Thursday, June 18, 2009
We started off at the north entrance of the Joshua Tree Visitor Center and headed south to the Keys View trailhead and viewing area. From there we could see the entire Coachella Valley and our destination for that afternoon, Palm Desert. From Keys View we drove to Skull Rock where we started at the trailhead and followed a path that led us over, around, and through massive boulders. It was easy to see why Joshua Tree is the most active place for rock climbing in the US. I was able to talk Katy into honing her rock climbing skills by climbing a couple of the boulder piles. She did great and even made it to the top of a set of rocks landing her about 60 feet above the ground. We continued on looking for the infamous Skull Rock. I tried scaling a few of the larger formations never reaching the top. I always found myself in a position where I couldn’t go any higher without feeling too reckless. We piled back into the car and headed off towards the southern part of the park. Along the way we passed Skull Rock and we were not nearly as impressed with it as we were with formations we had seen earlier that we thought were Skull Rock. On our way to Cottonwood Springs we drove through landscape filled with Joshua trees and its smaller cousin, the Chollo Cactus. The previous day I had spoken with Joe’s mom, Jackie, about staying in Palm Desert for the night. She very graciously helped us find accommodations at the Marriot Desert Springs Villas for an incredibly low price. But before heading to our room with running water and a shower, I had to give Katy her first taste of In N' Out. She had the cheeseburger animal style with the lettuce wrap and was sold immediately on the wonders of In N' Out burgers. With our bellies full we checked into our room located near the eighth green of the onsite golf course. Each of us spent several hours washing the dirt and grime off our bodies to the point where we felt presentable in public. We then had a quiet evening grabbing some grub at a local seafood restaurant and reviewing our pictures from Sedona.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Joshua Tree, California
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
We woke up early and took a walk along the creek. We took some final pictures of Oak Creek and then packed up and drove out. We headed to Flagstaff where we took I-40 west towards Lake Havasu. We left Lake Havasu around 3:30 in the afternoon with temperatures nearing 100. Katy then decided she was ready to be in California and convinced me to continue on to Joshua Tree National Park. We called ahead to the ranger station and found the temperatures to be in the high 80’s. We found a great little campsite at the Black Rock campgrounds on the northwest corner of the park. We were treated to an absolutely unbelievable sunset that night with the sky all shades of pink and purple.
We woke up early and took a walk along the creek. We took some final pictures of Oak Creek and then packed up and drove out. We headed to Flagstaff where we took I-40 west towards Lake Havasu. We left Lake Havasu around 3:30 in the afternoon with temperatures nearing 100. Katy then decided she was ready to be in California and convinced me to continue on to Joshua Tree National Park. We called ahead to the ranger station and found the temperatures to be in the high 80’s. We found a great little campsite at the Black Rock campgrounds on the northwest corner of the park. We were treated to an absolutely unbelievable sunset that night with the sky all shades of pink and purple.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Sedona, Arizona
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Today we hiked up an easy/medium mountain called the Vultee Arch and stopped at the top where we took pictures of a rock arch formation that was tucked away in the mountain in the distance. We noticed others had left their markings in the rocks so we wrote “Katy and Phil Southwest Camping Campaign 2009”. The trail was filled with wildflowers (my favorite) and tall trees. Then we hurried back to meet up with Phil’s friend John Newcum. He’s a big ‘ol guy with a shaved head. We hung out at the Crescent Moon picnic area and made sandwiches with some cold beer. Not wanting to spend too much time there because of the rain forecast, we headed back into Sedona and stopped in at the Cowboy Café. We had heard it was a great little restaurant and bar so I was the curious one and talked the boys into going. Talking a couple of Californians into going to a cowboy place isn’t exactly easy normally, but they’re great and complied with my begging and pleading. I promised it would be worth it. Sure enough, we walked up and saw Kelly Rippa from the Regges and Kelly Show! She was there with her family and I was so excited I told the host and the waitresses standing by the door to go look out the window. I found out in a short moment that she goes in all the time, so I felt a little silly thinking I was spreading some new and interesting info. The boys had a good time making fun of me. The rest of the afternoon and evening was spent by the campfire with Phil and John telling stories and enjoying the nice night.
