On our way back from Huang Shan, we stopped and visited an ancient walled city called She Xian. while much of the city is modern (relatively speaking), a lot of it has been preserved as it has been for hundreds of years. A truly authentic cultural experience, not one that most tourists would get, and one we certainly wouldn't have had without Eric and Debbie as our tour guides.

Posted by docrpm on 01.21.08 at 5:19 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

January 20, 2008

China 2007 :: summer palace

file under: travel
tags: china

during our stay in Beijing, we visited the spectactular Summer Palace, playground for the emperors. it's a massive complex, with more than 200 buildings, scattered around several man-made lakes.

Posted by docrpm on 01.20.08 at 12:20 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

January 19, 2008

China 2007 :: shanghai

file under: travel
tags: china

five days in Shanghai wasn't nearly enough to sample this huge metropolis, but it was enough to get a sense of things. we had an absolutely fantastic time here, ending our trip with a stay in the Grand Hyatt Pudong.

Posted by docrpm on 01.19.08 at 5:06 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

January 14, 2008

China 2007 :: huang shan

file under: travel
tags: china

of all the segments of our trip to China, i have to say that our visit to the mountain region known as Huang Shan was the most memorable. Elaine, Bernie, Eric, Debbie and I spend a total of three fantastic days in this indescribable place. i hope these photos can help convey what we experienced.

Posted by docrpm on 01.14.08 at 10:55 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

December 19, 2007

China 2007 :: Temple of Heaven

file under: travel
tags: china

Photos from the Temple of Heaven in Beijing, including shots like this where Elaine impersonates a Russian fashion diva.

Posted by docrpm on 12.19.07 at 11:09 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

China 2007 :: hutongs

file under: travel
tags: china

The latest set of photos from our China trip has been posted, this one a collection of shots from our tours of the Beijing hutongs.

Posted by docrpm on 12.19.07 at 11:05 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

November 26, 2007

China 2007 :: Forbidden City

file under: travel
tags: china

I've posted photos from high-speed jaunt Elaine and I took in the Forbidden City. as usual, i'm filled with intentions of writing a blog post about it.

Posted by docrpm on 11.26.07 at 11:10 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

November 18, 2007

China 2007 :: A day in beijing

file under: travel
tags: china

just posted another batch of China photos to Flickr: our second day in Beijing, with visits to a few temples and an ancient observatory. trust me...i'll start writing blog entries about this soon.

Posted by docrpm on 11.18.07 at 10:59 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

November 17, 2007

Space invaders tag the Brooklyn Bridge

file under: travel

last week i was in New York for business, and manged to finagle a few extra days so that i could hang out with my friend Chookyfuzzbang and see my childhood buddy Michael. i spent all of my time in manhattan and brooklyn and generally had a fantastic trip, despite being a bit cold and getting totally soaked with rain one night. new york remains one of my favorite "places-to-visit-but-you-wouldn't-want-to-live-there."

...

during the business part of the trip, i shared a room with my buddy Seth at the Hotel on Rivington on the lower-east side. highlights include all black hallways that are perpetually dark, groovy designer flourishes, and a bar called Thor. it was a fun place to stay, and pretty centrally located; we also had a fantastic view from our 15th floor room.

after my business was done, the trip was spent eating, drinking, and walking, which is pretty much what you do in Manhattan. highlights include:

• hanging out with Chooky and his two kids Sophia and Caden (whom i dubbed The Chairman because of his cute little blue chair and his generally regal manner)
• dinner with my friend Michael and his girlfriend Ise
• a hot pastrami sandwich from Carnegie's deli in midtown
• walking across the Brooklyn bridge
• strolling the streets of Soho and watching polished black Escalades shuttle the rich from gallery to gallery
• a visit to the Guggenheim, where a great show of Richard Price's work was on display
• strolling around Tribeca, which i had never really seen before
• the helicopter we took from JFK to midtown (one of the perks of business travel with a nice boss)
• bar-hopping with Chooky (Backroom and Angels' Share), which ended with us eating awesome yakitori and fried calamari legs at 3am

it had been nearly 10 years since i'd been to manhattan, and while many things changed, so much was still the same. you can change buildings and restaurants and stores, but there will always be the collection of little things that add up to make Manhattan: the alternately quirky and ultra-fashionable ways people dress, the pace of life, the sea of cabs, the byzantine subway, the feel of walking down 5th Avenue, the menagerie of incongruent people and things smashed together. there's no place else like it.

Posted by docrpm on 11.17.07 at 3:36 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)

October 28, 2007

China 2007 :: great wall

file under: travel
tags: china

i've posted the first batch of photos from our trip to China: ryan and elaine's visit to the Great Wall and Ming tombs. an entry will follow shortly that describes our fantastic day on the outskirts of Beijing.

Posted by docrpm on 10.28.07 at 10:21 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

October 7, 2007

back from China

file under: travel
tags: china

elaine and i recently returned from two fantastic weeks in China (Beijing, Huang Shan, and Shanghai). in the coming weeks, i'll be doing two things: (1) posting a whole lot of pictures to my Flickr account, and (2) writing about our experiences there. there's a lot to share, but here's the nutshell of what you can look forward to:

• Total days: 14
• Cities: 7
• Hotels: 6
• 90-story hotels that look like Gotham City: 1
• Historical sites (temples, palaces, etc.): 10
• Ridiculous mountain peaks climbed in Huang Shan: 1 (Tiendu Fang)
• Estimated number of stairs climbed in Huang Shan: 40,000
• Fellow tourists in Shanghai during visit: 4.2 million
• Blisters between me and Elaine: 3
• Huge Chinese banquets comsumed: 5
• Weirdest food: Toad saliva soup in Mango shell (yummy!)
• Great friends who joined us on trip: 1 (Bernie Dechant)
• In-law tour guides extraordinaire: 2 (thank you, Eric and Debbie)
• Companion extraordinaire: 1 (i love you, Elaine)
• General sentiment after trip: wow...can't wait to see more

please stay tuned as i gear up and start writing about some of the things we experienced!!

Posted by docrpm on 10.07.07 at 10:27 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

June 8, 2007

where we were yesterday

file under: my life , travel
tags: leisure

elaine and i just got back from the beach...hard to believe that only yesterday morning, we were sweating in 85 degree heat on a fabulous stretch of sand in playa del carmen (on the yucatan peninsula). today we're back in the fog and cool breezes of a chilly san francisco summer. did we really take a vacation, or are those someone else's feet on that beach lounge? i guess i have the photos and memories to prove that it was us, but it's so easy to slip back into the routine of daily life as if these global excursions never even happened.

