We decided to do things a little bit different this year for a couple of reasons. First, because it was the tenth anniversary of being away from Dayner. Second, I wanted to do something the kids would remember. Rose and I kind of came of with the idea at the same time together, which to me always means it is probably meant to be.
We arrived at the base of Sandia about 5:40 and I wanted to get the 5:45 flight but as we got into the loading/ticket area I saw it was quite full and we wouldn't make it. We had to wait for the 6:05, which wasn't bad because the kids were excited to watch the tram travel up the mountain.
We were first to get on the tram so we got the front of the car. We were quite a sight with four kids running around and six fully inflated balloons. Rose was very excited about it until we got to the first tower. As it bumped and swayed for the next few seconds she got the "serious" look on her face. The next part was a traveling over the canyon which meant we were about 1000 ft in the air. The whole time she was very conscience that I wanted this to be special and didn't say much even though I could see she was scared.
The top of the peak was chilly but surprizingly not very windy...perfect for a balloon launch. We got everyone together and went to the edge of the observation area. The skies were overcast and stormy in the distance. The sun was setting behind it all like the peace at the end of all turbulance. We all took a turn saying something to Dayne and then on the count of three we all launch our balloons. We all stood there taking a minute to watch them travel with the wind into the west.
The whole thing worked very well and it was a very fitting tribute. With all of the family spanning the globe and thousands of miles apart hopefully Dayne was able record us at each of our locations to share it with us.
Quickly a couple more thoughts...
Then as it was, then again it will be Though the course may change sometimes Rivers always reach the sea Changes fills my time, but that's all right with me In the midst I think of you And how it used to be
Turn the eyes and I sparkle Senses growing keen Tasting joy along the way softens the dolor in between. A moment ago I had come apart trying to understand it all and trying to find a place to catch me when I fall
Waking to find the sun of a brand new dawn, I look around and realize it’s Already ten years gone
And in the words of Tennyson..
Tears, idle tears, I know not what they mean, Tears from the depth of some divine despair Rise in the heart, and gather to the eyes, In looking on the happy Autumn-fields, And thinking of the days that are no more.
Ah, sad and strange as in dark summer dawns The earliest pipe of half-awakened birds To dying ears, when unto dying eyes The casement slowly grows a glimmering square; So sad, so strange, the days that are no more.
The whole trip in South America, even the contretemps airline adventures, was such an amazing experience. Actually, I think trouble getting to Peru made me appreciate the whole trip even more, it definitely made it more memorable. If George Bailey is willing to work his way to Europe on a cattle boat, I am sure I can spend an extra day in Atlanta.
The first day was maddening to say the least. It really wouldn't have been so bad if wasn't for the luggage debacle. I checked my big backpack because I thought it would be to big to carry-on the plane. Well, that might have been the biggest mistake of the trip. I went to go get my backpack and it took 5, yes five, hours to get my bag back.
The next day was kinda fun looking for alternate routes to Peru. It was just like an episode of the amazing race. We found the best route through Bogota, Columbia and we were on our way. Another cool thing about diverting our route was we got to spend a whole day in Bogota. We got to sit in first class down to Columbia which was cool because I don't think Dad had got to go on a long overseas trip in first class.
When we arrived in Bogota it was getting late, at least later than I would want to be out roaming around one of the largest drug producing countries in the world without a clue of where we were going and no ability to speak the language. So we got in and saw the hordes of taxi drivers outside. We brushed off several of them but then as we were looking for the ATM (máquina del banco) one guy approached us and asked if we needed to get money. He showed us were it was and politely waited for us, then asked if he could be our taxi. He seemed like such an honest chap, we negotiated a price and headed for the hotel.
Everything in Columbia worked out very well. The hotel was actually really amazing. The sights were interesting. I think we saw just about all of the "cultural" sights that I really cared to see in Bogota (the monetary on the hill, the Botero museum, and the transvestite hookers). After a full day of all this we were off to Lima, by way of Quito. One note about the flight, the flight from Quito to Lima was about 1hr 45 min. On this flight they showed a movie, Stranger than Fiction, a fine movie but a movie that lasts 1hr and 55 min. Right at the climax of the movie, the flight landed and they stopped it. I had to go through Peru for 7 days wondering what happened to Harold Crick.
