Friday October 26
1984 in Wilmington, DE
zombie themed Halloween party thing
order: Rabbi Rabbi, A Victim of Good Times, Tithonus, A New Dakota
1984 is a bar slash arcade.
I had way too much time hearing anybody in my band. So I had some trouble with some cues.
One of our guitarists really wanted blood for his costume. His girlfriend made something that ended up purple, sparkly, and too liquidy. He then went to a convenience store and bought some Twizzlers, which he attempted to melt down in a ripped up can with a lighter. I think he tried to mix the color with baby oil? Anyway, it didn't go well. He later got face paint from another member's girlfriend when they showed up. I got a big neck cut thing.
Sunday November 25
Mojo Main in Newark, DE
school of rock showcase
order: various school of rock bands, My New Dream Sequencer, Tithonus
I brought my kid! She sat at the bar next to a friend her age and drank a Shirley Temple and watched the Simpsons. Eventually the bartender asked us to move to a table. I asked her very nicely to watch us instead of the tv while we played. She did and said we were too loud (I think we were so loud she went to cover her ear, which knocked her earplug out, which obviously made it worse... I think she held the earplug in for the bulk of the set).
First time we played "Ogre" live. I think if we can tighten it up, it will be a really neat song... but we just really struggle to play it tightly. Lots of weird transitions there.
After the show, the kiddo sang "There's a Zombie on Your Lawn" on stage.
Saturday, December 1, 2012
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Camp Staff Reunion
The trip ended in a weekend at the summer camp I worked at for three summers. We had our first ever staff reunion - anyone who ever worked on staff was invited.
Initially it was set up to be staff members only, but at the last minute they changed it to include families. Kiddo was already in New York with family, and so instead my partner bumming around my hometown, she came too.
I didn't take many pictures. I hung out with some old friends from camp, had my first camp style campfire in 9 years, dug up some old inside jokes, and felt old. It was a pretty good time.
During the open rec period the second day, we shot bows, went canoeing, swam in the pool, and I did the climbing wall. We also went to the shooting range that was built after my time there. They didn't have the silhouette targets, so I made my own.
Initially it was set up to be staff members only, but at the last minute they changed it to include families. Kiddo was already in New York with family, and so instead my partner bumming around my hometown, she came too.
I didn't take many pictures. I hung out with some old friends from camp, had my first camp style campfire in 9 years, dug up some old inside jokes, and felt old. It was a pretty good time.
During the open rec period the second day, we shot bows, went canoeing, swam in the pool, and I did the climbing wall. We also went to the shooting range that was built after my time there. They didn't have the silhouette targets, so I made my own.
Great Smoky Mountains
Driving east in Kentucky, we stopped first at Cumberland Falls. It's a big ol' waterfall, and if you come at the fall moon, you can apparently see a rainbow at night (which they call a "moonbow"). We weren't really sure it was for us, though (because after you look at it for a minute or two... then what?), and tried to time how much longer it would take to get to Great Smoky Mountains park in Tennessee.
But we decided to make the best of it, figuring there were some trails in the area we could walk on, and we'd just set up camp there and roll with it. So we go over to the campground... and it was just lame looking. Meager-looking sites, all of which seem to have either a wooden deck for your tent or a sandbox filled with gravel. We got information about which sites were available... and then saw a sign that said the trails from the campground were closed due to "bear activity". Since that was pretty much all the park had going for it at that point for us, we hit the road. Turns out we didn't take a single picture of this place.
Pigeon Forge, TN, which is on the way to both Dollywood and Great Smoky Mountains Park, is the biggest tourist trap area I have ever seen in my entire life. There are no adequate words for it.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park is pretty awesome. It's pretty big, and while there's not really a central attraction in it, there's a ton of trails, mountains, and waterfalls. Not a fan of the model here where entrance is free but they nickel and dime you on maps. But other than that - no complaints. Really neat park.
We weren't here a really long time, so we focused on hiking trails that went to waterfalls. We saw two in the evening, bumbled our way through another campfire (seriously, you would never know I was briefly a Boy Scout), then got up and went in search of more waterfalls.
We drove by a few of them that are close to roadways, then went on a loop drive towards more. I was pretty worried about the effect of a long hike on my knee, considering I'd been walking all week on the trip and still had a weekend full of walking ahead of me. Eventually I decided to stay back while my partner pressed on.
A creek intersected the trail, small enough that there was no bridge (picture above). Most people I watched just stepped on rocks to avoid getting their feet wet. While she walked on, I took my shoes off and stepped in the water. Upstream looked interested, so I went. After I climbed (carefully) over some mossy rocks, I was alone.
I was in a really neat area, quietly hidden just out of sight. I continued climbing in and around the water, occasionally stopping to sit on a rock and enjoy the area. I missed out on a great waterfall you can walk behind (check the next group of pictures), but I had my own Eden. Eventually I went back to the car and read and waited for my partner to get back.
We pressed on to the last fall on this stretch, which is called The Place of a Thousand Drips. Silly name, fun place.
I climbed around in it barefoot for awhile until I found a place where shoes would really help me. My partner was nowhere to be found, exploring another area, so I put my shoes on and went back to climb higher. It's right next to the road, so people would see it, then brake to look at it, sometimes taking a picture out the window. I didn't know whether I should be looking at them while they took my picture...
