For my birthday this year, I was inspired by a friend to urge you to help me help others get clean water in Africa. Click the link above for more information.
domingo, 24 de agosto de 2008
We interrupt this blog to bring you an important message
For my birthday this year, I was inspired by a friend to urge you to help me help others get clean water in Africa. Click the link above for more information.
domingo, 17 de agosto de 2008
I have arrived
After driving 6,851 miles over 74 days (minus 25 I was out of the country) and spending way more than I bargained for on gas, I have arrived at my quasi-final destination: Berkeley. I am installed in the downstairs mother-in-law apartment at my aunt and uncle's house and am settling in. It feels soooo good to not have a car full of stuff any more!
The days after Yellowstone were uneventful, simply driving back through Wyoming, Idaho, hitting up Nevada for the first time, and coming west into California. Driving through Reno, the most exciting thing I saw wasn't a casino; it was a sign for a Sierra Trading Post outlet store. Unfortunately, I completely missed the exit due to a renumbering scheme that I'm sure was meant to make things easier, however doesn't work so well when the billboards don't keep up. That was sort of the highlight (and subsequent disappointment) of the final leg of driving. Nevada is a fairly uninteresting state to drive through, I hate to say.
This dude was highly amused by me taking a photo of the sign, when he clearly just did the same thing, and even pulled over to do it.
I had an interesting driving experience, though, on the day that will heretofore be known as the Day of Things Flying at Me. First it was a bee that was somehow not killed when it hit my car, bounced into my open window (no AC, remember?), hit me, and fell between my front seats. I could see its stunned little body (little relative to me; big for a bee) laying, legs up, below my emergency brake. This made me nervous. Very nervous. I was on edge, which was not a good thing, since I was on one of those windy, steep mountain passes, which are usually fun to drive, especially in a 5-speed. This, however, was one of the most stressful driving experiences of my life. Just try to keep an eye on cars in front of you, behind you, and in the oncoming lane, the windy, skinny road, the falling rock signs, and a Mexican killer bee 6 inches from your thigh (I'm sure that's what it was; what else could sustain a trauma like that and survive to taunt me?). It ain't easy, my friend. It even managed to eventually flip itself over and crawl around, which elevated my blood pressure and my heart rate considerably. Even thinking about it now makes me rather nervous, and I'm just sitting at a bee-free desk. Anyway, it was 20 minutes before I could pull over to extract this death machine from my car using an ingenious method of two sheets of paper as a scooper. Again, elevated vitals. Those things might look all cute and fuzzy and chubby, but really they exist to make people scared for their lives.
Incident 2 on on Day of Things Flying at Me: a rock. I was casually hanging my arm out the window, working on my trucker's tan (which is pretty decent by this time), when a rock from an oncoming work truck flies into the side of my wrist. Ow. People observing me probably got a good chuckle from my reaction(s): pain, shock, embarrassment, and anger, all mimed for their pleasure within a few seconds. And then my arm went back out the window (it was hot).
Incident 3: UFO. I don't know what it was, where it came from, or where it went inside my car, but something hit me in the chest. Not as hard as the rock, but disconcerting nonetheless. (Aside: I was hit - by myself - several times in the arm, head, and back while fly fishing. Those bigger lures can really getcha.)
And now for some more notes to begin to wrap up this portion of our hero's epic journey. This little joke came to me more times than I can remember while driving:
What's the last thing that goes through a bug's head when he hits a windshield? His butt.
It made me laugh a little each time. Eventually, though, I felt rather sorry for some of the nicer bugs that I hit. It was kind of their fault, though - I would see a very pretty something-or-other flying willy nilly down the road, then suddenly veer into my path, like it had a death wish. What if all those bugs that go splat on our windshields are just suicidal? That would be really bizarre, no? (When you drive almost 7,000 miles completely alone, you have time to think these things over as if they are reasonable queries.)
Hay. It's really pretty, especially at this time of year when the fields are being cut down and hay bales (I almost just wrote hales there, which would be a neat conjunction to shorten up farm conversations) are being dried and rolled up in fields. There were many times that I wanted to stop and just look around some farms, clamber around on the 20-foot high bale piles, or take some pictures. There was that nagging fear of being shot from the porch by a slack-jawed yokel that usually won out, though.