The first day in Lima was pretty much a blur. The thing we learned today is that in Peru, the time printed on a ticket is more of a ballpark rather than an exact time. In way, we got on the flight to Cusco fairly uneventfully. The flight to Cusco was really quite amazing passing by a couple of 20K peaks that you could almost reach out and touch. When we got to Cusco one of the first thing that struck me was the size of the city. It was nestle in between several mountains so there wasn't a ton of room to spread out but the city seemed to go on for quite some time.
We decided to make up for a little lost time and go out exploring. We hired a taxi driver for $20 for the whole day to drive us all around the local ruins. The largest, Saksayhuaman, provided a great first look at Inkan architecture as well as a magnificent view of the city below. We traveled through several other ruins and ended up in Pisac where our taxi driver took us down town to the market to get some lunch. We ate at a stand run by a little old woman who gave us a three course meal (soup, veggies and chicken) for three people all for about $1.40. It was a ton of food and a little "exotic" tasting for the first real day.
The next day we hit the Urubamba river or maybe it hit us, I couldn't tell which. The morning started out a bit chilly, which made us a bit leery about getting wet and speeding through a canyon. By the time we got to the river the sun was out and it was getting warmer. This was nice because when we walked down to the river we did not start on the beach or a nice calm section of the river. We were in the middle of a class 4 rapid that was moving rather quickly. The river was fun and our guide Javier was very talkative with good info about the area. By the time we got to the end of the run the rains had formed again and it was getting cold. I could not wait to get on the bus and start warming up even though I don't thing the bus had a heater. We made it back to the raft house and they had hot showers and a sauna. That was really nice! Then we got cleaned up and had a late lunch (I was starving by this point.) Overall it was a good time.
On the Inka Trail
Now we get into the meat of the trip on the Inka Trail. Since 2001 the trail has been quite regulated by the Peruvian government. So while each tour group is a bit different the hike is virtually the same with each one. They are all right around four days with the same camping spots along the trail.
Day 1: The First Steps The bus picked us up first at 7am and then made its way through the narrow streets of Cusco to gather the rest of the group. By 8:00am we were on our way. We stooped at km 82 on the road to Agua Calientes, here the group got out and made preparations for the journey. As everyone got things together the first thing I noticed was my bag was considerably larger than any of the other travelers. I wondered if this was lack of planning on their part or lack of efficiency on my part. After a brief check in with the government control, we were on our way.
The trail was beautiful - verdant green with snow-capped peaks in the background. You could hear the rush of the river below me. As you would descend in and out of clouds, the mist helped to keep you cool. The only uphill stretch of the day was short -- about 30 minutes -- but very steep. During the first day, we traveled through several small Peruvian villages that were dotted along the trail. The houses were mainly an adobe material the interesting thing was there was almost nothing inside each of them. You could see there were a few mats to use as beds and table with chairs but not much else. It was a sobering reminder of the vast economic disparity between Peru and America.
We were only 2 miles and about 2.5 hours in the trail when we stopped for lunch. This was our first experience with our amazing trail chef. The porters quickly set up a couple of small tents, one for cooking and one for dinning. Each meal was at least 3 courses with soup, vegetables and then a meat or pasta dish. Some of the meals would have dessert as well. This was amazing to me considering how much we paid for the whole trek. The other astounding thing was as soon as we were all done with lunch we started to mosey back down the trail. Within 30 min, the porters would come running past you on their way to the next camp. By the time we got there all of our individual tents were set up and afternoon tea was ready. It was truly incredible to watch these little 5 foot porters move up and down the trail.
