Retroactive Travel Post - Coal Trains

One thing that was really interesting about trip out west was that we got to see a lot of trains, all of the same variety - coal trains. I'd read an interesting story about coal trains by John Mcphee where he follows and studies the ones that fuel the insatiable electrical needs of this country, and it's nothing short of fascinating. You may be familiar with the whole culture of trainspotting, and for good reason. Trains are amazing.

The largest coal mine in the country is in Wyoming, right around where we were in Plains. I'm guessing there are more in the S. Dakota area, and we saw two in Utah. In fact, at one point when we were driving through some of the canyons, we literally drove right by one, complete with its own train depot. I sort of get off on stuff like that.

These trains run 24 hours a day and carry millions of pounds of coal to electricity plants all over the country. They are a mile long and weigh upwards of 30,000 tons. The sheer scale of it all is beyond my comprehension. We saw these trains everywhere, and they followed the same pattern. The empties were heading west, and the full trains were going east. Makes you realize what really makes this country run, and how far we really are from addressing the global warming issues. We spend so much time and energy worried about car emissions and don't give a second thought to leaving the lights on. Electric cars are considered the solution to global warming when in fact it's all part of the same problem - people.

When you think about places like New York City or Las Vegas and the incredible amount of power they use, or should I say waste, it boggles the mind.

Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to Erno Bärlund for the pic.

Retroactive Travel Post - Day 12 - Bryce Canyon

We couldn't seem to get out of our campsite soon enough. That whacky camp manager wouldn't leave us alone, and every time I heard that golf cart in the distance, it filled my heart with dread as I knew the guy was going to stop by. At one point, he opened the hood of the rental car to see what kind of engine it had. I'm telling you, that guy was a little off. When you talked to him you could tell there was something misfiring a little upstairs. Maybe he got kicked in the head by a cow on the farm growing up. And to top it off, he was boasting incessantly about his wife, whom he married when she was 17. Too much information for a guy who is supposed to collect our camping fee and leave it at that. I was tempted to complain to the park service.

We got out of there and headed for Bryce Canyon, but it was quite a trek. Realizing that we were subjecting the kids to an enormous amount of driving, R decided to take a detour and check out Dinosaur National Park. Kids love dinosaurs, right? Well, sort of. They love to see big reptiles with sharp teeth and massive tails, but in reality, those are simply dramatic representations of what they believe they looked like. To really appreciate the study of dinosaurs, and for any fossil for that matter, you have to have a passion for the minutiae of it all.

Paleontology is hard, tedious work, and the general public's impression of it is largely based on Hollywood and the dramatic final product of scientist's hard work. I learned this first hand when I worked at the Museum of Natural History in NYC and got to actually go on a fossil dig. I was really excited, but after taking part in the actual hands-on work, which entailed a lot of time on your hands and knees sifting through sand and stone for tiny pieces of bone that looked like dirt, I got over it immediately. The whole field is glamorized by the likes of Indiana Jones and Jurassic Park, but in reality, the work was pretty dull. It doesn't help that I'm a whiny baby who also contracted some killer eczema from the stinging nettles that were everywhere.

Anyway, I'm not sure what the kids were expecting, but I had a feeling it might not have been what we saw. Dinosaur National Park is situated deep in the Utah desert, literally in the middle of nowhere. It is apparently a fairly significant quarry, and you get to get up close and personal with the fossils, which for the untrained eye, look just like rocks. In fact, under ordinary circumstances, we would have walked right by them.

There is a short trail you can walk along, where they highlight some of the bones, and best of all, A&N got to become junior rangers/paleontologists. I shouldn't knock it, they had fun and got a huge kick out of getting their badges. The problem was the side trip took way longer than we'd anticipated. What was supposed to be short one hour thing turned into almost four hours. Ouch!

We're glad we did it, it was fun, but now we had to make up for lost time and get to Bryce Canyon. We had a long way to go, and wanted to get there before dark so we could set up our camp.

Of course, we failed.

We did get to see the Big Rock Candy Mountain, which is actually yellow! I'm not sure if this is some sort of official thing, but it was pretty cool, it really looks like candy.

We hit Bryce Canyon pretty late, and then we had to find a campsite. According to the map, there are campsites all over the park, but we found out later that they are in fact off-trail and require hiking and serious gear. We weren't ready for that, so we pulled into the main grounds near the entrance and pitched out tent in the dark. We were beat, but it's always nice to reach your next "home" and rest your head on the ground.

