Pictures!!!!

It's only 3 for now....I have a high speed connection tonight so I'll try and post more - esp my pics of The Mountain and a few of the glaciers and hopefully one of my puffins -trust me this is a microscopic tip of the iceberg! They are in reverse order because I posted them wrong!

Off to watch the sunset over Mt. McKinley!







This is the trail up the mountain to Harding Icefield that dad and I hiked in the rain.

Eagle sitting on the rock at the Homer beach right in front of my motor home.

My little motor home and my parent's "big rig" at Williawaw the 1st night.

The Mountain! The Mountain!

The Mountain was out today!!!!! Mt. McKinley, at over 20,000 feet, is the tallest peak in all of North America! Usually you can’t see it due to clouds, today how it was crystal clear and as the locals put it “The Mountain is out.”

My aunt Kim and Uncle Jason, who live in San Francisco but used to live in Anchorage, called us this morning to tell us about it…they saw it on the web cam!!!!! We piled into the car and just as we rounded the Cummins Truck Repair building where we were “camped” we saw The Mountain in all her splendor. “Camp Cummins” was more scenic than we’d thought!

We drove to Elderberry Park at the end of a street to check it out! Absolutely amazing! The Mountain is about 250 miles from Anchorage, so we could see the whole thing! There are several other impressive peaks as well. It was a challenge to photography because it is so big and would get washed out in the blue sky (it’s covered with snow!), however I did get some good ones!

Late this afternoon the motor home got fixed!!!! Since we were “cleared for take off”, I took off heading for Talkeetna, about halfway from Anchorage to Denali. Mom and Dad were going to finish a few things and follow.

It was a lovely drive up here, the mountain would occasionally show herself through the trees and it was sunny and warm! I arrived in Talkeetna about 7:00 and got us a campground then explored the little town. Most of the stuff was closed but it was a nice walk. I walked down to the river and saw the mountain again, only here we are so close you can’t see the whole range, just McKinley. On my way back I strolled through the residential section, Talkeetna is a cool little town – kinda Alaska meets West Virginia!

Mom and Dad just called and will be here soon – the campground has public WiFi so I need to post this so I’ll be ready when they get here! This connection is lighting fast compared to the cell phone card...maybe I'll post so pics later tonight.

Tomorrow it’s Denali National Park!

Today's post

Blogger is being especially uncopoartive tonight and there's lots to tell....I already went as briefly as I could but Blogger would only post it in small chunks so I divided it up into 3 posts...be sure to check all 3 for the full story of today's adventure....

Breakdown - Part 1

Woke up to sunshine in Seward!!!! The mountains all around us revealed themselves to us in all their splendor and the sky was bright blue. Awesome.

Today was a travel day – we were headed back to Anchorage to do some errands before going on to Denali – so we “made ready”, dumped the RVs and headed off down the stunning Seward Highway under crystal clear skies! Soon we reached Turnagian Arm and while windy it was a stunning day – bright sunshine and puffy cumulus clouds!

Just after we passed Girdwood we pulled over for lunch at the Bird Creek access point – which had a large parking lot with plenty of room and a great view. We had a lovely lunch and about 2:00 decided to continue on our way to Anchorage, about 28 miles away.

Breakdown - Part 2

Dad was in the lead in the big motor home. He pulled out of the parking area and I had to wait my turn as a few cars passed then pulled out into traffic. Just as I did the walkie talkie squawked to life – it was mom with a stern “Cool it a second”. I looked up and there on the side of the road was the Country Coach, stopped. I pulled in behind and put on my four-ways to await further instruction.

The coach had simply stopped and would not start again. After a few calls to numerous people who know about these things and my dad’s knowledge of how it all works it was determined that most likely we’d had a fuel pump part failure and would go no further. We had to be towed.

For those of you who don’t know my parents MH is a 36 ft “diesel pusher” – it looks like a tour bus. Towing something that big is a challenge. We found someone who could do it, and waited for them to arrive.

Breakdown - Part 3

Now, if one’s motor home is going to breakdown, Turnagain Arm is a damn good place. Since we were right in the middle of the Chugach State Park I decided to go for a walk. There were folks “combat fishing” in Bird Creek, a nice bike path with awesome views, and I even found a hike that I could have taken had we been there longer.

The tow truck arrived and they got the motor home secured. Dad had to drive it up on the truck! He thought that was cool. Mom didn’t. We decided that it would be best for me to head to the Fred Myer in Anchorage while they went to the Cummins dealer (MH has a Cummins engine like a truck) to get the coach down and parked and to see if there’s room for me to “camp” there or not.

They just called and it looks like we are all “camping” at the scenic Cummins Engine Repair yard. They’ll look at the MH tomorrow and see what the issue is and then decided how to proceed.

Alaska Sea Life Center & Caines Head State Park

This morning it wasn't raining!!!! Cloudy but no rain. We did some "indoor activities" - seemed appropriate after spending the two rainy days doing outdoor activities!

We went to the Alaska Sea Life Center, it was good. They had a neat exhibt of shorebirds - had a viewing area where you could see the birds dive! I got some awesome pictures of puffins! It's way easier to get good pictures when you are standing on solid ground!

While in downtown Seward we went to an outfitter store. After yesterday's hike both Dad and I decided that new rain gear was in order so we both got new "The North Face" 100% waterproof rain jackets. We decided that now it prob won't rain anymore. We are calling it our "rain insurance". Sure enough by the time we returned to our motor home the clouds had broken and there was blue sky. A few minutes later the sun came out. We took pictures, it was so exciting!

Late this evening Dad and I decided to go hike at Caines Head State Park - it was a 3 mile hike and was actually fairly easy. This hike went through a rain forest and was totally different from yesterday's alpine hike. Throughout the hike we saw peeks of sun and blue sky! We got back around 9:30 (and it was still bright daylight) and had a late dinner.

The clouds have lifed some and the mountains are beginning to reveal themselves to us! Amazing. Although as quickly as they come out they are esconsned in fog again.

Tomorrow we head back to Anchorage to do some "chores", then it's on to Denali!!!!!!

Harding Ice Field Hike

Today Dad and I hiked to the Harding Ice field. This is also in Kenai Fjords National Park.

The hike was great, very difficult though - 3000 feet of elevation gain/loss, lots of steep rock faces to scramble up, and it was raining – the whole day. However there were excellent views of Exit Glacier! There was also tons of lush vegetation – probably thrives on all the rain. The trail in most places was just beautiful, but limited views and very wet.

Going up the trail wasn’t so bad – the climb made us warm and the scenery was great! The trip down however, sucked. It was very cold, windy and wet at the top so the 1st mile or some coming down was miserable. I hate hiking downhill, especially scrambling down the wet rocks.

We finally reached the end and I was quite happy to have my motor home right there so I could change in dry clothes right away! (We’d left the Jeep so mom could do laundry and stuff!)

