Blame it on Thunder Road

It's been a long time since I have checked in. I skipped writing about our Christmas trip to Denver and basically February flew by uneventfully. I should mention that there was a great trip to Mojave National Preserve where we got to see the Camper Van Zinda. March came quickly and, well, here I am on my way to another hellishly hot Vegas summer. So did I miss anything while I was obsessively listening to Thunder Road? Let me know. Here's an update about my recent trip to Seattle, and I promise to try to do a bit better at keeping up with things.

Yellowstone Trip 2008 Part II

The third day of the trip we GOT TO YELLOWSTONE, which is something that you really can't imagine, unless you go and experience it yourself. First of all, there is a ton to see and at any moment you can spot bears, moose, mountain goats, bighorn sheep, bison, elk, deer, antelope, bald eagles, or wolves right from the comfort of your car. It is surreal and amazing.

In addition to the geysers, mudpots, waterfalls, boiling hot springs, and towering peaks there are about a million of your fellow Americans to observe if the wildlife get too boring. The drive into the park allowed us to take in a couple scenic stops including a view of Yellowstone Lake and several waterfalls. We arrived at our campground (Madison), learned all the rules about bear country, and then set up camp complete with our hammock. Throughout the trip the excitement had been building to GET to Yellowstone and yet we promptly LEFT Yellowstone to go to town and buy some supplies (bourbon). We also took our first trip to a local fly shop.

Like a Crested Butte ski shop, Moab bike shop, Oahu surf shop or any other snotty, tourist-exploiting outfitter the staff at this fly shop had attitude and the tourists tended to put up with it; maybe because they are stunned by natural beauty and seek an authentic experience (of which sarcastic outdoor staff have become an integral part). I bought an handful of flies and some flotant, but was generally underwhelmed by the Madison River fly shop. Don't go there unless you are single and want to hook up with an attractive young fly guide and don't mind spending lots of money in the process. Later in the week we re-located all of our fly purchases to Jacklin's Fly Shop which was a million times better. To get it out of the way here is a rundown of the various places we ate in West Yellowstone:

• The Gusher (Pizza)- excellent pizza and a nice local vibe
• Beartooth Barbeque (BBQ)- good sandwiches as long as you can handle meat
• Old Time Cafe (Diner) Polish waitress, try the chicken fried steak, family-run
• tried to go to the microbrewery but it closes absurdly early

On an additional eating note, I have to say that everyone that goes to Yellowstone should at least visit the Old Faithful Lodge. It has a special place in my heart because my Mom worked there as a college student for two summers and it always reminds me of her and our family trips. But, even to those less nostalgic, the building is an architectural wonder and the dining room has an amazing fireplace. Just go there and think about the time in this country when the Civilian Conservation Corps were building our park's grand lodges. Not to mention the view out the back...oh yeah, that would be THE Old Faithful. The one that has rows and rows of seating and erupts just about every 50 minutes.

We went early in the morning of our fourth day and as the sun was rising over the steaming Firehole River we pulled into the vast, empty parking lot literally right before the impressive eruption. Killer timing as the sun came up. After a walk through the geyser basin (Old Faithful is but one of many geysers) we hit the breakfast buffet in the lodge. Notably, it comes with the "good coffee" (organic fair trade and most importantly- strong). You won't be so lucky elsewhere. The food is typical, with nicer than average service and top notch atmosphere. You get the feeling that if you could tune out all the families and tourists that Teddy Roosevelt might be around the corner smoking cigars and telling stories.

In the next installment I promise to get to the important stuff...the fishing.

Yellowstone Trip 2008 Part I

Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone
Originally uploaded by zenhikers

At the beginning of August, we headed out of town to spend some time in Yellowstone National Park, near the part of the country we visited last year on the Backpacker CDT Project. This year, rather than meeting up with a cranky trip leader, we met up with our friend Fine Dining (Andrew) from the Bay Area. We're old friends from our PCT hike in 2002, so travel together was anticipated to be a fun reunion. After a quick stop in Salt Lake City to retrieve Andrew, we hit the road for Idaho and beyond. I don't really recommend stopping at the Tasty Treet in Pocatello, but if you want to encounter a completely enigmatic menu you can order a burger (or something) make a guess at the unique combination of condiments you may receive and sit outside in a nice yard on the main drag. After a few more miles on the road and the integration of our various iPods, satellite radio channel preferences, and CDs, we made it to Idaho Falls and the warm welcome of Tom Bodett. There was a lot of anticipation to GET TO YELLOWSTONE, but because we hadn't set up a campsite reservation until Saturday we decided to drive into the park through Grand Teton and camp out one night a lake there.

