Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Gila Cliff Dwellings, NM
08/30/2011
Today, after stopping to make breakfast and do the “bag explosion,” the tortoise went to the Gila Cliff Dwellings.
Constructed of clay mortar and beams cut in the 1280s, the Gila Cliff Dwellings were home to the ancient Mogollon civilization between the years of 150 and 1400.
Up inside the caves you can walk around and see the dwellings where the Mogollon people lived, but no touching - this degrades the surfaces and makes them look totally different.
After exploring the ancient civilization we headed to the local KOA campground for the night. The campground pool was a refreshing addition to the increased comfort of stopping for the night. After some egg drop soup with rice and some drinks by the fire, thunder and lightning started closing in and it wasn't long before the rains came. Later things cleared up and would have been perfect for sleeping in my hammock had I not already gone to sleep in the bus...
Monday, August 29, 2011
Grand Canyon, AZ
08/29/2011
Today the Green Tortoise arrived at the Grand Canyon and had another “bag explosion” before everyone headed over to Mather Point. After the first point everyone walked and took the shuttle to the other lookouts at Bright Angel Lodge, Yaki Point and Hermit Rest ending inevitably at the restaurant for some cafeteria style grub.
Finally, many rested for a while and then walked over to the canyon for sunset.
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Zion & Vegas
08/27/2011
Today the Green Tortoise stopped at a store called Smiths for breakfast. This provided a good opportunity to make food from scratch and save - many sandwiches can be made for the same price it costs to buy one already made. After undoing “the miracle” we headed for Zion National Park in Utah. A few of us used the shuttle there and got off at the junction for a swimming hole with a waterfall. In the 100* heat it felt amazing which almost made up for the 3-4 liters of water needed every few hours just to keep hydrated. In fact, the intensity of the heat this time of year makes hiking Zion a bit of a feat. Fortunately, Green Tortoise trips generally attract more adventurous and outdoorsy types, so many actually seemed to welcome the challenge. Up on the left side of the falls Bonnie and I found a waterfall… okay more of a painful water powered beating. Bonnie didn't even hesitate and went down smiling the whole way, something I took as a good sign and quickly followed... some people smile through pain. A better idea is to go to the bottom of the slide and swim against the current; this is a fun and much safer way to experience the powerful current of the waterfall.
On the shuttle back to camp some guys from Vegas were very informative - just goes to show that being social while traveling can be a great asset. After dinner some played with a Frisbee and later set up the “cuddle puddle” - a collection of cushions from the bus laid out on a tarp so campers can sleep under the stars. I set up my hammock for the first time and slept on that. As it got dark the sky flickered with lightning. Ear plugs worked to drown out the frogs and any resounding thunder, but a little later it spit a bit like it had down many times during the day. This sent everyone on the “cuddle puddle” running for the bus but, as expected, the increased humidity didn't last.
08/28/2011
This morning I woke up extra early to prepare for the hike. Setting out early made it possible to do the Angel's Landing hike before getting toasted by the scorching sun too much. At the top Bonnie and I fed the chipmunks trail mix and one suicidal daredevil dove off the cliff after a peanut… it probably grabbed on the wall on its way down though, probably. On the way back some of us stopped to eat at the cafe and then headed back to the bus to lay in the shade.
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| Cool wildlife |
After popping over to Las Vegas in Nevada there were many things to see, but only six hours to see them. After wasting time looking for the diagonal elevators at the Luxor, the Vegas sign, and getting lost in the Miracle Mile Shops it was time to phone a friend. After dropping into Caesars palace for the talking statues and getting footage of the Bellagio fountains on the way, a local friend provided a short ride down to the Fremont Experience AKA old Vegas, where all the best FREE and reasonably priced entertainment can be found. Over at Fremont live street shows include shadow bands and motorcycles driving around in a ball and if you want to do something fun a zip line ("flying fox" for you Aussies) takes you almost the whole length of Fremont Street for $20. When your turn comes it is highly recommended that you ask the assistants to push extra hard, you'll be glad you did. Also, if you're hungry you won't want to miss the Fremont Casino Buffet which offers a whole range of choices from steak to Crème brûlée for only $12-15 in the evening.
