Trip Log: Part 1
Here are the first 8 days (of 12) of my trip journal from last week. I'm working on turning this into a webpage with all kinds of pretty formatting and visual accompaniment, but that's going to take a while and I really just feel like publishing it.
day 1 (8-15)
In keeping with tradition, I've decided to keep another trail log for my third journey to Philmont. Not that it directly impacts you who are reading this, but this year I'm foregoing my trusty blue spiral-bound notebook in favor of an old iBook that I bummed off Allie for the week. With any luck, this will keep my hands free of muscle cramps and my entries even more verbose than they already were.
So, to begin...
Today started at 4am, Eastern Time. I awoke from my 2 hour nap (when it comes to packing, there's no minute like the last minute), showered, put everything in order, kissed Allie goodbye, and hopped into a taxi. I made it to the airport by 5:30, and was through security by 5:45... for my 7:15 flight. So it turns out I could have taken the T and been okay, oh well. My flight was smooth, and consisted of alternating sessions of reading Tom Robbins and napping at about 15 minute intervals. I landed in Houston at 1030, Central Time, and made my way to my connecting flight.
Two brief observations: 1) Houston is ugly. As of yesterday, Rice was on my list of potential grad schools. After flying over the sickening expanse of sprawl that is Houston, Rice is no longer on my list of potential grad schools. and 2) There is a Fox News Channel Store (yes, that's right) in the Houston airport. In case you're confused... it's exactly what it sounds like. A 'news'-stand (and I use the term loosely) littered with giant LCD displays, all tuned to the same FNC feed, your standard news-stand fare, and Fox News memorabilia. I don't know why anyone would ever want to buy Fox News memorabilia, but I don't live in Houston.
During my flight from Houston to Albuquerque, I developed a philosophy of architecture which I may expand upon in a separate (and likely very long) entry. To put it bluntly: West Texas / Oklahoma is even boring from an airplane. I couldn't imagine driving through it, and I don't think my mind could handle the stress of imagining living there.
I landed in Albuquerque (insert bugs bunny joke here...) at about 1pm, Mountain Time (it just occurred to me that I will be in every time zone at some point over the next 7 days...fun fact), and met Miah at baggage claim. It's about a 3 hour drive from the airport to Cimarron, most of which was spent catching up about the summer. The silent bits I filled in by playing with my camera.
And now I'm here. It's somehow incredibly familiar yet strangely alien at the same time. Like the childhood house that you come back to in adulthood, only to find your memories have been replaced by those of another family (a situation which I've never, but soon may, have the chance to experience). Relatively nothing has changed, every building, every dirt path, every distant peak, is exactly how I remembered it. But the faces are all different. Hopefully I'll run into some old friends tomorrow, when I have more time to devote to such things.
Until then, I have to work on keeping a low profile. I'm not a staff member - although I still have the requisite uniform - and I'm pretty sure if anyone in a position of authority were to catch me masquerading as one, sleeping in their tents and eating their food, it would not end very well for me.
Now it's 10pm, still Mountain Time, and I'm about ready to put the lid on a long, yet enjoyable, 20 hour day.
***
day 2 (8-16)
Today I drove 130 miles for a $10 sleeping bag.
Last night was a pretty unfriendly reminder of how cold it gets around here. The comfy wool blanket that I brought with me, foolishly thinking it would keep me warm, did not do anything to keep me warm. I went to bed at 10 (jet lag...also insomnia) in running shorts and a t-shirt. By the time I woke up this morning, I had changed into corduroys, socks, and a sweater. I decided it was time to buy a sleeping bag.
I slept until about 830 today. Woke up comfortable and rested (as 10 hours of solid sleep tends to do to you) and jumped in Miah's car en route to Raton. I brought my camera with me, thinking I'd make the trip worthwhile and take my time plus some nice photos. I made it to Raton in about 45 minutes, then spend the next 30 minutes driving around Raton looking for the WalMart. After several laps, a careful inspection of a Raton map, a flip through a New Mexico travel guide, and almost asking for directions (insert mildly clever male stereotype snark here), I noticed the atlas in Miah's truck was, in fact, one of those handy WalMart atlases that has a directory with every WalMart in the US. Come to find out my memory has failed me, and the WalMart is in Trinidad. Not Raton.