But we decided to make the best of it, figuring there were some trails in the area we could walk on, and we'd just set up camp there and roll with it. So we go over to the campground... and it was just lame looking. Meager-looking sites, all of which seem to have either a wooden deck for your tent or a sandbox filled with gravel. We got information about which sites were available... and then saw a sign that said the trails from the campground were closed due to "bear activity". Since that was pretty much all the park had going for it at that point for us, we hit the road. Turns out we didn't take a single picture of this place.
Pigeon Forge, TN, which is on the way to both Dollywood and Great Smoky Mountains Park, is the biggest tourist trap area I have ever seen in my entire life. There are no adequate words for it.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park is pretty awesome. It's pretty big, and while there's not really a central attraction in it, there's a ton of trails, mountains, and waterfalls. Not a fan of the model here where entrance is free but they nickel and dime you on maps. But other than that - no complaints. Really neat park.
We weren't here a really long time, so we focused on hiking trails that went to waterfalls. We saw two in the evening, bumbled our way through another campfire (seriously, you would never know I was briefly a Boy Scout), then got up and went in search of more waterfalls.
We drove by a few of them that are close to roadways, then went on a loop drive towards more. I was pretty worried about the effect of a long hike on my knee, considering I'd been walking all week on the trip and still had a weekend full of walking ahead of me. Eventually I decided to stay back while my partner pressed on.
A creek intersected the trail, small enough that there was no bridge (picture above). Most people I watched just stepped on rocks to avoid getting their feet wet. While she walked on, I took my shoes off and stepped in the water. Upstream looked interested, so I went. After I climbed (carefully) over some mossy rocks, I was alone.
I was in a really neat area, quietly hidden just out of sight. I continued climbing in and around the water, occasionally stopping to sit on a rock and enjoy the area. I missed out on a great waterfall you can walk behind (check the next group of pictures), but I had my own Eden. Eventually I went back to the car and read and waited for my partner to get back.
We pressed on to the last fall on this stretch, which is called The Place of a Thousand Drips. Silly name, fun place.
I climbed around in it barefoot for awhile until I found a place where shoes would really help me. My partner was nowhere to be found, exploring another area, so I put my shoes on and went back to climb higher. It's right next to the road, so people would see it, then brake to look at it, sometimes taking a picture out the window. I didn't know whether I should be looking at them while they took my picture...
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Mammoth Cave
So the super secret destination was Mammoth Cave in Kentucky. Kiddo and I went to Carlsbad Caverns this summer. Of all the parks we went to, that seemed to be the one my partner most envied. And kiddo got kinda bored in the cave. So I hatched a plan to someday take my partner and NOT Kiddo to Mammoth Cave. And it turns out I got to enact that plan sooner than I thought.
It was a long drive down, and I really wanted us to get there before the Visitors Center closed (6:30pm) so that we could pick up some guides and figure out which cave tours to go on the next day. Unfortunately Mammoth Cave is not set up for any self guided tours (as Carlsbad is), so you have to go as part of a group.
We got there a few minutes after 6 (aided by the switch to Central time), and it turns out they have a 6:15 lantern tour. So we went straight at it.
I actually found the lantern tour less cool. Because the electric lights were off, you couldn't see far. And because you were generally surrounded by lanterns, you couldn't really see much beyond your group. So I felt like I missed some of the awesomeness of the cave. We eventually figured out that we were happier up front where our lantern did give us a bit of a hint of the darkness we were always walking towards.
Americans found Mammoth Cave long before they found conservationism, so there's a lot of historical graffiti in certain sections down there. Apparently it was often commissioned by white tourists - and actually put on the walls and ceilings by tour guides... who usually happened to be slaves.
After the tour we set up our tent and checked out the tour schedules. We were both interested in the tour that visits the underground river, but that is only offered in the middle of the summer, so that wasn't an option (until the early 90s they actually had boat rides on a stretch of river. How badass is that?).
The two we considered are the two longest:
the Wild Cave tour, which involves crawling around in tight passageways ("Chest or hip measurement must not exceed 42 inches; if you are larger, you cannot physically pass through the crawlspaces") and
the Grand Avenue tour, which is basically 4 hours over 4 miles (they stop and talk to you, sometimes too much).
We kept wondering if the claustrophobia would be too much on the Wild Cave tour and ultimately decided on the Grand Avenue tour. We figured out later we probably would have been turned away from Wild Cave because of our lack of boots. It also starts too early in the morning for vacation...
Anyway, a good thing about the Grand Avenue tour is that it didn't involve any of the cave that we toured the night before. So we heard new things for the most part. I think it's a good choice if you're only going on one tour. And if you're going on two, this one pairs well with one of the historical entrance tours (Historic Tour, or the aforementioned river tour).
We ended up eating lunch down there. And bathrooms in caves are always kind of neat.
Near the end of the tour they shut off all the lights. Now that, my friends, is total darkness. (obviously none of these pictures are of that moment)
It was a long drive down, and I really wanted us to get there before the Visitors Center closed (6:30pm) so that we could pick up some guides and figure out which cave tours to go on the next day. Unfortunately Mammoth Cave is not set up for any self guided tours (as Carlsbad is), so you have to go as part of a group.
We got there a few minutes after 6 (aided by the switch to Central time), and it turns out they have a 6:15 lantern tour. So we went straight at it.
I actually found the lantern tour less cool. Because the electric lights were off, you couldn't see far. And because you were generally surrounded by lanterns, you couldn't really see much beyond your group. So I felt like I missed some of the awesomeness of the cave. We eventually figured out that we were happier up front where our lantern did give us a bit of a hint of the darkness we were always walking towards.
