Next stop - Rome!

So, DB has a summer internship in Europe... and since we love to be together, and it costs just as much to be apart as it does to travel together, there is no sense in spending the summer apart when we can tour Europe for 3 months. Am I right?

Our first stop is Rome, where we'll be for a week. Then we'll head to Switzerland where we'll set up camp. On weekends we'll make journeys together, and during the week we'll live in our Swiss town, and I'll likely do some adventuring on my own. We don't have the rest of our itinerary planned out yet, and that is part of the fun! We have been discussing Germany and Scotland for the last couple weeks of our trip before we return to the US.

Now... I'll just have to find some portable types of art that I can do while I'm living out of a suitcase!

Of course... I'll also be posting my travels here, for you.

All Eyes

There are many things to like about Brooklyn. The food, the people, the proximity to everything one needs to be near, the friends, the stoop sales, the thunder and lightening storms, the culture, the rampant availability of the ice cream truck during all four seasons, and of course the comedic bickering and banter one hears just about everywhere.

But one thing I love about Brooklyn that I never expected was how often I hear "Miss, you have beautiful eyes, God bless you." No kidding. People literally insert this phrase into the middle of conversations with other people as they are passing by.

The reason this compliment is worth mentioning is because I was a bit worried when I moved here about getting too much attention... specifically, attention aimed at my chest - which was a constant theme while living in Boston regardless of what kind of shirt I was wearing.

Having the attention focused on my eyes makes me feel like I'm somehow less objectified (eyes are the window to the soul), like I'm somehow in a more wholesome environment - more wholesome than a puritanical bedrock? Um, yeah.

Anyway, I do have beautiful eyes. Thank you for noticing.

somewhere

I love that I'm somewhere, instead of everywhere. Although it may seem by the following list that I'm still everywhere and not just somewhere. The key difference is that the everywhere I am currently is more contained so that it can rightly be called a somewhere rather than an everywhere.

August has been flitting by at full speed, and I've been lucky enough to be able to relax a bit in addition to tackling the daily and weekly To Do lists that come with moving to a new city.

Here's a run down of my month.

Dinner in Brooklyn's Chinatown
Trader Joe's in Manhattan is mobbed!
Subway riding
Listing our Yaris for sale
Budgeting
Searching for the perfect coffee shop
Reading
Fudgcicles and Ice Cream Sandwiches
Apartment hunting
Tuesday Trivia Night at Black & White in Manhattan
Investigating the local food co-op
Amazing Indian food at Bombay Grill
Moving the car twice a week for street cleaning
Chess
Nail polish and polishing my nails for the first time in 2 years
Laundry
Stoop sales (rather than yards or garages)
Hanging out with local friends
A trip to the beach
East Village
Little Italy
Thai lunch special
Securing space in a ceramics studio
Learning to use my sewing machine

I think I have a buyer for the car, and it's possible we won't have to find an apartment (the person we're subletting from may not be returning in October as previously thought). I've been extremely fortunate enough to become an assistant in a ceramics studio for 6 hours per week where I'll learn glaze mixing and other such important skills. In exchange, I can use the facilities (space, clay and glazes) for my own personal work.

I think that pretty much catches you up, although there are a few details missing that would make for lively stories. If I ever think of them again, I'll be sure to share.

Arrival

So we've arrived. We are officially resident's of New York - even if New York isn't aware of this.

We have a few things to take care of before we can switch over our drivers licenses... such as obtaining mail with our current address on it, and finding the local DMV. All in good time.

And since we're on the topic of driving... we have to sell our car because our insurance nearly tripled. Ouch! We had definitely not budgeted for such a steep increase.

Our temporary apartment for two months is near chinatown in Brooklyn, and our roommate is possibly the least offensive person ever. I could not be happier.

Our room is a soft minty green and actually goes well with our orange bedding from back in Boston when we had a vibrant blue room. Our room also came with a dresser, futon bed, a chair, a couple lamps on little tables, and an air conditioner. It was a relief to not have to worry about moving/buying furniture. We can tackle that when we get our permanent place in October.

For now the focus is on getting reacclimated to the city, finding a favorite neighborhood, and hooking into resources.

deleted scenes

6/17 - we continue our search for a watering hole... literally - a decent place to water our swimwear.

6/19 - researching hostels we find the Lucky 13 Ranch for boarding horses.

the smallest offenders... juvenile fish... must be transported to a maximum security lake under the strictest care.



6/21 - can I just say that we'd have never gone ghost town hunting if they weren't highlighted on the damn map in the first place!

7/2 - i was so excited to find tree forts lining the Wisconsin highway in these somewhat remote fields - "DB! Look! Tree forts! I want one!" then i was horrified... "Wait! Those aren't tree forts! Those are for hunting!"

7/18 - i'd like to officially thank DB for being my official note taker when it was my turn to drive.

7/31 - i'd also like to officially thank all our magnificent friends for feeding us, housing us, entertaining us, etc during our adventure. you have no freakin' idea how you saved our arses. gracias mis amigos! shout outs to MK, RC, SE, PL, LE, SW, CI, and LP.

the waiting game

we stayed at LP's for a few days then headed to DB's parents where we have been since.

so far we have made it out to swim twice. im currently sporting a sunburn on my shoulders and back, so it will be a few days before we can play in the water again. for the life of me i can't figure out why i didn't put on a single drop of the $20 worth of sunscreen ive been toting around the last 50 days.

today i saw a baby moose. ive never seen a live moose (we had a stuffed one in the basement of some science building at WSU), and certainly never a baby moose. if DB's mom hadn't informed me it was a baby, i'd easily have assumed it was a fully grown adult. that should give you an idea of the size of these creatures. it was pretty fluffy and cute.

who knows what we'll do the rest of our time here. we have two weeks left. eventually we are going to have to tackle all our stuff in the basement, get it organized, and decide what to take with us on our first trip August 1st down to our temporary apartment in Brooklyn. we're waiting to rent moving van until we get a permanent apartment in October, otherwise we'll just have to rent a van twice and move our stuff twice.

full circle

7/11
after many miles of detour getting out of Detroit, we finally hit Ohio. We got a couple interesting photos...




Cleveland, OH... sadly, we have no photos of Cleveland, but we did actually really like it there. will we live there next? stay tuned to find out.

Erie, Pennsylvania... left much to be desired and can be summed up in one word and one punctuation mark - "yuck!" this is sad. we were sure it was going to be cute, or weird, or somewhat interesting, but no.

it's important to note that our return to the state of New York on 7/11 is auspicious, or at least exciting. on 7/11/06 we flew out of Burlington VT with a layover at JFK in NYC en-route to California. welcome home, says NY! or as DB says "our turn has come full circle."


no sense in driving all darn night... we stopped and camped in NY. the next morning as i left the women's showers i was approached by a burly fellow "Are you from California? I noticed you have California license plates. Do you have any mmbmsrmm?" Um, what? Oh... that! No, I don't have any of that.

a few people commented on our car, including a friendly 7yr old riding around on his bike... "I love your car!"

7/12
Niagra Falls, NY... again, another one of those examples of when something looks bigger in the advertisements. the falls were pretty wide, but if you weren't prepared to wait a week to cross the border or pay $10 per person, you couldn't get a view to the bottom. i thought this was a pretty cool view though.


Seneca Falls, NY... we got to visit the Women's History Museum, and the Methodist church where the women's sufferage movement began - Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Fredrick Douglas had met and spoken in this famed meeting house. there was a sculpture trail we meandered along, and as luck would have it there was some live music in the park. we like Seneca Falls and i could easily see us buying a place and settling down in this historic little town. i could also see DB and opening our own brewery or art center in this fine old knitting factory on the river.


Chester, VT... nothin' like having friends along the route. LP made us some wicked-good chicken sandwiches and i definitely nominate and crown him future Food Network Star of America for that one.

Michigan Me

7/6/08
we drove straight through from Chicago to Detroit. it wasn't so bad. it's only a few hours away, and that is fantastic news. we did stop in Ann Arbor, because we've both heard so much about UM and it is a possible candidate for DB's doctorate program in the next few years.

because we are expert planners, we planned it so we'd arrive when SW was home from work - and although we were a bit confused about where to go (google maps just says "turn right on X Street" but not exactly where the apartment is within a complex) SW was able to expertly tell us how to find her unit.

i was extremely impressed by SW's incredible organization. she had not only got us a handful of free museum passes, but she single-handedly typed up a list of neighborhoods, activities, and eateries that we might want to check out while visiting. if SW were applying for the position of concierge at my hotel, i would easily hire her at top pay. librarians are rad.

7/7/08
no museums are open on Mondays, so DB and I mostly hang out around the apartment, hoping the kitties will pay attention to us, snacking, and investigating the fabulous info our guide has provided. we hit a local Trader Joe's and my favorite street name is Bamlet because it's an adorable word.

7/8/08
although i really did want to check out the Henry Ford Estate and was curious about the Ford F150 tour, we picked the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History for our first stop. this was a pretty rad museum. not only is it a beautiful building, but the exhibits are really unique and moving. there are a couple galleries devoted to art which housed a collection of paintings, a collection of stained glass art, and an impressive collection of jazz-themed quilts.

the permanent exhibit takes you through the African American experience, starting with the birth of humanity in Africa, continuing to the tribal life in Africa, the capturing, transporting and enslavement of Africans as they were brought to the Americas, and the experience of African Americans through American history through the present. the most intense part of this exhibit is walking through a simulated journey in the dark bowels of a slave ship with dozens of wax slaves and a matching soundtrack.

the evening activity was SW and JT's hockey practice. it was my first time at an ice rink, and certainly my first exposure to hockey, and it was so fun to watch SW and JT all cute in their hockey gear sliding around whacking a puck.

7/9/08
we also visited the Cranbrook Art Museum which specializes in the Arts and Crafts movement, and had a fantastic exhibit of craft-work, including quilts and ceramics.

SW and JT took us to see Wall-E at the largest drive-in in the world! Ford Drive-In. it was DB's first time at the drive-in and he wishes there were more for us to frequent. Wall-E was cute.

7/10/08
every time i go to a contemporary art museum i realize that i'm not really into contemporary/modern art... and i'm more of a crafter. Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit was another great reminder of how un-hip i am. i do appreciate modern/contemporary art and think it is valid and important, i just don't enjoy it.

on the way to and fro the MOCAD, we passed the infamous 8 Mile. the number of abandoned and gutted homes, apartment buildings and businesses in detroit is pretty unbelievable, and at another time i'll reveal the plans DB and i have come up with to save detroit.

and of course, there is nothing like a round of put-put golf in the fancy suburbs after seeing a city ravaged by poverty. DB won 50 to 55, but i did have a hole in 1. i should probably also mention that DB also had a hole in 1.

