Scuba Diving

Have you ever wondered where the various colors in a 64-count crayola box come from?

For me that question was answered during my first ever blue water dive in Cozumel. I truly believe that the creators of such amazing colors were all scuba divers. They had to be ...

There is no where else in the world that I have seen colors like I have seen while scuba diving.

Not only is the scenery breath-taking, but the humor of the fish and marine life is quite entertaining.

Have you ever seen a green moray eel up close? The gnarl of its teeth, the fact that they are blind, except for a few shadows, and that they lull in cracks and under rocks for hours at a time. It's funny if you think about it.

Once I was diving with a dive master, who encouraged me to get up close and personal with a 6-foot long eel. First, he removed my glove from my hand, took my hand, and made me stroke his tail (it felt a lot like suede underwater). Then he motioned for me to hold my breath (not breath out bubbles from my regulator) and literally I was inches from his face. It was so cool. One of the most fun things I have ever done underwater.

How about a different fish (yes, they are a fish)? The seahorse. In the little mermaid, they were important. They were the trumpeter, fairly large, but truly in the ocean they are not that easy to find (at least not in my experience.)

They are supposed to be the easiest to find in Bonaire. We went on three dives and they were hard to spot (finally found four on the final dives) not because they weren't there, but because they are extremely small. Like the eels, seahorses don't move a whole lot, another great fish to be in the ocean.

My favorite example of fun and humorous marine life is the nurse shark. I like to compare them to little puppies. They are easily distracted, can be petted, and are a lot of fun to watch (and not scary.)

When I was in Belize, we had a dive master that had a wonderful relationship with the nurse sharks. These weren't captured, these were completely wild nurse sharks of 5-7 feet.

Our dive master had a bottle of dead fish on a leash. He would pull it around and the sharks would chase it, much like a puppy dog would fetch a toy or a bone. They would swim up to us, and allow the dive master to roll them over so that we could pet them. It is my favorite experience interacting with marine life. (Of course I don't recommend playing with sharks on your own, please let your dive master do things like that!!!!)

Scuba diving is a sport that is unparalleled. It's a great work out, but generally considered a lazy man's sport (you're floating 98% of the time). You have the opportunity to witness creation that the majority of the world has never seen, and never will see. And you can be a part of unbelievable experiences that can't be duplicated on land.

If you haven't tried it, or are considering getting your certification, I highly recommend it. It will change the way you vacation, it did mine!

Okay so I am not the ordinary girl. I don't really care for the big white dress, 300 people at a reception and an 1.5 hours of photography, that wasn't my ideal wedding. For me it was an intimate, beautiful setting with just a few people, and a great opportunity to travel and getaway.

My husband loves the outdoors, and he was the one who reintroduced me to the Rocky Mountains. Back in July we went to Estes Park and hiked one of his favorite hikes. At that time I considered it my GREATEST athletic accomplishment ever. (Scuba Diving is the lazy man's sport, and well most of my other adventures didn't get my heart rate up quite like this hike.)

The hike is off of Comanche Peak in the Rocky Mountains. It starts straight up on a trail for about 30 minutes, then 30 minutes down the back side of the mountain with tons of switchbacks, and then a 30 minute hike to a waterfall at the end of the trail.

In July when we did the hike, it was beautiful, sunny, and a great day. It took just over an hour and a half to complete the hike, but we stopped several times along the way and at the waterfall to view the beauty of the area.

My husband proposed at the waterfall which was wonderfully picturesque, and romantic. Not a lot of fanfare, no crowd, exactly the way I wanted it.

We decided that we would go back to that very same waterfall to have the wedding ceremony. We flew our singles pastor and his wife up there too. Both fairly physically fit, but still it was going to be a challenge for all of us, especially because the wedding was held in February.

We started our morning off with a stop at the deli, we were definitely going to need some nutrition for this hike. I had a 20-25 lb back pack on, which included everything we would need for the reception. My husband had a 25 lb. back pack on too that had the food, drinks, and cameras.

We started up the mountain and there was about 6 inches of snow on the ground. It wasn't too bad as the sunny side was on our side of the mountain. We took several breaks along the way. It took about 45 minutes to get up the front side of the mountain.

Once we got to the top, we took a break for a few minutes and decided we would hike about a 100 yards over to an area that we call ponder rock. It is a great overlook on boulders of the rocky mountains. Very scenic and gorgeous! I knew it would be the perfect place to take photos at.