One of my new favorite treats, introduced to me by Tori of the Great Sand Dunes (her official title), is Cocoa Roast Almonds. Yum.
Today's driving highlight was on Route 80, approaching San Francisco from Sacramento, where I had to go around a smattering of about 15 or so individual shoes lying in the road. I don't know if there was a pair among them, which was intriguing.
And finally, from the archives, an image which I meant to share earlier but forgot to:
This is a stunning work of art. Just look at the movement in the figures, the camera falling to the wayside as the surprised man's bleeding butt cheek goes flying from the bison's horn. I do have a question, however: how many is "many"? It's said so casually, in passing: "Many visitors were gored by buffalo last summer." This was so vague, blunt, and startling that I laughed out loud. Probably not the reaction park rangers were looking for, but, hey.
To be continued when I'm not half asleep.
The days after Yellowstone were uneventful, simply driving back through Wyoming, Idaho, hitting up Nevada for the first time, and coming west into California. Driving through Reno, the most exciting thing I saw wasn't a casino; it was a sign for a Sierra Trading Post outlet store. Unfortunately, I completely missed the exit due to a renumbering scheme that I'm sure was meant to make things easier, however doesn't work so well when the billboards don't keep up. That was sort of the highlight (and subsequent disappointment) of the final leg of driving. Nevada is a fairly uninteresting state to drive through, I hate to say.
This dude was highly amused by me taking a photo of the sign, when he clearly just did the same thing, and even pulled over to do it.I had an interesting driving experience, though, on the day that will heretofore be known as the Day of Things Flying at Me. First it was a bee that was somehow not killed when it hit my car, bounced into my open window (no AC, remember?), hit me, and fell between my front seats. I could see its stunned little body (little relative to me; big for a bee) laying, legs up, below my emergency brake. This made me nervous. Very nervous. I was on edge, which was not a good thing, since I was on one of those windy, steep mountain passes, which are usually fun to drive, especially in a 5-speed. This, however, was one of the most stressful driving experiences of my life. Just try to keep an eye on cars in front of you, behind you, and in the oncoming lane, the windy, skinny road, the falling rock signs, and a Mexican killer bee 6 inches from your thigh (I'm sure that's what it was; what else could sustain a trauma like that and survive to taunt me?). It ain't easy, my friend. It even managed to eventually flip itself over and crawl around, which elevated my blood pressure and my heart rate considerably. Even thinking about it now makes me rather nervous, and I'm just sitting at a bee-free desk. Anyway, it was 20 minutes before I could pull over to extract this death machine from my car using an ingenious method of two sheets of paper as a scooper. Again, elevated vitals. Those things might look all cute and fuzzy and chubby, but really they exist to make people scared for their lives.
Incident 2 on on Day of Things Flying at Me: a rock. I was casually hanging my arm out the window, working on my trucker's tan (which is pretty decent by this time), when a rock from an oncoming work truck flies into the side of my wrist. Ow. People observing me probably got a good chuckle from my reaction(s): pain, shock, embarrassment, and anger, all mimed for their pleasure within a few seconds. And then my arm went back out the window (it was hot).
Incident 3: UFO. I don't know what it was, where it came from, or where it went inside my car, but something hit me in the chest. Not as hard as the rock, but disconcerting nonetheless. (Aside: I was hit - by myself - several times in the arm, head, and back while fly fishing. Those bigger lures can really getcha.)
And now for some more notes to begin to wrap up this portion of our hero's epic journey. This little joke came to me more times than I can remember while driving:
What's the last thing that goes through a bug's head when he hits a windshield? His butt.
It made me laugh a little each time. Eventually, though, I felt rather sorry for some of the nicer bugs that I hit. It was kind of their fault, though - I would see a very pretty something-or-other flying willy nilly down the road, then suddenly veer into my path, like it had a death wish. What if all those bugs that go splat on our windshields are just suicidal? That would be really bizarre, no? (When you drive almost 7,000 miles completely alone, you have time to think these things over as if they are reasonable queries.)
Hay. It's really pretty, especially at this time of year when the fields are being cut down and hay bales (I almost just wrote hales there, which would be a neat conjunction to shorten up farm conversations) are being dried and rolled up in fields. There were many times that I wanted to stop and just look around some farms, clamber around on the 20-foot high bale piles, or take some pictures. There was that nagging fear of being shot from the porch by a slack-jawed yokel that usually won out, though.
