After getting up in the morning on Sunday and making oatmeal on a fire we go for a drive. The plan was to go to a trail starting at The Grotto but we seem to be going in the wrong direction. The view from the drive is amazing, though. Zion is quite the change from the DC Metro area. We turn around and head to the visitor center and get on a shuttle that goes up the canyon to the starting point. We get on the trail and head up to Angels Landing, the place where the trail leads. The hike starts moderately, paved even. Then it starts to get a little steeper. Then steeper still. Then it turns into rock climbing, but they outfitted the trail with some chains to make the climb easier. Then we get to the top, and the view is well worth it. We're almost half a kilometer up at this point, and eat a lunch of crackers cheese and sausage, then head back down. We get back to the campsite and make dinner. Monday we go on a few smaller hikes: one to the Emerald Pools (we go to the upper one) and then to Weeping Rock. These are both fairly small hikes and when we get back we head out.
On the way to Bryce National Park we start looking for lunch. Apparently people in Utah don't eat lunch on Mondays. Every restaurant is closed. Unfortunately for us they are all connected to motels that are open, and have large signs saying so. What we see from the highway are two things: restaurant signs, and "open" signs. It's not until we get up to the door that we see the little "restaurant closed" sign. Boo. We eventually find a place just outside Bryce then head into the park.
Monday, October 31, 2005
Getting There
I've decided to do incremental posts on my trip to Utah, as to provide some logical breakup of the trip beyond simple paragraphs.
I got picked up by my mommy from school at around 2:00. I got my brother keys to my car so he could drive it last week (since he can park on campus using my permit, and I'm nice like that) then we headed up to BWI on 295. My flight was leaving at around 5:00pm so despite the stop-and-go traffic on 295, I got to the airport with plenty of time. I got my boarding pass, and waited to check my luggage (I had one of those e-tickets so I just went to a kiosk to get my pass, and the people working behind Delta's counter were calling peoples names to check their luggage.) There were tons of army people flying around to report for duty, and each of them had a half dozen or so large duffel bags, and they were all carrying firearms. This slowed things down some, but it was still a while before my flight was supposed to leave. While waiting there I misread a sign saying that lighters couldn't be put on checked luggage (it really said carry-on) and I remembered that the last time I flew they were letting people carry lighters onto planes. I took the lighters I was bringing out of my backpacking backpack and put them in my normal backpack, or rucksack if you would, and then checked my luggage. Then when I went through security their x-ray machine detected the lighters and they took them. I had a few nice zippos in there, too. Oh well.
I got on the plane and the guy I was sitting next to looked identical to Garrett, Aerials brother. I don't mean he looked similar. The resemblance was enough that despite the fact that he hadn't said anything to signal that he recognized me (we bump into each other every now and then and talk) I asked, just to be sure. His voice was about as far from Garrett's voice as it could get without him sounding like a kid, woman, or James Earl Jones. The flight was ho hum, they showed Batman Begins, which I had already seen, and I listened to some Elliot Smith and read. I got to Salt Lake City around 8pm local time and sat and waited until midnight when Will's plane landed. More reading and Elliot Smith (the only music I had on me.) We got the rental car, and headed to his friends' (Suzanne, Anne, and Zelly(sp?)) place where we rolled out our sleeping pads and went to sleep on the floor.
The next morning we got up, hit up a R.E.I. to pick up some stuff we needed like fuel for my backpacking stove, cooking utensils, etc., then went to the grocery store to get food. Then, we drove south along I15 towards Zion National Park. We got there before it got dark, and started to setup camp. The ground at the park was terribly hard, so the tent stakes weren't going in, and my tent isn't free standing: it needs to be staked down to stand up. We improvised and tied one end to the picnic table and the other end to a log we dragged over. We started cooking sausages, at first on the camp stove which didn't really work, and it started to rain, which made me worry about how the weather would be this trip, but it let up after a short while and then we just sat there by the fire, cooking polish sausages on sticks in the fire. It gets dark early in autumn, and so we went to bed around 8 or 9.