Luckily Trinidad is just a short drive over the pass and into Colorado Territory. So, I grabbed a quick breakfast at McDonalds (by the way, the McGriddle is the most amazing thing ever. I never thought something the size of a hockey puck could fill you up for most of a day, but the McGriddle delivers), then jumped back in the truck for another 15 minutes up to Trinidad.
Today I learned that WalMart sells sleeping bags for ridiculously low prices. I got a 45 degree bag (more than enough for the cool New Mexican nights) for $10. Ten...Bucks! Awesome. I think I spent more on gas than I did on the damn bag.
Since my sleeping bag was so cheap, I decided I might as well make the most of the trip, so I took my time getting back. I took advantage of the cell phone reception that Trinidad so graciously offered me and talked to Allie for a short while. Then I stopped a couple times on the drive back to photograph the vast expanse of nothingness that is Colfax County.
I also pulled over to case the Mile 333 marker on Route 64. Before I came out I decided my mission for the trip would be to return to Boston with a Mile 333rd to put on the suite door, whether or not it will fit in my suitcase. It's actually much much more difficult to take than I would have imagined. The sign is held on by a one sided bolt with a cone shaped brushed steel nut. In between are 2 rubber washers. I also would be less than surprised if there's some kind of epoxy thrown into the mix as well. In short, it was far too risky to attempt stealing the sign alone, in broad daylight, in the middle of the plains. Even though I could see down the road a good mile in either direction, and even though I only saw about a dozen cars on the whole trip, I just couldn't bring myself to go through with it.
As soon as I have Miah as an accomplice, I'm confident the deed will be done.
After returning to Philmont, I lazed the afternoon away by reading and writing at great length about architecture. Then I went over to PTC for Cobbler Night(tm). Miah and I played a few games of pool, and I met some new people: "Boots", whose real name is Rebecca, but you didn't hear that from me. And Laura, who apparently is also an MIT student. Both cool people. Boots works in the Villa, so I will likely use that connection to get back in contact with my true love...the Villa Piano.
That's all for today. More fun and exciting adventures to follow.
***
day 3 (8-17)
Today I broke rules.
Okay, it wasn't really all that bad. But I wanted a dramatic opening sentence to catch everyone's attention, since I had such a good one yesterday.
Today I woke up at around 8:30. Miah had left at 8 to go to Dean Cow (a backcountry camp) for the next 3 days to help them pack up for the end of the summer, leaving me to fend for myself until Sunday. The morning was fairly uneventful: I showered, picked up a t-shirt, nalgene, and postcard from the trading post, snagged a quick breakfast from the trading post, and read Tom Robbins until lunchtime.
For lunch I ventured over to PTC. I saw Joey, my old boss. He was certainly excited to see me, he gave me a tour of the kitchen (they completely renovated last summer, it's *much* nicer than when I was there), and then begged me to come back as a manager. I told him I had to get a real job next summer, although part of me wished I could have said yes.
I also met Amanda at lunch. Amanda is a first year PTC group leader from Utah. We made quick small talk over lunch, which was nice. I was expecting to see more people who I knew, but there were very, very few. It was surprising, considering most of the people I worked with in 05 had been there for years, and were expecting to return for many more years. Maybe they were all out for the day...
After lunch I read some more, checked my email, and decided to be rebellious.
I figured no Philmont visit would be complete without at least some venture into the backcountry, so at about 3pm, I decided I would take a small hike. I limited my choices to 1) camps that were close enough to hike in to and out of before sundown, and 2) camps with staff members who I knew. I settled on Abreu.
It's about a 20 minute drive down to the turnaround (Miah left me his keys, in case I need to go anywhere), and about a mile hike in to Abreu. I made good time, but - as usual - stopped to take a lot of photos on the way. I arrived hoping to catch my old friend Pam by surprise, only to find out that she had left for home on the 11th. So much for catching up. Damn you Pam.