The drive out of Idaho Falls involved a search for suitable caffiene, a drive through rural Idaho (beautiful) and some yuppie-viewing in Jackson Hole. We also made our first stop to clean the bugs off the windshield...this would be a point of contention during our travels, since some people literally can't see the road for the bugs, and some fail to let a few arthropod carcasses get in the way of their driving. Others were just plain compulsive and did a great job cleaning the thing. Hey! Pocky appreciates that kind of effort.

Almost immediately after leaving Idaho Falls we starting seeing wildlife, and the bison (a most impressive animal) really woke us up as we entered Grand Teton. We got to Lizard Lake campground in the early afternoon and had a relaxing time setting up camp, chatting and cooking a meal on the Cobb Cooker. Most of the time in camp (and this is a theme through the whole trip) I spent practicing the myriad of knots involved in fly-fishing. I started practicing at home with some alpine cord, but using real fishing line and leader was a whole different ball game. Frustration ensued. I took breaks to go see the awesome campfire programs that the National Parks put on for bored campers, families, and nature nerds like me. At Lizard Lake the program was on the pronghorn antelope and I learned a lot about this very funny looking animal. We went to bed pretty early because we were REALLY EXCITED to GET TO YELLOWSTONE in the morning.

Tour of Beehive State

View of Arch from trail
Originally uploaded by zenhikers

My grandfather on my Mom's side was very into geology and I can't go to Utah without thinking of Papa Allison. Rocks, rocks, and more rocks...truly a geologist's dream can be found in the backcountry of Utah. This past week we ventured to a whole slew of places, including quite a few of the National Parks and some rather sketchy 4WD roads.

In addition to meeting some friends,chilling at the river, and having some laid back downtime outside the Silver State we also hit four major sightseeing destinations on our tour around. We stayed a couple nights at Kodachrome State Park, which was a nice jumping off point for exploration of Grand-Staircase Escalante National Monument and the Paria River country. This was some of the toughest driving for the vehicle, but gorgeous scenery and a nice campground with showers, rock spires, and a mountain-biking trail (where I took my first bloody bike crash).

We also went to Bryce Canyon one of the days and did some walking and lots of picture-taking. There were tons of Europeans in the parks and Bryce was lovely and cold, with snow still falling at night. We also took advantage of the awesome paved bike trail through Red Canyon where I took the world's longest coast through beautiful scenery. Now, that is my kind of biking!

After these two sites, we drove through Southern Utah on Highway 12 which is by far one of the most amazing scenic drives I have ever done. We even got into a snowball fight on the freezing cold summit of Boulder Mountain. We met the nicest couple ever at the forest service cabin...I can only hope Aaron and I are doing that kind of work later in our lives.

We stayed a night in Capitol Reef, which has to be one of the best small national parks with a historic area and some beautiful orchards. We are planning to go back and pick some apples and make a nice cobbler with our dutch oven. The park is pretty small, but there are more of Utah's infamous 4WD roads that we ventured short distances on to see more of the scenery. It was great to be able to grill out every night on our Cobb grill and we ended up meeting lots of nice people in our adjoining campsites. I even took in a campfire program on astronomy and got to see some awesome Hubble telescope images of the skies. Torrey, UT is definitely a nice place and I wouldn't mind living there one bit.

After our time on the river, we thought it would be nice to check out a hot springs we heard about in Richfield, UT called Mystic Hot Springs. The pools looked pretty nice, but it was a bit of a let down after the sprawling and peaceful campsites of the Fruita campground.

On the last leg of the trip back to Vegas we stopped in Springdale, UT and stayed at Zion. We shared our campsite with a really nice Dutch couple and shared a nice meal and conversation...at least until the ranger broke it up after "quiet hours" began. There is a great pizza place in Springdale and despite the surly service at the Mean Bean, we grabbed a cuppa joe on the way out of town.

Vegas re-entry was as hard as always, but the mild temperatures and the anticipation of a day at the movies today made it easier. It is good to be home, but we are going to miss our friends and neighbors that are returning to Montgomery, AL today. As we return from our travels, we wish them a bon voyage!

Cool desert stuff

So in the past couple weeks, I have been insanely busy at work getting ready to launch a new digital collection so the blogging has kind of gone by the wayside. But, there are a couple of cool things that we've learned about or seen in the desert lately:

Extra points to those of you that already know what the heck an atlatl is...good job, you either know your history or were a mammoth hunter in a previous life. I, myself, just starting learning about them when Aaron looked up the World Atlatl Association and we went to Valley of Fire State Park to watch them compete at Atlatl Rock. The atlatl is prehistoric weapon that consists of an atlatl (thrower) and a dart and it has been a remarkably successful tool for man through the centuries. Aaron ended up meeting the World Atlatl Accuracy Champion of 1998 and got a few lessons before he bought his own starter dart and atlatl. In addition to interests in traditional archery, fiddling, and occasionally throwing the atlatl, the folks at the competition were very laid back and friendly. It seems to be a relaxing hobby, as Aaron says, "kinda like an ancient pub game".

