Biking in CA

If you're interested in reading about my family trip in Lake Tahoe click here.

The start of summer 2010

Another school year has ended (and a good one it has been) so that means that my summer traveling plans have begun. This past weekend, my friend Tanya and I spent three days on the Loyalsock Trail. We planned on doing about 38 miles of the 59 mile trail but hiked 42 miles due to some directional challenges. The weather couldn't have been more perfect for hiking and the company was was pretty great too.

On day one we started off on what we thought was the right direction but when we passed mile marker 20 (we started at 22 and were supposed to be counting up) we realized we hiked for about an hour in the wrong direction. The trail guide told us that the section we were planning on hiking that day would take us 12 hours so we were a bit concerned about getting into camp late after hiking 4 miles out of our way. However, Tanya and I hiked like it was our job and did 10 miles before lunch and then finished the last 6 to get us into camp at 4pm. We definitely celebrated with some "celebration stew" and biscuits for dinner and were asleep before the sun went down.

Day two was a little less strenuous but tired legs from the day before caused us to hike much slower and we took frequent breaks and a long lunch. We hiked 12 miles to World's End State Park and checked in at the park office since we had already reserved a campsite. However, when we learned that our campsite was another mile from the office, our look of despair must have caused the park rangers to have pity on us and we got a ride to the campsite from Ruth, a lovely retired teacher who volunteers with the Alpine Club and helps maintain the trail.

We decided to change our plans a bit on day 3 and make it to "the haystacks" to play in the water and then camp instead of getting there on sunday. It was a hot afternoon and the water felt great. We took advantage of various photo opportunities and lounged on rocks. We ate our last dinner (more biscuits of course with a hamburger stew) and hiked the last two miles to Tanya's car and came off the trail a night early.

It really was a great trip--one of the best backpacking trips either of us have ever had and a great way to start the summer for me. Now my legs can rest for a few days before they tackle cycling in the Sierra Nevadas with my brother and dad.

Pictures

Click here to check out ALL of my pictures from the trip. I'll be adding more once I get them from others. Enjoy.

Things I won't miss

1. Mosquitos
2. Putting on deet to protect me from #1 (which I'm pretty sure can cause neurological damage)
3. Dogs barking/chasing me as I run
4. Wearing the same clothes for a long period of time/"washing" clothes and not feeling like they were so clean
5. Not snacking between meals

And the things that I will miss? That list would be rather lengthy. Pretty much everything else I got to see and experience and all the people that I met over the past month. I'll work on pictures tomorrow. Just letting you know that I'm home safe and sound.

The end is near...

I can't believe that I only have one more full day here in Nicaragua. This month has flown by. However, at this point, I can say that I'm ready to be home. This really has been a great experience--I think I would stay longer if I was living with a family and volunteering somewhere in the community in addition to taking more classes (maybe next summer--he he). Nicaragua is a beautiful and very safe place. I've been able to meet some great people, improve on my spanish, and see so many things that I didn't expect.

Here's the report from my last weekend here: On Saturday I spent the day in Grenada--a beautiful colonial town but it was a bit too touristy for my liking. I know that I am a tourist and will always look like one no matter how hard I try, but we have gone to so many places that are not tourist filled that it felt weird being around so many other foreigners. Unfortunately it rained most of the day or was at least cloudy so the views of the lake and surrounding volcanoes were a bit obscured. We did head out on Lake Nicaragua on a small boat and got a tour of the isletas--many of which were owned by the ridiculously wealthy. There was a very small one for sale for only $100,000 if anyone is interested.
Today was a bit of a lazy day. I finally got to take a horseback ride up to the ridge behind Volcan Masaya. The view from up there was amazing and despite having to be on a horse, all was well. This afternoon I studied a bit of the subjunctive (no, I don't think I'll ever get it or use it correctly) and treated myself to a pedicure. It cost $5. You wouldn't believe how gross your feet could get in a month here. Currently I'm sitting out on the terrace enjoying a beverage and lamenting the end of Le Tour and the fact that I didn't get to watch any of it. Que lastima.

I'm looking forward to talking to all of you in person and I'll be sure to post pictures as soon as I can. What a month. It will be a shame when this place gets to be well known...I'm glad I came when I did.

I can't think of any title for this post at all...

