Sunday, June 13, 2010

Kayak mini-adventure














Lake Arenal with view of Volcan Arenal, Nuevo Arenal, Costa Rica. May 28, 2010.

In the spirit of fun activities that require little or no preparation, I'd like to recommend L.L. Bean's Outdoor Discovery School. We spent the morning kayaking for just $10 each (usual price is $20) in a local lake through Bean's Walk-On Adventures program. They transported us to the site and provided all equipment, including water shoes, plus plenty of basic instruction tailored to our individual skill level. The whole experience took 2.5 hours. I'd love to take advantage of one of their weekend adventures in Maine.

I've been thinking about getting my own kayak since kayaking in Costa Rica's scenic Lake Arenal but am still on the fence since at the moment I don't have a kayaking partner. I am also not sure how I would get a kayak loaded onto my car without help. For now, it probably makes sense to rent them on-site with the hope that I can figure out a way to get more involved over time. I hear there are plenty of places to paddle around here.

Speaking of adventures, orientation for my internship starts tomorrow. I'm doing a year of medicine before I move on to my residency field. Wish me luck!














Lake Arenal, Nuevo Arenal, Costa Rica, May 28, 2010

2 comments:

The Healthy Librarian said...

Thanks so much for tipping me off to the LL Bean adventure program--the options look fantastic--and the price is so much lower than most tour groups.

Just got back from a week on glorious Mt.Desert Island in Maine (Acadia Nat'l Park)--Cannot wait to return. 57 miles of carriage paths to bike--fabulous hikes, kayaking--and it hasn't changed much since I was there on my honeymoon in 1972!

BTW--Visited Mt. Arenal 2 years ago. If I ever get back I'll be looking into the LL Bean tour.

PS: Interesting post re sleep!

medicine girl said...

I should clarify that the LL Bean option was local to me but I didn't have any pictures. We kayaked Lake Arenal through Arenal Kayaks, a husband-and-wife operation (http://arenalkayaks.com/).

I will have to check out Acadia Nat'l Park for our next big nature trip! We recently spent a few days in Yosemite Nat'l Park (my favorite!) in California but Acadia will remain much closer to us for at least the next 4 years of my training.

And thanks again for your yoga for bones post! I am going to do the poses daily and try to get my mom to do the same. Surely I can fit in 10 minutes!