The remaining staff was hospitable, and offered me dinner. Just in case anyone cared (although this late in the summer, I doubt anyone would), I kept up the charade of being a PTC dining staffer pretty well throughout the afternoon. According to my lie, I was on staff, but I finished up and am waiting around until Monday when my friend is done so we can drive out together. Technically, that's true. I just didn't include the significant fact that I "finished up" about 2 years ago.
Dinner was delicious. The staff is moving out in 3 days, so they were trying to get rid of as much leftover food as possible. The meal appeared largely improvised. We ate chicken wrapped in bacon, with a cream cheese & spices stuffing (holy crap good), and red beans & rice. Per request of one of the staffers, who was celebrating her last meal at Philmont, we ate Viking Feast style.
For those of you who don't know what Viking Feast is - and I doubt many outside of Philmont do - you cover the dining table with tinfoil, dump all the food onto it, and eat. No plates. No utensils. For a drink there is one gallon of milk that everyone passes around. No cups. Also you don't wear shirts. We did use napkins though, which felt like kind of a cop-out.
I left Abreu with my false identity intact, thanked everyone for the feast and good company, and made the quick hike back to the truck.
Now it's back to sitting in my tent and avoiding the higher ups.
***
day 4 (8-18)
In any other state, probably in any other town, today would have been a day not worth documenting.
But here, even if my day was uneventful and fairly mundane, at least it was scenic.
Today I spent the morning mostly reading. I went over to PTC for lunch, because I like it better over there. I ate with literally everyone who I've met in the last couple days: Boots, Laura, & Amanda. I also met Ellis, another MIT student. After lunch I visited the villa. I didn't take a tour (not that it matters, at this point I could practically give a tour), but I did get to play the piano. After a couple hours lounging and talking, people had to give tours, so I left.
After that nothing of interest happened. I spent the rest of the afternoon talking to Allie online, then had dinner. I ran into Meg at dinner, and we spent a few minutes catching up. Unfortunately she was on her way out, so we parted ways and I went back to doing relatively nothing.
I've got one more day of doing nothing left before Miah gets back and we hit the road. I'll likely spend most of it at PTC.
If you ever have the opportunity to work at Philmont, remember only this: Backcountry > PTC >>> CHQ.
***
day 4 - part 2
I'm sitting in my tent listening to the closing campfire echoing across the plain. I can't see anything, but from the dialogue and music I can make out... I'm fairly certain the closing program has not changed since I last saw it, in 2003.
Get on that, activities.
***
day 5 (8-19)
Not really in a writing mood today. Nothing much happened. Miah came back after dinner and we drove to Taos to see Superbad. It was super-good.
I also came very close to getting busted. It's actually kind of a funny story. See, the kid who was Miah's tentmate before I got here had some sort of medical condition that required him to take shots of something. For some reason, he left one of his old syringes lying around. Somehow, this syringe either blew or was swept out of the tent and onto the ground just outside the tent. Now, if that wasn't bad enough, it had to land right on top of an old spoon that just happened to be lying right outside the tent. I didn't notice this, but two security officers did. I tried to stay as vague as possible but still look like I belonged, and that I wasn't freebasing at Philmont.
It was a briefly sticky situation, but I think they believed me, because they took the syringe & spoon away and never came back to ask me any more questions.
That was close though.
***
day 6 (8-20)
Today we left Philmont.
Miah had to work until 5, so I lazed around for a few hours and then packed up after lunch. We rode out as soon as he was done and headed west, toward Taos. We took our time through Cimarron Canyon and got some great photos of the Palisades.
About 90 minutes later we rolled into Taos, and went straight for dinner. We went to the Outback, which is literally the greatest pizza place on the planet. Seriously. The majority of our reason for leaving tonight - instead of spending one more night at Philmont and driving out in the morning - is so we could be in Taos at dinner time and go to Outback. I had a greek pizza and some local brew beer whose name I now forget. Both were delicious.
