Birding 101 With Steady

In my last post, I raved about my newly-awakened interest in birds. I said I'd pass along what I learned, so here we go!

Three Essentials for a Beginning Birder

I've quickly learned that three things are essential to a beginning birder:

1) A good guide book
Every birder has his or her favorite guide book--- of which there are quite a few. They range from the highly local (say, your county) to world-wide coverage. The one I'm using is the Smithsonian Field Guide to the Birds of North America, and I really enjoy it.  Some other popular books include Sibley's, Peterson's Field Guide, and National Geographic's Field Guide.  In addition, many birding organizations publish local and regional checklists, which tell you what birds to expect in an area. 
There are also online identification aids, and even apps for your iPhone!

2) A pair of binoculars

While you can see a lot of birds without them, binoculars are a big help when trying to spy on that feathered friend up in the tree.  They're also useful for making out field markings that distinguish similar birds from each other.
There's a wide variety of binoculars out there, ranging in size, magnification distance, and price.  Even an inexpensive pair can really help out, especially if you're just starting birding.  I got a pair of compact field binoculars from Target for less than $30, and they're great for spying on birds in the backyard.

3) Patience
Learning to identify even your basic backyard birds can take a little bit of effort.  When you get discouraged because all those little brown birds look the same, don't give up!  The more you watch them, the easier it gets to notice small differences.  I've found that keeping a list of the birds I see and writing down their page numbers in my guide book for a quick reference really helps me remember a new friend.

The Life List

I don't think I've known a serious birder until recently.  Thus, I was unaware of many aspects of the hobby (obsession?).  As a compulsive list-maker and crosser-offer, the birder's life list is quite an appealing part of the hobby.  Did you know that people keep track of every bird species they've ever seen? That's a life list.  Some enthusiasts go so far as to travel around the world in search of exotic flyers, or that next number on their list. My life list, to date, covers 79 bird species. It's surprising to sit down and count the number of different birds you already know. Go ahead, try it! Here's a checklist of North American birds to use: American Birding Association's North American Birds Checklist. You can download a .pdf checklist from the "Don't Miss" box on the right side of the page.

How many did you get? Leave me a comment and let me know!  Doing this for the first time also showed me how many birds I didn't know.  For instance, the name mockingbird was familiar, but I had no idea what they actually looked like!

Counting Birds and Checking Them Off

When researching my new hobby of birding, I quickly noticed that in addition to keeping life lists, birders seem to like to have an excuse to go out and count birds, and often have large numbers of birders counting birds at the same time in different locations. Of course, they have quite good reasons behind the counts --- they provide scientists with data about populations, migrations, and the like --- and are opportunities to meet and socialize with other birders.  As I said, there are lots of different organized counts. Coming soon is the Christmas Bird Count.  This one has been going on for over one hundred years! There's also the Great Backyard Bird Count in February.

I haven't signed up for any of these yet, but I'm keeping my eye on them with regards to my winter schedule. I have joined a different program, but you'll have to stay tuned to find out about that adventure!

In the Tiki Tiki Tiki Tiki Tiki Room....

On the beach everyday from pre-sunrise to near-sunset, I became familiar with the routines of the wildlife on my little stretch of beach.  Part of my job was to be on the lookout for endangered species and oiled or injured animals. When you spend so much time on the beach, you begin to realized that there are a LOT of shorebirds. At first, they all looked the same to me --- they were either gulls, terns, herons, brown pelicans, or something else.  Slowly, I began to see the small differences among them, and began learning their names. I found it mildly entertaining; it was something to do during down time. 

Then, one day, the birding bug bit me by surprise. I was driving down the beach one evening, on my way to the work area, when I saw the STRANGEST bird! I slowed to a crawl as I edged up on it. What WAS it??? A huge beak. Was this some kind of arctic flyer, stopping for a break? A toucan? In Florida? I turned off my vehicle and watched in wonder. It sat on the shoreline, with the company of a few small terns. Then, off it flew, down the beach.  Later, I found out that it was a black skimmer.

