Justin Wright » Outdoors

Honeymoon Island State Park

Justin Wright — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 17:04:00 +0000

Of all the places I have visited in Florida, Honeymoon Island State Park is currently my favorite. Not only is the beach amazing, but you can also hike through the tropical landscape and see all sorts of different things.

The two-mile hike takes you on a loop throughout the island where you can see all different types of wildlife. Osprey (a huge bird) seem to be everywhere and there are also a few Bald Eagles in the park. And who would have thought the park is also home to a ton of armadillos.

Besides hiking, you can also spend time on the beach swimming, snorkeling, and shelling. Not a bad place to spend a day out in the sun.

Honeymoon Island In Pictures

Below are my favorite photos I took while checking out Honeymoon Island Park:

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Want to see more of the park? Check out this quick video clip as well as the complete Honeymoon Island photo gallery.

Armadillos In Florida?

Justin Wright — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 16:30:39 +0000

While I was out hiking on Honeymoon Island, I stumbled across an armadillo along the trail. I was pretty surprised to see one here in Florida. For some reason, I never pictured armadillos hanging out under palm trees.

Weird thing is, I lived in Texas for six months without seeing one even though they are very common there. The first time out on a hike here in Florida I ran right into one. Weird.

As it turns out, the nine-banded armadillos are common here in Florida. They are not native to the state but were introduced here in the early 1900’s. They now live throughout the state and can be found wherever there is dense ground cover (read more facts here).

I’ve never seen an armadillo in person before and was pretty amazed by the creature. It sort of looks like the result we might see if the Easter Bunny (the ears and size) hooked up with a rhino (the armor).

Armadillo Photos

Ever wanted to see an armadillo up close and personal? Probably not but here are a few photos of the crazy creature anyways:

Short Video Clip

I also took a quick clip of the armadillo with my video camera. However, I didn’t notice until I got home that the macro setting was on so it turned out pretty blurry.

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Now the question is, what animal will I run into next?

The Perfect Morning

Justin Wright — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 16:41:27 +0000

I woke up this morning and had the idea of taking my camera along with me on my morning run. Turned out to be the perfect morning for some photography:

You can view the full size images on my Flickr page.

Pedernales Falls State Park

Justin Wright — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 21:55:38 +0000

This past weekend, I went and checked out Pedernales Falls State Park. It’s located about an hour outside of Austin here in Texas. It’s made up of more than 5,000 acres of land and has a bunch hiking trails and camping areas.

Although the waterfalls weren’t what I was expecting, they were still cool to look at. It was also nice to get outside and do some hiking, especially in November. The leaves are starting to change colors so the scenery is pretty amazing.

We’ve been getting a lot of rain lately so the water was flowing pretty rapidly. One of the hikes was actually closed since there was no way of crossing the water.

Here’s a few more pictures from the park:

For more information about Pedernales Falls, check out the official website.

Back From Beach Camping

Justin Wright — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 15:35:25 +0000

Well I just got back from my beach camping trip and it was a ton of fun. We went back to Padre Island and camped at the same location we did last time. Luckily my girlfriend got some time off this time so we were able to stay longer.

We left on Saturday morning and arrived on Padre Island around 1 in the afternoon. It was super hot as expected, even the water was a warm 87 degrees.

No Shade

If you missed my last post about camping on Padre Island, I talked a little about how there is NO shade on the island. You are literally on the beach under the hot sun all day. So this time we did a much better job of coming prepared.

We brought along a portable canopy this time so we had plenty of shade to sit under. Check it out:

Besides the tent, we also brought a radio and grill, two things we were missing the last time we camped. It’s so much more fun when you have some tunes to listen to.

Shower and Facilities

The other mistake we made last time was camping too far away from the bathrooms and showers. This time we were only a short walk away from the facilities. Just be warned that they have no lights in the bathrooms and the floors can be pretty slick.

My girlfriend and I took an LED light with us at night and my girlfriend ended up slipping and dropping it on the floor. At that point, we were stuck using our feet to find the damn batteries in the pitch black since neither of us wanted to touch the floors.

10 minutes after that happened, I took the light into the bathroom and slipped on the floor as well. Instead of dropping the light on the floor, I ended up dropping the thing in the toilet. The walk back to our camp was sure dark…

Only Downside is Sand

The only downside to camping on the beach is the sand. It literally gets on everything. I had sand in my pockets, sand in my shoes, and sand in my drinks. Plus the car and tent are completely covered in sand.

