Before I left on my trip, I told someone I knew I would see somebody I knew along the way. This always seems to happen to me, more proof that it really is a small world. Today, when I pulled into my hostel here in Banff, AB I parked by these two ladies getting stuff out of their truck. I thought to myself the one looked really familiar. I get out, walk past and sure enough, it was Dr. Covington. She is a professor in the Kinesiology department at SIUE. It really is a small world.
Friday, I left Kelowna headed towards the Banff area. It was getting to be a little late in the afternoon, so I stopped by a visitor center to see if any campsites were available in the area. They pointed me in the right direction and I eventually found a spot. I ended up staying in a town called Lake Louise. I started a fire and had a nice relaxing night by myself until the Chinese family moved in to the campsite next to me. They weren't the quietest family in the forest. There are more Asians here than anything, it's kinda crazy.
Yesterday, I got up and headed to the actual Lake Louise. I read about some day hikes I wanted to do. I saw some amazing scenery yesterday, it was beautiful. I hiked up to Mirror Lake and Lake Agnes and then to a lookout point called Big Beehive. By the time I was done, I was beat. I think it took me about 5 hours to complete. The color of the lakes are amazing, I don't think my camera captured this really well. They are really turquoise colored. I finally made it back to my camp and got some dinner. Again, another relaxing night...until...the Asians! Nah, it was funny they packed up yesterday morning and then they came back that night. I guess they found a better spot, the mom got out of the car and then about 10 minutes later she got picked back up. So, it ended up being a very peaceful night. I started brainstorming for the book I'm gonna write...yeah right. I did put pen to paper though, I started listing all the things I've learned on my trip. I'm up to like #70 so far.
Today, I got up, packed my stuff and headed towards Banff. Along the way, I passed Johnston Canyon. I remembered reading about the waterfalls there, so I turned around and went. It was a short little hike to the falls, only about 3 miles round trip. After that, I proceeded into Banff to check out Lake Minnewanka. It's another beautiful lake here, I think it's the largest one in the National Park. I had a sandwich on the shore and then caught about a 30 minute power nap. A full stomach, laying in the shade, along a lake, with a nice breeze...I couldn't keep my eyes open.
After my nap, I drove around to a few other lakes in the area when I came across the local swimming hole. Johnson Lake was filled with people young and old. So, I threw on my swimming trunks and headed to the beach. I caught some rays until I got too hot and then jumped in. OMG, it was cold! But, after you are in awhile and catch your breath, it becomes very relaxing. Lesson learned #71, "A cold swim works wonders for your mind and body.". I've found this to be true several times this trip, every time I've swam, it has been in very chilly water. You always come out feeling so refreshed. I'm staying at a hostel tonight, and heading back to the States in the morning. I really hope they let me back in without a hassle. My next destination will be the Black Hills area. I doubt I can make it there tomorrow, probably just set up a tent somewhere along the way.
I hope Illinois is ready for me, less than a week!
Dough
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Ahhh...Just What I Needed
I LOVE SUNSHINE!!!
Finally, I get to see the sun that had eluded me for a week. I got my first glimpse on Monday while I was still in Vancouver. Sunday, I did absolutely nothing. It was movie night at the hostel, so I just hung out and watched a couple movies with some of the other travellers. We watched The Good German and Ghost Rider. The Good German is pretty slow, can't recommend that one, but Ghost Rider was surprisingly pretty good. I woke up on Monday with the intent of seeing Vancouver whether it was raining or not. It was quite overcast, but I set out anyway. I walked all over that day. I even made it down to East Hastings, that's the area with all the homeless and addicted. I just had to check it out, it's pretty famous. I've never seen an area quite like that before. I then made my way to Stanly Park. It was beautiful, the sun finally started to peak out that evening. The architecture around Vancouver is much different than any other city I've been to, you can see in the pictures.
Tuesday, I left Vancouver and headed to Kelowna, BC. I didn't really know much about it, just knew the weather looked perfect and everyone said it was nice. I wasn't disappointed when I got here. The drive was nice too, back into the mountains. Kelowna is a town in the Okanagan valley, right on Lake Okanagan. The town reminds me of Lake of the Ozarks. It's a vacation town filled with tourists. The hostel is only a 5 minute walk to the beach where I've been the past couple days. It's very relaxing here. I've met lots of Eastern Canadians, Irish, English and Aussies. It seems many are here for a long time. I think they just hop from resort town to resort town working and playing. There's supposedly amazing ski resorts here in the winter and hot summers spent on the water. I could really get used to this place.
I leave tomorrow and I'm going to camp somewhere in Banff National Park for a few days. I've seen pictures from some of the other travellers and it looks amazing. After that, I'm going to drop back down to the States. I've talked to many people and they say Calgary is not worth a stop and Winnipeg is definitely not worth a trip. I think I'll check out the Black Hills and Mt. Rushmore before making it back home. I'll be glad to get back to the States where stuff is cheaper. The prices here in Canada make me cringe every time I have to buy something. I'm finding the end of this trip to be very bittersweet. I'm going to hate not travelling, but I also can't wait to get back and see everyone.
See you all soon!
Dough
Finally, I get to see the sun that had eluded me for a week. I got my first glimpse on Monday while I was still in Vancouver. Sunday, I did absolutely nothing. It was movie night at the hostel, so I just hung out and watched a couple movies with some of the other travellers. We watched The Good German and Ghost Rider. The Good German is pretty slow, can't recommend that one, but Ghost Rider was surprisingly pretty good. I woke up on Monday with the intent of seeing Vancouver whether it was raining or not. It was quite overcast, but I set out anyway. I walked all over that day. I even made it down to East Hastings, that's the area with all the homeless and addicted. I just had to check it out, it's pretty famous. I've never seen an area quite like that before. I then made my way to Stanly Park. It was beautiful, the sun finally started to peak out that evening. The architecture around Vancouver is much different than any other city I've been to, you can see in the pictures.
Tuesday, I left Vancouver and headed to Kelowna, BC. I didn't really know much about it, just knew the weather looked perfect and everyone said it was nice. I wasn't disappointed when I got here. The drive was nice too, back into the mountains. Kelowna is a town in the Okanagan valley, right on Lake Okanagan. The town reminds me of Lake of the Ozarks. It's a vacation town filled with tourists. The hostel is only a 5 minute walk to the beach where I've been the past couple days. It's very relaxing here. I've met lots of Eastern Canadians, Irish, English and Aussies. It seems many are here for a long time. I think they just hop from resort town to resort town working and playing. There's supposedly amazing ski resorts here in the winter and hot summers spent on the water. I could really get used to this place.
I leave tomorrow and I'm going to camp somewhere in Banff National Park for a few days. I've seen pictures from some of the other travellers and it looks amazing. After that, I'm going to drop back down to the States. I've talked to many people and they say Calgary is not worth a stop and Winnipeg is definitely not worth a trip. I think I'll check out the Black Hills and Mt. Rushmore before making it back home. I'll be glad to get back to the States where stuff is cheaper. The prices here in Canada make me cringe every time I have to buy something. I'm finding the end of this trip to be very bittersweet. I'm going to hate not travelling, but I also can't wait to get back and see everyone.
See you all soon!
Dough
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Rain Rain Go Away!
Salut (that's French slang for hello),
I knew my luck with the weather would run out eventually, I hate it though. It's been raining off and on here in Vancouver since we arrived on Friday. The locals are getting upset too, they said this much rain in the summer is not typical. I've still been having a good time though.
