Well, I've been finished with Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister for a few weeks now. It's a good story, but just that - it's a story. There are no thrills or anything hysterically funny as witnessed in the Broadway show Wicked.
We have rediscovered the hilarious Bill Bryson. A friend recommended A Walk in the Woods - a gut-busting recollection of Bill Bryson's experience at attempting the Appalachian Trail.
Our last trip to a used book store presented a number of Mr. Bryson's books, so we took advantage of the cheap prices.
I'm reading I'm a Stranger Here Myself - Notes on returning to America after Twenty Years Away, and Richie is reading The Mother Tongue.
We constantly interrupt each other to share the sarcastic writings of Mr. Bryson.
So far, my favorite "chapter" - which is actually a series of columns from the British paper he used to write for - is #26 Why No One Walks.
Richie's favorite part of The Mother Tongue is the overall explanation of the English language and how it came to be. And with the pressure of teaching English for the next two years, Richie has discovered that English isn't as bad as some languages. Did you know there isn't an "L" sound the in Chinese language?
So, if you are looking for a good laugh and something refreshing and light - check out Bill Bryson. He's quite the comedian.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Still in California...
We are anxious to see another state. We've been in California for the last 2.5 months. The great thing about California is it is HUGE with various terrains so you don't actually feel like you are in the same state.
For Example: We spent 4 days in Cuyamaca Rancho State Park. It reminded me a lot of Montana in the summer. And for the last 3 days, we've spent time in William Heise County Park. The mosquitos and flies reminded us of Louisiana and the heat dried our noses and skin - just like in New Mexico.
So, while we've been in California for 2.5 months - it doesn't actually feel like we've stayed in California. But we must admit we are tired of typing .CA.##.jpg after photos from the past few months.
A big reason for our lengthy stay in San Diego (therefore California) is to complete the final portion of Peace Corps application process - the medical paperwork. The VA Clinic here is really cooperative and speedy (Yes, speedy!). So far, we've had blood drawn and 4 shots each (immunization boosters), 2 per arm. We'll return in a few days to complete our last (hopefully) appointment for the Peace Corps - a physical exam.
In the meantime, we've been in the "desert" of California for the last week.
It's a place I can't imagine living. It's taken me a few days to really appreciate it's beauty - looking past the bugs, heat, and extremely dry air. Funny thing - we haven't hit the true desert.
We spent Wednesday and Thursday at campsite 54 at Cuyamaca Rancho State Park. We woke up Friday morning hoping to reserve site 54 for the next two nights. Unfortunately, it was already reserved. Bummer. Luckily, the normally unmanned ranger station was manned - and the park ranger was kind enough to reserve 1 of only 4 remaining sites for us - site 41. Being the lazy bums that we sometimes are, we didn't want to take down the tent just to move it a few sites down. So, we took the sleeping bags out of the tent and placed the tent on the roof of the car - tucking the vestibule in the back windows. Thankfully, the crowds hadn't arrived yet and we were able to get the car - with the tent on top - to site 41 without looking completely ridiculous.
Oh yeah, it was my idea. Feel free to laugh - we did.
We were able to get some great hiking in - and it was a great opportunity to get used to the heat (not that you ever get used to it) in preparation for our trek to Louisiana.
We hiked 3 days in a row through some marvelous trails with an incredible landscape of burnt trees and green bushes, and a rich gold mine history.
Our favorite hike was to the summit of Stonewall Peak (5,730 feet) - named by a former confederate soldier after Stonewall Jackson - even though it was unpopular to share your support for the former Confederacy. Elevation gain of about 900 feet in 2 miles. It was a nice hike.
Stonewall Peak from our campsite
The views were incredible from the summit. We could see the path of the 2003 Cedar Fire that burned over 280,000 acres of land, including the city of Cuyumaca and almost all of Cuyumaca Rancho State Park. Over 2800 buildings burned and 15 people died.
