Thursday, December 17, 2009
One more off the list.
I just got back yesterday from a 9 day trip to Peru to hit the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. I had a great time, but am fairly swamped with several projects right now, so it may be another week or tow before I can update the pics (I still have the second half of my my 20 day September trip to post including Costa Rica and Seattle), so hopefully I'll have a little more time later. In a nutshell, this was one of my top 5 destinations, and I'm glad to have had the chance to do it. for personal reasons it was bitter-sweet for a year's end. Anyway, I'm glad to have done it and simply wonder what the next adventure might be.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Appreciating the milieu of life.
I have had almost no down time since I returned from my trip. I am heading out for an actual paid job related travel trip (yeah, shocking huh?) for the next week and a half. I've just uploaded a few of my trip pics on my Facebook profile, so that will have to do for now. I'll be updating the blogs for each day they occured, so check back here for posts involving the AYCJ trip below this entry.
AYCJ HDR Photos
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2390361&id=5026895&l=e3237b01d5
AYCJ Day 1-5
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2403202&id=5026895&l=3793db4935
AYCJ Day 6-10
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/album.php?aid=2403477&id=5026895
AYCJ Day 11-15
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/album.php?aid=2405419&id=5026895
AYCJ HDR Photos
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2390361&id=5026895&l=e3237b01d5
AYCJ Day 1-5
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2403202&id=5026895&l=3793db4935
AYCJ Day 6-10
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/album.php?aid=2403477&id=5026895
AYCJ Day 11-15
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/album.php?aid=2405419&id=5026895
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
No snowflake in an avalanche ever feels responsible.
Day 15:
Rocky Mountain National Park
Boulder
After getting up in the morning, a bit stiff from the chilly night, Jessica and I relaxed a bit in town while planning out the day's activities. Unfortunately, snowfall had kept the high roads closed, so we would be completely denied the chance to do the scenic drive that I had been wanting to experience. We decided to take on one of the longer loop hikes that went around a bunch of lakes. The next few hours were spent hike up the trails and taking in the views, though after a while I think she got tired of the 'same 'ol amazing views', but overall I think it was well worth it. After finishing off the hikes, we headed into Boulder. When Jessica was traveling in Colombia at the start of her AYCJ trip she met a few people, one of which lived in Boulder. Although he wasn't in town, he offered up the home of a friend of his should we pass through and need a place to crash. After a few e-mails and phone calls, we had a place to stay for the night and crashed with a large group of college kids in a small apartment. 
The shower felt great as it was the first chance I really had to clean up in several days. I rode with the hosts to pick up some food that we cooked out and enjoyed with about 8-10 various people that filtered in and out of the place. I crashed pretty early, as I tend to do, but we were at least able to get in an early start. as it happened someone that had stayed there that evening needed a ride to the airport, so we were glad to have been able to share our vehicle since we were heading straight there anyway; good karma in motion. Jessica and I boarded the plane and headed to Orlando where we would met up with Mike G, Chris B, and Jon B for an overnight stay in preparation for the next week's adventure, Costa Rica.
Rocky Mountain National Park
Boulder
After getting up in the morning, a bit stiff from the chilly night, Jessica and I relaxed a bit in town while planning out the day's activities. Unfortunately, snowfall had kept the high roads closed, so we would be completely denied the chance to do the scenic drive that I had been wanting to experience. We decided to take on one of the longer loop hikes that went around a bunch of lakes. The next few hours were spent hike up the trails and taking in the views, though after a while I think she got tired of the 'same 'ol amazing views', but overall I think it was well worth it. After finishing off the hikes, we headed into Boulder. When Jessica was traveling in Colombia at the start of her AYCJ trip she met a few people, one of which lived in Boulder. Although he wasn't in town, he offered up the home of a friend of his should we pass through and need a place to crash. After a few e-mails and phone calls, we had a place to stay for the night and crashed with a large group of college kids in a small apartment. 
