Archive for July, 2009
Signs of the Midwest
Monday, July 27th, 2009Yellowstone
Wednesday, July 22nd, 2009We’ve been in the library for a long time now and if I sit with this laptop any longer I may have third degree burns on my legs. I could write on and on about Yellowstone for days. This is one of the most amazing places on the planet. It is the reason why Joanie and I sort of shrugged our shoulders and said “Is this it?” when we saw Rotorua, New Zealand. We were here 4 or 5 years ago and saw most of the geothermal formations, so this time we spent our time in the backcountry. Since I’ve been burned enough by this hot western sun, I’ll try to sum it all up quickly–and check out the load of new pictures on flickr.
We spent 3 nights and four days in the backcountry. Two of our campsites were visited by bears–one almost certainly a grizzly. We also saw elk, pronghorn, bison, pikas, mule deer, eagles, black bears and cubs, more wildflowers than either of us had ever seen and as many butterflies as well. We crossed cold mountain rivers, twice had to run with our packs for about a mile each time to seek tree cover from lightning, and watched trees blow over all around us from the wind. We honestly can’t wait to come back here!
Victor, Idaho
Wednesday, July 22nd, 2009I too had never heard of Victor, Idaho until we finally found out where our good friend Emily and Dave we’re living these days. We made a beeline from Utah to Victor to catch up on the past few months, tackle the Tetons, and do a photo shoot for the next issue of Backyard BB Gun. You’ll probably see that last one hitting the shelves of your local stores next month (unless Barack Obama has also taken away our BB gun magazines by then–better load up on them now).
This leg of our trip has turned into the Family and Friends Tour and we couldn’t be more thankful. We had an amazing time with Emily, Dave, Jamie and the rest of the Random Canyon Growlers who treated us to two shows during our week in Teton country. Our overnight trip up Table Mountain has to be one of the best hikes we’ve ever done–there’s just no place quite like the Tetons. We were introuced to a swimming hole complete with rope swing and 30 ft log diving board–except no one was able to make it to the end of the board before falling off. We don’t have any pictures of that, so you’ll just have to make the trip to Victor to visit Emily and friends to see it for yourself.
11 Years Later…
Wednesday, July 22nd, 2009…it’s amazing how much you can forget. For the first time in 11 years (and first time ever for Joanie) I returned to the Uinta Mountains in Utah. In my first stint with SCA I spent a summer working on the Forest Service Trail Crew out of Kamas. For what was such an unforgettable summer I seemed to forget quite a bit. Hiking the trail where I spent most of my time working and passing all sorts of trailwork along the way, I couldn’t help but lay claim to most of the stone work–”We did that, yup, we did that too.” I think Joanie started to believe that I had spent 5 summers working up there. Finally we got to the projects that I actually worked on and had to rescind all of my other claims. While we’re on the topic of memory, if you want to listen to an incredibly interesting show about memory and why an amnesiac may have better preserved memories than you check out this episode of Radio Lab. With a broken radio in both cars (NZ and USA) our podcasts have been our sole listening pleasure.
After my stumble down Memory Lane we took off for a few days of backpacking in the High Uintas. I did remember how incredible this mountain range (the only east-west range in the US) and it’s high alpine meadows and lakes were. I did forget how many mosquitoes are around this time of year. A few days, a few pints of blood, and one pancake/forest fire incident later we emerged from the mountains excited about our trip to Idaho to visit Emily!
Landphobia
Tuesday, July 7th, 2009Driving from eastern California through Nevada and into Utah we have realized something about ourselves. We both suffer enormously from what I would call landphobia. While you can find plenty of information online about a having a fear of water, open water, deep water–all under the term aquaphobia, there’s not much out there about an intense fear of being far away from a significant body of water. If you’ve grown up near the ocean or lakes you too may be susceptible to this condition.