Our trip up here was interesting, never been stopped by immigration before. I guess the guy at the border thought it was a little suspicious having an American, Belgian, and a French in the truck. He made us pull over and go in and talk to immigration. Go figure, I was the one that had the most trouble getting into Canada. I only had a drivers license as id, I totally forgot to bring a copy of my birth certificate. I was given a quick verbal quiz on the U.S. by the woman working the immigration counter. "Who's the president? How many terms did Clinton serve? Who was president before Clinton? What's the address of the White House?" I was a little nervous, but I got them all right. So, I'm in Canada! Getting back into the states might be a little tougher. She asked if I was confident I could answer questions that only an American could answer, I hope I can.
The hostel I'm staying in is really cool, great location. It's on Granville street which is the "entertainment street", there's bars, clubs, restaurants, shops, etc... The first floor of the hostel is a bar/restaurant and all the rooms are upstairs. There's a good mix of people staying here too.
When we got to town, we were all a little tired and decided to have a relaxing night...of course it was raining too. We made dinner in the hostel, had a couple drinks and called it a night. Yesterday, we get up and...still raining. We decided to go check out the Vancouver Art Museum, great decision. The exhibition they were showing was called "Monet to Dali", it was really good. I got to see works from all the greats: Monet, Manet, Cezanne, Picasso, Dali, Van Gogh, etc... It was pretty special having all of these greats together in one place. I learned alot about art yesterday, we were there 3 hours. Down the street from the hostel is a Micheal Godard gallery, I love his stuff. If I were to ever buy art, it would definitely be something from him. After the museum, Peter and Stephanie had to move hostels, so we got their bags and got them checked into another one. We had our last supper last night and of course a night on the town. Their bus left at 11:00 this morning. I really hated to see them leave, I believe I have some new friends I'll have for the rest of my life. They are amazing people, I learned so much from both of them. I promised I would come visit them. So...maybe I'll have a European blog next summer???
Not doing much today, not a lot of energy. It's been a computer day for me. I looked at some hostels throughout Canada and have a pretty good idea of my my last couple weeks. I think I'll be stopping in Kelowna, Banff, Calgary, and Winnipeg before heading back to good ole midwest. This summer has gone by so fast, I can't believe it's winding down.
Oh, almost forgot. Hey Kris! Not travelling with any Spanish, just practicing a little bit. I decided I'm going to take a Spanish class when I get back. I checked it out, and SWIC has a night class on Tuesdays I'm going to take. It just hit me one day when I was walking through a park in Portland. I'm really excited about it. It makes so much sense too. I have to do professional development anyway, so why not do something I want to do. Plus, it will move me up the pay scale and who knows, maybe I'll take enough to get a certification in Spanish. A Spanish speaking teacher can pretty much write their own ticket. I think it's going to be a good move for me.
Hope everyone has had a good weekend. I'm a little upset I missed the British Open, I just read about it and it sounded like it was a great tournament. I haven't sat and watched tv since I left. I haven't even really been keeping up with baseball, I try to set my fantasy lineup every now and then, that's about it. I'm guessing the Cardinals still have a bullpen for a starting rotation?? See you all soon!
Cheers,
Dough
I knew my luck with the weather would run out eventually, I hate it though. It's been raining off and on here in Vancouver since we arrived on Friday. The locals are getting upset too, they said this much rain in the summer is not typical. I've still been having a good time though.
Our trip up here was interesting, never been stopped by immigration before. I guess the guy at the border thought it was a little suspicious having an American, Belgian, and a French in the truck. He made us pull over and go in and talk to immigration. Go figure, I was the one that had the most trouble getting into Canada. I only had a drivers license as id, I totally forgot to bring a copy of my birth certificate. I was given a quick verbal quiz on the U.S. by the woman working the immigration counter. "Who's the president? How many terms did Clinton serve? Who was president before Clinton? What's the address of the White House?" I was a little nervous, but I got them all right. So, I'm in Canada! Getting back into the states might be a little tougher. She asked if I was confident I could answer questions that only an American could answer, I hope I can.
The hostel I'm staying in is really cool, great location. It's on Granville street which is the "entertainment street", there's bars, clubs, restaurants, shops, etc... The first floor of the hostel is a bar/restaurant and all the rooms are upstairs. There's a good mix of people staying here too.
When we got to town, we were all a little tired and decided to have a relaxing night...of course it was raining too. We made dinner in the hostel, had a couple drinks and called it a night. Yesterday, we get up and...still raining. We decided to go check out the Vancouver Art Museum, great decision. The exhibition they were showing was called "Monet to Dali", it was really good. I got to see works from all the greats: Monet, Manet, Cezanne, Picasso, Dali, Van Gogh, etc... It was pretty special having all of these greats together in one place. I learned alot about art yesterday, we were there 3 hours. Down the street from the hostel is a Micheal Godard gallery, I love his stuff. If I were to ever buy art, it would definitely be something from him. After the museum, Peter and Stephanie had to move hostels, so we got their bags and got them checked into another one. We had our last supper last night and of course a night on the town. Their bus left at 11:00 this morning. I really hated to see them leave, I believe I have some new friends I'll have for the rest of my life. They are amazing people, I learned so much from both of them. I promised I would come visit them. So...maybe I'll have a European blog next summer???
Not doing much today, not a lot of energy. It's been a computer day for me. I looked at some hostels throughout Canada and have a pretty good idea of my my last couple weeks. I think I'll be stopping in Kelowna, Banff, Calgary, and Winnipeg before heading back to good ole midwest. This summer has gone by so fast, I can't believe it's winding down.
Oh, almost forgot. Hey Kris! Not travelling with any Spanish, just practicing a little bit. I decided I'm going to take a Spanish class when I get back. I checked it out, and SWIC has a night class on Tuesdays I'm going to take. It just hit me one day when I was walking through a park in Portland. I'm really excited about it. It makes so much sense too. I have to do professional development anyway, so why not do something I want to do. Plus, it will move me up the pay scale and who knows, maybe I'll take enough to get a certification in Spanish. A Spanish speaking teacher can pretty much write their own ticket. I think it's going to be a good move for me.
Hope everyone has had a good weekend. I'm a little upset I missed the British Open, I just read about it and it sounded like it was a great tournament. I haven't sat and watched tv since I left. I haven't even really been keeping up with baseball, I try to set my fantasy lineup every now and then, that's about it. I'm guessing the Cardinals still have a bullpen for a starting rotation?? See you all soon!
Cheers,
Dough
Friday, July 20, 2007
Had a Slight Change in Plans
Hola compadres,
Had a slight change in plans this week. The last time I wrote, we were planning on camping in Olympic Park. Well, that didn't happen. When we woke up on Wednesday it was pouring down rain, and I don't camp in the rain very well. Peter and I picked up another passenger, Stephanie. She's travelling alone too and decided to jump in with us for a few days. Since it was raining, we had to come up with an alternate plan. We eventually decided to go to Seattle for a few days instead. I was originally supposed to be in Seattle next week before making my way home. Instead, I came here now and will then head to Vancouver this afternoon. I decided I'm going to spend my last couple weeks in Canada instead of driving back east through the U.S. I guess Yellowstone will have to be on my next trip.
Our last night in Seaside was fun. After my last post, we got a canoe and paddled up the river to the ocean. It was fun until it started sucking us out into the ocean, we had to paddle like crazy to get out of it. That evening, I introduced Peter and Stephanie to some cajun food. Seaside had a nice little Bayou restaurant. They liked it. After dinner, we went to Funland. It's a really really big Chucky Cheese. They had never played skeeball, so of course I had to show them how to play...yeah, they beat me.