Posted by docrpm on 06.08.07 at 2:36 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

November 26, 2006

kauai honeymoon photos

file under: travel

at long last, i have posted our kauai honeymoon photos. the first page of images in the gallery are all large-format panoramas; the rest of the photos are standard issue.

you might wonder why i took so many panoramas, and the answer is pretty simple: kauai is one big panorama. composite shots are the only way to partially capture just how big everything is, and they're still pretty lame in comparison to the reality. the only way to really grasp the essence and majesty of the island is to go and stand above the napali coast with your jaw on the ground...if these pictures do anything, i hope they inspire you to make the trip.

Posted by docrpm on 11.26.06 at 5:05 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack (0)

October 28, 2006

kauai preview

file under: travel

i'm going through all of our kauai honeymoon photos, doing my usual prune-and-pimp. i came across a panorama that will give you an idea of what's to come.

Click here for large image

Posted by docrpm on 10.28.06 at 12:02 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

September 25, 2005

camp mather and yosemite

file under: my life , travel

elaine and i visited camp mather and yosemite back in August. our friends paul and julia had rented a cabin for themselves and their two girls, but still had extra space. they were kind enough to invite us along, and we accepted, not really knowing what to expect.

camp mather has a long history dating back to the construction of O'Shaughnessy Dam and Hetch Hetchy reservoir, where it was used as a sawmill and a place for interested tourists to stay during construction of the dam. today, it's used as a recreational park for residents of san francisco. they have a highly competitive lottery every year for spots at the camp, and apparently it's always packed. well, it certainly was when we were there.

what follows are some of the highlights of the trip. of course, i documented nearly everything in a photo journal of camp mather and yosemite.

...

hetch hetchy and wapama falls
i'd known for some time that hetch hetchy was the primary source of san francisco's water, but didn't know much past that. i had never bothered to even see exactly where it was (it's in the northwestern part of yosemite).

it is a truly spectacular sight. of course, it should be—when the reservoir was created, it submerged an entire valley that was supposedly prettier than yosemite valley (25 miles to the south).
the dam itself is no Hoover, by any means, but it's still pretty grand. you can drive all the way up and walk out on top; look east and you see hetch hetchy reservoir stretching into the distance; look west, and you see the valley carved by the waterfall that used to be there.

Hetchy Hetchy Valley and Kolana Rock prior to being flooded

i took a total of three trips up to Hetch Hetchy while at camp mather; it's only 8 miles away, after all.

the first trip, elaine and i went up with paul and did some stargazing on the dam at night (faciltiated by camp mather; the park is normally closed at night). one highlight was the bear we saw on the road on the way up. the bats were out in force once it got dark, which meant no mosquitoes, and the stars were bright. it was a great evening.

our second trip was for a hike that elaine and i took to wapama falls (~6 miles total). it's an easy hike along hetch hetchy that provides spectacular views or kolana rock and the falls. based on behavior we saw on our way in and out i would, however, like to make a few observations:

1. no swmming in the reservoir also means no swimming in the waterfalls that feed the reservoir. i saw a whole family disrobe and jump right in, just like it was the swimmin' hole back on the farm (or something).


2. guys, don't let your girlfriends take the hike in cute little sandals (no matter how well they coordinate with the rest of her outfit)


3. girls, don't listen to your boyfriends or spouses or resident male experts when they say "it's not that far – why are you wearing hiking boots and carrying water? you must think i'm a sissy or something."


4. dads, don't make your kids and/or wives carry gallon containers of water without backpacks; bad form, really...

the third trip was a day hike with john, paul, and their three girls, collectively. this was on the next–to–last day, and the ladies had gone off to do their own thing, leaving us with the kids. we figured this little excursion had the lowest probably of collective meltdown, with a good exit strategy. right on both counts: the girls loved the dam, and nobody melted down (except for a brief rampup to critical mass right before we left).

bridalveil falls
i hadn't been to bridalveil since i was a kid, so didn't really know what to expect. well, i can tell you at least one thing to expect: hordes. it was really pretty ridiculous how many people were there. it makes sense when you consider that you can park within 1/4 mile of the falls, and there is a paved, relatively flat path that leads right up to it. in a nutshell, beautiful, but jammed. the mist that sprays off the top of the falls pretty much makes up for it.

we went with paul, julia and kids, btw, expecting to continue for a short hike in the afternoon, but there was a meltdown at lunch, and they had to retreat back to camp. this is one thing we came to realize about having kids: you are not the master of your own destiny. you may think you are, but you're not. one second, everything is fine, and the next, there's screaming and shrieking and a black cloud of armageddon approaching.

we continued on to vernal falls...

vernal falls
this is a fantastic but strenuous hike. it's about 4 miles roundtrip, with perhaps a 1500 ft. vertical ascent to the falls. from that point, you can continue on to nevada falls and the john muir trail, or turn around and go back. the hike is a steep ascent along a dusty paved path; at some point, you reach a bridge that crosses the outlet from the falls, complete with bathrooms and drinking fountain. keep on heading up, and you'll eventually hit the mist trail, a beautiful section of the hike where you're showered with mist from the falls. odds are that at this point you'll be rewarded with not only a spectacular view of the falls, but also rainbows that bloom from the pond beneath. a last push up a steep set of stairs and a rock trail leads to the top of the falls. railings are provided so you can stand right next to the falls and look over the edge, along the mist trail and down the valley you just hiked up.

this trail was packed, too. jammed with people, many of whom were clearly not equipped for the hike. they were expecting a stroll along a nice little path, not a trudge up a 30 degree incline in the heat, followed by endless, steep stone stairs leading up to a narrow, rocky trail winding its way up to the falls. i heard one girl exclaim, "that was horrible!" as she trudged down the mountain. another girl coming down from the top had no shoes on (her sandals presumably didn't cut it; i saw them in her bag). i don't mind everyone and their uncle seeing the beauty of the great outdoors, but at least think about it for 12 seconds before you go out. please. if you feel down those stairs, you wouldn't just take yourself out; you'd nail about 10 other people as you went down.

sentinel dome
john, paul and i took a hike to sentinel dome one day, followed by a journey down to glacier point. sentinel dome is a bit of a drive from camp mather; maybe 45 minutes. once at the trailhead, it's only a 20 minute hike up to the dome, and an easy one at that. once on the dome, you're offered a spectacular view of half dome, vernal falls, nevada falls, upper and lower yosemite falls, and much of the valley. i recommend the hike highly.

as far as the hike to glacier point...this is another one of those packed destinations, jammed with people. it's an amazing view, but not really any better than sentinel dome. if you feel like avoiding the crowds, i'd skip it.

