Ambria's Adventures

  Sunday is typically reserved as a hiking day for my friend group and me. This past Sunday, we decided to try a trail none of us had ever done but was on our lists: Pali Puka. This trail is less than 1 mile (my GPS marked it as .85 to the hole in the rock and back), rated moderate-difficult, has many steep areas where ropes are provided to help climb, can be windy and muddy, and will have you walking along some cliff edges. If you’re not great with heights, this may not be the one. However, one of the girls with us was very nervous at the cliffs and managed to make it with our support. Getting to the Pali Puka was pretty easy, and there is a parking area for the Nu’uanu Pali Lookout Point (if you’re coming from Honolulu, just take highway 61 N about 5 miles, and the signs are marked. If you reach the tunnels, you went too far). There are parking fees for non-residents that can be paid at the pay station. It looked like there were several options to pay, including using a credit ...

Day 4 - Portland, Columbia River Gorge, Seattle (4h 35m, 270 miles) After a night of rest and relaxation in Portland, it was time to hit the road again. However, it was also the 4 th of July, and my friend and I thought it would be more fun in a city, so we decided to spend the night in Seattle, Washington. Looking back, this was not the best option for us. While we did find a nice hotel at a reasonable price, it was so close to Portland that we definitely did not get enough mileage in. On top of that, most things in Seattle were closed anyway because of the pandemic. If I could do it again, I’d make a stop to get some coffee, check out the wharf, the gum wall, and probably be on my way. Anywho, before we left Oregon, we wanted to check out some views outside of the city and made our way to the Columbia River Gorge. Crown Point offered spectacular scenes of the gorge and forest, even on a cloudy day.  From there, we jumped on the Historic Columbia River Highway to do some wate...

The infamous Stairway to Heaven. Loved by many, hated by residents. I actually did this hike as a result of a Tinder date. I was talking with a guy who lived very close to my school, so I agreed to meet him after class. There weren't any major sparks from either party, but we did have quite a bit in common and decided to be friends, without saying so directly.  After our lunch and some drinks, he began asking about the hike, and I told him what I'd heard, although I never did it. We ended up making plans to do the hike that day... well, in the wee hours of the next morning.  As I went home to prepare, I instantly regretted agreeing to this. I was pretty drunk and not in the mood to dodge security and climb up thousands of wobbly steps. But I wasn't going to be the one to back out of it, and neither was he. We met back up, gathered some extra supplies, and made our way up to the neighborhood where the trail begins.  Right as we were beginning, it started raining! I too...

This blog is far overdue.  I've wanted to share some experiences in Hawaii since I have lived here for over seven years now and have become increasingly familiar with the island. I know a lot of people come for vacation, so I would like to help offer some experiences outside of Waikiki.  I came to Oahu when I was 26 years old to finish my BA in Sociology at Hawaii Pacific University. I moved here from Phoenix, AZ, although I was born and raised in Daggett, CA (right next to Barstow). I joined the Navy after high school, and I took it VERY seriously. After 6.5 years of my enlistment, I had worked myself thin (not literally, unfortunately), completely stressed myself out, and started showing signs of major depression. I took on way too many extra duties and did a lot of things outside of work, like college classes and volunteering to help my military career. The time came when I realized the military didn't care about me the way I cared about it. I also realized I was very li...