My FAM in Yellowstone & The Tetons!

What an experience of a lifetime!

Can’t talk long as I have to wake early for my prep day tomorrow (yikes it’s already 12:40!) – & then Sunday I leave for my 2nd guest trip. Camping in Yellowstone & the Tetons! I just became familiar with the area, so it should go fabulously.

I also purchased a ticket to Cali to stay with Demian for my week off, that way we can surf all day, dine in LA style, take his sailboat out to some islands for a few days for some r&r & drive back to Jackson together on the 12th of August

So because it’s easier & I need to get to bed . . .
Here are the fun tidbits about my FAM in bulleted form!

- I almost didn’t get to say goodbye to Jenny, but then I saw her randomly at Albertson’s before I left to pick up Gordon!
- Gordon is the famous photographer that I mentioned before, he & I stopped to take pics & it was awesome!
- Gordon Wiltsie is a very interesting man (he’s been to the interior of Antartica 12 times)!
- I got some good sleep on the FAM!
- I ran around most of the geyser sites to save on time (I knew I still had it in me)!
- Even ran down some switchbacks (fun)!
- I studied in the van when it thunderstormed because it rained most of the time I was there
- Met a guide that had been guiding for 15 years & a very cool bartender
- Paid $2 to take a hot shower for 6 minutes
- Got a spa treatment at the end, which was totally worth it

As always, ciao for now & see y’all soon!!

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Gotta Love Working Half Days!

Hello hello! Just enjoying myself these days in Jackson Hole with my Leader House pals — whether it be rafting down the Snake River (starting from our Backyard), or partying it up at the house &/or at a local bar! The pics below reflect mostly this

I’m all packed for tomorrow, which starts another very fun adventure. First, I meet up with a trip on it’s last day at a picnic at a park in Jackson, I eat (yum!) & be merry with guests, then I take a famous National Geographic photographer on a 3 hour van ride through the famous Teton Pass up North to West Yellowstone. How awesome!? Check out some of the pics this guy has taken, pretty amazing stuff: http://www.allposters.com/-st/Gordon-Wiltsie-Posters_c1943_s73678_.htm

Anyhoo, after that I start my “fam” (familiarization) — which means I go explore Yellowstone & Teton Parks for 3 & a half days to find the roads, campgrounds & trailheads used on Backroads trips! I still can’t believe I get PAID for this work LOL

So it’s nighty-nite for now, but remember . . .
Check yo’self before you wreck yo’self LOL (Love you Nan!)

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My Tetons Experience!

Meeting a local boy to show you around town is always the way to go

Demian has his own film production business specializing in weddings & adventure sports. Yes, very cool – I know! He also wants to set me up with people that he knows so I can climb the Grand Teton & do some paragliding over the mountains! He lives in California on his sailboat right now & used to live in Jackson for 15 years. He knows EVERYONE in town & it’s been so fun to be around someone like him!

Demian even extended his vacation for a few days after he met me . . . Great person — a 6′2″ goofy lefty (goofy = he’s a snowboarder that flies down mountains with his right foot 1st).

Anyhoo, after telling the new people in the leader house that I was leaving to camp overnight with a random guy (LOL) he came & picked me up, we stopped to eat lunch, got dinner to go, picked up gear & headed out into the park! We packed up our gear & hiked into the woods after the rain (no people, it was awesome!). We pitched out tent right on the beach & spent the rest of the evening drinking wine & watching the sun set & moon fall.

After a night of no thermorest mattresses (we forgot them UGH!), we woke & went swimming in Leigh Lake. Then we packed up & headed out just as a family of 15 rolled up to our site via canoes. We saw a cinnamon colored black bear foraging off to the side of the trail as we moseleyed on along chatting away. He told me how he was the first one to board an area of the Tetons that had never been touched & he got to name the line! It’s on the South Teton & it’s called the Amora Vida Couloir (it means Love Life & he named it for his 8 year old daughter). Here’s a pic of the actual line (holy crow that’s steep!): http://www.tetonat.com/wp-gallery2.php?g2_itemId=2678

Demian & I then went to a bar/restaurant downtown in Jackson & got a great seat on the rooftop & enjoyed the sounds coming from the concert right across the street — Collective Soul & Live! After that (you know I always like to party till the break of day LOL) we headed downstairs to dance to a live band. It was a very fun experience! It’s sad Demian had to return home now when I just got here (!!), but we definitely plan to hang again

So, on another note — I’m definitely welcomed into the fold at the leader house in Jackson. It’s pretty cool. I have a bike I can ride & I purchased some minimal food to get me by until I start full days working again. Yesterday, I was scheduled for something called “Regional Support,” which only takes a few hours to do. So I had to get some things over to Staples, post some papers in the storage units & buy some stuff for the leader house. I finished the day off with a power hike up Snow King Mountain in town with some of the other leaders.