We also recently took a drive over to Sedona and camped out in Oak Creek Canyon. On the way back we drove to Tuzigoot National Monument and toured the ruins, which are very cool and worth a look. We also drove through the historic town of Jerome, perched on a cliff above Sedona. Very cool, but watch your step...it's a long way down!

Probably the coolest thing we saw in the desert was near Clarkdale, AZ on the way back to Vegas. Walking along the two-lane highway was a woman on horseback, pulling another horse along behind. Riding slumped over the saddle, perfectly balanced and smiling, was an Australian shepherd hitching a ride home. It was really cute and a glimpse of the West still alive and kicking.

ALA Midwinter in Philadelphia

I was only back in Vegas three days before I had to hop on a plane to the East Coast for the American Library Association Midwinter conference. This means that I was only at work for about three days in five weeks and that after putting 5,000 miles on my truck during the Holiday Road Trip I would also be earning some flight miles as well.

I arrived in Philly and took the advice of a co-worker (who is from the city) and hopped on the train. So easy. It is amazing: from the airport to the convention center I didn't even have to go outside! I did have to hit the street to go to my more frugal hotel, the Hampton Inn but the walk was only about 4 blocks. I soon met up with my former boss and conference roommate (who I totally love and miss and was so happy to see)!

The next day we went to the LITA preconference on User-Centered Design for Websites (Day One) and Usability (Day Two). It was an intensive two-day workshop and I think I managed to absorb a lot of information that will help out with my work on the library's web site and on the digital collections. The only problem was that my brain wasa basically full by the time the actual conference started. I attended my required meetings (ACRL Arts Section, Library Research Roundtable, LITA Digital Library Interest Group, and New Members Roundtable) as well as the CONTENTdm meetings for users of the software we build our digital collections with. But, that was the boring stuff. There was also a bit of fun.

In addition to being reunited with my old boss, I also saw all the UNLV people, a friend from library school who is the digital projects librarian at Drake University, and even met a few new friends and contacts along the way. There was a great party, put on by Thomson at the Philadelphia Art Museum (of Rocky fame) where we got to tour the galleries and eat free food- though not at the same time! There was the night we went to the Afghan restaurant, Kabul ,and the couple trips to Chinatown for cheap and delicious dinners.

One of the best things about the conference was that the convention center literally sat above the Reading Terminal Market with all varieties of tasty food vendors, produce stands, coffee and tea, gifts, and sweets. It rocked! I could eat there a month and not try everything. We had falafel, crepes, Italian hoagies, Indian food, pastries, coffee, and I even tried the Amish pickles. Yum. This place really made the conference.

I got the minimum of required sightseeing in: Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, Ben Franklin's grave site and the historic buildings in Old Town. I wish I would have had more time to explore, but this conference was rather busy and I just didn't get to do much beyond scratching the surface. In fact, I only had one Philly cheesesteak- a bad one- at the airport on the way home.

It is good to be home safe and sound, though I will miss my friends until the next conference or visit. I saw the ad above as I was running to the train to catch my flight. I thought it was pretty funny that even the Hard Rock was trying to wrangle a few of the 100,000 librarians in for a bite to eat. Though we all know its true...librarians do rock!

The End of the Road

Club Tap, Wauwatosa
Originally uploaded by zenhikers

It is hard to summarize all that happened during the course of two weeks and over 5,000 miles of driving, but I guess this sign outside Club Tap gets the story rolling.... There are lots fun memories from our road trip to Wisconsin for the holidays: Aaron having marshmallow wars with the kids, Zambuca shots on Christmas Eve, grlling ribeyes in the snow (only in Wisconsin), Danny's face when he saw the Twain Harte spider, exciting news about a new addition to the Wieselman clan, and slamming back a couple of Schlitz, followed by a few Blatz at the legendary Club Tap. And that is just the part of the trip in Wisconsin!

It was great to walk into taverns that we've haven't been into in two years and see Bill, Bob, Bruno, Adrianne, or even that rude women at the Speedway and feel that people remember you from the old days and want to hear how things are going. We really enjoyed catching up with friends, old co-workers, and family as well as our favorite bartenders- but truly, if you're going to Milwaukee, you have to have a special place in your heart for the local taverns.

