March 15, 2025

Four Days Exploring La Fortuna – Costa Rica

La Fortuna is a lush rainforest nestled at the base of Arenal Volcano. It’s an adventure lovers paradise but can also be enjoyed if you prefer a slower pace with soaks in luxurious hot springs.

Itinerary Overview

For this itinerary traveling to Costa Rica with kids, you can either fly into San Jose Airport or Liberia Airport, we flew into San Jose on Southwest Airlines and stayed near the airport the first night. You can get around Costa Rica with private transfers or public transit but it’s much cheaper and easier to rent a car. We rented a small SUV with AVIS and had a good experience.

We spent four days in La Fortuna but could have easily spent more time enjoying the area.

Day 1: Drive to La Fortuna + Guided Sloth Tour

The drive from San Jose to La Fortuna can take around three hours depending on traffic. We enjoyed breakfast at our hotel then made our way to La Fortuna by lunch time.

We ate at the Open Kitchen and really enjoyed our food.

After lunch we took a Guided Sloth Tour at private reserve, it was important to us that we got to see sloths in the wild on this trip!

We enjoyed the walk, got to see tons of wildlife and experience making cane juice and tortillas. We were able to see two and three toed sloths, and our guide pointed out many animals that we would have never seen!

After our tour we checked into our hotel, ate dinner and checked out the pool.

Our own little Casita and mini banana tree

Day 2: Mistico Hanging Bridges + La Fortuna Waterfall

For our second day we started with an early guided tour of Mistico Park’s hanging bridges so we could get a bird’s eye view of the rainforest.

The day was rainy and grey but that just added to the experience of hiking through the rainforest. We did enjoy having a guide but you can also select a self guided hike and go at your own pace.

After our two hour tour of the rainforest we changed into dry clothes and went to Soda & Restaurante Rodríguez We had the best traditional Costa Rican food here and loved the tree house feel.

After lunch we went to visit the La Fortuna Waterfall we purchased entrance tickets ahead of time and were excited to hike down and swim at the waterfall. Swimming is allowed as long as the conditions are safe. Sadly for us we were informed when we arrived that swimming was not allowed because there had been a lot of rain the previous night and morning. The falls were very strong so we could see why swimming would be restricted.

It was still worth hiking down the 530 steps to get to the bottom to visit the falls. I guess we will just have to return to get the experience of swimming at the base of the falls. We also got to see a bunch of orchids blooming along the path.

After climbing back up the kids were rewarded with ice cream while the parents got iced coffee.

After our day of hiking we decided to go soak in El Choyin, the free access to hot springs just outside of La Fortuna. You can simply park on the side of the road (we did pay $10 USD for a local to help us park and watch our rental car) and walk down to the river where the springs run. It was fun to soak in the river and play in the pools.

Be sure to wear sandals or water shoes because the rocks are slippery. We felt plenty safe at this location but we did keep our possessions with us in a dry bag.

Day 3: Hike Mirador el Silencio + Play at Termalitas Hot Springs

There are a few places to hike and see Arenal Volcano up close, we chose, Mirador el Silencio, a Private nature reserve right outside of Arenal National Park. The incredible views of Arenal Volcano, lovely trails through dense rainforests, and lots of wildlife sold us on this location. We opted to do Mirador el Silencio over the Arenal Volcano View and Lava trails because it was less busy, and the entrance fee was cheaper. There were also lava field trails so we didn’t feel like we missed out on anything at the other locations. We were lucky that the clouds cleared to give us an incredible view of the volcano as well as sightings of monkeys and sloths.

We did this hike without a guide and while we might have seen more wildlife with a guide we enjoyed going at our own pace for this hike.

After lunch we visited the hot springs Relax Termalitas. This hot springs is a locals favorite with lots of fun amenities for the kids including slides, hot and cool pools, waterfalls and plenty of shallow pools for littles.

I don’t have many pictures from our time there since I left my phone at the hotel (whoops). This choice was less fancy than other hot springs in the area but it was perfect for us with kids and easier on our budget.

Day 4: Enjoy your Hotel + Pack Up For Next Location

We were so sad that our time in La Fortuna was over and that we had to leave our little casita but also excited to get on to our next destination (Monteverde to visit the Cloud Forest). We enjoyed one last morning then hit the road.

What We Would Have Done

If we had more time in this region we would have visited:

Rio Celeste Waterfall. This waterfall is known for its amazing turquoise blue color, it’s a little out of town but looks incredible.
Gone on a Zipline tour, we planned this for later in our trip but would have loved to zip through the canopy of the rainforest in La Fortuna
Try out some White Water Rafting
Relax at one of the fancier hot springs. Tabacon hot springs and Baldi hot springs look very nice, we just aren’t in the relax and chill season of life yet.
Gone on a chocolate + Coffee tour, we saved this experience for our time in Monteverde.

