Mesa Verde, CO, USA

For UEA break, I went to Mesa Verde, Monument Valley and Moab. But this post is about Mesa Verde. To be honest, I am not a fan of camping or like anything outdoors. This was actually pretty rad though. If you've never been you're probably asking, what is Mesa Verde? Well, I hope I answer that by the end of this blog.

Mesa Verde is or should I say was home to many Pueblo Native Americans. The Pueblos built their houses in the sides of canyon walls. The houses are made of bricks, rocks and sticks stuck together by mud. I must say it is pretty cool. They had to climb up and down the walls of the canyons to just get to their house. Imagine if you had to boulder down a vertical wall of rock with no footholds just to get home. Sounds tough, right? There are several places you can go inside of such as: Balcony House, Spruce Tree, Long House and many more.

Cliff House (Image Courtesy to Live Science)

Wherever you look in these canyons there will be a building, but they are very hard to find due to the colour and style. Some are in clusters, such as the cliff house above, and some are just scattered houses by themselves. Those can be mistaken for just holes in the rocks instead of windows or buildings. If an opportunity to go take tours of these houses arises, I would highly recommend it.

It is great for kids but not toddlers. You see, touching the rocks with your hands ruins the clay colour and make the rocks black. Toddlers have a tendency to touch EVERYTHING. Also, there are a lot of ladders to get into and out of the houses so they may be scared. It is really fun for everyone though and it's a great learning experience. If you want to try something new but not too crowded this is the right place. :)

Maui, HI, USA

Straying from the topic of Southern California, but staying with beaches, allow me to talk about Hawaii. Hawaii seems to be everyone's go-to vacation spot already but I feel like I could make you want to go even more. Honomanu Bay is a discrete beach located in the Ko'olau Forest Reserve. The bay doesn't really have normal sand, it has black rocks that make up the beach. Some may say, oh that's not a beach because it doesn't have sand. I beg to differ. It is very much so a beach as anywhere else on this island is. You don't need sand to have a beach.

Honomanu Bay (A photo I took)

Maui isn't just all beaches and great surf, there's a lot more you can do. For example, taking a drive down the coast towards Kaanapali there's so many restaurants and shops that are on the beach. For example Whaler's Village is an outdoor mall with apparel shops, dining, jewelry and much more. There are a ton of shops all around this island and all of which are amazing but I prefer the stores that line the streets in the country of Paia. Like Whaler's Village, there are all kinds of places to shop and dine. Paia is on the coast as well but on the other side of the island.

Oh my gosh, I forgot about one of the most amazing things you can do on Maui! There's boat tour where you can take a ferry around the island and swim with turtles and fish. It is honestly so much fun and a great experience. The ferry then takes you out to an island off of Maui called Lanai. Lanai is not a very touristy island, I would like to think that most tourists would be caught up with all the shopping in Maui. If you get the chance to take this boat ride, I would definitely advise doing it.

Maui always has nice days, even when it's raining, the island is beautiful. If you're lucky, you may catch a Hawaiian rainbow during a rain storm. Hawaii is an amazing state but even though plane tickets are super expensive, it is definitely worth it. Just one week here will get you tanned, relaxed and not ready to go home. Keep this place in mind when you plan your next family vacation! :)

St. Helena, CA, USA

St. Helena, California is a small town just North of San Francisco and a couple miles away from Napa Valley. This town is a very calm area about 25 miles wide and about 15 minutes away from the town of Calistoga. Lining the streets, there are vineyards and wineries that line the main road along with many shops. Right before the small street, there is a roadside burger place called Gott's Roadside. I must say that Gott's is definitely a place you want to try if you visit St. Helena. They provide burgers, fries, seafood, hotdogs, salads and so much more. But there is more than just shops and restaurants. If you are older than 21, you can buy a wine passport which allows you tours of each winery in the local area, such as: Markham Vineyards, Beringer Winery, Sterling Vineyards and many more. Or, take the wine train and wine taste in the finest train you've ever been in.

A photo I took of the Charles Krug Vineyards

There is so much more to do in this small town than just winery tours. There are trails that run through the wooded areas alongside the main roads that are open to all kinds of recreation. Also, right at the trailheads, there are several campsites open to the public. To be completely honest, I do not advocate taking any small children to this town. Not because of the wine, but simply because there is not that much for them to do here.

Had enough wine and cheese? Take a trip to the many spas that are scattered around the area that will make you never want to leave. Or, dine in some top restaurants on the main street. One of my personal favorites is, Tra Vigne. Tra Vigne, is a very fancy Italian dining establishment that will place you in the middle of Italy when you are seated with fantastic foods. Speaking of cooking, if school is on your mind and you want to be a chef, visit the Culinary Institute of America and become a wine or food enthusiast. I hope this post made you interested in visiting St. Helena. This town is a very fine choice if you want a weekend away from a busy life. :)

San Clemente, CA, USA

San Clemente Sunset

San Clemente, a great summer getaway for beach town enthusiasts. Many houses along the coast are for rent and let me tell you they have amazing views. Almost any house in this town is in walking distance of the State Beach and the main street. On the main street, there are candy shops, restaurants, souvenir shops and, of course, surf shops lining the street all the way down to the beach. On the pier, there is one restaurant on each side called Fisherman's Restaurant and Bar. If you walk all the way down the pier, which is 1296 feet long, there is a snack place where you can get sweatshirts, phone cases, snacks, and fishing gear. If you want to take a train all the way down the coast and back to just see the area, you can buy a ticket for the Pacific Surfliner. This train runs from Los Angeles all the way to San Diego.

Any time is a great time to visit this town but one of the best times is the 4th of July. Instead of parades, people get dressed up and race down the steepest hill on...office chairs!! It's really amusing and half of the town goes and lines up to see it. Later at night, people crowd the beach as far as you can see and wait to watch the fireworks off the pier. Barely any people end up in the water because it's the middle of the night and it's quite dangerous but it is so much fun. If you paddle out with surfboards, it is an amazing once in a life time opportunity. The fireworks explode over your head and there's no one out there so the water isn't crowded at all. The trip back into the shore is very hard though. First of all, it's dark and you can't see the waves. Second, you don't know where the pier is and where the beach is. Lastly, there are rocks under you and a bunch of people on the shore.
To wrap up this post, San Clemente is definitely a place to put on your travel list if you like quiet, humble, beach towns. :)