Woke up feeling sick again today. Had the heavy head thing going on and it took a lot to drag me out of bed. Of course I realized that being in a tiny little two block down wasn't going to do too much to help me get better. So I got up, got in the car, and continued what had become a painfully boring drive down a painfully boring stretch of road. Flat, straight, and very little to look at, but it seemed to go on forever.
Finally, I made it to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, which had been yesterday's attempted destination. What I hadn't realized last night is that the thing is almost 20 miles long, so it's a good thing I waited 'till lots of daylight! It's pretty cool...it's this giant bridge across the Chesapeake Bay, but rather than include draw bridges it tunnels under water in two different spots for the boats to get across. At the end of the second bridge there's a place where you can park and get a better view (and of course buy snacks and tacky souveniers). Actually, there's a whole little diner there. I walked around outside and put a quarter in one of those binocular things. It was pretty cool to see where I had just driven. Long bridges that seem to just disappear as the road goes underwater.
As cool as this bridge-tunnel thing was, driving it terrified me! I knew I was claustrophobic but holy moley this took it to a whole new level! Narrow tunnels under water were a bit too much for my overactive imagination to handle. I kept seeing horrible visions of something collapsing and water coming rushing in. I've tried again and again on this trip to convince myself that I'm a water person, but I'm not. It really scares me to be around it too much. I did really enjoy the bridge though, and I'm really glad I did it. I'm just glad it's not something I have to do every day! :)
When I got across the bridge/tunnel thing I was in Virginia Beach. It was at that point that I realized that I had no idea where I was going next. I had planned to get some "business" stuff taken care of, but had no idea where to go to get internet. I followed the coast and ended up along an entire street of hotels. I'm sure I could've "borrowed" from any one of their lobbies, but I was hungry so I was searching for somewhere with internet and food. I learned yesterday that Arby's has wireless, so that's mainly what I was looking for. Well, there wasn't an Arby's where I was, and I ended up in a very residential part of town. But, after a nice little self-guided tour I found my way back to the business area, and to an Arby's. Though it turns out only the Arby's by the gas station I went to yesterday has internet. This one did not. Thankfully it just so happened to be in a plaza with a bunch of other places that did. I settled on Qdoba, got my burrito, and started making my plans of what to do next.
I still haven't made much progress answering that question, but I was able to do a bit of research, check a few maps, and find an urgent care (actually I found a couple during my self-guided tour). In the meantime, I was really really hoping to get an email from my friend Julie, since I was as close to her house as I had been in many years. As I was about to put away the computer and head out, I got a text from Julie. Yay! She's in Williamsburg, so we decided I would head her way after I went to the doctor. She even offered to let me stay with her for the night. Yay!
Julie and her family are absolutely amazing and wonderful, and I'm so so lucky to have gotten to know them. It's been 7 years since I saw them last and yet they welcomed me in with open arms and not a second thought. I was really nervous at first since it had been so long, but after seeing them and getting hugs I felt at ease right away. They had a very yummy dinner ready when I got there, and it was so so nice to not have to figure out where to get food or what I was going to attempt to cook on my camp stove. After that we just hung out and talked (and watched The Office) and had a nice, relaxing evening. Good times. I still have no idea where I'm headed tomorrow but I've had a great night tonight! :)
(By the way the doctor threw all sorts of meds at me, even though I was feeling much better by the time I saw him. In all he prescribed a decongestant, a nasal spray, cough syrup, and antibiotics, as well as my regular daily med that thankfully he was willing to prescribe as well...though only for two weeks instead of a month).
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Monday, September 28, 2009
Exmore, VA
Don't worry if you haven't heard of Exmore. I hadn't either. But I'll get to that in a minute.
I went through 4 different states today. I think that's a record. I started in Jersey of course. I'm feeling MUCH better today, though I think that's mostly because tylenol sinus works really well for me. Pretty much on the dot every 4 hours I'd start feeling crappy again and be so glad it was pill time! I'm still planning to go to the doctor tomorrow.
Since I woke up with a bit of a heavy head it took me a while to get on the road, but once I did I was feeling really good. It was a beautiful drive along the coast with lots of giant bridges that made me feel like I was driving out to sea. I finally stopped and walked on a boardwalk as well. I've driven by a lot of them but figured I should check one out while I'm out here. I expected it to be pretty well deserted because it was midday on a monday, off-season when most everything was closed and the weather wasn't that great. Surprisingly, there were still quite a few people there, which makes me think I really wouldn't like boardwalks in the summer. The board walk was pretty cool though. It was super wide with different lanes for walkers, runners, and bikes. Of course the word bike is used loosely here. I saw very few of what I would consider bikes, but lots of these 4-person pedal cart things, and some crazy scooter bike things. And of course some hybrids. Had I thought of it I would've brought my bike but it was a nice walk. It looked like the boardwalk went on for a long ways past where I went. Beach on one side, amusement parks, mini golf, water parks, etc. on the other. Or casinos, depending on where you are.
After a bit more sloooooow driving down the coast, I made it to Cape May, the tip of NJ, and to the ferry. I had thought I would have to park, buy a ticket, and hang out for a bit. Instead I timed things pretty well because I bought a ticket in the tollbooth thing on the way in, got in line, and was driving on to the ferry within just a few minutes. That was all well and good except that I REALLY had to pee, and I had planned to get something to eat because I hadn't eaten much all day. I've been forgetting to eat a lot lately...though it doesn't seem to stop me from gaining weight. I know I'm getting fat lately from not doing anything. Anyway, I finally got on and settled and made it to the bathroom. The winds were really high so the boat was rocking like CRAZY! It was actually pretty comical. I was trying to walk around and kept getting flung from side to side.
There was actually an arcade on the boat so I stopped to play a game of pacman. That was interesting. I was gripping one side of the machine to keep from falling over when the boat tipped back, and sometimes it would make me move in a direction I didn't want to because i'd fall into the joystick. Yeah not my best game.
I was getting pretty hungry, but I wasn't sure if eating would be good or make things worse on the lurching boat. I settled on a small bag of popcorn and then found a bench to lay down on. That was the best part of the ride....it was pretty empty so there was lots of space. I didn't quite sleep but it felt soooooo good to lay down and rest for a bit. I'm having cramps now too, so I really needed to lay down.
When I got off the ferry I was in Deleware, a state i've never been to. My time spent there was quick. Just a short drive. The map made it look like i'd be right on the beach but it was mostly just a big, flat field with lots of tall grass. I knew the ocean was just past the tall grass, but I couldn't see it. My main impression from Deleware is that it's incredibly flat and not very interesting. But I did stop and get Taco Bell, so I have now set foot in Deleware.
From there I moved on to Maryland, another new state to me. I only hit the very southeast corner of Maryland, but unfortunately it took a long time. Almost as soon as I'd crossed the border I was in Ocean City at 147th street. To continue on I would need to make it all the way to 1st. There was a not in the city route, but I didn't find that until it was too late. The traffic wasn't bad, but it was a typical city street with lots of stoplights so it took forever. It's funny, it felt like I was in a really big city, but outside of that one street there was nothing else. It was just the line of crap along the beach that had just been getting progressively longer and longer.
Once I finally made it out of the city, the rest of MD went by quickly. This time, I stopped for gas and DQ, so again, I've set foot in a new state. Unfortunately, by this point the day had really gotten away from me. Driving down the Jersey coast had taken forever, getting through Ocean City had taken even longer, the ferry ride was longer than I'd expected, and I still had a lot more of VA than I realized before getting to the big bridge to mainland VA. It was starting to get dark (it's getting dark really early these days!) and I figured it'd defeat the purpose to do the bridge when I couldn't see much of anything.
I found a campground in my book and started heading for it while I scanned the radio for a weather report. I never did find a report, but at that moment I started seeing insane lightning from the direction of the campground. That was reason enough for me to not camp (I had actually been looking forward to camping but I'm still sick and having cramps, so I let myself be a bit whiney about the weather). Sure enough, as soon as I got my room, it started pouring rain. I saw on tv that there's a severe thunderstorm watch for tonight. Of course now it's stopped raining, but it's probably for the best that I'm not camping. I could use another good nights sleep.
So that's how I've found Exmore. As far as I can tell the town consists of a hotel, a gas station, and a dollar store. Fun stuff. It's strange being in VA. On the MD/VA border there was a gas station with a giant confederate flag for a sign that said "Dixieland", and under that "the South starts here." And that's really how it feels. At least this area. Things changed FAST! And then I proceeded to get all philosophical about how state lines are just arbitrary lines in the sand but so much can change around them and is defined by them. But I'll spare you all of that...excitement...
I went through 4 different states today. I think that's a record. I started in Jersey of course. I'm feeling MUCH better today, though I think that's mostly because tylenol sinus works really well for me. Pretty much on the dot every 4 hours I'd start feeling crappy again and be so glad it was pill time! I'm still planning to go to the doctor tomorrow.
Since I woke up with a bit of a heavy head it took me a while to get on the road, but once I did I was feeling really good. It was a beautiful drive along the coast with lots of giant bridges that made me feel like I was driving out to sea. I finally stopped and walked on a boardwalk as well. I've driven by a lot of them but figured I should check one out while I'm out here. I expected it to be pretty well deserted because it was midday on a monday, off-season when most everything was closed and the weather wasn't that great. Surprisingly, there were still quite a few people there, which makes me think I really wouldn't like boardwalks in the summer. The board walk was pretty cool though. It was super wide with different lanes for walkers, runners, and bikes. Of course the word bike is used loosely here. I saw very few of what I would consider bikes, but lots of these 4-person pedal cart things, and some crazy scooter bike things. And of course some hybrids. Had I thought of it I would've brought my bike but it was a nice walk. It looked like the boardwalk went on for a long ways past where I went. Beach on one side, amusement parks, mini golf, water parks, etc. on the other. Or casinos, depending on where you are.
After a bit more sloooooow driving down the coast, I made it to Cape May, the tip of NJ, and to the ferry. I had thought I would have to park, buy a ticket, and hang out for a bit. Instead I timed things pretty well because I bought a ticket in the tollbooth thing on the way in, got in line, and was driving on to the ferry within just a few minutes. That was all well and good except that I REALLY had to pee, and I had planned to get something to eat because I hadn't eaten much all day. I've been forgetting to eat a lot lately...though it doesn't seem to stop me from gaining weight. I know I'm getting fat lately from not doing anything. Anyway, I finally got on and settled and made it to the bathroom. The winds were really high so the boat was rocking like CRAZY! It was actually pretty comical. I was trying to walk around and kept getting flung from side to side.
There was actually an arcade on the boat so I stopped to play a game of pacman. That was interesting. I was gripping one side of the machine to keep from falling over when the boat tipped back, and sometimes it would make me move in a direction I didn't want to because i'd fall into the joystick. Yeah not my best game.
I was getting pretty hungry, but I wasn't sure if eating would be good or make things worse on the lurching boat. I settled on a small bag of popcorn and then found a bench to lay down on. That was the best part of the ride....it was pretty empty so there was lots of space. I didn't quite sleep but it felt soooooo good to lay down and rest for a bit. I'm having cramps now too, so I really needed to lay down.
When I got off the ferry I was in Deleware, a state i've never been to. My time spent there was quick. Just a short drive. The map made it look like i'd be right on the beach but it was mostly just a big, flat field with lots of tall grass. I knew the ocean was just past the tall grass, but I couldn't see it. My main impression from Deleware is that it's incredibly flat and not very interesting. But I did stop and get Taco Bell, so I have now set foot in Deleware.
From there I moved on to Maryland, another new state to me. I only hit the very southeast corner of Maryland, but unfortunately it took a long time. Almost as soon as I'd crossed the border I was in Ocean City at 147th street. To continue on I would need to make it all the way to 1st. There was a not in the city route, but I didn't find that until it was too late. The traffic wasn't bad, but it was a typical city street with lots of stoplights so it took forever. It's funny, it felt like I was in a really big city, but outside of that one street there was nothing else. It was just the line of crap along the beach that had just been getting progressively longer and longer.
Once I finally made it out of the city, the rest of MD went by quickly. This time, I stopped for gas and DQ, so again, I've set foot in a new state. Unfortunately, by this point the day had really gotten away from me. Driving down the Jersey coast had taken forever, getting through Ocean City had taken even longer, the ferry ride was longer than I'd expected, and I still had a lot more of VA than I realized before getting to the big bridge to mainland VA. It was starting to get dark (it's getting dark really early these days!) and I figured it'd defeat the purpose to do the bridge when I couldn't see much of anything.
I found a campground in my book and started heading for it while I scanned the radio for a weather report. I never did find a report, but at that moment I started seeing insane lightning from the direction of the campground. That was reason enough for me to not camp (I had actually been looking forward to camping but I'm still sick and having cramps, so I let myself be a bit whiney about the weather). Sure enough, as soon as I got my room, it started pouring rain. I saw on tv that there's a severe thunderstorm watch for tonight. Of course now it's stopped raining, but it's probably for the best that I'm not camping. I could use another good nights sleep.
So that's how I've found Exmore. As far as I can tell the town consists of a hotel, a gas station, and a dollar store. Fun stuff. It's strange being in VA. On the MD/VA border there was a gas station with a giant confederate flag for a sign that said "Dixieland", and under that "the South starts here." And that's really how it feels. At least this area. Things changed FAST! And then I proceeded to get all philosophical about how state lines are just arbitrary lines in the sand but so much can change around them and is defined by them. But I'll spare you all of that...excitement...
Sunday, September 27, 2009
An exciting moment!
I almost forgot to add my exciting moment in the otherwise frustrating day today!
Turns out, there's a little town (township actually, though I have no idea what that means) of Lacey in New Jersey. Call me juvenile but it totally cracked me up to see all the buildings and stores with my name on them. My personal favorite was Lacey's Liquors.
Now I'm also getting a good giggle out of the town's website. Turns out I, Lacey, have a multitude of recreational activities. Better yet, along with the town apple festival they also celebrate Lacey Day. I'll have to call and find out when that is. That sounds like something I need to celebrate! :)
Turns out, there's a little town (township actually, though I have no idea what that means) of Lacey in New Jersey. Call me juvenile but it totally cracked me up to see all the buildings and stores with my name on them. My personal favorite was Lacey's Liquors.
Now I'm also getting a good giggle out of the town's website. Turns out I, Lacey, have a multitude of recreational activities. Better yet, along with the town apple festival they also celebrate Lacey Day. I'll have to call and find out when that is. That sounds like something I need to celebrate! :)
Atlantic City, NJ
So it turns out it was probably for the best that I stayed in a hotel last night. For one thing, the rain showers the forecasters kept promising finally arrived in the wee hours of the morning. There were puddles in the parking lot when I woke up. Second thing, I coughed my way through most of the night. I tried to blame it on the smoking room but it really wasn't smokey in there at all.
When I woke up I was still coughing and stuffed up. Bad sign but I wasn't too worried. I was still attempting to blame everything on allergies.
I went out to breakfast at a local diner that wasn't nearly as good as I'd hoped based on what I'd read about it. I got on the road, but it was pouring rain and I was still feeling really stuffed up so I was just focused on making distance. Just a few miles from Atlantic City (which is not that far from where I started this morning) I started to get a pounding headache. Not long after that I had to pull over I was feeling so bad. I stopped in the first parking lot I saw, which happened to be a Home Depot. I put my feet across the other seat, which turned out to be quite comfortable and I nearly fell asleep (after banging my already hurting head against the window...ouch!).
After resting for a bit, I decided to hunt down a drug store and get some meds, and then make a decision on what to do from there. By this time I was having really terrible sinus pressure, and my head felt like a bowling ball. Turning my head enough to look behind me was enough to make me dizzy.
I have never been happier to see a Rite Aid. Thankfully it was only a few minutes past where I'd stopped. I got some Tylenol sinus, and then went to find somewhere for lunch. I wasn't feeling much like driving, but to make things more complicated this was pretty much my last opportunity to get a hotel. Anywhere south of here I would have to camp. And, just a little bit farther down the coast, I'll be getting on a ferry. Since my sinuses were creating their own boat ride feeling in my head, I figured getting on a boat today is probably not the best option. Camping wouldn't have been too big of a deal, but there was a cheap hotel room right here so I went for it.
It's a good thing I did because on my short drive to lunch I started feeling much worse, and my head was so stuffed that just focusing on the road was making me feel dizzy and sick to my stomach. I skipped lunch and went straight to the hotel, hoping I wouldn't puke before I got there. Thankfully, by the time I got my hotel room the meds had started to kick in and I was feeling better. Now I'm feeling less crappy, but still not great. It's not bad unless I stand up or move or do anything else. Yeah....fun. Here's hoping for a MUCH better day tomorrow!
When I woke up I was still coughing and stuffed up. Bad sign but I wasn't too worried. I was still attempting to blame everything on allergies.
I went out to breakfast at a local diner that wasn't nearly as good as I'd hoped based on what I'd read about it. I got on the road, but it was pouring rain and I was still feeling really stuffed up so I was just focused on making distance. Just a few miles from Atlantic City (which is not that far from where I started this morning) I started to get a pounding headache. Not long after that I had to pull over I was feeling so bad. I stopped in the first parking lot I saw, which happened to be a Home Depot. I put my feet across the other seat, which turned out to be quite comfortable and I nearly fell asleep (after banging my already hurting head against the window...ouch!).
After resting for a bit, I decided to hunt down a drug store and get some meds, and then make a decision on what to do from there. By this time I was having really terrible sinus pressure, and my head felt like a bowling ball. Turning my head enough to look behind me was enough to make me dizzy.
I have never been happier to see a Rite Aid. Thankfully it was only a few minutes past where I'd stopped. I got some Tylenol sinus, and then went to find somewhere for lunch. I wasn't feeling much like driving, but to make things more complicated this was pretty much my last opportunity to get a hotel. Anywhere south of here I would have to camp. And, just a little bit farther down the coast, I'll be getting on a ferry. Since my sinuses were creating their own boat ride feeling in my head, I figured getting on a boat today is probably not the best option. Camping wouldn't have been too big of a deal, but there was a cheap hotel room right here so I went for it.
It's a good thing I did because on my short drive to lunch I started feeling much worse, and my head was so stuffed that just focusing on the road was making me feel dizzy and sick to my stomach. I skipped lunch and went straight to the hotel, hoping I wouldn't puke before I got there. Thankfully, by the time I got my hotel room the meds had started to kick in and I was feeling better. Now I'm feeling less crappy, but still not great. It's not bad unless I stand up or move or do anything else. Yeah....fun. Here's hoping for a MUCH better day tomorrow!
