Home again, home again - reflections

From Nashville we drove the rest of the way across the Blue Ridge back to Charlotte. It was a pleasant trip back, though with a sense of sadness in the air. We certainly had our ups and downs - being trapped with 3 relative strangers for six weeks solid will always yield some hardships - but overall, it felt like the end of an age. Even more so, looking back from where I am now: full-time job with no lengthy future trips on the books.

In many ways, it was the perfect summer. Much like the one before in Europe, but with a whole different basket of experiences. In some ways, it was much harder than last summer. Constant driving takes its toll, and in Europe I was mostly alone, making my own schedule and decisions. Trying to coordinate 4 people's plans and accommodate culture differences was challenging. However, it was a growing experience for all of us. We all grew up a little bit. We learned what it was to compromise and to forgive.

The coolest part of this shared experience would have to be that it was SHARED. I have some amazing memories from Europe, but in many cases, I will be the only one who stores those moments in my head. For the rest of our lives, Carmen, Theresa, Enrique and I can call each other up and say "Do you remember when...?"

People keep asking me what my favorite part of the trip was. That is a hard call - America is so much more beautiful and amazing than I could have previously imagined. Pictures cannot do these places justice. You can't impose a feeling of majesty when showing someone a photo of a redwood tree. You can only get that from standing there, amidst them - realizing how small you are in comparison.

I believe my "favorite" places would have to be the national parks and lands. Big Bend, Grand Canyon, Sedona, the redwood forests, Glacier, Yellowstone, Grand Tetons and the Badlands. But you know, just driving through the west, seeing the strange sight of plateaus rising from great plains, the red soil of Sedona and parts of Wyoming (or was it S. Dakota?), the trees and mists of the West Coast, the oil rigs pumping the flatlands of Texas - that was what made this trip what it was.

And even though I'm sad it's over, I sit at my office desk and look at the photographs I have taped all over the walls around me, reminding me that I am one of the lucky ones. I got to see - really see - America.

Omaha

The next day we awoke and drove to Omaha where we planned to stay with a CSer, Luke. We made good time, Enrique helped me drive, and we arrived around 6 pm. Luke's place was really nice - he said Omaha is incredibly cheap - prob. because it's awful in winter time. lol Anyway, after getting settled, he drove us to the center of town where we walked around and saw the old city center with old factory buildings which, with their brick and old faded painted on ads, gave the area is quaint feel. We ended up at a Mexican restaurant that is a favorite's of Luke's where we treated him to dinner. It was good and afterward we walked over to this big park where there are 2 metal slides that people race down. Some people had left wax paper scraps around and I had a blast racing Luke down the slides.

After that we drove to some memorial where you can look over the city from. We all sat there and talked for a long time until we were cold. Finally, we went back to Luke's and talked until fairly late, considering we had to get up early to make the 12 hour drive to Nashville.

Luke also showed us his really cool frogs that look like those little fake frogs (the bright blue ones w/black on them) - he said they aren't really poisonous in captivity. They were really cute, and coming from me, that's saying a lot (I have a problem with frogs).

Luke works at the Omaha zoo with reptiles and graduated in biology. He told me if I decide to go back to grad school I should apply for the Full Bright research grant, which is similar to the Phillip's Scholarship I received in undergrad in that you can go anywhere in the world and study anything you'd like.

Anyway, we had fascinating conversation, and I look forward to seeing him in future.

We got up at and out around 7:30 or 8, making it to Nashville around 9 p.m. We also drove through St. Louis so we could see the arch, which was cool, I guess, from what we saw from the interstate in the middle of a very crowded city.

The family who hosted us was very nice. An older man and woman who set us all up in nice beds with clean linens and towels. It was so nice to be pampered! They even made sure we knew where to find the cereal and milk for breakfast, even though they'd be at work when we woke up.

The next morning we left and went to the mock Parthenon in Nashville. It was cool, having seen the real one in Athens, to see what it looked like originally. The statue of Athena however was downright hideous, tacky, and ridiculous.

From there we went to the Farmer's Market where we got some fresh-made goodies, then headed into downtown to see some of the Honkey Tonks. We stopped in the Dolly Parton store and saw some of dresses. We also stopped in several bars and heard some wanna-be bands playing. We also saw the river which was sooo high - it wasn't hard to imagine it overflowing the edges and flooding the town.

Wind Caves, Mt. Rushmore, Badlands

PICTURES: 1) going into our first and only "real motel," 2) Badlands at sunset, 3) enjoying the day in the Badlands, 4) mommy and baby animal watching sunset, 5) some sort of horned creature looking at me, 6) arrival in the Badlands, 7) Mt. Rushmore, 8) me with Mt. Rushmore, and 9) Carmen and me with Mt. Rushmore very far in distance

The next morning, the girls took their much-needed showers and we packed up the tent in a beautiful sun-shiny morning. From there, we drove to the Wind Caves National Park. On the way to the main office where the cave tours started, a heard of buffalo crossed the road right by us and we got some awesome shots of the giant creatures out the window. I still can't believe how many wild buffalo I've seen on this trip! I'm so glad that the effort to restore their numbers was made just in the nick of time...it would have been such a shame if they had become extinct.

