Coast to Coast and Back Again

the past three weeks

2008-09-07T08:47:00.000-07:00

Okay, so first of all Brad and I are both alive and well. Sorry about the drop off of the blog there at Yellowstone. A combination of events took place. The first of which was we were having so much fun enjoying our trip and Yellowstone that we did not catch the blog up while we were there. Next I wrote the text for all the Yellowstone blog posts while Brad was driving in Microsoft Word. Well something crazy happened and they all disappeared. Brad tried to recover the lost text but nothing turned up. Instead of typing for hours and hours again I got upset and discouraged. Our trip has not been any less fun or less exciting however. We have had a blast - you will just have to talk with us about the details instead of reading them. This blog has been super fun for me but you will not believe how time consuming it is. I will try to post some of the lost days but I can not promise anything =). We had a blast for the rest of Yellowstone and everyday was an adventure. We went on Safari type car rides. We saw some awesome wildlife including a bald eagle and a grizzly bear. We went on the scariest hike of my life in which at least 12-15 trees fell as we were walking six of which fell on the trail! I am planning on making a scrap book that hopefully everyone will get to see and all the pictures will be in there. We were close enough to a huge bison that we could have touched it. We were too scared of being rammed so we refrained. From Yellowstone we went to the corn field states. Not too much excitement here. From here we made our way to Chicago where we stayed with my friend Brandy's mom. Sue and John were really welcoming and nice. She did our laundry which was unnecessary but super awesome and we loved it. We hung out in Chicago which both Brad and I are now big fans of. We went to the Field Museum and we could have spent days in here and not seen it all. This is for sure one of the coolest museums ever. We saw mummies, a complete T-Rex named Sue and the inside of a tornado among many other things. After this we rode the subway up to Wrigley Field where we had awesome first base seats to a Cub's game. We had pizza as we were both decked out in Cub Tee shirts. The game was awesome as well. The Cubs made a serious come back in the 8th inning which included a grand slam! We kept a score card that we traded back and forth so we both could play. we drank six dollar beers and rooted for the Cubs. We sang in traditional Harry Carry style take me out to the ballgame!We missed Obama's speech because we were at the game but we read about it the next day. From here we went through Michigan wearing our App gear, of course. We went to Bells brewery. If I lived in Kalamazoo not only would I love this pub but I would love to say that I live in a place called Kalamazoo. We watched the Appalachian vs. LSU game while in Michigan celebrating the one year anniversary of their massive win. I am sad to report the ASU team did not pull off the upset of the year again but at least they did score once even if they missed a few passes. Since then they have redeemed themselves playing Jacksonville and winning by a large margin. From here we officially made our trip international by driving through Canada. I think I worried my Dad a little because I called him and told him that I was in another country. He got quite and asked what I meant. I quickly told him I was in Canada and he laughed at the joke but hidden in his laugh was relief. We drove by some farmland and Brad told me that is where hockey pucks grow. We looked for maple syrup and did not see any growing on trees. Canada is a strange land where different colored money is not just for monopoly but it actually is used to purchase things. We were going to ask about the culture but we were both a little nervous because neither of us speaks Canadian. Just Kidding. It was fun to drive through Canada at 100 km per hour. After our international travels we went to Niagara Falls. We took the trolley to the water falls and walked back. As we were waiting for the trolley to take us back we watched as a child ran out in front of it and was hit. Luckily the trolley was only going 5 miles an hour because the child's parents were nowhere around and the kid ran out directly in front of the trolley and was knocked over. It was really sad because the young boy was frightened but thank God he was not injured at all. Brad and I were standing right there so we had to fill out police reports. This was more excitement than we expected at Niagara Falls. The waterfalls were pretty amazing and it was crazy to watch the river as it rushed to fall off a cliff. There were boat rides that we would like to do if we ever go back. These did not go over the falls instead they rode around at the base. These rides are called Maid of the Mist. I was ready to see my sister so we left a day early and drove from the border of Canada to Long Island. It was our longest day of driving and by the time we reached their house we were so glad to be there. Because we arrived a day early we were able to enjoy labor day with them meaning we got to spent a work free day with my sister and my brother in law. It was a day well spent at the beach. There were these crazy black flies that wanted to eat us alive however. Andy surfed one of the best waves of his life, that is a direct quote. It was a barrel wave and he said it was awesome. The water was too choppy at the beach we were at. The lifeguards were only allowing people in up to their knees. Surfers were every man for himself. I guess they are considered safer because they have a board?!? The rest of our week has been awesome here. So awesome in fact, we are going to stay one more day. We have survived Hurricane Hanna so we are feeling pretty good about things. We spent some time at the boat club where Brad and I won a very close game of Cranium. Maybe it pays to have spent every waking moment with someone. We were on the exact same wavelength while playing the game it was kind of funny. We played Tennis and let me say that Brad and I are not awesome at this game. It was really fun however to play doubles. It was one of the best times of our trip in my opinion. I doubt Jessica and Andy had as much fun as we did because they are probably used to playing with people that can play. Brad and Jessica were one a team and Brad still hit her with the ball- Yikes! This was awesome and the best part is right before contact Jessica knew it was coming. She freaked out made a crazy attempt to get away which only made it funnier. Brad is not a good partner =) I did not hit Andy with the ball. We went on a bike ride to the beach which was lovely. A few days later Jessica and Andy decided they needed sunglasses to match their bikes and so it was. Jessica now is the proud owner of the official Mets Oakley's because they are the same color as her bike. She is nervous that people are going to think that she is an out of control Mets fan. I think she looks super cool! We cooked some fun dinners and lounged as well. We went to a hurricane party where Hurricane Hanna didn't even show up. There was some rain and some wind but nothing to get all crazy about. The good news is the boat is okay. And that is about it. This is the brief version to get everyone who cares up to date. Again I hate that I slacked off and I will try to make it up to you all =) We are going to make a scrap book and photo album so that should be fun to look at later. We love you all and are still happy and have not killed each other yet! Since we have made it almost three months without killing each other I think we are going to make it. I almost left him on the side of the road once and he wanted to run away from me once thinking hitch hiking would be more fun but then we came to our senses. We do not want the trip to end and we truly are having the time of our lives.

2008-08-27T16:36:00.000-07:00

Here we go...

...Old Faithful...Almost as good as a movie.

Old Faithful

2008-08-27T16:26:00.001-07:00

Now there is definitely one thing that must be done upon a visit to Yellowstone and this one thing is to watch Old Faithful. We decided it would be best to go ahead and get this awesome yet touristy thing done with so we would not have to try and fit it in later in the week and so it did not slip through our fingers as something that we were unable to do. We all agreed that we would be disappointed if we left Yellowstone without watching the iconic geyser erupt at its scheduled hour. Our campground was less than twenty miles from the landmark so we easily drove there and realized with the rush of people exiting that it must have just blown. This was good and bad news but in the end mostly good news. The bad news was that we had to wait at least an hour for our ShowTime. The good news was we were the first of the next showing’s viewers and this meant we had the pick of seats. Naturally we chose the best front row seats in the house. It was also nice to sit after our hikes and just hang out with family and fellow travelers. We made friends with a family who sat behind us. Tom attempted a nap and I put my hat over my face for a few minutes while lying on the bench more to relax than to actually nap. I find the most amazing thing about Old Faithful not to be the awesome geyser eruptions all though they are pretty unreal. I think the neatest thing is its predictability. Not only is it guaranteed to go off in a mildly violent display of natures furry between every 60 to 120 minutes but based on each individual eruption the next on can be more accurately predicted. This is to say that the more violent the eruption the next is more likely to be on the tame side. The longer the wait between eruptions the more violent the eruption will be. In short Old Faithful is a massive and amazing natural geyser that is easily predictable and goes off every hour. No wonder people come from all over the world to watch. And there were people from all over the world with their camera and video recorders in hand waiting for the spectacle. Although Old Faithful’s eruptions can be predicted the exact moment in which the geyser will blow is unknown. Watching the steam puff up from the Earth was like watching a suspenseful movie where only little needs to happen and yet you are still glued to the edge of your seat. The geyser seemed to tease us a bit by stopping her smoky breathing for an instant and puffing out a sudden cloud. At each little burst of steam the crowd held its breath expecting the steam and water to skyrocket at any moment. But the geyser refused to perform for minutes. This part of the display was neat because you could feel the anticipation until all at once little spurts of water and steam started to jut from the cone like opening. At first they were short bursts only a few feet tall. Then they were a few meters tall but still coming in short bursts. Then all the sudden the steam and water reached skyward and for over a full minute Old Faithful proved why it was a landmark. The geyser flow went vertical 160 feet skyward. As the moments passed on the geyser kept spewing as the wind played its part by blowing the steam. This movement of the powerful upward shooting steam and the misty cloud spread by the wind combined making the geyser eruption huge and breathtaking. There was a mild hissing sound of the relieving pressure from the water and steam erupted. There was a combination of human noises as well, a mixing of camera’s clicking and people gasping and saying ohh and ahh and oh look. It was a neat experience and even made Mom’s eyes tear up. Yellowstone is a fragile but extremely powerful ticking time bomb and this display proved it to me.

2008-08-27T14:54:00.000-07:00

Our first full day consisted of exploring the West Thumb area and a 6-mile hike to riddle lake. The West Thumb area was over crowded but for good reason. When we first arrived it seemed like the hikes in the area might be a little lame and everywhere we looked there were groups of people. As we started we realized that once we started the walk the people were dispersed enough on the boardwalk that it was easy to just be with our small group of four. One of the defining characteristics of Yellowstone is that it is a super volcano. The land covers an active volcano that is so huge that when it finally blows the world will be changed. This volcanic activity is apparent throughout the park but in some areas every few steps you take leads to a geyser or a bubbling pool or a hot spring or some other variation of hydrothermal activity. All of the pools varied from one another and they even change depending on the day and/or time of day. There was truly so much diversity in the geothermal pools. My personal favorites were the pools that had orange and yellow usually mostly around the rims of the pools. The light blue pools were definitely a close second but all of the pools in their own way were awesome and inspiring in their own way. From the small gurgles of muddy water or the vents that only steam escaped from to the huge pools that seemed to have no bottom they were all neat to see especially to see the different ones so close in proximity to each other. The walk around West Thumb’s hydrothermal pools borders the edge of Yellowstone Lake for most of the walk. There were visible active areas even in the lake, which was neat, and there are also heated areas that we could not see beneath the surface of the lake water. One of the better known of these hydrothermal areas in the lake is fisherman’s cone. This cone was once popular for fisherman who would stand on the cone surrounding the hydrothermal area and fish. Once catching a fish they would dip the fish still on the hook and cook it in the active cone filled with boiling water. As you can imagine this is an ideal situation. The problem with fisherman’s cone however was fisherman were falling in and being cooked. As much as people like cooked fish nobody likes a cooked fisherman so access to the cone is no longer permitted. One of the things that is so cool about this area is how dangerous these pools are. They was even a geothermal vent beneath the surface of the lake that was in the clear shape of a heart. This little heart hole itself was in the upper hump of a larger heart shaped cone. the best part about this discovery was that Brad pointed it out. They are beautiful and with the gentle steam rising from the light blue ones I can see how it would be tempting to test the waters. I don’t know if I would be foolish enough to jump in but I can see myself testing the water with a hand or a foot, which would surely lead to pain and perhaps serious burns. The beauty and ferocity of the area made for a striking contradiction. We were all equally impressed by nature’s display at West Thumb. There was a pool named the abyss. This pool was black in the center because it was so deep that there was no color jumping back at us. A deep blue surrounded the black in the abyss, it was very pretty. There light blue ones that I mentioned usually had a white rim and resembled swimming pools or hot tubs. Most of the pools had patches of green surrounding their borders. These gardens stay green year round because the pools thermal energy is constant. This place would be a sight to behold in winter when the ground is covered in white snow except for the numerous steaming pools surrounded with striking green plant life all along the borders. This hike was actually more of a stroll on a boardwalk than a hike but it was awesome all the same. Mom was in the mood to try out her hiking legs and was ready to get into the backcountry so we left the West Thumb area for more backwoods hiking experience and fewer people. We decided the nice six-mile riddle lake trail was a good place to start. This was a pleasant trail to a small lake and back. Much of Yellowstone was devastated in a fire in the 80’s so there were standing dead trees and young forests throughout the park. On this hike we saw both as well as fields of gold that waved in the wind. This was actually my personal favorite part of the entire hike. When the wind would blow the ground looked as though a conductor waving his arms to and fro was directing them. The sun added to this dramatic orchestra as the grass bent and swirled with the wind. We too as hikers were intermixed in this as the wind would randomly roll around us. Once the trees opened up to an open area this would happen. The ground was not only golden but there were many shades of yellow and green as well. There were mountains off in the distance and then there was the lake. Parts of Riddle Lake were completely covered in lily pads. The muddy bank was like a carbon paper recording all the recent activity along the waters edge. Not only were their human footprints and most likely dog or coyote tracks but we also recognized many hoof prints of varying size and a few bear tracks. We were without a doubt in the wild. The animals are well aware of our presence however and this is to our advantage. Animals have a healthy fear of humans as we should have of them and they try to leave us alone and avoid us, as we should with them. There are definitely times when curiosity overtakes us and this is okay as long as we both keep our distance. We were lucky enough to view some wildlife and their marks without any confrontations. During our stay in Yellowstone Riddle Lake was one of the quieter prettier hikes we did. The landscape was peaceful and rejuvenating. I think everyone in the party enjoyed the hike. This was apparent during the times when everyone became silent and we just walked on happy and content before the silence was happily broken again.

Getting Settled in at Yellowstone

2008-08-27T14:48:00.000-07:00

When we first drove into Yellowstone National Park we decided to get our camp set up. Before doing this of course we had to check in. We were planning on spending the week at Grant Village staying in the same campground so we would not have to pack up and set up everyday. Reservations had been made in advance so we did not have to worry about that. The original campsite we were assigned was set between two roads and had no trees. It was a dusty patch of ground that was right across from the bathroom. In short not the ideal site. We figured it would not be the worst thing if we got stuck in this site but why not see what else is out there. We decided to go back and see if there were any other options. Luckily for us the guys working at the check in desk were super nice. Not only did we look at other sites on a map but they were sweet and fun to joke with as well. We decided on an outer site that is in a tent only loop. It is best to get a site in a tent only loop because then you won’t have to deal with generators. Once we drove up to the site we were so glad that we had made the effort to get a better site. Because we were on the outer loop there were plenty of trees all around. Although this is a compact campground this site was large and our neighbors were hidden behind trees so it did not feel like there were people all around us. We quickly went about the business of getting settled in for the week. We went to the general store to go ahead and get groceries and stock up for the week – this was the plan anyway. We ended up frequenting the store throughout the week. Mom and I both got distracted in the store as is common for me. We not only left with groceries but we both had a new cowboy hat. Brad and I have been collecting pint glasses along our journey as well as before we hit the road so we picked up a Yellowstone pint glass to add to the collection and Mom got a tee shirt. Mom was really happy with her hat selection and was pleased to find a hat that she likes. It is rare for her as it is with most girls to fins a hat that flatters you but if I might say so myself she looked good in that styling cowboy hat – maybe not as good as I looked but you know =). She has another opinion about who the hat looks better on but this is my story so that is how I will tell it =) After settling in to our camp we had a delicious dinner and just talked. One thing that I was excited about this week was not only getting to share some of our trip with a part of my family but also to have my Mom help design some of the meals. I love going home and eating some of the things that she prepares. We were camping so I knew it was not going to be gourmet but I knew there would certainly be a different twist than Brad and I have been bringing to the table. We had pasta with a Sarah twist and it was camp delicious. Mom and Tom were two weary travelers so we took the first day easy and got acclimated to Grant Village. Since we were in bear country we loaned them a bear spray for their tent in case of any unwanted company as unlikely as it is, it is better to be prepared for it. Mom did have a bit of a spook when Tom snored in the middle of the night and she was convinced that there was a snarling bear just beyond the borders of her tent. Luckily when she woke Tom the snarling stopped and she figured out the snarling was actually snoring. Luckily that was the closest we came to a bear attack. We made a fire and Mom and Tom really were appreciating everything that has become so normal to Brad and myself. This made us appreciate it again as we had in the beginning of the trip. Not that we have stopped looking up in the night sky with awe or stopped enjoying being warmed by a fire it has just become normal. What a lucky thing! It was nice to be reminded unknowingly that what we are doing every day is amazing. We left most of the exploring for later in the week.

2008-08-24T07:56:00.000-07:00

We decided our time was better spent exploring than driving. In this way we regretfully cut out Salt Lake City to spend more time in Idaho and Wyoming rather than on the road. One day I would like to get a feel for Salt Lake City but not this year. We Went to Jackson a day early to get a head start on the area. We explored the urban jungle of the uppity outdoors Jackson Hole where everything is overpriced but adorable. We ate Thai food, which it seems that we can not get enough of even though nothing is as good as Chai Da Thai in Boone. Although a lot of places come close. We discovered The Snake River Brewing Company, which I have heard such great things about. This is one of the better brewing companies that we have been to. We did not have a reservation anywhere because we decided not to go to Salt Lake City so we had to figure something out. Everything was full from campsites to rooms. This pushed us south to Alpine where we found a room for the bargain price of $100. There were no other options even further from Jackson from this as far as 50 miles that we could find so we decided to splurge. . It paid of. Although the room did not look like much from the outside and it was only a best western once we opened the door we were impressed. If you are ever in the area the Best Western in Alpine is pretty awesome. Everything was much nicer than your usual normal hotel and there was a huge Jacuzzi bathtub!!! There was randomly enough a phone attached to the wall in the bathroom as well. From the window we had an awesome unobstructed view of a mountain. We took advantage of the amenities and watched Men in Black, which happened to be on TV and whatever Olympics came on. I took a bath for what seemed like forever. We then decided to check out the restaurant on location, which we did not expect much from. Again we were pleasantly surprised. Everything was so delicious. I had chili and a Brownie with ice cream while Brad had a steak with mashed potatoes followed by a milk shake. Yum - and the best parts were we did not have to prepare it or clean up afterwards. Michael Phelps was of course on TV. He is awesome and his talent really impresses me but I think everyone else was overshadowed by him. This is not his fault at all but NBC could have done a better job with the broadcasting of the Olympic games. I felt bad for the other swimmers during the relays. While on the podium the camera would zoom in so only Michael’s face was in view and my heart hurt for the other swimmers families. But I loved to watch him swim so whatever. I think the Olympics should be on more than one channel so the viewer can pick what they watch. For example NBC delayed gymnastics so it was not live because of a Phelps interview. They still ran the clip with a live header, which I though was strange and unfair. Oh well, enough on that subject. We sat at the bar in order to watch gymnastics vault and floor finals. The judging was a bit unfair in my opinion and Alicia deserved the bronze. That is enough about that. While watching the Olympics we made friends with another couple at the bar who are local.
The whole next day was spent exploring Jackson Hole and the surrounding area. My mom was traveling from North Carolina to Wyoming to meet us and she had reserved a room at the Rustic Inn in Jackson. Brad and I checked in and waited for them to arrive. Sadly they were delayed in Denver so Brad and I were all by ourselves. The good news is that they were able to take the early flight and made it to Jackson in time for breakfast in the morning, which was the best continental breakfast that I have ever seen. She was able to have enough time to take a bath in the morning as well. I think this made her day so much better. I gave her a box of See’s candies, which are her very favorite candies in the world and that are only on the west coast. At the See’s Candies store I was able to pick each chocolate for the box. I though that was a really neat idea. From here we decided to check out what Jackson Hole has to offer and then we headed north towards the Tetons. It was really nice to see my mom and Tom. We were both really glad that they were able to fly out and meet us in Jackson. It was nice to know that we would have company at camp for the next week.

Craters of the Moon

2008-08-23T22:30:00.000-07:00

No we did not go to the moon but we did go to a place named for its inhospitable terrain. A large portion of southeast Idaho's landscape exists as the remains of a slew of volcanic activity stretching over millions of years. Different volcano’s erupted with their subsequent lava flow. Over time many varying flows created the landscape of Craters of the Moon National Park. True to it's name the land looks more like somewhere you would see on the moon or a planet in space rather than on Earth. Although as far as the eye can see the ground is mostly lava rock the rocks are from varying times and eruptions so the lava rocks are different throughout the parks flows. The chunky black earth made the ground feel and look hot and unlivable even though it was not especially hot or uncomfortable. I do not think I would like to have a house here. This is not to say that I did not find the area neat and worth while. There were tree impressions in some of the lava flows and others were dull while some were glossy. My favorite thing I did at the park was a hike that led to a number of wild caves. These caves were made when the outer shell of a lava flow would harden allowing the lava to flow through a tube sometimes creating a river underground. Eventually the river stops flowing and some areas are left hollow underground. Sometimes these become caves. These caves were not commercialized in any way. There were no stairs, lighting or handrails. These caves exist now exactly as they were found in their wild state. This made it a little scary to venture inside but I managed to overcome my fear if only for a minute. I climbed down towards the mouths of three different caves and explored the openings of all of them. One of the three bothered me a bit and I was too nervous to go any further than the shallow mouth that led into a narrow dark opening. The other two although not easy to enter were more approachable. These two offered a healthy balance of fear, exploration and excitement that allowed me to go further in. I am glad that I did not lose my footing but I did not think about that until afterward. I am glad that I went into the caves and was able to experience climbing into a cave by myself. It gave me a sense of what it must be like coming across a wild cave for the first time. In no way was it as intense as Natural Bridge Caverns in Texas but it was pretty cool none the less. The cave interior was much different as well because the nature by which it was formed is different than the other caves we have seen on this trip. We were lucky enough to have a yellow sunset that night. The contrast of the yellow against the black landscape was striking. It was one of those sunsets where the yellow is so strong and bright that although there are other colors they just act as accents to the yellow. Our wildlife encounter here was a fox. Although it was sly this fox was far from shy. He came right into our campsite and sat on our table for a minute and looked at me then looked around for a while knowing that I was not a threat. During this I stood as still as I could. As soon as I made a move towards my camera, even though my movement was away from the fox he startled and was off. I was a little bummed that I did not get a close up shot of him but I was happy to have been able to look at him for a while. He walked around our campsite for a while before disappearing behind the lava chunks out of sight. His face was expressive in the way a dog's face can be and his bushy little tail was cute but there was no question that he was a wild animal. The fact that he was so untamed made him so neat to be so close to. Much of our driving through Idaho was some of the prettiest country I have ever seen. Washington and Idaho just glued my eyes to the window. We were either on a mountain pass with forest or ridgeline views or most often in Idaho winding beside one of the famous rivers in the area. We passed many anglers and rapids. It was awesome to wind along side the snake river while it was roaring and then to pass it later while it is much more tame only to pass it again as it rushes by with a swift current.

2008-08-23T22:28:00.000-07:00

2008-08-23T22:10:00.000-07:00

Stanley Idaho is the smallest town that I have ever stayed in. There are no stop lights and the roads are not paved. We happened to arrive here in Stanley because it is the nearest town to where we were camping in the Sawtooth Mountain Park. We were pushed into town because the women’s gymnastics all around competition was that evening. I had already missed so much of the Olympics and this event is my favorite of the summer games so I was determined to watch. The first attempts at finding a place that would show the Olympics were disheartening. There were only four restaurants/bars in town. The first that we stopped at only watched the hunting and tackle channel. The second did not get NBC. Here I started to loose hope and thought we were going to drive an hour to Ketchum. The next place had a redneck bartender that was rude and said that he would not watch anything but baseball. Now we had one last bar option. At first I thought we were going to have to hit the road because it was even grungier than the last bar. Luckily the guy was nice and after he said he did not know if he would have it on later I asked if he could because if not we were going to go to another town. He said that he would make sure to have it on. From here we went to set up camp and made sure to have everything set up so we did not have to worry about anything when we got back because it would not only be dark it would be late too. It was fun watching the Olympics at a local Idaho bar that if not for me probably would not be watching female gymnastics rather than football or baseball. By the end of the competition everyone was in to it and people were asking me questions about gymnastics and the gymnasts etc. The bartender/bar owner seemed to enjoy it too. He got a kick out of having a group of people at his bar enthralled in gymnastics and he started getting excited or upset depending on the scoring. We had a good time here. One note worthy thing about the bar in Stanley is everyone in the town comes to the bar it seems and there was a hunting game equipped with a gun that reminded me of duck hunt for all of us who played the original Nintendo. Our campsite hugged the shore of a lake and looked over the Sawtooth Mountain Range. It was a beautiful view. Regardless of all the beautiful places and views we see I am still quieted by the beauty of Nature. All the places we have been lucky enough to visit have had their own beauty from the arid desert to the ocean. The lake with the Sawtooths reflecting in the water was just one of those places for me that made me stop thinking. I just sat on a log and watched the sun move through the sky changing the reflection of the mountain range on the water, there was a canoe on the shore and more than once I wanted to just hop in and paddle away. If there would have been a paddle too I probably would have gone for a short paddle but there was only the boat. I watched as two frogs hopped around between land and water. They hid beside rocks and gave throaty croaks from time to time before flopping into the water with a thud and a splash. I most liked to watch them while they were swimming with their back legs outstretched and kicking. There were ducks paddling across the water and birds flying over head. The air was crisp with a dash of chill but the sun was warm. There was a gray colored log perfect for sitting on and my bare feet barely touched to waters edge. One neat thing about this lake is how shallow most of it was. I walked out a good ten feet and it was just over ankle deep and it did not look as though it were going to drop off any time soon. The nights were cold here but a part of me fell in love with the Sawtooth Mountains. I need to stop falling in love with every where we go but I can not help it. We drove through Ketchum after leaving the park and stopped. Yet another cute town with a cute-blowing rock type feel to it. Here I got a caramel apple from Rocky Mountain Chocolate factory which to my disappointment are everywhere. We saw our first one in Colorado and I thought it was so cute, by the time we saw our tenth one in random places I was sad that it was not only regional. I now know you can enjoy Rocky Mountain Chocolates all over the country even in Charlotte. Kilwins is better but this caramel apple was delicious none the less.

