My Vacation Week!
May 31, 2007
So let’s see . . . what’s been happenin’ for a week on my end?
Well! I picked up a bike from the Backroads storage unit to use around town & the first day I proceeded to drive straight through the gheT-Toe (whoopsie)! I still need to learn the different areas that are around me here! Then I rode through the Berkeley college area, which is a fun little hippie town filled with lots of 20-somethings looking at music, eating “green” stuff & buying sweet-smelling incense (about 10 outside blocks smell like patchouli/cedar) 
I also joined a 24 hour gym that’s a few blocks down from the leader house & took a rockin’ kickboxing class (was in pain for a good 3 days afterwards from that)! Last week, I met with the Marketing Dept & it looks like I’ll be helping out on my days off which is awesome! I’ve also been quite amazed at how much great wine can be purchased at the supermarket any day of the week, including Sunday! Also, as other leaders come off trips & bring back unused food, it’s interesting at times to be able to rip into a block of $12 cheese!
On Saturday, I went into “the city” (I love how the people here call San Francisco that) & went for a ride on David’s yellow motocycle before it went into storage! & as you know, the streets of SF can be steep, so talk about an incredible rush! I wish I could have held my camera in my hand as we zipped around, but that would have been dangerous — LOL! It was great to ride with him, but unfortunately it was so foggy there were no views of the city that day! Later on that night we went out & ended up at a happenin’ club, but I didn’t know we would be going there – so I was dressed in 3Q pants, a fleece, my tevas & a backpack! How crunchy am I? Everyone else was wearing high heels & all that!
Yesterday, I biked over the Golden Gate Bridge & spent some time in Sausalito & Muir Woods (forest of Redwood trees) with a couple of trip leaders. It was a great time! & what an experience climbing back UP those Sausalito hills to the Golden Gate bridge again!
Anyhoo, in between all this funnnn, I’ve been trying to study the areas that I’ll be going to this season. I leave for a 9 day pre-search trip to Yosemite tomorrow (new leaders usually don’t get asked to do this type of trip, but someone had to drop their schedule, so I get to go!!) I’ll be spending quality time with the Trip Specialist & Regional Manager which is great — so I can get further edga-ma-cated (Yes Nan I did just use this word).
So! I spent some of my day today packing for my mini-trip. We are staying in a cabin in the heart of the park in the village there & let me tell you they have some kick-arse radio stations here in Cali – I just packed my bags while listening to a super techno dance station!
OK, I’ll be heading to bed early tonight (hopefully I can go to bed early!) & then I get to work 9 days straight LOL. But remember . . . Now I get paid to meet people, become familiar with restaurants & check out the biking/hiking routes! Oh & plus? As my circle of friends gets wider, I just keep living my dream!
Chat with you upon my return next weekend 
All photos can be seen here: share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8AcsWzRq5ZNW4K
I’m on California time now!
May 23, 2007
Hey! I’m back from the wilds Had great time camping with my new photog-friend Tate. He took me to some of the most spectacularly beautiful nature spots, which made for some awesome photos!
I left the condo Friday afternoon (most new leaders had left already) & Tate & I packed our stuff up in backpacks, threw it in the back of his Outback & cruised up into the mountains with his dog Maggie in the back seat. We drove to the trailhead & then hiked about an hour up to the natural hot springs (non-commerical setup). Since we got there in the eve, we decided to chill with a bottle of wine & cook up some freeze-dried lasagana (it was really good!) & hit the hay.
The next morn we relaxed at the hot springs & then headed on up into the mountains. It was chilly, but well worth it as we hit the Unita Mountain range & stopped by several beautiful lakes. We headed back to his house Sunday night, went to dinner & then I spent most of Monday trying to pack my bags so that they were 50lbs each (good Lord)!
So now I am here in Berkeley, California — a week before I am to officially start working. The leader house for California is neat-o. Brian (one of the new leaders from training is here too) said it reminded him of when he stayed at hostels. LOL. I’ve never even stayed at a hostel! Ah well . . . the place is well setup, but a bit run down in places. It doesn’t bother me so much as people may think though - no big deal really. Although it seems strange to live in a room with 4 bunkbeds (+ my monstrous bag), I can think of a million other things that make up for it
Today I woke & went for a run in Berkeley & over to the pier with views of San Francisco. Then I studied my wine country notes in the backyard with the blooming roses (I love having a backyard again!) – but there’s just so much to know & I haven’t even touched the information for Yosemite yet! I also recieved a call from the head of Backroads Marketing Department, & I’ll be meeting with him tomorrow. He might even put me on “here & there” Public Relations work (that was my original college degree, how awesome)!! So cool that I’ll get to tour the headquarters tomorrow & meet everyone in the office!
