Vista point just south of crescent city
The adventure has resumed and the blog has been revived! I left Aspen yesterday after a whole day of cleaning and packing. I drove 8 hours straight and ended up in cedar city Utah. When I arrived at my first gas pump I felt akin to someone who just ventured out of a bomb shelter. When in the world did gas get so expensive? $4 a gallon? Really? I’m just glad my car runs on hopes and dreams. I got plenty of both lol :-).
Today I woke up and decided I was goon to hike Zion national park. After getting some breakfast and filling my car with oil I was all set as I approached the park my interest began to wane. It seemed very similar to arches national park and I wanted something different from that. I still wanted to hike so I persisted. Once I arrived I was informed that all national parks are free until the 24th of April. Upon hearing his my interest was immediately renewed. I decided that I was going to hike the angels landing trail. As I approached the trail I knew it would be good. How? There were signs stating that people have fallen to their deaths on the trails and urge people that were afraid of heights to turn back. The final warning was for parents to hold on to their children tight.
The signs were spot on. At first the trail seemed tame and over hyped. The first hour was steep but not dangerous. It was also a harsh reminder that snowboarding is not a very good form of cardio. The second and third hour were the trails finest hours. The trail narrows sharply and offers a sturdy, taut chain to guide you through the most treacherous terrain I’ve ever encountered on any hike. The sight of Which is enough to rob most of the courage and turn them away. I pushed through my fear anxiety and crossed the tiny natural bridge to the steep climb. The following ascent made my palms sweat and my breathe quicken as my fear mounted. I remained focus and plotted my path carefully and skin I had reach the summit. The view was an astonishing reward. I was immediately surrounded by views of an unstoppable river, the monstrous sun scorched cliffs that guard and conceal it. They weed the only thing was able to obstruct my endless vision granted by a titans vantage point. As I begin the trek back down the mountain I noticed that my fear had be vanquished.
I strolled down the mountain as if I was unbreakable until my extra water bottle fell off the cliff and splash all over a hiker beneath me. After I made through the roughest part of he trail I begin to feel weak and light headed. Fortunately I had plenty of water in my car. Once I reached I drove away from one of the beat hikes I’ve ever experienced. Tomorrow I have to see a mechanic to check my cars alignment and with any luck break trough the California state line.
I think the snowplow driver was having a bad day and decided someone else should to. It took me 30 minutes to shovel out and baja over the frozen stuff lol.
I still haven’t got a shot at making that cake since City Market wasn’t able to open this Saturday. They are going to try and reopen after their renovation are completed tomorrow. I’ll be rooting for them so I don’t have to pay the absurd prices at Clark’s Market. Two days ago I got to experience what it’s like to ride a bike with loose handlebars in snowy weather. I’m sure you’re already assuming it’s a nightmare and you’re right for the most part. It was terrifying and exhilarating trying to ride it with limited control and definitely tested my riding capabilities. Yesterday I spent a majority of the day reading my new book “treasure box” by Orson Scott Card.” I’ve never before read a novel so engrossing, intriguing and tragic in the first five pages. It’s probably not too much of a surprise that I’ve already read half of the book.
Today was much more exciting in contrast. I opted to read a few pages of my book while I ate breakfast and that mistake almost made me late for work lol. Once I arrived I found Vicente again and he begun showing me around the building. There’s an amazing underground structure in place and a myriad of hidden entries. My vocabulary in Spanish is severely lacking and Vicente didn’t speak much English at all so we communicated through broken sentences and miming. At the end of the day we both learned quite a few more words in our opposing languages. The majority of the day was spent cleaning restrooms and tending to the fire. I really enjoying rekindling the fire. Altogether my first day was a gleaming success with no horrible mistakes or disasters. I really need to work on my Spanish though. I’ve already listened to the second lesson of Pimsleurs audio tape and I’m so glad I had the foresight to listen to the first Lesson last night. Every word I learn is like an additional life raft or extra life if you’re the gaming type :-) Today I was working in the lobby and tomorrow I’ll be charged with cleaning the guest rooms. It should be interesting. I can’t wait to share it with all of you.