Americans found Mammoth Cave long before they found conservationism, so there's a lot of historical graffiti in certain sections down there. Apparently it was often commissioned by white tourists - and actually put on the walls and ceilings by tour guides... who usually happened to be slaves.
After the tour we set up our tent and checked out the tour schedules. We were both interested in the tour that visits the underground river, but that is only offered in the middle of the summer, so that wasn't an option (until the early 90s they actually had boat rides on a stretch of river. How badass is that?).
The two we considered are the two longest:
the Wild Cave tour, which involves crawling around in tight passageways ("Chest or hip measurement must not exceed 42 inches; if you are larger, you cannot physically pass through the crawlspaces") and
the Grand Avenue tour, which is basically 4 hours over 4 miles (they stop and talk to you, sometimes too much).
We kept wondering if the claustrophobia would be too much on the Wild Cave tour and ultimately decided on the Grand Avenue tour. We figured out later we probably would have been turned away from Wild Cave because of our lack of boots. It also starts too early in the morning for vacation...
Anyway, a good thing about the Grand Avenue tour is that it didn't involve any of the cave that we toured the night before. So we heard new things for the most part. I think it's a good choice if you're only going on one tour. And if you're going on two, this one pairs well with one of the historical entrance tours (Historic Tour, or the aforementioned river tour).
Near the end of the tour they shut off all the lights. Now that, my friends, is total darkness. (obviously none of these pictures are of that moment)
Side note: my annual pass didn't get us anything here. The park is free to get into, but you have to pay for tours. Kind of lame that you can't even get a discount with the thing.
A few weeks after we got home we watched "The Descent", which was utterly terrifying.
The Abandoned Turnpike Tunnel
For my partner's birthday, I arranged a trip for us. I kept the ultimate destination a secret, but I also made plans that I shared with her before we left: visiting an abandoned turnpike tunnel.
Background: when the Pennsylvania turnpike was built, they dug a bunch of tunnels through mountains. They were all two lane tunnels, which became traffic bottlenecks. So for the most part they dug a second tunnel next to each of the existing tunnels. But for whatever reason, three of the tunnels were abandoned and the road rerouted.
One of the tunnels is still owned by the Turnpike Commission, which apparently leases it to a racing company, which runs some sort of Super Top Secret Racing Experiments there. The other two are on one common stretch of (abandoned roadway) and are discreetly open to hiking and bicyling. They were sold at one point to a group that wanted to fix it up a bit, with lights and whatnot. That group has apparently not raised the funds they needed to, because nothing has happened.
I'm actually glad. The lack of lights is the experience.
I chose Sideling Hill tunnel over Ray's Hill tunnel because it's longer - something like 1.25 miles. The internet claimed that in the middle, you wouldn't be able to see out either side because of the tunnel's curve. Sadly, this was not the case.
The internet also claimed it was pitch black, can't see your hand in front of your face dark. Also not the case. At least during the day.
So despite not living up to those particular pieces of hype, it was still really neat.
The two of us walked the whole way. We only turned on our flashlight at the end because other people were coming in the other side and we didn't want to be jerks and scare the ever loving crap out of them. We rested and turned back. We took pictures at each side but not in the middle.
So what was it like inside? Well, you can't see the other side at first... but the light from the other side reflects off the ceiling. So you're always walking towards light. It's just far off and you can't see anything ahead of you. You're dimly lit from behind for a long time, though. So during the daytime, it's never pitch black.
I would call it a good amount of scary. I wouldn't have conquered it alone. But with my partner, it was fun to hold hands and enter the void. I was slightly the more scared of us.
As a postscript, we drove on and camped for the night at Coopers Rock State Forest in West Virginia. It has a nice overlook we went to just before dark. But mostly it was just a place to put our tent down.
Background: when the Pennsylvania turnpike was built, they dug a bunch of tunnels through mountains. They were all two lane tunnels, which became traffic bottlenecks. So for the most part they dug a second tunnel next to each of the existing tunnels. But for whatever reason, three of the tunnels were abandoned and the road rerouted.
One of the tunnels is still owned by the Turnpike Commission, which apparently leases it to a racing company, which runs some sort of Super Top Secret Racing Experiments there. The other two are on one common stretch of (abandoned roadway) and are discreetly open to hiking and bicyling. They were sold at one point to a group that wanted to fix it up a bit, with lights and whatnot. That group has apparently not raised the funds they needed to, because nothing has happened.
I'm actually glad. The lack of lights is the experience.
I chose Sideling Hill tunnel over Ray's Hill tunnel because it's longer - something like 1.25 miles. The internet claimed that in the middle, you wouldn't be able to see out either side because of the tunnel's curve. Sadly, this was not the case.
The internet also claimed it was pitch black, can't see your hand in front of your face dark. Also not the case. At least during the day.
So despite not living up to those particular pieces of hype, it was still really neat.
The two of us walked the whole way. We only turned on our flashlight at the end because other people were coming in the other side and we didn't want to be jerks and scare the ever loving crap out of them. We rested and turned back. We took pictures at each side but not in the middle.
So what was it like inside? Well, you can't see the other side at first... but the light from the other side reflects off the ceiling. So you're always walking towards light. It's just far off and you can't see anything ahead of you. You're dimly lit from behind for a long time, though. So during the daytime, it's never pitch black.
I would call it a good amount of scary. I wouldn't have conquered it alone. But with my partner, it was fun to hold hands and enter the void. I was slightly the more scared of us.
As a postscript, we drove on and camped for the night at Coopers Rock State Forest in West Virginia. It has a nice overlook we went to just before dark. But mostly it was just a place to put our tent down.