Also tomorrow, I plan to head over to the gym with Brian (I havn’t lifted weights in like a month & a half!) & then over to the storage unit to pick up a bike for me to use for the next week around town So that’s it for now, except that I just flossed & chipped a part of my tooth. Aaaah yes, a year of no dental & I’m only 20 days in . . . LOL
Time to get a few more work items done before bed, CIAO!! xo
All pics can be seen here: share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8AcsWzRq5ZNW3n
I’ve Officially Graduated!
May 18, 2007
We had a celebratory dinner & a little graduation ceremony complete with bike helmets (worn backwards until we got our certificate). I won the “Lance Armstrong Award” for my stamina & energy even after a long day! Who, me?? LOL
So, after 2 & a 1/2 weeks of training, I am ready to go into the field now!
I’ll be heading to the California leader house in Berkeley on Monday (let’s hope I can get 2 bags down to 50 lbs this time)! From there I’ll get myself settled in & start studying for my 1st familiarization (fam) for wine country — Sonoma Valley/Napa Valley! In the past few days, I’ve also seen the Mormon Tabernacle area, did some Bikram Yoga (in 107 degree room) & tried my luck at country line dancing at a drink-free club! Talk about a culture shock! + fun, fun, fun!
& as I now live by the seat of my pants, I am leaving shortly to go backpacking with my new friend Tate (the photographer). We are going into the mountains to relax & enjoy the wilderness – & he has a ton of camping gear, so I’m sure it’s going to be an excellent time! Happy Friday & I’ll post again soon ~
All photos can be seen here: share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8AcsWzRq5ZNW3U
Drumroll Please . . . !
May 16, 2007
& the verdict is — CALIFORNIA!!! Here are my 4 trips so far!!!!
(#1) Yosemite Multi-Sport Family Casual Inn Trip | June 16 – 21 http://www.backroads.com/trips/MYOQF
(#2) Yosemite Multi-Sport Family Casual Inn Trip | July 14 – 19
http://www.backroads.com/trips/MYOQF
(#3) Napa/Sonoma Valley Wine Tasting Biking Premiere Inns | July 22 – 27
http://www.backroads.com/trips/BWCI
(#4) Yosemite Biking/Hiking Family Camping Trip | July 29 – August 3
http://www.backroads.com/trips/WYOCF
Friends get 20% off trips & related family members get 30% My August schedule will be available on June 1 & I also requested Maine, Martha’s Vinyard/Nantucket & Vermont for the end of the season (September & October)!
& &&&& every year, the company has an employee trip/company ride – so at the beginning of November, I’m going to Thailand!! Rock on y’all & chat soon
The Camping Experience :)
May 14, 2007
Wow! It’s that time again!
This past week was awesome learning about Zion National Park & Bryce Canyon. & what better way to learn about these natural wonders than by exploring them full on! Well, that’s exactly what the 21 of us + 5 leaders did.
We left the Backroads office in the early afternoon on Monday & then arrived at the leader house near Zion to stay overnight. I stayed in the top of a bunkbed (LOL like old time at wilderness camp eh Marty?) Thank goodness for earplugs too!
We left the next morning for Zion & I took my turn at driving w/the trailer hitched. We stopped at the grocery to buy food & supplies for our 5 day trip (insane amounts of food!). Lots of fun snaking roads (overdrive off, foot to the pedal up hills!) Then, I drove straight to the campsite within Zion’s National Park & we all set up camp!
While at Zion, we hiked 3 different trails, one of them being the more difficult, but well-known “Angels Landing” hike. It was unreal to get that high up (1,500 elevation gain) using chains bolted to the rocks as my guide It was a thoroughly amazing experience & I was not frightened of the height/drop-offs at all! The day we did that hike was totally hard core, as they had us bike 15 miles to the trailhead & then after the hike we biked back to the campsite! We also walked to the more popular “Narrows” trail, but couldn’t hike it as water levels were too high to be safe.
We then headed over to Bryce Canyon to follow the “Queen’s Garden” loop trail that went down & then back up out of the canyon. & the end was a surprising multitude of insane switchbacks! Now I just need to stop eating oreos & too much gorp during the day to lose a few pounds! LOL Anyhoo, I took a ton of great photos!
We learned a great deal about preparing for a camping trip, how they differ from inn trips, cooking for the masses, leading van support, managing 4 page grocery lists & several menus, presenting the food using beautiful garnish techniques & interacting w/guests! Not to mention the straining of coffee, roof racking & prepping bikes, sleeping out under the very many stars (no tent necessary), the heat of the desert, stories read by the campfire & the merriment of sharing life with others!
So today was my day off. After chatting w/my momma for an hour or so (Happy Mother’s Day!), I went for a 3 hour hike up the mountain to relax my brain & to make some more phone calls (there’s seriously hardly any time for phone calls!). Interestingly enough, I met a mountain biker today at the top of the mountain trail & it turns out he is a photographer (with a bad-a$$ bike). The photos he took came out awesome!
