Saturday was our last day at Walt Disney World. We headed out early and made it to Animal Kingdom shortly after it opened. It’s the largest of the parks, although it doesn’t have TOO many things to do just yet, being the newest park and all. After walking through the zoo section at the front of the park, we started out the day watching the Lion King show, which we were practically ushered into. It was actually pretty entertaining, and we learned important things like how a giraffe makes a sound like a sheep. Who knew??
From there, we headed into Discovery Island where we admired the beautifully carved Tree of Life and wandered around the many trails. Then it was off to Dinoland U.S.A., where we rode the incredible DINOSAUR dark ride. Talk about intense!! It was really incredible, and I dragged Nate back to ride it a second time. Sadly, we discovered that Primeval Whirl, the double spinning mouse coaster, was down due to maintenance, so that’s an important reason to come back. Beyond that, we played around in the Boneyard, attempting to slide down slides and all that good stuff. We’re definitely kids at heart!
After Dinoland, we were off to Asia where we approached the most obvious attraction in the park: Expedition Everest. You just can’t miss this ride. An enormous replica of Mt. Everest climbs magnificently into the sky, and every now and then you see a train of people ascending its dizzying heights followed by screams of terror and delight. I knew about this ride, but I hadn’t bothered to read up on the details, so I went in not knowing what to expect…and what a treat it was! You start off climbing a ridiculously steep lift hill, and then you do a few gentle turns and twists before coming up to another lift hill that takes you…wait…where’s the track?? It appears that the track has been twisted and broken by the Yeti! What do we do?? “Aaaaaahhhh!!!!” The next thing you know, you’re plummeting backwards through utter darkness, twisting and turning and dropping until you reach another lift hill-like area. You get pulled up backwards, and the train stops as you watch the Yeti on the screen in front of you rip up more of the coaster track. Then the train is released and you plummet out of the mountain. After a few more twists, including a close flyby of the Yeti himself, you arrive back at the station. It was a really exciting coaster, and more so when you don’t know what’s coming! (Sorry for the spoiler!)
Then we headed over to Kali River Rapids, which I was hesitant about riding once I saw all the drenched people coming off. It was pretty chilly out, so that might not be the best plan of attack. Well, we did ride it, and everyone on the raft got soaked…and when we returned to the station, the ride op asked if we’d like to go around again…and we DID! Luckily the water seemed warm, but it didn’t help for the rest of the day, walking around with soaked jeans and a damp t-shirt. It was worth it, though, to experience one of the few raft rides with a substantial drop. What fun!
From there, we were off to Africa where we took the safari tour through the savanna, seeing all sorts of antelope, giraffes, elephants, lions, and rhinos, among other things. It was a pretty good ride, but nothing spectacular, really. I think Busch Gardens’ is better, actually. We then took the train to Rafiki’s Planet Watch, where we toured the exhibits and had some ice cream. Then it was off to the 3D show “It’s Tough to Be a Bug,” followed by Everest and Dinosaur re-rides. Then it was back to Epcot for us!
We arrived back at Epcot pretty early – around 3:30, I think. We started our adventure in Future World, visiting everything we missed the night before. Among our adventures were the Living with the Land ride, which took us through some incredible greenhouses where they grew plants that required minimal soils and actually procured tomato trees, which last about 3 times as long as regular tomato plants. Much of what they grow is used at the park, too. They also raised tilapia and shrimp and alligators. It was just fascinating to see the incredible things they’ve come up with. Then we rode the Nemo ride, which was ok, though I understand it was better before they Nemo-fied it. It was situated in an aquarium, so the animated characters took away from the sea life in the background. I’m still kicking myself about not seeing the Journey Into the Imagination Ride, which we didn’t even realize was there, especially because its host is a dragon. Ah well, I’m sure we’ll be back someday!
After enjoying Future World, we headed off to the World Showcase. We had no idea that the Food and Wine Festival was going on, but what a lucky turn of events! Besides the already astounding number of countries and foods available when the event is not taking place, there were kiosks all along the lakefront, representing even more countries and culinary delights, each of which was quite affordable. It was like visiting the Taste of Chicago, in fact! We flitted from booth to booth, sampling all sorts of treats…spanakopita from Greece, escargot from France, chorizo quesadillas from Mexico, sushi from Japan, cheeses from Holland, Durban spiced chicken with coconut milk infused root vegetables from South Africa, seafood gumbo from Louisiana, meze from Turkey, various wines, including a wine sampling of Melbourne Australia area wineries, and that’s just what we tried! There were many, many more booths and foods to sample. It was incredible!
Besides the amazing cuisine, there were also the various shops, restaurants, shows and rides smattered throughout the World Showcase. Incredible replicas of famous buildings like the Eiffel Tower, stood regally along the waterfront – it really did feel like visiting a number of countries all in a few hours. We saw the 360 degree show about China, which could make a person dizzy, but was completely worth it, followed by Norway’s Maelstrom – a boat ride through Norse history complete with a tiny, though unexpected drop. Finally, we rode gondolas through Mexico, which felt more like Italy, save for all the stucco. Once we had made a loop of the Showcase, we headed back to Test Track for one more spin, this time entering the single rider line and getting on within five minutes. After a quick trip to the gift shop, we headed over to the lagoon to watch the incredible “IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth” show. This was an incredible fireworks show featuring an electrical globe in the center of the lagoon that would change images with the music. It was absolutely spectacular, and easily one of the best shows in the park. It was a perfect way to top off the trip, and I’m glad we stuck around.
Jeez, I feel like I must be forgetting something! There was just so much we did, it’s hard to tell anymore! Regardless, after we left Epcot, we managed to make it over to the bar that claimed to be tiki, next to our hotel. It was open this time, but unfortunately they don’t serve tiki drinks every night. Nor is it at all tiki themed. Regardless, we had a good time chatting with the bar tender, who just happened to be from Chicago! We had two drinks and headed off, exhausted from our adventures.
Our flight was at 8:30, so we were up before 6, just to get ready. Luckily, the flight back was uneventful, and we got back around 10:30, Mountain Time. I was absolutely exhausted the rest of the day and wound up passing out by 7! If that’s any measure of a good trip (which I think it is), it says a lot. This had to be the most “normal” of any of our vacations, by other peoples’ standards, but it was also an incredible one. It’ll be a while before we return to Disney, but in the meantime, we have a lot of magic to relive.
Monday, November 3, 2008
Disney Adventures Part 2
On Friday, we arose to the lovely sound of our wakeup call at 6:30. We had to be up at our timeshare meeting at 7:30, so we rushed to get ready and headed over there. Basically, it was a timeshare pitch for some Sheridan-owned company in which you could stay anywhere, anytime, blah blah blah. We went along with the pitch, and even toured around this location on a golf cart, but in the end, we managed to get out of being suckered in. It took about 3 hours, but for $100 off our tickets, it was worth it! Plus, we got free breakfast out of the deal. Too cool!
Once we escaped, we flew over to Disney, this time heading to the Magic Kingdom. I was excited to see that the boat ride to the entry gate was not a figment of my imagination, so our mini sailing trip was quite nostalgic for me. Once at the park, we started our trip counterclockwise, beginning at Tomorrowland. We started out with the Stitch ride, an all-senses show in which Stitch escapes wreaks havoc on the audience. I think I would have enjoyed it more before it changed from Extraterrestrial Encounter, but it was still amusing. Beyond that, we rode the Carousel of Progress which documented technological achievements over time. I swear the voice of the guy from the show belonged to Norm MacDonald, which was amusing. We also rode the Astro Orbiter, a simple ride in which you can control your ascent and descent, which is found in many forms throughout the parks (Dumbo, Aladdin’s Carpets, and a dinosaur one at Animal Kingdom). Next up was Tomorrowland Transit Authority, which takes you around and through many of the rides. We did another Toy Story-themed ride that involved shooting with a laser gun, but it wasn’t nearly as fun as the one at MGM. Finally, we headed over to Space Mountain, which had been down, much to our chagrin, and took a spin on that. I somehow wound up with the front seat, and the ride was just incredible from there! It was much better than I remember Disneyland’s to be, since, with the lighting of the stars, you could actually see a thing or two. There were a few neat head chopper effects and some nice drops. A very fun ride indeed!
After this, we decided to get a FastPass so we could ride the other track, and we headed over to the Speedway, where we tooled around to kill some time. Finally, it was back over to Space Mountain, where we got our second ride, this time with Nate in the front. What a good time!
After we’d seen all of Tomorrowland, we headed up to Mickey’s Toontown Fair where we rode The Barnstormer, another roller coaster. This was a fair-sized family coaster, though not all that memorable. From there, we toured Mickey and Minnie’s houses before hitting the road down to Fantasyland. As a child, this is the place I remembered most, and I recognized the midway immediately. We took a spin on Winnie the Pooh first, which was a confusing and very trippy adventure. It’s sad that they replaced Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride for this, although I wouldn’t doubt that they’re both equally as trippy. I guess in this case, the lead character doesn’t wind up in Hell, which is probably why they changed it to begin with!
Next up we took a spin on the Snow White dark ride, which was pretty fun, and much like the one in California. We attempted to do Peter Pan next, but the line was exceptionally long, so we got a FastPass and headed over to find Small World. In doing so, I was absolutely perplexed! At Disneyland, Small World is this enormous building at the far end of the park, extremely elaborate and mechanical and saccharine and really hard to miss. Since Magic Kingdom is so similar to Disneyland, down to the placement of most of the rides, I expected no less here. Well, oddly enough, the entire ride is crammed into a row of shops and restaurants, almost easy to miss. However, once you enter the queue, it’s just as cloying and elaborate as that entire building at Disneyland, with much of the same decor. Only you can’t escape! We waited in the 15-or-so minute line, singing along and annoying all the parents around us, I’m sure. It was great! Then we amused ourselves on the ride, trying to determine which country was which, which was actually not as easy as you’d think in some cases. Luckily, we got through the ride quickly enough to avoid going crazy, and we moved on to the next thing…Frontierland. While there, we avoided getting caught up in the parade by hoofing it over the adjacent boardwalk. From there, we boarded a raft and sailed over to Tom Sawyer Island where we explored the forts and windmills and other attractions. We also ate lunch at a seafood restaurant, where I was able to get the clam chowder I’d been longing for. Sadly, unlike Disneyland, they don’t serve it in a bread bowl, but it was still quite good.
At this point, it was time to get back to Peter Pan, so we rode that. I can see why I’d have liked it so much as a kid, as flying was always something I’d wanted to do, and it emulates it quite well, but it was incredibly short. It was identical to the one at Disneyland, too, from what I could tell.
After this, we headed over to the Haunted Mansion, where Nate was handed a timekeeper pass. Basically it’s just a lanyard you take with you to the front of the line so they can determine how long the wait is. It’s funny because Nate wanted to experience that and had actually mentioned it prior to getting in line. Unfortunately, the ride op who was supposed to take it was busy talking to someone and Nate had to bring it back to the cast member outside. No worries…he was asked to (successfully) do the same thing three more times on the trip. I guess he looks responsible or something. ;)
Haunted Mansion was fun – much like the one at Disneyland – probably identical. We did get stuck on it at one point, but not for too long. It’s always fun to see the ghost accompanying you in your car at the end of the ride.
After this, we headed over to Frontierland again to obtain another coaster credit on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. It’s really a solid ride and a lot longer than it appears. We wound up in the first row, which was all well and good until I remembered that the guy who got killed at Disneyland’s BTMR was sitting in the same spot – one of the components of the “engine” car broke off and killed him. So that’s what I was thinking about the whole time. Still, it was a fun ride – maybe I’d prefer being further back next time, though.
Then we rode Splash Mountain, which is the same as Disneyland’s. Lots of great animatronics and a good splashdown. I’m actually surprised it’s still there, though, as it’s about as non-PC as you can get, and since they’ve stopped selling and showing Song of the South, I’m not sure that most people recognize the characters anyway. It’s still a fun ride, though.
