Rockytop- Epic Hike

Confronted with a free Saturday of beautiful clear skies (and Brian was out of town), I decided that I should get out of the house and go for a hike. Luckily, Emily Ricks was free as well. I had a Shenandoah park pass, and she had a nice trail map!

Our route- we would leave Brown's Gap and hike along the Rockytop trail, which followed a ridge for several miles before heading downhill to the creek 1500 ft. below. Then we would follow the Big Run Portal trail back along the creek and climb back up to the parking area at Brown's creek. Simple enough? Sure.

So we left the car at 1135 for a nice hike on a clear but chilly day. However, upon reaching the first trail marker, we discovered that the hike we'd estimated at less than 10 miles would number no less than 12 miles total. Eh, what's another few miles? We had six hours before dark and plenty of provisions.

The Rockytop trail was fantastic, offering amazing views of the surrounding ridges and the valley with the leaves off the trees. We hiked along the ridge through numerous quartzite scree piles and noted future campsites. One of the peaks along our path must have suffered an extremely destructive wildfire a few years back, and the mountainside was clear of all mature vegetation, and the new growth of pines and brush was spotty and all less than two feet tall. Overall, a fantastic trail that I would heartily recommend.

At the end of the Rockytop trail, we picked up the Big Run Portal trail, which followed a sizeable creek upgradient to its source. This horsetrail also offered spectacular scenery, and the first mile led us through the bottom of a steep, rocky (for Virginia) gorge. Luckily the stream was running only moderately, allowing us to easily navigate the 10 or so stream crossings without getting our socks wet.

The hike reached epic proportions when we finally reached the trail that would lead us back up the mountainside to our car- at this point, I had a blister about the size of a dime on the ball of my left foot and was complaining heartily in advance about the upcoming 1200 ft. climb. Eh. Like all long hikes, this one was about two or three miles too long in the end, but we eventually made it back to the car to watch a gorgeous sunset. We drove back with the heat on to Charlottesville and had a feast of spaghetti.


This hike is definitely recommended! but make sure you are prepared for the killer uphill at the end. The trails are all very well marked and in great shape. And give yourself plenty of time for side hikes to the cliffs near the stream- we didn't have time, but I can't wait to go back and check them out.

The bottle was dusty but the liquor was clean.

Vegas, BABY! Recap, part 1

I have returned from Las Vegas, city in the desert. Actually, I got back on Monday, but it's taken a few days to adjust to this time zone again and my Charlottesville schedule.
(this was the view from our hotel room in the Tropicana)
It was a fantastic trip! and we all had a great time, especially me, in my first decent vacation since I joined the general workforce. I can't describe everything, because our itinerary was jam packed, but I can share a general list of facts about Vegas, as well as events and conclusions:

1. I'm not a big fan of traveling by air. In the category of speed, planes certainly beat out all other forms of transportation, and I will continue to travel this way when necessary, but if there's a choice, let me drive. Nothing beats a good old-fashioned roadtrip.

2. Katie: $100, Las Vegas: $250. If you can't subtract, this resulted in a net loss of $150, the amount of money I had set aside specifically for gambling. The reason for a budget was two-fold: I would spend money on gambling (ordinarily I'm too conservative, aka cheap), and that I would not spend too much money on gambling. At least I diversified- I lost money at poker, blackjack, AND slot machines.

3. Experienced the funniest hour-and-a-half of my LIFE watching a drag show. We had front row seats, and I laughed so hard that my cheeks hurt for the rest of the evening. Not only! did host Joan Rivers tell absolutely hilarious jokes continually, but I had no idea that I would get to see so many celebrities while I was in Vegas, including Britney Spears, Madonna, Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, Bette Midler, and Cher.

4. Free drinks if you're sitting at a slot machine! Our drinks of choice were vodka tonics (me), gin-and-tonics (mom), and double Scotch on the rocks (my grandmother), along with many rounds of beer.

5. I was continually astounded by the scale. Las Vegas casinos are big. You cannot simply stroll from one end of the Strip to the other. They're very confusing too, and not just the ones that look like giant pyramids or a tropical desert. Casinos are designed so that neither you or your money can escape easily. There are so many different ways to be dazzled, by rides and lights and spectacular exhibits and shows, and so many ways to spend money. Basically, Las Vegas is just Disney World for Grown-ups.

6. Vegas is a posterchild for an environmentally immoral city. For example, they do not receive electricity from Hoover dam- the overabundance of lights and the air conditioning is all powered by coal and natural gas. You only need to take one drink out of the faucet to tell that the water is hard and old, and that they are using irreplaceable (in their case) groundwater for the fountains.