The next day we got up, saw the rain and adjusted our schedule. We arrived in Seattle about 4:00 and got checked in. When we got here, we checked the Mariners schedule and saw this was their last game at home for a couple weeks. We made our way to the stadium and bought some tickets on the street. It was a good game, tied up at 5-5 until the bottom of the 8th when the Mariners scored the go ahead run. Peter and Stephanie had a great time, better than they were expecting. Safeco Field is very nice, we got to see it with the roof open and closed. After the game we made our way back to the hostel where we ran into Adam, the Aussie, and Elisa, the girl from Milan we met in Portland. We sat around and chatted awhile before calling it an evening.
Thursday, Peter, Adam, Elisa and I went to the Freemont district. It was supposed to be a cool little neighborhood with shops, cafes, etc... I guess I've seen enough of these on my trip, I wasn't too impressed. I then left the group and went to the Experienced Music Project. I'm glad I did, it was pretty good. They had so much Jimi Hendrix memorabilia, it was cool. He really was a prodigy, they had artwork he did when he was in school and it's very good. He was talented in so many ways. I came back and met the gang to see Elisa off, she's heading to San Francisco. The hostel provided dinner last night, I was impressed. They had pasta, meatballs, green salad, many vegetables and bread. It was great for free. The breakfast they have here is great too. You can cook your own eggs, waffles, toast and they even have fresh fruit....all free. Last night, we went up in the Space Needle. The Seattle skyline is great at night, it really is a beautiful city.
We leave here in a little bit to go to Vancouver, BC. I'm gonna lose my travel buddies after Monday, Peter and Stephanie are renting a car and heading to Yellowstone. I'll be sad to see them go, but it will be nice being by myself for awhile. I'm sure I'll meet plenty more people along the way.
I hope everyone has a great weekend!
Dough
Had a slight change in plans this week. The last time I wrote, we were planning on camping in Olympic Park. Well, that didn't happen. When we woke up on Wednesday it was pouring down rain, and I don't camp in the rain very well. Peter and I picked up another passenger, Stephanie. She's travelling alone too and decided to jump in with us for a few days. Since it was raining, we had to come up with an alternate plan. We eventually decided to go to Seattle for a few days instead. I was originally supposed to be in Seattle next week before making my way home. Instead, I came here now and will then head to Vancouver this afternoon. I decided I'm going to spend my last couple weeks in Canada instead of driving back east through the U.S. I guess Yellowstone will have to be on my next trip.
Our last night in Seaside was fun. After my last post, we got a canoe and paddled up the river to the ocean. It was fun until it started sucking us out into the ocean, we had to paddle like crazy to get out of it. That evening, I introduced Peter and Stephanie to some cajun food. Seaside had a nice little Bayou restaurant. They liked it. After dinner, we went to Funland. It's a really really big Chucky Cheese. They had never played skeeball, so of course I had to show them how to play...yeah, they beat me.
The next day we got up, saw the rain and adjusted our schedule. We arrived in Seattle about 4:00 and got checked in. When we got here, we checked the Mariners schedule and saw this was their last game at home for a couple weeks. We made our way to the stadium and bought some tickets on the street. It was a good game, tied up at 5-5 until the bottom of the 8th when the Mariners scored the go ahead run. Peter and Stephanie had a great time, better than they were expecting. Safeco Field is very nice, we got to see it with the roof open and closed. After the game we made our way back to the hostel where we ran into Adam, the Aussie, and Elisa, the girl from Milan we met in Portland. We sat around and chatted awhile before calling it an evening.
Thursday, Peter, Adam, Elisa and I went to the Freemont district. It was supposed to be a cool little neighborhood with shops, cafes, etc... I guess I've seen enough of these on my trip, I wasn't too impressed. I then left the group and went to the Experienced Music Project. I'm glad I did, it was pretty good. They had so much Jimi Hendrix memorabilia, it was cool. He really was a prodigy, they had artwork he did when he was in school and it's very good. He was talented in so many ways. I came back and met the gang to see Elisa off, she's heading to San Francisco. The hostel provided dinner last night, I was impressed. They had pasta, meatballs, green salad, many vegetables and bread. It was great for free. The breakfast they have here is great too. You can cook your own eggs, waffles, toast and they even have fresh fruit....all free. Last night, we went up in the Space Needle. The Seattle skyline is great at night, it really is a beautiful city.
We leave here in a little bit to go to Vancouver, BC. I'm gonna lose my travel buddies after Monday, Peter and Stephanie are renting a car and heading to Yellowstone. I'll be sad to see them go, but it will be nice being by myself for awhile. I'm sure I'll meet plenty more people along the way.
I hope everyone has a great weekend!
Dough
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Where Does the Time Go?
I can't believe it's been this long since I've updated this. I really don't know where the time goes. Just so you know, this is a little bit of work to organize and link all of these pictures...it's not all fun and games out here on the road :)
I finally got to sleep last Thursday night after I shut the computer off. I've really never heard anything that loud before. I guess I just got used to it, they were there my entire stay. Friday was a good day, I finally got to golf again. Peter had never golfed before and he wanted to try it out. This was quite the experience, very comical. It was a nice course, not too hard, but hard enough...especially when you've only played about 4 times in the last month and a half. We only played nine holes. Trust me, that was long enough. We were a little slow. I think Peter had as much fun driving the golf cart as he did playing golf. About the 8th hole, I finally started to find my swing and Peter improved quickly too. It was a great time being on the course. Of course we had to stop at the 19th hole after the round. It was a semi-private club, so naturally it was all regulars there. They were all very friendly, it was in a small town about 25 minutes outside of Portland. I think our story got told at least 5 times, they don't get too many travellers at their course. It's very easy to meet people when you have a story like ours.
That evening, we made it back to the hostel. I let Peter drive, he was as excited as a little kid on Christmas. We started up the grill and made a nice salad. Stephanie joined us for dinner and we also met Elisa, she's from Milan, Italy. Elisa did a semester at Eastern Carolina University and is now travelling for the next 6 months. After dinner, we made our way to the pub down the street for a night cap.
Portland has a downtown market on the weekends. On Saturday, we decided to go check it out. They had a section for fruits and vegetables and they also had a part for artists of all sorts. They had music and a lot of food from across the globe. It had a festive atmosphere, just nothing I needed to buy. Surprisingly, I don't have much room for anything else. The backseat of my truck is packed. Stephanie had to leave that evening, so we went back to the hostel to see her off. For dinner, I had the best cannelloni I have ever had, it was delicious. I wanted pizza that evening, so I asked around for recommendations. I talked to these people that were in town for a wedding and they recommended Pizzateco. They couldn't have recommended a better place. They even had Doughboy Red Ale on tap. I guess someone beat me to the Doughboy Brewing Co.
Sunday, Peter and this girl we met Nadia took a Sunday drive on the Columbia River Gorge scenic highway and then around Mt. Hood and back to Portland. It was very nice, the scenery is amazing. There are many many waterfalls along the Gorge to stop and look at. The tallest is Multnomah Falls at 620 ft. Multnomah Falls is the second highest year-round waterfall in the nation. The views of Mt Hood from the east were great. That evening we just hung out and retired early.