on our way back from the dome, we stopped in yosemite valley to see if we could catch a sight of some climbers on el capitan. as luck would have it, we did. we managed to spy a small crew of three or four making their way up the monolith. all i can really say is, "wow." those guys have cojones the size of the rock of gibraltar. either that, or they're really, really dumb.

camp mather
the camp itself is pretty nice. it's nestled in the trees, and has lots of facilities (lake, swimming pool, tennis courts, horse stables, archery range, baseball field). it also has a huge dining hall where they serve three meals a day (and the food is good, as far as these things go). the cabins themselves are pretty small, sparse, no running water, naked lightbulbs, no amenities; i think there are several different types of cabins on the grounds, but i can only comment on the one we stayed in. last but not least, communal bathrooms and showers, as well as a laundry room.

a few points, not in any order:

1. you've never seen so many bikes in your life. this place was like huffy heaven. the road past our cabin became a racetrack for the week we were there.
2. the only thing that surpasses screaming kids is screaming parents. i never saw so many parents over the edge in my life.
3. kids are always just a step or two away from completely ruining their parent's lives, or at least trying to. the periodic (and carefully timed) meltdown is de rigeur if you're under the age of 10. i swear they're like dogs—they sense fear and weakness.

***

we had a great time. i'm not sure we'll go back again before we have kids, but i heartily recommend camp mather if it's something that sounds appealing.

Posted by docrpm on 09.25.05 at 3:53 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

September 17, 2005

desolation wilderness 09.05

file under: travel

for the past three years, i've gone camping in desolation wilderness with one or more of my friends. we've been trying to make the annual camping trip a tradition. it's a good way to stay in touch with friends and nature alike.

this was the first year we've been able to coordinate an outing with the four of us who have gone over the years (bill, trevor, eric, and myself). bill's been raising kids, which has made it nigh on impossible to plan a trip with him, but this year was different—bill contacted us and said he was up for the hike. after some wrangling over maps and possible camp spots, we decided to revisit desolation wilderness. trevor and i had found what looked like a good spot last year, so it seemed a good choice for a three–day trip (easy hike in, decent day–hiking potential, known site with nearby fishing).

it was all going to be so easy.

Continue with the story or skip it and go straight to my pictures of desolation wilderness near Ralston Lake.

...

day 0: on the road to tahoe
we drove up the day before and crashed at eric's swanky family cabin in tahoe. this made for a good jumping off point, since we wanted to get on the trail early and to our site before it got too hot. we grabbed a pizza dinner and a few last–minute supplies, rationalized all of our gear, had a few beers (and other libations), and then crashed.

part of the idea of sleeping in tahoe the night before was so that we'd have one more night on a soft bed with a good night's sleep. unfortunately, bill had other ideas. he confirmed my theory about people who snore loudly: they always fall asleep fastest, making it nearly impossible for everyone else to get to sleep. i think he fell asleep before he even got into his sleeping bag; the rest was just a formality. as soon as the light was out, he started cutting down trees, and trevor and i started laughing, it was so loud. eventually trevor went in search of peace and quiet; i just laid there and dozed on and off until bill woke up at 3:330, at which point i finally got some sleep.

day 1: the hike in
our departure the next morning was later than expected (it always is), but we did manage to get to the trailhead and on the trail by 10:15am. the first sign that things might not go as expected on this trip was when we got to the trailhead at Lower Echo Lake. first, rumors that there might be a water taxi in service were exaggerated (it was closed for the winter). second, there was an arctic wind coming off the lake that did not bode well.

we set off down the trail and made good time. the pack didn't feel as heavy this year, although i was still huffing a bit on the uphills (man am i outta shape!). in about 2 hours, we made it to the Tamarack Lake trailhead, which was our exit from the Pacific Crest trail (PCT). we followed the rocky path, and ran into two forest rangers as we approached. we chatted with them for a bit, showed our wilderness permit, heard the standard spiel: packing out toilet paper, digging 8" holes for our morning ritual, and camping 200 feet from water. the main ranger we talked to was really cool: young, thin as a rail, tan, absent–mindedly pulling beef jerky strips out of his pocket to snack on.

eventually, we parted ways and continued on towards Ralston Lake, which is only a half mile from Tamarack, up over a small rise in the terrain. we crossed that divide, hiked down by the lake, and started scouting for a camp site. a beautiful point (i called it "Montauk Point", making oblique reference to William Orbit) on the lake seemed a decent candidate, but there were no campable flat spots. in fact, it seemed we would have to camp more than 200 feet from the water. after splitting up and spreading out, we eventually found a spot nestled in the trees just back from the lake. it looked like people had camped there before, so we decided to settle in.

after setting up camp, i realized i was a bit cold, chilled after the hike in. i switched into warmer clothes and decided to get into my bag for a bit to warm up. fifteen minutes turned into an hour and a half, and the next thing i knew it, it was four o'clock. i got up, and trevor and eric had disappeared; bill and i joked that they hiked Ralston Peak, and then decided to take a little hike. we walked around Ralston Lake as far is we could, then circled back and went down to Cagwin Lake, a small sibling to Ralston. as we came into a clearing by Cagwin, two fantastic camp sites came into view, which i had forgotten about from the year before. they both had great seating areas, kitchens, and decent cocktail lounges for the early evening scotch we always take on our trips. we made our way back, and discovered that trevor and eric had hiked Ralston Peak, and now their feet were paying for it (they had both complained of slight blisters on the way up).

we cooked up an early dinner (around 6pm), then headed over to Montauk Point for an evening scotch or two. after an hour or so on the point, the wind started howling, and we got chilled to the bone. we decided the make our way back to camp, and then crashed for the evening.

day 2: cold camp
i hardly slept that night. the wind howled like the Mistral, and felt like it too. i was so cold, and couldn't find a comfortable position. i just kept tossing and turning, and every time i moved, a little arctic air came into my bag. bill always jokes about how i get cold so easily, and that night i was frozen.

as it turned out, everyone was frozen. for the first time i can remember, trevor, bill and eric all complained that it was freezing cold that night, and they could hardly sleep. they never complain. it was at that moment, i think, that eric dubbed our site Cold Camp.

morning proved no different: we froze our butts off. oatmeal didn't help. hot chocolate didn't help. jumping around and complaining didn't help. it was just cold, and it stayed that way. we kept searching for the sun, but it never came, or when it did, it always hid just behind clouds, taunting us with its nurturing warmth. we spread out on rocks when it came out briefly, but i think we all went back into our bags again after we realized it wasn't getting warm anytime soon.