One of my new favorite treats, introduced to me by Tori of the Great Sand Dunes (her official title), is Cocoa Roast Almonds. Yum.
Today's driving highlight was on Route 80, approaching San Francisco from Sacramento, where I had to go around a smattering of about 15 or so individual shoes lying in the road. I don't know if there was a pair among them, which was intriguing.
And finally, from the archives, an image which I meant to share earlier but forgot to:
This is a stunning work of art. Just look at the movement in the figures, the camera falling to the wayside as the surprised man's bleeding butt cheek goes flying from the bison's horn. I do have a question, however: how many is "many"? It's said so casually, in passing: "Many visitors were gored by buffalo last summer." This was so vague, blunt, and startling that I laughed out loud. Probably not the reaction park rangers were looking for, but, hey.To be continued when I'm not half asleep.
viernes, 15 de agosto de 2008
More states, more parks, more animals
I'm blogging from the Grand Tetons. Yes, there is wireless in the park (granted, at the we-don't-camp cabins and I'm probably not supposed to be here). But let me back up.
Tuesday I went up through northern Utah to see the Spiral Jetty in the Great Salt Lake. Obscure, I know. But pretty.
Oh, and I passed 140,000 miles on the car while driving the 16 miles (each way) of dirt track to Spiral Jetty! Put the car to the test, especially since it's all loaded up and has super low clearance these days... I also got to ride on an ATV for the first time, simply by random chance. I must say, even though I've always viewed that crowd as gas-guzzling environment-killers, it was super fun. I kind of want to try it again (sheepish grin). Side note: thanks to Tom and Amy, you guys know what you did... and it worked!
Next up: Idaho. Didn't do much but camp there before moving on to Wyoming for the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone.
And finally, Wyoming! I took the more scenic mountain route to head up through the Grand Tetons on my way to Yellowstone, rather than battle construction on the alternate route.
I got the Tetons pretty early on Wednesday, so did a four mile hike that quickly turned into something more like a seven mile hike. Beautiful and worth it, but I shoulda worn more than sneakers. I got my first glimpse of lots of wildlife as well, including a moose (a cow, not a bull), a doe and two fawns, a wolf (!!!!), a marmot, and tons of birds. I only got a good photo of the moose, though.
I then moved north to Yellowstone to set up camp (luckily right before it started raining), and went on the advice of a friendly park ranger to get up to Old Faithful in the late afternoon, since the crowds might be less. And behold:
(More pics here, perhaps not today but soon).
The next day I got my first glimpse of bison (the first evidence, however, was in the form of a large pie in a parking lot. And I mean large). Actually, the first one was quite a close encounter, since it was strolling down the road.
Most of the rest were a bit more sensible, and stuck to their greener pastures. 
It's rutting season, so they were very vocal, but unfortunately I didn't get to see any male virility contests. A German photographer I met let me glimpse through his camera lens (one of those ones that looks like a bazooka, on a tripod) and lo and behold, I was staring at a bison's glistening nostril. Not something you see every day.
I also hit up the canyon falls, some more geysers, and went all the way up to Mammoth hot springs, but truth be told, I was not really in the mood for any more crowds or steaming patches of land. So I kinda just drove by and got some ice cream. But I can say I was there! Oh and I saw another moose, a fox, and passed by a bear, but felt sorry for it with all the crowds already gathered, so just passed by. Traffic was even stopped with so many people crowding around, and when I asked the guy directing cars what all the hubbub was about, he said in the most laconic and unimpressed voice possible, "Bear sleepin' in the woods." "Oh," I said, and moved on.
I actually enjoyed the views and general surrounding of the Grand Tetons more, but spent most of my time in Yellowstone because it's just so big. I drove over a hundred miles yesterday getting from one area to another. But Yellowstone is very diverse, and has tons of roadside vistas... It took me over two hours to drive back to my campsite because I stopped so many times. I was amazed, though, at what a tinderbox it is. There are still lots of dead trees, both standing and criss-crossing the ground, presumably left from the fires of 1988, and I can only imagine what might happen if the same conditions prevail in the near future...