I hope you found this guide to La Fortuna helpful but most of all I hope you love your time in Costa Rica as much as we did!

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March 23, 2016

Places That Speak To My Soul

There are certain places that speak to my soul, places that give me peace and feel special. For many this may be exotic places but for me it’s places that I return to often and feel a deep connection to. For me these places include:

Cannon Beach, Oregon

Both Cory have been visiting Cannon Beach since we were kids. It’s a stunning beach with a great mix of rocks and silky sand. When Cory and I were dating and still living in Oregon we would try to get to the coast once a month. I love the ocean and being at most beaches but there is something really special about Cannon Beach.

Not only is the beach stunning but the town is quaint with no big box stores or restaurants.

MOAB, Utah

Cory and I drove through Moab many times when we lived in Albuquerque and would drive to Oregon a couple of times a year. We were intrigued by the cool little desert town. We never had a chance to stop but when we had the opportunity to go to a training camp in Moab we jumped at the chance. Moab was even more spectacular in person. Words and pictures really don’t do it justice.

Bend, Oregon

Bend is an amazing place for anyone who likes the outdoors. I love Bend and specifically love Sun River, a small resort community just outside of Bend. I grew up going to Sun River with my family a couple of times a year. In recent years we have raced as a family at the Pacific Crest Endurance Weekend. Pac Crest is still my favorite triathlon.

Leadville, Colorado

Leadville is the most recent addition to my list. Ever since the first time we visited Leadville stole a piece of my heart. I loved the rugged, authentic nature of this mountain town. The trails around Leadville are some of the best I have gotten to run on. If you want to experience pure Colorado mountain spirit, be sure to visit Leadville.

Are there places that speak to your soul?

August 10, 2015

Visiting Whistler

While my race may have ended in disappointment, Whistler did not disappoint. Western Canada is so beautiful, we loved visiting BC! I may be a bit biased since I grew up in Portland, Oregon but I think the rain forest of that area is one of the most beautiful places in the world. BC was especially beautiful because it melded the temperate rain forest with the ocean and the mountains that I have grown to love living in Colorado for the last six years. If you are thinking of racing an Ironman next year I highly suggest IM Canada, especially if you aren’t afraid of a few hills, altitude and unpredictable weather.

Whisper really is stunning! Also looking forward to getting home and plotting new adventures

Whistler really is stunning! Also looking forward to getting home and plotting new adventures

On the way to Whistler we flew into Seattle and drove up to Canada. In Seattle we stopped for lunch, since we live in a landlocked state it had to be Seafood! We headed to the waterfront and enjoyed lunch at The Crab Pot.

It was great, we didn’t have time to hang around long but have been to Seattle many times. If you go make sure you visit Pike Place Fish Market, it’s a must see in Seattle. Also the space needle and a walk along the waterfront aren’t to be missed.

Hello Seattle! #IMCanada

It was great, we didn’t have time to hang around long but have been to Seattle many times. If you go make sure you go to Pikes Place Fish Market, it’s a must go in Seattle. Also the space needle and a walk along the waterfront aren’t to be missed.

Then we were on our way across the boarder to Canada and up the Sea to Sky Highway to Whistler. I wish we had much more time to explore Vancouver, guess it will have to be on another trip.

Whistler Village is really cute and easy to navigate. Lot’s of beautiful views and restaurants everywhere.

Fun times around Whister today. 2 more sleeps before show time #IMCanada

Fun times around Whistler today.

We stayed at the Market Place lodge booked through Airb&b It was a great choice for Ironman since it was right on Olympic Plaza where the Athlete Village was. There was also a grocery store, drug store and coffee shop steps from our condo. It was a bit noisy during the day with all the Ironman events as well as a playground directly below us but it quieted down early each night.

There were many places to eat around town, a couple of my favorites were:

Caramba! – Mediterranean food made with lots of local organic food.

La Cantina – REALLY good street tacos and salads

La Bocca – Yummy simple Italian Food

Crepe Montagne – We didn’t eat here until the last day but it is an amazing little breakfast spot.

Marketplace IGA – Ok this is just a grocery store, but it’s amazing and they have great sandwiches at the deli if you want to grab something to take with you on a hike.

Whistler is full of some amazing sights, and the best way to see them is on foot. We took a short hike to Wedgemount Falls, it’s a little challenging hiking up the side of a mountain but the views were worth it.

Or you can drive to Alexander Falls and see it from the parking lot. It’s worth the drive

Beautiful last day in Whistler but happy to be headed home to my pups #backtoreality

By far my favorite thing that we did was to ride up to Whistler Mountain and ride the Peak 2 Peak Gondola It was amazing to hike around and enjoy the views. Seriously the photos can’t do it justice.