On New Year's Day we hit to road back down south. Illinois was like an ice-skating rink, with about 30 cars in the ditch along the 300 mile stretch into Missouri. I don't know if it was the new tires or just good driving but we couldn't figure out what the heck was wrong with all these people. At a rest area along the way I talked with an older women that I assumed to be an avid RV'er, as she looked the type. As we were washing out hands and discussing the 10 degree temperatures and wind she said, "You know, I love the road, but sometimes I just wish they would have finally figured out that teleporter thing!" So true!

We stayed in Springfield, MO that night and then busted out a long 13-hour day of driving into Taos, NM. It was worth it. If you have never had the pleasure of visiting New Mexico, you better get it on your list. Especially if you like food. "Life without green chile is no life at all!" Taos is, of course, where we got married and has special meaning for us. This trip we stayed at the Laughing Horse Inn bed and breakfast that used to be an old commune and is dog-friendly and full of interesting people. It is under new ownership and despite our worried that everything would be changed, the place looks good: preserving the old charm and adding new energy. The new innkeeper is a total trip (former stuntwoman that is a multi-talented painter, writer, musician and mother!) Taos truly is a creative magnet for people like that. It was particularly cool that while we were there the innkeeper was hosting a meeting for the Old Spanish Trail historical society and was willing to partner with the group to work on promoting the trail (which just so happens to run in front of the Inn!) Very cool! We got the sauna room and slept in the rustic bunk beds with Pocky chilling out on the lower level. We also made a visit to KTAO solar radio, which is our favorite source of eclectic music while experiencing the Taos vibe. The trip would not have been complete without a couple margaritas at the Taos Inn where we got married. I absolutely love the Adobe Bar and the night we were there we got to hear a local bluegrass singer who managed to pull out a couple favorites, including Iris Dement and "Lakes of Pontchatrain". Excellent. BTW, I send my regards to the guy we met after my third margarita, I don't remember much beyond the fact that you are getting married in the spring. Cheers!

Before we descended back into the Las Vegas valley, we made one more stop in Arizona's Navajo country. We visited our friends, Darrell and Madiria and their son Ethan at their house in progress that Darrell is building just north of Show Low, AZ. It was great to visit and hang out and Ethan was a real cutie. We also swung through Petrified Forest National Park on the way home and got to see some reallyy cool petrified logs. Don't steal these pretty pieces of wood or the NPS will fine you something fierce!!!

The trip ended with a huge downpour in Kingman and fog into the Hoover Dam. We arrived safely back at home and enjoyed sleeping in our own bed and finally finishing the third season of Lost. It is good to be home, but as Aaron said yesterday, "I miss the road already!"

The Frozen Tundra

Get your snowsuits ready!

Here's your dispatch from the winter wonderland of Southeastern Wisconsin in December...

We are here in Milwaukee and enjoying all the fun of the holidays. It is quite a different scene than the Mojave Desert, with 3-5 inches of snow expected today and more to follow. There is nothing but fluffy whiteness covering everything in sight. It's a good day for me to finish reading, The Kite Runner or for a day-long marathon catching up on last season's Lost episodes. You don't feel guilty lighting the fire and sitting back with a blanket and a cup of tea when it is snowy and blowy outside. I am going to soak it all in before we have to hit to road back to Vegas. 2 days of driving through Illinois, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and then Nevada lies ahead for us and I can only hope we find a clear window to make some miles westward. Before we go we will have burgers and custard, hit a local fish fry, and visit lots of local taverns. But, most of all it has been fun to catch up with family, relax and kick back with some board games (or poker?) and re-aquaint ourselves with the joys of the frozen tundra!

SoCal-Style Thanksgiving

I don't think I will ever get used to sunshine, warm days, beaches, and palm trees for the holidays but this year we did get the pleasure of celebrating Thanksgiving with my sister in Los Angeles. After hearing horror stories of 11 hour drives on the I-15 during holiday weekends, we decided to leave early on Wednesday and make the drive early in the morning. I drank a little too much coffee and needed a pit stop, which isn't really as easy as it sounds when you are driving through the Mojave Desert. We finally pulled over somewhere about 40 miles past Baker at a desolate-looking mini-mart. It turns out that this isnot just a clean bathroom, but some kind of official Ron Paul mini mart. There was a sign in the bathroom asking people to please buy something, so I ended up perusing the sodas, only to discover that they specialized in vintage soda. Yay for Dad's root beer. Not much else was available, so we also bought a Ron Paul marketing kit and hit the road. Some interesting reading material, including: "Why Methamphetamine Should be Legal"!