Today we hiked up an easy/medium mountain called the Vultee Arch and stopped at the top where we took pictures of a rock arch formation that was tucked away in the mountain in the distance. We noticed others had left their markings in the rocks so we wrote “Katy and Phil Southwest Camping Campaign 2009”. The trail was filled with wildflowers (my favorite) and tall trees. Then we hurried back to meet up with Phil’s friend John Newcum. He’s a big ‘ol guy with a shaved head. We hung out at the Crescent Moon picnic area and made sandwiches with some cold beer. Not wanting to spend too much time there because of the rain forecast, we headed back into Sedona and stopped in at the Cowboy Café. We had heard it was a great little restaurant and bar so I was the curious one and talked the boys into going. Talking a couple of Californians into going to a cowboy place isn’t exactly easy normally, but they’re great and complied with my begging and pleading. I promised it would be worth it. Sure enough, we walked up and saw Kelly Rippa from the Regges and Kelly Show! She was there with her family and I was so excited I told the host and the waitresses standing by the door to go look out the window. I found out in a short moment that she goes in all the time, so I felt a little silly thinking I was spreading some new and interesting info. The boys had a good time making fun of me. The rest of the afternoon and evening was spent by the campfire with Phil and John telling stories and enjoying the nice night.
Monday, June 15, 2009
Sedona, Arizona
Monday, June 15, 2009
So we went out to do a hike at the Cathedral Rock. It’s listed as a strenuous, but short hike to a set of rocks on top of a mountain. About halfway up, Katy ran into a proverbial wall where she emphatically stated her opposition to continue further up the cliff side of the rock. Not wanting to miss the opportunity to see the top, I continued on, leaving Katy in a nice shaded area to wait for me to come back. Upon reaching the summit I found myself in a small saddle/plateau between three sets of enormous tower like pinnacles. After exploring the area for a while and taking some panoramic pictures of the area, I descended back to where Katy was. At that point Katy and I decided we wanted to try to find the mysterious vortex which according to our map was in the area. Katy called the ranger station to inquire about its specific whereabouts and we learned that the place I had just climbed down from was the Cathedral Rock vortex. Katy and I had been under the impression that the vortices were physical or natural phenomenon that could be seen but the rangers explained to us that in reality they were actually a spiritual and cosmic feeling that you experience in certain areas. The ranger explained that some people feel something in these places and others don’t feel a thing. While I didn’t feel any particular uprising while on top of Cathedral Rock, it was incredibly inspirational. Not satisfied with the extent of our adventure for the day, Katy and I chose to follow the Templeton trail west in hopes of finding a way down towards Oak Creek. After a short hike we found ourselves on the banks of the creek with clear crisp water running over rocks surrounded with trees lining the banks. We explored that area for a while and realized we were near the Crescent Moon Picnic area that offered a nice swimming hole and even a rope swing for the more adventurous. We found a shady spot on the creek where we could have a light lunch and enjoy the beautiful surroundings. We then hiked back to our car and returned to the campsite. After smelling ourselves we decided it was an absolute necessity to try to rinse ourselves off. The Manzanita campground where we have been staying offers no shower facilities so after a few days of hiking and stinking we found a small waist deep pool just a few hundred yards south from the campgrounds where we could stretch out in the frigged but refreshing water. Then we spent the rest of the evening trying to cook an early meal and then tried to find a scenic vista where we could drink a glass of wine and watch the sunset. Unfortunately the unusually overcast day prevented us from getting to see a red rock sunset.
So we went out to do a hike at the Cathedral Rock. It’s listed as a strenuous, but short hike to a set of rocks on top of a mountain. About halfway up, Katy ran into a proverbial wall where she emphatically stated her opposition to continue further up the cliff side of the rock. Not wanting to miss the opportunity to see the top, I continued on, leaving Katy in a nice shaded area to wait for me to come back. Upon reaching the summit I found myself in a small saddle/plateau between three sets of enormous tower like pinnacles. After exploring the area for a while and taking some panoramic pictures of the area, I descended back to where Katy was. At that point Katy and I decided we wanted to try to find the mysterious vortex which according to our map was in the area. Katy called the ranger station to inquire about its specific whereabouts and we learned that the place I had just climbed down from was the Cathedral Rock vortex. Katy and I had been under the impression that the vortices were physical or natural phenomenon that could be seen but the rangers explained to us that in reality they were actually a spiritual and cosmic feeling that you experience in certain areas. The ranger explained that some people feel something in these places and others don’t feel a thing. While I didn’t feel any particular uprising while on top of Cathedral Rock, it was incredibly inspirational. Not satisfied with the extent of our adventure for the day, Katy and I chose to follow the Templeton trail west in hopes of finding a way down towards Oak Creek. After a short hike we found ourselves on the banks of the creek with clear crisp water running over rocks surrounded with trees lining the banks. We explored that area for a while and realized we were near the Crescent Moon Picnic area that offered a nice swimming hole and even a rope swing for the more adventurous. We found a shady spot on the creek where we could have a light lunch and enjoy the beautiful surroundings. We then hiked back to our car and returned to the campsite. After smelling ourselves we decided it was an absolute necessity to try to rinse ourselves off. The Manzanita campground where we have been staying offers no shower facilities so after a few days of hiking and stinking we found a small waist deep pool just a few hundred yards south from the campgrounds where we could stretch out in the frigged but refreshing water. Then we spent the rest of the evening trying to cook an early meal and then tried to find a scenic vista where we could drink a glass of wine and watch the sunset. Unfortunately the unusually overcast day prevented us from getting to see a red rock sunset.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Sedona, Arizona