I got picked up by my mommy from school at around 2:00. I got my brother keys to my car so he could drive it last week (since he can park on campus using my permit, and I'm nice like that) then we headed up to BWI on 295. My flight was leaving at around 5:00pm so despite the stop-and-go traffic on 295, I got to the airport with plenty of time. I got my boarding pass, and waited to check my luggage (I had one of those e-tickets so I just went to a kiosk to get my pass, and the people working behind Delta's counter were calling peoples names to check their luggage.) There were tons of army people flying around to report for duty, and each of them had a half dozen or so large duffel bags, and they were all carrying firearms. This slowed things down some, but it was still a while before my flight was supposed to leave. While waiting there I misread a sign saying that lighters couldn't be put on checked luggage (it really said carry-on) and I remembered that the last time I flew they were letting people carry lighters onto planes. I took the lighters I was bringing out of my backpacking backpack and put them in my normal backpack, or rucksack if you would, and then checked my luggage. Then when I went through security their x-ray machine detected the lighters and they took them. I had a few nice zippos in there, too. Oh well.
I got on the plane and the guy I was sitting next to looked identical to Garrett, Aerials brother. I don't mean he looked similar. The resemblance was enough that despite the fact that he hadn't said anything to signal that he recognized me (we bump into each other every now and then and talk) I asked, just to be sure. His voice was about as far from Garrett's voice as it could get without him sounding like a kid, woman, or James Earl Jones. The flight was ho hum, they showed Batman Begins, which I had already seen, and I listened to some Elliot Smith and read. I got to Salt Lake City around 8pm local time and sat and waited until midnight when Will's plane landed. More reading and Elliot Smith (the only music I had on me.) We got the rental car, and headed to his friends' (Suzanne, Anne, and Zelly(sp?)) place where we rolled out our sleeping pads and went to sleep on the floor.
The next morning we got up, hit up a R.E.I. to pick up some stuff we needed like fuel for my backpacking stove, cooking utensils, etc., then went to the grocery store to get food. Then, we drove south along I15 towards Zion National Park. We got there before it got dark, and started to setup camp. The ground at the park was terribly hard, so the tent stakes weren't going in, and my tent isn't free standing: it needs to be staked down to stand up. We improvised and tied one end to the picnic table and the other end to a log we dragged over. We started cooking sausages, at first on the camp stove which didn't really work, and it started to rain, which made me worry about how the weather would be this trip, but it let up after a short while and then we just sat there by the fire, cooking polish sausages on sticks in the fire. It gets dark early in autumn, and so we went to bed around 8 or 9.
Sunday, October 30, 2005
Back on the other side of the continent.
I'm back in Maryland. Utah was fun. When I have some energy I will post on my goings on, hopefully before my memory fails me and I have to start making up stories about seeing God in the woods. I brought some friends back to the woods, but they didn't see Him, so I sent one of my friends back and now I'm looking for a few wives.
Friday, October 21, 2005
extra hour in Utah
Daylight Savings Time ends next weekend, while I'm out in Utah. This means I'll have to set my clock three times over this next week or so. Once to adjust to Mountain Daylight Savings Time (- 2 hours), again to adjust to Mountain Standard Time (- 1 hour), then again for Eastern Standard Time (+ 2 hours).
Speaking of daylight savings time, terrorists are dumb...
Speaking of daylight savings time, terrorists are dumb...
In September 1999, the Palestinian West Bank was on daylight saving time while Israel had just switched back to standard time. West Bank Palestinians prepared time bombs and smuggled them to Arab Israelis, who misunderstood the time on the bombs. As the bombs were being planted, they exploded—one hour too early—killing three terrorists instead of two busloads of people, the intended victims. -(http://webexhibits.org/daylightsaving/k.html)
Sunday, October 16, 2005
Everything balances out eventually
Last weekend sucked. This weekend was great.
Friday was sortof a downer. Nobody was here for a while, so I sat around and worked on little projects here and there, but I couldn't help myself from being bored. Even if I don't see anybody, knowing someone else is home makes me feel less shiftless. Example: Kevin's in the basement studying yet I feel like things are normal; he could have snuck out the back door and headed toward Tokyo and I wouldn't know; I'd still feel normal.