Time to head to bed….I’m sore from the hike so it’s gonna be hard to get in and out of my “cab over” bed in my RV!!!! Tomorrow is the Alaska Sea Life center and possibly driving back to Anchorage.

Deadliest Catch

Our connection is painfully slow (but it's better than nothing), blogger can only post a little at a time before the connection times out - that's why I have been so brief with my updates (as most of you know, this is hard for me!)...this didn't fit in my post from today but I wanted to share it...

Our captain today used to be a crab fisherman in the Bering Sea! My now extensive knowledge of 2 out of 3 seasons of Deadlist Catch was very important! He used to own and pilot a sister ship to the Maverick, and he says Sig Hansen and the Northwestern are the best crab fishermen on the sea!

Kenai Fjords National Park - Wildlife cruise

Woke up to no rain! It was however very cloudy, foggy, misty, cold, and generally unpleasant though. Our plans for today were to go on a 9 hour wildlife & photography oriented boat tour of Kenai Fjords National Park. I donned all my cold weather and rain gear and headed out!

The cruise was great! We were on a small boat with 16 people. We saw so much a bald eagle, a huge pod of orcas (Shamu), harbor seals, puffins (so darn cute!), sea lions, and Dall Porpoises.

The mountains were supposedly beautiful, but they were hemmed in with dense fog – you could hardly see 50 feet. We did go to a glacier that came right down to the water and was cracking and calving (when chunks of ice fall off).

Despite hardly getting to see the landscape, Kenai Fjord’s is a pretty awesome place! I’ll have to come back on a sunny day to see the mountains, although I think the only time it’s not raining in Seward is when it’s snowing!

Tomorrow dad and I are hiking to the Harding Ice Field near Exit Glacier. It’s supposedly the best hike around – though quite strenuous.

Travel - Homer to Seward

I woke up this morning to the pitter pat of rain on the roof of the motor home. Ugh. It had been predicted, but I’d hoped they were wrong. The forecast for the next 5 days is rain. Ugh. Did I mention that it’s 50 degrees. Yeah cold and wet. But it beats the 95 degree weather in Washington right now!!!! I’d much rather have this!!!

Our 1st task was to dump my motor home’s waste holding tanks and fill up with fresh water. Not a fun job, but must be done. This was my 1st time emptying the tanks so doing it in the rain was really no fun, but it was quick and soon we were on our way down the road.

The drive from Homer to Seward is about 170 miles and it went fast. I’m getting better at driving the RV so it’s more comfortable and easier. Today I even backed up a few times all by myself! I even backed myself into my campsite! Mom was going to help but I decided I could just do it myself!

Seward seems like a nice town. It’s bigger and more populated than Homer, lots more tourists and shops and such. We are camped by Resurrection Bay in a City campground. We don’t have a beach view though. L When we were driving after dinner we saw a porpoise/dolphin (not sure of the difference) in the harbor!

Tomorrow we are going on an all day wildlife photography tour of Kenai Fjords National Park. It’s on a small boat so we are promised to see lots of animals and get close. Because it’s raining and cold and damp I decided I needed some synthetic long underwear – I cannot even believe I considered bringing them but left them at home – luckily there is a Helly/Hansen store in Homer where I obtained so cool pastel pink polypropylene long underwear! They are actually much better than the pair I have at home!

Today won’t be my favorite day of my trip, however a bad day in AK is still way better than a good day at home!

Halibut Cove and Wildlife Sightings

This morning there were 2 eagles right outside our motor homes! They were feeding in the tide pools at low tide! I got some great shots!

We took a small ferry boat to a tiny little town on the other side of the bay called Halibut Cove. The boat ride took about an hour and we stopped at Gull Island – a huge bird rookery! There were hundreds of birds – all types! Mostly gulls. We saw a few tufted puffins and some horned puffins in the water! They are really cool birds! We also saw several sea otters in the water, and a black bear cub on a beach!

Halibut Cove is a quaint little artist community. All the houses are up on stilts to accommodate the huge tides. There are boardwalks that connect everything. We ate lunch at The Saltry, the only restaurant in the town. It was very good! All the food is made from scratch and all the dishes were hand made! It was a really cool experience.

After we ate we had about an hour to explore. Dad and I hiked up a steep hill to the top of a bluff that had views of the bay on one side and view of the town on the other.

When we got back, it was high tide so the bay was at our doorstep. There was a seal hunting for food a few hundred feet out in the bay! Because it was freezing outside (55 with wind and clouds) we sat in the front of Mom and Dad’s motor home and watched him – he would surface every few minutes and he didn’t seem to be moving much. Better than TV!

Tomorrow we are leaving Homer and heading to Seward. We get to go back the same way we came so hopefully by the time we get back to the really pretty parts I’ll be more comfortable driving and can pay attention to the scenery!

Kayaking in Katchemak Bay State Park

I woke up this morning and it was so light in the MH I panicked! I thought I’d overslept and it was 10:00 or something! I looked at my clock and it was 4:59. I did a serious double take – couldn’t believe it was that light that early!

The kayak trip was great! We took a boat ride across the bay to Yukon Island where our outfitter had a base camp with all the kayaks, life jackets and other gear we’d need. Just as we were getting ready to get in the kayaks, a strong wind whipped up! Out on the water it was sooooo windy! That made it very hard to steer the kayak and paddle the kayak. We paddled to Elephant Rock – a large rock island shaped exactly like an elephant! We saw a seal pop his head out of the water right in front of us! Also saw an immature bald eagle and a river otter.

After the trip we came back and got cleaned up and went to the Homestead Resteraunt for dinner. After dinner we drove out East End Road – it sits on the bluff above Homer and the Homer Spit and has amazing views of the bay, the mountains, and the glaciers!

Cool thing about Homer: it has 20 ft tides! This is huge, it’s the 2nd highest tide in North America (the Bay of Fundy being the 1st). When we went to the water taxi this morning, almost exactly at low tide, the ramp to get to the boat dock was at nearly a 45 degree angle! When we returned, at almost exactly high tide, the ramp was almost level! Very little slant to it. The entire dock in the Homer Harbor is floating and rises and falls with the tide.

Better get my pictures uploaded and then get myself to bed! Tomorrow we are doing a lunch cruise to Halibut Cove and then spending some time there.

Portage Lake, Drive, Homer

This morning we drove 1 mile up the road to Portage Lake which has a very nice visitor center with a great movie about the glaciers and the ice – very well done! After the visitor center we hiked up to Byron Glacier. It was a ¾ mile hike – however we started a the visitor center parking area so it was ¾ mile road walk added in. I didn’t care, the scenery was great and the traffic wasn’t so bad. Mom and Dad weren’t as thrilled. The glacier was really neat. You could see the deep blue color changing as the light changed. It was also quite chilly – the wind coming off the glacier was freezing! Nature’s AC!