Monday, we got up and made our way to Seaside, OR, a small little seaside resort community. We stopped at Target along the way so Peter could get an ipod. Oregon has NO sales tax, pretty nice. Another interesting tidbit about Oregon, you can not pump your own gas. Every station has attendants. I was quickly informed the first time that it's illegal to pump your own gas. Crazy yes, but I could get used to it. When we got here, we checked out our surroundings and the beach area. Again, very beautiful. The weather isn't really cooperating, it's been overcast and chilly since we been here. Last night we ran into Stephanie, the French girl, and Adam, an Aussie that was in my room in Portland. It's pretty crazy how many are travelling about the same path. The hostel is along the river here in Seaside. We made a fire in the pit last night and introduced the Europeans to smores. Of course our chocolate is not as good and they had never seen a "biscuit" (graham cracker) like that before. Overall, I think they liked them. Around the fire, we also met Don. Don is probably in his 50's and is travelling around for 6 mos. He's from Daytona, Fl. He's been in the Navy and has travelled the world. He said he'll never settle down. I wish we had more time with him, I'm sure he has many more stories to tell. He got up this morning and headed further down the coast. This afternoon, I think we're going to rent a kayak and kayak up the river to the ocean. We leave tomorrow for Olympic National Park. We're going to camp in the rain forest for a couple days before catching a ferry on Friday to Vancouver.
Have a great week!
Ciao,
Dough
I finally got to sleep last Thursday night after I shut the computer off. I've really never heard anything that loud before. I guess I just got used to it, they were there my entire stay. Friday was a good day, I finally got to golf again. Peter had never golfed before and he wanted to try it out. This was quite the experience, very comical. It was a nice course, not too hard, but hard enough...especially when you've only played about 4 times in the last month and a half. We only played nine holes. Trust me, that was long enough. We were a little slow. I think Peter had as much fun driving the golf cart as he did playing golf. About the 8th hole, I finally started to find my swing and Peter improved quickly too. It was a great time being on the course. Of course we had to stop at the 19th hole after the round. It was a semi-private club, so naturally it was all regulars there. They were all very friendly, it was in a small town about 25 minutes outside of Portland. I think our story got told at least 5 times, they don't get too many travellers at their course. It's very easy to meet people when you have a story like ours.
That evening, we made it back to the hostel. I let Peter drive, he was as excited as a little kid on Christmas. We started up the grill and made a nice salad. Stephanie joined us for dinner and we also met Elisa, she's from Milan, Italy. Elisa did a semester at Eastern Carolina University and is now travelling for the next 6 months. After dinner, we made our way to the pub down the street for a night cap.
Portland has a downtown market on the weekends. On Saturday, we decided to go check it out. They had a section for fruits and vegetables and they also had a part for artists of all sorts. They had music and a lot of food from across the globe. It had a festive atmosphere, just nothing I needed to buy. Surprisingly, I don't have much room for anything else. The backseat of my truck is packed. Stephanie had to leave that evening, so we went back to the hostel to see her off. For dinner, I had the best cannelloni I have ever had, it was delicious. I wanted pizza that evening, so I asked around for recommendations. I talked to these people that were in town for a wedding and they recommended Pizzateco. They couldn't have recommended a better place. They even had Doughboy Red Ale on tap. I guess someone beat me to the Doughboy Brewing Co.
Sunday, Peter and this girl we met Nadia took a Sunday drive on the Columbia River Gorge scenic highway and then around Mt. Hood and back to Portland. It was very nice, the scenery is amazing. There are many many waterfalls along the Gorge to stop and look at. The tallest is Multnomah Falls at 620 ft. Multnomah Falls is the second highest year-round waterfall in the nation. The views of Mt Hood from the east were great. That evening we just hung out and retired early.
Monday, we got up and made our way to Seaside, OR, a small little seaside resort community. We stopped at Target along the way so Peter could get an ipod. Oregon has NO sales tax, pretty nice. Another interesting tidbit about Oregon, you can not pump your own gas. Every station has attendants. I was quickly informed the first time that it's illegal to pump your own gas. Crazy yes, but I could get used to it. When we got here, we checked out our surroundings and the beach area. Again, very beautiful. The weather isn't really cooperating, it's been overcast and chilly since we been here. Last night we ran into Stephanie, the French girl, and Adam, an Aussie that was in my room in Portland. It's pretty crazy how many are travelling about the same path. The hostel is along the river here in Seaside. We made a fire in the pit last night and introduced the Europeans to smores. Of course our chocolate is not as good and they had never seen a "biscuit" (graham cracker) like that before. Overall, I think they liked them. Around the fire, we also met Don. Don is probably in his 50's and is travelling around for 6 mos. He's from Daytona, Fl. He's been in the Navy and has travelled the world. He said he'll never settle down. I wish we had more time with him, I'm sure he has many more stories to tell. He got up this morning and headed further down the coast. This afternoon, I think we're going to rent a kayak and kayak up the river to the ocean. We leave tomorrow for Olympic National Park. We're going to camp in the rain forest for a couple days before catching a ferry on Friday to Vancouver.
Have a great week!
Ciao,
Dough
Friday, July 13, 2007
Just as I Suspected...
Portland is great! I don't even know where to begin. It's a big city, but it has such a small town feel. There's green space everywhere, they have over 200 parks. They have Forest Park, the largest urban park in the country. You can take a bicycle anywhere in this city. Many of the streets have separate bicycle lanes, and if they don't, they can ride on the road. It's a very ecofriendly town. Recycling is huge and so is organic foods. Public transportation is free within the city center area. They have buses, trolley cars, and light rail systems. They even have a sky tram that takes you directly from town to the hospital that sits upon the side of this mountain. I can't say enough about this place...so far.
Peter and I pulled into town on Tuesday about 12:30. We went to the hostel and I checked in and then found out they didn't have a bed for Peter that night, only that night though. So, he checked into a cheap motel in the neighborhood. That afternoon we made our way to Portland's Chinatown. Not quite the same as San Francisco, but the food was better. We then walked along the riverfront and towards one of the many many fountains around town. In Portland, they encourage people to get in the fountains...seriously. It was really hot Tuesday, 102 degrees, that was a record. Every fountain you seen had people wading in them or sticking their head underneath a stream. We then made our way to the sky tram, we had to ride it once. It was pretty cool, you got some great views of Mt. Hood. That night, we just hung out on the back deck. While I was on the phone, Peter met this French girl Stephanie. She's travelling for 6 months and working on organic farms now and then to help finance the trip. I learned a lot that evening about France and Belgium. Did you know, the french fry was originally from Belgium.
Wednesday, we got up and decided to go to the Japanese garden. It said it was about a 25 minute walk. After about 50 minutes, I finally saw a guy getting out of his car so I could ask directions. Sure enough, we walked about 25 minutes past where we were supposed to turn off. It was HOT too. Luckily, there's a fountain in the park to cool off in. The garden was pretty neat, we were just in time to get a guided tour. It was pretty interesting learning all the design elements that go into a Japanese garden. On the way back, we were both a little hungry, so I introduced Peter to something really American...Taco Bell. That evening on the back deck, I met two guys from Boston doing a two month road trip. They are doing a very low budget, camping most nights, trip. They budgeted $50 a day and have been sticking to it. I was pretty impressed.
Today, Peter, Stephanie and I went to Mount St. Helens. I think it's the first time I've played in snow in July, there was actually quite a bit. We went on a hike up the mountain until we reached a point where you had to have a permit to hike any further. They only give out 100 permits a day to hike up, and they're sold out until the middle of August. Of course, we took our chances and hiked up over two more ridges. It's very rough terrain, it's basically just a bunch of rocks and boulders. It's amazing thinking those things went flying through the air when it erupted. After hiking back down, we stopped at Ape Cave. It's a cave that used to be a lava tube. It was pretty neat, once you got about 10 foot down, you could really feel the temperature drop. They say it stays at 43 degrees year round. It's a cave, so naturally it's pitch black. I had a flashlight, but it's not the best. We went in pretty far and the whole time I'm hoping the batteries don't go dead in the light. We made it out ok and headed back. Tonight we grilled up a pork loin, it was delicious. I was exhausted from the day, but after I ate, i got a second wind. I really don't know why I'm still up. We met another nice woman tonight, Isabella. She lives in Olympia, WA, but she is originally from Costa Rica. She has family here and her husband and daughter come in tomorrow from their vacation in San Francisco. We talked a long time and learned a lot about Costa Rica. It sounds like a great place. Peter is actually going there in September. Now here I am up way too late listening to the freight trains in my room. I've never had roommates that snore this bad. I guess I'll try to fall asleep, might be an Ipod night.