Idaho

2008-08-18T09:24:00.000-07:00

We drove into Idaho - The birthplace of the wonderful Rebekah Lee McPherson. McCall was the first stop. We were glad to stop here because we had been drivig all day. It was a very long drive day. We went all the way from Seattle to McCall - it is a long way. After stopping in McCall I see why my Dad loves this town and holds it fondly in his memory. Quite and Quaint but not so small that you feel lost. From here we traveled south to Boise. After checking out the college and downtown we made our way to the blue football field. Go Broncos. We decided the beers at Big Horn Brewery were worth tasting and so we did. We sampled and enjoyed six of them and saw an awesome picture of a lady wearing a sassy dress made from a sack of famous idaho potatoes. Funny enough restaurants took advantago of the famous potatoes slogan and posted prowdly on their windows that they had famous potatoes. All of Idaho has famous potatoes so it was funny to me. After being dissapointed by two closed Thai places we ate at a cute place that was a restored bank. There were marble columns and the floor was marble as well. Boise is a good city and it was fun to revisit it.

2008-08-14T00:59:00.000-07:00

This is probably how we should have traveled across the nation. What you can not see is the other half of this mobile house is just behind us. We could have had a bathroom and a bedroom and a front porch but instead we settled for the Subaru and better gas mileage.

From Coast to Coast and Back Again

2008-08-13T23:56:00.000-07:00

While in Seattle we not only had adventure days but we were able to rest up. Brad slept until dinnertime and I watched Olympic gymnastics on the Internet all day long. That may seem unproductive but actually days like that can be just what you need sometimes. I love gymnastics and these Olympic athletes are so awesome to watch. My two favorites are Nastia and Shawn I hope they both do really well! The Chinese girls are really strong though and although some of them are super cute I think some of them are really 12 years old – yikes. Anyway after the lounge day we made tacos went to the casino – Muckleshoot where we no one won any money. This casino was sadder to me than the Vegas ones and I did not want to gamble away money here. I wish Brad would have won but I think he still enjoys the game of it all. I am sad that I was unable to spend more time with Amber and that I did not get to explore Seattle as much as I would have liked, but we both had a really awesome time. Susanne is so much fun and I am so glad that we were able to hang out with her at her new pad. We love her dog even when she is stepping on our faces and whining because someone has left the apartment. Thanks for letting us live in your living room. We had to leave – it was time since we already extended our stay here. We were able to go back to the studio that she works at and watch a child get his picture taken in front of a backdrop of a beach. It made me sad and I wished the kid had gone to a real beach but whatever. We left from here Idaho bound.

Leaving Seattle meant that we are now actually on our way home. We have made it to the other coast and then up. So we have gone West and North. We have always been heading away from home. Now for the first time we are headed back home. Susanne liked this idea because she said it made her the destination of our trip. Now that we have reached our destination a.k.a Susanne’s house we can go home now. So here we come – we will see you in September!!! We miss you all and love you all.

San Juan Islands

2008-08-13T23:29:00.000-07:00

We woke up late and started the day late. This is not how you want to attack the San Juan Islands considering it is an all day affair. We all wanted to go and I think more than that no one wanted to be the party pooper so we all said that we still wanted to go even though we literally already missed the boat. We drove to the ferry dock, which took an hour, to wait in line for an hour for the hour-long ferry. This was not the best use of time but we made the best of it. The ferry ride over was my favorite part of the entire adventure. It was really pretty and the weather was warm enough to go barefoot and cool enough to make you raise your shoulders when a cloud covered the sun the ocean breeze swept past your face. We floated past a string of green islands. The scenery was so beautiful the only thing that was missing was a whale. Supposedly there are often whales jumping out of the water but not today… no Orcas. The ride was still wonderful. I had a lemon Italian ice and Brad had an ice-cream bar so and we were surrounded with pretty things so what was there to be unhappy about? We took the car over, which I am not sure that was a good idea because it was expensive and kind of useless. We drove around the island which once we were on it did not look like an island at all it was so large. There were lakes and fields on this island. We went to a park here and walked along the water for a while. It was pretty here and surrounded with an old looking forest. The island literally smelled Green and Brad thought I was crazy to say that but it did. It smelled fresh and like the color green. Susanne got it and agreed. The scenery was really pretty but it did not feel like an island, which is why we came. I think we all had a good time but in retrospect we maybe should have done something else or woken up on time to catch the first ferry and island hop. The island we went to was too big for me. We went to the on island brew pub and split a pitcher of beer that tasted like bananas. The beer was pretty yummy and I liked it a lot but this brewery is on island only. We walked around the shops where I almost bought a wooden ring for Ashley Hilton but it was not really that cool and it was chunky. Maybe I will find a cooler one on my travels. We missed the last normal ferry time so we had to stay on the island until 10 p.m. There are much worse things than being stuck on an island for a few hours I must say. Too bad there was not really a beach that we could hang out – what is wrong with that crazy island. I really want to go back to the San Juan Islands so I can explore some of the smaller islands and give them more of a chance to be as awesome as they are supposed to be. So we ate dinner on the island. We ate at a Mexican restaurant where there was only one server so the poor guy had his hands full to say the least. Friday Harbor although neat was not the coolest place but the collective San Juan’s are. Brad got seasick on the way back and slept on the booths. I think we all ended up sleeping a little. Susanne and I were delirious and making each other laugh randomly and we were dressed like twins. Finally it was time to load back into the cars and drive back to Kent. We sleepily walked down the narrow stairs of the ferry and the wind was startling at first but it was fresh and nice too. It smelled thick and salty and full of ocean, which is usually a nice smell. We were all tired when we got back but we were not too tired for our nightly ritual of ice cream. Since Brad and I do not have a freezer we have not had ice cream except once or twice when we have had bars or a milkshake so we were so excited to but some and keep it in Susanne’s freezer. We literally had ice cream every night and sometimes in the middle of the day! We tried a new kind – Fried Ice cream like in Mexican restaurants. It was pretty delicious. We also had Mint Chocolate chip, the green kind of course, and Karamel Sutra from Ben and Jerry and Rocky Road. We were not playing around about the ice cream party. Brad usually accompanied his ice cream with a beer no matter what time of the day it was. If anyone looked at him funny he would simply respond, "I’m on vacation." I guess that is all that needs to be said… We are on vacation.

Yea Amber

2008-08-13T23:21:00.000-07:00

We went to Queen Sheba, which is an Ethiopian restaurant downtown. Here I called my roommate from years ago in Boone, Amber. She is an old Canyon’s buddy as well and I love and miss her very much. I was so pumped up when her and her boyfriend, Brian, walked through the doors of the restaurant. She is so trendy now. I guess she always had it together and has always been beautiful but she looked even more together. It was so nice to be with her it was like I had just fallen in and we pretty much only talked to each other for the next two hours. I wish we lived closer together and perhaps we will in the future. Amber if you read this – Hurry up and visit us in Boone! I have already said how good the company was well the food was strange but tasty as well. It was kind of strange though. I had never heard of Ethiopian food only the lack of food there. I was surprised also with how large the quantities were and how much it filled us all up. We could not finish our plates. I usually feel guilty for not eating all my dinner but when it is Ethiopian food I felt twice as guilty. Brad was taken a back by the pancake like bread that replaced silverware. Rather than using utensils how you eat Ethiopian food is to tear off a piece of the pancake bread and pinch food in it. I thought it was fun to eat with my hands. Amber said she loves to eat with her hands so we were having a great time. I mostly just ate the spicy side food. I think it was cabbage in a sauce but I am not sure. We talked about all of our mutual friends from Boone and laughed a lot.

I have been careless at times with my camera - by this I mean I have been missing the best photo opportunities. Case in point I did not get a picture with Amber and I did not get a good pictures with terria and Link. I did not even get a picture with both Susanne and myslef =( What was I thinking. I guess I will just have to come back going coast to coast again to take pictures with all my friends.

Downtown - Things Will be great when We're Downtown.

2008-08-13T22:53:00.000-07:00

Now we know how it feels to be a rockstar

Kainoa had to wake up early but we did not. Susanne had the next two days off so we were really excited to be able to play around the area with her. We woke up and Susanne made very delicious banana pancakes. To this Brad sang the Jack Johnson banana pancake song. We topped them with strawberries and syrup and they were really tasty especially when you got a banana bite. I just discovered that banana is a fun word to type. Banana banana banana! After going to Panera Bread where we had the broccoli soup – I know you would have loved it Dustin – we saw where she works and went to a See’s Candies store, which is right next to where she works. I would eat too much candy if I worked there, but I eat too much candy now so I guess everything would be the same. We tried a few delicious truffles. We went downtown and the three of us combined only had three dollars and fifteen cents in cash. So, we had to find a parking garage that took MasterCard/Visa. We ended up finding a spot next to the Experienced Music Project. Inside this shinny and wavy building was everything about music. Not only was it a music history museum, mostly of Seattle’s music scene but of the progression of music in general as well, but it was also a hands on experience. There was a giant room with soundproof booths with different instruments and machines inside. We played keys, bongos, guitars, turntables, a mixing board and a strange drum board with flashing lights. I was probably best at the drums and the turntables. I really liked the turntables and with I had some to play on at home. There was a lyric booth that Susanne and I really wanted to get into but there were always people waiting. Susanne and I did master Born in the USA on the keyboard. We were both born in the USA and that is probably why we were so good at that song. Or maybe because it was really easy to play? Susanne became Sir Mix-A-Lot on the turntables. This room was really fun like a playroom especially for Brad. His eyes enlarged and he kept getting really distracted. He just kind of went of and did his own thing. The difference between us is he really played the instruments and I just played. There was one wall full of different pedals and if you know Brad you know his love for pedals. There were a few rooms dedicated solely to the man, Jimi Hendrix. There on the walls was his entire life unfolded. It was pretty remarkable to see. They had on display one of his lyric notebooks, which was a real treat to see. It was amazing to see the actual written lyrics to songs I both know and love written by the hand of Jimi Hendrix himself. On the pages you could see old lyrics that were not recorded replaced with new ones that took their place. That was one of the neatest parts for me. It took an untouchable legend and turned him into a real person who changed his mind as well as his songs. There were some of his guitars both whole and broken. I hate that rock stars break their guitars. I think it is stupid to destroy the very thing that you obviously love. There was a three-story statue made entirely of instruments, mostly guitars and the like. Brad just looked up at it for a minute and he looked like a kid. One of these pictures on the side is Brad looking up in awe at all the tower of guitars. Brad’s favorite room was of course the progression of the guitar. It went from old silly looking guitars to the famous vintage makes and models that make Brad drool. There were some really awesome guitars behind Plexiglas. I think it hurt Brad’s heart a little to see them behind the glass where they could not be played. There were some fenders that looked similar to his but were much older and therefor cooler and more expensive. It was fun for me to watch him go around the room and stare at each one like a painting. I am sure that is how he has felt when we have gone to art museums in the past. He likes the paintings and looks at them and appreciated them like I appreciate and look at the guitars. I think they are pretty and awesome and I like the way the sound but it goes deeper for him. I never understood how he could look at paintings so quickly and be done with a room in a museum in a ten minutes. I would stay and be transfixed by a Monet or a Degas the same way that he became transfixed by a vintage Fender or an old Gibson. I suppose they qualify as art as well as anything else does. There was also a random science fiction / robot portion of this museum. This was a little treky but there were a few neat parts. There was a life-sized ninja turtle. It was the mechanical Donate from a movie. Sadly we were not allowed to take pictures or I would have. There was a life-sized E.T. I suppose from the movie. There was also a room full of a variety of robots and some of these were really cute. As for the rest of this museum it was kind of weird. There were all sorts of movie posters and sci-fi books. There was a wall with toy gun on it??? There were a lot of star wars dolls and other action figures of that sort. From here we checked out the city a little. We walked around and saw a few photo shoots. Two photo shoots were for weddings and the other was a model of sorts. She jumped around a lot and wore a bad dress with platform boots from 1998. She took herself really seriously and there was another girl in the wings with her mom doing her hair. I think they paid too much money to have their picture taken. Ohh the joy of big cities. We had a waiter cuss to us about the economy and we went to a super trendy bar where if you were not wearing eyeliner and skinny jeans or leggings then you were clearly out of place. We were "mean mugged", which means starred up and down, by a girl with black and white stripped hair and thick rimmed glasses. Her boyfriend said there should be someone like him in Europe. They were too cool for school. Other than that we enjoyed this bar. This is where we waited for Kainoa and had delicious drinks with ginger beer in them.

To Seattle

2008-08-13T22:09:00.000-07:00

Susanne is a friend that Brad and I share. We like to share things. I first met Susanne her freshman year at app. This was also my sophomore year. She was a friend of one of my college roommates, Ashley Horton. Therefore, our paths crossed and we ate at McAlister’s, that I miss, many times together. Then as commonly happens in college we drifted apart only to be pulled back together by more mutual friends. This time in the shape of Dustin Hunter Moore. Seeing as Brad and Dustin are BFF and we all love each other we hung out pretty much nonstop. Also during college from the porch of my apartment I could look onto Susanne’s porch and actually into her living room which I did not do because that would be creepy. Well, I would check to see if she was home, but that is as creepy as it got. Anyway Ms. Susanne took a job in Seattle so we worked her into our trip. Now that you know the story… we arrived at her apartment in Kent, Washington just on the outskirts of Seattle between five and six in the evening. It was really nice to see another Booney. We hugged and Brad and I met her dog Olive. She did not realize until after she had moved, but Kent is not the nicest place. There are nice parts and her apartment is nice but she wants to move as soon as her lease is up. She woke up to someone kicking on her door the first week she lived there and within a week she had a dog. Although her dog, Olive oil, is cute and will bark to alarm her of an intruder that is about all she can do. She is about as ferocious as my sister’s yorkie-poo, Whaler. She did not want us to leave our packed car overnight due to recent break-ins and we were really happy that she thought of it and warned us unlike the centennial canoe people. She said one of the apartment managers has a "gat" and has her back. I did not know what a gat was until this conversation. Gat = gun. I know she was half-heartedly joking but the apartment manager did tell her that she has a gun if she has any problems. Yikes is all I have to say to that. We had no troubles while we were staying here. There were some sketchy individuals wondering around the premises but luckily there were no random sketchy people inside her apartment. We waited for her boyfriend, whom she met out here, to get of work so we could take our car to his private road on a lake. Much safer. I was excited to meet her boyfriend and hang out with friends in general. We met kianoa, her boyfriend, don’t you just love his name. He is Japanese, American and Hawaiian. We decided that we should eat dinner since we were all four hungry. Japanese and sushi was where we ended up. The sushi was awesome and really fresh tasting. The weird thing about my sushi plate was that it was served with a blinking green plastic lime hidden in decorative rice noodles?!? This would have matched if there was techno music but they were playing a cool mix of 80’s and 90’s instead. There was a conveyer belt with traveling color-coded plates that traveled around the restaurant past the bar and all the tables within arms-length. You could just pick up food off the belt and eat it. I have never been to a restaurant like that. So it was a cross between a dinner, a disco, a really nice sushi place and a Japanese steakhouse with a Jetson’s twist. The food was really good though and I moved the plastic blinking lime from hidden in my food to my drink so my drink looked really cool too. Brad had the biggest culture shock that he has had the entire trip. They do not have shrimp sauce out here. It is only a southern thing I guess. The waiter and Kainoa had never even heard of it. Brad thought it was authentic Japanese and I think his feelings are a little hurt that shrimp sauce is not universal. Had he known he probably would have ordered something completely different. Now he knows. He talked about shrimp sauce and the lack there of for many hours to come and even randomly in the days to come. Following dinner Kainoa had to go back to his apartment for a while and the three Booneys went to Fred Meyers. Which is similar to an upscale Wal-Mart. Just as creepy as Wal-Mart but without the smiley faces and old greeters. We purchased some food for the days to come and perused the board game isle. Back in Boone we used to have game night so we thought we would do the same thing only in Seattle. Brad raised his hand saying he wanted the game Party Pooper. No one else was as enthusiastic about any particular game so Brad won. Party Pooper the game sounded fun enough but in actuality it is not the most fun game ever created. It was neat though. The purpose of the game was to see if any player could successfully guess whether all the other players would or would not do a certain thing. Some of the things were pretty funny and we learned that neither Susanne nor Kainoa would go to their niece's three-hour dance performance. Luckily for Grace both Brad and I said that we would. It is probably only because of Grace that we said yes to this. We would all take a helicopter on a rescue mission to Mt. Everest. Brad would not go to a hypnotist and everyone else would – I was wrong about Brad on this one. But I usually got the answers right and I collected a pile of green tokens. Brad was the only person to say that he would help the elderly learn how to browse the Internet. He is the best of us all and I knew he would be the only one to say yes! Then it was time to convert Susanne’s living room into our bedroom. We moved the coffee table and blew up our mattress and collected covers and pillows. And there we were with access to the bathroom and the kitchen and a bed in the middle of the floor. I think the dog liked this set up more than anyone else did.

Beverly Beach State Park

2008-08-13T21:58:00.000-07:00

Misty and Rainy! We arrived here with high hopes because this state park is on the beach. Too bad it was way overcast and cold. Rather than wearing bathing suits I was wearing Uggs, sweatpants and a hoodie and I still felt a bit chilly. The beach was pretty although it was not sunny. The bluffs along the West Coast are awesome and I love to look at them. The foggy air almost made the bluffs seem more majestic in a way. The coolest thing about this beach was that a river trickled directly into the ocean. Know we all know it happens because most water finds its way to an ocean but how often do you see the direct action of it. Usually the river will flow into a bay or sound etc. Here there was a stream that ran down the rocky beach and met the waves. There was construction going on at the beach access a bridge overhead so the scenery was obstructed with bright orange mesh. The construction was also awesome at 6 am the next morning – and by awesome I mean the opposite of awesome. Well this is where I was getting really sick. I had in hand a box of tissue and the cold foggy mist was too much for me. The rain-fly was already wet so I took it into the bathroom and dried it with one of those hand blowers. It was not as efficient as I thought but it worked and this made a big difference. We climbed into the tent before sundown and decided to try and go to sleep as soon as we could. We definitely had the rain fly on here and it is a good thing too because not only did it mist but it rained on and off all night. At this point I was so congested and miserable that I did not even want to move. But I did not want to stay in the drafty tent either so moving was the decision. I decided not to take a shower here because I did not feel really dirty and I thought being wet and cold in the damp foggy Oregon outside would do more harm than good. We did try to dry the tent in the bathroom. Imagine the two of us holding up pieces of the tent bag and rain-fly under the hand dryer. I think we looked strange but I think our stuff was dry. The best thing that happened to us while we were here was a little boy who was walking back from the bathroom with his dad got really excited when he saw my Cookie Monster hoodie and stopped me to talk to me about Cookie Monster. He wanted to know if I liked Cookie Monster and if I had seen the movie. Then he showed me his cookie monster impersonation. Which was just him flailing his arms about and occasionally pulling them in towards his mouth while screaming in the deepest voice a three or four year old can muster while saying cookie – ahh – ohh –cookie – mmm – cookie – I want cookie – ahhhh. Then he turned around. Brad and I were a bit stunned and we couldn’t help but to laugh because it was the best/cutest thing that has happened to us in a while. Then I looked back for some reason and saw him walking backwards. As soon as our eyes met he did the Cookie Monster again and it was just as funny as the first time. This kid thought I was cool for having an old hoodie and I definitely think he was super cool for impersonating a big blue monster that eats cookies. Speaking of the Cookie Monster are you aware that they changed him to the Carrot Monster. I suppose this is in response to childhood obesity. I think Childhood obesity is a really important and tragic issue but come on it is not the Cookie Monster's fault. Sesame Street has been around for a long time and all children from the 70’s were not super sized. Maybe we should look at things like poverty and fast food nation and recess and gym in school being optional. It is not the Cookie Monster’s fault and the Carrot Monster is lame. I like carrots but seriously how exciting are they. I hate that change and I boycott it. Long live the Cookie Monster!
Being as sniffly and head achy as I was we decided that sleeping outside in most likely another cold and wet destination was probably not a good idea. This is how Mt. St. Helen’s was scratched from our plans. I am a little sad about this but again I am glad to not be camping while sickly. Instead we are going to book it up to Seattle and crash on Susanne’s floor a day early. This way we will be inside and hopefully I will get better and be able to start enjoying the trip again. Not that I am not necessarily enjoying it but it is hard to have a really good time while you are sick.

Sorry there are no photos here but I was sick.

Rogue brewery in the sea port town of Newport

2008-08-13T21:53:00.000-07:00

Newport, sounds like this town should be in North Carolina doesn’t it. Well it is not - it is in Oregon. We scooted back over to the coast for a couple of reasons. 1. To drive on the coastal highway more. 2. To go to Rogue Brewery. It was a typical port town and it smelled like fish. All the buildings were gray and/or blue and blended in with the sky making a pretty drab scene. There were sea scenes painted in mural fashion on the sides of some of the buildings, which helped a bit. We both like Rogue beers but Bradley really really likes them. I was not quite up for sampling so Brad stepped up and took one for the team and just had to drink by himself. I was there the next bar stool over to offer moral support for my team. The bar here was grungier than we expected, but the Brad said the beers were good. It was impressive how many taps there were and all from Rogue. The pub was right on the water and the brewery was right across the bay. We thought we were actually at the brewery and we were surprised by how small it was, but we were wrong. Brad got excited because they had a series of beers called Track Town. I assume because Oregon is known for its famous runners such as Pre. We purchased a pint glass with a picture of old smelly track shoes on it. I wanted to just take the glass but honest Abe (Brad) bought it even though it was over priced and she did not even get us a new one from a box but just grabbed on from her rotation and handed it over. All sorts of people have had their mouths all over these glasses before – yuck. At least they were washed. There were a bunch of weird halfway drunken locals and the bar tender was not rude but she was not nice either. She was a grumpster who I am guessing has been working in a restaurant for too long and needs to move on or find a happy place. The lady who was sitting next to us randomly was about to visit her younger brother in North Carolina. Even more randomly he had just graduated from App last year. It’s a small world after all. I sneezed a lot in this bar and then we moved on. Luckily we only had 15 minutes of driving ahead of us.

Bend Oregon

2008-08-13T21:38:00.000-07:00

Cool town – similar to all the other towns that we thought were cool on the road. There seems to be a pretty healthy outdoors scene here and a good deal of culture. I would imagine that this is a cool town to live in. We stayed at the coolest hotel – McMenamins. This McMenamin family takes old property with history and revamps them into cool places like this hotel. We were lucky enough to stay in the old St. Francis School now a hotel, pub, Movie Theater, and Turkish bath. All of these things were really trendy and awesome. They managed to maintain an old flare and keep the history alive while making it a mostly modern and neat place. If we are ever near another McMenamin’s establishment we will definitely check it out. Before check-in time we checked out the pub. We had the sampler – which is our favorite thing to get at microbrews. We were both able to try six of their beers. They were all pretty tasty but neither one of us fell madly in love with any of them. The only problem was that they did not have robes as they said they would. Apparently the linens would be in tomorrow which for us was a day too late and I guess they went through more robes than usual. I really wanted to walk around the Turkish bath in a terrycloth robe – I mean who doesn’t want to do that. All the same the bath was way cool without the sweet robes. As in traditional Turkish style the water was salty and warm. We made our way to this big soaking pool a shortly after we checked in and again before we went to sleep. There was a glass opening in the ceiling that let in natural light. Due to this smart feature the pool is entirely different during the day than it is at night. Brad and I decided that if we ever win the lottery we are building one of these in our house. I love the tile work and the feel of the whole thing. There were stained glass windows on the side that made the filtering sunlight different colors and of course the sun window is a must for this type of pool. Brad liked to sit under the lions as they spit salty water on his head. I liked to sit on the step beneath the big fountain in the middle of the pool and close my eyes as the water rained on my head and shoulders. It was neat to lay back and float in this tub too, very relaxing. I found the vent with the hottest water and mostly hung out by it. I hope we win the lottery soon so we can have one of these. Then we could have dinner parties and invite everyone for an after dinner drink and a soak in the Turkish bath – don’t you worry we will be sure to have enough robes for everyone.
Since we were guests at the hotel we were given free movie passes to the movies playing at the brew and view. Since we have not been able to watch movies let alone go to a theater we decided that we should get comfortable and relax while in Bend. This is what we did. I opted for comfy cloths rather than sassy ones and we decided – Movie Night. Lucky for us we really could have dinner and a show. We ordered our dinner from the little pub/concession stand. I got a pizza with black olives and artichoke hearts and Brad went with a Hawaiian Chicken Sandwich. The food was really good – I did not really know what to expect but my expectations were surpassed. We stuck around for a double feature presentation of The Incredible Hulk followed by Iron Man. Hmm, it was comic book night. They were both entertaining and fun to see especially at a place like this. For the first movie we were able to sit in sweet corduroy love seats. We were not as lucky during the second movie. There were more people for the second feature and the couches were taken, but there were chairs that were not as fun but they were not bad either. I love the idea of trendy brew and views. Following the movie we made it back to the Turkish bath for a night soak. This got us good and sleepy and while in the water I was actually starting to feel better. Once we got back to the room and were snuggled up I realized I was not better at all but was sneezing more and more. By the morning we did not want to leave and I just wanted to lay around all day and get better. We got me some medicine because in our intense first aid kit the only thing we did not prepare for was a cold. Who gets colds in the Summer time? We prepared for almost every random thing but not for a cold. After getting my pitiful self some meds we got pancakes and hit the road.