The view from the summit of Stonewall PeakThe fire was started by a hunter who claimed a bullet ignited the fire, when in reality he was lost and had started a fire to alert rescuers. It is the largest fire in recorded California history.
We have spent the last few days exploring Julian - biking the 6 miles from our campsite at William Heise County Park. We thought Bainbridge was hilly, but this place has Bainbridge Island beat - or maybe we are just out of shape - which could very well be the case.
Julian is a former gold mining town that now thrives on tourism and apple orchards - nationally known for their apple pies and cider.
The town itself is a state historic landmark (No. 412, if you are interested). The Main Street is full of building fronts you'd see in a western movie - the streets now lined with cars instead of horses.
There is one gas station (currently $2.59/gallon for unleaded), two grocery stores, and a handful of restaurants. The rest of the buildings are antique shops, art galleries, and boutiques.
It has a population of about 1600 people - and it is a tight-nit community. We have been in the Julian Coffee House all morning - and you can tell everyone knows everyone.
Our friend Jillian was named after the town Julian. (I know, I know... Julian and Jillian are spelled differently.)
And one last note on Julian...
They must have problems with the townspeople climbing power lines because this warning sign is on EVERY pole!
New Bikes and SeaWorld
It's been a week since we discovered our bikes missing.
With the grieving process complete, we are ready to search for new bikes.
We found 15 bike shops, new and used, and spent over 7 hours driving around San Diego for the perfect match.
Ironically, the last shop of the day - UC Cyclery - was the place we found our beauties, but we decided to sleep on it before making a final decision.
Now if you go to their website, you'll see that UC Cyclery is currently offering $1000 off many of their bikes and interest free financing! We were doubtful we'd buy anything here - knowing they cater to high-end customers and we planned on spending a very, very, very, very, very small fraction of that.
Thankfully, we discovered that UC Cyclery had a few bikes in stock in our price range.
And best of all, they treated us just as kind as if we were buying $6000 bikes.
Many thanks to Dave, the owner, for greeting us, being sympathetic to our situation, and for catering to our low price range.
Extra special thanks to Dennis, the bike-fit guy, for geometrically fitting our bikes to our bodies, and telling us about cool places to see as we head east.
And to Steve, the accessory king, for patiently adding racks, pedal straps, bottle holders, and dealing with our color matching desires - - all at no extra charge.
Onto SeaWorld!!!!
We woke up the next morning excited to ride the 3.5 miles from the hostel to SeaWorld - glad to avoid the additional $12 parking fee for vehicles - - Yippee!
We arrived 30 minutes after the park opened, and actually spent 20 minutes - not to purchase tickets - but check into the park.
Once we were in, immediately to our right was this...
I'm glad to know there is a spot for your lost items, especially your children. Whew!
The park was similar to any adventure park - very clean, perfectly landscaped, bright colored sets, conscession and souvenir stands, and big name sponsors. Anheuser-Busch was tastefully stamped all over SeaWorld San Diego, particularly its most popular attraction - The Shamu Show. I didn't realize that Anheuser-Busch has a Busch Entertainment Corporation division, which actually owns and operates SeaWorld(s).
And it was interesting to pass a greens guy cutting a few squares of dead grass and replacing them with lush green sod.
But this was going to be a great day. We were excited to see these smart aquatic animals.
On the day we went the park offered 4 shows, each about 30 minutes long.
Dolphin Discovery was the first one, and probably my favorite. We entered "Dolphin Stadium" and were greeted by a guitar man named Paul. He was a jovial guy strumming and singing classic songs between a 55 degree pool of salt water and a lighthouse. I suppose he was the opening act for the dolphins - and he was quite entertaining. Richie and I sat in the "nose bleed" section of the stadium. It tends to be less crowded and you can't beat the views. We were thankful for our decision because the first 12 rows of the stadium are called "The Soak Zone." And Paul warned everyone by singing "The Soak Zone Song" that started like this...