Anyway, it’s ciao for now – I should already be in bed by now, I’m beat!
PS: Tomorrow afternoon I should know OFFICIALLY where I’m going to be stationed for the summer season! How exciting!
All pics can be found here: share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8AcsWzRq5ZNW3F
1 Week of Training Officially Completed!
May 7, 2007
Today officially marks the end of my first week here in Utah! I think I have now gotten used to the altitude, but still not used to seeing gorgeous mountains around me 24/7. It’s awesome! Work was intense the rest of the week, with Thursday & Friday being an all-day bike clinic. Holy crow, who would have thought I would be cutting cables/housing & resetting bike brakes & gear shifters! Alex didn’t teach me about that stuff & I get tested on all of the bike stuff at the end of next week!
Thursday after work, I went for a run in the mountains (it had snowed up there that morn). What a rush! Friday, I did a presentation on Maine & how the native indians used wild blueberries – I even brought blueberries into the classroom to eat while I discussed, it was fun Everyone gave some very cool 2 minute “interpretive” talks. Friday night we had our little own happy hour between the 2 condos & had a great time together decompressing. On Saturday, we went to a huge REI store in the morning — talk about an outdoorsman’s wonderland. & a few cute boys were working there too LOL I didn’t buy anything though <sniff, sniff> & then we had an awesome Cinco de Mayo party & everyone brought a dish or a refreshing adult beverage (I’m borrowing that from you Michelle!) or yeah, lime & strawberry jello shots! I made my famous 7 layer dip!
It was quite a wild time w/dancing & whooping it up, but today (Sunday) is serious. Besides cleaning the condos for when other leaders stay here while we are off camping next week, we are all trying to study all we can about the canyons before we go (where the wind comes into the canyons, signs of heat stroke, cattleguards, etc.). We all have talks we are assigned to & 1 of mine is somewhat tough — bike safety (very involved) & a 2 minute interpretive talk about the canyons. I am not sure yet what my talk will be about yet! Maybe sunsets in the canyons. So, today it’s study, study, study – although I do tend to procrastinate sometimes when it comes to “studying!”
More pics can be seen here: share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8AcsWzRq5ZNW2j
Chat w/y’all when I return from the canyons!
& I’ll leave you with a (tiny) tidbit from my study material
The Canyons is truly a place which needs to be experienced to believe. The Canyons is the kind of place which truly touches your soul. This place works as a source of wonder and inspiration, and it is not uncommon for guests (and leaders) to leave boasting of their “life changing” experiences. It may be the epic riding and hiking, it may be the unique, expansive beauty, or that the feeling of being in a place so big, so full – yet so empty literally alters your perspective of life in a way you’ve never experienced before.
The best career move ever!
May 3, 2007
Well, well & hey there — ! I am now 3 days into training (tomorrow will be 4) & I am absolutely LOVING it! Not that it’s easy living with 9 other people after being used to living alone for years, but that’s OK for now LOL. Anyway, there is so much to do & learn & enjoy! There’s no doubt that this is definitely my calling
Backroads is an extremely well-put together company. They are very proactive with training & their method of approach for new hires has been quite impressive. & as a past trainer for several jobs, & for the things I’ve seen — that’s pretty cool! They really do try & make it fun & explain that the company thrives on change (like I do!) & they always look for input on how things can be improved. It’s fabulous!
It’s also intense as hell LOL It’s got me working all day. I wake at 6:30 & we have homework reading at night. Friday I have to give a presentation. I decided to do a 2 min talk on Maine & some interesting facts about blueberries from the region! I put in my “schedule” today too — it felt good to check the box that said “I’ll work anywhere” – & then put in a few of my choice places for working this season. We’ll see where that gets me! Still not sure where I am going just yet but should know next week!
Everyone is slowly realizing that I’m the picture chick & it’s neat. & as you all know, I take pics of everything! So! There are 21 of us in this 1st training block, just about half men & half women. Thus far, I think I am the oldest female (all the women are between 22 & 25 LOL) & I definitely have the heaviest bag @ a whopping 77 pounds (!!) There are 2 guys my age & another that’s 37 (& looks like he’s 25). Interesting! We camp next week for 5 days in Bryce Canyon & Zion National Park & believe me — THAT should separate the “men from the boys” so to speak But not before our condo house has a kickin’ Backroads Cinqo De Mayo Party!
OK, so officially — I am “a woman of the wilds” (a fond nickname from my skydiving instructor). Of course I will try to update & post more pics after the party & before camping, but for now . . . It’s adios! (I may have to learn Spanish next so I can go to Baja!!!) Wooo!
All pics from before I left:
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8AcsWzRq5ZNW2B
All pics from Utah going forward!:
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8AcsWzRq5ZNW2Q