After the walk we had lunch in the visitor center parking area, then started the drive to Homer. Homer, AK is on the Kenai Penisula – it’s all the way down! Jeff Corwin says that it’s the Westernmost spot in the US that you can drive to – sounds good to me!

It was about 150 miles and it took a long time – about 4 hours. The road was 2 lanes and windy. At one point the speed limit was 65!!!! I couldn’t even make my MH go 65! When I did get up to speed I hit a “frost heave” – it’s when the road freezes and thaws and it buckles the asphalt – anyway the MH was shaking in about 6 directions at once. It was then that I decided I would go 60 and everyone could deal with it. At the beginning of the drive the scenery was magnificent! It was so hard to watch the road and the mountains! I’m glad we get to go back that way, maybe I’ll be more comfortable with driving then and can enjoy a bit more. By the end the road was a bit less scenic, and I was finally feeling comfortable behind the wheel of this thing!

We arrived in Homer around 6:00. Just before we entered Homer there was an overlook where you could see the Homer spit way out into Katchemack Bay! We stopped there for a while for pictures then came into town. We secured a campsite right on the beach! It’s a really cool beach – rocky, not sandy. The water is frigid so no one swims, and it’s a bay so the water is calm, no big waves. It is a tidal bay though so the water goes in and out with the tides. There are snow capped mountains all around. We have seen at least one bald eagle, apparently there are many more.

One really cool thing about Homer is that you can really see the motion of the sun and why it doesn’t really get dark. When we arrived the sun was straight out from my MH – which given how late in the day it was, I would have assumed that was west. As the evening went on though the sun sank off to the right and finally “set” about 10:30 pm behind the mountain. It’s still not dark (I’m writing this at 11:30pm) and the sky behind the mountains is pink and yellow and orange from the sunset! In the morning, the sun will come up behind me. It’s so open here that you can really trace the movement!

Better get to bed,….the sun will be up in a few hours! Tomorrow Dad and I are going Kayaking in Katechmak Bay for part of the day, then we’ll explore the shops on Homer Spit.

Getting the RV, Turnagain Arm, Glaciers

While my dad’s wifi card does work, the connection is unstable and very slow! I’m hoping to be able to post this in the morning (Mon, 8/30). I’m not going to be able to post pictures till I get home, unless I can find a faster connection. Hard to believe we are "camping" when we have our own little "hot spot" and all 3 of us have laptop comptuers! Ahhh technolgy! :)

Alaska is pretty amazing! We are on the Turnagin Arm headed to the Kenai Penisula. It looks like the Alps! There’s water and mountains and glaciers and all kinds of really cool stuff! The campground we are staying in has a glacier right above it. The glacier is quite cool, it changes color! This afternoon, when the sun was shining brightly, it was glistening white, however this evening with a blanket of clouds touching it, it was a deep blue color. My pictures don’t do it justice!

Turnagain Arm is a tidal bay that reaches very far inland. When the settlers first came to Alaska they thought it went all the way through. However, it didn’t and they had to “turn again”! Hence the name.

We picked up the motorhome from Great Alaskan Holidays mid-afternoon. They provided a brief orientation video - not really enough if you don't know anything about motohomes but good enough for me! My parents asked a thousand questions - some of which stumped the management! They have probably not rented to a compulsive RV owner before! Overall Great Alaskan folks were really nice and they seem to running a 1st class operation!

My motorhome is quite cute! It’s tiny. I could not imagine being in it with 5 other people (supposedly it sleeps 6! HA!) Driving it isn’t too hard – hard to see what’s around you, but otherwise it drives real nice. Hard to get used to the “rear view mirror” only providing you with a view of the bathroom door! It has big mirrors though so I can see all around me. Inside is nice, but it has a lot of little "quirks" that my parents motorhome doesn't have.

We are staying at the Williwaw camp ground; it’s a National Forest Service campground in the Chugach National Forest. After dinner we went for a walk here at the campground. Just about 2 miles on a flat trail around some ponds and streams – had great views of 2 glaciers. We started at 7:50 pm and finished ay 9:20 – it’s was still broad daylight! In fact it’s 10:30 as I write this and I don’t have any lights on in my RV! It is slowly getting darker so I’d better get to bed!

Tomorrow it’s on to Homer!

Arrived In Anchorage!

After a very long day I have arrived in Anchorage! I am not writing this from my parents motorhome in Centennial Park Campground in Anchorage. It's probably 65 - 70 degrees with no humidity! It's sunny and cool and breezy! My parents have told me that there is a resident mamma moose and her baby who frequently stroll right by the motorhome! I can't wait to see them! :)

My flight left Dulles at 7:30 AM which meant that I needed to be there by 6:00 am to get through security and whatnot. My "favorite cousin" Lisa was quite generous in agreeing to take me to the airport at this ungodly hour of a Saturday and allow me to park my car at her house for the two weeks therefore avoiding paying parking at the airport! i was up at 3:45 and left by 5:00 - I arrived in Anchorage at 2:00 local time (6:00pm EDT) after a stopover in Salt Lake City.

My friend friend Kristen sold me on the vitrues of TiVo. I got my TiVo in October and don't know how I ever lived without it. One really cool thing about TiVo is that with a wireless adapter your TiVo can connect with your home wireless network and this then allows you to transfer anything you have TiVoed to your laptop and take it with you anywhere! I downloaded a whole bunch of stuff before I left and have over 13 hours of my favorite TV right in my computer! This was so nice during the last hour of the flight when I'd finished my book (my 3rd for the challenge and one of 4 I brought with me - too bad it's a library book, I have to haul it home!), the movie (Premonition - not bad, hard to follow though, kinda weird) and had all the snacks and beverages they were going to serve me so was getting antsy...I pulled out the computer and had my pick of my favorite shows! I love TiVo!!!!! :)

Am meeting my friend John from OK and his family for dinner. The wireless network seems to work so I should be able to blog a lot! :)

Great Alaskan Motorhome Adventure

As many of you know tomorrow at the crack of pre-dawn I am heading out on a big adventure! A few years ago my parents decided to retire as Gypsies. After much research they purchased a large diesel motorhome and have been doing a lot of traveling. Last summer they toured the Canadian Maritimes with a caravan group. This year they decided to drive the Alaskan Highway, and I'm going with them - well for 2 weeks anyway.

While their motorhome is 36 ft long and for a vehichle it's huge, there simply isn't enough living space for the three of us. We are all rather set in our ways and we need our space. We have done it but it really is cramped. In order to solve this issue, I am renting my own motorhome! I have rented a "class C" motorhome from Great Alaskan Holidays in Anchorage. A class C motorhome is your typical "camper" with a truck cab and a bed over the cab. The one I rented is 22 ft long and claims it sleeps up to 6. I can't even imagine living with 5 other people in such a small space! I'm quite happy that I will have it all to myself. I have never driven a motorhome before, but I have driven trucks and vans that are similar. They rent these things to any Tom, Dick, or Harry that comes along so how hard can it be? Come back on Sun and hopefully I'll let you know!