The shower felt great as it was the first chance I really had to clean up in several days. I rode with the hosts to pick up some food that we cooked out and enjoyed with about 8-10 various people that filtered in and out of the place. I crashed pretty early, as I tend to do, but we were at least able to get in an early start. as it happened someone that had stayed there that evening needed a ride to the airport, so we were glad to have been able to share our vehicle since we were heading straight there anyway; good karma in motion. Jessica and I boarded the plane and headed to Orlando where we would met up with Mike G, Chris B, and Jon B for an overnight stay in preparation for the next week's adventure, Costa Rica.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Rocky Horror fans are very committed...or should be!
Day 14:
Denver
Rocky Mountain National Park
After grabbing breakfast and doing laundry at a coin facility, I headed back to the airport to pick up my next travel companion, Jessica. She had just come in from New Orleans where she spent several days with Mike G (the guy with whom I was hiking in Maine just a week earlier) and other passholders. After throwing her stuff in the car, we headed for the mountains. I've always wanted to see the Rocky Mountains National Park and this AYCJ pass gave me the chance to do it. This mountain chain is only one of two in the world, the other being The Remarkables near Queenstown New Zealand which I got to see in March 2008, that line up exactly north-south for the entire length. It was a bit of a long drive, the the scenery kept getting better and better as we went along. We stopped at the visitor center so I could get my NPS park stamp and a hiking map. It was too late to really start much of a trail, but we did get the scoop of a few good spots for watching the elk. Even though it was cold with occasional snow flurries, we hung around for a while and even really enjoyed the ranger presentation that covered the habits and history of the elk in this area. I wanted to be able to do a scenic loop drive, however the high mountain roads seemed to have just been closed due to high-altitude snowfall, so we were denied the opportunity. After filling up on a good dinner and a micro-brew restaurant in Estes Park, we drove a little outside of town until we found a good spot just inside National Forest property where I threw up the tent and sleeping bags and crashed for the night.
Denver
Rocky Mountain National Park
After grabbing breakfast and doing laundry at a coin facility, I headed back to the airport to pick up my next travel companion, Jessica. She had just come in from New Orleans where she spent several days with Mike G (the guy with whom I was hiking in Maine just a week earlier) and other passholders. After throwing her stuff in the car, we headed for the mountains. I've always wanted to see the Rocky Mountains National Park and this AYCJ pass gave me the chance to do it. This mountain chain is only one of two in the world, the other being The Remarkables near Queenstown New Zealand which I got to see in March 2008, that line up exactly north-south for the entire length. It was a bit of a long drive, the the scenery kept getting better and better as we went along. We stopped at the visitor center so I could get my NPS park stamp and a hiking map. It was too late to really start much of a trail, but we did get the scoop of a few good spots for watching the elk. Even though it was cold with occasional snow flurries, we hung around for a while and even really enjoyed the ranger presentation that covered the habits and history of the elk in this area. I wanted to be able to do a scenic loop drive, however the high mountain roads seemed to have just been closed due to high-altitude snowfall, so we were denied the opportunity. After filling up on a good dinner and a micro-brew restaurant in Estes Park, we drove a little outside of town until we found a good spot just inside National Forest property where I threw up the tent and sleeping bags and crashed for the night.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
People who want by the mile but try by the inch should be kicked by the foot.
Day 13: NYC - DEN
Denver
After the early morning flight I landed in the mile high club-city of Denver to begin the next adventure. After picking up the car (which was a pretty good distance via shuttle from the airport), I headed downtown to take a look around. I wanted to get in a good run, so fortunately the local hash had one scheduled that afternoon, so I meandered around the city parks a bit taking pictures of some of the nice scenery and even searching for a geocache or two. After a while I made it to the hash start and chatted with folks as they showed up. This, like Portland, was definitely a running hash and trail was a leisurely 4.5 miles, not counting false trails and count backs. The altitude didn't really get to me, but it was the extreme dryness that I forgot was a big part of Denver's climate. I enjoyed meeting the different folks and was fortunate to find the after-party at the hare's home which included a nice cookout. I hung out until it got fairly late and then just car camped at the park near the start.