If you are sitting in the first 12 rows
There is something you oughta know
There's a 50-50 bet
You'll get 100% wet
Two Pilot Whales
There were 3 Bottlenose Dolphins
(this picture shows only one jumping really, really high)
The next show was Clyde and Seamore's Risky Rescue featuring an enormous sea lion named Clyde and a smaller sea lion named Seamore. The cutest part of the show was an otter named OP.
Now we aren't big TV buffs, so this show was a bit cheesy and hard to follow with all of its TV references.
We had to remind ourselves that it is about the animals and their talents - not the rest.
Pets Rule! was the third show on the list and the most diverse. Despite the incredibly colorful set, this show was about the animals and how hard they have worked in training. I don't think I've giggled this much in a long time or said "Wow - look at that!" so much.
The performers ranged from dogs and cats (Yes, cats who walked across tight ropes 30+ feet in the air and cats who used two paws to pull themselves across a rope while dangling), pigs and ducks, pigeons and doves, and more!
One of the head trainers came on stage before the show and said they were adding 2 "new acts" to the performance. He said the new additions have been training for over 2 months and have one last test - - completing their task in front of a live audience.
One of the two new additions were a batch of ducks. They had to walk from one end of the stage to another - and they did it beautifully!
And the second was a 9-year old lab who was trained to climb a set of stairs into a treehouse and pull a weight (attached to a rope) all the way to the top.
And finally, we watched Believe: The Spectacular Shamu Show. This was a heartwarming story of a young boy who dreamed of working with orcas - so much that he carved a whales tail out of wood and wore it around his neck. It was a major character in the show, too. And you guessed it - there were 5-6 vendors selling versions of that wooden pendant after the show.
Here is SeaWorld's description of the show:
While the large rotating screens were cool, we would have been just as fascinated with simple tricks. Orcas are HUGE creatures - and smart!
There are 7 orcas at SeaWorld San Diego housed in 5 partitioned tanks totalling 7-million gallons of salt water, 3 orcas were used in the show.
We must share that they "Shamu Splash" portion of the show was a little cult-like. There was even a dance that the crowd relished in! It was almost like being at an LSU game when the band is marching onto the field and they play the fight song... Dah-dah-dah-dah... Boom, boom, boom, boom... You get goose-bumps and the adrenaline just starts flowing.
By the way, the orcas could splash 17 rows high. We were glad to be in the "nose bleed" section, again.
It was a great experience for us - and it was nice to see a nice variety of marine life, including turtles, to satisfy our fascination.
With the grieving process complete, we are ready to search for new bikes.
We found 15 bike shops, new and used, and spent over 7 hours driving around San Diego for the perfect match.
Ironically, the last shop of the day - UC Cyclery - was the place we found our beauties, but we decided to sleep on it before making a final decision.
Now if you go to their website, you'll see that UC Cyclery is currently offering $1000 off many of their bikes and interest free financing! We were doubtful we'd buy anything here - knowing they cater to high-end customers and we planned on spending a very, very, very, very, very small fraction of that.
Thankfully, we discovered that UC Cyclery had a few bikes in stock in our price range.
And best of all, they treated us just as kind as if we were buying $6000 bikes.
Many thanks to Dave, the owner, for greeting us, being sympathetic to our situation, and for catering to our low price range.
Extra special thanks to Dennis, the bike-fit guy, for geometrically fitting our bikes to our bodies, and telling us about cool places to see as we head east.
And to Steve, the accessory king, for patiently adding racks, pedal straps, bottle holders, and dealing with our color matching desires - - all at no extra charge.
Onto SeaWorld!!!!
We woke up the next morning excited to ride the 3.5 miles from the hostel to SeaWorld - glad to avoid the additional $12 parking fee for vehicles - - Yippee!
We arrived 30 minutes after the park opened, and actually spent 20 minutes - not to purchase tickets - but check into the park.
Once we were in, immediately to our right was this...
I'm glad to know there is a spot for your lost items, especially your children. Whew!
