Finishing Out the Year

On the drive out to Death Valley, I made a quick detour to southeastern Arizona to see a ranger friend at Coronado National Memorial.  It's really cool how I've got ranger friends pretty much all over the country.

I got to dress up as a Spanish conquistador.  I was surprised by how heavy the chain mail was.  Goodness!

I think I fit the part pretty well, don't ya think?

I was able to make it home for a very quick trip right before Christmas.  We celebrated a bit early, but with all the same traditions.  Adam and I got socks in our stockings and kazoos.  Big fun!

We were able to get a quick family photo in too.

It has been a good year for me.  Looking back is seems a bit more 'low-key' than others.  I'm excited for what 2014 will bring.  Stay tuned, I'm hoping to get at least two posts out each month again next year!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Eureka Dunes

I know, I know, almost the last day of the month and I'm rushing to get my last two posts in for the year.  It's hard being back in Death Valley with internet only when you go to town once a month.  The past month and a half has been a crazy blur of work, training, adventuring, traveling, celebrating, and little sleep.

 

At the beginning of the December, my friend Isabelle and I went to the north end of the park to explore the Eureka Dunes.  There are five sand dune complexes in the park and Eureka is the tallest in the park and the tallest in California.  When the conditions are right, the sand 'sings'.  In this trip, Isabelle and I were the only ones singing.

 

We stopped at Crankshaft Junction.  This park is so big, I tell you what.

Approaching the dunes.

The way the sunlight played off the dunes was absolutely beautiful.  Photos can't even begin to capture it.  The day was beautiful and hiking the dunes was a great way to get out and release some energy.

We saw a lot of human tracks, but also some really cool wildlife tracks as well.

I am so thankful for good friends.

51,238

I did it again!  It hadn't planned on participating again, but I had an idea rolling around in my head for a good maybe ten years.  I was inspired by another book I read this past summer which gave me an idea for the motivation behind my story line.  I started in Texas, a few days this month were written in Nevada, and finished in California.

Unlike last year, where I left my main characters in the middle of an ambush, I finished my story last night.  There is a lot, and I mean a lot of editing that will need to occur, but I'm excited to say I've done it again and completely finished.  My final word count is 51, 238.

I have an amazing sense of accomplishment and relief as well.  Write on!

Washington on the Brazos

Greetings from sunny southern California!  This post is coming to you from Death Valley National Park, hottest, driest, and lowest.  I've been in the park exactly one week today and it's been good to be back and see familiar faces.  It's also been fun to run at negative elevation and feel like I could go forever.  (Fun until I try to run anywhere else and can't breath that is...)

The government re-opened, I worked three days, and was done with my season at Carlsbad Caverns.  I had a very brief stint in Houston, where I was able to spend a day at Washington on the Brazos during a weekend of living history demonstrations.  My friend Mr. B's brother works as an interpreter there and I was game to check out their operation.

It had been a long time since I was at Washington on the Brazos.  The t-shirt I got from my last visit is starting to get holes in it.  It was a beautiful day.

Mr. B senior was one of the volunteer demonstrators.  He'd set up his wheel and was throwing clay.  It was really cool to watch him work.  He is very talented.  They also had a kiln set up on the property as well so he could fire his creations.

Mr. B and his sister-in-law raced their hoops across the yard of the main home.

I had to get in on the action and became fascinated with the brick making.  I did not take my shoes off, but here is a gentleman, working the clay.  (Small world, brick maker and I worked on the Outer Banks at the same time.)

When the consistency was just right, you then knead it much like you would bread dough.  It was awesome to get my hands dirty.

Next, you coat the mold and the mound of clay in sand so the clay doesn't stick.  You press down all the corners, and then, my favorite part, you scrape off the excess on the top.

Once that was done, I took the whole mold over to a piece of lumber to dry in the sun.  A few shakes and out it fell, a brick!  I put a thumb print in the two bricks I made that day.  Awesome!

It was a lovely day and I thoroughly enjoyed myself.  Thanks to Mr. B for inviting me.