eventually we got up and had lunch, and bill, eric and i decided to take a day hike. trevor's blisters were worse than any of us had thought (including him): he was immobile, unable to put his shoes on. so we left him to keep the camp in order, and headed off for an afternoon hike. our destination was Triangle Lake, followed by a jaunt to Lost lake, and then who–knows–where.

what looked like it was going to be an easy little hop turned out to be a bit more than that. the hoof up to Triangle Lake was steep, followed by a rapid descent. Lost Lake had no trail (which was probably why it's lost), so we had to go overland to get there, crossing classic Sierra scree, scrambling up and over ridges, guessing our way along based on our contour maps. eventually, we got to Lost lake and spread out on a big, flat rock, basking in the sun. it was finally warm, and felt good to lay out without the wind that had been hounding us for a day and a half.

at this point, given how much terrain we had crossed, we decided to continue on and make it a loop trek: we would cross overland to Lake Lucille, following the 8200' contour line that we were on. of course, these things are never that easy. it took us a good hour to go the mile to Lake Lucille, much of it involving treacherous treks across steep scree, punctuated by some free climbing that was a little more daring than my fear of heights could handle.

in the end, we made it, and then headed back for camp. we hiked back quickly, making it back well before dark. we all noticed, too, that the temperature dropped by 10–15 degrees within the last half mile of the trail. probably a total of 6–7 miles, if i had to guess (my fancy new pedometer couldn't tell me because it didn't !^&*$*&# well work ).

the night of day 2 was largely the same, the only difference being that instead of creeping out onto the windy exposed rock of Montauk Point, we stayed next to Cold Camp, so that our bags were never far. eventually, we seemed to all warm up. maybe it was the scotch. maybe it was the company. maybe it was that we were out under the stars, and felt hundreds of miles from home and responsibility. whatever it was, it was a great way to end the trip.

day 3: the hike out
morning proved just as cold on the last day, but we had all mummified ourselves the night before in an attempt to keep the cold at bay. we woke feeling slightly warmer, and the sun seemed inclined to come out. murphy's law: whenever you're on a trip and there's bad weather, it always breaks on the last day.

we broke camp pretty quickly, and trevor and eric did their best to bandage their blisters for the hike out.

the hike went by in a hurry...we probably made it to the parking lot in about 1.5 hours or so. we hardly stopped the whole way, and let Trevor set the pace, given his hoof situation. the PCT was like a freeway that morning, with day hikers coming in and asking us how our trip was. i think each and every one of us said, "Cold. Cold, but good." the thing is, when you're out with your buddies in the grandeur of the Sierra, it's all pretty much good, even the bad (as long as you make it home to your warm bed and shower).

***

next year, we might try someplace else. there's been talk of emigrant wilderness, going in near Kennedy Meadow, but i think we'll have to check the weather first. ;-)

Posted by docrpm on 09.17.05 at 3:04 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

February 23, 2004

maui pics

file under: travel

the photo galleries have been updated to include the latest and greatest from our recent excursion in Maui. comments are appreciated, provided they have nothing to do with grammatical errors or oversights on this web site. ;-)

NOTE TO SELF
next time, try to strike balance between the following things:

• desire to be a "thorough" amateur documentary photographer (which leads to a large number of photos, given the fact that they're all free)
• multi-mile-wide perfectionist streak that requires exhaustive color correction, cropping, and general knob-twiddling of photos
• fact that there are 24 hours in the day, and i should really do something else with my time

Posted by docrpm on 02.23.04 at 6:21 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)

April 20, 2002

wonderland of rocks - V

file under: travel

the joshua tree entries come to a close with this description of our last days in the wonderland of rocks...

Day 8: it doesn't get much better
some days unfold like films - there is the plan to go see the film, with maybe a capsule review in your mind, but no knowledge of the beginning, middle, or end. it may be a dud, or it may be one of the most moving cinematic experiences in your memory. you simply don't know until you see it.

day 8 in joshua tree started like most others - torn oatmeal packets, sore muscles, anticipation of unknown sights. on this last day in the park, we planned an excursion in the wonderland of rocks near our site. willow cove and rattlesnake canyon were our destinations. the blistering afternoon sun had scorched us on previous days, so we decided to hike, sojourn in the shade, then explore as daylight waned.

walking along the white sandy trail, ryan and i pondered the nature of aesthetic beauty, and whether or not uniqueness is a prerequisite. as with the path under our feet, we wandered through philsophical territory that others had surely seen, but that was uncharted for us. it served to distract from a slight funk that had descended on us - maybe it was the impending return to the city, to our lives, to vaguely unpleasant realities like bills and employment uncertainty.

after several miles, the trail started winding through a narrow wash. we crossed paths with a couple near the wash entrance, and as luck would have it ryan was talking about a particularly embarrassing childhood experience, not noticing the presence of others. we laughed, and didn't see another soul for the rest of the day. the wonderland was ours to play in today.

the sun was reaching its peak, and the shade beckoned like a siren. we climbed to a sheltered rock ledge some 30 feet above the trail, released our feet from their hot leather prisons, and sat down for lunch and a little rest. as the sun made its way through the sky, we entertained ourselves with books, excursions through the rocks nearby, and local flora. our first gift of the day was the discovery of a single wildflower, the only we had seen. it was a good omen.

the worst of the heat passed, and we clambered down and started on our way again. willow cove was the first marker on our journey, a small cove filled with large willow trees, unseen in the rest of the park, but nurtured here by the pools of water that collect in this cove during wetter days. as we passed one of the trees i was startled to hear the strange breeze that blew through its leaves, only to discover it was the sound of thousands of bees, floating among the branches in search of sweet pollen.

we hurried past in an effort to avoid an allergic encounter, and pressed on towards rattlesnake canyon. the guidebook was a little fuzzy about direction, and the trails had degraded to piles of rocks scattered every quarter mile or so to mark your way. we missed the main trail, and wound up bouldering across uncharted territory, rejoining it only after getting slightly lost.

we continued down the wash, watched over by huge stone giants, and eventually found the tributary that led to the canyon. lush greenery filled our sight and brushed our legs and arms, and we soon found why. one of the scarcest treasures in the desert was hiding nearby - water. we felt it on the air before we saw it, and were soon walking through a jumble of boulders that covered small, stagnant pools.

we knew our bounty was nearby, and we soon found a signpost on the trail that marked the entrance to rattlesnake canyon: the skull of a desert bighorn sheep. regardless of whether it was warning or welcome, we continued on into the canyon, encountering bouldering that made our fatigue apparent. the day was fading, and we didn't want to be trapped in the dark, trying to navigate our way home, so we decided to rehydrate and return.