When we got to the info center, we signed up for the next tour which started in about 30 minutes. Carmen didn't want to go because she didn't have much cash left and her card we being declined (and her mother hadn't yet figured out the problem) - she also isn't a fan of the dark. So, the other three of us went and it was really cool. Wind Caves are something like the 4th longest caves in the world. Most of the passages, however, are contained within one square surface mile, but the cave has many layers (like a multi-story building underground). It also has more boxwork structure (a type of cave wall formation that looks like honeycomb) than any other cave (90% of all such formations in the world lie in this cave). Anyway, it was pretty awesome and afterward Enrique, Theresa and I talked to our guide about how she got into it and some of the explorations she's gone on (they are still discovering new things every day). The only natural entrance to the cave is a very small hole (first explored by skinny teens in the 1800s), that either emits a relatively strong wind, or sucks in wind, depending on pressure. When we were there the cave hole was blowing out wind at about 7 mph. Of course, now they have elevators and steps that enable us to enter.

After that, we drove a beautiful and curving road toward Mt. Rushmore. It was really cool because we went through several tunnels that framed Mt. Rushmore perfectly as you drive through. We stopped at an overlook on our way and took pictures from afar, then continued on. Parking cost $10, but it was really worth it. That mountain is really amazing! I wish we could've gone on top of the mountain like they do in "North by Northwest" but I don't think that's encouraged. lol And ps - the dining hall at Mt. Rushmore that is in the movie is now a huge modern gift shop. It is also no longer yellow. lol

We got done earlier than we expected, so we just kept driving toward the town of Wall, SD. Wall is the home of Wall Drug - the biggest drugstore in the world. They have everything you could imagine - pharmacy, diner (complete w/5 cent coffee and bison burgers), leather shops, jewelry, a bookstore, clothing, arcade games - you name it, they have it. Anyway, we wanted to say we'd been there and I picked up the 2nd Wall Drug cook book for Grandma Bailey as she had gotten the first one some years back and loved it. From there we drove the 45 mile loop through the Badlands Nat'l Park. They were BEAUTIFUL!!!

The Badlands are so strange. There is a desert like part that reminded me of Rainbow Basin but on a grander scale - with sharp pointed mounds of what appeared to be the same sandy material making up the mountains. Yet, right across from that, you could see a flat grassland. It was bizarre. On top of that, we were there right before and during sunset so the sun was casting beautiful shadows as well as painting the landscape orange. We saw some sort of mountain goat thing with huge horns and its baby right by the parking lot of our first overlook, then later I was driving along when I saw another mommy and baby lying together on top of one of the sandy dunes, apparently watching the sunset. It was so beautiful I pulled off the road and took pictures, but they really couldn't do the moment justice.

I can imagine that when it is really hot (which it was not) they would indeed earn their name as "the badlands" but really, they were one of the most breathtaking sights of the trip. I'm so glad we saw them!

From there we drove a while longer toward Omaha until after dark and started looking for a cheap motel (which, as it turns out, was an oxymoron). Finally we found "the Ponderosa" for $55 in the middle of freaking nowhere and everyone was excited to stay in a real "roadside motel" like in the movies. lol It really wasn't bad at all, and we got wonderful sleep.

Drive to Wind Caves/Flintstone Campground

PICTURES: 1) Theresa and me on the road through WY, 2) Flintstones Campground


So my fire the last night at Glacier was an utter failure. Probably because I'd used most of the smaller pieces the night before, but I was trying to light it with newspaper and such, and the wood WOULD NOT catch fire. I was so pissed. Anyway, it was just enough to roast my hot dogs, but that was it.

The next morning we packed up and drove across Wyoming toward Wind Caves National Park. It was a very beautiful day and despite road construction (AGAIN) it was smooth sailing. As we got nearer to Wind Caves, we kept our eyes open for campsites (since we'd been so spoiled at Glacier by having an outside campground which included showers). Anyway, we found one around 6 pm called the "Flintstones Campground." All the buildings looked like Flintstones houses and were really cute. They also had showers (free) and laundry facilities (those were for a fee). And, the campground was grassy, relatively flat and had a picnic table with a roof. When we entered the office of the campground we asked the woman how much it was (with a AAA) rate and it was only about $25 with tax. First we confirmed that 1) there were showers and 2) that they were free. When the woman confirmed this, we practically jumped for joy and she looked at us like we were wild animals (which, after camping for 6 nights without free shower facilities, we kinda were). Then I asked her if there were bears around, and she gave me another strange look and said, "No...."

Anyway, we set up camp, then used the internet for some time and Enrique took a shower (the girls decided to wait until morning so our hair wouldn't be wet in the tent given how cold the nights had been). I tried to start a fire for the 3 night in a row, and I had about as much luck as I'd had the night before. Finally, I went to the family with the campsite next to us and begged the dad's help. He and his boyscout little sons came over and gave us a fire-starter brick and got it all built up for us (but, I must add, he also had trouble, so I felt better - we simply had very stubborn wood). We sat around the fire for a while, and finally all got a night of sleep where we did not have to worry about wild animals. lol

8/2/10 - 8/15/10 Yellowstone, Grand Tetons

PICS: Grand Prismatic in Yellowstone, on the Porcelain Basin loop at Yellowstone, Grand Tetons reflections, Jenny Lake, Jackson Lake (where I swam)

We got to Yellowstone and were delighted to find that our campsite was not only right near two bathrooms, but also very close to the Madison River. The closest section of river to our campsite was also a small hot spring and thus felt like a hot tub! The kids a the campsite next to ours informed us of this - it was very exciting! That night we set up camp and went to a 9 pm ranger talk at the amphitheater. He talked about the different wildlife that Yellowstone contains. There are SO many different animals! I thought it was quite interesting. After that we all went to bed.