I'm really excited about trying out RVing! I have always wanted to like camping but being out in a tent has never really worked out for me. I get scared when I can't see what's outside and I hate being in a tent in a thunderstorm. The motorhome is differnt because it's hard sided - it would be hard for an animal to get in! Also it's hard sided and a bit safer during a thunderstorm - unless a tree falls on it or a tornado comes along! It's also nice because there is a bathroom (no shoes and a flashlight!) and a kitchen so no worries about starting a fire or using a camping stove. If all goes well on the trip, I might consider investing in a small RV, I could go out to Shenandoah National Park and hike then spend the night and hike the next day, I could go visit friends and stay in their driveway, I could go on short trips up and down the east coast - it sounds like an exciting possibility.

Here's a loose itinerary so you can follow along on a map if you so choose:

Week 1
Saturday July 28 - Saturday Aug 4
Arrive in Anchorage
Visit with John and his family
Check out John's airplane!
Turnagin Arm
Cook Inlet
Chugach National Forest
Portage Glacier
Homer, AK
Sea Kayaking
Hiking in Ketchamak Bay State Park
Kenai Fijords National Park
Seward, AK
Nature Photography boat ride class
Hiking to Exit Glacier and the Harding Icefield

Week 2
Sunday August 5 - Sunday August 12
Denali National Park
Hiking near the visitor center
Ranger lead hikes
Mt. McKinley? (here's hoping it's clear!)
Denali Highway - we may or may not drive the full 127 mile length, it's not paved and quite rugged, sounds like fun to me but might be too much for the MHs)
Denali NP sled dog kennel
Talkeetna
Wal-Mikes
Glenn Highway?
Copper Center?
Wrangall St. Elias National Park and Preserve?

The adventure begins tomorrow! I hope you'll join me! I plan to blog when I can and post pictures from the day so check back often! My dad has a card for his cell phone that makes it a wifi hotspot so hopefully I can get on frequently.

It's an early morning tomorrow to get to the airport so I'm heading to bed - gotta get used to going to sleep while it's still daylight anyway! :)

Destination Shopping

I love a great grocery store. When I visit my parents or my grandmother I can go visit their Ukrops. A trip to Ukrops is quite exciting! Ukrops is fun because they have all sorts of fun stuff - prepared foods, a very nice produce section with all types of fruits and veggies, a nice salad bar, special products you can't get elsewhere. I thought Ukrops was the greatest. That is until Wegman's opened. That place is amazing! They have everything under the sun. They have a food court! They have a cookie bar where you can pick your cookies and mix and match. They all sorts of prepared-cook-it-yourself foods. They have the best low-fat veggie cream cheese that reminds of the veggie cream cheese from Marx Hot Bagels in Cincinnati. I would go out of my way to go to Wegman's. Then I discovered Whole Foods. I like Whole Foods for all the same reasons as Wegman's, but shopping at Whole Foods feel like I'm buying nutrious food, something about it being super fresh and brightly colored and prepared for me makes it easier.

Until recently though none of these fabulous stores were near me. It was always a field trip to go to the fun stores and it would be an all day affair. So I lived with my little Giant. It might not be as flashy or as bright or sell healthy organic food, but it was cozy and I think I know every checker and manager there! Enter Harris Teeter.

The area where I live is somewhat up and coming. They are building new houses by the dozen and there are more and more people. Out by one of these new developments they built a brand new Harris Teeter. It opened on Wednesday. I have been there twice.

I'm 100% addicted. One of my favorite parts is the salad bar. On Wednesday when I was there I got some spinach salad. It was a yummy combo of fresh spinach, blueberries, raspberries, mandrian oranges and red onions. It was so yummy I needed more. I went back today. They didn't have that spinach salad. This time they had a traditional spinach salad with hard boiled egg, carrots, mushrooms and onions. It looked soooooo good, bright green, and fresh. It was really yummy too! Tonight I got some fruit also - it was the best pineapple I'd had in a long time. Another favorite of mine is the bread slicing station. They have loaves of bakery fresh bread and they pay an employee to stand there and slice what you want. This means I can get backery fresh bread and portion control! If I slice it myself I usually make the slices really big and eat them, pre-sliced I'll only eat 1 or 2 slices. Also, they had mini loaves, so I can buy less.

I'm so thrilled that at long last I have a super grocery store near me to shop at all the time! Rumor has it Wegeman's is coming in 2008...

Finished....

Well I finished Harry Potter!!!!! I can't believe I did it so quick - and did two projects for my grad class, went to class all day today, and ran errands all day yesterday...amazing feat! Amazing book. Amazing story. I can't wait now to go back and re-read all 7 in order. It will be awhile though because I need to let this one digest first.

One thing I have been asked a lot today (by non-Harry fans) was if this one was better than the others and which one was my favorite. I can't really say because all 7 come together so nicely. The 7th book was the end of the story, there's nothing about it that makes it any better than the rest. Now that I'm finished I can say with certainity that all 7 books come together to be one unit of literature, now that we have the end of the story the others no longer stand on their own. I'm wondering if that's why I was able to read with such speed, such a desire to know what was going to happen - it was like the end of any good novel when the action picks up and you are about to discover how it all fits together.

My fav part (no spoilers, don't worry) was near the end (I promise no spoilers) when Molly Weasely called another character a bitch. It was totally justified and it fit what was happening perfectly (hell, I would have had some even choicer words...Molly was being nice) But still, I couldn't believe it. There in big bold all caps was the word bitch. In a children's book for crying out loud. I'm surprised no one has banned the book based on that alone.

The blogger seems to have fixed itself. Maybe Peeves is messing with me?

Although I did discover that I'd accidentally pasted my "library thing" as part of my post template, maybe that was screwing stuff up? Or maybe it was Peeves.

What's up?

I have been playing with my blog layout! Susan told me today how to make the strikeout text and I fixed up my list of books for the challenge.

One strange thing though is that when I look in the layout editor it shows the challenge picture on top of my list, when I click "preview" from there it shows up correctly. However, when I click "view blog" it has the list on top. What's with this? How do I fix it?

The other issue is line breaks...I like to leave lines between my paragraphs, I think it makes it easier to read. On my post about Drop City I put in line breaks, but they don't show up. Again, they show up when I click "preview" in the layout, but not when I click "view blog". I have gone into settings and did that line break thing...but it doesn't show up. The breaks are written in HTML, but they don't show up. Again...what's with this?

Ok..back to Harry...150 pages left....I have heard the last 100 pgs are the best of the book...can't wait!