Saturday morning I got up and started packing my back packing back pack. Ha. I guess if I unpacked it, then started packing it again, I could say that I was packing my back packing back pack back up. I'll stop here. The plan was to go camping in Frederick last night, but I'll get to that in due time. I rounded up Kevin and Tim, then Jeremy, then we waited at the old house with Karen for Nina to be ready, and the six of us headed to the Maryland Renaissance Festival. Renfest was fun. Nina used to live with some people working in the wax hand place, and Colin teaches juggling. We met up with Colin during his lunch break, and drank some and watched some belly dancers. Did I menrion there was mead, which is honey beer. I knocked a few back. Later when Karen and Nina and Tim were getting Food I laid down on the mulch, figuring it was a good idea, and some guy dressed up as a wwwyzzerdd walked towards me with a staff with a large ball at the end. He pointed the ball end at me and told me to touch his ball. I obliged, then his friend (standing by my head) asked me if I liked beer. I was drinking mead at the time but said yes, and he motioned with his cup like he was going to pour some over my mouth. I opened my mouth, and got 90% of the beer he poured. The rest of the beer spilled on my shirt, but hey, free beer! Later, I scaled the climbing wall drunk, but I scaled it quickly, which I think is a feat. Tim couldn't make it up, which puzzled me not quite as much as it amused me.
Eventually we get out of there and head back to College Park to drop off Jeremy and let Kevin get his car to go pick up Laurel. Tim and I pick up some needed stuff for the camping trip, then start heading toward Frederick. Kevin and Laurel are ahead of us at this point, so we tell them to find a campground. Tim and I pick up food and beer and get a call saying that all the parks are full. So we start heading back toward College Park when Tim spots another sign for another campground. We get lost in the woods, then find a map in a parking lot and figure out where we should be. Kevin and Laurel catch up with us at this point. We make it to the front gate and I find a sign (hidden in a mailbox of all places) saying that the campground is full. We figure 'screw it' and head back to the campground in Greenbelt. We get there around 11:30 and try to stay up, but it's late and we're tired and intoxicated, and only stay up for a few hours. I got up first in the morning and roused the rest, built a fire, and after breakfast we left.
Getting back to the house, Tim and I decide to go for a bike ride, so we head down 198 toward this park/army training center/hunting grounds. We bike around there for about 10 miles worth and head back, totaling 19 miles in all. On the way back I decide to try this BBQ place down the street, and the food isn't half bad. We got back, I cleaned up, picked up Jeremy, and head to our parents.
After dinner and West Wing Jeremy starts going through his camping stuff in the basement and starts picking out stuff for me to take to Utah. I need to figure out what kind of camping/hiking we'll be doing, and how long we'll be out there. (Will, do you have any idea?) My parents also picked up a couple journals for me to take to Utah: one lined and one unlined. I'll try to keep track of my goings on in Utah so I can post something interesting in a couple weeks. Until then you'll have to put up with this mindless drivel.
Friday was sortof a downer. Nobody was here for a while, so I sat around and worked on little projects here and there, but I couldn't help myself from being bored. Even if I don't see anybody, knowing someone else is home makes me feel less shiftless. Example: Kevin's in the basement studying yet I feel like things are normal; he could have snuck out the back door and headed toward Tokyo and I wouldn't know; I'd still feel normal.
Saturday morning I got up and started packing my back packing back pack. Ha. I guess if I unpacked it, then started packing it again, I could say that I was packing my back packing back pack back up. I'll stop here. The plan was to go camping in Frederick last night, but I'll get to that in due time. I rounded up Kevin and Tim, then Jeremy, then we waited at the old house with Karen for Nina to be ready, and the six of us headed to the Maryland Renaissance Festival. Renfest was fun. Nina used to live with some people working in the wax hand place, and Colin teaches juggling. We met up with Colin during his lunch break, and drank some and watched some belly dancers. Did I menrion there was mead, which is honey beer. I knocked a few back. Later when Karen and Nina and Tim were getting Food I laid down on the mulch, figuring it was a good idea, and some guy dressed up as a wwwyzzerdd walked towards me with a staff with a large ball at the end. He pointed the ball end at me and told me to touch his ball. I obliged, then his friend (standing by my head) asked me if I liked beer. I was drinking mead at the time but said yes, and he motioned with his cup like he was going to pour some over my mouth. I opened my mouth, and got 90% of the beer he poured. The rest of the beer spilled on my shirt, but hey, free beer! Later, I scaled the climbing wall drunk, but I scaled it quickly, which I think is a feat. Tim couldn't make it up, which puzzled me not quite as much as it amused me.