After dinner we walked around downtown. Sadly, most of the shops and art galleries had closed. I think we'll try again tomorrow, since we have some time to spare.
After driving around looking for a cheap hotel, we finally settled on the Quality Inn, where I now sit. We took a dip in the pool and a refreshing hot tub, and now I'm lying on a comfortable queen sized bed, in an air conditioned room, with wireless internet, watching Mythbusters. It's basically the exact opposite of everything I had at Philmont. I was only there for 5 days, but I can imagine how Miah is feeling.
Onward and Westward tomorrow.
***
day 7 (8-21)
Today we covered a lot of ground.
We started the day off late. Slept until about 9, enjoyed the free breakfast provided by the folks at the Quality Inn, picked up some drinks & ice for the trip, and hit the road at around 10:30. Not long after we stopped at the Rio Grande Gorge to check out the view. Once we were out of Taos, there was a whooole lot of nothing. We crossed in and out of the Carson National Forest a handful of times, but other than that there was almost nothing until we hit Navajo Nation.
We had lunch at a Sonic in Farmington just before crossing the border - the first of many hopeful "we're-only-eating-here-because-they-don't-have-it-in-New-England" food stops. Once into Arizona, we took a couple side trips. The first was to Four Corners (the point where Utah, Arizona, New Mexico & Colorado meet). We arrived at the same time as some Christian senior citizen bus tour. That sure made the people watching more fun. We got the obligatory pictures, then I jumped across four states. Then we left. The second side trip was up through Monument Valley. For those who don't know - and I didn't know until yesterday - Monument Valley is where all the old Hollywood westerns were shot. That image you have in your head of the southwest, the one with the flat desert and the giant pillars of rock that stick up hundreds of feet. Yeah, that's Monument Valley. The rest of the southwest actually looks very little like that. So we drove up to the Utah border, then a few miles into Utah, then we turned around and came back. The valley was pretty breathtaking. Not the most amazing thing I've ever seen, but close.
We stopped for the night in Tuba City, which - much to my dismay - has nothing at all to do with Tubas. It's apparently just what the Navajo word for the town sounded like. Oh well.
The one good thing about Tuba City, for us at least, is that about 10 miles outside of Tuba City is mile marker 333. Or was, I should say, since Miah and I went out in the middle of the night and... well now it's in the back of Miah's truck. We were pretty excited about the caper, so we had a mini celebration back at the hotel, and immediately passed out from exhaustion.
Grand Canyon tomorrow!
***
day 8 (8-22)
Got up at around 8, and hit the road at around 8. The nice thing about crossing into a new time zone is that it allows you to do things like that. Yesterday, we covered almost half of the distance that we need to cover by Saturday, so we're taking it easy for the rest of the week.
We left Tuba City at 8, as I said, and made it to the Grand Canyon by around 9:30. Wow. Everywhere you look is the most awe-inspiring view you've ever seen. It's really hard to even describe the scale of the place. We drove along the main (the only) road, which follows the canyon for about 25 miles. We stopped and took pictures every couple miles, at turnoffs and lookouts and what-not. Between Miah and I, we got about 300 photos. Sadly, not one can really do justice to the real sight. If you haven't seen it, go see it.
We left a little after 2, and drove south to I-40. Our goal for the trip was to avoid interstates, and so far we've been successful. In this part of Arizona, though, there really aren't many other options, so we hopped on 40 and drove west. We got to Kingman, a little city near the Nevada border, at around 5 and decided to stop early.
So I'm sitting here, in a Travelodge in Kingman. We're about 2 hours south of Las Vegas, and since we have an extra day to get to San Diego, we're totally going to hit up Vegas tomorrow. Hopefully I'll have some sort of interesting story to report next time I write.
Until then...
***
UPDATE: Shit, I think I left my laptop charger in Tuba City. I've got about 40 minutes of battery life left. Hopefully I can find a place to buy a new one tomorrow, or hopefully it's just somewhere in the truck.
ps - damnit.