Finally, we ended up in Adventureland, where we climbed around in the Swiss Family Treehouse, which was a lot of fun, and inspiring to me, as I could see living in a tree one day. It was much better than Disneyland’s recreation into a Tarzan treehouse. They should just leave well enough alone! From there, we rode the jungle cruise, which is hokey as ever, followed up by the Enchanted Tiki Room. All I could think about was what a mess all those birds would make if they were real, not to mention how you’d have to cover your drinks the whole time. I was lucky enough to see this at Disneyland in its original form, but now they have recent Disney bird characters in on the act, which is rather annoying, but whatcha gonna do? After this, we went to do Pirates, which was lame because it seemed like they’d removed some original theming, and now Captain Jack Sparrow is a part of it all. Oh well.
Our last ride of the day was a lap on the train, which was ok, but not spectacular. Then we boarded the monorail and took it over to Epcot for the evening. On the way, I saw an armadillo rummaging in the grass below, which was pretty neat. Never saw any gators, though, sadly.
What can I say about Epcot? It’s one of the most unusual and imaginative parks I’ve ever seen. I think it was both Nathan and my favorite, in fact, and that’s saying a lot, as there are no roller coasters there! Our first night at Epcot was a bit truncated, as we only had about 3 hours before close. We rushed around, starting the night off with Mission Space, which is touted as being one of the most intense rides in the park. It’s a flight training simulator, supposedly designed by NASA. You sit in a rather claustrophobic flight bridge with three other people, and each of you is assigned a duty. You’re supposed to press buttons while the ride goes, simulating launches and shields and all sorts of things. The ride is a centrifuge, pushing you back against the wall as it rotates, simulating an extreme launch. I think it does some other simulator motions as well, but that is the most intense. It was an interesting ride, but not nearly as exciting as I’d been told.
Next, we ran over to Test Track. This ride takes you on a journey through a vehicle testing facility, where they subject you to the things a car would experience during the process: uneven road surfaces, skidding, maneuvering wildly, heat, cold, slamming through a brick wall (or so you think), and speeding along upwards of 60 mph on an outside track. It’s probably my favorite ride in the park, actually.
After that, we went to Spaceship Earth, the ride that resides within the famous Epcot orb. It was a neat journey through the history of mankind and into the future. One neat aspect of the ride was the interactive component. At the end, the computer in your car asks you questions about your ideal future and then puts together your answers to create it for you. Plus, it takes your picture and inserts your faces onto the characters. Later, you can send e-cards to people (if you remember their addresses!) with your faces. Ours were hilarious. I looked devious yet bored, and Nathan had this maniacally happy expression. Good times!
Our last ride of the day would be Soarin’. This is a show in which you sit in seats that raise you above the ground, with your feet dangling. You’re positioned in front of a huge screen, and you watch images of California go by, simulating flying, complete with the smell of oranges and gusts of wind. It’s really an incredible ride, and exactly the same as the one in California. It was a relaxing way to top off the day.
On our way out, Illuminations, the finale, was already going on, so we decided to wait to see it the next day. We beat the crowds out of the park and headed over to the Disney Boardwalk where we ate dinner at the local brew pub. It had a much different atmosphere from the western brew pubs we’re used to, but the beer was good, and so was the food, so we were happy. We wanted to try the “tiki” bar near our hotel that night, but sadly, it was already closed by the time we got over there, so instead we played a few rounds of pool at the local pool hall. On the way over, I noticed that most of the tiny ponds in the area warned not to feed the alligators. That was a bit disconcerting, but I would hope that any gators that live in those small ponds are small themselves. Still, we never saw any.
Once we escaped, we flew over to Disney, this time heading to the Magic Kingdom. I was excited to see that the boat ride to the entry gate was not a figment of my imagination, so our mini sailing trip was quite nostalgic for me. Once at the park, we started our trip counterclockwise, beginning at Tomorrowland. We started out with the Stitch ride, an all-senses show in which Stitch escapes wreaks havoc on the audience. I think I would have enjoyed it more before it changed from Extraterrestrial Encounter, but it was still amusing. Beyond that, we rode the Carousel of Progress which documented technological achievements over time. I swear the voice of the guy from the show belonged to Norm MacDonald, which was amusing. We also rode the Astro Orbiter, a simple ride in which you can control your ascent and descent, which is found in many forms throughout the parks (Dumbo, Aladdin’s Carpets, and a dinosaur one at Animal Kingdom). Next up was Tomorrowland Transit Authority, which takes you around and through many of the rides. We did another Toy Story-themed ride that involved shooting with a laser gun, but it wasn’t nearly as fun as the one at MGM. Finally, we headed over to Space Mountain, which had been down, much to our chagrin, and took a spin on that. I somehow wound up with the front seat, and the ride was just incredible from there! It was much better than I remember Disneyland’s to be, since, with the lighting of the stars, you could actually see a thing or two. There were a few neat head chopper effects and some nice drops. A very fun ride indeed!
After this, we decided to get a FastPass so we could ride the other track, and we headed over to the Speedway, where we tooled around to kill some time. Finally, it was back over to Space Mountain, where we got our second ride, this time with Nate in the front. What a good time!
After we’d seen all of Tomorrowland, we headed up to Mickey’s Toontown Fair where we rode The Barnstormer, another roller coaster. This was a fair-sized family coaster, though not all that memorable. From there, we toured Mickey and Minnie’s houses before hitting the road down to Fantasyland. As a child, this is the place I remembered most, and I recognized the midway immediately. We took a spin on Winnie the Pooh first, which was a confusing and very trippy adventure. It’s sad that they replaced Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride for this, although I wouldn’t doubt that they’re both equally as trippy. I guess in this case, the lead character doesn’t wind up in Hell, which is probably why they changed it to begin with!
Next up we took a spin on the Snow White dark ride, which was pretty fun, and much like the one in California. We attempted to do Peter Pan next, but the line was exceptionally long, so we got a FastPass and headed over to find Small World. In doing so, I was absolutely perplexed! At Disneyland, Small World is this enormous building at the far end of the park, extremely elaborate and mechanical and saccharine and really hard to miss. Since Magic Kingdom is so similar to Disneyland, down to the placement of most of the rides, I expected no less here. Well, oddly enough, the entire ride is crammed into a row of shops and restaurants, almost easy to miss. However, once you enter the queue, it’s just as cloying and elaborate as that entire building at Disneyland, with much of the same decor. Only you can’t escape! We waited in the 15-or-so minute line, singing along and annoying all the parents around us, I’m sure. It was great! Then we amused ourselves on the ride, trying to determine which country was which, which was actually not as easy as you’d think in some cases. Luckily, we got through the ride quickly enough to avoid going crazy, and we moved on to the next thing…Frontierland. While there, we avoided getting caught up in the parade by hoofing it over the adjacent boardwalk. From there, we boarded a raft and sailed over to Tom Sawyer Island where we explored the forts and windmills and other attractions. We also ate lunch at a seafood restaurant, where I was able to get the clam chowder I’d been longing for. Sadly, unlike Disneyland, they don’t serve it in a bread bowl, but it was still quite good.
At this point, it was time to get back to Peter Pan, so we rode that. I can see why I’d have liked it so much as a kid, as flying was always something I’d wanted to do, and it emulates it quite well, but it was incredibly short. It was identical to the one at Disneyland, too, from what I could tell.
After this, we headed over to the Haunted Mansion, where Nate was handed a timekeeper pass. Basically it’s just a lanyard you take with you to the front of the line so they can determine how long the wait is. It’s funny because Nate wanted to experience that and had actually mentioned it prior to getting in line. Unfortunately, the ride op who was supposed to take it was busy talking to someone and Nate had to bring it back to the cast member outside. No worries…he was asked to (successfully) do the same thing three more times on the trip. I guess he looks responsible or something. ;)
Haunted Mansion was fun – much like the one at Disneyland – probably identical. We did get stuck on it at one point, but not for too long. It’s always fun to see the ghost accompanying you in your car at the end of the ride.
After this, we headed over to Frontierland again to obtain another coaster credit on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. It’s really a solid ride and a lot longer than it appears. We wound up in the first row, which was all well and good until I remembered that the guy who got killed at Disneyland’s BTMR was sitting in the same spot – one of the components of the “engine” car broke off and killed him. So that’s what I was thinking about the whole time. Still, it was a fun ride – maybe I’d prefer being further back next time, though.
Then we rode Splash Mountain, which is the same as Disneyland’s. Lots of great animatronics and a good splashdown. I’m actually surprised it’s still there, though, as it’s about as non-PC as you can get, and since they’ve stopped selling and showing Song of the South, I’m not sure that most people recognize the characters anyway. It’s still a fun ride, though.
Finally, we ended up in Adventureland, where we climbed around in the Swiss Family Treehouse, which was a lot of fun, and inspiring to me, as I could see living in a tree one day. It was much better than Disneyland’s recreation into a Tarzan treehouse. They should just leave well enough alone! From there, we rode the jungle cruise, which is hokey as ever, followed up by the Enchanted Tiki Room. All I could think about was what a mess all those birds would make if they were real, not to mention how you’d have to cover your drinks the whole time. I was lucky enough to see this at Disneyland in its original form, but now they have recent Disney bird characters in on the act, which is rather annoying, but whatcha gonna do? After this, we went to do Pirates, which was lame because it seemed like they’d removed some original theming, and now Captain Jack Sparrow is a part of it all. Oh well.
Our last ride of the day was a lap on the train, which was ok, but not spectacular. Then we boarded the monorail and took it over to Epcot for the evening. On the way, I saw an armadillo rummaging in the grass below, which was pretty neat. Never saw any gators, though, sadly.
What can I say about Epcot? It’s one of the most unusual and imaginative parks I’ve ever seen. I think it was both Nathan and my favorite, in fact, and that’s saying a lot, as there are no roller coasters there! Our first night at Epcot was a bit truncated, as we only had about 3 hours before close. We rushed around, starting the night off with Mission Space, which is touted as being one of the most intense rides in the park. It’s a flight training simulator, supposedly designed by NASA. You sit in a rather claustrophobic flight bridge with three other people, and each of you is assigned a duty. You’re supposed to press buttons while the ride goes, simulating launches and shields and all sorts of things. The ride is a centrifuge, pushing you back against the wall as it rotates, simulating an extreme launch. I think it does some other simulator motions as well, but that is the most intense. It was an interesting ride, but not nearly as exciting as I’d been told.
Next, we ran over to Test Track. This ride takes you on a journey through a vehicle testing facility, where they subject you to the things a car would experience during the process: uneven road surfaces, skidding, maneuvering wildly, heat, cold, slamming through a brick wall (or so you think), and speeding along upwards of 60 mph on an outside track. It’s probably my favorite ride in the park, actually.
After that, we went to Spaceship Earth, the ride that resides within the famous Epcot orb. It was a neat journey through the history of mankind and into the future. One neat aspect of the ride was the interactive component. At the end, the computer in your car asks you questions about your ideal future and then puts together your answers to create it for you. Plus, it takes your picture and inserts your faces onto the characters. Later, you can send e-cards to people (if you remember their addresses!) with your faces. Ours were hilarious. I looked devious yet bored, and Nathan had this maniacally happy expression. Good times!
Our last ride of the day would be Soarin’. This is a show in which you sit in seats that raise you above the ground, with your feet dangling. You’re positioned in front of a huge screen, and you watch images of California go by, simulating flying, complete with the smell of oranges and gusts of wind. It’s really an incredible ride, and exactly the same as the one in California. It was a relaxing way to top off the day.
On our way out, Illuminations, the finale, was already going on, so we decided to wait to see it the next day. We beat the crowds out of the park and headed over to the Disney Boardwalk where we ate dinner at the local brew pub. It had a much different atmosphere from the western brew pubs we’re used to, but the beer was good, and so was the food, so we were happy. We wanted to try the “tiki” bar near our hotel that night, but sadly, it was already closed by the time we got over there, so instead we played a few rounds of pool at the local pool hall. On the way over, I noticed that most of the tiny ponds in the area warned not to feed the alligators. That was a bit disconcerting, but I would hope that any gators that live in those small ponds are small themselves. Still, we never saw any.
