Spike

Ok so I don't have a lot of time, but the short story is that for my first round project I am going to Tuscon Arizona to build trails in the Saguaro National Park, we'll be building 4 miles of trail in 4 weeks. Won't have internet for four weeks except the occasional day in Tuscon, so email or comments here or facebook are not a good way to contact me, I think I have cell service though. I'm very excited for my first project and I hope you are all doing well, I miss you all. Peace

Jack Daniels

I wish I had more to write about, believe me I do. But for now i suppose it will suffice myself to talk about what we've been doing to occupy ourselves while we sit through hours of meetings on safety, tools, and driver safety and training etc etc etc. Last night for example I went with my roommate and couple other people to the movies because, well, we had free time and we had 8 hours to kill before bed. So we went to see the invention of lying*?*. I thought it was ok. I thought we were seeing Zombieland but then when we got there they were like "no we're not", and was like, "Oh... ok." So that's what we did. It had been snowing all day so of course we had a snowball fight in the parking lot. When we got back to the dorm, I sat down for about 5 minutes before this girl Debbie came running through the halls screaming "SNOWBALL FIGHT!". Who am I to resist the call to service? SO we had another even bigger snowball fight, then we made a snowman and put an Americorps 3XL shirt on him, a hat, made arms of entire branches and capped it all with an Americorps bandanna draped over his mouth like a bandit. His name...was Jack Daniels (no relation). After that the fighting broke out again at the top of the hill. I got nailed by a snowball that was whipped at my face and hit me right in the eye. I immediately fell to the ground screaming "I SURRENDER!" Which of course only made them throw more snow at me. But it was all good. So yea, pretty good night all in all Things are pretty good here. Lots of free time, people are chill, the food needs work but that's what they invented Target for. Tomorrow i think my team is going to an elementary school to build a track I think. But no one knows for sure. Any way that's whats up for now. If you want to know more or just wanna chat hit me up on facebook or gimme a call if you know the number. I'll do my best to respond in due time but I should warn you I'm terrible at it out here cause our schedules are so sporadic but I'll do my best. Peace and love until next time!

181 Pounds?

Hey, so today we again got up before sunrise, I got up a little earlier to go take a shower. I was really proud of myself until I got back to my room and crawled back into bed. We packed a bag lunch today as after a 3 hour meeting about expectations rules and regulations (just as boring as it sounds) my team went to the clinic for drug testing, a lot of jokes about peeing, tetanus shots, hearing and vision testing, vitals, and a doctor consultation. Found out that I weigh 181 pounds which is roughly 10 pounds more than I thought I did (I'm not fat I'm manly). And afterword we watched toy story in the lobby. Now that I'm back we have free time for the rest of the day which great because it's only 3:30. It's so weird to think that this is our 3rd day here. Everyone feels like we've been here for a week at least, that's a good thing in terms of getting to know people, but when you think about the next month of training before we actually go anywhere cool it's a slightly less encouraging thought.

Americorps

So, just a quick update. Not a lot has happened today but I just wanted to let you know that I got to the Americorps campus and I got settled in and met my roommate. Surprisingly, turning in all my paper work went smoothly. I just got back from a preliminary meeting and tomorrow at 8 we have a giant meeting with everyone. We got split into 4 units, I am on the fire unit. The other units are water, sun, and earth. We got split up into smaller teams today but in a few days we switch up the teams until our training is completed and we get our final teams for the rest of the year. So that's all that's happened today. From now on everything will probably be about Americorps... or my "social life". For the next month I only get one day off per week, Sunday. And by that point everyone will be so tired they'll sleep the whole day. I have fun ahead of me. Alright, night!

Las Cruces and giant ass balloons.

So! It's been forever since I last wrote something here and for that I really apologize as I'm sure you were all DEVASTATED by not knowing what I was doing every waking minute. Even so, I've been irreversibly lazy and since tomorrow I start a new chapter in my life I thought it might be fitting to finish the last one first. I'll try to keep the summary brief but first things first.