7/11/08
we had a good visit, got to see some art, a bit of Detroit, and that made it sad to say bye-bye to SW and JT. they were awesome hosts, as are Mr and Mrs Meow who warmed up to DB and me enough to let JT get a little sleep.

i miss living near my friends.

vulva skyline

This is where I acknowledge the good bits about my Chicago stay...

7/3/08
Lake Michigan is enormous. I mean, it looks enormous on the map, but when you really get up close and personal... you're pretty sure you're looking at another ocean. The water along Lincoln Park was so green/blue it was getting close to Caribbean. And the breeze that flows off the water is absolutely necessary for maintaining comfort in toasty Chicago.

Oddly, I felt the need to dress in layers. Some moments I was ridiculously hot, and others, such as in the shade and/or while a breeze was blowin', I wished I had worn jeans and a jacket. And nights easily chilled me enough to need those jeans.

The houses and buildings of Chicago are mostly brick, which I find attractive and interesting. In fact, I think I consider brick to be a necessary component of city housing. It really makes a difference, adding character and creating good feelers.

7/4/08
DB and I went on a walk to escape the video games and stopped at a little coffee shop under the el (elevated train). I grabbed a decaf soy mocha which rocked, and then we headed to Wrigley Field, just to say we went there. Of course, it was closed, so we merely walked by, but it was exciting, and we are pleased. After a few lefts and rights we also somehow stumbled onto the Whole Foods used in the Food Network's Top Chef.

7/5/08
The day we "saw the city" we got off the el at Monroe and speed-walked through some sculptural area where DB and I insisted on walking through "the bean" - this giant shiny metal bean that produces a wild optical experience when underneath looking up into the center. The Taste of Chicago was happening, so our guide walked us around the really long and presumably beautiful park he otherwise would have walked us through... but along the way to the Field Museum he did pop us back into the park for a moment so we could see this huge and lovely water fountain.

DB and our host/guide explored the Mythical Creatures exhibit at the Field Museum while I sat outside and read. I did walk around a bit to check out these giant art globes, and I heard a snippet of an architectural tour discussing the buildings along the skyline.

Apparently one of the buildings was designed by a "feminist architect... and you can use your imagination on that one." I think this means that the building could possibly look vulva-esque rather than phallic. Although the info wasn't necessarily presented well, I did love that that is one of the snippets I heard. I love feminist buildings and I think there should be more of them. Imagine an entire city of feminist buildings....

Before DB and our host/guide completed their museum tour I decided to take my experience into my own hands and walked through the park we skipped on the way to the museum. I loved walking around alone and decided to hunt for coffee. I found a Dunkin' Donuts near Van Buren and nestled in for a chocolate glazed donut, a decaf with cream and sugar, and a chapter or two of my book. My first Dunkin' Donuts in two years... mmm, it's good to be going home.

Outside there is a guy crawling around on the ground, looking like he may cry, begging for money. It's easy to tell that this is his gig. This is what he does, daily. It's hard to tell if his face can make any other face besides the crying face. It's painful to watch, so I try not to.

As I read, I look up and see a black man in a wheel chair wheeling by... he smiles at me in his bushy gray wig and waves. This man is so full of joy I can't help but smile and wave back as he passes. He's made my day, and I kinda wish everyone was like this. I see the crying man again and wonder if he'd have better luck if he were smiling instead.

So Long Chicago

July 3 - 6

I have to be honest - I'm disappointed in the Chicago portion of our trip.

Our host was kind enough, we had a place to sleep, and several of our meals out were paid for... these are indisputable benefits, bonuses, and perks that I am fully grateful for receiving.

So what's the dilly-o?

1. I'm tired of being ignored.
2. I wanted to see more of the city
3. I don't enjoy watching people play video games for hours on end

I'm tired of being ignored by DB's friends. My friends don't ignore DB. They actively include him in conversations, ask him about himself, and respond to his comments and questions. Whereas DB's friends do not offer the same courtesies to me... We call it "the invisible girlfriend phenomenon," and we've seen it before. Anyway, 3 days of being ignored was a bit beyond my tolerance level.

I wanted to see more of Chicago - and I'm sure there was more to see.

Day 1 - We walk to the lake. DB and our host play chess while I read.

Day 2 - We watched our host play video games, excuse ourselves for a walk around the neighborhood, come back for more video game watching, then attend a 4th of July party our host wanted to attend. (DB and I aren't much for big parties, we're more the wine sipping and cheese board types.)

Day 3 - The big day in the city. Our host had told us all these great things about the city, yet I got this feeling that he felt obligated to be our tour guide and didn't want to, like he'd rather be home playing video games. When we finally arrived downtown, he bolted so fast that we didn't have a chance to really look around since we needed to keep on the look out for which direction our host / guide, had gone. We even asked him to slow his pace which he did... a tiny bit. I'd have prefered our host send us off on our own if he didn't really feel like showing us around. And since I was an "invisible girlfriend" I didn't feel like I could really state that maybe we should do our own site seeing.

Day 4 - We left for Detroit, MI.

Of course there is more that I didn't appreciate, but I don't want to dwell on any additional details. I wash my hands of Chicago.

Hello Wisconsin

July 2nd - Minneapolis, MN to Madison, WI

I wasn't sure what to expect in Wisconsin. My only "experience" with WI has been "That 70's Show" which I find pretty fantastic, but not necessarily a provider of much actual state history or geography.

What we saw were a helluva lot of brick silos - one with a pumpkin perched on top (see below). I think I'd like to have a nice cute brick silo of my own some day. Oh, and a ridiculous number of water-parks. And an unholy number of Christmas tree farms. I can only imagine that Wisconsin exports Christmas trees to the rest of America, and possibly Canada, in order to justify the number of trees they grow. I am certain there aren't enough people in the local states to support these farms.

DB was able to find Wisconsin's highest altitude in the back of our atlas... something around a couple thousand feet. This provided a great deal of giggles for me as I repeatedly exclaimed "Wisconsin's highest point!" and pointed at a nearby hill.

We also saw a very interesting rendition of the "deer crossing" signs, of which I wish we had a photo to share. The silhouette of the deer is a bit more vertical, with a bit larger body and head, giving the slight appearance of a potato.

Ironically, even though we saw at least 7 state troopers pulling folks over on the hwy, there was something about all the firework stands claiming "bigger, louder, deadlier" that just gave me this overall feeling of unease.

Our favorite cafe in Wisconsin is definitely Acoustic Cafe... In fact, it's just about the only business still open in downtown Au Claire which appeared to have an 80 percent vacancy rate in their businesses district. Ouch! Too bad, because it's actually an adorable town. Interestingly, the sprawl that surrounds on the way between the town and the interstate seems to be thriving (this is where all the chain stores).

Madison is kinda cute. If I hadn't already pledged my allegiance to Minneapolis, I'd live in Madison. Maybe. Do I get free cheese for saying that?

Anyway, we stayed in a hostel. I thought it was pretty rad. DB had some weird anxiety thing about it, but maybe that was the Uno's cookie talking.

July 3rd - Madison, WI to Chicago, IL

Got some cheese on the way to Chicago, and ice cream, too. Can't go to Chicago without stopping for ice cream along the way, I always say.

facebooking

i had been invited to join facebook over a year ago by a coaching colleague. because im a bit of a snob, i ignored the request. after all, i was already a member of friendster, linkedin, and probably several other networking sites i've forgotten about since joining.

yet, while hangin' here in Mpls (that's short for Minneapolis), LE was talking about playing scrabble on facebook with various friends, and how fun it was, and how our lives would be improved 100 times if only DB and i would join, too.

then yesterday, while i was reading and waiting for laundry to finish, DB was being his mischevious self. i came up to see what he was doing... he was editing his new facebook profile.

ET TU BRUTE

so now, instead of driving to Madison, Wisconsin, experiencing the best cheese america has to offer, i have spent the morning facebooking.

ye ole curiosities

Departure Date: Sunday, June 15, 2008

Days on the Road: 18

Laundry Doings: 4

Hotels Nights: 2

Rest Stop Nights: 1

Nights Slept in Car: 3

Mosquito Bites: Me - 9, DB - 0

Fast Food Stops: 0

Chain Restaurants Eaten At: 2 (Chili's and Outback Steakhouse)

Brewpubs Visited: 6 (WAx2, ID, MT, SD, MN)

Ice Cream Cones: 4 (per person)

Current Location: Minneapolis, MN

Total Miles Traveled: 3017.1

Distance From Seattle: 1666 miles

Total Mileage on the Car: 11030

Hubcaps Irreparably Damaged During 10k Mile Servicing of Car by the Black Hills Toyota Service Center in South Dakota: 1

Major Mountain Ranges Crossed This Trip:

• Cascade Mtns (WA)
• Rocky Mtns (MT)

Major Rivers Crossed This Trip:

• Columbia River (WA)
• Missouri River x4 (SD)
• Mississippi River x2 (MN)

Next 3 Destinations:

• Madison, Wisconsin
• Chicago, Illinois
• Detroit, Michigan

Number of Meals with Eggplant in the last 4 days: 3

Networking Websites Joined: 1

Networking Websites Quit: 1

Favorite City So Far: Minneapolis, MN

Smelliest City: Pierre, SD

i heart minneapolis

i have no idea how it took us so long to get from the Badlands to Minneapolis, but we're finally here. i vaguely recall sleeping at a rest stop in mid - South Dakota, sleeping at a state campground just east of Minnesota, then driving all day and staying in a hotel in Minneapolis.

LE and T have been graciously hanging out with us and taking us to their favorite places.

on Saturday LE entertained us herself. she tooks us on a tour around the Minneapolis lakes, brought us to French Meadows for coffee (yum!). after a nap - which actually means watching "So You Think You can Dance," then we had eggplant parm for dinner (my fav & courtesy of DB), and played a rousing game of Scrabble in which LE kicked our rears... if DB and i had combined our score we'd have had the game by 30pts.

today has included french toast, a documentary film (Young At Heart), ice cream, internetting, and nap time. we'll be having eggplant enchiladas for dinner (courtesy of DB), and playing Apples to Apples tonight.

so far, DB and i agree that Minneapolis is pretty rad. will we be returning here to live in a couple years? stay tuned to find out!

Life in the Badlands

Just east of the Blackhill's are what are called the Badlands. Named such by some white people exploring, traveling east, and committing genocide. It was noted by Native Americans in the area that clearly these lands were not bad - they were teeming with life.

And, in fact, they are still teeming with life... although some of it has been reintroduced to the area due to natural populations either dying out or being over hunted by... you guessed it, the white folks who claimed the land was barren. We were fortunate to see some of this life, and we lovingly bring it on home to you.