Adios,
Dough
Peter and I pulled into town on Tuesday about 12:30. We went to the hostel and I checked in and then found out they didn't have a bed for Peter that night, only that night though. So, he checked into a cheap motel in the neighborhood. That afternoon we made our way to Portland's Chinatown. Not quite the same as San Francisco, but the food was better. We then walked along the riverfront and towards one of the many many fountains around town. In Portland, they encourage people to get in the fountains...seriously. It was really hot Tuesday, 102 degrees, that was a record. Every fountain you seen had people wading in them or sticking their head underneath a stream. We then made our way to the sky tram, we had to ride it once. It was pretty cool, you got some great views of Mt. Hood. That night, we just hung out on the back deck. While I was on the phone, Peter met this French girl Stephanie. She's travelling for 6 months and working on organic farms now and then to help finance the trip. I learned a lot that evening about France and Belgium. Did you know, the french fry was originally from Belgium.
Wednesday, we got up and decided to go to the Japanese garden. It said it was about a 25 minute walk. After about 50 minutes, I finally saw a guy getting out of his car so I could ask directions. Sure enough, we walked about 25 minutes past where we were supposed to turn off. It was HOT too. Luckily, there's a fountain in the park to cool off in. The garden was pretty neat, we were just in time to get a guided tour. It was pretty interesting learning all the design elements that go into a Japanese garden. On the way back, we were both a little hungry, so I introduced Peter to something really American...Taco Bell. That evening on the back deck, I met two guys from Boston doing a two month road trip. They are doing a very low budget, camping most nights, trip. They budgeted $50 a day and have been sticking to it. I was pretty impressed.
Today, Peter, Stephanie and I went to Mount St. Helens. I think it's the first time I've played in snow in July, there was actually quite a bit. We went on a hike up the mountain until we reached a point where you had to have a permit to hike any further. They only give out 100 permits a day to hike up, and they're sold out until the middle of August. Of course, we took our chances and hiked up over two more ridges. It's very rough terrain, it's basically just a bunch of rocks and boulders. It's amazing thinking those things went flying through the air when it erupted. After hiking back down, we stopped at Ape Cave. It's a cave that used to be a lava tube. It was pretty neat, once you got about 10 foot down, you could really feel the temperature drop. They say it stays at 43 degrees year round. It's a cave, so naturally it's pitch black. I had a flashlight, but it's not the best. We went in pretty far and the whole time I'm hoping the batteries don't go dead in the light. We made it out ok and headed back. Tonight we grilled up a pork loin, it was delicious. I was exhausted from the day, but after I ate, i got a second wind. I really don't know why I'm still up. We met another nice woman tonight, Isabella. She lives in Olympia, WA, but she is originally from Costa Rica. She has family here and her husband and daughter come in tomorrow from their vacation in San Francisco. We talked a long time and learned a lot about Costa Rica. It sounds like a great place. Peter is actually going there in September. Now here I am up way too late listening to the freight trains in my room. I've never had roommates that snore this bad. I guess I'll try to fall asleep, might be an Ipod night.
Adios,
Dough
Monday, July 9, 2007
Goodbye California :(
Time for another update, I feel like I haven't done it in awhile.
Friday, I made my way to Martinez, only about a 30 minute drive. It was a productive day, I got a haircut, laundry done, oil changed and truck washed. Would you believe I've already drove over 4,000 miles! I met Corey Dagner and we went out for the evening in downtown Martinez. I'm sure everyone can imagine what happened that night. Details?? Yeah, I don't have many either.
Saturday, Corey had to work, so I took in a movie at the theater down the street. I went and saw Live Free or Die Hard, it was pretty good. When Corey got off, we went and got some dinner and visited one of his friends before making it to the Red Caboose. The owner was having a birthday party there, so it was a good time. Good band, and of course I was dancing.
Sunday, I got up with the intentions of making it up to Klamath, Ca. About an hour into my drive, my phone rings, it was Peter. He and Phillip were camping in southern Humboldt county at a little town called Myers Flat. Phillip had to drive back today to LA and Peter still has a few more weeks. So, he asked if he could jump in with me for awhile. I looked on the map and it was right on my way so I stopped in Myers Flat for the evening. It turned out to be great. Myers Flat is in redwood country right along the Avenue of Giants. I even got to see a car drive through a tree.
It was Phillip's last supper, so we had a feast. They had bought steaks, potato salad, green salad, etc... it was delicious. This of course was after our swim in the river, the campsite had a great location. That evening, we decided to visit the Trading Post Saloon in town. Peter and Phillip had been there the previous evening and said I had to see it. I now know why, some very interesting characters around there (see pics). The owner is about 80 years old and a very nice man. They were closing up about 10:00 when we got there. After he saw them, he said to keep the bar open a little longer for his friends. I don't think they get many like us around there.
Today, Phillip took off for LA and Peter and I started up the coast. Northern California and southern Oregon has a wonderful coastline, I've never seen anything like it. We ended up here in Eugene, Oregon about 10:00 tonight. It was a lot of driving, but it was worth it. Now we only have less than 2 hours to Portland tomorrow morning. I'm really looking forward to Portland, I'll finally stop moving for a bit. I think I'm there about 6 days.
I hope everyone had a good weekend. I'll talk to you soon.
Dough
Friday, I made my way to Martinez, only about a 30 minute drive. It was a productive day, I got a haircut, laundry done, oil changed and truck washed. Would you believe I've already drove over 4,000 miles! I met Corey Dagner and we went out for the evening in downtown Martinez. I'm sure everyone can imagine what happened that night. Details?? Yeah, I don't have many either.
Saturday, Corey had to work, so I took in a movie at the theater down the street. I went and saw Live Free or Die Hard, it was pretty good. When Corey got off, we went and got some dinner and visited one of his friends before making it to the Red Caboose. The owner was having a birthday party there, so it was a good time. Good band, and of course I was dancing.
Sunday, I got up with the intentions of making it up to Klamath, Ca. About an hour into my drive, my phone rings, it was Peter. He and Phillip were camping in southern Humboldt county at a little town called Myers Flat. Phillip had to drive back today to LA and Peter still has a few more weeks. So, he asked if he could jump in with me for awhile. I looked on the map and it was right on my way so I stopped in Myers Flat for the evening. It turned out to be great. Myers Flat is in redwood country right along the Avenue of Giants. I even got to see a car drive through a tree.
It was Phillip's last supper, so we had a feast. They had bought steaks, potato salad, green salad, etc... it was delicious. This of course was after our swim in the river, the campsite had a great location. That evening, we decided to visit the Trading Post Saloon in town. Peter and Phillip had been there the previous evening and said I had to see it. I now know why, some very interesting characters around there (see pics). The owner is about 80 years old and a very nice man. They were closing up about 10:00 when we got there. After he saw them, he said to keep the bar open a little longer for his friends. I don't think they get many like us around there.