Until the next time, thanks for reading.

Trip to NYC Looming

I realized that we have Macy's cards that my mom gave us about about 3 years ago and we haven't used. There's a fair amount of money on them, but there are no Macy's nearby, so we never use them. We took a few trips to Burlington, where there was a Macy's, and still couldn't figure out what to do with them. We hate shopping. We thought of kid's clothes, but the stuff they sell there seems to be trashy for girls and hoodlum for boys. Not our style. We tend to opt for the New England functional look.

And, there's simply no matching the Macy's in NYC. I love that place, even if you don't buy anything, it's such a huge store, you just gotta experience it. Since we'll be in the city, why not give it a go? I figured we could pick up a food processor there that will help us in our chopping endeavors. I've also found that Macy's in NYC is cheaper than elsewhere because they have a lot more sales and there is stiff competition in the Big Apple. This is why food is so much cheaper in New York, though you wouldn't think this would be the case. But it is.

We finally got a hotel and ended up going to New Jersey, a fact that would mortify my cousins and would have mortified me when I lived there, but when you have kids, you can make it into a fun trip. This is because you need to take a train (the Path) into the city, and the kids will get a huge kick out of that. Plus, the hotel has a pool, which is a bonus, not to mention an incentive to get back to the hotel. We'll see how this plays out.

My cousin just had a baby, too. I'm not sure if we'll get to see them because they are the ultimate in hip New Yorkers. They work in fashion and they all write for the Huffington Post, so they are the real deal. Because of this, they rub elbows with the intellectual and literary elite and can't waste their time with country folks like us that wear Carhartt's and LL Bean. This, however, works in our favor because we don't want to be bogged down with social obligations. Besides, they'll be too exhausted and wrapped up in parental bliss to even care.

So until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to Mark Anderson for the pic.

Whoopie Pie Mania, Bagels, and Gainful Employment

We have been experiencing whoopie pie mania over here, and it's easy to see how you can become addicted to them, especially in light of all the butter and sugar that goes into making them. In the quest for a continual supply of deserts around the house, and in an effort to have a better idea about what sort of foods we eat, we try out best to make the things we like. This is not always easy, and for that matter, not always possible, but for the most part, if you take the time and do a little research, you can figure out how to make most things. Especially when it comes to food, though you want to avoid the Martha Stewart recipes because they tend to be complex and involved.

With this in mind, we love to eat whoopie pies. We just had some pumpkin ones and then it dawned on me that we should give it a go. It's actually amazingly easy, but we had to try several different recipes before we found we loved. First it was chocolate with whipped cream frosting, but the filling was way too light, like whipped cream. Then we made vanilla ones with butter cream frosting, and those were my personal favorite. Finally, we made pumpkin ones with cream cheese frosting. Not to listening to my own advice, we followed a Martha Stewart recipe, which turned out pies that were good, but a little too gourmet. The reminded me more of gingerbread, too much clove.

Anyway, it's all a learning process. We finally managed to make more pickles, as well, and now we have about 15 jars of the stuff lying around the house. I've found people like them as gifts. We wanted to make sweet relish, but it's a nightmare chopping up all that cucumber. I think a food processor is in our near future.

We have this idea of making bread for the farmers market, and of course, that means I have to get my act together. We make what I consider to be adequate, maybe good, bread, but nothing like the stuff you get at bakeries or in France that are life altering. While I'd love to make bread like that, simply so we can eat as much as we'd like, the process is rather involved. Good bread making is an art. Not wanting to devote the time, I never went there, but since we may go public, I'm going to have to get my act together. More on this later.

Finally, A&N got a job from our neighbor. They went away for a few days and the kids were hired to feed the cat and fish, and take in the mail. They were so excited, and loved watching the fish. Luckily we have two cats, so we sort of know the drill. Then again, every cat is different.

Until the next time, thanks for reading.

pies
good bagels
neighbors cat

Down to the Wire in the Big Apple

We are slated to head down to NYC this weekend and it's going down to the wire. We have yet to secure lodgings in the city, and what little is available costs and arm and a leg. We may be sacrificing a limb.