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Tom's River, NJ
AAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGHHHH!!!!!
OK now that I got that out, on to the blogging. Remember my plan about finding something cool to do on the weekend since so many things have only been open on the weekend? Yeah that's failed so far. Today was....frustrating...
I got out a bit late in the morning because I was finishing up trying to make a plan for the day. I got directions to a AAA place in Northern NJ to get new maps and guidebooks. I didn't have a printer so I wrote out the directions by hand. They were strange directions that sent me well into a residential area. And then suddenly none of the roads I was looking for were there. Anywhere. I hadn't written down the distances because I didn't think I'd need them, but I drove for a long ways and couldn't find the turn.
Luckily, I had left the directions open on my computer. I'd just need to open up my laptop to get the distances. But alas, my computer wouldn't wake up, so I had to restart it, thus closing the direction window.
At that point I went to get something to eat because I was starving, and tried to find some internet to "borrow". It took a while but I finally found somewhere with a connection that worked. When I looked up the address for the AAA office, it told me that branch didn't exist. What??!! I started wondering if I'd been dreaming....if i'd somehow been seeing things and invented directions to a non-existant place. It was actually a bit creepy.
Thankfully, after searching a different way I found the office I was looking for. This time it gave me completely different directions. It's possible that I could've written the original ones down wrong but I don't think I could've messed it up this bad. I was sort of in the right area but way on the wrong roads. Anyway, hours later than planned, I finally got my maps and was ready to go.
I picked the most direct route I could find to get to the highway. I didn't notice that it took me awfully close to the big city cluster that I'd been trying to avoid. The road turned in to a super narrow, heavily congested road. Narrow, with businesses, cars, and people everywhere. It was sloooooow going. To make matters worse, I got the distinct impression that I was on the wrong side of the tracks. Nothing scary happened or anything, but I had no desire at all to stop anywhere or get out of the car. My pale, blonde-haired self would've REALLY stuck out! Not that there was anywhere to stop anyway...that was part of the problem. I couldn't find anywhere to even pull over to check a map and find a new route!
I finally found the interstate and have never been happier to see it! At least then I knew what I was doing and where I was headed. But it was nearly 4 by the time I got to anywhere I wanted to be. Once I was south of the cluster area I headed out to the coast. It was getting late, but I stopped at the first public beach I saw just to walk around for a bit. It was nice to see the ocean again. You know, a chance to stop and smell the scallops before continuing on. No matter how stressed I get, the ocean can always calm me down somehow.
It was a really cool beach. The waves were forming and crashing right close to shore. There was a big sand burm on the beach, that only the big waves could crash over. Then the water from those waves would collect behind the burm in a river/puddle thing, deposit shells and rocks and things, and then slowly drain into the sand or back out to the ocean. There were shells EVERYWHERE! Far more shells than I've seen on any beach this trip. Or maybe any beach ever.
From there I mostly just drove. Got a few nice views along the way, but I really wanted to make some distance. I had read about a very cool campsite on the beach that I wanted to get to. I had planned to stop and check out a few boardwalks (seemed like something a person has to do while on the Jersey coast) and then head to this campsite. Instead, with my shortened trip, I only drove by the boardwalks and still didn't make it anywhere close to where I want to be. The first place I could find to stay was quite a bit south. There was a campsite, but it was super expensive, and just barely cheaper than a hotel. Literally just $20 separated a patch of dirt and my own hotel room. So yeah, I went for the hotel. So....instead of camping on the beach I'm staying at a Holiday Inn and had dinner at an Applebees connected to a mall. A little different than the plan but I guess it works. I got lucky...I got one of the last two rooms left at this hotel. The couple that arrived mere minutes after me got the last one. It's a smoking room but it doesn't smell because the window was left open. Thankfully it was open because someone had set the heat on to 77. Ack!
Anyway, the evening pretty well made up for the frustrating day I had. Or at least left me a lot less grumpy. Hopefully tomorrow will be smoother!
OK now that I got that out, on to the blogging. Remember my plan about finding something cool to do on the weekend since so many things have only been open on the weekend? Yeah that's failed so far. Today was....frustrating...
I got out a bit late in the morning because I was finishing up trying to make a plan for the day. I got directions to a AAA place in Northern NJ to get new maps and guidebooks. I didn't have a printer so I wrote out the directions by hand. They were strange directions that sent me well into a residential area. And then suddenly none of the roads I was looking for were there. Anywhere. I hadn't written down the distances because I didn't think I'd need them, but I drove for a long ways and couldn't find the turn.
Luckily, I had left the directions open on my computer. I'd just need to open up my laptop to get the distances. But alas, my computer wouldn't wake up, so I had to restart it, thus closing the direction window.
At that point I went to get something to eat because I was starving, and tried to find some internet to "borrow". It took a while but I finally found somewhere with a connection that worked. When I looked up the address for the AAA office, it told me that branch didn't exist. What??!! I started wondering if I'd been dreaming....if i'd somehow been seeing things and invented directions to a non-existant place. It was actually a bit creepy.
Thankfully, after searching a different way I found the office I was looking for. This time it gave me completely different directions. It's possible that I could've written the original ones down wrong but I don't think I could've messed it up this bad. I was sort of in the right area but way on the wrong roads. Anyway, hours later than planned, I finally got my maps and was ready to go.
I picked the most direct route I could find to get to the highway. I didn't notice that it took me awfully close to the big city cluster that I'd been trying to avoid. The road turned in to a super narrow, heavily congested road. Narrow, with businesses, cars, and people everywhere. It was sloooooow going. To make matters worse, I got the distinct impression that I was on the wrong side of the tracks. Nothing scary happened or anything, but I had no desire at all to stop anywhere or get out of the car. My pale, blonde-haired self would've REALLY stuck out! Not that there was anywhere to stop anyway...that was part of the problem. I couldn't find anywhere to even pull over to check a map and find a new route!
I finally found the interstate and have never been happier to see it! At least then I knew what I was doing and where I was headed. But it was nearly 4 by the time I got to anywhere I wanted to be. Once I was south of the cluster area I headed out to the coast. It was getting late, but I stopped at the first public beach I saw just to walk around for a bit. It was nice to see the ocean again. You know, a chance to stop and smell the scallops before continuing on. No matter how stressed I get, the ocean can always calm me down somehow.
It was a really cool beach. The waves were forming and crashing right close to shore. There was a big sand burm on the beach, that only the big waves could crash over. Then the water from those waves would collect behind the burm in a river/puddle thing, deposit shells and rocks and things, and then slowly drain into the sand or back out to the ocean. There were shells EVERYWHERE! Far more shells than I've seen on any beach this trip. Or maybe any beach ever.
From there I mostly just drove. Got a few nice views along the way, but I really wanted to make some distance. I had read about a very cool campsite on the beach that I wanted to get to. I had planned to stop and check out a few boardwalks (seemed like something a person has to do while on the Jersey coast) and then head to this campsite. Instead, with my shortened trip, I only drove by the boardwalks and still didn't make it anywhere close to where I want to be. The first place I could find to stay was quite a bit south. There was a campsite, but it was super expensive, and just barely cheaper than a hotel. Literally just $20 separated a patch of dirt and my own hotel room. So yeah, I went for the hotel. So....instead of camping on the beach I'm staying at a Holiday Inn and had dinner at an Applebees connected to a mall. A little different than the plan but I guess it works. I got lucky...I got one of the last two rooms left at this hotel. The couple that arrived mere minutes after me got the last one. It's a smoking room but it doesn't smell because the window was left open. Thankfully it was open because someone had set the heat on to 77. Ack!
Anyway, the evening pretty well made up for the frustrating day I had. Or at least left me a lot less grumpy. Hopefully tomorrow will be smoother!
Friday, September 25, 2009
Suffern, NY
So last night was one of the strangest nights of camping I've had yet. The night itself wasn't bad, except that I stayed up late waiting for my fire to burn down. The fire wood you buy at most campgrounds comes in bundles, and they ask that you burn all of it where you buy it so that you're not bringing insects and things to different areas with you. Well the bundles they had at the KOA were HUGE! I didn't get through all of it and was still up to 11 watching my fire. It's funny because I had figured with camping I'd definitely go to bed early...no distractions like in a hotel room. Instead it was just as late because once I got my fire out I then had to go get myself ready for bed and all that. It's such a pain to not be able to go anywhere once the fire is lit, since I have no one to watch it for me. So I had to go wash my dinner dishes at 11:00. Ok done whining now.
The strange stuff came in the morning. When I opened the tent door to see what the weather looked like, this giant spider that had apparently been sitting on the door, dropped in next to me. Ok maybe not giant, but large enough for me to be really uncomfortable sharing my tent with it! It didn't look like any of the poisonous spiders I know, but it looked like it's bite could hurt a lot. And it was sitting in a place where I couldn't get out without first moving right next to it. I tried a few things I had in my tent to get him out, but no success. I finally ended up opening the door again and using my pillow to "chase" him out. Success!
Once I got out of the tent I picked up my tent bag (which I had left outside when it was VERY windy...oops!), and underneath it was the biggest earthworm I'd ever seen in my life! I'm not usually bothered by worms, but this thing really caught me off guard and it was so big! Could've easily passed for a baby snake! Again not a big deal but I was already jumpy from the spider.
So I go to the bathrooms to take my shower and get ready, and then head back to my tent to put it away. As I'm starting to put it away I notice, maybe 2-3 feet away from the front corner of my tent, a dead and decomposing frog. Eeeeewwwww! Not sure how I missed that yesterday since I did get to the site in the daylight, but thank god I didn't pitch my tent on top of it! Though after seeing it I got really worried about whether or not I'd stepped on it in the dark and had been smearing frog guts everywhere. As far as I can tell I was safe, but still. Ugh! I moved my tent before taking it down but at that point I was pretty much scared to touch anything or look at anything too much because I was afraid it was going to turn in to some sort of creepy something!
Things got much better once I finally got on the road. I got a bagel sandwich at Bodacious Bagels, which was awesome. I then made my way through the woods out to the town of Bethel, where the Woodstock concert actually took place. Driving through the mountains was fascinating because it was very, very Jewish. Tons of signs were written in Hebrew, and I saw lots of synagogues but only one or two churches on the whole drive. Definitely hadn't expected that.
The Woodstock site had an INCREDIBLE museum. I spent most of the day there. I didn't look at my watch when I got there, but I know it was at least 4 hours. There were two huge exhibits about the 60's in general, and then everything you could ever want to know about Woodstock. There were listening stations where you could pick out different music from the era and see the top 10 hits for every year of the decade. There were video screens all around with videos about life in the 60's, politics of the time, and personal accounts from people who were at Woodstock. There was even an "experience room" where you could sit on a beanbag and have Woodstock clips going all around you so, in theory, you could feel like you were there. And then there was an interactive map of the site where each of 8 different stations got a different character on the main map, and using your touch pad you could stear your character around the main map and learn about the different parts of the site.
I really could've stayed there all day. I skipped some of the videos I wanted to see and still barely made it out before closing time. It was really fun (everything was decorated in crazy 60's colors and the lights would randomly change so suddenly you'd see a brightly colored flower on the floor in front of you or shining down on you from the lights above, and parts of it were made to look like the inside of a VW bus and that kind of thing) but also incredibly informative. I learned sooooooo much about Woodstock it's unbelievable. Mainly I learned that I don't think I would've wanted to be there. I've always thought that I wish I had been alive then so I could've gone. But thinking about it now....I don't like lots of people around me and I get grumpy when hungry, so being on a field with half a million others, so many that people are essentially trapped there, and a big shortage of food would really not be my thing. I still think it would've been fun to make an appearance though.
What really amazed me was that Max Yasgur, the guy that offered his land for the event, as well as most of his neighbors in their tiny little town, were very conservative. He didn't agree with their cause or their lifestyle but he wanted to support their free speech. Then, when it got completely overrun with people, all the locals, even some who admitted to being afraid of all the kids coming in to their town, ran to the store and made sandwiches and brought drinks to the concert-goers. How amazing is that?! It really did bring people together. All sorts of people who probably wouldn't have even spoken to each other otherwise. The more I learn about Woodstock is hard to believe it actually happened. I mean the stories are just so, unbelievably crazy!
After seeing the museum I went out to walk around on the actual site. It's interesting because they've left the site an open field. They mow the grass but otherwise they leave it alone. I was expecting to see a model stage or signs around it describing it or something, but it's cool to see it in its semi-original state. There's a small monument in the corner but otherwise one would never know what it is/was.
Once I finally pried myself away from the area, I drove down to Harriman State Park, home of the summer camp where I worked years ago. I wasn't sure exactly where it was, since I never drove there, but I had a general idea and figured I could at least see the area. I followed signs to the big lake that was near our camp, and suddenly I see the little sign for Camp Homeward Bound, my camp, off to my right. I immediately pull over, turn around and go check it out. It was roped off, but I parked the car and walked around a bit. I didn't want to go too far because I was afraid of someone showing up and being upset with me for being there. But I got to see the main area and the lake, which was awesome. A few things had changed since I was there. The horribly messy storage shed had been turned into an arts and crafts room. What I knew as the arts and crafts building is now photo and video....something that we didn't have when I was there. The hand painted signs around the dining hall were gone, but those may get packed away for the winter. It was so amazing to be there again. With how amazing my last summer was, I sort of forgot how great and how meaningful my NY experience was, and what great things that camp does for kids who need it so badly.
I had hoped to get to spend some time at the swim beach on the bigger lake where we took the kids on special days. It was a public beach, though the public rarely came because it was typically overrun with summer camp kids. Unfortunately it was closed for the season as well.
It's funny how certain things can jog a memory more than others. Even though the beach was closed, the sign saying "Sebago beach this way" really got to me. It's just a simple wooden sign, but it instantly brought back soooo many memories. Almost moreso than the camp itself. Maybe because I remember walking by that sign with big groups of kids....all dressed in their oversized, bright-red, donated CK cologne shirts, trying to convince them to stop whining and keep walking, while also trying to keep them from walking on the road. The funny thing is, we didn't walk with kids on the road I was on, so I think the sign in my memory was a different one that looks like that one....or maybe it was just that I remember seeing that sign and knowing camp was near. The other thing that really got the memories going was the giant rock face that the road camp is on dead-ends in to just south of camp. It's one of those strangely beautiful things. Just a big rock face that rarely sees sun and has moss growing on it from the humidity. It has vegetation growing on top. No idea why that jumped out at me but I had a major deja vu moment as I got to it.
I'm now staying in Suffern, which is one of the two towns we could get a shuttle to on our days off to catch a bus. The other was Sloatsburg, which I also drove through. Though I liked Suffern better because there were more busses and the schedule was easier to follow. I'm in a part of Suffern that I've never seen before though. I thought it was a really tiny town but now I come to find out there's a whole city-like part of it that touches the highway that has a holiday inn, and applebees, and all sorts of fun stuff. I'm staying at the Holiday Inn (which is good because it's freezing out right now....Thanks Mom and Dad!), and I drove up to the little local diner for dinner, which was a wonderful experience in people watching. I also got to watch the Red Sox lose to the Yankees, which I continue to do from my hotel room. It saddens me a bit because I did become a Red Sox fan during this summer in New England, but it probably made for a happier diner!
I'm now working on plans for tomorrow. I told myself all week that I'd make sure to find something fun to do for the weekend since all week I've been finding fun looking things only open on the weekend. Instead, here it is the weekend and I'm heading into an area that I know absolutely nothing about and have nooooo idea what to look to do. Oh well...I'm sure I'll find something! :)
The strange stuff came in the morning. When I opened the tent door to see what the weather looked like, this giant spider that had apparently been sitting on the door, dropped in next to me. Ok maybe not giant, but large enough for me to be really uncomfortable sharing my tent with it! It didn't look like any of the poisonous spiders I know, but it looked like it's bite could hurt a lot. And it was sitting in a place where I couldn't get out without first moving right next to it. I tried a few things I had in my tent to get him out, but no success. I finally ended up opening the door again and using my pillow to "chase" him out. Success!
Once I got out of the tent I picked up my tent bag (which I had left outside when it was VERY windy...oops!), and underneath it was the biggest earthworm I'd ever seen in my life! I'm not usually bothered by worms, but this thing really caught me off guard and it was so big! Could've easily passed for a baby snake! Again not a big deal but I was already jumpy from the spider.
So I go to the bathrooms to take my shower and get ready, and then head back to my tent to put it away. As I'm starting to put it away I notice, maybe 2-3 feet away from the front corner of my tent, a dead and decomposing frog. Eeeeewwwww! Not sure how I missed that yesterday since I did get to the site in the daylight, but thank god I didn't pitch my tent on top of it! Though after seeing it I got really worried about whether or not I'd stepped on it in the dark and had been smearing frog guts everywhere. As far as I can tell I was safe, but still. Ugh! I moved my tent before taking it down but at that point I was pretty much scared to touch anything or look at anything too much because I was afraid it was going to turn in to some sort of creepy something!
Things got much better once I finally got on the road. I got a bagel sandwich at Bodacious Bagels, which was awesome. I then made my way through the woods out to the town of Bethel, where the Woodstock concert actually took place. Driving through the mountains was fascinating because it was very, very Jewish. Tons of signs were written in Hebrew, and I saw lots of synagogues but only one or two churches on the whole drive. Definitely hadn't expected that.
The Woodstock site had an INCREDIBLE museum. I spent most of the day there. I didn't look at my watch when I got there, but I know it was at least 4 hours. There were two huge exhibits about the 60's in general, and then everything you could ever want to know about Woodstock. There were listening stations where you could pick out different music from the era and see the top 10 hits for every year of the decade. There were video screens all around with videos about life in the 60's, politics of the time, and personal accounts from people who were at Woodstock. There was even an "experience room" where you could sit on a beanbag and have Woodstock clips going all around you so, in theory, you could feel like you were there. And then there was an interactive map of the site where each of 8 different stations got a different character on the main map, and using your touch pad you could stear your character around the main map and learn about the different parts of the site.
