Here we are after the game--celebrating TN #1!!! It was so good to see you two! We had a great time visiting! Just wished it could have been longer!
Pool Time!
AT Training
After hiking into the narrow mouth of the canyon, it soon opens up to a wide wash. This is the view to the north when walking up the canyon. Ted and Sherry, you should remember this from your visit last year.
The above and below pictures are looking back at the valley about a mile and a half into the canyon.
Tagged
I have been tagged by Martha to list 6 random thoughts, habits, or quirks about me. I probably said to much, sorry...
1. One flaw I have that I wish I were much better with is keeping in touch with people. I am horrible with that. I think about calling, writing, and emailing people all the time, but it rarely happens. At least a few times a month I will plan to set aside time just to do that instead of cleaning or doing something with Andrew, but I only get through a quarter or half of my list of people. It just seems that I'm constantly busy, either working, cleaning (which is a 24/7 job living in a camper with a man, a dog, and a cat), getting ready for work, or trying to keep up with my ADHD husband and OCD dog. It doesn't help either that we are 2-3 hours behind most people we contact. And our contact list has been rapidly growing since we have been moving around in the last few years.
2. I am a bit of a packrat. I save everything and it's impossible to get me to throw things away. Two years ago when Andrew and I moved back from Arkansas and were putting all of our things in a storage unit, we decided to get rid of things and have a yard sale. Andrew wanted to toss everything but I had uses and/or sentimental values for everything. But we did pretty good on compromising. Everytime we visit our storage unit we add more things to it and have even considered getting a bigger one. Since our camper has limited space inside we store lots of things in plastic tubs outside. We started with 4 or 5 tubs last January when we moved to CA and now we have 10 tubs and an old cooler for hauling firewood around. Just recently a friend of ours came over and saw stack of magazines that I have saved for the past year and a half and asked, "Do you travel with all those?" Why I have saved them, I don't know. So, I took them to work and to the laundry for others to read and discard. I just can't throw them away.
3. To go along with that, I am horrible when it comes to decision making. I never care where we eat or what we do or when we do it. Andrew told me once he only buys things when he is 100% sure he likes it and will use it and I should do the same. That has really stopped my mindless shopping habits, but now I never buy anything. I think too much about it and figure I'm only 99% sure because it's possible I might find something I like better. I was so thankful for my mother and mother-in-law when it came to planning our wedding. I was so thankful for their patience also. They made great decisions for us and were very patient when I had to register and decide what I wanted to look at for how many ever years (maybe forever--like dishes and china). But I am so, so happy with everything we got and can't wait to use it again and add to it someday.
4. I am actually pretty peticular about my laundry, Andrew calls it anal. It has to be extremely dry and I have to take it out of the dryer when the dryer is still going so there are no wrinkles. Andrew likes to tell a story about doing laundry our first week at Crater Lake. When we went to get our clothes from the dryer, one of the dryers had finished a minute or two before we got their and a retired military man thought he would be nice and fold our laundry. But he was folding my work pants the way that left a crease down the front of the pants, so in front of him I unfolded all the pants and folded them my way before the wrinkles set. Andrew wants me to add that I was huffing and puffing but I don't remember that. I feel really bad about it now because I might have hurt his feelings when he was just trying to be nice. Hopefully he was just thinking "Women!"
5. I LOVE to eat! And I love to eat well. With that said, I couldn't be married to a better person. Andrew is an awesome cook and loves cooking for me. He says one of the ways he won me over was cooking me whatever I wanted during the two and half years we worked together at Applebee's (and throwing french fries at me). When we go camping and backpacking we don't mind carrying the extra weight for a good steak or whatever. When we are on our last day of hiking out of the woods we talk sometimes for miles about what or where we want to eat--a big fat steak, huge juicy burger, omletes, and then some chinese (food, not whole people) are just a few thoughts. I love to eat in all the mom-n-pop places (mainly for the experience, but most of the time the food is great). Those were all over in Alaska. :) There is a small coffeeshop diner in Lone Pine where we always eat breakfast at least once when we go there for a weekend. Andrew makes fun of me for getting three drinks--coffee, water, and OJ. This is another reason I love working in the restaurant we do because we eat so well. Breakfast is one of my favorite meals and our breakfast cook, Craig, makes everything incredible! Plus, he makes us whatever we want. I end up getting one blueberry pancake, two eggs, and bacon a lot. Then, I eat the steel cut oats a few hours later at the end of the breakfast shift. Everyone we work with kids me about how much I eat and how many desserts I eat. After sunday brunch there are so many leftover mini desserts--heaven! When I said I like to eat well, I'm not joking. Andrew and I have been known to spend $100+ on a dinner several times in the last couple of years. He hates it and says he could have bought a new sleeping bag or something instead. But again it's not just for the food but the experience also. Plus, we don't have kids to spend that money on either. I'm going to stop now, but I could go on and on about food (like how I have been caught eating spoonfuls of Chef Mic's homemade jam, drinking the marionberry syrup and the hot bacon dressing). I guess you know by now I like food. All this brings to mind many good memories, thanks again to G2 and Leslie for those great home cooked meals that you can't put a price on, and thanks to my mom and James for the same especially the okra, and to Ted and Sherry for the same especially the sugar cookie packages! You know, one more reason I like food, it brings people together and good conversation. The only thing that makes good food better it the people you share it with (true words of wisdom from Leslie)!
6. We don't watch a lot of TV but the only show I know the time and channel it comes on is Live with Regis and Kelly. I don't like any morning or night talk shows except this one. So, whenever I am at home when the show is on I sit down with some coffee and don't do anything else. I love it! I'm jealous one of my own family members was called and got to talk on the show and won a awesome trip! That's awesome! Go Lori!!!
I was actually kind of dreading this because I didn't think I would have a lot to say, but I know now I was wrong and I might have said to much. This has been fun--thanks Martha for tagging me! Now, I tag Anna! Ha, ha! :)
Camping with the Boss
We stopped a few times on the way north to look at old mining roads, rock structures built by Indians, and wildflowers. Here are a couple of pictures to give you an idea of the desert bloom that has happened in the last few weeks. But this is a weak example of the bloom. The desert gold has blanketed most of the alluvial fans and washes around here and the roadsides.
After setting up camp we drove out to see Scotty's Castle. The castle was built in the 1920's by a Chicago man for a vacation home. We took the underground tour to learn all about the construction of the castle since half of us have been on the tour through the castle. There are tunnels that lead to all the out-buildings like the pool, the stables, the guest house, and the garage which is now the gift and snack shop. The tunnels were constructed so maintenance could be easily accessible. However, the tunnels and the pool were never finished. All of the hand-mixed concrete was poured but the tile that was bought to put over it was never put in place. Stacked throughout the tunnels are thousands of dollars worth of beautifully painted tiles that were to be used. Construction was halted in the early 1930's when the depression hit. We also got to see pelton water wheels that generated all the electricity in the beginning, later diesel generators took over, and the boiler room which is how they heated the house in the winter by generating steam.
Then we went and hiked the 3 miles around the rim of Ubehebe Crater. It's currently about 450 feet deep, but used to be deeper. It has filled up a littlt over time. This is a very young crater in geologic terms. It's between 2,000 and 3,000 years old instead of 2 or 3 million years old.
We had a great dinner that evening (bbq chicken, potatoes, green beans, and rolls) and an awesome campfire!