Black skimmers have these huge beaks that they use to skim food out of the water. They aren't uncommon birds, although I only saw the one during my two-months down there.

The sense of wonderment and awe at seeing such a totally foreign and unexpected creature on the beach, the place I had spent everyday and all day, was inspiring.  I bought a bird book, and started seriously trying to learn the different birds around me.  I picked up this book: The Smithsonian Field Guide to Birds of North America, and I love it! The pictures are crisp, the text is concise and packed with helpful info, and it's got a stiff (not hard, not soft) cover, which makes it nice for the field. It comes with a DVD of birdsongs, and has a species checklist in the back. I love to make lists and cross them off, so being able to keep track of what birds I've seen is great!


Now that I'm home, I've got a whole new set of birds to learn. I set up two bird feeders outside my windows so that I can drink my morning coffee while spying on the blue jays, mockingbirds, warblers, and others.  I don't know whether this new hobby will be just a hobby, or become an obsession --- I think it's just a hobby. Still, it's fun to know what that bird is singing in the tree nearby.  As I learn more about birding, I expect to pass on the info!

Crazy Feet

For my job on the beach, I wore Keen sandals.  That's right, two months of suntanning with weird shoes on. The result? Only a picture can explain:

Anyone want to guess how long I'll have those tan lines?

Steady's Back in Action!

Hi there!

Wow! It's been a while. Although I was originally going to be down on the Gulf for 21 days, I extended my detail and stayed for a whopping 60 days on the beach.  It was an amazing and exhausting experience. My job, in a nutshell, was to make sure that while the oil was being cleaned up off of the beach the natural and cultural resources weren't destroyed. I worked the night shift for a couple of weeks, but the rest of the time worked during the day.  How do I summarize two months of working on a beach in "Lower Alabama" (the western edge of Florida, near Pensacola)? I'm not sure I can. I've thought a lot about how I could write this post, and haven't come up with any great solution.  I'll break down the "highlights" from my two months on the beach:

1) Seeing a sea turtle nest hatch, and getting to help get the little guys out to sea.

2) Watching dolphins frolicking and feeding almost everyday just off the beach. I tried to take cool pictures of this, but it didn't happen.

3) Watching the shorebirds everyday. I never thought that I would take an interest in birding until this job. But, I think I'm hooked now!

4) Seeing Portuguese Man O' Wars washed up after a stormy night.

5) Meeting and working with people from all over the country. This was by far the best part!

6) Observing and being a part of the crazy amount of logistics it takes to run such a humongous operation. The amount of equipment and the number of people coming and going, and the need to be able to track everything --- the controlling of chaos--- really, I was amazed by it all.

7) Going to a free Bon Jovi concert... on the beach... in Alabama. Ha! I never expected to do that!

8) Seeing a zydeco concert. More interestingly, seeing a zydeco band cover Jimi Hendrix's "Hey Joe." Who knew accordion solos could sound so cool?!

9) Going to the National Naval Aviation Museum. Lots of planes!

10) Watching the Blue Angels practice right over my head.

11) Seeing the sun rise --- and set --- every day.

12) Getting a really awesome sun tan that everyone in New York should be jealous of!

13) Being able to help out with the clean-up effort!

14) Seeing this out of my "office window" everyday:

Quick Update: Where is Steady Now?

I haven't posted in a bit because I've been SUPER busy. I'm down in the Gulf helping with the oil spill cleanup.  So far it's been an amazing and exhausting experience. I'm working nights with the shoreline clean up operations. It's hard to stay awake sometimes, but at least I'm not worrying about getting sunburn!  We recently got a special treat on night ops -- a sea turtle nest hatched! It's hard to believe that those little guys (about 1 1/2 inches from head to tail) can get to be so huge. 

I most likely won't be posting much for the next month... see ya later!

Funnel Cakes, Ferris Wheels, and Fun at the Fair!

Today the Dutchess County Fair started.  It gets big hype from everyone I've talked to in the area.  It's been fun to see the carnival ride trucks rolling into town. At the Grandstand, big names like George Jones, Montgomery Gentry, and Foreigner are playing....but since tickets went on sale in May, I probably won't be going.