Nogero

2008-08-13T09:06:00.000-07:00

Oregon - although beautiful it is a bit backwards - what is the deal with not being able to pump your own gas here? I think it is strange. What happens if you grow up here and then move on without knowing how to pump your own gas. Imagine if they pulled up to a gas station in NC and just waited for someone to come and do it for them. They would have to wait forever. I guess it is not that hard to figure out how to do which is precisely why I think it is odd that they do not let you do it for yourself. And are you supposed to tip them? We had really nice gas pumpers so we did tip them but were we supposed to? They were really gracious so I don't think they always receive tips, but I do not really know. Also we were wondering if there is an official job title rather than gas pumper - or full service guy??? This was not the only strange thing about the beautiful state of Oregon - just the most peculiar. This state also has pretty sketch cell phone service. Where is the network at? Those commercials are full of lies there are many dead zones in the Verizon network and there is no network that has our back?!?

Crater Lake

2008-08-12T23:25:00.000-07:00

Again Bradley and I expertly set up camp breaking our personal record. Probably not breaking the world record but we are still working towards being the fastest camp setter-uppers. Being the only national park in Oregon it was a must for our road trip adventure. I was feeling pretty bad but we managed to have a really nice time here. We camped near the south entrance and the sidewalk was way cute – it had animal tracks in the cement. There were bear tracks as well as deer and little tiny feet of some kind. We drove to the Rim Village, which is obviously on the rim of the lake. From the buildings here there was a pathway that led to a walk alongside the lake. Seeing as how the lake was created by a crater and filled over many years of snowmelt etc the cliffs were pretty steep. Brad just informed me that it took 65 hundred years, or something like that, to have enough snowmelt and rainfall to fill it up. He also just said this would be the only way to fill up a crater hole unless a giant bear peed. I think Brad is delirious and needs to sleep now. Considering this lake is an independent system with no rivers flowing in or leaving there were no native species of fish but many have been introduced throughout time. Only three of these introduced species survived and are still swimming around in the lake today. I tried to imagine what it must have been like to unknowingly stumble across this lake a long time ago. It would be too bad if you were really hungry and out of food because when you tried to fish or spear fish there would be none. You would have no way of knowing that there were not fish in the lake naturally. It would be a really sad day for the ancient hunter. Although it was early and a bit overcast the water was still pretty intense and blue. I can hardly imagine how the water would have looked on a clear sky blue day. I thought this lake was beautiful even though we did not see it at its most splendid. There was one volcano island in the lake that we were able to get awesome views of. The name of this wonderful island is Wizard Island. If we had more time we talked about going over the shallow portion of the lake and over to Wizard Island. There are hiking trails up to the top of this small volcanic peak. So instead we settled for me acting like a giant that is plugging the volcano with one finger. We were able to stop at a few more places where there were nice views of the lake. One of these was elevated even more so it was like looking down on the lake. Just like when you look down from the top of a building you can see so far. We were able to almost take in the entire lake in one frame from this view. We were able to see the much smaller island called phantom ship. It was so foggy today that it would have been easy to mistake this island for a ship. It would be a strange place to have a big ship like that because nothing runs in our out of this lake. I thought that this was really neat about Crater Lake because it is a complete system all to itself and the water is really pure. This lake was blue – and it was neat.

2008-08-12T17:01:00.000-07:00

Although our shower here at the Redwood National Forest was quick and not super warm it was much needed. Not only had we been wearing the same cloths for too long to admit but we had been playing and sleeping outside. I think you should look through the blog if you have time and see how often Bradley is wearing this outfit - or how often he changes in general. But, I can not really say anything seeing as how I was pretty dirty too. Brad loved to have dirty feet – See!

Coastal Redwoods

2008-08-12T12:00:00.000-07:00

Driving through twisty turny mountain roads we felt as though we were never going to be out of the mountains. It was strange to know that we were just minutes from the coast but we were still driving up and down mountains. One of the best things about the state of North Carolina is that we have access to both mountains and a nice beach. California rivals NC here especially since to mountains almost hug the coastline. Talk about awesome. We finally made it back to highway 1 and up the coast we went. Highway 1 is a neat road and I am really glad that we were able to see so much of it. It is strange how this highway goes from million dollar homes to the projects in a minute or two. We started to see less and less ocean and more and more giant trees. These trees were so remarkable to see that no words or pictures will truly do them justice. It was fascinating to drive beneath them because it was like being in a crowd of giants where you can look up and only see their long legs and torso’s but not their faces. This was later overshadowed by the sensation of walking below and between them. We pulled up to the start park within the Redwood Forest that where we had a campsite. It was aptly named Elk Prairie. As we were driving up we saw a group of Elk grazing in a field and one strange male Elk who appeared to be scratching his giant antlers on a tree in someone’s front yard. As he tossed his head to and fro little limbs of the tree were flying all about him. It made him look very wild and fearsome. We drove past thinking they would just be everywhere around here and we would be able to get a better picture somewhere off the road. This ended up not being true because although they were our welcoming committee they did not make another appearance where we were in the days to come. Sadly the weather had taken a turn south and the fog had rolled in. The temperature was somewhere in the 40’s is my guess it could have been lower – or at least it felt lower. This caused me to start to get sick. It was a bummer to get a cold in the middle of summer but I suppose that is what happens when you spend weeks in the desert and then find yourself at the redwoods during a cold, foggy, damp time. My throat started to get scratchy and hurt and between sneezes I had to cough or you know how it goes. It was not incredibly fun to be camping while you know you are getting sick and when you know that doing so will probably only make things worse, but what were we to do? We made a pretty nice fire to try and keep warm, which was nice. Nothing warms the heart like a campfire. The next day although it was a bit overcast and not what I would call warm the sun was trying to come out. It was actually warm once we were out of the forest, but we were at the redwoods and therefore we wanted to be engulfed by the giant forest. As we were walking around I felt out of place. It looked as though a dinosaur should have popped his head out at any moment to snack on the giant ferns that covered the forest floor. Everything seemed larger here the leaves of some floor dwelling plants were as long as I am. Some of the clovers were the size of a palm and the leaves of course were hearts. One side was green while the other was purple. A lot of the trees were covered in part by moss, which I always think is so beautiful. The trees were so very tall that it made me stumble to look up at them. When I would lift my head to try and see where the branches begin, I had tilt my neck back so far that I would lose my balance. You know what it is like to try and look up and walk at the same time - it is not always easy. Brad seemed to do a much better jon than I did though. I can't remember him stumbling once. I guess looking up at trees that big made everything else feel out of place and strange in a way. Not only were they tall but the size of their circumference blew me away almost every time I walked beside one of the giants. Since the trees were so tall not much light had a chance to filter down and the air smelled green like a forest and was wet. We journeyed on a hike without a real destination, which ended up being really fun. At each split of the trail we would make a decision right then about what to do next. We walked through an old growth forest and next to a creek. We hiked through a prairie where we picked wild blackberries and raspberries. We then walked through many different parts of the redwood forest where there were giant sequoias as well as coast redwoods. We walked through parts of the forest where the trees were smaller and younger with more moss covering them. This gave the light an eerie green color, but in a good way if you can imagine that. The mossy branches hung down and made an arch walkway along some portions of the trail. Then there would randomly be one of the massive giant trees that took your breath away to look at. When we walked up to one of these we could not help it but to walk around it and look up trying in vain to see all the way up to the top. There were many of these giants that were "lover trees" or trees that share a root system and the beginning of a trunk but they then split into two or more trees towards the top. These were really neat to see. One interesting thing we learned about the redwoods is they have a relatively shallow root system, but they intertwine their roots with their neighbors thus reinforcing their roots as well as those redwoods around them. In a way it is like they are holding hands to keep from falling over in the wind. Although the redwoods are taller and super neat Brad and I both were more impressed with the Giant Sequoias. They were just the most magnificent plants I have ever seen. They are resistant to fire, or as fire resistant as a plant can be. Some of the pictures taken from within a tree looking out or up, or those taken from outside looking through or into a tree are pictures of trees that have had some fire damage but are still standing. Here is brad standing inside one of these

And this is what he saw when he looked up...

I was glad that we found our way to some of these because standing inside on of these giants and looking out gave perspective to how big they really are. It was fun simply walking near these trees, but we were able to climb on some of them and walk inside others. I am glad this area is protected, there is a story about the tree called "Big Tree" that in the 1920’s a man wanted to cut it down to have a dance floor on the stump. This tree is still standing and is one of the jewels of the park and for that I am glad. It is sad that people have to step in and prevent people from ruining the amazing things of the world for future generations. We did not see a ton of wildlife here but we know that they are here. We did see a Banana Slug, and as far as slugs go this is a pretty cool one. There is a salamander here named the giant salamander, and I really wanted to see one of these. I did not only want to see one of these because they are large but because they are the only salamanders that has a voice, they bark at you. We poked our heads around a creek or two but we were not lucky enough to see this rare animal. We were able to stay here a couple of nights and although it misted often we were not stuck in a downpour. I still managed to get more and more sick. The fact that the shower I chose only had cold water probably did not help this. Our stash of quarters was stolen by the idiots who broke into our car, so we now have a limited supply. I was standing there outside in a towel shivering in the misty morning trying to figure out if it was the shower or me and trying to get more change to warm up with. So you can imagine my cough deepened and my sniffles increased. We also were able to see these pretty mountain blue jays. Although they are pretty they are annoying and pesky so we tried to keep a clean camp so as not to attract them. They made the most horrible noise and they are a problem to other more rare birds in the area. I hope to come back to the Redwood Forest and to go to the Sequoia Park a bit further south. These trees were so cool and hiking in these giant forests is something I will always remember.

Lassen Volcanic Park

2008-08-10T11:25:00.000-07:00

As we drove through the beginning of the park we drove past thermal vents where sulfuric steam was seeping out of the sides of the mountains in a cloud of smoke. It smelled, as you would expect a sulfur thermal vent to smell – like rotten eggs. We had to drive once again up and back down a mountain. We would have only had to do this once had I not left our $80 national park entrance pass at the pay station. The good news is we were able to drive past the series of thermal vents twice more. Where the steam was escaping from the mountainside the rock was a variety of colors and the whole scene was cool. The mountains in the distance along with the fir trees and the nearby lake looked like a Bob Ross painting, a little hazy and simply pretty with happy trees. The moon was the perfect sliver of a moon against a sky not quite dark. We tried to take a picture of this moment but it came out underexposed, so you will just have to imagine it and I will try not to forget it so I can keep that image.
We have become super speedy camp set-er-upers. We are like professionals at this now. We had everything set up and all the smelly things and food in the bear box and dinner cooking in no time. This may have been a record for us and once we sat down we were both impressed with our work.
We explored the Devastated Area, which is named this due to the boulders and tons of rocks that are displaced here from the volcanic activity that gives the park its name. In May of 1915 this volcano erupted twice and sent newly created rock as well as ancient volcanic rock flying into the air. The subsequent mudslide etc. caused the rock to be displaced even further from their points of origin and now there are fields with random volcanic rock boulders. There are some famous hot rocks, named this because at first they were warm to the touch that are as big as an old cabin. We were able to hike up to get a good view of one of these hot rocks with the volcano in the distance. Just seeing volcanic rocks not yet 100 years old as well as ancient volcanic rocks was really neat. Learning the history behind this area and all of the neat places we have seen is one of the best parts of our trip. Eating Ramen on the other hand has not been the best part of the trip and it is only a recent development. Ramen is not bad, but when you eat it more than one day in a row it is not good either.

Yosemite

2008-08-07T14:04:00.001-07:00

Well the roads in and out of Yosemite are the silliest up and down mountain roads ever. We climbed up then slipped down only to climb back up and then down again. At one point the car over heated and we were a bit worried but we were able to pull over and cool it down before continuing at a much slower pace. We went to the Valley, which is where we were supposed to stay the night before as well. They have the nicest village / store of any of the parks we have been to. We were able to pass half dome and El Cap. It was so wonderful to finally see peaks that I have wanted to see for so long. Everything was so beautiful. The next day we meandered up to Tuolomne Meadows to pick a campsite for the following nights. We were asked what we wanted in a sight and we said pick us a nice one not right next to a bathroom, so we were given the furthest sight from the entrance. This was both good and bad. In retrospect we wish we would have stayed near the entrance so the walks to trailheads and the store would have not been a mile each way, but we were away from most of the noise. The first night while we were eating dinner a cinnamon colored black bear walked right beside our campsite in the forest. It was pretty crazy. As I was putting the fork in my mouth Brad gasps and his eyes widened so you could see so much of the white of his eye. Before I could ask him what was up he said, "Bear!" I only half believed him until I looked over my shoulder and there was a bear just moseying on past our campsite. He took slow frumpy steps and looked less like a threat and more like a cuddly bear, but this is only because he was steadily walking past and not towards us with his big heavy paws. Welcome to bear country. From this point on we made extra are to keep everything with a scent in the bear box when we were not using it. The stars at Yosemite were so wonderful and bright and we were lucky enough to be here around a new moon. Luckily there were absolutely no clouds so we were able to keep the rainfly off the tent so we had an unobstructed view of the night sky. One night we were lucky enough to see a few shooting stars as we were looking up. There is always something magical about shooting stars. By chance an old friend of mine from high school happened to be in Yosemite at the same time that we were. We were able to meet up with Gray and meet some of his climbing buddies. He was become quite the climber and he has made some good friends through the sport. Brad and Gray played the guitar and the mandolin together and it was all in all a really nice night. Poor Gray walked all they way to our campsite not knowing how far it was so we gave him a ride back to his site near the campground entrance. We walked around a little at night. I found this hard to do because the stars were so awesome overhead that I kept looking up, this caused me to walk sideways or crooked and the ground was not always flat so I stumbled a few times. The view was worth it though. Nights here were really chilly which made a campfire even more enjoyable. We had to snuggle up in layers and when one of us drifted too far from the fire we quickly came back to it.
We hiked around the area the following day; this is when we most wished for more time at this park. Everything was beautiful here and we could not have asked for better weather and prettier skies. We went to Elizabeth Lake. The entire walk was pretty and the lake at the end was clear and reflected the mountains and the cloudless sky. There was enough wind to cause waves in the water there were rocks along the bank large enough for sitting on. Brad started to feel a little sick so we headed back to the campground. Once he started to feel better, which was really quickly, we hiked to the store and got s’more fixings and beer, what else do you need? We followed the line of the river for a while and checked out some beach like banks along the riverside. Then we went back to the campsite for dinner. We were blessed with the best weather for the entirety of our stay here. The only downside was our neighbors were really noisy. All three of the guys snored and they each had a different loud snore, varying from throaty to breathy to nasally. One of the guys had turrets and shouted whatever came to his mind and one of the guys had crowzy gas. He farted so loudly that Brad and I both got scared and thought it was a bear, because it did not seem humanly possible. The made all sorts of bear noises so it was hard for us to sleep. We are for sure coming back to Yosemite and we are hoping to be able to spend a couple of weeks just at Yosemite. This is one of those places that you could spend your entire life and never get tired of it. So far, this is probably my favorite place in the country.

More Car Trouble

2008-08-07T13:55:00.000-07:00

Just when we thought our troubles were over the car began to sputter and jolt so violently that we could not ignore it and say that it must simply be bad gas. We were on our way to Yosemite and after consulting Mr. Goforth we decided the best thing to do was to stop and not make it all the way to Yosemite. Even though there was a fire near the Yosemite border we were so bummed that we were not going to make it to the park. I missed sleeping under the stars and Yosemite is one of those unrivaled beautiful places that the longer you get to spend there the better. Luckily when the car decided to go crowzy and sputter in big kicks we were right in front of a hotel. We just pulled on in and paid to stay the night. We were still more than an hour from Yosemite and at least thirty minutes from anywhere that could look at my car, but still we were close enough to a well traveled national park that the hotel rates were out of control. The first room the hotel gave us was under construction. We walked in and the bed frames were against the wall and there was office furniture strewn about. The TV was on one of the beds. I looked at Brad who was squinting and his lips were pursed, I said, "hmmm?" and we both started to laugh. We then were set up in the oversized handicap accessible room where there were no lamps only boards with nail holes where they would have been, but we thought, "what the heck." And we stayed. This called for a beer or two so that is what we did. The next day after consulting with AAA we went to a Subaru dealership that could fit us in at 2:00 p.m. On the way to this place we left all signs of civilization in the dust, literally. I am really glad we did not break down here, there was absolutely nothing. I am not joking – we ran over tumbleweed on this road. There was not even a shoulder to pull over, just land, and not even farmland just hills. It was here that the check engine light came on. With every small jolt my heart jumped. I was so nervous that my car was going to give up but she pulled through and we made it to the small town that was home of some sort of frog jump. There were frog statues everywhere. Rather strange, but they did have a car wash which we badly needed. They also had a deli called The Pickle Barrel, which made us miss the pickle lady! After washing the car we settled into the waiting room at the dealership and had lunch while waiting to hear the damage. The fact that the check engine light came on was a good thing, because it was now easily diagnosed as a throttle sensor – which until now I was unaware existed. It was not cheap but it was cheaper than a new fuel pump so I’ll take it. I think it is silly that cars now have to be plugged in order to get diagnosed by a computer, but that they charge $80 just to plug it in. To me that seems like a rip off, but hey the world keeps spinning. We drove away jolt-free and hopefully this will be the last of the car troubles, at least for a while. We finally we off on our way to Yosemite. Too bad that we already paid for all these reservations that we were unable to keep, but things have had a way of working out so we won’t complain. Or at least we won’t complain a lot. We were also supposed to do half dome today, but there will hopefully be another chance for Brad and I to do half dome. We are already talking about our next stay in Northern California and the NorthWest in general.

Visiting the Campbell's

2008-08-07T13:40:00.001-07:00

We Love You Guys!!

Look at Bradley getting along with all our new friends!!
We arrived in San Anselmo, the home of the mountain bike, and just as hilly as San Francisco after passing through the legendary rainbow tunnel. The driveway to the Campbell’s house is pretty serious to say the least. It is like a roller coaster. We had to drive straight up to make it to the top. When we were at the top we were greeted by smiling faces, which was nice. We were here to spend a little time with the family that we had met on the river trip. This is the family that had the same fate of having their car broken into on vacation, but through the broken glass we were able to make friends. On the river the inquisitive Leah had discovered that one of my very favorite things happens to be fruit salad and Brad is a sucker for an Oreo cookie. Of course the first thing they showed us was a giant bowl of fruit salad and an unopened box of Oreo’s. Yum! Capote the Coyote finally had reached his home to live with Leah. It was really exciting to be able to give her the stuffed animal to replace the one that got taken when the cars were broken into. Ian actually had the same stuffed animal so they can both take part in the traveling Coyote fun. Brad and I will both miss Capote but we know he is in good hands – just remember that he likes to gamble so watch him and your money around slot machines. We were fed well and had a really nice time hanging out and talking with our new friends. Brad and I both got a chance to play with Ian and Leah. We both jumped on a trampoline for the first time in a very long time. I think Brad and I were introduced to a ton of new things including Webkins, Lego Star Wars, and the computer zoo game. Ian chopped off all of Brad’s limbs with a lightsaber until he was only a head. In the morning Brad had the pleasure of being jumped on by myself and with a little help from Leah and Ian we were able to wake him up. We took a tour of San Anselmo, which is a super cute town. We picked and ate plums along the walk. Once we were back at the Campbell’s Ian became the reigning champion at a war like dice game and Leah and I played MASH -–which I have not played since I was her age. Regretfully we did not get to really say goodbye to Lundy because we had to leave before he was home from work. So we will take this time to say thank you both for having us and we hope to see you again someday. Be sure to let us know if you are ever on the East Coast – and we love to travel. Your home was so wonderful and full of laughter and love. Brad and I were so happy that we were able to see you again on our trip. Diane keep me in the loop and maybe we can have a coast to coast book club =).

Narrowly Escaping Disaster

2008-08-03T13:33:00.001-07:00

We had just left LA and are soon headed for the Yosemite area when we discover that there was a 5.4 earthquake in LA the day after we leave that area. Yikes. Although we in no way are wanting anything else crowzy to happen to us it would have been pretty cool to have been in that particular earthquake. I say this only in retrospect because I know that it was strong enough to feel, thus giving us the feeling and idea behind earthquakes but it was not so strong that it did harmful damage. We both said that it would have been interesting to say that while we were in California, of course we were in an earthquake. Especially since they are common for California and it is almost like really experiencing California to its fullest by feeling the Earth tremble beneath you. I probably would have freaked out during it though. We also discovered that there is an out of control wildfire just 15 miles west of Yosemite and growing in every direction. Although the park's website states that the area is relatively close the park is covered in a fog like cloud of smoke disrupting all the famous views that we traveled to Yosemite for. Although it is a bummer that there is a natural disaster affecting one of the country’s most beautiful and most prized places we are lucky to have been in between the two disaster hot spots of California this week.

San Francisco

2008-07-31T09:13:00.000-07:00

We did time on the rock

San Francisco is a way cool city. I definitely think that I could live here. We mostly hung out at pier 39 and along the neighboring piers. We were able to experience a part of the culture of this city and we both had a really nice time. Although it is usually foggy in the city the fog did break and the city got a bit warmer in the afternoon while we were there. The coolest thing during our stay in the foggy city was visiting Alcatraz. We rode a ferry boat/cruise from the mainland over to the rock. It was pretty cool to watch Alcatraz get larger and larger on the water. On the way we got a good view of the city, Alcatraz, and both the bay bridge and the Golden Gate Bridge. We sat on the top of the boat so the views were the best but the wind hit us pretty hard and it was colder than we expected. Once we were on the island it was easy to see the how hard it must have been to live here. The city is a mile away and is in clear view but it is "impossible" to get to. We got the audio tour that was excellent and it took us through the entire prison, cellblock by cellblock. The cells were so incredibly small. They are 5 feet by 7 feet. Not a lot of living space. We were taken to the isolation block where they had the solitary cells that got absolutely no light. We even saw the legendary escape from alcatraz cells, set up the way they had been the day the three prisoners escaped. They were complete with the dummies on the bed and the holes in the cell wall carved from spoon handles. It was really neat to see the entire prison with a guide explaining the history behind it all. The people who were sent here were notorious and crazy but it is hard to not be captivated by them. At one point we sat at the entrance to the prison and just looked at the city. It was a beautiful view and would have been romantic if it were not in front of concrete blocks. In line for the ferry return trip we met the rudest stupidest man alive. He was mean and tried to pick a fight with Brad for no reason. It was really crazy and we did not know what to do. So I had to treat him like a two-year-old and tell him to stop. I wonder what is so bad in his life that he needs to take it out on strangers. Brad and I were really glad that we were not as grumpy as that meanie pants. I wish I had taken a picture of him so I could label him as Mr. Grumpster on the Internet. The ride back was a little colder than the ride over there and we were both actually shivering by the time we made it back to shore. But we were lucky enough to sit in the front of the boat so we had a relatively unobstructed view. We hung out for a couple more hours in the city of San Francisco before we made our trip over the Golden Gate Bridge. We then went through the legendary rainbow tunnel and had officially left the city of San Francisco. I am pretty sure this city is on the list of places we will return to if not live.

Wine Country

2008-07-31T08:34:00.000-07:00

We were really excited about visiting a winery during our California stay. It was actually one of the things that we took out to save a little money. After talking with Terri and gaining a few tips and a map with highlighted vineyards that we should go to and can afford to go to we decided we should give it a try. We drove from Oakland to the Russian River Valley. This drive is really beautiful. The highway is pretty small and it winds alongside farmland and vineyards. The vineyards on the side of the road were just beautiful. The grapevines were bright healthy green and some of them had a mix of purple and green grapes. Yummy. Well we went to Korbel to taste champaigne. We tasted four each for no charge, which was a pretty sweet deal. We decided on one to buy and after checking out the shops and the Korbel vineyard we were back on the road. We drove by a few more vineyards on the twisty highway and then we decided it was time to head back so we could meet Gabby, Kirby, and Anne for diner. We are both looking forward to our next visit to wine country. We will probably stay in the area so we can both taste/drink and not worry about driving. It is so beautiful up here.

Our West Coast Hub

2008-07-30T23:20:00.000-07:00

There are many things that are awesome about our hub in Oakland. Below we will share a few of these with you.

The Top Ten -

1. There was a hot tub on the roof – on one of their four sweet decks. We enjoyed the hot tub both nights of our stay and were able to look at the foggy city sky feeling the mist of San Francisco while soaking in a 104-degree tub. Ahhh – the jets were nice.

2. We were able to meet the adorable and talkative Keeva. We played with her and watched as she stuck everything that she could hold in her mouth.

3. Gabby and Kirby are awesome.

4. Gabby and Kirby are awesome.

5. Gabby and Kirby are awesome.

6. The above listed awesome people have wonderful taste in music, and let us leave with a few CD’s. This is especially nice since we no longer own ipods.

7. While looking at their décor we were green with envy. I want my house to look like theirs. They have the coolest San Fran. house with the best colors that worked so well together.

8. We were able to spend some quality time with Anne, not only at dinner but the next day as well.

9. We woke up to the giggles of a seven-month-old.

10. Apple TV.

That is our list and we are sticking to it. It was really nice for Brad to be able to strengthen his relationship with some of his family and it was really nice for me because I have not been able to meet Gabby and Kirby until now. Aunt Anne I have met before but I really did not get to spend quality time with her and little Keeva is new to the world so we were really excited to get to hang out with her. Keeva and Grace are so close in age and development that it was really fun to watch. I wish the two of them could hang out soon – I think they would be fast friends. I loved the hot tub – in fact Brad wanted to check something online so I had a few extra minutes. This meant that I hopped into the hot tub an extra time. Yeah – I loved it. We wanted to thank the awesome Gabby and Kirby for opening their home and their mailbox. We got our Nuvi finally and it seems to be working. Thank you Jean for the care package – we loved it and we don’t think any thief will want to take the secret war and peace book / hiding compartment. Although their were a sad number of people living under the bridge overpass with shopping carts their house was so cool. It was a strange mix of culture but that is one of the things that I think is so great about some of the California areas. It was an eye opener for sure and hearing some of the stories Gabby and Kirby had to share were entertaining to say the least. We love all the friends we are making and how one side effect of our trip is bringing us closer to our family.