One of the great things about New Zealand is that you’re never really that far from the ocean. By the time we drove into Nevada we were a full day’s drive from the ocean, and landphobia was setting in. Dry throat, dry and burning skin, visions of cool refreshing water on the horizon–all signs of landphobia. How long would it take if we drove straight to Michigan and the refeshing waters of Higgins Lake? When you start considering driving through the night to get to water in a car whose headlights go out every once in awhile you know that the fear of landphobia has a death grip on your decision making abilities. We finally made it to Great Basin National Park, and the inevitable sign that says, “Most people see the Great Basin as a desolate landscape, but if you look closely it’s teeming with life.” Why do places always phrase things like that. It’s like saying, “You might think this place sucks but give it a chance.”
Great Basin is an incredible place–no apologies needed. And, yes, there are crystal clear streams running down from the snow covered peaks–and birds, butterflies, deer, wildflowers, etc. We spent a few days there checking out 5,000 year old Bristlecone Pines, hiking the 13,063 ft Wheeler Peak, and enjoying a campfire for the first time in months.
Family Time
Tuesday, July 7th, 2009If the past 5 months weren’t enough, these past few weeks have been a great reminder of how lucky we are. For a few days we were living the high life in San Fran at a sweet hotel (all that shopping paid off Ellen–thanks!), complete with leopard print robes. We had a blast checking out the sights in San Fran, but it was little Timmy, of course, that got most of our attention. It’s amazing what happens over the course of 7 months in the life of a 13 month old. We covered a lot of ground in just a few days, but also had time to relax and catch up on the past few months.
Ken, Ellen and Timmy continued on to LA to visit friends while we headed out to Yosemite with my folks for a few days. Wow, what a place. Even though it was Fourth of July weekend and Yosemite Valley was a zoo, it’s still an incredible landscape. There’s just something special about exposed granite domes that you can’t find in other areas. And, we didn’t have to go far to avoid the crowds. We stayed in a cabin near the Hetch Hetchy and went on a beautiful hike while seeing only a handful of people. There were a number of fires burning in the park which made the air a bit hazy and picture taking a bit difficult. And, it probably made it a bit harder for Joanie and I to keep up with my parents. Whew, we put some miles under our feet! I thought I had stopped growing years ago (at least vertically), but check out these family shots.
It’s been so fun meeting up with friends and family that we’re feeling an urge to get to Michigan, New York and New Hampshire to see everyone else. But, we’ve got about 3 or 4 weeks of time to explore Utah, Wyoming, South Dakota and wherever else we decide to go.
We’re Back!
Thursday, July 2nd, 2009Back to the USA and back to the blog for a quick update. We’ve been having so much fun meeting up with friends and family since we arrived in California two weeks ago that there hasn’t been much time for anything else. We’ve done far too much to capture in one post, but here’s the quick recap.
After 5 months in New Zealand and 30+ hours of traveling, could there be anything more American than going to the San Diego Fair, eating fried oreos, twinkies, apples and avocados, seeing a Johnny Cash cover band, and trying to win cheap stuffed animals? Probably not. We met up with our friends Ryan and Karin in San Diego and had a great couple of days that also included a Swedish Midsummer’s party and a snorkeling adventure in search of sharks (only saw one).
We then zipped up the coast to San Francisco to meet up with the Hipple family and the start of a two week feeding frenzy. The past week has been a blur of good times, burritos, hills, donuts, surrey rides, burritos, laughter, trips to the playground with the kids and good music. After a few days in San Fran with Ethan as our tour guide we all drove north to the Kate Wolf Music Festival where spent a few days listening to good music and surviving the 100+ degree heat.
Now we’re back in San Fran in the midst of Albers Fest with Mom, Dad, Ken, Ellen and little Timmy. I’ll get into all that we’ve done and how awesome it is to have the cutest nephew in the world later. As hard as it was to leave New Zealand and the dream life we were living there, coming back to our family and friends was just what we needed. We had been looking forward to these few weeks for a while, and the time that we’ll have with Joanie’s family when we get to Michigan. There’s still more to come with a quick trip out to Yosemite and then we’re back on the road heading east again.
More pictures will be coming soon…once I find that camera cord.