Today, Phillip took off for LA and Peter and I started up the coast. Northern California and southern Oregon has a wonderful coastline, I've never seen anything like it. We ended up here in Eugene, Oregon about 10:00 tonight. It was a lot of driving, but it was worth it. Now we only have less than 2 hours to Portland tomorrow morning. I'm really looking forward to Portland, I'll finally stop moving for a bit. I think I'm there about 6 days.
I hope everyone had a good weekend. I'll talk to you soon.
Dough
Thursday, July 5, 2007
Now I Know What Tony is Talking About
It's no wonder Tony left his heart in San Francisco, this is a beautiful city. I've had a lot of fun the past few days exploring the city. There's so much to see, I love it!
When I left off last time, I was writing my blog in the lounge. When I finished, I just happened to glance over and who did I see?? Yep, Peter and Phillip. It's really quite strange running into these people, they were as shocked as I was. They got in the day before and just happened upon this hostel. So, back to not being alone. That evening we went out together to get some dinner and drinks. We ate at a fantastic Italian restaurant, Trattoria Volare. It was delicious, Phillip said it was as good as any food he has eaten in Italy. After dinner, we made our way down the street and decided to go into this club for some cocktails. It was a nice little club/restaurant and everyone was out since they were off the next day. Late in the evening, I was walking out of the restroom and I couldn't believe my eyes, I saw Ben and Sophie. They are from Switzerland and I met them in San Diego. Out of all the clubs, bars, restaurants, etc. in San Francisco, what are the odds that I would randomly run it to them. It's quite strange. We ended up closing the place down. Needless to say, we caught a cab home.
Wednesday, July 4th, I spent the day seeing some of the city. I got on my bike and rode all around. San Francisco is a great city for bikers, lots of trails and bike lanes on the roads. The first thing I wanted to do was bike across the Golden Gate Bridge. Wow, I wasn't expecting the wind that was up there. It was extremely windy, but it was worth it. I then made my way around the bay. It was packed with people everywhere around the bay. The beaches were full, the parks were full, the streets around Fisherman's Wharf were full; it was a great day to people watch. I eventually made it to AT&T Park. I tried to get in and get some pics, but the people working the media gate were less than friendly. I had to settle for some shots of the outside. I made my way back to the hostel where I was going to meet the guys and go watch the fireworks. It's only about a 5 minute walk to the pier where they were having them, they were beautiful. We were all tired from the night before and my big ride I did all day, so we decided to retire early that night. I got back to the hostel and was going to update my blog until I fell asleep. Yes, I did the patented fall asleep sitting up on the couch trick. I woke up to this kkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk. I figured I better just put the computer up and do it later.
Yesterday, I got up fresh and ready to see more of the city. Peter and Phillip had to leave, so we went and had lunch together in Chinatown. It was good food, I don't know if it's better than the Orient Wok Chop Suey in Glen Carbon though. We walked around Chinatown for a bit and then we parted ways. They are headed up north, I may run into them again?? I made my way to downtown and then caught the bus to the Haight district. What a cool section of town, you could almost feel the 60's vibe. I made my way to Golden Gate Park and checked that out. There were lots of people in the park enjoying the sun and taking in some extra-curricular activities. I of course had to find a spot in the sun and take it all in as well. The park is huge, I got a little lost and did a lot of walking before I found my way out. Last night, I went to the North Beach neighborhood and got some dinner. I met up with Ben and Sophie at their hostel and we hung out for awhile. They are headed to Seattle, Vancouver and then Jamaica. It was really good seeing them again, they are very nice people. It sometimes sucks knowing you'll probably never see these people again in your life. I know I've only known them for a few weeks now, but I do feel like we're friends.
Today, I have to check out of the hostel. I'm spending the evening with Cory Dagner, this should be fun. He lives in Martinez, a suburb of the city. I'll probably leave there tomorrow and head north to the Redwood National Forest. Maybe do a little more camping, I don't have any plans. I should be in Portland by early/mid next week.
I hope this finds everyone doing well. I think all the pictures are updated. Sorry about so many Yosemite pics, I just couldn't narrow it down anymore. Believe it or not, I actually have more.
Have a great weekend!
Dough
When I left off last time, I was writing my blog in the lounge. When I finished, I just happened to glance over and who did I see?? Yep, Peter and Phillip. It's really quite strange running into these people, they were as shocked as I was. They got in the day before and just happened upon this hostel. So, back to not being alone. That evening we went out together to get some dinner and drinks. We ate at a fantastic Italian restaurant, Trattoria Volare. It was delicious, Phillip said it was as good as any food he has eaten in Italy. After dinner, we made our way down the street and decided to go into this club for some cocktails. It was a nice little club/restaurant and everyone was out since they were off the next day. Late in the evening, I was walking out of the restroom and I couldn't believe my eyes, I saw Ben and Sophie. They are from Switzerland and I met them in San Diego. Out of all the clubs, bars, restaurants, etc. in San Francisco, what are the odds that I would randomly run it to them. It's quite strange. We ended up closing the place down. Needless to say, we caught a cab home.
Wednesday, July 4th, I spent the day seeing some of the city. I got on my bike and rode all around. San Francisco is a great city for bikers, lots of trails and bike lanes on the roads. The first thing I wanted to do was bike across the Golden Gate Bridge. Wow, I wasn't expecting the wind that was up there. It was extremely windy, but it was worth it. I then made my way around the bay. It was packed with people everywhere around the bay. The beaches were full, the parks were full, the streets around Fisherman's Wharf were full; it was a great day to people watch. I eventually made it to AT&T Park. I tried to get in and get some pics, but the people working the media gate were less than friendly. I had to settle for some shots of the outside. I made my way back to the hostel where I was going to meet the guys and go watch the fireworks. It's only about a 5 minute walk to the pier where they were having them, they were beautiful. We were all tired from the night before and my big ride I did all day, so we decided to retire early that night. I got back to the hostel and was going to update my blog until I fell asleep. Yes, I did the patented fall asleep sitting up on the couch trick. I woke up to this kkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk. I figured I better just put the computer up and do it later.
Yesterday, I got up fresh and ready to see more of the city. Peter and Phillip had to leave, so we went and had lunch together in Chinatown. It was good food, I don't know if it's better than the Orient Wok Chop Suey in Glen Carbon though. We walked around Chinatown for a bit and then we parted ways. They are headed up north, I may run into them again?? I made my way to downtown and then caught the bus to the Haight district. What a cool section of town, you could almost feel the 60's vibe. I made my way to Golden Gate Park and checked that out. There were lots of people in the park enjoying the sun and taking in some extra-curricular activities. I of course had to find a spot in the sun and take it all in as well. The park is huge, I got a little lost and did a lot of walking before I found my way out. Last night, I went to the North Beach neighborhood and got some dinner. I met up with Ben and Sophie at their hostel and we hung out for awhile. They are headed to Seattle, Vancouver and then Jamaica. It was really good seeing them again, they are very nice people. It sometimes sucks knowing you'll probably never see these people again in your life. I know I've only known them for a few weeks now, but I do feel like we're friends.
Today, I have to check out of the hostel. I'm spending the evening with Cory Dagner, this should be fun. He lives in Martinez, a suburb of the city. I'll probably leave there tomorrow and head north to the Redwood National Forest. Maybe do a little more camping, I don't have any plans. I should be in Portland by early/mid next week.
I hope this finds everyone doing well. I think all the pictures are updated. Sorry about so many Yosemite pics, I just couldn't narrow it down anymore. Believe it or not, I actually have more.
Have a great weekend!