I really could've stayed there all day. I skipped some of the videos I wanted to see and still barely made it out before closing time. It was really fun (everything was decorated in crazy 60's colors and the lights would randomly change so suddenly you'd see a brightly colored flower on the floor in front of you or shining down on you from the lights above, and parts of it were made to look like the inside of a VW bus and that kind of thing) but also incredibly informative. I learned sooooooo much about Woodstock it's unbelievable. Mainly I learned that I don't think I would've wanted to be there. I've always thought that I wish I had been alive then so I could've gone. But thinking about it now....I don't like lots of people around me and I get grumpy when hungry, so being on a field with half a million others, so many that people are essentially trapped there, and a big shortage of food would really not be my thing. I still think it would've been fun to make an appearance though.
What really amazed me was that Max Yasgur, the guy that offered his land for the event, as well as most of his neighbors in their tiny little town, were very conservative. He didn't agree with their cause or their lifestyle but he wanted to support their free speech. Then, when it got completely overrun with people, all the locals, even some who admitted to being afraid of all the kids coming in to their town, ran to the store and made sandwiches and brought drinks to the concert-goers. How amazing is that?! It really did bring people together. All sorts of people who probably wouldn't have even spoken to each other otherwise. The more I learn about Woodstock is hard to believe it actually happened. I mean the stories are just so, unbelievably crazy!
After seeing the museum I went out to walk around on the actual site. It's interesting because they've left the site an open field. They mow the grass but otherwise they leave it alone. I was expecting to see a model stage or signs around it describing it or something, but it's cool to see it in its semi-original state. There's a small monument in the corner but otherwise one would never know what it is/was.
Once I finally pried myself away from the area, I drove down to Harriman State Park, home of the summer camp where I worked years ago. I wasn't sure exactly where it was, since I never drove there, but I had a general idea and figured I could at least see the area. I followed signs to the big lake that was near our camp, and suddenly I see the little sign for Camp Homeward Bound, my camp, off to my right. I immediately pull over, turn around and go check it out. It was roped off, but I parked the car and walked around a bit. I didn't want to go too far because I was afraid of someone showing up and being upset with me for being there. But I got to see the main area and the lake, which was awesome. A few things had changed since I was there. The horribly messy storage shed had been turned into an arts and crafts room. What I knew as the arts and crafts building is now photo and video....something that we didn't have when I was there. The hand painted signs around the dining hall were gone, but those may get packed away for the winter. It was so amazing to be there again. With how amazing my last summer was, I sort of forgot how great and how meaningful my NY experience was, and what great things that camp does for kids who need it so badly.
I had hoped to get to spend some time at the swim beach on the bigger lake where we took the kids on special days. It was a public beach, though the public rarely came because it was typically overrun with summer camp kids. Unfortunately it was closed for the season as well.
It's funny how certain things can jog a memory more than others. Even though the beach was closed, the sign saying "Sebago beach this way" really got to me. It's just a simple wooden sign, but it instantly brought back soooo many memories. Almost moreso than the camp itself. Maybe because I remember walking by that sign with big groups of kids....all dressed in their oversized, bright-red, donated CK cologne shirts, trying to convince them to stop whining and keep walking, while also trying to keep them from walking on the road. The funny thing is, we didn't walk with kids on the road I was on, so I think the sign in my memory was a different one that looks like that one....or maybe it was just that I remember seeing that sign and knowing camp was near. The other thing that really got the memories going was the giant rock face that the road camp is on dead-ends in to just south of camp. It's one of those strangely beautiful things. Just a big rock face that rarely sees sun and has moss growing on it from the humidity. It has vegetation growing on top. No idea why that jumped out at me but I had a major deja vu moment as I got to it.
I'm now staying in Suffern, which is one of the two towns we could get a shuttle to on our days off to catch a bus. The other was Sloatsburg, which I also drove through. Though I liked Suffern better because there were more busses and the schedule was easier to follow. I'm in a part of Suffern that I've never seen before though. I thought it was a really tiny town but now I come to find out there's a whole city-like part of it that touches the highway that has a holiday inn, and applebees, and all sorts of fun stuff. I'm staying at the Holiday Inn (which is good because it's freezing out right now....Thanks Mom and Dad!), and I drove up to the little local diner for dinner, which was a wonderful experience in people watching. I also got to watch the Red Sox lose to the Yankees, which I continue to do from my hotel room. It saddens me a bit because I did become a Red Sox fan during this summer in New England, but it probably made for a happier diner!
I'm now working on plans for tomorrow. I told myself all week that I'd make sure to find something fun to do for the weekend since all week I've been finding fun looking things only open on the weekend. Instead, here it is the weekend and I'm heading into an area that I know absolutely nothing about and have nooooo idea what to look to do. Oh well...I'm sure I'll find something! :)
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Woodstock, NY Back to camping!
Yep...you heard it here first. I'm camping again. It's not nearly as cold here, but super buggy! Of course I didn't notice the level of bugs until after I went to buy new firewood. Now I feel obligated to have a fire though I have no desire to sit out with the bugs any longer than I have to.
Today was a good day. It was the first in a while that I've felt I can really say that. It just felt good to be out here. It was a beautiful day. The weather was perfect. Nice and sunny and warm, but not hot. The leaves are really starting to change colors and I was driving through beautiful areas all the way. Lots of mountains (Catskills) as well as a lot of farmland. The farmland is cool because the bright green fields on hillsides set off the deep colors of the leaves just perfectly.
It's a good thing the driving was so great, because that's most of what I did today. Starting with getting out of Schenectady. I thought I'd found a great short cut road to get to the highway from my hotel. Unfortunately it wasn't labeled very well on the map. But I got going and was just sure I'd found it. I drove and drove and finally saw what looked like a highway and was very excited. It seemed strange though because it looked almost exactly like the on ramp for the other highway by my hotel. "How strange," I thought. "All of Schenectady's on ramps seem to look exactly the same." Of course then I realized it wasn't the highway I was looking for. It was the one by my hotel. And sure enough I drove a little further and there was my hotel. So a half hour after I'd left I was back where I started and I still have absolutely no idea how I did it! There must have been a lot of slight curves in the road or something because I really don't remember ever changing directions.
Turns out, had I just gone straight from my hotel it was a direct route to the highway. Direct as in not even making a single turn. So much for my shortcut.
The first chunk of drive as all interstate, but very deserted, beautiful, scenic interstate. Then I got to get off the highway and head out to the Catskill nature preserve. It's funny...it really didn't get anymore scenic between the nature preserve and the interstate. Everything is pretty quiet and nature-like out here. I was really surprised at how quiet everything is out here. I had expected it to be more like the Adirondacks where even though it was off season it felt like there was stuff everywhere and all sorts of places to be a tourist. The Catskills are more just quiet little towns with little neighborhoods and an occaisonal ice cream shop or two.
Speaking of little towns, I stopped in one that had the world's largest kaliedoscope. It's stuff like that that makes road tripping so great. So random and fun. I think this kaliedoscope was the realization of somebody's drug trip. It's a 10 minute long show where you lay on the floor and see all sorts of crazy images...ranging from political to pot leaves to just plain crazy going through the already crazy kaliedoscope lens....along with all sorts of background music and drumming, some of which shook the floor. I was just an eensy bit motion sick afterwards.
After the show you go in to this incredible shop that has kaliedoscopes made out of everything. And I do mean everything...wood, glass, gold, bike parts, baseballs, footballs, etc. Some of them played music or lit up, some of them had hand painted "spinny parts", some used beads, etc. I would've never been able to pick one to buy but I really just wanted to hang out in that shop for a few days and play!
After dragging myself out of the shop I went to the little deli that was connected to it to get a snack. I got a slice of broccoli cheddar quiche. This place had everything! :)
From there I headed up the windy little road to Woodstock. Woodstock is a funny little place. You drive up this windy little road through the trees and then all of a sudden BAM! A road full of all the tie-dye you could ever want! I parked and walked around for a bit, and it was fun but a bit strange because every store sold just about the same stuff. Woodstock t-shirts, stickers, and tie-dye. And old band t-shirts. I bought a couple of bumper stickers but surprisingly, no tie-dye.
I'd planned to drive further today but I ended up in a place where I could either stop early, or drive a lot longer to the next place to stay. Since these roads are scary at night (dark, hard to see wildlife), I figured it'd be better to stop early. So I'm at the super buggy Woodstock KOA. Good times will be had i'm sure. The good news is, the guy who checked me in (who needs to work on his people skills, but that's another story) said that even though there's no tent campers tonight they've had quite a few coming through, especially on the weekends. That's really good news because hopefully I'll be able to go back to camping more regularly now without that creepy only person there feel. Yay!
Today was a good day. It was the first in a while that I've felt I can really say that. It just felt good to be out here. It was a beautiful day. The weather was perfect. Nice and sunny and warm, but not hot. The leaves are really starting to change colors and I was driving through beautiful areas all the way. Lots of mountains (Catskills) as well as a lot of farmland. The farmland is cool because the bright green fields on hillsides set off the deep colors of the leaves just perfectly.
It's a good thing the driving was so great, because that's most of what I did today. Starting with getting out of Schenectady. I thought I'd found a great short cut road to get to the highway from my hotel. Unfortunately it wasn't labeled very well on the map. But I got going and was just sure I'd found it. I drove and drove and finally saw what looked like a highway and was very excited. It seemed strange though because it looked almost exactly like the on ramp for the other highway by my hotel. "How strange," I thought. "All of Schenectady's on ramps seem to look exactly the same." Of course then I realized it wasn't the highway I was looking for. It was the one by my hotel. And sure enough I drove a little further and there was my hotel. So a half hour after I'd left I was back where I started and I still have absolutely no idea how I did it! There must have been a lot of slight curves in the road or something because I really don't remember ever changing directions.
Turns out, had I just gone straight from my hotel it was a direct route to the highway. Direct as in not even making a single turn. So much for my shortcut.
The first chunk of drive as all interstate, but very deserted, beautiful, scenic interstate. Then I got to get off the highway and head out to the Catskill nature preserve. It's funny...it really didn't get anymore scenic between the nature preserve and the interstate. Everything is pretty quiet and nature-like out here. I was really surprised at how quiet everything is out here. I had expected it to be more like the Adirondacks where even though it was off season it felt like there was stuff everywhere and all sorts of places to be a tourist. The Catskills are more just quiet little towns with little neighborhoods and an occaisonal ice cream shop or two.
Speaking of little towns, I stopped in one that had the world's largest kaliedoscope. It's stuff like that that makes road tripping so great. So random and fun. I think this kaliedoscope was the realization of somebody's drug trip. It's a 10 minute long show where you lay on the floor and see all sorts of crazy images...ranging from political to pot leaves to just plain crazy going through the already crazy kaliedoscope lens....along with all sorts of background music and drumming, some of which shook the floor. I was just an eensy bit motion sick afterwards.
After the show you go in to this incredible shop that has kaliedoscopes made out of everything. And I do mean everything...wood, glass, gold, bike parts, baseballs, footballs, etc. Some of them played music or lit up, some of them had hand painted "spinny parts", some used beads, etc. I would've never been able to pick one to buy but I really just wanted to hang out in that shop for a few days and play!
After dragging myself out of the shop I went to the little deli that was connected to it to get a snack. I got a slice of broccoli cheddar quiche. This place had everything! :)
From there I headed up the windy little road to Woodstock. Woodstock is a funny little place. You drive up this windy little road through the trees and then all of a sudden BAM! A road full of all the tie-dye you could ever want! I parked and walked around for a bit, and it was fun but a bit strange because every store sold just about the same stuff. Woodstock t-shirts, stickers, and tie-dye. And old band t-shirts. I bought a couple of bumper stickers but surprisingly, no tie-dye.
I'd planned to drive further today but I ended up in a place where I could either stop early, or drive a lot longer to the next place to stay. Since these roads are scary at night (dark, hard to see wildlife), I figured it'd be better to stop early. So I'm at the super buggy Woodstock KOA. Good times will be had i'm sure. The good news is, the guy who checked me in (who needs to work on his people skills, but that's another story) said that even though there's no tent campers tonight they've had quite a few coming through, especially on the weekends. That's really good news because hopefully I'll be able to go back to camping more regularly now without that creepy only person there feel. Yay!
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
PS
The news tonight confirmed that one of the reasons for all the traffic in Albany is that a bunch of downtown is shut down for filming of a car chase for some new movie. I checked, and guess where the hostel is. Not right where the filming is happening, but plenty close enough that it would've been a big pain to get to....though perhaps mildly interesting to watch a car chase being filmed. Yeah I think I'm glad I stayed here!
Schenectady (did I spell it right, Dad?), NY
So, at the risk of sounding really repetitive, today was another day of doing very little and failing miserably at making any sort of distance.
I got out of my hotel this morning way later than planned. The building was making lots of strange noises that kept waking me up during the night, so I didn't sleep well and had a really hard time getting going.
Once on the road I headed to Saratoga Springs. As I was heading in to town I got a call from Andrew from Americorps, which was awesome. I was hoping to get to see him while in NY but I'm too much of a wuss about driving through the city to get to where he is. But it was great to talk to him and catch up a bit.
On to Saratoga Springs. My book made this town sound a lot more exciting than it actually was. But it was a good place to get lost for a bit. Ok a long time. But eventually I figured out where I was and found a few things to see. I went to "historic Congress Park." This park had tons of random springs all over it with stories of how they'd been discovered and fancy little buildings or displays around them. Very...odd... A few of them you could drink from. That made me nervous until I realized there was probably more crap on my hand (that I was drinking from) then there could be in the water. Still felt really really odd to be walking around a park taking drinks though...I didn't hang out for too long! lol
After that I went to the National Museum of Dance, which was huge and surprisingly interesting. It made me want to 1. go see another Broadway musical and 2. take dance lessons. Of course then I remember my complete and utter lack of rhythm and decide against number 2. I'd love to be able to dance well but I don't think that will EVER happen!
I spent quite a bit of time at the museum before I finally headed to Schenectady. I managed to head out right as the area schools were getting out though and the little two lane road I was on was VERY clogged with school busses. Slow going to say the least. One of the downsides of backroads instead of the interstate.
Anyway, when I finally got to Schenectady I got to go play stalker a bit and see the house where my dad grew up as well as the building I think was his school. I went to take a picture of the house and a bunch of people came outside. So I introduced mysef, had a somewhat awkward conversation with them, but then they agreed to let me wander around and take pictures. They offered me a tour of the inside as well but I figured that'd be a bit too much since that wouldn't mean a whole lot to me w/out my dad there. The real stalkeresque part came when I was taking pictures of the building I think was his school. It's now a daycare and there were lots of little children outside. Not that I looked too particularly scary, but I still took off fast before any parents could question me.
I had planned to head on to a hostel in Albany after that, but I kept hearing over and over again on the radio about how traffic in Albany everywhere was horrible. Without knowing the roads there or really knowing where the hostel was I figured it wasn't worth it to enter in to that. So, luckily for me there was a Schenectady hotel in my magic little book of hotel discounts. That book really is amazing....apparently this place is normally close to $80 and I'm here for $50. Yay!
No idea what my plans are for tomorrow. I'm kinda ready to get out of NY though. I'm realizing I'm not a huge fan of this state. I kinda miss New England. Just different vibes there. (Sorry Dad!)
I got out of my hotel this morning way later than planned. The building was making lots of strange noises that kept waking me up during the night, so I didn't sleep well and had a really hard time getting going.
Once on the road I headed to Saratoga Springs. As I was heading in to town I got a call from Andrew from Americorps, which was awesome. I was hoping to get to see him while in NY but I'm too much of a wuss about driving through the city to get to where he is. But it was great to talk to him and catch up a bit.
On to Saratoga Springs. My book made this town sound a lot more exciting than it actually was. But it was a good place to get lost for a bit. Ok a long time. But eventually I figured out where I was and found a few things to see. I went to "historic Congress Park." This park had tons of random springs all over it with stories of how they'd been discovered and fancy little buildings or displays around them. Very...odd... A few of them you could drink from. That made me nervous until I realized there was probably more crap on my hand (that I was drinking from) then there could be in the water. Still felt really really odd to be walking around a park taking drinks though...I didn't hang out for too long! lol
After that I went to the National Museum of Dance, which was huge and surprisingly interesting. It made me want to 1. go see another Broadway musical and 2. take dance lessons. Of course then I remember my complete and utter lack of rhythm and decide against number 2. I'd love to be able to dance well but I don't think that will EVER happen!
I spent quite a bit of time at the museum before I finally headed to Schenectady. I managed to head out right as the area schools were getting out though and the little two lane road I was on was VERY clogged with school busses. Slow going to say the least. One of the downsides of backroads instead of the interstate.
Anyway, when I finally got to Schenectady I got to go play stalker a bit and see the house where my dad grew up as well as the building I think was his school. I went to take a picture of the house and a bunch of people came outside. So I introduced mysef, had a somewhat awkward conversation with them, but then they agreed to let me wander around and take pictures. They offered me a tour of the inside as well but I figured that'd be a bit too much since that wouldn't mean a whole lot to me w/out my dad there. The real stalkeresque part came when I was taking pictures of the building I think was his school. It's now a daycare and there were lots of little children outside. Not that I looked too particularly scary, but I still took off fast before any parents could question me.
I had planned to head on to a hostel in Albany after that, but I kept hearing over and over again on the radio about how traffic in Albany everywhere was horrible. Without knowing the roads there or really knowing where the hostel was I figured it wasn't worth it to enter in to that. So, luckily for me there was a Schenectady hotel in my magic little book of hotel discounts. That book really is amazing....apparently this place is normally close to $80 and I'm here for $50. Yay!
No idea what my plans are for tomorrow. I'm kinda ready to get out of NY though. I'm realizing I'm not a huge fan of this state. I kinda miss New England. Just different vibes there. (Sorry Dad!)
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Lake George, NY
I've been a little embarassed by my blog entries lately. They started out with me doing so exciting, with me finding all sorts of great adventures. Lately, not so much. Today is no exception. I drove a lot, but that's about it. I'm in a new state though. That's exciting, right? :)
I had a lot of time to think about things while I was sick, and I realized in a lot of ways I'm sorta over this trip. I realized that when I was looking at hikes in the Adirondacks, and even after seeing beautiful pictures of waterfalls and things it all looked a bit "boring". That's all I could think of it as, which is sooooo not me. Maybe I just OD'ed on pretty nature hikes by myself. There's only so many pictures you can take of pretty mountains, trees, and water. Which is a lot of what I have planned for this trip.
