Grand Canyon - Plateau Point - Hiking Day 4

The third day's hike brought us up from the Colorado River to Indian Garden Camp. We made our way up through a series of switch backs known as the Devil's Cork Screw which was most pleasant than the name implies. What amazed me is the number of small springs and streams along the way that gave way to lush vegetation. Wherever water flowed there was an abundance of life which was juxtaposed to the relative desolation that surrounded it.

 After making camp, we hiked the 1.5 miles to Plateau Point in time to see the sun set. This spot is not to be missed and I felt bad for the hikers who had to make it back to the south rim and miss this point.

 Every ten minutes was a new spectacle as the setting sun would adjust the colors of the surrounding rock walls. Maria and I stayed back behind the group to catch in the last rays and then used our headlamps to make it back to camp. I personally didn't sleep well that night - ground was too hard and the relatively small campsite made it easy to hear any noise. Sometime around midnight the wind picked up and I could hear the trees swaying vigorously to them. This had the sedating effect I need to catch some rest.

We woke up early the next morning and hit the trail as early as possible. The last mile brought us to the very wall of the south rim and then the switch backs came in earnest. There are two places along the way at the 3 mile and the 1.5 mile mark. It was strange that in a matter of only 4 days our bodies had become so accustomed to traveling with large backpacks. It was not as difficult as I had thought it had been. When we made it to the top we could see all the other tourists with their small day packs passing us. The custom is to let the uphill people pass you if you are heading down. It was nice to see people moving aside to let us lumber past. We got in a few pictures from the top and made it to the Canyon Lodge to get in some coffee before we made our way back to Flagstaff and then on to Sedona. 

Grand Canyon - Hiking Day 3

Walking along the canyon floor with a twisted ankle was a real pain. I felt really sorry for anyone who had this happen to them, especially if they were all alone and in a remote part of the canyon. There was a book called "Death in the Grand Canyon" that I saw in Phantom Ranch - and it wasn't exactly a small one. It documented how people die in the canyon on a regular basis from anything from dehydration, to falling, to snake bites, and rafting mishaps. 

That said, we were able to make it into camp at a reasonable time and even had time to down a few beers at the ranch. From my memories of Death Valley - where a beer was $10, I was surprised to see that this place was reasonably priced. Phantom ranch is also the destination of hikers who come down from the south ridge and stay for a night and then go back to the south rim then next day.

We crossed the Colorado River the next morning. However before we left, we managed to see a med-evac helicopter come down to take out a hiker that had destroyed her knee the night before.  Poor thing.

The path brought us to a small clearing where one could go and sit by the river. This was the lowest point in the canyon. The water was relatively calm here. Of course, after this the up hill began.

From the river, we started heading up through a portion of the canyon known as the devil's corkscrew. A bunch of switchbacks in a narrower portion of the climb where it seemed as if the canyon was closing in on you.

 Overall, the climb got easier after that. We managed to get into Indian Garden campsite relatively early and managed to set up camp and just relax for a while. I think if we were not carrying so much equipment, we could have made an attempt to get to the south rim. However we would have missed plateau point - which I'll add an entry for next time.

Grand Canyon - Hiking Day 1-2

After a tough few months to study for the board exam, I finally had a chance to go on vacation. I think just not having to study palliative care medicine in itself was fantastic. We caught a plane to Pheonix and then a connecting flight to Flagstaff. I have to admit, the town is really cute. The downtown area is a collection of brick buildings and the bars and restaurants have a very cosmopolitan feel despite the small size. 

I would recommend staying at the Monte Vista hotel - the Ramada we picked out really sucked. The Monte Vista is down town and is perhaps one of the oldest hotels in town. The bar reminds me of something from old west stories. 

We also managed to hit some of the local restaurants including the Criollo which had some excellent Latin based food. The artwork on the walls was particularly fascinating:

http://criollolatinkitchen.com

We headed across the street to the wine loft - where a lot of the locals were sipping wine and playing board games - very cool hangout. We headed over to the Beaver Street Brewery which was really dead and I'm not sure why trip advisors rates it so high - it was borderline dive bar. However, the surrounding area did have a bunch of music venues which seemed to be in high gear. 