Monday, July 30, 2012
First weekend of shows
Friday July 27 - first show!
at Mojo Main in Newark, DE
as part of Tric Town series of events
order: Galaxy 13, Nearest/Twax (Casey's solo project), Controlled Bleeding, Tithonus
Good crowd. Official EP release party for us. And the first show ever. I was so nervous. But it went well.
Was also a CD release party for Galaxy 13.
Saturday July 28
Boneyard in Atlantic City, NJ
order: Controlled Bleeding, Tithonus
Was supposed to be a house show but got moved to be a pre-show in front of a CD release show for a band called the Mah Lors (bill also featured Position 9 and SensaMotionBand, but really they were two separate shows so they are not listed above).
Place was empty and we were hungry so we went out for food with the Controlled Bleeding guys. We were all late coming back and we still encouraged Controlled Bleeding to play their full set, so we got told we could play 10-15 minutes. And honestly, that was even pushing it, our show organizer was going out on a limb and delaying the later show. So we only played "Dawn" and the new song.
There were actually a decent number of people out for the later show, but it's pretty common for folks not to give a chance to any sort of pre-show that's not actually on the bill of the show you're going to. But a few people saw us.
Sunday July 29
North Star Bar in Philadelphia, PA
order: Lonesummer, Depths, Tithonus, Controlled Bleeding
I really liked this venue. Cover was $10, which was too high, but great stage, and they had a balcony. Great sound too, the sound man did a good job. Musically it was the best Tithonus played all weekend.
And there was virtually nobody there. Collectively the bands may have actually guest listed more people than people who paid at the door (note: it's not about the money [cause even if it was, not much of that $10 would have made its way to us]. It's about playing for new people! And about wanting the awesome energy of playing to a crowd).
But hey, it was fun to play a neat place. Fun to get more live venue experience. Our connection with Controlled Bleeding is pretty good, we all got along well. And I think we might have a new connection with Depths, we all dug each other's sound pretty good, and they apparently do some booking in New York.
at Mojo Main in Newark, DE
as part of Tric Town series of events
order: Galaxy 13, Nearest/Twax (Casey's solo project), Controlled Bleeding, Tithonus
Good crowd. Official EP release party for us. And the first show ever. I was so nervous. But it went well.
Was also a CD release party for Galaxy 13.
Saturday July 28
Boneyard in Atlantic City, NJ
order: Controlled Bleeding, Tithonus
Was supposed to be a house show but got moved to be a pre-show in front of a CD release show for a band called the Mah Lors (bill also featured Position 9 and SensaMotionBand, but really they were two separate shows so they are not listed above).
Place was empty and we were hungry so we went out for food with the Controlled Bleeding guys. We were all late coming back and we still encouraged Controlled Bleeding to play their full set, so we got told we could play 10-15 minutes. And honestly, that was even pushing it, our show organizer was going out on a limb and delaying the later show. So we only played "Dawn" and the new song.
There were actually a decent number of people out for the later show, but it's pretty common for folks not to give a chance to any sort of pre-show that's not actually on the bill of the show you're going to. But a few people saw us.
Sunday July 29
North Star Bar in Philadelphia, PA
order: Lonesummer, Depths, Tithonus, Controlled Bleeding
I really liked this venue. Cover was $10, which was too high, but great stage, and they had a balcony. Great sound too, the sound man did a good job. Musically it was the best Tithonus played all weekend.
And there was virtually nobody there. Collectively the bands may have actually guest listed more people than people who paid at the door (note: it's not about the money [cause even if it was, not much of that $10 would have made its way to us]. It's about playing for new people! And about wanting the awesome energy of playing to a crowd).
But hey, it was fun to play a neat place. Fun to get more live venue experience. Our connection with Controlled Bleeding is pretty good, we all got along well. And I think we might have a new connection with Depths, we all dug each other's sound pretty good, and they apparently do some booking in New York.
Sunday, July 29, 2012
What's going on here?
So trips I take with the kid are going to get blogged at another site in the future.
Trips I take without the kid will probably still be blogged here.
But last night I realized something else I want to blog, and why not do it here?
So... unless you guys have strenuous objections or anything, I am going to start adding in details about shows that I play with my band. Because you play a lot of shows and forget where and when and with who.
I'm going to hold back a little bit, in the sense that I don't want to disparage any other bands we play with, or venues we might play, because even though this is not an official representation of my band, I am part of it and letting a negative opinion out like that is more unprofessional than I am willing to be.
Trips I take without the kid will probably still be blogged here.
But last night I realized something else I want to blog, and why not do it here?
So... unless you guys have strenuous objections or anything, I am going to start adding in details about shows that I play with my band. Because you play a lot of shows and forget where and when and with who.
I'm going to hold back a little bit, in the sense that I don't want to disparage any other bands we play with, or venues we might play, because even though this is not an official representation of my band, I am part of it and letting a negative opinion out like that is more unprofessional than I am willing to be.
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Day 29: Home
And then we were home. <3
The odometer reading is about 4 miles off because I didn't remember to set it right away.
The day after we got home we went back to Lancaster to pick up our cat. This time my partner got to come.
I found a bass drum out on the curb, going out with the trash. But as seen below, I put it in my car.
The kitty is back. I missed her.
Day 28: DC
Our last stop was in the DC area with another old friend.
She's a Hello Kitty fan just as Kiddo is, so they always bond over that. She gave Kiddo a Hello Kitty stool to take home. And Kiddo got some awesome Hide and Seek time with my friend's significant other.