Day 2: Stairway to Heaven
The second day is the hardest day of trek. It is almost exclusively uphill and includes the climb over the 15500 foot, ominously-named Dead Woman's Pass. The day started out somewhat easy. We were going up but just a standard up hill through the rain forest. The guides kept saying pace yourselves, this is going to be very difficult today. I thought how difficult can it be. We traveled for about 2.5 hours and then came to a large resting spot and the last place to purchase water on the trail. Everyone rested but felt fairly confident in their ability to make it
Then came the really hard part: the climb to Dead Woman's Pass. I could see it as I rounded the corner from the last resting spot. It was almost straight up. We began trudging up the 1000 year trail. It was a long arduous climb, I tried to just focus on the stairs in front of me. Halfway to the top, icy rain began to pour down intermittently. It was along this portion that Dad realized that he was 61 years old.
Reading stories and watching documentaries about people climbing Mt Everest I have often heard about those that get 100 -200 meters from the top and just can't make it. I thought "How can that be? How can you be so close and not realize your goal?" This was the closes I have been to that. As we neared the top I would hike for about 5 minutes then stop and look at the top to get my bearings. It seemed every time I looked I was no closer than the previous. Dad had to rest after ever dozen steps or so and he was breathing very deep and laboriously. I thought that we would not make the top. But as the saying goes "Slow and steady wins the race" and we eventually made it to the top. That was a great feeling to be at the top and look at what you had just conquered.
Ironically, going down was as much if not more difficult for me to traverse. After using all of my strength to get down the mountain, trying to steady myself down the shear steps on the back side was quite a chore. Also, at that point Dad's body gave out and we just had to get him to the camp and put him to bed. At the end of the day, everyone felt it was very difficult but very rewarding.
Day 3: Clear Skies Ahead
All through the night the rain came down continuously. I woke up about 5:45, an hour before breakfast, and thought, "I hope it is not going to rain all day." We prepared our camp stuff and got everything ready for that days activities while listening the rhythmic percussion on the tent's rain fly. As soon as we got everything together and made our way out of the tent, the rain stopped. The rain was done for the rest of the hike, which was really great.
We started the day staring up at a mile-long staircase over the next peak. It was nowhere near as bad as the previous day, partly because there was some ruins along the way that we stopped to wander through and partly because Dad hired a porter for the day and didn't have to haul anything up the mountain.
The whole day was simply beautiful. The hike was a good mix of stairs and flat ground winding through the snow-capped mountains all around. This brings up an interesting point. Upon getting home and inspecting the pictures from the hike they don't even come close to reproducing the view of the surroundings on the trail. The mountains were so grand and the views were so vast that the pictures don't convey the same feelings.
Day 3 ended at a more established camping spot. There was a cafeteria that mostly served as a bar for everyone to get beers. There was a hot shower for 5 soles or a cold one for free. Since I did not have 5 soles and they actually looked just about equal, I went with the cold. That night we had a celebration of sorts, sitting in the dining room eating a huge meal. The last thing we did that night was invite in all of the porters and the chef and give them a standing ovation and a bunch of money we had collected. When I was thinking about it, the amount we collected divided among the 13 porters would end up being about $20 a piece for 4 days of fairly exhausting work.
Day 4: Meeting the Old Mountain
The day started early, getting up at 0400, to try to bet the sunrise to Machu Picchu. Talking to the guides they said it is about a 50/50 chance to see the site through the Gate of the Sun at sunrise because often it is cloudy first thing in the morning. We rushed over the last 2 hours of the hike (with some very difficult parts like stairs that literally were at an 80% grade for about 50 feet) in the darkness but the odds were not in our favor. It was ok though, we were able to see the clouds lift up like a big, slow curtain revealing the goal of our trek.
Once we got down to Machu Picchu we all rested for about an hour, then had a very detailed guided tour of the site. It was amazing to see what these ancient people had built and in an inhospitable location. The the hike was capped off by one last big hike up Wayna Pichhu, the peak the towers over Machu. I know Dad was not really keen on doing it, actually I wasn't either. Looking up another 1000 feet and motivating start climbing was difficult. I think we were both glad we did as it gave some of the best views of the area and made you feel like you were on top of the world.
I am always amazing when I get to visit someplace that I have seen in so many pictures and on TV. It is almost surreal thinking that you are actually there. I felt that way in Russia and then again in Italy, the first two big foreign trips I did. It is not until you get back that you really appreciate the experience. Especially something like this where the hiking was very taxing and sometimes in the moment the appreciation was lost a bit.