Sunday, June 14, 2009
On Sunday we drove into the northern part of Arizona and gained a newfound love for the state. In the southern parts the big cacti are interesting to see, but the northern part is unbelievably gorgeous! Imagine pine trees, rolling streams of water, red rock, grass and mountains everywhere. We said Sedona is like a little piece of heaven. We had reservations to camp at the Manzanita campground just outside the town. When we drove up to the site a short red-headed lady named Brenda came out to greet us. She was a pistol of a lady from Longview, Texas who you would want on your side, not against you! She was clearly rough around the edges and had no problem filling us in on all the drama that had gone on during the week. In the first two minutes of being there she told us about a crazy woman who was camping in an RV up on the road just above the campground and refused to leave. Apparently they almost went fist to cuff and the woman was kicked out of the site a few days earlier, issued a $300 fine for camping on the road, and still wouldn’t take a hike. She was simply staying on the road to torture Brenda. As we were setting up the tent, we saw the lady crawling down the mountain trying to sneak back on to the campsite so she could torture Brenda just a little more.
Regardless of the immense amount of drama, we were in love with the campsite and decided to make dinner and play a newly introduced game to me called Sets. Phil said it’s a game his family loves to play so he wanted me to learn with hopes that I liked it. Well, needless to say, I didn’t just like the game; I became very addicted and couldn’t focus on anything Phil wanted to tell me because I was so focused on winning “sets”. It must’ve been a sight to see watching me play because Phil took numerous pictures of me looking like a first time goofball who loved the game. He said he’s looking forward to us all playing together because I call “set” too often and get really excited. I can’t wait to play with his family now. When it got dark we lit an awesome fire and Phil now thinks I am a pyromaniac because I love messing with the fire. As for the crazy lady from earlier in the day, I decided I wasn’t taking any chances so we slept with the tent zipped up that night and Phil very sweetly walked me to the bathroom in the middle of the night.
On Sunday we drove into the northern part of Arizona and gained a newfound love for the state. In the southern parts the big cacti are interesting to see, but the northern part is unbelievably gorgeous! Imagine pine trees, rolling streams of water, red rock, grass and mountains everywhere. We said Sedona is like a little piece of heaven. We had reservations to camp at the Manzanita campground just outside the town. When we drove up to the site a short red-headed lady named Brenda came out to greet us. She was a pistol of a lady from Longview, Texas who you would want on your side, not against you! She was clearly rough around the edges and had no problem filling us in on all the drama that had gone on during the week. In the first two minutes of being there she told us about a crazy woman who was camping in an RV up on the road just above the campground and refused to leave. Apparently they almost went fist to cuff and the woman was kicked out of the site a few days earlier, issued a $300 fine for camping on the road, and still wouldn’t take a hike. She was simply staying on the road to torture Brenda. As we were setting up the tent, we saw the lady crawling down the mountain trying to sneak back on to the campsite so she could torture Brenda just a little more.
Regardless of the immense amount of drama, we were in love with the campsite and decided to make dinner and play a newly introduced game to me called Sets. Phil said it’s a game his family loves to play so he wanted me to learn with hopes that I liked it. Well, needless to say, I didn’t just like the game; I became very addicted and couldn’t focus on anything Phil wanted to tell me because I was so focused on winning “sets”. It must’ve been a sight to see watching me play because Phil took numerous pictures of me looking like a first time goofball who loved the game. He said he’s looking forward to us all playing together because I call “set” too often and get really excited. I can’t wait to play with his family now. When it got dark we lit an awesome fire and Phil now thinks I am a pyromaniac because I love messing with the fire. As for the crazy lady from earlier in the day, I decided I wasn’t taking any chances so we slept with the tent zipped up that night and Phil very sweetly walked me to the bathroom in the middle of the night.
Phoenix, Arizona
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Well, Phil’s perspective of the “fear of heights” went a little like this from my point of view……steep mountains, one lane dirt road, no guard rail, edge of the cliff the whole way, and turns with blind spots at every corner! If the car moved even one foot the wrong way we would’ve fallen off the edge of the mountain. When you have Dale Earnhart Jr. in the driver’s seat, it’s a little scary. He’s a wonderful driver, but I was a little freaked out. I kept myself occupied by taking pictures of the cacti that were deformed and interesting while Phil kept trying to trick me into looking down. No, thank you! After Phil experienced seeing all my nerves were being shot I confessed that I would love to go on the trail again. It was the neatest drive I’ve ever been on and totally worth it! I’ll always remember that drive.