I can't wait to check it out! Mmmm, funnel cake! Although I won't be riding any ferris wheels... once, a very long time ago, I got stuck on one for what seemed like hours (I think I was about four, so it was probably only 20 minutes)!  I've never liked them since!

It's been raining a lot here, so my adventures have been a bit hampered. I'm hoping to go hiking in the Catskills soon, maybe this weekend!

Fun with a Bread Machine!

I'm borrowing a bread machine from my landlord. It's awesome. And easy! Making bread is a snap with this thing... no messy hands from kneading sticky dough, no leaving bread out on the counter to be inspected by nosy cats, just nice, neat, and orderly bread making!

Here's my recent attempt at cinnamon-raisin bread:

It was delicious! Next time I'll add more cinnamon. This weekend, I'll be trying the "chocolate cake" recipe. Perhaps bread making isn't as exciting or daring of an adventure as hiking in the desert or camping in the mountains, but it sure is a tasty one! Adventures in domesticity, why not?

P.S. Those peaches were maybe the best ever. And from a local farm stand! yum.

Welcome to My World.

I live behind a painting. Literally.

I'm staying in an unfinished dance/art studio, and the painting serves as a door between the dance studio (landlord's storage space) and the art studio (my living quarters).  Every time I squeeze behind the painting, I imagine I'm entering my own secret world. Currently, my secret world has a lot of partially unpacked boxes and disorganized stuff.

It's only till the end of the month, when I get to move into my real new home. But for right now, there's no oven or stove top (since there's no real kitchen) or shower. I like to cook things, so the no-stove/oven has been challenging.  I also like to be clean. The solution? Improvise! I've been learning to be a gourmet chef with my propane camping stove, a microwave, a rice cooker, a wafflemaker, an electric skillet, and a bread machine!  I am especially enjoying the waffles and the bread, yum!

The cleanliness solution is found at the local college's gym. I didn't like that at all at first, but got used to it pretty quick. It sure beats feeling dirty! The students working the front desk always seem a bit confused when I've only been there for 20 minutes... I guess most people don't go to the gym just to shower. Who'd have thought?

Since moving, I've been spending my time trying to figure out where I packed that random thing, unpacking it, getting necessary things (like that trip to IKEA... I didn't buy anything I didn't just have to have! lol), exploring the area, and looking for a job. Hopefully I'll find something good. For now, I'll just keep popping through the picture, like Mary Poppins through a chalk-drawing!

Got Your Fishing Pole? Let's Hunt Mushrooms!

This weekend I had my first encounter with the wild world of mycology. I joined other intrepid forest scavengers for a mushroom walk!

There are all kinds of mushrooms that grow in the wild --- some delicious, some deadly. But how do you know what is safe to pick and eat? I've always wondered this, and thought it would be cool to know, in sort of a surviving as a hunter-scavenger sort of way. I'd always been afraid to try mushrooming on my own --- what if I mixed up the poisonous and non-poisonous ones? oops! I knew that some of the deadly ones looked deceptively like the tasty kind.  So when I saw a posting for a mushroom walk with people who knew what they were looking at, I signed up right away!

What fun, to wander through the woods and find food to eat!  We spent the morning patrolling the woods for hidden gems poking up through the ground cover.  We started at a known patch of oyster mushrooms:

Collecting wild oyster mushrooms for some fine dining.

These guys taste like oysters, hence their name. I'm not a fan of seafoody things, so I passed on this one. After harvesting some of them, we spread out and found lots of different mushrooms!

Red russulas

Lactarius, exquisitely tasty (so I'm told) Chanterelles, boletes, amonitas, and more I didn't learn the names of!

Not sure what this is...

And a tiny, bright orange salamander!

At the end of the morning, we gathered to compare our finds and discuss the identification of some unknowns we'd picked. A local expert helped us figure out what some of them were, and then took many to use in a class later in the week.

Comparing mushrooms we found throughout the woods.

