Sasquatch Hunter

The Breath of Life

2012-01-21T18:04:00.000-08:00

Only the Breath of Life from a Mord-Sith can resurrect the Sasquatch Hunter. Obviously, I've been watching too many fantasy tv shows to make a reference like that. After 3 years of technological sensory deprivation I find my self owning a 32" flatscreen, a blue-ray player with wifi and an addiction to Netflix.

I have been fantasizing about blogging again for months but really felt I needed a new platform but tonight I said, "screw it." I like Sasquatch Hunter. It speaks to me just like it did from the beginning and it will speak to you again too. That's right...you. The invisible. The intangible. Life out there-in here. A cosmic circle spins me right round, baby, right round. I do like circles. Anyway, I have been complementing a new blog for a while. Sasquatch Hunter gets the mystery and magic I like to contemplate is out there in life; the fantasy and the reality; the adventure and the stories.

So, I'll snazz up the old blog, put a fresh coat on 'er and see where she takes me. As usual, I'll keep to the real, the story telling but more mini adventures than the high mountain climb of ol'. Not that there won't be references as I have a nostalgic heart. For now, I am intrigued by the newness of Brunswick, Maine. Already, I have found the Cathance River Heritage Trail. Awesome! It's a little river gorge. Nothing I love more than to hike next to a river. Another great discovery is the Long Branch School in Bowdoinham, Maine. A community based school teaching sustainable living skills and BONUS: Free movies like "The Princess Bride" on February 25th. Let us make a date!

Due to my insanely time consuming job I suspect the timing of my posts will be a bit erratic. That disclaimer being declared I am in hopes that I will have enough mini adventures to write several times a month. Today, most of this is being written to tap my desire, my words into this keyboard, as a chisel into declarative and binding stone.

I do have a much deserved vacation to Naples, Florida in a week or so. And so feel it will be a great launching time for Sasquatch Hunter to share a kickoff story that will a involve a champagne bottle being smashed figuratively and literally at some currently undisclosed location on the west coast of Florida (after being consumed, of course). I believe the headline with read something like: Sasquatch Hunter 'restles Killer Croc.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KHsdVCr8-0&noredirect=1

Life as a Redneck

2009-12-09T16:45:00.000-08:00

So, last week I was initiated into Redneck Hall of Fame in Ashford, WA (population: 293) when I was told by a local, while in the general store, called Suvers, that I was "now a True Ashfordite" because I has a big brown tarp covering my rear window. And, yes of course, the masking tape I was using did not stick well in the soggy northwest so the tarp was flapping in the wind as I drove the three mile stretch from my homestead to the store. It gets better, a few days ago I signed a get well card for one of my co-workers that read as follows:
Medical Definitions for Rednecks
Barium - What the undertaker does to 'em once the doctor's are through with 'em
Impotent- Significant and distinguished
Pap Smear- To insult or belittle your own father
Rectum- Crashed 'm and totaled 'em
X-Rayed- For adult audiences only
These were a few of the inspiring redneck definitions included on the card. The fact that I live in a double-wide (make that half of a double-wide) and that I drive a fourteen year old Bronco only reinforces the whole embracement of my redneck ways. In fact, at the end of last week I found the local watering hole, the Elbe Tavern, that I now fear I will become a "regular" at. There the likes of dentists and hairdressers have never been seen. Where even the town's pretty girls (remember these are redneck lovelies) are wearing camo and the local men are outside, smoking cigarettes, discussing the Rebel flag they want to affix to their 4x4. This Friday night you will find me belly up to the bar, nursing a Washington Apple (crown, cranberry and pucker) double shot listening to the live band jamboree. Yee-Haw!

My first Pre-Winter Hike of the Season

2009-12-03T08:47:00.000-08:00

It never fails that I forget my camera to digitally record my experiences with nature in the photo form. They say a picture is worth a thousand words so I guess I'll have to paint a picture of the mountain in my own words but don't expect a thousand of them, I'm not that long winded. Yesterday, December 2, 2009, I decided to go for a hike up at Longmire. My decision was to hike up to Carter Falls which is a 7 mile fairly easy round trip hike. The day was one of the most beautiful days we have had here at Mount Rainier since early November. The sky was a clear, not a cloud in the sky, robin's egg blue. My first sighting of the mountain as I drove to my destination was at Kautz Creek. Described by my mind's eye as a stunning, large, stark white mass with hints of purple rock beneath against the painted blue backdrop. This mind picture was framed with dense evergreens and a small creek flowing gently below. A digital picture couldn't really capture the beauty and largeness of it.
I stopped by the tiny historical museum at Longmire to get some trail info from the rangers. I was soon disappointed to find the the half log bridge that provides passage across the Nisqually River has been washed out in one of our first snow storms making the trail to Carter Falls inaccessible. Undaunted, I requested info about Rampart Ridge and Eagle's Peak. The look that crossed the rangers face instantly told me that Eagle's Peak was not the safest route but I think I will explore that next week. Rampart Ridge it was I decided. A 5 mile loop with an elevation gain of 1420 ft. I slowly started my ascent, taking my time to look at the azure sky through the tall trees, listen to the birds chirp, breath in the crisp air. About three-quarters of the way up I sat on a moss covered rock to rest, take a sip of clean water, strip off a layer of clothing. I stared into the forest not focusing on anything really when I discovered I was staring at the brown rump of a thin legged animal. It blended in so well that I wasn't really sure it wasn't a tree stump until it moved disappearing behind a thick tree. Silently, I repositioned myself to see three deer slowly idling through the trees with their heads down, nibbling flora off the forest floor, between patches of snow. Delightful sight!
As they disappeared I thought to myself how lucky I am to be working in a national park. This thought continued as I rounded the next switchback to hear a small woodpecker working for his tasty bug meal. The rest of the hike was uneventful in that I saw no more animals but did continue to hear the birds chirp and the trees creak. I was very glad I chose not to pack my snowshoes for the top of the ridge. There was probably about 2 feet of snow at the top but very hard packed by the tread of other hikers. I was smart to bring my little boot ice cleats because the hard packed snow was super slippery. Just a little ways around the bend from the top of the ridge, the forest opens to a brief cliff side and you get a stunning view of the mountain. My plan was to stop, drink some hot tea and marvel at it's vastness but the wind was wicked, forcing me to continue forward into the forest for shelter. I found a little clearing, protected by grand Douglas firs, where I drank tea and did some yoga stretches on the hard packed snow. What a geek I am. My last nature discovery of my hike was at the corner of Rampart Ridge and the Wonderland Trail as your heading to Indian Henry's. I stopped at the junction to drink more tea and rest a little. Again, staring blindly through the trees there appeared to be an empty space behind the trees. Leaving the trail by about 100 feet I discovered a small meadow, about the size of a baseball diamond, just beyond the trees adjacent to the trail. I chose not to step onto this snow covered meadow because I was not convinced it is a meadow at all. Based on a 10 ft circular indentation in the middle of the snow I thought may be a small wetland area which I did not want to mess with but made the discovery no less of a delight. This small discovery gave me an adventure to look forward to next July after the snow melts.
All throughout my hike was the reinforcing thought that I am lucky to work in a place that I also get to play in and hoping that my friends and family take a moment to experience whatever access they have to nature. Do you hear a bird sing? Do you feel the wind on your cheek? Do you see grass growing in a sidewalk crack? I did actually hug a tree during my hike while I was watching the woodpecker. I can't help it. I felt compelled to share the experience and I am surrounded by trees that experience the delight of nature every moment of their life cycle. I felt we (me and the tree) were comrades in nature. Did you hug a tree today?

There's no place like home, there's no place like home click, click, click

2009-11-02T17:43:00.000-08:00

I see having a pair of ruby slippers along the same lines as Star Trek's transporter machine. I would use them to travel back and forth between the east and west coast. Just as I figured, being home in Maine has definitely made me think of starting to make plans to return to my rightful place in the world (right, Ang?) I don't see myself transitioning back to Maine right way but being in the New England area is a must do.

Geez, I just read some of my older post. God damn, there have been some good times and my writing was exciting. What the hell has happened to me? I need some descriptive inspiration to manuveur my brainwaves to write that good again. I love road tripping. My journey out west last year was an inspirational journey on many levels. The question is, who's gonna road trip home with me at the end of next season? Tune in, now that's a cliff hanger...good literary move. Swell.