There’s really no way of escaping the sand. I guess it’s a small price to pay to sleep on the beach.

Another awesome thing about the island is the night sky. You can see a ton of stars and it reminds me a lot of camping in the White Sands. It’s amazing how quiet it gets at night once the day campers leave. It’s definitely worth checking out.

PS. Check out this awesome cloud I snapped a picture of:

Enchanted Rock

Justin Wright — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 17:09:54 +0000

A few days ago, my girlfriend and I decided to go check out Enchanted Rock State Natural Area. It’s a state natural area made up of more than 1600 acres that’s located just north of Fredericksburg, Texas. The rock has been a National Natural Landmark since the 70’s.

What Is It?

Enchanted Rock is a HUGE boulder that sticks out of the ground more than 425 feet. The summit of the rock sits at 1,825 feet above sea level. It’s also one of the largest underground rock formations in the United States.

To get an idea of the size of this thing, check out the photo below. The small humps you see at the very top of the rock are actually people standing at the summit:

Things To Do

There’s actually a few cool things you can do at Enchanted Rock. Besides climbing up to the summit, you can also go primitive backpacking, rock climbing, picnicking, and bird watching. There’s also a cool cave that you can check out, as long as you bring a flashlight.

It took us a while to find the entrance to the cave, but once we did we figured we would go check it out. It starts out easy and you have a lot of room to move around. However, it then goes straight down into the ground and becomes pitch black and a very tight squeeze.

Here’s a picture of my girlfriend heading towards the cave entrance:

As you can see, there are a few arrows that lead you in the right direction. So if you plan on heading down into the cave, make sure to follow the arrows otherwise you will miss the entrance.

A Few More Pictures

Here’s a few more pictures I snapped along the way to give you an idea of what the hike to the top of the rock is like. Here’s a picture of the incline, which was pretty steep:

Luckily, the climb is worth it. Once you get to the top of the rock, you get this awesome view:

The view from the top was much better than expected. It actually feels like you are on top of a mountain instead of a huge boulder.

A Great Day Trip

I highly recommend taking a day trip to Enchanted Rock. It doesn’t take that long to get up the rock since it’s a straight shot. If you bring food, there are places to have a picnic which would be pretty cool. You can also check out Fredericksburg, a small town located nearby with a bunch of cool shops and bars. We ended up stopping there on the way back to Austin.

Just a heads up, they do charge 6 dollars per adult to get into the park. So make sure to bring some cash along if you decide to visit. For more information, check out the Enchanted Rock website.

You can also see more photos in the Enchanted Rock gallery.

Gibson Island

Justin Wright — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 19:51:48 +0000

One of the coolest things I did while I was back in Wisconsin was check out Gibson Island. It’s a tiny island located down the street from where I grew up on the Cloverleaf Lakes. It used to be privately owned so I was never able to go check it out as a kid since it would have been trespassing.

Luckily, the residents of the Cloverleaf Lakes managed to raise over a million dollars through various sources (donations, fundraisers, etc) to purchase the island in order to protect its natural environment and wildlife. It’s amazing to see a group of people take the initiative to make something like this happen.

The Island Is Now Open To The Public

Luckily, the island is now open to the public.. They created a few trails that run through the island as well as wooden boardwalk (see picture to the right) to make the island accessible by wheelchair. Technically, it is connected to the mainland via a small dirt road. However, most people still consider it an island.

You can check out a few pictures of the ribbon cutting ceremony here.

They did an excellent job with the trails and made it very easy to navigate yourself around the island. They even provide walking sticks to those that would prefer to use them. There are also a few benches located throughout the island.

The first thing I noticed when hiking around the island was that it’s much bigger than I though it was. I was used to driving around it in a boat which seems to make it appear smaller.

Here’s a few pictures I snapped while hiking around the island:

View of Pine Lake

Eagle’s in the Area

A Bald Eagle

As you can see, a few Bald Eagles call the island home. It’s a great place to go watch them fly around and grab fish out of the lake.

Great Place To Check Out

Overall, I was really impressed with Gibson Island. I highly recommend checking it out sometime, especially if you live near the Cloverleaf Lakes. For more information on Gibson Island, check out this page.

You can check out my Gibson Island Photo Album for some more photos from the hike.