I was actually feeling so over it that I considered jumping on the interstate and heading home. But I wasn't quite ready to do that....so I thought I'd head home and hit some fun scenic stuff along the way. But the more I thought about it the more I realized I have a lot of places I'd still like to see. So, the idea now is that I'm going to keep at it but try to make a little more foward progress. I've gotta accept that I can't see everything and stop trying to. I think a lot of my frustration has been coming from everything being repetitive and not moving much.
So that's the plan....so far I'm not too good at it. It's really hard for me to pass things up, even if I know they probably won't be all that interesting. Anyway, today was mostly a driving day, but I took a few scenic distractions. From Burlington, I headed north across the islands through Lake Champlain. That was pretty cool at first because there were lots of spots with lake on both sides. Then the islands got wider and it was mostly farmland, which was really strange and not expected.
I stopped on one of the islands for a great lunch spot. Actually, the food wasn't very good, but the place had the character to make up for it. All their sandwiches were based off of a famous person. My personal favorite was the Obama Wrap, which was "a whole new kind of sandwich. Not just a change of lettuce." Most of my sandwich ended up falling on the floor of my car as I was unwrapping it, so it was a small lunch. I briefly considered eating it anyway but there was all kinds of nastiness on it! (And it fell apart as it fell so the dirt got on everything.)
Once I got into New York, I stayed on the interstate for a bit and then went back on to the state highways to head to Lake Placid. I really didn't have a whole lot of reason for going to Lake Placid, I just wanted to get off the interstate. I've realized that I really don't like the interstate unless I have a specific destination I want to get to quickly. Even if I don't stop anywhere, I really like getting to see what towns look like and where people live. It's amazing some of the little towns that are out there, and where people live that I would've never thought about (like the little Vermont island farming town today).
When I got to Lake Placid I went to their Olympic museum, which was pretty cool. Lots of random artifacts from previous olympiads....the old bobsleds were the best. They had some of the first bobsleds there, and they were really really funny looking compared to today's! They looked like little old car/toboggan things. Something like this: http://en.beijing2008.cn/spirit/pastgames/winterolympics/n214050026.shtml
I also got to see the rink where the "Miracle on ice" happened, as well as the rink from the 1932 olympics. That was cool I guess, but hockey rinks just don't give off that amazing "this is where it happened" feel like some places do. I mean really they all kind of look the same. What I did like is that they had a video of the US vs. Soviet Union game going in the museum. It was really hard not to just stay and watch that! Mostly it all made me realize i'm REALLY excited to play hockey this winter. I miss it and I miss my PC team! They've already started playing games and I so wish I was there.
So from Lake Placid I continued on my random scenic routes until I ended up in Ticonderoga, land of the famous fort and where all the number 2 pencils used to come from. I stopped for dinner at a diner that I'd read about. It's supposed to be one of those surprise amazing places in the middle of nowhere. Well....I didn't have quite as much luck with this one as I did with the lobster roll shack in Maine. First, the stuff I read about it described the breakfasts, so I assumed they had breakfast all the time. No such luck. Their dinner wasn't bad...but it was just typical diner food though really expensive for what it was!
I should've just stayed there for the night since I was getting tired, but I thought that right after dinner was too early to stop. In hindsight I have no idea why I thought that....it was already starting to get dark. Anyway I continued on down the road which I'm sure would've been really pretty...it was right next to the lake, but it was too dark to see much of it. I got to an intersection that would take me back to the interstate. It would end up being a little longer distance wise, but I figured as it was getting dark it'd be better to be on the interstate where it would be better lit and less of a chance of wildlife.
Well...the road I turned on to get to the interstate was as dark as it gets. There was NOTHING out there. It was creepy. Totally dark...no buildings, no nothing....just lots of trees and lots of places where I could totally picture deer jumping out in front of me. And of course it took forever because I was driving so slowly watching for wildlife...though the only wildlife I saw was a few frogs and a lot of bugs. The frogs seemed to have a death wish though!
When I finally got to the interstate it was equally dark. There was more space and lots of little reflectors but no lights and no other cars. When I would see other cars up ahead or coming the other way they looked like they were floating off in space because I couldn't see anything around them. Sooooo....as soon as I made it to a town, which took waaaaaay longer than planned, I got a hotel. I didn't make it to where I'd planned where I knew there was a hostel, but I was really over it. I got a little book of hotel coupons that has $50 hotels in most of the towns around here. That's a lot more than I'd be paying for a camp site or a hostel, but it's doable....at least for now and then. Ironically, it's a beautiful night...strangely warm, especially for it being the first night of fall. I'm up in the mountains and it's going to stay in the 60's tonight! I actually wanted to camp but everything around here was seasonal and closed down...or open but so dark it was creepy. (aka a tent-only campground with no tents....creepy!) Anwyay, I'm staying in one of the smallest hotel rooms ever...it has two beds but there's just barely room for somebody to stand between them. But it's plenty comfy to make me happy. :)
Wow I sure wrote a lot for doing diddly squat today!
I had a lot of time to think about things while I was sick, and I realized in a lot of ways I'm sorta over this trip. I realized that when I was looking at hikes in the Adirondacks, and even after seeing beautiful pictures of waterfalls and things it all looked a bit "boring". That's all I could think of it as, which is sooooo not me. Maybe I just OD'ed on pretty nature hikes by myself. There's only so many pictures you can take of pretty mountains, trees, and water. Which is a lot of what I have planned for this trip.
I was actually feeling so over it that I considered jumping on the interstate and heading home. But I wasn't quite ready to do that....so I thought I'd head home and hit some fun scenic stuff along the way. But the more I thought about it the more I realized I have a lot of places I'd still like to see. So, the idea now is that I'm going to keep at it but try to make a little more foward progress. I've gotta accept that I can't see everything and stop trying to. I think a lot of my frustration has been coming from everything being repetitive and not moving much.
So that's the plan....so far I'm not too good at it. It's really hard for me to pass things up, even if I know they probably won't be all that interesting. Anyway, today was mostly a driving day, but I took a few scenic distractions. From Burlington, I headed north across the islands through Lake Champlain. That was pretty cool at first because there were lots of spots with lake on both sides. Then the islands got wider and it was mostly farmland, which was really strange and not expected.
I stopped on one of the islands for a great lunch spot. Actually, the food wasn't very good, but the place had the character to make up for it. All their sandwiches were based off of a famous person. My personal favorite was the Obama Wrap, which was "a whole new kind of sandwich. Not just a change of lettuce." Most of my sandwich ended up falling on the floor of my car as I was unwrapping it, so it was a small lunch. I briefly considered eating it anyway but there was all kinds of nastiness on it! (And it fell apart as it fell so the dirt got on everything.)
Once I got into New York, I stayed on the interstate for a bit and then went back on to the state highways to head to Lake Placid. I really didn't have a whole lot of reason for going to Lake Placid, I just wanted to get off the interstate. I've realized that I really don't like the interstate unless I have a specific destination I want to get to quickly. Even if I don't stop anywhere, I really like getting to see what towns look like and where people live. It's amazing some of the little towns that are out there, and where people live that I would've never thought about (like the little Vermont island farming town today).
When I got to Lake Placid I went to their Olympic museum, which was pretty cool. Lots of random artifacts from previous olympiads....the old bobsleds were the best. They had some of the first bobsleds there, and they were really really funny looking compared to today's! They looked like little old car/toboggan things. Something like this: http://en.beijing2008.cn/spirit/pastgames/winterolympics/n214050026.shtml
I also got to see the rink where the "Miracle on ice" happened, as well as the rink from the 1932 olympics. That was cool I guess, but hockey rinks just don't give off that amazing "this is where it happened" feel like some places do. I mean really they all kind of look the same. What I did like is that they had a video of the US vs. Soviet Union game going in the museum. It was really hard not to just stay and watch that! Mostly it all made me realize i'm REALLY excited to play hockey this winter. I miss it and I miss my PC team! They've already started playing games and I so wish I was there.
So from Lake Placid I continued on my random scenic routes until I ended up in Ticonderoga, land of the famous fort and where all the number 2 pencils used to come from. I stopped for dinner at a diner that I'd read about. It's supposed to be one of those surprise amazing places in the middle of nowhere. Well....I didn't have quite as much luck with this one as I did with the lobster roll shack in Maine. First, the stuff I read about it described the breakfasts, so I assumed they had breakfast all the time. No such luck. Their dinner wasn't bad...but it was just typical diner food though really expensive for what it was!
I should've just stayed there for the night since I was getting tired, but I thought that right after dinner was too early to stop. In hindsight I have no idea why I thought that....it was already starting to get dark. Anyway I continued on down the road which I'm sure would've been really pretty...it was right next to the lake, but it was too dark to see much of it. I got to an intersection that would take me back to the interstate. It would end up being a little longer distance wise, but I figured as it was getting dark it'd be better to be on the interstate where it would be better lit and less of a chance of wildlife.
Well...the road I turned on to get to the interstate was as dark as it gets. There was NOTHING out there. It was creepy. Totally dark...no buildings, no nothing....just lots of trees and lots of places where I could totally picture deer jumping out in front of me. And of course it took forever because I was driving so slowly watching for wildlife...though the only wildlife I saw was a few frogs and a lot of bugs. The frogs seemed to have a death wish though!
When I finally got to the interstate it was equally dark. There was more space and lots of little reflectors but no lights and no other cars. When I would see other cars up ahead or coming the other way they looked like they were floating off in space because I couldn't see anything around them. Sooooo....as soon as I made it to a town, which took waaaaaay longer than planned, I got a hotel. I didn't make it to where I'd planned where I knew there was a hostel, but I was really over it. I got a little book of hotel coupons that has $50 hotels in most of the towns around here. That's a lot more than I'd be paying for a camp site or a hostel, but it's doable....at least for now and then. Ironically, it's a beautiful night...strangely warm, especially for it being the first night of fall. I'm up in the mountains and it's going to stay in the 60's tonight! I actually wanted to camp but everything around here was seasonal and closed down...or open but so dark it was creepy. (aka a tent-only campground with no tents....creepy!) Anwyay, I'm staying in one of the smallest hotel rooms ever...it has two beds but there's just barely room for somebody to stand between them. But it's plenty comfy to make me happy. :)
Wow I sure wrote a lot for doing diddly squat today!
Sick
Woke up this morning feeling sick. Decided that since I had the bed, I may as well lie in it. So that's what I did, all day. I got the hotel for a second night and I slept and watched tv. Discovered important world truths such as who won Big Brother (Jordan), that daytime tv still sucks, but Ellen is really funny. Then watched the season premiere of House, which really really sucked. Hopefully this season will get more interesting but it's not looking promising at all. Anyway, back to bed.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
From my hotel room! Yay!
So this is my 3rd night in this same town (Burlington) and I have yet to come up with a snazzy nickname for it. When I lived in Birmingham it was B-ham....so, B-ton? Nah, doesn't have the right ring to it. Burlington is just such an arduous name.
Anyway, I finally have my hotel room and I LOVE it! It's a silly little motel but it is so beyond perfect for me right now. My own bed, my own space....Don't know how I'm going to convince myself to leave it! I'm starting to wonder if maybe I'm just done with this whole road tripping thing. I still like it in theory but I just feel exhausted all the time. I mean if what I really want to do is sit in a motel room, that's a bad sign! Hopefully I can come up with some sort of workable plan.
As for today, it was interesting. Another one of those days where I didn't do much but it went by fast. But I gotta start with last night. I finally decided to camp again because I kept hearing how it was going to be way warmer today. Then, as I was driving to the campground I hear on the radio that there's another frost advisory. Ugh. But at this point I'm already committed and it's late so I gotta just go for it. So I put on every layer of clothing I have, which includes pj pants, a long sleeve t-shirt, a hoodie, thick socks, a fleece blanket inside my sleeping bag, and an extra blanket on top. The extra blanket on top didn't really do much (except fall off almost instantly) but I wanted to do everything I could and there was no room for a second blanket inside. I actually stayed pretty warm. I didn't realize just how cold it was until the morning when I got up and was packing my stuff. My fingers started to go numb almost instantly. It wasn't exactly frost I saw on my tent when I got up, but it was a very very cold form of dew. Most everything in my car was either frozen or close to it. It did start warming up pretty quickly once the sun came up.
Once I was packed up and checked out I went in to town to a breakfast place that I'd been hearing about since I got here. It's called Skinny Pancakes and they make all sorts of amazing crepes. I had one filled with nutella, strawberries, and bananas, with powdered sugar and whipped cream on top that was one of the best things I've ever eaten! Sooooo good. Unfortunately though, it took forever. Like last Sunday, I had been thinking about going to a church service in one of the cool old churches. I'm still feeling rather low in the spirituality and connectedness department, so I thought it'd be fun. I ended up missing the service where I'd wanted to go, but there was a Unitarian service starting later. I'm normally not very interested in Unitarian services but I figured what the heck. It was moderately interesting, but not really.
After that I went and sat in a bookstore for a while. I had planned on buying a book but got there and realized I didn't really want the book since I already have a big stack of books I want to read. But I still sat in the bookstore for about at least an hour, because I just love book stores.
By that point it was getting close to lunch. At breakfast I had had a really hard time deciding between the sweet and the savory crepes, and since I had had such great luck with the sweet I thought I'd try a savory for lunch. Yes, I went to the same place twice in one day. Though the second time I went to their little stand along the outdoor mall which was a whole lot faster. (The restaurant had started as just a little stand but got so popular it turned in to a full and very popular restaurant). For lunch I had a whole wheat crepe with chicken, pesto, and yummy Vermont cheese. Not sure what it is that makes the cheese here so incredible but it really is good.
So then I went out to get my hotel room...and sure enough hotels really are about $100 cheaper on weeknights than weekend. Crazy! Unfortunately my room wasn't ready yet, but that gave me time to go find a laundromat and do laundry. I haven't done laundry in a long time, and camping makes everything really really dirty, so it's great to be starting clean again. Of course now I have a whole stack of things to fold. The downside of laundry.
I brought all my clean clothes back to my hotel room, and have been just hanging out and loving it ever since. I ordered pizza for dinner from a place called Bite Me Organic Pizza, which was once again amazing. I got a pizza with broccoli, sun-dried tomatoes, and carmelized onions and was really, truly sad when I got full because it just tastes so good. I think I could move to this town for the food alone!
And finally...a report on my product testing..... The roll up and save your puzzles thing... It doesn't work. At all. The parts that were already together held up ok, but nothing else stayed where it was. The instructions say to make sure no pieces are on top of each other, which is a rather annoying task but I did it...but when I opened it up everything had gathered in little piles on top of each other. Plus I've already found one loose piece in my car. In the products defense, it would probably do fine to stick in a closet for a few days, but it's really not made for bouncin' around in the back of my car. That said, it's REALLY fun to travel with a puzzle. Of course, with how addicted to puzzles I get it's probably not a good thing. Like tonight, I'd planned on going to bed early but it's already 11:30. Time flies with a good puzzle! Eek!
Anyway, I finally have my hotel room and I LOVE it! It's a silly little motel but it is so beyond perfect for me right now. My own bed, my own space....Don't know how I'm going to convince myself to leave it! I'm starting to wonder if maybe I'm just done with this whole road tripping thing. I still like it in theory but I just feel exhausted all the time. I mean if what I really want to do is sit in a motel room, that's a bad sign! Hopefully I can come up with some sort of workable plan.
As for today, it was interesting. Another one of those days where I didn't do much but it went by fast. But I gotta start with last night. I finally decided to camp again because I kept hearing how it was going to be way warmer today. Then, as I was driving to the campground I hear on the radio that there's another frost advisory. Ugh. But at this point I'm already committed and it's late so I gotta just go for it. So I put on every layer of clothing I have, which includes pj pants, a long sleeve t-shirt, a hoodie, thick socks, a fleece blanket inside my sleeping bag, and an extra blanket on top. The extra blanket on top didn't really do much (except fall off almost instantly) but I wanted to do everything I could and there was no room for a second blanket inside. I actually stayed pretty warm. I didn't realize just how cold it was until the morning when I got up and was packing my stuff. My fingers started to go numb almost instantly. It wasn't exactly frost I saw on my tent when I got up, but it was a very very cold form of dew. Most everything in my car was either frozen or close to it. It did start warming up pretty quickly once the sun came up.
Once I was packed up and checked out I went in to town to a breakfast place that I'd been hearing about since I got here. It's called Skinny Pancakes and they make all sorts of amazing crepes. I had one filled with nutella, strawberries, and bananas, with powdered sugar and whipped cream on top that was one of the best things I've ever eaten! Sooooo good. Unfortunately though, it took forever. Like last Sunday, I had been thinking about going to a church service in one of the cool old churches. I'm still feeling rather low in the spirituality and connectedness department, so I thought it'd be fun. I ended up missing the service where I'd wanted to go, but there was a Unitarian service starting later. I'm normally not very interested in Unitarian services but I figured what the heck. It was moderately interesting, but not really.
After that I went and sat in a bookstore for a while. I had planned on buying a book but got there and realized I didn't really want the book since I already have a big stack of books I want to read. But I still sat in the bookstore for about at least an hour, because I just love book stores.
By that point it was getting close to lunch. At breakfast I had had a really hard time deciding between the sweet and the savory crepes, and since I had had such great luck with the sweet I thought I'd try a savory for lunch. Yes, I went to the same place twice in one day. Though the second time I went to their little stand along the outdoor mall which was a whole lot faster. (The restaurant had started as just a little stand but got so popular it turned in to a full and very popular restaurant). For lunch I had a whole wheat crepe with chicken, pesto, and yummy Vermont cheese. Not sure what it is that makes the cheese here so incredible but it really is good.
So then I went out to get my hotel room...and sure enough hotels really are about $100 cheaper on weeknights than weekend. Crazy! Unfortunately my room wasn't ready yet, but that gave me time to go find a laundromat and do laundry. I haven't done laundry in a long time, and camping makes everything really really dirty, so it's great to be starting clean again. Of course now I have a whole stack of things to fold. The downside of laundry.
I brought all my clean clothes back to my hotel room, and have been just hanging out and loving it ever since. I ordered pizza for dinner from a place called Bite Me Organic Pizza, which was once again amazing. I got a pizza with broccoli, sun-dried tomatoes, and carmelized onions and was really, truly sad when I got full because it just tastes so good. I think I could move to this town for the food alone!