***********************************************
That's all. I'll try to get the last 4 days up and running tomorrow. I still have a few edits and additions to make before the public can see.
day 1 (8-15)
In keeping with tradition, I've decided to keep another trail log for my third journey to Philmont. Not that it directly impacts you who are reading this, but this year I'm foregoing my trusty blue spiral-bound notebook in favor of an old iBook that I bummed off Allie for the week. With any luck, this will keep my hands free of muscle cramps and my entries even more verbose than they already were.
So, to begin...
Today started at 4am, Eastern Time. I awoke from my 2 hour nap (when it comes to packing, there's no minute like the last minute), showered, put everything in order, kissed Allie goodbye, and hopped into a taxi. I made it to the airport by 5:30, and was through security by 5:45... for my 7:15 flight. So it turns out I could have taken the T and been okay, oh well. My flight was smooth, and consisted of alternating sessions of reading Tom Robbins and napping at about 15 minute intervals. I landed in Houston at 1030, Central Time, and made my way to my connecting flight.
Two brief observations: 1) Houston is ugly. As of yesterday, Rice was on my list of potential grad schools. After flying over the sickening expanse of sprawl that is Houston, Rice is no longer on my list of potential grad schools. and 2) There is a Fox News Channel Store (yes, that's right) in the Houston airport. In case you're confused... it's exactly what it sounds like. A 'news'-stand (and I use the term loosely) littered with giant LCD displays, all tuned to the same FNC feed, your standard news-stand fare, and Fox News memorabilia. I don't know why anyone would ever want to buy Fox News memorabilia, but I don't live in Houston.
During my flight from Houston to Albuquerque, I developed a philosophy of architecture which I may expand upon in a separate (and likely very long) entry. To put it bluntly: West Texas / Oklahoma is even boring from an airplane. I couldn't imagine driving through it, and I don't think my mind could handle the stress of imagining living there.
I landed in Albuquerque (insert bugs bunny joke here...) at about 1pm, Mountain Time (it just occurred to me that I will be in every time zone at some point over the next 7 days...fun fact), and met Miah at baggage claim. It's about a 3 hour drive from the airport to Cimarron, most of which was spent catching up about the summer. The silent bits I filled in by playing with my camera.
And now I'm here. It's somehow incredibly familiar yet strangely alien at the same time. Like the childhood house that you come back to in adulthood, only to find your memories have been replaced by those of another family (a situation which I've never, but soon may, have the chance to experience). Relatively nothing has changed, every building, every dirt path, every distant peak, is exactly how I remembered it. But the faces are all different. Hopefully I'll run into some old friends tomorrow, when I have more time to devote to such things.
Until then, I have to work on keeping a low profile. I'm not a staff member - although I still have the requisite uniform - and I'm pretty sure if anyone in a position of authority were to catch me masquerading as one, sleeping in their tents and eating their food, it would not end very well for me.
Now it's 10pm, still Mountain Time, and I'm about ready to put the lid on a long, yet enjoyable, 20 hour day.
***
day 2 (8-16)
Today I drove 130 miles for a $10 sleeping bag.
Last night was a pretty unfriendly reminder of how cold it gets around here. The comfy wool blanket that I brought with me, foolishly thinking it would keep me warm, did not do anything to keep me warm. I went to bed at 10 (jet lag...also insomnia) in running shorts and a t-shirt. By the time I woke up this morning, I had changed into corduroys, socks, and a sweater. I decided it was time to buy a sleeping bag.
I slept until about 830 today. Woke up comfortable and rested (as 10 hours of solid sleep tends to do to you) and jumped in Miah's car en route to Raton. I brought my camera with me, thinking I'd make the trip worthwhile and take my time plus some nice photos. I made it to Raton in about 45 minutes, then spend the next 30 minutes driving around Raton looking for the WalMart. After several laps, a careful inspection of a Raton map, a flip through a New Mexico travel guide, and almost asking for directions (insert mildly clever male stereotype snark here), I noticed the atlas in Miah's truck was, in fact, one of those handy WalMart atlases that has a directory with every WalMart in the US. Come to find out my memory has failed me, and the WalMart is in Trinidad. Not Raton.