Today is Wednesday. It's my last Wednesday in Nicaragua. This week has been a little tough. It started with the leaving of my "family" for the past 3 weeks. I guess when you're in a situation like one is in at a place like the Mariposa, it doesn't take long to get to know the other people you're around. In my case, the Winter family and Jean were exactly what I needed while traveling by myself for the first time. I felt included by them pretty much instantly and had a great time doing whatever--whether it was a weekend in Ometepe, our normal Wednesday night out for pizza, riding in the microbus, or just hanging out on the terrace. So when I had to say "hasta luego" to Jean on Sunday morning and to the Winter family at 4am on Monday, it was hard. Their presence here has definitely been missed this week. Things are a little quieter and the microbus is a little less crowded. Actually, I went to bed at 7:52 on Monday night partly because I didn't sleep well the night before, partly because I got up at 4am to say goodbye, and partly because I just didn't have my friends to talk to anymore. But...as with all things, Tuesday was a new day. I'm enjoying the company of the people that are still here and still having a blast here in Nicaragua.

On Monday afternoon, our group had salsa and meringue lessons with Bergman (teacher, guide, and dancer extraordinaire). I only dance in foreign countries so this was no exception. I still have no rhythm, but I have a great time trying. And it is much easier when you're dancing with someone who can lead you. However, while we were practicing, my main partners were 2 adolescent boys (the sons of Marybeth--Marybeth and I are the only 2 females here at the moment so we were in high demand for dancing). And before you ask, no, there are no videos or even pictures from this event. Sorry. Your imagination will have be just fine for this one.

Yesterday we visited a pina finca (pineapple farm). The particular farm that we went to is owned by a very nice family who told us about their farm and the whole process of the pineapple "industry". I'm a little bit embarrased to say that I assumed pineapples grew on trees...obviously not the case. I also learned that it takes about 18 months for a pineapple to grow and you can get about 25000 plants on one acre. A pineapple plant lives for about 5 years. The pineapples here sell for about 5 cordoba (20 cordoba = $1) and sometimes farmers can only get 1 cordoba for them during the times of year where there is too much supply. The only people eating Nicaraguan pineapples are Nicaraguans because they aren't able to export them. The product, however, is amazing. We ate a pineapple that was picked right off the plant--I've never had such a sweet piece of pineapple. It was also slightly warm as it was out in the sun. We also sampled some fresh pineapple juice which was also sweet and delicious.
Today has been kind of low-key--classes this morning (I started the subjunctive tense), a charla on the religion in Nicaragua this afternoon, and pizza tonight for dinner. I'm looking forward to my final days here with a Saturday trip to Grenada and a horseback ride along the ridge on Sunday. I continue to be amazed at the beauty of this country and the friendliness of every person I've met. People are very patient with my spanish and don't laugh at me too much. However, I would be laughing at me often--I'm sure I sound ridiculous. I'll try and post again after the Grenada trip, but am looking forward to telling you these stories in person. Thanks for taking the time to read these.

The 19th of July

I have never experienced anything like I have today. The 19th of July marks the day of victory for the Sandinistas. Today is the 30 year anniversary of that. It seemed like everyone was heading into Managua for the celebration and I have never seen that kind of national pride. In the States, we have more pride for our sports teams and schools than we do in our nation. As we headed into Managua, it looked like the telephone poles had a new coat of red and black, every car, van, bus, dumptruck, motorcycle, and taxi was filled with people and sandinista flags were flying everywhere. The streets were crowded, the bombas loud (and often), and the temperature was extremely high. We made our way (10 white people and Bergman--we stuck out just a bit) into the main plaza where the festivities were taking place. We got as close to the main stage as possible, but were still pretty far away. The people around us were "muy sandinista" as Bergman's daughter put it and were very excited. When they played a sandinista song, every single person was singing along. Hands were raised high, flags were flying, and the people were cheering as one. We stayed in the main plaza long enough to hear the beginning of Daniel Ortega's speech (and no, I really have no idea what he was saying but it was just cool to say that I heard him in person) and then found some food and more water and shade. We didn't stay too long just because it was really too hot and too crowded. However, I'm glad I had a chance to experience something like that--it was one of those times like, wow, how did I get to see something like this?

Sorry about the lack of photos. I'll post a link to all of my photos when I get home. It just takes too long to upload them here. Only 8 days left. I could definitely stay longer.