kacollier

My husband is turning 50 and is an active, adventurous man. I am trying to surprise him with a new activity somewhere in the U.S. or Mexico. Past adventures have included racing school, jet fighter pilots, zip lines, rappelling, etc. Since I would like to bring a few couples along, price is a factor and the adventure should be of a shorter duration (2-4 days). My ideas have included Glamis or Baja for dune buggys/ATV riding; G-Force Adventures, trapeze/circus school, hang-gliding (or similar), astronaut adventures, etc. that will provide a good destination to enjoy between February or April. We are from Wisconsin so trying to avoid the cold and snowy -- although he loves to ski (has done heli-skiing). So any ideas, past experiences you wish to share, travel sites, outfitters would be greatly appreciated. I need to start moving on plans and am stumped as to what will be memorable for him!

bear900

Does he like to run? I just talked a couple of younger friends into running the Dipsea Trail starting in Mill Valley, just north of SF. It’s quite an adventure.

http://www.durt.org/runs/dipsea.html

I already know I’m going to need an oxygen mask to get over cardiac hill.

sobolik

Scuba class and dive combo in Mexican Caribean. I think some resorts do a scuba certification enough to dive on the trip thing. In other words it is not a long drawn out training.

TahitiTams

Friends love the East Cape of Baja at a place called Rancho Leonero..
includes meals and you can go deep sea fishing, panga fishing/kayak and scuba the great islands off La Paz..they say that catching big game fish is a real rush..3 meals are included too and I am sure you could be dune buggy as well.
www.rancholeonero.com

Renting a boat in the Caribbean for your friends with a captain and chef and you all can have a blast island hopping and having your husband taking the helm..

What a cool wife you are!

NatureGirl19317

Hi kacollier!

I enthusiastically second the suggestion to go diving-it will be a simply amazing and unforgettable experience!

Many popular dive locations (eg Mexico, Caribbean) offer 30 minute training for those whove never been. Afterwards you wont go down into the super depths of the sea but you youll go down far enough to cause some excitement for sure!

Or, you could give him a gift now of dive lessons and plane tickets to a well-researched location with many great dives. Have him start the lessons now so that he is fully certified when you take your trip!

A cool trip would be to the Galapagos. You can go with a private yachting company (many who also specialize in dives) or through Celebrity’s Xpedition line (not sure if I spelled that correctly) and set up the dives through their excursions or on your own.

By the way, if my husband comes across this thread: hint hint for the Galapagos trip, hee hee!

Good luck!

NatureGirl19317

Im sorry-I missed the "US or Mexico" qualifier in your post (so ignore my Galapagos suggestion). There are indeed lots of great dive spots in Mexico-both for beginner and experienced divers.

JC98

Kayaking and whale watching in Baja. Great in the winter months.

crosscheck

How about a train trip to Mexico's Copper Canyon and then mountain biking to Indian villages. Haven't done the bike trip - it's new - but the train ride is wonderful, edgy and scenic and the canyon is spectacular, bigger than the Grand Canyon.