Dinner was the Whole Foods hot bar (thanks for unnecessarily putting cream in way too many dishes, guys) and birthday ice cream. Because at midnight, it was going to be my birthday.
Kiddo wanted plain noodles, which I was not thrilled about, but then she chose two random vegetables to go with it, so my faith was restored. Collard greens and beets! I think she doesn't actually like collards very much, but she has one really nice memory of eating them with us and therefore asks for them sometimes (and then just doesn't eat too many). Anyway, plain noodles + beets = pink noodles. Which is awesome. I only have crappy pictures from my phone, so it just looks like bad lighting.
My friend has a convertible, and Kiddo loved riding with the top down. Nice moment for the last night of the trip.
I had been thinking about talking myself of blowing off DC and just driving the last three hours home, but I am so glad I didn't. Again, enjoy an awful phone picture.
She's a Hello Kitty fan just as Kiddo is, so they always bond over that. She gave Kiddo a Hello Kitty stool to take home. And Kiddo got some awesome Hide and Seek time with my friend's significant other.
Dinner was the Whole Foods hot bar (thanks for unnecessarily putting cream in way too many dishes, guys) and birthday ice cream. Because at midnight, it was going to be my birthday.
Kiddo wanted plain noodles, which I was not thrilled about, but then she chose two random vegetables to go with it, so my faith was restored. Collard greens and beets! I think she doesn't actually like collards very much, but she has one really nice memory of eating them with us and therefore asks for them sometimes (and then just doesn't eat too many). Anyway, plain noodles + beets = pink noodles. Which is awesome. I only have crappy pictures from my phone, so it just looks like bad lighting.
I had been thinking about talking myself of blowing off DC and just driving the last three hours home, but I am so glad I didn't. Again, enjoy an awful phone picture.
Day 27: that's right, Roanoke
I grew up in Roanoke, Virginia.
I don't want to move back or anything, but the Blue Ridge mountains always take my breath when I first get back in the area.
We went to the same Tex-Mex restaurant we always go to. Then Kiddo stayed home and I went to see some dear old friends. We ended up going out for drinks... at another location of the same Tex-Mex restaurant we always go to (see?).
First picture: the third page in Kiddo's three page book about the sunset (this is the moon/nighttime page that says 'the sunset is gone').
Second picture: a PlayDoh snake. Especially awesome eyes.
Day 26: South Carolina
My uncle and aunt live on a lake in South Carolina. I hadn't seen them in 8 years, which means they had never met Kiddo.
Their house is gorgeous and we all had a good time. My aunt made us a great meal. Kiddo drew some pictures and was in love with the disco ball in the basement. She turned it back on to fall asleep.
The morning involved swimming, several epic meltdowns, and a little bit of Ms Pacman.
I think knowing she was going home was hard on the kid.
Their house is gorgeous and we all had a good time. My aunt made us a great meal. Kiddo drew some pictures and was in love with the disco ball in the basement. She turned it back on to fall asleep.
The morning involved swimming, several epic meltdowns, and a little bit of Ms Pacman.
I think knowing she was going home was hard on the kid.
Day 25: Alabama
Leaving New Orleans was especially significant because it was all northeast from there.
I've always been interested in visiting the Deep South, but I suppose I need ideas about places to go in Mississippi and Alabama. The way the trip was structured, we did New Orleans and pretty much just started the drive home.
In New Orleans I downloaded a rough recording of a new song written by the rest of the band. I wrote a drum line by listening to my ipod while driving to Alabama.
In New Orleans I downloaded a rough recording of a new song written by the rest of the band. I wrote a drum line by listening to my ipod while driving to Alabama.
Our host in Alabama told me they have other couchsurfers... I was curious since I'd be meeting someone I knew nothing about and hadn't even read the profile for, but I barely interacted with them (in fact, I don't even know how many of them there were). They were (I think) a family from Latvia, in Alabama for work. Apparently they wanted to stay for months and months, so they worked out a rental agreement with their host family. There were 4 dogs in the house.
Our host proposed we go to a Japanese restaurant, which turned out to be a Japanese/Chinese restaurant in a supermarket shopping center in suburban Alabama. I did not have high expectations. But hey, it was cheap! And Kiddo likes almost anything that's vegan and made of noodles.
They had sidewalk chalk in the shape of eggs, which Kiddo used on the driveway and then all over herself, predictably. They also gave us some Play-Doh that made for a new car toy over the next few days.
Monday, July 16, 2012
Day 24: New Orleans
We woke up, packed up the tent, and went swimming in Kincaid Reservoir which is part of the National Forest. I'm always confused when lakes have beaches at their swimming area. The sand doesn't quite feel like sand, and it definitely looks odd far away from the shore. We can handle dirt and rocks, ok guys?
So then we were off down to New Orleans. In Baton Rouge we picked up a ton of traffic and monsoon levels of rain (we definitely saw some downpours on this trip, but this was still an impressive one... possibly second only to a storm we drove through in Indiana). Kiddo looked a bit sleepy, and I got scared - I was not about a nap this day, not when I wanted her to go to sleep on the early side so I could enjoy drinking and relaxing in New Orleans (this totally sounds selfish to me, but I need to just own it). So... I finally broke out the portable DVD player. She knew I brought one of her favorite movies, but she didn't know about the player until I handed it to her. I didn't want her to miss everything outside of the car because of movies. But I also am at least a tiny bit realistic about how hard long car rides are. Anyway, it worked like a charm.