7. They have awesome double-decker buses going up and down the Strip. Of course, they're $2.00 a ride, but that is chump change (literally) in the city. This picture, for example, was taken from inside the bus.

8. Parking is free at all of the casinos on the strip. The competition between the casinos is to the tourist's advantage, but it also means that sometimes it's hard to find information. It took me a day-and-a-half to find one of those kiosks full of brochures.

9. The topography surrounding Las Vegas is amazing, especially for a geologist from the east coast. You can see the rocks! because they're not covered up with vegetation. We rented a car for a day and visited Hoover Dam and Valley of Fire state park. I picked up a few samples for my collection...10. Vegas is amazing! and I love to travel to new places, especially ones with such interesting landscapes, but I sure am glad that I'm a Virginia girl. Home sweet home.

Los Angeles, give me Norfolk Virginia
Tell the folks back home this is the promised land callin'
and the poor boy's on the line

Vegas BABY! - Pre-flight post 2

No, I haven't left Charlottesville yet. My flight leaves Richmond in less than 24 hours, at 15:45 tomorrow. I'm just so excited about it that I can't think about much else! I've been even more ADD and energetic than usual, to the point that Brian and my coworkers probably can't wait for me to leave.

I'm slightly worried about my mother because there is a highly-contagious norovirus (think 24-48 hours of vomiting and diarrhea) going around Henrico County Schools. If she gets it, she'll be sick on the plane, how miserable, and then Ranny and I will probably get sick when we're in Las Vegas. I talked to her at 7 this morning and tried to convince her to stay home and not teach her sick kids, but she didn't listen. So I'm keeping my fingers crossed that she (and by extension, I) don't get the fucking stomach bug from hell.

Things have been pretty busy lately, and I've been slacking bigtime on the trip planning, but yesterday I made up for my procrastination by picking up the Michelin Las Vegas MUST SEES from Barnes and Noble. It has lots of information AND pictures. There are so many things that I want to do, and so many places to go! Did you know that there are roller coasters in Las Vegas (they seem expensive, though)? And there are some great state parks in the area it seems.

I'm really excited about the fact that I'm going with my mother and my grandmother (Ranny). Ranny has visited Las Vegas several times before and will be able to show us the coolest places. And she'll know where we can go to get good alcohol while we gamble (she's a scotch drinker).

Just learned that Bob Seger is playing on Saturday at the MGM Grand, that would be fun. Three generations of Virginia girls at one show... hells yeah.

Come to Daddy, on an inside straight

Vegas BABY! - Pre-flight

I'm leaving for Las Vegas on Thursday. I can't wait.

But I haven't done any! preparation with the exception of improving my alcohol tolerance this past weekend. I still have to pack and plan. Which brings me to the following question:

What do you want from Vegas? Leave me a comment and I'll see if I can oblige. Keep in mind that I'm cheap, so if you ask for a stripper, you might just get a dirty shot glass.

I promise I'll put up some pictures post-Las Vegas. And I may even take pictures of something other than pretty rocks.

Living on reds, vitamin C, and cocaine

Win some, lose some.

Ok... so there is no snowstorm. It's just starting to sleet. Oh goodie. Hopefully it won't be too tough to get to the show tonight! I can't wait!

UPDATE: SHOW IS CANCELLED due to fear of ice. Bummer...stay tuned for reschedule date.

Anyway. Moving on.

This past weekend, I made an epic trek into enemy territory: Blacksburg. Home of the Hokie.
At Christmas I had promised to visit two close childhood friends of mine during their last semester at Virginia Tech. I hadn't kept in touch with the girls very well during the past several years, but back in the day we were together all of the time. We used to get into some serious shit, building treeforts in the woods and staying up all night at sleepovers drinking wild cherry ginger ale. So we'd planned a weekend to visit and drink and catch up. Which we did, and I personally had a blast.

I'd never been to Virginia Tech or Blacksburg (with the exception of a random evening at the Rescue Squad following a search). Post-visit, I still have ambivalent feelings about Blacksburg.