I had a great time learning about mushrooms, and can't wait for the next fungal foray!


A note about mushroom gathering: Don't try this unless you really know what you're doing! There are some really deadly fungi out there. Also, you can't gather mushrooms just anywhere.  Make sure you know the rules and regulations before picking mushrooms on public lands.

New Furniture? Yes, Please!

On Friday I had my first IKEA experience. The drive into New Jersey was harrowing! But WOW! IKEA is a big place.  Despite spending all day there (including lunch...they have a cafeteria!), I managed to spend only a bit more money than I should have....of course, a lot less than I could have spent!  My new place is going to be ultra-sleek and modern. Well, not really, but I can pretend. I did get a pretty neat chair, and a new duvet cover!

Adventures in shopping, hooray!

Two Cars, Three People, and a Crazy Cat Make the Trip from Vegas to New York in 3.5 Days!

Wow!

The road trip from Vegas to New York went by really fast!

Wednesday: In the morning, we packed the cars, and hit the highway by early afternoon. The traveling party was made up of three capable drivers and a slightly neurotic (but oh so lovable) cat, all piled into two very full cars. Driving through Utah provided gorgeous scenery (I expected nothing less!). I definitely want to get back to the eastern part of Utah to see Arches National Park, Escalante, and other sights in that area. We made it to Grand Junction, Colorado the first night and collapsed with exhaustion from the packing and driving. However, Mr. Crazy Cat decided that the room was much too quiet at about 3 A.M., and provided us with full-volume crooning for the rest of the night.

Thursday: The drive through Colorado was really cool! We drove past Vail and through the high mountain peaks... our loaded down cars didn't like it so much, but we made it! Going down-hill on the other side was a lot of fun!  Then, Kansas. It was pretty flat. But, they do have lots of really pretty sunflowers! We stopped somewhere random for dinner at an IHOP.  That night we stayed somewhere unmemorable outside of Topeka, Kansas, another night full of cat howling.

Friday: I think we were all pretty sick of driving and tired of cat howling by Friday.  Only with plenty of too many Starbucks Doubleshots were we able to make it to Dayton, Ohio for the night. Oh! But we stopped in Indianapolis for dinner. We were craving real (good) food for a change, so Driver #3 used his magic phone to find us a Turkish restaurant named Bosphorous. It was AMAZING! I think I ate the best baba ganoush I've ever had. It was an incredibly satisfying and refreshing dinner after several days of sitting in the car.

Saturday: We left Dayton in the rain and made the trip across Ohio, through a smidgen of West Virginia, and into Pennsylvania. We dropped off Driver #3 at the train station so he could get back home, and continued north towards New York. The plan was to stop in Scranton. We did stop there, but quickly found out that we were going to have a long night.  Unfortunately for us, it was time to Shake and Bake! NASCAR was in town, so no motel rooms for miles around. We'd already driven twelve hours, but pushed on, stopping at each new exit with a motel. Three hours later, we found a room! Exhausted beyond belief, we slept despite the late-night serenades of our feline friend. We'd made it to New York!

Sunday: Having driven three hours extra the day before, it was only another hour and a half or so to our new home. Driving into the Hudson Valley was surreal. After living in the desert where you can see for miles, driving through the flats and rolling hills of the midwest, and through sheets of rain, winding down country roads walled with trees was a bit unnerving.  But we'd made it! We arrived at our new abode and started the process of settling in. Home at last!

I didn't do much but unpack a bit and sleep for the next few days, and almost a week later am just now feeling fully recovered!  I'm excited to explore the Hudson Valley. There are lots of events and festivals, and the fall foliage is supposed to be amazing! New adventures here I come!

The End of One Adventure, and a New Exploration Begins

For the last year I was an intern with the National Park Service.  I finished last week!! During my year in Nevada I made it a goal to visit as many of the area's parks as possible, and explore as much of the countryside as time and my budget will allow.  While I still have a few places on my list that I didn't get to, I managed to see quite a bit of the countryside out West.  

