I only go to the Hawaii section too when I am reading posts. I don't have time to sift through all the posts about the entire US

Patty
re: "I'm surprised that more people don't go directly to specific states or countries"
Because.....We travel a lot and have been to many states. If I can offer anything to anyone on any state, I want to do that. But as I said above...I don't want to just GIVE information...I want to RECEIVE information and I click on any heading that sounds like somewhere I want to visit. I have learned a great deal this way.

"Travelisfun" is correct, all the beaches here are public. But you'll need to remember that sometimes the property you need to cross over to get to those "deserted" beaches is NOT public! I've seen hundreds of tourists trample over private property leaving their litter scattered about without so much as a "would you mind us cutting through this way to get to the beach??" to the land owner! Just a reminder. Be aware of your surroundings, be respectful and if it is private property ASK! Don't just assume that because the beach on the other side of the house is public, you have the right of way. You don't.

cd,
I should clarify that I also do this when I'm seeking information. For example, I'm planning a trip to the Galapagos this fall, so I'll go directly to the Ecuador posts on the Latin America board. Since Ecuador gets very few posts relative to say Mexico or other Latin American destinations, it would take quite a while to locate any relevant posts by not selecting a particular country. I understand different things work for different people.

I also don't travel very much within the US (except once or twice a year to Hawaii). Most of my US travel is limited to business related trips or family visits, not the usual destinations that get mentioned here.

Patt
Good for you! I would love to go to the Galapagose! You are so blessed!

It's been one of my dream destinations for a long time! If all goes as planned, I'm finally going this year :)

Get the Ultimate Guide to Kauai. THey list several waterfalls, hikes, etc. that my husband and I took and often we were theonly ones there. Same goes for beaches, etc. They give very good directions, etc on how to get to these places, too.