The Adventures of Murder Squirrel--Pictures

2009-09-25T20:51:00.001-07:00

Murder Squirrel with blood on his knife. Are
we missing any hotel guests?

Edward (aka Rafiki) introdues Murder Squirrel
to his kingdom.

Murder Squirrel living on his Mountain.

Murder Squirrel stares at me in my sleep. Some

nights it really creeps me out and I have to banish

him to the closet.

Murder Squirrel at the Puyallup Fair. Scary!

The Adventures of Murder Squirrel

2009-09-25T20:27:00.000-07:00

The creation of Murder Squirrel was designed early in the '09 season at Mt. Rainier. He arrived at the Paradise Inn Gift Shop very unexpectedly, in a box with thousands of his friends. It was an invasion of creepy plush rodents with beady eyes. Only Murder Squirrel was ghastly and cruel enough to fight his way in to the hearts of the employees at Rainier, leaving the others plush squirrels behind to be sold as slaves to the highest, child-like bidder. The above is the first picture of Murder Squirrel on the day of his creation. In the first days of his creation he terrorized the hotel guests by sitting threateningly in the gift shop window, peering out into the lobby with his knife gleaming until he was banned by the high king. Since then he has gone into hiding protected by all that revere him. Some nights he has hidden deep in the woods, camping, drinking to much beer and living dangerously by sitting to close the fire, his singed tail is scarred to prove it. Here's a crazy fact: while I have not summitted the mountain, Murder Squirrel has climbed the 14,411 feet up to the top of the volcano we live on together. Although I do not have them there are pictures to prove this. He is a wild one that Murder Squirrel. His most recent adventure was to the Puyallup Fair where he drank to many airplane shots before going on the Tilt-A-Whirl. As you can imagine he was quite a threat to eveyone who walked by him. When some teenagers behind us in the line touched him saying he was so cute. I made sure to respond, "I wouldn't do that if I were you, he's more dangerous than he looks."

Like a River

2009-08-21T11:48:00.000-07:00

It is really disappointing on so many levels how little I have written on my blog this summer. I would like to make promises that from now on I will be more dedicated to my blog writings but I feel in my heart that I may not be able to follow through so why be so rigid especially since my new motto is BE LIKE A RIVER. If you have obstacles just find a different path around it, trickle through it or flood over it. Or maybe I'm the dead leaf floating down it. I'm not sure but I really like the metaphor. I have not hiked nearly as much as I did last season but I did manage to make it up to Camp Muir with my dad a couple weeks ago. I have two more hikes that I want to accomplish this year to add to my Mt. Rainier hiking list. I want to hike up to Indian Henry's which is about a 14 mile hike round trip. There is a little cabin up there. And, I want to hike from Sunrise to Paradise. That would be a 22-23 mile hike and an overnighter. I think that's one of the reasons I haven't been writing on my blog so much. I like to share my hiking experiences and adventures in the woods. I just haven't done as much hiking this year. It is a much more social experience this year and I'm not big on writing about the everyday mundane conversations I have with people. Not enough freaks to exploit really.

For those loyal followers who have been faithfully checking to see if the hunter is still prowling, bless you and stay tuned: Pics will follow soon, as will my attempt to upkeep my preservation of life at Rainier.

Snow Desert

2009-05-11T19:54:00.000-07:00

I stopped for respite in the only shade on the mountain
for about 15 minutes until my marrow cooled from the boiling
point.

Man, you just gotta love the weather here on The Mountain. One thing is for sure The Mountain will never breed monotony. A week ago today, last Monday, May 4 it snowed and continued for three days straight. Then, this weekend was an absolutely stunning weekend with the sun blazing down on the white, pristine Mountain. I went hiking up to Alta Vista (5950ft) on Sunday. You would think I was hiking in the Saraha Desert it was so god damn hot! I actually almost turned around within minutes of starting b/c I was sweating to death. The sun was beating on me from the sky and reflecting off the snow. A dangerous combo. Of course, I was wearing sunscreen but still managed to get a funky looking burn down the front of my neck. AND, Today, I went for a 1/2 mile walk around the parking lot in a Blizzard! The wind was blowing so hard the snow was stinging my face. By the time I turned around, 10 minutes later, it had mellowed out to barely a flurry. So, basically, it is either snowing or blazing sun here at Mount Rainier. Gotta love it. No, really... Gotta LOVE it!!

Buried Alive

2009-05-09T19:24:00.001-07:00

It was a really beautiful day today!

Funny story... I asked the head of maintenance at Inn when he thought I might get the boards off my window. My room is on the bottom floor of the inn. I have two windows that are currently sealed with ply-board. My room is like a cave. Even when the lights are on there seems to be an impenetrable darkness. I wake up at 7am each morning thinking it could easily be 2am or I wake up at 3am and bolt out of bed b/c I think it's 9am. Each morning I walk up the stairs to peak my head out the door to see if the sun is shining or if it is snowing because it seems that in the last two weeks it is one or the other. When the sun is shining (it's doubly bright b/c it's bouncing of the snow) I instantly raise my elbow over my eyes because the light penetrates my vampire like senses, causing me to squeal and scurry back to my room to adjust to the daylight hours. So, "Vern," I say (whose name I have changed for amenity sake), "Vern, when will the shutters come off my window?" After asking which side of the Inn my room is on, Vern chuckles, and in a sarcastic tone replies, "Mid-June if your lucky." Now, I have a secret hope that Maybe, just maybe he was kidding. I actually hadn't gone to the other side of the Inn to see for myself the snow situation. Here comes the crusher: Vern comes up to me yesterday and says, "So I took the bulldozer out behind the Inn to dig your room out. I'm diggin' and diggn' and finally I see the top part of your window. Then I look into the window and see that it's women's public bathroom." He laughs and laughs, "Your room is buried A WHOLE FLOOR beneath that room!!" At that point he says, "I said screw it! Sorry, you'll probably be buried 'til end of June." So, if you live in a two story house, just visualize the snow being up to the top of the windows on the second floor with your bedroom on the bottom floor. Basically, I'm buried alive.

The Tatoosh Range directly across from the Inn.

I think this will be my view mid-June.

I am standing in front of my room which is

two stories below.

My room is two floors down under the snow.

Will I ever see the light of day?

Pirates of the Caribbean

2009-05-03T19:30:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I never actually saw a pirate while I was in the Caribbean but I had my picture taken with a fake just to make myself feel special. The cruise was pretty good. If I'm being honest, which I always am, I'm not much of a cruiser. Too many people in a confined space for my liking. I couldn't find one god damn unoccupied space on the whole ship. That being said, I really enjoyed the zip line in Belize. We zipped through the dense jungle canapy in a monsoon rain storm. That was pretty exciting. Mom and I went to the Chocchoban Mayan Ruins in Costa Maya, Mexico. No, I do not have the swine flu although I was a hypocondriac about it for the first 4 days after, feeling my forehead every three minutes to make sure I didn't have a fever. The last adventure we went on was swimming with the stingray. I got to feed them after my initial "eww, ichy" stage. I have to say while the evening shows were pretty cheesy, the formal dinners every evening were delightful. The food was divine and the service was top notch. Like they literally dipped my tea bag for me. I felt pretty swanky for a minute there. You can see my pics on my facebook page. If you're not my facebook friend then too bad for you. I'll get pics up on my blog eventually. It's just difficult when you live on a mountain with dial-up as your only connection to the techno world. I am psyched to be back at Rainier with the exception of the 10feet of snow. Today I went for a short little hike and did not see a soul. Just me and the mountain. That beats out a cruise any day as far as I'm concerned!!

Up, Up and Away!

2009-04-16T17:47:00.000-07:00

My adventures begin tomorrow. I leave for a seven day cruise to the Western Caribbean on Saturday from Port Canaveral, FL to Cozumel, Belize, Costa Maya and finally Nassau, Bahamas. Then I'm off to Mount on April 26. Stay tuned for all the details.