Disney Adventures Part 1
After years of visiting Florida and having its most famous tourist attraction elude me, I finally had the opportunity to head down to the Everglades State and partake in some Disney Magic. I actually had gone to the Magic Kingdom once when I was really little, and I don’t remember much from that trip, save for the Dumbo and Peter Pan rides, both of which I adored. I also remembered arriving at the gates of the Magic Kingdom by boat. I wondered if that were even true, though, as I thought it odd to not just walk to the gates from the parking lot…but I have to remember, this is Disney, and it isn’t like most other parks.
Other Florida trips saw us focusing heavily on things like Busch Gardens and Islands of Adventure, but Disney just never seemed to play into it. Things changed, however, when Nathan made plans to attend an engineering conference in town. We decided this would be an ideal time to check the parks off our list and see what all of the hullabaloo was about.
Nate arrived for his conference on Monday, and spent the next two days attending his conference and not really seeing much of the area. I arrived on Wednesday, and I settled into our hotel. He and his coworkers wound up staying at the Crowne Plaza Hotel right off of International Drive. As if that hotel weren’t nice enough, they were out of the regular rooms, and he wound up with a posh room on the executive floor. From 6 to 8, they have free beer and wine and fancy cheeses and shrimp to nosh on in their executive lounge, so as soon as we got there, we partook in those luxuries. We also had a stunning 14th story view (for a ride enthusiast) – we could see the bungee towers and even Universal’s Dueling Dragons roller coasters right down the street. It was splendid!
After indulging, we decided to see what International Drive had to offer. We walked down the touristy road, considering several restaurants before we wound up at Ming Court, an incredibly themed Chinese restaurant, where we shared some incredible sushi. Then we worked our way back, stopping at Bahama Breeze to sample their tiki drinks. It was ok for a chain restaurant, but no one can compare with Hala Kahiki. After that, we stopped in to Friendly’s for some ice cream. I had oddly been craving Friendly’s earlier that week, so we were pretty excited to see there was one in Orlando. Sadly, they didn’t have the turtle sundae I had last time, but our five scoop banana split was amazing! After all the scarfing, I was glad we walked – talk about needing to work off the calories!
On Thursday, Nate still had to attend more of his conference. We’d decided the day before to start with Disney this day, since he’d be done around noon, and I’m so glad we did because we wouldn’t have seen it all, otherwise. After taking it easy that morning, I eventually packed up and met Nate around 12:30. We drove off to the Comfort Inn, where we’d spend the rest of our stay, and checked in. We also inquired about Disney tickets, and it turned out that they had a deal going on – we actually saved $100 on our tickets in exchange for attending a timeshare pitch the next morning. Sounded like a good enough deal to us!
So after we got our tickets, we motored off to Disney’s MGM Studios, which is actually called Hollywood Studios as of this year, but it’ll be MGM in this story because it’s easier to type. It cost $12 to park, which is a bit hefty, but actually better than I expected. Once we arrived, we took the tram over to the entrance and got our tickets. We spent most of the day wandering around between FastPass acquisitions. (For those who don’t know, FastPass is a system in which you get a time to return to the line, bypassing waiting in the queue when you do, so you are free to do other things in the meantime.) I felt that MGM was rather incomplete in many ways, with a noticeable lacking of rides. We did do Tower of Terror, which we both enjoyed tremendously. It differs from the one in California in that there is a track that you ride along before arriving in the drop shaft. Each ride was different because it runs a number of programs, so you drop at different times from different heights. I am NOT a fan of drop rides, but I really enjoy Tower of Terror for some reason. It’s just so well themed and is one of the few rides that still makes me nervous.
The other major ride was an indoor coaster called Rock n’ Roller Coaster. It’s themed to Aerosmith, and the cars have little speakers behind your head so you listen to their music as you ride. It was an amusing little coaster, and though it had a loop, it was pretty tame. The scenery consisted of black lit road signs and such, but it wasn’t that spectacular. Still, it’s not every day you get to ride a roller coaster, hearing “Dude Looks Like a Lady” pounding in your ear!
Beyond that, there was an interactive shooting game themed around Toy Story that was actually pretty darned good – you ride around in little cars and stop in front of various screens where you pop bubbles and “throw” rings on the computerized characters. Plus, you didn’t use guns – instead, it was some sort of makeshift slingshot contraption, which was pretty unique. It was unusual to man at first, but really fun once you got the hang of it. It was a blast!
Beyond that, there were a lot of shows. We’re not big into shows, but we did see the Little Mermaid, which was “meh.” We also did the Great Movie Ride, which took you past scenes of old time movies. That was neat, and particularly funny when the guide got involved – it was just too hokey! Sadly, the back lot tour was closed, but we did have a fun time running around the “Honey I Shrunk the Kids” play area. I swear, sometimes those play areas are the best things in a park…luckily, you don’t need to have a kid with you to enjoy the ones at Disney. Haha! We also saw the Prince Caspian show, which was pretty lame, Star Tours, which I bet was good about 15 years ago, and then topped off the day with Fantasmic, the finale in which Mickey wards off his nightmares with a spectacular light show. It was pretty good, but I’m not sure that fighting the crowds was worth it.
So MGM wasn’t really that impressive to me, and I’m glad we did it on our shorter day. Had we not wanted to wait around for Fantasmic, we’d have probably left early and spent some time at a different park.
That night, we would seek out the Polynesian Resort because I’d heard a rumor that there was a tiki bar on the premises, and far be it for us to pass up a tiki bar. We eventually found the place, and after wandering around the grounds a while, we made it up to the bar. While the resort was extremely tiki-themed, sadly, the Tambu Lounge wasn’t THAT much so. Still, they had some good drinks on their menu, including the Lapu Lapu, which is served in an actual pineapple, and the Backscratcher, which comes with (get this!) a backscratcher! We had a fun time imitating Peter from “Family Guy” much of the night…”Backscratcher? Backscratcher!” Haha. After that, we stopped for dinner at McDonalds for some reason…I think it was all that was open. Sooo disappointing to not have green chile cheeseburgers on the menu, as it’s about the only thing from Mickey D’s that I’ll get, but at that point, a double cheeseburger really did hit the spot.
Other Florida trips saw us focusing heavily on things like Busch Gardens and Islands of Adventure, but Disney just never seemed to play into it. Things changed, however, when Nathan made plans to attend an engineering conference in town. We decided this would be an ideal time to check the parks off our list and see what all of the hullabaloo was about.
Nate arrived for his conference on Monday, and spent the next two days attending his conference and not really seeing much of the area. I arrived on Wednesday, and I settled into our hotel. He and his coworkers wound up staying at the Crowne Plaza Hotel right off of International Drive. As if that hotel weren’t nice enough, they were out of the regular rooms, and he wound up with a posh room on the executive floor. From 6 to 8, they have free beer and wine and fancy cheeses and shrimp to nosh on in their executive lounge, so as soon as we got there, we partook in those luxuries. We also had a stunning 14th story view (for a ride enthusiast) – we could see the bungee towers and even Universal’s Dueling Dragons roller coasters right down the street. It was splendid!
After indulging, we decided to see what International Drive had to offer. We walked down the touristy road, considering several restaurants before we wound up at Ming Court, an incredibly themed Chinese restaurant, where we shared some incredible sushi. Then we worked our way back, stopping at Bahama Breeze to sample their tiki drinks. It was ok for a chain restaurant, but no one can compare with Hala Kahiki. After that, we stopped in to Friendly’s for some ice cream. I had oddly been craving Friendly’s earlier that week, so we were pretty excited to see there was one in Orlando. Sadly, they didn’t have the turtle sundae I had last time, but our five scoop banana split was amazing! After all the scarfing, I was glad we walked – talk about needing to work off the calories!
On Thursday, Nate still had to attend more of his conference. We’d decided the day before to start with Disney this day, since he’d be done around noon, and I’m so glad we did because we wouldn’t have seen it all, otherwise. After taking it easy that morning, I eventually packed up and met Nate around 12:30. We drove off to the Comfort Inn, where we’d spend the rest of our stay, and checked in. We also inquired about Disney tickets, and it turned out that they had a deal going on – we actually saved $100 on our tickets in exchange for attending a timeshare pitch the next morning. Sounded like a good enough deal to us!
So after we got our tickets, we motored off to Disney’s MGM Studios, which is actually called Hollywood Studios as of this year, but it’ll be MGM in this story because it’s easier to type. It cost $12 to park, which is a bit hefty, but actually better than I expected. Once we arrived, we took the tram over to the entrance and got our tickets. We spent most of the day wandering around between FastPass acquisitions. (For those who don’t know, FastPass is a system in which you get a time to return to the line, bypassing waiting in the queue when you do, so you are free to do other things in the meantime.) I felt that MGM was rather incomplete in many ways, with a noticeable lacking of rides. We did do Tower of Terror, which we both enjoyed tremendously. It differs from the one in California in that there is a track that you ride along before arriving in the drop shaft. Each ride was different because it runs a number of programs, so you drop at different times from different heights. I am NOT a fan of drop rides, but I really enjoy Tower of Terror for some reason. It’s just so well themed and is one of the few rides that still makes me nervous.
The other major ride was an indoor coaster called Rock n’ Roller Coaster. It’s themed to Aerosmith, and the cars have little speakers behind your head so you listen to their music as you ride. It was an amusing little coaster, and though it had a loop, it was pretty tame. The scenery consisted of black lit road signs and such, but it wasn’t that spectacular. Still, it’s not every day you get to ride a roller coaster, hearing “Dude Looks Like a Lady” pounding in your ear!
Beyond that, there was an interactive shooting game themed around Toy Story that was actually pretty darned good – you ride around in little cars and stop in front of various screens where you pop bubbles and “throw” rings on the computerized characters. Plus, you didn’t use guns – instead, it was some sort of makeshift slingshot contraption, which was pretty unique. It was unusual to man at first, but really fun once you got the hang of it. It was a blast!
Beyond that, there were a lot of shows. We’re not big into shows, but we did see the Little Mermaid, which was “meh.” We also did the Great Movie Ride, which took you past scenes of old time movies. That was neat, and particularly funny when the guide got involved – it was just too hokey! Sadly, the back lot tour was closed, but we did have a fun time running around the “Honey I Shrunk the Kids” play area. I swear, sometimes those play areas are the best things in a park…luckily, you don’t need to have a kid with you to enjoy the ones at Disney. Haha! We also saw the Prince Caspian show, which was pretty lame, Star Tours, which I bet was good about 15 years ago, and then topped off the day with Fantasmic, the finale in which Mickey wards off his nightmares with a spectacular light show. It was pretty good, but I’m not sure that fighting the crowds was worth it.
So MGM wasn’t really that impressive to me, and I’m glad we did it on our shorter day. Had we not wanted to wait around for Fantasmic, we’d have probably left early and spent some time at a different park.
That night, we would seek out the Polynesian Resort because I’d heard a rumor that there was a tiki bar on the premises, and far be it for us to pass up a tiki bar. We eventually found the place, and after wandering around the grounds a while, we made it up to the bar. While the resort was extremely tiki-themed, sadly, the Tambu Lounge wasn’t THAT much so. Still, they had some good drinks on their menu, including the Lapu Lapu, which is served in an actual pineapple, and the Backscratcher, which comes with (get this!) a backscratcher! We had a fun time imitating Peter from “Family Guy” much of the night…”Backscratcher? Backscratcher!” Haha. After that, we stopped for dinner at McDonalds for some reason…I think it was all that was open. Sooo disappointing to not have green chile cheeseburgers on the menu, as it’s about the only thing from Mickey D’s that I’ll get, but at that point, a double cheeseburger really did hit the spot.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
It's Been a While
Man, I haven't written here in ages, it seems...no real excuse for it, I guess. Utah is over and done with, and I made it through none the worse for wear. It was a good experience, despite all the trials and tribulations - I'm glad I stuck it out and left on good terms. After my job, Nate came up and we drove to Yellowstone by way of the Grand Tetons. We saw lots of moose, some antelope, possibly a grizzly (I was driving and couldn't pull over to get a good look, but it was way off), and lots of bison. The scenery was great, and the geologic features were fascinating. We managed to see almost all of the major sectors of the park, save for the southeast leg. We managed to go on a few good hikes, and attempted to find the pack of wolves that reside in the northeast part of the park, to no avail. I think we saw a lot, considering we only had two days. Beyond that, we toured the Egyptian Theater in Ogden, and I went for a spin in the wind tunnel at I Fly Utah. It was a blast, though it was rather hard to breathe with the wind pummeling my nostrils like that.