Denver
After the early morning flight I landed in the mile high club-city of Denver to begin the next adventure. After picking up the car (which was a pretty good distance via shuttle from the airport), I headed downtown to take a look around. I wanted to get in a good run, so fortunately the local hash had one scheduled that afternoon, so I meandered around the city parks a bit taking pictures of some of the nice scenery and even searching for a geocache or two. After a while I made it to the hash start and chatted with folks as they showed up. This, like Portland, was definitely a running hash and trail was a leisurely 4.5 miles, not counting false trails and count backs. The altitude didn't really get to me, but it was the extreme dryness that I forgot was a big part of Denver's climate. I enjoyed meeting the different folks and was fortunate to find the after-party at the hare's home which included a nice cookout. I hung out until it got fairly late and then just car camped at the park near the start.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
My watch is three hours fast, and I can't fix it. So I'm going to move to New York.
Day 12:
New York City
After sleeping in a bit, I again stored my luggage and hit the city for a little while. I headed over to the Brooklyn Bridge to get in some photography on a beautiful, sunny day. Though it is a bit of a walk to get to the middle span and observation areas, it was worth the effort since the reward is a sweeping view of the city. Since it was nearby, I also headed over to the African Burial Ground National Monument so I could get a park stamp and learn a little history of the area. I didn't have a lot of time since I had to get over to Chinatown to prepare for the NYC Hash House Harrier Red Dress Run. I didn't plan my trip to specifically be here for the event, but things were able to work out so I could attend, which was nice. I already knew a few hashers, 
Kiss My Rash of NYC and Shrimp Skanky of San Diego when he hosted me for their RDR many years ago. The afternoon and evening was spent socializing at the starting/ending bar and doing what turned out to be over 4 miles of a running trail. I was able to keep pretty close to the front of the pack since I definitely didn't want to get lost and separated from the herd. I've seen enough Discovery Channel to know what can happen when that occurs. I met some great people, including Kathy (NYC hashers do not apparently get hash names, which is very unusual) whom also was planning on hitting Peru this year and was into hiking and outdoor kind of stuff. I was pretty much at the bar from the time the hash started until most everyone had left since I didn't have too many other places to be.
After leaving I wandered to Times Square just one more time to take in the lights and sounds of the city before grabbing my stuff at the hostel (again the Google Maps application on the iPhone was vital) and heading to the airport. Since I had a very early flight anyway, to save money and some sleep time, I just went to the airport and slept just outside the terminal in a relatively quiet top story elevator lobby with no announcements and little traffic. NYC is probably one of the few major cities outside of Boston that I'd be comfortable in living. Except for getting to outdoor activities, there is always a lot to do and entertainment available and might be a place to which I'd consider moving.
New York City
After sleeping in a bit, I again stored my luggage and hit the city for a little while. I headed over to the Brooklyn Bridge to get in some photography on a beautiful, sunny day. Though it is a bit of a walk to get to the middle span and observation areas, it was worth the effort since the reward is a sweeping view of the city. Since it was nearby, I also headed over to the African Burial Ground National Monument so I could get a park stamp and learn a little history of the area. I didn't have a lot of time since I had to get over to Chinatown to prepare for the NYC Hash House Harrier Red Dress Run. I didn't plan my trip to specifically be here for the event, but things were able to work out so I could attend, which was nice. I already knew a few hashers, 
Kiss My Rash of NYC and Shrimp Skanky of San Diego when he hosted me for their RDR many years ago. The afternoon and evening was spent socializing at the starting/ending bar and doing what turned out to be over 4 miles of a running trail. I was able to keep pretty close to the front of the pack since I definitely didn't want to get lost and separated from the herd. I've seen enough Discovery Channel to know what can happen when that occurs. I met some great people, including Kathy (NYC hashers do not apparently get hash names, which is very unusual) whom also was planning on hitting Peru this year and was into hiking and outdoor kind of stuff. I was pretty much at the bar from the time the hash started until most everyone had left since I didn't have too many other places to be.
After leaving I wandered to Times Square just one more time to take in the lights and sounds of the city before grabbing my stuff at the hostel (again the Google Maps application on the iPhone was vital) and heading to the airport. Since I had a very early flight anyway, to save money and some sleep time, I just went to the airport and slept just outside the terminal in a relatively quiet top story elevator lobby with no announcements and little traffic. NYC is probably one of the few major cities outside of Boston that I'd be comfortable in living. Except for getting to outdoor activities, there is always a lot to do and entertainment available and might be a place to which I'd consider moving.