Pro: 25 oz. of Bud Light for $2.50 during Happy Hour. I was absolutely floored.
Con: Too many college kids! Ahhh! (since I'm now a graduate, aka snob)
Pro: Pretty scenery! Lovely mountains and matching stone buildings (oooh, pretty limestone..)
Con: UVa getting its ass kicked in basketball. I'm glad the score is not visible in the following photograph.
(I hadn't planned to go to the basketball game, and had brought no Cavalier gear on my trip. But we were able to scrounge up some student tickets thanks to Katie and Melissa's networking skills, and found seats right behind the VA Tech Band. And the entire band turned around with death glares at my first "Wa-hoo-wa, motherfuckers!" Later in the game, however, I became very quiet, and was actually glad for my lack of school spirit-wear. Let's just say, 84 to 57. Ouch.)

Pro: Good company! Good Nachos! Seinfield! Wet Hot American Summer!
Con: Over-zealous tow-truck Nazis. Greedy fuckers. There was no sign.

All in all, it was a fun and eventful weekend. Next it's their turn to visit Charlottesville! Wa-hoo-wa!

Q: How many Virginia Tech students does it take to change a light bulb?
A: Three. One to change the light bulb and two to brag that they did it just as well as the UVa student.

And in the interest of fairness...sportswomanship...

Q: How many UVa students does it take to change a light bulb?
A: Just one. He holds the bulb up and waits for the world to revolve around him.

Also these because they are funny:

Q: How many JMU students does it take to change a light bulb?
A: None. Harrisonburg doesn't have electricity, silly!

Q: How many University of Richmond students does it take to change a light bulb?
A: Two. One to call the electrician and one to mix the martinis.

Q: How many VCU students does it take to change a light bulb?
A: None. Downtown Richmond looks way better in the dark.

Nine mile skid on a ten mile ride

Update: I can hear the pitter-patter of the sleet bouncing off of my windows. Reminds me of the fall, when I would go to sleep at night to the sound of acorns hitting my car.

Farewell old friend.

I threw out my favorite hat tonight. I feel like I've lost a good friend and traveling buddy.
(I also bought a new digital camera. Go me!)

As you see above, my hat died long ago. And while you can easily identify the monstrous sweat-stain, frayed brim, and other rips, there are things the picture doesn't show:
1. The rusted safety pin that has held the back of the hat together for over 3.5 years.
2. That the inside sweatband was torn out over a year ago.
3. The smell. Combination salt and funk.

My parents bought this hat for me when I was either 15 or 16 at Stingray's restaurant on Rt. 13 on the Eastern Shore (which, btw, is an absolutely fantastic place to eat). I wore it almost unceasingly until this past summer, when I decided that it was too decrepit to wear to my new job. But over these past 5 years, this hat has been with me for every trip, every event. This hat has been with me for all of the great adventures of my life. At this moment, there are 5 pictures of me in my room that I can see from my computer desk- I'm wearing the hat in 3 of these. It has been with me on every single river trip, every search, every hike. I wore it to class, in high school and college. I wore it in my car and outside in the sun, working at summer camp, driving a bus, working on the river. This hat has been to Dry Tortugas National Park twice. It's been to the beach and in the ocean more times than I'd care to count or remember. I beat the shit out of this hat and wore it out.

And now, it's in the trash, the victim of a vicious room-cleaning kick. I will not allow myself to accumulate clothes that are no longer wearable. I will not hang it on my wall like I would have done in high school. And as much as it kills me to actually put it in the garbage can, I know that I will never forget it. And I have a lot of pictures to remember it by.

Goodbye, favorite faithful hat.

Fare you well, fare you well, I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs to rock my soul.

Mountain climbing

Yesterday I climbed a mountain just for the hell of it. Emily Ricks and Megumi and I were tired of waiting for the Brmrg boys (they got lost trying to find Sugar Hollow for some land nav training, how ironic), so we went for a little hike.

"Where should we go?" -me
"How about there?"- Emily, pointing to a peak to our left.

Two hours and 1600 vertical feet later, we reached our destination. Not the peak itself, but a relatively flat area from which we could not see the peak. Also, we didn't have a map, but I knew that if we continued uphill, we would hit Skyline Drive, which would be an anti-climatic ending to the uphill trek. The hike to the top was fairly rigorous, with Emily and Megumi frequently waiting for me to catch up.
Again, we didn't have a map, but thanks to a later trip to topozone.com, I discovered that we had hiked 1600 ft. uphill from the reservoir along Sawlog Ridge. The view of the lake and the Mormon river valley from 2200 ft. was spectacular with no leaves on the trees. The weather was perfect- clear skies with a temperature near freezing, and hiking along the creek we kept finding amazing icicle formations.

We hiked back down to the lake in an hour along the ridgeline, then came back to my house for some homemade minestrone. Perfect ending to a perfect outdoor adventure.

"Don't shake the tree if the fruit ain't ripe..."