The next morning we drove the loop around the park. We saw bison grazing, hot springs galore, a beautiful waterfall cascading into a colorful canyon, and a black bear (out the window in the woods while we were in the car waiting for Enrique to get back from an overlook point). Of course, we saw Old Faithful as well, though I have to say, the weather that day was horrid! The high was in the 40s and it rained almost the entire day. Apparently 2/3 of the world’s hot springs are located in Yellowstone.

When we made it back to the campsite that night I ran down to the hot springs and took a little “bath.” There was a French family in there as well (there were many French people throughout the park actually). It felt so good to be warm! That night was a cold and rather damp one inside the tent, but for the most part it proved waterproof which was a godsend.

The next morning we got up at 7:30 am and packed up but we didn’t get out until 9:30. A park ranger had told us to go to “ferry falls” in order to see excellent views of the Grand Prismatic hot springs. We wanted to get an early start so we would make it to the Grand Tetons in time to obtain a campsite (sometimes they fill up fast, as we learned with Glacier Nat’l Park). Well, we walked to the Ferry Falls path, saw a big waterfall, and not much else. After getting lost and getting separated from each other (Theresa and I were together, the other two together), T and I ended up walking about 6 miles before returning to the car more than two hours later. We then drove to a different area where you could walk across the Grand Prismatic, if not see it from above. After that we drove to the Tetons. Luckily, we got a campsite at Colter Bay that was lovely. It has woods around it, a nice path to the lake, and bathrooms not too far away.

After setting up camp, Theresa and I walked around the lakeshore trail, while Carmen and Enrique walked around the road through the visitor center and store area. We were all stunned by the magnificent beauty of this place. WOW. After walking a good bit, T and I decided to swim in the glacier water of Jackson Lake (even though it was only about 65 degrees out). However, it felt great to get another “natural bath” and though the water was cold, it felt good after swimming a bit. We lied on the shore until the sun went behind the mountains, then we went back to the campsite to change. Carmen and Enrique had returned and we all went to the grocery store in the village area to pick up a few necessities and some fire wood.

I made my first fire! And, I got it started almost right away. I was very happy about that. Carmen and I had gotten hot dogs and we roasted them over the fire and it was so nice to have a hot meal!!

Today we drove all around the Tetons taking in breathtaking views. At Jenny Lake I rode the ferry across the water to some trails which led to beautiful waterfalls. The other three went canoeing. We also saw a bald eagle flying, which was very exciting (esp. for Enrique). Now we are taking advantage of the lodge’s internet. Tonight we’ll make another fire, eat more hot dogs, and set out tomorrow for the Wind Caves National Park.

8/9/10 - 8/12/10 Vancouver and Glacier National Park

Photos: 1-5) Glacier Natl Pk, 6) Vancouver from above, 7) eating at White Spot with Kevin, 8) Vancouver skyline

On Monday we went with Pat’s brother Kevin in Kevin’s car to the marketplace on Granville Island, Vancouver. Pat and Sara had to work. The marketplace was similar to the one at Pike Place market in Seattle. I bought some fudge and blueberries, then it started to rain. Enrique, Carmen and Theresa wanted to take bus passes into the city and walk around downtown, but I didn’t particularly wish to walk around in the rain without an umbrella. Kevin said he’d be happy to show me one of the places where he knew they filmed part of Twilight, so we left the o0thers and drove through downtown on our way to the boathouse where part of Twilight was filmed. It was a pretty downtown, but I was glad not to be walking in the rain. By the time we got to the part of town where the boathouse and harbor were, it was no longer raining and I took pictures of the place. I didn’t recognize it right off, but hopefully when I re-watch the movies I can see where it is.

From there we grabbed some lunch at a White Spot where I got a cardboard pirate ship with my food. After lunch we drove to a scenic overlook where I could get pictures of all of Vancouver. It was very beautiful. Our last stop was a big warehouse where they store tons of movie props (they film many movies in the Vancouver area). It was pretty cool - they had big dinosaurs, parrots, pirates, mannequins, phone booths, and pretty much any other thing you can imagines. Unfortunately they do not have labels on the things to tell you which movies they’ve been in. We made guesses instead - “That’s the raptor from Jurassic Park” or “This is one of the pirates from Pirates of the Caribbean.” Finally, we were tired and returned to the house and watched a bit of Star Wars until the others returned so we could leave by 6 pm in order to make it back to Seattle by 8:30 or 9.

After I dropped them off that night at Teresa’s in Seattle, I went back to Casey’s in Bellevue and stayed one more night with her. We chatted and then went to sleep, and it was sad to say goodbye to her in the morning. When I left, I went to Jiffy Lube and got an oil change before picking up the others for the long drive to Glacier National Park.