We awoke the next morning and headed out with our travel company - Four Seasons Hikes. To be honest with you. I felt that we could have probably gotten a cheaper deal than this company. Again, not sure why trip advisor rates it so high. Its not a bad company and the people were very professional, but next time I'll go for something a bit cheaper - that said they do offer a bunch of good hiking services for a bunch of different locations. 

We began on the north trail after traveling via van to the north rim for about 4 hours. The hike began at about 10 and I'll say now - Mid to late October is the perfect time to go! Not too hot and not too cold. We started along the North Kaibab trail and made our way to Cotton Wood camp grounds. Poor Maria was carrying about half her body weight in equipment - which we had to rectify the next day. However we all made the 7 mile trek. The campground was beautiful and if the Moon wasn't so bright we could have caught a great deal of the stars.

The path itself reminded me of hikes that I've taken before in the south west. It wasn't, however, until we made it past Cotton Wood that the true magnitude of the canyon really took fold. As we got close to Phantom Ranch - which is right next to the Colorado River, we could get a better view of the South rim and the sense of sheer size began to really set in.

For those of you who are interested, the Phantom Ranch actually has a bar. Which I taught was a bit strange in that every guide book and sign post we pasted has something about preserving yourself with water and avoiding dehydration. Either way the wine was pretty good =) .

By this time, my legs were killing me and I had managed to twist my ankle on a rock. We were passed by a bunch of people who were attempting to run the canyon from one end to the other - can you say wacko? I couldn't imaging being a runner and breaking an ankle in the middle of nowhere. That said there were at least three people that we saw being helicoptered out of the area.

Camping along the Colorado river was excellent. Hearing the water flowing by helped me sleep very well that night. 

Midwest Roadtrip - Chicago

Chicago is . . . awesome. After the sweltering heat of central Illinois we got into the big city for the weekend. Every time I come to this place, it seems as if it has grown. There are new buildings with impressive modern architecture on the skyline, new sculptures in the park, and several of the neighborhoods that were once ghetto are now being gentrified. I have to admit, I always feel lost here. I have to hand it to anyone who has lived here - they have to deal with the harsh winters and have to develop a certain urban chic to survive. 

On Michigan Ave is the Intercontinental hotel - my step father used to work here and we actually lived here for a few months. As Helmut drove up to meet up with us we went for a walk along the avenue and toured the hotel - I couldn't remember a thing about living here other than the video game room which is now gone. 

We nearly gate crashed a wedding in the hotel - but from fear of getting arrested and the fact that I was wearing flip flops and obviously not a wedding member we left to get some food at the Purple Pig on Michigan Ave. Food was alright and certainly not worth the hype and long line we had to wait in to get a seat - but the company was good.

As I said before, the city is huge and the place we stayed - near Millennium Park is really touristy. You have to really know someone who has lived here to really experience what's out there and not end up in a slum. We walked about the city after my step-dad left and got in some good pics along the water front. I've had a lot of fun times up here, and now I have memories of being up here w/ Maria.

Ok, this was my first time to the Art Institute! I've been wanting to come here for years and as luck would have it - got sick, museum closed, not enough time etc. . . I never seemed to make it. The museum reminds me of the Louve - where you walk along and every three seconds you have to rubber neck as you spot yet another famous and priceless painting or exhibit. What really impressed me was the Van Gogh above of the "Drinkers." I've never seen this one before and it is in such contrast to the usually more serious nature of Van Gogh's work. Loved it - and  could also relate to it.

Our last night in town we hit "The Terrace" in Trump Towers - the view was amazing. The food nasty and the drinks overpriced. But, I figured for our last night it was worth it. For anyone out there who is planning a trip to Chi-town - do yourself a favor, get a hotel away from touristy Michigan Ave, make sure parking is included, and realize that Chicago prides itself on serve massive portions with each meal. Also give yourself plenty of time to check out the city and limit the activities you do to one or two a day or you will find yourself exhausted. While I love to visit this place - I'm not sure I could live here - perhaps I was just missing home and that view of the Golden Gate. 

Midwest Road Trip - Springfield, IL

There is currently a heat wave through out the Midwest. People's lawns are turning yellow and its hard to go outside without feeling like you have just put your head into an oven. Even for Midwest summers this one really sucks. But, that's part of the Midwest experience and with good air conditioning - not a deterrent to traveling. It was time to head into the Land (and City) of Lincoln.