Upon entering the Badlands National Park we immediately realized that we were on top of and traveling across a plateau. Our first stop gave us not only a spectacular view of the valley beyond, but also our first encounter with the elusive Bighorn Sheep. (Apparently, it is not common to see these cuties.)




Our continued meanderings revealed various breathtaking landscape formations.





We also saw a variety of grasses, flowers, dinosaur fossils, along with animals too far away or too quick to be captured on film - a fox, antelope, and various birds.

Fortunately for you, I am kind enough not to subject you to the two dozen photos of Prairie Dogs taken throughout the 60 mile drive around the park. I thought one photo was plenty to convince you that you, too, want your own Prairie Dog. Although, please beware... they carry the Plague.

No really, there are signs outside the park warning tourists to stay in their cars and not frolick with Prairie Dogs due to the Plague. I, however, am impervious to such signs... which is why one little fella was barking madly at me as I attempted to get nearer for a close-up. The Prairie Dog shown here did not bark - instead it posed nicely for the camera.




And, of course, no animal photo-shoot would be complete without Bison (aka Buffalo). These Bison aren't totally free-roaming because being such would be a health hazard. Apparently cows have communicable diseases that cause reproductive problems for Bison - So, the Badlands Bison are kept in a large-ish contained area. In an effort to boost morale they have been told they are free... which reminds me of how things work in certain country I live in... but I'm sure it would be "unpatriotic" to say so.

Tiny Faces

Our first stop was Deadwood in the Blackhills, an old mining town turned tourist destination. We checked out their museum and an ice cream shop; and drove through the gamblin' part of town. It's actually pretty fun/cute/cool and worth the stop - even if you're not planning to gamble. Also, there is a tv series that takes place in Deadwood.

Next we did the oil change and tire rotation. No comment on the stress this caused us post-service.

And finally we hit Mt Rushmore which is ridiculously tiny. In all the photos they zoom in and make it look like it's the size of Mt Rainer with giant faces carved into it... actually, it's rather small. Admittedly, the engineering feat is pretty impressive.

"Just one more piece of American kitsch to stick in my pocket." - DB

Wyoming 10k

We finished up our time in Montana at a campground near Ashland, and gratefully exited into Wyoming's Blackhills. As you can see, we have a pretty rad set up... beach umbrella included!




Wyoming gifted us with both the Devils Tower, created by magma and over 5k above sea-level, and finally hitting 10k on our odometer which means it's time for an oil change and tire rotation.

most important stops

Montana is too big and there appears to be no way out. we are surrounded by mountains, storms, casinos and Walmarts, yet cannot find a real ghost town. we give up.

traveling is both fun and exhausting. exhausting particularly when things on the map aren't where they say they are, or we over-extend / over-estimate ourselves (like, packing too many destinations into a single day, thus driving from 8am to 11pm). Montana is the best example of our frustration thus far. i'm willing to take up to 50% of the responsibility for this. Montana gets the other 50%.

before we began our journey we created a tentative itinerary. places we were interested in stopping / seeing, a general route, and a basic timeline. as we travel we are constantly revising - creating new plans of action, routes, destinations, etc. this is both fun and exhausting...

we're almost done seeing the areas we really wanted to hit on the first half of our trip, and we're pretty exhausted by traveling and not having a real home. it's now time to pick up the pace and get closer to seeing our friends - they are the most important stops along the trip.

ghost hunting

so, we've been driving around montana for, like, two days or something and everything we want to see that is on the free visitors state map happens to not have clear directions, road signage, etc. in fact, it's all been one wild ghost chase.

our first attempt at finding a ghost town went array when as we were getting nearer the possible turn off, a ridiculous storm headed our direction. i have to say that Montana's storms are terrifying. there is so much wide open sky that when it starts to fill up with dark ominous clouds, some of which look like they might just be willing to go tornado on your ars, it's enough to make a person hope they won't get shot knocking on people's doors. seriously, i was almost ready to pull into some farmer's driveway and beg for shelter.

two awesome pictures of an edge of the storm...



since, we were unsuccessful finding the unmarked road of the ghost town and terrified by the storm, we decided to keep driving until we were well out of storm-range. we ended up driving pretty late looking for some of the camp sites also listed on this stupid map. after miles and miles of searching down dark dirt roads, we settled on sleeping in the car behind some random kiosk in a 50 person town. we had a pretty good set up - moved the various suitcases about, put some batik skirts in the windows for privacy, and wha-la!

the next morning we resumed our ghost-town hunt. the first place we checked out was hardly what i'd call a ghost town... there were people living there. there were a few boarded up buildings that were historical from the mining period 100 years ago. DB and i agree that the town folk might be better served if they put these beautiful buildings to some use instead of leaving them sit empty.

we thought we'd make one more attempt at finding a ghost town that could meet our Hollywood expectations. so, another 15 miles of moutainous dirt road in our tiny car in the middle of nowhere found us agitated and frustrated. there were some abandoned barns and oldish looking houses, but nothing that should qualify as a ghost town.

we now refer to every abandoned or oldish building as "ghost town!"

in case you're wondering

we estimate we've traveled 475 miles eastward.
we have put about 1000 miles on the car since leaving last Sunday.

Food:

• breakfasts consist of granola with almond milk, a banana, and maybe another fruit if we've got any left over from the day before.
• lunch tends to be in towns... sandwhiches, soups, etc.
• we are eating bag salad for dinners. they are easy, require little clean up, and are yummy.
• deserts = roasted marshmallows or fruit.

yes, we are eatting enough. we have a big giant bag of snack foods... dried fruits, almonds, granola bars, and sometimes candy bars.

Sights:

• 0 bears
• 9 deer
• the continental divide
• rivers - lots of big fast rivers
• giant cheese graters (or things that look like such)
• bikers taking over a campground and setting up a tent-bar to serve alcohol
• 3 bilboards for the "World Famous Testicle Festival"

it appears a thunder storm is headed our way... so, rather than camp, our plan is to drive forever until we stop, sleep in the car(?) and get a motel/hotel tomorrow morning so we can sunbathe all freakin' day by the pool. we do intend to see at least one ghost town, hit Bozeman and Billings. oh, also, we're now on Mountain time.

25 cent showers

reporting live from the public library in Missoula, MT...

6/19 Thrs

ever seen seaguls in the desert? i don't think i had until now. yeah, an entire flock, weird.

arrived in Pullman, gave DB the grand tour of WSU. unfortunately the two places on campus i spent the bulk of my time were under renovation (the CUB, and Wilson Hall). there were a plethora of new buildings, a significant decline in amount of on campus parking, and the Bookie once again failed to have any dark red Cougar sweatshirts i could purchase for my own personal wearing. we did manage to pick up a few $1 books for our reading pleasure.

Rancho Viejo has withstood the test of time, still making it #1 Mexican food establishment in the US, 15 years running.

camping provided by Boyer Park... who thought they might be full up, then decided they had one spot left... oddly, no one else showed up that night. they probably heard about the sprinkler system which drenches the tenting spots starting around 4am. forutnately the sun was up early and dried us out. we were a bit grumpy due to lack of sleep between 3:45 and 6am. fortunately we could shower for a mere 25 cents.


6/20 Fri

i talk about the dunes so often i had to show DB. sadly, they have been much neglected. we did find deer tracks in the sand which is kinda neat.

Path:
Moscow ID for grocery shopping and lunch. yay for the co-op!
Lewiston ID because that's the direction we had to go to go east.
Lowell, ID to the free Rackliff Campground complete with fleas, bats and deer. we were a bit concerned about bears, but we slept fairly sound with no trace of animal activity.

wheats going on?

Major stops...
Start - Potholes (near Moses Lk)
Palouse Falls (lunch)
Pomeroy (Ranger Station)
Dayton (2nd lunch)
Camp Wooten (dinner and sleep)

first stop of the morning was Palouse Falls. our first sight - a Yellow-Bellied Marmot. no kidding. we literally were parking the car and saw a strange creature across the chasm climbing about. cute.




the drive was gorgeous - shining sun, green, purple, brown and golden hills abound the Palouse. we were both pretty thrilled about wind energy being harnessed in this region. some folks don't really like giant metal windmills, but i happen to think, in the right place, they can be an awe-inspiring addition to the landscape.

between Dayton and Camp Wooten we found our heritage marked. have you ever stopped at heritage markers? every time i do, i find myself wondering "what the hell is this supposed to be about?" and then i realize these markers are meant for people who drive RVs and speak in rhyme. in any case, this heritage marker, marks a stop made by Lewis and Clark, and has a plaque describing who each character is and what they may have been doing on any given day.




we weren't sure what we'd find at Camp Wooten as we entered the formerly forested area and found it had some time ago been devistated by wild fires. the camp was far enough in that there were living trees and animals... but no Wootens to be found.




next stop... WSU, Pullman, WA.

Dancing with Horses

DB engaging in tent dancing...



Chased by Wild Horses at Vantage... fortunately we spotted another traveler video taping the incident...



Post-horse we headed to Moses Lake and Warden, two places I lived as a young lass. DB got to see two of my elementary schools (K-2) and a handful of houses I lived in. Plus, my first Burger King (2nd grade field trip to see "how it's all done" in the kitchen). (no photos available).

For accommodations, we stayed at the 3 starred Potholes State Park just south of Moses Lake (photo below)... birds, rabbits, squirrels, giant black beetles, and tons of fishing (we did not see any fish, however). We did each enjoy a decent 6 minute shower which means no need to stay in a hotel for another few days.

on the road again

after 1 month in the seattle area, db and i have begun our journey eastward.

i wasn't able to visit everyone i wanted to. but i did actually try to visit everyone, which is more than i can say for previous trips to seattle.

db got to see plenty of downtown seattle, two Mariner's games (one of which was vs the Red Sox), more than anyone's share of Marysville, lots of brew pubs, a generous helping of my family, a few of my friends, and some very large mountains.

we also had the pleasurable company of quite a few deer on our camping trips to the Winthrop and Wenatchee areas. In fact, we're 99.9 percent certain a deer slept next to our tent one night near Diablo. the tenting area had sand and was flat when we set up our tent. we saw a deer before bed, then one woke us up as it huffled near the tent. and in the morning there was an indented area next to the foot of the tent that was in the shape of a large animal - likely a deer.

we also had a run in with an ambitious little mouse near Lake Wenatchee. i awoke in the dark to see the outline of a little mouse on top of the tent as it scurried across and slid down the other side. the wee fella spent half the night trying to hurdle itself back over but never made it up again.

we officially left yesterday and stayed the night at a campsite near Cle Elum. our plan is to find places we can camp for several days at a time and just relax our faces off as we head to our first true destination "Minneapolis."