Today I head out, but not before I got to grab a shower (unlimited hot water for $3.50! Seemed like a steal at this point) and, of course, some internet time. From here I go back through Idaho, Utah, and then hit up the new state of Nevada before getting back to California. Not sure how long I'll take to do all of this, but I'll be in the San Francisco area by some time this weekend.
Tuesday I went up through northern Utah to see the Spiral Jetty in the Great Salt Lake. Obscure, I know. But pretty.
Oh, and I passed 140,000 miles on the car while driving the 16 miles (each way) of dirt track to Spiral Jetty! Put the car to the test, especially since it's all loaded up and has super low clearance these days... I also got to ride on an ATV for the first time, simply by random chance. I must say, even though I've always viewed that crowd as gas-guzzling environment-killers, it was super fun. I kind of want to try it again (sheepish grin). Side note: thanks to Tom and Amy, you guys know what you did... and it worked!Next up: Idaho. Didn't do much but camp there before moving on to Wyoming for the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone.
And finally, Wyoming! I took the more scenic mountain route to head up through the Grand Tetons on my way to Yellowstone, rather than battle construction on the alternate route.
I got the Tetons pretty early on Wednesday, so did a four mile hike that quickly turned into something more like a seven mile hike. Beautiful and worth it, but I shoulda worn more than sneakers. I got my first glimpse of lots of wildlife as well, including a moose (a cow, not a bull), a doe and two fawns, a wolf (!!!!), a marmot, and tons of birds. I only got a good photo of the moose, though.
I then moved north to Yellowstone to set up camp (luckily right before it started raining), and went on the advice of a friendly park ranger to get up to Old Faithful in the late afternoon, since the crowds might be less. And behold:
(More pics here, perhaps not today but soon).The next day I got my first glimpse of bison (the first evidence, however, was in the form of a large pie in a parking lot. And I mean large). Actually, the first one was quite a close encounter, since it was strolling down the road.
Most of the rest were a bit more sensible, and stuck to their greener pastures. 
It's rutting season, so they were very vocal, but unfortunately I didn't get to see any male virility contests. A German photographer I met let me glimpse through his camera lens (one of those ones that looks like a bazooka, on a tripod) and lo and behold, I was staring at a bison's glistening nostril. Not something you see every day.I also hit up the canyon falls, some more geysers, and went all the way up to Mammoth hot springs, but truth be told, I was not really in the mood for any more crowds or steaming patches of land. So I kinda just drove by and got some ice cream. But I can say I was there! Oh and I saw another moose, a fox, and passed by a bear, but felt sorry for it with all the crowds already gathered, so just passed by. Traffic was even stopped with so many people crowding around, and when I asked the guy directing cars what all the hubbub was about, he said in the most laconic and unimpressed voice possible, "Bear sleepin' in the woods." "Oh," I said, and moved on.
I actually enjoyed the views and general surrounding of the Grand Tetons more, but spent most of my time in Yellowstone because it's just so big. I drove over a hundred miles yesterday getting from one area to another. But Yellowstone is very diverse, and has tons of roadside vistas... It took me over two hours to drive back to my campsite because I stopped so many times. I was amazed, though, at what a tinderbox it is. There are still lots of dead trees, both standing and criss-crossing the ground, presumably left from the fires of 1988, and I can only imagine what might happen if the same conditions prevail in the near future...
Today I head out, but not before I got to grab a shower (unlimited hot water for $3.50! Seemed like a steal at this point) and, of course, some internet time. From here I go back through Idaho, Utah, and then hit up the new state of Nevada before getting back to California. Not sure how long I'll take to do all of this, but I'll be in the San Francisco area by some time this weekend.
lunes, 11 de agosto de 2008
Delinquent (time-wise, not jail-wise)
It's been a little while since I've written... At first it was due to lack of motivation, then a lack of internet. But now I'm connected again, however briefly, and will try to sum up the past week or two (eep, has it been that long??).
So apparently the Olympics are in full swing. I had completely forgotten about it, but suddenly I turned on a TV and there were lots of men in tights and skimpy suits. If it ain't ballet, it's gotta be world-class macho sports.
After almost a week of fun in Gothic with my aunt Mel, Adam came to hang out for a few days, so we did some really beautiful hikes and hung out at the arts festival in town, eating food on sticks and getting poured on at one point. The people-watching is top notch at a festival in a small hippie/yuppie town. Before hitting the road again, I stayed in Crested Butte with a family friend for a few nights (thanks so much Lucille!). Then it was time to move on.
