Bhutan: Tiger's Nest Temple

The Tiger's Nest temple is the epitome of Buddhist temples for me. The story goes that a monk flew from the valley on the back of a tiger to the cliffs above the Paro Valley in Bhutan. There he meditated in a cave for years. Ellen and I rode horses up through the valley until even they were stopped due to the steepness of the cliffs. The monestary is at an elevation of 10,000 feet and the valley floor is at 7,000. Once we arrived at the top we were greeted by the head monk and given a ceremony that celebrated our love and offered blessings to my ailing mother. While walking though the temple I came across a door that lead to a cave!! Yes - I was able to do some caving in the middle of this 3,000 foot cliff.

Caving with Aria

Saturday we headed down to Midnight Creek Cave to take Aria to a room named after her. After the 1 hour drive we then loaded ourselves on the mountain bikes and headed to the canyon. We hiked down the boulder laden canyon and then entered the cave. After a hour touring we retraced our steps and headed home.

Caving in Panama

Caving with Crocs in Panama while Ellen was safe on a G4 heading to a Nashville music showcase.

Church Cave: Kings Canyon

Church Cave in Sequoia-Kings Canyon: great hike and adventure in the cave. We were able to get access to the circuit route and spend a few hours playing underground. Then followed it with a cool jump in the river. Aria hurt her foot and we carried her all the way out of the canyon.

Kings Canyon 2007

Kings Canyon: Swimming in the river, fishing, hiking, climbing, hanging in hammocks, great meals, camp fire stories and plays, pleasure dome, caving, biking, damn building, waterfalls, Muir Rock and so much more...