A Blast From the Past

2008-07-30T21:11:00.000-07:00

My mom's very best friend growing up is Terri. Now I have known her my entire life even though I do not know her. I was very excited that Brad and I were able to make a stop to see them. We arrived at their house pretty late and ended up keeping Link up even later while Terri was jammin' out at a Diana Ross concert. It was so nice to meet them and I can see why my Mom loves them so much. I was so surprised to discover that they have two pet turtles. Let me correct myself - they have two desert tortoises. We were really excited to find this out because we had really been looking forward to seeing a desert tortoise at Joshua Tree and did not see one. This was even better because not only were we able to see two, but we were able to interact with them. We could watch them play and even pick them up. Seeing as how I love Turt Turts I was captivated by them. They even kissed at one point. Really it was more like the female turtle was nibbling on the males head, but it was really cute all the same. We were both able to feed them fruit, veggies and roses. It was really cool to watch them eat flowers. They were pretty funny though because they would eat all the roses except for the red ones. We ate really well during our stay here to say the very least and were so comfortable. There were fresh cut roses in our bedroom. One of the best thing we did was hear stories about my mom from Terri and Link's perspective. We left with new friends, a car full of food and some great tips about wine country. Brad and I are so happy to have been given the chance to let the world come full circle allowing me to hang out with my moms best friend near where my mom grew up. Sunday morning Brad and I met Terri at her church where she served as an usher. Her church is a mega-church. It is huge but it was good to go to church with someone so close to family, it has been a while since we have done that. Brad was just excited because there were donuts at the church. We went back to their house to hang out for a bit longer and then to say goodbye. We are just pumped that now we know Terri and Link!!!

2008-07-30T21:00:00.000-07:00

For Ian -
This is a moment taken from the archives. Cowabunga

I know your favorite is Leonardo, but Michelangelo is totally my favorite. I thought everyone who knows us would get a kick out of these photos. I am serious about my TMNT!

Turtle Power

Love - Rebekah / Michelangelo

Beach Bums

2008-07-26T14:45:00.001-07:00

After soaking in the salty air at San Onofre we were responsible enough to get my car serviced before continuing. We decided the best way to spend our time in Southern California was bumming on the beach. I packed a beach bag, folded up our twister game beach towel, put on flip-flops and a bathing suit and away we went ocean bound. Once we reached the area where the grass met the sand we took our shoes off and let the sand slip between our toes. We watched surfers and occasionally braved the water ourselves. The beach was a little cooler than the East Coast beaches we are used to. Maybe it is still just too soon in the year. None the less it was pretty nice and the water temperature was comfortable. The beach was much rockier and the waves were much more intense than those on the Carolina shore. When they broke the water rose meters up the beach often carrying with it rocks and enormous seaweed. We read and soaked up the rays and the salty air. After a hard day of beach living we set up camp at the esteemed Doheney camping area. We were on the wrong side of the tracks so to speak. We were right next to the highway and not only was there a train but there was a hotel as well. The bright lights never really let the camp get to a comfortable level of darkness. We were able to look past this and make a campfire and snuggle around it. It got pretty cool at night so I was wearing a hoodie and sweatpants and we put our chairs right next to the fire and as you can imagine the very next thing that happened was the roasting of marshmallows. We made smores and of course I had marshmallow somehow all over me. By all over me I mean my face my shirt and somehow a little in my hair. I have no idea how this happened I think Brad sabotaged me. Just Kidding. Anyway we enjoyed the campfire smell and the taste of smores. We spent the next day lounging by the beach the entire day. It was really nice to get ready by putting on a bathing suit and enjoy a day in the sand randomly being sprayed by sea mist. The West Coast is really nice and it was neat to watch the people surf – It made both Brad and I want to surf. There were not as many shells or at least the shells were not all over the beach, I did however find a piece of beach glass.
I spent a majority of the day watching the beach birds. I have seen these birds all a number of times but since we live in the mountains the moments when I get to watch them are far in between. I was lucky enough to watch the birds eat and play and fight. We watched a pelican land on the water and float around dipping its large beak in for fish. It was funny to watch them. We saw a bird fight where one was pushed off a cliff and it looked for a moment that he forgot how to use his wings. He fell for a minute before expanding his wings and gliding for a minute while he looked as though he were gaining his bearings before he remembered to flap his wings and away he went. I was entertained by a group of ducks that were floating on the bay. I watched as they dove down and I giggled almost every time they stuck their little butts in the air. I could not help myself from taking pictures of them upside down. here are a couple of my favorites of these little guys...

One embarrassed duck -

Hey what are you doing?

Jonathan, Rebekah and Jessica?!? -
I also enjoyed watching them fly overhead as I lay on the beach. I could not resist at one point walking towards them and watching them fly all around me. There were at least 200 birds at the bank of the bay and when I walked towards them at least 100 flew around me, if not more. Although I did feel a little guilty for interrupting them I was happy to run with the birds for a second. They quickly went back to their business and I am so glad that I had the experience of hundreds of birds flapping their wings around me at once. There were so many moving at once that it felt like I could feel the energy of their flapping wings. There were pelicans, seagulls, ducks and all other types of birds you see at the ocean. It is always nice to watch birds. I also really liked looking at the sail boats in the distance as they strolled along the water. The scenery was nice as well. The bluffs forced you to look at them. The beaches I am used to are beautiful but there are not usually steep cliffs and bluffs jutting into the ocean. All in all we were really happy with the beaches of southern California and were happy that we allowed a few days to just hang out on the beach.

La Jolla

2008-07-25T15:33:00.000-07:00

We entered the ritzy area known as La Jolla and before we knew it we were in wet suits with a life jacket, snorkel gear mask and flippers in hand. We walked towards the beach which was wonderful, aside for the hot pavement on our bare feet. It was so nice to feel a wind on my face that was not dry and miserable. This wind was sweet and heavy with water and the smell of the ocean. Having the sun out and overhead was a blessing as we walked towards the sandy shore rather than the curse it could be from time to time in the desert. Although a sunny day is always a good thing. As we approached the beach the pavement began to be a bit cooler beneath our feet and softer as the amount of sand increased until the amount of sand was greater than the amount of pavement. This gave way to pure sandy beach. Although the sand was hot on our feet as well we were both so excited about being at the beach that neither one of us seemed to mind. I was so distracted by the sight of the ocean and the smell of the salty air that I hardly noticed much else. We were given a very brief talk about paddling and the next thing we knew we were paddling against the waves and towards the horizon. It was not difficult but battling the waves to move forward was interesting to say the least. I got soaked and soon rather than looking out through sunglasses I was looking through water drop speckled lenses. We made it through the swells easy enough and we were in a kayak on the ocean – this was pretty cool. Not that the water was necessarily choppy but it was not glassy so as the waves pitched so did we. We both looked at each other and wished that we had taken something for motion sickness. My stomach turned and dropped with each dip our little boat took in the sea. I began to get accustomed to the movement of the ocean. Poor Brad on the other hand was bothered a little bit more. The sick feeling mostly went away as we paddled, only when we sat still at the mercy of the ocean did my stomach feel tight and heavy. As we just sat without paddling the waves would pull us in towards the beach so we had to remain aware of our location. The water although it would get muddled from time to time was so clear. As we traveled atop the ocean we could see the sandy dune like ocean floor. As we first traveled out I saw a Leopard Shark swim beneath our kayak. It was startling but awesome at the same time. As we traveled we began to pass sea caves that were formed over millions of years by the rising and falling of the tides. They were pretty cool and watching the waves crash and brake against and through them was a sight to see. As the waves would hit the cave white water would rise and splash in the air and along the walls of the cave. At this point the ocean floor beneath us began to change. Patches of dark green and black replaces the sandy bottom. Upon closer inspection this was due to sea grass, kelp, and reef. We begin to see flashes of orange. We began to notice they were Garibaldi, California’s state fish. They were everywhere and so brightly colored that they were hard to miss. Once we were in the deep of the sea grass forest and above the reef the entire group tied their kayaks together and an anchor was thrown in. At this point brad promptly put on his mask with the snorkel attached and in a nasally voice which you can just imagine he jokingly asked me if we were going to see the sea lions. I giggled and he jumped in. I put on my flippers and mask and was close behind him. It was a bit strange to breathe under water and it was hard to do at first. It is against any natural reflex and you throat wants to close. This lead to my taking rapid short breathes whenever my head was submerged. As I mentioned already the first fish we saw were those Garibaldi. They would swim upside down randomly and it was the funniest little fish move ever. They had those perfect cartoon-like fish mouths that puckered out. There were other fish that I do not know the names to. Brad and I dove in to the bottom and looked around the tall seaweed and the rock piles just trying to take it all in. It was really hard to be at the bottom because although it did not seem to be that deep the pressure was unreal. It hurt my head, my nose and my ears so once I was down it was not a matter of how long I could hold my breath but was a matter of how long I could withstand the pressure before surfacing. It was also a strange feeling how fast we came up; the ocean seemed to help you surface. This is true in any water but I noticed it more here than I had before. On the ocean floor there were coral and other beachy things. I wanted to see an octopus but was not lucky enough. I am sure if we had been able to stay out there all day we would have seen one or at least a squid for they do live in the area. We were lucky enough to see three sea lions and we watched them swim and they seemed to be playing. They would surface and poke their cute little heads out to look around. They seemed to check everything and everyone out then they would playfully dive their shinny heads back under water. We kayaked away over a shallow place where the ocean floor turned sandy again. Here we saw a giant kelp plant with an air sac the size of my head and a blade larger than a kayak. Dr. Windelspect is convinced that kelp together with rice is not only the future of the food industry but also the end of starvation. It may be rubbery but he is a pretty smart guy so he may be on to something. Over this shallow sandy area we were lucky enough to see a dozen leopard sharks and guitarfish. We paddled back toward the beach where we came in from. Here we rode a small wave in to shore – this was pretty fun to do. All in all I really enjoyed sea kayaking and I can see this being a hobby that I do more and more of. Once we pulled our boat out of the water Brad and I were equipped with our snorkel gear and we strolled down the California coast towards the shallow water where we had been lucky enough to see all those big fish. As we began to walk in the water it looked like shimmering gold. Something about the coast here when you are in ankle deep water it seems to swirl around you and the gold like flecks of sand are lifted by the water and the sun hits the flecks making it look like you are walking in a pool of gold. It was a beautifully clear day and the waves were not very high. This made it not such a great day for surfing, but a perfect day for snorkeling. Brad and I dived in and away we went swimming against the waves with our heads submerged looking down through the clear water at the sandy ocean floor with little sand dune ripples. The first creature we came across was a giant stingray. He was at least three if not four feet in diameter. He was kind of scary. We swam over him for a minute a bit startled but amazed. Sting Rays do not like to be hovered over so he began to flap his disc like body in a pulsating motion and his tail began to move from side to side. In this way the giant stingray began to swim. As he flapped he stirred up the sand beneath and around him creating little ripples in the sand that remained after he left. These ripples looked like the rings formed around a droplet of water landing in a still body of water. We swam away and did not see anything for some time. Then I turned and headed towards more shallow water and was startled to look down and see four leopard sharks below me an arms length away. They were all about four feet in length give or take. When I saw them I was so startled that I pushed away reason, knowing that these large fish would not bother me I still screamed a little underwater. I grabbed Brad’s hand and he saw them too. From here we swam around this area and were lucky enough to see at least a dozen leopard sharks and a few more sting rays. We also saw some other fish that were small shiners, like baitfish. I saw a large tan-golden fish that looked more like a fresh water fish than an ocean fish to me. We also saw some fish with blue stripes on their sides. Brad got out of the water because he still was not feeling very well. I decided that I wanted to play for a few more minutes. I was getting more comfortable swimming with the big fish and I even began to swim with them. At first the fish would be a little alarmed when they noticed me, but if I just kept hanging out they would continue with their business and even let me swim around and between them. At one point I reached out and touched the side of one and although it moved a little it did not seem to feel threatened because it did not swim away. I was able to put my hand on this shark and swim along side it for a minute. They are pretty neat fish and I am really glad that I was able to swim with them. I swam in the middle of a school of tiny fish and as a wave gently broke over head they all seemed to move and shine in the sunlight all around me. Finally I was worn out and accompanied Brad on the beach. It was nice to have sand between my toes. Well, one funny thing is that we discovered that this area probably influenced Dr. Seuss as we had suspected. The beach that we snorkeled at was where Dr. Seuss had lived. When someone told us that Brad and I looked at each other and laughed because we had just been talking about how everything looks like a drawing of Dr. Seuss’s and we were wondering if he lived around the area. As one would think he had a pretty crazy house with an elevator and observation decks. This was his house - He would have probably been a cool guy to know. After we waddled in our wet suits back through La Jolla we went to a local surf spot, Wahoo’s, for dinner. There were surf videos on the TV and stickers on everything. The benches were made out of skateboards and the food was good. It was not trying to be anything fancy it just was what it was a divey surf joint. Oh – in this town there was a surf shop called Jeddies. That night we drove to San Onofre to camp right on the beach bluffs.

Joshua Tree - A Desert Park

2008-07-23T10:40:00.000-07:00

Swirly trees and Iguanas!!!

Driving to the park entrance we drove past many swirly Joshua trees for which the park is named. I really think Dr. Seuss was greatly influenced by this part of the country because although his cartoons are naturally more animated the simplicity of his drawings are found in the landscapes out here. These Joshua trees are the silliest trees I have ever seen but they are also so neat. Surrounding these trees seemed to be just rocks and dust. As we seem to usually do we ended up hiking in the desert at the hottest partof the day - right at noon. This park is the most extreme desert area we have been to. Although there were not rolling sand dunes it was so hot and the sun just baked down on our shoulders. The most prominent plants were hearty dishes with mostly brown leaves and cacti. There were cactus species that we had not seen before, my favorite of which was a reddish-pink cactus. The spikes were swirly and spiraled out from the center. The hike went up and down the desert hills and there was no shade to be found. About a mile into the hike we saw in the distance what looked like a mirage.

In the distance was a palm tree oasis. As we traveled forward in the direction of the hidden desert paradise the palm trees sunk behind the brown desert hill leaving nothing but dust and cactus behind. The fact that the oasis sunk behind disappeared as we approached it made it appear more like a mirage and was interesting to think about the first people who stumbled upon it. We were lucky to see a desert iguana hanging out on a rock. As we approached he was naturally startled and took refuge in a crack in a rock. We had to be careful and drink water because the heat and the dryness just sucks it right out of you. Finally we got close enough to the oasis to see it once more. The palm trees were huge. They were the biggest palm trees I have ever seen and it was strange to see them in a desert. The most comforting thing about the oasis was the shade it offered from the sun. There was standing water although it looked more like murky swamp water than what the movies make an oasis spring out to be. There were birds chirping and flying about the trees. We even saw a hummingbird. We drank some water and ate some dried fruit while we were cooling off in the shade.It was hard to leave the oasis knowing that we had to hike back through the desert to get back to the car. The walk back seemed even hotter than the walk there, but it was so cool to go to a real desert oasis. I will always remember walking towards the palm trees where there is nothing else around. I will always remember the feeling that the oasis did not seem to get any closer until all the sudden they were upon us. I wish we had seen a desert tortoise but we had a nice hike anyway. We were happy to stay in a hotel here because it is so hot. While we were hiking we were glad to get back to the car. We were able to lay and lounge. Sometimes it is nice to just hangout and veg out.

Welcome to the West Coast

2008-07-23T03:29:00.000-07:00

The first wildlife we saw in California was a Kit Fox. It was really tiny and had a black tipped tail. Then we say one of those silly birds that looks like it is wearing a showgirl hat. It seemed to dance around for a moment before being startled and doing a 180 to briskly waddle away. As we were first introduced to the California southern mountains the sun was setting behind them. The sky changed to the most awesomely bright hue of yellow. From this the sky was an array of sunset yellows, oranges, and purples. It was a really lovely way to enter California.

2008-07-23T03:21:00.000-07:00

Dear Leah,

Las Vegas was fun but the slot machines hypnotized me with the spinning sevens and money bags. The lights were so bright that when I looked up in the sky I could only see two or three stars. Although there was a ton of construction being done there were so many cool buildings. Some with Greek gods statues, and others with giant pirate ships. Once the pirate ships shot off lights that looked like canons. There were even roller coasters and rides attached to and around some of the hotels. This is a fun place to visit but this is no place for a coyote to live. I hope you are doing well and I hope you have a wonderful day.
Love - Capote the Coyote

2008-07-23T01:06:00.000-07:00

We parked in the giant parking garage at the Stratosphere Hotel. Once we walked in we were delighted. Although it was a casino like all the other casinos in Vegas it was nicer and smelled better than Arizona Charlie’s. After standing in line because everybody was checking in at the same time we were assigned a room and up the tower we went. The Stratosphere is the hotel on the strip that is designed after the one in Seattle and it is tallest building on the strip. The room was nice but we were not here to veg out in the room. Besides the rooms in Vegas, at least the rooms in our price range are not accommodating and try to get you to go into the casino and the shops. For example there is no fridge or even a coffee maker. They want you to buy food and get coffee at the local Starbucks found in each of the casinos and on the street corners. We decided to walk down the strip and pick up our reserved Cirque del Soleil tickets. We had to walk to Treasure Island, which did not look very far, but it turned out to be two miles away. So rather than hiking in Zion or at any of the parks we hiked around Vegas.

This is Our hotel by daylight with the allure and hopes of an oasis and winnings -

During the day we saw the strip up close and slowly. Although, with out the bright lights some of the allure was gone from the scene. In daylight the strip seemed cleaner and less sketchy. The detail in some of the buildings was unbelievable. I enjoyed just walking around and looking at the different buildings and the surrounding statues and shops. Once in Treasure Island we walked around this casino playing a bit and breaking even. We made our way to the ticket booth and redeemed our front row center tickets that we were both excited about. We then decided to hike back to our hotel and get ready for the night in Sin City. But first we went to the top of the hotel tower of the stratosphere where the pool is. It felt like Key West. We were on a roof and there were surrounding walls that were painted with beach scenes and bright blue sky with white puffy clouds. Although it was a decent day this painted scenery made it appear to be a beach perfect day. Since we were in Vegas there was, of course, a DJ and a bar. But it was easy to shut this out and relax. We immediately sank into the Jacuzzi. I sat right on a jet and closed my eyes loving it. Brad hung in there for a while but was too hot and got out to catch a little sun poolside. I must admit it was rather hot. I had to get out and take a dip in the pool to cool off. I am really glad we took advantage of the pool and Jacuzzi. This was the first time we have been in a pool this summer. Once my skin was wrinkly we headed back to the room to get ready for our evening out. We decided to walk down the strip and look for the perfect place to eat. We ended up at a restaurant in Treasure Island. It was a sort of Mexican American fusion bar. We then hung around the Casino until the doors opened at 9 p.m. for our show. As I mentioned we had the best seats in the house. Actually all the seats were probably decent but we were right in the action and a few of the performers made eye contact with both Brad and I. The show opened up with a comedic act from a gentleman dressed as a mad scientist. From here the action began interrupted with comedic relief along the way. At first I was resistant to the cheesy comedy but then I began to appreciate it as good old humor. It nicely broke up the intensity of the acrobats, gymnasts and dancers making the show as a whole more well rounded. It is hard to pick a favorite part of a show like this where everything is different and amazing in nits own regard. There were so many aspects and characters that I loved. There was an awesome gymnast who for some reason reminded Brad and I both of Lundy. He spun a huge metal cube frame on his feet while performing on the rings while simultaneously hanging from the ceiling. He was super intense and stared me in the eye as he approached the audience for a few seconds. I could not look away because he was so intense. He then spun this crazy giant cube frame on the palm of his hand and the lights made it look like a techno light show cube. This was only the first acrobatic act. There were many awesome things to follow including two men who with incredible strength were able to balance on each other forming strange shapes. At one point one of the men was balancing in a one handed handstand on the others head. The man who was standing was able to go from standing to sitting to lying down while slowly moving the other man from his head to his hands to his feet. This is impossible to explain and is something that simply must be seen to understand. Most of the show is that way. There was a segment where people hopped up poles and another where they used a sort of seesaw to do incredible jumps and tumbles. From this seesaw they would tumble landing on the shoulders of someone who was one someone’s shoulders – Yikes. There was a remarkable trapeze show. We were especially lucky to be in the front and center for this because we could recline a bot and lean back and we were just able to look up and see the entire trapeze circle where six people were swinging to a sort of swinging dance. The stage moved up and down and was able to spin so this added depth and together with a fog machine allowed a convenient way for cast changes. There were bird and cat like creature acrobats and a ballet dancer with the most perfect form. She was so graceful when she danced that I could have just watched her all evening and been satisfied. There were crazy costumes including stilts on both the arms and the legs. So very much was packed into this show that I would be typing all day and night to fit it all in and still I would be unable to do the show justice. I am a fan and if ever I have the opportunity to attend any Cirque Del Soleil production I will be more than happy to do so. I was mystified and would have sat through the same show time and time again. I can see why the tickets are so expensive and how the show often times sell out. The picture of us is in front of the giant snail that concluded the evenings show.

I believe the plot, if there really were a plot, was that it was the fantasy world of a baby. The fact that there was a hint of a plot but that it was not drilled into your head over and over again made me like the show even more. Once it was over we both sat in the seat for a moment trying to soak it all in and wishing that there were more to come. But we were excited none the less because we were not done with the evening. We still needed to hit the strip and play a bit in Vegas. Although parts of Vegas a beautiful and the entire town has a since of charisma and charm, Vegas is a bit trashy. There were drunk people passed out on the street. One woman was mumbling against a wall with one show on. There were old women in tight skirts and an inch of make-up on their faces. There were men with beads shouting at women. This aside I really liked Vegas. And these weird things in a way added to the strange allure of the city so whatever. We walked around and Brad and I both are a bit cautious about gambling and wasting money in general. We were especially timid because we had already had some unexpected expenses and we have spent a little more money than we had hoped. So although we cut the amount we were going to gamble down we decided we were not going to let our misfortune get us down. I must say luck was not on our side this night. For Brad especially he did not even hit anything and he just sat and watched his stack of chips dwindle away. I on the other hand did hit a few times but I too watched as my chips dwindled. Luckily there was a cocktail waitress on hand to give us a couple free drinks. We did not stick around to keep playing or drinking because gambling is not as much fun when you just keep throwing money away. The good thing was we were both able to call it quits and headed up the tower to sleep.
Brad had been looking forward to a Las Vegas Buffet since we arrived in Vegas. Naturally for brunch we went to the Stratosphere buffet. Like any buffet visit we ate too much but we were glad to be full. When I was making the classic buffet ice cream desert with assorted toppings I could not help but to think of whenever my Dad would take us to a buffet when we were kids. We were always so excited about the ice cream that would come out of the machine at the pull of a lever. The sad part about this buffet is they did not have gummy bears as a topping. I remembered that these were our favorite toppings as kids and we would each take a pocketful home unknown to Dad. Or maybe he knew but he let us do it anyway. Well I had to get strawberry and chocolate chips as my topping instead. Brad went for the more civilized dessert of raspberry cheesecake. Of course I tried it and it was pretty good. Actually the best part of this buffet was the cantaloupe. They happened to have the most perfectly ripe and juicy cantaloupe. From here we decided to try our luck once more before leaving the bright lights in the distance. We traveled down the length of the strip back to MGM Grand and sat down at the roulette table. The very first time we both laid down the number just happened to be my very favorite number which meant that Brad and I both hit. I had two chips on that one number and two more on the line for that number and it’s neighbor. I won $150 this first time. At this point Brad and I both had a pretty decent stack of chips so we were immediately glad we played. Especially considering I only put in $20 dollars and had only lost $30 the night before. I was way up. I set the amount I put in to the side so regardless I would break even. From here I played a little more and went up and down hitting and not hitting. Brad did the same thing but he did not seem to be as lucky as I was. There came a time when we were both up so we made a good call and decided to cash in our winnings. The picture with me and the one little bitty chip is cool because that one chip is worth $100. We hung out in the casino for a little while longer while we enjoyed a complimentary drink. I had Champagne and Brad enjoyed his usual of Jack and Coke. Brad won a few hands of Black Jack – and I think he is now addicted to Black Jack. If we ever come back to Vegas I am sure we will spend more time playing Black Jack. And more time gambling in general. Brad was really cute when he played cards. Once he won a little bit he handed me some chips so he would not spend them. In this way we managed to stay ahead. Gambling lightly is fun as long as there are some ups and it is not just downs. But once I was out of sight temptation got the better of him. In this way he won a dollar while I was peeing. I went in the bathroom and he put a dollar in the slots. He pulled the lever once doubled his money and printed his winning ticket. Impulsive and responsible at the same time – now that is hard to do. I walked out of the bathroom and he had the most innocent smile, then I saw the printed ticket in his hand and burst into a laugh. We had already cashed out so I knew he had just done something in the time I was in the ladies room. He was so cute about his dollar win though that it was a really fun walk hand in hand back to the cashier to redeem his winnings. And although the slots are obviously a gyp, it is really fun to play them. Maybe it is the lights or the small chance of winning something for a small amount of money or the spinning things or the fact that you can pull down the lever. Whatever it is it makes you want to feed money into them. There seems to be no concept of time in Las Vegas so of course we lost track of the time. We decided that with our winnings we were going to treat ourselves to a hotel once we got to California. We had planned on backcountry camping in the desert of Joshua Tree National Park. We are both pretty tired of the desert and so we agreed a hotel was the perfect way to spend the extra money. The MGM Grand was home to a lion pride. Although it broke my heart to see these majestic creatures living in such small quarters with little privacy and no room to roam and be wild, I was thankful for the chance to see them so closely. One stood up and stretched and showed her muscles and brut strength and agility. It was beautiful. Before leaving town however I needed to go to M&M world where I tried to eat a live M&M guy – I blame the Champagne. We talked about taking pictures in front of a wedding chapel and posting them as a joke but decided that was in poor taste so we did not. Andy told us we should joking that Brittany Spears got married in Vegas thus it must be awesome and a good idea. We drove away from Sin City already discussing hopes to one day return with enough time and money to gamble without guilty feelings and to be able to see a few shows – for Cirque del Soleil remained the highlight of the visit.