2009-03-17T15:50:00.000-07:00

My tattered mail :(

Kodie's Top Maine Dog photo op

Nature and the FEDs

2009-03-17T14:42:00.000-07:00

You may assume from my post title that I will go on a tireless rant about the politics of environmentalism. Or course, if you can find a connection between the United States Postal Service and the many herds of deer I saw today all the political power to you. Kodz and I went on another adventurous walk today. On our way out the driveway I stopped to check the mail. The only piece of mail was a small, sealed plastic pouch with a tattered personal letter inside addressed to me. Inside the pouch was a standard, small white envelope mangled within an inch of it's life with shredded green paper bleeding through the wounded envelope. Outside the plastic pouch is a typed form letter beginning with big, bold, capital letters announcing; WE CARE, going on to emphasize their regret of the damage to my important mail, expressing their apologies and promising to strive toward improving their processing methods. BLAH, BLAH, BLAH. My question is...How, out of all the bills, catalogs, credit card offers, and coupon fliers, did the United States Postal Service manage to mangle one of the few personal letters I receive???? I think the answer somehow involves the chaos theory. Kodie and my other excitement during our walk was the number of deer we tracked today. We spotted a least ten deer tromping through the woods on our walk to see Mom at the high school. We live about 2 miles from the Penquis Valley High School where Mom teaches so we often make this a destination. On our walk back home we had a stare down with a second herd of about 17 deer. We stopped at a large marsh for semi-spontaneous doggy photo shoot. And, about a half mile later we saw another deer with it's whitetail swishing that bounded off into the woods with a second deer friend in the direction that would quickly rendezvous with other herd we saw. Fantastic!

A Plumber's Crack

2009-03-11T10:12:00.000-07:00

It has been weeks since I have been motivated to write on my blog. I have come to realize that central Maine is sucking the creative life out of me. My repetitive daily life of nothingness is making me a creative drone. Kodie and I do go on many walks but the weather today is a dreary mess again. We have seen lots of animal life on our walks. There is a small horse farm just down the road. We have seen three deer and a pileated woodpecker (very pretty and cool). My imagination has become dim-witted. Sigh. I miss the hustle and bustle of the city. It is official. I am a city girl. I can't live in this alienated desert of woods. But, an old school chum's plumber's crack did put a smile on my face today, while he was fixing the washer.

Random Drive

2009-02-10T12:24:00.001-08:00

Today I went to the post office to drop off my unemployment paperwork. (Sidenote-The hoops you need to jump through to get your unemployment check really is a full time job. Because I am working a few hours a week as a tutor, I have to wait for my paystub from the tutor job to clear before I get the unemployment check with the tutor pay deducted. This process is all conducted through snail mail. Anywho, that really is just a rant and beside the point.) I thought Kodie would like to go for a drive. So, after dropping off my outgoing mail I randomly decided to continue my drive pass the post office and into unknown territory. I drove over a green, steel bridge that I think might cross Pleasant River. Immediately after, Kodie and I drifted toward the announcement of Schoonic Lake by a road sign pointing left down an ice caked dirt road. Several miles down this road we approached a culdesac clustered with gingerbread cabins on the border of Schoonic Lake in Brownville, Maine. As we circled around the top tier of the lake's tiny community, what to my wondering eyes did appear. Holy Shit! That's Mount Katahdin!
Nice House with the lake right behind it a view of Katahdin

Milo Pics

2009-01-16T10:37:00.001-08:00

Logging Truck after Logging Truck speed by Mom's home. I'm going to
do a timed trial just like I did for the subway in Chicago.

Me and Kodie before our daily walk

Winter in Milo, ME

We watched a documentary about the far removed family of Jackie Onassis.
Her cousin who was certifably crazy and her eccentric aunt lived in a Hampton shack.
I have my scarf wrapped around my head as a tribute to the crazy cousin.

Home Sweet Home-now if there was only a logging truck passing
the house in the pic you would get the real feel.

Summary of Daily Life

2009-01-16T10:07:00.000-08:00

I have had about 4 job interviews. I haven't really done well in them. I think mostly b/c my heart is not into it. I keep thinking about Rainier. I am really conflicted about whether to go back. I really, really miss being in Portland but I'm starting to settle into being in Milo. Seems like if I found a waitress job here under the table that it might make sense to stay here money wise. But there are moments that I feel like I'll go crazy if I stay in Milo because I am ssooooooo bored. Even though it is too ridiculous for anyone to be out in this cold weather I bring Kodie for a walk or in the yard for a run everyday. I clean the house. I been bringing my Dad back and forth to PT. I watch Rachel Ray and the Ellen Show. Go to job interviews. Break up cat fights. I am obsessed with Facebook. I surf the net for jobs, travel tips, news, virtual shopping, real estate, recipes, home decor. I spend 40 hours (that is the total of a full time job workweek) making Angie a scrapbook about our Road Trip. I'm so bored that I'm listing all the activities I do during the day for you to read. LOL! All I want to do is sit in a cafe/bookstore and read, people watch and surf the net. Why can't I be unemployed in a more urban area b/c I would stay this way then go back to Rainier. I'm starting to think that I might go back to Rainier. I really, really miss the mountain. I'm going to go next week to see if I can get a waitress job around here to see if I like it. I'm just confused about what I really want to do. Living in Milo is really hard because it is such a small town. Honestly, Rainier is more remote but at least I had a social life there. I am almost more isolated living in a small town in Maine. Crazy world.

Small Town Life

2009-01-14T14:36:00.001-08:00

The thing I like best about small town life is that I can leave my car unlocked, keys in it and running while I skip into the store to buy a Coke.

It's a Journey

2009-01-08T14:39:00.000-08:00

I miss my sasquatch hunter blog. Why can't I just hunt sasquatch in Milo and call it good? The answer is I can. I think I was trying to separate Rainier from here and let's face it I miss Rainier!!! Sasquatch can be hunted for all over the world even right here in Maine. Okay, so I'm going to try to link the website for the Sasquatch Information Society to my blog. I especially encourage you to read the entry from Eagle Lake if your are not a believer. So from now on here I live and here I stay.

This Is The End My Friend

2008-12-12T16:14:00.000-08:00

Well, it's about god damn time I put some closure on this blog. After a grueling finish to our road trip Angie and I arrived back in Maine late night on Thursday, November 13, 2008. I am currently collecting unemployment, living with my Mom, in Milo, Maine. I think that about sums up my life right now. The unanswered question is, "Did she slay any sasquatch?" This can be answered by the famous mountainier Lou Whitaker, "They don't exist." I was crushed by his answer to my inquiring question but I believe in Santa Claus so I guess I'll always look over my shoulder for the illusive Big Foot. My Adventure out West is finished but life is full of journeys. Blessed Be!!

Cow Shit Smells Sweeter in California

2008-11-09T20:16:00.000-08:00

We have made it to Holbrook, Arizona. It smells nasty in this town. The strength of the smell is comparable to Westbrook with a different aroma like a musty wet rug which compliments my frozen dinner at the Motel 6 to perfection. I'm going to work backwards to catch up on our journey because honestly it is hard to remember where we woke up this morning. We visited the Grand Canyon today. It is so vast that it just doesn't look real. It's like god dropped a painted tapestry down from heaven just to put a smile on your face. However, it wasn't the vastness of the Grand Canyon was so impressive but the full blown snow storm we drove through as we left the park. We woke up this morning in Kingsman, Az, a favorite stop along the historic Route 66, after an extremely long day of driving yesterday. Yesterday was Saturday. We drove through the California Golden Valley, hundreds of miles of farms, windmills, orange orchards and happy cows. The sweet smell of cow manure filled the warm California air. We are convinced that cow shit smells sweeter in California because the cows are happier. They seemed to be full of energy playing games with each other like cow tipping is a game the cows actually play together. We woke up Saturday morning in San Francisco. We did the whole tourist thing at Fisherman's Wharf and ate some fine pasta in North Beach which is SF's littte Italy on Friday. We are now on a direct route back to Maine.

