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“Just admit it, it is so bad it is interesting.” – Todd after eating beans
“I didn’t even get hurt.” Sarah after jumping from the passenger seat out the drivers door in fast crazy speed to avoid an “attacking” trapped bee.
“Don’t turn on the radio, it will just make us mad.” Todd tired of NPR and its blantant disregard for trying to even pretend to be objective.
“I wish it was a cheeto.” Todd looking at a small carrot.
Filed under: sarah's thoughts
Apple Valley is another high desert about 100 miles outside of Los Angeles. The yards outside of houses are comprised of dirt, dirt, and more dirt. However, the climate seems desirable overall except for the shortage of water.
We stayed with Todd’s great-uncle Vester and his wife Jane. It was a nice visit! They were extremely hospitable and we haven’t eaten so well in a while.
with Vester and Jane
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at Death Valley- in the basin where the ground was covered with salt crystals
Todd and I drove into Death Valley which is the largest National Park outside of Alaska. It is very near to Mount Whitney, the highest elevation in the lower 48 states. Yet, the lowest elevation in the western hemisphere is located within the park some 242 feet below sea level, and it is one of the hottest and driest places on earth. We got to see Badwater Basin and the great salt flats. There were sand dunes composed of the finest sand I’ve ever seen. We also saw cliffs that were shades of browns and oranges with turquoise-colored sections of rock. It was in the 90’s. This was a stark contrast to 16 degrees. I felt so hot. My body just wasn’t used to being hot. We camped off of a four-wheeling road, and Todd saw a scorpion.
We hiked around a little in the Mosaic Canyon and got the idea to make a spoof of Man vs. Wild, the television series on the Discovery Channel. This made our experience at the park so much more worthwhile, because we laughed and caused others to laugh in the making of our short episode. We were entertained the whole time we were at the park by our mission to make fun of that show. Todd’s accent as his character “Grizzly Stone” was outrageous, and the movie helped us to document our surroundings on film as well. The plan is to continue editing the episode and then share it upon request.
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the Cathedral Peak- on our hike!
Yosemite Valley
Yosemite National Park is full of rock. It is huge, and the park has many areas. However, I would say the most distinctive area is the valley where views of El Capitan and Half Dome are quite pronounced. We had a difficult time getting into the park, because the roads in were closed due to weather. We finally made it in, and for me, the best part was Todd’s enthusiasm at arriving. Yosemite is historic for rock climbers. We visited the famous Camp Four, which is literally an international climbing neighborhood within the park. Everyone appeared to have arrived by hitchhiking into the park OR they lived out of their cars. They worked in order to climb. It was intense. I could not believe how many rock climbers were there and how good they all were at their sport. In order to climb El Cap, most people have to climb and camp on the side of the sheer cliff overnight. We learned about how this transpires. Again, intense.
Aside from climbing, we hiked through the beautiful meadows to one of the lakes surrounded by rock, and we got to see the Cathedral spires.
We got to hike through the Giant Sequoias, and we were basically the only Americans. Yosemite drew a very international crowd. It was interesting to see the massive trees while listening to German and French. The trees were truly amazing. I think we saw all of the ones listed in the brochure including “the Clothes Pin” and “the Grizzly Giant.” I enjoyed the hike. We actually saw some sequoias burning. There are controlled burns to help promote the growth of existing trees and the germination of new trees. The Giant Sequoias are the largest trees in the world in terms of girth, and they live up to 3,000 years. CRAZY!
this tree is alive and served as a backup drive-thru tree during snowy months (it is not the most famous drive-thru tree)
Filed under: sarah's thoughts
CALIFORNIA can get cold, don’t ya know?
Todd and I have been reading and reading some more. We both read the book Three Cups of Tea, which made me feel like I needed to get up, stop reading, and do something. The book gave me new insights into Islam, fundamentalism, the Taliban, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and education. It was very informative and worth a read.
We are reading the HARRY POTTER series aloud. We alternate reading chapters to each other. Last night, we stayed up until midnight finishing the third book. My throat hurt from reading so much and from being so excited about the Quidditch matches.
We watched Into the Wild, and I no longer felt hard core. I cried myself to sleep thinking about that movie, but we like to discuss it still. Basically, every time we eat an apple we say, “You are a super apple, and I am a super tramp.”
I am so pleased that this trip is giving me a chance to read. I never really liked reading until recently (even though I was an English major in college). I love reading now though! I feel like I finally get it. I guess my philosophy had always been that I would rather talk to people about things than read. Now, I realize both are a good thing. Our truck has a book box that we are rapidly moving through. Todd said he hopes we’ll be a reading family. I concur.
reading in the woods near Lake Tahoe and trying to stay warm
Filed under: sarah's thoughts
LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA.
We visited my friend Anne in California. First, Todd and I drove into San Francisco to see the Golden Gate Bridge at sunset. I was so excited. We got some pics from the top lookouts. We watched these teenage boys take off their shirts for pictures while everyone else was adding layers…jackets, blankets, etc. Then, we visited Anne and Kenn in San Jose. Anne was our tour guide to Berkeley and San Francisco. Todd and I both really enjoyed the city. We toured the Scharfen Berger chocolate factory. We ate clam chowder at Fisherman’s Wharf. We wound through Lombard Street and saw the Painted Ladies. Overall, the city has so much personality.
We watched the Office in the evenings. Todd was laughing through tears as he watched it, which is my favorite emotion. I liked the show more than I ever had. Todd and I had dim sum for the first time…whoa have we been missing out!