Finished My 1st Challenge Book

I finally finished Drop City by T.C. Boyd! This was an interesting book, I enjoyed it, however it was a "chunkster" and the writing was quite dense. While the plot moved along I would find myself egar to keep reading however my brain was too tired!

Basically the book is about drug using, free-loving hippies who move their commune from Southern California to Alaska because of some legal issues. The book begins with 2 different, seemingly unrelated stories, one of a hippie commune and one of a bush-man hunter trapper in the wilds of Alaska. The two stories merge and and become one with both parties learning from each other.

My favorite part truly spoke to why it was a good book for this challenge. At one point one of the characters says to his wife "get your ulu ready." The average reader from the lower 48 wouldn't know what a "ulu" is, thanks to my aunt who lived in Anchorage, I not only know what a ulu is, I own one and use it almost daily! I did get a bit stymied in my comprehension though because in the book they were talking about the garden when they mention the ulu and since I use my ulu mostly to cut veggies I thought they had a huge crop of veggies! I was very wrong, ulu's traditionally are used for prepping game!

I highly recommend this book to just about anyone, it was a good story, well written, fun to read.

Thunderstorms, Undressing on the Highway, and Fireworks

After doing so serious sleeping in this morning I decided I wanted to go hiking. It was a bit warmer and more humid today than it had been but I knew the weather was only getting worse. There was a 30% chance of severe thunderstorms this afternoon also, but there's been a chance of thunderstorms every day all summer, so I didn't think much of it. Since I was getting such a late start I decided to go someplace relatively close - the AT in Ashby Gap near Sky Meadows state park. Also, I liked the idea of an out and back hike because if the weather did get bad it was easier to turn around and walk back. I decided to hit the new Harris Teeter in Bristow first to grab some lunch. Then it took me awhile to find the trailhead - which is a good thing I think...keeps out the rif-raff! It was 2:00 before I got to the trailhead and close to 2:30 before I got to trail since I decided to eat some lunch and had to put on my boots and everything.

The goal was to hike from Ashby Gap to the Sky Meadows State Park boundary - it was about 2.8 miles so round trip it would be close to 6 miles. I start out from the parking area - going downhill, crossing RT 50 and into the woods - it was sunny and hot although the shadow of the trees made it cooler. I was climbing up the hill working up a pretty good sweat, but not out of breath! I was getting in the groove and enjoying myself. Then it started to rain. It was a light shower - I hardly even got wet because of all the leaves on the trees. Hiking in the rain I enjoy - it cools you off and the air gets cooler and it smells so good! This afternoon when the rain started coming down the forest seemed to come alive - birds flying and chirping! While hiking in the rain is a-ok, hiking in a thunderstorm is not ok at all. I love a good storm when I'm home or otherwise safe, on the trail, I'm terrified. The sky didn't look at all threatening, in fact the sun was out and I could see blue sky! So, keeping a close ear on the sky I continued. Murphy's Law was going through my mind - if I keep going the weather will be bad, if I turn back the weather will do nothing and I'll miss a perfectly good hike in the rain. I forged ahead, the rain came down harder. When I got to a little clearing in the trees I got a good look at the sky, still looked OK although there were some darker spots. I kept going. Then I heard thunder. It was off in the distance, but it was thunder. I did an about face and started back to the car.

I moved pretty quick getting to the car. The weather still wasn't horrible - in fact the sun was peeking out in places. Again I was thinking, this is nothing, I'll regret turning around. I could hear thunder in the distance and that spurred me on to keep going. When I made it back to Rt. 50 I could really see the sky in all directions - it was looking quite ominous, in all directions. Turing around didn't seem so silly now. I ran across Rt 50 and kept running up the hill...it was only 0.2 of a mile back to the car, but it was uphill...I moved at a very quick pace (thank you maxair!). As I was making my way up the hill it started getting very dark in the woods. The rain had stopped, but the thunder was getting closer. I rounded a corner and had a visual on my car - still had to go up just a bit more, but I was almost there! As I arrived in the parking lot there was a huge clap of thunder right over head! yikes! Glad I turned around.

I quickly removed my boots and started home. As soon as I got on the road, the rain started. The sky was looking very scary and it was raining really hard. Not upset at all that I didn't forge ahead.

I drove back out 50 to the road that goes to 66 (I don't know the name of it but the speed limit is 45 and they mean it!). I was enjoying the trip back listening to my iPod, singing along and drying out from the rain/sweat. I was on the entrance ramp to 66 when I reached over with my right hand to scratch my left shoulder. As my fingers made contact with my shoulder I felt a sharp stinging, like a bee sting! I instantly knew that somehow a bee or other stinging varmint had gotten in my shirt. Remember that I'm on the entrance ramp to an interstate at this point - I can't exactly react to the bee or I'd get smushed by the on-coming traffic! Luckily, bees are about the only thing I'm not allergic too so I clenched part of my shirt in my hand and got myself on the highway and up to speed. Then I set the cruise control so I could see about getting my shirt off. I did successfully remove my shirt while driving 70 mph, without removing my seat belt! Now I was wearing a sports bra, which is not much different than halter top so....(now of course if you have seen my "spare tires" lately you'll know that halter tops are not an article of clothing I should be wearing!!!). I decided to just leave the shirt off - more exciting that way!

As I made my way closer to civilization I decided I did need to wear the shirt - way too self-conscious about my spare tires. I shook the shirt out and did manage to get it back on while driving, but I did have to unbuckle the seat belt. A few minutes after I put my shirt on, I saw the bee buzzing around the passenger seat! Glad I got him out of my shirt!

As I pulled into my neighborhood the sky was looking ominous. As soon as I got home I went to check the weather on the computer. There was a large, ugly looking storm right over where I'd been hiking!!!! And there were both severe thunderstorm and tornado warnings for the county where I'd been hiking!!!! Turning around was exactly what I needed to do.

When I got home it looked at though my whole neighborhood had gathered at the end of the court for a little 4th of July get together. I quickly showered and put on my ancient Old Navy 4th of July shirt (I think it's from 2000) and grabbed a chair and headed out for some fun and fellowship with my neighbors! We had a lovely picnic and it was fun to chat and hang out! As soon as it got dark our local pyromaniacs started setting off fireworks, some legal and some illegal (in VA anything that goes airborne is illegal). Some other folks in our general neighborhood had fireworks as well so it was quite a show! Some people on the next court over even had what looked like professional fireworks that they set off for what seemed like hours! It was way better than going into DC! When the show was over we all just picked up our chairs and walked home! :)

Baby Brandon

One of my good friends just had a baby on Fri and I got to go see him, and hold him this afternoon! He's just amazing! Babies have got to the best things ever! :)

Check out the mohawk!

Look at that adorable face! :)

So strange to think that when I saw Kristen on Thurs he was inside, then on Friday he's out - he hasn't changed any since then, he's just out here now! Pretty cool!