Rain or Shine

2008-11-07T08:11:00.000-08:00

Let's Chant: Rain, Rain, Go Away, Come again some....no, just go away. Angie and I have been driving in the rain for four days now. Out of Seattle, out of Washington, into Portland, down the Oregon Coast and into California. The dreary gray is so oppressive we are continuously singing to the sun gods to encourage Sunny California to live up to it's name. We have been attributing description words to the cities we have been visiting. Seattle wins the most conscientious award. These people actually stop for people in the cross walks and the pedestrians wait for the walk signal. They compost their coffee cups and have electric public transportation. Portland, Oregon wins the award for best vintage clothing. Even the men are all decked out in bell bottoms and swaggy jackets. Hawthorne Street is lined with fantastic free trade coffee shops, global gift stores and lots of second hand clothing shops. Although the backdrop of our trip is smeared in grey dullness and pelting rain, the Oregon coast does it's best not to be out done. The storm creates massive waves crashing against magnificent rock formations that jet out of the beach down the entire coast line. We stopped at the World Largest Sea Cave which was pretty spectacular. This cave is the home to the Steller Sea Lions. There weren't any sea lions in the caves today but we did see two groups playing in the surf just along the rocks outside the cave. Tonight we crashed in Santa Rosa, CA. We went to the Russian River Brewery on Fourth Street for wine and pizza. Fantabulous!!

Night of the Living Dead

2008-11-03T06:27:00.000-08:00

Angie and I have made it safely to the West Coast. We are up early this morning due to the time zone change and day light savings time. So I'm taking advantage by catching up on our Halloween adventrue. Friday night we arrived in Salem, MA dressed as punk rock vampires. Well, Allie and I were vampires and Angie was our victim. Check out the vampire bite on Angie's back. Nasty!!

It was a mass of controlled frenzy to the tune of 100,000 zombies. We couldn't get into any bar so we walked to my favorite haunted liquor store, The Bunghole. We had to wait in line outside for twenty minutes just to buy a bottle of champange. To escape the madness we wandered out to one of the oldest and creepiest cemetery's in Salem. Also, a favorite haunt of mine. There the mushroom magic peak'd. We howled at the moon and hissed at ghosts while smokin' cloves and drink'n champange out of the bag. True to the old world. Eventually, we motivated to go dance with the mob but to our outrage and disbelief the whole city was shut down by a police parade wearing full riot gear; helmets, shields, batons, atv's, dogs marching through the center of town square demanding that everyone leave. THIS WAS AT 11:30!! It was full of intimidation and threat. It was so surreal given our state of mind. The crazy thing is that by midnight 90% of the mob cleared out leaving an erie feeling of loss like in the Shining where there is a 1920's ballroom full of dancing ghosts and only pale apparitions were wandering the street. Due to the this mass exodus it took us 2hours to get a cab and we didn't get home until 3am. It was a crazy night indeed. Saturday night we toned down the madness down and just slit our throats for
dinner.

Dark Side of the Moon

2008-10-22T14:51:00.000-07:00

The fight between summer and winter begins.

Me on Eagle's peak with Mount Adams far in the background.

On Sunday, listening to Pink Floyd's album "Dark Side of the Moon" playing as my theme music, I hiked up Eagle's Peak one final time. The first time I tried to climb to the top of Eagle's Peak there was so much snow I only made it half way. The second time I peaked the mountain but couldn't see three feet in front of my face. Third times a charm. It was a beautiful autumn day, cool and pleasant. Rainier was in all her glory on the west side with Paradise nestled into her valley and Mount Adams and St. Helen's bordered to the south. The sun was shining in the east and a waning, half Blood Moon hung low dimly in the southwest. I sunned myself like a lazy marmot on the rocks gathering the mid-afternoon heat. I will definately miss the beauty, the moments alone with the mountain. My spirit has gathered strength here but I am anxious to go home and hang with my homies!!

Circle of Life

2008-10-11T14:57:00.000-07:00

I plan to use this post for my own catharsis so if you don't wanna hear me bitch feel free to move on. This week has been a whirlwind of change as the mountain closes down. Winter is making major threats of breaking autumn's spirit. I have woken up to a dusting of snow cover for the past five days. It is not the snow or the thought of winter that is breaking my spirit. Actually the snow is beautiful and the mountain looks like it put on a new dress for her Snow King. And I am using this time to acclimate to the cold weather since I am heading back to Maine for the winter. My beef is with my employer who is a god damn inconsiderate, inefficient corporate blockhead. I hate inefficency!! I have had to move twice in the last three days b/c the ass doesn't know what it's head it doing. And, where do I end up. Right back where I started-in the same apartment, room and bed. To refresh your memory see post in May entitled, "Home Sweet Home" or home of the moldy strawberries. Tell me that life isn't a circle. I, of course, begged not to be put back into this situation but of course "there are no other place to put (me)". And, don't get me started on the food situation during the past week, let alone this whole summer. I can not wait to get home to cook healthy, non-fried, meals that include vegetables. Here french fries are considered a vegetable and served at every meal including breakfast. This week my work project has been opening the gift shop for the new visitor center. I will proudly say that I personally put 3/4 of the gift shop together. My boss, of the week, is a paranoid, ADHD, backstabbing hag who doesn't have a funny bone in her body completed one display to my seven in two days because she can't complete a thought without stopping to gab with whoever is handy. Not that I'm bitter about it. As I come full circle a quote from Alice in Wonderland is deemed appropriate: Alice says, "It was much pleasanter at home, when one wasn't always growing larger and smaller, and being ordered about by mice and rabbits." The official countdown has begun. My last day of work here is in 14 days.

Global Mala

2008-09-25T13:02:00.000-07:00

Thursday I brought Zara and Christine to the Puyallup Fair. Supposedly it's like the 3rd largest fair in the nation but it was just like every country fair I've ever been to so I'm not sure I believe the hype. I had to bully the girls into going on the roller coaster. Not surprisingly we waited 45 minutes in line for a ride that lasted 45 seconds. Luckily my orange straw cowboy hat did not fly off my head as we barreled down the loop-de-loops. After all the fried dough and mongolian stir fry I'm not sure it was the best idea but we endured. On Saturday, I participated in Global Mala, an international yoga event in support of international peace day. We performed 108 sun salutations (basically 108 upward facing and downward facing dogs) in an hour. Our small yoga class of 10 individuals, in Ashford, Wa, nestled at the bottom of Mt. Rainier, connected with the collective conscious for world peace. I like feeling that with simple movement and meditation I made a small difference toward changing the negative thought processes that are destroying our existence (even if it means I ripped my hamstrings to shreds, it's a small price to pay for world peace). The event appropriately aligned with the fall equinox. Happy Moban! It's Harvest time. Let us reap the rewards of our efforts this year!

Picture Update

2008-09-18T13:21:00.001-07:00

See the twins in the background?

Thieving Munks!!

Happy B-day to Me!!

Paradise on my B-day

Comet Falls- 10 mile hike to Longmire

Sunset at Sunrise

2008-09-16T18:26:00.000-07:00

(pic from livingwilderness.com by Kevin Ebi)
Why is it that when you see the most spectacular sunset of your life you don't have a camera? I'm convinced that there is a cosmic rule that in order to see wonderous sights you must forget your camera at home. Last week I saw a bear about 20 yards away from me when I was hiking from Longmire to Paradise. Did I have a camera? Of course not. Because that's the rule. So, I am borrowing the above pic so you can see a glimmer of the inspiring sunset I saw.
The sunset I saw was even better than the picture. There where no clouds and so much more purple. It was fantastic. I shared this wonderful sight with Bogdon, a Romanian, I met at 6 o'clock that morning, who of course forgot his camera as well. We headed to Sunrise on the east side of the mountain, early last Monday morning, to help close the gift shop for the season. After work we hiked 4 miles to sit atop a ridge just below Mt. Rainier. So picture a 14,000 foot snow covered mountain (there's a lot more snow on the mtn on the east side at Sunrise) just to the left of the picture and to the right a wide lush valley, with the Cascade Mountains a silouette beyond the valley. The bright, perfect half moon pinned up behind us. We agreed that even from opposites sides of the world it was the most beautiful, natural sight either of us had ever seen. Believe it or not, it gets better. Just minutes after a skitish, little field mouse reveals itself from under a rock next to our feet, a preditor bird begins to circle above our heads then disappears. Moments later, the bird returns with it's mate and we realize they are OWLS!! We must have been sitting in a favorite and prosperous hunting spot. They continued to circle above our heads waiting for us to leave so they could engage in their idea of fine dining. That poor mouse was probably digested before we hiked to the bottom of the ridge. Of course, this beautiful experience had it's downfall. We had to hike the 4 miles back to Sunrise in the blackness of night. Everytime the flashlight caught a shadow I jumped thinking it was a bear. Bogdon didn't help matter because we started talking about how Dracula was from Romania and I was convienced that he was going to turn into a werewolf even though it was only a half moon. Then I was really hoping he would turn into anything carnivous when the bear attacked. Actually, I was laughing so hard at the idea of this slight youth turning into a bat or wolf that we were back at Sunrise safe and sound before I knew it.