Out walking Lucille's dogs
Wandering CB
Old (but still young) friends
Gorgeous! Rustlers Gulch hike
Next up: hot springs! No pictures because it was a, ahem, clothing optional place, and you just gotta respect that. But after that, sand dunes!! Wow. Who knew Colorado had so much sand all in one place? They're fairly understated from far away, but once you get up close, you realize just how large and vast they are. More than 30 square miles (I'm told), and the highest dunes reaching about 650 and 750 feet high, they are an awesome sight. It was raining the day I arrived, which I thought would be a big bummer, especially since my tent has decided this is the summer to fall apart and leak, but the rain helped immeasurably the next day, since hiking on compacted, damp sand is about a thousand times easier than hiking on dry, loose sand. As the ridges dried, they got harder and harder to climb up, reducing me to crawling on hands and knees to reach the last few feet, only to slide right back down again.
Creepiest fence ever, on the road to the hot springs.
Approaching the dunes from the campsite.
Words can't suffice.
I met a few young dudes who had thought ahead to bring plastic sleds. They let a few of us atop the second-highest dune try them out, to varied success. Apparently sand doesn't move that fast (unless you are a tiny child, or on a ridiculously steep slope), but it was fun nonetheless. A bitch to get back up to where you just were a few seconds before, though!
I met a fellow female traveller, Tori, on top of the dunes, and we headed to Zapata Falls a few miles away as well... freezing cold water to wade through, but worth the numb feet!
Tori climbin' them falls.
Finally, this past weekend I learned how to fly fish! Didn't catch anything (it's catch and release anyway), but it was fun, relaxing, and the scenery can't be beat. Here's the proof that I did it:
Now I'm in Salt Lake City, to move on into Idaho and Wyoming (Yellowstone) in the coming days. I should be in Berkeley in a week, though!
So apparently the Olympics are in full swing. I had completely forgotten about it, but suddenly I turned on a TV and there were lots of men in tights and skimpy suits. If it ain't ballet, it's gotta be world-class macho sports.
After almost a week of fun in Gothic with my aunt Mel, Adam came to hang out for a few days, so we did some really beautiful hikes and hung out at the arts festival in town, eating food on sticks and getting poured on at one point. The people-watching is top notch at a festival in a small hippie/yuppie town. Before hitting the road again, I stayed in Crested Butte with a family friend for a few nights (thanks so much Lucille!). Then it was time to move on.
Out walking Lucille's dogs
Wandering CB
Old (but still young) friends
Gorgeous! Rustlers Gulch hikeNext up: hot springs! No pictures because it was a, ahem, clothing optional place, and you just gotta respect that. But after that, sand dunes!! Wow. Who knew Colorado had so much sand all in one place? They're fairly understated from far away, but once you get up close, you realize just how large and vast they are. More than 30 square miles (I'm told), and the highest dunes reaching about 650 and 750 feet high, they are an awesome sight. It was raining the day I arrived, which I thought would be a big bummer, especially since my tent has decided this is the summer to fall apart and leak, but the rain helped immeasurably the next day, since hiking on compacted, damp sand is about a thousand times easier than hiking on dry, loose sand. As the ridges dried, they got harder and harder to climb up, reducing me to crawling on hands and knees to reach the last few feet, only to slide right back down again.
Creepiest fence ever, on the road to the hot springs. 
Approaching the dunes from the campsite.
Words can't suffice.I met a few young dudes who had thought ahead to bring plastic sleds. They let a few of us atop the second-highest dune try them out, to varied success. Apparently sand doesn't move that fast (unless you are a tiny child, or on a ridiculously steep slope), but it was fun nonetheless. A bitch to get back up to where you just were a few seconds before, though!
I met a fellow female traveller, Tori, on top of the dunes, and we headed to Zapata Falls a few miles away as well... freezing cold water to wade through, but worth the numb feet!
Tori climbin' them falls.Finally, this past weekend I learned how to fly fish! Didn't catch anything (it's catch and release anyway), but it was fun, relaxing, and the scenery can't be beat. Here's the proof that I did it:
Now I'm in Salt Lake City, to move on into Idaho and Wyoming (Yellowstone) in the coming days. I should be in Berkeley in a week, though!
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