Once in LA, we navigated the maze of freeways and made it to Woodland Hills. This is a northwestern suburb that is really close to Topanga Canyon and then over the mountains, the Pacific Ocean. We drove through the canyon checking out camping at Topanga State Park and then drove south to Santa Monica on the Pacific Coast Highway. We got trapped in a crazy traffic jam and reversed to go north to Malibu. There was a fabulous park across the highway from what's got to be one of the mosst beautiful campuses in the world belonging to Pepperdine University with views of the beach. Pocky enjoyed a walk on the bluffs and we got to experience the wacky California doggie-poop bags (amazingly complex!) After Malibu, we met my sister and went out for a fabulous dinner in the canyon at Abuelita's and I got to FINALLY PLAY Wii!!!!

On Thanksgiving, we all got up early and had bagels and coffee to get us ready for the big day of cooking. We then proceeded to inventory whether or not my sister actually had enough pots, pans, and dishes to cook a turkey and numerous side dishes. It is hard to believe that three people, two cats (hi Honu and Velzy!), and a dog in a one-bedroom LA apartment were able to pull off an organized, well-timed feast, but we did! The turkey was really great and we had my Mom's oyster stuffing, my Nana's blueberry Jello salad, and Aaron's family's Eastern European cucumbers. There were two kinds of pie for desert and plenty of wine and beer. We played a friendly game of Texas Hold-em while the bird cooked and I got my first four of a kind! After dinner we drank more, and played the strangely addictive game Taboo. (Where else can you ponder which beast your relative considers to be the "yin and yang of animals"? That would be the panda.) My sister even updated her Facebook page and verified that we really are siblings.

On Friday, we had breakfast in the canyon at a great dog-friendly place and then took a trip to Muscle Beach in Venice. It was amazing. I have definitely seen some freaky people on the Lower East Side, in Vegas, and across the country- but Venice certainly has an inordinate amount of weirdos. We saw this super-tanned troll-like bodybuilder with nary a piece of clothing on jogging to the workout pen, several folks conversing with themselves, and a rich guy with a herd of dogs. Aaron got his fortune done and we invested in a few well-chosen bumper stickers as souvenirs. After picking Andy up from the house we headed to Ventura to check out their favorite break, Surfer's Point and to get my national park passport stamped at Channel Islands National Park. We couldn't leave without sampling some of the local microbrews at Anacapa Brewing Company who had an awesome nut brown ale and fabulous asiago cheese dip with beer bread that we noshed on. We even called one of our favorite uncles to spread the Thanksgiving cheer. A great night even though some us drank more than others!!

Saturday, we needed to head back to Vegas, but what is life without a little disc golf? We couldn't leave without getting out butts kicked at the Sylmar Disc Golf Course where we played 18 holes. I am still the worst driver on the planet- but I think my putting has improved. With a little exercise under our belts we left for Vegas and made it back to the I-15. We were SO glad we were driving the opposite way from LA because from Barstow to Baker (about 100 miles) it was nearly bumper-to-bumper traffic. What a mess. With a full moon rising over the desert we headed back into Nevada and into the neon of Vegas. Home from a great weekend.

Goodbye October! It's been fun!

Happy Halloween! The candy is ready, now I am just waiting to see if any of the kiddies show up before I eat it all! Reese's, Butterfingers and Whoppers are here for the taking...

This past weekend was packed with a bunch of different things. We left last week and headed up to Oakland, CA where I attended the Oral History Association Annual meeting and gave a presentation about the Nevada Test Site project I have been working on. My husband stayed with a friend of ours and went fishing on the Russian River. On the last night of the conference, I took BART into San Francisco and met my husband and our good friend, Andrew for dinner. I got to check out Andrew's really cool SF house on one of the notorious hills with the fabulous view of the city and experience a tiny bit of the hipster lifestyle. Off the dinner, we had a bit of trouble finding a parking spot, but once the car was situated, we ate a yummy dinner and drank several refreshing Lagunitas beers at Park Chow in one of SF's many bustling neighborhoods. After dinner, we continued our adventure with a driving tour through the Castro neighborhood and a stop at the Bi Rite Creamery where I had the best sundae ever (coffee ice cream, toffee crumbles, hot fudge, almonds, and whipped cream)! Then I was dropped at the BART station and headed back to my hotel. After my presentation, we hit the road to Roseville, CA where we met up with family for the rest of the weekend.