Party like it's 1999

2008-09-01T16:35:00.000-07:00

Yeman, Vicky and Steph

Me and Zara-I'm going to adopt Zara to get her to stay in the country.

Steph and Me- If I were a lesbian I would run off to California and marry her!

Steph getting a tip from John. Rich looks like he's enjoying the show.

The Longmire Gang singing karaoke

The Highlander is the local watering hole here in Ashford. This weekend I made my first appearance, but not last, at this typical redneck bar. It was a bon voyage party for Yeman, a hottie turk, who buses tables at Longmire and is leaving to go back to Turkey on Friday. Stephanie and I fell on our asses because we were laughing so hard at a couple of our co-worker singing karaoke. We all had a blast singing karaoke and groping each other in a drunken stupor. We closed the bar down and I got home at 3am. I haven't had so much fun in months as the pics will confirm. Of course, prior to the party I hiked six miles up to Paradise so my legs were like butter, add a couple glasses of wine and dancing was like that jello commercial. Wiggle wabble.

2008-08-18T17:03:00.000-07:00

Mom and Me At Sunrise

Lupine Meadows at Sunrise

Mom and Me at Mount St. Helens

Valley Below Mount Saint Helens

Snow Lake at Mt. Rainier

I Blew My Top at Mount St. Helens

2008-08-18T16:42:00.000-07:00

Mom and I went up to Sunrise last Wednesday. Sunrise is on the east side of the park and sits at 6400 feet. It is a 2 hour drive from Longmire. It was a sweltering hot day. We hiked up to Frozen Lake which was a mild 3 mile round trip hike. We saw a five point buck standing in the lupine meadows with the mountain in the background. It was a national geographic moment that was completely missed by my camera. On Thursday, we drove 3 hours to Mount St. Helens. It was devastatingly beautiful. The valley is a wide barren river of ash surrounded by slopes of fallen trees and new families of evergreens. The blue lupine were the first flower to regenerate the area after the explosion and dot the landscape. Our living planet reminds us that life can change abruptly but time slowly creates new hope. Saturday, we visited the Grove of the Patriarch, the site of my previous encounter with the Frog Prince, and then hiked to Snow Lake, a 2 1/2 mile hike to a beautiful glacier fed lake. It was another oppressively hot day that made us melt and ultimately ended with Longmire's infamous blackberry cobbler topped with vanilla ice cream.

Trans Canada

2008-08-11T16:48:00.000-07:00

Mama Grillo flew into Seattle late, very late, Tuesday night. We made a mad dash for the Canadian border on Wednesday to go visit Matt and Christine. It was a relatively easy 7 1/2 hour drive to Vernon, British Columbia especially with the new toy Mom brought, the TomTom. Vernon is located in the Okangogan Valley which is now refered to as the Canadian Riveria. It was a blistering 95 degrees which I guess is how it always is with almost no rain fall. I was so excited to go swimming which has been a much missed summer activity. There are several large lakes with lots of motor boats zooming around in the Valley. The lakes are nestled into dry, yellow-brown hillsides dotted with modular homes hanging on for dear life. We had a wonderful time hanging out with them and will miss them as they are heading to Japan at the end of the month. Our trip back over the USA border was uneventful. Thank God! b/c I forgot I had my bow and arrow in the back window of my car under a blanket! Of course, I had my excuse ready if they found them and inquired why I had my bow and arrows.
I AM THE Sasquatch Hunter!!

Lakes Trail Hike Pics

2008-07-31T19:34:00.000-07:00

Reflection Lake

Tina's first tumble in the snow

Warrior Snow Bunnies

Evil Dive Bombing Gray Jay

Tina looking down at Louise Lake from
Faraway Rock

Warrior Snow Bunnies

2008-07-31T19:13:00.000-07:00

So today I inducted two new recruits into my hiking adventures. Zara and Tina are from Taiwan and work with me at Longmire. Today was their first hiking experience ever. We hiked the Lakes Trail to Reflection Lake around to Faraway Rock, over the river and through the woods, back to Paradise, for a good 5 mile hike. That totals me up to 75 miles of hiking so far this summer. I dubbed the girls the Taiwanese Warrior Snow Bunnies. We did battle with 5 ariel soldier Gray Jays who were dive bombing us to get our pb&j sandwiches. They would slam on the brakes mid flight, wings extended out, about six inches from my face, twisting their feathered bodies back to the pine tree where we were sitting, only to have their wing man perform the same maneuver. I encouraged Tina and Zara to take my hiking poles and swing them wildly at the birds to ward of the attacks. The girls took on this task with vigor. Actually, Tina came within inches of knocking one right out of the sky. We finally had to retreat from the relentless attacks. Our journey continued through what I like to refer to as the Desert of Snow. We marched over a blanket of snow for a good two miles, losing the trail, finding the trail, losing the trail. Tina fell about a dozen times and we had a good laugh each time. I stopped to make a snow angel. Just to remind you it is July 31.

The Road to Paradise isn't always a Road

2008-07-21T16:42:00.000-07:00

"The Road to Paradise isn't always a Road" is printed on the back of one of the T-shirts I sell at the gift shop. Saturday afternoon, after a long day of catering to the tourists, I opted for the road less traveled and hiked my way home from Longmire to Paradise. It is a lazy 6 mile hike UP the infamous Wonderland trail with a gain of 2,800 feet. The last 1/2 mile was steep and through snow. Aaahhh snow, it seems I will be enjoying a 12 month run of snow this year. However, the flowers are in bloom along the roadside and throughout patches of green that are starting to finally appear in the Paradise meadows. Last Wednesday I went to Seattle for a break from the monotony of the mountain with my roommate Christine. We meandered through Pike's Place Market buying fresh Spicy Thai Linguine, pesto bagels and drinking Seattle's java. We camped out that night at a cute, little state park called Dash Point on the Puget Sound about 20 miles south of Seattle. Another satisfying week!

Camp Muir Hike Pics

2008-07-12T17:40:00.000-07:00

Camp Muir 2.7 Mile

My chipmunk friend at Pebble Creek

Overnight sleep structure at Camp Muir

Mt. St. Helen's in far background from Camp Muir.

Cougar Rock Cammpground Pics

2008-07-12T17:34:00.000-07:00

Infamous Girl Scout Banana Boat-Roast Banana, Chocolate and Marshmellow
in a campfire and Enjoy!

Is it me or is Tina's butt the focus of this pic?

Relax'n after my hike to Muir

CAMP MUIR

2008-07-12T16:19:00.000-07:00

I AM A ROCK STAR!!! On Wednesday, July 10, 2008, I made my solo hike to Camp Muir at about 10,000 feet. It took about 5 1/2 hours to ascend 4600 feet starting from Paradise. I hiked 2.3 miles to Pebble Creek where I met a nice little chipmunk who was looking for a handout. The last 2.2 miles is a strenuous climb up the Muir snowfield for a 2800 elevation gain. I was very consciously putting one foot in front of the other, toe to heal, practicing the rest step for 3 hours. At about 8600 feet my body just wanted to quit moving but was motivated by a guardian angel and lone hiker, who pointed to a point just beyond and above Anvil Rock (9000 ft). "Camp Muir is just 750 feet over that lip." "Really?" I reply regaining my hope that I may make it after all. Then he qualifies the distance, "750 vertical feet." "Oh, ah damn, I want the bragging rights." My guardian angel promised to keep prodding me along and I left him behind to rest while I, rejuvenated with the promise of an end, continued the steady climb up. The last 750 feet were torturous as Camp Muir came into view. You want to just run to it but you have to continue the slow climb. You look at your feet moving one foot in front of the other to take your mind off how close yet how far away the oasis of Muir is, then you look up hoping that it's closer but when you see the camp, it just looms far away and you are convinced you haven't made any progress at all. Step, rest, step, rest, step, breathe. Don't forget to breathe. Oh my god, I can't breathe. I'm suffocating from the lack of oxygen. My breath is not entering my lungs when I inhale. There is a pain in the center of my chest. I'm going to have a heart attack. Calm down. Breathe, slow inhale, breathe, step, rest, step, rest, step, rest. It was a crazy journey of woman verses the elements and her own sanity. There were moments that I had conscious 3 person internal conversations with Me, Myself and I that struggled between propelling me forward, telling myself to turn around and singing "Follow the Yellowbrick Road" to trick my other two selves into keeping one foot in front of the other. The great thing is that I do get bragging rights because I kicked the mountain's ass. Actually, it was a mutual ass kicking. I am still waiting for my certificate of completion which I guess I don't really get but feel that I should. Of course, I really need to add another 4,410 feet before I can officially claim to conquer the mountain. But, I still deserve props for getting up to 10,000 feet. I ROCK! Definitely the hardest hike I have ever completed! It was another 2 1/2 hours decent. I looked like a drunk, flailing monkey coming down the mountain, slipping and sliding on the snow. I really just wanted to throw myself down onto the snow and roll the whole way down the mountain. That night all my friends and I camped out at Cougar Rock, teaching the girls from Taiwan how to make smore's, singing campfire songs and drinking a well deserved bottle of wine.

