New blog for the new 2006 Yellowstone season............

www.in2adventure2006.blogspot.com

check it out!

 
Hmmmmmm.......what are we going to upgrade next? 

 
Look at all the subies. This was a pretty small meet. Only about 8 cars. I've seen as many as 18 lined up side by side in a parking lot. Subie people really love their cars and getting together to talk about them. 

 
The new exaust! It starts at the turbo and runs all the way to the muffler. I thinks it sounds great, but it's pushing the Va noise law limits. 

 
Me under the car. The guys said I had to learn to do it myself. They pointed me in the right direction, handed me tools, a beer and said go. This is not the first time I've worked on my own car. I spent a year working as a mechanic in high school. It is way more satisfying to say I did it myself. 

 
My first weekend back in Va. I went to a Subaru meet and descided my old muffler wasn't good enough for the car, so I got a new one...... 

 
I went to a paramedic refresher class in Baltimore, Md before I went back to Va Beach for the winter. This sign was so dumb I just had to have a picture of it. I would have thought the people of Baltimore were just a bit smarter than this, but maybe not. 

 
A picture of Joel on his new front walk. We were waiting for the movers to come and deliver the furniture. 

 
Nearing the end of my journey. This is Joel's (my boyfriend)first house. He got transfered to Mobile, Al for the next four years. There is not much else to see in Mobile. Not a place I would recommend visiting unless it is forced upon you. 

 
My Uncle Bill with downtown Austin in the background. 

 
My uncle's house in Austin, Texas. I spent a few days hanging with my aunt and uncle. If anyone is ever in austin, you need to chack out Dog and Duck Pub. It has the best fish n chips i've ever had and full page of beers to choose from. 

 
I know this is horribly fuzzy, but just look at all the wine in front of me! Most of our table was from Spain. Really good stuff I might add. Yes, I sampled most of it :)One of the perks for volunteering. The food and wine was fantastic! Part way through the night, someone came around to give everyone breaks so we could sample the food and wine ourselves. 

 
Amanda and friends. She volunteered me for a boys and girls club benefit. It was a great time. A giant yellow school bus came and picked up 40 or so volunteers from their school and took us to an outdoor mall for a wine and food tasting to benefit the kids. It was tons of fun. When it was all over, the club thew a little party for all the volunteers at a bar in the mall. It included the left over wine, beer, food and a live band. There was easily 300 volunteers there. The benefit was huge! 

 
Amanda and me on top of the only hill in all of Phoenix. We went for a short hike to get out of the house for little while. I spent 3 days with her at the Thunderbird College of International Business where she goes to school. I got to meet lots of cool people from all sorts of places. Most of the students were in the Peace Corps. Amanda spent two years in Kirzikstan (I know it's spelled wrong!)with the Peace Corps. 

 
You can't go to Arizona not take pics of the cactus. These things are everywhere. I went to phoenix to visit a friend. This has got to be the hottest place on earth! It would not be a high on my list of places to live. 

 
The sunsets here are some of the most amazing I've ever seen. The whole canyon turns a scarlet red and glows like fire. Watching the sun go down over the canyon is so popular, that thousands of people gather along the rim an hour before sunset just to get the best picture taking spots. Since the rim is so long, it's not to hard to find a good spot to sit. 

 
How pretty! 

 
A picture of the condore from above. 

 
Like I said, I kept my shirt on :) 

 
These guys were funny. They wanted me to take their picture on the rim with their shirts off. They are college buddies who get together once a year, for a week, at a different place in the country. Everywhere they go, they have their picture taken at a pinnacle spot with their shirts off. Some kind of a college tradition or something. Last year was Yosemite on the top of Half Dome in the snow. They were nice enough to take my picture for me in the same spot. but as you'll see, I kept my shirt on :) 

 
Another view of the river. 

 
The Colorado River in all it glory. I wish I had time to hike to the bottom and see it a bit closer. That would have required an over night stay at the bottom though and that wasn't in my time line unfortunately. The other option would have been a rafting trip, but reservations are needed at least 3 months in advance. 

 
A California Condore. What an awesome creature! There was a nesting pair near the overlook. From what the locals had told me, this is a rare sight. There are not too many in the park. They are still on the endangered species list. 

 
Just another pics from near the bottom. 

 
Here's a pic from the bottom of the trail where it finally levels off. The trail starts at the top of the rim and switchbacks down the face of the canyon. It's very, very steep and hard to keep good footing. The rocks kept rolling out from under my feet and I slipped twice on the way down. Most people used hiking poles to steady themselves. Wish I had a pair! 

 
On the right side of the picture you'll see a line that runs along the top of the plateu. This was a trail I took into the canyon. The pt. that the trail leads to is an overlook above the Colorado River. It was 7.3 miles from the brim to this overlook. Keep in mind, it is all down hill in and all up hill on the way out. Very backwards from most hikes people do where it's just the opposite. There is a lot of search and rescue in the park because of this. People underestimate their phyical condition and then add 90*+ heat to that and no shade. Dehydration is the biggest issue the rescuers have to deal with.