I'll most likely continue to blog about my western adventures for a while, but I'm getting ready to embark on a new journey! Next week, I leave Las Vegas for New York! I'll be moving to the Hudson Valley.  I hope to write about the road trip along the way, although it will be a fast one. I'm looking forward to all kinds of new adventures in the future!

Independence Day Means Hanging Out in the Woods

For Fourth of July Weekend, I headed up to Great Basin National Park. It was wayyyy too hot to do anything in Vegas, so a weekend in the alpine forest and higher altitudes sounded perfect!  Great Basin is a somewhat-small and very in-the-middle-of-nowhere park, about 5 hours north of Vegas.  So why drive all the way up there? Here's a list.

Reasons to Visit Great Basin National Park

1) Lehman Cave- limestone cave you can tour!

2) Alpine forest- pine, spruce, fir, and aspen make you want to never leave.

3) Not very busy- it's a bit of a drive, so not too many people make it. More park to play in!

4) The highest point in Nevada- You can drive almost to the top of Wheeler Peak. Hike the rest.

5) Beautiful Wildflowers!- They were poppin' this weekend.

Hiking Buddy and I started our Great Basin fun by taking a candle-lit tour of Lehman Cave. The other two people who had reserved the tour no-showed, making it a private tour for us! This---candle-lit and small group---is definitely the best way to tour it (although the normal way is cool, too).  

After the tour we headed to our camp site, which we had picked along Snake Creek Road. At 6,600 feet above sea level, it was cool, but not too cold. Our tent was staked feet from a swift running creek with plenty of small ripples and waterfalls. Shaded by cottonwoods, and far from other campers, it felt as if we were the only people along the road.  There are actually quite a few primitive campsites along the road. They are separated from each other by plenty of woods, brush, and space, which makes it quite a different experience from campground camping.

Because Great Basin is pretty far from everywhere, the night sky is devoid of light pollution.  The stars twinkled fiercely, and the milky way was really visible. Hiking Buddy and I gazed at the stars until time for sleep. It was a great way to end our first day at Great Basin!

The next day we hiked among the aspens, spruce, fir and pine for most of the day. We spent a long time taking pictures of wildflowers like these:

And these!:

That evening the clouds started rolling in as we prepped for dinner. It was fun to watch the rain over the high mountains in between us and the storm. We "battened down the hatches" of our tent with extra rope and crawled in as the rain started falling around us. Luckily, the wind was mild, and there was almost no rain! On Sunday, we hiked up Osceola Ditch, which was built in the late 1800s to provide water to a mining town miles away. It didn't work so well for water carrying, but it makes a great hiking trail now!

Morale of the story: Great Basin is a great place to visit!

Bear Surprise!

(there's a person in there!)
This is awesome: Bear Sleeping Bag

I think I could have too much fun with one of these.
Don't you agree?

A Big Utah Camping Adventure!

A couple of weekends ago, Hiking Buddy and I spent the weekend in Utah. Yes, Utah. Land of the Mormons. What else is in Utah? The answer is:

BEAUTIFUL NATURAL LANDSCAPES

So, if you didn't think "Awesome!" when I said Utah the first time, I hope I can change that by the end of this post!

Driving from Las Vegas into Utah always fascinates me. You start out in a busy, crowded, sprawling city: asphalt, strip malls, and casinos as far as the eye can see, with cars jockeying for position on the interstate.  As you drive out of town, civilization fades quite suddenly into seemingly barren, desolate desert, where all you can see for miles is the highway in front of you, and the distant haze of the city you've escaped.  Traffic drops off and spreads out --- after all, there aren't very many exits out here, why crowd each other?  The Mojave Desert seems to be announcing a challenge as you journey across its surface: "That's right, just try to survive out here!"

(In reality, it's a place teeming with life, and quite interesting life at that. But that's for another story.)

You cruise along, the hot sun glaring down at you. And then all of a sudden, you're in Mesquite! Lots of trees, a golf course, and some casinos are sustained by a small river running by. And like a moment of deja vu passing, you're back in the desert. 

