Hiking in the Ohio

Ben and I have gone hiking twice this year, so far. Both times, we were happily surprised to find impressive scenery. One of the great things about Ohio is that the landscape is so GREEN!!! Humidity only has a few perks -- 1) you don't need as much lotion. 2) moss grows everywhere and makes for very colorful and vibrant landscapes. Our first hike was back in April to a place called Bryant Park.

(Ben hiking through the mossy rocks)

I really loved taking pictures of a lot of the things that grew there


Here's me at the beginning of our trek

Here is a cool picture of a rock that looks like it was split by the trees growing in between:


WE most recently went to Hocking Hills State Park for July 4th Weekend. We actually camped out, thanks to our new fabulous tent (we forgot to take a picture of that). We made eggs for breakfast that morning. And here is one happy camper:


We started out that morning with a 6 mile hike from Old Man's Cave to Cedar Falls and then came back again via the Upper Falls Trail. The difference in landscape is so dramatic from anywhere else we've seen out here! Here's the start where it opens up into Old Man's Cave (named so because a reclusive old man made this place his home in the 1800's)


There were trees growing upside down in the canyon. It was cool to see how they maneuvered and found their way to the sun:




























The trees also liked to grow right over the rocks. It was really cool to see their rootwork:








Crazy, right!?! There were also a lot of butterflies flying through the gorge. One of them sat down on the ground for some cameo close-ups:




I couldn't control my urge to want to get some tall landscapes in this place It was just such a deep place, and the trees were so tall and cool. I wanted to try to capture that. (Besides, I love the stitch feature on my camera. I think it's cool.):
























Another remarkable feature of this hike: how well groomed and carefully crafted it was. The stonework made me feel like I was visiting Helms Deep from Lord of the Rings (I know, I'm a total nerd).









There was a whole lot of green, as you can tell. But there was also some amazing contrast in color in some of the rocks. We wondered how on earth those colors got there.







An indispensable feature for any awesome hike is WATERFALLS! This hike did not disappoint. Here is what they called Lower Falls:



Here's a video of us at Whispering Falls (sorry that it's sidewise. I thought I'd be able to flip it later just like a photo. Apparently not.)


And here's Cedar Falls (fun fact: there are no cedar trees here. They are hemlock trees. But the people who got here first and named the place didn't know that)



Ben found a tree he wanted to hang out it. We recommend, if you try the same thing, to bring something to brush away the spiderwebs first; :)



All that hiking made us very hungry. Ben was especially hungry. Here's a picture of his perfectly-cooked hobo meal (he was very proud):


It was huge. If you need a proportional comparison, here's a picture of Ben's HUGE hobo meal next to my normal-sized hobo meal:



We finished the day with exploring the area by car (one can only hike for so long) and then heading into Logan, Ohio to watch the fireworks. I was grateful for many things that July 4th. I am grateful for a country that preserves cool places like this. I am also grateful for the small towns who live near them so I can buy an Icee on a hot day. I am grateful for fireworks ( they were totally cool. Sorry we forgot to take pic's of that!). And I am incredibly grateful I do not live way out there and that there are places like Cincinnati to return to. You know, places with shopping and fancy restaurants and shows to go see. What can I say? You can take the girl out of the city, but.....

Mammoth Cave National Park

This past weekend, Ben and I drove down to Cave City, Kentucky as part of a general effort we are making to adventure and see the amazing sights around us in this new place called Ohio. Cave City is about a three hour drive south of Cincinnati, so we decided to leave Friday after work and stay in a hotel/motel for the night and see the sights on Saturday. As we drove into the ever-luxurious Econolodge late Friday night, we were a little shocked by the parking lot. First we saw this:



And when we got back to the parking area by our little room, we saw this:



I know what you're thinking. It's a sure sign the economy is in the dumps when all the corvette owners in the world have to stay at the EconoLodge. Alarming signs of the times, indeed! Well, take heart my dear friends. It just so happens this is probably just an indication of sold out rooms in plusher digs. It was the annual Corvette Show down in Cave City this past weekend. Who knew? Here's a great shot of one of the older beauties, taken the next morning:



Ben and I woke up early. We wake up early most days (though not so early for some people, I'm sure) to get to work on time. Unfortunately, we find more and more these days that this habit we've made dies hard on days even when we don't have work. Tragic. And since Kentucky is an hour earlier than we are (we're the last hanger's on to the East Coast time zone even though we're significantly far away from the coast) we found ourselves bright-eyed and bushy-tailed at 6:30 am, rearing to go. We showered, got ourselves ready and went down to enjoy the free continental breakfast. I ate a bagel and Ben found his pancakes inedible, and the fruit juice was questionable, so we ended up doing less enjoying than we would have liked. We decided to supplement Ben's breakfast with McDonald's Egg McMuffins -- breakfast of champions.