Luckily Trinidad is just a short drive over the pass and into Colorado Territory. So, I grabbed a quick breakfast at McDonalds (by the way, the McGriddle is the most amazing thing ever. I never thought something the size of a hockey puck could fill you up for most of a day, but the McGriddle delivers), then jumped back in the truck for another 15 minutes up to Trinidad.
Today I learned that WalMart sells sleeping bags for ridiculously low prices. I got a 45 degree bag (more than enough for the cool New Mexican nights) for $10. Ten...Bucks! Awesome. I think I spent more on gas than I did on the damn bag.
Since my sleeping bag was so cheap, I decided I might as well make the most of the trip, so I took my time getting back. I took advantage of the cell phone reception that Trinidad so graciously offered me and talked to Allie for a short while. Then I stopped a couple times on the drive back to photograph the vast expanse of nothingness that is Colfax County.
I also pulled over to case the Mile 333 marker on Route 64. Before I came out I decided my mission for the trip would be to return to Boston with a Mile 333rd to put on the suite door, whether or not it will fit in my suitcase. It's actually much much more difficult to take than I would have imagined. The sign is held on by a one sided bolt with a cone shaped brushed steel nut. In between are 2 rubber washers. I also would be less than surprised if there's some kind of epoxy thrown into the mix as well. In short, it was far too risky to attempt stealing the sign alone, in broad daylight, in the middle of the plains. Even though I could see down the road a good mile in either direction, and even though I only saw about a dozen cars on the whole trip, I just couldn't bring myself to go through with it.
As soon as I have Miah as an accomplice, I'm confident the deed will be done.
After returning to Philmont, I lazed the afternoon away by reading and writing at great length about architecture. Then I went over to PTC for Cobbler Night(tm). Miah and I played a few games of pool, and I met some new people: "Boots", whose real name is Rebecca, but you didn't hear that from me. And Laura, who apparently is also an MIT student. Both cool people. Boots works in the Villa, so I will likely use that connection to get back in contact with my true love...the Villa Piano.
That's all for today. More fun and exciting adventures to follow.
***
day 3 (8-17)
Today I broke rules.
Okay, it wasn't really all that bad. But I wanted a dramatic opening sentence to catch everyone's attention, since I had such a good one yesterday.
Today I woke up at around 8:30. Miah had left at 8 to go to Dean Cow (a backcountry camp) for the next 3 days to help them pack up for the end of the summer, leaving me to fend for myself until Sunday. The morning was fairly uneventful: I showered, picked up a t-shirt, nalgene, and postcard from the trading post, snagged a quick breakfast from the trading post, and read Tom Robbins until lunchtime.
For lunch I ventured over to PTC. I saw Joey, my old boss. He was certainly excited to see me, he gave me a tour of the kitchen (they completely renovated last summer, it's *much* nicer than when I was there), and then begged me to come back as a manager. I told him I had to get a real job next summer, although part of me wished I could have said yes.
I also met Amanda at lunch. Amanda is a first year PTC group leader from Utah. We made quick small talk over lunch, which was nice. I was expecting to see more people who I knew, but there were very, very few. It was surprising, considering most of the people I worked with in 05 had been there for years, and were expecting to return for many more years. Maybe they were all out for the day...
After lunch I read some more, checked my email, and decided to be rebellious.
I figured no Philmont visit would be complete without at least some venture into the backcountry, so at about 3pm, I decided I would take a small hike. I limited my choices to 1) camps that were close enough to hike in to and out of before sundown, and 2) camps with staff members who I knew. I settled on Abreu.
It's about a 20 minute drive down to the turnaround (Miah left me his keys, in case I need to go anywhere), and about a mile hike in to Abreu. I made good time, but - as usual - stopped to take a lot of photos on the way. I arrived hoping to catch my old friend Pam by surprise, only to find out that she had left for home on the 11th. So much for catching up. Damn you Pam.