Today, we just lounged around at the local bagel place & brew pub in town waiting for one of the vans to be fixed. So now, it’s back to studying the region, getting ready for my new 3 day fam (familiarization) of the parks & peparing to be “on” for my next leading experience (a family camping trip with 3 other leaders).

No cowboys yet, just cool peeps so far!
Check ya later

No distance of place or lapse of time can lessen the friendship of those who are thoroughly persuaded of each other’s worth. ~ Robert Southey ~

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Last Drive to Cali & my Arrival in Jackson

I start out on Thursday thinking – OK, 1 more drive. This time with a camping trailer — maybe not so bad! OMG, from the sky being white the entire time (nothing to marvel at!) to a propane tank falling off the unit on the highway – you could say I’ve had better days . . .

So besides the fact that I didn’t hurt/damage/kill anyone with the empty propane tank (yikes!), I also:
*Thought about how Ty (from my old workplace, Henry Schein) & I had dinner here once & I won $50 in silver coins with his money he made me play
*Went through a major windstorm which was somewhat creepy
*Stopped at 8 different hotels before I could find one that was close to $50 & had parking big enough
*Cried hysterically when I got lost in Reno, Nevada (in the dark – UGH)
*Definitely know now that I have a serious allergic reaction to something in the Sierra Nevada Montains because my throat closed up as soon as I drove through there!

Um . . . Needless to say — at this point? . . . I was happy to leave California!
Onto the next! Jackson Hole anyone?

So, I was a bit nervous to see if the Regional Manager’s thought was true or not — a lot of the things in the Sierra Nevada Mountains grow in Yellowstone (The Rockies). However, my wonderful momma reminded me though that when I did the Outward Bound excursion, I was in the Rockies! & I of course had no probs there!

The leader houses are different everywhere I go. This one? Well, not-so-great. The one in Glacier was SO much nicer. This house is packed up with peeps. I was glad that Jenny picked me up (our parents know each other & she was one of the first people I spoke to about this job & what was involved) – & it was great to meet her. The leader house was a complete sty — i-yi-yi, clothes exploded from every corner of the house — & my friggin gigunda bag in the middle of it all! The house was so full I slept on the deck the first night in my sleeping bag. It was actually fabulous though

Saturday I prepped for a trip (worked on bikes & loaded them onto trailer/vans), but I don’t actually get to lead the trip. I learned a lot about camping trips (which is what I’ll be doing), so it was cool to meet new people & learn new stuff that should help me later on! I met a new leader that’s 6′6″ (just like my skydiving instructor!) who is really fun & used to work for Trek. We spent the day together prepping bikes & laughing at the world. LOL

Yesterday, I went out & about Jackson by bike & made some new friends! Several are bartenders (which will come in handy very soon I’m sure!) & another guy is a film artist that lived in Jackson for many years, but now lives on a sailboat in LA. Very cool guy! He’ll be heading back in a few days, but not before he sets me up with several friends in the area that can help an active girl out — I’ll be paragliding & climbing the Grand Teton very soon y’all!!!

So, I’m off to a coffee shop in town now to meet the guy from LA & do some biking! I also have an interview with another world travel company for winter work tomorrow (September or later start), & they were thinking I’d work New England & Canada for them! Wish me luck!

OK – I’m off! (Off to find the reason why when people come to Jackson, they usually stay in Jackson for longer than planned! What’s up with that?? LOL)

Gotta break it loose
Gonna keep ‘em movin’ wild
Gonna keep a swingin’ baby
I’m a real wild child
–Iggy Pop–

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Fun Times for the Holiday!

So . . . My holiday went like this

On the 4th of July, I went from Berkeley via plane to Salt Lake City, Utah. I sit next to this really cool woman from San Francisco going to the midwest to visit her family (she is so passionate about SF & has left me feeling great about my time spent there), I meet up with 3 other leaders at the house (so good to see Mikey again!), I go with Tate eat downhome soul food (ribs!) & sit in the foothills, we watch the desert shimmer as the sun goes down & we see 6 different displays of fireworks across the horizon. An all around great holiday!

LOL, but the next day wasn’t so fabulous as I had to work some hard labor in the warehouse & it was 103 outside! It was great to take breaks with Olive the puppy in the office though. That night I went running with a new leader from Texas that was just hired (he’s my age). OMG I just realized that was the last time I went running – yikes!!

& my trip to Montana was absolutely wonderful!
Wait till you hear how much fun I had in 1 & a half days LOL

So I started out with a new van with only 27 miles on it and I drove eight hours that day! Some items to mention:

- STP, Beatsie Boys, Weezer & Foo Fighters started my ride off right
- I called a bunch of peeps when I reached “I-da-ho” & laughed my tookie off
- Lots of beautiful lakes popped up when I hit Montana
- I saw a dirt twist!
- A deer stopped short & thought twice about entering the road as I passed — we even made eye contact
- (my mom will love this one) Saw a bar called Liquid Louies
- The boys out here are dang good-looking!