We've suffered through this in the past, sometimes on major trips. The last time we were in France, we didn't have a place to stay in Paris on our last night literally up to the point where we taking the train back to the city. We'd arranged at the last minute to stay with my cousin and her boyfriend using her cell phone on the train. BTW, I got dirty looks from the other passengers because I didn't realize we were in a "no phone" car. How was I supposed to know, all the signs are in French! Coupled with the fact that I have no clue how to use a cell phone, and I must have been a sight to behold.

Anyway, we thought of hitting up my cousins again for a place to crash since they are hip New Yorkers and are always happy to help, but my one cousin just had a baby, literally last night, and my other cousin's boyfriend is staying with her, so I can't possibly inquire about that.

So we'll wait and see. One thing is for sure, we're going down there. The only small detail that we've left out is that we're not sure where we're going to stay. We could always pitch a tent in Central Park, now that we're camping officionados after our vacation, but knowing New York, it would probably be hard to find a space because it would be too crowded.

Also, in our defense, we figured that a week and a half was enough to find a hotel, but in typical New York fashion, you have to reserve something a month in advance to even have a chance. For big events, forget about it, it's not available to the general public or working class stiffs like myself.

This should be interesting. Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to Gayle Lindgren for the pic.

Retroactive Travel Post - Day 11 - Utah

I'm beginning to not only wonder if I'll get through this travel blog, and if anyone really cares so long after the fact. It just goes to show you, it's best to blog about things while they are happening, because reheated news gets stale quickly. Also, as time passes, the details get increasingly blurry. Funny how that works.

On that note, here's more. We'd spent the night in a Yellowstone campground, which is your typical state park setting, with people all around you and wealth of RVs. In all fairness, despite the crowds, people don't bother you and keep to themselves. They respect what little space you have. Besides, they're too busy trying to get ESPN on their satellite TVs.

I woke up first as usual and set out to find firewood. We had some logs left over from Big Horn, but they weren't going to be enough, and though they sold firewood at the visitor's center, they didn't open for a couple of hours. I was told to pick up whatever dead wood I could find and use that, so I did. There was plenty of kindling all around, but not much in the way of large, long-burning logs. I wasn't in any position to complain, so I brought back a pretty good pile.

We got a good fire going and the had the usual breakfast of hot dogs and some fruit. The grounds were reasonably nice, though I learned something interesting. Yellowstone is a National Park, but the everyday operations are contracted out to a private company that bids for the job. Since they set prices and make the rules, they can charge you an arm and a leg for supplies, which they do. I ended paying about $1.00 for each piece of wood, and it was pine! The stuff is lying around everywhere and they are shamelessly extorting the general public for it. I was incensed, but when in Rome...

By the time we had packed up the car, I was pretty much over my Yellowstone experience. I've been told by a number of reliable sources that Yellowstone is best when you leave the populated places and head for more isolated grounds. That, however, requires serious camping gear and off-trail camping, which are not ready for... yet!

Even the drive out of Yellowstone was a chore (I know, I know, I'm being a whiny baby). The traffic was terrible, and they were doing road construction so it literally took us 45 minutes to get through a certain pass. Bummer. We were looking forward to the open road.

We passed through the Tetons, which are beautiful, though we didn't really have time to sit around and enjoy them because we had to get to Utah before dark. I'm told they are actually nicer than Yellowstone, but that's for another time.

When we'd finally exited the National Park, we were once again on the open road and heading into Jackson Hole, WY. Growing up skiing in California, I'd always heard about Jackson Hole, to the point where it took on an almost mythical aura, and here we were, driving through it. The town is tiny but kind of cool. Very hip, as well. You can see how the rich and famous like to go there, and they even have their own airport.

We stopped for gas (which also sold firewood) and were struck by how many of these towns we passed through were run by young Russians. We'd seen them before in towns like Burlington, Cape Cod, and even Martha's Vineyard, but we were all the way out west. You sort of wonder how they ended up where they did.

From Jackson Hole, we spent about ten minutes in Idaho before we entered Utah. One thing that really made an impression on me on our trip was how all these states all look the same. They are picturesque in a bleak sort of way, just thousands of miles of desert. There are pockets of green, especially as you get to the higher elevations, but for the most part, you could be in the Mojave Desert (that's in California, for those of you who don't know) and you wouldn't know the difference. It's very inhospitable, though I know some people are avid fans of desert climates.

