“Every man should pull
a boat over a mountain
once in his life.”
~ Werner Herzog
“Every man should pull
a boat over a mountain
once in his life.”
~ Werner Herzog
“The lofty pine is oftenest shaken
by the winds; high towers fall
with a heavier crash; and the lightening
strikes the highest mountain.”
~ Horace
“I pass my time in the open air
on the beach when it is really
heavy weather or when the
boats go out fishing.”
~ Claude Monet
Soar to the Summit of Sulphur Mountain in Banff, Canada! Are you afraid of heights? Well, I am, which is why I continue to challenge those fears by meeting them head on. Perhaps, I have a spirit that soars…..as long as I keep my mind on the destination. Climbing into an enclosed gondola surrounded by glass and being suspended over the Bow Valley with a 360° view can be mind boggling. Did I mention the gondola has a glass bottom as well? There’s no escaping the multitude of emotion at the sight of jaw-dropping unbridled beauty. From the Banff Gondola observation deck at 7,486 feet above sea level, this is what it feels like to be on top of the world. In the distance, the picturesque town of Banff, with its château-style hotels and quaint shops, carries on as though this is how everyone else on the planet already lives.
For the biggest white gold sandy beach in Kauai, offering a panoramic view from sea to coast, you must be determined to make the road trip real. Everything is fine until you hit the state park sign at the end of Highway 50. The arrow points west and promises to be nothing less than tough for another four miles. I have witnessed discouraged tourists reverse direction and head back to solid ground. I have also witnessed rental cars broken down. The old sugar cane road is unpaved, extremely bumpy with deep ruts, and a single lane trail of sand at best. And that’s if it hasn’t rained in awhile. But the adventurous spirit must know no bounds. You know you have arrived when the landscape beyond the windshield joins mountain and beach in an unforgettable breath-taking view. Forget cell phone coverage. Radio station signals are nil. And unless you park at the end, beyond Queen’s Pond, no facilities are available. On the endlessly long and wide beach, sweeping sand dunes and clusters of lava rock, are washed with powerful white-capped waves that roar like a coalition of male lions. And this is Paradise. You have arrived!
Ascending miles above the town on hairpin curves, where the air turned thin and cool, we wound our way to the Waimea Canyon Lookout Point towering 3400 feet above sea level. At the edge of the parking lot, an ambitious entrepreneur set up an umbrella-shaded fruit stand. Dozens of cardboard crates were piled high with fresh cut bananas, avocados, passion fruit (lilikoi), mangos, dragon fruit, and pineapples, plus a refreshing natural juice bar was on hand. We absorbed the vibrant colors and ripe aromas for a few moments before continuing on. An uphill climb on a concrete footpath led us to the crest of the lookout where we received the most amazing surprise! “It’s a rainbow!”, I exclaimed from the ridge-top formation. Dividing the sky in half, between rugged mountain formations and low lying clouds, was the most brilliant arc of light illuminating the scene. Without a doubt the landscape before us was a celestial masterpiece beyond human sensibility. We stood there in awe….and then took countless photographs until it dissipated into thin air.