Me, DB and our darling little Yaris.

boring notes from a weekend adventure

we rented a car for the weekend and took a camping and hiking trip in our new neck of the woods.

it was so fantastic to get out of the psuedo heat and into some serious summer hot, along with dips in the rivers.

our first stop was Etna, CA where we dined at a brew pub and camped in a local park with a few fire fighters who were catching some zzzz's after 18 hours of fighting lightening fires.

the next day we hiked a teeny tiny portion of the PCT (Pacific Coast Trail) to a little lake, ate lunch, and headed back toward home to find a camping spot for the next couple nights.

we stayed near a swimming hole we'd found the first day, and enjoyed a great day hike to a river with a soft rounded bottom of granite. we swam a bit, ate, and relaxed before heading back. it was ridiculously hot - too hot to be on a hike.

our final day we got up a bit late and headed home to explore a bit of the area closer to our new town. i'll have to take some photos of one of the coastal beaches we live near. it honestly looks like a pirate haven. it's pretty incredible.

Paradise Found

In our quaint little town we've noticed something peculiar. People here are friendly. And normal.

This friendly, normal thing even includes the town youth. Seriously, we were walking down the sidewalk on two seperate occassions and had kids say "excuse me" as they passed on skateboards. Another time a kid actually stopped his bike on the sidewalk and let us pass.

People here smile at strangers, and not in a creepy way. Neighbors stop by to say hello and share from their gardens. Deli clerks invite people to parties at the river, and folks working at the grocery seem happy to be there. It's kinda wild.

Granted we just moved here. But it's an incredibly refreshing change from our year in San Diego, a supposid paradise.

When we moved to San Diego we expected to experience a year long vacation in paradise. That's what San Diego promises. But what we found were a lot of mentally ill people living on the streets, a lot of homeless teens and young adults, a very big party scene, racially segregated communities, and surprisingly very little "culture" considering the proximity to Mexico.

Kids and adults rushed passed us on their bikes and skateboards, not bothering to even acknowledge we were sharing sidewalk space and often forcing us off the sidewalk or to stop and let them pass. We were there an entire year, frequented several business establishments regularly, chatted with a couple of our neighbors and servers, and yet never truly made any friends and certainly were never invited to any parties or gatherings. It was a tough scene to break into, and we never really felt at home.

On our first day here in our new little town, we've already met several new people and feel so completely welcome and safe. This place feels like a true community and I'm looking forward to creating wonderful relationships.

California Road Trip

Moved from southern to northern California.

Day 1:
Picked up our rental car, loaded all our belongings, checked out of our apartment, dropped off recycling and donations, picked up sandwiches and got on the road.

Took 1-5 from San Diego to some place south of San Francisco, where we got onto route 198(?) for a more leisurely stroll across to highway 101. Then up to SF where we crossed the Golden Gate Bridge (DB's 3rd time, my fourth) and then stopped at a hotel in Navato.

Total time on the road: 12 hours
Total miles: 630

Day 2:
Complementary waffles and ping pong at our hotel before getting on the road. Back down to SF to view the bridge from the old artillery, then a very long and leisurely drive up highway 1 until we could cut across on 116 and 12 to Santa Rosa. Took 101 the rest of the way up, enjoying gorgeous scenery. We reached our final destination in Humboldt County around 7pm.

Total time on the road: 9 hours
Total miles: 320

Are you going to San Francisco?

It's official!

We've booked our flights, made our hotel reservation, have been studying the transit maps, and are reading up on all the neighborhoods we want to visit.

We'll arrive early on DB's birthday, so we have the entire day to celebrate SF style!

We'll also be visiting SFSU and UC Berkeley campuses since we plan to move there in September or January and attend one or both schools. More details on that later.

We may or may not have internet access while we're out and about (haven't decided exactly how "connected" we want to be), but I'll post a run down of the trip when we return.

Desert Hike

We went hiking at Lake Morena Sunday. The surroundings were all rocky with a big manmade lake, although the actual "trail" is an old service road and not a trail at all. Apparently, they build a dam in 1902, but the lake never filled. In 1916 the city actually hired a guy from LA to come make it rain. They promised him $10,000 if he could fill the lake. He came, set up shop, and not only filled the lake, but filled the entire valley with rain. The city refused to pay him due to the massive flooding. Typical of government, huh?

In any case, it's a beautiful place, and the air was hot and dry. I love hot dry air - it reminds me of home - the dry desert summer of Moses Lake, WA.

Although there were so many little critters running about, and beautiful landscapes, photos tend not to come out well when the sun is high, so we only took a couple. Wouldn't ya know it, they turned out perfectly :)

we got it!

YAY! We got the apartment!!!

It's incredible! We signed the lease and we move in tomorrow!!! YAYAYAYAY!

last chance

we have to check out of the hotel tomorrow and there doesn't seem to be any available rooms in our price range. so, we have to find a place today or we're on the street for a while. today is the day, and that's exactly what we intentioned - finding a place we can move into by the 15th.

we looked at an incredible place today - a renovated spanish building from the 1920's spanish. it really matches our intentions in the most important aspects (there are a few ways it falls short, but none are deal breakers)... let me count the ways in which this fulfills our requirements:

• although 6 really long blocks from Ocean Beach, we are merely half a block from The Cliffs where we can not only see the incredible ocean below and beyond, but we can also climb down to a path along the cliffs to enjoy the ocean and two sandy beaches (one a few blocks to the left and another a few blocks to the right)
• the building and neighborhood is in what several realtors and tenants have referred to as the "more desirable" side of Ocean Beach, making it both quiet and safe both day and night.
• technically not available for another two weeks, if we get the apartment, we'll be able to move in on the 15th... the unit will be cleaned and painted while we live there, so we'd just have to refrain from buying furniture or decorating till the 27th
• easy to find (take W. Pt Loma Blvd to Sunset Cliffs Blvd and make a left. Take a right onto our street and we're 1.5 blocks up on the left in the most interesting looking building a few houses before The Cliffs).
• the building is clean and well-kept, and although the unit isn't technically "ready for occupancy" its still pretty damn clean. and we absolutely adore the management company - super friendly, honest and willing to answer all our silly bostonian "what does this mean" questions, and really seems to take the responsibility of being a landlord seriously (maintenance request slips in the hallway, posting legally required signs which we haven't witnessed in any other buildings, etc.)
• great light in the apartment both morning and early evening. then fair lighting into the kitchen area through the courtyard (which has a fountain and seating area!)
• go figure - the unit is 350 sqft and is called a Junior 1bd (which means its a studio with a separate kitchen). there is tons of storage in the kitchen/dining area, and the bedroom/living space there is a huge closet. plus, the bathroom sports built-in shelving. as far as room for doing art... i could set up shop in the courtyard, half a block away at the cliffs, or in the apartment if i choose.
• so, its not cottage-like, but it reminds me of a small spanish hacienda - eventually i'll post photos. there is so much character to this place, i can live without the grassy yard - plus there is a water shortage, so grassy yards just aren't an environmentally thoughtful way to go.
• the place isn't furnished, and the bedroom/living area is carpeted - so that's a down side. but it does have vinyl floors in the kitchen and bath. i can live with it.
• it seems to be in energetic alignment with both of us - we both love it.
• affordable at $915/mo, with a low security deposit. we do have to pay for all the utilities (water, sewer, trash, electric and gas) but they shouldn't cost more than $75/mo. the reason we pay for water is to help with conservation... if a person knows they pay for water, they consume less. i like it.
• this place is 6 blocks or less from everything we need - including a diner, coffee shop, library, and the only music venue in OB! also, we're 1/2 block from the bus stop, on two lines. one which goes downtown and the other goes to Old Town. laundry is on-site. one market is about 6 blocks away, the co-op is 16 blocks away and on the bus route.
• haven't seen any neighbors, so we can only hope they are friendly. the apartment manager says she likes to keep a quiet building, so it should be pretty nice. most tenants are long term residents, too.
• the windows... well, there are 3 and only one opens. but if we live here, that will be our first work-order request, to get the other two in working condition. we must have open windows! the sink is equipped with garbage disposal, and the bedroom/living area has a ceiling fan. the fridge is big and spacious. no microwave, no problem.
• finally, the place appears to be pest-free, and if we ever decide to get a cat we are welcome to for an additional deposit. YAY!

intentioning our perfect home in san diego

somewhat of a repeat of yesterday, except we did about half the walking. started out checking apartment listings online - craigslist and the sd reader - then called potential apartments during the 2 mile walk to Ocean Beach. also called folks we hadn't got ahold of yesterday.

have i mentioned how cheap the restaurants are here?
lunch today: sloppy joes, poppers and soda for only $6.50 total (including tax).

saw a few places today... a few between $800 or $1000, but don't quite match-up with our list of desires (aka intention list). location, size, price and move-in date are the top deciding factors. we have an appointment to look at something tomorrow which is in a super cute building but a few extra blocks from the ocean.

Intentioning our perfect home in San Diego:
Our new home is:

• a stone's throw to/from the beach
• in a safe, quiet neighborhood/location both day and night
• available for us to move in by July 15th, 2006
• easy to manifest, find, rent, afford
• clean and well-kept by our friendly, kind, honest, responsible landlord
• full of natural light
• spacious (350+sqft) with plenty of built-in storage and room for doing art
• 1 bdrm, cottage-like, with grassy yard and space for a grill
• furnished in a style that appeals to us with wood or tile floors
• in energetic alignment with both of us
• affordable - $800/mo, low security deposit, utilities included
• convenient: laundry room on site or nearby, close to market, diner, coffee shop, library, music scene, work
• surrounded by kind, friendly, honest, responsible, neighbors who keep appropriate volume and refer clients to me
• equipt with windows that easily open/close/lock, garbage disposal, microwave, refrigerator, ceiling fan
• pest-free and cat friendly

the hunt is on

• Woke early for 6am PST coaching call
• Completed awesome call
• Showered
• Walked to OB (2+ miles)
• Breakfast at super awesome/cheap diner - total $10 for 2 complete meals
• Walked up and down each street in a 2 block by 12 block area nearest the beach
• Took down apt management numbers posted on buildings and made tons of calls
• Library for classifieds in Union Tribune
• Lunch at Subway, fruit from grocery
• More walking in a new 2 block by 12 block area
• Took down apt management numbers posted on buildings and made more calls
• Saw two units inside, peaked in a few windows of other units
• Toes in the ocean, splash-splash, surfers everywhere
• Took another coaching call, this time from the beach :)
• Walked back to the hotel (2+ miles)
• Groceries for next few days (sandwich stuff, cereal, fruit, etc)
• Shower
• Ate salad for dinner
• Walked back to OB and then returned to hotel to experience our new neighborhood at night (4+ miles)
• 11pm, bed time

Note: fruit and veggies are ridiculously cheap here in CA... im in love

california here i come

so, here i am... sitting in the jetblue rotunda at JFK airport in NYC enjoying my free wireless internet connection and various tv programming. where am i off to today, you ask? why, sunny ol' San Diego of course.