Sin City

2008-07-23T00:40:00.000-07:00

What Happens in Vegas Stays in Vegas - I can say no more...

Just kidding we arrived at Vegas and checked into Arizona Charlies. It was strange to walk into a hotel and rather than see a front desk we saw slots. the lights were so bright and the smell of smoke clung to everything. Every time we walked around the casino trying to get to and from the hotel tower entrance we nearly got lost. Without Brad directing me I would have walked circles around the poker tables over and over again before ever getting out. First things first we needed showers. I took a bath and then a shower - it was so wonderful. Then I watched a little TV and was able to lay down on a mattress - this too was wonderful. Brad napped the entire time. This was probably wonderful to him because he has not been able to sleep in the middle of the day since Boone. And not that brad is lazy because he is not at all but he does enjoy a nap from time to time. I mean if the conditions are right who doesn't. Brad looked so sweet sleeping that I did not have the heart to wake him up for hours. Finally I decided that he probably did not want to sleep all of Vegas away so I woke up sleeping beauty. He took a shower too because he needed one as well. We decided to get a feel for the city of lights before we jumped in. We drove down the strip. It was much more impressive at night than in the day. Each Casino had its own theme and the lights and water fountains to match. It was almost hard to focus on one thing because there was so much going on. After driving the length of the strip we parked at MGM Grand and walked around the casino. It was like a totally different world. Everywhere you looked people were gambling. The little old ladies at the slots smoking cigarette after cigarette were a little sad to me, hopefully it is just fun for them. We got our gambling feet wet with the slots and as most people do while gambling we won a little and then proceeded to gamble all the winnings away. We decided that we wanted to enjoy the full day following so we did not make it a long. The next morning we woke up and checked out of the hotel. We were upgrading hotels and were staying on the Las Vegas strip at the Stratosphere. We searched the town for free Internet Access. This does not exist here. Even if you are a costumer at a hotel, coffee shop, bookstore, or wherever there seemed to be a fee for wireless. At the hotel we stayed in the charge for one day was $12. At one of the coffee shops we went to it was $6 an hour. just as I was willing to pay the $12 Jessica convinced me to not waste my time in Vegas paying for wireless primarily to update the blog. Brad and I searched for a Thai restaurant. This was not a daunting task because there seemed to be a Thai restaurant on every corner. We had not had Thai food since Boone and it happens to be our very favorite. In Boone we would go to Chai da Thai every Tuesday, until we started saving every cent for the trip. Then we went on special occasions like our last day in town! We each got our usual and although it did not beat Boone and Dustin was not able to meet us, it was a pretty good Thai restaurant. It was now time to check in to the Stratosphere so we were strip bound.

The Narrows

2008-07-22T18:58:00.000-07:00

After lunch we met up with Erin and Patrick at the campground and got ready for the intense Narrows hike. We put on Chacos and quick drying cloths. We gathered our backpacks equipped with water bottles, energy packed foods, maps, and hiking sticks. As a group we hopped on the shuttle and rode it until the end of the line. The last stop of the shuttle is the beginning of the Narrows hike. The first portion is named the river walk. This is a neat and easy hike that is paved and follows as the name implies it follows the river. Where this mile long paved portion of the hike ends the official Narrows begins. There is no real trail; the river is the trail. We walked down from the pavement and got our feet wet. We began hiking in the river and the water was actually refreshing considering we have been in the heat of the desert for what seems like forever. The water was murky so I could not see the river bed this made walking tricky. We had to walk slowly because we had to watch our footing. The current was not super intense but there was definitely a current. Some of the river crossings were tricky and every once in a while a randomly placed rock or a dip would catch me off guard and it would feel like an unexpected step. The walking sticks made it a lot easier to maneuver, mostly because depending on where they hit in the stream indicated how deep the next step would be. The sticks also aided in balance, which was important, because if anyone has walked in a river they know the bed can be slippery, uneven and hard to pass. The canyon, which the Virgin River has carved, is remarkable at the even at the beginning of this hike and the views get even more phenomenal as you follow the river. It is a one way hike so the way into it we were walking into the current and there would occasional be breaks as we stepped in that would splash up and surprise us. At times the water level was up to Brad’s chest so you can imagine what I looked like. The canyon walls were smooth with streaked lines created by the force of the water. There were times when the walls were gray and even black, others where the walls were orange and red. There were moments where dripping water came directly from the canyon wall. This is caused by water seeping through the porous sandstone and then collecting once it hits a more solid rock layer. The water then travels along the rock shelf until it fins an outlet to the outside world. It looks like the rock is crying. As we traveled along there were beaches along the canyon walls. Whenever we could walk on these beaches or rock beds it was a nice break from walking upstream. There were parts where the wall looked swirly as the water had carved out sections. We all climbed up one interesting section and found a cave at the end. Although the cave was narrow it was large enough to sleep in and was really neat to climb up and all the sudden see something that you had no idea was up there from looking at it from below.

This is the cave which we climbed up to -

There was one particular bend in the river that was my personal favorite part of the hike. The canyon walls are pretty narrow at this point of the trail and they do a sharp turn to the left. The walls are mostly orange and red here with horizontal lines that look like those created when you run all your fingers in a wave like manner through sand. There are rapids generating a line of white caps along the stream and the rock overhangs the left side of the bend casting shadows. A large boulder breaks up the stream and water pulses from either side of this. As the bend opens up bright green trees grow on the left bank and hanging gardens grow from the weeping rocks. These hanging gardens are mostly ferns and vines. There were about a dozen of these leafy trees and a group of three large boulders. This would be a really nice place to spend the day and picnic or read. We stopped often to play on the beaches and the rocks along the way. A few hours in to the hike we came to a view that took our breath away. The Canyon drastically narrowed and this is the section that the hike is named for. The Canyon looks dark because the walls are so narrow and high that the sun is mostly blocked so the canyon floor is cast in shadows. Once we reached this point we sat and enjoyed it for a few minutes. Looking up to see how high the canyon walls really were was so intense.

Here we are as the Canyon Narrows -
This hike is so dangerous because of this. The canyon is formed from flowing river but the narrow nature of this part of the canyon makes it really apt to flash flooding. Flooding can be dangerous regardless where you are. In the Narrows this danger is multiplied because the water has no where to go except up. If you get caught in a flash flood it is likely that you could die in the Narrows. We were well aware of this and checked the weather just before we left. Luckily for us there were not any unexpected weather changes and the day was beautiful. Almost too warm but not where we were waist deep in water and in the shadows of a thousand plus feet canyon walls. The walk back was much easier than the hike in mostly because on the return journey the current was in our favor. We made it back in no time and the views were not at all boring the second time around. Looking at the Canyon from the opposite direction cast a new light on it. The Narrows on the way back is like an entirely new hike. Once we made it back to the where the canyon widens and a beach leads to a paved portion it was amazing to see the sunlight. I had not noticed how dark it was in the shadows of the canyon but I was surprised to see a blue-sky overhead with a bright sun. We saw some idiot feeding a squirrel and the animal jumped up to take it and nearly bit him. Then we hiked back to the shuttle and made friends with a couple from Holland on the way back. They were really nice and excited to be in America. The conversation was made interesting by the language barrier but Brad and I both enjoyed talking with them. Once back at the campsite we cooked dinner and enjoyed the company of friend for another night. The stars were out and from our site the big dipper was perfectly outlined by trees while we were looking at it.

The last day at Zion –
We at breakfast at the Zion Sol Café. We had the most delicious croissant with bacon egg and cheese, mmm mmm. From here we went to the Natural History Museum. We were hoping to hike Angels Landing but we did not have the time. There are only 24 hours in a day. Angels Landing looked like an awesome hike and the next time we make it to Zion we are definitely going to do this hike. We left by the east entrance allowing us to see this side of the drive on the way out. Zion is a really cool place although it is hot. I really liked that the scenery changes from desert to river to canyon to varying mountains depending on the section of the park you are in.

Zion as Seen from Horseback

2008-07-22T17:10:00.000-07:00

Brad and I woke up at 7 am to catch the shuttle that allows access to the upper reaches of the canyon. There is no driving allowed in a good portion of the park. I thought this to be a brilliant idea that other parks should adopt. Sure, it may be a bit annoying to take a shuttle. But they have a good system and there is never a long wait for a shuttle and it lessens our giant footprint on the park. The roads were less congested and there were not parking areas everywhere, only shuttle stops and trails. I am for mass transportation. Anyway we rode the shuttle to Zion Lodge and walked to the horse corrals. Brad and I were getting ready to be cowboys. We were soon assigned horses. To my delight Brad was assigned the horse I most liked to look at. She was white with random gray speckles. She had kind eyes and as we were waiting I found myself transfixed while looking at her. She was also very tall so her and Brad made a nice pair. Her name was H-b, which made me a little sad because it felt like her name was not personal. Maybe there is some hidden meaning behind the name. After the cowboy in chaps asked me a few questions he chuckled and assigned me to Hoosier. I got the immediate feeling that Hoosier was a beloved horse that did not always behave. Hoosier did what he wanted for the most part. But once I became stern he would immediately listen. I liked his personality very much. He was brown in color and although he was plain and simple looking he looked old and wise too. I was glad to have him because he had bangs. Most of the horses were shaved but not Hoosier. He had wild hair so we made a good pair in that regard.

This is Brad with H-b and Me with Hoosier -

We mounted our horses and the cowboy said to me that it is obvious that I had ridden before. Either I am naturally a cowgirl or those bits of riding from my childhood were safely stored in my brain and I was able to put them to good use. Either way it did not feel strange to sit on a horse and as I always have I loved it. Hoosier wanted to walk around for a while and it took me a minute to get him to stand still and we nearly got into a disagreement with a larger horse. We started to behave and stand still. Brad and I were placed at the back of the single file line. The cowboy said that the best were in the back. I am not sure if this is true or if we were just put back there. Regardless there was not a guide near us for the entire length of the ride. At first this made me uneasy because we did not know these horses and we are in no way seasoned riders. By the end of the ride Brad and I were happy to be in the back because it allowed us to pause for a while and then gallop up to the rest of the group. We each did this a few times and it was so much fun to trot on the horse rather than just walk. The walking was nice though. We were guided through the canyon and up a mountain ridge. This not only allowed us to view Zion on horseback like the early settlers did, but it also offered awesome views to some of the Zion Canyons peaks and famous views. The scenery was wonderful but the heat was pretty intense. It was so hot and I was wearing jeans in the over 100 degree weather because I wanted to be a cowgirl. When we were on top of the ridge and there were no trees to offer shade I felt as though I was going to melt right into the saddle. I could not help but sing the country song, "I should have been a cowboy." Luckily for everyone around I only sang it loud enough for Brad to hear. Not only was riding on this horse guide a neat way to get a glimpse of the life of a cowboy but also it was a awesome way to be a tourist of Zion. The entire trail we did not run into anyone else. This is pretty intense considering how many people visit Zion every year. Along the Wild West journey we discovered how a horse would say crazy. N-a-a-azy. You have to stutter the Naa like a horse and that is how a horse would call you crazy! We trotted along and we were both getting more comfortable atop our horses. The weather was beautiful and the sky was so blue. It was so blue that it looked more like a child’s colored picture than an actual sky. My favorite view that we trotted past was the patriarch peaks.

This view is of the three peaks which make up the Peaks of the Patriarchs. They are named Issac, Abraham and Jacob -

Rather than being startled and uncomfortable when our horses picked up the pace we were learning to control them and want and enjoy the trotting. I wanted the horse ride to last all day. I could ride all day around the canyon, but I would need a more comfortable saddle. Our saddles were hard and the ride was bumpy. The time came when the loop trail ended back at the corral. I was a little sad to see the cowgirl portion of the trip come to an end but already my bum was beginning to hurt so I knew it was probably for the best to dismount and travel the remainder of Zion on foot.

2008-07-22T10:26:00.000-07:00

They say not to feed wildlife. They say a feed bear is a dead bear. I have always heeded these warnings and I get the idea that it is a good idea to keep wildlife wild. The squirrels at Zion National Park exemplify this. They are way too comfortable with humans. While it is really cute to have the squirrels come right up and sniff your feet. They would sit up as we would walk by check it out. The squirrels made me giggle almost every time they poked their little heads up but it made me sad that they were so used to us. So don’t feed wildlife – Keep them wild. We are always in their homes so we owe them at least that. Now to finish this let me quote Carrie, "Squirrels are just rats in cuter outfits."!

Zion - a park properly named.

2008-07-22T10:03:00.000-07:00

Zion National Park is impressive from the very beginning to the end. We drove through the westernmost entrance and immediately were greeted by petrified dune mountains with Dr. Seuss like lines swirling down the sides of them. Some even had a checkerboard pattern. They seemed to be painted a variety of colors the same as all of the rock out here spanning so much geological time. It is so cool how these rocks tell their story with color and shape. There were a few lone natural rock structures jutting above the surface. These were not as abundant here as they were in Arches but the mountains themselves here were more breathtaking. We soon crossed through a manmade tunnel through the mountain that was pretty cool. I though this tunnel was so awesome, that is until we came to the next tunnel. The first picture is of the first tunnel. You can see that it is beautiful to drive up upon. To the left you can see the light at the other end of the tunnel and above the ceiling of the tunnel the rock layer is deep but you can see the ske. The second picture is of the second tunnel. The mountain over this tunnel was so high I could not have taken a picture to get the tunnel and the sky with my camera from the road. It is seriuosly cut through a mountain. This crazy tunnel is over a mile long carved through a mountain! It was made in the 1930’s. Wow! The most awesome thing about this tunnel was that every now and again we were greeted by light. There were three window-like areas of the tunnel allowing natural light to filter in. From these we were able to see where we were. Looking out of the huge windows was like we were hanging over a mountain. The views were pretty neat and I would have liked to capture them in a picture. I would have had we not been driving and passing these windows just as quickly as we knew they were there. I can't imagine carving the tunnel itself but the huge rock cut outs leading to the outside were pretty unbelievable. The last window through the mountain was so bright that we at first thought it was the end of the tunnel only to be surprised by another dark turn left back into the mountain. On the other side of the passage through the mountain the road becomes a series of switchbacks that led us down into the Zion Canyon. The mountainside was different now. The rocks were mostly yellow-orange and the mountains were less like hills and more like giant rock cliffs. They seemed to be rising more than we seemed to be descending. At one point we looked up at a mountainside and saw on of the tunnel windows. It was so high up and I am glad we happened to notice it. It gave a neat perspective as to the height and magnitude of the tunnel that we had just passed through. We learned during our stay that at one point this was the largest desert and the dunes here were the tallest. A small sea turned the sand to stone therefore the dunes to mountains. Some were 3,000 feet deep with sandstone! This made us stop to think because we were in awe of the great sand dunes only a few weeks ago and their dunes were only 300 feet deep. It seems strange to say that the Great Sand Dunes are "only" anything, but in comparison to these giants they are shadowed. It was interesting to try and imagine the process that the land had to endure to change from a desert to a sea to what we know today as Zion. The Virgin River carved most of the canyon. This is the river that makes up the infamous Narrows hike. After checking in to the campground we were excited because we were meeting friends here. Although we have been lucky enough to see friends and family along the journey it was a treat to meet up with a friend from Boone who is in the midst of doing a similar trip. Brad and I both immediately smiled when Patrick and his friend Erin pulled up to our campsite. It was nice to see a familiar face. We cracked open a beer or two. I only drank one because I was still a little turned off to alcohol from my margarita night. Brad and Patrick traded tunes by passing Brad’s guitar. Brad played the songs from Jessica’s wedding. I love when he plays these. He rarely does and it is nice to hear them every time he does play them. It reminds me of their wedding which most definitely on of the best things I have ever seen and/or been to. Patrick played the first song he ever wrote for a girl. It was really pretty and I enjoyed it so much. I am sure the girl loved it too. There were no words and I really like lyrics but the melody was beautiful. We enjoyed good company and exchanged road trip stories. It is still the desert here and it was pretty hot. It cooled of enough to be comfortable at night and there were signs of showers but we were lucky enough to sleep without the rain fly on. It gets uncomfortably hot inside the tent with the fly on because there is no breeze and all our heat stays in. This is nice to know because it means that our tents truly our three season tents, but not so nice in the desert in July. I set my alarm because we had a full day ahead of us.

Yikes - More Car Problems!

2008-07-22T00:06:00.000-07:00

One our way out of the Calf Creek area we stopped in that one stop sign town that we had purchased the smores only this time for gas. I was not feeling so well so I slumbered inside for air-conditioning and a PowerAde. As I was walking towards the car Brad’s head was hung low and he was shaking his head. Given the condition we were in I did not think anything of it except that I was nauseous so he probably was too. When I got closer I could tell there was something wrong. He looked at me and said that we had a flat tire. Well, at this point I was really wishing I were not hung over so I could deal with this problem without feeling sick. We shared the PowerAde and tried to reinflate the tire but this only made the problem worse as a piece of the inflator tube fell of. So, that can not be a good sign. We decided it was time to get the ole’ spare out. We got everything out and began the process. It seemed like my jack was way too intense, and of course we were missing the jack handle so we had no way to pump the jack. Who takes the jack handle out of a car and does not replace it? So poor brad used a screwdriver and manually turned the jack. The bar of the screwdriver was digging into his hands and he had to stop to wring his hands after a few turns. He ended up extending the jack and successfully swapping the tires. Now we were hoping this tiny town had a tire place and to our surprise there was one store that seemed to have it all. Not only was it a gas station but it was a sno shack, a grocery store, a subway, and a mechanics. The mechanic let us know that our problem was one that he could fix if we did not mind waiting for him to be able to fit us in. When asked how long we said and hour or two. Now this may not seem ideal but we were relieved. With the way things had been going for us we expected him to say a day or two. We agreed and we seeked refuge in the Subway. We each had a sandwich that I was hoping was going to stop the throbbing sensation of my head but it did not. We sat in the air-conditioned building and charged our phones and I was able to work on this blog page that you are reading right now. So it was not a problem at all. When the mechanic was finished I was nervous to look at the bill. To our surprise we did not get ripped off either. It was only $11 to fix the problem and he even put the tire back on for us. We were soon on our way. Due to our most recent unexpected surprise we had to cut out Bryce Canyon. We were a little saddened by this but we were glad that the problem really did turn out to be a small and easily fixed one.

Calf Creek and Professor Oz

2008-07-21T23:07:00.000-07:00

Calf Creek is a pretty sweet spot and if I ever come to Utah again (which is questionable) I will definitely stop here. There is a pretty cool hike with falls but we were unable to complete it because Brad and I decided that we needed smores. We went to the small town and found the one locally owned grocery store where we purchased the necessary ingredients. Back we went to camp and to make the delicious outdoor treat when along came a gentleman who wanted us to take his picture. He had just had the craziest Grand Canyon hiking experience that began with a rockslide sort of walk down into the canyon and a troublesome few nights trying to find his way out. He luckily found a river group and was able to convince them to take him downstream where he could be helicoptered out. Talk about a canyon adventure. Anyway, he was scratched up pretty good on both his arms and his legs. He asked me to take a picture of him showing off his wounds so he could show his children later. I was happy to do it and happy to hear his story although I thought it was pretty scary he seemed to think he was okay the entire time. We chatted for a minute and discovered he was a biology professor in California so immediately we had a connection, seeing as Brad and I were both Biology majors. We parted ways and Brad and I went up to the camp ground to relax and play a quick game of cards before dinner. The professor came up to give us his card so we could e-mail him later with our blog and so we could check out his myspace page so we could hear about his adventures. He was rightfully named Oz the Great and Powerful. When we were done with the cards we decided to get the cooking supplies when we heard what we thought was a Banjo coming from the Professor’s campground. Brad lit up and wanted to play his guitar too. He needed a bit of buttering up because we all know that he can be shy from time to time. He got his guitar out from the car and tuned it up and we walked over to play a quick song before dinner. Well this turned into song after song and margarita after margarita. Simply put we did not get dinner but instead we drank a bit too much. It was really fun while it lasted however. We not only exchanged songs but we shared stories and talked about our adventures so far and plans for things to come. Often when alcohol is involved the conversations tend to get deep in subject and from time to time they did. All in all it was a nice night and it was really nice to meet such a nice guy and to just talk with him for a while. The best thing about it all was that Brad was able to play his guitar which is probably his favorite thing to do but he has not really had the time lately. We stumbled back to camp because we did not realize the effect of the tequila until we stood up. The next day we definitely felt the effects and we both had a headache and wanted to sleep in. The sun in the desert does not allow sleeping in so we had to get up and grumpily scramble things into their places. Ughh I can’t even think about a margarita.

Arches National Park

2008-07-21T22:35:00.000-07:00

The desert is hot – imagine that. This park is pretty well put together and I am so glad we decided to come here. Even the drive into the park was pretty cool. Just beside the scenic drive are numerous landmarks that are so much larger and cooler in person. We drove past balancing rock and Brad renamed it tee-ball rock. There were times when we just had to stop the car so we could get out and hike around to check it out. Times when I was looking at the colors of the landscape and I could not believe it so I needed to get out and take a picture of the hills that looked painted. The sweeping sandstone looked like a page right out of a Dr. Seuss book. The rings on the mountains in all directions like the book "Oh the Places You’ll Go" – that is the best way I can describe these mountains. There were hills in front of them spotted with small shrubs and the colors just did not seem right for the area. There were the greenest hills I have ever seen and not green like grass. The ground was green; it was kind of strange looking. We drove to the trailhead arch and off we went past the desert like parking area to former dunes that have been pressurized into mountains. The trail is informal and marked with rock towers mostly. It is easy for the most part to see the correct way to go and as long as you are going up you are more or less going in the correct direction. We went up and up and up and luckily we had water because it is so hot out here that you can not even feel yourself sweet the moisture just seems to be wicked out of you without your knowing. We finally crested the top of the sand dune mountain and rested in the shade of a huge rock that looked as though it had shifted at one point and created a shelf perfect for seating and a wall that provided shade. Along this part of the hike the scenery began to change and we noticed around us arches of different magnitude and structure. Some were not full arches but they against a mountain so it looked like an arch glued to rock. Others were arches all the way through forming peepholes and walkways in the rock. Once we reached the top the arch we saw there nearly made us gasp. It was delicate arch and it was so awesome. It is so hard to imagine the natural forces at work and the chance that this tall vertical arch would be the result. I am amazed that the Earth and its features shift so much and it mystifies me in a wonderful way. I could not help but be a little sad that by the very changing nature of the land, which surrounds the arch, this delicate arch will not be around forever for all future generations to see. But, luckily geological time is slow so there will probably be no changes in this arch for some time to come. He hiked all the way to the arch and we were able to stand in between its two giant pillars and gaze through it at the backdrop that makes Arches National Park and beyond. It was a really cool place to stand and once we were done standing under the arch we walked a little ways back and sat down with the arch still in view. It was nice to just sit and look at it in wonder. It was also neat to watch other people experience the arch, in doing this we were in a way experiencing it through the eyes of others which is always a neat thing to do. After hydrating we headed away from the arch. I looked back for as long as it was still in view because the arch was a treat to see each time. We hiked back the way we came and trucked onward through the rock sculptured hills of Arches. As we were leaving the park we saw a spotted buffalo. It looked like a cow buffalo perfect with black and white spots. It was the coolest buffalo I have ever seen. We camped at a campground in Capitol Reef National Park. There was a group of deer that wandered the outskirts of the campground so we sat for a while and enjoyed watching them grazing on the grass. I am still nervous about my car and our things. I do not want to get caught up on this because I realize it is more important that we are okay, but still it is hard. We did talk about maybe turning back and going home but we are going to trust that we will have fun regardless and with faith we will be all right.

Dead Horse Point

2008-07-21T22:12:00.000-07:00

The hike here is decent. It is pretty easy – or at least the part that we did was. I found it similar to the rim trail at the Grand Canyon. The views were really nice and the rock layers were more spectacular here than most places we have seen. The variation of color from the canyon floor to the top walls was awesome with their oranges, browns, black and when the sun hit just right yellow. The manager was rude to us about our reservations even though they were in the wrong. He wanted to know how I knew that our spot had been given away considering we were not there. I thought this was a horrible response. And anyway the ranger told us so that is how we knew. His name is Lee and he is not very helpful. So, I think this place is pretty cool but I do not really recommend it. The legend behind this place is pretty cool and sad at the same time. Some silly cowboys corralled hundreds of wild mustangs to a natural point. The cowboys lacking any foresight took the horses they wanted and left the rest on that point with no way out. They could see the Colorado River below as they died of thirst. This view was seen with hundreds of magnificent horses dead at the bottom. The name stuck but luckily the dead horses are gone. It is so sad that the mentality of the "white man" has been like that. They took the ones they wanted and could have easily set the others free but since they were going to get no use of them they could care less and they just let them die. They did not even consider the idea that if you keep killing them that there will be no offspring; therefore no more wild horses in the future. How sad. We decided our day would be better spent at Arches National Park so we headed that way. We had to make another stop at the Verizon store Brad’s new phone because it seems like we have been running errands everyday, so why not today too.