And finally...a report on my product testing..... The roll up and save your puzzles thing... It doesn't work. At all. The parts that were already together held up ok, but nothing else stayed where it was. The instructions say to make sure no pieces are on top of each other, which is a rather annoying task but I did it...but when I opened it up everything had gathered in little piles on top of each other. Plus I've already found one loose piece in my car. In the products defense, it would probably do fine to stick in a closet for a few days, but it's really not made for bouncin' around in the back of my car. That said, it's REALLY fun to travel with a puzzle. Of course, with how addicted to puzzles I get it's probably not a good thing. Like tonight, I'd planned on going to bed early but it's already 11:30. Time flies with a good puzzle! Eek!
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Still Burlington...
Well, after a full night's sleep (Almost 10 hours! Yay!) I'm feeling much better in general and a bit embarassed about my whining about camping. It's really not that bad, and not that big of a deal. It was much warmer last night, and I actually slept pretty well. So I've decided it's really not worth the ridiculous hotel prices in order to get a room tonight. I probably will get one for tomorrow though because i'm still dying for a bed and because I really need to sit in a comfortable place and get some good computer time in so I can plan my next move. I have pretty much no idea where I'm going from here, especially since I'm trying to do it with more hostels and less camping. Now I have to "study" before I go places, rather than just showing up and driving up to a campground. The good news is, I do know I always have camping as a backup plan. Unless it's truely freezing, if I end up stuck somewhere I can deal with a tent for a night.
Today was another crazy day. I seem to be having a lot of those lately. I woke up fairly late, so by the time I got up, dressed, showered, and got my tent taken down it was about 10:00. I went to Brueggers Bagels for a brunch-like meal. That was fun since I haven't seen a Brueggers in ages, but that was where I ate by far the most when I lived in Denver and was just a block or so away. It felt like a little touch of home. Everything was pretty much the same, though my sandwich was slightly better here because they use Vermont local cheese, which is awesome.
Next I did a little drive through town just to figure out where everything is. It's funny, I remember it as being this huge area, but really it is tiny. I drove all the way across it before I'd really realized what happened. I decided it would be best to just park my car and bike around. However, with all the free parking available, I couldn't find any that had enough clearance that I could park my car with my bike on it. All the high clearance places were already full. So I decided to head out of town a little bit so I could park and drive in. I figured that would be good anyway because there was another campground a little closer to town I wanted to check out. Of course I took the wrong road out of town and ended up getting a very nice tour of Vermont farmland before finally finding my way back in. I ended up back in the downtown area without finding parking, but thankfully I found a nice lot that's open on weekends but no one had really noticed because it was empty. It was right by the water...even better!
So I got my bike off the roof and decided I wanted to switch from mountain tires to city tires. It went pretty smoothly, except that my tires were greasier than normal for some reason and turned my hands black as well as my new clean jeans I happened to be wearing. Apparently during the process I also wiped my nose and my forehead because I later discovered black spots in both places. While I was making the switch a guy probably around 18 or 19 years old stopped to ask to borrow my pump. He had a little bmx bike with very flat tires. While he was pumping up his tires he told me way more than I could've ever wanted to know about his bike. (It was actually interesting...he built it mostly out of parts that'd been thrown away...) I asked him if he lived in the area and he told me he goes to UVM (University of Vermont) and that he had to do a lab all day today even though it was Saturday. (Though it involved being out a boat on the lake, so I don't feel too too bad for him). Anyway I asked him what he was studying in school. His response was "ummm the environment and stuff". Judging by what I've seen of UVM and the whole Burlington area thus far, I would guess that umm the environment and stuff is a very popular major. It's just that kind of place!
Once I got my tires on I stopped by this little bike co-op place to pump up my tires the rest of the way (hand pump just doesn't quite cut it), got a map of the bike trails, and went for a ride. I rode along the lake for a few miles, and then went to the pedestrian mall area to do some shopping/wandering/people watching. I found a bunch of very cool stores, including a "glass shop" with some of the most incredible pipes I've ever seen in my life. Apparently they have a few local glass blowers who regularly compete with each other to make the coolest stuff. Some of these things were selling for over $1000! I can't imagine smoking out of one but it'd be cool to have as a display piece!
I bought a few more things....though it's hard to imagine I could still have things to buy with my car as full as it is. But something exciting did happen. I got a new guidebook, because I am about to head out of the New Englad region and in to the Mid Atlantic region. Oooh...progress. I also got a new audio book since i'm not really a big fan of the one i'm listening to now. I've also decided that I'm going to be a product tester. I found a puzzle that I wanted, so I bought one of those puzzle saver things that you can roll up to keep your puzzle while you're working on it. I'm going to see if it actually works and if I can travel with a jigsaw puzzle. How cool would that be?! I'll keep you updated on how it goes. :)
After all that shopping I had of course worked up an appetite, so I went out to dinner at this little pub. I decided to sit outside because outside was a much better atmosphere for being on my own. Unfortunately, nearly everyone sitting outside was smoking, and one guy had a cigar, so it was a bit yucky out there. I guess that's the downside of all the smoke-free indoors stuff. I'd rather have them smoke in the bar, myself. I just about froze as well once the sun started to go down. I was wearing jeans and a long-sleeved t-shirt and hadn't bothered to bring a jacket. It's funny because I ALWAYS have a jacket with me, even when it's 90 degrees out...and yet when I could've really used one I hadn't brought one. So it was an interesting meal, but a really really good burger, which made it all worth it.
I then biked back to my car to get my computer, and biked back to Starbucks which is where I am now. Not my first choice for a hang out place, but at least they have internet and are open late. Speaking of late, I'd better get back out to my campsite....since I have to set everything up again. Of course, had I not taken everything down, I just know I would've found the perfect affordable hotel room once I got to town. I guess putting off the hotel for one more night will make it that much more awesome tomorrow. It's funny just how excited I am to have a room and bed of my very own. Yay.
Today was another crazy day. I seem to be having a lot of those lately. I woke up fairly late, so by the time I got up, dressed, showered, and got my tent taken down it was about 10:00. I went to Brueggers Bagels for a brunch-like meal. That was fun since I haven't seen a Brueggers in ages, but that was where I ate by far the most when I lived in Denver and was just a block or so away. It felt like a little touch of home. Everything was pretty much the same, though my sandwich was slightly better here because they use Vermont local cheese, which is awesome.
Next I did a little drive through town just to figure out where everything is. It's funny, I remember it as being this huge area, but really it is tiny. I drove all the way across it before I'd really realized what happened. I decided it would be best to just park my car and bike around. However, with all the free parking available, I couldn't find any that had enough clearance that I could park my car with my bike on it. All the high clearance places were already full. So I decided to head out of town a little bit so I could park and drive in. I figured that would be good anyway because there was another campground a little closer to town I wanted to check out. Of course I took the wrong road out of town and ended up getting a very nice tour of Vermont farmland before finally finding my way back in. I ended up back in the downtown area without finding parking, but thankfully I found a nice lot that's open on weekends but no one had really noticed because it was empty. It was right by the water...even better!
So I got my bike off the roof and decided I wanted to switch from mountain tires to city tires. It went pretty smoothly, except that my tires were greasier than normal for some reason and turned my hands black as well as my new clean jeans I happened to be wearing. Apparently during the process I also wiped my nose and my forehead because I later discovered black spots in both places. While I was making the switch a guy probably around 18 or 19 years old stopped to ask to borrow my pump. He had a little bmx bike with very flat tires. While he was pumping up his tires he told me way more than I could've ever wanted to know about his bike. (It was actually interesting...he built it mostly out of parts that'd been thrown away...) I asked him if he lived in the area and he told me he goes to UVM (University of Vermont) and that he had to do a lab all day today even though it was Saturday. (Though it involved being out a boat on the lake, so I don't feel too too bad for him). Anyway I asked him what he was studying in school. His response was "ummm the environment and stuff". Judging by what I've seen of UVM and the whole Burlington area thus far, I would guess that umm the environment and stuff is a very popular major. It's just that kind of place!
Once I got my tires on I stopped by this little bike co-op place to pump up my tires the rest of the way (hand pump just doesn't quite cut it), got a map of the bike trails, and went for a ride. I rode along the lake for a few miles, and then went to the pedestrian mall area to do some shopping/wandering/people watching. I found a bunch of very cool stores, including a "glass shop" with some of the most incredible pipes I've ever seen in my life. Apparently they have a few local glass blowers who regularly compete with each other to make the coolest stuff. Some of these things were selling for over $1000! I can't imagine smoking out of one but it'd be cool to have as a display piece!
I bought a few more things....though it's hard to imagine I could still have things to buy with my car as full as it is. But something exciting did happen. I got a new guidebook, because I am about to head out of the New Englad region and in to the Mid Atlantic region. Oooh...progress. I also got a new audio book since i'm not really a big fan of the one i'm listening to now. I've also decided that I'm going to be a product tester. I found a puzzle that I wanted, so I bought one of those puzzle saver things that you can roll up to keep your puzzle while you're working on it. I'm going to see if it actually works and if I can travel with a jigsaw puzzle. How cool would that be?! I'll keep you updated on how it goes. :)
After all that shopping I had of course worked up an appetite, so I went out to dinner at this little pub. I decided to sit outside because outside was a much better atmosphere for being on my own. Unfortunately, nearly everyone sitting outside was smoking, and one guy had a cigar, so it was a bit yucky out there. I guess that's the downside of all the smoke-free indoors stuff. I'd rather have them smoke in the bar, myself. I just about froze as well once the sun started to go down. I was wearing jeans and a long-sleeved t-shirt and hadn't bothered to bring a jacket. It's funny because I ALWAYS have a jacket with me, even when it's 90 degrees out...and yet when I could've really used one I hadn't brought one. So it was an interesting meal, but a really really good burger, which made it all worth it.
I then biked back to my car to get my computer, and biked back to Starbucks which is where I am now. Not my first choice for a hang out place, but at least they have internet and are open late. Speaking of late, I'd better get back out to my campsite....since I have to set everything up again. Of course, had I not taken everything down, I just know I would've found the perfect affordable hotel room once I got to town. I guess putting off the hotel for one more night will make it that much more awesome tomorrow. It's funny just how excited I am to have a room and bed of my very own. Yay.
Friday, September 18, 2009
burlington, vt....sort of
So before I get to today's event, I have a story to tell. Last night as I was getting ready for bed I had this weird feeling in my gut like something bad was going to happen. I had no idea why I was feeling that way but I was just a little freaked out, for some reason mainly related to wildlife fears. Usually I don't think too much about the animals that may or may not be in the woods ready to eat me, but last night I was worrying constantly about what if they smell the food I cooked, the little bit of food I spilled, etc. I told myself to quit worrying and go to sleep. This morning I hear through the grape vine (aka other campers near me) that there was a bear on the grounds early in the morning this morning. He was walking around the area where the tent campers usually are, and where I had almost requested to be because I didn't want to be in the big RV field. I went for the field when I found out I'd be the only person in a tent. So glad I did!
Speaking of bears, here's another story. Yesterday I was walking on a very touristy hiking trail....super wide and well grated, etc. It was pretty crowded and I ended up walking for a bit with this couple from New York. They were both initially from Europe (one from Germany, the other from Greece) but they'd lived in New York City for 40-something years and are now retired and travelling. We were joking (at least we think we were joking...in hindsight i'm not sure...I was joking) about whether we were on the right trail and if this was going to lead us out into the woods since it was so poorly marked. I said as long as it doesn't turn too backcountry-like I'm not worried. The guy replied with "and I hope the bears aren't too hungry!" or something like that. I, being a smart ass said, "well don't worry, I have a pocket full of snacks. I'll feed 'em. That's what you're supposed to do when you see a bear, right?" When I said that this woman looks at me dead serious and says "Oh really? I didn't know that." I guess I need to watch what I joke about! lol I then had to backtrack and explain why you shouldn't feed wildlife. I was tempted to keep the "yes you should feed the bears" thing going but I figured if I later read about her getting eaten by a bear I might feel a bit guilty.
So on to today. I finally managed to defrost myself by taking a hot shower. Though even after about 10 minutes in the shower under hot water I was only just starting to feel my feet. Thankfully tonight will be warmer! I got on the road and decided I wanted to go out to breakfast since I was heading into Vermont and wanted to experience some Vermont maple syrup. But, as I was heading in to Vermont and getting hungry, the only place around was this little truck stop diner. It was actually surprisingly good and I got to start the day with very yummy pancakes.
After that it was mostly just a straight shot to Burlington, though I finally found the rain that all these clouds have been holding. It was pouring for most of the trip. At least afterwards the sun came out. It's so nice to see the sun again! I think all the clouds have really been putting a damper on my mental health.
I had decided to splurge a bit and get a hotel when I got to Burlington. I just feel like I need to get indoors and sleep on a real bed and get some good sleep. Unfortunately, everybody else also wanted a hotel in Burlington this weekend. There is nowhere to stay that's not insanely expensive! Even the super budget places that look like they might fall apart are over $100. Turns out Burlington during the week is cheap...on a friday night not so much. So I'm out at a camp site and way out of town, and honestly a bit bummed out about it all. I'm not sure what I'm going to do next. Burlington is not nearly as fun as I remember (not that I've really explored it yet) when it's a more than 20 minute drive to get to anywhere. Hopefully I'll wake up well-rested tomorrow and feel more excited about going exploring. Or I might leave and come back another time.
Unfortunately camping is getting less and less fun. I liked camping a lot earlier on when camp sites were really happening places with lots to do and lots of people around. Now campsites are lots of old retired couples in their RV's, and I'm usually the only one in a tent. Just takes a lot of the fun out of it. I like being on my own, but this is really really on my own. Not to mention it's just really freakin cold! I'm looking in to hostels more but that makes me a lot less flexible about where I can stay and how far I have to go in a day. Again, hopefully this will all make more sense in the morning.
Speaking of bears, here's another story. Yesterday I was walking on a very touristy hiking trail....super wide and well grated, etc. It was pretty crowded and I ended up walking for a bit with this couple from New York. They were both initially from Europe (one from Germany, the other from Greece) but they'd lived in New York City for 40-something years and are now retired and travelling. We were joking (at least we think we were joking...in hindsight i'm not sure...I was joking) about whether we were on the right trail and if this was going to lead us out into the woods since it was so poorly marked. I said as long as it doesn't turn too backcountry-like I'm not worried. The guy replied with "and I hope the bears aren't too hungry!" or something like that. I, being a smart ass said, "well don't worry, I have a pocket full of snacks. I'll feed 'em. That's what you're supposed to do when you see a bear, right?" When I said that this woman looks at me dead serious and says "Oh really? I didn't know that." I guess I need to watch what I joke about! lol I then had to backtrack and explain why you shouldn't feed wildlife. I was tempted to keep the "yes you should feed the bears" thing going but I figured if I later read about her getting eaten by a bear I might feel a bit guilty.
So on to today. I finally managed to defrost myself by taking a hot shower. Though even after about 10 minutes in the shower under hot water I was only just starting to feel my feet. Thankfully tonight will be warmer! I got on the road and decided I wanted to go out to breakfast since I was heading into Vermont and wanted to experience some Vermont maple syrup. But, as I was heading in to Vermont and getting hungry, the only place around was this little truck stop diner. It was actually surprisingly good and I got to start the day with very yummy pancakes.
After that it was mostly just a straight shot to Burlington, though I finally found the rain that all these clouds have been holding. It was pouring for most of the trip. At least afterwards the sun came out. It's so nice to see the sun again! I think all the clouds have really been putting a damper on my mental health.
I had decided to splurge a bit and get a hotel when I got to Burlington. I just feel like I need to get indoors and sleep on a real bed and get some good sleep. Unfortunately, everybody else also wanted a hotel in Burlington this weekend. There is nowhere to stay that's not insanely expensive! Even the super budget places that look like they might fall apart are over $100. Turns out Burlington during the week is cheap...on a friday night not so much. So I'm out at a camp site and way out of town, and honestly a bit bummed out about it all. I'm not sure what I'm going to do next. Burlington is not nearly as fun as I remember (not that I've really explored it yet) when it's a more than 20 minute drive to get to anywhere. Hopefully I'll wake up well-rested tomorrow and feel more excited about going exploring. Or I might leave and come back another time.
Unfortunately camping is getting less and less fun. I liked camping a lot earlier on when camp sites were really happening places with lots to do and lots of people around. Now campsites are lots of old retired couples in their RV's, and I'm usually the only one in a tent. Just takes a lot of the fun out of it. I like being on my own, but this is really really on my own. Not to mention it's just really freakin cold! I'm looking in to hostels more but that makes me a lot less flexible about where I can stay and how far I have to go in a day. Again, hopefully this will all make more sense in the morning.
Oooh look!
Oooh look, a morning post! Don't think I've ever done one of these before! I got back online this morning to try to find out what the temperature was last night. So far all i've found is the current (42 as of 7am) and the forecast. What I do know is that I think it was about the limit of cold weather camping I can handle with the gear I have with me. I wore pretty much every layer of warmth I had and curled up in my sleeping bag with an extra blanket. Aside from cold toes I actually slept pretty well, but I think had it been much colder I would've froze. To make matters worse, there's a thick fog this morning so everything is soaking wet. I really, really don't like humidity. I miss everything being nice and dry. After the cold, starry night last night I figured I'd at least get some nice sun in the morning to dry me out and warm me up. Hmph.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Bath, NH
So my post from last night didn't actually post. Not sure what's up with that. Thankfully it saved as a draft so I was able to post it now. Hopefully the whole post is there. A few things of interest that I forgot to add yesterday:
1. The hostel I stayed in looked almost exactly like my parents' house from the front.
2. A moose walked out in front of my car on the way to the hostel. I'd been wanting to see one ever since I started seeing the moose crossing signs and I finally got my wish. Thankfully he picked a safe distance to cross from so it wasn't scary...I actually sped up to try to get a better view of him up ahead.
3. I don't remember number 3. Must not be important. Maybe I'll remember later.
So on to today. Today was a strange day...one of those where I felt like I wasn't doing much of anything and yet the time just kept passing faster. I didn't get nearly as far as I had wanted to. I guess that's the problem with me and scenic drives...I stop for EVERYTHING!
The drive was pretty cool though...I went to 4 more different waterfalls, hiked up this incredible gorge, hung out at a lake, and even got to see the New England Ski Museum. One of these days I'm going to have to figure out how to add pictures to this blog to go along with descriptions. Though really the pictures just don't do it justice. But until I figure out how to add my own pictures, check out the photos section on this_page to see the gorge. It really was incredible.