"a mirror into my private life," db mutters as he gazes up into the picturesque daytime drama of General Hospital.

young and restless, thats what we were last week after returning from our most recent hiking trip. we've been somewhat at the mercy of other folks kindness for rides to and fro, and this has resulted in lots of sitting about with little to do except dream of hiking or california and what awaits us there.

we are equally ready to get our new lives started in San Diego. for me this means finding an apartment, doing some temp work, advertising my art, reiki and coaching in my new neighborhood, and relaxing on the beach. from what i understand, for db this means finding an apartment, getting a job working with kids (school, social work, etc), and reading 100 books over the next year.

so, on a whim a few days ago we decided to investigate flight prices again - something we haven't done in over a month since deciding to spend the summer hiking. prices weren't as good as they were in spring, yet they were sufficiently low for us to check into getting a ride to the airport. turned out, db's friend was headed up to Burlington, VT the morning of our flight to take a Mandarin language course. the synchronicity of these events led to this morning's early departure.

we knew it would be a long day. the first leg of our flight was scheduled to leave Burlington at 4:30pm and our ride would be dropping us off at the airport a good 9 hours early. we figured we could check in early and go flit around town for the day. apparently, this is not allowed. we could check in as early as noon, but no sooner...

unless... we wanted to fly stand-by on the 11:30am flight to JFK. we'd still have to wait for our original connecting flight to San Diego, but at least it would break up our day. since neither of us had been to JFK airport, we figured it would be an adventure. we could check the place out and really get to know it. thus we opted for the earlier flight.

please, do not mistakenly think that just because JFK is a cool airport name and in the cool city of NY that the place is any more comfortable, interesting or entertaining than any place else on the planet... it is most definitely not. in fact, its right up there with Chicago's Midway airport which i liken the atmosphere to the basement of my middle school gymnasium.

and that brings us back to the present moment.

we concur that soap operas are where americans learn to behave... dramatizing every little interaction to the point of making us nauseous.

Long Trail Adventure Day Eleven-B

Not a "real" hiking day - no Long Trail miles. We merely hiked down a couple miles to a trail head where Daniel's parents picked us up. A huge storm came through last night and another was on its way for the afternoon, so rather than try to summit Mt. Mansfield in a thunderstorm, we figured we'd go home and relax our faces.

Distance: 2+ miles

Start: Butler Lodge

Destination: Stephenson Rd

Weather: Windy

Damage: Thankfully none

Morale: Pretty high

Breakfast: Granola bars

Lunch: Burgers in St. J

Long Trail Adventure Day Eleven

Is Hell located in the mountains? Maybe.

One hell of a morning from Puffer to Taylor Lodge. Longest, slowest, hardest, most injurious 3.4+ miles ever!

I fell twice. First, forward into a mud pit, twisting my left ankle (fortunately not sustaining any injury). Second, backward onto my ass, seriously bruising my right cheek and scraping the top layer of skin from my right wrist. Downward climbs suck. Daniel also fell twice, escaping with not so much as a scratch.

We rested for an hour or more at Taylor Lodge and after catching our second wind, hiked another 3.4+ miles up Mt. Mansfield to Butler Lodge. This second bit really restored Morale and left us each feeling greatly accomplished. After discussion, we determined our feelings of accomplishment from hiking come from a combination of actually going a decent distance in a decent amount of time and feeling like we truly got some exercise.

Still, I insist we return to St. J tomorrow before we end up going home in pine boxes.

In other news, on our second half, we were passed by two thunderstorms which only sprinkled on us and enjoyed incredible views of the surrounding mountains.

Plus, when passing a pond we saw a bullfrog!!!


Distance: 6.9 miles

Start: Puffer Shelter

Destination: Butler Lodge

Weather: Thunder Storms

Damage: Bruised right bum-cheek, scraped wrist, twisted left ankle, sore knees

Morale: all-time low, really great

Breakfast: Oatmeal w/ Raisins and Refried Beans

Lunch: Tuna, Hershey's bar, Reese's

Dinner: 1.25 bags of Chicken Top Ramen, Rice, Hershey's and Reese's PB cups.

Long Trail Adventure Day Ten

The good news is that there were very few bugs out today.
The bad news is that we accidentally went to Harrington's View instead of continuing on the trail. Whoops!

Last night, there was a crazy thunderstorm with Nickel-sized hail banging on the tin roof of our shelter. Man, it was LOUD! I think it rained much of the night, and we were finally lured out into the open around 11am when it finally stopped raining and the sun came out. Little did we know we'd be caught later in two thunder storms while climbing Bolton Mountain.

The first wasn't too bad, but the second one soaked us completely through, plus added even more water to the dangers and obstacles. I fell twice on the super challenging, slippery terrain. We've decided we're much better at going up mountains than going down mountains.

While climbing, we kept hearing this loud banging noise. It wasn't thunder, it sounded more like a hammer. I think it was before we hit the shelter that we saw on our map that the trail ran along the Ethan Allen Firing Range. Eeek!

Today's awesome sightings included another Moose tree (a tree that looked suspiciously like a moose head), great views of surrounding mountains. Although we can't see them, this cavey, waterfally, streamy, mossy, everygreeny Bolton Mtn must be full of faeries and elves!

Due to the storms we had to make it a short hiking day, so we're "behind" 3.4 miles. Freezing and wet, we changed into dry clothes, pitched our tent inside the shelter to get and keep warm and shared a sleeping bag until the shivers dissipated. Believe it or not, even in summer, hypothermia is a threat.

No Red Eft sightings today.


Distance: 4.5 miles

Start: Buchanan Lodge

Destination: Puffer Shelter

Weather: Thunder Storms

Damage: Fell twice, no injuries

Morale: "It's alright"

Breakfast: Oatmeal w/ Raisins

Dinner 1: 1.75 bags of Beef Top Ramen, Reese's

Dinner 2: Tuna, Granola bar.

Long Trail Adventure Day Nine

Daniel's dad drove us to the Long Trail at Jonesville on VT Route 2 where we started our 4 day danger-hike. We encountered one large slippery boulder after another to climb up and over, miles of deep, wet, gushy mud puddles, and lots of large, fat spiders in outhouses and shelters.

Within the first couple miles I took a serious fall, slipping down a root system and slamming/scraping my left elbow on a huge tree root. I was pretty stunned from the fall and sat there for a minute assessing the situation - was I okay, could I safely get up, was anything broken, did I need assistance?

I determined my feet, ankles, legs and hips were still in working order, although I had slid some distance on my bum, and decided to get up and see if the horrible pain in my elbow and the numbness spreading to my hand was going to mean the end of our adventure. Nausea spread over me as I hobbled around trying to collect the various things that had spilled out of my mesh side pockets while simultaneously trying not to cry or move my left arm.

Daniel had taken a short break just before my fall, so arrived a few minutes later and heroically cleaned my scraped elbow, applied the special ointment which came with our first aid pack, and then applied the appropriate sized bandaid to my wound. I shot Daniel an incredulous stare at seeing the small bandaid he was going to apply to what I imagined was an enormous gash. "That's it?" I asked. He smirked back "Yep." And we continued on.

Although I couldn't keep the water out of my shoes, I was able to keep the bugs away with new hiking pants from EMS and a newer bottle of bug repellent. And none of this mattered once I entered the first privy for a bathroom break and had to kill a gigantic spider with a penny-sized body. Although I am petrified of spiders, I felt horrible that I killed this plump little guy who probably just wanted me to go away, and I cried.

Daniel saw his first-ever snail - a transparent white body with a brown shell the diameter of a Quarter. How is it possible, growing up in Vermont, to not see a real snail until you are 22 years old? And we saw orange slugs, huge white mushrooms that looked like empty carnations (frilly edges, smooth inside), a toad, a Red Eft, and heard some bullfrogs. My favorite sighting was a half-pie-sized burnt orange mushroom that looked suspiciously like a Thanksgiving turkey.




Distance: 7.6 miles

Start: Jonesville VT 2

Destination: Buchanan Lodge

Weather: Wet AM, Sunny PM, Warm

Damage: Bruised and cut elbow.

Morale: Good.

Lunch: Tuna, Granola bars

Dinner: Chicken Top Ramen, Rice, Reese's PB cups.

Not hiking is a serious drag

Believe it or not, spending 4 to 8 hours each day walking over endless miles of rocks, roots and dirt carrying 20 to 30 lbs on my back, sweating profusely even in the rain, and sludging through mudholes each the size of a truck is actually incredibly enjoyable.

Even sitting around camp for antoher 4 to 8 hours looking at the trees, paths, and other hikers, and looking for the birds you can hear chirping wildly or whatever is making that leaf-shuffling ruffle over yonder is splendidly and endlessly entertaining.

I am rested. Well rested. And it's deathly boring.

I can't wait to get out there for another 5 to 6 day stint. We start hiking a more northern part of the LT tomorrow - a more difficult part. Then we'll be back for a couple days and head out for another 5 days or so.

Long Trail Adventure Day Eight

If my feet weren't blistered I could walk forever! I feel fantastic! Alas, my feet win out this battle. DB's shoulders are also super sore and this makes for bad hiking morale.

We made it to Manchester Center - the first 6 miles were pretty easy. But the descent to VT 11/30 kicked our asses (or in my case, kicked my feet and DB's shoulders). Adding on another few miles of walking to town didn't help.

We planned to stay at one of the local lodging places mentioned in the Long Trail guide book, but when we arrived we were told the owner was on his honeymoon and the place was closed. Ouch. We proceeded to call around, finding the rates to be a bit out of control... $120 - $290 per night for double occupancy!!!

We decided to get some grub and think over our options which we concluded were:

• Hike 10 miles back to a Long Trail shelter and stay there for a couple days till we recover and can continue hiking
• Keep looking for a hotel/motel that we can afford and hope we find something within walking distance
• Pay a ridiculous amount to stay in town at one of the swanky places we called for pricing
• Make friends with some locals and ask to camp on their lawn, offering them $25 to use their shower and toilet
• Hope DB's dad was working in White River Junction today and would be willing to pick our tired asses up and bring us home

We went with the last option and called DB's dad, deciding after an awesome first week we could really use a longer break to recover before getting back out on the trail. So, DB's dad picked us up around 7pm. On the way home, we stopped at the Inn at the Long Trail for dinner. Lucky us, it was live music night with a traditional Irish folk group! This place is pretty damn cool and we plan to stay a couple nights when we get there on our hike.