It was a very long drive indeed and we didn’t arrive in the park until around 10 pm. As we drove through, we saw very few other cars and then we passed a trooper. She turned around and followed us but we were fairly sure we were within the speed limit, believing it to be about 45, but not having actually noticed a sign. After several minutes of us going 40 with her behind us, she turned on her lights. We pulled over and the woman walked up and asked what we were doing. I told her we had a national park pass and were looking for a tent site. She informed us that they were all full, but there were some other sites outside the park that probably had some openings. She then said she’d clocked us going 50 in a 15 (btw, the speed limit was actually 40 which we realized the next day so I don’t know if I misheard her or what). I gave her my license and registration and when she returned she discussed more about where we could find to camp and then said she’d just issue me a warning and to slow down. I was starting to get teary, so I’m glad she just gave me a warning before I had an all out cry. We turned around and just outside the park we saw a sign pointing toward the left that said “camping.” We pulled in and the park office, whose lights had just been turned out, turned them back on and we went in. The woman was older and looked very tired. She was not exactly pleased to see us, but she gave us a tent site and it was the same price as a Nat’l Park site but also had outlets on the sites and showers nearby for free.

The next day we went to the national park and were informed that Logan’s Pass was the area with the best trails (according to the park information people). It was a long drive to Logan’s Pass, but it was beautiful driving high up into the mountains. Finally we parked and took the “highland trail.” We only went about two miles, taking in fabulously beautiful views. We saw mountain goats, rams, and ground squirrels as we walked. At one point, a mountain goat was walking down the trail right toward us. We thought when he saw us he would move, but when it was clear he would not, we stepped off the path into the brush and the goat trotted by, seemingly to pay us no mind. It was rather strange to see a wild animal so close. After a bit, dark clouds started to roll in which is why we made our way back to the parking lot, and by the time we got there, the scattered raindrops had intensified and we got in just before quite hard, cold rain pounded all around us.
We drove back down the mountain and spent a bit of time in the gift shop near the exit before returning to our campground. There we used the internet in the sitting room and got ready for bed.

On Thursday morning we left the campground at 10 am to start another long drive to Yellowstone. I might also note that on Wednesday there were 3 escaped convicts hiding in Yellowstone making their way north toward Glacier Nat’l Park heading for the Canadian boarder. They are believed now to be in Glacier and since we are headed for Yellowstone, there is no need to worry.

Seattle and Arrival in Vancouver

PICTURES: 1 & 2) at Gasworks in Seattle, 3) the girls with a Univ. of Washington fountain, 4) Pike Place Market, 5) Casey (male friend of Matt), Matt, Teresa, Theresa, Carmen, Enrique on the art installation

From Port Angeles we drove the rest of the way to Seattle and took a ferry across which offered beautiful views. Then we drove to our CS hosts’ house which was in the Univ. of Washington’s general vicinity. There were 8 of them living in the house which was pretty large and the girl who was actually hosting us was named Teresa and was a friend of Matt’s in McKinleyville. She was very nice.

That evening we drove to the art district because it was the first Thursday of the month which is when they have an art crawl and all of the Pioneer Square art lofts open up for public viewing. It was pretty cool and there were a lot of…interesting people there. There was one room that contained four naked people and with paint jars all around them and brushes so people could paint them. No, I did not participate.

From there we drove up to Capitol Hill where there was a park with an art installation made by a friend of Matt’s (one of the roomies of Teresa). We sat atop the art installation and chatted until midnight, then drove back and slept. The next day Teresa came with us to Pike Place Market which is this huge outdoor market like in London or Barcelona where they sell anything you can think of - fish, spices, pasta, pastries, etc. It was really cool and I wished so much that Charlotte had something like that. From there we took a bus to the U district and went shopping in a few second hand stores where I got steals on a J Crew skirt, an Anne Taylor skirt, and a Lilly Pulitzer dress. Then we walked through the actual University (which was pretty, but not as pretty as Chapel Hill) and then back home.

Then Carmen, Enrique, Theresa and I drove to Gasworks which is a park on the water that has an amazing view of downtown Seattle and the space needle and everything. It was a beautiful evening and we stayed there for about 1.5 hrs until Casey called and told me she was home from work. The rest of them wanted to stay longer at the park so they said they’d walk back and I drove back to Teresa’s to get my stuff and drive to Casey’s to spend the night there. (Casey was my roomie for 2 years in college and I haven’t seen here in about two years). I drove the 10 minutes to Bellevue where she lives and we had a little reunion which was very exciting. We talked until after 12 and the next morning got up and ready to go pick up Theresa who wanted to come with us to Mt. Rainer for the day.

It turned out to be a rather gross day - drizzly and gray - but we were hoping it would have cleared up by the time we made it to the mountain. It did clear up some, but it took a long time to get there - like three hours - and then once in the park we had to drive up to Paradise which is supposed to have the prettiest views. However, by the time we made it up there, it was foggy and rainy again and when we got out to hike around for about 30 minutes we got rained on the whole time, which was lovely. Lol Casey, being oh-so-outdoorsy was thrilled with the steep incline on wet pavement and even more excited by the steep decline in which I had to hold her hand the whole time. However, all the driving time gave us good time to talk, but I felt a bit bad for Theresa who was no doubt very bored by our discussions of Dawson’s Creek and Brothers and Sisters. We dropped Theresa back off at Teresa’s house (confusing, I know) as they were all making a big vegan dinner that night. Casey and I went to meet her friends Amelia, Alyssa and Alyssa’s boyfriend for dinner at a pizza place in Bellevue. It was kind of awkward because Alyssa was mad at Casey for not coming to the comedy show that night that they were all going to because I was in town and even though she’d bought the ticket for Casey without even telling her that she was going to buy it for her, she still made Casey pay for it. Which was pretty mean because Casey is making no money this summer since her internship is not paid and this girl works. Anyway, we left there and Casey was rather upset so we got ice cream at the grocery and came home and watched The Secret Life of Bees.