Dough
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
Whew, Back to Civilization
Wow, where to begin. It feels like I've been out of touch with people for so long.
Last Friday, I picked up Bo at the bus station and we started our trek to Yosemite National Park. First stop...Wal Mart. Bo had never been to a Wal Mart, so it was kinda funny. He was amazed at the size and selection Wal Mart had to offer. I brought a tent and that's about all for camping. We both needed to buy sleeping bags and I went ahead and bought a stove, pots and pans, and a cooler, I figure I'll use it all again somewhere down the line. If you need camping supplies, go to Wal Mart. Sleeping bag was $8, the stove was less than $20. Bo and I couldn't believe how cheap stuff was. Of course neither one of us made a list of stuff we will need as far as food and such, so we just wonder around picking up stuff. We finally made it out of there and we were loaded down.
Yosemite books their campsites 6 mos. in advance. They said they are completely booked within hours of them releasing the sites. They have a few first come first serve campsites high up in the park. We heard we must get there early to get those too. Knowing this, we knew we could have trouble finding a spot, but we're both optimistic people. That night, we knew we probably wouldn't get a place in the park so we decided to try some sites we heard about just outside the park along the Merced river. We drive about two miles down a one lane rock road that hugs the mountain and the river, it was a little scary at times. We were not finding anything, everything was taken. By this time, it was starting to get a little dark and we knew we had to find something quick. Finally, we come across a spot along the river that had a flat area just big enough for a tent, so we took it. We knew it wasn't really a campsite, but we had no other choice. We had to get up early to try and get a spot inside the park anyway, surely the ranger wouldn't be by that early.
That night was great, we were literally steps away from the river. When it got dark, it was really dark. Sitting along the riverside, we saw a lot of bats flying around, it was pretty cool. Then, I saw something out of the corner of my eye. I couldn't quite make it out, it ran away too fast. Keep in mind, we were both a little on edge sleeping out there with all of the bear talk around. Everywhere you look, there's signs about bears. A little later we hear something again. We shine the light and it's a skunk. I about freaked out, I would rather wrestle a bear than get sprayed by a skunk...that is until I saw the bear...keep reading. Anyway, Bo has no idea about skunks. He thought it was funny that I was that freaked out about a little skunk, I then had to tell him all about them and what they do. The skunk eventually disappeared into the night and we got some shut eye. Today as we were driving back, we came across a dead skunk. Bo quickly realized why I didn't want to piss off the skunk.
We got up about 5:30 and got on the road to Yosemite. Never saw a ranger, free nights lodging. Yosemite is a huge park, it takes forever to get anywhere. The roads are up, down, and very curvy. We get to White Wolf campground, elevation 8,000 ft., about 8:00 and luckily find a spot. We start to get set up and within the first five minutes a woman comes over and tells us were right in the area where a bear has been hanging out for awhile. Her family was actually leaving the campground because of it. That just added to our sense of adventure and excitement. We wanted to see this bear. Besides, it's just a little black bear, it's not like it's a grizzly...right? That day, we took a hike from our campground to Lakens Lake. It was a moderate hike, about 4 miles round trip. The lake is a beautiful glacier lake, the water is really clear. We hiked around one side and a little further up see this big hill which looked like it had a clearing, so we naturally start to climb up it. I'm glad we did, the view from up there was amazing. On the way back, we were going to go around the other side of the lake...surely the trail goes all the way around. Uhhh no, we had to make our own trail. Again, a little on edge, no trail, bears and mountain lions. Oh, I love adventure! We make it back, cook dinner and relaxed around the fire. We were relaxed until we hear "hey, hey!" and then this air horn goes off a couple times. You guessed it, the bear. It was somewhere in the campground, we didn't see it. If you see the bear you're just supposed to scare it away. I'm sure after the air horn, it was scared to death.
Sunday, we got up and made our way to the valley, about a 50 minute drive. This is the touristy part of the park, they have a lodge, store and visitor center. From the valley you can see: Yosemite Falls, largest waterfall in N. America and 5th largest in the world, El Capitan, the tallest granite monolith in the world, and Bridalvail Falls, just a waterfall. Again, very touristy, not really what we were looking for, but we had to see those sights. We weren't going to see Bridalvail falls until we went in the Ansel Adams gallery and saw pictures of it. We then decided we must go while we're this close. Once we get to the fall, I'm standing there looking at it and taking pictures when I hear "Eric??". I turn around and it was Peter and Phillip, the guys I met in Flagstaff. What a small world huh? We didn't know each of us were even going to Yosemite, let alone be at the same waterfall at the exact moment in time. It's still pretty weird when I think about it. We finally make it back to our camp that night and fix dinner and a fire. The campground store sold a box of wood for $10, we would just stop along the side of the road and go gather our own wood. Bo loved the idea of my "trunk" I have on my truck. You can throw anything back there.
We're sitting by the fire when we hear "hey, hey" and some screaming. You could hear the panic in the woman's voice, she was serious. This time, it was a campsite about 150 yards from ours. Several rangers came by hunting the bear, they were trying to shoot it with bean bags from a shotgun to get it out of the camps. About 11:00, a couple hours later, we were getting ready to go to bed, when I hear this heavy breathing. Keep in mind, up here at night it is very dark. I just knew it was that bear. I looked at Bo and he said he could tell by my face. He clicked on the flashlight and we saw this huge black bear. When we saw him, or her I think, she was about 70 yards away coming in our general direction. She was moving at a pretty good pace. Bo kept the light on her and neither one of us said a word. It was awesome, we got to see a wild bear run past us about 20 yards from our camp. The bear was headed towards the woods, so we didn't feel we needed to try and scare it. I can't say enough of how great that was to see. As Bo would say, "That will be stuck in my retina forever".
Yesterday, we decided to take a hike to North Dome. The hike had been recommended to us by several different people. It was about 10 miles round trip. It was a tough 10 miles too, up and down hills. It was worth it though, the views I got yesterday were priceless. It really was like you were on top of the world out on this big dome mountain. I think we were about 10,00 feet. By the time we got back, I was dead. I used muscles I didn't know I had. It was probably the best day we had. I slept like a baby last night.
We got up today, packed the truck and I dropped Bo off at Modesto to catch the Greyhound to LA. He has to leave the US on Saturday, his 90 days are up. He going to Mexico and Guatemala for the next 90 days. We had a lot of fun together the past four days, he's a great guy. I learned alot from him, and hopefully he learned a little from me...I did teach him how to build a fire. He's such a great carefree spirit. He didn't know where he was staying tonight in LA until last night, he doesn't know how he'll get around in Mexico or where he'll go. He just goes and things always work out. I think that's true for most everyone, some just want to worry and panic over the small things. In the long run, things always work out.
I arrived here in San Francisco this afternoon. It's a balmy 68 degrees today. The first thing I did was take a shower!! I hadn't showered since last Friday, I was feeling pretty gross. Now I'm showered, refreshed, the blog is updated and now I'll go see what San Francisco has to offer me...no gay jokes needed. I'm staying at the HI in Fishermans Wharf. It's a nice hostel, just like a hotel except it's only $27 a night. So far, the place seems a little stuffy. It's too much like a hotel. The only reason I'm staying here is for the free parking. Anywhere else in the city is $20 a day to park. If it don't get better, I'm going to switch to the Green Tortoise hostel and just leave my car here since I got a parking pass thru Friday. Pretty smart huh?
Hope everyone has a happy 4th!
Dough
P.S. I'll try to work on pics tonight. I have waaay to many, and I know you don't want to look at all of them. I'm going to filter them and pick out the good ones. I have some really good ones too. Stay tuned!
