Best Idea Ever

I am headed back home tonight and my flight does not arrive until 10:30 p.m. I have a long day of school tomorrow followed by a long negotiating session. I was trying to figure out how to get home as quickly as possible. I was also trying to figure out how to cram all my stuff in my suitcase. Due to the weather, I had to buy some extra items like boots, hat, gloves, etc. That's when I decided I would ship home anything I didn't immediately need. This would allow me to have no checked baggage and quickly exit the airport. It also solved the problem of how to cram all the stuff in my luggage and was a convenient way to make sure I did not have to dispose of all my liquids over 3 ounces. So, this morning, I headed to the UPS store. I'd done a little comparison shopping and UPS was going to be a little cheaper than the postal service. Imagine my pleasant surprise when my total at UPS came to $20.65. The cost to check my bag? $20.00. So, for an extra 65 cents, I don't have to carry all that stuff, it will arrive on my doorstep on Thursday, and I will get home a little earlier. I recommend this method for traveling and am certain I will be using it again.

Yesterday I made my way from Glenwood Springs back to Brighton. I stopped about 20 miles east of Glenwood to hike the Burnt Tree Ridge Trail near Dotsero at the east trailhead of the Glenwood Canyon path. As I initially started up the trail, I thought this would be a good trail for families with small children. It is a very wide trail and was once used as a one lane dirt road. I quickly changed my mind however as the trail was pretty darn steep with very few flat spots. It took about an hour and a half to reach the summit which seemed pretty high. Near the top of the trail, there were lots of sheep like droppings, two watering holes, and 2 open bags of animal salt (like a salt block but not in block form). I assume there is some grazing going on up there although I saw no live animals. I did see, however, two animal skulls, one of which was somewhat large. It appeared to be larger than that of a sheep. There were some other bones and fur nearby. It was definitely fur and not wool so that was another clue that I was not staring at the skull of a sheep. There were great views from the summit although, because of trees, I could not see straight down. That was probably good as it is sometimes frightening to see how high up one is. The mountain I hiked is in the picture below. It is the peak to the left and behind what appears to be the tallest peak.



After my hike, I headed back east on I-70. Although road conditions were perfect, this is most definitely a two-handed drive . . . and I never drive with two hands. I stopped in lunch for Silverthorne again and also stopped at a few scenic overlooks. There was one scenic overlook I was going to stop at but we were going down mountain and I was going too darn fast to make the exit. It would have been a Thelma & Louise flying over the cliff moment. The picture is of Lake Dillon between Dillon and Frisco just off I-70.



On I-70 between Denver and Glenwood, there are two passes. Vail Pass is 10,700 feet and you really feel as though you are on top of the mountains and extremely high up . . . and you are. The second is Loveland Pass which is at 12,000 feet. Let me just say that these are feats of engineering and that they are best appreciated as a passenger in a vehicle and not the driver.

Before I sign off and head home, I'd like to talk a little about my gear. First, I wore Under Armour Cold Gear and I highly recommend it. It kept me warm like regular long johns but wicked away the moisture (and I was sweating LOTS) so that I never got cold. Secondly, on my feet, I was wearing Asics 2140 Trail Running Shoe. This is the same as their 2140 running shoe but made for trails. I highly recommend it as well. I had zero feet problems, blisters, etc. I can also give some credit for my lack of blisters to my Feetures socks. Finally, I must say that all the ladies here who wear stocking caps are geniuses. If you continually wear a stocking cap, it never matters what your hair looks like. Genius! If you're traveling to Colorado and have never been before, just bring your comfy clothes. You can wear fleece and running pants anywhere here. I didn't even pull my jeans out of my bag.

Until next time . . .

Two Hikes

I must say that yesterday was physically exhausting. I began the day with a hike up to Lookout Mountain. Let me back up. I actually began the day stuck in the Target parking lot with a key in the ignition that wouldn't turn. After a call to my sister and a call to Dad, that problem was fixed. I don't know how people with crummy dads function. Who tells them how to fix stuff? Who helps lift the heavy items?