Since I've been back, most of my time has revolved around training for a fitness assessment in order to obtain an interview with the NM Dept. of Fish and Game. You need to pass in order to qualify for the police academy, which I'd have to attend for five months should I get the job as a conservation officer. Well, I ran a mile and a half every day for two and half weeks, and when I took the exam, I passed with flying colors - I completed the mile and half run two minutes quicker than I needed, finished the 300m run in a decent time, did enough sit ups and push ups in a minute, and actually (to my shock) passed the sit and reach, which I've NEVER been able to do. Still, after talking to the people there, I determined I really didn't want the job. For one thing, I'm no cop...not even a forest cop...I can't see myself in police academy...not to mention the fact that I'd probably be in Hobbs, 5 hours from home, to attend it. Then, once out, I would probably be stationed just as far away, and I'd have to work on weekends, so I'd almost never get to come home. PLUS, everyone there was a red-necky hunter. They were actually joking about shooting the prairie dogs that were around (and these are the people who should be UPHOLDING the protected status of these animals). The guy in charge was also talking about how mad he was when he was 3 and saw "Bambi" for the first time...he was upset that no one shot Bambi's dad! Good grief! I would NOT fit in with these people.
So my interview was first thing the next day. There was no way they'd give me the job. For one thing, for as calm as I was when I went in, after I heard the first question and saw the stern, emotionless faces of the 9 panel members, I just couldn't think of anything to say! Words escaped me. The questions, had they been on paper, would have been simple enough, but I was at a loss for words. And the things I did say, no doubt, worked against me. Like when they asked about what things I would consider before introducing rainbow trout to a creek...I went into how we'd have to sample for sensitive species that may be affected, which is the RIGHT thing to do, but not what these people want to hear. What a joke. The other red flag, I'm sure, was when they asked if I would be able to kill an animal that was destroying someone's property. I said I COULD, but I wouldn't be happy about it (everyone else is a blood thirsty hunter), and I think I added that the animals were there first. Heh heh. Yeah, I didn't want the job, and I'm sure the feeling was mutual. Oh, they also asked me if I could kill a person! You don't get asked that every day!
So I got the call that night, telling me I didn't get the job, and I think I uttered, "Thank goodness!" Hah! Well, now I just have to find another job...which is proving awfully hard. There are a lot of jobs out there, just nothing in Albuquerque, and I've about had it with living all over the place. I mean, I'd like to see more of the country, but it's just too soon after my last adventure. So I'm looking into other things, such as a film internship here in town. We'll see what happens with that.
Beyond that, tomorrow I go to Orlando! No wonder I can't hold down a job - I'm never home! Maybe I really should get serious about travel writing. Well, I'm going to enjoy my trip and not think about all this. Hopefully it'll all go smoothly!
Since I've been back, most of my time has revolved around training for a fitness assessment in order to obtain an interview with the NM Dept. of Fish and Game. You need to pass in order to qualify for the police academy, which I'd have to attend for five months should I get the job as a conservation officer. Well, I ran a mile and a half every day for two and half weeks, and when I took the exam, I passed with flying colors - I completed the mile and half run two minutes quicker than I needed, finished the 300m run in a decent time, did enough sit ups and push ups in a minute, and actually (to my shock) passed the sit and reach, which I've NEVER been able to do. Still, after talking to the people there, I determined I really didn't want the job. For one thing, I'm no cop...not even a forest cop...I can't see myself in police academy...not to mention the fact that I'd probably be in Hobbs, 5 hours from home, to attend it. Then, once out, I would probably be stationed just as far away, and I'd have to work on weekends, so I'd almost never get to come home. PLUS, everyone there was a red-necky hunter. They were actually joking about shooting the prairie dogs that were around (and these are the people who should be UPHOLDING the protected status of these animals). The guy in charge was also talking about how mad he was when he was 3 and saw "Bambi" for the first time...he was upset that no one shot Bambi's dad! Good grief! I would NOT fit in with these people.
So my interview was first thing the next day. There was no way they'd give me the job. For one thing, for as calm as I was when I went in, after I heard the first question and saw the stern, emotionless faces of the 9 panel members, I just couldn't think of anything to say! Words escaped me. The questions, had they been on paper, would have been simple enough, but I was at a loss for words. And the things I did say, no doubt, worked against me. Like when they asked about what things I would consider before introducing rainbow trout to a creek...I went into how we'd have to sample for sensitive species that may be affected, which is the RIGHT thing to do, but not what these people want to hear. What a joke. The other red flag, I'm sure, was when they asked if I would be able to kill an animal that was destroying someone's property. I said I COULD, but I wouldn't be happy about it (everyone else is a blood thirsty hunter), and I think I added that the animals were there first. Heh heh. Yeah, I didn't want the job, and I'm sure the feeling was mutual. Oh, they also asked me if I could kill a person! You don't get asked that every day!
So I got the call that night, telling me I didn't get the job, and I think I uttered, "Thank goodness!" Hah! Well, now I just have to find another job...which is proving awfully hard. There are a lot of jobs out there, just nothing in Albuquerque, and I've about had it with living all over the place. I mean, I'd like to see more of the country, but it's just too soon after my last adventure. So I'm looking into other things, such as a film internship here in town. We'll see what happens with that.
Beyond that, tomorrow I go to Orlando! No wonder I can't hold down a job - I'm never home! Maybe I really should get serious about travel writing. Well, I'm going to enjoy my trip and not think about all this. Hopefully it'll all go smoothly!
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Oh So Sore
Well, I did it!! I made it through the most dreaded week of all my time out in Utah!! The infamous pack trip. I was really worried about spending a whole week with my boss, not to mention two other people whom I didn't know a thing about, searching in some of the most inhospitable areas for the coveted pika. Well, I was supposed to head out with Kevin's boss (also Kevin, we'll call him K.B. for short) and some other random dude on Monday at 7am. It turned out Kevin would be late, and they decided it was best if I just drove out with him while they took the horses up to our campsite. I did meet them that morning, though, to hand off our equipment. K.B. seemed pretty friendly, but the other guy, Dean, was tall, somber, and quiet...and he looked at me suspiciously, so that made me a bit nervous, too. I took care of some business in the morning, and when Kevin was ready to go, we hit the road.
On the way, I told Kevin if we had a choice, I'd rather go with K.B., since we know where he works and know he's reputable. Kevin made a big deal about it, in a joking way, claiming I wanted him to be alone with some random serial killer in the woods. Heh. Actually, Kevin was mostly well behaved on this trip and didn't aggravate me TOO much (probably because we paired off with the other two throughout our time in the mountains). We even joked a bit - it was like the Kevin I knew the first two weeks out here. Thank GOD.
So we got to the Henry's Fork trailhead and began our 4.5 mile trek to the campsite. We were in pure wilderness, which means no vehicular traffic of any sort, just horses and hikers. Our hike out was really nice, as we headed past an old flying squirrel plot and into some beautiful mountain taiga areas. Just as we caught glimpse of Kings Peak (the highest peak in Utah), surrounded by other monumental mountains, all striped with snow, our GPS indicated we should bear left, leaving the trail and heading into the woods, so we did just that. Shortly thereafter, we found ourselves at the camp. Two tents awaited us, nestled under the protective cover of large fir trees. A fire was ablaze in the pit, and the site looked as though someone had lived there for a long time, with all the amenities up and ready to use. I had my own tent, being the only girl, and it was already full of all my things. Talk about first class service!
We sat around the fire that night, just talking and getting acquainted with everyone. I wound up talking more to Dean and discovered he was actually a retired highway patrol officer, and he was a lot more personable than he seemed in the morning. He's also quite the horseman, which is why he came along on this venture. I also found out that K.B., whom I WANTED to work with initially, was the one I had to watch out for...turns out he'd been arrested for ARMED ROBBERY in London! No joke! He told us the whole story...he was out there on his mission (yes, I was the only non-mormon on this trip) and his car matched the description of the getaway car - they were pursued by hoards of cops, including by helecopter, and were in custody for a whole day! It sounded like quite the ordeal!
I spent the night huddled in my four person tent, absolutely freezing. We were at quite a high altitude, and for some reason my sleeping bag, which is supposed to be good up to -35 degrees F, doesn't do the job it used to. Needless to say, I didn't have the best night, and my trepidation for the following day didn't help much, either.
Tuesday was our first day on the trail. The four of us did the first pika point together, so Dean could learn the ropes. He wasn't expecting it to be as strenuous as it was. We found ourselves out on the rockslide at 11000 feet, trying not to kill ourselves as the rocks shifted. Luckily, we found pika and no one was hurt. Oh, and on the way up, the scariest thing happened. K.B. brought us up this rediculously steep hillside on horseback, and Dean's horse (who was in front of me) couldn't get up and fell DOWN the hill INTO my horse, knocking MY horse down the hill...luckily my horse, Shebar, was able to catch herself and recover, holding up Dean's horse as it collided with us, and before he could take any worse of a tumble. That was SO scary, and after that I was really put off to riding up and down some of those hills. Oh, and it didn't help that later, while trying to get DOWN this hill, I had to lead Shebar by hand. She was in such a hurry, pulling clutzy me down faster than I could go, that I almost fell right under her as she was speeding downward. That pretty much spooked me out of ever wanting a horse...who'da thought the day would come! (I'll probably change my mind again soon...)
Anyway, we split up after our first pika point, Kevin with K.B., and me with Dean. I was glad to be working with someone older and not so spry. We completed two points that day, and I felt awful about dragging him clear up the shear edge of a mountain, but we found pika at both spots, so it was all worth it. That night, we came back and K.B. cooked us dinner (he cooked all our dinners...first class all the way, I tell ya!) At one point, K.B. asked where his stove grate went, and I mentioned I'd washed it down by the creek and returned it, to which he was surprised and grateful...of course Kevin, always trying to look good in front of his boss, chimed in that HE washed all the soup cans, to which no one reacted much. Hah! Speaking of which, while K.B. and Dean thought of just about EVERYTHING, they completely forgot eating utensils and bowls, so we had to eat all our food out of tin cans and we whittled all our utensils. Talk about living like mountain men! It really was an experience not to forget.
My second night in the tent went a lot better than the first, as K.B. suggested boiling some water and putting it in a Nalgene bottle, and then putting it in my sleeping bag. It actually did the trick and kept my bag warm most of the night. I couldn't have been more grateful.
Wednesday, we headed out even earlier. Whenever I'd hear the guys stirring, I'd pretend to sleep until I knew a fire was going and light started to appear. I was paired with K.B. this day, and we were going to hit three pika points, while the others were just going to do two. I didn't find that at all fair, but what could I say? This was the big boss-man, and I had to make a good impression. Of course, once we headed out, we wound up on the wrong trail - it went in the right direction, but it was NOT suited for horses. After a very tricky uphill climb, including a spot in which we had to jump a downed log while rising up 4 feet on very narrow trail with a cliff to our left, we were able to find our way back to the actual trail. We headed up to the top of Flattop Mountain, a vast, though flat, tundra that spanned across a number of connected mountaintops. I talked with K.B. a bit, but I was nervous, and I'm sure I sounded like a total moron...plus, I think I've dumbed my conversations down for so many people I've talked to in the past so as to not make them feel bad or think I'm elitist that when I talk to anyone, even my bosses, it comes out that way. NOT good. He didn't seem too weirded out by me, though, and we had decent convos about horses and field work and all sorts of things.