A few days after my last posting, I drove with my grandmother to Las Cruses, NM, which is in the southern part of the state. It worked out well because she gets reimbursed by her company for miles. And we didn't spend as much in gas as we got reimbursed for and she gave the rest to me so i basically got paid $150 for driving her there. The town itself was nice. In a nearby town we saw the courthouse where supposedly Billy the Kid was tried and sentenced to death. I went hiking in a canyon not far, and saw the ruins of an old resort/hotel built by General van Patten in the early 1900s. The buildings were, mostly dilapidated but it was still pretty cool to see. The next day we left and drove back to Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Every year in Albuquerque, there is something called the Balloon Fiesta. It's a giant party and hot air balloon teams from all over the world gather and launch their balloons at this fiesta. So, I decided I had to check it out, cause it's the worlds largest collection of floating nylon and polyester. Anyway, the balloons take off at dawn and to see them set up you have to be there even earlier. So, I managed to rouse myself at 5 in the morning and got out the door by 5:30 and drove the hour to Albuquerque. On the way there it started to rain, just a few sprinkles at first, and then harder and harder. I finally got there, the sky still dark, and found a place to park, anticipation mounting enough to stay away sleepiness. When I got to the entrance the woman at the gate said in an inappropriately cheery tone: "All the events have been canceled, but the vendors are still open and you can look around if you like". Irked but unwilling to turn around and drive back after I'd gotten up at 5 in the morning, I went inside. They had giant tents filled with arts and crafts, and long rows of booths selling souveniers and food. Fun fact: the original breakfast burrito made it's debut at this Balloon fiesta. Anyway, I got myself an original breakfast burrito and walked around the empty field, trying to imagine what it would look like if it had been filled with hundreds of hot air balloons, not as easy as you might think. When wearyness set in I got some coffee and waited for the rain to go away already! It only got worse and after four hours of waiting I decided to call it a day and head back to Santa Fe. Incidentally the sun came out the second I got back.

The next day, I again pushed myself out at bed before dawn (much harder the second time). And drove back to the balloon park. This time, I listened to the weather report the whole way down, kinda resenting the fact that I had skipped my coffee that morning, and when I got there, they were taking my money to let me park my car, a good sign. I didn't know where to get tickets so I asked the guy at the gate. After I bought my ticket and was about the go in, this girl offered me a free Monster coffee. Thinking "HELL YEA!" I said sure...casually. Then I went to enter the park and went to the same guy who had told me where to buy the tickets. The guy looked down at my ticket and said "Oh, I'm sorry sir, this ticket is not valid." I looked at him with anger mingled with confusion and embarrassment. Considering how early it was, it took me a lot longer than it should have to realize he was joking. But I finally did, smiled broadly and promptly said "Fuck you" and walked in.

It's hard to describe what it feels like to be on a field filled with 600 hot air baloons of all shapes and sizes filling up like massive lungs until they finally leave the ground, except to say that you fell really really small. The teams use giant fans to fill them up part way and then use what can only be described as flamethrower to fill the rest of the balloon with hot air. There were hundred of different shapes from Pepe la Peu, to Stewie Griffin, from the Energizer Bunny, to Darth Vader, it was truly awe inspiring. I filled my memory card with pictures. I'm sure when I look back on them I'm going to wonder why but for now at least, I completely understand for you never want to forget such a spectacle.

Around 10:00 the balloons landed and there was literally nothing scheduled for the rest of the day until after sunset. So unless I wanted to play in the bouncy house for 8 hours (tempting, I know) I had nothing to do. So I left and went back to Santa Fe for the rest of the afternoon and went back for the night festivities. They filled all the balloons back up and replaced the more fuel efficient fuel with brighter burning fuel. Once the sun fell, the crowd did multiple countdowns and the balloons lit up like firefly's. It was pretty cool and I seeing the shapes glow at night was really cool, but I'd be lying if I said I was truly impressed. They didn't take off from the ground and they weren't lit up for very long. Still, it was really cool. Finalizing the day was a firework display. I laid down in the grass to watch it and almost got run over by a truck. I didn't lay down again.

So those are the big events I've done in the past week and half or so. I then got in my car and drove the 7 hours back to Boulder,CO and have been staying with my sister ever since. Tomorrow I leave at 9:00 to report to the Denver Campus for initiation into Americorps. I am unspeakably nervous, but also anxious to get it started because I know once I do I will love it. It's been such a long process that I can't believe it's over, it'll feel weird to actually do something rather than preparing for it. In any case, tomorrow I start my 10 month commitment to community service. Lets Go.

Gusty Winds May Exist

In a surprise move late last night, the spokeswoman for the Department of Unidentified Developments or DUD, called a press conference for early this morning. The Spokeswoman remarked on rumors flying about and confirmed that gusty winds, may in fact, exist. Gusty winds have been reported all over the west and east coasts and even in the Middle of the Country. Though the spokeswoman made clear that they had not been proven, there was a very real possibility. “Gusty winds had, up until this point, been considered the stuff of legend and myth, but this announcement has shocked us all” Said one reporter in the audience “no one expected this to happen”. That is, except for the paranormal enthusiasts who had insisted their existence all along. “We’ve seen signs of this phenomenon for ages” one enthusiast said earnestly. “Sometimes it will be a pretty normal day and everything is still. Then, without warning, a bunch of dust will fly into the air, or tumbleweed will move at incredible speeds from one side of the road to the other, almost as if some kind of invisible force was pushing it along”. Though DUD refused to apologize to the enthusiasts, they did say that they would expand their research to include rainbows, hail, and the alleged scattered snow shower.