And then off to Mammoth Cave! They had several tours starting early that we were excited to try out. We wanted to get there in plenty of time to get a ticket.

Ah, well, sometimes the best laid plans go to waste, and the not so well laid plans, well.... you can imagine. As it turns out the note at the bottom of the Mammoth Cave Website where it reads, "*Not available by reservation. Tickets can only be purchased the day of the tour at the visitor center," doesn't mean you can't buy tickets before. It just means the one tour on the list that has an asterisk of the 20 tours they have available can't be bought ahead of time. When we got there at 7:45, all the tours I had any interest in were sold out. I was devastated and, to be honest, totally ticked at their website information that was (in my humble opinion) misleading. I had driven 3 hours for this! All the good tours are gone!?!? Seriously?! I wanted to just turn around and go home. Ben, however, calmed me down just enough to buy a couple of tours worth of tickets to the less challenging, but still available. I was pretty certain I wasn't going to like them. But we were already there. And though I might not end up enjoying them, Ben might.

On our first cave tour, we had a nice small group of people and we were made aware of the reason for the Cave network's name. We already read on the website that the caves were the longest system in the world, with 360+ miles of caves inside. But the caves are not only extensive. Individually they're areas inside can be huge. The first room we were in was a 1/4 acre large. Here are a few cool pictures from our first tour:



Above is a picture of the "natural opening" to the cave. It's pretty huge.



When they were in the caves in the last 1700's, early 1800's they used it to mine saltpeter to make gun powder. You can see some of the equipment they brought down in this picture.





I think these two pictures above give you a good idea of how huge some parts of the inside of this cave are. Or they would if I could make them any larger. :)

Overall, aside from it's extensive and sometimes huge tunnels, there wasn't a whole lot more to see in this cave tour. Our guide, Bobby, reminded us that Mammmoth Cave is not famous for its stalactites, stalagmites or other amazing features in the cave. It is famous because of it's size. So there you go. We had all been made aware we could stop looking for more wonderment. And I found it relieving to know, despite the fact I wasn't in awe of the cave's beauty, I also "shouldn't" be in awe of it.

After this two hour tour, Ben managed to get me to go back for one more, through another area of the cave. I was trying to raise my spirits up to be enjoyable company, but I did a pretty crappy job, if I do say so myself. It wasn't terrible, but I'd say it may have potentially ben slightly reminiscent of pulling teeth for me.:) For a lot of the tour I just didn't say anything, so to minimize the negativity that might come out of my mouth. If you can't say something nice....

Looking back, I think I should have known I wouldn't like this very much. I don't know what I was thinking with all these guided tours. I don't even like being guided through aerobics class. And on our second tour, our group was so large that I felt like I was in a never-ending line for a ride at Disneyland, with the tour group of over 140 people. Only with cave tours, the line IS the ride. I'm used to caving where you get "down and dirty" and have to twist yourself into funny shapes so you can get out. I came out clean as a whistle from these two tours and I think I might have had to duck my head and shift my hips a couple times. Somehow, not quite the same effect.

Not to say it was all a waste. Or painful. On the bright side, The second tour ended up having some of the coolest formations we'd seen and 80% of the formations there are to see at Mammoth Cave (jackpot, I guess). Here are a few pictures of what they call Frozen Niagara:





Our pictures don't do this feature justice. It was much cooler in real life. One part of the tours I enjoyed (yes, I did end up enjoying at least one part. Maybe two.. I'll have to think about it) was a little bit of comic relief in the naming of various parts of the caves. For example, they had an area in one of the caves where they had installed toilets. The called this area the "The Great Hall of Relief". Below is a picture of an area they like to call "Fat Man's Misery."



He he he he. They make me laugh.



And here is a shot of how they would "smoke" their names into the ceiling. I checked one of the covers on the lights they had in the cave to see if the names weren't on the cover of the light instead of actually smoked onto the ceiling (so, I can be a little bit of a skeptic sometimes..). I got in trouble for that. You can't stray too far from the tour, apparently. Woops. I like getting into trouble sometimes.:)

I complained to Ben a couple times how we were doing family friendly vacations and we weren't even a whole family yet (meaning we have no children). He was a bit surprised I didn't like this activity as much as I didn't like it when I had honestly told him before that I had a good time at Mt. Rushmore, which is also very kid-friendly. I reminded him that when I went to Mt. Rushmore I WAS there with children -- my niece and nephews. See, if you take your kids to they little, shallow wave pool, you can very well have fun with them there. But you don't usually see a lot of adults hanging out by the little, shallow wave pool of their own volition, do you? No-- because it's not as fun to do kid stuff without the kids, in my opinion. And I was banished to the kiddie tours without having any kiddies. And I just didn't like it very much.