our turning point was dominated by a rock unlike any other we'd seen. if i were religious, i would say it was a rock worthy of housing the ten commandments. round boulders and jagged rocks abounded in the desert, but this one was different - a slab, 10 feet thick, 60 feet long, 30 feet wide. it had been dropped on the landscape as if by a giant child late for school, a huge book full of lessons on geology and the nature of time.

with a sense of wonder and a growling fatigue, we began our trip home. the journey back went quickly, with only a few missteps and scrapes. we finally found our way back to willow cove along the proper trail. we navigated the fallen trees in the cove, avoided our buzzing friends, and just as we were coming around the last bend, our earlier omen was realized.

a huge desert bighorn sheep, dozing in the underbrush, had not heard us coming until it was too late. he leaped from his resting place onto the trail, not five feet in front of me, ran a safe distance, then stopped and turned his majestic horned head to examine us. we were probably both thinking the same things: 'will it harm me? why is it here? what is it's intent?' in awe we stood, transfixed for a moment, then we scrambled for our cameras in an effort to get digital proof that we had not been hallucinating. after assuring ourselves, we continued on our way and left him to go his.

within two minutes, i spied a younger buck down the trail, standing in the middle of a sandy wash, examining us. he scrambled up into the rocks quickly, not as curious as his mature counterpart (or perhaps more fearful). we caught one last glimpse of him 100 feet up a steep rocky ravine, looking down on us quietly, and then he was gone.

few people see these rare creatures in the park - there are perhaps 50 total within its boundaries - and we had seen two. not only that, but we had been within arm's distance of one, had exchanged curiosity and wonder with it. how many events had to transpire for us to be at that junction in the trail at that time? a few minutes longer with lunch, a sidetrack down a canyon, a break for 30 seconds of conversation on the trail - any of these things and we might not have seen this graceful creature.

we walked home, high on these thoughts, on the experience, and reached camp more satisfied than on any other day of the trip. it had been one of those rare experiences that we would always remember.

a beautiful sunset brought the day to a close, and after our last dinner of Tastee Bites and cous-cous, we were ready to go home.

Day 9: exodus and decompression
we broke camp as quickly as possible in an effort to avoiding carrying our packs in the heat. as we approached the car, garbage strapped to our backs, cactii waving goodbye, a sense of relief and accomplishment came over us. we had been discussing the trip for weeks, and had pulled it off as planned.

as we left the park, we purchased a few mementos of our experience and gifts for others (cactii, t-shirts, miscellany). a one-hour drive put us back at my uncle's house in cathedral city, in the throng of activity that is modern society. after showers and some rest we felt fit to join it again.

that night, ryan, ron, jerry, and i went out to a local mexican restaurant, and the decompression began...the Patron margaritas helped, of course.

Day 10: trams and sordid lives
a tramway near palm springs takes visitors near the top of mt. san jacinto, and offers not only a heart-stopping ascent, but stunning views of the valley 8000 feet below. san jacinto merits a return visit, since we were guaranteed that there is a great deal to see there. the myriad campers on their way up to the top seemed to be a trustworthy sign (although the sight of packs made us a bit woozy).

in the afternoon we had a blast at the movie Sordid Lives (a fun romp through texas-style homophobia, cheating husbands, and accidental deaths caused by tripping over false limbs). this segued into a nice dinner party with boyd and some of his friends, after which we fell to sleep, dreams of san francisco fog in our heads.

Day 11: homecoming
anyone who has driven the central valley of california knows that there is little to say about it. the drive went quickly - 8 hours, door-to-door, and we were back.

san francisco was the same, yet different. the comparatively frenetic pace of life, the noise, the lights and sounds - it felt good to be home, but we would always remember our sun-filled days in the wonderland of rocks.

Posted by docrpm on 04.20.02 at 3:50 PM | Comments (0)

April 18, 2002

wonderland of rocks - IV

file under: travel

the joshua tree saga continues...the memories fade so quickly, even with such amazing events.

Day 6: look mummy, there's an aeroplane up in the sky
after an oatmeal breakfast that tasted surpisingly similar to the one from Day 5, elaine and i scrambled up some boulders behind camp as ryan headed off on his own adventures. it was her last day with us, and she and i wanted to climb and steal a view of the valley before she returned to the hustle and bustle.

bouldering is certainly easier than technical climbing - no gear required, save wits, balance, and one's ability to override self-preservation instincts. i found out a few things while rock scrambling:

• rock piles are often bigger than they look or farther away than they seem
• big rocks stacked on big rocks spawn big crevices ready to swallow climbers
• even big rocks can tilt and sway under weight - imagine a see-saw but with boulders
• jumping is often good (or just plain necessary) - ryan's mantra was simple: "there is no rock. there is no rock."
• it really helps to be tall and skinny with arms like a chimpanzee
• always look two hops ahead

after a few heart-stoppers and some unorthodox climbing technique, elaine and i made it up to the top - roughly a 200-foot gain in elevation, if the topo map is to be trusted. even this small an elevation gain affords a fantastic view. the valley floor from this lookout is really like a vast brown ocean, with majestic rock pile islands jutting from the sand.

we soaked up the view, then hopped down the mountain and made the two-hour journey to cathedral city (near palm springs), where my uncle Boyd lives. it was Easter Sunday, and we had been invited to a feast. the pickings were anything but slim - casseroles, eggs, biscuits with sausage gravy, quiches, fruit, chocolate. we consumed enough for three then headed for the airport, slowed slightly by food coma. it was a solid finish to elaine's adventure, and although she was sad to leave, she also felt exhilarated to have been in joshua tree at all. we were sad that she couldn't escape the shackles of modern working life for a few more days, but the airplane beckoned.

two hours more and i was back at camp, trying to manage the shock to my senses of running back and forth so quickly between civilization, Sunday brunches with 20 lovable queens singing show tunes, and desert wilderness. i guess i might call it 'nature shock' - one of the best kinds of shock to have, i suppose. at any rate, after a quick hike back (laden with water, as always), i arrived at camp; ryan was nursing some sore feet, the sun was setting over the desert, and dinner seemed like a fine idea.

after our repast, ryan and i were sitting, talking, looking up at the blanket of stars spread across the sky. one star was particularly brilliant, dangling above the horizon and twinkling with red and green lights...hey, wait a second, how many stars have you seen with red and green lights? did that thing just move?

we ran through all of the possibilities: commercial aircraft (no), weather balloon (no - that was roswell), lights reflecting from clouds (no - not a cloud in the sky), helicopter (nope - they don't move that fast), drug-induced hallucinations (no drugs here, officer). it leapt up, down, left, right - like a firefly in the night sky. could we be having a not-so-close-but-equally-startling encounter?

we watched it for an hour, and finally concluded that aliens would not fly with their lights on near major population centers ('Zorlak! You stupid grex herder! You left the lights on again!'). No, reason dictated that this was likely an experimental military craft of some sort, launched from nearby 29 Palms Marine Air Base. Why they would fly with their lights on was also a minor mystery, but it was all that we could imagine.

i think both ryan and i had odd dreams that night...