It’s nice to have the simple things, a roof, a bed, a microwave; you know just the bare necessities.

Staying at my grandparents place has been like finding an oasis in the middle of a desert (Especially because I'm in Santa Fe). This place is fully loaded with a place to crash, a fridge, freezer, dishwasher, toaster oven central heating, and most importantly, coffee maker. I can’t tell you what a treat it is to be able to buy perishable foods and have them not perish before I eat them. Also, they took me to the grocery store and bought me like a week’s worth of food.  And coffee whenever I want? Saweeet! Oh, and not shivering my way to sleep is a perk too. I know it sounds trite but to all you who think life would be just as easy without these things, I urge you to try 3 weeks without them. Go ahead, I double dog dare you. Do It! You Won't!

Santa Fe

After about 5 minutes of consideration, I decided to leave Crestone and drive to Santa Fe, my grandparents have an apartment there where I am staying now. They haven’t been here so far, my grandfather is coming back later tonight and my grandmother is coming back tomorrow morning. Then they both leave for Taos for the weekend so I will be alone in the apartment again. It is very nice of them to let me stay here so if you guys are reading this, thank you very much I really appreciate it.

The biggest pile of sand in North America

The Great Sand Dunes of Colorado truly live up to their name. They are enormous, much bigger than they look. The tallest dune is over 750 ft tall and the sand dunes themselves stretch over 30 miles along the base of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Walking up them is kind of like walking up a stair stepper. 2 steps forward, 1 step back, the whole way up. However, the scenery makes you forget that you’re tired. From the top ¾ of your view is snowcapped mountains spotted with trees and patches of sunlight that come through the clouds. The rest is an expansive vista of plains that stretch 100 miles to the other side of the valley where another mountain range closes in the San Luis Valley. Shortly after I got to the top, the most prodigious sandstorm erupted, pelting my body with sand whipping around at 50 miles an hour. Once it got unbearable, I started down only to be pelted with hail and snow hitting me with the same speed. It was a pretty awesome storm and it made it kind of fun to roll down the sand dunes in the midst of the maelstrom of snow, hail, and sand. When I got down I realized I had skinned off a patch of hair off my legs from the sand. All in all, painful, but a good day.

Rain, Snow, and Red Bull

My mom had told me that I wasn't allowed to leave Boulder until my phone got fixed so she could call if the need should arise, so last Sunday my phone finally got fixed so now it actually recognizes incoming calls. I'd been feeling a little antsy staying in one place for an entire week, so I decided to leave. Now, before I go any further I should mention that I had a plan when the day began, I was going to go to Golden, Colorado and stay at a campground in the Golden Gate State Park. I had called ahead and gotten directions and was all set to go. Unfortunately, I misjudged how long it was going to take to get there and I wound up getting to the campground, which closed at 6:00, at 6:10. Shit. So i kept on driving hoping to find another campground that wasn't closed, nothing. I could feel the rock solid plan I had formed earlier inching closer and closer to the window. With the small worry of not having a place to sleep that night growing bigger and bigger as the sun got lower and lower in the sky, I kept driving, having no idea where I was going. In retrospect, driving into the night in a direction I hoped was leading me South away from where I'd come from hoping for a magical free campground or a comfort inn holding it's annual "guests stay free" night may not have been the best plan, but there I was. It was pretty though, snow capped mountains, sunset kissed clouds, expansive vistas, the works. So at least i had a view while I was lost, until it got dark at least. I kept driving, hoping to come to some town where I could park and, at this point, sleep in my car. I finally came to the town of Nederland around 9:00 at night. The problem with this is that I had already been to Nederland, about 2 weeks ago and that was north of Boulder, where I had come from. I had managed to get turned around drive in the opposite direction i had intended, good job Jamie.