The park was similar to any adventure park - very clean, perfectly landscaped, bright colored sets, conscession and souvenir stands, and big name sponsors. Anheuser-Busch was tastefully stamped all over SeaWorld San Diego, particularly its most popular attraction - The Shamu Show. I didn't realize that Anheuser-Busch has a Busch Entertainment Corporation division, which actually owns and operates SeaWorld(s).
And it was interesting to pass a greens guy cutting a few squares of dead grass and replacing them with lush green sod.But this was going to be a great day. We were excited to see these smart aquatic animals.
On the day we went the park offered 4 shows, each about 30 minutes long.
Dolphin Discovery was the first one, and probably my favorite. We entered "Dolphin Stadium" and were greeted by a guitar man named Paul. He was a jovial guy strumming and singing classic songs between a 55 degree pool of salt water and a lighthouse. I suppose he was the opening act for the dolphins - and he was quite entertaining. Richie and I sat in the "nose bleed" section of the stadium. It tends to be less crowded and you can't beat the views. We were thankful for our decision because the first 12 rows of the stadium are called "The Soak Zone." And Paul warned everyone by singing "The Soak Zone Song" that started like this...
If you are sitting in the first 12 rows
There is something you oughta know
There's a 50-50 bet
You'll get 100% wet
Two Pilot Whales
There were 3 Bottlenose Dolphins(this picture shows only one jumping really, really high)
The next show was Clyde and Seamore's Risky Rescue featuring an enormous sea lion named Clyde and a smaller sea lion named Seamore. The cutest part of the show was an otter named OP.
Now we aren't big TV buffs, so this show was a bit cheesy and hard to follow with all of its TV references.We had to remind ourselves that it is about the animals and their talents - not the rest.
Pets Rule! was the third show on the list and the most diverse. Despite the incredibly colorful set, this show was about the animals and how hard they have worked in training. I don't think I've giggled this much in a long time or said "Wow - look at that!" so much.
The performers ranged from dogs and cats (Yes, cats who walked across tight ropes 30+ feet in the air and cats who used two paws to pull themselves across a rope while dangling), pigs and ducks, pigeons and doves, and more!
One of the head trainers came on stage before the show and said they were adding 2 "new acts" to the performance. He said the new additions have been training for over 2 months and have one last test - - completing their task in front of a live audience.
One of the two new additions were a batch of ducks. They had to walk from one end of the stage to another - and they did it beautifully!
And the second was a 9-year old lab who was trained to climb a set of stairs into a treehouse and pull a weight (attached to a rope) all the way to the top.
And finally, we watched Believe: The Spectacular Shamu Show. This was a heartwarming story of a young boy who dreamed of working with orcas - so much that he carved a whales tail out of wood and wore it around his neck. It was a major character in the show, too. And you guessed it - there were 5-6 vendors selling versions of that wooden pendant after the show.
Here is SeaWorld's description of the show:
Believe blends unique killer whale behaviors with elaborate set pieces, state-of-the-art multimedia, music and choreography. Believe takes guests on a journey in which anyone believes they can connect with these magnificent mammals. This inspirational show also accentuates the close relationship SeaWorld trainers have with the killer whales, and will amaze you with a series of exciting behaviors.
While the large rotating screens were cool, we would have been just as fascinated with simple tricks. Orcas are HUGE creatures - and smart!
There are 7 orcas at SeaWorld San Diego housed in 5 partitioned tanks totalling 7-million gallons of salt water, 3 orcas were used in the show.We must share that they "Shamu Splash" portion of the show was a little cult-like. There was even a dance that the crowd relished in! It was almost like being at an LSU game when the band is marching onto the field and they play the fight song... Dah-dah-dah-dah... Boom, boom, boom, boom... You get goose-bumps and the adrenaline just starts flowing.
By the way, the orcas could splash 17 rows high. We were glad to be in the "nose bleed" section, again.
It was a great experience for us - and it was nice to see a nice variety of marine life, including turtles, to satisfy our fascination.