Is it your Half Birthday?

2008-06-26T17:31:00.000-07:00

I learned about a new holiday when looking for a reason to party. When is your half birthday? Yesterday was my roommate Christine's 22nd birthday. We celebrated with blackberry cobbler and Mt. Rainier Chardonnay. On the left in front is our next door neighbor, Andy. On the left center is Christine, birthday girl. On the left in the back is Jenny, my second roommate. On the right in front is Evan, my co-conspiritor at the gift shop. Chris, Evan's roommate, is in the middle on the right and then me. My third roommate just arrived 20 minutes before our festive party. Her name is Treya. She is from Taiwan.

The Grove of the Patriarch

2008-06-26T16:27:00.000-07:00

Ohanapacosh River

Avalanch Lilies

Official Tree Hugger

The Frog Prince

Wednesday's hike is brought to you by 1000 year old, 200 foot tall redwood cedars and Douglas firs. They stand tall saluting the sky like soldiers of time. The Ohanapacosh River charges beside them in a spectrum of sea glass green and cold glacier blue. There is an ancient energy in this forest that pulsates. There is magic here. I will tell you the story of the Frog Prince to prove it. I sat beneath a trio of mammoth cedars for a long while pondering the wonderment of endless time and the geological history that these trees have survived; mudslides, floods, fires. Scarred by natural disasters but still clinging to life reaching for the sky. It's pretty amazing. Anyway, I got tired of watching tourist after tourist take 30 seconds to snap a picture before moving on to the next tourist destination so I headed off the beaten trail to a more remote area of the Grove. I diverted up the Eastside trail about a 1/2 mile, with my Canon powershot in one pocket and a mini bottle of Bella Sera Pinot Grigio in the other pocket, and was delightfully surprised when a big green frog jumped across the trail towards a babbling creek that flooded across the trail. As if invited I sat beside the creek, telling the frog it was a wonderful surprise see him in the forest today. No joke, the frog turned his bulging eyes toward me and hopped a little closer as if in greeting. I settled in, laying down between the brook and the trail, propped my head on my backpack and we proceeded to lay in quiet companionship as I wondered about the frog's philosophy of life. I watched the puffy white clouds roll by the crisp blue sky through the thick canopy. We continued like this, my human need to hear myself talk and his silent contemplation, for at least 40 minutes. Pine needles fell around me like fairy dust and I must have dozed off for a few moments. Upon opening my eyes, I was startled to see the frog literally right under my nose. He was totally still except for the expansion and contraction of his little throat. Could he be a true frog prince trying to sneak a kiss from a sleeping beauty? Human curiosity, innate and uncontrollable, had me reaching out to touch his green leather skin. It was dry and startled him into three giant leaps landing him six feet away. He blended into the moss covered rocks just beside the cascading water so I could hardly see him. I had obviously hurt his feelings and lost his trust. I cursed my stupid humanness for interrupting nature at it's most fascinating moment. It was time for me to go. I had overstayed my welcome. But as I crossed over the brook I just couldn't leave. Pulled back by an unknown power I turned around to look for the frog one last time but he had disappeared. It dawned on me that I was in an enchanted forest where the faeries live. I am convinced the frog must be an elite member of the sentry guarding this part of the ancient forest. I had been granted passage into this magical part of the forest in respect for our quiet revere. It was a most magical experience that might have been wine induced.

Home at Paradise/ Work at Longmire Pictures

2008-06-19T14:49:00.001-07:00

View from my bedroom window-Awesome!

Guide House-Girls Dormitory at Paradise

General Store where I work

Turn Around-This is the view from my job!

Hike to Pebble Creek Pictures

2008-06-19T14:47:00.001-07:00

Above the Clouds at 6000 feet

One of the rocks is a marmot, see him?

Paradise to Longmire Hike Pictures

2008-06-19T14:43:00.000-07:00

Deer Crossing the Nisqually River

Narada Falls

Mad Cap Falls

Carter Falls

Can you see the snake?

The Road to Paradise

2008-06-19T13:32:00.000-07:00

It was a long bloody battle but my gallantry has paid off and I have been provided with lodging at the Guide House in Paradise. I have done a lot of hiking in the last week. I hiked up to Pebble Creek which is just below the Muir snowfield last Thursday and was rewarded with a 2nd degree sunburn that made my upper lip swell to the size of a small marble even with sunscreen and a hat. The sun reflecting off the snow is one of the great dangers of hiking on the glaciers. I will be buying SPF 150 today while I am out and about in town. I am optimistic that we will be experiencing summer soon. Last week, I was driven to work in a significant snowstorm on JUNE 10!!! We had 6" of snow fall at Longmire where I work at the gift shop. Are you kidding me? Paradise received another 12'' and had already had a foot of snow fall three days before that. Today, June 19th, the sun shines fo the 5th day in a row so I have seen the mountain 5 days in a row as well. I have not seen the mountain for more than 2 days in a row since I arrived to work at Mt. Rainier 6 weeks ago. It is a monumental change in weather that I hope becomes the trend. Tuesday after work I hiked Rampart Ridge at Longmire which is a 5.5 mile loop trail that links to the Wonderland trail on the backside. Yesterday, I blazed a trail from Paradise six miles down to Longmire by following the Paradise River. There is normally a trail from Paradise to Longmire but it is still covered in 5 feet of snow. Today, I am a lame horse and happy to be off the Mountain and loafing around town.

The House of the Unholy

2008-06-05T17:04:00.000-07:00

Well, not much exciting has gone on this week. I am suffering from a slight summer cold that is a result of a 7 mile hike round trip to Carter Falls through the damp forest. My roommate of 2 weeks has already fled from the evil that penetrates my apartment. As a servant of the Christen Ministry that serves the National Parks, she was unable to bear witness to the vulger and unsanitary conditions that surrounds us, and has been granted housing at Paradise. I was hoping that her goodness would penetrate through the morality sucking vampires that I live with but their unholiness was to powerful for her. I have been using all my natural and supernatural powers to ward off the veil of evil but there's not enough sage in the Pacific Northwest to purify the house. I, too, am hoping to flee to Paradise as soon as possible to seek those who have similar interests like goodness, the earth and light-hearted humor.