Distance: 9.9 miles

Start: Stratton Pond Shelter

Destination: Manchester Center

Weather: Sunny, beautiful, warm

Damage: Super-blistered toes, itchy bug bites. DBs shoulders wicked sore.

Morale: ALBs is high, DBs is low.

Breakfast: Oatmeal w/ Raisins

Lunch: 16" Pepperoni Pizza, Pitcher of Rootbeer, Pitcher of Water, Ice Cream Sundae

Dinner: Mozzarella, Tomatos, with Pesto and Cheese Burger at the Inn at the Long Trail.

Long Trail Adventure Day Seven

There was no way in hell we'd make it over Stratton Mtn today if we had tried. Our bodies are in serious disrepair and 10+ miles up and down a mountain is likely to kill us. So, we did what most of the first-timers we met did... we went around instead, shaving off 4 miles and any kind of ascent or descent we'd have encountered. We'll return another time to hike to the summit - perhaps as a day hike or a short overnight.

Saw tons of fresh moose tracks, and received our trail name, "Jack and Jill," which turn out to be quiet ironic since Jack and Jill went around the hill today.

The shelter is enormous, possibly able to hold as many as 30 people in the 12 bunks plus the huge loft. Unfortunately, its so large because it is so heavily used... and it was heavily used on this very night. Many AT (Appalachian Trail) hikers stayed in the shelter with us, and I'm hoping they aren't an accurrate representation of all AT hikers since they were obnoxious! DB and I even have gone so far as to give two trail names to the same guy - we like to call him "Chatty Patty" and "Know-it-all".

We're in serious pain and plan to take two days off to receover in Manchester Center.

Distance: 6.0 miles

Start: Story Spring Shelter

Destination: Stratton Pond Shelter via Stratton Pond Trail (not over mtn)

Weather: Drizzly

Damage: Super-blistered toes, itchy bug bites, sore ankles. DBs shoulders wicked sore.

Morale: ALBs is high, DBs declined throughout the day/night.

Breakfast: Oatmeal w/ Raisins

Lunch: Tuna, Snickers, Snickers and more Snickers

Dinner: Top Ramen, Rice, Snickers

Long Trail Adventure Day Six

Summer Solstice - a beautiful day, although our roughest in terms of morale.

Morning brought a Jack Rabbit (or Hare). It hopped right out of the spruce trees looked around for a bit then jetted back under cover. A little bit later it returned, venturing further out before bolting.

Not far from the shelter, we climbed the fire tower for an incredible 360 degree view with blue skies and 8 giant wind-powered generators we saw on our drive to the start point. This photo does not capture the incredible beauty of our view, but gives you an idea of what the things looked like.


Other sightings included a beaver the size of a laborador retriever at a beaver damn (and no, it wasn't a dog - it really was a beaver), lots of humongus dragonflies (some red with black dots, and some black and white) so big I thought they might be humming birds.

A very buggy day - something that doesn't help with morale.

Several older folks at the shelter who are avid hikers told all kinds of great stories about their hiking adventures. This lifted our spirits, as did receiving a giant bag of mini-snickers which we promptly set to work on devouring.

Distance: 8.9 miles

Start: Goddard Shelter

Destination: Story Spring Shelter

Weather: Beautiful sunny, warm day

Damage: Roughed up toes (blisters), lots of itchy bug bites, sore ankles. DBs shoulders super painful, and an upset belly.

Morale: Pretty damn low, although much better by bedtime.

Breakfast: Oatmeal w/ Raisins

Lunch: Black Beans

Dinner: Chicken Top Ramen, Rice, Snickers

Long Trail Adventure Day Five

Late start due to drying out the tent. Wet-tent phenomena is getting to be a drag. We weren't sure how far we'd make it today, but since tenting was allowed along the trail we didn't pressure ourselves to make it to the shelter. We enjoyed a more leisurly pace and got to take in more of the surroundings - my favorite was the Moose Tree (a broken tree that looked remarkably like a giant moose head) up toward the top of our spruce covered Glastenbury Mountain (3748 ft high).

Quote of the day "It's easy when you don't try so hard." Apparently the "day off" yesterday made a huge difference. Our legs, shoulders and backs were well rested and strong. We easily made it to the next shelter.

As we reached the shelter there was a refreshing gusty wind and we decided to sleep in the shelter to avoid the tent-drying ritual the next day. It didn't hurt that Goddard shelter is pretty new and fancy with neat fixtures and a beautiful view of the mountains. The composting privy is the best I've ever seen or smelled - with wood shavings to toss in after you go!

DB and I stayed up almost till dark watching the horizon. We saw the most incredible display of weather over Mt. Greylock. Completely out of harms way with clear skies above us, we saw a beautiful storm cloud hovering over Mt. Greylock and watched the incredible lightening streaks and flashes above and below the cloud.


Distance: 8.5 miles

Start: Melville Neuheim Shelter

Destination: Goddard Shelter

Weather: Sunny and Warm, Stormy Skies but barely any rain

Damage: Thighs and calves from day before

Morale: Super High Spirits - resting helps lots.

Breakfast: Refried Beans

Lunch: various snacks throughout the day

Dinner: Chicken Top Ramen and Couscous

Long Trail Adventure Day Four

The condition of our shoulders and backs necessitated a break in the nearby town of Bennington today. So, stashing our backpacks in the woods and toting our laundry and trash, we descended 1.4 miles to VT 9 and walked 5.1 miles into town, stopping at the first diner for an order of chicken strips.

Post laundry we checked out the town and hung out at a cafe for a couple hours enjoying the music, atmosphere, college art display, a large chai and a rousing game of chess - which, by the way, I won with a total of three queens and one rook. I'm not the most efficient chess player, but I can get the job done.

Believe it or not, we started to get bored just sitting around a bustling town. So, we headed to a brewpub for an early dinner and shared a veggie sandwich. Daniel also had a honey brown ale, which he rated as "the best brewpub brown ale".

While eating I noticed a severe weather alert being broadcast on TV. Naturally, I asked our server which county we were currently in (note: Bennington is in the county of Bennington) and was temporarily relieved since this was not a county mentioned in the alerts. Our server did inform us that it would be only an hour or two before Bennington county would see the storm.

Needless to say, with our backpacks exposed to the elements out in the woods, our tent still pitched but without stakes (its a freestanding tent), and being 6.5 miles away (1.4 of which is a steep uphill climb) and only an hour or so to get there before it all got soaked and blown away... we started to get concerned.

So, we finished our meal and headed out. We called a taxi but declined the ride after our driver picked us up and started driving the wrong way, explaining we could ride along with her for an hour while she stopped at JC Penny's, Weight Watchers and then picked up a few other riders before she'd have time to take us to the trailhead. Clearly she didn't sense our urgent need to return to camp due to the impending storm.

Fortunately, we were able to hitch a ride with an emergency paramedic (in her own truck, not an ambulance) back to the trailhead.

DB and I raced the storm 1.4 miles up the mountain, grabbing our bags and tossing everything into the tent (except our properly bear-bagged food), staking it down, and hopping in just as it started to pour. DB credits the beer for providing the needed energy to run up the mountain. I credit fear of our stuff getting soaked or blown away.


Distance: 7.9 miles

Start: Melville Neuheim Shelter

Destination: Melville Neuheim Shelter

Weather: Started out Sunny and Warm, 5pm severe Thunder and Lightening Storm

Damage: Thighs and calves from the steep descent/ascent back to VT 9

Morale: Started out high, dropped as we walked the 5.1 miles into Bennington, lifted as we rested, and peaked when we actually made it back to camp and saved our backpacks and faces from being drenched in the storm.

Breakfast: Oatmeal w/ Raisins

Lunch: Chicken Strips at a diner in Bennington

Dinner: Veggie Sandwich at Pub in Bennington

Long Trail Adventure Day Three

Woke up at 6:45am, hung our clothes and tent to dry in the morning sun - a time consuming, annoying ritual, ate, packed and headed out. TJ was right when he said "You'll have it all figured out by Day 3." At this point we have a pretty good idea about how to pack our stuff, how often we need breaks, how much we need to eat to feel okay, and how slow we are moving compared to others. So, when a young hippie couple left the shelter at about the same time as us we offered to let them pass. They insisted they'd be slower than us, so we all just plodded along. For a while we were a bit quicker, but eventually they caught up. As he passed, the hippie guy hilariously said "We thought you didn't know the meaning of slow. You taught us everything we know about it."

As we ascended Harmon Hill we each smelled this incredibly sweet fragrance - like warm apricots. The view of Bennington was spectacular, Harmon Hill was picturesque with beautiful trees, berry bushes galore and tall lushous grasses, and if the flies weren't set on eating us for lunch we'd have stayed for our own meal. Alas, we had to move on.

After decending the steepest rock path ever, the Goddess of Mercy answered our prayers as we crossed VT 9 finding a small river. Imagine 3 days of sweaty hiking and you know we took the opportunity to wash up at this point. The water was freezing, but that didn't stop our stinky bodies from squating in as far in as we could and scrubbing ourselves with camp soap (biodegradable, fragrance-free soap for use in the backcountry). Sadly, the ascent immediately following our baths just got us all sweaty, salty, and grimey again.

At the shelter, we took the opportunity to build a little fire and roast a couple marshmallows. Sitting there, basking in the smoke of the fire (which helps ward off biting bugs) Daniel found the cutest thing ever crawling on his shoe- my first ever inchworm sighting. Although our inchworm was brown, the cutest image I could find was of a green one. In any case, these tiny fellas actually do scrunch up then extend their front out a step, bringing their hind-end up to meet the front in an "n" shape. I've never seen anything so adorable in my life. Seriously. Also, Daniel scooped this little guy up on a leaf and we watched with amazement as it inched its way to the edge, stood up on its back-end and peered over the side!



Distance: 5.9 miles

Start: Congdon Shelter

Destination: Melville Neuheim Shelter

Weather: Hot and Sunny

Damage: Sore shoulders and back, mosquito and blackfly bites

Morale: Steady pace and energy, exhausted for the last 2 miles

Breakfast: Oatmeal w/ raisins

Lunch: Snacked on dried apricots, almonds, peanuts, granola bars

Dinner: Top Ramen, Refried Beans, S'Mores

Long Trail Adventure Day Two

Today's adventure had us pass a beaver dam at Stamford Meadows where I heard the *boing* spring-like sound of bullfrogs for the first time ever. We also saw Red Efts galore.

We did not, however, see the remains of a stone foundation of a nineteenth-century tavern or the well-traveled road as the guide book suggests and uses as indicators of how far we've gone or have left to go. In fact, we passed over three or four woods roads, all of which were equally traveled (hardly at all), and there were several bare locations a tavern might have lived in at one time or another.