Eventually we get out of there and head back to College Park to drop off Jeremy and let Kevin get his car to go pick up Laurel. Tim and I pick up some needed stuff for the camping trip, then start heading toward Frederick. Kevin and Laurel are ahead of us at this point, so we tell them to find a campground. Tim and I pick up food and beer and get a call saying that all the parks are full. So we start heading back toward College Park when Tim spots another sign for another campground. We get lost in the woods, then find a map in a parking lot and figure out where we should be. Kevin and Laurel catch up with us at this point. We make it to the front gate and I find a sign (hidden in a mailbox of all places) saying that the campground is full. We figure 'screw it' and head back to the campground in Greenbelt. We get there around 11:30 and try to stay up, but it's late and we're tired and intoxicated, and only stay up for a few hours. I got up first in the morning and roused the rest, built a fire, and after breakfast we left.
Getting back to the house, Tim and I decide to go for a bike ride, so we head down 198 toward this park/army training center/hunting grounds. We bike around there for about 10 miles worth and head back, totaling 19 miles in all. On the way back I decide to try this BBQ place down the street, and the food isn't half bad. We got back, I cleaned up, picked up Jeremy, and head to our parents.
After dinner and West Wing Jeremy starts going through his camping stuff in the basement and starts picking out stuff for me to take to Utah. I need to figure out what kind of camping/hiking we'll be doing, and how long we'll be out there. (Will, do you have any idea?) My parents also picked up a couple journals for me to take to Utah: one lined and one unlined. I'll try to keep track of my goings on in Utah so I can post something interesting in a couple weeks. Until then you'll have to put up with this mindless drivel.
Monday, October 10, 2005
What a weekend
Man am I glad that it's Monday. This weekend was all sorts of ugly. For starters, there was a party at our place on Friday. Mostly people I didn't know, mostly friends of Parkers sister. Mostly people I'm not too interested in seeing again. There was a problem with people busting into Kevins room, and him kicking them out, and now it's snowballing into some sort of ideological battle between them what live here. It seems people aren't trying to resolve this, and it could end badly. Tim and I are trying to mediate this, but I'm not sure there's much we can do.
Saturday night Tim and Parker had their engagement party, which was nice. Afterward I went to Cicis and then saw Serenity, with Ben, Anna, Kevin, Laurel, Kyle, and Will. I wasn't as impressed with the movie as I was with the TV series, but it wasn't bad. Some of us met up with Kat and tried to go to a bar in Silver Spring, but they were closed, so we came back to our house, but it was late, and most of us were tired, so yeah. Sleep.
Sunday I studied some for a test, then went home to celebrate Jeremy's birthday with the family. We went out to dinner, and then I took him back to his dorm. I came home again and the whole housemate issue came up again, followed by another argument, followed by someone packing up and leaving.
Today I had a test in my syntax class, which I'm pretty sure I aced, and now I'm going to go see Weezer and the Foo Fighters in concert with Will. Today feels like a weekend.
Saturday night Tim and Parker had their engagement party, which was nice. Afterward I went to Cicis and then saw Serenity, with Ben, Anna, Kevin, Laurel, Kyle, and Will. I wasn't as impressed with the movie as I was with the TV series, but it wasn't bad. Some of us met up with Kat and tried to go to a bar in Silver Spring, but they were closed, so we came back to our house, but it was late, and most of us were tired, so yeah. Sleep.
Sunday I studied some for a test, then went home to celebrate Jeremy's birthday with the family. We went out to dinner, and then I took him back to his dorm. I came home again and the whole housemate issue came up again, followed by another argument, followed by someone packing up and leaving.
Today I had a test in my syntax class, which I'm pretty sure I aced, and now I'm going to go see Weezer and the Foo Fighters in concert with Will. Today feels like a weekend.
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