We left St. Louis and made our way up the I-55 to Springfield. There is a small red Lutheran Church on the highway that I've always loved and is a perfect spot for sketching - if one is so inclined. On the right are the Cahokia Mounds. This was once the sight of a large civilization with cities that rivaled and even surpassed their European contemporaries. Yet it disappeared and the investigation is still on to find out why. I would strongly recommend this as a place to check out:

http://cahokiamounds.org/visit/

After about an hour and a half we arrived. Springfield is where I went to high school, meet some excellent friends, and became a U.S. Citizen (in the words of Apu of the Simpsons - "Now which way to the welfare office?!"). The old capitol is where I was sworn in back in the 6th grade. 

It was amazing to see everyone and revisit the downtown - which houses a nice library and history museum. The Hilton, pictured here, is the tallest building for a hundred miles in any direction. We managed to get into the roof top restaurant to see the fireworks for the 4th. This restaurant- which unless you love the view - is not exactly the best place to get food. That said, it seems like there is a bunch of cute little restaurants in the downtown which are built into charming old buildings. We went to one place called "Incredibly Delicious" which had, as the name implies, excellent food and is built into a old downtown mansion.

The rest of the time in Springfield was based on meeting people. It was nice to come home to mom's. What can I say about the place? People are always coming and going and my mom's house is apparently the place to be. Every night someone would stop by to eat, drink, and listen to music.Coming home, I also found out that my mom has a pellet gun she uses to deter rabbits from eating the plants in her garden.   

Being back in Springfield was also like a high school reunion. As luck would have it, my friend Doug and Racheal - now happily married with three kids and living in FLA - just happened to be in town. Ally and Bill, also long time friends, came out along with their two amazing kids. Maria was a bit dazed from meeting some many people. On our last night in town we all met for food where the rest of the crew showed up. Clay, Jaime, Mike, Tony and too many others to list easily all joined us. It was good to see everyone doing so well.

(How much for the little girl?)

I would be remis if I didn't mention that every possible Lincoln site is avaible to the Lincoln Junkie. As I've been to all of the them to the point of nausea - I'd just recommend googling the sites for info

Midwest Road Trip - St. Louis, Part 2

 Heat wave be damn! Granted its 110 out there and the humidity is enough to make one's rubber soles melt into the sidewalk, but we still managed to go about the city with daily siestas mixed in to avoid the blistering heat. This, and a bunch of bandaids to help with the blisters.  

Forest Park, in the center of St. Louis is one of the largest metropolitan parks in the world. From what I've read, its bigger than Central Park in New York. There is a nice history museum and art museum that was once the center piece of the 1904 world fair. We hit the art museum - which has a strange mix of items where you go from colonial furniture to egyptian relics to mesoamerican artifacts as you go from room to room. In the front is a moving statue of King Louis the IX - a crusader king that lead his forces to total ruin in Egypt and then in Tunisia in the early 13th century. Good photo op if nothing else.

Forest Park is where I usually went biking and running and the city maintains the place well - but sadily I wasn't able to do that this time around as the weather would simply not permit it. However, I did see some brave souls attempting runs well past 9 PM. What I'm impressed with, is that this park not only has decent attractions, but more importantly, the city is expanding most of them and they are all free. 

The next stop wasn't free - but I think it is well worth it:  

Missouri Botanical Gardens

 No trip to St. Louis is complete without hitting the botanical gardens. I would argue that one can even skip the arch in order to get here. Its amazing on all fronts - the plant collections they have here are extensive - they even have a 1800 number if a person has questions about gardening. The tropical habitate - the "climitron" is an impressive feat of architecture and the Japanese Gardens are some of the best I've ever seen - and even put the one's in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park to shame.

We went there on a night for the Chinese Lantern exhibit - which I personally thought was a joke. For those of you who are thinking of going to this thing, avoid it and await the next exhibit. The lanterns are extremely cheesy and make this beautiful park look like a 2nd rate Disney world. We managed to find our way to the end of the park as the sun was setting and meandered about the gardens at night. That is, until someone found us and told us to get out. There is a portion at the back of the park where there is a low chain fence - where if one was inclined to place a bottle of wine or some beer for later retreval after one has entered the park - it is possible - but thats just what I've heard only from others. wink wink. 

http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/

Our last night in St. Louis we spent walking the streets of the central west end hand in hand. The moon was full - or nearly so and cast a lazy light through the clouds on us. The warm humid air made me remember the past life I once had here. I've had so many memories of coming here and spending amazing times with a host of friends. For me it was sad to say goodbye - again. I'm still proud of my time here and still consider my experience of living in St. Louis as a big part of who I am.  