2008-07-17T12:41:00.000-07:00

Dear Leah,
My name is Capote the Coyote. Brad and Rebekah came through Moab and rescued me from that store where everyday people would pick me up and put their hands all over me only to drop me back in the bin. Then at night everyone would leave the store and it was lonely without any people to play with. They told me your story and how my brother was taken from you. I am sure he will be okay. We coyotes are pretty resourceful. I am on my way to you and I can not wait to meet you and the rest of your family. I will have to go to lots of fun places before I can get all the way to San Francisco. I am glad that I will be your stuffed animal pet!
Love,

Capote the Coyote

Away From the Scene of the Crime

2008-07-17T11:56:00.000-07:00

From the luxurious Super 8 we headed to Moab. We stopped first at the scene of the crime to see if the horrible thieves had discarded any of our less valuable belongings on the side of the road. Our search was fruitless and only disappointed us more. The dog that was supposed to bark to warn the owners of trespassers did not even make a peep while we walked all around the yard. We drove through the sketchy neighborhood but with empty hands we had to be on our way to Moab. Our first stop was the Verizon store because we I needed a new charger and brad needed a whole new phone. We worked all that out and figured we should check out the famous little town of Moab, Utah. We went to dinner at the local brewpub and had Nachos, which I have been craving since the nachos we had in New Orleans. Since our ipods were stolen we have the choice of the four random CD’s that are in our car. John Mayer live in LA, Dave Matthews Band Everyday and a random Peter Paul and Mary mix, and of course the Andy and Jessica Experience which is probably the best one! We are already bored with these so we began to make up songs and had a little sing a long in the car. We sang about the changing landscape and the animals we had seen. We sang made up songs about the things that have been happening to us. This was actually fun. We were able to walk around the quaint shops downtown. The coolest part about the downtown shops was some of them had misting water falling from the awning. With the Utah heat that was the best thing I have seen in Utah so far. We made it to Dead Horse Point, which is where we had reserved a spot for the previous night and tonight. Once we got to our spot we noticed it was occupied. Well, Dead Horse Point had taken it upon themselves to give our reserved spot away. They had given it away the previous night. I could not believe that because we did not show up by night on the first night of our reservation they gave it away. We had already paid for the spot so I was under the impression that it should be empty unless we were there to occupy it. The ranger said she thought someone called to cancel the reservation, which was a complete fabrication. Luckily there was another empty unreserved spot that we could have because after the ordeal we had been through the last thing I wanted to do was worry about whether our reservation was held. We were able to set up our tent and go to sleep so that is just what we did.

Faith Partly Restored

2008-07-16T13:47:00.001-07:00

As I mentioned the Campbell’s were a family on the canoe trip with us, they were also the other victims of car vandalism. I could not have asked for a better family to experience such a sad moment of my life with. They stepped in to fill not only the very important understanding friend role but also the steady parent role in a way. It was nice to spend time with people that we not only liked but also were going through the exact same thing at the exact same time as we were. We followed them to the Hotel 8 where they were staying and they put us up in a room – which was way more than they needed to do. We were able to take a shower, which helped more than you would think. The water turned slightly brown that is how dirty I was. Once we were clean and a bit removed from the situation there was a knock on the door and we all went out to dinner together. We went to a pub / pizza place. We walked down to the car and I was again faced with the fact that I had no window and the glove box was on my knees. I tied a string to the glove box with a cross on it. Maybe that will detour anyone else who wants to attack my car. Each time I would shut the door it would make a startling shatter sound due to the glass that was trapped in the door itself. On the way to the place the wind was hitting my face and for the first time I did not enjoy it. I usually love to ride around with the window down but in this case it was just a reminder of the bad events and the fact that instead of continuing on our journey we were stagnant here in Grand Junction. Once we arrived at the resturaunt I tried to roll the window up to no avail. This atleast made me laugh at myslef so maybe all hope in my faith was not lost. It was a bummer that we were stuck because we had already paid for the next destination – Dead Horse Point. Once we arrived at the restaurant my spirits began to lift a bit. The Campbell’s are good for that. It was especially nice to be surrounded with children. They can lift any cloud it seems. Ian finally began to open up to Brad and I and we both enjoyed he and Leah’s stories. We felt bad for Leah because her bag with her stuffed dog was stolen. At dinner I started out with water but to my surprise both Leah and Ian ordered my favorite drink in the world, a Shirley Temple. I never order Shirley Temples, mostly because I know they can be a pain in the butt for wait-staff, but also I feel like a kid whenever I want them. I learned that you are never to old for Shirley Temples. But I figured this is one time when I should follow the crowd so I ordered one too. Leah giggled at me for this but I wanted cherries in my sprite too. The food was filling and actually pretty good. We are biased of course because we are spoiled with Mellow Mushroom in Boone, but they served a nice pie. After dinner we went back to the hotel. The telephones in the hotel were out. Of course the phones would be out seeing as how all of our chargers were stolen and Brad’s phone randomly short-circuited and was out of commission. Luckily the hotel had a charger that fit Diane’s phone so out of the six of us one had a working phone, but one is better than none. This is the main moment in time when Diane stepped in as more than a friend and managed to fill both friend mother roles. By the way, later when I did talk to my mom she was so thankful that we had people of this caliber with us. She took it upon herself to track down a company who would fix both of our windows at once. Considering it was Sunday there we had no luck. I tried to collect my thoughts in the room and having a bed helped. This of course was after Brad had fallen fast asleep as he usually does next to me. I turn to tell him something and find him out like a light. I tried to be quiet and typed a bit because my mind was racing so much that I just could not sleep yet. It was hard to not keep getting upset but before too long I fell fast asleep. When we woke up we decided that before we would do anything else we would get ready and check on the car. Remember that it had been sitting outside of the hotel all night without a window. We had all moved our valuables to the room but we left a lot in the car too because it was too much to carry everything. So we just left it to faith that we would still have the rest of our things. When we made it to our car the Campbell’s were already on top of things and Diane was on the phone with repair companies. It is strange how seeing them made me feel safe and calm. It is the same affect that family can have on you. We ate continental breakfast, which was nice not to have to worry about preparing anything. Diane found a company that could get it done that day so we took it. The rest of the companies informed her that it would be at least another day before they could come out to fix the cars. While we were getting our things together Diane came to inform me that there was something that Ian really wanted to show me. I guess he had seen my playing cards or my beach towel because when I entered their room Ian disappeared and returned with a complete set of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle action figures. Splinter included. They were way awesome and we all sat around and talked about them for few minutes. I think they were impressed that I was in fact Michelangelo for Halloween last year and that I have my very own orange karate belt and nunchaku. We all stood on the curb with our baggage like over packed hitchhikers watching as the doors of our cars were removed and the new windows were placed in the place of the bits of shattered glass that were all that remained of the old windows. Ian and Leah watched and even helped the repairman. As sad as it was it was comforting to have them there with us. Ian became even more talkative and Leah showed us her stuffed animals that were not taken. While the cars were being operated on Leah and I talked about our favorite things. Three hundred dollars later it was time to part ways and hopefully continue both of our vacations in a positive way. We exchanged information and know that they will forever be in our hearts and hopefully we can have a friendship from coast to coast. We are hoping that this is the lowest point and that it can only go up from here.

How I Lost my faith in Humanity

2008-07-16T12:56:00.000-07:00

We were walking along the side of the road towards our cars and people were talking about the trip and what they are going to take away from it. People were discussing their plans for the next few days. Some of them were headed for home while others of us were continuing our journey onwards to new fun and exciting places. As we were parallel to the cars I looked at mine and something did not look right about the passenger side window. I could not tell if there was a window because I could not catch a glare from the Sun. I was still far away and I could not tell. My first thought was that Brad had been an idiot and left the window down. Of course it could not have been my fault. Then I started to think back and I remembered checking to see if the windows were rolled all the way up. I squinted my eyes to get a better look and still could not tell. I said out loud that I think I have a missing window and one of the guys reassured me and said nothing looked strange but I knew something was not right. My stomach immediately began to twist and my heart dropped four stories down to my knees. Before I knew it I was running into the wind trying to get around the corner and to my car. The closer I got the further from the scene I wanted to be. On the ground beside my car were turquoise pieces of shattered glass. I slowed my pace and saw the last thing in the world I wanted to see on our road trip. Not only had my window been shattered and my car broken into but my locked glove box had been broken into as well and was fixed open with papers flung haphazardly about the front seat. I did not mean to cry before I knew I was my cheeks were already hot and tears were streaming down them. I must have made some wailing noise because the owner of the house that the cars were parked right next to came out to see what was going on. She brought me a glass of water, which was nice, but I wish instead that they would have kept a better eye on the cars. I think they are really nice people and they were really nice to me. They let me come inside to calm down and use there phone to call my mom. He picked me some fresh grown apricots from their tree and they really did help me to calm down. But as soon as I walked back to the car I just could not hold it together. The stole my wallet with all of my personal cash and our emergency cash. The got my credit card, debit card, social security card and who knows what else was in my wallet not to mention the wallet itself which I love. In my wallet were my only really nice pen and my checkbook. Brad and I had been saving our quarters for laundry money and they took of with all of our quarters and some gas cards. Both of our brand new ipods were taken. The sad part about the ipods is we had both of our ipods stolen from Brad’s car a few weeks before the trip began. I decided the best way to spend my stimulus package was surprise Brad with a new ipod. I bought us both new fancy 80-G ipods and they lasted one month before they were stolen from us. Some of the things that were taken hurt my heart more than our wallets. The bracelet Maxx had just had made for me and given to me was taken by these two bit idiot thieves who do not even know what they are looking for. The value of the bracelet was not in dollars although there was a fair amount of turquoise on it. They stole my colored sharpies and craft supplies that I use to make cards. They took these because they were in a crown royal bag so I assume they thought it was liquor or at least something valuable. I ask you what people who break into cars for fun are going to do with 30 multi colored sharpie pens? They also took all of our chargers. We had most of our equipment with us like our phones and camera but now we were unable to charge any of it. So not only had we been victims of vandalism but neither one of us had a working phone at the time. Mine had died and Brad’s randomly short circuited and malfunctioned shortly after. They did some pretty serious damage to the passenger door bending the frame, scratching the paint and ruining the rubber that surrounds the window. The glove box is beyond repair and will no longer close. It was really hard for me to pull it together because I kept noticing little things that were gone. I did leap to the back of the car where we had wrapped most of our things in a blanket so you could not tell what they were from the outside looking in. I sprang to Brad’s guitar case and opened the hinges to find that the guitar was safely in its place. I then checked my computer bag and to my surprise it too was still in its place. I hadn’t looked for my computer until this point because I had just assumed that would have been the first thing to go. They did rummage through me purse and took what they wanted and they went through my bag full of cloths and threw my bras around the car. I was still having a hard time keeping it together luckily I was not alone. Someone called the police and someone else asked me about my insurance and found the number on line for me. One of the gentlemen from the river trip offered to go back and get Brad. To me at this moment that was the thing I needed the most. I needed a hug and something I felt was solid to hold on to and cry. I needed Brad because I knew he would get it and I knew he would know how to be there with me and for me. There were actually two cars that were broken into. As one would think they were the two our of state plates. It was obvious that we were traveling and we would have all sorts of goodies in our car. I hated that the other group that was burgled was Diane and Lundy but this actually turned into a good thing. Well, not a good thing but as good a thing as can come from a situation like this. They proceeded to look through their car and realized all the many things that they had taken from them. They lost a computer with his lectures and work on it, camera and camera equipment, car TV’s, and the meanie’s even stole the little girls stuffed animal and her bag. The Sheriff came and asked questions and away he went. I realize there is not a whole lot that can be done but there should be more. The owner of the nearby house said he was sure it was one of two sets of boys who live in the neighborhood. I don’t know why we could not go and see if they had our stuff. If the police were able to go and check it our based on a hunch many more lost things would be found. Instead they do nothing and time passes. With the passing of time the stolen belongings get defaced and sold or given away or even thrown away and they can no longer be traced back to the rightful owners. I was so upset, sad, angry and blind sighted that I wanted so badly to find these boys and demand my things back. The problem with this is the parents are more than likely just as bad as the kids are. And that would lead to a very scary situation. Therefore, these punks get away with this over and over again so of course they are going to continue the vicious cycle. People like this have no regard for other people so I find it funny that there is so much regard for them taken by the community and the law enforcement. The Sheriff was nice enough but it is almost worthless to call them because nothing will be done about it aside from it being filed in a cabinet somewhere to collect dust while we are left to pick up the tab and deal with the damage. By damage I mean the damage that was done to our things but more importantly the damage to my heart and my soul. I do not know how much more I will be able to take before I am cynical. I have always been a bubbly trusting person and these horrible things keep happening to me that prove that the human race has a huge problem and a lack of compassion. The people who broke into our cars were well aware that we were on vacation. How could they not see how much worse that makes their actions? They not only ruined our vacation but what were we to do so far from home without a window and a broken car. How can you be so narrow-minded that you can not step into someone else’s life for even a moment and see that they are a person just like you with good and bad qualities alike. How can you slap someone that you don’t know in the face like that? I walk through my life trying to be aware and thoughtful of those around me and I have a really hard time with being attacked like this. I was able to call the insurance company and report a claim – GEICO is pretty useless as far as finding someone to fix your car. They told me I would need to go to a GEICO adjuster but there were not any in the surrounding area of Colorado that we were in. I was okay with this and asked about the places we would be near in Utah. I got the same response that there were not any in the area. I even understood this though my frustrations were wearing thin. Next I asked about California because I was sure California would be sprinkled with auto shops. To my surprise there were none in the areas we would be. Come on GEICO – you have got to be kidding me. This is ridiculous. There are not any in Grand Junction, North of San Diego, Anaheim, etc. So I suppose we will just have to drive around the country with a door that whistles in the wind and a glove box that is tied together with a string and loosens throughout the day to hit the knees of whomever is in the passenger seat. It is hard to explain how much my heart hurt. The river trip had been so nice and I was in such high spirits and then to come crashing down so quickly made me feel so small and so heavy. I wanted to scream and cry and disappear all at once. I really wish I could turn back time and change something to prevent this from happening for now I am nervous about being in unknown places and my sense of adventure is tainted. I hate that the river trip now has this black shadow cast over it but there is nothing that can be done about this now. I wish they had had a shuttle service because they have had incidences in the past with people’s cars and property. You would hope they would take more care in protecting their customers but it is not their fault either. I told the owner of the company, Centennial Canoe, that he should consider a shuttle service and he replied that it would be too much of a hassle. I recommend that if you travel out of state and do a multiple day trip to make sure to leave your car in a safe place. Even if you have to pay for a taxi to transport you it is worth it not only monetarily but emotionally as well. Over the next few moments and days I would randomly cry not for the loss of belongings but for my loss in faith in humanity and my brothers and sisters. Why can there not be a heightened sense of family among people everywhere. Even still when I think about it my heart gets heavy and there are tears forming in the back of my eyes. I hope this goes away soon so we can continue on our trip with a positive outlook and smiles on our faces.

The Final Morning on the River

2008-07-16T12:02:00.000-07:00

We actually woke up in plenty of time for the breakfast call, which was at 6:45 am. We enjoyed another awesome meal of blueberry pancakes and bacon. The river guides really were chefs as well. After a quick dip in the pool and a brief spritzer beneath the waterfall we began to pack up all of our gear. I did not stay under the waterfalls for as long because it was early morning and the sun had not had time to heat the water so it was much cooler than it had been the day before. It was still really relaxing and peaceful regardless of the temperature. Brad and I have become pretty efficient at setting up and breaking down camp so we were done and ready to go in no time. We all got our boats packed up and our belongings tied down and were ready to paddle off into the sunset. The very first river-paddling task was a tricky one. We had to paddle away from a current to avoid a large rock with a nasty undertow. The previous day Brad and I had been able to easily swim this so we did not think it would be any trouble at all. Well that is what we get for thinking we hit the rock. I believe we were the only group to actually hit the rock. There were a few groups that went backwards and one group that managed a 360 in the current but they all were able to steer clear of the rock, that is all except the Brad and Rebekah team. We were able to correct ourselves quickly and easily enough and we paddled with no other problems. To top it off we had the most picture perfect textbook eddy out ever. The groups that had already gone we too far down river to see the rock incident and they all though we were awesome. They all said how awesome our strokes and teamwork was. So we let them know that we had just hit the rock and the balance was restored. Slave Dave on the other hand was in the rear and could not see our landing but got a front row view of our rock smashing. He rated everyone on a 10-point scale and at a 3.5 Brad and I came in last. I was under the impression that if you stuck the landing you could make up for most mistakes during the routine. After regrouping Alan read a passage written by a Native American in regards to the odd idea of buying and selling land. The strange idea that one can own a river or a tree. It was written beautifully and read with conviction. The passage touched on taking care of the land for it can never truly be any ones but is everyone’s. He then asked us to paddle the next section in silence. We were to listen to the sound of the water and the animals that call it home. I am glad that he had us do this because although hit is fun to play and to socialize it was wonderful to be able to relax and just enjoy what we were really out there doing. That is enjoying nature and getting a unique and naturalistic feel for the Gunnison River. We were lucky enough to watch a blue heron go from standing perfectly still to expanding her enormous wing span and take off. We paddled by some intense bluffs and cliff walls with natural indentions that were big enough for someone to live in them. Thy actually reminded me of a natural cliff dwelling. I wonder if that is where the cliff dwellers got the idea? There were a few bumpy sections but mostly calm waters. Although we traveled further on the first day there was more paddling on the last day and it seemed to take longer because the river did not seem as swift. We stopped at a muddy beach for lunch. When I say muddy I mean when you step in the mud your foot gets completely sucked up and you have to fight with the ground for each step forward. Luckily the area we ate lunch was not muddy. Instead it was rather nice with a large tree to offer shade and a few logs to provide natural seating. We all began to chat about where our travels were going to take us next or where they had taken us so far. At this lunch they opened up a can of black olives. Now if you know me you know that this fact alone made my heart sing. There were also Oreo cookies. Now if you know Brad then you know that his heart was singing as well. You could tell that everyone was really getting along and that we wanted to hang out with each other. But at the same time everyone wanted a real shower and in a way wanted to be off the river. I could have stayed a few more nights. I really did enjoy the company and the activities so very much. After passing by a few of the prettiest cliff walls of the trip I felt something on my foot and did a quick reflex kick before I even looked down. Upon looking down I noticed a snake crawling in the canoe at my feet. After kicking I must have startled him because he started to coil up and assume striking position. I was not about the get bitten by a snake so before even thinking about it I jumped up onto my seat. This was a no no as far as the rules go for canoeing. I never felt unbalanced and was able to stand on my seat in a hunched over position. Dave yells from the rear for me to sit down and my reply was, "There is a snake in my boat and I am not trying to hang out with it." I managed to keep my composure for the most part. Besides jumping into my seat I had little to no reaction. I did not scream. Dave said it looked like I was just going to jump out. Guide Dean said he had no idea what was going on because there were no screams. He assumed Brad had said something really mean to upset me =). We managed to get to the shore with a little help and I was out of that boat pretty quickly if you can imagine. At this point I could not see the snake because it had gone behind the bags. After beaching the canoe and causing a scene I was just hoping that there was really a snake in my boat and it was not just a trick played on me with my eyes. If they pulled a stick out of the boat I would have been pretty mortified. Luckily once Super Dave moved some of our bags around he too jumped back because he thought it was a rattlesnake. Upon closer inspection it was not a rattlesnake but it was a snake none the less and snakes are not welcome in a canoe with me. Super Dave managed to quickly pull the snake out and throw it in the water before it was able to bite anyone. He said the snake was in perfect striking position. We watched as the snake slithered away across the river. Dave redeemed his name as Super Dave in this way! This is him - Dean said that there is a first time for everything because he had never seen a snake actually in a canoe. I am glad we were unaware of each other for a while and that I did not get bit as soon as I placed my feet in the canoe. It was really strange to feel the slithery skin slide across my feet. So that was my exciting Snake in the boat moment. If I remember the movie Snakes on the Plane was kind of a flop. Maybe Snakes on the Canoe will be better. We continued on the journey snake free paddling down the river. As we were waiting to pull out I taught some of the other paddlers including Dorian, one of the boys, how to whistle and make duck sounds with grass. I think because of this they though I was cooler! We had to go to the take out site in pairs due to the narrow nature of the site. Once it was our turn we paddled pretty well and expertly parked the boat using our new skills on last time. It took a while and a group effort to coordinate getting the boats and all the gear from the beach up to the small gravel parking area. The good thing was we had used a lot of the food and the waters were all empty are close to empty so they were a good deal lighter than they had been while loading the boats just a few days ago. The drivers of the cars at the "secure" take out site grouped together to walk back to get our cars and come back to pick up our gears and whatever passengers we had. We walked over the bridge and towards the cars.

I heart the Millers -

I heart the Campbells

The Second Night Sleeping Beside the Gunnison

2008-07-16T11:42:00.000-07:00

We took our time to enjoy the waterfall shower but we did not want to waste too much time in fear of missing happy hour. Luckily we made it in plenty of time to enjoy the wine and crackers with hummus and a seafood salad. These were only the appetizers and spaghetti with chorizo was the main course. I love spaghetti so I was one happy camper. To top it off strawberry shortcake complete with whipped cream was dessert. Mmm Mmm. If you think I was happy about the dessert you should have seen the campers under five feet tall. It was Leah’s favorite dessert of all time so her eyes lit up and after she finished hers the only thing on her mind was seconds. She was older and bigger than the other kids so she got first dibs on the second round of shortcake. What happened next was so cute almost everyone laughed out loud. The boy’s played rock-paper-scissors for the rest. The river guide Dean, who is a new father, was standing behind the table and four jumping boys under the age of 10 were hopped up on sugar begging for more. Dean is going to be an awesome father. He was so good with everyone especially the youngest in the group. Ian won the rock paper scissors. It took him a moment to realize he had one and then he did a few victory jumps and received his treat. All the kids were able to get seconds and all the parents shook their heads with a smile knowing that their children were about to run wild. The nervousness of being around new faces had begun to lift and people were chatting freely. The pre dinner and post dinner talk is when we did most of our getting to know the other couples. We heard a little about everyone’s lives and jobs. We had a pretty cool group. During dinner there was not as much talking because everyone was hungry. Before we knew it we were all friends. The boys were playing tag with Leah as a ref. I was jealous and wanted to play too so I tagged Mr. Miller who jumped up to chase me and I had to freeze because I was tagged. Then it was time for astronomy. We did a few more camp type games and waited for the sun to pass the torch to the moon for the evening. There were no clouds in the sky so it was beautiful. The moon was a little too bright so stars were limited but it was a nice night none the less. There were more stories and we actually saw many constellations. There was not a whole lot to see however so people began to dwindle. Most went back to their tents. Maggie however fell asleep just as Andy Schwinn would have. She had her wine in hand and she was out like a light sitting in her camp chair. It made Brad and I giggle and miss Andy! The best part was not planned however. It seems like this is usually the case and the best things in life can not always be planned. As everyone was looking to the south to catch a glimpse of a satellite my eyes began to wander and I kind of stopped paying attention for a moment. I turned to look north and all of the sudden the brightest meteor I have ever seen was shooting across the sky. It was just above the canyon wall and was huge. It looked like a scene from Armageddon. It was bright orange and had a fiery ball with a streaky tail. As it burned up in the Earth’s atmosphere it was easy to see the pieces shooting off of it. When I first saw it I said Woah! Everyone who was still awake turned to look. The streak lasted for about five seconds so we all got a good look at it. It did not look like a shooting star at all and was the coolest thing I have ever seen in the night sky. Afterwards I was able to look at the moon through really powerful binoculars. Through these the creators and features of the moon were so defined. It was quite the beautiful sight. There were valleys and hills and plains spanning the moon's surface. Although this was cool it was kind of too bad that the moon was so bright because this trip was labeled a stargazing trip and the moon lit the sky so much that only the most powerful and brightest stars could be seen. I did walk away with more knowledge about the Earth and the surrounding space. I know more about the constellations and feel comfortable that I can find and name more now than I could last week. I also learned about green lasers. It was the first time I had ever seen a green laser and they are pretty cool. The go about fifty yards so when we pointed to the stars it looked like the laser reached all the way to the stars. In this way Jennifer, the star lady, was able to point out exactly what she wanted us to be looking at. Since there were limited stars there were limited things she could show us so the class wrapped up just before midnight. This time I made sure to set an alarm so Slave Dave did not have to come down and personally wake us up again.

Bathing Beneath A Waterfall

2008-07-16T11:22:00.001-07:00

No this does not only happen in cheesy shampoo commercials. It also happens on the cross-country adventure of Brad and Rebekah. One would think that the pressure of those waterfalls would knock that skinny silly supermodel flat on her butt and they are probably right. The waterfall we decided could double as a shower was much smaller than those generally featured in commercials and sassy photos but it was pretty powerful. If you lost you footing it could surly knock you down. Sitting under the fastest flowing part was hard to do for more than a minute and it felt like a pretty serious back massage regardless where you sat beneath the flowing water. We gathered up our biodegradable soaps and hit the waterfall. The stream which fed the waterfall was rather shallow so the sun had been able to heat it up all day. So the water was actually nice, this in now way means the water was warm it just was not freezing which made it comfortable. I am hoping the stream was warmed by the sun and not pee as Diane suggested. There were kids playing in it all day but the water was flowing steadily so we are going to say the sun was the cause of the delightful water temperature. It was the first time I had been able to comb my hair in a week so you can imagine how knotted it was. Just at the base of the waterfall there was a rock stoop that allowed you to sit and have the water hit your back and head. This was my personal favorite way to enjoy the falls. Sitting down allowed me to feel stable and immersed in the waterfall all at once. It was easy to stand on this rock and the waterfall truly became a shower. There is only a certain level of cleanliness one can achieve showering beneath a natural waterfall so that is how clean we were. But we both were able to wash our hair and rinse it in a waterfall! On the walk out my feet were already a bit muddy but I was cleaner than before. Brad and I both smelled a little better too which was the most important part. We did not want to be known as the smelly couple. Brad did not help our cause because on the first day while we were grouped up for lunch Brad sat down on a log and accidentally farted pretty loudly. We both started to giggle because farts are always funny no matter how old you get. Brad said he felt like an old man because he did not even know it was coming until it was too late. He received a few funny glances and one gentleman had to walk away to giggle trying not to hurt Brad’s feelings. Brad immediately said to me that he did not want to be known as the guy who farted. So it was good that we bathed to better our smelly presentation. We can now say that we have showered in a waterfall which is pretty awesome and I will always remember standing under the steady rushing stream and looking through the falling water at the pool ahead. The pressure of the water was wonderful and after that hike it was the perfect remedy to get a shower and a massage all in one with a spectacular view. Carving out the water pool were smooth rocks that were easy to find a comfortable seat on and to place your belongings during the shower. Rushing streams may be the most refreshing things on the planet. Once we were done showering we dried off by sun bathing on one of the warmed rocks. We had our towels too but the warm rocks felt so nice to lay on and let the heat from the sun above and the rock below wrap its warm arms around you.