This morning I left there, picked up the others at Teresa’s house at 10:30, and we drove to Vancouver. Immigration was a bit slow, but we made it to Stanley Park by 2:30. We walked around a lot of the park, saw totem poles, a lighthouse, the harbor, the cityscape etc. Then we made our way toward the city proper and found donier kababs for dinner and gelato for dessert. We drove to our CS host’s house around 6 pm. His name is Pat, and his roommates are Sara from Asheville, NC and his brother Kevin. They are all very nice and we’ve been sitting around for hours just talking about old movies and shows and other various topics while Carmen, Enrique, and Theresa went out into Vancouver to see if there is anything to actually do on a Sunday night here. MORE TO COME

7/30/10 - 8/5/10 San Francisco, Redwoods, Forks and La Push

PICTURES: 1) Lake Crescent (on the way to Port Angeles), 2) the campfire on the La Push beach, 3) Rialto Beach, 4) our campsite in Forks, 5) inside a Forks tree stump, 6) "Bella's" truck, 7) sitting on the Riatlto Beach, 8) in the Hoh Rainforest, 9) in a tree in the Hoh, 10) girls in Portland, 11) tree hugging the redwoods, 12) fern canyon with Matt, 13) climbing a Fern Canyon tree with Matt, 14) in Fern Canyon with everyone, 15) in a redwood, 16) Point Reyes Lighthouse on the way to McKinleyville, 17) San Fran "pink ladies", 18) with the Golden Gate, 19) in San Fran

On Friday we left Erin’s house in San Fran and walked through the Castro district (a very colorful and unique area of Frisco) and into the center in order to buy a 3 day transit pass there. I was reminded, as I walked along, of London with its mists and cool air. We all started off in jackets, but after about 30 minutes, it was warmer (or perhaps we’d just warmed up thanks to the San Francisco hills). When we made it to the area near the capitol building, there was an outdoor market that was very cute, so we browsed there and I bought a pair of polarized sunglasses. When we finally got our transit passes, we took the bus to Coit Tower where you have an excellent view of San Fran and the golden gate from afar. Unfortunately, the fog was so low that half the bridge was shrouded in mist, but it was still a pretty sight. Next we went to Pier 39 where there were tons of shops and eateries. It was fun walking through there and just feeling the energy.

I went into an Irish shop where they sold beautiful silver jewelry and it made me so happy because when I walked in the owner said, “How can I help you love?” I miss real Irish people. Lol As we were leaving Pier 39 we noticed all these people gathered around watching something in the marina. When we went over, we realized they were watching sea lions that were all over the marina docks, sunbathing and chatting amongst each other. Then, this man and his family pulled up to their docking space and got out, and this HUGE sea lion was still on their pier and as they approached, the sea lion honked at them ferociously. The little girl was getting scared so the man put everyone back in the boat except himself and tried to shout at the sea lion to move, but the sea lion just stood up taller and shouted back at the man, flapping its feet from side to side. Finally, the man threw a buoy toward the thing and while it honked louder than ever, it moved off toward the main dock walkway. The man and his family were able to exit. Meanwhile, a different man started down the main dock walkway toward his boat, and when he passed the sea lion, it honked and started running after him, and the guy RAN for his boat and we were all doubled over in laughter. It was quite an amusing sight.

From there we walked through China Town and got a few little knick knacks and gifts for our CS hosts. As we waited for a trolley to take us back toward the Castro district near Erin’s house, someone saw Carmen and said “Hola Chica!” It was a friend of hers from Spain! So random! He ended up chatting with us the whole ride to the Castro and I’m sure Carmen really enjoyed seeing a familiar face. After seeing an old church, we made it back to Erin’s and fixed ourselves some dinner (quite late) and chilled out until we went to bed.

The next day we went to the Presidio (old military base area) and got lost trying to find the visitors center where a free tour was supposed to start. Since we missed that, we just proceeded to the Oriental Theater which is an outdoor round dome structure in a park in the Presidio. It was very pretty and there were several people taking wedding pictures there. We ate our packed lunches and then caught a bus to the Golden Gate Bridge. It was misty by the time we got there, and thus our pictures were not the best, but it was still cool to see. We chilled out there for a while and then took a bus to Alamo Square where the famous “painted lady” houses are. These can be seen in the background of the intro song to Full House. Suddenly, the sun came out, and I got some lovely pictures of the houses and lied in the grass and enjoyed the rays. I was tired after that and I took a bus back to Erin’s to chill out while the rest of them walked around more and went shopping. They came back later, ate, and then the girls went out again with some people they’d met while shopping. I was boring that night and stayed in, enjoying the peace and quiet.