Next comes the Narrows. A short stretch of the highway that twists and winds its way through towers of craggy rocks, faulted and lifted into as many angles as you can imagine. After the vast, open expanses of desert, the Narrows make you feel infinitesimally small, as if the mountains could close in on you with nothing more than a sigh. As the canyon widens and the road rises up onto a flat valley, you feel as if you've been granted admission through the gates into a mysterious world.

Oh, hello Utah! Before you know it, you've passed through a small section of Arizona and into Utah, the Beehive State. Increasing in elevation, you continue North, reaching pinyon pine and juniper country. This drive, with the intense changes in vegetation, always makes me feel as if I'd traveled far.

-----

At Cedar City, we cut east along 14 to Cedar Breaks National Monument.  This road is awesome and I highly recommend driving it.  It winds through mountains edged with pines and aspens, strolls by open valley floors full of tall grasses, and barely hangs onto steep mountain sides. We reach the entrance to Cedar Breaks National Monument, and turn in. I'm pretty sure that Cedar Breaks National Monument wins the prize for being my favorite National Park (well, ok, second favorite, the #1 spot goes to Grand Teton).  Cedar Breaks is a small park, but the view from the main overlook is amazing! Driving further up to high elevations, we passed patches of snow, which was pretty amazing to us considering the 90/100 degree temperatures in Vegas. We almost ran over a marmot. Almost, so it was cool to see one. I think this was my first marmot!

My Hiking Buddy and I stopped at the visitor center and main overlook and looked for a while. Such a beautiful sight!

We didn't do any hiking while at Cedar Breaks. We still had more than an hour's drive to Bryce, and we were both still getting over some nasty colds.  BUT, there is a really nice hike from the visitor center area up into some bristlecone pines and glorious views. Bristlecone pines DO win the #1 spot for my favorite tree. Here's one, at Cedar Breaks, from a trip I took up there last fall:

Also while at Cedar Breaks, we found a yurt!!! I really like yurts, and one of my life goals is to spend a night in one.  Is that weird? Well, can you say you've been in a yurt??? I didn't think so!


So, onwards to Bryce Canyon National Park!  We had reservations in a campground, so that was our first major stop. On the way there, though, we saw pronghorn antelope, their scruffy winter coats starting to shed off, and Utah prairie dogs popping in and out of their burrows to the delight of several minivans full of vacationing families.

We set up camp and have dinner. The campground was really nice, and suuuuper quiet. Maybe a little too quiet, since I had been persuaded to bring my banjo along. I played for a bit anyway (although tried to not to make too much noise). The next day we woke up, and fixed breakfast. My first oatmeal experience! I was a bit hesitant, having been raised on grits. But it was really good! And easy to cook in camp. No longer shall I scoff at oatmeal eaters.

After packing up camp we drove around and saw the sights. Hoodoos are crazy!!! Here are some:

And here are some more!

We did a little bit of walking around, but no major hiking. Bryce is gorgeous! I highly recommend making a visit. Then we made the nice drive over to Zion.

Driving into Zion from the east, you travel through bright red sandstone created from ancient sand dunes. These sand dunes were part of a vast, dry desert, larger than the Sahara and drier than the current day Mojave Desert. These large rock walls are criss-crossed back and forth and up and down, evidence of changing wind directions through time.



We set up tent in a much busier, although still nice campground, and set to making hot dogs with sourkraut and mustard...mmmm hotdogs (vegetarian...they're really not bad!). We had a lazy morning the next day, and weren't feeling top notch after camping with head colds.  Hiking Buddy and I were determined to at least see some kind of sights while there, so we hopped on the bus and headed off to the Emerald Pools.

Rock Face above Emerald Pools

It was in the 90s, so we limited our hiking to that. Zion, which is a narrow canyon, has a major parking/car space problem. So, they've developed a bus system which allows visitors to hop on and off as much as they want, and eliminate traffic on the road in the park. It's great! 

After hiking, we decided to head on home. It was a really great weekend, and all three parks are absolutely beautiful places. Add them to your list of places to see!