Since we'd spent so much time getting out of Yellowstone and the Tetons, we didn't have loads of time and found a camp site near the border. It was actually a beautiful site that overlooked a reservoir, the name of which eludes me at the moment. I believe it was a state park, and it was clean but eerily vacant. And to make matters worse, the manager's husband was this strange fellow who latched onto us like velcro and wouldn't let go. A good example of paying the price for being nice. I chatted with him for a bit and bought some of his firewood (as opposed to what the park was offering) and then he wanted to move in with us.

Even then, it might not have been so bad if he didn't keep flying off the deep end about his religion and prophets and sin. It sort of reminded me of religious zealots who come knocking at your door and want to have bible study in your mud room. I'm all for freedom of religion and can respect people's faith, but much less so when they're trying to cram it down your throat.

I found this guy to be completely unprofessional and a little bit worrisome because he kept stopping by. It made out stay there anxious and tense, which is a shame because the site was beautiful. Also, I was convinced he pocketed our camp fees and undercut the park service by selling his own wood instead of theirs.

Either way, at some point the guy had to eat and sleep, and he finally went away. We built a nice fire using his garbage wood (why the heck did I buy it?), had a nice supper and went to sleep. I kept my ax handle nearby in case our new friend decided to pay us a late night visit, which he did not.
One final note, the campgrounds were full of deer and rabbits, which we got a huge kick out of. The deer walked right past our site. How cool is that?

Serendipity and Funny How Things Work Out

We had a crazy day yesterday, and just when it seems like everything is falling to pieces, things have this amazing way of working out. Every now and then, some days more than others, serendipity shines its light on you.

We took R into work because we needed the car to go to riding and dance. After we dropped her off, the plan was to hit LaValley's, set up a contractor's account in order to feel like I knew what I was doing (and to get the fat 5% discount), order sheathing, siding, and Tyvek, and then go home. Of course, things rarely work out the way you plan them.

We want to get to work ASAP on the barn, so I figured the sooner we get supplies, the sooner I can break out into a sweat. What I didn't realize was that setting up an account at LaValley's takes up to a week. Bummer. And to top it off, it was going to be hard to get all the wood we needed, though it baffles me how people build houses sometimes. We were looking to get tongue and groove boards for the siding of the barn. Since the walls are eight feet high, we figured we'd need eight foot boards, because you want to minimize the seams where water can get in. The guys at LaValleys looked at me like I was crazy. They said it's impossible to get the number of boards I needed in a uniform size. You have to take what they have and deal with having seams.

I was bummed because I had anticipated things going so smoothly, and now nothing was working. The one bright spot, and this is a huge bright spot, was that H from Britton's now works at LaValley's. H is one of those guys who is so helpful and knowledgeable that you shop at a store just to get to see him. When he left Britton's, I was so disappointed, but now here he was. We talked and he explained the problem, so I put off ordering supplies and went to see out the wood I needed.

Funny thing is, when I called around, they gave me the same story. You just can't get uniform lengths in the quantities that we need. Back to square one. I was beginning to accept the idea of having seams, that's what calking is for, right?

Anyway, this would have been much simpler if we didn't have dance class and riding to deal with, as well. And here's where we got a few favorable breaks, though one came with mixed emotions. Because enrollment in her class was so small, they actually canceled it. This is not a good thing, but it gave me more time, at least for that day. On a side note, the teacher told me that she thought A was a joy to teach and that she was very creative and a wonderful student. This was completely unprompted by me, mind you.

The second event was that her riding teacher called and said she really needed to reschedule her lesson for later that day. More time for us to deal with building issues. So we went with it.

I spoke with my Mentor and he came up with the brilliant idea of buying the T&G boards that they had in the lengths we needed and then going back next week to buy it up all over again. Why didn't I think of that?

So the plan had changed to the following - take A to riding, jet over to LaValley's and order the supplies, pick up A and then head over to play racquetball until we picked up mom. Is that crazy enough for you?

Well, it turns out that in terms of T&G, LaValley's had none in stock, they were sold out. I'd had enough, so we just bought the sheathing and Tyvek. Those two will provide adequate coverage, and we can work on the siding later. They are supposed to deliver the goods today, but until it's actually on our property, I won't take anything for granted. Then again, we still need to put the stuff on. I think I need more tools and supplies.

Until then, thanks for reading.