Don't Tell Austin
Our visit to Hawaii brought back fond memories of Louisiana. Maybe it was the climate, the friendly folks, or the screen door at the hostel...
But we've decided to adjust our original plan of heading north through Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon, and head east to Louisiana instead.
My godchild, Austin, and his sister, Alexis, are having a dual birthday celebration at the end of June. We have 30 days to drive across the southwest (below I-10) and see what there is to see before we land in Louisiana.
We are anxious to see our family and friends who we haven't seen in over a year and a half - eek!
So, whatever you do, don't tell Austin that his Nanny and Uncle Richie are coming in for a visit. We want it to be a surprise!
I taught him how to show his food, by the way. Yup, yup!
The San Diego Zoo
After speeding out of Los Angeles as quickly as possible and getting a "good night's sleep," we drove down Historic 101 to San Elijo State Beach where we spent a few nights.
Our days were filled with planning the next few weeks.
What do we do in San Diego? Where should we stay? Can we get appointments at the VA clinic? And just getting over our stolen bikes. There really is a grieving process.
And now we are the hostel in Point Loma - a neighborhood of San Diego.
Now, I had no idea my mother-in-law has always dreamed of going to the San Diego Zoo - so this is for her.
I must admit, I was a bit skeptical. I mean, aren't all zoo's the same? They house animals for research and education purposes, and they all have the same basic animals.
First, the weather was incredible - not too hot.
It's springtime, so the zoo was full of newborns running amok. And while most of the animals were napping, it sure made for some adorable pictures.
There were many bashful, cuddly, and sleepy animals, which also made for some great photos.
I hope they make you smile.
Now remember, all animals are either caged or behind glass - so I'll apologize in advance for the wires or a haze that might appear in many of the photographs.
We were most fascinated by the Gorillas - as were most people - and we watched them for at least an hour and a half. It's hard for me to understand how some people can ignore the similarities between humans and gorillas. Hand prints, opposable thumbs, fingernails, mannerisms, etc.
We learned that polar bears CAN live in the warm San Diego air and they really enjoy their carrots!
Now what is cool about this zoo, is there are multiple exhibits of the same type of animal. We saw these little and big parrots everywhere!
We found this little bear snoozing on a tree branch. His mom was walking around, and his brother eventually climbed on top of him and fell asleep too. Look at his little feet - and that tongue!
We humans should mimic these animals and just nap in the sun sometimes!
The koalas were snoozing with one baby just-a-chompin' on a branch. Did you know that koala's sleep 18-20 hours a day?!?!? Something else I COULD mimic.
When I saw this guy, I started singing Hakuna Matata. You know that part... Don't be embarrassed - sing along!
We saw more Flamingos than I've ever seen in one spot. Did you know that flamingos are pink because they eat shrimp?
And the large, creepy birds of prey.
Meerkats running crazy and rolling around in the dirt (I guess to keep cool)!
Camels - the kind with two humps - known as Bactrian camels. They are native to the Gobi Desert in Mongolia.
Even something called a Buergers' Tree Kangaroo
Baby giraffes and zebras...
And hundreds of reptiles!
These tiger cubs were playing in the water. They are normally a solitary animal, but this area had 4 - a mom (we assume) and 3 cubs. The Keepers pulled the mom out, and the cubs went wild! Very cute to observe.
And the 2nd coolest thing was the last thing we saw - the large turtles.
These guys move a lot faster than you might think!
Ironically, there was a rabbit in the same area as the turtles and Richie (of course!) made a joke about the tortoise and the hare.
I must admit - our zoo visit has us wanting to watch Madegascar again.
This is Richie's favorite photo of the day - the the Komodo Dragon. I just read an article on the secret to the Komodo Dragon's Bite - check it out.
____________________________________________________________________
I'm really excited! I just read the National Park Service is going to open The Statue of Liberty crown to the public starting July 4, 2009. This means there is a chance we'll be able to see the city from the pretty lady's head! I've always wanted to do that!
Our days were filled with planning the next few weeks.