The ski museum was also pretty awesome. They had some examples of some of the oldest wooden skis out there. They also happened to have a pin from Bridger Bowl (my little home resort for those that don't know) and a thing about the Bill Koch Youth Ski League (where I learned to cross country ski). Unfortunately I got there right as it was closing so I didn't get to see too much.
After I saw all I wanted to see for the day I found myself stuck in an area with no good camp sites around. Luckily I found this itty bitty little local road that got me to where I wanted to be. I got to watch the sunset through the golden leaves around me. Just gorgeous, though I was scared to death I was going to hit a moose every time I'd turn a corner and get the sun in my eyes!
So I finally made it to the camp ground I was aiming for. Unfortunately it's mostly an RV site...just a big flat field...so it feels like I'm camped out in somebody's yard. To add to the fun it's right next to the highway. But it's plenty functional, and I get internet from my site, which is a plus. So here I sit next to the campfire typing away. Ah the wonders of modern technology...
In other very exciting news...I got a call from my brother today. He called to tell me that he proposed to his girlfriend of forever (at least it seems like they've been together for forever) so they're going to get married! Yay! Congrats Ben and Jenna! It's funny...it's one of those things I always assumed was going to happen at some point, but it still seems totally crazy that it's happening now. My brother, a married man! Who woulda thought? I really am excited about it and can't wait to hear more about the wedding plans. :)
1. The hostel I stayed in looked almost exactly like my parents' house from the front.
2. A moose walked out in front of my car on the way to the hostel. I'd been wanting to see one ever since I started seeing the moose crossing signs and I finally got my wish. Thankfully he picked a safe distance to cross from so it wasn't scary...I actually sped up to try to get a better view of him up ahead.
3. I don't remember number 3. Must not be important. Maybe I'll remember later.
So on to today. Today was a strange day...one of those where I felt like I wasn't doing much of anything and yet the time just kept passing faster. I didn't get nearly as far as I had wanted to. I guess that's the problem with me and scenic drives...I stop for EVERYTHING!
The drive was pretty cool though...I went to 4 more different waterfalls, hiked up this incredible gorge, hung out at a lake, and even got to see the New England Ski Museum. One of these days I'm going to have to figure out how to add pictures to this blog to go along with descriptions. Though really the pictures just don't do it justice. But until I figure out how to add my own pictures, check out the photos section on this_page to see the gorge. It really was incredible.
The ski museum was also pretty awesome. They had some examples of some of the oldest wooden skis out there. They also happened to have a pin from Bridger Bowl (my little home resort for those that don't know) and a thing about the Bill Koch Youth Ski League (where I learned to cross country ski). Unfortunately I got there right as it was closing so I didn't get to see too much.
After I saw all I wanted to see for the day I found myself stuck in an area with no good camp sites around. Luckily I found this itty bitty little local road that got me to where I wanted to be. I got to watch the sunset through the golden leaves around me. Just gorgeous, though I was scared to death I was going to hit a moose every time I'd turn a corner and get the sun in my eyes!
So I finally made it to the camp ground I was aiming for. Unfortunately it's mostly an RV site...just a big flat field...so it feels like I'm camped out in somebody's yard. To add to the fun it's right next to the highway. But it's plenty functional, and I get internet from my site, which is a plus. So here I sit next to the campfire typing away. Ah the wonders of modern technology...
In other very exciting news...I got a call from my brother today. He called to tell me that he proposed to his girlfriend of forever (at least it seems like they've been together for forever) so they're going to get married! Yay! Congrats Ben and Jenna! It's funny...it's one of those things I always assumed was going to happen at some point, but it still seems totally crazy that it's happening now. My brother, a married man! Who woulda thought? I really am excited about it and can't wait to hear more about the wedding plans. :)
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Conway, NH
I woke up at 4 again this morning. Actually more like 4:30, but this time not on purpose. My body had apparently decided it was wake up time, though I didn't feel good at all. Just overly worn out I guess. After laying around for a bit trying to go back to sleep I finally got up and went to the bathroom. It was super cold out so I curled up in my sleeping bag again and eventually fell back to sleep about 5:30. Thankfully I did because I woke up at about 9 feeling much, much better. I then proceeded to fall back to sleep again and wake up at almost 10:00. That's the problem with these cool fall mornings...there's nothing pushing you at all to get out of your sleeping bag. In the summer it gets too hot to stay in a tent for too long. Not so anymore.
So by the time I finally got up, showered, packed up, and left the camp site it was nearly noon. I have no idea why it took me that long to get on the road once I was up, but it was just one of those mornings where everything seemed to take forever.
Most of today was spent driving. I decided on the most direct and non-scenic (according to my AAA map) route. Personally I thought it was pretty scenic. It went along a river with trees all around. The fall colors are definitely starting to shine through. It all looks green from far away, but from close up there's hints of all sorts of different colors amongst the leaves. I'm sure this is nothing compared to the "real" fall, but beautiful nonetheless.
I had wanted to stop for a picnic somewhere...I'm getting in to the picnic lunch thing...but alas it is much harder to find a picnic spot while driving than while hiking or biking. I ended up stopping at a taco bell parking lot and getting a burrito to supplement my "picnic" in the car. It was probably a good thing because it was cold out so it wouldn't have been much of a picnic, I didn't have a whole lot left to eat for lunch, and I really did need to get back on the road. Maine is a deceptively large state to drive across.
But I finally made it across Maine, and in to the White Mountains area of New Hampshire. It is beautiful here, though also freezing. Literally. There are frost advisories out for tonight. The warmest areas are going to be 39-40 degrees, and I'm up in the mountains. Luckily I found a hostel just a bit farther than my planned campsite that is the same price. Yeah not a difficult decision there! I had planned to cook that spaghetti that I've been wanting for a while now here tonight on their real stove, but instead i've decided i'm more tired than hungry. I think I'm going to regret that decision pretty soon here, as I'm about to go to bed and my stomach is just starting to get noisey.
Anyway, on the drive here, I discovered that this area is absolutely filled with waterfalls. If you ask me, waterfalls are about the best thing nature has to offer. I got a map of where they all are and managed to visit 3 different ones today. Each one was a short hike, which was nice because I got to get out of the car and get moving a bit. I probably hiked about 3 miles total and got lots of good pictures. I should be able to see some more tomorrow.
I have no idea what my actual plans are for tomorrow. There's tons of scenic train trips in the area, since trains were a big part of shaping the landscape and the towns out here. I've been wanting to do one but unfortunately they're all super expensive. Maybe I still will. Who knows. Or maybe I'll just drive around and see some more waterfalls and then head on to Burlington, VT. What I do know is that for right now I get to be inside and warm and cozy. Yay! Which is a good thing because it's already freezing outside (got cold just running out to my car to get something) and it's only going to get colder!
So by the time I finally got up, showered, packed up, and left the camp site it was nearly noon. I have no idea why it took me that long to get on the road once I was up, but it was just one of those mornings where everything seemed to take forever.
Most of today was spent driving. I decided on the most direct and non-scenic (according to my AAA map) route. Personally I thought it was pretty scenic. It went along a river with trees all around. The fall colors are definitely starting to shine through. It all looks green from far away, but from close up there's hints of all sorts of different colors amongst the leaves. I'm sure this is nothing compared to the "real" fall, but beautiful nonetheless.
I had wanted to stop for a picnic somewhere...I'm getting in to the picnic lunch thing...but alas it is much harder to find a picnic spot while driving than while hiking or biking. I ended up stopping at a taco bell parking lot and getting a burrito to supplement my "picnic" in the car. It was probably a good thing because it was cold out so it wouldn't have been much of a picnic, I didn't have a whole lot left to eat for lunch, and I really did need to get back on the road. Maine is a deceptively large state to drive across.
But I finally made it across Maine, and in to the White Mountains area of New Hampshire. It is beautiful here, though also freezing. Literally. There are frost advisories out for tonight. The warmest areas are going to be 39-40 degrees, and I'm up in the mountains. Luckily I found a hostel just a bit farther than my planned campsite that is the same price. Yeah not a difficult decision there! I had planned to cook that spaghetti that I've been wanting for a while now here tonight on their real stove, but instead i've decided i'm more tired than hungry. I think I'm going to regret that decision pretty soon here, as I'm about to go to bed and my stomach is just starting to get noisey.
Anyway, on the drive here, I discovered that this area is absolutely filled with waterfalls. If you ask me, waterfalls are about the best thing nature has to offer. I got a map of where they all are and managed to visit 3 different ones today. Each one was a short hike, which was nice because I got to get out of the car and get moving a bit. I probably hiked about 3 miles total and got lots of good pictures. I should be able to see some more tomorrow.
I have no idea what my actual plans are for tomorrow. There's tons of scenic train trips in the area, since trains were a big part of shaping the landscape and the towns out here. I've been wanting to do one but unfortunately they're all super expensive. Maybe I still will. Who knows. Or maybe I'll just drive around and see some more waterfalls and then head on to Burlington, VT. What I do know is that for right now I get to be inside and warm and cozy. Yay! Which is a good thing because it's already freezing outside (got cold just running out to my car to get something) and it's only going to get colder!
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Newport, ME
I woke up at 4:00 this morning. Yes you read that right. 4. Yes on purpose.
I'd heard repeatedly that it was a "park tradition" to drive to the top of the tallest mountain to watch the sun come up. They say it's the first place in the US that you can see the sun in the morning. Not sure about that, but regardless I figured I'd give it a shot. So I got up at 4...actually more like 4:10 or so, packed my tent and everything up and left by just before 5:00 to get to the summit at 5:30. There were already at least 10-15 cars parked there, though the light was just barely starting to come through. It was really really amazing to watch, and I thought of all sorts of fun details I was going to post about it but i'm way too tired to now. Funny how that works. I will say that I took a picture on my phone to use as my new background. Everytime I look at it it makes me smile, but it really looks like one of the stock pictures they come with. Like it's too perfect. I have to keep reminding myself that I actually took it.
Oh but I almost forgot...a few additional joys that came with waking up at 4. It had started raining. I considered using the rain as an excuse to go back to sleep but I figured I'd regret it later. And besides it was only just sprinkling. That is until I got everything out of the tent and was about to start taking it down. Then it started POURING! So I got the idea of attempting to move the tent over into the trees a bit more so it would at least be slightly drier when I took the rain fly off. Well as soon as I touched the tent one of the rain fly poles snapped in two different places. Still not sure how that happened since it's one of the super bendy ones. Even after snapping a pole, moving the tent didn't help much. So of course, rain was pouring into it as I put it away, which made for lots of fun this evening pulling it out. But we'll get to that.
My plan had been to go out to breakfast after the sunrise, but I think I was still full from pizza the night before. So instead I had a banana and then went for the hike that I'd tried to do yesterday. It had stopped raining by then.
The hike was great, though a lot more intense now that everything was wet. It was still doable, but you just had to be that much more careful about where you hold on and where you put your feet. But then about half way up it started raining again. But I was already half way up a cliff face so it didn't make much sense to go down. So I kept going up. It was pouring again by the time I got to the top, and I was already soaked, so I figured it was the perfect opportunity to dance in the rain. What a way to start a morning....dancing in the rain on the top of a cliff with beautiful ocean views all around me.
I took the "easy way" down but it had gotten pretty intense because it involved walking down the face of some flat rocks. That's no problem when it's dry, but scary as heck when it's wet because there's no traction. Somehow, amazingly, I made it upright with only a few "exciting moments". Not really sure how I managed that but I'll take it!
So I come down from my hike soaking wet and starving and head in to town for breakfast. Of course, because of the one way system, I had to drive all the way around the park to get to town. Once in town, I was walking down one of the main streets and saw a sign that said "Cafe This Way" with an arrow pointing back behind some of the buildings. So I look back there and sure enough there's a little alley with a little cafe at the end of it called Cafe This Way. So I went there. (Ok I'm making that up. It was one of the ones I'd read about so I knew it was there but I still really liked the name and the sign). For breakfast I had their eggs benedict with spinach, tomato, and artichoke hearts which is even more amazing than it sounds. It was the absolute perfect follow up to my hike, and I actually got a little sad when it was gone.
Next I went out and got a sandwich to pack from a little deli. The guy who took my order was foreign, I would guess Eastern European based on accent. He asked me my name and then wrote down "Layse". I think that's the best spelling of my name i've ever seen!
With lunch in my pack I headed out to the bike trails. The bike trails here are really famous. They're old carriage roads built by JD Rockafeller as he was upset with all the cars taking over the park. He wanted you to be able to go anywhere by carriage. There are still a couple of groups that do carriage rides, but mostly they are bike/walking trails now. None of them get quite out to the beach, but you can see a lot of pretty cool stuff. I did a loop that was a mix of two that the visitor's center folks had told me about. It ended up being about 12.5 miles all together, with a beautiful spot on the way overlooking a lake to eat lunch.
When I got back to my car, it was time to say goodbye to Acadia National Park. It's definitely a hard place to leave. I had 3 days there that were so great and so incredibly different. I mean the first day I played on the beach, climbed on rocks along the coast, hiked a few miles, and found an amazing place to watch the waves from above. The second day I did one of my favorite hikes ever which involved essentially climbing a cliff face, and ate lunch from on top of the world with ocean all around me, and then had amazing pizza for dinner at a movie theater. Today I saw one hell of a sunrise, hiked a mini version of yesterday's big hike, had an incredible breakfast, and biked along trails next to a few different lakes. 3 totally different days, all equally amazing. I considered staying longer but I think I had just about the perfect visit there. If anyone is looking for a vacation spot I highly highly recommend Acadia.
So once I got on the road I almost immediately ran in to construction. And kept running in to construction. I took what should've been a very quick shot to get to Bangor but because of the construction it took forever. And then just as I was starting to get close I ran in to what must've been a wreck. A huge line of cars and emergency vehicles flying by in the center. I didn't wait around to find out. I turned around and found a detour using side roads.
I checked in Bangor for an REI or somewhere to get a tent pole but couldn't find anything. So instead I got duct tape. It'll work for now. I also went to a bookstore in Bangor. I was hoping to find some sort of book of hostels since it's starting to get too cold to camp some nights, but I don't always have internet in order to plan ahead for hostels. The only books I could find that mentioned hostels all just said "just look online." Not helpful. I'm sure there must be one out there somewhere. I'll keep looking. I just need something like my AAA hotel and camp site books, but AAA doesn't do hostels.
Anyway I continued on from Bangor to Newport, where I am now. I got in about 6, made some raviolis on my stove, and met my "neighbors". They gave me a TON of firewood, since they are heading out and didn't want to pack it with them. That was very nice of them, but then I felt obliged to make a fire even though i really just wanted to go to bed. So I did, even though they ended up leaving before it even really got going (I didn't realize when they said heading out they meant tonight...I assumed they meant in the morning. But they live right in the area). The good news was that the fire gave my tent more of a chance to dry, but it's still pretty wet. I spread some towels out though so it'll work. Hopefully it'll be bright and sunny early tomorrow to really dry everything out.
Well that's all I've got for now as my brain has completely stopped functioning. Tomorrow will be mostly a travel day. I'm pretty much done with Maine now and heading on to New Hampshire. Still working on the details of the route. We'll see how I feel in the morning.
I'd heard repeatedly that it was a "park tradition" to drive to the top of the tallest mountain to watch the sun come up. They say it's the first place in the US that you can see the sun in the morning. Not sure about that, but regardless I figured I'd give it a shot. So I got up at 4...actually more like 4:10 or so, packed my tent and everything up and left by just before 5:00 to get to the summit at 5:30. There were already at least 10-15 cars parked there, though the light was just barely starting to come through. It was really really amazing to watch, and I thought of all sorts of fun details I was going to post about it but i'm way too tired to now. Funny how that works. I will say that I took a picture on my phone to use as my new background. Everytime I look at it it makes me smile, but it really looks like one of the stock pictures they come with. Like it's too perfect. I have to keep reminding myself that I actually took it.
Oh but I almost forgot...a few additional joys that came with waking up at 4. It had started raining. I considered using the rain as an excuse to go back to sleep but I figured I'd regret it later. And besides it was only just sprinkling. That is until I got everything out of the tent and was about to start taking it down. Then it started POURING! So I got the idea of attempting to move the tent over into the trees a bit more so it would at least be slightly drier when I took the rain fly off. Well as soon as I touched the tent one of the rain fly poles snapped in two different places. Still not sure how that happened since it's one of the super bendy ones. Even after snapping a pole, moving the tent didn't help much. So of course, rain was pouring into it as I put it away, which made for lots of fun this evening pulling it out. But we'll get to that.
My plan had been to go out to breakfast after the sunrise, but I think I was still full from pizza the night before. So instead I had a banana and then went for the hike that I'd tried to do yesterday. It had stopped raining by then.
The hike was great, though a lot more intense now that everything was wet. It was still doable, but you just had to be that much more careful about where you hold on and where you put your feet. But then about half way up it started raining again. But I was already half way up a cliff face so it didn't make much sense to go down. So I kept going up. It was pouring again by the time I got to the top, and I was already soaked, so I figured it was the perfect opportunity to dance in the rain. What a way to start a morning....dancing in the rain on the top of a cliff with beautiful ocean views all around me.
I took the "easy way" down but it had gotten pretty intense because it involved walking down the face of some flat rocks. That's no problem when it's dry, but scary as heck when it's wet because there's no traction. Somehow, amazingly, I made it upright with only a few "exciting moments". Not really sure how I managed that but I'll take it!
So I come down from my hike soaking wet and starving and head in to town for breakfast. Of course, because of the one way system, I had to drive all the way around the park to get to town. Once in town, I was walking down one of the main streets and saw a sign that said "Cafe This Way" with an arrow pointing back behind some of the buildings. So I look back there and sure enough there's a little alley with a little cafe at the end of it called Cafe This Way. So I went there. (Ok I'm making that up. It was one of the ones I'd read about so I knew it was there but I still really liked the name and the sign). For breakfast I had their eggs benedict with spinach, tomato, and artichoke hearts which is even more amazing than it sounds. It was the absolute perfect follow up to my hike, and I actually got a little sad when it was gone.
Next I went out and got a sandwich to pack from a little deli. The guy who took my order was foreign, I would guess Eastern European based on accent. He asked me my name and then wrote down "Layse". I think that's the best spelling of my name i've ever seen!