According to the locals in Phoenix, we have stumbled upon some very unlikely weather. It has been about 85-90 degrees during the day and cools down quite a bit at night. Apparently, it’s usually around 105-110 at this time of year, so we’ve thought ourselves to be pretty darn lucky. Phil’s friend, Ross, has been so nice to let us crash on his living room floor. This morning he took us to a little restaurant that serves oven-baked pancakes. So, like bread, it rises! You can literally order a pancake that is about eight inches high! Little things in life like that excite me. It’s been a quick trip to Phoenix, but I’m excited to get into Sedona today. We’ve heard nothing but wonderful things about it.
Well, Phil’s perspective of the “fear of heights” went a little like this from my point of view……steep mountains, one lane dirt road, no guard rail, edge of the cliff the whole way, and turns with blind spots at every corner! If the car moved even one foot the wrong way we would’ve fallen off the edge of the mountain. When you have Dale Earnhart Jr. in the driver’s seat, it’s a little scary. He’s a wonderful driver, but I was a little freaked out. I kept myself occupied by taking pictures of the cacti that were deformed and interesting while Phil kept trying to trick me into looking down. No, thank you! After Phil experienced seeing all my nerves were being shot I confessed that I would love to go on the trail again. It was the neatest drive I’ve ever been on and totally worth it! I’ll always remember that drive.
According to the locals in Phoenix, we have stumbled upon some very unlikely weather. It has been about 85-90 degrees during the day and cools down quite a bit at night. Apparently, it’s usually around 105-110 at this time of year, so we’ve thought ourselves to be pretty darn lucky. Phil’s friend, Ross, has been so nice to let us crash on his living room floor. This morning he took us to a little restaurant that serves oven-baked pancakes. So, like bread, it rises! You can literally order a pancake that is about eight inches high! Little things in life like that excite me. It’s been a quick trip to Phoenix, but I’m excited to get into Sedona today. We’ve heard nothing but wonderful things about it.
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Apache Trail and Phoenix, Arizona
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Our plan on Saturday was to make it to Phoenix by early evening so we could meet up with two friends of mine from Duke, Adam and Jen Burns. However, never wanting to keep things too simple, we found a route that would keep us off the main highways and let us explore a bit more of Arizona. We ended up following route 88 along Teddy Roosevelt Lake and the Salt River, a path known as the Apache Trail. From our perspective, the trail started at Teddy Roosevelt Lake, where the last handmade dam in the US still stands. From there, we jumped on the dirt road that would take us along the Salt River towards Tortilla Flats. The road itself was quite an adventure. It was only about the width of one and a half cars and had steep cliffs plunging off its northern edge to the canyon and water below. It was here that I learned of Katy’s not-so-mild case of fear of heights. But, she and I survived and arrived in Tortilla Flats, an old ghost town established in the late 1800s by a Dutchman who had discovered a gold mine in the nearby Superstition Mountains. We stopped for a prickly pear ice cream and then headed on into Phoenix. We made it to Adam and Jen’s around 5pm and met their 17 month old daughter, Nancy Kate. We had dinner with the trio and then drove to Scottsdale to stay with another friend from Duke, Ross Guttler.
Our plan on Saturday was to make it to Phoenix by early evening so we could meet up with two friends of mine from Duke, Adam and Jen Burns. However, never wanting to keep things too simple, we found a route that would keep us off the main highways and let us explore a bit more of Arizona. We ended up following route 88 along Teddy Roosevelt Lake and the Salt River, a path known as the Apache Trail. From our perspective, the trail started at Teddy Roosevelt Lake, where the last handmade dam in the US still stands. From there, we jumped on the dirt road that would take us along the Salt River towards Tortilla Flats. The road itself was quite an adventure. It was only about the width of one and a half cars and had steep cliffs plunging off its northern edge to the canyon and water below. It was here that I learned of Katy’s not-so-mild case of fear of heights. But, she and I survived and arrived in Tortilla Flats, an old ghost town established in the late 1800s by a Dutchman who had discovered a gold mine in the nearby Superstition Mountains. We stopped for a prickly pear ice cream and then headed on into Phoenix. We made it to Adam and Jen’s around 5pm and met their 17 month old daughter, Nancy Kate. We had dinner with the trio and then drove to Scottsdale to stay with another friend from Duke, Ross Guttler.