Stay tuned for more fun and exciting adventures as I start to work my way through my list of things to do and see this winter in Death Valley.

Furlough

I woke up Tuesday morning, October 1st, to a shutdown government.  It was my regular day off so I went about my errands and completed my chores.  Even though I live inside the park, I was not allowed to do anything but drive from the gate to my house (no running the dirt roads, no watching bats, no hiking, no caving).

I went into town on Thursday and stopped by my former

roommate Natalie's place to discuss with her my thoughts on taking a gamble and driving to Utah to see my brother.  She has family in Utah as well and said she'd come too if I decided to go.  We flipped a coin.  Within four hours, we were on the road.  We got into Provo about noon on Friday.

My brother seriously knows everyone in Provo.  Somehow he was able to swing free tickets to the Imagine Dragons concert in Salt Lake.  The concert was amazing!

Adam and I at the concert.  Of course, I forgot my camera for this adventure, as well as my cell phone charger.  A HUGE thank you to all my friends who have provided pictures for this post.  (My brother discovered he'd left the plastic cover over the camera lens on his phone, hence the blurry photos from him, but thankful for them regardless!)

The first weekend in October is our semi-annual General Conference for church.  It was wonderful being able to watch conference with my brother.  In between sessions on Saturday, we went for sushi with his roommates and it was delicious!

Sunday, Adam talked me into going to Salt Lake to see if we could get in to the afternoon session.  We didn't have tickets.  I stood in the 'stand-by' line while he stood on a street corner holding up two fingers.  He had two tickets in about fifteen minutes.  That boy has skills!

Our seats were on the floor and pretty spectacular.  How awesome it was to be in the conference center, to listen in person to the speakers and the choir, and to look on the stand and see the first presidency sitting there.  All three of  them!  In one place, in person!  What an amazing experience.

While I was in Provo, the apartment fish, Caesar, died.  I attended the burial and said a few words.  This is me, Adam, and his roommate Dave at the graveside service.  It was a lovely ceremony.

Monday I cleaned and cooked for my brother and his roommates and Tuesday I left and headed north to Brigham City to Natalie's dad's house.  We made a late-night grocery run and below are the results.

Wednesday (10/9), Natalie and I headed over Sardine Canyon into Logan.  I drove around town, reminiscing about the places I lived, the buildings I spent hours in on the Utah State campus, and tried a handful of buildings before I finally found a school newspaper.

We had lunch at Angie's, then drove half-way up Logan canyon and enjoyed the fall colors.  They were amazing.  The trees were amazing.  The mountains were amazing.  I need to stop accepting jobs in the desert...  We parked and walked the short trail up to the Stokes Nature Center where I used to volunteer, but it was closed.

Natalie's step-mom is a crafter.  She was making these lovely scarves and I decided to try my hand.  I went a little overboard and made five.  I also learned how to crochet which has opened up whole new worlds to me.  I love learning a new skill.

By Friday, there seemed no end to the government shutdown and I decided to gamble again, and went further north to Montana.  I got to see old friends in Deer Lodge and it was wonderful.  It was cold, freezing, but wonderful.  Saturday we headed up to Missoula, one of my most favorite places in the country, went to a movie, and had MacKenzie River Pizza for dinner.  It seriously is the best pizza!

Next May it will be ten years since I first met these girls.  It's amazing how fast time moves.  I love that we can go months or years without seeing each other and when we do get together, we pick up right where we left off. 

Monday I hurried back to Brigham City and early Tuesday morning began the long-haul back to Carlsbad, NM.  We got in late that night and I stayed in town with Natalie.  Wednesday, I got back to the house, unpacked, sorted, and then began packing my life to get ready for my next season.  Thursday the 17th we were all back to work, I was interviewed and appeared on a local news station about being back at work, Friday I had my exit interview with my supervisor, and Saturday was my last day of work at Carlsbad Caverns National Park. 