Me at the Space Needle

2008-05-29T21:18:00.000-07:00

Pike Place Market Pics

2008-05-29T21:14:00.000-07:00

Seattle Unplugged

2008-05-29T14:41:00.000-07:00

I am sitting at a cafe in downtown Seattle sipping on a tall espresso gourmet shake like a true Seattlite. Everyone walks around with some sort of java expression in their hands. Yesterday I went to the REI flagship store. LL Bean eat your heart out. The product line has a lot more variety but it is your basic outdoor superstore. Of course, you have to own a small country in order to afford anything. Last night I attended a tragic Red Sox game, at Safeco Stadium, where the only action was the drunk hecklers two row in front of me. Manny was suppose to hit his five hundredth home run but only walked to first. How could the Sox lose the series to the Mariners especially since I was 20 rows behind home plate? Like I said, tragic! I returned to the Green Turtle Hostel, conveniently located directly across from Pike Place Public Market, to the unexpected treat of Open Mic night. The local and traveling talent was surprisingly very entertaining. The closing act was a street performer who played his guitar behind his head while singing and simultaneously shaking his hips to hula hoop and ended with the hula hoop spinning and balancing the guitar on his chin. Go to YouTube and type in guitar and hula hoop and it's the first video choice. Today, I spent the morning walking around Pike Place Market. It is a wonderland of locally grown produce, fresh seafood and homemade crafts. I stood in front of a gourmet pasta kiosk for so long pondering the chocolate linguine that the young hottie behind the counter told me I looked upset. I responded that I was bewildered. He returned that my adjective was a good descriptive word. It was the truth. My senses were overwhelmed with the scent of fresh baked bread, recently caught salmon and sage insence. My ears popping from the mongers yelling, "Savour Seattle!", and the woman I bought my dried fruit from mocking them saying, she can't stand hearing them yell it anymore. The colors of red grape tomatoes, golden raspberries, blackberries, ripe peaches, purple potatoes and fresh garlic on one side of me. The bouquets of orange poppies, purple lupine, white daisies, pink peonies and green ferns line the other side of the market. God that was a great experience. Imagine living a couple blocks walk from this farmer's market. That would be divine. After my farmer's market extravaganza I walked to the Space Needle where I dined for lunch at the rotating Sky City restaurant on top of the Needle. I enjoyed a hazelnut breaded chicken, avocado and sprouts sandwich while the city rotated around me, giving a 360 view of Puget Sound and all the city districts. I finished my Seattle experience leisurely strolling through the shopping district until I found myself here at Tully's Coffee House. I have finished my java expression and will be heading back to the Pike Place Market to buy some asparagus and fresh made flavored pasta for dinner this week. Yum!

Home Sweet Home

2008-05-21T18:37:00.000-07:00

Or the Home of the Moldy Strawberries, as I fondly call it. I am posting pics of my apartment for you all to see what I call home while I work at Mt. Rainier. The strawberries have been in the fridge since the day I moved in two weeks, three days ago. It is my personal sociological experiment to see how long it takes the queen of the FBS (retna scan required to decipher the alpha code) to remove this biohazard from our common food area. I'm prediciting futuristic robot bugs to crawl first. The tacky clutter you see in the LR and kitchen is an understatement of the piles of paper carnage that is tucked in the unseeing corners of the apartment. Bad for the Chi!! A girl moved into my room last night and my first impression is that she may balance the energy back to the side of what is good and righteous. I daily pick cardboard, plastic and aluminum out of the garbage because I am repulsed that we have the facilities within walking distance and no one makes an effort. Recycle, for earth's sake, we live on a mountain!

The Wonderland

2008-05-17T20:06:00.000-07:00

If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense. Nothing would be what it is, because everything would be what it isn't. And contrary wise, what is, it wouldn't be. And what it wouldn't be it would, You see? (Alice)

Although I have yet to encounter Big Foot, I am able to continue with my Alice in Wonderland references as I hiked a tiny portion of the 91 mile Wonderland Trail that travels the circumference of Rainier. I picked up the trail at Longmire (which is the part of the park where I work) and hiked 1 1/2 miles up the trail, the Nisqually River accompanying me on the east and Paradise Road to the west, up to Carter Falls trailhead. It was another beautiful sunny day. The wind alternated between refreshing cool breezes to warming zephyrs (a tribute to my baby girl). The contrasting landscapes from my first hike to my second hike attests to the breadth of experiences one can enjoy here. Thursday, I struggled to snowshoe up an open snow field at 6000 feet with the sun beating down on me. Friday, I leisurely wandered a snowpacked trail protected by the mighty towering evergreens at half the altitude. Today, after work, I strolled down the street to the where the Nisqually River runs 1 mile from my lodging. Everyday is a new adventure.

The Mountain

2008-05-15T19:47:00.001-07:00

Got Oxygen?

2008-05-15T19:16:00.000-07:00

Today I went for my first hike!! Yay!! I snowshoed a little way up Glacier Vista which is a couple miles from Paradise. It was blazing hot today so the avalanche threat was high and lots of warnings about snow blindness (sunburn to the cornea). So sunglasses were a must! Check out the picture of me next to the snow banks up at Paradise. It will be a long time before we see the meadow flowers that I have seen on postcards. I saw my first wildlife today unless you include the numerous deer that meander by the roadside. A scampering silver fox that commanded the center of the road for several minutes so he could have his picture taken by a multitude of tourists. Mama and baby black bears, elk and cougars have been sighted by my coworkers. A glorious day to be celebrated with a glass of cheap champagne, while sitting on my patch of grass just outside my humble abode, as the sun sets into the west.

Are We There Yet, Papa Smurf?

2008-05-03T20:41:00.000-07:00

If you haven't figured it out yet, I AM HERE !! Over the Cascades and through the woods to Jeni and Eric's house I go. I hooked up with a couch surf'n gig in Seattle. Jeni and Eric are generous hosts who brought me to the most impressive tourist attraction yet. The Winco, a sociologist's wet dream, is Sam's Club hopped up on white trash steriods. Eric is a thrify tech head with a love for retro 80's games. He had just bought an original 1966 twister game which we had to play. I haven't laughed my ass off that hard in ages. Jeni made delicious dinners and we went to the Swedish Cultural Center for swedish pancakes with lindenberries. Yummy! I arrived at Mount Rainier during unknowingly rare day that you can see "The Mountain." I have been here for 10 days and have only been blessed to see the mountain twice. It has been blanketed behind clouds for days. I like to tell the tourists that the mountain is shy and only comes out once in a blue moon. When you can see it. It is spectacular and I am lucky to have it as the back drop to the gift shop. Everyone has been wonderfully friendly and from all over the country and world. I could get used to this national park life style. Stay in tune. I'll be writing more often again now that I have found internet. I MISS U ALL!!!!

Even God rested after the Seventh Day

2008-05-02T16:31:00.000-07:00

I have developed a soft spot for Coeur D'Alene. I have decided to rest my weary bones for an afternoon of sitting in the sun beside the 30 mile lake. The last 7 days of non-stop travel have finally caught up with me. I'm drinking a mocha latte from the local java house; people watching. Mostly the youth dominate the downtown streets playing hackysack on the sidewalks and in the park. It is a beautiful sunny afternoon. I'll be going for a walk around town and heading to bed early tonight. Tomorrow= Seattle Here I Come!

Coming Down the Mountain- I Say, Scream It! CUumm'N Down the Mountain!!

2008-05-01T21:11:00.000-07:00

BEST DRIVIN' DAY EVER!!! Mother of God! The mountain pass between Montana and Idaho was a rock'n good ride. I wanna go again-RIGHT NOW!! I am still high from the extreme rollercoaster ride. The minute I crossed into Idaho I knew this was the place to stop for the night. It is a magnificent view that just embraces you. Coeur D'Alene, ID is a beautiful lakeside town nestled in the valley of it's namesake. I was convinced by the authentically friendly visitor center representative, Candence, that I must stop and experience the wonderful small town vibe. She was right on. I walked back to my car from the visitor center where I met my first new friend Maril and her redfox lab, Bella. I had parked my car at the grassy city park in the downtown area across from the visitor center. Maril and Bella were lounging on the lawn in front of my car. I asked Maril for the time, wondering if I had crossed over to the Pacific timezone and we struck up a conversation. We discovered we had a lot of common life experiences including her brother and I having the same birthday. Here is the Celestine Prophacy at work. Maril had just arrived in Coeur D'Alene from Missoula to meet a friend for dinner and invited me along. Starved for interpersonal interaction I eagerly accepted. I enjoyed a delightful dinner at a tapa bar named Anthony's. I sampled melt in your mouth tenderloin, zesty veggies and baked artichoke. It's the first real meal I've had since I've left Maine so it was the best! Maril and her friend, Linette (I think that was her name??) shared fun travel stories. Linette lived in Maine when she was a kid and worked in Yellowstone one summer. Coincidence? Of course not! I am so glad I listened to my intuition about staying in Coeur D'Alene. After parting with my new friends, I walked along the world's longest floating boardwalk just after sunset. It is buoy'd by 16,000 cedar logs. Walking along the lake this evening was a wonderful way to end a fantastic day!