Our first pika point was a field of rocks that spilled out over the edge of the mountain. It went pretty well, in my opinion, but K.B. could see I wasn't too steady on my feet out there. I admitted I was a clutz, and he was pretty understanding the rest of the time, so that was good. Our next two talus slopes were pretty small, so we didn't have to spend too much time on them and still found pika. Between point two and three, we noticed that it was snowing on the mountain just across the canyon from us, so we debated on whether or not to even DO the next one, but we rode over there and did it anyway. While I was doing my survey, thunder boomed and we deemed it time to high tail it out of there. I was SOOOO sore from all this riding, but K.B. wanted to trot us out, so I became a veritable ragdoll on my poor horse, Bandit. It didn't help that my stirrups seemed to be too long at this point, and I couldn't even post (stand in the stirrups) to offset the bouncing. Luckily I think K.B. noticed my agony and we just walked at high speed out of there. There wasn't much thunder before we made it down the mountain and back to camp, though we did get pummeled by little pellets of snow the whole way down. Luckily, nothing accumulated.
We'd discussed the option of leaving that night, as we were done with the points and we expected the other two to be back at camp before us, but they were nowhere to be found, to our surprise. We sat around, nursing a fire as we were pelted by the wintry mix. About an hour later, the other two appeared with stories of horses falling down mountains (and giving Kevin a nasty rope burn, since he'd dismounted and was trying to lead it down said mountain) and hidden trails. By this point, it was too late to leave, so we just settled in to camp, admiring a lone bull moose who decided to bed down in the valley behind us, and sharing stories of the day.
I spent the final night freezing in my tent again. K.B. lent me his Nalgene along with mine, but it was so darned cold that even that extra warmth didn't help. The frostiness just penetrated my sleeping bag. It didn't help that this pack trip burnt off any fat I may have had left, so I had no insulation of any sort. I was treated to some weird dreams while I did sleep, and when morning came it was none too soon.
The guys were up before first light, and I made sure to pack all my gear before emerging from my tent. We packed up the horses, which convinced me again that I'm not suited for keeping equines. I could barely lift anything, and I am no good with knots, so forget about figuring out all those crazy straps and buckles. Eventually, K.B. and Dean told us to start hiking down (we only had 4 horses, and 2 of them were for pack at this point), so Kevin and I hiked the 4.5 miles back to the trucks and actually beat the horse guys back by about 10 minutes. By that point, I was so achy and dead that I had Kevin drive and stared blankly out the window the entire drive back. I'm so glad to be "home," and to know that I only have one more week of craziness left to endure! I hope everything is well with all of you and hope to hear from you soon!
On the way, I told Kevin if we had a choice, I'd rather go with K.B., since we know where he works and know he's reputable. Kevin made a big deal about it, in a joking way, claiming I wanted him to be alone with some random serial killer in the woods. Heh. Actually, Kevin was mostly well behaved on this trip and didn't aggravate me TOO much (probably because we paired off with the other two throughout our time in the mountains). We even joked a bit - it was like the Kevin I knew the first two weeks out here. Thank GOD.
So we got to the Henry's Fork trailhead and began our 4.5 mile trek to the campsite. We were in pure wilderness, which means no vehicular traffic of any sort, just horses and hikers. Our hike out was really nice, as we headed past an old flying squirrel plot and into some beautiful mountain taiga areas. Just as we caught glimpse of Kings Peak (the highest peak in Utah), surrounded by other monumental mountains, all striped with snow, our GPS indicated we should bear left, leaving the trail and heading into the woods, so we did just that. Shortly thereafter, we found ourselves at the camp. Two tents awaited us, nestled under the protective cover of large fir trees. A fire was ablaze in the pit, and the site looked as though someone had lived there for a long time, with all the amenities up and ready to use. I had my own tent, being the only girl, and it was already full of all my things. Talk about first class service!
We sat around the fire that night, just talking and getting acquainted with everyone. I wound up talking more to Dean and discovered he was actually a retired highway patrol officer, and he was a lot more personable than he seemed in the morning. He's also quite the horseman, which is why he came along on this venture. I also found out that K.B., whom I WANTED to work with initially, was the one I had to watch out for...turns out he'd been arrested for ARMED ROBBERY in London! No joke! He told us the whole story...he was out there on his mission (yes, I was the only non-mormon on this trip) and his car matched the description of the getaway car - they were pursued by hoards of cops, including by helecopter, and were in custody for a whole day! It sounded like quite the ordeal!
I spent the night huddled in my four person tent, absolutely freezing. We were at quite a high altitude, and for some reason my sleeping bag, which is supposed to be good up to -35 degrees F, doesn't do the job it used to. Needless to say, I didn't have the best night, and my trepidation for the following day didn't help much, either.
Tuesday was our first day on the trail. The four of us did the first pika point together, so Dean could learn the ropes. He wasn't expecting it to be as strenuous as it was. We found ourselves out on the rockslide at 11000 feet, trying not to kill ourselves as the rocks shifted. Luckily, we found pika and no one was hurt. Oh, and on the way up, the scariest thing happened. K.B. brought us up this rediculously steep hillside on horseback, and Dean's horse (who was in front of me) couldn't get up and fell DOWN the hill INTO my horse, knocking MY horse down the hill...luckily my horse, Shebar, was able to catch herself and recover, holding up Dean's horse as it collided with us, and before he could take any worse of a tumble. That was SO scary, and after that I was really put off to riding up and down some of those hills. Oh, and it didn't help that later, while trying to get DOWN this hill, I had to lead Shebar by hand. She was in such a hurry, pulling clutzy me down faster than I could go, that I almost fell right under her as she was speeding downward. That pretty much spooked me out of ever wanting a horse...who'da thought the day would come! (I'll probably change my mind again soon...)
Anyway, we split up after our first pika point, Kevin with K.B., and me with Dean. I was glad to be working with someone older and not so spry. We completed two points that day, and I felt awful about dragging him clear up the shear edge of a mountain, but we found pika at both spots, so it was all worth it. That night, we came back and K.B. cooked us dinner (he cooked all our dinners...first class all the way, I tell ya!) At one point, K.B. asked where his stove grate went, and I mentioned I'd washed it down by the creek and returned it, to which he was surprised and grateful...of course Kevin, always trying to look good in front of his boss, chimed in that HE washed all the soup cans, to which no one reacted much. Hah! Speaking of which, while K.B. and Dean thought of just about EVERYTHING, they completely forgot eating utensils and bowls, so we had to eat all our food out of tin cans and we whittled all our utensils. Talk about living like mountain men! It really was an experience not to forget.
My second night in the tent went a lot better than the first, as K.B. suggested boiling some water and putting it in a Nalgene bottle, and then putting it in my sleeping bag. It actually did the trick and kept my bag warm most of the night. I couldn't have been more grateful.
Wednesday, we headed out even earlier. Whenever I'd hear the guys stirring, I'd pretend to sleep until I knew a fire was going and light started to appear. I was paired with K.B. this day, and we were going to hit three pika points, while the others were just going to do two. I didn't find that at all fair, but what could I say? This was the big boss-man, and I had to make a good impression. Of course, once we headed out, we wound up on the wrong trail - it went in the right direction, but it was NOT suited for horses. After a very tricky uphill climb, including a spot in which we had to jump a downed log while rising up 4 feet on very narrow trail with a cliff to our left, we were able to find our way back to the actual trail. We headed up to the top of Flattop Mountain, a vast, though flat, tundra that spanned across a number of connected mountaintops. I talked with K.B. a bit, but I was nervous, and I'm sure I sounded like a total moron...plus, I think I've dumbed my conversations down for so many people I've talked to in the past so as to not make them feel bad or think I'm elitist that when I talk to anyone, even my bosses, it comes out that way. NOT good. He didn't seem too weirded out by me, though, and we had decent convos about horses and field work and all sorts of things.
Our first pika point was a field of rocks that spilled out over the edge of the mountain. It went pretty well, in my opinion, but K.B. could see I wasn't too steady on my feet out there. I admitted I was a clutz, and he was pretty understanding the rest of the time, so that was good. Our next two talus slopes were pretty small, so we didn't have to spend too much time on them and still found pika. Between point two and three, we noticed that it was snowing on the mountain just across the canyon from us, so we debated on whether or not to even DO the next one, but we rode over there and did it anyway. While I was doing my survey, thunder boomed and we deemed it time to high tail it out of there. I was SOOOO sore from all this riding, but K.B. wanted to trot us out, so I became a veritable ragdoll on my poor horse, Bandit. It didn't help that my stirrups seemed to be too long at this point, and I couldn't even post (stand in the stirrups) to offset the bouncing. Luckily I think K.B. noticed my agony and we just walked at high speed out of there. There wasn't much thunder before we made it down the mountain and back to camp, though we did get pummeled by little pellets of snow the whole way down. Luckily, nothing accumulated.
We'd discussed the option of leaving that night, as we were done with the points and we expected the other two to be back at camp before us, but they were nowhere to be found, to our surprise. We sat around, nursing a fire as we were pelted by the wintry mix. About an hour later, the other two appeared with stories of horses falling down mountains (and giving Kevin a nasty rope burn, since he'd dismounted and was trying to lead it down said mountain) and hidden trails. By this point, it was too late to leave, so we just settled in to camp, admiring a lone bull moose who decided to bed down in the valley behind us, and sharing stories of the day.
I spent the final night freezing in my tent again. K.B. lent me his Nalgene along with mine, but it was so darned cold that even that extra warmth didn't help. The frostiness just penetrated my sleeping bag. It didn't help that this pack trip burnt off any fat I may have had left, so I had no insulation of any sort. I was treated to some weird dreams while I did sleep, and when morning came it was none too soon.
The guys were up before first light, and I made sure to pack all my gear before emerging from my tent. We packed up the horses, which convinced me again that I'm not suited for keeping equines. I could barely lift anything, and I am no good with knots, so forget about figuring out all those crazy straps and buckles. Eventually, K.B. and Dean told us to start hiking down (we only had 4 horses, and 2 of them were for pack at this point), so Kevin and I hiked the 4.5 miles back to the trucks and actually beat the horse guys back by about 10 minutes. By that point, I was so achy and dead that I had Kevin drive and stared blankly out the window the entire drive back. I'm so glad to be "home," and to know that I only have one more week of craziness left to endure! I hope everything is well with all of you and hope to hear from you soon!
Friday, September 12, 2008
Sorrow and Loneliness
Today has been a really hard day for me. A year ago today, I lost my wonderful Dot. I know it sounds silly, but I truly think she and I were soul mates. I don't particularly believe that people can really be soul mates, but there's a special connection you can have with animals, and I believe Dot and I had that. They are loyal, they don't judge, and they are always there for you, unconditionally. She was definitely my cat, and I spent today walking the trails of the Ogden Nature Center in tears thinking about her. I believe in reincarnation, and, while it may sound rediculous, I hold out hope that maybe we'll be reunited one day. I miss her so very much!
And that gets me thinking about death...that's actually all I really ever think about! I think the Aquarian in me pushes people away because I fear loss, and I don't want to get too attached because I know I'll be hurt...because everyone dies. Death is the cause of my insomnia at night, and my persistent daily worries. I have always feared loss, and this is the ultimate loss. Today, almost all my thoughts are on death.
Anyway, I'm also battling extreme loneliness out here. I remember I always used to say I would love to move away to a mountain somewhere and live alone and never be bothered by people again. Well, I'm in essentially that situation now, but it's no where near as wonderful as I'd have thought. I actually crave human interraction. Instead, I'm left alone with my thoughts, which are often self-destructive. I think about how weird I often am, and how I probably come across as a total jerk sometimes, with my weird, often misunderstood comments. Maybe I'm a bad person. I know I'm really not, but I wonder if people might get that impression. Then again, why do I care what people think? Well, I care if they're my friends, and I think a few of them may have misinterpreted something I said. I feel such a gap between me and other people, and being out here isn't helping. I really don't know what would help. I'm struggling with hating who I am, pitying myself for my past, and not being able to reach out to anyone while I'm here. So between my self-destructive inner battlings and my sorrow for my sweet Dot, I'm just a wreck today. Maybe I just need to go back to my cabin and have a good long cry. Tomorrow is a new day...