The next adventure awaits...

Guess what gang?!

In addition to having a backlog of fun hikes and camping trips to tell you all about (and bore you with? I hope not), I'm busy planning more fun things!

It's getting super hot here in Southern Nevada. Definitely too hot to hike at lower elevations, which means I gots ta beat tha heat!  This weekend I'll be heading up to Great Basin National Park. It's at a higher elevation (campgrounds are at 7,000 and 9,000 ft), and has lots of nice trees. Even a glacier! I hope to be able to hike to the top of Wheeler Peak (my first mountain summit?), but we'll see what the elevation does to me!

A couple of weekends ago I went on a camping trip to Utah with my Hiking Buddy...hopefully I'll be able to write more about that this week!

-Steady

A British Man Vomits, I Stand the Lowest Point in North America, and a Bustling Ghost Town: Part 2

(A Trip to Death Valley National Park, continued)

Note: sorry for the extended suspense, applying for jobs takes priority right now....

Anyways, where were we? So, after a lousy, noisy night's sleep, Hiking Buddy and I mark our new campsite and head off to Badwater, the lowest point in North America.  And also a pretty popular spot!

Look how much snow there is! 

Just kidding, that's salt. The ground at Badwater is covered in salts that have leached up from the ground.  There's a small pool of water there, undoubtedly very salty and not good to drink...hence the name.  After walking around a bit, standing around to experience being 282 feet below sea level, taking our picture with the sign to prove we've been here, and dodging other visitors left and right, we get back in the car and head over to the Devil's Golf Course. Despite being just off the main road, there are far fewer people here. They were missing out on this:

Again, like at Badwater, that's salty dirt! When it rains (which is rare here), the salts leach out of the ground and crystallize into strange formations.

Things were feeling pretty surreal between the lack of sleep, the glaring sun, and the crazy alien-like geology we were encountering. So back to the campsite it was, for a gourmet campfire cooked lunch of portobello mushroom sandwiches!!! (Who says camping has to be "primitive" or "roughing it"?) Quite an exquisite camping meal, and really easy to make!  After lunch, we hang out a bit and then go for a short hike in yet more crazy mixed-up geologic fantasies (or nightmares, depending on your experience in Geology 101).

Our second evening in the RV/tent parking lot was much less eventful. Once the sun had set, we went huntin'. Scorpion huntin'! Scorpions glow neon green under UV light, so Hiking Buddy had acquired a UV flashlight for the purpose of tracking some down. We searched the desert pavement for quite some time, but no luck.  I've yet to see a scorpion out here in the desert, neon green or not... maybe that's a good thing! 

The next day we packed up camp again and hit the road to Vegas.  On the way back we stopped at Rhyolite, a pretty well-known ghost town.  Rhyolite was born when gold mines were established nearby. At one point in history it boasted a population of over 10,000; electric lighting, a school, and a three-story bank, among other things. Now it is mostly in varying degrees of ruin. One really fascinating spot is the Bottle House, built in 1906 using 50,000 bottles.

The desert sure is full of surprises! Rhyolite was quite busy with groups of motorcycle riders and families in transit.  We wandered around for a bit (there's not much to stop you from walking all over the place, short of going inside buildings) then stopped at a picnic table for lunch before the long drive back home.

What an adventure!

A British Man Vomits, I Stand at the Lowest Point in North America, and a Bustling Ghost Town: Part 1

(A Trip to Death Valley National Park)

Death Valley National Park is located mostly in California (a bit in Nevada), and is the largest National Park outside of Alaska. That means it's BIG. It's also the location of some of the hottest temperatures anywhere and the lowest point in North America.  I thought that this seemed like the ideal place for a spring camping trip!

