Adventure Life's Blog » Girl Trips

Costa Rica Travel Video: My 12 year old and I take on the Morpho Falls

Beth Conway — Thu, 12 May 2011 20:42:52 +0000

Earlier this year, I had the rare opportunity to travel with my 12-year-old daughter, Gabs, to Costa Rica. Exclusively a mother-daughter trip, all other siblings, husbands, grandparents, friends and what-have-yous were strictly instructed they were NOT invited; this was a trip just for Gabs and I. We didn’t waste a moment of our 8-days away, traveling through this beautiful country on a Beaches and Rainforest trip. We ascended to the treetops and rode horses in the remote rainforest. Snorkeled with sand sharks in Cahuita National Park. We rafted the wild waters of the Pacuare River. We hunted for wildlife, spotting sloths, snakes, lizards, turtles, caimans, bats, tarantulas, countless birds (including Gabs’ favorite, the toucan), capuchin & howler monkeys — we even got cozy with a few howlers at an animal sanctuary just outside of Puerto Viejo. And of course, we took on the spectacular Morpho Falls in Costa Rica’s Selva Bananito Reserve. Named after the butterfly frequently found in this region, it is nearly impossible to capture how much fun it was to climb and rappel these falls, and just how stunning it is in this isolated area of the rainforest. But the video above makes the attempt.

Mom, How About Patagonia? A Plea to My Mom on Her Special Day

Beth Conway — Thu, 06 May 2010 20:15:34 +0000

My mom, and her three girls (and one grand-baby-to-be) on a canoe trip in Minnesota

Marissa and her mom getting ready to enter the ATM cave in Belize

Julia's mother-daugther Galapagos trip -- see Mom, they're all smiles!

Dear Mom,

I’ll get right to the point. Today I’m using all tools at my disposal, including the Adventure Life blog, to appeal to you to finally take that mother-daughter trip with me to Patagonia. With Mother’s Day approaching this weekend, I thought the timing was right — thematically anyway. Also, you are probably wondering why the card I sent has a picture of Torres del Paine on the front. Well, this explains it.

We’ve been toying with the idea for a while, but it’s time to make it happen. Don’t worry, we have plenty of time to plan. The best time to visit Patagonia is during our winter season, so I was thinking we could sneak away in early December when the weather in Patagonia is cooperating and there isn’t a chance your golf course will be open. (Mom, we’ll discuss your golf addiction later.) And Mom, we’re going to hike the W circuit.

Here’s my pitch:

Chile’s Torres del Paine National Park offers granite peaks, enormous glaciers, waterfalls, turquoise lakes and temperate rainforests — this is the backdrop for our trek. We’ll never get any higher in elevation than about 3700 feet, so don’t worry about altitude sickness. For the most part, the W circuit avoids the difficult and taxing routes in the park except for the last section to the Torres. But hey, you teach first-graders — “difficult” and “taxing” are part of your everyday vocabulary.

Base camp will be EcoCamp; it’s domes are designed to respect the surrounding environment and also to interfere as little as possible with the natural beauty of the park. And yes, there’s wine.

We’ll leave the notorious homebody (also known as Dad) in his favorite spot – he has his yoga and Michael Pollen to keep him company.

Everyone’s doing it. Adventure Lifers Julia, Kassi, Marissa and Mary have already taken their moms on trips to the Galapagos, Belize, Costa Rica and Panama. I’d happily put you in touch with one of them as a reference to testify that this whole mother-daughter trip-thing is right up our alley. Julia and her mom did a mainland Galapagos multisport trip that included 9 days of snorkeling, horseback riding, mountain biking and hiking. Marissa and her mom took to the jungles and beaches of Belize for great caving and snorkeling. Come on Mom, you’re making me look bad.

If I haven’t sold Patagonia to you, then you pick the place. After all, the destination is only part of the package; quite honestly I’m really looking forward to the good company …

Wishing you — and all the patient, understanding, good-humored and loving moms out there — a very Happy Mother’s Day.

Love,
Beth

Product Praise: The GoGirl

Beth Conway — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 15:23:25 +0000

GoGirl Motto: Don't Take Life Sitting Down

Sorry fellows, but this Product Praise is just for the ladies. There’s no real romantic way to describe this product, so I’ll dive right into it. Put frankly, the GoGirl allows women to stand up while peeing. There have been a few of these types of products floating around for a while — the FUD or female urination device — but I think the GoGirl has finally got it right. Designed for female campers, trekkers, skiers, road-trippers and adventure travelers, this product adds a little grace to the “go.” I would have absolutely loved my own personal GoGirl when I was hiking the Inca Trail — or on a weekend hike in Montana for that matter. I have already put my online order in; my own pink and personal Go-Girl should arrive early next week — cannot wait! The GoGirl is only $6.99 (or a pack of three for $18.99). It comes with a tissue and biodegradable baggie for disposal or storage (GoGirls are reusable). Check out the GoGirl website, it sold me. Truly, a great product for the girl on the go (pun intended).

Mother-Daughter Trip to Galapagos Islands

Beth Conway — Sun, 10 May 2009 15:00:37 +0000

Julia and her mom, Sue, lounging with sea lions in the Galapagos

Happy Mother’s Day! In celebration of the day’s holiday, I thought I’d share one of my favorite mother-daughter trip journals. Adventure Life staff member, Julia Kocubinski, and her mom, Sue, took a trip to Ecuador’s cloudforest, Quito, Banos, and the wildlife rich Galapagos Islands last November. Here’s a highlight:

We snorkeled off the back of the boat, and stayed pretty near the line of lava rocks. We saw so many different fish right away! A few minutes into the water, my mom and I ended up away from the group, and had two sea lions start playing in the water with each other right in front of us. We watched them for several minutes, dancing in the water. It was one of the coolest things I had ever seen! We felt the need to move on from them – and am I glad that we did. We had a great time snorkeling with Fabricio. He pointed out so many fish to us, (none of which I can remember now) and then we eventually ended up on the edge of this little pool full of baby sea lions. We sat with them for nearly half an hour, watching them play and check us out. One even was nibbling on my mom’s flipper while she sat on the edge of a rock! Occasionally one of the sea lion moms would come by and yell at the babies, who would run away from us for a few minutes. But a few minutes later, and their curiosity got the best of them and they were back playing with us. Then, to make things that much more exciting, the alpha male came right up behind us, and barked at us! I turned around (I was on the edge of the circle) and he was just feet behind me! Luckily all he did was back, and then swam back to his perch 50 yards away from us. For as slow and awkward as they look on shore, they are graceful and fast in the water! I did not want to be on that guy’s bad side!

It’s nice to know that “scolding moms” are not simply limited to the human species…

Enjoy reading the rest of Julia’s journal and take a look at some of her great pictures. My mom has been campaigning for a girls’ trip to the Enchanted Isles for years. OK, OK, Mom … twist my arm. But you have to be the one who tells Dad he can’t come. He’ll have to hold his horses until Father’s Day rolls around.