15 Minute Mile!

Raise your hand if you were traumatized in high school PE class when it came time to run the mile? I HATED the day, each quarter it seemed, that our PE task was to run the mile. Me, I couldn't run 20 feet much less a mile. 4 laps around the track, that was it. Except those laps could have been a million miles long! The goal I remember, was a 15 minute mile. I'm not even sure I could have done 1 lap in 15 mins. Well today, nearly 15 years after high school, I ran a mile in 15 mins!!!!! What an accomplishment!

Now, before you go thinking I'm going run marathons or anything....while I did run a mile in 15 mins, they weren't consecutive minutes! I was on the treadmill and did 3, 5 min intervals where I was jogging at 4 mph!!!! We'll work on extending the time I can run and shorting the rest interval, but I was running for a 5 solid mins, 3 times during my 45 min work out!

I do need to take a moment to thank my sponsors without who this athletic feat would not have been possible - Glaxo-Smith-Kline, the makers of Advair and whoever makes Maxair asthma inhalers (even google doesn't know!) - as the treatment of my allergic and exercise induced asthma has dramatically increased my endurance when it comes to anything even remotely athletic!

Summer Addictions

A little over a week into summer vacation and I have developed some major addictions!

1. Deadliest Catch - Who would have ever thought that Alaskan Crab fishing could be so interesting! My friend Kristen turned me on to it and now I'm hooked! (pun intended!) Basically, the show is Alaskan Crab fishing as it happens on the Bering Sea - nothing scripted, nothing made up, nothing done just for the sake of making it look good, it's true reality TV!

2. M&Ms - most specifically, Peanut Butter M&Ms, they are like Reese's Pieces on steroids!!!!! They have a lot more peanut butter inside them and are just plain yummy!

3. Yoga - I have a pass to my nearby county rec center/gym. I originally joined because of the pool - I'd go and swim laps, now however I'm getting into other activities that they offer. I have been going to water aerobics for a few years now and yes I'm the youngest by a long shot. They have 1 yoga class that is in included in the pass, gentle yoga, it's a beginners class and I went for the 1st time this week and am hooked on that too. I like the Mon instructor better than the Wed instructor though. The gal who teaches on Mon is very high energy and outgoing and the yoga is more "power yoga" than what you think of when you think of yoga - I was very sore the day after her class! On a different note: my treadmill at home is broken, and so today I went to the rec center to try their treadmills....very nice machines! I still like having my own at home (no time limits, can watch DVDs while I walk), but I may use the ones at the rec center occasionally for a change of pace!

Hiking!

This past week the weather was perfect - low temps, next to no humidity and I was still on "house arrest" due to grass pollen. I finally decided that the pollen count was lower and I just couldn't resist the weather so out I went - figuring that I would pay the price later. I got quite lucky though, I didn't have to pay any price, other than the tank of gas to get to SNP! YIPPEEE!!!!

Over Spring Break I'd begun exploring the southern district of SNP and so I decided I'd continue that exploration yesterday. I found a shortish, easyish loop trail - 5.8 miles, 1,300 feet of elevation gain/loss. At the trails lowest point there was a creek where I could enjoy lunch and a possible foot soak and/or some wading if I was hot.

I was so glad that I decided to go out to SNP - the weather was perfect - 61 degrees as I was driving down Skyline Drive! When I stopped at a picnic ground to use the comfort station and was wishing I'd worn pants - it was chilly! Once I got hiking though, I was working up a sweat.

Check out a few of my pictures from the day...




The view from the overlook where the trail started.

Trail post for the trail I was hiking, with a great view in the background.

When I reached the creek I bushwhacked off trail a bit to a big rock to sit on to eat my sandwich - from my rock I could see this waterfall so I climbed over a few more rocks and walked through a patch of stinging nettle to get this picture!

Rock overhang on the AT on my way back to my car.

There were lots of flowers in bloom on the AT. I like this one with the bug on it!

More pretty flowers - I believe they are columbine of some sort.

This is one of my favorite pics - it came out looking like a professional photographer!

My 1st picture of an SNP bear!!!! I have seen many black bears in the park - both on the trail and from the car, this is the 1st one I have been able to get a picture of! This pic was taken from the car on Skyline Drive and yes I used the zoom on the camera....


Here's hoping for a mild summer with more low temp/low humidity days for more hiking! :)

Reading Challenge!

On my friend Susan's blog she posted about a reading challenge she was taking part in that she learned about from another friend of her's - Lesley - got to her site for rules and info, but basically you pick 6 books about travel and read them between now and December.

Since I'm traveling to Alaska later in the summer I decided that I would try and read all books about Alaska! I have my 6 books, but I have also selected some alternates, in case I get sick of reading about Alaska! I also already know that I will need to take some time off from the challenge, since the new, and last, Harry Potter book will be released and as much as I think it should qualify, because I would love to got to Hogwarts, Lesley's rules clearly state that all places must be real - despite the fact that Harry Potter is also set in London, which is very real, I don't think it would fly (pun intended! :)

Ok....on to my books!

Alaska Books - 1st picks

About Grace: A Novel - by: Anthony Doerr
Manhunt - by: Janet Evanovich (have heard she is great, but have never read any of her books)
Sitka - by: Louis L'Amour (not big into westerns so have never read anything by him, but feel like I should)
True North - by: Kimberly Kafka
Drop City - by: T.C. Boyle
The Serpents Trail - by: Sue Henry (she has written a whole series of Alaska mysteries)

Alternate Books

Ordinary Wolves - by: Seth Kantner (set in Alaska also, however is not available at my library so might not get read - try not to buy "adult books" since I spend so much on children's books!)
Hey Ranger! True Tales of Humor in our National Parks - by: Jim Burnett (looks really funny, but not avaliable at the library)
There's No TP...on the Road Less Traveled: Best of Travel Humor and Misadventures - Edited by: Bruce Lansky (a compilation of a a number of comedians best travel misadventures - looks really funy - probably a great airplane read, but again, not in the library!)
Endangered Species - by: Nevada Barr (she has written a whole series of mysteries set in National Parks starring her ranger herione Anna Pigeon)
Stormy Weather - Carl Hiaasen (his books are set in Florida and a totally hysterical!)

Ok so I have almost as many alternate books as I do "real" books! So many books so little time! :)

Long Time....No Blog

Hello all my faithful readers - all 2 of ya! Sorry I haven't blogged in a very long time! I have had very little "Playtime" lately. The allergies got really really bad and I have been quarantined inside, then I got a really, really, really, bad sinus infection which kept me from doing pretty much anything for a few weeks - 3 rounds of antibiotics finally made it go away and then it was the end of the school year with all that insanity! School is finally out, the pollen is going away, and soon I should have more stuff to write about! :)

I have some cross stitching to post - but they are all baby gifts so wanted to wait and post after I'd given them to my friends.