July 22, 2015

Ironman Canada Week!

It really hasn’t sunk in yet that it’s ironman week! T-minus 4 days until Ironman Canada. It’s been a long journey to get to the start line but I am ready to see what the day brings and deal with it the best I can. The last miles have been banked in Colorado before heading to Whistler.

One last swim in Boulder Rez before #IMCanada #triathlon

So packing and weather stalking has started and thunder storms are predicted so my plan (similar to Lake Tahoe in 2013) is to bring everything and hope I have everything I need. Baggage fees might be interesting.

It’s my first time flying with my bike, any tips?

Thanks to a professional cyclist friend, these arrived today now to figure out how to pack our bikes. Any tips?? #IMCanada #ironman #triathlon

See you all on the flip side in Canada, wheels up tomorrow morning!

May 3, 2015

Boston Marathon // Tourist Report

I want to preface this post with the recognition that Boston is a huge city and we were only there for a few days. But if you do travel out to Boston for the marathon here is what we found out from our trip:

Stay// Anywhere you can! Not surprisingly hotels fill up fast for marathon weekend. Also be prepared to pay a pretty penny to stay near the finish. Cory and I stayed in a condo that we found on airbnb in back bay. It was a little disheartening to see that the rental prices about tripled for race weekend, but supply and demand. The place was small but clean. Third story walk up was difficult for Cory after the marathon but he managed. It was fun to stay in a residential area and see what it felt like to live in Boston for a couple days

My parents stayed at the Omni Parker House Hotel

It was very nice, opulent hotel and the longest continuously running hotel in the US. A little longer walk to race events than our place in Back Bay but still close to Boston Common. Their room was a little smaller than expected but very nice.

Do// There are so many things we did not get to do while in Boston but here are a few worth your time:

Old Town Trolley Tours this tour was one of the best uses of money and time. When you purchase a ticket it’s good for two days (which we used). The tour is a narrated drive of historic and important places in Boston. The best part is that you can hop on/off whenever you like so it’s also great transportation around the city. They also offer ghost/haunted tours that sounded really fun.

Boston Harbor Cruise – We got cruise tickets included in out trolley tour ticket, it was a narrated tour and really fun to see the city from the water and hear more about the history of Boston. There are also dinner cruises and whale watching available

Cheers Pub – The Bull and Finch pug was fun to visit. We ended up eating lunch there, the food was just meh, so I would suggest just getting a beer and seeing the inspiration for Cheers and eating somewhere else.

Another must do is walking the Freedom Trail. We bought a small guidebook and really enjoyed seeing the city by foot, following the red brick path.

Welcome to the Freedom Trail, a 2.5-mile, red-lined route that leads you to 16 historically significant sites — each one an authentic treasure. Explore museums and meetinghouses, churches, and burying grounds. Learn about the brave people who shaped our nation. Discover the rich history of the American Revolution, as it began in Boston, where every step tells a story.

Starting the Freedom Trail in Boston

New England Aquarium- Very famous aquarium that is worth a visit

Eat// There are many great places to eat in Boston but a couple places not to miss are Mikes’s Pastry just a short detour off the Freedom Trail tour.

Mast One the best meals I have had in my life, the pizza is amazing and the lobster ravioli was unreal. Great place for carb loading!!

September 17, 2013

On the Road to Tahoe

It’s go time! This last weekend was full of shopping, prepping, making lists, making piles and packing bags.
Tahoe Packing.JPG
I found it challenging to pack for this trip because I am not used to the cool weather that we will have in Tahoe. Which jacket will I wear on race day? Who knows, let’s just throw in all of them! The picture above is about a third of the clothes I packed. While my body has had some aches and pains normal to taper I have enjoyed it, I feel like I should hate it but my body and mind was ready for a rest. I enjoyed easier rides.
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And some time to enjoy fall treats
PSL!

Today I am excited to start our journey by driving from Denver to a state park near Park City, Utah.
Denver to UT.png
We decided instead of staying in a generic hotel that we would camp for the evening. We really love to camp and haven’t gone this year so this was a chance to get at least one night in before it gets too cold. It’s about an 8.5 hour drive through the mountains and will be BEAUTIFUL. Tomorrow we will drive another 8.5 hours from Utah to Tahoe.
UT to CA.png
I imagine this part will be less scenic but we have lots of audio books to keep us entertained. Must go pack up the car, catch you guys in Cali!