We were staying with a relative of a Philadelphia friend - again someone I had some sort of tenuous connection to, but had not met in person before. She was out at a movie when I arrived. Her roommate had already given me a beer when I got a text that the movie was over, "herr yet?" I was unsure if it was a typo or slang. Either way, I was immediately busy giggling about Herr Yeti, aka German Mister Yeti. Which of course lets me link to the greatest thing the internet has ever produced. I think that's only my second external link on the blog. But really, it's that amazing.
I don't have any pictures of New Orleans because I only scratched the surface of it. However, this was more than my Vegas experience, which had nothing to do with Vegas (note: I still don't regret that choice... we spent time in Zion and then hung out with cool people... I still just think it's funny I didn't even go to Vegas proper, let alone the Strip).
We were in New Orleans itself (although I didn't see the French Quarter or any historic sections), and you could smell the bayou. I actually would have really liked to drive down to "the end of the world", and it was on a rough draft of the trip, but I cut it during planning stages.
My host has had some sadness in her recent life, and drinking with me was a distraction.
The further along I go, the more I think this is about connections. Connecting with the earth, the dirt and the rocks, the mountains and lakes. With different regions, places and cities with various subsets of culture. But mostly it's about connecting with individual people. I am traveling the country, searching for connections and forging them everywhere I go.
Sometimes it's people I already know, and we are expanding and adding to what we have... but often we're strangers, and the course of our night together is forming this new connection. The connections are sometimes just surface things, sometimes more intimate conversations. Some of it is a question of compatibility... but so much of it is what we open ourselves up to.
So then we were off down to New Orleans. In Baton Rouge we picked up a ton of traffic and monsoon levels of rain (we definitely saw some downpours on this trip, but this was still an impressive one... possibly second only to a storm we drove through in Indiana). Kiddo looked a bit sleepy, and I got scared - I was not about a nap this day, not when I wanted her to go to sleep on the early side so I could enjoy drinking and relaxing in New Orleans (this totally sounds selfish to me, but I need to just own it). So... I finally broke out the portable DVD player. She knew I brought one of her favorite movies, but she didn't know about the player until I handed it to her. I didn't want her to miss everything outside of the car because of movies. But I also am at least a tiny bit realistic about how hard long car rides are. Anyway, it worked like a charm.
I don't have any pictures of New Orleans because I only scratched the surface of it. However, this was more than my Vegas experience, which had nothing to do with Vegas (note: I still don't regret that choice... we spent time in Zion and then hung out with cool people... I still just think it's funny I didn't even go to Vegas proper, let alone the Strip).
We were in New Orleans itself (although I didn't see the French Quarter or any historic sections), and you could smell the bayou. I actually would have really liked to drive down to "the end of the world", and it was on a rough draft of the trip, but I cut it during planning stages.
My host has had some sadness in her recent life, and drinking with me was a distraction.
The further along I go, the more I think this is about connections. Connecting with the earth, the dirt and the rocks, the mountains and lakes. With different regions, places and cities with various subsets of culture. But mostly it's about connecting with individual people. I am traveling the country, searching for connections and forging them everywhere I go.
Sometimes it's people I already know, and we are expanding and adding to what we have... but often we're strangers, and the course of our night together is forming this new connection. The connections are sometimes just surface things, sometimes more intimate conversations. Some of it is a question of compatibility... but so much of it is what we open ourselves up to.
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Day 23: Kisatchie National Forest, Louisiana
We drove into central Louisiana. At this point it was clear that rain would follow us east and join us every day. I mean if it hit us daily in New Mexico and Texas... you'd have to think it would get us in Louisiana. I was just worried about having to set up the tent in a downpour.
Fortunately, all our downpours were early in the day. By the time we found the National Forest, we were back to just stifling humidity.
Trying to find the correct entrance to Kisatchie was probably the most lost I got on the trip. Kiddo said she needed the bathroom, but there were no gas stations or fast food places or... anything at the exit. A few minutes of rural road went by, with a few successful turns made... still nothing. Cruised along on that road for a few minutes, looking for the next one...
I'm still not sure if I missed a turn or didn't go far enough, but I double backed to take an unlabeled road, hoping it was the turn I'd been looking for (it wasn't). I called my partner to ask for google maps help, but for a few minutes I couldn't even figure out where I was (no intersection had a sign that labeled the street I was actually on, just the cross streets). Eventually she suggested I take care of Kiddo and call her back. I told her the problem was that there was nowhere for us to stop... "I just passed a sign that says 'Obama Who? Think Twice'. There is NOTHING out here". Kiddo cracked up. She didn't even know who Obama is, but that sign gave her the giggles for days.
During our call, I fortunately found a major intersection and was able to piece together where I was. We then found the correct route and descended into the National Forest (that's really the best way to say it... National Parks have visitors centers and destinations and attractions... National Forests just have unpaved roads and vague parking areas).
We found our free campground of choice, which was actually outshadowed on its own sign by the fact that it is also a trailhead. The campground itself was a vague clearing in between the parking area and a vault toilet. No one else camped there... we did have a pickup truck come into the parking area and sit for awhile, far away enough from the car so that I couldn't see the person inside. No one ever got out, as far as I know.