Last Friday, I picked up Bo at the bus station and we started our trek to Yosemite National Park. First stop...Wal Mart. Bo had never been to a Wal Mart, so it was kinda funny. He was amazed at the size and selection Wal Mart had to offer. I brought a tent and that's about all for camping. We both needed to buy sleeping bags and I went ahead and bought a stove, pots and pans, and a cooler, I figure I'll use it all again somewhere down the line. If you need camping supplies, go to Wal Mart. Sleeping bag was $8, the stove was less than $20. Bo and I couldn't believe how cheap stuff was. Of course neither one of us made a list of stuff we will need as far as food and such, so we just wonder around picking up stuff. We finally made it out of there and we were loaded down.
Yosemite books their campsites 6 mos. in advance. They said they are completely booked within hours of them releasing the sites. They have a few first come first serve campsites high up in the park. We heard we must get there early to get those too. Knowing this, we knew we could have trouble finding a spot, but we're both optimistic people. That night, we knew we probably wouldn't get a place in the park so we decided to try some sites we heard about just outside the park along the Merced river. We drive about two miles down a one lane rock road that hugs the mountain and the river, it was a little scary at times. We were not finding anything, everything was taken. By this time, it was starting to get a little dark and we knew we had to find something quick. Finally, we come across a spot along the river that had a flat area just big enough for a tent, so we took it. We knew it wasn't really a campsite, but we had no other choice. We had to get up early to try and get a spot inside the park anyway, surely the ranger wouldn't be by that early.
That night was great, we were literally steps away from the river. When it got dark, it was really dark. Sitting along the riverside, we saw a lot of bats flying around, it was pretty cool. Then, I saw something out of the corner of my eye. I couldn't quite make it out, it ran away too fast. Keep in mind, we were both a little on edge sleeping out there with all of the bear talk around. Everywhere you look, there's signs about bears. A little later we hear something again. We shine the light and it's a skunk. I about freaked out, I would rather wrestle a bear than get sprayed by a skunk...that is until I saw the bear...keep reading. Anyway, Bo has no idea about skunks. He thought it was funny that I was that freaked out about a little skunk, I then had to tell him all about them and what they do. The skunk eventually disappeared into the night and we got some shut eye. Today as we were driving back, we came across a dead skunk. Bo quickly realized why I didn't want to piss off the skunk.
We got up about 5:30 and got on the road to Yosemite. Never saw a ranger, free nights lodging. Yosemite is a huge park, it takes forever to get anywhere. The roads are up, down, and very curvy. We get to White Wolf campground, elevation 8,000 ft., about 8:00 and luckily find a spot. We start to get set up and within the first five minutes a woman comes over and tells us were right in the area where a bear has been hanging out for awhile. Her family was actually leaving the campground because of it. That just added to our sense of adventure and excitement. We wanted to see this bear. Besides, it's just a little black bear, it's not like it's a grizzly...right? That day, we took a hike from our campground to Lakens Lake. It was a moderate hike, about 4 miles round trip. The lake is a beautiful glacier lake, the water is really clear. We hiked around one side and a little further up see this big hill which looked like it had a clearing, so we naturally start to climb up it. I'm glad we did, the view from up there was amazing. On the way back, we were going to go around the other side of the lake...surely the trail goes all the way around. Uhhh no, we had to make our own trail. Again, a little on edge, no trail, bears and mountain lions. Oh, I love adventure! We make it back, cook dinner and relaxed around the fire. We were relaxed until we hear "hey, hey!" and then this air horn goes off a couple times. You guessed it, the bear. It was somewhere in the campground, we didn't see it. If you see the bear you're just supposed to scare it away. I'm sure after the air horn, it was scared to death.
Sunday, we got up and made our way to the valley, about a 50 minute drive. This is the touristy part of the park, they have a lodge, store and visitor center. From the valley you can see: Yosemite Falls, largest waterfall in N. America and 5th largest in the world, El Capitan, the tallest granite monolith in the world, and Bridalvail Falls, just a waterfall. Again, very touristy, not really what we were looking for, but we had to see those sights. We weren't going to see Bridalvail falls until we went in the Ansel Adams gallery and saw pictures of it. We then decided we must go while we're this close. Once we get to the fall, I'm standing there looking at it and taking pictures when I hear "Eric??". I turn around and it was Peter and Phillip, the guys I met in Flagstaff. What a small world huh? We didn't know each of us were even going to Yosemite, let alone be at the same waterfall at the exact moment in time. It's still pretty weird when I think about it. We finally make it back to our camp that night and fix dinner and a fire. The campground store sold a box of wood for $10, we would just stop along the side of the road and go gather our own wood. Bo loved the idea of my "trunk" I have on my truck. You can throw anything back there.
We're sitting by the fire when we hear "hey, hey" and some screaming. You could hear the panic in the woman's voice, she was serious. This time, it was a campsite about 150 yards from ours. Several rangers came by hunting the bear, they were trying to shoot it with bean bags from a shotgun to get it out of the camps. About 11:00, a couple hours later, we were getting ready to go to bed, when I hear this heavy breathing. Keep in mind, up here at night it is very dark. I just knew it was that bear. I looked at Bo and he said he could tell by my face. He clicked on the flashlight and we saw this huge black bear. When we saw him, or her I think, she was about 70 yards away coming in our general direction. She was moving at a pretty good pace. Bo kept the light on her and neither one of us said a word. It was awesome, we got to see a wild bear run past us about 20 yards from our camp. The bear was headed towards the woods, so we didn't feel we needed to try and scare it. I can't say enough of how great that was to see. As Bo would say, "That will be stuck in my retina forever".
Yesterday, we decided to take a hike to North Dome. The hike had been recommended to us by several different people. It was about 10 miles round trip. It was a tough 10 miles too, up and down hills. It was worth it though, the views I got yesterday were priceless. It really was like you were on top of the world out on this big dome mountain. I think we were about 10,00 feet. By the time we got back, I was dead. I used muscles I didn't know I had. It was probably the best day we had. I slept like a baby last night.
We got up today, packed the truck and I dropped Bo off at Modesto to catch the Greyhound to LA. He has to leave the US on Saturday, his 90 days are up. He going to Mexico and Guatemala for the next 90 days. We had a lot of fun together the past four days, he's a great guy. I learned alot from him, and hopefully he learned a little from me...I did teach him how to build a fire. He's such a great carefree spirit. He didn't know where he was staying tonight in LA until last night, he doesn't know how he'll get around in Mexico or where he'll go. He just goes and things always work out. I think that's true for most everyone, some just want to worry and panic over the small things. In the long run, things always work out.
I arrived here in San Francisco this afternoon. It's a balmy 68 degrees today. The first thing I did was take a shower!! I hadn't showered since last Friday, I was feeling pretty gross. Now I'm showered, refreshed, the blog is updated and now I'll go see what San Francisco has to offer me...no gay jokes needed. I'm staying at the HI in Fishermans Wharf. It's a nice hostel, just like a hotel except it's only $27 a night. So far, the place seems a little stuffy. It's too much like a hotel. The only reason I'm staying here is for the free parking. Anywhere else in the city is $20 a day to park. If it don't get better, I'm going to switch to the Green Tortoise hostel and just leave my car here since I got a parking pass thru Friday. Pretty smart huh?
Hope everyone has a happy 4th!
Dough
P.S. I'll try to work on pics tonight. I have waaay to many, and I know you don't want to look at all of them. I'm going to filter them and pick out the good ones. I have some really good ones too. Stay tuned!
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