With lunch in my pack I headed out to the bike trails. The bike trails here are really famous. They're old carriage roads built by JD Rockafeller as he was upset with all the cars taking over the park. He wanted you to be able to go anywhere by carriage. There are still a couple of groups that do carriage rides, but mostly they are bike/walking trails now. None of them get quite out to the beach, but you can see a lot of pretty cool stuff. I did a loop that was a mix of two that the visitor's center folks had told me about. It ended up being about 12.5 miles all together, with a beautiful spot on the way overlooking a lake to eat lunch.
When I got back to my car, it was time to say goodbye to Acadia National Park. It's definitely a hard place to leave. I had 3 days there that were so great and so incredibly different. I mean the first day I played on the beach, climbed on rocks along the coast, hiked a few miles, and found an amazing place to watch the waves from above. The second day I did one of my favorite hikes ever which involved essentially climbing a cliff face, and ate lunch from on top of the world with ocean all around me, and then had amazing pizza for dinner at a movie theater. Today I saw one hell of a sunrise, hiked a mini version of yesterday's big hike, had an incredible breakfast, and biked along trails next to a few different lakes. 3 totally different days, all equally amazing. I considered staying longer but I think I had just about the perfect visit there. If anyone is looking for a vacation spot I highly highly recommend Acadia.
So once I got on the road I almost immediately ran in to construction. And kept running in to construction. I took what should've been a very quick shot to get to Bangor but because of the construction it took forever. And then just as I was starting to get close I ran in to what must've been a wreck. A huge line of cars and emergency vehicles flying by in the center. I didn't wait around to find out. I turned around and found a detour using side roads.
I checked in Bangor for an REI or somewhere to get a tent pole but couldn't find anything. So instead I got duct tape. It'll work for now. I also went to a bookstore in Bangor. I was hoping to find some sort of book of hostels since it's starting to get too cold to camp some nights, but I don't always have internet in order to plan ahead for hostels. The only books I could find that mentioned hostels all just said "just look online." Not helpful. I'm sure there must be one out there somewhere. I'll keep looking. I just need something like my AAA hotel and camp site books, but AAA doesn't do hostels.
Anyway I continued on from Bangor to Newport, where I am now. I got in about 6, made some raviolis on my stove, and met my "neighbors". They gave me a TON of firewood, since they are heading out and didn't want to pack it with them. That was very nice of them, but then I felt obliged to make a fire even though i really just wanted to go to bed. So I did, even though they ended up leaving before it even really got going (I didn't realize when they said heading out they meant tonight...I assumed they meant in the morning. But they live right in the area). The good news was that the fire gave my tent more of a chance to dry, but it's still pretty wet. I spread some towels out though so it'll work. Hopefully it'll be bright and sunny early tomorrow to really dry everything out.
Well that's all I've got for now as my brain has completely stopped functioning. Tomorrow will be mostly a travel day. I'm pretty much done with Maine now and heading on to New Hampshire. Still working on the details of the route. We'll see how I feel in the morning.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Amazing
Great day today. Amazing hikes. One in particular called Preicpice (something like that). It's basically up the side of a cliff...not really a trail anywhere. From the first description I'd heard of it I knew I wanted to do it.
The first part of it was up a bunch of stone steps, which then turned in to basically climbing a pile of rocks. Not bad, but not what I was looking for. The descriptions I had heard and read talked about iron ladder rungs strategically placed in the rock to make it climbable...and actual ladders attached to the cliff face. Well, not long after the pile of rocks I see my first ladder rung. It's up well above my knee and the next one's quite a bit higher. To get up I had to take a huge step, wedge my foot up there, grab the rock next to me/behind me to pull myself up and grab the next one. Now that's what I'm talking about. It only got better from there. It was soooo much fun! It reminded me a lot of the Grandfather Mountain hike we did with Outward Bound, but on that one we were carrying 50 lb packs with us so it made it really hard to climb. This one wouldn't have been possible with big packs. Not because of the climb, but because there were places where you had to duck under rocks held up by other rocks around it. I could barely fit through with my day pack. I had to go belly to the ground and crawl through. Ironically, out of this whole climb that was the only part that really scared me. Apparently I'm way more claustrophobic than I am afraid of heights. Anyway the hike just kept getting better with more and more ladders on longer, steeper pitches. I found myself thinking about my mom often because 1.) I'm really glad she wasn't there to watch me do it and be worried and 2.) because I saw two snakes along the way. Noone hates snakes more than my mom! I'm normally ok with snakes but this hike involved blinding sticking my fingers in to lots of cracks in the rocks, so seeing snakes coming out of rock cracks wasn't comforting. I would NOT be ok with sticking my fingers in to a crack and grabbing a snake!
The view from the top of the cliff was amazing. It was almost a full 360 degree view of ocean with all sorts fo islands and things out there. It was a perfectly clear day as well, couldn't have asked for better. I had lunch at the top before making my way back down.
The second hike is called Beehive. This one would've been fun but I missed the turnoff for it and ended up going up the easy way and down the hard way. These ladders and things are much less fun to do going down, especially when you're tired. Once I found the turnoff I'd missed I considered doing it all again the other way but decided I was too tired and went for an early dinner instead.
It's a good thing I did because I made it to the movie theater/pizza place (after stopping by the beach to cool off my overheated hiking boot feet) just in time for the next movie to start. This place was incredible and I'm so so glad I went there. I really don't know why no one has thought of this before. It's so funny...you walk in and get your movie ticket, and then you go to the concession stand. The concession stand menu has the appearance of a regular movie theater menu...lots of bright colors and things....so much so I thought maybe I'd misunderstood and they didn't really have pizza. But all the menu items were different gourmet pizzas. (You could get popcorn and candy as well...but who would want to). You place your order and then go in and watch your movie. When your pizza is ready your number lights up on a little bingo board along the side wall of the theater and you go pick it up. Each row of seats has a counter style table in front of it, so there's fewer seats than a normal theater but everyone has room for their pizza. Truly brilliant I tell you! I want to stay here another night just to go to another movie!
I just happen to be hear during the Maine International Film Festival, so I ended up seeing a documentary about a woodpecker that was believed to be extinct but then was seen again. (Turns out it probably is still extinct and the person who saw it messed up, but it turned in to a whole loch ness monster like controversy). Moderately interesting movie, but made so much better with pizza! I asked one of the ppl working there and they said they get the regular theater movies there but they do focus more on international and independent films. Again...why are these places not everywhere?!
I've just made it back to camp now and I'm exhausted, so off to bed I go. Oh but I did figure out another reason why my camp site is so cheap. I'm definitely on the wrong side of the island to be a tourist. Over here there's a few restaurants, a few stores, etc. Over on the other side where the movie theater was there were TONS of people and a whole lit up street full of touristy shops and things. It's probably better I'm not over there though...in my maybe 6 block walk from the car to the restaurant I ended up buying myself another t-shirt. I really don't need it but I saw it in the window and it totally cracked me up so I just had to get it. I gotta stop doin that! I am technically on vacation, but money-wise not really. Plus I have waaaaay too many t-shirts as it is! Anyway, it's sleepy time. Another big day of hiking and biking awaits.
The first part of it was up a bunch of stone steps, which then turned in to basically climbing a pile of rocks. Not bad, but not what I was looking for. The descriptions I had heard and read talked about iron ladder rungs strategically placed in the rock to make it climbable...and actual ladders attached to the cliff face. Well, not long after the pile of rocks I see my first ladder rung. It's up well above my knee and the next one's quite a bit higher. To get up I had to take a huge step, wedge my foot up there, grab the rock next to me/behind me to pull myself up and grab the next one. Now that's what I'm talking about. It only got better from there. It was soooo much fun! It reminded me a lot of the Grandfather Mountain hike we did with Outward Bound, but on that one we were carrying 50 lb packs with us so it made it really hard to climb. This one wouldn't have been possible with big packs. Not because of the climb, but because there were places where you had to duck under rocks held up by other rocks around it. I could barely fit through with my day pack. I had to go belly to the ground and crawl through. Ironically, out of this whole climb that was the only part that really scared me. Apparently I'm way more claustrophobic than I am afraid of heights. Anyway the hike just kept getting better with more and more ladders on longer, steeper pitches. I found myself thinking about my mom often because 1.) I'm really glad she wasn't there to watch me do it and be worried and 2.) because I saw two snakes along the way. Noone hates snakes more than my mom! I'm normally ok with snakes but this hike involved blinding sticking my fingers in to lots of cracks in the rocks, so seeing snakes coming out of rock cracks wasn't comforting. I would NOT be ok with sticking my fingers in to a crack and grabbing a snake!
The view from the top of the cliff was amazing. It was almost a full 360 degree view of ocean with all sorts fo islands and things out there. It was a perfectly clear day as well, couldn't have asked for better. I had lunch at the top before making my way back down.
The second hike is called Beehive. This one would've been fun but I missed the turnoff for it and ended up going up the easy way and down the hard way. These ladders and things are much less fun to do going down, especially when you're tired. Once I found the turnoff I'd missed I considered doing it all again the other way but decided I was too tired and went for an early dinner instead.
It's a good thing I did because I made it to the movie theater/pizza place (after stopping by the beach to cool off my overheated hiking boot feet) just in time for the next movie to start. This place was incredible and I'm so so glad I went there. I really don't know why no one has thought of this before. It's so funny...you walk in and get your movie ticket, and then you go to the concession stand. The concession stand menu has the appearance of a regular movie theater menu...lots of bright colors and things....so much so I thought maybe I'd misunderstood and they didn't really have pizza. But all the menu items were different gourmet pizzas. (You could get popcorn and candy as well...but who would want to). You place your order and then go in and watch your movie. When your pizza is ready your number lights up on a little bingo board along the side wall of the theater and you go pick it up. Each row of seats has a counter style table in front of it, so there's fewer seats than a normal theater but everyone has room for their pizza. Truly brilliant I tell you! I want to stay here another night just to go to another movie!
I just happen to be hear during the Maine International Film Festival, so I ended up seeing a documentary about a woodpecker that was believed to be extinct but then was seen again. (Turns out it probably is still extinct and the person who saw it messed up, but it turned in to a whole loch ness monster like controversy). Moderately interesting movie, but made so much better with pizza! I asked one of the ppl working there and they said they get the regular theater movies there but they do focus more on international and independent films. Again...why are these places not everywhere?!
I've just made it back to camp now and I'm exhausted, so off to bed I go. Oh but I did figure out another reason why my camp site is so cheap. I'm definitely on the wrong side of the island to be a tourist. Over here there's a few restaurants, a few stores, etc. Over on the other side where the movie theater was there were TONS of people and a whole lit up street full of touristy shops and things. It's probably better I'm not over there though...in my maybe 6 block walk from the car to the restaurant I ended up buying myself another t-shirt. I really don't need it but I saw it in the window and it totally cracked me up so I just had to get it. I gotta stop doin that! I am technically on vacation, but money-wise not really. Plus I have waaaaay too many t-shirts as it is! Anyway, it's sleepy time. Another big day of hiking and biking awaits.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Long time no blog!
So, I'm in the nicest place I've been to yet, and managed to find the cheapest camp site yet. AND it has INTERNET! Yay! :) I got so used to the ridiculous prices in Cape Cod ($30-40 for a piece of dirt to set up a tent on) that I figured every "destination" type place would be at least that much. Instead, it's $20 here. I think it's so cheap because it's not waterfront, but I've been waterfront all day so I'm ok with sleeping forestfront. The only downside is that I'm across the island from the gourmet pizza place/movie theater I just read about. I mean really...can it get any better than that?! Good pizza and a movie! So tomorrow I'm going to hike and bike all day and then go eat pizza before heading back to camp, since I'll already be set up. Not bad, right?
I've got a lot of blogging to make up for. I'd say I'd keep it short to make it easier to read, but this is my journal of my memories, so it's gonna be long and anyone reading can deal. Not like anyone's reading anyway.
So...friday...after spending the morning trying to get stuff done...organizing my car (it still is rather chaotic), matching socks (first time I've ever matched socks while sitting by the ocean), and attempting to get stuff mailed (some attempts being thwarted by the asshole workin the post office desk)...I headed to Bowdoin to see the school I almost went to. Or at least I like to think I almost went there. I have no idea how far down the list I was.
It really is a beautiful school, and I could totally see why I wanted to go there. I would still love to go spend some time there. It's like walking into the forest. Tall trees everywhere, and beautiful old brick buildings. I'm not sure if I would've liked going there though. Maine is a lot different from Montana or Colorado...not to mention really far away (it's even far from everything else in Maine), and I'm just not sure my 18 year old self would've been ready to handle that. It was nice in Denver being a 1-day drive from home and having family around. I'm not sure how much I actually would've liked being across the country from anyone I know in somewhere so different from what I'm used to. It did have a very welcoming vibe though, so who knows. My life sure would've been different had I been based out of Maine for my college years! Who knows what I'd be doing now. I did find myself looking at students I saw and thinking "Well you don't look that smart. How come you got in here and not me?" Ok maybe I'm still a little bitter.
Saturday morning I got up bright and early for my LL Bean sea kayaking trip. It was fun. It was me and 3 other people who were all about twice my age, along with two instructors. As expected for a $15 course it wasn't the most exciting thing in the world....but we did get to get out on the water and paddle around a bit. It was all in a harbor so it was basically like being on a lake except that the water was salty. (Mom, it smelled like scallops out there!) I don't think it's a sport I'll ever get in to, but it was a really fun way to start the morning.
After kayaking I went back in to town and wandered around for a bit. I found a store that sells lots of "Life is Good" products as well as some other really entertaining stuff, and it just happened to be having a big sale. So I picked out a bunch of t-shirts and bumper stickers and things....and then realized the all important rule of just because it's on sale doesn't mean you should buy it. I didn't realize just how expensive this stuff was to begin with, so the sale prices brought it down to marginally affordable but definitely not cheap! But I did manage to find the bumper sticker i've been looking for (though I didn't even know I was looking for it)!
I keep seeing those stickers that say "Not all who wander are lost", which at first I thought described me, but then I realized that 90% of the time I am in fact lost, I just tend to enjoy where ever I end up when I get there. I've been thinking about how I need a sticker that says "I have no idea where I'm going!" Well...I found that exact sticker! Woohoo!
Anyway...after shopping I wandered around the arts and music festival that happened to be going on in town. I had an "only in Maine" moment when I noticed there were 4 different stands in the central area selling lobster rolls. I figured I had to get one while I was there. So I did. And it was good.
After eating and enjoying some music I finally got on the road towards Acadia once again. I was excited to be finally making some distance, but after just over an hour of driving I realized that I was passing the town I'd read about in "1000 things to do before you die" that was famous for the best lobster rolls on the planet. And this wasn't a mere something I could blow off....I mean this little road side stand was featured in this book next to national parks, famous museums, etc. So I figured I'd better stop and try one. Problem was, I was still very very full from the last one. So...I had the bright idea that I would first go for a walk to work up an appetite. Turns out the town of Wicasset, Maine has very little that I have any interest in walking to. It did have what has to be the most antique stores per square mile of anywhere in the world! But since I'm not interested in antiquing I just walked up the hills and back down for a bit and then got in line. By the time I made it to the front of the line (it was a long one), I still wasn't hungry, but at least I'd made it to the point of being not full. So I had lobster roll #2 of the day and it was also very good. I also learned that I'm not near enough of a lobster connoisseur to know what makes it so amazing. But I do know that people travel for miles to go to this stand, and it's been featured in tons of books, magazines, and all over the Food Network, and now I can say I've been there.
After all that food it was starting to get dark and rainy, so I decided to find a campsite a bit early to avoid setting up in the pouring rain. Turns out, as soon as I got set up, it stopped raining altogether. I also stopped because the ocean views along the road were so beautiful I wanted to see them in the daylight. The next morning there was a thick fog. Gotta love irony.
The good news is, I got to bed early, so I woke up early and made it to Acadia early. Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay! Acadia is a strange National Park because it doesn't have clear boundaries like most parks. It kind of spills over into the towns in the area, and it's hard to know when you're in the park and when you're not. There's also a lot of random little hikes that don't make it in to the park info. Thankfully I got some good advice from the LL Bean kayak instructors so I know what I'm looking for.
I decided to drive the Park View Road today, which goes through the central part of the park and hits a lot of the really nice scenic spots. It's a pretty cool set up because most of the road is two lanes one way, and you can park in the right lane. So if you see something you want to look at you can just pull over and park right where you are and check it out. I'm sure it's not nearly so easy in the busy summer season, but it's perfect now.
The first place I decided to stop was Sand Beach, the one and only sandy beach on the island (everything else is rock). From the beach I found some rocks to climb on, and soon noticed that I could traverse on these rock ledges and make it quite a ways. It was so awesome. It was just enough climbing to make it exciting without enough to require a rope and belayer. You had to pick a route and make your way up and down or side to side, all with an amazing view of the ocean below. As I traversed across I started hearing this strange rumbling sound underneath me. It sounded like thunder, though there were no thunder clouds anywhere. I finally figured out that I was near a cut out place where the waves were crashing under the rocks to make the noise. I tried to get video of it to record the sound but my camera didn't pick it up too well. Regardless it was so so cool to have "discovered" this spot. And it just shows how amazing this place is, that even after having been explored so thoroughly, it has places that can make a person feel like their the first to discover it. There are trails in the park, but there's also lots of places like this to go off trail, as long as you stay on the rocks so you're not harming the plant life. (Later down the road there was a place called Thunder Hole that had another one of these things though there was a paved walkway to get down to it. Not nearly so fun).
On the other side of the sandy beach I found a set of stone stairs going up into the trees. I followed them and ended up on a neat little 3 mile or so loop with lots more rocks to play on. I found a great little place to sit in the rocks off to the side and it nearly brought me to tears just being there watching the waves crash against the rocks. I was in a place where I couldn't see or hear anyone else. It was just me and the ocean and it was one of the most beautiful things i've ever seen. Amazing. I had considered finding a church this morning because i've been wanting to go to a service in one of the cool old churches out here. Instead I found a place that, if you ask me, is about as close to god as a person can ever hope to become.
So after that hike I finally made it back to my car, having turned my planned quick stop into a 3 hour adventure. It's funny because the description I'd had of that beach was that it was a good place to sit and relax. I stopped there to eat my pb & j but beyond that did no relaxing. It was definitely awesome though!