After all of this the six hour allotment was surely running out and the time to leave or be left was near. Back at the bus many began to vie for the chance to experience the wonder and excitement of sleeping on a shelf (bunks hanging from the ceiling)… nights of relative comfort for the vertically gifted were numbered. Hey, beats paying for a hotel room and having to drive during the day!
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Friday, August 26, 2011
San Francisco & Alcatraz
08/25/2011
Today's the day, the journey from Seattle to the rest of America begins! As with any major travel, the experiences begin at the airport. First new experience - you know that vertical license issued by the state before you turn 21? Not accepted at airport restaurants. Even if it says "turns 21 in 1942" you have to have the horizontal one or they won't sell you a drink... pretty ridiculous considering that most countries don't even care as long as you can reach over the counter. Anyways, another thing to keep in mind when traveling is the people. While eating at Chilis you might say hello to Steve, an oil worker from Alaska, who tells you of his plans to retire in Thailand on social security. All you have to do in order to renew your visa is cross the border to Laos everyday - not bad considering that you can live out the rest of your days like a king there for pennies. Steve also invests in Gibraltar stocks where the returns are apparently very competitive.
After arriving in San Francisco I took a bus to my hostel. Many will take a taxi to get up North, but why do that when buses only cost $5? Remember to thank your driver. After hopping off the bus it's only a few blocks walk to the Green Tortoise hostel. After checking in, hostel mates Deanna and Trudy from Australia suggested joining them for pizza which was only $3 with a coke because of the hostel discount. Back at the hostel they opened a keg and started racing crabs. The hostel put little flags on hermit crabs and had everyone split into teams. Which ever crab won, that team got a bottle of two buck chuck. After many very confusing races all with different rules, my team won the free bottle of wine!While celebrating some of the others from the upcoming cross America trip starting appearing. After some spirited discussions on politics and killing off the wine everyone watched in amazement as gymnastics wizard, Adnon showed off his yoga skills. At one point I volunteered to climb up on his shoulders and waved my arms around a bit. After people nervously watching started to panic I jumped back down. Back at the room a new guy named Justice had arrived. Funny, two very fitting career choices come to mind, one carries a gun and the other a gavel.
08/26/2011
This morning I went to Alcatraz. After a short ferry ride this is a former prison facility turned museum. Specialized tours are available by local guides, but the audio tour takes you throughout the main facility. After over an hour of walking around listening to the history of the island and stories from the days when notorious inmates Al Capone, George "machine gun" Kelly, and Robert Stroud "Birdman of Alcatraz" roamed the facility, a ferry ride back to freedom and food sounds pretty good. On the way back I stopped for a 20 minute video presentation… which made me miss the 12:55p boat. I was hungry so this was not good, for the next half hour I was a prisoner on Alcatraz.
Upon arriving back in the land of the free the crab bisque bread bowl at Boudin’s Bread was a treat. After a good meal some free sites to see (cost $10 to actually go inside) are the S.S. Jeremiah O’Brien Liberty Ship and the USS Pampanito Submarine. Next, the Musee Mechanique is a museum full of old mechanical attractions and arcade games. Finally, a walk down the Wharf and it's break time. After resting back at the hostel some Dim Sum at the House of Dim Sum makes a good snack.
Later on, everyone headed for the bus and after a long info session (one of many to come) the Green Tortoise departed San Francisco for Zion National Park in Utah. After leaving everyone found buddies for the buddy system and some of us played cards for a while including a version of Rummy similar to Gin Rummy that we later referred to as English Rummy.
After a couple hours the bus stopped so everyone could eat and do “the miracle” where we changed the seats into beds for sleeping. The sleeping areas were designated as the “caves” (under the tables), “tables” (on top of tables), “mosh pits” (on front and back platforms), and “bunks” (up on shelves hanging from the roof of the bus by chains). Bunks aren't as quiet as the other spots, especially the caves, but you get a whole sleeping quarter to yourself which is a big plus for tall people. Up in the bunk it seemed like the driver was falling asleep because the bus kept hitting the center median and roadside bump strips. According to the driver, the bus is just really wide which makes it hard to drive perfectly within these two noise strips.
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