The next morning we left and headed for McKinleyville which is near Eureka in the middle of the redwoods area. Our CS host there was named Matt and he was very kind to host us given that it was his friend Johnny we’d first contacted and who had then passed us over to Matt as Johnny’s house was full. Matt was a very interesting and unique guy. He was a history education major at a nearby college and his roommate Julian was also living in the house and majoring in globalization. They were very fun and we all sat around talking for many hours after we arrived. The next day Matt accompanied us to Fern Canyon where they filmed Jurassic Park II. It was like a little creek running through the bottom of a lush canyon with huge walls on both sides of you covered in huge ferns. Inside the canyon, huge trees that had fallen crossed the area and made you feel like an ant. I felt like I could see a dinosaur appearing at any minute. It was really, really cool.

From there we went to a nearby beach, but on our way toward the water, Carmen slipped and got covered in mud, so we went back to Matt’s house first. After she changed, we went to another beach and just sat and chilled. The sand was quite dark but very fine and soft. It was cool (per usual) so we were all wearing jackets and not swimming. From there we headed to the grocery store and picked up food for dinner, then returned home and made a huge dinner of Spanish omelets (scrambled eggs with fried potatoes inside), tofu, chicken, and various other things. It was a fun night but I went to bed earlier than the others since we had to leave for Portland the next morning. They stayed up till about 4 am, and thus all fell asleep in the car the next day.

The next morning we left for Portland and stopped to see more redwoods on the way. We made it to Portland around 6 pm and met Patrick’s friend Chris who was hosting us. He was very nice and reminded me a lot of Patrick in his mannerisms and way of speaking - I could see how they were friends. He set us up in the “pillow room” which is a room full of pillows covering the floor. It had a low ceiling so Chris said it was the best use for the room since standing was a bit difficult, but sitting or laying was easy. After settling in, we sat out on the trampoline for a while chatting with Chris and one of his roomies until we were ready to go. We then drove into the city and first went to Powell’s book store which is the largest new and used book store in the world. It covers an entire city block. It was very cool. I bought two used books there for about $11. From there we just sort of walked around Portland. It was pretty for the most part, but there were an incredible number of homeless people sleeping everywhere and asking for money. And given that it was a Tuesday night, there was almost nothing going on. However, we did go to Voo-Doo Donuts which is famous in Portland. They had all different kinds of donuts in all different shapes including one jelly donut shaped like a man with a pretzel stick stuck in him. Lol We ended the night by walking along the river and came back to the house around 11:30 pm. The rest of them watched “Wall-E” while I went to bed and slept marvelously in the pillow room. Lol

The next morning we drove to Forks, WA (the home of the Twilight books) and stopped at the Hoh Rainforest on the way. The rainforest was pretty cool. The trees were very tall, though not as big as the redwoods. Everything was covered in moss (since it rains most of the time - though it was sunny when we were there) and it was pretty and rather eerie in a way. From there we went to Forks and ate dinner and then went to our campsite to set up tent which was in between La Push and Forks. It was a pretty nice camp site and it was only $14 for the night. From there we went to Rialto Beach which is in the National Forest and was really pretty, though very eerie. The white fog was so dense that you could barely see past the surf and it hung low into the black trees and reflected against the white drift wood littering the beach. We stayed for a while taking pictures and chilling - wanting to see the sunset, but it was too foggy to see anything. From there we drove to La Push and it was pretty much dark by this time. In the guide book it said to check out La Push beaches by night because people make bonfires on them and with the fog, it is really pretty. So, we parked at a parking lot for “Second Beach” and started up a trail, but it was pitch dark and the trail seemed to just be going up into the woods so we came back, thinking we were on the wrong trail. As we looked around for another trail, a girl walked by and we asked her about it and she said that was in fact the correct trail, but it was probably a little less than a mile through the woods before reaching the beach. We had flashlights, so we decided to go and the girl we’d met (Rachel) came with us. It was somewhat sketchy since it was a trail in the middle of the woods and it was so dark, but we made it all right and climbed over a bunch of drift wood in order to make it to the sand. There was all of one bonfire to our right, so we walked over there and joined some girls from Portland and 2 guys from China who’d made the fire and gladly let us join them. We warmed up and chatted a bit, then the four of us left since it was nearly 11 pm and we still had to walk back and Rachel stayed at the bonfire with them.

The other three were rather mad at me which they shared when we got back on the trail because they hadn’t talked to Rachel before we stated on the trail like I had and they thought she was just some sketchy person who could like, kill us all in the middle of the woods (yes, one small girl against all 4 of us…but anyway) and apparently Carmen is afraid of the dark (which no one told me) and since she and Theresa both have terrible balance they felt unsure of their footing on the trail with only the light of small flashlights. Anyway, I apologized for charging ahead and they promised that in future they would actually tell me how they were feeling and make a first stand against my executive decisions.

We got back to the camp ground and got ready for bed, finally hitting the sack around midnight. It was in the 50s, and actually really nice for camping. It was foggy, so the tent was moist by morning, but it didn’t rain, so that was good. We got up around 9:30 am, and then went into Forks and looked around in shops which were all full of overly-priced Twilight paraphernalia. I did however take a picture with “Bella’s car” and in a giant tree stump (since Forks is the logging capital of the US). After that we drove to Port Angeles (also full of Twilight stuff) where we ate lunch. The three of them went to a Chinese place and I walked around the town a bit and asked a guy at a book store where a good local place to eat was, and he pointed me to a nearby café where I had a tuna sandwich. I liked Port Angeles - it was sweet and quaint.