Friday, September 18, 2009
A guy asked me what living in New York City was like, so I shot him.
Day 11:
New York City
After taking the red-eye flight in, I had arrived in NYC. The plans I had to crash at the place of another AYCJ flyer I met fell through, so I ended up booking a hostel. Using the iPhone at the airport, I was able to locate and book a cheap hostel downtown and get the transit directions. 
I was a bit early to check in, so I had to leave my stuff in a locker before heading back out. My first stop was to Strawberry Fields in Central Park, the John Lennon memorial that is across the street from The Dakota, the apartment building in which he was killed. I first visited this site back in high school during spring break when I came with the Thespian Society for a trip to see Broadway. From the hostel, the Google iPhone maps application gave perfect directions to exactly where I wanted to go, just be entering my destination as Strawberry Fields. from there I entered my next destination of the Alice in Wonderland statue and I was directed straight there. Too cool.
I got a few shots of the park and landmarks before heading over the General Grant National Memorial and location of Grant's Tomb. I had been here during my last NYC visit in 2001, but it was closed, so at least this time I could get inside, and even pick up a NPS stamp. After walking a bit and grabbing a quick lunch in Chinatown, I hit times Square for a while before getting in line for the TKTS booth so I could get a 'South Pacific' half-price ticket. My next stop was the Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site where I got my last stamp of the day and joined, last minute once more, the tour of the place. Here we learned of the history of the place where Roosevelt was born and grew up. I then took the subway to the World Trade Center and the site of the new building under construction. 
I was able to visit the top observation of the World Trade Center during my last visit in 2000. I remember being up there after dark and just sitting against the glass looking out for probably 30-45 minutes and then up on the helicopter deck for about as long. I met and talked with a Ukrainian girl, Iva, for a while and we walked around the site a bit before I had to finally leave in order to make it to the evening performance in time. After the show, I wanted to walk around Castle Clinton and the waterfront for a while, but was so exhausted that I pretty much went to the hostel get a shower, type out a few e-mails, and then crash.
New York City
After taking the red-eye flight in, I had arrived in NYC. The plans I had to crash at the place of another AYCJ flyer I met fell through, so I ended up booking a hostel. Using the iPhone at the airport, I was able to locate and book a cheap hostel downtown and get the transit directions. 
I was a bit early to check in, so I had to leave my stuff in a locker before heading back out. My first stop was to Strawberry Fields in Central Park, the John Lennon memorial that is across the street from The Dakota, the apartment building in which he was killed. I first visited this site back in high school during spring break when I came with the Thespian Society for a trip to see Broadway. From the hostel, the Google iPhone maps application gave perfect directions to exactly where I wanted to go, just be entering my destination as Strawberry Fields. from there I entered my next destination of the Alice in Wonderland statue and I was directed straight there. Too cool.
I got a few shots of the park and landmarks before heading over the General Grant National Memorial and location of Grant's Tomb. I had been here during my last NYC visit in 2001, but it was closed, so at least this time I could get inside, and even pick up a NPS stamp. After walking a bit and grabbing a quick lunch in Chinatown, I hit times Square for a while before getting in line for the TKTS booth so I could get a 'South Pacific' half-price ticket. My next stop was the Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site where I got my last stamp of the day and joined, last minute once more, the tour of the place. Here we learned of the history of the place where Roosevelt was born and grew up. I then took the subway to the World Trade Center and the site of the new building under construction. 
I was able to visit the top observation of the World Trade Center during my last visit in 2000. I remember being up there after dark and just sitting against the glass looking out for probably 30-45 minutes and then up on the helicopter deck for about as long. I met and talked with a Ukrainian girl, Iva, for a while and we walked around the site a bit before I had to finally leave in order to make it to the evening performance in time. After the show, I wanted to walk around Castle Clinton and the waterfront for a while, but was so exhausted that I pretty much went to the hostel get a shower, type out a few e-mails, and then crash.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Deja Voodoo: The feeling that you've sacrificed this chicken before.