We set up the tent then went for a walk on the trail. It was shaded, but the humidity was so brutal we were both drenched. This was our camping trip with the least amount of water preparation, and as I discovered on the walk, the water that had been sitting in the plastic cooler/jug thing tasted like, well exactly like water that had been sitting in a plastic container for a week. I also had a water bottle that had been refilled at a fast food place, and therefore had more than a hint of the artificial flavor of soda it shared a spout with. Kiddo had a bottle with good water, so I tried to leave it all for her. Upon return I did find a metal water bottle in the car that tasted nice, and it got me through the night.
Our trail went through the forest. We claimed a diagonal downed tree and turned around when we got to a creek I'd seen on a map at the trailhead. Kiddo doesn't seem to like trails that are as destination-less as this one. Actually she seems to mostly like trails that climb hills and/or descend into canyons. Picky.
Fortunately, all our downpours were early in the day. By the time we found the National Forest, we were back to just stifling humidity.
Trying to find the correct entrance to Kisatchie was probably the most lost I got on the trip. Kiddo said she needed the bathroom, but there were no gas stations or fast food places or... anything at the exit. A few minutes of rural road went by, with a few successful turns made... still nothing. Cruised along on that road for a few minutes, looking for the next one...
I'm still not sure if I missed a turn or didn't go far enough, but I double backed to take an unlabeled road, hoping it was the turn I'd been looking for (it wasn't). I called my partner to ask for google maps help, but for a few minutes I couldn't even figure out where I was (no intersection had a sign that labeled the street I was actually on, just the cross streets). Eventually she suggested I take care of Kiddo and call her back. I told her the problem was that there was nowhere for us to stop... "I just passed a sign that says 'Obama Who? Think Twice'. There is NOTHING out here". Kiddo cracked up. She didn't even know who Obama is, but that sign gave her the giggles for days.
During our call, I fortunately found a major intersection and was able to piece together where I was. We then found the correct route and descended into the National Forest (that's really the best way to say it... National Parks have visitors centers and destinations and attractions... National Forests just have unpaved roads and vague parking areas).
We found our free campground of choice, which was actually outshadowed on its own sign by the fact that it is also a trailhead. The campground itself was a vague clearing in between the parking area and a vault toilet. No one else camped there... we did have a pickup truck come into the parking area and sit for awhile, far away enough from the car so that I couldn't see the person inside. No one ever got out, as far as I know.
We set up the tent then went for a walk on the trail. It was shaded, but the humidity was so brutal we were both drenched. This was our camping trip with the least amount of water preparation, and as I discovered on the walk, the water that had been sitting in the plastic cooler/jug thing tasted like, well exactly like water that had been sitting in a plastic container for a week. I also had a water bottle that had been refilled at a fast food place, and therefore had more than a hint of the artificial flavor of soda it shared a spout with. Kiddo had a bottle with good water, so I tried to leave it all for her. Upon return I did find a metal water bottle in the car that tasted nice, and it got me through the night.
Our trail went through the forest. We claimed a diagonal downed tree and turned around when we got to a creek I'd seen on a map at the trailhead. Kiddo doesn't seem to like trails that are as destination-less as this one. Actually she seems to mostly like trails that climb hills and/or descend into canyons. Picky.
Day 22: the Dallas area
Thoughts on the Dallas + Fort Worth area, and/or the trip in general:
- Sprawl. Ridiculous sprawl. We got to the outside of Fort Worth and it still took us forever to get to our destination in between Dallas and Fort Worth. (per Wikipedia, the DFW area is bigger than Connecticut and Rhode Island combined)
- We had a good time. Our couchsurfing hosts were fun adults that really enjoyed playing with Kiddo because they like acting like kids (in a good way). It was one of her favorite houses to be in.
- We went to a grocery store named Tom Thumb. Which is not too exciting because it's just part of Safeway. Which also owns (or did own) Genuardi's in the Philly area. But it was kind of odd.
- We successfully acquired and consumed vegan yogurt for the first time since Colorado.
- America clearly has a problem with stuff. Across the whole country, everywhere I went, I saw storage facilities. So many people have so much stuff.
- There are more Subway locations in America than any other fast food chain, even McDonald's. I had heard that before the trip but found it odd. But after seeing Subway on nearly every "food - next exit" sign across America, now I've seen it. Anyway, it's perfect for picking up a sandwich on the way to your storage facility to visit your stuff.
- Speaking of fast food, by this point of the trip we were eating lunch at Taco Bell every day. I don't have a lot of good things to say about that. But it happened. It was a thing.
- Here are some pictures of the dust storm the day before in West Texas. Should have put them on that post, but then this one would have no pictures. And yes, of course I got out and took pictures. Cause it was my first dust storm (sounds like My Fischer Price First Dust Storm). And yes, I did get some dust in my eyes and mouth. But no, it wasn't too bad.
Day 21: Carlsbad Caverns and West Texas
As mentioned before, we ended up camping in Brantley Lake State Park. The NPS website for Carlsbad Caverns lists free backcountry camping, as long as you're a half mile from the road (the backcountry road, at that). Ultimately I decided that was not for us. I couldn't have been more right. I didn't drive down the backcountry road, so I suppose it could be different, but the land right around the caverns is possibly the hardest I saw on the trip. Some of the land up in Utah appeared to be nothing but dirt. But this appeared to be nothing but rocks and cactus, as far as the eye can see (although I'm sure there are rattlesnakes too). While driving to the visitors center I looked around to see if there were any clear areas the size of our tent, but I saw just rocks and cacti. And "No Overnight Camping" signs.
I convinced Kiddo that we should walk down the ramp and enter the cave via the natural entrance, then take the elevator back up. She likes elevators, but it would mean missing a decent stretch of the cave, especially the part where you descend into the mouth of the cave and eventually walk away from the natural light.