The rest of the trip paled in comparison. We got back to Cusco that night and barely made our flight to Lima the next morning (they changed the flight time without telling most of the people on the flight). We spent the next day in Lima resting and recuperating, watching paragliders along the beach in Miraflores. Then we made the trip back to the USA with a few hiccups, Santiago being a 12 hour continuous hiccup, retrospectively not much to worry about. All in all, another amazing trip complete...........how lucky are we!
I wrote about our Christmas 06 fiasco, which this references, but never got it published. Hopefully I will get it up so everyone will know what I am talking about.
I went down to Brooks AFB to help with the initial test design for a new helmet system. The meeting was severely hampered by the presents of the Army dudes. Anyway, I got up early on 14 Feb to catch a plane back to ABQ and make it in time for Valentines Day. I used an airport shuttle to go from the hotel to the airport. I did not realize that it was like taking a little bus with no real route. I got to the airport about 40min before my flight left. It was close enough that even I was stessin’ a bit.
The flight from San Antonio to DFW was uneventful until I got to the airport. As soon as I got off the plane I notice the flight to ABQ had been CNX. I jumped in the line just before it got overwhelmingly long. There were really only two agents rebooking an entire plane full of people. As I listened to agents give the passengers their options I became even more bummed. Apparently the 2 inches of snow had closed the ABQ airport and there was only one other flight, which was already full. Not cool! I got talking to a guy in line and said almost the same thing had happened to me a couple of weeks before. I told him about going into El Paso and driving home. He thought that sounded like the best option and asked if I wanted to split a car. I agreed and we were on our way.
My traveling companion’s name was Ian, he was originally from Wales and had worked in several places in Europe and Africa. He was now living in Hilton Head, SC but dating a lady in ABQ. He was extremely talkative but quite interesting which helped the time to go by. When we got to ABQ there was hardly any snow at all, it was difficult to see was all the fuss was about. By any account it was an interesting adventure and it was great to be home with the family.
First, I have to say, while I am not the most hardcore Star Wars fan in the world, I do think George Lucas pulled off one of the most amazing fetes in entertainment history. He made a movie that was just as relevant, fun and entertaining to my 4 year old son as it was to me 30 years previously. If you think about it, that is really insane and preposterous. It would be equivalent to me being completely engrossed in a movie like The Bishops Wife, Miracle on 34th Street, or Crossfire when I was 4. What will be even more absurd is if Truman’s kids will want to watch it when they are 4 years old. Of course, he will have to find it on brain implant chip since DVDs will be completely obsolete.
So Truman and I went to Disneyland to go see the Jedi Academy. We took the early flight from SLC to LAX and to Anaheim just after the park had opened. We stood in the middle of the Main Street circle and I was in awe at how amazing Disneyland is. I am equally impressed by Walt Disney’s accomplishments as I am with George Lucas but I will save that for a later time.
Truman instantly saw Tomorrowland and made a direct path to see what more was inside. Since it was a Friday morning in February and the daily high was only supposed to be around 60, there were very few people in the park. We got on our first 5 rides in just a matter of minutes. The first ride was the Buzz Blast where not only do you ride through a land of Toy Story characters but you have your own gun in which you get to blast Zurg. Truman looked on with wonder at all the bright lights and brilliant colors. He seemed to be thoroughly enjoying the day.
We hit just about ever part of the park by 2:00pm we had gone on every ride in the park (ok we didn’t go on Splash Mountain because it was a bit cold and he was a bit to short for the Indian Jones ride but we hit every thing else). Now it was time to focus on Jedi Academy. We had gone once before in the day and watched the show. They called up about 12-15 kids out of the audience and teach them Jedi moves. The master Jedi had a soft English accent, kind of like Alex Guinness as Obi-Won. After they taught the kids, a group of immaculately costumed Stormtroopers, Darth Vader and Darth Maul came out and attacked the kids. These new Jedi had to use what they had learned in a real battle with the villains. It was a very entertaining show and very funny watching the kids as they approached Darth Vader with quite a bit of fear.