What do we do in San Diego? Where should we stay? Can we get appointments at the VA clinic? And just getting over our stolen bikes. There really is a grieving process.
And now we are the hostel in Point Loma - a neighborhood of San Diego.
Now, I had no idea my mother-in-law has always dreamed of going to the San Diego Zoo - so this is for her.
I must admit, I was a bit skeptical. I mean, aren't all zoo's the same? They house animals for research and education purposes, and they all have the same basic animals.
I was wrong. The San Diego Zoo is amazing!
Richie has now placed it at the top of our favorite stops on the road trip (just below Crater Lake)
First, the weather was incredible - not too hot.
It's springtime, so the zoo was full of newborns running amok. And while most of the animals were napping, it sure made for some adorable pictures.
There were many bashful, cuddly, and sleepy animals, which also made for some great photos.
I hope they make you smile.
Now remember, all animals are either caged or behind glass - so I'll apologize in advance for the wires or a haze that might appear in many of the photographs.
We were most fascinated by the Gorillas - as were most people - and we watched them for at least an hour and a half. It's hard for me to understand how some people can ignore the similarities between humans and gorillas. Hand prints, opposable thumbs, fingernails, mannerisms, etc.
We learned that polar bears CAN live in the warm San Diego air and they really enjoy their carrots!
Now what is cool about this zoo, is there are multiple exhibits of the same type of animal. We saw these little and big parrots everywhere!
We found this little bear snoozing on a tree branch. His mom was walking around, and his brother eventually climbed on top of him and fell asleep too. Look at his little feet - and that tongue!
We humans should mimic these animals and just nap in the sun sometimes!
The koalas were snoozing with one baby just-a-chompin' on a branch. Did you know that koala's sleep 18-20 hours a day?!?!? Something else I COULD mimic.
When I saw this guy, I started singing Hakuna Matata. You know that part... Don't be embarrassed - sing along!
Why, when he was a young warthog...
When I was a young wart hog
He found his aroma lacked a certain appeal
He could clear the Savannah after every meal
I'm a sensitive soul though I seem thick-skinned
And it hurt that my friends never stood downwind
And oh, the shame
He was ashamed
Thought of changin' my name
What's in a name?
And I got downhearted
How did ya feel?
Everytime that I...
Hey! Pumbaa! Not in front of the kids!
When I was a young wart hog
He found his aroma lacked a certain appeal
He could clear the Savannah after every meal
I'm a sensitive soul though I seem thick-skinned
And it hurt that my friends never stood downwind
And oh, the shame
He was ashamed
Thought of changin' my name
What's in a name?
And I got downhearted
How did ya feel?
Everytime that I...
Hey! Pumbaa! Not in front of the kids!
We saw more Flamingos than I've ever seen in one spot. Did you know that flamingos are pink because they eat shrimp?
And the large, creepy birds of prey.
Meerkats running crazy and rolling around in the dirt (I guess to keep cool)!
Camels - the kind with two humps - known as Bactrian camels. They are native to the Gobi Desert in Mongolia.
Even something called a Buergers' Tree Kangaroo
Baby giraffes and zebras...
And hundreds of reptiles!
These tiger cubs were playing in the water. They are normally a solitary animal, but this area had 4 - a mom (we assume) and 3 cubs. The Keepers pulled the mom out, and the cubs went wild! Very cute to observe.
And the 2nd coolest thing was the last thing we saw - the large turtles.
These guys move a lot faster than you might think!
Ironically, there was a rabbit in the same area as the turtles and Richie (of course!) made a joke about the tortoise and the hare.
I must admit - our zoo visit has us wanting to watch Madegascar again.
This is Richie's favorite photo of the day - the the Komodo Dragon. I just read an article on the secret to the Komodo Dragon's Bite - check it out.
____________________________________________________________________I'm really excited! I just read the National Park Service is going to open The Statue of Liberty crown to the public starting July 4, 2009. This means there is a chance we'll be able to see the city from the pretty lady's head! I've always wanted to do that!
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