So I don't have a lot of good Caverns pictures because my current camera is awful. To be specific, it's extra awful in low-light situations, like "in a cave", "at night", "indoors", or "anything that is not outside in the middle of a sunny afternoon". It's a point and shoot from 2004. It *finally* got put out to pasture, only its replacement broke, a fact that was discovered right before this trip. So it's back. I'm a little hung up on trying to make another big trip next year, only this time with a more awesomer blog and a kickstarter page... so maybe a new one next year...
Kiddo was scared in the cave. Not overwhelmed or anything, but was NOT interested in letting go of my hand, even for me to take a picture of something. Maybe it was ok that the camera didn't work so well in the cave, then...
Kiddo actually got a bit bored too. We took the natural entrance down to the "big room", then did the loop through the big room. I hurried us through because she was getting bored and feisty.
Oddly, over the next few days (I would much prefer I had written all of these in a timely fashion, but there are benefits to being late with it, and one of them is tying in small pieces of information from later in the trip) she talked up the caverns, and drew pictures of them (well, drew them in Powder Game, which is sort of like interactive temporary art on the internet). I think that it was a really neat thing for her to do, and unlike anything else she's experienced, but not necessarily fun while it's happening.
On our way from the ticket station to the entrance, we stopped at an activity station and made a little foam bat finger puppet. She named it Rainbow. Well, Rainbow went through the whole cave with us, but we lost her when we came back up and sat to finish the Junior Ranger book. We'd left the Visitors Center and were on our way back to the main road when I get asked "Where's my bat?" It was one of those moments as a parent where you want to just say 'sorry, we really shouldn't turn around just for a little piece of foam, and why didn't you take good care of it anyway' but the right answer is 'we're both going to have a miserable time unless we spend a measly 15 minutes going back for that thing, so let's go'.
We couldn't find Rainbow in the visitors center and went back to the activity table... where they were doing something else. But we talked to them and the nice lady left to get the finger puppet activity stuff, and Rainbow got herself a new bat body, and all was well with the universe.
This was going to be the one night on the trip that we stayed in a hotel. So we didn't have an exact destination set, just a few towns alongside I-20 in Texas that we'd find a place at. I actually sent a text to Facebook and Twitter asking for help finding the cheapest place, but Facebook decided my text should be a private message to someone, not a status update. But regardless, our Colorado host (honestly, if I'm going to do this pseudo anonymity thing I probably should have given everyone nicknames) texted me almost immediately with information. It was cool. And so I got to use the internet for the first time in awhile, courtesy of hotel wifi (which I have noticed is the number one thing mentioned on hotel signs these days).
I convinced Kiddo that we should walk down the ramp and enter the cave via the natural entrance, then take the elevator back up. She likes elevators, but it would mean missing a decent stretch of the cave, especially the part where you descend into the mouth of the cave and eventually walk away from the natural light.
So I don't have a lot of good Caverns pictures because my current camera is awful. To be specific, it's extra awful in low-light situations, like "in a cave", "at night", "indoors", or "anything that is not outside in the middle of a sunny afternoon". It's a point and shoot from 2004. It *finally* got put out to pasture, only its replacement broke, a fact that was discovered right before this trip. So it's back. I'm a little hung up on trying to make another big trip next year, only this time with a more awesomer blog and a kickstarter page... so maybe a new one next year...
Kiddo was scared in the cave. Not overwhelmed or anything, but was NOT interested in letting go of my hand, even for me to take a picture of something. Maybe it was ok that the camera didn't work so well in the cave, then...
Kiddo actually got a bit bored too. We took the natural entrance down to the "big room", then did the loop through the big room. I hurried us through because she was getting bored and feisty.
Oddly, over the next few days (I would much prefer I had written all of these in a timely fashion, but there are benefits to being late with it, and one of them is tying in small pieces of information from later in the trip) she talked up the caverns, and drew pictures of them (well, drew them in Powder Game, which is sort of like interactive temporary art on the internet). I think that it was a really neat thing for her to do, and unlike anything else she's experienced, but not necessarily fun while it's happening.
On our way from the ticket station to the entrance, we stopped at an activity station and made a little foam bat finger puppet. She named it Rainbow. Well, Rainbow went through the whole cave with us, but we lost her when we came back up and sat to finish the Junior Ranger book. We'd left the Visitors Center and were on our way back to the main road when I get asked "Where's my bat?" It was one of those moments as a parent where you want to just say 'sorry, we really shouldn't turn around just for a little piece of foam, and why didn't you take good care of it anyway' but the right answer is 'we're both going to have a miserable time unless we spend a measly 15 minutes going back for that thing, so let's go'.
We couldn't find Rainbow in the visitors center and went back to the activity table... where they were doing something else. But we talked to them and the nice lady left to get the finger puppet activity stuff, and Rainbow got herself a new bat body, and all was well with the universe.
This was going to be the one night on the trip that we stayed in a hotel. So we didn't have an exact destination set, just a few towns alongside I-20 in Texas that we'd find a place at. I actually sent a text to Facebook and Twitter asking for help finding the cheapest place, but Facebook decided my text should be a private message to someone, not a status update. But regardless, our Colorado host (honestly, if I'm going to do this pseudo anonymity thing I probably should have given everyone nicknames) texted me almost immediately with information. It was cool. And so I got to use the internet for the first time in awhile, courtesy of hotel wifi (which I have noticed is the number one thing mentioned on hotel signs these days).
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)