Friday, June 12, 2009
Roper Lake State Park, Arizona
Friday, June 12, 2009
As we left Balmorhea, our plan was to try to get as close as we could to Tucson, Arizona, that afternoon. We made it to El Paso around noon and stopped briefly there to see one of Katy’s friends who had a baby just a few days before. Syvette and her new baby girl, Brooklyn, were adorable and doing great. From El Paso we continued to head west on I-10 and as we were driving, we began calling national and state parks to check for availability for the night. The only place we could find that seemed to have plenty of room was in southeast Arizona at a place called Roper Lake State Park. The reason for the availability became pretty clear as we neared Safford. Roper Lake is out there, with not much nearby and few amenities. However, it ended up being a great place for us to pitch our tent for the night. We spent the afternoon floating on the lake in our new River Rat inner tubes and then cooked a fabulous meal of turkey burgers and mac n’ cheese.
As we left Balmorhea, our plan was to try to get as close as we could to Tucson, Arizona, that afternoon. We made it to El Paso around noon and stopped briefly there to see one of Katy’s friends who had a baby just a few days before. Syvette and her new baby girl, Brooklyn, were adorable and doing great. From El Paso we continued to head west on I-10 and as we were driving, we began calling national and state parks to check for availability for the night. The only place we could find that seemed to have plenty of room was in southeast Arizona at a place called Roper Lake State Park. The reason for the availability became pretty clear as we neared Safford. Roper Lake is out there, with not much nearby and few amenities. However, it ended up being a great place for us to pitch our tent for the night. We spent the afternoon floating on the lake in our new River Rat inner tubes and then cooked a fabulous meal of turkey burgers and mac n’ cheese.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Balmorhea, Texas
Thursday, June 11, 2009
So today is my first time to write but it’s the second day of our trip. I haven’t camped since I was a little kid at Garner State Park in the same tent that we are using for our California adventure. The tent has been camping as many times as me so we are clearly fresh novices to this experience. So far no rips, tears, or scrapes so we’re off to a good start! Yesterday we landed in Balmorhea at the state park and found a cute little campsite with a mysterious smell. Later that night, after a wonderful day of exploring the man-made nautral springs, mountains, wildlife and sunset we retired to the campsite for some homemade campfire cookin. All of the sudden a man on a truck drove up to our site and jumped out pointing. I became nervous at once because I thought he was the park ranger there to confiscate our glass bottle beverages that we enjoyed with dinner. As he rambled on quickly I discovered that he was excited about the bats that lived in the roof of our canopy where we were eating!! Alas, the smell had been discovered! It was the bat guano. We made small talk with the man and after he left we sat under the stars and admired the night sky. Phil took amazing pictures as usual, and I thoroughly enjoyed watching him take them throughout the day. He is very meticulous and passionate about photography and it’s interesting to watch him at work. Clearly, when rolling through the footage we took it’s obvious what few pictures I took ha! What a wonderful first night. This morning we woke up and went swimming in the natural pool with minnows and catfish. Phil was very brave and jumped right in while I slowly checked out the temperature of the water with my toes. Then I jumped in when I figured the minnows thought I had become a permanent fixture on the stair steps and began nibbling at my legs. You can snorkel there so Phil was all excited and wants to stop by again on our way home and use his snorkel gear. It was a really cool place!
So today is my first time to write but it’s the second day of our trip. I haven’t camped since I was a little kid at Garner State Park in the same tent that we are using for our California adventure. The tent has been camping as many times as me so we are clearly fresh novices to this experience. So far no rips, tears, or scrapes so we’re off to a good start! Yesterday we landed in Balmorhea at the state park and found a cute little campsite with a mysterious smell. Later that night, after a wonderful day of exploring the man-made nautral springs, mountains, wildlife and sunset we retired to the campsite for some homemade campfire cookin. All of the sudden a man on a truck drove up to our site and jumped out pointing. I became nervous at once because I thought he was the park ranger there to confiscate our glass bottle beverages that we enjoyed with dinner. As he rambled on quickly I discovered that he was excited about the bats that lived in the roof of our canopy where we were eating!! Alas, the smell had been discovered! It was the bat guano. We made small talk with the man and after he left we sat under the stars and admired the night sky. Phil took amazing pictures as usual, and I thoroughly enjoyed watching him take them throughout the day. He is very meticulous and passionate about photography and it’s interesting to watch him at work. Clearly, when rolling through the footage we took it’s obvious what few pictures I took ha! What a wonderful first night. This morning we woke up and went swimming in the natural pool with minnows and catfish. Phil was very brave and jumped right in while I slowly checked out the temperature of the water with my toes. Then I jumped in when I figured the minnows thought I had become a permanent fixture on the stair steps and began nibbling at my legs. You can snorkel there so Phil was all excited and wants to stop by again on our way home and use his snorkel gear. It was a really cool place!