We tried another time to get Truman chosen but his is very small and quite reserved without his siblings around to egg him on. So after two failed attempts we had one final shot at getting him in the Academy. As the Jedi Master was picking his pupils he called out for a boy in a gray sweater. Since Truman was wearing a gray sweater I told him, “Hey, they just called the boy in the gray sweater! That’s you!” He hurriedly went under the rope and got into his Jedi robes. It was very fun to watch him. He was one of the youngest kids out there but he kept up very well. When the villains approached, he was in the group that took on Darth Maul. The Darth Maul character was very good, he looked very mean. Truman looked a bit worried as Darth Maul walked up to him but he did most of the moves they taught him. After everything was finished he got a graduation certificate which was what he really needed, proof to show Tally that he was indeed a Jedi.
Once the show was over it felt like a bit of the pressure was off and we could just have a good time. We went on a couple of the rights a second time and paid $20 for an incredibly average dinner but the place we ate has my favorite show that I have seen a Disneyland, a bluegrass comedy show. Truman look completely tuckered out by about 8:00pm but he kept trudging along and we closed down the place at about 10:10 pm. It was an absolutely fantastic day and a great time to be with just Truman.
The flight over to Kona was 6 hours....6 long hours. The 15 hour flight to Sydney a few months ago seemed to go by faster than this on. Of course on that flight I didn't have to be a referee, entertainer and baby holder . When we landed it was gray and overcast, not the typical vision of Hawaii. All flights to Hawaii should get in before noon when it is typically sunny and bright. And all the flights should have somebody meeting you at the bottom with leis.
After getting the car we set off for Hilo. It is interesting the mentality when you live on an island. I think it causes your world to shrink. When I told the lady at the rental counter that we were driving to Hilo that night she looked at me incredulously and said "You are going all the way to Hilo tonight?!? That is over a hundred miles!" Granted it is a slow hundred miles, taking over 2 hours to get there but not outrageous.
We got to the Kilauea Camp at about 8pm, got inside and Truman promptly threw up.
Day 1, Saturday 3 June We all slept very well that first night and woke up hungry looking for breakfast. We came to our first sticker shock of the trip when we went in the cafeteria. Breakfast was $10 a person for the buffet or $7 a person for the "Continental Breakfast." We decided to just get milk and cereal at the general store but that wasn't too much better.
The next event of the day was exploring Volcanoes National Park. It was a beautiful sunny morning and we were all excited. We saw the Halemaumau Crater, the Devastation Trail, and Chain of Craters. Our favorite part of the park was the Thurston Lava Tube, which was a little rainforest in the middle of the crater and in the middle of the rainforest was a tunnel to the center of the volcano. Very cool.
After traipsing around volcanoes we started the drive back to Kona. Along the way we found the coolest beach. The sand was all ground up lava rock so it was all jet black on the beach. It was quite a sight. Tennyson's first experience on the beach was a very black one. The other amazing thing was on the beach were two huge sea turtles sunning themselves on the sand. The quote of day came after admiring the turtles for about a half hour, Tally noticed one of them move their head. He jumped back and said surprised, "Oh my gosh, their alive!"
Day 2, Sunday 4 June
Not wanting to let such a perfect opportunity escape us, Chlöe, Tally and I decided to make the climb up the 13,796 ft high Mauna Kea, the highest peak in Hawaii. Some interesting facts about Mauna Kea, it is the highest in the Pacific, it is the world's highest mountain from base to summit it rises more than 33,000 feet from the ocean floor, and it is the most remote mountain in the world nearly 2,500 miles from the closest continent.
It was a long journey, driving through winding, bumpy back roads to the center of Hawaii. The drive alone was about 2.5 hours to get to a suitable starting point. The entire mountain from about 6000 ft up is completely barren, no trees, no bushes, nothing. This made for quite a monotonous hike, but we made it and can check that one of the list. Up at the top we saw the only snow in the entire Pacific, which was pretty keen.