Anyway, Lookout Mountain. What a challenge! It wasn't that the terrain was so tough or the trail too steep . . . it was all covered in snow. In some places I was walking in a foot of snow. I followed the Boy Scout Trail . . . or I thought I was following the Boy Scout Trail. In actuality, I was following the trail of those who had walked before me and stomped down the snow. (What would Robert Frost say about this?) After 2 hours of trekking upwards, the trail of the guy with the big feet and long strides stopped. I tried carrying on for a ways but had a tough time locating the trail. During the 2 hours up, I had seen one trail sign and I knew that there was a trail that went 3 miles to Lookout Mountain, another trail that went 16 miles to a mesa, and one that went somewhere in between. I decided for my own safety, I should head back down. I know that I can always try it again during warmer weather. That being said, when I do try it again, I think some of those hiking sticks are the way to go with this trail. On the way down, especially close to the bottom, there were some south facing areas where the snow had melted. It was slick red clay. Very slick. I almost wiped out several times (I did land on my ass in the snow twice). So, note to self for next time, two hiking sticks, two bottles of water or more, and some trail mix. The pictures below are of Lookout Mountain. The first is taken from the parking lot of my hotel which is a few miles away. The second is take from the shopping center parking lot which is a few miles closer. If you look closely or click on the pictures, you'll see towers on the top of the mountain. I think I made it to the forested area to the lower left of the peak . . . but I'm not sure.



After 2 hours up and and a little more than an hour going down Lookout Mountain, it was time to find some Mexican food. This time I ate at Fiesta Guadalajara. It was another good meal. I had the fish tacos. Surprisingly, they chopped up the fish and mixed them with a bunch of vegetables. I think cabbage was in there too. Imagine my surprise when I liked it!

After the late lunch, I headed out to check out the old neighborhood where my mom's cousin used to live. I was disappointed to find that the large empty field near them now housed condos and a school. The mountain near their house that was my first Rocky Mountain hike is now covered with a subdivision. I have a negative attitude against new development anyway so this did not sit well with me. Thus, it was time for another hike. Below is what used to be an open field. Behind it is the first mountain I hiked. On the back side of that mountain, there is now a subdivision.



For my second hike of the day, I chose to hike up to Doc Holiday's grave. He was buried here in Glenwood after he died of tuberculosis. He came to Glenwood Springs thinking the Hot Springs would be good for his lungs. They think the sulfur from the Hot Springs may be what did him in. I know it almost did me in when I was swimming the other night. So up the trail I went. I was disappointed to find a sign that said this certain area was restricted and under renovations. I took that to mean that the really cool stuff was up ahead and so I stepped over the little sign and kept on walking. The area that I came upon was Potter's Field or the part of the cemetery for the destitute, the undesirables, and of course anyone who was not white. It was there that I found the headstone of Kid Curry, who ran with Butch Cassidy. The headstone looked brand spanking new and my guess is that it was not original to his 1904 death.

I must say that I had not originally realized I was visiting a cemetery on Halloween . . . not until I saw the ghost of Doc Holliday. Ok, it wasn't technically a ghost. It was a guy dressed up as Doc Holliday or maybe Wyatt Earp (I think he had a badge on) who was going to be leading a haunted tour. I found him at Doc's grave and we chatted a little. It was a little spooky though. After a few pictures, back down the mountain I went.



I spent the rest of the evening relaxing and using Google Earth in an attempt to figure out exactly where I'd walked on Lookout Mountain. That was futile. The trail Google Earth has marked does not look like the trail I walked. And you could see that there are many many trails on Lookout Mountain. Perhaps there were signs under the snow that can guide me next time.

Today's agenda includes a drive to Boulder to watch my nephew play some soccer. I also hope to get a little more hiking in. My shoes, Under Armour, and hiking pants from yesterday are still wet so we'll see what I can accomplish without them.