Southwest Camping Campaign Begins
After delaying our start date for one day to secure my housing for the fall, Katy and I are finally ready to head out of Austin and into the heat of west Texas. Our plan is to stop today at South Llano River State Park, just south of Junction, Texas. The weather reports are calling for thunderstorms this afternoon in that area, so it could be an interesting first night. But, we are excited to start our new adventure. Lastly, I've sold Katy on audio books and she is already hooked on our appropriate first novel - Lonesome Dove. As soon as we can, we will update you on our adventures and post pictures of our travels. Until then....
Monday, January 26, 2009
Winter X Games
the winter x games just finished up last night here in aspen. it is something i am very happy about having gotten to see and experience in person. watching kids launch themselves 18 feet above a 22 foot half pipe and pull double back flips with 500 pound sleds is just ridiculous. i had a couple friends in town for the weekend and was set for a great weekend, but i managed to sprain my right ankle and knee on saturday and its kept me off my feet the past couple days. the good news is that there is no break.
since i had failed to bring my camera to the x games on friday and since i didnt go an saturday because of my injury, i decided i had to go last night to just get a few shots. luckily i ran into the pates family (i coach their daughter, charlie sue, and their other two boys are in AVSC too). so, i got to the spend the night hanging out with a bunch of the AVSC family (the kids were challenging each other to see who can handle the most Warheads at one time) and got to witness some insane events (snowmobiling freestyle and men's superpipe final). its crazy to think that some of the kids i work with will be pulling off these same stunts in a few years.
but, for those into winter sports, the winter x games should be on your list of events to see. yeah, you have to deal with large crowds and some obnoxious teens, but the set up they have in buttermilk is pretty remarkable and the athletes are incredible.
since i had failed to bring my camera to the x games on friday and since i didnt go an saturday because of my injury, i decided i had to go last night to just get a few shots. luckily i ran into the pates family (i coach their daughter, charlie sue, and their other two boys are in AVSC too). so, i got to the spend the night hanging out with a bunch of the AVSC family (the kids were challenging each other to see who can handle the most Warheads at one time) and got to witness some insane events (snowmobiling freestyle and men's superpipe final). its crazy to think that some of the kids i work with will be pulling off these same stunts in a few years.
but, for those into winter sports, the winter x games should be on your list of events to see. yeah, you have to deal with large crowds and some obnoxious teens, but the set up they have in buttermilk is pretty remarkable and the athletes are incredible.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Aspen Collision
the past few weeks have been a little hectic. along with working at the restaurant and coaching, ive had my parents and a string of people come to visit. last night three college buddies left after having been here since thursday. since being here i have relaxed tremendously on my previous style of snowboarding which involved hitting the mountain from open to close. my body just cant handle doing that day in and day out. my normal routine is arriving on the mountain around 9:30 or 10 and leaving by about 2:30. but, i understand the weekend warrior mentality and those guys definitely had it. so, my body is telling me to take some time off. but, we had some great days on the slopes. i think a couple of my buddies may hate me for taking them on the hike up the bowl, but it was a gorgeous day and it had the best snow on the mountain.
im absolutely loving coaching. the kids, for the most part, are great. i seriously hope i can be as cool as these kids when i grow up. we recently had our first slope style and half pipe competitions. its pretty amazing to watch 9 and 10 year olds clear the wall of an 18 foot half pipe or witness 14 year olds pull multiple 900s down a slopestyle course.
however, i nearly had a heart attack on saturday when one of my kids, 9 year old Jacque, got plowed over by a 15 year old brazilian. i was watching 5 kids at the time so i only saw this explosion out of the corner of my eye. then it all disappeared over a rolling hill just in front of me. i was seriously thinking that someone may have just died. jacque's gloves and goggles were at least 10 feet from his body when i got to him. he was in shock, shaking and crying, and just basically freaking out, and bleeding from his right nostril. the other kid was 15 yards down the mountain and not moving. im holding on to jacque, trying to calm him down and get him to lie still, while glancing down at the other boy yelling to him to acknowledge me. thankfully a ski instructor showed up soon after and called patrol. at some point later i remember looking down and seeing someone with the other boy...maybe a friend or brother. patrol arrived after what felt like an hour but was in reality less than 5 minutes. they were worried that jacque had broken some ribs and may have a concussion. the other boy was having difficulty breathing. patrol loaded both on to stretchers, securing the head and neck in case of possible injury, and took them to the on-mountain clinic by snowmobile. as if things had to get worse, while jacque was being examined, another young boy was brought in with a broken clavical. he was riding up to a box (its like a rail, but wider...like a box) when his ski popped off and he went shoulder first into the corner of the feature. a doctor or nurse was giving him a shot and he was screaming bloody murder. at this point, jacque was more scared than anything. the doctors found no serious problems at the clinic but recommended he be examined further at the hospital. jacque's parents took him to the hospital. the other boy was taken in an ambulance to the hospital hooked up to oxygen. the good news is that jacque is ok. just incredibly shaken up and bruised. i dont know much about the other kid. i think he may have broken ribs, but i havent heard more about him. but, it was probably the scariest moment of my life. im not sure what i would have done or what i would have told the parents if something serious had happened to one of my athletes on my watch.
