Experiences

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Rene Hiking North Table Mountain; Golden, Colorado

Finding Bravery Rappelling Colorado Mountains

Despite being in my mid-forties and embarrassingly out of shape, I learned how to rappel on the North Table Mountain in Colorado. It’s not something I’d typically do, but in a fit of fancy, I booked the overly expensive, non-refundable adventure and chickening out wasn’t an option. Rappelling, also known as abseiling, is a controlled descent from a tall rock face or wall using a rope attached to something at the top. I should mention that I have an extreme...

Mt. Rushmore, South Dakota

Four Amazing Places to See in South Dakota

There are feats of nature and feats of man. Both are found side by side in South Dakota. I don’t know how Mt. Rushmore was conceived, but I imagine a bunch of men gawking at a beautiful mountain and thinking, “Huh, wouldn’t it be cool if we carved some faces there? Do ya think we can get the government to pay for it?” That’s not far from the truth, actually. It was intended to get attention to increase tourism to...

Surfboards on the ground

Learning to Surf in Costa Rica

It was 6:30 a.m. in Costa Rica, and I was struggling to carry my oversized surfboard across a footbridge in the middle of the rain forest. I was slipping in the early morning mud as I slapped at mosquitos large enough to carry a small child. I was in my mid-40s, didn’t know anyone I was with, couldn’t speak the language, and had never surfed before in my life. How, I wondered, did I up here? Technically, we ended up here because of...