7/25/10 - 7/30/10 Hoover Dam, Las Vegas, Burbank/LA, Templeton, San Simeon, arrival in San Fran

Photos: 1) in Calico ghost town, 2) with the "arc de triumph" at the Parisian, 3) with the "Venice" from Los Vegas, 4) the girls at the Hoover Dam, 5) off of Hwy 1 on the CA coast going toward San Fran, 6) view from top of Hearst Castle, 7) with the Templeton family and their cool car, 8) Devin and the rest of us (Kelby was taking the photo) at the 50s diner, 9) Hollywood sign, 10) in Rainbow Basin

The closer we got from cool Flagstaff to Hoover Dam, the hotter it became. By the time we went through an "agricultural checkpoint" where they made us unzip the bag atop the car to make sure we weren't hauling fruits and veggies (so weird), it was 115 degrees. I don't know how those checkpoint people could bear to be out there for 3 minutes, much less an entire shift. Next we had to go through a security checkpoint where we assured them that we did not have firearms before approaching the dam. Finally, we made it to a parking lot of the dam, where it took a 20 minute walk to reach the dam - in the sweltering heat. The dam is unbelievably huge. The views to the right of the lake offered boaters, windsurfers, etc. To the left, you could look down to the bottom and practically get vertigo it is so high. Enrique and I paid $11 to see the film on Hoover Dam and then go on an engine room tour and to the visitors center. It was pretty neat. Some people say it was the greatest feat of engineering since the pyramids at the time it was built. It has enough concrete to build a 4 ft wide sidewalk around the whole equator. It is over 60 ft wide at the top, and over 600 at the bottom. The only part I was bummed about is that since 9-11 you can no longer go outside at the bottom and look up to see the grandure from that view. Stupid security.

When we finished, we continued the last leg of our drive to Las Vegas and and arrived in the early evening. The first room we were given was uncleaned with trash everywhere. Given that it was at Treasure Island Casino, we were rather shocked, however we were given another room on the 26th floor (higher than our first) with a view out over the strip. The room was quite nice with WiFi, a nice TV, desk, etc. We got a really good deal on it though "place your own bid" on priceline, but when we arrived we had to pay an additional $22.50 for a "resort fee," so it should have been nice. Wish we had the time to appreciate any of the resort amenities like the pool or gym.

Once we settled in, we showered and went out to find somewhere to eat dinner. We walked all through the Venetian which, on the inside, looked like walking through streets of Venice with a canal and gondolas and everything. Outside, there was a recreation of St. Marco's Square and the Rialto Bridge. It was really, really, cool. Every restaurant seemed to be a minimum of $15, so after walking through, we settled on Chinese at the food court.

From there we walked to the Bellagio where we saw a fountain show. It was similar to the one in Barcelona, but in my opinion, not as cool. The fountains were not different colors and while there was music, the water didn't seem to be dancing with the music. Also, the man standing next to us while we watched the show was from the coast of NC. Small world.

From there we walked to the Parisian and saw the Arc de Triumph and the Eiffel Tower. Enrique headed back to the room so he could shower and rest a bit, while the girls all walked through the Parisian which on the inside recreated the streets of Paris.

From there we practically ran back to Treasure Island to see the free "Pirate Show" out front of our hotel. What a let down. It was basically just scantily clad women dancing around (not very well) and pirates without shirts who swung from ropes upon occasion. The best part was when a couple pirates did flips and dives off the gangplanks. It was almost midnight when the show ended and I went up to the room to update my last blog and go to sleep. Enrique was just rousing himself to out out on the town, and Theresa and Carmen had left from the show to wander around.

I slept quite well, and the next morning we didn't wake up until after 10 which was quite unusual for us. It turns out, they hadn't gotten home until 4 am. Enrique had also heard his first gunshots when we was down on a lone part of the strip. I think he was quite shaken and all of a sudden his impression of America's safety was diminished. It was actually a little amusing.

It was Monday morning, and after driving the whole strip, we drove to Calico Ghost Town which was an old CA silver mining town from the 1800s. It was pretty neat and many of the buildings were very old. Next we drove to nearby Rainbow Basin. Rainbow Basin was basically a desert with dunes that look solid, but are actually some sort of shale or other movable gravelly rock. Driving on the 3 mile dirt road loop through the basin, the dunes appear all different colors. It is really beautiful. We pulled over a couple times to take pictures. At one point we pulled over and Enrique climbed to the top of one of the dunes. I began to follow in my flip flops. It was a little slippery going up, but not too bad. However, when I started to descend I realized the problem. Every step basically started a slide of gravel, and in my flip flops, it was practically impossible to stop. I slid a little at first, and the girls heard we holler a bit and asked if I was okay, I said yes, but my keys had fallen a few feet away from me. As I reached to get them, I slid again, this time about 8 feet or so, on my palms, feet, and butt (I was wearing a skirt). Luckily when I stopped I'd almost reached the bottom. However, my hands and butt were chaffed and stung most of the day. We had first aid alcohol wipes, so we cleaned me up and then left shortly there after.