Beach Camping On Padre Island

Justin Wright — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 19:56:25 +0000

This past weekend, my girlfriend and I had an awesome time beach camping on Padre Island. It was a great experience and something we plan on doing often.

This was the first time I’ve ever camped right on the beach before. I’ve slept on the beach a few times in the past but never in a tent or on purpose. We literally setup camp right above the high tide line and slept under the stars.

It’s an amazing feeling waking up to the sound of the ocean. The only downside was the fact that the inside of our tent was like 100 degrees. But it was a small price to pay for hanging out on the beach.

Where Is Padre Island?

Padre island is located along the southern coast of Texas. It’s over 130 miles long and is the second largest island in terms of area in the US (Long Island is the largest). It’s also the largest barrier island in the world.

Click on the image to the right to see a map of island and a glimpse at how long it is. It runs down a good portion of the Texas coast.

I’ve heard of the island in the past, mostly South Padre which is the more developed section of the island located at the southern tip. It’s a popular place for spring breakers.

What I did not know is that the majority of the island is sparsely populated. However, I was a little surprised when we first got on the island and saw fast food restaurants, liquor stores, and gas stations.

How Do You Get There?

One of the things I was wondering was how to get to the island. I used to think a ferry or something went there but it turns out there are a few bridges that take visitors there. For the most part, it’s a regular looking highway you would expect to see anywhere else.

Here’s a quick clip of our drive over the bridge to the island:

It didn’t take very long to cross the bridge since the highway has a normal speed limit and a few lanes of traffic.

Beach Camping

The island has a ton of places to camp which is awesome. I’m always disappointed when no camping signs are posted on beaches because it’s the perfect place to camp.

There is a free section of camping on North Beach, which is where we went first. There are no facilities but you are free to pitch a tent anywhere between the dunes and the water.

We ended up passing on this section since the beach was full of day visitors and there weren’t many places to setup camp. We ended up entering the actual park, which costs $10 for each vehicle. I believe it is more if you have an RV or camper but you’ll have to double check.

There is a campground available in the park for an additional 8 bucks but we tend to avoid them. There’s something about dispersed camping that makes it more fun. The good news is there is plenty of space to setup camp.

Here’s what you can expect to see when you get to the beach:

Just be warned that there will be a lot more vehicles there during the day so you might want to get there early. A lot of people come to the beach for the day and then leave once the sun goes down. Also, keep in mind that there is NO shade on the beach. If you’re going right now, it’s going to be HOT. So plan on bringing a tent or some sore of umbrella to hide under during the day.

The other thing is to check with the park rangers to see if there are any burn limits. Texas is in a drought right now so we weren’t able to have any fires this time.

Go Check It Out

If you’re ever in Texas, I highly recommend checking this place out. For far less than the cost of a hotel you can go sleep right on the beach and relax. It’s a great change of pace from staying in the city.

We plan on going back in two weeks or so since it’s only a 3 and a half hour drive from Austin.

You can check out the rest of my photos in my Padre Island photo album.

Did I Touch The Hollywood Sign?

Justin Wright — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 19:03:03 +0000

As I mentioned in my first post about going to California, one thing I wanted to do was try and touch the Hollywood sign. I knew going into it that they had a lot of security around it and that it was going to be difficult.

So did I do it? Unfortunately no I did not. I decided that it wasn’t worth getting arrested or falling down the side of the hill to my death. Here is an overview of the different approach options and why I decided again doing each of them.

Option #1: Hiking Up

The first approach option is to start below the Hollywood sign and go up. There is no fence in front of the sign so it would just be a matter of climbing up the side of the steep hill. This is by far the easiest approach but I have heard that coming down can be pretty damn difficult.

The downside is that the cameras would see you coming from a mile away and you would more than likely get busted. That’s the main reason why I decided not to try this approach. There is also limited parking since it is all a residential area and people have cars parked along every street which would also make it difficult. My girlfriend ended up staying in the car while I hopped out and took these pictures.

It’s also a lot further up the hill than it first looks due to the steepness. Here is a picture looking up:

Looking Up At The Sign

It is definitely doable and I have read a few blog posts of people that have done it from this direction. This would probably be the way I would do it if I ever decided to do it but I highly doubt it.

Option #2: Hike Down From The Top

The second option to get to the sign would be to hike to the top of Mt. Lee near the radio tower and then come down to the sign. There is a fence along the top but there are a few spots where people have pushed the fence back so you can slide underneath it.