There is something very unique about seeing an old friend. Personally, I feel relieved at how far I have come after reminiscing, but I also find that there are things about myself that I have forgotten or buried. They are good things that for some reason I only remember around certain people. Remembering is like getting a little gift, a little piece of yourself that was lost.
be sure to wear flowers in your hair
that is "the rock"
at the chocolate factory. clearly our best look yet.
Filed under: todd's thoughts
Why do people take summer road trips? one word…Winter. Over the span of few days we learned this lesson all too violently. It was beautiful at first, the snow covering the mountains within just a few moments while we were in our warm car, but then the war with the world began. When you get out of the car, it is not too bad, it’s when it gets dark at like 5:30, you have to cook dinner, you can’t wear your ski gloves to cook in, you have to reach inside the cooler to find the butter, and basically, it is downhill from there. You rush to cook as fast as you can before you start to cry because you can’t feel your hands. You eat as fast as you can sitting uncomfortably in the front seats to stay out of the wind. Then, its 6:30, it dark and cold, the only option is to lay down in the back of the truck. You get inside the sleeping bag with all your clothes, but still feel cold. You try to stay awake, because if you go to sleep, you will wake up way early and have to pee. But every time you peek your face out of the sleeping bag your face gets slapped by the cold, so you retreat. It takes about two torturous hours to fall asleep, and then it happens, you wake up at 3:30 and then the devilish pain quickly finds you. “No way, no way am I getting out of this sleeping bag and climbing out of the truck.” You have got to fight the urge. You’ll show winter who is boss. So there you are cold, tired but not really, and fighting your body’s urge for who knows how many hours. You surrender. You climb out of the truck angry. You climb back in, close your eyes, and in the next few minutes the sun wakes you up. Time to cook breakfast.
Filed under: sarah's thoughts
California welcomed us with rain. We got to see the giant Coastal Redwoods down the 101 and Highway 1. We walked through them and gawked at them. I hugged one. I really do love trees! There are these stickers around that say “Remember These Come from Trees.” Have you seen them stuck to the paper towel or toilet paper dispensers anywhere? I like them a lot. They make me use less paper towels for sure.
The Redwoods grow in very specific conditions, and the foggy weather helps them stay strong…so I guess I must accept it. They are very old, and they can live to be about 2,000. They are the tallest trees in the world. The tannic acid in them gives them their reddish color. This the same chemical that gives tea its color.
I just had to! (Todd would call it my dream come true)
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our view from the top of an old fire watching station
Filed under: sarah's thoughts
my dune jumper
Well, when we started in Oregon, I wasn’t so sure. When we left Oregon, I felt a little homesick. It was weird, because I felt sad over a place we were leaving. We have arrived in and then departed from so many destinations. I could not believe I was affected.
Alas, maybe some day I will reside in Bend or Redmond and Betty can do my eyebrows. If you don’t know me well, I will give a brief aside. I love getting my eyebrows done. I am really low maintenance and rarely even get my hair done. Usually, I cut it myself on a whim. But, just because I don’t get them very often anymore, does not mean I don’t LOVE beauty treatments. I especially enjoy having someone shape my eyebrows, and well, Betty at a nail salon in Redmond, Oregon was amazing at her job. Todd can tell anyone interested that I was giddy for several days over the excellent job she did!
Back to Oregon, we visited Astoria, where several movies have been filmed including Kindergarten Cop, Free Willy, and The Goonies. I really enjoyed the town. A cruise ship was docked there so we blended in with all of the tourists I guess. The people were so friendly throughout Astoria. We must have been greeted 5 times in the Safeway, and I must have had 5 samples of the “Pumpkin Spice Latte” samples being handed out at the Starbucks within the town’s grocery store. I was impressed with the drive down the 101. In Oregon, there is a published pamphlet with mile-by-mile information as you drive down the 101. So, Todd drove. He really has driven so much! I take no credit for the miles covered. I appreciate what he is doing so much. As he drove, I read the mile-by-mile descriptions, and Oregon’s rocky coastline dazzled us. The weather was sunny and clear. It started to get cool in the evenings. We did some pull-off camping. We saw lighthouses, and we took lots of walks. We were enchanted with the massive dunes and I declared the Oregon coast my favorite spot of the trip thus far.
From the 101, we drove to Eugene where the University of Oregon is located. We walked around the U of O when the students were arriving for the fall semester. Excitement was in the air! We also saw the famous track where “Pre” ran. We stayed with a friend from Atlanta’s aunt and her family. We enjoyed getting to visit with them. Eugene gave us our REI fix. We sampled delicious fish and chips from a local fish market. They had an incredible variety of tartar sauces, and we got to have a fun date night. I got the traditional fried cod fish and chips, and I must say that I have become unequipped at dealing with grease since our trip began. I felt a bit like a slug.
Then, we travelled to the “high desert” in central Oregon. We camped at a great free campground near Smith Rock State Park. We showered regularly at the Bivouac, which I referenced in conversation as “the bio-vac” to a man asking directions. We did a bit of hiking around Smith and saw some more rattlesnakes. We took a deep breath in wonder at the view we would get of the river running through the canyon each time we went down to the climbing walls. Todd did some climbing there, and I did some belaying. We visited the Trader Joe’s frequently, and I felt very much at home in Bend. We even researched the job market there. Although we left Bend, we enjoyed our stay in the area very much. We headed to Crater Lake National Park in rainy, cold weather. We got a great view of the lake after a hike up and run down. We just missed getting very wet in an incoming front. They were due to get their first snow that evening, and I saw some flurries on our way out!