Questions left unanswered: How did they get the beer and food all the way up the mountain??? And did Robert Frost choose a road less traveled because he couldn't find the well-traveled road???

It is confirmed, my new favorite tree is the Ash Tree (I'm not sure what my old favorite tree was)... they are this powdery grey color, so beautiful, smooth and solid. My favorite one on today's hike was one that looked like a deer head - wish I had a photo.


Distance: 7.4 miles

Start: Seth Warner Shelter

Destination: Congdon Shelter (2:30pm arrival)

Weather: Overcast w/ 2 rain storms

Damage: Shoulders and back bruised, a few mosquito bites

Morale: Energized for the first 3 miles, then pain and fatigue kicked in

Breakfast: Oatmeal

Lunch: Packet of tuna, dried apricots, Reese's

Dinner: Top Ramen, Black Beans, S'Mores

Long Trail Adventure Day One

Daniel's dad drove us down to Williamstown, MA where we began our hike at Pine Cobble Trail. With a 30 lb pack on my delicate shoulders and 35 lbs on Daniel's, we hiked 6.3 miles joining up with the Appalachian Trail and the Long Trail, crossing the MA/VT state lines, through sunshine, trees, and bugs to our destination - Seth Warner Shelter.

Before reaching the summit of the Pine Cobble Trail we saw the most amazing tree! I have dubbed it "The Scrying Tree". Three 8"-10" diameter tree trunks shooting up from the ground, grown together at the base to create a water-filled pool 2' - 3' above the ground. The perfect sitting rock was two feet away. I think the trees were Ash trees, which according to Novareinna.com were considered enchanted by Druids and Witches and used for wands, spears, spell casting, etc.

Distance: 6.3 miles

Start: Pine Cobble Trail - Williamstown, MA

Destination: Seth Warner Shelter

Weather: Warm sunshine

Damage: Shoulders and lower back are bruised, sinus headache, physically exhausted.

Morale: Good spirits. We made it!

Dinner: Chicken Top Ramen, Plain CousCous, Reese's Peanut Butter Cup

She'll be comin' round the mountain

We leave Friday for our first 18 day backpacking adventure on Vermont's Long Trail.

The hike begins in North Adams, MA and continues through Vermont, completing just 2 miles south of the Canadian border. A total of 275 miles which usually takes 30-40 days to hike.

We're beginning Friday (June 16th) and will hike as far as we can until July 3rd or 4th, at which time we will return to Daniel's dad's for a one week break. We think we'll have hiked 100+ miles in this first bit.

Around July 13th we'll head back out to where we left off and hike for another 18 days, hiking as many miles as we can - although this will be a much more difficult stretch. Thus far we plan to take another week long break around August 1st and then head out again to finish up whats left of the trip.

So, on my 30th birthday, I shall be immersed in the woods of Vermont, experiencing a physical and spiritual journey of personal growth and exploration. I shall be challenging myself in a way I've never done before! I am thrilled and terrified, all at the same time. And I can't wait to tell you about the experience!

Warming up for the Long Trail

So, while we're here in Vermont we've decided to do some serious hiking. We plan to start the Long Trail (Massachusetts to Canada through Vermont) in mid-June, which will take anywhere from 30-40 days to hike. As a warm up, we've already hiked:

Mt. Willard (NH), Monday, May 28th. 2.6 miles round trip.
Mt. Pisgah (VT), Wednesday, May 30th. 4 miles round trip.
Mt. Bluff (VT). Friday, June 2nd. 3.2 miles round trip.

We'll be ready in no time for our 6 to 10 miles per day!

the dry runs

we watched the cable tonight. it has been very very long since i just flipped channels without a particular destination in mind. this was made all the more clear by the shows playing.

did you know that john mcenroe has his own talk show? this was news to me. the guy is not a good tv personality. even i could do a better show than him.

observation: it seems that both liberals and conservatives can agree that yes, martha lied and it was wrong, but this witch hunt has been taken too far.

id never heard of scarborough country before, but i think i like the show. tonights topic was terrorist "dry runs" on US airplanes. i found this particularly stricking and i'll tell you why.

the story:
passengers and flight crew experienced a bit of a scare on a flight between detroit and LA when 14 serian men behaved "oddly" during the flight and landing.

the show interviewed two passengers from the flight as well as several security and terrorism experts from various agencies.

the passengers saw the men rise and congregate throughout the flight. and apparently the men rose in sync during landing while the "remain seated" sign was lit. (no, they did not break out in dance and song)

security and terrorism experts showed restraint in categorizing the unusual activity of the men as "terrorist" or not. but they did say they do believe terrorists are routinely conducting "dry runs" in america.

what do i think about this?

funny you should ask.

believe it or not, i had a similar experience on our return flight from london:
pre-boarding, before even seeing any other passengers at the gate, i experienced an intuitive hit that something was amis. note that i rarely experience discomfort about flying since i fly long distances quite frequently. plus im a fairly laid back person, optimistic and at ease - even in chaos and emergency situations.

amongst me i noticed frat boys, babies, teenagers, poorly- and well-dressed, and english-accented, and several middle eastern "looking" men aboard our flight. being sensitive to stereotyping and my role in perpetuating stereotypes, i made a note of my initial reactions to the people around me and then made an effort to move on and enjoy my goodie-bag, provided courtesy of our wonderful airline.

once we were in the air and able to move about the cabin, there were a noticible number of people up and about. already uneasy from my pre-flight intuition, i felt the need to look around. it seemed odd to me that people were up when the flight had only begun. on our flight to london there had been so few people out of their seats at the start of the flight. why so many today?

my next observation was that most of the folks out of their seats appeared to be middle eastern and in some instances they were just standing there, not bathroom bound. this made me extremely uncomfortable. i really wanted everyone to just sit down. i wondered if anyone else felt so uneasy or if i was merely over-reacting due to my intense exposure to our culture's anti-middle east and 9-11 propaganda.

id also like to note, again, my conscious concern about stereotyping - i have a degree in gender studies and another in cultural studies. i recognize my conditioning and bias. i know that no matter how much unlearning i do, there is still a lot of garbage in my head that peaks out, unwanted

with this in mind, i cant help but wonder... what was this?

was this a "dry run"? was it paranoia? after seeing this show and hearing about dozens of other flights with similar activity - activity that i have never experienced on any flight other pre- or post- 9/11 flight besides this one, i am overwhelmingly compelled to say it was a "dry run".

but im also compelled to ask the question: gee, maybe if we keep seeing groups of middle eastern folks traveling together and standing up in-flight to chat, congregate, etc. (even if the rising is syncronistic in the midst of landing...) maybe its a cultural thing. maybe this is "normal middle eastern in-flight behavior". what the hell do we know? its possible.

the fact remains, we are so filled with hateful propaganda i cant even begin to make any conclusions about this experience or topic. it only raises more and makes me wonder what the hell is going on around here?!?! what is reality and what is fiction created by our government/media?

london crosswalks

believe it or not, one of the most intense and stressful experiences while in london was trying to cross the street. not only is the traffic traveling on opposite sides requiring very different patterns of looking left and right, but traffic lights and crosswalks work a teensy bit differently than the US.

there are still three lights for the traffic (red, yellow and green), and still two signals for pedestrians (red hand and green walking person).
BUT the traffic light changes from
STOP to GET READY to GO to HURRY UP to STOP,
rather than STOP to GO to HURRY UP to STOP.
at the same time, the crossing signal is a red hand, a green walking person, or a flashing green walking person.

get it?

let me illustrate further...

the traffic light is STOP and crosswalk signal is a solid green WALKing person. pedestrians now have about 10 seconds to jet quickly across four lanes of traffic. if you pause to figure out which way to look before crossing, forget it, you've run out of time and now you have a flashing green walking person indicating RUN if you are still in the midst of crossing, or if you're on the sidewalk, DON'T YOU DARE START CROSSING. simultaneously the traffic signal has changed from STOP to ON YOUR MARKS, GET SET... letting drivers know they can begin edging forward and prepare to take off full speed ahead. at this point, you should already be on the opposite sidewalk. if you missed the chance to cross you definately must wait for the next light. now, the moment the crosswalk signal becomes the red hand indicating DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT the traffic light immediately changes to GO!. if you are still crossing at this time you will be run down.

two thoughts on this system...

1. British people are clearly assumed and encouraged to be quick thinking and somewhat intelligent in order to survive - i like this.

if you are stupid, you will die. its easy, its simple, its Darwin. in America, our government encourages us to be dimwitted and slow (mentally and physically). crossing the street in the US requires little more than color recognition. and even that is questionable since we are accustomed to wandering into the street at our leisure. in fact, we've made crossing the street little more than a fun game of cat and mouse where pedestrians sadistically taunt drivers by strolling across the street, stopping traffic, and even begging for change. crossing the street in the US requires little thought or intelligence, and very little sense of urgency.


2. the UK means serious business. crossing the street is no joke. there is no BSing here - i find this refreshing.
   in the US our crosswalks give pedestrians ample time for a liesurely stroll across the street. you can begin crossing any time during the flashing red hand and there is often a thoughtful warning countdown letting you know you have 10...9...8...7 seconds before the light changes. the traffic light even allows you a couple extra seconds to finish crossing after the red hand becomes solid and before the traffic light changes to green. we are ignorant, slothly, spoiled rotten little prissy-pants Americans with no sense of consequences. if you need evidence, i give you George W. Bush.

back in the USA

HOME AT LAST!

it was a long day with a long flight, but fortunately i have a knack for sleeping on and off through any kind of travel.

the Tube strike didn't help the matter and LOM was kind enough to pay for our taxi to the airport.

we flew Virgin Airlines, and i have to say i am seriously impressed. it was like a little party or something. plenty of food and beverages, movies, tv, video games, parting gifts... all that was missing was roller skates.

Sydney didn't offer much of a greeting. im not sure if she's mad at us for leaving her while we went on vacation or if its her grumpy time of the month. yeah, her moods and temperament are actually very affected by the moon's cycle. it can be endearing, but what i really want is cuddles right now, not cold stares.

i shall miss London, and i think i will definately return. but next time, i must have a kitchen so i can make my own food.

...speaking of which, its dinner time and we are heading to the Cheesecake Factory for some greens!

a little telly never hurt anyone

Last day in London... I will miss the beauty and culture here, but not the food (or lack there of).

After a late start we went to Harrods again for some souvineer shopping... we decided to buy ourselves some food instead of souvineers... sorry friends and family.

I may have forgotten to mention earlier that the US dollar is worth roughly half the English pound... So, spending 400 English pounds is equivalent to spending $800 US dollars. Since the prices are about the same, that means everything actually cost us twice as much.