outside of coaching, my life is interesting as well as quite boring. my job at the restaurant/bar as a host, coat checker, and ID checker has its ups and downs. the biggest up being the people i work with. coat checking is ridiculous. drunk cougars think its hilarious that i am doing it, but tend to tip really well. older, usually slightly intoxicated, men love to make the joke "Wow, the coatcheck girl really got ugly" and hardly ever tip me. foreigners, i think, are confused about me being in the coat check closet and are hit or miss on tipping. checking ids may be the worse thing on the planet. our bar only accepts passports, us drivers licenses, and military ids as valid identification. most foreigners, as i did when i was traveling, rarely go out drinking with their passport. but, at least bring a copy people. its not hard. instead, they insist on arguing with me...the incredibly intimidating coat check/id guy. aspen women are difficult when it comes to carding. the young ones are annoyed and agitated by my asking for it, and go insane when they dont have it and expect me to either know them (because if they are going out in aspen they must be hot stuff) or have me believe that they know the owner, whose name is also the name of the restaurant. most of them just walk in any way as i try to find the coat of an exiting customer. so, because i have to card people while i coat check, i get many people who stiff me on the tips. and, dont even get me started on what happens when coat check becomes mandatory when the restaurant and bar get too full! hosting is ok, it just doesnt pay anything. the good news is that i work 4 nights a week (which means i get a free dinner those nights) which prevents me from going out and wasting money. and, since i work at the restaurant tues, wed, thurs, and sat, the only "happening" night i really could go out is friday,but i coach at 8am every saturay. and, saturdays suck...i work from 8am to 2:30pm coaching, then i coat check/check IDs from 5:30pm to 2:30am, and every other sunday i have to coach again from 8am to 2:30pm. so, my life is incredibly boring outside of coaching and working at the restaurant...unless you count snowboarding.
im riding still almost every day. i think ive taken off about 8 days (including today) since the mountains opened. im getting better at all mountain riding and doing some small tricks on natural terrain, but im still a little sissy girl when it comes to the park. i have pulled frontside and backside 180s off the smaller kickers, but i have also found myself starring back up the hill as i fly down the mountain 10 feet above the landing. but, being out on the mountain almost everyday is a treat i cant tell you about.
the winter x games starts on wednesday here and two buddies from high school are coming out for them. im sure that alone should providef or some interesting stories.
im absolutely loving coaching. the kids, for the most part, are great. i seriously hope i can be as cool as these kids when i grow up. we recently had our first slope style and half pipe competitions. its pretty amazing to watch 9 and 10 year olds clear the wall of an 18 foot half pipe or witness 14 year olds pull multiple 900s down a slopestyle course.
however, i nearly had a heart attack on saturday when one of my kids, 9 year old Jacque, got plowed over by a 15 year old brazilian. i was watching 5 kids at the time so i only saw this explosion out of the corner of my eye. then it all disappeared over a rolling hill just in front of me. i was seriously thinking that someone may have just died. jacque's gloves and goggles were at least 10 feet from his body when i got to him. he was in shock, shaking and crying, and just basically freaking out, and bleeding from his right nostril. the other kid was 15 yards down the mountain and not moving. im holding on to jacque, trying to calm him down and get him to lie still, while glancing down at the other boy yelling to him to acknowledge me. thankfully a ski instructor showed up soon after and called patrol. at some point later i remember looking down and seeing someone with the other boy...maybe a friend or brother. patrol arrived after what felt like an hour but was in reality less than 5 minutes. they were worried that jacque had broken some ribs and may have a concussion. the other boy was having difficulty breathing. patrol loaded both on to stretchers, securing the head and neck in case of possible injury, and took them to the on-mountain clinic by snowmobile. as if things had to get worse, while jacque was being examined, another young boy was brought in with a broken clavical. he was riding up to a box (its like a rail, but wider...like a box) when his ski popped off and he went shoulder first into the corner of the feature. a doctor or nurse was giving him a shot and he was screaming bloody murder. at this point, jacque was more scared than anything. the doctors found no serious problems at the clinic but recommended he be examined further at the hospital. jacque's parents took him to the hospital. the other boy was taken in an ambulance to the hospital hooked up to oxygen. the good news is that jacque is ok. just incredibly shaken up and bruised. i dont know much about the other kid. i think he may have broken ribs, but i havent heard more about him. but, it was probably the scariest moment of my life. im not sure what i would have done or what i would have told the parents if something serious had happened to one of my athletes on my watch.