Day 7: burger fixes and mineshafts
the stove broke as we were fixing breakfast, and ryan was jonesing for a solid fast-food meal and a cup of espresso. we decided to drive to joshua tree village, grab lunch in nearby yucca valley, then head back for a trip to lost horse mine.

we managed to find a fix for the stove at the local gearhead camping shop. suffice it to say that, after several days in the desert without a shower, people kept their distance in the store. we then made our way to jack in the box, bolted burgers and fries (mmmm - grease), grabbed espresso, and returned to the park to visit the mine.

lost horse mine is in an area of the park with slightly different topography than the wonderland of rocks, and with much bigger joshua trees. the mine is one of the best preserved in the area, with equipment still intact. it was a two-mile hike over hilly terrain, and even though it was mid-afternoon, the heat had not died down measurably. hot and tired, we finally arrived at the mine.

our first thought was, 'How the hell would you come to build a mine in the middle of these mountains? How did they find the gold?' amazing. we strolled around the site, looking at the equipment, the rock crusher, the mineshaft, and the leaching pits. they pulled 9000 ounces of gold from this mine over the course of something like 50 years, and then it shut down for some reason. hills that once bustled with intrepid, money-hungry miners were now just a curiosity for tourists willing to hike a few miles.

the hill behind the mine looked promising for a view out over the valley behind it, and who were we to pass up the opportunity? it was spectacular, yet different from the other vistas we'd experienced. a mound of deep brown earth sat in the valley, surrounded by ships of rock - somehow this area seemed more desolate, a place where you would not want to be lost for long.

fatigue was setting in, and it was time to head home - we were both feeling a bit wobbly, and we still had to hike out, drive, then hike into the campsite. the trail back to the car seemed harder than it had on the way in, and all we could think about were the cool beverages in the trunk. random chats about books and star trek distracted us from our aches, though, and we were back at the camp before we knew it.

another dinner under the stars, followed by a repeat visit from our pseudo-alien friends, and we were ready to crash. tomorrow would be our last day, and we needed to make it count.

Day 8
next up...the best day yet, if that's even possible.

Posted by docrpm on 04.18.02 at 11:59 PM | Comments (0)

April 16, 2002

wonderland of rocks - III

file under: travel

Day 5: astrodomes, creepy rangers and kangaroo rats
ouch.

that's the first word that fell from each of our lips the next morning -- ouch. spectacular to be in the desert and all that, but sunburns, bruised shoulders, and tired feet often speak loudest in the morning. nature has a way of silencing those whiny voices, though. you tend to forget all of that once you wake up, smell the oatmeal, and realize what brilliant things lay in store for you.

after a typical camping breakfast, we slathered ourselves with miscellaneous radiation-blocking products (mostly Bullfrog, that oily manna from heaven) and made our way down the trail towards the car. on any given day, if we wanted to see other parts of the park, we had to hike out to the car, drive, hike some more and enjoy the sights, drive back, then hike in again. this routine lost its novelty pretty quickly, as you might imagine, since the hike in and out from camp was already 5 miles.

the goal for today was to find some big rocks. of course, they're scattered all over the park - that's kind of the point - but these were very specific rocks. one section of the park is especially known for its rock climbing; the whole high-desert section of the park is a mecca for climbers, and thousands come every year to grapple with cracks and tall granite foes. our destination was the wonderland ranch wash and the astrodomes at its source, since these were reputed to have some of the most vertiginous climbs.

after a few u-turns, some noodling over topo maps, and rattling our teeth down a dusty dirt road, we found the wash in question (everything tends to look the same after awhile). near the entrance to the wash are the crumbling remains of a ranch (complete with cave refrigeration system); the ranch was once owned by a long-time denizen of the valley. as we learned from a very-nice-but-slightly-creepy volunteer ranger, the owner had a feud with another nearby desert rat who kept crossing his property. in true wild-west fashion, he laid an ambush for the trespasser, but failed to remember the first rule of ambushes - you're supposed to kill the other guy. it turned out that he was killed himself, and even though it was self-defense, connections between the deceased and the local frontier justice system sent the survivor to san quentin for 20 years. he was later pardoned, but only after doing a good bit of time. his ranch is still private property in the park, although who knows if anyone still lives there.

but i digress. back to wonderland ranch wash.

it's hard to imagine water flowing in the desert, but our rain storm and the presence of numerous washes (like the one under our feet) were convincing proof. these washes often navigate twisty rock canyons, and the water they channel leaves behind a zoo of trees, cactii, and miscellaneous flora and fauna.

the hike up the wash was our first real foray out of camp, so we took our sweet time, playing the desert tourists. "ooh, look dear, a cactus!! take a picture. oh, and that rock formation there - stunning!" it really was amazing how much life and beauty can be found in what at first appears to be such a wasteland.

the astrodomes were everything we had been promised - soaring rock faces (200-300 feet high), scattered with crazy people who like to tie ropes to themselves and do spiderman impressions. i've seen climbing walls, and even been scared while dangling from them, but this was different. nature's climbing walls put anything we can manufacture to shame.

we spent hours just wandering, pondering, and bouldering. eventually we started running out of water, and given that our thermostats had been complaining about the scalding heat for hours, we decided to return to the car. cool beverages, stashed in the trunk, are a powerful motivator, and we made it back down the trail in a few sweaty heartbeats.

we stopped at keys view on the way back to the site; this overlook on the western boundary of the park offers a breathtaking vista of the entire palm springs valley. looking out over that expanse makes it clear that joshua tree is high desert - the valley floor is 4000 ft below, and stretches for miles, from palm springs to the salton sea. mount san jacinto (10500 ft) towers over the scene in the distance, and the san andreas fault ripples the valley floor like a vast mineral carpet.

suitably impressed, we ventured home. more driving, more pack mule impressions, and we were back at camp, ravenous enough to eat the first coyote that came along. instead, we dined on Tastee Bites and cous-cous. if there is a five-star restaurant near joshua tree, they would have had a hard time competing with our rock kitchen. it was simple, but after a day you'll always remember, spent with the priceless people in your world, that meal was fit for emperors.

the kangaroo rats thought so, too. once we started busting out the food bags, we were joined in the kitchen by some of the locals - tiny kangaroo rats that lived in and around the rocks of our camp. they actually look more like mice, and they don't seem to hop much, but they were a welcome addition to the spectacle. with their bulging iris eyes, they ran in and around our feet, our stove, our bowls of cous-cous, fearless in their quest for food.

moonrise came soon, and sleep beckoned as it had before, and we crashed, ready for rest and the next day of adventure.