This was the second day I felt quite ill... likely due to malnourishment. anyhow, I tried to hang in there for LOMs sake. We went to Kensington Gardens for the flower walk and to use the loo for my first and way over due poo in London. LOM continued exploring and I went back to our room for a good nap.

I definately felt a bit better later in the evening after watching a little more British TV... we watched episodes of two reality series:You Are What You Eat and Wife Swap. Yes, really.

then it was time for a late night snack at our favorite cafe down the street.

off with his head!

Today's Adventures:

London Eye -a giant ferris wheel with enclosed capsules which allows an amazing panoramic view of London

Westminster Abbey -found a memorial to my ancestor Robert Burns, poet

Lunch at the Embankment Cafe -not too far from the statue of Robert Burns who apparently inspires young adults to make-out nearby

House of Lords -skipped the mile-long line waiting for the House of Commons

Madame Tussads wax museum -had my photo taken with Madonna, Whoopi Goldberg, the Hulk, DaVinci, David Beckham and Michael Owens.

Regents Park -walking and "senior pictures" with LOM

British TV -Holiday Airport, Sydney and the UK version of Big Brother

SOS... please send food

10:30 GMT
woke up late...

11:30 GMT
barely made it to Buckingham Palace in time for the changing of the guards, but we did! and it turns out that its a 30 minute process, so we could have stopped for breakfast after all. the military shouting wasnt impressive, nor were the crowds. but i loved the drumming and bagpipes. i think i want to see if they have a CD and i bet they do!

12:30 GMT
Pub food isnt so bad. i had a BBQ chicken sandwich. it just had pieces of chicken and some BBQ sauce on bread, but it was the tastiest food ive had yet here in the UK.

13:30 GMT
Hyde Park - a beautiful and gigantic park where people play vollyball, english football, rugby, rollerblade, swim and relax in the grass. i cant help but compare it to Boston Commons and the Public Garden. its like we stole all these ideas from "old england" when we created "new england", only everything in new england is smaller.

16:00 GMT
Play: The Complete Works of Shakespeare, 37 plays in 97 minutes. performed by the Reduced Shakespeare Company. it was hilarious! i loved it and laughed my ars off the entire time. i think they were able to do hamlet backwards in less than 15 seconds. it was impressive.

18:30 GMT
my actual words to LOM: "we know they have decent food... the menu cant be that different from home... they have a reputation to uphold... its virtually guaranteed to be satisfying." fortunately i didnt bet my life because id have been dead before we got our food. no one should ever have to suffer the torture of eating at the Rainforest Cafe in London. the service was great, and the smoothies were excellent, minus LOMs wilted and beaten strawberry garnish. but the food... if, in fact, that was what they served us... well... ive eaten tastier, healthier and more digestible meals in college dorm cafeterias.

21:00 GMT
major depression is setting in and im not kidding when i tell you that i currently have tears streaming down my face. i give up. ive cracked. i'll tell you anything you want to know, just feed me! i need food. real food. tasty food. fresh food. id settle for fresh but bland food if that would help. anything to get something nourishing and fiberous into my deprived body. please, someone... send food!

Way Out

9:00 GMT
wake, shower, groom, dress, exit room

10:00 GMT
order a waffle from the dessert menu asking them to hold the ice cream and caramel sauce and just slice a banana over it. skeptically, they oblige. sadly, i chew the waffle, feeling each grain of sugar crunch between my teeth. note to self - if it's on the dessert menu, it is not a good breakfast item.

11:00 GMT
walk to Harrods gigantic, themed store to begin our shopping adventure. it is very very huge. it occupies an entire city block and has an Egyptian themed section which spans 5 floors. there are dozens of restuarants. i have never seen anything like this. shock and awe, GW, shock and awe.

13:00 GMT
caesar salad and strawberry crepe at Harrods. once again, i am disappointed by the English "culinary" arts. LOM and i explore the possibilities of opening a restaurant that actually serves yummy food.

14:00 GMT
we head to Piccadilly Circus where we inadvertantly find ourselves as onlookers to the Olympic Torch running by. as we shop, i realize, again, how beautiful i am.

19:00 GMT
we find a "fancy" french restaurant (according to the bouncer) and eat good food for a decent price. its about time.

OTHER OBSERVATIONS:

* take out and carry out are called take away
* put a white girl and asain girl together and you can assume they are local - we've been asked directions at least once per day
* England is much more racially integrated than the US.
* fruits and vegitables are imported from South Africa, Chile, Peru, and other such places, and are not so fresh and tasty.
* instead of signs saying "Exit", they say Way Out... very cute.

london bridge is falling down...

5:00 GMT
sleeping is definately underrated.

6:00 GMT
after a night of tossing and turning and waking several times, i finally get out of bed to begin reading "Dude, where's my country?" by Michael Moore. only making it through the first chapter im already shocked and awed by what mike has uncovered and the media never told us. but i save this for another entry.

8:00 GMT
we start our adventure with a nice "hearty" breakfast. LOM ordered Small English Breakfast which consisted of funny fluffy scrambled eggs, a big not-so-yummy sausage, ham, fried tomato, baked beans, toast, and coffee. i went for the "American Pancakes" thinking i would get... american pancakes. they were certainly similar, but not mom's or even bisquick... and they were dainty.

9:00 GMT
we take the Tube to see the Tower of London - a cute and impressive little place that i would LOVE to live. in fact, if i can get hired on as a grounds keeper or Yeowoman i might get a room in one of the swanky german-style cottages the other groundskeepers and Yeopersons live. seems like a good deal to me.

At the Tower of London, besides a never ending display of weaponry, jewels, and school children, i saw my very first ever raven. have you ever seen one of these suckers??? i can guarantee it was at least the size of Sydney, if not larger. and its caw reminded me of an electronically produced sound Mario might make while jumping over turtles. i had to chase the fcker but i was able to snap a couple pictures which i hope to be able to attach once we return home.

12:00 GMT
we cross the cute painted bridge easily mistaken as the London Bridge by foreigners, however the London Bridge is the next bridge down and is very very very boring and uneventful... fair lady, it may have been better if it really had fallen down.

13:00 GMT
lunch - baked potatoes... honestly, there arent a lot of food options here and most of the food the Brits eat is bland, buttery, creamed, or some other version of high fat/cholesterol and low taste.

13:30 GMT
pitstop at Simply Food for a box of strawberries.

14:00 GMT
next stop, Tate Modern. this amazing and interesting art museum controversially groups its pieces by genre instead of by period. the museum lives in an old factory/warehouse which creates quite a unique and amusing contradiction considering how loudly modern art has often spoken to the grotesqueness of mass production and celebrity. add to that any artist's interest in the production and sale of the images and objects they create, and you've got yourself an interesting paradox. ha! i love it!

16:30 GMT
pitstop at KFC for something filling and tasty (namely, chicken).

17:00 GMT
we arrive back at our hotel, relax a bit and wanting to makes sure we can take in all the necessary sites we look through our guide books to plan our itinerary for the remainer of the trip.

what will we do next??? tune in to find out.

back to the hotel

we have arrived!

im a bit discombobulated, which may or may not be an actual word in any realm of the English language.

Note 1: The UK (GMT according to LOM) is 5 hours ahead of Boston (EST)

Note 2: The UK operates on what the US refers to as "Military Time", or a 24 hour clock.

Note 3: All postings from London will be in GMT and on the 24 hour clock.

here's what my day looked like:

6pm EST
we left Boston on a jetplane

8pm EST
switched planes in Newark

8:00 GMT(3am EST)
we arrived! and with all the comfort and sleep of staying the night in a milk crate outside of the Hynes T Station in -30 degree weather

LOM was very thorough in her pre-trip investigations and was able to get us out of the airport, into an express train, onto the Tube (English for "Subway"), and to our room at the Radisson Edwardian Vanderbilt hotel without a hitch.

10:00 GMT
as expected, our room was not yet ready and we would find our unkempt and exhausted selves roomless and waiting what felt like an eternity before we could rest up and shower.

killing time, we left our luggage at the hotel to investigate our surroundings. we walked through Kensington Park/Gardens and found our way to a small supermarket where we bought cherries, bottled water, a sandwich (for LOM) and a cookie (for me). this cost £10, which is about $18 US. thank goddess most of the tourist sites are free! its going to cost an arm and a leg just to keep us from starving.

Noon GMT
like any hungry and tired tourist without a place to go, we hunkered down in the lobby and passed out in the cushy victorian chairs in the window

13:00 GMT
LOM took charge and got us a different and unoccupied room. we took one look at the room and immediately went into nap mode

16:00 GMT
we wake and shower up a bit, our next stop being dinner. we chose a cute little Indian place down the road. The Delhi Brasserie offered much of our favorite dishes but with a little twist. i had Chicken Tikka Masala (my overall fav) which was drizzled over with yummy coconut milk. yum! they liked us so much they gave us someone elses gold membership card and told us to come back and use it for 10% off of all our meals with them.

19:00 GMT
we return to our room and prepare for an outing to Piccadilly Circus (the Times Square of London), stopping in at a few shops (the Virgin, Tower Records, Boots [a pharmacy], Cafe Nero [London's version of Starbucks], and Waterstone Books. we were able to buy several books currently only available in hard cover in the US (imagine $20-$30 each) for a measily $10 US dollars each... what a deal!

21:00 GMT
we return to the hotel after all our running about, shopping, eating, napping, and disorientation

fortunately i have great spacial capabilities while navigating and LOM is great with remembering names and places. between the two of us we've got this place figured out.

up up and away!

i woke around 5am and would have gotten up to begin packing, but decided to just keep returning to sleep. i dont even think my dreams were that great that i would just want to keep them going, but whatever.

i have checked the weather in London for the next week. it's currently 61 degrees and rainy. oh joy. the next 7 days will be sunny and rainy with high humidity and highs of 70 degrees. so, i shall definately pack my umbrella and sweaters. perhaps i will throw a tank top in just in case it gets up to 71 or 72 degrees. over all it shall be what i consider Springy weather, and this is lovely.

i have much to do before i go, yet here i sit writing. i love writing. i could do it all day. i still dont know if i will bring my laptop with me or not. i want to have constant access so i can write, but i really dont want the responsiblity. perhaps i will just buy time at an internet cafe. we'll see.

LOM tells me we should get decent food since its an international flight. i hope its not fish and chips. i really dont care for fish and chips any longer. she also tells me that we are better off just sticking with indian food while we are there... im all for that! i LOVE indian food. Chicken Tikka Masala, Channa Masala, Tandoori Chicken, Lentil Soups. yummmmmmmmm.

hey, now that i think about it, i was dreaming about being at my grandparents farm, making salsa with my no-longer-little cousin with noodles and accidently getting dried lavendar in it and trying to figure out the best and quickest way to get all the pieces of lavendar out.