One of the things I had intended to do while in Colorado was go to Crestone, which I'd heard was beautiful, and the "Great Sand Dune National Park" which was very close to that. So I took out my map and GPS and figured that it was about 150 to 200 miles away. Having nothing better to do I said the hell with it and immediately starting making preparations for my overnight drive to Crestone. Preparations = buying two Red Bulls. And off I went. The drive to Crestone takes you over a mountain range and then down into the San Luis Valley. I'm sure it would have been an amazing drive if it hadn't been for two things, it was night, and there was the most ridiculous storm. Lightning illuminated the mountaintops around me, occasionally reminding me that I was indeed in Colorado. Also It starting raining, kind of. It seemed like rain but the water droplets were so small they didn't stick the windshield and  just flew over it like snow, then it started actually snowing, and the wind was actually blowing my car from side to side the whole way. It was pretty cool. Once in the San Luis valley it's as flat as you can imagine, I mean there is nothing, just land and the occasional jack rabbit crossing the road. I finally arrived at around 2 in the morning. The town of Crestone is located at the foot of 14,000 foot mountains and  is TINY. If you know how big Wendell is, its about a quarter the size of that. Yet it has two liquor stores, interesting. So in the dead of night I explored the area, and tried to find an area to spend the night. I found a small back road up  into the mountains, my first choice was a trail-head with a big round clearing, I was thinking this would be a good place to sleep when I noticed that there was already a guy in a hippy van already sleeping there, so i decided to find a different place. I finally found a small clearing off the road parked it. Ready for bed at this point, I put my seat back, crawled inside my sleeping bag and slept right there in my car. Relatively freaked out by how perfect a setting this was for a horror movie.

So there was this campground.

The Campground I've been staying at has been cheap and in  a good location. However, my campsite was quite literally a pile of sand, but at 15 bucks a day i wasn't about to complain. What I just learned a couple of days ago however, is that this particular campground is known for two kinds of people. Homeless people, who apparently pay by the month, and people in giant RV's, who give free stuff to the homeless people.No Joke, I was talking with a homeless man, he said that these Rv-ers come to the campground and if you'll ask them, give you food, water, even a free sleeping bag. He even told me that most nights there are at least a few people sleeping in their cars in the Wall Mart parking lot, and that some mornings the people in the Rvs show up early in the morning, talk to them, see how they're doing and, i'm not kidding, bring a stack of 100 dollar bills and give it away to guys sleeping in their cars. Things sure are different out in the west.

First Hike

I went on my first hike in Colorado on a moderately steep trail on Mt. Sanitas located on the outskirts of Boulder. I've been here for almost 2 weeks,I'm a little ashamed it took me this long to get started. Still, I was rudely reminded of how out of shape i was and how much the altitude affects you during exercise as I bent over trying to catch my breath every 10 minutes of so. Thankfully Mt. Sanitas has breathtaking views of the Rockies and of Boulder and Longmont below, which didn't really mean much as most of my breath was already gone, nevertheless the views were beautiful and the water breaks passed enjoyably. The top disappointingly primarily faced the east which as high school has taught us is the flat part of the country. Slightly less spectacular than the 14,000 ft peaks behind me. Still it was a nice reward for my efforts. I'm trying to get in shape for Americorps so I'm going to try to do the same hike today, but faster.

Week in Review

I've been in Colorado for about a week now and since I haven't even started this blog yet, I though this would be a good time to catch things up. I took 4 days to drive across the country, taking I-80 most of the way which is the fastest way out...on paper. But the road takes you through some of the flattest parts of the country and so it feels like a LOT longer. Iowa, which I was dreading turned out to be not that bad. For starters, the welcome sign reads, "The People of Iowa Welcome You" (which i thought was funny because there aren't really people in Iowa, there are cows in Iowa.). The state itself is actually not that bad , it's not flat like i thought but kinda like a really big roller coaster. Also i drove through at sunset which was really pretty. Wouldn't recommend staying in Iowa too long, but driving through it is nice. Nebraska on the other hand, boring as hell. There is nothing there.

The Eastern half of Colorado is...well, I don't want to call it boring, but, flat and expansive. It kinda made me feel like I'd been hoodwinked. Where did all the mountains go? But once I got closer to Denver and the Rockies come into view, frustration was quickly replaced with awe as I felt smaller and smaller with every passing minute.

So I arrived in Boulder and crashed in my sister Eliza's apartment, for a few days. It was very nice of her and I'd like to take this opportunity to thank her publicly. Anyway, we hung around Boulder for a little bit in the shadow of a mountain i still don't know the name of. I had a bit of what I think was altitude sickness on the first day, but it seems to have passed now. but the real acclimation test will come tomorrow when I go hiking for the first time since I've been here.

This weekend Eliza and I went to a Scottish highland festival. It poured, trying to stay opptomistic we called it classic Scottish weather. There was food, music, pole throwing and other games, Guinness, whiskey, everything a Scottish/Irish festival needs for a real rumpus . It was a good time.

Anyway, so that's week in  a nutshell, I'm sure I forgot some things but o well. For the time being I'm staying in a campground in Longmont, about 15 minutes from Boulder. I'll try to upload some pictures from here as soon as I find my camera cable... or get a new one. Either way, pictures forthcoming.