When we arrived in town, we were just in time for our niece and nephew's school Halloween carnival. Once the kids were in costume, we went up to the carnival, where we ate candy, walked around and checked out all the costumes and the kids won goldfish at the carnival games. After the carnival, we all went home and ate pizza (with wine for the grown-ups) and called it a night. Saturday was my official birthday and we spent it watching the kids' soccer games, hiking in the Auburn State Recreation Area along the American River, and catching up on news together before dinner. My relatives decided to take me to Folsom, CA (of Johnny Cash Folsom Prison fame) for my birthday dinner. The town is really cute and done up like an old western town with shops and stuff for tourists. After some browsing, we made a beeline to My Brother Vinny's for eggplant parmesan, zinfindel, and a fabulous view from the outdoor patio. It was a wonderful dinner, and afterwards we couldn't resist going over to Snooks just to make sure we all had plenty of sugar in our systems! Back at home, I opened my birthday presents (thanks guys!!!), ate some yummy apple/blackberry/sour cream pie and watched home videos on DVD (has it really been five years since our wedding???) On Sunday, we had a chill-out day and hung out by the pool, ran over to the mall, and cooked a tri-tip on the grill.

It was a great visit, but all too soon we needed to head back to Nevada. We said our goodbyes, loaded Pocky into the truck and headed out through Tahoe. On the way through northern Nevada, we stopped in Virginia City to walk around and look at the historic townsite. From there it was a long, drive through the Silver State. We got home and relaxed a bit before it was back to work.

Well, I just got my first trick-or-treater (a pirate)...so I guess I better get ready for the onslaught! It has been an awesome October!

Too Many Hours in the Airport

I'm on the way home from the LITA (Library and Information Technology) Conference in Denver, Colorado and have been in the Denver International Airport for about six hours. I just saw a rainstorm, a rainbow and the sunset and I am getting sleepy. My poster presentation, "Adventures in Digitization" went well and I talked to a whole bunch of interesting librarians during the past couple days. But, it is always nice to get home and I can't wait to see my dog.

It was rather weird being a tourist in my hometown and frankly, I got pretty annoyed with the rampant sports-fanatisicm! The Rockies, Broncos, and god only knows how many other local sports teams were playing this weekend and last night there were loud commotions all night long in celebration of the Rockies win. (Perhaps, I am just jealous because I was preparing for a presentation and not wasted beyond sense.)

I didn't get to the mountains, so this trip doesn't count as a real trip to Colorado. Nerdy librarians, fancy conference hotels, and a brain full of technology is definitely more work than play...but at least I got a decent breakfast burrito, which more than I can say for Vegas....

More about the techie stuff over at my digitization blog...

If I Could Go Anywhere: Contrasting Travel Styles

There are friends of mine that covet a week at the all-inclusive as their ultimate travel fantasy. A decadent, indulgent, and over-stimulating experience like no other the all-inclusive is an American dream come true. Can't choose just one entree from the all-lobster menu? Well, have a couple! The drinks flow freely, the activities are at your fingertips, and aside from deciding whether to sleep, lounge, or eat there really isn't much to worry or stress your brain. Thing is, vacations like this are expensive and I am cheap. Been there, done that. There has to be more to life.

Another travel staple is the family vacation, which can be done in a variety of really fun ways (cabins, cottages, anchovy-can ski condos, etc). But the most perplexing of these is the timeshare. I realize my friends with kids have different priorities when they travel. They don't want to fight with their children in restaurants or have to be crammed into a hotel room for hours and hours on end. For these folks, the timeshare is a nearly perfect solution- space, multiple rooms/suites, and kitchens to give the tots their cereal and naps perfectly on schedule. I respect the folks and their kids and pretty much it makes sense that they travel to their timeshares and have a merry ole time. But joining up with a cult-like corporate entity and collecting travel promotions so I can afford deluxe accommodations at a new premier property is not really my thing. Once again, you pay out the nose and get Preferred Customer lines instead of authenticity and character for your trouble...I'll pass.

I like backpacking. Not really the Euro-rail thing, or the eco-tourism/safari thing but the sore muscles, sun-burned face, need a beer and some tips on the fishing/ski conditions/secret hot springs gig. So there's my bias. But there are some other types of travel that have made it to my life list, despite my aversion to the timeshare and the all-inclusive. Nothing too original here, but I've restrained myself and mostly excluded backpacking destinations for this list. I'm still amazed that more people don't embrace really cool trips when they drop serious dough on a "vacation", but as the saying goes: to each their own.

My Kind of Travel
1. Train trip through Copper Canyon
2. Hiking the Na Pali Coast Trail in Hawaii
3. Going to see the polar bear migration
4. Hot Springs tour in Iceland
5. Horseback trip from pub to pub in Ireland
6. Trip to Sweden/Scandinavia and through Poland/Western Europe to visit all mine (and Aaron's) grandparent's countries
7. Driving our Toyota to its final resting place as far as we can possibly get on the route from California to Argentina
8. Floating down the Mississippi in a houseboat or canoe
9. Volunteering in Africa, Tibet, or some other far-flung place
10. And if money truly were no object: I'd stay at every single National Park historic lodge including the Ahwanee, Timberline Lodge, El Tovar, Old Faithful Inn, Crater Lake Lodge, and the list goes on and on.