Days 6-7
next up..."look mummy, there's an aeroplane in the sky".

Posted by docrpm on 04.16.02 at 4:37 PM | Comments (0)

April 12, 2002

wonderland of rocks - II

file under: travel

in our last episode, we were making our way towards the desert holy grail - joshua tree. nature, it seems, had other plans...

Day 3: it did what?
it rained.

we got our gear together, bought last-minute supplies, made our way to joshua tree, and finally hit the trail head at about 4:00pm. then it started to rain. actually, let me clarify...it poured. this was not some sort of misty southern california excuse for downpour, this was soak-you-to-the-bone-in-about-two-minutes rain. to give you an idea about how unlikely this was, it had rained 0.5" in Joshua Tree since June 2001. this is not a wet place we are talking about here.

it was an unpleasant thought, the prospect of hiking through rain and mud and pitching a wet camp in the dark (and rain). given our options, and our desire to start the trip dry, we aborted and went back to 29 Palms (just outside the park), deciding to return the next day.

much to our dismay, the Harmony Motel (complete with aluminum siding and zen message boards) had no vacancies, and we were forced to stay at a generic Best Western. after checking in and unloading our gear, we drove down the road a bit and found a Mexican restaurant to put coal in the furnace. we were a bit downtrodden and felt defeated by nature, so a drink seemed like it would help calm nature-rattled nerves. ryan ordered a negro modelo. hmmm...what would i have? a margarita sounded good, but what was this (wine) following the drink description on the menu? i was soon to find out:
   ryan: excuse me...are your margaritas with tequila or wine?
   waitress: ummm...wine.
   ryan: that's interesting. what kind of wine?
   waitress: chablis.
   ryan and ryan: (long pause, considering this somewhat unexpected response)
   waitress (being helpful): that's a white wine...

the rest of the evening improved a great deal following this enlightening chat, although that Mexican food did repeat a bit...

Day 4: desert paradises, airports, and coyote serenades
the morning greeted us with a bright sunrise and promises of scorching heat in the desert. we packed quickly and made it up to the trailhead by 8:30am. compared to the events of yesterday, this all seemed a bit too easy. we threw our water-laden packs on our backs, and made our way into the wonderland of rocks. after an hour of hiking, and a little direction-finding, we found our bounty - the camp site.

our site was one ryan had visited in the past on a few occasions with branden. it was about 2.5 miles from the parking lot, nestled comfortably against a moderate rock-pile mountain in the wonderland of rocks. it had a nice flat dirt patch just made for tents, a few big flat rocks nearby to serve as a kitchen, and a lounge for gazing at the stars. we were set, even if it did take us two hours to set up camp (by the end of which ryan was ready to play the lobster in the school play, sans costume - sunburns come easy in the desert, we discovered).

we managed to find about 10 square inches of shade for lunch, then went boulder-scrambling up the rock-pile mountain behind our site. the view of the valley was worth the scramble - joshua tree is like a god's sand box where big rocks, cactii, and yucca trees are the toys of choice.

i couldn't enjoy the view for long, because elaine was flying in to palm springs that night, and i had to hike out, retrieve her from the airport, drive back, and hike in again. happy that she would be joining us in our adventure, i made the journey, although the pack seemed a bit heavier when i filled it with water and put it on for the second time that day.

we packed up our gear and hit the trail, although it was slow going since we were both tired. after trudging to the first trail split, guided by a spectacular full moon, i radioed ahead to ryan via our new walkie-talkies (yep - we're nerds), and asked him to meet us to help carry gear. the walkie-talkies were worth it for just this one call...as we walked into camp, the three of us were being serenaded by a troop of coyotes, out enjoying a moonlight stroll in the valley, just as we were.

after all the hiking and sweating and driving and hiking, there was only one thing left to do. sleep was sweet - we hit our respective tent floors and were out cold, snoring with a fury and happiness that only nature can bring.

Days 5-11
next up...encounters with creepy rangers, UFO's, and desert big-horn sheep.

Posted by docrpm on 04.12.02 at 5:50 PM | Comments (0)

April 10, 2002

wonderland of rocks - I

file under: travel

many factors contributed to my recent writing hiatus, not the least of which was a desert camping adventure in joshua tree with ryan (h) and elaine. the techno-weenie in me also found it necessary to upgrade the system i use for online publishing. now that both of these things are memories, it's time to get on with writing...

California is an amazing world unto itself, with mountains deserts and oceans all within its grasp. after a thousand miles of driving and eleven days away from home, i feel i've seen more of its majesty and mystery than i had before. whenever i think about moving away from its comfortable borders, i'll have excursions like joshua tree to remind me why i call this place home.

the nutshell plan was to drive across the sierra, camp, head to palm springs, enter the desert wonderland of joshua tree, then return home, tanned, refreshed, and perhaps a bit weary. life unfolded with its own plans, not far from our own, and we had a fantastic trip.

Day 1: Sacto, Sierras, and Slocum's
ryan and i left in the morning and drove across the sierra; we had intentions of visiting the ghost town of Bodie, then camping near Mammoth. fortunately the national park service had our best interests in mind, keeping the campgrounds closed until it gets warmer. unfortunately, the road to Bodie was closed and impassable, presumably due to snow. we decided a Motel 6 in Mammoth was in our future - an oasis to shelter us from below-freezing temperatures at night. after passing through Mono Lake (and being suitably awestruck), we found our bounty and secured a room, bon marche. we grabbed dinner at Slocum's Bar and Grill, then retired for a night's rest after devouring topo maps, planning our exploits.