So I bring the van into Whitefish, Montana (outside of Glacier National Park) & I proceed to do my Backroads duties. When I finish, a new leader & I head out to town in the evening to whoop it up. Jess is another fellow Scorpio. Her birthday is Nov 12 & we get along awesome! & so who would have thought a Whitefish bar would fall into the top 5 bars that I’ve ever been to? & I’ve been to a lot of bars (& danced on a few too)! But no doubt, if you are in Whitefish, Montana, go to the Northern! Did I mention the boys out here are dang good-looking?

Then we randomly met met Brant walking home (he lives up the road from the leader house) & the next day he invites me to hang with his friends & housemates to go boating on Whitefish Lake! Brant was very cool & casual about everything – he lived in Hawaii & New Zealand for several months/years. His friends were fun too & I spent the day swimming, laughing & drinking (“Rocket Fuel” — yes, I did do the Hawaiian Punch/Vodka thing in memory of missing the Blues Festival in Riverhead this year)! On Monday, I biked around town & by the lake, ate some huckleberry ice cream & then got on a plane bound for SLC again.

& here I am. In SLC again. I loaded my camping trailer at the warehouse all day with Sam (the leader from Texas) & we went out to dinner tonight in Sugarhouse for some food, good conversations about life & weak adult beverages. Hey, it’s Utah LOL

Anyway, tomorrow I’m off to drive West to Berkeley, CA one last time.
From there it’s off to Jackson Hole for 2 months, home of the cowboys!

Good Lord, it’s going to be like the girls bull riding night all over again.
This time I promise I won’t break anything LOL

Peace out!

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The Amazing Farallones Experience!

A little over a year ago, I read a very cool book called “The Devil’s Teeth” http://www.amazon.com/Devils-Teeth-Obsession-Survival-Americas/dp/080507581X/ref=si3_rdr_bb_product/105-3449617-5801216 (Yes Jason, this was the book about sharks & the Farallon Islands I was reading about when we vacationed in Miami)! The Farallones are a marine sanctuary, located 27 miles out at sea from the Golden Gate Bridge – where biologists study the many birds & sea life of the area. The story of this place has stayed in my mind since then & I was compelled to visit the Farallones, especially as I am leaving San Francisco within the next few days. More about the Farallones: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farallon_Islands

& what I encountered was one of the most wonderful experiences of my life

I immediately connected with the naturalist on board. She was an incredible person filled to the brim with knowledge about the history, nature & conservation of the area. 3 other people from the Marine Mammal Center were on board with 6 seals, as they were to be released back into the wild on this trip! More on this awesome organization: http://www.tmmc.org/what_we_do/index.asp

We left the dock at 8am as the SF fog was dissipating. Soon thereafter we hit the “Potato Patch,” which is between the Golden Gate Bridge and Point Bonita known to be the roughest spot of water. It was a bit treacherous getting out there (many people got sick), but I was determined to enjoy the whole trip. I took my meds & even went outside to experience the rough waters on part of the trip. The water pummeled me which was perfect for my expensive waterproof jacket to repel, not-so-good for my jeans (they were soaked!) . . .

Then just as we arrived to the islands, the skies cleared. I can’t even tell you the feeling of awe I had visiting a place of such beauty & raw nature. I then witnessed 5 California sea lions & 1 Guadalupe fur seal make the Farallon Islands their new home Although shark season starts in the fall (I would have liked to be there for that!), I was able to speak with the photographers on the trip that knew many stories of the Great Whites returning each year to the islands! In total, we saw 12 humpback whales, several types of seals & millions of birds – from Cormorants to Auklets to Puffins to the (rare in these waters) Black-Footed Albatross.

& just when I thought the day couldn’t get any better, I was able to ride with the naturalist for another hour as we headed over to Berkeley together. What a fascinating woman – she exuded her love of life, her own dream that she followed. I am so fortunate to have such an amazing experience, & it will definitely help me to leave San Francisco on a good note.

I will miss Cali for sure. I made some friends here & now I must leave. Ah, such is the way of my world. I’ll always remember the lovely Persian wax artist, the nice guys at Andronico’s Market, the hot doorman at Jupiter’s, the wayyy cool Oakland guy that I would have so liked to know better, the wonderful people on the Farallon Islands excursion (which Webloyalty paid for by the way — I used a gift card from my goodbye party!) & not to mention the people I’ve gotten to know at the Backroads office. I even worked in the Marketing Department today & did extremely well with the Web proofing assignment they gave me!

So only a day & a half more & I’ll be on my way to Salt Lake City yet again. An unfortunate situation now presents more opportunity for me to experience new & exciting places. Another beautiful National Park –> this time it’s Glacier in Montana.

OK then –> Big sky country, here I came!
Time to kick the tires & start the fires.

Thanks San Francisco, it’s been a fiiiiine time.
Onto the wild, wild west yo

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