We started the hike over there, and that is when it dawned on us that we were going to encounter some snow. It was more on the backside of the mountain than the front, which means the sun didn't hit it as well. We were hiking in knee deep snow. I can't tell you how many times I fell.

We were definitely trailblazing to the location. The payoff was great though. See for yourself!

At this point we were starving so we sat down for some lunch. Then decided to head back to the trail to get to the waterfall.

We knew we would be going downhill so that was going to be much easier, but we didn't realize that we would be hiking in thigh-high to waist deep snow. We moved slow and walked in each others footprints. My husband is 6'4" so it was great to walk in his footprints. When he was knee deep I knew I would be thigh-deep and so on.

We got about halfway down the mountain, it had been about 45 minutes, and we were only halfway. Very slow going! Once we hit the halfway point and noticed that the sun was already going down, we, as a group, decided to head back up. We weren't prepared or willing to spend the night in the mountains just for a wedding at the waterfall.

As we turned around and started the climb up it was even more difficult that going up the front side, originally. I would count 10 steps and then have to stop for a breather. It was like climbing a stair stepper, with no traction, no bars to pull yourself up with, and constant falling.

Once we got back to the top we headed back over to ponder rock. We set-up and had the wedding there. It was a beautiful scene behind the ceremony, and we had a lot of fun making fun of the fact that there were ONLY FOUR people there.

We did a complete reception with a toast, flower toss, cake and champagne exchange (or in our case Ginger Ale), and our first dance. It was so much fun, picturesque and the perfect wedding for me.

That evening we relaxed in our condo (highly recommend Estes Park Condos) where we had a great hot tub, and ordered pizza (the perfect wedding night?!)

The next day we went skiing at Eldora, which is just outside of Boulder. It was a great time too.

Just thought I would share about my wedding. I am an adventurer at heart, and this was the perfect type of wedding for someone who has similar interests. Weddings, in my opinion, don't have to be a huge affair, an intimate setting with those you love is the best (and more economical) way to go. A little adventure, a cozy wedding ... the perfect vacation for me.

Adventure ... for me it's doing activities or exercise out of the norm. It's more than going to the gym to burn that big mac and fries or for me personally the muchaco at Taco Bueno, which I think many people would consider that an adventure in itself. Adventure for me is getting outdoors (and sometimes indoors) and doing something different, exciting and out of my daily norm.

I love the outdoors, always have. Even though I am still young, I did grow up in the time when you could play outside in your front yard, or ride bicycles up and down the street, without fear. My afternoons were filled with climbing trees, digging up rolly pollies, and drawing with chalk on my parent's driveway. Kids don't have that same kind of outdoor enthusiasm today, with the help of 500 channels of TV, and the PS3! I am glad I grew up the way I did, because it has instilled in me a sense of adventure.

My favorite activities include scuba diving, hiking, cycling, skiing, and practically anything in the water.

I host a television show that features both scuba diving and various on-land activities, called Destination Above and Below. The slogan for the show is "seeking adventure in all atmospheres." If you are a scuba diver than you will understand the double entendre in the phrase.

On my show I have been in many places, so far all on the western hemisphere. My travels include Cozumel (both before and after the hurricane) Cancun, Belieze, Bonaire, Curacao, Florida Keys, Monterrey, CA, La Paz and Los Cabos. While in these fantastic locations I have had the opportunity to do some incredible scuba dining and crazy adventures, such as cave tubing, ziplining though jungles, ATV's, off road tours, golfing, fishing and so much more. (I am sure you will hear more about these through my future blogs.)

My most recent adventures have occurred outside of the water and outside of my TV show, as I have just returned from Colorado where my fiancee and I tied the knot on a hike in the Rocky Mountain National Forest, then went skiing in the mountains as well. (I will tell you all about that crazy adventure in my next blog ... you'll want to read about it.)

So that is my background in adventure, as you can probably tell I am extremely active, my motto is "have fun, be safe, and don't do anything too insane." Adventure to me doesn't mean you need to scale a cliff, go skydiving, or bungee jumping, adventure to me is getting outside your norm and experiencing something new.

If you have any questions always feel free to write, I am typically quick to respond unless I am traveling and have limited internet access. I look forward to blogging about my most recent adventures, as well as charities I work with, hot topics, and my newest hobby cycling (I have lofty goals of cycling Highway 1 in California next year! Better start training!!!)

Fins Up!

Tiffany