What I Did on my Summer Vacation

Cables of Half Dome
Originally uploaded by zenhikers

When it is 99 degrees at 9:26 pm in Las Vegas, it is hard to believe that the summer is coming to an end. But at UNLV, the students are being oriented and the library is preparing for Fall semester.

I just returned from my vacation in Twain Harte, CA where I visited for a week with family in a big old cabin with a wonderful porch. Porches truly are the key to happiness! On this porch we played endless games of cribbage (a game of low cunning, math, and luck!), drank lovely Zinfindel and some surprisingly tasty Miller product called Chill, and talked the hours of the night away to the sounds of each others' iPods.

On Tuesday, I went to Yosemite with my husband's sister and her husband where we hiked the John Muir Trail up to Half Dome. Everyone has their personal limit and I would venture a guess that not a few hikers have discovered theirs at the Half Dome cables. What a terrifying sight to behold. The 17-mile round trip ended with a bear-sighting at the Happy Isles concession stand and a welcome bag of Doritos on the car trip home.

Family vacations are no fun without kids, and these two really made the week. I got to lie in the hammock with my imaginative niece and talk about life and later watch my nephew conquer the local half-pipe on his skateboard. Great fun and memories.

Vacations also equal eating, so here are the highlights: homemade sausage at the local diner (Sportsman's Grill), a cute casual place in Murphys called Fire Wood (burritos and wood-fired pizza), and the most wonderful Chocolate Peanut Butter pie ever from The Rock Pub.

The pictures are uploaded, the muscles are no longer sore from the hike, and we are back in the desert where sleeping with the windows open is no longer an option. If nothing else summer vacations remind us of the years past and keep us looking forward to what's around the corner.

I Love You P-Town

Portland Building
Originally uploaded by stop.down

"Portland, Oregon and a sloe gin fizz, if that ain't love than tell me what is.." -Loretta Lynn and Jack White on "Portland, Oregon" from Van Lear Rose

Just returned from a library conference at Reed College in beautiful Portland. What a fabulous town! Not only does Reed have a gorgeous campus, every bit as nice at its sister school, Sarah Lawrence -but the campus is in a real city (well, at least what I consider a real city!).

Portland has the most spectacular gardens, and the hydrangea were all in glorious bloom in the city yards. The Bluebird Guest House where I stayed was a restored Arts and Crafts-style home with a hostel feel (and prices). It is located in the SE where I got to explore the Belmont District and walk along Division Street. I bought a pound of coffee at Stumptown Coffee and had a lovely spontaneous meal at Pok Pok located just down the street.

What I loved about Portland was the mixture of classy , smart (Powell's independent bookstore), and stylish culture (papaya salad discovered randomly on a walk) mixed with down to earth, laid back, outdoors-y people (they have a Nau location). Just enough hipster ingredients to balance the hippie elements.

Somehow, I think that the gods may want me to end up in the Northwest. I feel it would be some kind of crazy irony to move from the desert to the rainiest place in the U.S. From what I've seen, maybe this is where I was always meant to be. Good things about the Pacific NW: good food, beer, and coffee; bookstores, the Cascades, good people, digital library programs, dog-friendly and progressive. Bad things: expensive, weather, might be too late to buy a house. But I am seriously starting to develop the theory that living in places with bad weather keeps the bad people out. Snowbirds you can have the sun belt!

Good Luck Class of 2007

Goat Rocks
Originally uploaded by chtrailproject

Every year in the spring months, thousands of long-distance hikers hit the Appalachian, Pacific Crest, and Continental Divide National Scenic Trails with the hops of going all the way. These would-be hikers always have a fond place in my heart since in 1999 and 2002, when I was one of them.

This year I am here in Las Vegas, getting up every morning, going to work, and fighting the heat. But, I am also lucky because once initiated into this friendly family you remain a member for life. And this year, for the third time, I am volunteering to transcribe a hiker's trail journal so that their family and friends at home can follow along. (Time in town is much better spent eating, eating, doing laundry, and eating.)

My hiker this year is completing the Pacific Crest Trail and has already hiked the Appalachian Trail. I have full confidence she will finish the sections of the trail she needs to piece together to make her hike a thru-hike. I just received the first installment of her journals and I encourage you to read along. It is fascinating to follow each individual hiker's personal and physical journey.

Cucumber Boy (my hiker's trail name) is currently in the Goat Rocks Wilderness Area of Washington, soon to cross into Oregon. This is one of my all-time favorite, most spectacular, and well-loved place in the entire world.