Surprisingly, quite a few others had the same idea.  My hiking buddy and I packed up all our camping gear and drove the 3 hours through the desert to, well, more desert. Traffic picks up as we near the first campground. The sign says "1 1/4 Full." Sure enough, it's overflowing with RV's and tents.  We have no better luck at the next campground. At this point, it's getting close to dusk. We're tired from the long car ride, it's starting to get dark, and we're getting worried about where we'll be sleeping.  At last, we arrive at Stovepipe Wells. We're told that all the other campgrounds are full, so this is our last hope.
This campground is crawling with RV's! We make our way by the tent sites along the edge of the giant rectangular dust and dirt parking lot, but alas, they're all overflowing! So, like a handful of other tent campers, we grab an RV spot and plop our tent down.  We choose a spot we think will be quiet---near some other tent campers in RV spots.  We couldn't have been more wrong!!!!

We get our tent up and supplies settled in. Our dinner plans--- grilled portobello mushroom sandwiches--- relied upon having a campfire, so we are stuck with dismal PB&J in a dismal, dusty parking lot.  We make up for our less than gourmet dinner by drinking our weekend's supply of beer as we sit in our camping chairs in front of an imaginary campfire, watching the night sky descend around us. Then it's off to bed, as grand adventures await us tomorrow.

Or so we think. Not long after we settle in for the night, our next door neighbors in this refugee-like tent village return.  Three men on motorcycles, two with thick British accents, begin (or continue) a night of drinking, guffawing, and overall being obnoxious.  One gentleman has obviously had his fill of drink and then some, and perhaps a lot of baked beans as well. The first time he lets an incredibly loud fart rip, we both have to stifle a laugh while at the same time in disbelief that such a sound could come from anyone's rear end. Impossible! Did we really hear that?! Why yes, there it goes again! And again! His companions must have held this fellow in high respect (or fear?), as no one said a word or laughed at all. The whole time, my hiking buddy and I are rolling in (almost) silent laughter in our tent.

Ah, peace at last. The motorcycling men fall into a drunken stupor into their tents, and all is quiet.

Except, wait. What's that noise?! Oooops. The other tents nearby us, until now vacant and lonely shells, are being swarmed by a hoard of excited Boy Scouts and their exhausted troop leaders, as they arrive from somewhere far away in California. Trailer doors are thrown open, boxes of gear dragged out, and tent stakes are pounded in with enthusiasm--- and much shouting over who's turn it is to do this, that, and the other. At one point, a "chaperon" yells to all those fine, young, polite boys that, being after 12:30 AM, they should be quiet. The commotion dies to a dull roar, and after about another hour, ceases.

Ah, peace at last?  We manage to drift off in slumber, dreaming of quiet campgrounds with stone-ringed fire pits and shady trees.

~ 4:00 AM: What is that??? Ohhhhhh NO! It's the flatulent British biker, rolling out of his tent to vomit and fart at the same time. At this point we are so tired of this ridiculous situation, we can't help but laugh out loud.

We awake early in the morning, not to sounds of birds chirping, or even lousy RV generators revving up. Forty eager Boy Scouts are dragging their gear boxes out of the trailers and trying their hardest to burn some scrambled eggs. My hiking buddy and I get up and pack up---there's no way we're staying here another night!  We cruise through the campground and find a real tent site on being vacated, and snatch it up. We set up things real quick to mark our territory, and head off to see some sights.

 More to come in Part Two of the story!

The Blogging Adventure Begins...

Hi!

Welcome to my adventure blog. Not a travel blog. Not a hiking blog. Not a cooking, drinking, or reading blog. Rather, all of these things and more! I like to explore. New places, new things, new foods, new people. I also like to learn as much as I can about the places I'm exploring.
I find it makes my adventurers more rewarding and more memorable.

My intention is to chronicle some of my adventures here,
not only for my own memories but also to share them with friends, family, and the inquisitive stranger.

I hope that my stories inspire people to get out and see the world around them with fresh eyes, and have awesome adventures of their own!

Currently, I'm living near Las Vegas, Nevada. Anyone who's visited The Strip knows there's plenty of adventure and excitement to be had in Las Vegas. What many people don't realize is that there's even more to see and do away from the glitz and glamor of all those neon lights and singing slot machines. For the next couple of months, most of my adventures will be within a day's drive of Vegas.

Happy Adventuring!
- The Adventurer Steady