And that gets me thinking about death...that's actually all I really ever think about! I think the Aquarian in me pushes people away because I fear loss, and I don't want to get too attached because I know I'll be hurt...because everyone dies. Death is the cause of my insomnia at night, and my persistent daily worries. I have always feared loss, and this is the ultimate loss. Today, almost all my thoughts are on death.
Anyway, I'm also battling extreme loneliness out here. I remember I always used to say I would love to move away to a mountain somewhere and live alone and never be bothered by people again. Well, I'm in essentially that situation now, but it's no where near as wonderful as I'd have thought. I actually crave human interraction. Instead, I'm left alone with my thoughts, which are often self-destructive. I think about how weird I often am, and how I probably come across as a total jerk sometimes, with my weird, often misunderstood comments. Maybe I'm a bad person. I know I'm really not, but I wonder if people might get that impression. Then again, why do I care what people think? Well, I care if they're my friends, and I think a few of them may have misinterpreted something I said. I feel such a gap between me and other people, and being out here isn't helping. I really don't know what would help. I'm struggling with hating who I am, pitying myself for my past, and not being able to reach out to anyone while I'm here. So between my self-destructive inner battlings and my sorrow for my sweet Dot, I'm just a wreck today. Maybe I just need to go back to my cabin and have a good long cry. Tomorrow is a new day...
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Two Little Words
I look back at my last post, and contemplate the indignant and roiled state in which it was written. I was mad. I was inconceivably fed up with my situation, and, considering all that rotten boss has put me through, it was most definitely justified. I am not a quitter. I have never quit (nor been fired!) from a job, and I was not about to start now. I did not want to screw over my project by not completing my stay, and I certainly didn't want to burn my bridges with the UDWR, especially since I've worked here in the past and may again in the future. I was so torn on what to do (even though it sounded like my mind was made up in my last post). Then, on Sunday, my phone rang. It was Kevin. I did NOT want to talk to him just then, so I let him go to voice mail. I listened when I got home, and he actually APOLOGIZED. I was floored. His brain actually worked enough to realize that he was way out of line in the way he talked to me (either that or his wife told him so). Regardless, that was really big of him, and my entire attitude changed dramatically...it's amazing what those two little words, "I'm sorry," can do. So I am going to stick it out...only 3 more weeks, I kept telling myself.
So here I am, on the Wednesday of my first remaining week. Kevin was "better" on Monday, though still rather patronizing, on top of his usual flakiness. Ugh. Still, I had a pleasant week ahead of me. I trapped two squirrel plots in really wonderful habitat but STILL didn't catch any. How disheartening! I did catch a chipmunk, though. Anyway, on my way home today I went to set traps in Ogden Canyon - one of the most inaccessible (though close to home) plots we have. Kevin's been there several times, and I have been there once, and it's just rediculous...steep, horrible undergrowth, inhospitable to clumsy humans. I was determined to get my traps set, though...no matter the price.
So I scaled four separate areas of the mountain, being forced down due to rockslides and mud on the first three. I made it up on the fouth one, though it was outside my plot. Once "up" (it was still about a 65 degree slope), I stumbled and crawled and injured myself in every way possible (though luckily not nearly as badly as I could have - I seriously wondered if I'd make it out a vegetable in some instances), but I managed to set three traps...unfortunately, I'm pretty sure they're all outside the actual plot, and they're all a lot closer together than protocol asks, but it was impossible to move around up there, and I'm sure that Kevin will be thankful when he goes to retrieve them. Which brings me to this...it's going to be really tough for him to get them back because I essentially slid back down the way I went up, and now there's no "easy" way up again...not that the way I took was easy - it took over an hour to get about 25 meters in. Oh well...not my problem anymore. I still have two more to set, which will be tomorrow's mission, but I'm going to set them in another part of the plot, hopefully far from that nightmare.
So next week is the dreaded pack trip into the Uintas. Luckily, we're going with two coordinators who have been here a while and have experience. I'm hoping we pair up with one apiece and do our pika work (so I won't have to work with Kevin). Plus, we'll have horses with us, so that should be exciting, if nothing else. Kevin has delusions of doing 11 pika points next week (we only need to do, like, 4 more, by the way), but we'll see how that goes. I'm not going to break my neck for this project, I've decided. I'm tired and I just want to go home!!
So that's life 'til now. This weekend is the State Fair (to enjoy, not to work - although I had a blast working it the other day - I never realized how good I am at interacting with the public). I have a few other ideas of entertainment for the weekend beyond that, but we'll see how it goes. Write soon!!
So here I am, on the Wednesday of my first remaining week. Kevin was "better" on Monday, though still rather patronizing, on top of his usual flakiness. Ugh. Still, I had a pleasant week ahead of me. I trapped two squirrel plots in really wonderful habitat but STILL didn't catch any. How disheartening! I did catch a chipmunk, though. Anyway, on my way home today I went to set traps in Ogden Canyon - one of the most inaccessible (though close to home) plots we have. Kevin's been there several times, and I have been there once, and it's just rediculous...steep, horrible undergrowth, inhospitable to clumsy humans. I was determined to get my traps set, though...no matter the price.
So I scaled four separate areas of the mountain, being forced down due to rockslides and mud on the first three. I made it up on the fouth one, though it was outside my plot. Once "up" (it was still about a 65 degree slope), I stumbled and crawled and injured myself in every way possible (though luckily not nearly as badly as I could have - I seriously wondered if I'd make it out a vegetable in some instances), but I managed to set three traps...unfortunately, I'm pretty sure they're all outside the actual plot, and they're all a lot closer together than protocol asks, but it was impossible to move around up there, and I'm sure that Kevin will be thankful when he goes to retrieve them. Which brings me to this...it's going to be really tough for him to get them back because I essentially slid back down the way I went up, and now there's no "easy" way up again...not that the way I took was easy - it took over an hour to get about 25 meters in. Oh well...not my problem anymore. I still have two more to set, which will be tomorrow's mission, but I'm going to set them in another part of the plot, hopefully far from that nightmare.
So next week is the dreaded pack trip into the Uintas. Luckily, we're going with two coordinators who have been here a while and have experience. I'm hoping we pair up with one apiece and do our pika work (so I won't have to work with Kevin). Plus, we'll have horses with us, so that should be exciting, if nothing else. Kevin has delusions of doing 11 pika points next week (we only need to do, like, 4 more, by the way), but we'll see how that goes. I'm not going to break my neck for this project, I've decided. I'm tired and I just want to go home!!
So that's life 'til now. This weekend is the State Fair (to enjoy, not to work - although I had a blast working it the other day - I never realized how good I am at interacting with the public). I have a few other ideas of entertainment for the weekend beyond that, but we'll see how it goes. Write soon!!
Friday, September 5, 2008
I've Had It!!
I've had it with this job, and coming to that conclusion makes me feel so free!! I had a very disappointing week - it seemed everything I tried to do was for naught, despite my hard work. I attempted to trap three different squirrel plots, each of which wound up falling on private property or being inaccessible at the time. I also attempted to do a pika point which was incaccessible due to a flooded out road. Despite these problems, I worked hard, trying to get around the obstacles in any way I could, but each turned out to be unproductive. My boss, who hasn't lifted a finger to help his project in weeks, was obviously not happy to hear this, but gave me such a patronizing attitude, complete with his idiotic silences and snotty tone, so as to make it seem like I'm some sort of failure. I was really mad at first, but then I realized this is a perfect springboard to get me out of this horrible job. I'm sick of his attitude and his ineptitude, and I know that when I'm gone, he's going to see just how hard it is for a person to do all this solo. After I work the State Fair on Saturday, I'm going to tell him I'm done. I'm not sure what I'll say, exactly, but I've really had it, and knowing that I won't be working the next three weeks has lifted an enormous weight off my shoulders.
I'll probably stick around another two weeks, though, as I'm going to the State Fair with Trish and her family next weekend, and then Nate may come up to do Yellowstone and help me move back. Maybe this will give me the opportunity to focus on my writing and other ways of bettering myself in the meantime.
Hmmm...two more weeks...I'm already going a little batty due to lack of social interaction. I live alone in a wetland surrounded by a rural farming community. My only coworker is my insipid and infuriating boss. I'm really going nutty being alone with just my thoughts. I need an outlet...hopefully I can make it through this two week void! We'll see what happens. I guess the best writers do tend to hole themselves away...maybe something brilliant will spring forth from these fingertips...
Well, I better go...I may try to apply for a job or two! Later!!
I'll probably stick around another two weeks, though, as I'm going to the State Fair with Trish and her family next weekend, and then Nate may come up to do Yellowstone and help me move back. Maybe this will give me the opportunity to focus on my writing and other ways of bettering myself in the meantime.
Hmmm...two more weeks...I'm already going a little batty due to lack of social interaction. I live alone in a wetland surrounded by a rural farming community. My only coworker is my insipid and infuriating boss. I'm really going nutty being alone with just my thoughts. I need an outlet...hopefully I can make it through this two week void! We'll see what happens. I guess the best writers do tend to hole themselves away...maybe something brilliant will spring forth from these fingertips...
Well, I better go...I may try to apply for a job or two! Later!!
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Whittling Down The Days
Well, only a little under 4 more weeks to go out here. I've been really anxious to go home, and Nate's visit this weekend made me even more ready to leave. Next week we go on a horse packing trip to the Uintas, and while that is part of what drew me to this job to begin with, I actually have a really bad feeling about it. It snowed in the mountains last week, and there is a threat of more snow, especially out there. We'll be in some of the deepest wilderness in the continental US, and it just seems like a bad idea. If I can get through next week, though, I can make it through the remaining two weeks...and if I max out my budget with comp time, I may even get out early!! I really hope that's the case.
My boss has still been a total git. Every time we talk, he always has some idiotic thing to say that sets me off. I wonder how things are going to go for him when I'm gone. I know his supervisors will see what a mistake they made in hiring him before too long.
In other news, Nate came in this weekend, and we had a wonderful time! I really do miss him a lot. I don't know what I was thinking, moving hundreds of miles away like that. He flew out on Friday night, and we went to Squatters Brew Pub that evening and took it easy back at my cabin. On Saturday, we drove up to Idaho and did the Potato Museuem in Blackfoot, ate lunch at Browning Brew Pub in Idaho Falls (after admiring the unusual, lengthwise falls in town), followed by a visit to the first nuclear power plant, and then an excursion to Craters of the Moon National Monument where we did almost all the hikes. It was great, though it didn't remind me of the moon...no actual craters, just a lot of basalt rock. We ate dinner at a sub-par Thai place in Twin Falls and got home around 1am.
Sunday we went to Red Butte Gardens, a botanic garden in Salt Lake, did lunch at Wasatch Brewery in Park City, and then drove up to the Utah Olympic Park where we watched warm weather stunt skiiers, explored the museum, and rode the 2 zip lines (one was the steepest in the world) and the alpine slide. I decided to wait until there's snow to do the bobsleds, even though it's more expensive then. One day! It started to drizzle just as we were finishing up, and during our drive home, the sky just opened up and it poured until the next day! It was amazing, as it hasn't rained in ages up here. Our power was out at the cabin, but it eventually came on much later. It was quite an exciting day.
Monday, I took Nate to the Union Station museums in Ogden (I waited outside as he explored), we checked out I-Fly indoor skydiving, but it was packed so we decided to wait (even though it was fun to watch - I can't wait to try it!). Then we went down to Kennecott Copper Mine (I'd also been here before, 3 years ago) and did the visitor center. It was a blast. We tried to do dinner at Archibald's, this fancy looking restaurant, but when it was closed, we tried the Bavarian Brewery instead, where I had a dreamy schnitzel. Then, since there was another brew pub down the road, I convinced Nate to get another sampler there, and then we called it a night. It was a great trip, and now I only have 6-9 more things I need to see before I leave, 3 of which will have to wait until the trip home, and another 3 of which I may hold off on until our next excursion to the area. Phew!