Day 3, Monday 5 June I need to say just a bit about the place we stayed. We found this place on Ebay and we were a bit trepidations because we didn't know anything about it. It ended up being such an incredible find. It was a huge two bedroom condo with a large dining porch. All of the interior and exterior was patterned to look like authentic Hawaiian houses. It was great!
We went out today looking for a nice beach to hangout at for the day. We ended up on a beach on the north side of Hapuna Bay behind a hotel coincidentally called the Mauna Kea. All the beaches on the Big Island are public but the access doesn't have to be. The resort had set aside about a dozen parking spots for people not staying hotel, this really kept the number of people on the beach at a minimum. The beach was beautiful. It was a natural bay with two rocky reefs on either side. We spent the day building sand castles, playing in the water, and snorkeling in on the reefs. There were quite a few turtles swimming on the reef that we were able to look at. It was the perfect place to spend the day...and we did for about 6.5 hours.
Day 4, Tuesday 6 June Well, we pay for our fun at the beach today with nice red roasted backs. It was a bit troubling that Tally sunburn started in the middle of his bottom. Why can't any thing say on his waist?
We took a day trip out to the east side of the island in the rainforest. There are amazing sights over here from towering waterfalls to an animal sanctuary to beautifully manicured gardens. We all had a great time hiking and playing today. There isn't much to say about this day that the pictures don't say better.
Day 5, Wednesday 7 June Recovery Day! Pool & beach down the street.
Day 6, Thursday 8 June Tally and I had a little adventure today. We heard about a local pastime up on the north side of the island where they would grab inner tubes and inflatable boats and go float down the irrigation canals. There is one long canal that runs 22 miles from the central part of the island where it rains 150 inches a year down to the sugar cane fields closer to the coast.
There is an outfit that rents kayaks and takes people on a ride down the canal so Tally and I gave it a try. The ride was great, flumming through the rainforest and going through the tunnels dug out through the mountains. We were in a boat with a local who had lots of stories about the island and growing up there in a tiny little village.
That afternoon we when out to Makalawena Beach. The beach was really rock with lava formations all around it. But the surf was great for the older two kids. The waves broke a bit harder on the shore making it more exiting to body surf and try to stand against the waves.
Day 7, Friday 9 June We called an audible today and decided with the long flight back and Saturday being a entire day in the car, it wouldn't be very fun for Tenny or Truman. Rose decided to take them back that night. So we revisited our favorite beach on the island up at Hapuna Bay. It was just as good as the first time.
Then we spent the evening going through the markets and shops in Kona. It is a quant little town, only a couple of streets wide. We finished up the evening with dinner at Hard Rock Cafe right on the beach, watching the sunset. It was a perfect way to end the trip with the whole family.
Day 8, Saturday 10 June Our last day in Hawaii, so we had to squeeze every last second out of the day. Chlöe, Tally and I went swimming for about an hour in the morning. Then we went to the condo and grabbed all of our stuff so we could check out.
Then we traveled down the coast. Along the way we found Pu uhonua O Honaunau, which was a little historical park that was quite out of the way and off of the main highway. It had the remains of an ancient Hawaiian temple and retreat area. It had some of the original walls and structures and then the rest was recreated to look like it did in the 16th century. Quite prodigious!
We then continued down the road to the most southern point in the entire USA, appropriately named South Point. The next body of land to the south was Antarctica, I think I could see it off in the distance. We had heard about a small hidden bay on the south side of the island that was covered in green sand. We talked to some people down on a ranch down there and found out it was a three mile hike from the end of the road. The kids agreed and we were on our way.
The hike was really amazing. We walked through sprawling grassland on a trail that was as gold as Mr. T's chest. We hiked for about 45min until we came to a bay with shear cliff walls on both sides. At the bottom was the greenest sand I have ever seen, it wasn't bright green but it more of a dark rich green. We had to scale the walls to go check it out.
On the way down the cliff I told the kids not to get wet because we had to get on the plane in about 5 hours and we had no way to get cleaned up. We got to the bottom and I sat down to take off my shoes but Tally headed straight for the water. I looked up just in time to see a towering 6 foot wave land squarely on top of him. At that point there was nothing else to to but enjoy the massive wave and scenery of Mahana Beach.