A Room with a View

I really lucked out. I'm in Glenwood Springs, Colorado and traveling for relaxation (sometimes one travels for business, this time I'm traveling for relaxation). While planning this trip, I did a lot of research on hotels. I debated staying at the Hotel Colorado, the Hotel Denver, or the Hot Springs Lodge. All are right downtown and historic. After looking at pictures and prices, however, I decided to go with the new Glenwood Suites. What a great decision! Everything here is brand new. My room not only has a balcony with the view you see in the pictures but also has additional amenities that I'm enjoying such as a free hot breakfast, free cocktail hour, a fridge, a microwave, a flat panel TV, a nice big couch for napping, granite shower and counter tops, and perhaps best of all in this climate, underground parking. I'm not sure I'm ever leaving this hotel. The hotel also has it's own coffee shop. I may check it out later and see if they have any hot cider drinks. Shortly after checking in yesterday, I was also able to locate the local Target and the local Mexican restaurant, Tequila's. I think I'm now set for life.













As for getting here yesterday, that was an exercise in stress management. Due to two days/12 inches of snow, my flight was delayed an hour and I was snowed in at my sister's for a day. That wasn't bad. I got to spend time with the niece and nephew and relax a little bit. I decided to try to brave the road conditions yesterday and left Brighton, CO for Glenwood Springs. According to Google Maps, this should take 2 hours 48 minutes. It instead took around 5 hours. From Brighton to Vail, the roads were pretty bad. The drive is normally somewhat difficult for me initially anyway because the road is continually turning, going up, or going down and the speed limit is 75 mph. It can feel like playing a racing video game. Throw a bunch of snow on the road and it becomes pretty stressful. While on the drive, I came out of the Eisenhower tunnel, it was snowing, the road was awful, and we started an 8 mile 7% downhill grade (there was also a sign warning that this was an avalanche area). Everyone rode the breaks the entire 8 miles and we averaged 20-30 mph. As soon as that was over, I knew I needed to stop for lunch . . . a sit down lunch where I could relax. So, I had some salad at Ruby Tuesday's in Silverthorne and followed it up with a Carmel Apple Spice at Starbucks. Once I hit Vail, the roads were great and I only had to contend with the wild turns and changes in altitude.


When I got close to Glenwood, I set out on my first hike at Hanging Lake. This hike was described by my guidebook with words like "vigorous," "strenuous," and "most difficult." It was definitely those things on the hike up but that only took an hour so it wasn't too bad. The lake at the top was worth it. Actually, the entire hike was pretty awesome because you were hiking next to a stream that had many many waterfalls and, because of the 20 degree temperature, they were all iced over with icicles everywhere. Going down was a little tricky in spots because of all the snow but I attempted to be light on my feet. Ya know, the funny thing about hiking is when you start out, you think, "Surely this trail doesn't go all the way up there." It almost always does. The picture you seeing of Hanging Lake is not one I took but rather one I found on the internet.





After hiking, I checked into my hotel room, headed to Target for some supplies, and Tequila's for some fuel. I then swam a little at the Hot Springs Pool. I could only swim laps for 20 minutes because the sulfur in the spring water (and thus in my mouth and nose) was making me a little sick. It was also making me feel nauseous swimming laps in water that was 93 degrees. That's ironic since I always think the pool at school is too cold. There's no pleasing me, I guess. I did also spend some time in the therapy pool which is 104 degrees. It was pretty amazing swimming outdoors at night with snow on the trees and ice on the pool deck. Very invigorating. I am posting several pictures that I got off the internet that show the Hot Springs Pool. The first two are intended to demonstrate the size of the pool. The large pool you see is around 93 degrees. The second pool (see the top of the first picture) is 104 degrees. I did not take any pictures last night at the pool-all you could see was steam.



Today's agenda includes more hiking and more relaxing. I need to decide on a trail soon. I was thinking about hiking Storm King Mountain which I've hiked before but am concerned about the snow on the trail. Hanging Lake trail is mostly large rocks and is like going up stairs for an hour. Storm King Mountain, if I remember correctly, is much more loose dirt so I have some concerns about the trail being slick and my ankles remaining fully functional. I've looked up some other area trails such as Grizzly Creek and No Name Trail which are 12 and 8 miles, respectively. I think that's a little too long at this point and in these weather conditions. I would like to try them next time I'm in town though.