First thing - I'm going to write it in a seperate post - is I'm taking my ist ever "Reading Challenge" - my friend Susan has a blogging friend who blogs about books and she has posted the challenge...links and more info above! :)

Elizabeth Furnace Hike - GWNF

Finally, I'm posting the pictures from my hike in the Elizabeth Furnace area of George Washington National Forest from last weekend! It was a beautiful day,however it was frigid! As evidenced by the amount of clothes we all have on! The cold temps are why I didn't take more pictures, in order to take a picture I would have had to stop and then I would have gotten cold! This trail has wonderful winter views of both the Massanuttan Mountains and the Shenandoah mountains. This was the 2nd time I have hiked in GWNF - I really enjoyed it and am looking forward to more hikes over there! :)

A view from a rock outcropping.

Surrounded by mountains!

Beryl, someone who's name I don't recall, and Andrew

Jeff, Russ (our fearless leader), and Robert, Beryl's son, don't remember the name of the man who is seated.
You can really see how cold it is out - we all have our hats and gloves on!

It was a terrific hike, with great company! I will def. repeat this hike soon! :)

New Blog Title

For all those of you who have been anxiously awaiting the unveiling of the name of my blog, this is for you.....as I was hiking yesterday I thought of a name for my blog...Playtime! It seems that I mostly use the blog to write about the fun things I do and share pictures I decided this would be a good thing to focus my blog around!

So, without further ado, scroll down and read all about the fun things I have done over Spring Break! :)

Tuesday Hightop Mt. in SNP

Amazingly Tuesday was an even more beautiful day than Mon! I was so glad I'd already decided I was going to hiking in SNP! I have been working on hiking the entire AT in SNP - I have been working on this for 6+ years now and before today I'd done roughly 50 miles of it, so 1/2 way through SNP. Today I decided to hike a few more AT miles. I haven't done much exploration of the south district of SNP since it's so far away, however I have covered most of the central and north districts and wanted an interesting hike for the day. I looked in the guide books and found Hightop Mountain which looked like a good day hike. I decided to hike up from Smith Roach Gap and go up the mt gently and then descend steeply to Skyline Drive and then hike back to the car via Skyline Drive rather than retracing my steps. It proved to be a wonderful hike, with wonderful views!

These little white flowers were abundant along the trail.

This winter's ice storms were especially hard on the central and southern districts of SNP. It's strange because the ice seemed to take the tops of the trees rather than the whole tree. It looked almost like tornado damage, rather than ice storm damage. The woods were a mess and I know it took many many trail crew hours to clear the trail so it was passable for hikers.

The view from the summit of Hightop mountain.

Another shot of the view from the top. You can see an overlook on SNP down below. Scroll down and you'll see the view of the mountain from the overlook - I think...there were two overlooks from which I could see the mountain so I'm not sure which one I'm looking at here.

Yet another shot of the view from Hightop.

Where the AT meets Skyline Drive.

A view of Hightop Mountain from one of the overlooks along Skyline Drive.

After I hiked the Hightop Loop (6.6 miles) it was still early in day and I'd considered doing a few more miles in southern district but was feeling like I should quit while I was ahead - 6 miles was a decent days hike and it was hot. I'd decided that I would drive back SD rather than deal with 29 and all the stop lights and such. As I drove up SD toward Big Meadows the beauty of the day got the better of me and I decided that I had to hike some more. There was a section of the AT from Lewis Mt Campground to Pocosin Fire Road that I needed to hike. I'd failed to bring my central district map so I was unsure of the distance but I remembered it being about a mile from the fire road to the campground meaning that it would be a 2 mile round trip. Well, I was a bit off...it was almost 2 miles from the fire road to the campground, adding 4 miles round trip to my day, bringing my total milage for the day to 10+ miles! Pretty impressive!

A shot of the AT between Pocosin Fire Road and Lewis Mt. Campground.

On the way back I actually pulled out my ipod - I swore I'd never use my ipod while hiking becacuse I love hearing the sounds of the forest, however the forest was very quiet today, scary quiet, and by the 9th and 10th mile of the day I needed something to keep me interested.

Overall it was a spectacular day! The best part....I didn't get a hiking headache! I have had a hard time with getting a horrible headache after hiking long distances but today I didn't...not sure the exact reason why but here are my theories...

1 - I drank A LOT! I started by "tanking" up before I even left home by drinking a large cup of water and then nursed a bottle of Gatorade on the way to the park. I made numerous stops to use the "facilitrees" all day. I think part of the problem could be dehydration.

2 - I ate throughout the day - little snacks here and there rather than a big meal at one point. I'm wondering if that might be part of the problem...I eat lunch within the 1st two hours of hiking and then hike all afternoon and my body needs me to stop and snack more. I do stop and snack but I realized that I frequently eat starchy/sugary stuff for my afternoon snack....I'm thinking I need to bring something more substaintail for the afternoon - like another sandwich or hard boiled eggs or someting with some protien.

3 - I kept the pace slow - it took me between 3.5 and 4 hours (not sure when I started) to do the 6.6 miles and then almost 2 hours to do 3.6 miles which I think helped too.

4 - I was maxed out on my allergy meds - I think allergies has something to do with this too...

One thing I would def change next time...get the sunscreen ALL over my body....there is always a spot that I miss....today it was the backs of my hands...after the hike it's always a "fun" surprise to discover where I missed getting the sunscreen!

Total AT in SNP miles: 55!!!!

Monday Evening at Prince William Forest Park

On Monday it was such a beautiful day I had to get out and enjoy! I didn't get moving in time to get out to SNP so I took Daisy Mae on a short jaunt in Prince William Forest Park. I'd hoped to see some beavers, however did not. :( Enjoy the pics of our evening!

A small falls on the South Fork of Quantico Creek.

Daisy hot and tired after just about a mile!

Beaver project, but no beavers. :(

Some small wildflowers...one of the few signs of Spring we saw.

The setting sun viewed through the trees.

A fire hydrant in the middle of the woods! Maybe Andrew will add a chapter to his "Random Boilers in the Woods" book to include other random urban developments! I'm really curious about what it's doing there, and how it got there!

Daisy heading down to the creek to get a drink of water!

Daisy in the car, exhausted after 2 miles and ready to go home for dinner!

Sunset Hike in SNP

Yesterday my good friend Andrew lead a "Sunset Hike" in Shenandoah National Park! It was bit cloudy which interfered with the sunset a bit, however it was a great group and a great hike! We started the hike at Jenkins Gap and hiked about a mile up Compton Peak and then back. Compton Peak has an excellent view, although yesterday it was bit obscured by the clouds


The view to the northeast from Compton Peak.

The view to the Northwest (ish...) . The head at the bottom right of the picture belongs to Beryl, a hiker from our group.