We made are way back to Kona and on our flight and eventually home. It is amazing, I feel like just a day or two ago I was sitting at the computer planning out the trip. Now I am back here and it is all over. I think it was the sagacious Faris Bueller that said, "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in awhile, you could miss it."
We had to go on a road trip this weekend to celebrate the 100,000 mile of our Toyota Sienna. I didn't want such a momentous occasion being spent on a mere trip to the commissary or taking the kids to school. We started the trip around 999,912 and we took a trip out to Grants, NM about 100 miles away. Right as the odometer flipped we all got our to dance around and commemorate the occasion with a 100 Grand candy bar.
Out in Grants they have a unique area where they had a volcano thousands of years ago. From the volcano there are several interesting formations such as lava flows, cinder cones, and twisty trees. One of the most interesting is a at the bottom of the volcano a cave formed. The porous nature of the cave combine with the altitude and insulation make the cave frozen year round. Inside the cave was a lake of ice and ice all over the walls. It was really kind of wild. The hike was great for the family because it wasn't too long, about 1.5 miles total. The trail was covered in minced lava rock and lined with curious looking twisted Douglas fir trees. This made the landscape look like a scene out of a B-rate sci-fi film. Also, this trip marked Tennyson's first hike! He really enjoyed it which is good because in this family you don't get much choice.
We end the day of hiking with a refreshing trip to the pool and a greased watermelon relay. Everyone knows it's not really Memorial Day without a greased watermelon relay.
Sometimes it seems like my life is some kind of crazy European rock video. The kind where there are multiple seemingly unconnected weird people and events. For example, at 2:17pm yesterday I was sitting in the living room while the kids were playing in the other room. All of a sudden Chlöe comes into the room with a hand towel around her waist, a brown paper shopping bag over her shoulders, and her face painted like a cat. Then a couple of minutes later Tally comes into the room bouncing a huge 2ft red ball with nothing on but orange and black striped underwear. Next Chewie comes into the room, screams out one indiscernible cacophony of sounds and then walks out. I was trippin the rest of the day trying to figure out what that all meant.
We had to make an expeditious return from the F&S camp because I was due to go TDY that afternoon to White Sands (WSMR). This TDY was going to be the capstone of our SDB GPS jamming work but there was a downside. We had to spool out 3km of cable to use in the test. When I say we had to spool out the cable I don't mean we had to walk behind a machine that lay the cable for us I mean we had to put on gloves that would soon be shreds of fabric and roll the 500lb spool hand-over-hand for 3km. Not a fun job.
When we got to WSMR Maj Hebert said he wanted me to take a few people and set up an smaller site. This was a good deal for several reasons; first and foremost I would not have to deal with that bloody 3km cable. Another cool thing was that I would be in charge of a group and we were essentially hanging out in the mountains all day. The downside was that it was a 3 hour drive each way to the top of the mountain where the site would be located. This meant leaving 3 hours before everybody and getting home a couple hours later, but as long as I didn't have to roll the wheel of torture I was still coming out on top.
A couple of interesting events that transpired during the week. On the fourth night we started down off the 9700ft peak around 8pm. I don't know if it was the dusk hours of the night or some conspiracy that the animals had cooked up but there was a veritable safari out there. It was like someone opened up Noah's Ark on top of the mountain and several species scattered all over. We saw a bunch of deer, one of the largest elk I have ever seen, rattlesnakes, a thousand rabbits, and of course a ton of oryx. Oryx are large antelope that were transplanted from Africa to WSMR about 25 years ago. Without any natural predators they have absolutely flourished, which is amazing because they are not smart animals. They are as dumb as a deer but weigh 3x as much. When you are driving at night and the headlights shine on there red eyes, black faces and long pointy horns, it appears like the devil himself has just jumped in front of your car. On this evening driving home there were a couple dozen oryx that had a tremendous amount of anxiety that made them have to cross the road right now! A least it kept me awake after working 14 hours that day.