Day 2: Hot Creek, Lone Pine, and Space Invaders
after a stellar breakfast in Mammoth, we headed for Hot Creek, a hot springs nearby. ryan had been wanting to revisit the springs, and who was i to argue? our backs both needed it after too much time spent in front of computers doing what i'm doing now.

the creek was more than happy to oblige - we were in the water within 30 minutes of breakfast, the heat of lava vents caressing our aching backs better than any masseuse. the creek is nestled in a small crevice in the valley floor, hidden from view in a field shadowed by snowy mountain sentinels. it winds its way across lava vents, through large pools and smaller tributaries, and is filled with rock formations that look as if they should be underground, rather than above it. we had an entire pool to ourselves - it was a weekday morning, and we had arrived before the tourbus full of germans and aussies (no joke - they showed up as we were leaving).

this was all precisely what the doctor had ordered, although there's something slightly disconcerting about being so close to earth's primordial core - all you had to do was dip your head under the water to hear the gas seeping from cracks in the creek floor. did i mention that people (and countless curious pets) have died at hot creek?

relaxed and ready to push on, we headed south along the eastern sierra, stopping for lunch in Lone Pine. we grabbed burgers at the local hot spot, entertained by the wild west paraphernalia adorning its walls (mostly black-and-white stills from old Hollywood movies). fortunately the road beckoned, otherwise we might have stayed, drank ourselves silly, and sang country karaoke that night until we couldn't sing no more...

the drive down the eastern sierra was boring - nothing but huge mountains, wild desert, open vistas - the usual shite. as we approached southern california, we began to notice how prominent the power towers were in the landscape. without the normal chaos and confusion of urban landscapes, those power towers become the guardians of the valleys, marching inexorably to a dynamo drummer. when you stop and look (or rather, when a geek who's played too many video games stops and looks), space invaders comes to mind. the only difference is that those towers come in many shapes and sizes - a zoo of steel and wire erected to power our lifestyles.

and so we entered palm springs, the wind at our backs, space invaders at our side, and windmill generators everywhere in sight. the trip was beginning to look promising.

Days 3-11
stay tuned as ryan and ryan experience the only torrential downpour in joshua tree in recent memory, among other things. our next installment will also feature the arrival of the lovely desert flower, elaine. ;-)

Posted by docrpm on 04.10.02 at 11:13 PM | Comments (2)

December 28, 2001

amtrak adventures

file under: travel

planes, trains, and automobiles...in order to complete the holy trinity of travel this year, i needed to take a train. i suppose if one were literal about these things, BART might count, but that's not nearly as romantic as amtrak. a train in the wild-west sense of the word needs to move across great open spaces, connecting points in the great american frontier. with these notions in mind, i decided an amtrak to colorado for christmas would be the perfect way to end my year of travel.

i imagined myself carried by a sleek silver bullet, gliding across open plains and slicing through snowy mountain passes, the gentle mantra of the tracks providing a soothing backdrop for my journey. time to read, time to think, time to do nothing, if that's what i chose to do. i would find camraderie in fellow passengers seeking similar comforts, and i would arrive at both my destination and my home rested and fulfilled.

at least, that's how i remembered the train...

the reality of amtrak travel requires that you tilt your head slightly, look at it from the viewpoint of, say, David Lynch. there are some interesting factual wrinkles to add to this tapestry that traverses the continent.

fact 1: if you're not in a sleeper car, you can forget about getting something passing for a good night's sleep.

unfortunately, i haven't completed my studies as a yogi yet, so my ability to fold myself into a small box has yet to be perfected. if i were cynical, i would say that a crack team of ergonomic engineers spent years designing seats that were just uncomfortable enough to prevent sleep, but i try to be positive. one other thing - always remember to bring a pillow; those postage-stamp sized pieces of foam they pass out are just to keep you from drooling on the seats.

fact 2: children, as much as they love the train, also love to scream. there will be at least one of these children in your car.
corollary: if there is no screaming child in your proximity, there will be someone who snores with vigor.
this fact is pretty self-explanatory. it usually applies on long plane trips as well.

fact 3: people often combat boredom with alcohol or other controlled substances.
books are my chosen weapon against the specter of boredom, and they are in the arsenal of many other passengers. however, there will almost always be a vocal group of drinkers capable of drowning out any readers. observational or active boozing can make for an interesting trip, though, so i won't count this as all bad.

fact 4: despite advertisements to the contrary, train food isn't, really.
bring a bag of food - sandwiches, crackers, cookies, small peeled carrots, leftover barbecue. whatever you bring on the train will likely taste better and cost less than what is served in the dining car. as a side note, you can be guaranteed that whatever feast you choose to order in the dining car will arrive minus one key ingredient. the menu offering warm pancakes tells bald-faced lies. do not believe it.

but that's enough cheerful cynicism...through bleary eyes, bad food, and occasionally loud neighbors, i enjoyed my trip a great deal. the landscapes were as the romantic vision had advertised, i met some really interesting people, and i got to enjoy some solitude while watching the world pass by my window.

the california zephyr leaves emeryville, passes up through Tahoe and the sierras, then crosses nevada and utah on its way to colorado. recent rains had left a white blanket across the sierras and much of the west, so the sights were spectacular. snow glistens and flickers with a million star-like grains when you pass by it at high speed; it's completely hypnotic. the tracks move through areas unreachable by the highway, so you're given a glimpse of the west that can't be seen any other way, save trekking across large areas of land and possibly facing the fate of the donner party. ghost towns dot the landscape, and the conductor often provides color commentary about their origins and their fates (usually a steady decline into the junk heap of obscurity as the railroad lost its importance).

as we moved towards colorado and my destination, we passed near Moab, Arches, and Canyonlands. distant stone monoliths were visible, giving a hint of the majesty of the landscape of the southwest. we carved our way into canyons that were home to eagles, wild geese, herons, and the occasional duck or two. ice floes jostled for space in the cold blue colorado river; winter's teeth were just beginning to bite. sun rose over the utah desert, moutains dusted with snow like powdered sugar, bathed in the red glow of the west waking to another day. the 25-hour ride and a few minor discomforts were small prices to pay.

i'll write about my visit with mom in another entry, since this one has already passed my standard diarrhea-of-the-keyboard length.

maybe you're wondering why i referred to 'The String Cheese Incident' in the title. if you're not, you can skip the punch line, but if you are...on the return trip, the people satisfying fact 3 above were sitting right in front of me - a group of five, with newly made friends in other cars to add to the mix. a bunch of 17-year olds from glenwood springs, colorado, were on a mission to see a marathon concert featuring 'The String Cheese Incident' (TSCI) in SF. they had been saving for months, and this trip was the payoff. TSCI is a bluegrass band that inspires a following like the Dead or Phish (i had never heard of them - i couldn't tell if this made me feel old or not). these kids fit the bill; tie-dyed t-shirts, backpacks, and a hearty party attitude were theirs in spades. budweiser for breakfast, mgd for lunch, an odwalla bar and a green herbal chaser for dinner...these kids were unstoppable. they were also a lot of fun. positive attitudes, plenty of laughter, and their ability to poke fun at themselves for being the loud party kids, made them a welcome addition to the trip.

i remembered those times when as a teenager and college student i did my own interpretation of their pilgrimage. i watched the landscape go by, and while i felt like those years were far behind me, i thought of the interesting and unknown years to come. it was a good trip, and it will continue to be.

Posted by docrpm on 12.28.01 at 10:59 PM | Comments (1)