The remaining staff was hospitable, and offered me dinner. Just in case anyone cared (although this late in the summer, I doubt anyone would), I kept up the charade of being a PTC dining staffer pretty well throughout the afternoon. According to my lie, I was on staff, but I finished up and am waiting around until Monday when my friend is done so we can drive out together. Technically, that's true. I just didn't include the significant fact that I "finished up" about 2 years ago.
Dinner was delicious. The staff is moving out in 3 days, so they were trying to get rid of as much leftover food as possible. The meal appeared largely improvised. We ate chicken wrapped in bacon, with a cream cheese & spices stuffing (holy crap good), and red beans & rice. Per request of one of the staffers, who was celebrating her last meal at Philmont, we ate Viking Feast style.
For those of you who don't know what Viking Feast is - and I doubt many outside of Philmont do - you cover the dining table with tinfoil, dump all the food onto it, and eat. No plates. No utensils. For a drink there is one gallon of milk that everyone passes around. No cups. Also you don't wear shirts. We did use napkins though, which felt like kind of a cop-out.
I left Abreu with my false identity intact, thanked everyone for the feast and good company, and made the quick hike back to the truck.
Now it's back to sitting in my tent and avoiding the higher ups.
***
day 4 (8-18)
In any other state, probably in any other town, today would have been a day not worth documenting.
But here, even if my day was uneventful and fairly mundane, at least it was scenic.
Today I spent the morning mostly reading. I went over to PTC for lunch, because I like it better over there. I ate with literally everyone who I've met in the last couple days: Boots, Laura, & Amanda. I also met Ellis, another MIT student. After lunch I visited the villa. I didn't take a tour (not that it matters, at this point I could practically give a tour), but I did get to play the piano. After a couple hours lounging and talking, people had to give tours, so I left.
After that nothing of interest happened. I spent the rest of the afternoon talking to Allie online, then had dinner. I ran into Meg at dinner, and we spent a few minutes catching up. Unfortunately she was on her way out, so we parted ways and I went back to doing relatively nothing.
I've got one more day of doing nothing left before Miah gets back and we hit the road. I'll likely spend most of it at PTC.
If you ever have the opportunity to work at Philmont, remember only this: Backcountry > PTC >>> CHQ.
***
day 4 - part 2
I'm sitting in my tent listening to the closing campfire echoing across the plain. I can't see anything, but from the dialogue and music I can make out... I'm fairly certain the closing program has not changed since I last saw it, in 2003.
Get on that, activities.
***
day 5 (8-19)
Not really in a writing mood today. Nothing much happened. Miah came back after dinner and we drove to Taos to see Superbad. It was super-good.
I also came very close to getting busted. It's actually kind of a funny story. See, the kid who was Miah's tentmate before I got here had some sort of medical condition that required him to take shots of something. For some reason, he left one of his old syringes lying around. Somehow, this syringe either blew or was swept out of the tent and onto the ground just outside the tent. Now, if that wasn't bad enough, it had to land right on top of an old spoon that just happened to be lying right outside the tent. I didn't notice this, but two security officers did. I tried to stay as vague as possible but still look like I belonged, and that I wasn't freebasing at Philmont.
It was a briefly sticky situation, but I think they believed me, because they took the syringe & spoon away and never came back to ask me any more questions.
That was close though.
***
day 6 (8-20)
Today we left Philmont.
Miah had to work until 5, so I lazed around for a few hours and then packed up after lunch. We rode out as soon as he was done and headed west, toward Taos. We took our time through Cimarron Canyon and got some great photos of the Palisades.
About 90 minutes later we rolled into Taos, and went straight for dinner. We went to the Outback, which is literally the greatest pizza place on the planet. Seriously. The majority of our reason for leaving tonight - instead of spending one more night at Philmont and driving out in the morning - is so we could be in Taos at dinner time and go to Outback. I had a greek pizza and some local brew beer whose name I now forget. Both were delicious.