We drove through the desert and into the mountains, from which we saw the sunset. Then we drove around Big Bear Lake which was beautiful and then down the mountains toward LA. We were looking for a cheap hotel around the lake area, but we did not see anything. Earlier in the day Kelby (my friend from high school) had texted me to ask if we could hang out when I was in L.A. and when I told her we did not yet have anywhere to stay, she offered up her apartment in Burbank. Since we could not find a hotel I called to see if we could come a night earlier, and she said we could which was really sweet of her. We went down the crazy winding roads overlooking the massive expanse of L.A. lights, and made it to Burbank around 10:15 pm. After settling in I got to catch up with Kelby who'd just returned from Hawaii. Her boyfriend Ryan had left that morning to go see his family on the East coast, so it was just Kelby, the dog Kingsly, and Ryan's friend who was staying with them for a bit named Devin. He was staying in the loft, so I slept with Kelby and the others stayed in the living room.

On Tuesday Kelby was kind enough to drive us around a bit and take us to Hollywood Blvd where we could also see the Hollywood sign from afar. We then drove back to Burbank so Kelby could get some errands done. I made a sandwich at her house while the others walked to a nearby Chinese place for lunch. We next wanted to go see the Beverly Hills area and I invited Devin to come with us. We said goodbye to Kelby, and Devin and I went to find the others then we drove over to Beverly Hills. We parked and walked a bit, seeing some of the homes on foot, then we drove down Rodeo Drive, and back to Burbank. Once there we got Kelby and were about to go out to dinner when we saw massive black smoke going by the apartment complex. We ran outside and saw that a building nearby was shooting bulbous flames and tons of black smoke. The firemen hadn't even arrived yet (though they did as we watched). It was really bad, but luckily we found out later that no one was hurt and it had been like a storehouse for candle oils. After we watched the fire a bit, we all went to a cool little 50s diner where we picked up breakfast food to go and drove to a nearby mountain to look over the city at sunset. We had a picnic and then returned to Kelby's house. Carmen, Enrique, and Theresa wanted to go out to the Hollywood area again, and Kelby was kind enough to drive them to the nearest metro station. Kelby, Devin, and I just chilled around the house and after the others got back, we went to bed.

On Wednesday, Devin came with us to go to Santa Monica beach, but Kelby couldn't come because she had to work that night (she's a nurse). It took about an hour and a half to get there thanks to traffic. Once there we had to pay $10 to park and then we walked to the pier. The pier reminded me of Brighton Pier in England with a carnival on top, street performers, vendors, etc. We walked to the end and watched the fishermen and enjoyed the views of the water. Carmen, Enrique, and Theresa wanted to see the carnival, so Devin walked with me to the area where there were exercise things like metal rings, ropes, pull-up bars, swings, etc. We watched this one guy swing from ring to ring like a dancing gymnast. Devin and I climbed to the top of the ropes, and then we decided that was enough exercise for one day. We went over to the beach to soak in the warmth of the sun and try to combat the chill of the breeze.

After a while we all met up again and then started the drive back to Burbank. It took two HOURS!! I'd never been in such horrid traffic. It was so totally frustrating because there was no reason for it other than a lot of cars on the road. We didn't end up leaving for Templeton (where our next CS hosts lived) until after 4 pm.

We arrived to their farmhouse at about 10 pm. Their names were Lynn and Ken and they had a daughter named Noa who was 11 and reminded me a lot of my cousin Lilly. They were very kind and we all chatted in their beautiful home (that Ken and his relatives had made themselves) until about midnight. The next morning Noa showed us their garden and Ken & Lynn made yummy croissants with fresh fruit for breakfast. I wish we could have stayed and enjoyed their company longer. Enrique was especially impressed with Ken's 1950s car.

From there we went to San Simeon where I dropped the girls off at the nearby town of Cambria and Enrique and I went to Hearst Castle where the Hearst family built a mansion in the 1930s that was visited by many famous guests. Before going to the castle Enrique and I visited the long San Simeon Pier. The water was so beautiful and the drive to San Simeon from Templeton redeemed my view of CA - the beautiful rolling golden hills and the green/blue water were all so lovely (compared with LA life that is).

The castle was really cool with three large guest houses, beautiful gardens, huge pools, and a main house that looked like a cathedral. William Randolf Hearst built the place in period themes, getting old tapestries, choir seats, gates, etc. from Europe. Many things were 400 to 700 years old. The rest was made to look old. The indoor pool was created to resemble the Roman Baths and statues all over the garden looked authentic, though they were not. The best part about the palace was the view to the coast and at the rolling golden hills around it. They still have cows and zebra roaming the property.

After the tour Enrique and I picked up the girls and then we continued to drive along the 1 toward San Francisco. The coastal road was very beautiful, though with many curves. We pulled off a couple times to get photos. Traffic around San Diego was bad, but we still arrived in San Fran a bit before dark. My cousin Erin let us stay at her place even though she is out of town, which is so nice. After we unpacked we went to the nearest grocery store and bought food for the next three days.

It is now Friday morning and we are trying to decide what to do today. I feel overwhelmed - there is so much I want to see and not enough time!!

Pics soon