Midwest Road Trip - St. Louis

Its been years since I've been back in St. Louis. Most people in Cali ask me, "why?!" as if going to the midwest is that part of the map that used to have " dragons and monsters be here." I can understand their reserve. Anyone who has live in Cali for any length of time can appreciate everything that it has to offer. St. Louis lies someplace in "the middle" where people raise chickens or something. 

I don't see it that way. For 11 years this was my home. There are so many cute neighborhoods and places to check out. Granted - if you know your way you can check out most of them in a week (if not sooner). But I had to take Maria around. We arrived in the middle of a heat wave and the average temp outside was 105. The humidity makes it 115 - the type of weather that makes you regret coming here. But like I always said, the only thing worse than a St. Louis summer is a St. Louis winter. I find myself looking down at my iPhone and scoping the weather back home - San Francisco 65 bright sunny and perfect (sigh) - but moving on. . . 

 So places one must go (part the first). Soulard was high on my list. This is the old french quarter of St. Louis. The buildings are old and have incredible character. The brick houses, the iron fences, and quaint balconies all bring back memories of small bars and excellent restaurants. I'd recommend:

1) McGurks - irish bar that has music and an excellent back porch beer garden.

http://www.mcgurks.com/

2) Molly's - Creole food at its finest

http://mollysinsoulard.com/

3) Soulard Coffee Garden - excellent place for breakfast

http://soulardcoffeegarden.com/

4) Sydney Street Cafe - Amazing food - good wine selection

http://www.sidneystreetcafe.com/

5) 1860's Saloon - Beer eh!

http://1860saloon.com/

I'll be honest, there are a ton more - I can only name a few and for all those places that were amazing - I'm sorry I could not name you! Also there is a bar and restaurant that is technically not in Soulard but is worth a visit - called the Venice Cafe. Its an experience all on to itself and definitely worth a visit.
http://www.thevenicecafe.com/

By the way - Soulard also hosts the world's 2nd largest Mardi Gras every year! From what I remember in 2005 when New Orleans was devastated by Hurricane Karina, it was the largest Mardi Gras in the country.

Then of course there is also the Busch Brewery tour - I had my reservations about this, as Busch had been bought out by InBev and from what I hear InBev is own by McCain's wife. So aside from the crappy beer it pumps out, it is also apparently owned by right wing crazy conservatives. Think I'm going to stick to wine for a while. That said - you do get two frees beers out it - woo hoo!

Yes - we did the arch. Did we go up in it ? No - why? cause it is a tourist trap and its always an oven at the top. Besides, there is only so much of the arch that one can take. The museum at the bottom is not bad. I personally recommend heading over to Laclede's Landing next door to listen in on some good music. But be careful as a lot of the rednecks love to descend on this place and there is usually a fight that breaks out somewhere on a Saturday night.

Washington Ave. has got to be one of my favorites. Its urban renewal at its best. I owned a loft down here and had I kept it, I'm sure I would have been able to sell it for an amazing profit - but I had dreams of The West to fulfill. On a Fri/Sat night, this is the place to be. Everyone is dressed well and the bars, restaurants, and nights clubs are a buzz of activity. It was incredible to be back here again. I missed the hot humid nights on Wash Ave with a martini in one hand - and now Maria on the other.

My internet time is running out - but I'll write more soon. St. Louis you rock! . . . in your own cute little way.

Midwest Homecoming

It was nearly Sept of 2005 and everything that I owned had either been packed up or was in the trunk of my car. I was about to travel from what had been my home for the past 11 years to go west. I remember reading a lot of Steinbeck and wondering what the California experience was really all about.

I went downtown to take in the views. The melodrama in me told me that this was perhaps the last time I will ever set foot in this city - even though I knew it wasn't true. It does make for more intrigue.

I'll be heading back to the Midwest soon. For Maria, it will be her first time. We will hit St. Louis and then make our way up to Springfield, IL and then on to Chicago. I can't express how much I'm actually looking forward to this. In a way its like coming home.