After dinner we walked around downtown. Sadly, most of the shops and art galleries had closed. I think we'll try again tomorrow, since we have some time to spare.
After driving around looking for a cheap hotel, we finally settled on the Quality Inn, where I now sit. We took a dip in the pool and a refreshing hot tub, and now I'm lying on a comfortable queen sized bed, in an air conditioned room, with wireless internet, watching Mythbusters. It's basically the exact opposite of everything I had at Philmont. I was only there for 5 days, but I can imagine how Miah is feeling.
Onward and Westward tomorrow.
***
day 7 (8-21)
Today we covered a lot of ground.
We started the day off late. Slept until about 9, enjoyed the free breakfast provided by the folks at the Quality Inn, picked up some drinks & ice for the trip, and hit the road at around 10:30. Not long after we stopped at the Rio Grande Gorge to check out the view. Once we were out of Taos, there was a whooole lot of nothing. We crossed in and out of the Carson National Forest a handful of times, but other than that there was almost nothing until we hit Navajo Nation.
We had lunch at a Sonic in Farmington just before crossing the border - the first of many hopeful "we're-only-eating-here-because-they-don't-have-it-in-New-England" food stops. Once into Arizona, we took a couple side trips. The first was to Four Corners (the point where Utah, Arizona, New Mexico & Colorado meet). We arrived at the same time as some Christian senior citizen bus tour. That sure made the people watching more fun. We got the obligatory pictures, then I jumped across four states. Then we left. The second side trip was up through Monument Valley. For those who don't know - and I didn't know until yesterday - Monument Valley is where all the old Hollywood westerns were shot. That image you have in your head of the southwest, the one with the flat desert and the giant pillars of rock that stick up hundreds of feet. Yeah, that's Monument Valley. The rest of the southwest actually looks very little like that. So we drove up to the Utah border, then a few miles into Utah, then we turned around and came back. The valley was pretty breathtaking. Not the most amazing thing I've ever seen, but close.
We stopped for the night in Tuba City, which - much to my dismay - has nothing at all to do with Tubas. It's apparently just what the Navajo word for the town sounded like. Oh well.
The one good thing about Tuba City, for us at least, is that about 10 miles outside of Tuba City is mile marker 333. Or was, I should say, since Miah and I went out in the middle of the night and... well now it's in the back of Miah's truck. We were pretty excited about the caper, so we had a mini celebration back at the hotel, and immediately passed out from exhaustion.
Grand Canyon tomorrow!
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day 8 (8-22)
Got up at around 8, and hit the road at around 8. The nice thing about crossing into a new time zone is that it allows you to do things like that. Yesterday, we covered almost half of the distance that we need to cover by Saturday, so we're taking it easy for the rest of the week.
We left Tuba City at 8, as I said, and made it to the Grand Canyon by around 9:30. Wow. Everywhere you look is the most awe-inspiring view you've ever seen. It's really hard to even describe the scale of the place. We drove along the main (the only) road, which follows the canyon for about 25 miles. We stopped and took pictures every couple miles, at turnoffs and lookouts and what-not. Between Miah and I, we got about 300 photos. Sadly, not one can really do justice to the real sight. If you haven't seen it, go see it.
We left a little after 2, and drove south to I-40. Our goal for the trip was to avoid interstates, and so far we've been successful. In this part of Arizona, though, there really aren't many other options, so we hopped on 40 and drove west. We got to Kingman, a little city near the Nevada border, at around 5 and decided to stop early.
So I'm sitting here, in a Travelodge in Kingman. We're about 2 hours south of Las Vegas, and since we have an extra day to get to San Diego, we're totally going to hit up Vegas tomorrow. Hopefully I'll have some sort of interesting story to report next time I write.
Until then...
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UPDATE: Shit, I think I left my laptop charger in Tuba City. I've got about 40 minutes of battery life left. Hopefully I can find a place to buy a new one tomorrow, or hopefully it's just somewhere in the truck.
ps - damnit.
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That's all. I'll try to get the last 4 days up and running tomorrow. I still have a few edits and additions to make before the public can see.