July 14, 2013

Oregon Vacation

We will get to the full race recap soon (I hope). Things are moving fast around here with just 11 weeks to go until Ironman Lake Tahoe, work and life. Before I forget all the fun that happened last week in Oregon I thought I would take a minute to recap how fun our stay in Sunriver was. We have been there many times before, in fact my parents used to own a home there when they lived in Oregon. It was extra exciting to be there because we were celebrating Mom and Dad’s 40^th anniversary and they went to Sunriver on their honeymoon =)

We arrived in Sunriver on Thursday afternoon after 22 hours of driving straight, this is for convenience, but not my favorite way to start a vacation. Feeling a little stiff we decided that a nice easy bike tour of the half marathon course was in order. I really loved riding with my family! We stopped to take pictures at the finish line:

Cory and I looking dorky in our matching jerseys.

Mom at the half marathon start line. Cory and I were excited to race our first triathlon of the year but really bummed that mom’s big race was at the same time so we didn’t get to cheer for her. She did have by brother and dad chasing her all over the course so that did make me feel better.

Most of the day Friday was spent getting ready for the race and Saturday was spent getting a bad sunburn out on the course. She ended up beating her time goal and taking 2nd in her age group!

Sunday it was my mom, Cory and my turn to cheer from my bother and dad who raced in the 5k

They both did a great job, Erik took first in his group!!!

After their race we celebrated by eating at the lodge and getting a family photo.

The rest of the day was spent doing some work (for me) and packing up, Daisy spent her time well too

Next up….off to the beach and a training update!

Sunriver on Dwellable

June 26, 2013

You know your are an endurance athlete when….

(had to add another one)

You pack more triathlon gear than normal clothes for vacation

We leave tomorrow for Oregon and I am excitedly laying everything out and packing. I will share my Ironman pack list tomorrow. We created it for IMCDA but it can work for any triathlon with a little adjusting.

May 7, 2013

Moab Day 3 and 4

Lots of things to talk about but I need to wrap up my posts about our training trip to Moab.You can read about day one and day two if your missed them. Day 3 and 4 don’t get their own posts because both ended up being half days unfortunately. Saturday we woke up to some light rain and very cold temps. Hoping that it would clear up we layered up, packed up our bikes and drove out to the start of our long ride for the weekend. Some very dedicated folks started from the hotel had 100+ miles on the schedule my plan called for 88 miles and lots of climbing up in Canyonlands .

As we were driving out to the parking lot (and the 6 people were riding) it started to really rain hard. As we regrouped at the parking lot shivering we got word (thanks smart phones) that it was snowing at dead horse point ,where we were headed. I was very nervous about riding in the cold rain since I was still recovering from a very nasty cold/sinus infection and I didn’t want to risk relapse. Plus I was miserable just standing in the rain, I couldn’t imagine riding in it. The rain was forecasted to stop in two hours (10 am) so we decided to head back to the hotel, get some food and wait out the storm. Most of the dedicated riders pushed on in the cold and wet, I am amazed by the toughness and dedication of these guys (and gals)!
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Long story short we waited much longer than we would have liked for the rain to stop and our “long” was cut to 48 miles and the transition run was completely cut out.

We had a team dinner to get to at 5:30, priorities. I was disappointed to be cut short but I think it was the right choice and the views were still amazing!

Happy to finally be on the bike!

After a short ride we went to a team dinner, over 60 triathletes in one place was a lot of fun. After dinner it was early to bed so Cory and I could get up and head back to Arches for a trail run.

While we didn’t get as many miles in as we would have if we had run on the roads and we did get lost a couple times

It was fun running around and finding arches everywhere

I just wish we had more time to spend on the trails, but we had to get back for check out

Next year….check out first and drive home sweaty so there is more time for trails!

Double Arch

“trail”

Can’t wait to go back!

April 30, 2013

Moab Day 2

Ok, so there was a bit of a delay after posting Moab Day One, that’s what happens when you neglect work and grad school to go play with triathlete friends!

On day two in Moab we got up early, grabbed some coffee and headed to the local rec center for a swim. About 40 of us piled into the pool so coach could put us through our paces. 2800 meters later I was tired from a lot of kicking and ready for some food. We had a little over an hour to get back to the hotel, clean up, eat and get ready to ride! We grabbed more coffee and breakfast burritos at the Love Muffin, so good!

Then it was time to roll out to Arches National Monument for 56 miles of riding and 4200 ft of climbing. This was a good wake up call that all my winter trainer and flat land riding has NOT prepared me for Tahoe, time to climb!

The scenery was amazing and made the burning in my legs worth it

I will admit that by the time we rolled back into the hotel I was tired and my legs were hurting. I had an hour run still left to do for the day but Cory was really hungry. I thought no big deal, I threw on running clothes with every intention of running after finding something small to eat. On our way through town we ran into Coach at a pub where we joined him to talk about the ride and how I should get shorter cranks (another story) while we were sitting there I “sorta” got permission to skip the run for the day. At the time I was relieved to be done and to get to rest my tired legs, looking back I wish I would have sucked it up and ran but it’s a lesson learned. After filling up Cory and I headed back to the hotel to rest and recover we were both beat!