Time to get going!

As Kenny Chesney said, "I went out last night."

. . . which explains why I haven't posted in a while.

My friend and roommate JoAn, her daughter Randi, and I went out for drinks and dinner Thursday night at Roy's Hawaiian Fusion. Seating was limited and we had to sit at the bar. Many hours later, we closed the place down and had sampled most of the beverages on the drink menu. Randi had to return her rented bike so, at midnight, I rode on her handlebars back to the rental location. We then went with our new San Diego friend to another watering hole. Needless to say, it was a late night and I took a few naps yesterday.

Arne Duncan & Rockin' Baja

After our morning caucus (7 -9 a.m. & I worked out first-feel free to leave comments about my dedication), the NEA had a town hall meeting with Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan. According to estimates, about 5000 teachers attending the conference were in attendance. Duncan spoke well and listened to those in attendance as much as he spoke.

In a little over an hour, author of Three Cups of Tea, Greg Mortenson will be speaking at the conference and I will be going to hear him speak. I greatly appreciated that book and have recommended it to many. Since I had just a little time to eat, I walked down the road from the convention center to Rockin' Baja Costal Cantina. I am enjoying a mango margarita as well as the salsa buffet al fresco and have some dirty tacos on the way. The music here is fabulous and reminds me of family campout-a mixture of Johnny Cash & Tone Loc. It is a gorgeous day in San Diego and I may spend the remainder of the day at the hotel pool (very upscale) or at the nearby park. Or I may spend it at this table researching how many mango margaritas I can drink.

Surfin' Safari

Like my dad, I have a habit of getting sick when traveling. This trip is no different. On the flight out yesterday, I felt a cold coming on. By last night, it had fully manifested and I was all stuffed up. We also had an extra gal in our room last night who I had to share my bed with. We didn't go to bed until after 1 a.m. and I did not sleep well. When 5. a.m. rolled around, I couldn't fall asleep anymore. I got up, showered, and headed to the local CVS. Without thinking, I threw on a pair of regular shoes with no socks and had busted open blisters (or blizzards, as my nephew says) by the time I got to CVS. So along with the Dayquil and Excedrin, I got some Band-Aids. After a great breakfast at Buster's Beach House, I was ready for the day. And the event of the day? Surfing!

With my friend's daughter, it was time to surf at Pacific Beach. We took lessons from Pacific Beach Surf School. I cannot speak highly enough of this establishment. The instructors and other employees were extremely helpful and friendly. The owner, Randy, was kind enough to match a competitors coupon and thus our lessons were half price. If you are ever in the San Diego area and want to surf, rent a bike, rent a chair, or anything else, go to the Pacific Beach Surf School.

As for the surfing, it was EXHAUSTING! I knew it would be difficult especially with challenges related to all forms of coordination. I did not expect, however, that it would be so physically exhausting. Getting the board out to the area of the water of appropriate depth while getting pounded by the waves. It turns out that carrying a giant foam board against a current repeatedly for an hour and a half takes a fair amount of energy.

So, am I a surfer now? Hell no. I do feel like after a few more lessons in the future, I can get a better handle on it. On my second to last try though, I was able to get up, stay balanced, and ride the wave into the sand. Success!

I didn't have time to blog last night so . . .

Yesterday after arriving, I took a cab to our hotel, the Manchester Grand Hyatt. Grand it is. It is a very nice hotel and directly on the harbor. After checking in, I went to the local Seaport Village and enjoyed a fish taco and a margarita. I then did a little walking around and decided to take the ferry across the harbor to the peninsula of Coronado. My mission was to try on a pair of Five Finger shoes that are stocked at Island Birkenstock. These shoes are somewhat difficult to find and I've heard great things about them. These shoes look goofy but are supposed to be extremely comfortable. After trying them on, I decided they looked too much like swim socks to spend $75 on them. The walk around the peninsula and it's beaches was nice and by the end of the day, I walked three hours.