Hiking Around the Canyon

2008-07-16T10:30:00.000-07:00

After a hearty breakfast we regrouped and went on a hike. On this hike we saw the coolest lizard that I have ever seen. I would totally wear his outfit! His head was yellow gold and his body was bright blue with green stripes. As we watched him I believe we made him nervous and his colors began to change. As we walked on we would duck under large overhanging rocks for shade from the sun. It was a beautiful blue-sky day. Although it was hot there was a breeze and life was good. We hiked beside waterfalls and rumbling streams. This area is especially neat because there is direct evidence of the Precambrian shift. Where the Grand Canyon is so deep this canyon had walls about 200 feet high, but the rock layers are similar. There are millions of years of missing rock here. This means we were able to stand on the black rock of the Precambrian era without hiking down the depth of the Grand Canyon. It was pretty neat to see the drastic changes in the color of the rocks. The guides pointed out a rock hut that was the house of a prospector at the turn of the 20th century. As we walked to the back of the prospectors sweet crib there was the most perfectly carved sentence. His rock carving is better than my handwriting. The letters looked like type and he carved his name and the date he built his house or rocks piled against a large overhanging rock. It was really neat to see this and to try and imagine how he must have lived here in that canyon against and with the elements. I suppose it was not always good because above his house on the cliff wall there were a few gunshot holes. Yikes. We speculated that seeing as how he was a cowboy whiskey was probably involved. Further on we were lucky enough to spot some big horn sheep on the cliff side. They are so well acclimated to there niche it is awesome. They can hop along steep cliffs as though it were flat ground. They stayed in groups and although they were very aware of our presence they did not seem incredibly bothered as they continued to graze on the scarce vegetation. Soon we reached the highlight of the trail, which were the petroglyphs. Brad and I were pumped to be able to finally see some petroglyphs since everywhere else we were supposed to see them so far something had happened and we were unable. The first wall we arrived at with Petroglyphs had a few markings that were soo neat. Again it was cool to imagine the lives of these ancient people that called this land their home long before it was divided up into homesteads and sold. The real treat however was the second wall of petroglyphs. There were so many markings that it was hard to decipher any story line of reason to them. All the same they were so awe inspiring just to gawk at. There was one Petroglyph that I am pretty sure is the marking to represent a swan constellation. There were large dots where the stars are in the sky and lines to connect them as constellations are still drawn today. I pointed this out and the astronomer that was on the trip and she got really excited by this. We looked at the particular constellation that evening and the dots were drawn in the correct place so this could be the root of that petroglyph. There were many drawings of the big horn sheep and some that looked like turtles, rivers, people, and even monster like sketches. This wall was quite the canvas for ancient Americans to leave their mark on. Further up the trail were more constellations one in particular that for the life of me I can not figure out what it represents. Maybe a spirit animal. I do not know. Brad and I both liked this one and looked at it for a while. There were also some drawings with men on animals, which were neat to see. On the other rock that was probably older there were no people on the animals. Later when they drew animals often a man drawing straddled them. Just a bit of food for thought. We had an interesting discussion while looking at the ancient art. Things of this nature often inspire interesting conversations. This is one of the things I love about the outdoors; you are likely to have worth while conversation. It is so easy to get caught up in the world with entertainment that the art of conversation and the act of inward thinking suffers. We turned around to start the return journey. It was just the two of us walking together at this point. We happened to look up at the rock formations at the site of the stone prospectors house and we saw the most magnificant desert bighorn. He was standing on a rock while the others graze. he was keeping an eye on us but did not seem to alarmed. He just stood there and looked stoic with his curling horns and steady face. This is the best shot we got of him -

We were good and hot by this point and Brad and I especially were in desperate need of a shower. Before we showered we thought it was a good idea to get a bit dirtier. We put on life jackets, one as a shirt and one as a diaper. This transformed us into effective floating devices. Look how sassy we are in these outfits -

We got in the river at a swift current that required swimming to maneuver around a rock with some serious undertow issues. Dean said we looked capable so away we went. It really was not difficult to swim once you got the hang of it. The water was really shallow so while I was trying in vain to swim forwards belly down in the water the current was taking me wherever it desired. The breast stroke was the only effective one in my opinion. Once we were past the rock I flipped over and realized the most effective method under these conditions was the backstroke. We held hand and floated together with the current. It was neat to have the current do most of the work for you. We just propped up our feet and chilled and we floated in the river. The ride was bumpy in the shallows with muddy rocks rubbing our butts but we managed. Once we got out we really needed a shower. We had not showered since Larry and kasie’s so you can do the math. We did soak in hot tubs in between but there was no soap involved?!? From here we headed toward the sound of falling water.

2008-07-15T14:11:00.000-07:00

Dear Jonathan,

Happy Birthday - We Salute You!

Love, Rebekah and Brad

Boating on the Gunnison

2008-07-14T09:21:00.000-07:00

An interesting fact is my grandfather caught the second largest fish on the Gunnison River in 1972 while fly fishing. Over thirty years later his grandaughter was floating on the same river. It personifies for me how eternal things like rivers and the land is. Like the native American saying that we borrow the land from our ancestors and preserve it for our children. I hope there is still country like this for my grandchildren to enjoy and say something similar about their grandmother floating down the river in 2008! Thinking like this makes me want to preserve everything out there and we all should desire this. On the river we were taught simple paddling techniques. I do not want to say we learned them because it was not as easy as that. We learned to go with and against the current. We learned how to get to and from shore. Mostly for Brad and I it was guess work at first. There were times we floated sideways but we managed to keep it together. As a group we traveled down the river a bit cautiously at first. Most of the day flowed smoothly but there were a few exciting moments. One of the most exciting of these was when we went through a class three rapid – Hail Mary Rapid – There was a rock with a decent dip that you definitely wanted to avoid and just to the left of this there were exposed rocks that you also wanted to avoid. We amateurs needed to travel through a pretty specific line in the river. I think everyone was a bit nervous but we all managed to do all right. As Brad and I went through we were able to keep the boat facing forward which was my main concern. We did not stay on the smoothest line, but this made for a ride that was way more fun. Our Canoe went up and down with the rise and fall of the water and since I was in front I quickly went from dry to wet. At one point I yelled back to Brad that I was soaked and as I was saying it we hit an even bigger wave and I was completely splashed with water. We did not tip over and soon we were in smoother water and in a way wishing for the rougher water because it can be more fun. These rapids were followed by the most exciting event of the trip. This event involved the Campbell family. The youngest member of the family was Ian who had just said at lunch, "It is all about Ian and Leah and Mom and Dad." He did not know how right he was. Of course the boat with the youngest passenger tipped over. The boat held father and son team – Lundy and Ian – They hit a swell just right and down they went. After the boat flipped everyone’s eyes went to the water and up popped Lundy’s head. At this point the mother – Diane – screamed for him to get Ian for he was trapped under the boat which was upside down and moving with the current in the cold river water. I will never forget the look on her face; it broke my heart but was beautifully and tragically filled with love at the same time. Lundy was so awesomely quick. It seemed that in one fail swoop he lifted the canoe and grabbed the scared Ian into his arms and almost entirely out of the water. He managed to hold his son out of the water while he himself could not even touch. It was quite the dramatic scene. Everyone beached their canoes and the "swimmers" were rescued. Ian was cold and scared so we all waited while the family of four was reunited and they were able to comfort each other. After a bit of boat shuffling to make sure the boat with the children each had two adults in it we were able to make it to the camp site with minimal drama. Brad and I were slow in the beginning with who was to paddle when. Our biggest problem was over compensating and then having to correct with follow up strokes. We figured it out and were able to maneuver nicely down the river usually (there were still a few rough patches). Once we arrived at the campsite we all scrambled to find a site for our tent. At first I think Brad and I chose the worst spot. It was completely open to the elements and there was a tremendous wind coming from the canyon. Brad walked away from the site for a moment and the tent began to blow out of my hands. It was hard for me to hold the tent down. This was a pretty good indicator that this was not a good campsite so we were back to square one. The area that we were camping was beautiful. There were high walled red canyons and of course the river. Rather than head up the trail into the open canyon with the serious winds we decided to follow the line of the river. At first it looked like a fruitless search. I climbed a rock and purveyed the ground looking for a flat patch shielded from the wind. My eyes fell upon the sweetest spot that was between the two camps of the river trips so it was not really close to anyone. It was near the water but raised up hugging a canyon wall that blocked the wind. The ground was a nice sandy patch perfect for pitching a tent. The first night on the river we discovered that our river guides were not only outdoorsmen but also chefs complete with aprons. And the canoes were not just canoes but prep tables and serving tables as well. Everyone was happy when they called out, "Happy Hour". We were treated to wine and cheese and shrimp cocktail. For a moment I forgot we were on a rustic river trip and looked for the white linen tables. But then a bug flew into my drink and I remembered where I was. It was so beautiful with the jagged rock formations and the high canyon walls. The sound of the rushing river was always nearby. It was really pleasant but did not drown out the sound of a passing train. We had a wonderful diner including Salmon, Ribs, green beans, rice pilaf, and for dessert a warm apple cobbler. This particular trip was labeled a stargazing trip. This meant a lady from the Denver Museum of Science was with the crew and at night she took over and had camp like lessons about the stars. We learned about the constellations and their attached meanings and stories. We delved into Mythology and the connection of early civilizations and the stars. She was a lovely storyteller and told us a really cute story of how the stars were put in the tribe as told by the Pueblo native tribes. If you want to know the story the next time you see me please ask for I remember it and I like it. Regretfully the sky was completely covered by clouds so from time to time we were able to make out about four stars at best but we were able to talk about the scale of our galaxy and the universe. This was pretty neat and she used people as planets in order to demonstrate things like orbit and relation to each other in the heavens. Brad volunteered to be Uranus, insert laughter here. Ian got excited when he knew the correct place that Jupiter fell in the Solar System. Another young boy was Earth and had to tilt and spin on his axis. This was really cute if you can imagine a really cute dark haired boy spinning on a tilt and walking in a circle all at once. Mr. Miller took over the job as earth and his wife Maggie was Venus, which fit that she was a goddess. Leah played the crazy role of martian mars and Ian got to be Jupiter – which is awesome because if you heard him say Jupiter you would want him to keep saying it over and over again. Diane was Neptune and she pushed Lundy, her husband, to be Pluto but he was saved because poor little Pluto is no a planet. It’s okay Pluto I am not a planet either - quote from Ashley’s shirt =). After the fun and games (that did involve wine) we called it a cloudy night and were off to bed. Although I was awoken by the sound of a passing train I slept pretty soundly. So soundly in fact that Slave Dave had to come by and act as mine and Brad’s personal alarm clock. This did not upset us because it meant breakfast was ready and being on a river and then acting like a planet worked up an appetite.

Getting on the River

2008-07-14T08:53:00.000-07:00

The night before the river trip we camped along side the railroad tracks. And yes a train did go by in the middle of the night with its blinding lights headed in our direction. I incorporated this train into a dream/ in between dream state and for a moment I truly though we were going to get hit by a train! But it stayed on it's tracks as trains usually do so we were safe. But cars on the other hand are not on a track and our tent with us in it nearly got run over by a car. As far as we can figure the car was filled with another family about to go on a river trip as well. As they pulled in to the camping area late at night they drove straight for us. I sat up and hit the tent hoping to cause some change in the shadows so they would realize the object behind them. I don't know if it was my shaking the tent or the driver finally paying attention but they hit the brakes and after a string of profanity they backed up and we watched as they drove down the road. I do not know if they were on the trip with us butu no one admitted to nearly running us over. Other than the locomotive disturbances we slept okay and had to wake up with the sun in time for breakfast and introductions. Luckily we were camped near the river guides so we heard the hustle and bustle of their preperations and we were able to wake up in plenty of time to pack our things. They had an impressive breakfast buffet set out and the river trippers slowly made there way to the table. We each made a duct tape name tag - which was a good idea in theory but in reality the sharpie and the duct tape did not mix well and I had Rebekah written backwards and upside down numerous times on my leg and my luggage bag. Soon I was wearing a blank piece of duct tape on my shirt - who knows maybe that will be the new fashion. So we did not easily know any ones names but everyone was nice enough that we soon learned most names and everyone was so nice that knowing names was not required. Over coffee we met our guides. The leader, Alan, and his trusty sidekick Dean. There was also another gentleman who is a guide in training and he began with the name Super Dave. Sadly on the second day of the trip I jokingly called him Slave Dave because he was put to work cooking and cleaning, etc. The name seams to have stuck because the guides were calling him Slave Dave for the rest of the trip. Dave is pretty awesome regardless of the adjective before his name. Sorry for taking away the Super! We discovered our group consisted of three families with children and the rest were couples. It was a healthy mix of ages and personalities. The first couple we talked with quickly became our buddies for the remaider of the trip. The husband asked if it was july 17th and my response was "whoa you must be retired because no one with a job is that for off with the date." He and his wife giggled and they were both retired so they admitted they have little to no need for knowing the date. At least they were here on the correct week. I guess I opened up the gates for them to pick on me and they were more than happy to rise to the challenge. Naturally this made them the "fun" couple so during meals we tried to move our chairs close to theirs. Maggie was her name and I am sad to say I did not catch his name - as I said names were not necessary. She was a retired elementary school teacher so you can imagine how much fun she is and he is just a goof ball! Anyway - we packed all of the things we were taking into dry bags and dry boxes and shuttled the car to the "secure" site near the river take out. After a brief on land canoe paddle lesson where we looked silly all in our life jackets standing in a circle moving our pretend boats by paddling in imaginary water. We stretched and got an idea for the basic strokes and then in we went. Everything was tied down to our individual canoes and with helpful shoves from the guys and fellow trippers we were each with all of our gear headed down the river. For the majority of this trip my Camera was securely in a Pelican Box so there are limited pictures.

The Delightfully Fancy Schmancy Aspen

2008-07-14T08:41:00.000-07:00

We meandered through Aspen. We hear that the elite summer in Aspen. We spent our luxurious hours there in the local laundry Mat which is anything but luxurious. Dripping sweat in chairs that looked like they had never been clean - but at the end of it all we had clean cloths so all was well. We decided while we were there we should check it out and see what the buzz is all about. Gas was over five dollars a gallon so we got some over priced gas and walked around downtown. It was way cute. The entire town was pedestrian and biker friendly. the streets were lined with stores like Dior and Burberry. Things I would love to look at but know I can not buy. If I have enough money Aspen would definitely be a place I would want to spend some time in. Brad thinks it is a place Andy and Jessica would dig. After dinner we hit the road. We needed to drive to Grand Junction in order to camp at the river put in site. We were to spend the next three days on the Gunnison River in a canoe. It was one of the first times on the trip that we have driven at night. It was strange to have not driven at night in a month - At this point we were one day shy of having been on the road for a full month which is kind of crazy.

2008-07-14T07:57:00.001-07:00

For Amanda,This is the best heart rock I have ever seen - so I thought of you and wanted to share it.

Love , Rebekah

Quite the Conundrum

2008-07-13T21:59:00.000-07:00

We arrived at the Conundrum Creek trail head ready for a hike, luckily because this hike was no joke. We began the hike which was easy enough. There were awesome views and wildflowers on a trail that was similar to rolling hills in the mountains. We knew the hike was going to be long at 17 miles round trip but we had no idea as to the difficulty of the hike. The main hurdle began with the historic amount of snow this winter. The snow was packed so high that due to weight all the bridges collapsed. This was such a problem because at 11,000 feet with fresh snow melt the water is more than cold, it is hypothermic. We first went through a field which was pleasant and then through a forest of birch trees. Walking through this area was one of my favorite areas of the hike because not only did it offer shade of some sort but peaking at mountain from between birch trees is quite the view. It is something I recommend everyone to do at least once. There was one mountain in particular that kept grabbing our attention mostly because of the sheer magnitude. Not only was it tall but it was mostly topped with snow still so the contrast of rock, snow and trees was lovely to look at. the hike was mostly straight forward so we were usually walking toward or just to the right of this mountain, but for a long time it never seemed to get any closer. At just after two miles we came to the first major river crossing. This water is moving fast. I mean fast enough to knock you down and carry you with the current. The swift current was shadowed by the shivering temperature of the water. I have never felt water that cold that is until the next river crossing. The bridge was completely out but someone had placed a rope connected by two trees to offer a sort of stabling devise for the crossing. This is the first crossing -

I believe a boy must have made this rope hand rail because it was a bit high for me and was hard for me to reach and concentrate on crossing, but we both made it to the other side. This was good because we were able to continue with the hike but the other side of that coin is now if we were to turn back we had to do that crossing all over again which was not a happy thought. I shrieked when my feet first touched the icy water and my breathing quickened about half way but at that point with Brad already crossing and coming back in to offer me a hand with the rope turning around was not an option. Once we were on the opposite shore we were both hunched over looking at our red toes and trying to promote circulation. We darted through shadows trying to stand in sunny patches to warm our legs. The rushing water reached all the way to my hips. We were bummed to notice where we stood was sort of an island and we still had some more freezing water to cross, but this water was slower and only slightly above ankle deep. We trucked forward in our Chacos and finally on dry land we changed back into our hiking boots. I am thankful that we had the foresight to bring both the Chacos for the water and the hiking boots for the rest of the hike considering how steep and rocky some portions were not to mention the snow Chacos would have been a poor choice for certain portions. Once on the other side warming in the sun we figured the worst must be over so we happily continued. We were not disappointed for there were awesome wildflowers of all sorts of heights and colors and a handful of dry dead root systems that look so pretty with wildflowers sprouting all around them. Most of the elevation gain was gradual. This is not to say we did not feel it and that it did not wear on us some but it was mostly pleasant. We then reached the frozen tundra portion of the hike. We literally had to cross a foothill of snow. Leading with our hiking sticks for support we stepped into the snow in the middle of July. There were parts covered with a red bacteria that was pretty crazy having snow in July as a niche. Once we slipped down the far side of the snow a rock pile led us in the right direction as they usually do. following the trail there were many smaller river crossings that required balance and fancy footwork but that were not scary or challenging. Then we crossed a bend and there before us was the scariest river crossing I have seen. There were remnants of a bridge but not only was it shifted from the trail it was also mostly under the white water jutting up at a forty-five degree angle on the far side of the bank. Below is the second river crossing -

This was at mile marker 6 so we had been on the trail for some time and felt committed. Brad went first very slowly and although he did struggle with the current at one point he managed to make it look easy. It was not easy. In I went with my pack on and my walking sticks for balance thinking I would just mossy on through it. I hit the rapids and the water was so cold that I immediately felt numb and it took my breath away. I nearly lost my footing and went down but I managed to make it to the snapped log bridge and steady myself. getting up on the bridge was another story and I began to freak out. Without realizing it I was panting and whimpering. Brad was encouraging on the other end with an outstretched hand. i inched my way towards him on the wet logs being sprayed by water hitting the logs and imagining them finally giving in to the current and taking me away with them to the drop downstream. After what seemed like forever I was finally on solid ground and at this point I was really stuck. We had already done two of the three major river crossings and I did not want to do another one. So my options at this point were to move on and do one more (knowing that means I would have to do all of them the following day) or we could turn back now (this would mean I would immediately have to relive that second crossing. After getting my breath and cursing the Google search that lead me to discovering these hot springs we knew there was only one option. Go to the top and enjoy the reward for crossing the freezing river over and over again. So onward and upward. Although the second crossing was the scariest and the worst I had a harder time with the third. There was a log along most of the length of this crossing. This could be good for stability for it was too narrow and stubbly to walk across. This crossing was not only the longest but the sun had already sunk behind the mountains. We had plenty of daylight left but the heat from the sun was swapped for the shade. This made the water seem colder because there was no direct sunlight to hit your legs upon removal from the stream. I noticed here more than at the other crossings the numbing effect of icy water. After beginning the crossing I got swept by the current against the log that I thought would offer support. I knew my legs were against the log but I could not feel them. The sensation of that was so strange and I couldn't help but to wonder if I had broken my legs or if I was scrapping them badly while they were tangled in roots. I was able to free myself slowly trying to avoid injury and get a little distance form the log. It seemed to take forever to cross the stream but we made it and danced around the other end partly to get warm and partly because we knew it was the last of the major river crossings. As most hikes are the last mile or so is usually the steepest and trickiest. There were a few more sketchy river crossings but we were able to mostly walk along rocks and logs. Up up and up. The mountain that seemed to loom in the distance was now beside us and soon we were past it climbing a ridge. We finally saw a sign for camping and knew we were close. We set up camp and made a much deserved dinner of pad thai! The moon was already in the sky when we finally made the last trek to the hot springs. We were greeted by another broken bridge and an unexpected river crossing. This was better because although the water was fast this bridge was mostly intact it was just damaged. Carefully we were able to get to the other side after being misted by the freezing water on an already cold Colorado night. What we found at the top was worth all this. There were natural hot springs with a tub made of rock and mud. We settled in and soaked in the hot springs letting the water sooth our backs and legs. There were a few people in the tubs but with the bridges out there were far fewer than expected. We were glad for the quiet. The moon was fairly bright lighting the mountains just enough to highlight the snow and offer a brilliant backdrop while not drowning out the stars. There were so many stars and the night was dark enough to see the Milky Way and a satellite. I was lucky enough to see a shooting star from the conundrum hot springs on top of a mountain! The only bad part of the hot springs was getting out. We hung out floating trying to chase warmer water bubbles. Finally we faced to cold in order to sleep which we were both looking forward to after the hike. Although it was really cold out and slightly windy. The tubs were so warming that the crisp cold air was welcome at first. We shivered our selves to sleep, but we slept well. Upon waking we made to short hike back to the springs and started the day off right, with a soak in the tubs. We talked with a few Colorado locals who come up Conundrum multiple times a year and one gentleman stated that he had never seen the bridges out. Although the day time view was not as breathtaking as the moonlight view it was still spectacular. We wished we would have allowed at least two night at the springs to make the hike up and back seem worth it, but what can you do hindsight is always 20/20 and now we know! In my minds eye I can so clearly see the view we saw from the springs at night. It was so nice to be so sore and sit holding hands in the most beautiful jacuzzi you can imagine. We knew we had a full day of hiking to come so we soaked for over an hour and decided to make lunch and be on our way. The water must have been really high when we crossed the day before because most of the water crossing accounts we were told did not seem to match what we saw. Luckily the water level seemed to be halved over night and the crossings the next day, although still uncomfortable, unsafe and cold were much more manageable than the had been just the day before. The sun was also out for the entire trip which helped and also made the mountainside views seem brighter and more colorful. The hike back was pretty nice. The last strecth was hard because we were tried and our backpacks were weighing us down. We made more time to look around and enjoy the hike on the way back and we knew what to expect so that helped. This hike was ranked moderate and all I have to say to that is - Moderate my ass... it was hard. I suppose with the bridges intact it would be moderate but even then it is a 3,000 elevation gain and a 17 mile trip. The treat at the end makes you forget all the uncomfortable steps along the way. The views that you take away from all along the hike erase the aches from the pack. Had I known in advance the nature of the river crossings I would have reevaluated whether I would go on that hike. In retrospect I am glad we did it because we made it out safely and it was not only an adventure but the hot springs are one of the most wonderful things I have ever and would ever hope to see. I definitely want to come back I just do not know if I will come again without the bridges being up and running. The scenery was awesome from start to finish and the streams were so clear (where there were not rushing rapids) that you could see details of every rock and branch that lay in the water. This is a beautiful hike and one we will always remember.

This is where we were lucky enough to soak -

Rocky Mountain Backcountry

2008-07-10T17:23:00.000-07:00

We spent two chilly nights in the wilderness of Rocky Mountain National Forest. Just upon waking after the first night Brad noticed this right next to our camp

Yes this is a femur. Brad was convinced it was human but I believe it is animal because it is so stocky. None the less our camp was a feeding ground for something large which was not comforting.

When we checked the bear box there were no signs that anything had touched it. The days were scattered with rainshowers, overcast skies, and bursts of blue skies with puffy clouds. The weather seemed to be constantly changing. The mornings were so cold that our fingers got numb while we were packing up. Our camp was right next to a field just at the beginning of a forest. This was nice because at night the moon was right over the clearing and it was framed by pine trees on the left and a mountain slope on the right. I think elk frequent this area because not only did we see a few cautiously checking us out. But there were droppings everwhere!!! We cooked dinner on the second night atop this huge rock. It was really nice except there were a billion mosquitos who thought we were there dinner. We hiked around following the sound of falling water for a few hours. We saw a shelf fungus that was atleast two feet long. Can you imagine how long that must have been living undisturbed by humans? The ground was pretty soft and we slept pretty well. Brad heard a large bump in the night and he doesn't know if it was an animal or a tree?!? I am glad I slept soundly through that or I fear I would not have been able to get back to sleep. We did make a sugar cube out of a packet of sugar in the raw and a few drops of water. It dried nicely and we had a slightly mushy sugar cube. As we walked past the place where the horses had been a few days before you can imagine my dissapointment when they were not there. I decided to leave the sugar cube on the fence for my horse freind. A few hundred feet up the trail there the horses were. We quickly went back to get the treat and I climbed the wooden fence to get the attention of the horse. Once she looked up and noticed my outstretched hand she bagan to nudge my way. Slowly at first but when I started to speak to her she came all the way to me and ate th sugar our of my hand. It was awesome. She nudged me gently as if to ask politely for more. But we had to be on our way. We both pet her neck and away we went.

