Water was the theme of this trip.  Not only were we once again searching out from the desert for lakes, rivers, puddles, drops of rain, we were challenged with near show-stopping frustrations:  a cold, the Prius that ran out of gas, an evening almost spent in the town of Barstow, the Fresno Whole Foods Fiasco, and a neutered Camelback.  Beyond those obstacles and the Disneyland style crowd in the more accessible sites, Yosemite lived up to its promises of being breathtaking.

Powered by Nutella, gluten-free pretzels, and Tylenol Cold, I tossed out the map, let go of planning, and we still saw all the sites.  First stop, Mariposa Sequoia Grove.

Some of the valley stops, headed up Mist trail:

Last stop was Tioga pass, Tuolumne Meadows, and a long drive home.

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The best part about these salt and pepper shakers--the sound effects I like to make when using them.  "Woo......WOOOOO!"  You know, the standard ghost noises.

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Like a cowboy lost in the desert without provisions, some days I get an insatiable and desperate craving for water.  When I started hearing that hoarse, dry plead in my mind, Utah was first to come to mind.  Sure, I could go to Lake Mead.  I could even run around in one of the busted sprinklers that spouts water everywhere except on the grass.  But the air in Utah is so crisp!  The Horchata at Perks! coffee hut is so good!  Zion it is.  It was a little cold still for the Narrows, so we tried out Kolob Canyons in the northwest side of the park.  It delivered everything:  deep blue sky contrasting the red rocks, a winding creek, wonderful air, trees for climbing, threats of mountain lions (who doesn't want a little suspense?)... 

All over another amazing hike with Kris.

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I was tempted to drape myself on the hood in an american flag bikini, but the thought sent shivers down my spine.  Some jokes just aren't funny.  I have survived my pangs of buyer's remorse, which come with any purchase over about $100, and I'm now accepting that I am the owner of a Prius!  It was sad to see my little 5-speed Jetta sitting in a parking lot of owner-less cars, its little sunroof still popped open, a coating of desert dust obscuring the windows.  Sigh.  That car saw a lot. 

Better gas mileage than Kris's Yaris paired with the USGS Land Pass, hopefully this little black car will see even more!

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Death Valley March '08

I love the desert.  Maybe it's because I grew up in the midwest and south, but from the first time I saw it, I was amazed.  Several camping trips, drive-throughs, and lazy-day wanderings later, I still marvel at the nuances of life and color.

Kris has some wonderful photos of some yoga silliness on the dunes; as always, he makes the best wandering partner!

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Blue Bottle Latte

When I first moved to Las Vegas, I swore never to drink Starbucks.  My coffee palette was spoiled by small cafes in San Francisco like Muddy Waters, Royal Grounds, Dolores Park Cafe, Organic Mr. Espresso, and I still had lofty ideas about which companies I want to give money to.  Well, that promise to myself was broken when I tried the local Vegas alternatives.  Soon, I got too lazy to French press at home, and I would visit Starbucks. 

My last visit to San Francisco allowed me to try out Blue Bottle coffee.  I drank it everyday while there.  And it rekindled my promise to be discerning.  Plus, after having this coffee, nothing compares.   When I don't have tea and I don't have time to brew at home, I'd rather have a caffeine headache.

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There are a few things that make me laugh when I just think about them, this is one of them.

PBF145-Nunez

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End of Year Roadtrip '07

What better way to end the year than to go on another roadtrip!  Staying at Zion Mountain Resort was the perfect contrast to our day-long hikes through Coral Pink Sand Dunes, Bryce Canyon National Park, and Zion National Park.  Our little cabin kept us warm, as did Perks! coffee, layers of long underwear, and always wearing two pairs of socks.

Coral Pink Sand Dunes was beautiful, but I'm partial to desert landscape.  Big sweeps of reddish dunes against the sweeping clouds of a big sky took my breath away.  Or maybe that was the wind chill, biting at any exposed skin. 

Bryce Canyon was unlike anything else.  We hiked through the big hoodoos and snow capped formations, a maze of alien landscape.  The Queens Garden trail from Sunrise point, connecting to the Peekaboo Trail Loop, then back up out of the Canyon was our leg-tiring hike for the day. 

This time at Zion we hiked Upper Emerald Pools and then the Sandbench trail, and ended the drive home with another round of Perks! yumminess.  All this in combination with the warm cabin and a fireplace made for the perfect ending to 2007.   Now, for 2008...
 

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Nutella

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AquaTherm, almost like a superhero name, but in this case it's a cumbersome, antiquated, and currently despised home heating unit. 

The day before Thanksgiving, Las Vegas got cold.   On Thanksgiving, I tried to  fix the heater myself, only to result in a flood that started in my attic and ended in my neighbors garage, a bloody knee, and a savings depleting appraisal for fixing.  Partially my fault.  But in my defense, this heater has needed serviced 3 times in the 2 1/2 years I've lived here.  Considering it's only cold about 3 months of the year, that a bad track record.  To top it off, anytime the water is shut off (happens often with all the construction), I have to drag a hose into the attic and purge the air bubbles out of the pipes.  Put it BELOW the water heater, folks! 

Anyway, the moral of the story:  homeownership isn't always a joy, beware of AquaTherm, and if something involves electricity and plumbing, don't fuck with it.

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