This, aside from a much anticipated, luxurious dinner, was the big event to celebrate Ben's and my 1st anniversary. I spent the activity sulking and complaining (with mild signs of amusement at times) while Ben tried to pacify me and enjoy himself. Sometimes, the best laid plans... you get the idea. Let's hope this isn't some foreshadowing of the eternity that awaits us. I think the celebratory event was very non-reflective of the year that preceded it, thankfully. And just maybe, next year, instead of the outdoors, I'm gonna suggest we check in at the Four Seasons and go on a shopping spree. I think that would be sure to elicit better moods from me. :)

Milestones

This Tuesday, I left for Colorado Springs on adventure that is most appropriately titled, "My First Business Trip". I've always wanted to go on a business trip! It wasn't nearly has glamorous as most. It was a quick trip and completely devoid of company perks and luxurious amenities. Nonetheless, it was an adventure and I had a great time.

Here's a photo of me arriving in Colorado Springs on Tuesday evening:


I went straightway to my rental car provider where my chariot awaited, in the form of a Dodge Caliber. After having asked the rental car staff for directions, they had a bit of advice for me: "Uhh, you should be careful. That's not exactly the best part of town." Nice!

I went straightway to my luxurious accommodations at the swanky Travelodge -- not exactly the Broadmoor. But hey! We're nonprofit. What do you expect? It didn't seem too bad, really. Of course, I'm from New Jersey, so I might have a skewed perspective. But there were no sketchy broken windows with creepy prowlers and dealers on the corner. Travelodge had internet access in the lobby only (but it was TOTALLY free), so I hung out there till about 12 sending emails and.. well, goofing off really. There was a lovely, friendly-looking dog behind the counter of the front desk and lots of asian people, who appeared to be management, hanging out and starting to play old 80's ballads as we approached the 12 o'clock hour (which is apparently also the karaoke hour?). Despite they're eccentricities, the crowd proved harmless.

The next morning I got free breakfast! Travelodge is seriously growing on me at this point. Especially when I found my hotel room free of hair in the sink and all other forms of ickiness. Ok, so my standards aren't very high. But the fun asian management people were a total perk. Who wouldn't be endeared to petite, middle-aged, balding men who sing power ballads at midnight?

After breakfast I wisked myself away to training. It was hosted by the Olympic Complex. I didn't know the official complex for the Olympics was in Colorado Springs. But it is. So, now you know. It was pretty cool. My favorite feature was the juice station they had in the hallway. YUM!

After the conference, I had an afternoon to kill before my flight. the gentleman that was next to me on my flight the day before had recommended some local attractions. The most appealing to me of his suggestions was the Garden of the Gods. Here's a couple pic's of its beautiful vistas:





As you can probably tell, the rock formations were HUGE and totally cool. Here's a close up:


I also encountered another close up. There was a deer right on the walking paths there who didn't seem phased by the tourists. I admit, I've seen a million deer before and it's NOT a big event, but he was so CLOSE. And I had a camera!! I had to take a picture. Several pictures. I was trying to photograph him/her in a discreet manner so as not to startle the beast. Well, I was successful in being discreet. AND so was the deer. So, they're a bit more of a "Where's Waldo" experience rather than "Look How Close the Deer Is." But I'll post them anyway. Can you find the deer?




I was disappointed to find there was no fitness center at the luxurious yet amenity-lacking Travelodge. To my rescue and my delight, there were trails at the Garden of the Gods. Most accomodating. Here's me at the Garden of the Gods after my run:


After that, I went through the shops in Historic Old Colorado City, which was lovely. At last, I was kind of done with everything and lost my adventurous spirit. I also worried I might run out of luck and actually get myself lost, so I decided to head back to the airport and get some work done till my flight left for home.

I'm amazied I managed to get to everything without screwing it up. You'd almost think I was a responsible adult. Well, not quite, but there may be hope for me yet.

Other career news: I was actually on the news Wednesday morning w/ the KJZZ Cafe. My organization sent a shipment of supplies to Myanmar, so they featured a bit about us and apparently almost everyone else at my organization is camera-shy. Good thing their PR girl is a total ham! :)

Just Another Week

It'S just another week and I don't know that I have a great deal of personal news to share. I just updated the Sartorial Freshman blog, if you're curious, as Jefe and I have been at the LA Fabric & Textile Trade Show all day today & yesterday and will have one more day of it tomorrow.