Another view from Compton Peak - this time looking west.

Skyline Drive snaking through the mountains, as seen from above on the AT.



A view from the AT - not the greatest view - the haze obscures the mountains in the distance.

As we were hiking along the Appalachian Trail I saw these daffodils planted right off the trail! They were the only flowers I saw the whole hike, strange because daffodils aren't wild, so someone must have planted them here at some point....I wonder who? and why? and how long ago?

Eating dinner while watching the sunset from the Browntown Valley overlook. Our fearless leader and my good friend, Andrew, is the 3rd person back - 1st guy...the other two gals are Fran and Colleen two great folks I had the pleasure of sharing my car with for the trip to and from the park.

Beryl and two other ladies whose names I don't remember, eating dinner in the overlook.

Looking to the southwestish. Interestingly enough the camera seems to have added light to the picture as the day itself was much gloomier than the pictures suggest.

Another shot of the sunset.

And a 3rd shot of the sunset.

After we finished dinner, and started to get cold, we headed back in the dark, hiking along Skyline Drive. The clouds broke up a bit and allowed the nearly full moon to provide us with a great deal of light. Since it is still very much winter in the mountains, there was very little traffic on Skyline Drive after dark making it the perfect night to walk the road. We stopped in an overlook to listen to a woodcock (I think that's what it was) and even heard a distant cow....oh I mean cell phone! :)

It was lovely hike with great people! :)

Contra Dancing!

On Friday night I went Contra Dancing at Glen Echo Park! It was so much fun! :) Back when I was active in MyPC there was an event coordinatorm, Robert, who did a lot of Contra Dancing and been hoping to go with him, but I never did and he moved away. Then a few weeks ago,while hiking at Sky Meadows State Park, I met Andrew and he goes Contra Dancing and I decided that now was my chance!

Now I know you are asking, what is Contra Dancing? That's a hard question - it's so hard to capture into words! It's like a hybrid folk dance - with elements from English and French and Irish Dancing as well as some elements from Square Dancing, although it's def not "Country" like square dancing is. Most dances are done in two lines and you have a partner and two couples come together to form groups of four - you do the dance with that group then everyone moves down and you and your partner have another differnt couple to do the dance with - it moves fast though.

Most events have a beginners lesson before the dance starts - I found this very helpful, although the caller did give everyone a chance to review the dance and practice before the music got going fast. Once you get in the rythem of each dance it's hard to really think about what you are doing.

One fun thing about Contra Dancing is that you change partners every dance and you dance with pretty much everyone, so it's very social! Your partner is almost more of a point of orientation than anything else - helps you remember where you are in the dance and who you belong with! Maybe I'll think differently as I learn more about dancing, but that's what it seemed on Friday!

Another fun thing about Contra Dancing is the spinning! It is NOT for people who get motion sick as almost all the dances involve lots and lots of spinning! I didn't think I'd enjoy that part as much as I did, but I found that the faster the better when it came to spinning! There were a few dances that involved so much spinning that I couldn't walk straight...luckly Contra Dancing involves lots of hand holding also (prob for this very reason!)

Here are some links to learn more about Contra Dancing....

http://www.fridaynightdance.org/ - This is the page about the dance here in Washington DC

http://www.sbcds.org/contradance/whatis/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contra_dance

I can't wait to go back next Friday! :)

Tagged by Susan

Susan has tasked me with telling you all about 7 songs I'm into right now....hmmm tough task...

The guidelines are: List seven songs you are into right now. No matter what they are. They must be songs you are currently enjoying. Then tag seven other people to see what they’re listening to.

This is a tough one since what I'm enjoying listening to typically changes by the day! Most of the time when I'm listening to my iod I have it on "shuffle" and I sometimes listen to the 1st part of a song then skip to the next one...these are the songs that I don't skip though (this week)....

1. James Taylor - (I've got to) Stop Thinking about That - This is from his greatest hits volume 2 album - I actually like this album much better than the 1st one. In fact pretty much anything on this album I like enough to play it everytime it comes up in my ipod!


2. The Samples - Shine on. This is an old favorite from Summer Camp. The Samples are a small band that has actually disbanded...they had quite a following in their day, I didn't become a fan until they were done but I still really enjoy this song and the whole album that it came from. Sadly this song seems to hardley ever come up when I shuffle my ipod.

3. Enya - Amid the Falling Snow. This is from Enya's latest album - Amarantine - and it's my favorite from the album. I did enjoy it more when it was snowing a few weeks ago!

4. Dave Matthews Band - Lie in Our Graves. I am a huge DMB fan and I recently discovered this song - it's on the "Crash" album which is one that I didn't listen to as much because a few of the songs just sound like noise and I only discovered this song when I uploaded the album to my ipod - I don't usually skip over DMB songs!

5. John Devner - Looking for Space. When I was a kid my parents listened to a lot of John Denver and I still enjoy him now! This song is from his "Greatest Hits Vol 2" album - which interestingly enough I like better that the first Volume! I really enjoy listening to John Denver when I'm going to the mountains - it just seems to fit!

6. Red Hot Chili Peppers - Snow (Hey Oh!) or Dani California - it's a toss up since I like both songs so much! Again the Snow song was a bigger fav a few weeks ago when it was snowing! Both are just fun songs that I like to blast as loud as I can!

7. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Eine Klein Nachtmusick. I like lots of classic music however most of what I'm familar with I don't know artist/title because my dad always listened to it, but I never knew what we were listening to! This is one of the few that I know what it is and I loaded into my ipod for some study music but have been enjoying it on my way to school in the mornings!


Now, who to tag....I don't think 7 people read this so no idea if anyone will see this.... I guess I'll tage Andrew L., John Z., Brenna, Liz J., Judy (I know Susan tagged you, but I don't think there are any rules about tagging twice...I'm tempted to tag Susan again 'cause she didn't say "no backsies!), Matthew S. - I know you are busy with college and all.... Let's see one more....I know...if you are reading this and I didn't name you then I tag you...leave me a comment so I can know who you are! :)

Kennedy Peak

Yesterday I went on a lovely nine mile hike to Kennedy Peak in George Washington National Forest! Rain was in the forcast, however it never materialized, rather it was 60 degress and sunny! It was a wonderfully beautiful day, although it was very hazy and that hampered the views from Kennedy Peak. There was some snow and ice on the trail but nothing like a few weeks ago when I was sliding on my behind down the mountain!
Enjoy the pictures!

The river snaking through the valley is the Shenandoah River. This is looking east to the city of Luray.

The Traditional "Blue Ridge" shot!

On my way home from GWNF I decided to drive up Skyline Drive rather than going back via Sperryville. There was some rain moving in from the west which hampered the view somewhat, however I caught this view which reminded of the pictures on postcards and coffee table books! I actually took this picture by sticking the camera though the sunroof of the car!