Day 10: PWN - NYC
Portland
Silver Falls Trail
After packing up our stuff, Chris, Danny, and I headed downtown for a requisite visit to Voodoo Doughnut, a diabetic's nightmare. the signature item in this place is the bacon-maple bar. this thing is a creme-filled monstrosity topped with bacon and a maple-syrup frosting. Sugar high doesn't even begin to cover this thing. I could only have a bite or two before I started feeling sick, but it was tasty at least. From here we split from Danny since Chris and I wanted to do a big 7 mile waterfall loop hike and he was planning on heading to Seattle. One of the great things about this trip was the random meeting of people and adventure. We then headed south to get to the state park. Once we finally got there, the hike was great even though the water levels and thus flowing volume somewhat low; though at least two 'named falls' water was nonexistent. We did have a good time at the portions where the trail went in behind the active falls (you know, the back side of a waterfall looks surprisingly similar to the front side) and are sure that in the spring the visual aspects must be astounding, but were were still far from disappointed. After numerous photo opportunities and some good exercise, we headed back to Portland for one last dinner with a few hash friends before heading off to the airport to begin the next adventure. To save money and daylight time I had booked a red-eye from Portland to NYC, my next travel adventure destination.
Portland
Silver Falls Trail
After packing up our stuff, Chris, Danny, and I headed downtown for a requisite visit to Voodoo Doughnut, a diabetic's nightmare. the signature item in this place is the bacon-maple bar. this thing is a creme-filled monstrosity topped with bacon and a maple-syrup frosting. Sugar high doesn't even begin to cover this thing. I could only have a bite or two before I started feeling sick, but it was tasty at least. From here we split from Danny since Chris and I wanted to do a big 7 mile waterfall loop hike and he was planning on heading to Seattle. One of the great things about this trip was the random meeting of people and adventure. We then headed south to get to the state park. Once we finally got there, the hike was great even though the water levels and thus flowing volume somewhat low; though at least two 'named falls' water was nonexistent. We did have a good time at the portions where the trail went in behind the active falls (you know, the back side of a waterfall looks surprisingly similar to the front side) and are sure that in the spring the visual aspects must be astounding, but were were still far from disappointed. After numerous photo opportunities and some good exercise, we headed back to Portland for one last dinner with a few hash friends before heading off to the airport to begin the next adventure. To save money and daylight time I had booked a red-eye from Portland to NYC, my next travel adventure destination.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Christopher Robin Hood steals from the rich and gives to the Pooh.
Day 9: Portland
After getting up we decided to drive down the coast just a little bit before having to cut back to Portland. Though it didn't really rain last night, we did get to witness the typically dreary Oregon west coast as we headed out of Cannon Beach and were very glad to have had such great conditions when we arrived yesterday While driving through some small towns we passed by the Tillamook Cheese Factory and knew we had to stop. Honestly, coming here was a lot more fun that we had thought and it the overall cheese and other dairy process was surprisingly interesting. We hung out for a while to watch the organized chaos and automated machines before heading down to the tasting area and going into lactose overload by sampling everything possible. After hitting the road once again we drove to Mt. Hood to take in the view, but had no real time to climb. On the way back towards Portland we did make a stop to do a little bit of hiking around an alpine lake that had some nice views of Mt. Hood itself. We had to get back into town in order to join the local Portland Humpin Hash to do a trail. 
I've always enjoyed away events as a fun way to meet new folks and had a great time on the trail. Unlike a lot of the Florida hash groups, this was a real running hash; there were no walkers. trail was about 5 miles of various terrain and they had about 50 or so folks, which is apparently typical for them. We had a few beer stops and I was able to keep to the front and was surprised as to how well Chris and Danny were able to keep up and how much they seemed to enjoy the event itself. In typical fashion the locals made us very welcome and we had a great time. Kim, our host for the first night we were in town, was kind enough to include Danny in our floor space arrangements that evening once we got back to the house. Overall, a very fun day.