So that's life 'til now. I have to head out to Mantua to do a squirrel point in a few minutes, so I'm off!!
My boss has still been a total git. Every time we talk, he always has some idiotic thing to say that sets me off. I wonder how things are going to go for him when I'm gone. I know his supervisors will see what a mistake they made in hiring him before too long.
In other news, Nate came in this weekend, and we had a wonderful time! I really do miss him a lot. I don't know what I was thinking, moving hundreds of miles away like that. He flew out on Friday night, and we went to Squatters Brew Pub that evening and took it easy back at my cabin. On Saturday, we drove up to Idaho and did the Potato Museuem in Blackfoot, ate lunch at Browning Brew Pub in Idaho Falls (after admiring the unusual, lengthwise falls in town), followed by a visit to the first nuclear power plant, and then an excursion to Craters of the Moon National Monument where we did almost all the hikes. It was great, though it didn't remind me of the moon...no actual craters, just a lot of basalt rock. We ate dinner at a sub-par Thai place in Twin Falls and got home around 1am.
Sunday we went to Red Butte Gardens, a botanic garden in Salt Lake, did lunch at Wasatch Brewery in Park City, and then drove up to the Utah Olympic Park where we watched warm weather stunt skiiers, explored the museum, and rode the 2 zip lines (one was the steepest in the world) and the alpine slide. I decided to wait until there's snow to do the bobsleds, even though it's more expensive then. One day! It started to drizzle just as we were finishing up, and during our drive home, the sky just opened up and it poured until the next day! It was amazing, as it hasn't rained in ages up here. Our power was out at the cabin, but it eventually came on much later. It was quite an exciting day.
Monday, I took Nate to the Union Station museums in Ogden (I waited outside as he explored), we checked out I-Fly indoor skydiving, but it was packed so we decided to wait (even though it was fun to watch - I can't wait to try it!). Then we went down to Kennecott Copper Mine (I'd also been here before, 3 years ago) and did the visitor center. It was a blast. We tried to do dinner at Archibald's, this fancy looking restaurant, but when it was closed, we tried the Bavarian Brewery instead, where I had a dreamy schnitzel. Then, since there was another brew pub down the road, I convinced Nate to get another sampler there, and then we called it a night. It was a great trip, and now I only have 6-9 more things I need to see before I leave, 3 of which will have to wait until the trip home, and another 3 of which I may hold off on until our next excursion to the area. Phew!
So that's life 'til now. I have to head out to Mantua to do a squirrel point in a few minutes, so I'm off!!
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Kill 'em With Kindness
Man, these past few weeks have been extremely trying. I've been battling an idiotic boss who tends to be belittling and is all-around infuriating these days, a dangerous job, and a lot of other emotional baggage that have all just driven me into the ground. It all came to a head on Monday night, as I lay awake in my truck, completely alone in the world. I didn't think it could get any darker when I had an epiphany. I'll spare the details, but my attitude changed extraordinarily from the deepest of darks to an almost glowing understanding of how things should be. I resolved to embrace my kind attitude, especially toward those who don't deserve it, or to kill them with kindness. And I mean, REALLY. Maybe it'll come back to me, but whatever. As for my job, I need to quit whining...what happened to the girl who thirsted for adventure?? Here's my adventure - scaling the mountains of northern Utah, seeking out elusive flying squirrels and pikas, and having the time of my life. So my truck may die in the middle of the wilderness and I may get charged by a bull or a bear...that's what got me into it in the first place. The danger! The adventure! I've gotta quit my bitchin' and embrace it...as for my boss, however, that's another story...
In other news, the past few weeks have been BUSY!!! I'm doing something nearly every weekend. I was in Ohio a few weeks ago for Nathan's grandmother's 90th birthday celebration, and it was wonderful to see most of his family again! While there, I got to shoot an automatic machine gun, ride an ATV, visit Jack Hannah's own Columbus Zoo, ride a new roller coaster, and meet more of Nate's marvelous family. I had a blast, and I wish I could have stayed longer.
Last weekend, I took a day trip up to Boise to try a tiki bar, which wound up being mediocre. It was interesting to go alone, as that's not something I'd typically have done in the past - too shy. Well, I'm doing more eating out alone, and it doesn't faze me. I just chat up the wait staff, and all is well! What a socialite I am. (HAH!) From there, I went to Zoo Boise, and then drove down to Elko, NV to take in its antique sleaziness. It was really fabu, and I wish I'd have had more time there!
Beyond that, I've visited with my friend Trish and her family...they're coming up this weekend, too! Last time I visited, they took me out to eat at great Mexican and Thai restaurants, and we went to the aquarium and saw Gravity Hill and went out to a reservoir in the mountains for a rainy hike. It was great! I'm so lucky to have such good friends so close...as much as I complain about Utah, there IS some good here.
I've also become quite the disaster since I've been here. Nearly everything I've touched has broken!! My computer, my cell phone, my cell charger, my sun glasses, the window of my work truck (that's another story I won't recount here), and I'm sure I'm forgetting stuff...hopefully I won't break next!! EEP!! (I sure came close the other night, though!)
Hmmm, what else...well, five weeks to go. Nate's coming out in less than a week, and I can't wait!! Frankly, if we can get our work done early, I wouldn't mind leaving early! I miss Nate, and I miss having human interaction...my boss is all I see most of the week, and he's driving me nuts!! And my roommates are all gone, too. *sigh* I just need to keep positive, and count down the days!
So that's life 'til now! I'm sure I'm forgetting lots, but I've gone on quite a bit as it is! Five more weeks to go!!! YAY!!!!
In other news, the past few weeks have been BUSY!!! I'm doing something nearly every weekend. I was in Ohio a few weeks ago for Nathan's grandmother's 90th birthday celebration, and it was wonderful to see most of his family again! While there, I got to shoot an automatic machine gun, ride an ATV, visit Jack Hannah's own Columbus Zoo, ride a new roller coaster, and meet more of Nate's marvelous family. I had a blast, and I wish I could have stayed longer.
Last weekend, I took a day trip up to Boise to try a tiki bar, which wound up being mediocre. It was interesting to go alone, as that's not something I'd typically have done in the past - too shy. Well, I'm doing more eating out alone, and it doesn't faze me. I just chat up the wait staff, and all is well! What a socialite I am. (HAH!) From there, I went to Zoo Boise, and then drove down to Elko, NV to take in its antique sleaziness. It was really fabu, and I wish I'd have had more time there!
Beyond that, I've visited with my friend Trish and her family...they're coming up this weekend, too! Last time I visited, they took me out to eat at great Mexican and Thai restaurants, and we went to the aquarium and saw Gravity Hill and went out to a reservoir in the mountains for a rainy hike. It was great! I'm so lucky to have such good friends so close...as much as I complain about Utah, there IS some good here.
I've also become quite the disaster since I've been here. Nearly everything I've touched has broken!! My computer, my cell phone, my cell charger, my sun glasses, the window of my work truck (that's another story I won't recount here), and I'm sure I'm forgetting stuff...hopefully I won't break next!! EEP!! (I sure came close the other night, though!)
Hmmm, what else...well, five weeks to go. Nate's coming out in less than a week, and I can't wait!! Frankly, if we can get our work done early, I wouldn't mind leaving early! I miss Nate, and I miss having human interaction...my boss is all I see most of the week, and he's driving me nuts!! And my roommates are all gone, too. *sigh* I just need to keep positive, and count down the days!
So that's life 'til now! I'm sure I'm forgetting lots, but I've gone on quite a bit as it is! Five more weeks to go!!! YAY!!!!
Monday, July 28, 2008
Utah, weeks 3-4
It's hard to imagine, but I've just finished up four weeks out here in the Beehive State. The first two weeks dragged, but it seems like things are finally starting to speed up a bit. I've been having a blast, though, and I couldn't be happier about my decision to take a seasonal job out here. Each day on the job is different, researching birds, bats, flying squirrels and pikas. My boss is pretty cool, for the most part, although lately he's been getting on my nerves...it's frustrating when you work for someone who knows less than you (or at least, has less common sense), and it drives me nuts when he doesn't answer my questions or forgets important things...he's lucky to have me to remind him of everything! But I digress...overall, it's been a good time.
Nate came out for a visit last weekend, and, even though he wasn't up to par, we managed to do a ton of things. He flew in Thursday night, and we drove halfway out to the Salt Flats before deciding it wasn't worth it. Then we came back to Salt Lake City and attempted going to Burt's Tiki Lounge, which turned out to be even more grunge and scary than the one in Albuquerque...it's insulting to even use the term "tiki" in the name, in my opinion. Then we ate dinner at Red Rock Brewing Company...more typical brew pub fare, but it's always a novelty to have beer in a state like Utah, so we had to try it. To top off the night, we played a round of mini golf at Cherry Hill. Good times.
On Friday, we drove up to the Golden Spike site outside Brigham City and took lots of pictures. Then we had lunch at Ruby River, which also brews beers...I tried their homemade ginger ale which tasted like cleaning solution. Bleh. Then we went to the Hill Air Force Base Aerospace Museum, which was incredible, before checking out the museums at Union Station, which, sadly were about to close. From there, as Nate was feeling less and less well, we decided to do a few things in town and take tomorrow easy. So we headed south and played mini golf at Liberty Land, the home of that powered roller coaster - Nate was accosted by a spider that was dwelling in one of the holes, so that was freaky. Then we drove through American Fork, admiring the town, before heading back up to Sandy, UT where we ate at the Casa Bonita-esque Mayan restaurant, a heavily themed, multi-story spectacle, complete with cliff divers. I had a fantastic margarita, but the food was a bit much.
On Saturday, we stayed in for most of the day, going out only for lunch at Arctic Circle, and later for a trip to Antelope Island, the largest island in the Great Salt Lake. It's known for its herd of bison and diverse wildlife...in fact, I was out there a few weeks ago trapping burrowing owls! We drove all over the island, seeing lots of antelope, and eventually we headed over to the shore where I decided to take a dip. As I approached the water, I noticed a father and daughter running and yelling - they were engulfed in a cloud of some sort...and then I noticed a number of other clouds lower to the ground. Brine flies. I was hesitant to approach the lake, but the brine flies were actually pretty harmless, mostly flying away from you as you approached. It was wild to hear them sizzle as they fled. I pushed my way through them and entered the lake. It wasn't nearly as nasty as I'd been told, although the salt does burn any cuts you may have, so don't shave before swimming!! It was extremely shallow, and I had to wade pretty far out to even get to knee-depth water. Once I did, I attempted to float, and you really are as boyant as they say! It was a trip, and I'm so glad I tried it!
On Sunday, Nate was feeling marginally better, so we ventured out a bit more. Since it was Sunday, many things aren't open, so we had to focus out outdoorsy stuff. We drove down to Bridal Veil Falls and then drove the loop past Sundance and up to Timpanogos Cave National Monument, where we did the boardwalk trail...I've been to this N.M. twice now and still haven't seen the cave! Hopefully next time. We decided that was enough for the day, and crashed back at the hotel. Nate left early the next morning for NM.
This week, I finally started some flying squirrel work. We trapped out in the Uintas, and sadly, we didn't catch anything but a red squirrel thanks to traps that aren't touchy enough. We witnessed an incredible thunderstorm, saw some beautiful countryside, saw an extremely out of place antelope, and I saw two moose! I would move to the Uintas in an instant if I could. So gorgeous! Kevin's family came down to stay with us in our two-room cabin the second night. That was a bit trying, especially when they wouldn't call off their four year old. I was trying to eat, and she climbed into my lap and spat in my face. It was disgusting. Is there any wonder I usually can't stand kids? Those two have tremendous patience, and frankly, that isn't a good thing...those kids need discipline...the 4 year-old was honking the horn of our work truck, and Kevin let it go on for about 20 minutes before saying anything. I wanted to pop someone!!
In other news, the truck broke down on the way home, and it's lucky we had two cars with us. I, of course, had to drive it solo while Kevin drove with his family. When I asked him what the worst case scenario was with driving the thing, he was all, "Oh, you could lose control, flip and die," yet he still expected me to be ok with driving it. I was pissed. Needless to say, we got it to the shop without dying, but I'm not keen on risking my life for this job...I like the job, but I don't NEED it, so don't try me.