I got to go to lunch with my good friend, Will, last week. He's great. I like having Will around. He helps me work out, he likes to play games, camps, travels, encourages me to actually relax in the steam room and he's huge, so when we hang out it's like walking around with my own personal body guard. He tells me exactly what he thinks as well. I like that. However, I didn't find out that he didn't like Pam, my beetle, until I got my new car, which apparently he does like. A bit of delay since I had that car for about 5 years and have known him for about 4 or so of them. So, I guess for the most part, he tells me what he thinks. And he paid for lunch! It's good to have friends like him.

I think I got my studio rented out. Thank Heavens! I really wasn't looking forward to starting to make car payments & float all the expenses for the studio all at the same time. I think my anxiety levels almost went straight through the roof last week. But alas, all may be well.

I'm hoping that next time I take three days off work, I will find something more relaxing to do. All this fabric and fashion stuff is wearing me out!

The trip out here has been a bit of Christmas for me. Upon arriving in LA, Jefe blessed me with my very own lap top computer! Yeah! This also means that I can now post pictures on the blog again. Oh the joy.

He also sent out a pair of gorgeous shoes from a friend in Jersey who bought them and then found out they were too small. They are just what I have been looking for all spring. A cute print heel that isn't too crazy but fun enough to spice up a basic outfit. They are a cream canvas type fabric with black leather appliques in funky shapes all over the shoe, a slight black lip over toe and a black heel that I estimate is 3 or 3 1/2 inches. And they fit perfectly. I love shoes! Especially rad ones like these.

I left for the airport at about 4 am Monday morning and went directly to the fabric show once I got to LA, so I have had a rough time catching up on my sleep since I got here. Male, the lucky dog, got to be the one to drive me to the airport. I felt like the biggest jerk asking him to do that for me. As a general rule, he just doesn't function at that hour. But he took me anyway. That is quite possibly the greatest sacrifice he has ever made for me. I think that means something. That's big. He may put up with my crap, pay for dinner, open my doors, console me when I'm upset and fly to NJ with me even while being deathly ill, but never before did I even imagine he was capable of waking up at 4am. And to do it on purpose, for me. Now THAT'S love.

I think I'm going to have some working out to do when I get home. I don't know what it is about traveling or eating with other people, but I am never quite in tune with how hungry or full I am-- especially when I'm around other people. And I totally don't like the feeling of over eating. I just feel so -- full. For so -- long. Eugh.

A New Blog!

So, Jefe and I have been in the very beginning stages of our business plans. To commemorate the beginning of a burgeoning business, and to chronical our flubs and successes, I started a blog. So much has happened and so much of my thoughts have been wrapped up in that lately, and I think it may continue that way. So, it seems best to just give the venture it's own blog address. If you're interested in reading about it, you can find it at www.thesartorialfreshman.blogspot.com. If not, don't bother and just keep visiting me here. :)

Home for a Holiday

I went home for Thanksgiving this year. And somehow I managed to persuade Male to come with me. We had a great time. We spent Thanksgiving with my oldest brother and his family in South Jersey. And we traveled back down again to his house the next day, to make as much use of my Settlers of Catan game as we could. We also visited a lovely little place called Ringing Rock Park. It's got a nice hike and a waterfall. But most amazing is the field of huge rocks and boulders. When you tap on the rocks and boulders, they ring like bells. Cool, huh? I thought so.

Anyhow, I brought my camera along for the trip. Unfortunately, I have yet to be used to having a camera handy for family affairs. So, I have no cute pictures of my nieces and nephews. Or Thanksgiving. Or the day after. But I did remember to bring the camera with Male and I when we went to see the Statue of Liberty.

We also got a few shots of the early birds one lovely morning. With nothing to show for ourselves but sour faces, it is clear we are good abiding mormons who don't use coffee and sugar in the morning. Otherwise, we might look friendlier. And the winner is --- the man who had the muster to smile. Impressive, Male. Very impressive.

Here's a few pictures of our Statue of Liberty escapade. We ended up taking the longest ferry route possible that day during our visit. We traveled from the Jersey shore to Ellis Island 1st. Unfortunately, we didn't get off. Instead we decided to go to the Statue of Liberty 1st. No bid deal, right? That's what we thought too. So naive. After the Statue, we traveled back to Ellis Island. This we expected. But then we had to travel back to the Statue of Liberty in order to get back to the Jersey shore. And FYI - the ferrys don't run all the time. You must wait for them. In the cold. For a long time. If ever you should travel that way, take my advice. Just get off wherever the ferry leads you. You might say the ferry is "inspired". Go with the ferry.

Anyhow, it was really good to be home. I need to click my ruby red heels that direction more often.