After getting up we decided to drive down the coast just a little bit before having to cut back to Portland. Though it didn't really rain last night, we did get to witness the typically dreary Oregon west coast as we headed out of Cannon Beach and were very glad to have had such great conditions when we arrived yesterday While driving through some small towns we passed by the Tillamook Cheese Factory and knew we had to stop. Honestly, coming here was a lot more fun that we had thought and it the overall cheese and other dairy process was surprisingly interesting. We hung out for a while to watch the organized chaos and automated machines before heading down to the tasting area and going into lactose overload by sampling everything possible. After hitting the road once again we drove to Mt. Hood to take in the view, but had no real time to climb. On the way back towards Portland we did make a stop to do a little bit of hiking around an alpine lake that had some nice views of Mt. Hood itself. We had to get back into town in order to join the local Portland Humpin Hash to do a trail. 
I've always enjoyed away events as a fun way to meet new folks and had a great time on the trail. Unlike a lot of the Florida hash groups, this was a real running hash; there were no walkers. trail was about 5 miles of various terrain and they had about 50 or so folks, which is apparently typical for them. We had a few beer stops and I was able to keep to the front and was surprised as to how well Chris and Danny were able to keep up and how much they seemed to enjoy the event itself. In typical fashion the locals made us very welcome and we had a great time. Kim, our host for the first night we were in town, was kind enough to include Danny in our floor space arrangements that evening once we got back to the house. Overall, a very fun day.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
I found the needle in the haystack, but lost my thread.
Day 8: Portland
After waking up, Chris B. and I headed a bit east up the Columbia river to check out some of the falls, especially Multnomah Falls. We decided to do a loop trail that would take us to the top of the falls and along a few nice vistas and even a mountain spring. We hike for a while and then headed to check out the Bridge of the Gods. We took a little extra time to visit the Bonneville Dam, but only had enough time for me to quickly grab a NPS stamp for my book before we had to head back. When traveling a few days prior, Chris met up with Danny who was also traveling to Portland and invited him to join us. we needed to get back into town to pick him up from the airport.
After we snagged Danny, we collectively decided to head west to the coast. I was kind of hoping to visit Aura, OR just to check out some of the filming sites for 'The Goonies' (as a pilgrimage of the 80's) however it would have just added way too much time and miles to make it worthwhile. We make it to Cannon Beach and a famous landmark called Haystack Rock, which did play a significant part in the Goonies movie, so my childhood soul was appeased. This was the first time Danny had ever seen the Pacific Ocean. We walked the beach for a while before I decided to just walk out for a while, and wait. I stood out in the knee deep, frigid water feeling the surge as the sand eroded from under my feet, staring into the horizon. 
About 24 hours before I was on a boat in the Atlantic a little after sunrise and here I was on the other coast as the sun left. I've had a lot to think about this year and standing here somehow felt good and was something I needed. I soon joined the boys as we walked to the pinnacles to get some pictures of the sunset. Afterwards we could a commercial campground in which we could stay so we could grab a shower and then walked into town for a bit of food before crashing for the night.
After waking up, Chris B. and I headed a bit east up the Columbia river to check out some of the falls, especially Multnomah Falls. We decided to do a loop trail that would take us to the top of the falls and along a few nice vistas and even a mountain spring. We hike for a while and then headed to check out the Bridge of the Gods. We took a little extra time to visit the Bonneville Dam, but only had enough time for me to quickly grab a NPS stamp for my book before we had to head back. When traveling a few days prior, Chris met up with Danny who was also traveling to Portland and invited him to join us. we needed to get back into town to pick him up from the airport.
After we snagged Danny, we collectively decided to head west to the coast. I was kind of hoping to visit Aura, OR just to check out some of the filming sites for 'The Goonies' (as a pilgrimage of the 80's) however it would have just added way too much time and miles to make it worthwhile. We make it to Cannon Beach and a famous landmark called Haystack Rock, which did play a significant part in the Goonies movie, so my childhood soul was appeased. This was the first time Danny had ever seen the Pacific Ocean. We walked the beach for a while before I decided to just walk out for a while, and wait. I stood out in the knee deep, frigid water feeling the surge as the sand eroded from under my feet, staring into the horizon. 
About 24 hours before I was on a boat in the Atlantic a little after sunrise and here I was on the other coast as the sun left. I've had a lot to think about this year and standing here somehow felt good and was something I needed. I soon joined the boys as we walked to the pinnacles to get some pictures of the sunset. Afterwards we could a commercial campground in which we could stay so we could grab a shower and then walked into town for a bit of food before crashing for the night.
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