break 2015: From Surf to Snow

Spring Break 2015: Rincon, Puerto Rico Day 5

rincon_pr_day5_IMG_5069It was our last day in Puerto Rico for Spring Break. We had a completely different second half planned to go snowboarding and we were off to Denver later in the day. But first, we had to soak in as much sun as possible before heading to the airport. We enjoyed our remaining time on the beaches near our condo. Continue reading

Surf, Sailing, and Sun in Rincon, Puerto Rico

Spring Break 2015: Rincon, Puerto Rico Day 4

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Another beautiful day in Rincon was on tap. An early morning surf session with some of the leftover swell was a great way to start the day. Then the family was all geared up for a morning sail on the Katarina and some snorkeling in the Tres Palmas Marine Reserve. This was day four of our Spring Break and our last full day on the island of Puerto Rico. Continue reading

Spring Break 2015: Rincon, Puerto Rico Day 3

rincon_pr_day2_IMG_5008It was another good day of surf in Rincon, leftovers from the big swell were still coming in. Spring Break was in full effect and I was up early and in the water before 7:30 am. The rest of the day had more in store for us, including a trip to the Rincon Beer Company. Continue reading

Cristobal Lights Up the NC Surf Scene

cristobal_bipie_23All my research was complete and the call was made for the morning: Emerald Isle was the spot, fingers crossed. Hurricane Cristobal was sitting off the coast, pumping in swell. I used a combination of MagicSeaWeed and SwellInfo to help me pinpoint a surf location—be sure to check out my post Surfing the open data wave that highlights how open data is used by surf forecasting tools. As a surfer stuck inland, if I’m getting in the car to drive two plus hours, I want to maximize my time. Continue reading

Winter Surf on the Outer Banks

Kill Devil Hills surf forecast via MagicSeaweed.com

Kill Devil Hills surf forecast via MagicSeaweed.com

On the evening of Friday, March 7, 2014, I started preparing for a winter surf session on the Outer Banks. I gathered my wetsuit and various wetsuit parts, including booties, gloves, hood, and other layers. I packed all my gear in my surf tote and got my surfboard ready. I’d been watching the surf forecast all week and it looked like Saturday afternoon would be firing. Continue reading

St. Martin Day Six: Sailing Around the Island

sxm_day6_13Our last full day on St. Martin was going to be awesome, no matter what. Rain or shine, we wanted to go out with a bang. So we signed up for a catamaran tour around the island with Eagle Tours.

The shuttle picked us up a little after 8:00 am and took us Philipsburg for our island tour. We boarded the catamaran and enjoyed the view of the south side of the island as we started the day. Continue reading

St. Martin Day Five: La Galion, Grand Case, and a Christmas Parade

sxm_day5_07Day what? For those of you paying attention to a calender, you’d know it was Sunday. For those of us on island time, we barely noticed. The weekend on St. Martin is jamming and we are part of the island vibe.

It was another early day, yes, I went barefoot running for about 24 minutes again at 6:00 am Atlantic Time. I’m totally digging the foot freedom on the white sandy beaches of Grand Case. Our preparation last night had us ready for another full day at the beach. After breakfast and making our picnic lunch, we were off to Le Galion beach again. Continue reading

St. Martin Day Four: Surf at Le Galion

sxm_day4_05Our vacation is slipping away. After Merri Beth’s birthday it was time to get some sun on the beach. I started off the day with another barefoot run on the beach in Grand Case. Then Zander and I hopped in the water for about 20 minutes. The sun was barely coming up over the mountain ridge and the entire family was up, getting ready for the day. While we were finishing breakfast, a quick rain shower came through and a rainbow brightened our day.

We didn’t have anything planned, so we went with a beach day at Le Galion. It’s a family-friendly beach, rated number one on the island (or so the sign said). So we indulged. And the family friendliness was apparent as we drove up. Continue reading

St. Martin Day Three: MB’s Birthday with Butterflies

sxm_day3_05It was another beautiful day on St. Martin. And it was a special day too, because it was Merri Beth’s birthday. The entire household was up early to celebrate (we wish)—it must be the island night life. I went out for another run, barefoot, after first breakfast. I came back to have second breakfast as the family was getting ready for the day.

Our first stop was the The Butterfly Farm located on the east side of the island near Orient Bay. We arrived shortly after they opened, perused the area for about 20 minutes, then went on a guided tour to learn all the things we wished we’d known about butterflies. Continue reading