This month has taught and reminded me of many things.  First, I am thankful to have a job.  I am even more thankful to have a job I love, working for an agency whose mission I really and truly believe in.  Second, I'm thankful to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  I know who I am, I know why I'm here, and I know what my purpose is.  I am thankful to have wonderful parents who have taught me provident living.  I am thankful that I had the financial and material means to undertake my road trip.  I am thankful for a wonderful brother who is willing to rearrange his room to accommodate me, who pushes me to be more spontaneous, and who gives great advice.  Finally, I'm thankful for good friends.  I have been blessed with wonderful and life long friends.  I hope I can be as good a friend to them as they have been to me. 

Top of Texas

My plan was to start off the month of October by climbing to the Top of Texas, Guadalupe Peak.  This almost 9,000ft mountain however, is contained within Guadalupe Mountains National Park.  With the possibility of a government shut-down the first of the month and therefore no park and no peak, I decided the last day of September would work nicely too.

 

This is the view from the sliding glass doors in my kitchen.  Every time I wake up I look at El Capitan and Guadalupe Peak.  It was time.  Past time.  I packed my Texas flag and off I went.

The traditional pose by the entrance sign. 

The day couldn't have been more perfect.  I could have sat at this spot and simply stared at the bluest of blue skies all day.  The weather hovered around the upper 70s/low 80s.  Gorgeous!

I made good time getting to the top.  The view was spectacular.  I didn't spend a whole lot of time up there because the wind was incredible.  I put on another layer because it was cold and tried my best not to get blown off the peak.  I couldn't set my camera down for a photo because it would blow away.  Unfortunately, all the pictures are taken from the end of my arm.

Guadalupe Peak, the highest point in Texas.

From the top you get an awesome view of El Capitan, the edge of the mountains that seems to shoot straight up from the valley floor.  This part of west Texas is beautiful!  Someday I'll stand on El Capitan.

This is kind of a scary face, but it was really windy.  My best attempt of several to get a good shot with my Texas flag.

It was a beautiful day, it was a lovely hike, and I'm proud to say I have now climbed to the Top of Texas.  Now, to find things to do since I've been furloughed...

Family Visit

The weekend after my trip home, my parents drove out for a visit.  I don't think you ever grow old of playing show and tell with your parents.  It was a fast trip for them, but it was good to see them and fun to show them around the cave. 

 

The evening they got in, we went to watch the bats and they didn't let us down.  The flight was amazing!  We started the following day by walking down the natural entrance.  I've been here almost five months and it always amazes me looking into the gaping hole that is the entrance.

I let my folks know the options for ranger guided tours.  They seemed interested in the lantern tour, but then I said the afternoon tour of Lower Cave included a rope climb and Dad was sold.  Lower Cave is one of our more strenuous tours.  We sat through the orientation, then we got helmets and gloves figured out and we were ready to go. 

The rope is a guideline used to traverse a rather steep section of slippery flowstone.  We stayed near the back of the group.  I went down the rope first.

Mom showing her skills going down the rope.

Dad making it look easy.

After the rope, there is a set of three ladders, each progressively longer.  There was a tense moment getting to the first ladder, but we all made it down just fine.  Here's Mom about to hit the bend in the third ladder and my dad waiting on the landing above her.

Lower Cave is a neat place.  There are no electric lights and the formations are excellent.  Lower Cave is also where you can find cave pearls.  They are formed similar to an oyster pearl except made of calcium carbonate.

Starting the path through a more narrow area of the cave.

At the other end of this is an optional crawl.  All three of us opted to do it.  It's not like some of the other crawls in the cave, but definitely gives you a taste for caving.

From the crawl, it was back up the ladders and the rope and then up the elevator and out of the cave.  It was very enjoyable.  The only thing we all wished was that Adam could have come with us.  Mom and Dad left that evening.  Like I said, a very quick visit, but I'm thankful they were willing to come visit. 

I have four weeks left here in Carlsbad, NM.  For the winter, unless something crazy happens, I will be returning to Death Valley and Scotty's Castle.  Bring on winter!