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On the last day of testing we were in a bind because there were not enough vehicles for everyone to get to there sites. Since we had all of our equipment set up already we just caught a ride with someone else. This worked great until we had to go home that night. We had to bring back all of our stuff but we didn't have a vehicle to transport it. One of the guys at a nearby site said he had enough room to grab us on his way back. When he picked us up he said he wanted to take all of the equipment that belonged to WSMR not just our stuff. This made for a very tight fit with four large boxes of electronics, tripods and mounting gear, some car batteries, three generators, and three 5gal cans of gasoline in the back of his truck with a shell on the back. Since we didn't have any other way back down and it was about 90deg out there on desert and we were tired, we all piled in.
About 1.5 miles down the mountain on a very tight logging road with sheer cliff sides that when about 2500ft down on both sides we heard something drop in the back. Since I was in the back seat of the king cab truck, I looked back but I didn't see anything. I said if we stopped I would run back and look to see if everything was alright. When I got to the back of the truck I noticed that the sound wasn't that of something falling but the sound of something combusting. Apparently it is not good for gasoline to be stored in airtight containers that start to compress when you loose several thousand feet in elevation driving down the mountain. Also it seems that when gas in these conditions is stored in a semi-airtight camper shell whose temperature has risen to about 150deg is suddenly given a blast of cool mountain oxygen it turns into what can only be described as a Molotov tornado.
After I made one of the dumbest decisions ever to open the back of the truck shell, I went running back to the front to tell everyone to get out because of the fire. The guy driving responed so quickly that he forgot that the car was still in drive and sent the car careening toward the cliff in front of us. The person in the passenger seat jumped in head first to put the car in park. I grabbed the fire extinguisher in the back seat (you know, all government vehicles must have them..."Safety First"). I ran back and drenched the back of the truck with billowy foam. After we had suppressed all of the flames, we inspected the back of the truck to find about 1/32 plastic left on the caps on the cans holding the 15 gallons of gasoline. I can't imagine we had much more than a 10-15 seconds before one of the containers went up in flames. After we got back to base everyone said, "Don't you know when your car starts on fire you just get the hell away from it." Let's see...we loaded 15 gals of gas in the back of a hot car with generators and car batteries...I am thinking nobody was a real safety wiz.
This one is entitled the "Final Frustration" because after planning and executing a poorly attended Fathers and Sons campout, I made a lengthy addition to the blog. I got up to get a drink of water and when I got back everything was gone. I don't know if it refreshed itself or if one of the kids clear it or what but instead of a detailed description you get two pictures of the camp and the hike to Tent Rocks. Good-bye
I am creating this log to chronicle the travels, trials and triumphs of the family. This will be a way of sharing some of the interesting events in the family and allow for comment to those. Hopefully, the additions and edits will be something that is perpetual and enjoyed by those who read it. The first thing I wanted talk about was the trip to Papa's farm that Truman and I got to go on last weekend, 5 May. It is fitting that this entry goes along with the title of "The Genesis" because this is where our family began as well. Truman and I went down to help Papa shoot some video of different locations on the farm that has some special meaning. We had a great time but somewhat bittersweet because of the imminent selling of the farm. It made me feel as if we were selling a bit of our own history. I say "we" but it really has nothing to do with me. I realize everybody loves the farm but from a practical perspective it doesn't make sense to keep it if nobody really has the time to give it the care it deserves. It is almost like the farm is a dying relative, who is full of history and stories, but at some point you just have to let go. I am probably not the best person to judge on issues like this either...I still have my high school library card in my closet because it reminds me of books I read back then.
One of the highlights of the trip was the fishing excursion we took at the end of the day. We went fishing in the pond behind the farm with some poles we found in the old barn. On the first cast of his life Truman pulled out a huge 14" large mouth bass. He now holds a stat that I don't think any Harris, Carrico, or Buckley could beat...1 fish/ever 30 seconds of fishing in his life.
Now we get into the meat of the trip on the Inka Trail. Since 2001 the trail has been quite regulated by the Peruvian government. So while each tour group is a bit different the hike is virtually the same with each one. They are all right around four days with the same camping spots along the trail.
isn't much to say about this day that the pictures don't say better.