And there's nothing I hate more than people questioning my intelligence. Especially people that are less intelligent than me. Despite the fact that I'm on top of things and do things well before I'm ever asked and have wonderful suggestions that make our lives easier, he's constantly expecting me to do things wrong, which I don't get as I've NEVER done anything wrong here. I think he's projecting his ineptitude on me, and it's pretty infuriating. Don't get me wrong, he can be a good guy, but just keep it up, buddy...
So yeah...besides that, Thursday was Pioneer Day, a state holiday, and I went to the Hogle Zoo, which was "meh," and then off to Snowbird for some adventure. I rode a 40 minute chair lift, an aerial tram, did some hiking, rode the zip line, rode the alpine slide, jumped on the bungee trampoline, and climbed a rock wall. It was an awesome day, and it felt so good to be outside and active. I even saw pikas for the first time ever! That's especially good since I'll be studying them soon...
And that's life 'til now. Phew. I'm looking forward to going home, but I'm also looking forward to the adventures to come...I'm out here to live life, and that's just what I intend to do!
Nate came out for a visit last weekend, and, even though he wasn't up to par, we managed to do a ton of things. He flew in Thursday night, and we drove halfway out to the Salt Flats before deciding it wasn't worth it. Then we came back to Salt Lake City and attempted going to Burt's Tiki Lounge, which turned out to be even more grunge and scary than the one in Albuquerque...it's insulting to even use the term "tiki" in the name, in my opinion. Then we ate dinner at Red Rock Brewing Company...more typical brew pub fare, but it's always a novelty to have beer in a state like Utah, so we had to try it. To top off the night, we played a round of mini golf at Cherry Hill. Good times.
On Friday, we drove up to the Golden Spike site outside Brigham City and took lots of pictures. Then we had lunch at Ruby River, which also brews beers...I tried their homemade ginger ale which tasted like cleaning solution. Bleh. Then we went to the Hill Air Force Base Aerospace Museum, which was incredible, before checking out the museums at Union Station, which, sadly were about to close. From there, as Nate was feeling less and less well, we decided to do a few things in town and take tomorrow easy. So we headed south and played mini golf at Liberty Land, the home of that powered roller coaster - Nate was accosted by a spider that was dwelling in one of the holes, so that was freaky. Then we drove through American Fork, admiring the town, before heading back up to Sandy, UT where we ate at the Casa Bonita-esque Mayan restaurant, a heavily themed, multi-story spectacle, complete with cliff divers. I had a fantastic margarita, but the food was a bit much.
On Saturday, we stayed in for most of the day, going out only for lunch at Arctic Circle, and later for a trip to Antelope Island, the largest island in the Great Salt Lake. It's known for its herd of bison and diverse wildlife...in fact, I was out there a few weeks ago trapping burrowing owls! We drove all over the island, seeing lots of antelope, and eventually we headed over to the shore where I decided to take a dip. As I approached the water, I noticed a father and daughter running and yelling - they were engulfed in a cloud of some sort...and then I noticed a number of other clouds lower to the ground. Brine flies. I was hesitant to approach the lake, but the brine flies were actually pretty harmless, mostly flying away from you as you approached. It was wild to hear them sizzle as they fled. I pushed my way through them and entered the lake. It wasn't nearly as nasty as I'd been told, although the salt does burn any cuts you may have, so don't shave before swimming!! It was extremely shallow, and I had to wade pretty far out to even get to knee-depth water. Once I did, I attempted to float, and you really are as boyant as they say! It was a trip, and I'm so glad I tried it!
On Sunday, Nate was feeling marginally better, so we ventured out a bit more. Since it was Sunday, many things aren't open, so we had to focus out outdoorsy stuff. We drove down to Bridal Veil Falls and then drove the loop past Sundance and up to Timpanogos Cave National Monument, where we did the boardwalk trail...I've been to this N.M. twice now and still haven't seen the cave! Hopefully next time. We decided that was enough for the day, and crashed back at the hotel. Nate left early the next morning for NM.
This week, I finally started some flying squirrel work. We trapped out in the Uintas, and sadly, we didn't catch anything but a red squirrel thanks to traps that aren't touchy enough. We witnessed an incredible thunderstorm, saw some beautiful countryside, saw an extremely out of place antelope, and I saw two moose! I would move to the Uintas in an instant if I could. So gorgeous! Kevin's family came down to stay with us in our two-room cabin the second night. That was a bit trying, especially when they wouldn't call off their four year old. I was trying to eat, and she climbed into my lap and spat in my face. It was disgusting. Is there any wonder I usually can't stand kids? Those two have tremendous patience, and frankly, that isn't a good thing...those kids need discipline...the 4 year-old was honking the horn of our work truck, and Kevin let it go on for about 20 minutes before saying anything. I wanted to pop someone!!
In other news, the truck broke down on the way home, and it's lucky we had two cars with us. I, of course, had to drive it solo while Kevin drove with his family. When I asked him what the worst case scenario was with driving the thing, he was all, "Oh, you could lose control, flip and die," yet he still expected me to be ok with driving it. I was pissed. Needless to say, we got it to the shop without dying, but I'm not keen on risking my life for this job...I like the job, but I don't NEED it, so don't try me.
And there's nothing I hate more than people questioning my intelligence. Especially people that are less intelligent than me. Despite the fact that I'm on top of things and do things well before I'm ever asked and have wonderful suggestions that make our lives easier, he's constantly expecting me to do things wrong, which I don't get as I've NEVER done anything wrong here. I think he's projecting his ineptitude on me, and it's pretty infuriating. Don't get me wrong, he can be a good guy, but just keep it up, buddy...
So yeah...besides that, Thursday was Pioneer Day, a state holiday, and I went to the Hogle Zoo, which was "meh," and then off to Snowbird for some adventure. I rode a 40 minute chair lift, an aerial tram, did some hiking, rode the zip line, rode the alpine slide, jumped on the bungee trampoline, and climbed a rock wall. It was an awesome day, and it felt so good to be outside and active. I even saw pikas for the first time ever! That's especially good since I'll be studying them soon...
And that's life 'til now. Phew. I'm looking forward to going home, but I'm also looking forward to the adventures to come...I'm out here to live life, and that's just what I intend to do!
Friday, July 25, 2008
From Pommes to Pommes de Terre (part deux)
On Thursday, after contending with the broken shower and the lock that, well, wouldn’t, we headed out. My hair was still in the form of a large singular dreadlock held in a ponytail to the back of my head. It was most unpleasant, but at least it was out of my way. Our first ordeal was stopping for gas in the great state of OR. We’d both forgotten that this is one of those crazy states in which the employees pump the gas for you. We were rather confused…do you tip these people? When they walk off, are you allowed to put the pump back when it’s done? What exactly is the etiquette in such situations? Well, we ended up driving off when it was all done, without tipping, and hoped that’s how it’s done! I think that worked because no one seemed to care on subsequent fill-ups. They really need instructions for us ignorant out-of-staters at gas stations in OR. We drove west along the Columbia River, stopping at a Stonehenge replica on the Washington side of the river. It’s built to scale and commemorates servicemen. It was quite an interesting site, and I’d recommend seeing it if you can’t get out to see the original in the UK. From there, we stopped at a fish hatchery and dam on the Oregon side – Bonneville Dam, I believe. Then we continued on in Oregon, taking a long hike along the Triple Falls Trail. It was an amazing place! A somewhat steep trail snaked upwards through lush forests. Along the way we would encounter various species of gigantic slugs. It was so nice to be immersed in such a flourishing environment. And despite the humidity, it was cool and pleasant. After the Triple Falls trail, we checked out a number of other waterfalls in the area, including the most visited tourist site in Oregon, Multnomah Falls. The falls there were absolutely huge. You can feel so insignificant standing next to a feature like that.
Once we parted from the Columbia River, we headed south along I-5 through Oregon. We stopped at Enchanted Village along the way. This was a unique little park that centered around children’s fairy tales. The first half of the park involved walkthrough replicas of stories such as Snow White, Hansel and Gretel, and Alice in Wonderland. Heck, the whole park had things like that. One of the neatest things was a tepee with a stack of “firewood” in the center of it. If you enter the tepee and go behind the firewood, you notice that the wood is actually an entrance to an extensive series of caves. It was such a blast! Nate and I had such a good time exploring all the catacombs, and I can just imagine what it must be like for a kid.
That night, we headed down to Eugene, OR, home of the University of Oregon, where we ate at Steelhead Brewery, which Nate enjoyed, and then wandered around the U of O campus. From there, we motored south and got down to the southern part of the state by 11pm.
On Saturday, we got up late and grabbed a quick brekkie at McD’s before heading to the library to check email (yes, I’m obsessed). Then we drove out to the Velveteria, a museum of velvet paintings. It was extremely tacky, but I kind of enjoyed it. We even talked to one of the owners who told us they were going to be featured on various television shows in the near future. I assured her I’d tell everyone I knew about the place, so that’s just what I’m doing.
We also walked around Portland looking for the Voodoo Donut Shop, which is apparently some sort of tourist attraction. Sadly, we couldn’t find it, but in our travels I was able to get more acquainted with the city. Portland is an interesting town. It’s as though the hippies and the yuppies collided, and the fallout is Portland. It’s an older town with lots of run-down sections inhabited by young, college-aged people. It rather reminded me of Old Town in Chicago, actually. Lots of yuppies and hippies just making their way.
After dinner, we headed back toward Seattle, driving over the infamous Tacoma Narrows Bridge. As a child, I remember seeing footage of that bridge oscillating and throwing cars from their perches. It was a horrific scene indeed! Luckily the reconstruction of the bridge seems a lot more secure than that! It was interesting to drive over such a historic site, however.
So we made our way to the airport and explored that for a bit before getting our flight out. During the first leg of the trip, I was in the middle between Nate and some rather grumpy fellow. Luckily we got to move during the second leg, but I was stuck with a slimed-up window. People are so disgusting, sometimes! We had an uneventful trip home, and were happy to be reunited with our critters and to settle back into life in New Mexico.
From Pommes to Pommes de Terre (part un)
That night, checked into the Extended Stay hotel near the airport. It was quite the experience. The bathroom door would not fit the frame – it was probably misaligned on its hinges – so you couldn’t secure the door while you were in there. The mini fridge was iced over, there were strange stains on the carpet, and an odd smell in the room (probably from prior smokers, despite this being a non-smoking room). Despite this, the employees were very cordial and helped tremendously with the insurance fax situation. We wound up staying two nights despite the rather uncomfortable accommodations.
After the brewpub, we walked all the way back down to where the underground tours meet up in search of a highly rated tiki bar. Unfortunately, despite being set up in a grid pattern, the street numbers don’t do what you’d expect. Block 500N gives way to block 1400S or something strange, so our tiki bar was missing in action. Instead we gave in and went to a less-spectacularly rated tiki place, The Islander. It’s more of a Hawaiian restaurant than a tiki bar, so that was disappointing. We sat at the bar and noticed that the rear room had some thatched trees, but that’s about all the tiki-ness we saw. Nate had an awful beer, and I had a very unpleasant tiki drink that was most unmemorable. Still, it was good to check off yet another tiki bar.
Exhausted and soaked, we continued east along I-90, stopping briefly at Cabela’s to take in the spectacle, and we continued on to Coeur d’Alene, ID, a town I’d wanted to visit for many years. We checked into the Motel 6, checked our email at the library, hiked Tubb’s Hill, a forested trail that overlooks Lake Coeur d’Alene, and got ice cream at Zip’s, the local burger joint.
After our first stint at the water park, we went back upstairs to do laundry since we were both covered in mud. Then we ate at the Coeur d’Alene Brewing Company where Nate indulged in some more craft beer. After that, we went back to the water park for some more water sliding until they kicked us out for the night. It was a wonderful evening!! I’m so glad we decided to splurge and do that.
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