Here’s a few pictures of what the sign looks like from the backside:

View Of LA From Behind The Hollywood Sign

What The Letters Look Like Up Close

It’s hard to tell from the first picture how steep the slope really is. It’s literally a class 4/5 climb that would be pretty damn difficult to navigate. A few people have mentioned that there are some ropes left from workers that make it easier to slide down but I did not see anything.

I decided this way would be the quickest but would also be the hardest. Not only would you have to worry about slipping down the side of the mountain, but there would be a pretty good chance that a cop would be waiting for you at the top. We managed to see three cops drive by us while hiking along one of the paths.

Option #3: Climb The Mountain Next To It

The final option to get to the sign would be to climb the adjacent mountain and then walk along the ridge to the Hollywood sign. This would be the safest way in terms of security since it would be much easier to sneak up on the sign. You would then be able to run back along the ridge if someone came down to get you. Since there are no roads on the mountain it would be really difficult for anyone to come get you.

The downside to this approach is that the mountain next to the sign is really fricken steep too. It would take a few hours just to navigate up that mountain and then another 30 minutes or so to get to the sign. You would then have to go and do it all over again on the way back. That is a lot of work!

I didn’t have the time or the motivation to try this approach either.

The Security

It is true that they have cameras all over Mt. Lee. They also have the dome style cameras you see in stores on some of the letters. Here is a picture of some of the cameras pointing towards the sign:

Cameras Pointing Right At The Sign

People weren’t lying when they mentioned the LAPD has cracked down on the Hollywood sign. It sure makes it difficult to actually get to it.

Conclusion

So my conclusion is that touching the sign is a lot more work than I anticipated. It looks like I am going to scratch this goal off the list since I got close enough to it. When it comes down to it, the sign is a few metal rods and some sheet metal. The letters are huge though!

The Peralta Trail

Justin Wright — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 14:23:29 +0000

Hope everyone had a great holiday like I did! Anyways, I recently did one of the most popular hikes in the Superstition Wilderness known as the Peralta Trail. It’s located here in Arizona east of Phoenix. I thought I would share it with everyone since it was a lot of fun.

Starting Off At The Trailhead

The reviews I read of this trail were not lying when they said this trail is used often. There were quite a few cars in the parking lot along with a lot of people. Anyways, the start of the trail was relatively flat. It reminded me a lot of South Mountain which I have hiked a few times. The trail follows along the canyon bottom for more than a mile and then starts to get a little steeper. Eventually, you start to hit some switchbacks and the scenery gets a little more interesting.

The Freemont Saddle

After hiking about 2.5 miles, you reach the Freemont Saddle. This is where most hikers turn around and make their descent back down to the parking lot. It’s a great place to have a picnic if you decide to bring along some food. I brought along some granola bars and a turkey sandwich and was thankful for it. I was starving by the time I got to the saddle.

The view from the saddle is amazing. Here is a picture looking south from the saddle:

Weaver’s Needle

That isn’t the only nice view from the saddle. Looking north, you can see Weaver’s Needle. A 1,000 ft. high rock column that is awesome looking. Supposedly there is gold found in the Superstition Mountains and the shadow of Weaver’s Needle is said to indicate the location of it. Check out the Lost Dutchman’s Gold Mine to read up about it. I thought it was pretty interesting. After reading it, I was ready to go back and find the damn gold. Here is a picture of Weaver’s Needle from the the saddle:

Geronimo’s Cave

Instead of turning around at the saddle, I ended up going a little further to Geronimo’s Cave. It is located about a mile from the saddle on a unmarked trail. To find it, head southeast from the saddle and look for the cairn. What is a cairn? Exactly…

Luckily, my girlfriend was aware of what a cairn is. It’s an artificial pile of rocks that was created by someone. They are used to mark trails and summits of mountains. Pretty cool if you ask me. They were located every couple feet along the whole trail. Without them, there would be no way to find Geronimo’s Cave on your own.

Anyways, the cave was used by an Apache chief as a place to hang out and what not. It’s pretty cool when you are inside it. Here is a picture looking out from the cave:

Time To Head Back

After checking out the cave for a little bit, it was time to retrace the route back to the Freemont Saddle. From there, it was back down the switchbacks back to the car. All in all, the hike was about 6 miles in length. Not bad for a nice day hike in the winter. The Peralta Trail was definitely worth checking out.

Tune in tomorrow for the very first mustache update!