Enlarge this and tell me if it doesn't look like an animal. This spooked us pretty bad because this view is from where we had our bear box hidden. It didn't move so we think it is a rock or an uprooted tree. Yikes - it was scary... I thought it was a bear! We did see a Bigfoot crossing sign in Colorado so maybe this is a picture of the ellusive bigfoot. Perhaps we should publish it and make enough money for gas to get home =)

This is our Rock Kitchen. Talk about a window view! There were a few pretty nice flat spots that made pretty good chairs for both of us. Actually comfortable as far as rocks go. We hung out here and and watched the trees for a while before and after dinner.

Rocky Mountain National Park

2008-07-08T12:22:00.001-07:00

As we entered the park our national parks pass finally payed for itself. We have now officially saved seven dollars just for having it - Yippee. And we still have many parks to go on our trip. If you ever plan on doing a National Parks tour it is a really good idea to purchase this pass. The entire drive up to the park was pretty because the mountains stayed in the distance through the windshield the entire time. We just watched as the towering peaks inched closer and closer. We hung out in Estes Park - Yet another awesome little town with a tiny river walk that we are sure Mr. Goforth would love. And Paula if he got out of line there are pretty serious rapids you could just push him in - It could be fun.

Cloud Lifting Highway... Driving with the clouds...

The Highway throughout the park is awesome. It is one of the, if not the prettiest, drive I have ever been on. It rivals the Blue Ridge Parkway in the fall. It is the highest, in elevation, major highway in North America (maybe more but we can't remember the statistic - look it up if you want to!) At one point we were two miles above sea level - there was a sign that said this. I believe on average it is about 12,000 feet. There was so much snow I couldn't get over it. There was snow on nearly every peak. At one point there was a snow shelf on the side of the road that was at least three feet deep. It rained for most of the drive. It was a light rain so the views were still pretty breathtaking, but it was so cold when we got out of the car. We were so high up that when you looked over at the mountains there were clouds rolling through the valleys and falling over the peaks. The clouds forming were awesome to see. The green slopes above the tree line were mostly covered with rocks. Since it was rainy misty it looked more like Scotland than America. I was so sleepy on this drive that I wanted to take a nap but it was so beautiful that I didn't want to close my eyes. I am pretty sure I saw a bear butt. It was light brown and on a slope about 200 ft from the road. It could have been a bush with a tail because we were driving and I saw it at a glance. But, I still think it was a medium sized Bear walking away. How cool... How scary. Sadly there is a beetle infestation in the park that is attacking the pines (the majority of the trees in the park). These beetles carry a disease that prevents the tree from soaking up water therefore killing them. They turn reddish-orange and are standing dead trees. These are dangerous because at any moment they could lose a limb or they could just fall over - If it falls and no one hears it does it make a noise, my guess is yes and it would hurt. The only neat thing is that it looks like a field of Christmas trees both green and red.

Hiking with our Animal Friends

Hiking in to the Rocky Mountains was a little intimidating but it was beautiful. We sang most of the way to warn animals, especially bears, that we were on our way. We did run in to a number of animals luckily neither a bear or a mountain lion. We saw a chipmunk eating a dandelion. He was a chunky little chipmunk and I loved him. If you have time you should enlarge these next few pictures to see the animals in them. On this mossy rock is the cutest chipmunk ever -

We saw many birds one snake and lots of flutterbyes. Of the big boys we saw horses, mule deer, moose, and friends (we don't really know elk maybe?!?) There were many of these four legged creatures bouncing around. I was a bit nervous that they were going to charge us but they just stared us down and made sure we walked along. If we were on our way they seemed pretty cool with us. The horses were majestic, as they always are, as we approached there was a black horse and a white horse snuggling. They were licking each other and seemed entwined. It looked like a post card for love. The white horse was a bit more curious than the others and she came up to say hello. We were so bummed that we didn't have sugar cubes because she let us pet her. She nuzzled me with her nose so a hugged and kissed her nose. Brad was a bit more timid but he slowly came around and pet her as well. I wanted so badly to feed her carrots and sugar cubes but we had neither, so i picked grass with flowers in it for her to eat. She ate it out of my hand which tickles a little as her lips rubbed my palm. I felt guilty because she had grass on her side and I wanted to give her something fun to eat. Brad and I are talking about getting sugar cubes from town and taking them back to her at some point. She nayed in response to the dull treat and shook her mane and nuzzled at us some more. We had to get a move on to make it to camp so we had to say goodbye. About a quarter of a mile down the trail I looked back and there she was. The horse had followed us along her fence line as we were walking down the trail. This made us both smile and we were excited about the rest of our walk into the wilderness. We meandered next to a lazy river for a ways. This part was really nice. Not only was there the river but on the other side of the trail were large boulders and wildflowers of so many types and colors. These of course attracted the butterflies and this part of the walk was like walking through a children's book. Only the animals did not talk=(. After a few more wild life encounters we found our camp and set up. There were so many of the standing dead trees everywhere we looked that really so where was safe. So along with the threat of being eaten by a bear we had the threat of being squashed by a tree. The great outdoors is full of threats equal to its beauty. We finally decided on a spot and Tom would be happy to know we used the idea of the "triangle of life" settling near large logs that would hopefully break the fall of any tree. We then walked about the length of a football field to place the bear canister away from camp. At this point we were pretty exhausted and we decided to call it a night. I started to read and within five minutes I looked at Brad to tell him something and he was already asleep. So I quietly continued to read until my eyes were heavy and I too went to sleep. It was about 30 something degrees and it was cold. We snuggled in our sleeping bags and luckily we both bought new ones before the trip so they kept us pretty warm.

Soaring High over Colorado

2008-07-07T11:26:00.000-07:00

we woke up again this morning at 4:30. The second day in a row is worse I must say. We stumbled out of bed and after an eventful morning searching form my keys we were headed away from Larry and Kasies. Thanks again for letting us hang out and stay, we had a really nice time and I am glad we know you guys a little better. We made it to the balloon launch site and luckily there were people there, so we figured the winds must be in our favor! After a brief hello from the aeronaut the morning officially began. Coffee in hand we started inflating the enormous balloon. They are so incredibly big. We watched as Jeff, the pilot, stretched the balloon out across the lawn. This is Jeff -

Brad and one of our basket-mates, Chris, held the balloon opening to allow air flow from a fan. Once the balloon was full of air the burners were turned on and the air warmed causing the balloon to turn upright. There was a bit more grace than that observed in the Wizard of Oz so the basket didn't immediately take off and we as passengers didn't have to run and jump in. The warming hot air balloon slowly lifted off the ground and it seemed to grow as it did. As it started to sit more upright we all gathered around and one by one in we went. Heat was added and the steadiness of the ground beneath began to shake. We ever so gently just hovered above the surface touching then not touching. To be honest this initially gave me a little queasy feeling in my stomach. We began to lift and all at once we reached the point of no return and the roads, houses, rivers, buildings began to look less like what they were and more like toys. Soon we were soaring high above Colorado's beautiful landscape with the Rocky mountains juts to our west. As we were beginning our adventure the clouds had not risen for the day so as the journey progressed it appeared as though the mountains were waking up with us. They started out in a cozy blanket of clouds that slowly lifted revealing snow capped mountains and fur lined ridges. I wish the sky would have been a little less overcast and a little more blue, but the weather was nice and it was cool. It would have been too hot had the sun been fully out. It was hot enough because the burners had to keep the air hot or it wouldn't have been a hot air balloon and it would not have been nearly as much fun on the ground! The sun was rising changing the sky pink and orange throughout the first half of the trip. I was happy that we were in a brightly colored balloon and we had good company to boot. There were three couples and we had things to talk about with both of them. One couple ran track so we shared some stories and the other couple went to Michigan. They were surprised to discover we came from Appalachian State. Go Mountaineers! Jeff, our pilot, was an awesome guy as well. Total there were three balloons and I was happy to be in his because he is the person I have been talking with over the phone. After a while in the air the uneasy feeling in my stomach subsided and I was able to really enjoy the experience. Being in a balloon is so smooth and mellow. It was awesome to have the mountains so near and interesting to look at them for a different angle. Apposed to looking at them from below we were able to look down at the 13 and 14,000 monster mountains of Colorado. Brad was comfortable the entire time and laughed at me a little for holding on so tightly in the beginning. We all got a chance to "fly" the balloon. This consisted of squeezing a fuel lever of sorts and releasing the propane generating a burst of fire, thus heating the balloon. Brad was kind of like his little helper, he was asked to do the chores so that was pretty neat for him to get a really hands on experience. But we were all little helpers from time to time. We watched a river bend beneath us and followed its line for a while. We saw what looked like a toy track and baseball fields. Floating in the balloon had a weightless feeling, it was hard to tell if you were rising or falling or neither. We floated with the air for about two hours and were preparing for a landing. We skipped the original landing position due to change of wind. As we all know, you can not control the weather. Luckily the area was littered with fields. We chose one and down we went. Now our balloon had what is called a speed landing. This may sound fun but it was pretty crazy (maybe it was a little fun). At the last minute we picked up too much speed and we hit hard. Not once but twice. Our basket almost tipped over we had to work as a team and lean. I was unlucky and was on the tipped side, making me at the bottom of the people pile. I got stepped on and squished. We finally we able to upright the basket and Jeff gave everyone a high five and told as that our landing was a bit nontraditional but he was excited because it was so fun - Let it be noted that he wasn't on the bottom of the pile =) We hopped out of the basket and began the intricate process of packing the balloon and getting the pick-up van in the field with us. As soon as the balloon landed the air just left it ad it deflated so quickly it was almost frightening to think that we were just being supported by it and felt safe! We packed to balloon into about a four square foot sack that weighed about 300 lbs. Then we were toasted for flying with the official ballooner toast and we were given champagne. Considering this is Brad's birthday present he is happy to have a birthday in July. So all day we have been treating it like his birthday which has been fun. And we have champagne now to celebrate with. Currently we are in Estes Park next to a swift moving river posting this. We have already picked up our back country permit for the next few days in the wilderness of Rocky Mountain National Park. We purchased a bear canister so we can safely store our food in bear country. It should be nice to spend the next couple of days away from society since we have been with people and in towns the past few days. The ranger we spoke with and received our permit from is from Boone. It was nice to talk with him just about home and being out west. He explained a town referencing blowing Rock as an equivalent and he got excited saying, "I always say that or want to say that but you are the only people who will get it." Now that we have our bear canister and food to put in it we should be on our way. Hiking in to the wilderness and the stars again. I am glad.

Visiting the Boulder/Denver area

2008-07-06T17:00:00.000-07:00

We are hoping the wild fires in California will not hinder our travels. Right now we a nervous about the Big Sur area. We are both so excited about California. Lets all pray and hope that the situation will subside and the fires will be under control soon! We also are hoping the wind tomorrow will be mild. Today we were supposed to go up in a hot air balloon around the Rocky Mountains. We woke up at 4:30 this morning and pretty much rolled out of bed to the car. At 5:00 we received a call that the winds looked like they might be choppy so the ride was called off. This was Brad's birthday present from me so I really hope the winds will work for tomorrow. We can not control the weather though. Since the flight was called off today we were allowed to reschedule, but we will only be in town tomorrow. We are supposed to be at the Rocky Mountain National Park to pick up our back country permit before 10 am or it could be given away. We are really keeping our fingers crossed that we get to float in a balloon and we get our permit tomorrow. Things have a way of working out so we will see. We have been hanging out with Larry and Kasie these past couple of days. Larry is the brother of Brad's brother's wife. So, it is kind of a distant relation but they are way cool and have been fun to chill with. We are really glad they are letting us stay for a couple days because it is only thirty minutes from the balloon launch site and this area rocks, therefore it is really expensive. We got a little turned around driving to their house because all the streets here are named the same thing. The only difference is whether it is a drive, street, road, court, boulevard, or lane. In there neighborhood there is a 117th street, 117th court, 117th drive etc. Yikes - we finally caught on to this and found our way. Kasie took us out on the town last night. We walked around Pearl street, the pedestrian downtown for Boulder. There were street performers and a man who ran while hula-hooping. I was way impressed by that guy. We of course hit up a microbrewery and came back to the house early, because we thought we were ballooning this morning. After we found out there was no reason for us to be awake before the sun was up we went back to sleep, naturally! Today it rained here, which we have been told is rare. It rained twice today which never happens. But luckily it was a light rain. We went hiking and it was so awesome to be here in Colorado just walking around. The views are so awesome. Even driving around here there are usually awesome views just out the window of your car. But this is true of a lot of places including Boone. We always take for granted the beauty of where we live from time to time. It is so easy to get used to things. Kasie was driving and I just could not help but to blurt out how pretty the mountains where. It took her a second because she didn't see anything out of the ordinary. Then she said, as I have said in Boone, that she doesn't always notice them because they are always there. Larry and Kasie are pretty in touch with nature and they definitely appreciate it so it was nice to be shown around by them. It has still been pretty cold here so there are still spring flowers everywhere. It was like we were hiking in a garden in some parts. Butterflies were flapping there wings in almost every direction. The biggest dandelions I have ever seen were on this hike. I could not help but to blow on one. This sensation hit Larry too and he picked one and blew the little white floating petals into the wind. They were so huge each little feathery petal looked like a parachute. We saw a little white tail deer just hanging out. She definitely kept an eye on us, but did not feel threatened enough to run or hide. She kept her distance, which was not very far, and just hung out. The rain in some parts actually added to the hike because we were going up some steep grades and the rain was like a refreshing mist. We went out with their dog, Bennie. It is always more fun to hike with a dog. Once we descended the mountain we ate at a local microbrewery, Southern Sun. Brad and I walked around town again and had to split a cookie dessert from Ben and Jerry's. Brad is a sucker for cookies, cookie dough ice cream and Oreo crumbles, and all of these things were on one dessert so I don't think there was even another option of a dessert we could have chosen instead. Driving back to there house we saw a complete rainbow arch. It is funny that we happened to see one because just the other day Brad was saying how he had never seen a rainbow completely arch but had only seen half. It was the most perfect rainbow and it was awesome just to look at it. We were on the highway so it was hard to take a decent picture of it and the exposure was off, so I did not get a great picture of it =( But I can see it in my mind which is still pretty cool. Now, Brad can say he has seen a full rainbow! Later on this evening we are going to cook out and chill out. We all talked about wanting the family here. And everyone agrees that Grace is the coolest cutest baby EVER!

2008-07-05T23:11:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Anna Willard. We don’t really know her but her and her new fiancé showed up at one on of our game nights in Boone. We have a mutual friend therefore we played board games together. They were both really nice. We were watching the track Olympic trials and we thought her fiancé was one of the runners who made the team. Then we saw her. She not only won her race but set a new American record. When we met her she was so sweet and awesome. The day after I met her I asked our mutual friend about her because I liked her so much. He told me she was only visiting, which made me sad because I wanted to hang out with her more. But it was really cool to see someone that I have a connection with (no matter how small) set a new record. We were both really pumped that she won and hope you all will cheer her on in August. Also Alan Webb won his race – yippee. Brad was glad we were in Colorado at a place where we could watch the track trials.

Colorado Springs

2008-07-05T22:53:00.000-07:00

We woke up and took a little jog. I say little because I only lasted one and a half loops. Mostly because my calves were aching from the dunes. Yikes – if you want a cave workout go walk on a sand dune. You will “feel the burn” for days. The elevation is a bit higher here than we are used to at 7-8 thousand. So I blame it on that and not the fact that I am out of shape. Brad ran a little longer than I did but he too said he could feel the elevation difference. I did get to run inside and pour a glass of water and I was able to hide behind a tree and wait for him to run up then hold the water our like he was running a marathon. We soon got busy with the day. Maxx and Carroll let us borrow a map and Maxx led the way for us to get to Pikes Peak and off we went. Pikes Peak is different than I remember, mostly because I was young and I thought the mountain reached on forever. It does gain 7.000 ft in elevation, which is close to forever especially through the eyes of me at age 10. When I was younger we went in through the caretaker entrance and explored the south entrance that is mostly untouched by humans. This time we went the tourist route, which is definitely something to see but nothing like going into the wild as we had done years ago. It is $10 dollars a person – pretty steep for driving up a steep road. Luckily Maxx has connections and we just cruised through the gate. My car began to overheat slightly by the second mile. This was pretty scary because we still had many miles and more importantly lots of elevation gain. We pulled over and let the engine cool every so often just to be safe. This car, although she is an awesome car, still has to last us the rest of the trip. I don’t want to walk home from California. We slowly crept up the mountain. We stopped at Crystal Lake and watched a few people that were fishing. We passed the tree line and noticed the air getting thinner and cooler. It was at least twenty degrees cooler than it had been at the base of the mountain. I found myself wanting a jacket. We got out of the car at each of the stops we made and walked around a little bit. Nearer to the top all you saw for trees were hearty trees mostly pines. There were a lot of cars but the views were pretty awesome. As Maxx said you can see clear to Kansas. We didn’t make it all the way to the top in fear of damaging my engine. Next time we will go all the way up for sure. Brad and I are just cautious sometimes. We did drive around the Colorado Springs area afterward to get a feel for it. We like it here but it is so much bigger than when Dad grew up here so like all things it is always changing. After walking/driving around we went back to Maxx and Carroll’s cookout. Where we were greeted with good food and awesome people. Rick (Maxx’s brother) is about to go to Alaska so it was fun to talk about someone else’s trip and plans for a change. It sounds awesome and I hope he is safe but has so much fun. There were jalapeno’s wrapped with cheese and bacon and I thought I could handle it. I couldn’t. Brad had to finish it and I had to eat bread. Needless to say I left those alone. I tried Elk sausage and thought it was very good. The people here put salsa on all chips. Not tortilla but Doritos. I thought that was weird and did not try it. Most of the food had a little spice to it, in a good way just different from what we are used to. Brad loved it. We made two heaping plates and sat back for a while. There were two small boys running around. They were brothers and they were really cute. They had water guns and they thought they were dinosaurs. Cookouts are always more fun when there are different generations there. The mother of the two was pregnant again, this time with a girl Gracie Lee. Of course this made us miss our little Grace and we wish we could be there to celebrate the fourth of July with you all. We hear she is starting to pull herself up. Soon she is going to start running around and getting into trouble. The temperature cooled down and after the cookout we watched a few fireworks, which has become custom and called it a day. Sadly we have to leave. I wish reservations were not necessary because I would not mind hanging out for a week, but we have to move on and I am sure we will love the next place and want to stay there for a week as well. There is just so much more around here that I want to see, maybe the next trip out. Thanks to Maxx and Carroll for opening up you home and hearts for us. We had a really nice time. Just before we left Maxx blessed our car, us and our journey.

Maxx’s Casa

2008-07-05T22:48:00.000-07:00

We arrived to Colorado Springs welcomed with warm smiles and hugs. My Dad grew up in this town and one of his best life long friends happens to live here so he was due a visit. It was good to see Maxx again. The first thing we wanted to do was take showers seeing as how we had sand in our toes. Carroll came home after work and there was another round of smiles and hugs. Maxx and Carroll have three dogs that are all very sweet and loving. We both love dogs so it was nice to be able to pet and play with a dog or three. They treated us to dinner, which was too much since they were letting us stay etc. But we went t o dinner at the Black Bear Diner. This little chain is pretty good. I think it would do well in the mountains of North Carolina but it has not ventured that far east. After a mini tour of Colorado and telling a few stories about my dad we made our way back to the house. Maxx is a wonderful storyteller. He uses his hands and tries to get you involved in the story. He shared with Brad and myself some of his artifacts and the history behind him. He was weapons and tools dating back thousands of years. They are pretty neat. Brad was fascinated by some of them saying, “It is so strange… if you just handed this to me I would have thought it was just a rock. As soon as you explain the use it is so clear what it is.” I guess you have to know what you are looking for. They are part of his history and you can see he takes a little pride in sharing the use and story of the tools.

2008-07-05T18:02:00.000-07:00

The Great Sand Dunes

2008-07-05T17:22:00.000-07:00

We arrived at the dunes and from a distance they looked so vast. As we drove it seemed like they didn’t get any bigger. They looked pretty forlorn because there was a looming thunderstorm above the entire dune field. Spanning from one mountain range to the next. The sky was dark gray with dark clouds. In the visitor center and everything we read about the dunes warns about lightning and the dunes. The dunes are slightly magnetic themselves and they are the highest point in the area. If you are on the dunes then naturally you become the highest point and the most likely target. Knowing this we were cautious about heading out. We decided the past plan would be to go to a designated campground and start to get all of our backcountry gear together. We packed both of our packs and made sure we had everything we needed. We filled all of our water jugs and our camelbacks. Because of the nature of the dunes surrounded by mountain ranges it was hard to tell the direction of the clouds. There were clear areas in the sky that looked safe and other areas that looked not so safe. We waited for over an hour watching the weather before making a decision. We also outsourced, we called the Sarah and Tom weather service. Thanks to radar and family we were able to know the worst had already past. We ended up hiking into the dunes. I was a little nervous but we decided not to camp on top of a dune but in a valley instead. And if we saw another thunderhead or heard thunder we decided to hike out. This meant we couldn’t hike in as far as we originally wanted to. From the overnight parking area the hike past the day use area did not look too far. The backcountry area, or where camping is allowed, is past the day use area. It did not look very far, but it was. As it usually goes the hike was a bit harder and longer than we thought, but we were well prepared and the weather was getting nicer and cooler every moment. We still had about two hours of sunlight when we departed. We walked first through grassland of sorts. There were cactus plants, most flowering and fire ants everywhere we looked. The ground beneath was mostly sand but not soft like at the beach. And the plant life covered so much that you could hardly see sand. We had to rough it through a section. Then we came across a sandy rock bed. These rocks looked so out of place, there were tons of rocks, green yellow pink and other colors. These rocks were just jutting out of the sand. We had to go over the rocks and then we came to a stream. The water looked the most out of place because other than this water there was arid desert. There are streams on either side of the dunes. These streams carry snow met and replenish the entire region. These streams sustain life only to sink into the earth and dry up in fall. The water goes into natural underwater aquifers into a lake at least thirty miles away. The entire system relies on the rest of the system and there are so many diverse sections of it that don’t seem to fit together but all in a beautifully designed plan they fit together and allow the other parts to continue. We walked through the stream. Parts that seemed to be only sand held buckets of water underneath. With each step my feet sank into the mud. The Great Sand Dunes is one of the only places in the world where waves occur outside of any ocean. In the streams miny sand dunes are created and the water pushes until the pressure causes a dune to break. This generates small waves and the stream looks like it is pulsing. We made it over the stream and through another rock/sand bed. Then it was onward to the dunes. The majority of the hike was up hill. Each step going up the dunes felt like we slid back two steps. I thought we would never reach the top at this rate. It was strange how in some places on the dunes our feet would sink in and others the sand was so compact that our feet hardly left a print. We just walked right on top of some areas. After hiking up up and up we made it over the crest and into a valley that we decided to camp in. After briefly setting up camp I decided to check out the high ridge further into the dune fields to see what the sunset would look like. I tried to run up the dune and in some areas had to crawl because of the grade and the sliding nature of the sand. The climb was more than worth it though. As the sun was setting it made different parts of the dune field look gold. Depending on where the dune was in respect to the other dunes and how shadows fell the golden colors changed and lengthened moving over the dunes. The mountains in the distance changed with the changing sunlight as well. Some of the mountains appeared blue while others where green with trees. I climbed to the highest crest near our camp and sat on the ridgeline to watch the sunset and the effect it had on the landscape. It was a really nice sunset. Like most sunsets the sky turned orange. The awesome part was the effect on the remaining clouds. The clouds turned yellow and pint and looked like a painting. I tried to take pictures, but in the pictures they look flat and the colors aren’t as bright and the contrasts did not seem as striking as they were when I was sitting under them watching the clouds change color. Once the sun finally slipped behind the mountains I slid slash skied down the dune back to camp where Brad had been preparing dinner. We had a delightful meal thanks to meals ready to eat and dessert too. Dessert in the desert. There weren’t any scary clouds in sight and the stars were coming out. The temperature had dropped at least 20 degrees if not more since sundown. So we bundled up and called it a night. Once I though I heard something in the middle of the night so I poked my head out of the tent to get a better look. When I looked up the sky was so clear and there where more stars than I have ever seen. Right overhead was the Milky Way. At this point I was so glad we decided to camp on the dunes. There were no thunderstorms; in fact the weather was perfect. We didn’t even bring our sleeping mats because the sand was cushion enough. It was like playing on the beach but the sand wasn’t the least bit wet or muddy. In the morning when we woke up with the sun baking us in our tent we decided before we broke down camp we would explore for a bit. We got some water and off we went into the dunes. Chasing ridgelines and rushing down the sides of dunes only to climb back up. We noticed around our camp different tracks, not ours, and not human. We heard a coyote, or so we thought and with these “dog” prints we are pretty sure a coyote got pretty close to our camp. There were these little dune kangaroo mice tracks everywhere. At one point there were coyote prints to one-side and mice tracks at another. There was what looked like a leap and a pounce and the mice tracks stopped. So it looked like dinner happened about 20 feet from our camp. Well, at least part of dinner. This was a bit scary, but we knew the coyote was not interested in us we were just in his area that is all. After playing we headed back this time down the dunes, which was much, more fun. I crossed the stream barefoot this time, which was also more fun than with shoes on. It felt like the sand right where the waves break at the beach. That perfect squishy, but not too muddy sand. Then we went back through the dessert grassland. On the way out I noticed a sign that I had not seen on the way in. It said something like. You are now entering the backcountry where by definition man is a visitor who does not remain. I am glad I noticed this sign and am happy that there are places where we are still only visitors who can come in for a bit, but do not stay.

Although we did not stay there is a bit of the Great Sand Dunes with us still. The memory and the sand that managed to get in everything. Breaking down stuff at the car we had sand coming out of everywhere, it is a good thing there is 30 square miles of it left because brad must have had a ton of it stuck to him and his things. We shook off the best we could and tried to shake all of our gear to leave the sand where it belongs but I am sure we will bring a little bit, a grain or two with us on our travels.