Keep on Keeping On (Lessons Learned at Age 24)

2008-04-30T17:13:00.000-07:00

Started the day with an All-You-Can-Eat flapjack breakfast by a famous KOA frycook. I guess he's famous cause he makes spongebob pancakes but mine were just your ordinary pancake. The record I'm told is 28 flapjacks, 3 days in a row by some teenage boy participating at a swim meet. I thought that was outragous. I almost puked after eating 3 so that kid must be a mutant alien to injest that many carbs. I really enjoyed camping out last night. I wish the weather would stay warm but alas I'm heading into the cool northwest. It was pretty sunny when I left Rapid City but it quickly became apparent that I made the right decision to put the ickshnay on Yellowstone. Thick black clouds bordered the western skyline when I crossed into Wyoming. It started to drizzle and continued for most of my ride. The landscape in Wyoming is breathtaking. The picture doesn't do it justice but I literally slammed on my brakes and swerved to the side of the road to take the pic b/c it's just so gosh darn pretty. I stopped in Billings, MT to get my car checked out b/c the squeeling fan belt is starting to annoy me. I have an oil leak that I need to keep an eye on but we are good to go. I will be taking a Siesta in Billings, MT at the Motel 6 right next to the Adult Store. Now I can stock up on supplies for my personal pleasure. LOL!

Mount Rushmore

2008-04-30T17:00:00.000-07:00

Wild, Wild West

2008-04-29T20:09:00.000-07:00

Today has been the best road trip day yet. I am sitting at Mount Rushmore this evening typing a draft for my blog. The sun is peeking around Mount Rushmore giving it a heavenly glow. Mount Rushmore is really astounding. The detail is unbelievable. It's their eyes that are amazing, giving them lifelike expression. It looks just like they are gazing out, watching all of America. I have truly enjoyed driving through South Dakota. I wish I had a covered wagon so I could ride through the grasslands. I actually had tumbleweed roll out in front of my car on the highway. That was a hoot. It was a gorgeous day to drive. A pheasant ran across the highway in front of my car. I saw buffalo and deer grazing on the plains. Lots of cows. It was in the 80's today. Don't be jealous. I'm driving into snow tomorrow. I stopped at the famous Wall Drug today. South Dakota is billboard capital of America. The highway is stacked with billboards and many of them are for Wall Drug. The propaganda made me stop and see what all the hoopla was about. It's a sleepy little frontier town with a mini mall that has all the western wear and Indian crafts you could want. I hung out at a local coffee shop in downtown Rapid City, SD for the afternoon trying to debate my next move. I consulted with a woman at a travel store called Roam'n Around who introduced me to a website dedicated to couch surfing. It is totally legit so I'm hoping to hook up with free couch surfing. Don't worry I haven't forgot about Rule # 1: Safety First. I am staying at a KOA tonight where I am currently typing my blog from inside my tent. Lov'n it! I'm taking advantage o the good weather while it lasts. Good Day!

Is that a Silo or are you just Happy to see me?

2008-04-28T19:47:00.000-07:00

I am officially out west. I crossed the Mississippi River today. I have driven about 1,000 miles in the past two days. All of it has been through a landscape of amber waves of grain with the exception of the big city of Chicago splat in the middle of it. I have driven through hundreds of miles of corn fields, dotted with old, rundown farm houses and silos, stretching as far as you can see on both sides of the highway. It really is amazing how vast this country is. It was raining when I left Chicago this morning then I drove through a minor snow squall that lasted the entire length of Wisconsin. The industrial RainX the guys at NTB put on my windshield rocks. It sends the rain drops streaking across my windshield like tiny, little shooting stars. I barely had to use my wipers. So cool! My drive ended with the sun shining through puffy white clouds as I arrived in Sioux Falls, SD this evening. I visited Falls Park on the Big Sioux River in the Downtown area. These falls were visited by Lewis & Clark and served as the p0wer for the Queen Bee Mill and a Hydro-electric company. When I stepped out of my car at this tourist attraction I was knocked back by a marvelously putrid smell that brings up nostalgic memories of old school Westbrook. I forced myself to take a couple of pictures then ran back to my car gagg'n. I don't know how this could be a tourist attraction. It's more like a tourist repel-tion. I am sitting at a mom & pop diner, next to the Motel 6 I'm staying at, eating a greasy cheeseburger that I can almost guarantee I'm going to regret during my drive tomorrow.

Well! I've often seen a cat without a grin; but a grin without a cat! It's the most curious thing I ever say in my life!--Day Three

2008-04-28T06:15:00.000-07:00

Alice: Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?
The Cat: That depends a good deal on where you want to get to
Alice: I don't much care where.
The Cat: Then it doesn't much matter which way you go.
Alice: …so long as I get somewhere.
The Cat: Oh, you're sure to do that, if only you walk long enough.
(Lewis Carroll)

I had a fitful night of sleep at the Stanford Hostel, mostly due to the outing club partying to the wee hours of the morning. I'm pretty sure they were performing a drug induced vision dance, similar to the Native American pow wow, around a meager bonfire. I believe they were trying to awaken the spirit of Bigfoot to aid in my journey westward. I arose early in hopes of getting my windshield wipers fixed. Blessed Be-- the National Tire and Battery Auto Center is open on Sunday and does repairs. I spent the morning surfing the web and chugging The Dew at Panera Bread in Macedonia, OH, very similar to that of Windham, ME. It was not the wiper lever as I had suspected but the goddamn wiper transition motor, not an easy part to acquire I was told. Ray, at NTB, is the man! He worked some minor miracle, which I believe was partially manifested by the pagan witch dance around the fire last night, and I was on my way to Chicago before noon! Ya-Hooey! The rest of the road trip to Chicago was uneventful. I managed to maneuver my way through rush hour 5 o'clock traffic with ease and arrived safely at the Chicago Hostel. I dream of a peaceful evening in a private room and going to bed early to catch up on sleep. HA! My reservation was totally screwed up. FYI- Never book a hostel on-line, call the hostel directly because my night in OH was messed up too. I am in a room lined with four bunk beds, definitely not a private room, right next to the subway train! In an experiment conducted using the authentic scientific method, I took 10 consecutive split time trials using the stopwatch on my cell phone to determine how often the train passes directly by my bed. The results were startling! The train rattles by my room an average of every 2 minutes and 20 seconds, sometimes the north and southbound trains passing at the same time, doubling the noise factor. Tonight is a good night to pop a Quaalude and pray for a good night sleep so I can tackle another 10 hour day of driving.

Down The Rabbit Hole- Day Two

2008-04-26T18:30:00.000-07:00

Day One was your typical drive through New England. I stopped at my favorite haunts in Salem, sipped tea with my Aunt and had a slumber party at Alligator's.
Day Two began with a lovely breakfast at a local greasy spoon run by a biker couple (rumored to have received rave reviews from the infamous Purple Room Guru). The first four hours of driving were uneventful. It was HOUR 4 that the real adventure across country began. I stopped to gas up at a service area in New York when the torrential down pour and howling wind began. I took off from the rest stop with bolts of lightening streaking down on both sides of the highway. As the rain started to ease-SNAP! My driver side windshield wiper broke so that it was hanging across my side mirror. Thank Jesus, Budda, Allah, Zeus, Mother Earth and all the world's dieties, rays of sunlight peeked through the clouds and a road sign appeared telling me I was 1 mile from a rest area. It's official the wiper lever is broken and unfixable today. The question became, Do I continue to follow the white rabbit down the hole? The clouds cleared and I continued on my journey. To add insult to injury, 15 minutes after declaring the wiper dead, I pulled up to the Buffalo, NY toll plaza to be greeted by a large prison inmate who painfully extracted an $11.65 toll, followed 10 minutes later by another toll ticket plaza. I will fondly remember New York as the "prison shower" of my journey. The most memorable NY road sign to sum up the day, "Correctional Facility Ahead, Do Not Pick Up Hitchhikers." I arrived, after an 11 1/2 hour day of driving, at the Stanford Hostel in Cuyahoga Valley National Park in Ohio, to be entertained by a group of disco dancing, accappella singing divas. It's really had been a delightful day on the whole.
Tolls in New York: $14.50
Parts and Labor to fix wipers: TBA
Road Trip Across America: Priceless