Have a Safe 4th of July!

We’ll be hanging at the lake…

Thanks in advance…to Scott

Scott Bryans called this week and had an extra ticket to Red Rocks…oh yeah!

Bloggy Goodness yet to come include Snowmass trip; including Stephen Marley, Independence Pass, and plenty of Pool Time…also we had quite the adventure over Father’s Day weekend…more to come.




Mexico: The Players…

Here’s a little photo voyage to introduce you to all the players involved. Enjoy.

Skip and Soonie

Josh

Kate

Mexico: The Coba and Grand Cenotes Adventures

We went on two great family adventures outside of our time adventuring at the beach and the pool…

Amy, Amanda and Scott in the adventure jeep, and Me, Soonie, Josh and Kate in the renter left Casa Iquana early to hit the road to Coba.

“The Mayan ruins at Cobá are unique in that they have been barely restored, merely cleared. Only a few of its estimated 6,500 structures have been uncovered, but the ones that have been are graceful and impressive.

On these quiet and peaceful grounds it´s hard to imagine that Cobá may have once had the largest population of all the ancient Mayan cities. This vast Mayan archeological site dates from 600-900 A.D. and there were an estimated 100,000 people living in its domain. It was the heart of a large metropolis composed of many cities within the eastern Yucatan.” (Read more about Coba here: http://mayasites.com/coba.html)

It was a bit of a ride…but worth it…Coba features some fantastic views and amazing history. Dad rented a bike, and hired a bike taxi to drive Mom, Josh and Kate around. After exploring the ruins of Coba, we became quite hot…and sweaty…it was time to cool off! To the Grand Cenotes!

A cenote is a type of sinkhole containing groundwater typically found in the Yucatán Peninsula and some nearby Caribbean islands. The term is derived from a word used by the low-land Maya to refer to any location where groundwater is accessible. (Thanks Wikipedia)

We stopped at the Grand Cenotes between Coba and Tulum. It was quite exhilirating. Walking on to the grounds…one is not sure what to expect. But as you approach the stairs, and descend below ground level, the underground pool unveils itself. I’d like to thanks Vic a bunch…I didn’t get a chance to take too many pictures…since I was wearing a life vest and floating through the cave holding Kate…anyway…it was the most refreshing dip and we earned it after climbing around the ruins. Enjoy the pics!

Mexico: Casa Iguana

Casa Iquana…our homebase in Akumal was shall I say…perfect. I think our favorite thing (besides the pool) was the wildlife…In the heat of the day, Iguana’s ran rampart…at night the Hermit Crabs came out of the woodwork. Thanks to Ed for capturing the Hermit Crab’s on film…those rascally little fella’s. Anyway…here’s an eloquent write up of the place from LocoGringo.com:

Featuring two side-by-side houses, each with two air conditioned bedrooms, two bathrooms, a living room and full kitchen. The view from the oceanfront pool and palapa is awesome, a relaxing place to watch the waves roll in. And just off the pool is a sea front sand volleyball court that doubles as a tanning area.

Outside the garden area is a comfortable space to gather and enjoy your own private Happy Hour, or coffee in the morning. In front of the palapa roofed house is a built-in tiled mosaic bench and low table. The iguana designs are custom made and give the house its name. From here you can wind around a garden planter with small palms and tropicals to the two outdoor dining tables. They’re next to the fountain, shielded from the wind by the elevated pool deck, and there are two umbrellas to provide shade if needed. It’s a great place to share a meal or snack. The tables seat eight people comfortably but a larger party can be accommodated with extensions. A curved stairway rises to the oceanfront swimming pool and sun deck.

By the pool is a thatched shade umbrella and a wooden shade arbor. The deck has plenty of space for everyone with chaise lounges and sling-back chairs for sunbathing or just kickin’ back in the shade. It’s a great area to enjoy.
The sandy play area serves as both a volleyball courtyard sand soccer area. The shade palapa is closest to the sea and usually has a nice fresh sea breeze. Watching the surf crash on the rocks can be an activity in itself, especially with a cup of coffee, cocktail or cerveza in hand. The palapa has a couple Adirondack chairs, a small table and two hammocks facing the view. Don’t be surprised if you doze off in one of those hammocks… – Courtesy of Loco Gringo dot com

Enjoy our pics of Casa Iquana…

Mexico: The Beach…

The Beach in Akumal was fairly small and protected on both sides. One side was a Coral preservation and the other side a Turtle preservation… There were plenty of snorkelers heading out to the coral…Josh still won’t put his head under water…so we’ll have to thank Ed for the great underwater pictures. We spent one full day at the beach…it was absolutely gorgeous. Mom and Dad got sunburned, but the kids were taken care of… The water was very warm…except for small areas of cool water. We learned later these areas were outlets of the Cenote’s (underground rivers). We enjoyed our day at the beach so much, we dedcided to return that evening. Enjoy the beach pictures below:

Snowmass…here we come again!

You want antics? We’ll give you antics…we’re returning for the 5th Annual Chili Pepper BrewFest in Snowmass, CO this weekend. And the Eckelhoff’s are once again involved. Last year it was Ziggy Marley performing..this year it’s Stephen Marley. Look out Snowmass… Here’s a link to photo’s from last year…

I just want to warn the audience….Josh has developed a few new dance moves over the last year.

Oh by the Way…Celtics, Lakers game 1 tonight

The magic is back baby…know not Magic Johnson…but the Lakers and Celtics are matching up in the NBA finals again…It should be interesting, I’m going to pick the Celtics in 6…I think their defense is underrated and expect the size of the Celtic big men to give the Lakers trouble.  That’s all for now, enjoy the series, and I hope to get some more Mexico adventures up soon…before we have a Snowmass adventure post.

Oh Mexico…We Miss You So

For Starters…all the photos I’ve rec’d have gallery links below. Thanks Vic, Thanks Ed…Scott, Amy, Dan, Darby, Lisa…were your cameras broken? Just kidding of course…what a great time!

Photo Links: Our Photo Album on Flickr

Pics De Hoff: Check out Ed’s Kodak Gallery

Vic’s Photos: Vic you have some very Artsy photos (well done)