Outside adventure

  The Difference Between a beach break, and a reef break. Surfing Costa Rica, and Mexico.  Beach break Versus reef Break In the past year I have spent two months surfing a fun reef break in Punta de Mita Mexico. Now eight months later we are living in Cahuita Costa Rica. surfing an epic beach break, every morning and afternoon. Here are the differences I have noticed transitioning from surfing a reef break to a beach break.  What is a Reef Break,  A reef break occurs when ocean waves break when they pass over a section of coral reef, or rocky seabed. I enjoy surfing reef breaks because they are often easier to paddle out because you can go around the waves. It is also easier to figure out where you should position yourself to catch waves.  What is a beach break , A beach break occurs over a sandy seabed. As waves approach the shore, the gradual slope of the sandy bottom causes the waves to break. Beach breaks are common along coastlines. I enjoy surfing beach br...

  Winning the Elizabethtown Mother's Day 5K By Kai Holloway Sprinting for the finish line. (Photo taken by my grandmother Lovey) It was three o'clock, and my grandfather, whom we call Pop Pop, had signed up our whole family for the Mother's Day 5K race. My two little brothers, Zev (8) and Cove (12), my mom, dad, and I (15) were all going to be running. It was 2:55 p.m. We all had our bibs and race shirts on. We were gathered around a big oak tree, stretching, and my grandmother, whom we call Lovey, took a pre-race photo. Pre race family photo Soon afterward, all the runners were called over to the starting line to start the race at 3:00 p.m. The race director talked for a little while, and then said over his loudspeaker, "Now, let's take a moment of silence... for all the mothers out there." It was an interesting way to start a race. I stood there about two rows in from the start line, my heart poundin...

  Spending the Night at Kikapu Water Park in Lagos de Moreno, Mexico After spending two months in Punta de Mita, we were on our way to Potrero Chico for some climbing before leaving Mexico. On the way, we saw a water park that offered camping for $15 per night. We decided to check it out. My brothers and I were amazed by the gigantic water slides. Unfortunately, we soon found out that the water to the slides was turned off. My mom started making dinner, which was beans, rice, cabbage, and corn tortillas. Meanwhile, my brothers and I played a big game of tag throughout the entire park. I ran up water slides, jumped over picnic tables, and hid in the pirate ship while my brothers tried to find me. After dinner, it was dark and we realized we were the only people left in the park. We were locked in the park for the night!  We went for a walk and checked out a massive green water slide that was like a deep dark cave. While my brothers were running down the slide, my dad and I wa...

Running, biking, and swimming in Lancaster Virginia.  On my family’s trip back north towards Maine this spring. We had an incredible time visiting our friend Rob in Lancaster Virginia, a very rural area on the Rappahannock river.  In our three weeks in Lancaster I have had a great time going for long runs, swims across the creek, and bike rides through the farmland.  Running a Half Marathon barefoot, 11 year olds. With my Uncle. This is my typical training day routine:  Morning:  Depending on how cold it is outside I like to start my day with a run at around 7:15 am. There are a lot of nice routes to run so depending on how I’m feeling I jog a 4 mile route, 6 mile loop, or sometimes a ten mile route down to a dead end.  When I get back from running I eat breakfast. usually oatmeal, sometimes we make it savory with an egg, beans, and maybe some cheese. Or we eat it with frozen blueberries and some honey. Afternoon After breakfast I like to go for a bike ride...

As I bite into the crisp tortilla of a fresh street taco, tasting the caramelized onion and juicy carne asada, I think about the delicious Mexican food culture and all the unique dishes I have had the privilege to enjoy in my time in Mexico. Eating with friend's in Punta De Mita.  Tacos Before we traveled to Mexico, I had eaten a lot of tacos. But the tacos I tried in Mexico were completely different. During my family’s four-month trip through Mexico, we went out to numerous small taco stands. From Nuevo León to Nayarit, the types of tacos vary from region to region, but this is what you are most likely to find. The taco stands usually consisted of a large hot plate where they cooked the corn tortillas with some meat juice for oil and a delicious flavor. Then they have small metal vats of different types of carne (meat) that you can choose to have on your tortilla. They usually have carne asada, chorizo, carnitas, or sometimes birria. Once they give you your tortilla and meat, they...