I’m really tired so I’m going to try and keep this post short. I know I’ve said that in the past and still rambled on for quite a bit lol. Yesterday I went for a lovely hike up Smuggler’s mountain. It was a nice wide paved road all the way up to the top which provided a strenuous workout without being too treacherous. The scenic overlooks were amazing and i’ll definitely be returning to that site again with my good camera. Hopefully next time I’ll be able to capture the sunset. I did take some pretty good shots and a cool panoramic video on the iphone which I’ll post later. The best part of the entire hike was watching them start the snow makers on Ajax mountain. Season is about to start which means I’ll be able to snowboard soon. That singular thought had me grinning like a loon the whole way up the mountain.
Today was a much more relaxing day. I finally got a haircut from the local barber and it turned out really nice. I signed up for a library card but was absolutely famished so I didn’t check out any books today. I’ll probably go back there in the next couple days to get some books to read and check out pimpsleur Spanish lessons as to better communicate with my new co-workers. After I had regained my vim and vigor I headed to the store to get some water. Once I got there I ended up in the cookie aisle and realized it’s been almost two months since I’ve eaten any cookies or sweet treats. I decided that it’s time to add a little junk food into my diet and evaluated my options. The cake mixes are the cheapest choice and most gratifying since I’ll actually be able to say I’ve baked something :-). I’m going to refrain from buying and baking a cake until my room mate vacates the apartment. I’m almost positive that he will either eat or defile my delightful creation. It will be a celebration of my accomplishment and his departure haha.
I was able to make Salisbury steak tonight with my mother’s excellent guidance. How did it turn out? Outstanding! I ate so much of it that I gave myself a stomach ache lol. I didn’t have any bread crumbs but I didn’t notice their absence and the mash potatoes were a little mushy. It was still a great meal though. I start work on Sunday at 7 AM so I’m going to try and catch up on some sleep in the next few days which means I might be boring for a bit :-). I’ll try to do some short posts even if all I do is sleep all day. Good night everyone.
I woke up again very early and agitated by my failure to catch up on sleep even though I had nothing remarkably important to accomplish. I was delighted by the sight of the snow this morning. It fell intrepidly even though the day remain mostly bright and sunny. I was eager to be enveloped in it again so I rushed out the door to start my day. The first stop was the barber shop so I could trim this mane growing wildly on top of my head. The closest and cheaper barber shop in town was closed today again without explanation. Next on the list was to check in with the Little Neil to see if they could tell me when I could expect to start working. I arrived there but was unable to find anyone in HR so I decided to take a hike up the snow covered mountain behind their facilities. The hike up the mountain was steep, strenuous, and slick but aptly rewarding. The landscape looks as if it had been pulled straight from a dream world with clouds mingling and lingering on the mountain peaks. The sun glowing timidly behind the darken clouds and snow covering every flat surface in view. When I made my way back to the Nell, I checked to see if the ladies from HR had returned yet. They were once again absent so I walked to the thrift store again.
I managed to find a great plastic spatula and a pasta scooper. I was thrilled when I found out that my new rigid spatula and pasta ladle would only set me back eighty cents. As I was heading back to the apartments to drop off my amazing cooking instruments and eat lunch I received a call from Joanna. She told me that I would be starting work this Sunday at 7 Am and would need to be fitted for a uniform sometime before then. I told her I would meet her in an hour :-). When I arrived I was introduced to all the house keeping employees and each one was very kind and pleasant. I didn’t anticipate how frequently they communicated in spanish though. It’s apparent that I’ll have to learn a bit of spanish if I want to be included in any idle conversations. With any luck I’ll become bilingual by the end of the winter and that’s never a bad thing to put on a resume :-). Tomorrow I’m going to attempt to sleep in yet again since I’m going to be working the early morning shift all next week. I’m also going to try my best to get a haircut again tomorrow so i can look my best this Sunday.
At the park about five minutes from the apartments