Tomorrow we begin our meetings. We have a 7 a.m. morning meeting with all the people from Indiana and then I may attend a town hall meeting with Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan.

A Seat with a View

I write this as I am flying over what appears to be Arizona. The land looks barren and there appear to be few houses. Previous to this, we were over Colorado. The view of the Rockies from above was spectacular. I must get to Colorado and do some hiking ASAP. I need to link up with a good traveling buddy who likes to hike and try new activities. Kev is a good travel partner but we’ve discovered that he likes to look at the sites where as I like to physically do something at the sites. For example, last fall, Kev and I were in Los Angeles visiting our friend Zeck. We took a cruise to the Hollywood sign. Kev enjoyed looking at the sign and surrounding scenery; I, meanwhile, wanted to hike to the sign. In our visit to the Pacific, we enjoyed a leisurely break at the beach and watched the boats, birds, and strange folks. I would have preferred however, to experience the Pacific by kayak. So Kev likes to see and I like to do. We continue to be good travel companions because we compromise. If, however, you’re a do-er and would like to travel, let me know. I’m always looking for adventure.

As the flight continues, it has now become very clear that we are over Arizona or Nevada. The land is not only dry but has turned the distinctive red color associated with the desert southwest. I am seeing little vegetation. My view is not limited to Arizona, however. I also have a great view of the part of the jet that propels us. I forget what this thing is called. I’m sure my good friend Shop Teacher Bob can tell us. It’s that big round thing that geese get sucked into. I chose to sit in the back of the plane because I had read that you are more likely to have open seats in the back. Unfortunately, this proved untrue on this flight and it is extremely loud back here.

ORD to SAN

I am traveling again! I am currently enjoying a delicious chorizo and egg burrito at O'hare. I'm having a (somewhat) large late breakfast / early lunch as I am sure my friend JoAn will want to hit the ground running when I arrive in San Diego at 2:30 local time. The drive in was longer as normal and I take full responsibility for this. Normally, I drive fast as can be with no stops when I go places. I once left a class at Ball State desperately needing to use the restroom. I was in a big hurry to get home so I drove THE WHOLE THREE HOURS without stopping, having to urinate the whole time. A similar situation happened this morning. During the school year, I normally don't have a chance to use the rest room from the time I get up at 5 a.m. until after school. I am used to "holding it." Well this morning, after just two mugs of tea, I could not hold it anymore. It was like every bump in the road was a close call. I thus had to stop at the Hinsdale Oasis and use the facilities. I also had to get gas and go to the ATM on my way in. I'll do better on the way home.

I am traveling somewhat light today. Although I'll be gone for a week, I brought just my backpack and small suitcase. I still managed to squeeze in a laptop, 2 books, 2 magazines, a newspaper, water bottle, travel mug, 4 pairs of shoes, 2 swuimsuits, etc etc. I did forget to bring the diffuser for my hair dryer so I you may not see any pictures of my head this week.

The View of Wrigley

My view of Wrigley just changed to:

Traveling Pirate in 9th Row Behind Home at Wrigley

I've heard many complaints that the Traveling Pirate has not been posting. Yes, I went to Los Angeles in October and did not post about my travels. I apologize profusely.

So where is the Traveling Pirate today? Beautiful Wrigley Field. Bright sunny skies and nine rows back from home plate at cost of one third of the ticket's face value. One cannot beat an opportunity like this. Two years ago, I attended the Crosstown Classic (versus the Cubs) with an excellent ticket. That ticket was free compliments of my friend's brother-in-law, Mke Quigley who is now the Congressman from Chicago (taking the place of Rahm Emanuel). Happy birthday to me!

Today I am attending the game with my aunt Sheryl, my loud cousin Jordan, and her friend Sam. I am currently enjoying batting practice and a strawberry daiquiri. It is shocking how close we are to the field.

Some may wonder why I am considering a short hour and a half drive to Wrigley Field traveling. How far does one have to go before one is travleing? My answer is if you're leaving your hometown, you're probably traveling. Wrigley Field is not a place I am on a regular basis so thus I must be traveling.