Rod's Umstead Ruins Hike 2011

Back home, I did my first post-honeymoon hike. I went with Rod for his Umstead Ruins Hike, going around William B. Umstead State Park and seeing old homesteads and other sites and learning about the history of the area. We started at the Reedy Creek parking lot and head down Company Mill Trail to start. Early on, Rod pointed out a rock pile, a sign of an old homestead. Then on to the Company Mill Site. Here Joe, who was a child during the 1930s and lived in the area that is now the park, joined us to tell first-hand stories about the park's past.

We continued on off-trail to Camp Craggy, built in the 1920s and saw the old pond where people once swam, as well as the remains of the mess hall and council ring.

We continued on and saw the old homesteads of several of the area's previous residents and headed up Graylyn Trail to the King Cemetery.

We went back down the trail and had lunch at the Sycamore Creek Bridge. On the way back, we stopped to see a few more old homesteads and an old well.

We took Reedy Creek Lake Trail most of the way back, but cut onto Loblolly Trail for one last cemetery then back to the parking lot.

Here's a track of the route.

Last Day in Paradise

We woke up and went for one last snorkel around the bungalows.

We said bye to our new friends and one the way back, saw an octopus come out from under a reef, surround a rock with his tentacles, and started changing color. What a great treat for our last time in the water.

We packed up, and waited at the pool until our massage, then back to the airport for many hours. Goodbye Polynesia!

Bora Bora 4X4 Tour

It was our last full day in Bora Bora.

In the morning, we went to the private island to snorkel at the Coral Garden.

Before we got in the water, we dug a trench in the sand and raced the hermit crabs.

After a few races, we let the crabs go and got in the water and swam to the coral garden one last time. When we got back to the beach, Amanda found a coconut and we spent thirty minutes opening the coconut with just a rock.

I drank the milk and we shared some of the coconut. Then back to the mainland for our 4X4 tour. We first went up the hill near Matira across from the pearl farm.

The driver, Steve, actually drove backwards up part of the hill. We stopped for pictures then back down for a quick tour of the Pearl Farm.

We then drove through Vaitape and up to the bunker and WWII cannons.

We drove to one more spot for a view below Mount Pahia then continued around the island and back to the hotel.

I got in the water and Amanda dropped bread for the fish around me to watch the feeding frenzy. After a while, they started following me since I brought the food.

For our last night, we went to the bar for the full moon party, with a Polynesian dance show, fire dancers, and a DJ.

Bora Bora Eco Tour

I woke up early this morning and got some pictures of the sunrise over the lagoon and Taha'a in the distance.

After breakfast, we were picked up at the resort pier by Steven, Niho, and others for the Eco Tour 1/2 day package, which included shark and ray feeding. Steven greeted us at the pier and we joined the boat with two other couples. We circled the island counterclockwise while Steven made jokes and told us about the history of Bora Bora. He pointed out the WWII cannons, which we would be visiting the following day.

Then he and the others starting playing music until we got out to near Motu Tapu and the sharks and fish came out quickly. Niho chummed the water and we got in. The sharks and fish swam all around us, as Niho swam down and grabbed the shark fins and let them pull him around underwater.

I thought he must be part fish because he could stay underwater so long. Before we got out, he dropped his fins down, casually swam to the bottom and put his fins back on before swimming back up! All the while, Steven "Spielberg" had his underwater camera, filming us. We boarded the boat and headed to the next destination - shallower water where we were greeted by beautiful, affectionate sting rays.

Everyone got to kiss a ray and the men got to hold them as well. Niho even gave the ray a French kiss! Next, we headed to the coral garden near Motu Toopua.

Here I got a piece of dead fish to feed the butterfly fish and others. It was a feeding frenzy! Steven also got a moral eel to come out and a smaller fish was cleaning his gills.

We swam to the other side of the boat and free dove down a bit to see anemones and clownfish.

Niho swam to the bottom, laid down, and blew air rings up towards the surface.

Then back to the boat and to our hotel. We bought the DVD of our adventure, probably the most expensive DVD I'll ever buy, but worth it for capturing our great time.

Relaxing Day at Sofitel

We spent the day relaxing around the resort, at the pool and snorkeling.

In the morning, we spoke with the Activities Desk and arranged an Eco Tour and 4X4 Safari for later in the week.