Good luck to Cucumber Boy, all the 2007 thru-hiker hopefuls, and all the hiking family wherever you are. Thanks for the memories and for keeping us desk-bound folks full of hope!

Why I Will Be Boycotting Super Shuttle Forever

Okay, so I consider myself a somewhat intrepid traveler. I generally can handle the whole hostel scene, have been known to hitchhike here and there, and I stay cool under pressure even when I am out of my comfort zone. But this past week's experience totally takes the cake as far as terrifying travel experiences.

It all started in Washington, DC as I was trying to make my way home from the annual conference. I had confirmed my reservation with Super Shuttle and was at the assigned place (my hotel lobby) at the correct time (3:15 pm). When the driver showed up, I tried to give him my confirmation and he said, "yes, come with me, let's go!" I asked, "are you sure that I am the only one?" He rushed me into the van and grabbed my luggage. I sat down next to another librarian and promptly began a really nice conversation about digitization of rare books as we set off towards the airport. About 20 minutes into the drive, the woman mentioned something about her flight and the Baltimore airport...which, immediately concerned me...so I blurt out, "But this van is going to Dulles, right?"

The Super Shuttle driver gets a suprised look on his face shortly followed by a very angry look and begins a long process of trying to figure out how he picked up the wrong person. He then says something into his phone about dropping me at another hotel for another shuttle and veers through three lanes of expressway traffic to exit. The next thing I know he pulls over and tells me, "get out, get out another shuttle will be here in 5 minutes!" I am confused and feel pretty dumb, but I am thinking, "uh okay, well they are going to have to pick me up pretty fast if I am going to make my flight!" I tell the driver I want to get a cab instead and he insists that his dispatcher will call me in 5 minutes! I ponder, "is a shuttle coming or is the dispatcher calling, or are we just in an alternate reality where everything takes five minutes??"

Well, none of the above. The driver gives me my luggage and speeds off. Only then does it really sink in that the driver has abandoned me on the side of the road in front of a liquor store and some place called the President Inn. This place has bulletproof glass in the lobby, and I am fast realizing that I am seriously in a bad neighborhood. I proceed to call my husband and freak out, call Southwest Airlines and freak out, and then try to get information on a cab from the guy at the front desk while trying to contain my freaking out. During this trying moment, Super Shuttle calls to tell me there is no driver coming to get me and that they "apologize for any inconvenience".

I then attempt to call a cab company on my cell phone and I am told that the company does not go to that neighborhood. I go back to the desk and the front desk clerk tells me that he can "call this guy who owns a cab". When the guy shows up he isn't even driving a real cab and of course he wants $125 dollars to go to Dulles in rush hour traffic. I have $26 dollars on me. I panic and call my husband again to help me down from an even more intense stage 2 freakout. The suspicious driver assures me I could have been raped, robbed, killed and worse from what Super Shuttle has done, but that he will, "take care of me." I am not comforted. But, my options are not looking good and time is ticking away.

It was the stupidest thing I've done, and goes against any advice I would give others, but this is what I did: I got in the weirdo cab and he drove me to get cash out at an ATM in a scummy gas station where I was sure I would be attacked and/or that the cab driver would drive off with my suitcase. After getting my cash out and rushing back to the relative safety of my new friend the cab driver, he demands to see my money and checks that it is real. He then starts driving while giving me some story about how he has to drive me to a Greyhound station where he can transfer me to a cab that has air-conditioning...stage 3 freakout!!

I don't know if I am going to live through this, but I keep my phone on and I update my husband with my location in case he has to recover the body. We show up at the Greyhound station where he takes my money and counts it out and gives another guy my money and keys to a parked cab. This old geezer with no teeth (literally he could be a resident at the bus station, for all I know) tells me to hop in, but that he has a bad back, so can I get my suitcase? He also demands another $20 bucks before he'll put the cab in gear.

In my new cab (which actually resembles a taxi), we start driving through DC. I recognize North Capitol from previous visits and now I know what exact ghetto I am actually in. Somehow, amazingly, we make it through DC and onto the freeway where we seem to be driving in the general direction of Dulles. The guy is swerving a bit, but miraculously I actually make it to the airport. I had to bolt through the security checkpoint and run to my flight, oh and I had to do something about all that built up adreniline but I was in one piece.

Why Super Shuttle sucks so severely I am not certain. I heard that their regular drivers were on strike; but that still doesn't explain dumping me off in the middle of nowhere. They are claiming that they will reimburse me for the cab ride, but I don't think I can ever stomach a ride like that again. My word of advice: boycott Super Shuttle. Not everyone is going to be as lucky in finding the Hood Express to get them to the airport and my intuition says that I cashed in a good amount of karma to make it through this brush with fate.