outside of coaching, my life is interesting as well as quite boring. my job at the restaurant/bar as a host, coat checker, and ID checker has its ups and downs. the biggest up being the people i work with. coat checking is ridiculous. drunk cougars think its hilarious that i am doing it, but tend to tip really well. older, usually slightly intoxicated, men love to make the joke "Wow, the coatcheck girl really got ugly" and hardly ever tip me. foreigners, i think, are confused about me being in the coat check closet and are hit or miss on tipping. checking ids may be the worse thing on the planet. our bar only accepts passports, us drivers licenses, and military ids as valid identification. most foreigners, as i did when i was traveling, rarely go out drinking with their passport. but, at least bring a copy people. its not hard. instead, they insist on arguing with me...the incredibly intimidating coat check/id guy. aspen women are difficult when it comes to carding. the young ones are annoyed and agitated by my asking for it, and go insane when they dont have it and expect me to either know them (because if they are going out in aspen they must be hot stuff) or have me believe that they know the owner, whose name is also the name of the restaurant. most of them just walk in any way as i try to find the coat of an exiting customer. so, because i have to card people while i coat check, i get many people who stiff me on the tips. and, dont even get me started on what happens when coat check becomes mandatory when the restaurant and bar get too full! hosting is ok, it just doesnt pay anything. the good news is that i work 4 nights a week (which means i get a free dinner those nights) which prevents me from going out and wasting money. and, since i work at the restaurant tues, wed, thurs, and sat, the only "happening" night i really could go out is friday,but i coach at 8am every saturay. and, saturdays suck...i work from 8am to 2:30pm coaching, then i coat check/check IDs from 5:30pm to 2:30am, and every other sunday i have to coach again from 8am to 2:30pm. so, my life is incredibly boring outside of coaching and working at the restaurant...unless you count snowboarding.
im riding still almost every day. i think ive taken off about 8 days (including today) since the mountains opened. im getting better at all mountain riding and doing some small tricks on natural terrain, but im still a little sissy girl when it comes to the park. i have pulled frontside and backside 180s off the smaller kickers, but i have also found myself starring back up the hill as i fly down the mountain 10 feet above the landing. but, being out on the mountain almost everyday is a treat i cant tell you about.
the winter x games starts on wednesday here and two buddies from high school are coming out for them. im sure that alone should providef or some interesting stories.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Aspen - December 08
December was an epic month for me in Aspen. My switch riding is quickly improving, I'm able to do all four 180s, and pulled my first frontside 360 with an Indy grab. On accident, I nearly pulled off a frontside 540...thankfully four feet of powder was around. I was on the mountains riding all but three days this month and am having the time of my life. For Christmas, my parents came out for about a week to visit. They came just in time for some incredible snow. Despite having to evacuate from our hotel one night due to a fire in the condo directly above us, we had a great time.
As my parents flew back to San Diego, a new set of visitors arrived - Joe (friend from Duke), Katy (Austinite who I met during a friend's wedding), and Kelly (Katy's sister). They were treated to some great weather and a very interesting New Year's. Sometime during the day of December 31, a local Aspen man delivered packages claiming to be bombs to four local Aspen banks. Sixteen blocks of downtown Aspen were evacuated. I was supposed to work that night, so I had to remain on-call as the restaurants and bars in the area were hoping to re-open after the threat was elminated. It wasn't. The bomb squad detonated all four bombs on new year's day. The man responsible for threat was found with a gun shot to his head in his car. Needless to say, local Aspen restaurants and bars were hit hard by not being open on New Year's Eve. But, the four of us had an amazing week of riding, boozing, and shuffle board.
As my parents flew back to San Diego, a new set of visitors arrived - Joe (friend from Duke), Katy (Austinite who I met during a friend's wedding), and Kelly (Katy's sister). They were treated to some great weather and a very interesting New Year's. Sometime during the day of December 31, a local Aspen man delivered packages claiming to be bombs to four local Aspen banks. Sixteen blocks of downtown Aspen were evacuated. I was supposed to work that night, so I had to remain on-call as the restaurants and bars in the area were hoping to re-open after the threat was elminated. It wasn't. The bomb squad detonated all four bombs on new year's day. The man responsible for threat was found with a gun shot to his head in his car. Needless to say, local Aspen restaurants and bars were hit hard by not being open on New Year's Eve. But, the four of us had an amazing week of riding, boozing, and shuffle board.
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