After a few more scenic stops I went for lunch at the only place with food in the park (which was way overpriced but had these amazing flaky muffin/roll things called popovers) and then went to find my campsite. And then tonight....here's the big news....I used my stove! Yay! I heated up some Dinty Moore chicken stew that I got from the gas station nearby. I had all the makings for spaghetti but decided I needed as few extra distractions as possible, and multiple ingredients seemed like a distraction. But I made my stew and figured out my stove all by boo self! :) It's funny because with things like this I tend to hear my own voice with what I was saying to the kids this summer. As adventure staff, it was essentially my job to convince kids that they wanted to do something they weren't sure they wanted to do (climb the tower, do the zip line, etc.). So I'd use a lot of phrases like, "It's not as scary as you think," or "You'll be happy you did it once you're done," or "Think of the great stories you'll have to tell your friends," or "You'll be so proud of yourself afterwards." Well kiddies, if you're reading...It was scary, but not nearly as hard as I'd thought, I'm happy I did it, I've got a great story to tell my friends, and I'm very proud of myself gosh darnit. I feel ready to take on the world! Or at the very least the soup aisle at the grocery store. :)
(And on that same note...one more similar achievement...On friday night when I decided not to blog...I built my first ever campfire completely by myself. Yay! I cheated a little...I used one of these little fire-starter balls I got from REI...but the directions said to use 2 or 3 to start a fire and I only needed one. They're pretty cool...like a compressed ball of kindling. Oh and I also had a decomposing tree stump on my site that was essentially spewing out nice dry wood for me. So I guess I'm "official" now. I can light a campfire AND use a propane stove! Though I'm still afraid of things that spontaneously make fire (yes even lighters make me a little nervous) but I'm getting much better.)
I've got a lot of blogging to make up for. I'd say I'd keep it short to make it easier to read, but this is my journal of my memories, so it's gonna be long and anyone reading can deal. Not like anyone's reading anyway.
So...friday...after spending the morning trying to get stuff done...organizing my car (it still is rather chaotic), matching socks (first time I've ever matched socks while sitting by the ocean), and attempting to get stuff mailed (some attempts being thwarted by the asshole workin the post office desk)...I headed to Bowdoin to see the school I almost went to. Or at least I like to think I almost went there. I have no idea how far down the list I was.
It really is a beautiful school, and I could totally see why I wanted to go there. I would still love to go spend some time there. It's like walking into the forest. Tall trees everywhere, and beautiful old brick buildings. I'm not sure if I would've liked going there though. Maine is a lot different from Montana or Colorado...not to mention really far away (it's even far from everything else in Maine), and I'm just not sure my 18 year old self would've been ready to handle that. It was nice in Denver being a 1-day drive from home and having family around. I'm not sure how much I actually would've liked being across the country from anyone I know in somewhere so different from what I'm used to. It did have a very welcoming vibe though, so who knows. My life sure would've been different had I been based out of Maine for my college years! Who knows what I'd be doing now. I did find myself looking at students I saw and thinking "Well you don't look that smart. How come you got in here and not me?" Ok maybe I'm still a little bitter.
Saturday morning I got up bright and early for my LL Bean sea kayaking trip. It was fun. It was me and 3 other people who were all about twice my age, along with two instructors. As expected for a $15 course it wasn't the most exciting thing in the world....but we did get to get out on the water and paddle around a bit. It was all in a harbor so it was basically like being on a lake except that the water was salty. (Mom, it smelled like scallops out there!) I don't think it's a sport I'll ever get in to, but it was a really fun way to start the morning.
After kayaking I went back in to town and wandered around for a bit. I found a store that sells lots of "Life is Good" products as well as some other really entertaining stuff, and it just happened to be having a big sale. So I picked out a bunch of t-shirts and bumper stickers and things....and then realized the all important rule of just because it's on sale doesn't mean you should buy it. I didn't realize just how expensive this stuff was to begin with, so the sale prices brought it down to marginally affordable but definitely not cheap! But I did manage to find the bumper sticker i've been looking for (though I didn't even know I was looking for it)!
I keep seeing those stickers that say "Not all who wander are lost", which at first I thought described me, but then I realized that 90% of the time I am in fact lost, I just tend to enjoy where ever I end up when I get there. I've been thinking about how I need a sticker that says "I have no idea where I'm going!" Well...I found that exact sticker! Woohoo!
Anyway...after shopping I wandered around the arts and music festival that happened to be going on in town. I had an "only in Maine" moment when I noticed there were 4 different stands in the central area selling lobster rolls. I figured I had to get one while I was there. So I did. And it was good.
After eating and enjoying some music I finally got on the road towards Acadia once again. I was excited to be finally making some distance, but after just over an hour of driving I realized that I was passing the town I'd read about in "1000 things to do before you die" that was famous for the best lobster rolls on the planet. And this wasn't a mere something I could blow off....I mean this little road side stand was featured in this book next to national parks, famous museums, etc. So I figured I'd better stop and try one. Problem was, I was still very very full from the last one. So...I had the bright idea that I would first go for a walk to work up an appetite. Turns out the town of Wicasset, Maine has very little that I have any interest in walking to. It did have what has to be the most antique stores per square mile of anywhere in the world! But since I'm not interested in antiquing I just walked up the hills and back down for a bit and then got in line. By the time I made it to the front of the line (it was a long one), I still wasn't hungry, but at least I'd made it to the point of being not full. So I had lobster roll #2 of the day and it was also very good. I also learned that I'm not near enough of a lobster connoisseur to know what makes it so amazing. But I do know that people travel for miles to go to this stand, and it's been featured in tons of books, magazines, and all over the Food Network, and now I can say I've been there.
After all that food it was starting to get dark and rainy, so I decided to find a campsite a bit early to avoid setting up in the pouring rain. Turns out, as soon as I got set up, it stopped raining altogether. I also stopped because the ocean views along the road were so beautiful I wanted to see them in the daylight. The next morning there was a thick fog. Gotta love irony.
The good news is, I got to bed early, so I woke up early and made it to Acadia early. Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay! Acadia is a strange National Park because it doesn't have clear boundaries like most parks. It kind of spills over into the towns in the area, and it's hard to know when you're in the park and when you're not. There's also a lot of random little hikes that don't make it in to the park info. Thankfully I got some good advice from the LL Bean kayak instructors so I know what I'm looking for.
I decided to drive the Park View Road today, which goes through the central part of the park and hits a lot of the really nice scenic spots. It's a pretty cool set up because most of the road is two lanes one way, and you can park in the right lane. So if you see something you want to look at you can just pull over and park right where you are and check it out. I'm sure it's not nearly so easy in the busy summer season, but it's perfect now.
The first place I decided to stop was Sand Beach, the one and only sandy beach on the island (everything else is rock). From the beach I found some rocks to climb on, and soon noticed that I could traverse on these rock ledges and make it quite a ways. It was so awesome. It was just enough climbing to make it exciting without enough to require a rope and belayer. You had to pick a route and make your way up and down or side to side, all with an amazing view of the ocean below. As I traversed across I started hearing this strange rumbling sound underneath me. It sounded like thunder, though there were no thunder clouds anywhere. I finally figured out that I was near a cut out place where the waves were crashing under the rocks to make the noise. I tried to get video of it to record the sound but my camera didn't pick it up too well. Regardless it was so so cool to have "discovered" this spot. And it just shows how amazing this place is, that even after having been explored so thoroughly, it has places that can make a person feel like their the first to discover it. There are trails in the park, but there's also lots of places like this to go off trail, as long as you stay on the rocks so you're not harming the plant life. (Later down the road there was a place called Thunder Hole that had another one of these things though there was a paved walkway to get down to it. Not nearly so fun).
On the other side of the sandy beach I found a set of stone stairs going up into the trees. I followed them and ended up on a neat little 3 mile or so loop with lots more rocks to play on. I found a great little place to sit in the rocks off to the side and it nearly brought me to tears just being there watching the waves crash against the rocks. I was in a place where I couldn't see or hear anyone else. It was just me and the ocean and it was one of the most beautiful things i've ever seen. Amazing. I had considered finding a church this morning because i've been wanting to go to a service in one of the cool old churches out here. Instead I found a place that, if you ask me, is about as close to god as a person can ever hope to become.
So after that hike I finally made it back to my car, having turned my planned quick stop into a 3 hour adventure. It's funny because the description I'd had of that beach was that it was a good place to sit and relax. I stopped there to eat my pb & j but beyond that did no relaxing. It was definitely awesome though!
After a few more scenic stops I went for lunch at the only place with food in the park (which was way overpriced but had these amazing flaky muffin/roll things called popovers) and then went to find my campsite. And then tonight....here's the big news....I used my stove! Yay! I heated up some Dinty Moore chicken stew that I got from the gas station nearby. I had all the makings for spaghetti but decided I needed as few extra distractions as possible, and multiple ingredients seemed like a distraction. But I made my stew and figured out my stove all by boo self! :) It's funny because with things like this I tend to hear my own voice with what I was saying to the kids this summer. As adventure staff, it was essentially my job to convince kids that they wanted to do something they weren't sure they wanted to do (climb the tower, do the zip line, etc.). So I'd use a lot of phrases like, "It's not as scary as you think," or "You'll be happy you did it once you're done," or "Think of the great stories you'll have to tell your friends," or "You'll be so proud of yourself afterwards." Well kiddies, if you're reading...It was scary, but not nearly as hard as I'd thought, I'm happy I did it, I've got a great story to tell my friends, and I'm very proud of myself gosh darnit. I feel ready to take on the world! Or at the very least the soup aisle at the grocery store. :)
(And on that same note...one more similar achievement...On friday night when I decided not to blog...I built my first ever campfire completely by myself. Yay! I cheated a little...I used one of these little fire-starter balls I got from REI...but the directions said to use 2 or 3 to start a fire and I only needed one. They're pretty cool...like a compressed ball of kindling. Oh and I also had a decomposing tree stump on my site that was essentially spewing out nice dry wood for me. So I guess I'm "official" now. I can light a campfire AND use a propane stove! Though I'm still afraid of things that spontaneously make fire (yes even lighters make me a little nervous) but I'm getting much better.)
Friday, September 11, 2009
not tonight
Hey everyone,
Just letting you all know that I won't be blogging tonight because I just don't feel like it. I'm going to go sit at my site by the campfire where there's no internet, watch the water, and just enjoy being out here. I'm sure you'll hear from me again soon!
Just letting you all know that I won't be blogging tonight because I just don't feel like it. I'm going to go sit at my site by the campfire where there's no internet, watch the water, and just enjoy being out here. I'm sure you'll hear from me again soon!
Thursday, September 10, 2009
A new state!
So...it's cold out here. Predicted low of 45 tonight. And the only place to get internet is outside, so this could be a short update. Or it'll be my usual long update and I'll have very cold fingers at the end of it.
The "out here" that I speak of is Freeport, Maine. Mostly my goal for today was to get some miles out of the way on my way to Acadia National Park. I didn't make it too far though, because I kept getting distracted by scenic ocean-view roads and that kind of thing. I read about a little beachfront town called Ogunquit in one of my books. The book made it sound like a little secret spot (yes I realize it's not that secret if it's published in a book), and I figured maybe by this time of year I could get some not so crowded beach time. Ha. That town was packed! When I first got in to town there was a parking lot with $5 parking. In hindsight I should've just parked there and biked in, but I wanted to look around a bit first. I also saw some restaurants and such where I could've parked for free, but I didn't think of that at the time. The town was beautiful, as was the beach, but the parking just kept getting more and more expensive. I finally went to what I thought was the far edge of town and there it cost $15 to park! Just didn't seem worth it to spend that much for a quick walk on the beach. The other issue was that the "beach side foot trail" where I'd wanted to go run after reading about it turned out to be basically a crowded sidewalk through town. So reluctantly I skipped the run and kept going. I considered going back to the cheap parking but while I'm fine with making random stop offs...I hate to backtrack when I'm trying to make distance.
I realized though that after all that winding through town that I really did need to stop and run around or do something to wake myself up. So instead of going running I stopped to get ice cream. I really need to get better about not letting myself get fat on this trip, but I met a very nice man named Bob and got to sample some really crazy homemade ice cream flavors. Good times. I then continued up the little windy beach road (which unlike highway 1 of the west coast had very few beach sightings due to all the tall trees) through towns like Kennebunkport where apparently lots of rich important people go on vacation. It was another cute, crowded beach town so I kept going.
I finally made it to Freeport, which was my pseudo-destination for the day. I hadn't decided for sure if I'd want to stay here, but I wanted to stop and check out the LL Bean flagship store. Huge doesn't even begin to describe that store. It's like it's own small village with 5 seperate stores: the main one; hunting and fishing; bike, ski, and paddle; home; and the outlet. Though with all of those stores I couldn't find a single pair of fleece pants or any sort of warm, cozy pants for these cold nights. The guy kept trying to sell me hiking pants. So I still like REI better. They would've had warm pants! lol
Anyway, I discovered while I was there that LL Bean has $15 introductory sea kayaking classes every weekend. Sea kayaking is never something I would've sought out myself, but it's here, it's cheap, and something that I definitely can't do in MT! (or CO, or UT, or any of those landlocked places where I like to live). Sooooo....I'm delaying my trip to Acadia by a few days so that I can go sea kayak on saturday morning. I'm getting a little frustrated/guilt tripping myself about the slow pace with which i'm moving on this trip, but then again, i've got nowhere I really need to be! I just don't want to end up getting to the end of this trip and having only seen a very small area. At the same time, things like random sea kayaking jaunts are the whole reason i'm taking this trip...to explore and see/try new things. So sea kayaking I go! I've got a nice camp site here for 2 nights on an actual functional farm that also does all sorts of sustainable agriculture and environmental education. My site is labeled as "waterfront", but it's not exactly sandy beach side like i'd hoped for. I'm on the side of a big cliff with tons of trees, but if I peek through at just the right angle I can see some water. It was enough of a view to make for a very nice sunset though. Just no wave sounds and no place to swim. But really, it's far to cold to be getting wet anyway!
So tomorrow I'm going to kill time by visiting Bowdoin College...the school that back in highschool I wanted to go to more than anything but rejected me and left me crushed. Looking back, I'm so so glad I didn't get in because I really can't imagine my life without DU. I took so many great classes, met so many amazing people, and just had such a great experience. It's strange to think of what my life would've been like living out in Maine. I'm now curious to see what the school looks like to me as a college graduate, rather than starry eyed high school student.
After that I'll probably wander around Freeport for a bit, and maybe, just maybe, I'll attempt to use my camp stove to make dinner. Maybe.
The "out here" that I speak of is Freeport, Maine. Mostly my goal for today was to get some miles out of the way on my way to Acadia National Park. I didn't make it too far though, because I kept getting distracted by scenic ocean-view roads and that kind of thing. I read about a little beachfront town called Ogunquit in one of my books. The book made it sound like a little secret spot (yes I realize it's not that secret if it's published in a book), and I figured maybe by this time of year I could get some not so crowded beach time. Ha. That town was packed! When I first got in to town there was a parking lot with $5 parking. In hindsight I should've just parked there and biked in, but I wanted to look around a bit first. I also saw some restaurants and such where I could've parked for free, but I didn't think of that at the time. The town was beautiful, as was the beach, but the parking just kept getting more and more expensive. I finally went to what I thought was the far edge of town and there it cost $15 to park! Just didn't seem worth it to spend that much for a quick walk on the beach. The other issue was that the "beach side foot trail" where I'd wanted to go run after reading about it turned out to be basically a crowded sidewalk through town. So reluctantly I skipped the run and kept going. I considered going back to the cheap parking but while I'm fine with making random stop offs...I hate to backtrack when I'm trying to make distance.
I realized though that after all that winding through town that I really did need to stop and run around or do something to wake myself up. So instead of going running I stopped to get ice cream. I really need to get better about not letting myself get fat on this trip, but I met a very nice man named Bob and got to sample some really crazy homemade ice cream flavors. Good times. I then continued up the little windy beach road (which unlike highway 1 of the west coast had very few beach sightings due to all the tall trees) through towns like Kennebunkport where apparently lots of rich important people go on vacation. It was another cute, crowded beach town so I kept going.
I finally made it to Freeport, which was my pseudo-destination for the day. I hadn't decided for sure if I'd want to stay here, but I wanted to stop and check out the LL Bean flagship store. Huge doesn't even begin to describe that store. It's like it's own small village with 5 seperate stores: the main one; hunting and fishing; bike, ski, and paddle; home; and the outlet. Though with all of those stores I couldn't find a single pair of fleece pants or any sort of warm, cozy pants for these cold nights. The guy kept trying to sell me hiking pants. So I still like REI better. They would've had warm pants! lol
Anyway, I discovered while I was there that LL Bean has $15 introductory sea kayaking classes every weekend. Sea kayaking is never something I would've sought out myself, but it's here, it's cheap, and something that I definitely can't do in MT! (or CO, or UT, or any of those landlocked places where I like to live). Sooooo....I'm delaying my trip to Acadia by a few days so that I can go sea kayak on saturday morning. I'm getting a little frustrated/guilt tripping myself about the slow pace with which i'm moving on this trip, but then again, i've got nowhere I really need to be! I just don't want to end up getting to the end of this trip and having only seen a very small area. At the same time, things like random sea kayaking jaunts are the whole reason i'm taking this trip...to explore and see/try new things. So sea kayaking I go! I've got a nice camp site here for 2 nights on an actual functional farm that also does all sorts of sustainable agriculture and environmental education. My site is labeled as "waterfront", but it's not exactly sandy beach side like i'd hoped for. I'm on the side of a big cliff with tons of trees, but if I peek through at just the right angle I can see some water. It was enough of a view to make for a very nice sunset though. Just no wave sounds and no place to swim. But really, it's far to cold to be getting wet anyway!
So tomorrow I'm going to kill time by visiting Bowdoin College...the school that back in highschool I wanted to go to more than anything but rejected me and left me crushed. Looking back, I'm so so glad I didn't get in because I really can't imagine my life without DU. I took so many great classes, met so many amazing people, and just had such a great experience. It's strange to think of what my life would've been like living out in Maine. I'm now curious to see what the school looks like to me as a college graduate, rather than starry eyed high school student.
After that I'll probably wander around Freeport for a bit, and maybe, just maybe, I'll attempt to use my camp stove to make dinner. Maybe.
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