On the Road Again

The last full day Team Barrel of Monkeys spent on the RAGBRAI road started with a 4:30AM wake-up call. After breaking down our campsite (We were lucky enough to camp in front of an elementary school... right under a street light... on a busy street... with the night before's rock & roll concert just a few blocks away.), the three riders hopped on their bikes for a quick sunrise photo before heading off for the day.

Toni took a few photos from the road. This photo showcases a smidgen of the bikes they saw along the way:

Dad grabbing a cuppa joe along the bike route:

Dad & Toni posing in front of a silo of some sort:

Bill & Dad at one of the small towns between camp sites:

And at the end of the day, the riders met back up with Mom & I for what would be our last campsite.

"Why, that campsite looks fine," you say? We have since come to call that campsite "Tick-landia." And it was hot. And it was humid. And it was loud. And the next day, we were done.

The Barrel of Monkeys Get Air-Conditioning!!

After our first full day of RAGBRAI, we were in for a very special treat.

The folks who opened up their yard for us to camp in (so we didn't have to stay in the general camping area), had an air-conditioned studio apartment big enough for all 5 of us, and they invited us to crash there for the night. Yippee!!

We ate BBQ in their front yard, watched tons of bike riders & team vehicles cruise down the road, and got to know this really nice family.

We also met a lovely woman from Appleton, WI, who was waiting late into the evening trying to get in contact and meet up with her friend who had rode the arduous first day of RAGBRAI. I mentioned in my last post that the first day riding was tough - Mom & I heard over six ambulances picking up riders throughout the course - and we learned a few days later than this woman's friend was all right, but had been transported to an area hospital for dehydration.

The first day, as Toni so aptly put it, "was grueling." Therefore, the air-conditioned studio was a god-send!

The family also created cute welcome signs for us.

And decorated the room with monkeys and signs so we really felt special. This is the one monkey that we got to keep to decorate future campsites.

Needless to say, but we all felt so much better after a full night of restful sleep!

RAGBRAI XXXIX

After almost a year of training & planning, last month we went to Iowa for the (Des Moines) Register's Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa, or RAGBRAI. It was the 39th year RAGBRAI was held, and the first time my Dad, sister Toni, and Bill participated.

The event lasts 7 full days, and we made it to the 4th day before the incredible heat & humidity made us choose to finish our participation. As Bill said, the ride was an absolute joy, but camping in (heat index calculated) 100+ degree heat & humidity just about did us all in. Not to mention the price gouging - $5 for each cup of plain old coffee, c'mon! It's not even that expensive in Monterey!

However, we did get a lot of great pictures & stories. Here are a few, and there are more to come...

Here is our first campsite, the night before the first ride:

Alas, about 2 hours after these pictures were taken, a serious weather front came through... tornado sirens rang out (Needless to say, I freaked - I know what to do in an earthquake, but tornados? Those suckers are scary!), and after the threatening weather moved on, our shade structure was halfway across the field and one of the poles was bent beyond repair. An ominous start to our adventure :-/

To beat the heat, Toni made each of us a "Barrel of Monkeys" coolie - neck bandanas with gel inside that became cool when soaked in water. Yeah, we pretty much wore our coolies every night at the campsite!

Bill purchased a do-rag / sweat band thing that really helped keep the sweat out of his eyes while on the trip, but was also a bit too tight, creating a stubborn, week-long headache. Ouchie!

A picture of our campsite right before the storm hit:

And at 5:45AM the next morning, our three bike riders hit the road! They had over 60 miles and 4,000 feet of elevation to climb before the day would be done. And all three were doing so on very little to no sleep... Yikes!

Trinidad, CA

Last weekend we visited Trinidad, CA, where we were able to hike around Patrick's Point State Park. A gorgeous park where the redwood forest meets the sea. We got to see some Yurok buildings (built recently, but with traditional tools and materials). The Yurok were the native population who used to live in the Northwestern corner of California, smart people!

Here's Bill inside a replica of one of the Yurok homes. Like the beehive huts of Ireland, their doors were a low, tight squeeze!

We hiked all the way down to Agate Beach, where the prime goal is to find some pretty agates. However, judging by the number of people down on the beach searching, my guess is all the agates were found long ago.

But we did find some pretty rocks.

And Bill even found a few good skippin' rocks. Here he is just about ready to let one fly!

After our hike, we went back to our little cabin and cleaned up for the main event... Joelle & Jesse's Wedding!!!

Here is the happy couple, shortly after the beautiful ceremony. CONGRATULATIONS, Mr. & Mrs. Morris! :-)

Traveling to Trinidad, CA

This weekend we drove just over eight hours to a little town in Northern California, just north of Eureka called Trinidad, to attend my junior high & high school best friend's wedding. What a treat it was to not only attend Joelle's special day and visit with her & her family, but also to see a part of California neither Bill nor I have ever seen.

