Archive for the “.Pack Members” CategoryPrior to leaving work on Friday I spent some Google time looking for hikes in the area we would be camping in that had some elevation gain. The closest I could find was Plateau Mountain, and lacking a better knowledge of the area this is where we decided to go. We didn’t have a map, and only a vague idea of where to go once we got out on the road, but we somehow managed to find the start of the hike without any turning around. You start out on a road that is blocked off by a locked gate, and walk up at a relatively easy incline… on the road. This continues for a while and I say “well, it is great to be out here walking but this hike better not all be on this road or this is going to suck”. We continue walking on the road and reach the top of the ridge with no difficulty at all. The road continues off to our left and directly across from us is our goal, Plateau Mountain.
Yeah, the road we were on took us up 90% of the elevation gain we were expecting to have to work for, and there wasn’t an obvious alternative to the road to continue on to the top of the mountain. At this point I think we agreed this hike was sitting in the 2 or 3 out of 10 category for challenge, fun, views… all the stuff you hope for when you go on a hike. Ahh camping, is there anything better than not being in the city for a few days to help get your head cleared out and things back on track? This past weekend was a late change of plans (from none to hmm.. camping? to getting invited to camp with friends) but thanks to “the list” and the fact that camping gear is always easy to get out and throw in the car, next to last minute planning is no problem. I got off work early-ish and we headed out to Chain Lakes Provincial Park and had a pretty casual first night, sitting around drinking and listening to a couple of friends play guitar and banjo.. yeah, banjo! The only complaint was no firepits at the individual sites. Seriously… camping without a fire is like chocolate chip cookies without the chocolate chips. Sure, the cookie is still good, but it isn’t as good as it could be with that missing element. Anyway, we made it through the evening without fire and Saturday morning Josh and I decide we are going to go hiking before the heat made us not want to move. That post is coming up next, but needless to say after a dusty hike in near 30 degree heat the first thing we did when we got back to the campsite was change in to swim trunks and went to jump in the lake. Glorious is the word I choose to use to describe the feeling of the cool water, and it definitely saved me from being a total zombie for the rest of the night. I still had a nap after dinner, but I think I’d have had serious heat stroke if I didn’t have the lake to take the edge off. Saturday night was more of the same as Friday… drinking and guitar / banjo playing, and that was just fine by me as I relaxed in my chair with my new favorite fruity drink – Blueberry vodka and sprite. mmmm, tasty. Sunday was pack up and return home, and let me tell you this – I knew I had too much sun when the first thing I wanted to do when I got home wasn’t have a shower, it was go to sleep. The shower I had later just let me know I had burned the top of my head, and I think from now on I’ll have to be a hat wearing hiker. “Camp more this summer” is already a success, and I know there are at least 2 more trips planned so I’m pleased with this.. I just need to work on the “hike more”.
I have about 10 games in my lineup that date back to Medal of Honor Pacific Assault. In case you are wondering, yes I have finished Half Life 2. Holy crap… this is some amazing stuff. Especially his last trick! Almost 500 in total – hope you like ‘em! http://www.flickr.com/photos/62446209@N00/sets/72157618456842667/ Our last two days in Prague were great, even though they didn’t go quite as planned. Wednesday’s trip to Kutna Hora and the bone ossuary was an adventure in itself, as we got off at the wrong stop! Ended up having a 1+ hour stopover one stop down the line, but it was a neat little town (and decent weather) so not all was lost. After a quick and tasty lunch we were back on track, and got to the ossuary mid-afternoon. I don’t recall the exact history now, but basically over the centuries some tens of thousands of people were buried at the site, and forgotten. Sometime in the 16th century a half-blind monk was given the task of organizing and stacking all the bones onsite. They remained in piles until the 19th century, when a wood carver was tasked with organizing the bones again. I’ll get my photos up in a few days, but believe me when I say “creative” is an understatement when it comes to this guy’s work! There are 4 main bone piles which people apparently use as a kind of wishing well. The rest are used to decorate the ceiling and walls, create a coat of arms, a huge chandelier, and a number of other objects. It wasn’t even all that creepy, if you can believe it. More strange than anything else, and definitely something we’ll both remember for a good long time. On Thursday we had planned a day trip to Cesky Krumlov, but this trip also didn’t go exactly as planned. First, we didn’t research the distances at all, so we showed up at the train station, bought our tickets, then realized it was an 8-hour return trip. Crap! In the end we agreed our day would be better spend in Prague itself – Cesky Krumlov will have to wait until next time We spent the rest of Thursday shopping and enjoying our last full day in Prague. Prices are lower than most other European cities we’ve visited and we found some great deals. It’s neat to walk around with thousand dollar (well, crown) bills in your pocket, that’s for sure! Today we were up fairly early to finish packing, check out, track down some proper absinthe spoons, and take off for Germany. We both really enjoyed our time in Prague, especially once Kirsten started feeling better! She wasn’t able to enjoy a proper Czech beer because of her antibiotics, but I’m bringing one back for us to share when she finishes them. All things considered it’s been a fantastic time. Can’t wait to come back The stars finally aligned for us yesterday: good health, GREAT weather (32 in the shade), and lots of energy. We had registered for a 6-hour walking tour the night before, and got up early Tuesday morning to get started. The tour was lead by a local guy with excellent English whose name I sadly can’t pronounce/spell. There was a group of people from Bangkok, another group from New York, and us, totaling 17 people… things got kind of crazy at times with such a large group, but we all made the best of it. Kirsten’s been sick for about a week now, and it didn’t appear to be getting much better on its own. Armed with Google and our trusty city map we decided to take the plunge and track down a hospital. Have I mentioned I love both Google and our map (DK Eyewitness Travel’s “Top 10 Prague”) immensely? Well, I do. This map is unbelievably helpful… we’d be lost without it. Anyways, we Googled a hospital within a few blocks of our apartment, and found it without any problems. The woman at the information desk didn’t speak much English, but with some pointing and assistance from an English-speaking local in line behind us we were send off to the ORL building (like ear-nose-throat specialists, I think). No English signs to be found, so we wandered down the street a bit, found the building, opened a few doors, and finally found what looked like a waiting room. Within 30 mins max we were in with a doctor – wish our system was as easy as Prague’s! The doctor was awesome, and we now have antibiotics and some bacteria-fighting throat lozenges in our grubby little hands… time to get better It’s about 1:30pm here now, so we’ll probably walk around a bit and enjoy the 30 degree weather. Hopefully booking a big city tour tomorrow complete with a boat ride, admission to a number of important buildings, a medieval lunch, and a free ticket for the Ghost Trail (haunted Prague) tour after dark. Should be an awesome day! Wow, nothing but impressed with Prague so far! The metro wasn’t too difficult to puzzle out, and both the apartment management office and our apartment itself are a short walk from one of the stations. Our room is so cool! Maybe 200 square feet or so, but it has everything: comfy bed, full kitchen, tv/stereo, bathroom, washing machine… Couldn’t ask for more. We’ve stayed in some great hostels so far, but this is sure a little slice of heaven nonetheless We’re just outside of the Old Town, and are told that we should be able to get around on foot with no problems. We have a list of things we’d like to do over the next week, including a couple of day trips to nearby cities. Sure am glad we’re here for a week! There are a half dozen Internet cafes within a few blocks of the apartment so I should be able to write a longer update tomorrow. Fingers crossed for some nice weather… |
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The Magic Satchel
all you do is bring me down
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