We took our time on our drive up, stopping several times to check out the sights. At one stop, we got to see a redwood tree that you could drive your car through. We didn't drive Pretty Pearl through, as you can see it was quite a tight fit for many of the cars daring the drive:

Behind the gift shop (that was crammed with people buying cheap souvenirs), was a beautiful pond teaming with all manners of life, and save for Bill and I, no other humans.

The pond had dragonflies

and frogs

The weather was warm, the cicadas were buzzing, frogs were ribbet-ing, it was a lovely little spot, surrounded by a redwood forrest.

We are so glad we pulled off the road for the sights!

Malik, the Magic Hound Dog

My sister's dog, Malik the Magic Hound Dog, is such a character, I had to post a few great shots of him.

Malik's thought bubble: "Okay, lady, take my picture. Then will you leave me be?"

"Sometimes my human pets like me to sing with them. I oblige... when I feel like it."

"Seriously, people? Seriously?!?"

Happy Birthday, Dad!

A few weeks ago we celebrated not only Father's Day, but also my Dad's birthday. And it was a birthday that rang in a new decade on earth, so we had to celebrate in style!

Mom, Dad, Toni, and her dog Malik all showed up on Friday for a yummy dinner at Duffy's. Toni had never been to Duffy's Pub, but it's already become a favorite of Mom & Dad's. Duffy's never disappoints: there's always a good burger, beer (or cider), and almost always a chicken sandwich for me!

The next day we spent hanging out at the cabin they rented, playing ping-pong,

sitting around the fireplace,

and generally having a jolly good time.

Sunday, Dad was king for the day! And he was a pretty good sport about it, too.

Bill smoked some beef for shredded tacos and for dessert we had some homemade cherry ice cream, and cupcakes from Miss Delish's. Dad didn't like the cupcakes at all.

The best part of the whole weekend was hanging out with loved ones, having fun.

I hope you had fun, Dad. I know I sure did!!

Point Lobos Graduation

After six months, and more than 120 training hours, I finally graduated the Point Lobos Docent program!! We had a lovely little ceremony at Piney Woods picnic area, where we gathered for a group photo.

After graduation, we had a potluck picnic and a tasty cake.

And of course, I had to pose with my new-fangled docent jacket.

Bill surprised me later that day with a brand new Cannon digital SLR camera, so from here on out, all photos should be from a great camera... whether the photographer gets better is still a mystery :-)

Easter / Date-aversary Weekend

Easter weekend was also our 10th dating anniversary - yes, Bill and I have been together 10 whole, happy, amazing years!

We decided to spend the weekend playing tourist in San Francisco. We stayed at a very nice hotel right near the hub of all things tacky & tourist-y... Fisherman's Wharf! The nice surprise was having the State Historical Maritime Museum right across the street, and they were offering free admission all day. Sweet!

We toured many historical boats, including the Eureka, which had been used to haul American lumber to Scotland, Scottish Coal to America, and finally Alaskan Salmon to America over its 70+ years on the sea.

Inside the dining cabin, a park ranger and docent spent an hour singing sea shantys:

A view of San Francisco from the deck of the Eureka:

That night we had diner at a swanky, tasty greasy spoon about a mile or so walk from our hotel:

The next morning, Easter Sunday, we had tickets to take the 15-minute boat ride over to Alcatraz Island and tour the prison. I have lived in California since I was 2, and had never been to Alcatraz - it was really interesting, and the tour was well worth the money.

It had been a rainy mile walk from our hotel to the departure pier, but the damp morning was worth this beautiful rainbow, which ended on Alcatraz Island:

The stairway up the side of the hill to Alcatraz Prison (visitors are now able to walk the gently-sloaped switchback road to the prison):

Inside Alcatraz Prison Cellblock G:

The horribly enticing view the prisoners had everyday from their prison yard (they call San Francisco Fog City for a reason!):

We had a great time, but will probably avoid the tourist-y areas of San Francisco for at least another 10 years :-)

Point Lobos

Last December I was accepted into the Point Lobos docent program - I know, I know, another volunteer gig. What can I say, I'm a volunteer addict :-)

Point Lobos is a California State Reserve, which is the most protected type of state park in California. Point Lobos is a beautiful seaside park with many trails to hike and a rich history. The Spanish who built the Carmel mission in the 1850s named the area Punto de los Lobos Marinos (point of the sea wolves), and the sea lions (as we now call them) still hang out on the rocks offshore. I have had to study the park's flowers, trees, birds, animals, geology, and history - it was a much bigger undertaking than I though it'd be when I signed up, but I'm so glad I stuck with it!

I have had the opportunity to take a lot of pictures while studying Point Lobos. Here are a few of my favorite.

Seaside Painted Cup (a native, Spring flower) overlooking Carmel Bay:

A Monterey Cypress tree with a green algae (which has beta carotene that makes it red) called Trentapholia clinging to its lower branches:

A succulent called Bluff Lettuce clinging to some of the granodiorite (a metamorphic rock that formed when dinosaurs roamed the earth) near Cypress Point:

A path through one of the many meadows:

And finally, a short video of one of the many coves during a stormy day: