Job Interview, Nature at its Finest and Great Company

Now, after my last post (you know, the one where I rambled a LOT - and don't any of you say "which one") I promised that this next one would be short, but picture filled. Well, this will be the first one where I have video, because you absolutely MUST see where I went hiking today. The video won't do it justice (do they ever?) but if any of you have been thinking of coming out here to go hiking with me, this might just help solidify those thoughts.

Before I show you those pictures though, I'm gonna show you where I went on Tuesday. It was pretty darn cool, but not nearly as cool as today's hike.

But I digress. First of all, today I had my first interview. Hopefully, it will be one of a few. I say "a few" because I want to land a good job, and soon! The interview went well and I very much hope for a call back.

Next, Andrew, Liz and I (along with the doggies) went for an wonderful hike. As much as I love writing, I can not put into words the beauty that I saw today. I'll post the pictures and video at the end of this post so you can get a sample of what's in store for those of you who come out and visit.

Finally, tonight I went and saw the New York Philharmonic Orchestra's revival of "Company". The big names heading the cast were Neil Patrick Harris and Steven Colbert. And, while I've heard that they weren't nearly as good as the last group that did the show, they were phenomenal. If you don't catch it in theaters this week, be sure to check it out on DVD or Blu-Ray.

I went to the movie by myself, which is the first time I've done that since...damn. A LONG time. It was nice. I lost myself in the show, laughed hysterically, cried and did a lot of thinking. I might be reading into this a bit too much, but it's interesting to me that it just happened to be showing when I decided to come out here. And I'm glad I saw it.

Anyway, that's it for this one. Short (er), as promised. Now, enjoy the pictures and vids!

First up, the pictures and videos from Tuesday. I don't know where the hell I was, but it was a good hike. The first video is kinda weird - the sky looks pretty crazy. Rest assured, you are not on acid (though what do I know; maybe you are) - but really, I think my camera was just having some trouble.

Cacti. In the mountains. Nifty.

Of all the videos for this day, please watch the following. It took HOURS to upload for some reason. It's not great, but dammit, this is what made the blog post take so long!

Now for June 16.

Kayla might wanna think about this.

Hmm. She didn't think it through.

I would soon be walking on this. Looking at all the downed trees and debris, you get a good sense of how powerful nature can be.

This guy and I had similar ideas when it came to taking pics of the little waterfall. However, my retard card allowed me to get some better angles, as you'll soon see. :)

So, yeah. If you thought the pictures I took while driving through the Rocky Mountains upped my chances of joining the "Retard Hall of Fame", well, these ones pretty much make me a shoe in. 

I'm not stupid, just a bit reckless. Bit of a drop though, isn't it?

If it's all a dream, I don't wanna wake up (but hopefully I don't roll over - all that green behind me is a good 40 or 50 feet down).

Fremont Street is for Zombies, Mary Jane Falls is Sweet

This weekend was pretty darn good. My buddy Liz and I went out to Fremont St for the Vegas Streets festival. There was food and free bands playing. The atmosphere was one of fun and excitement. In typical Fremont St fashion, it was like one big party.

However, last night, I noticed something that I found interesting. As many of you might know, a good portion of Fremont St is covered by a large canopy that is basically a giant screen. Every hour, the music starts bumping (it was the Doors last night - very cool) and a great show gets put on right above you. Not that the people zip lining down the street isn't a good show in itself.

From a local perspective, surprisingly (to me anyway) this light show is actually kind of annoying. If you've ever seen the movie Land of the Dead, you'll recall that the heroes would set off fireworks to distract the zombies (and if you haven't seen it, WTF?). I imagine that the hourly show on Fremont would work in much the same fashion.

As we were trying to make our way back to the car, the music pumped, the lights came up and damn near EVERYONE just STOPPED. Like the zombies in the movie, they stop and look up at all the pretty lights. Not a problem in itself, except that Fremont is PACKED with people which made it very difficult to get where you want to go.

SO...if you're ever in this neck of the woods and would like to enjoy Fremont St, please, try to stand off to the side or something. The locals, and anyone else who doesn't go completely retarded over pretty lights, will thank you.

I didn't get a lot of pictures while we were there, but we did cut through the Golden Nugget on our way back, which has this.

It's a shark tank. With a water slide that goes through it. Nuff said. There was also a "Super Hero Pub Crawl" last night, which was pretty cool. Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures of them. Maybe I was distracted by the...nevermind.

ANYWAY, as much fun as THAT was, today was much more fun for me. This morning, we headed out at about 09:00 and drove north. Liz wanted to show me the Mary Jane Falls, and I'm SO glad that she did!

After about 30 or 40 minutes of driving, it's like we were in a completely different world. The mountains loomed all around us. The elevation change made me dizzy. The base of the trail starts at 7840 ft. and the top is 8880 ft. A 1040 ft ascent, no big deal. Add loose stone and steep drops and you have a recipe for fun!

It took me about 15 or 20 minutes to get used to the higher elevation. Once I did, it was no problem, but I was definitely huffing and puffing for awhile. The ironic thing is that I really wanted a cigarette. Yes. Sometimes I'm an idiot.

The scenery was beautiful and the weather was pristine. The trail zig-zags up the mountain for quite some time. The lower parts of the trail, as I mentioned above, are mostly loose gravel. However, once you get past all of the switchbacks, it's mostly sturdy, solid rock. Basically, the hard part is near the bottom of the trail. Go figure.

Once you're at the top, the falls await! The falls are actually the runoff of the snow melting from the tops of the mountains. Regardless of where it comes from, it's definitely a sight to see. Once you're up near the falls, the air is cool and the mist from the falls are very welcome after the long hike up.

That big "white rock" is actually a HUGE pile of snow!

Unfortunately, my pictures simply do not do the falls justice. Sorry, but once again, you'll just have to come out here and see them. I'll be happy to take you (actually, I plan to go there again on Tuesday and take the day to explore). Though from what I hear, the best time to come is mid-May when the thaw is first beginning.

To the West or North West of the falls is a big old cave. Of course, being that I am me and ever curious, I had to go check it out. It isn't very deep, but if were to start raining, it'd be a decent place to be.

Anyway, after hanging about the cave and the falls for a bit, we started making our way back down the trail. On the way, I felt the need to stop for just one more picture.

If you're in the pristine beauty of nature and feel the need to write "E=MC2" on a mountain wall, or write out Pi to a mere 4 decimal points, please take note. You are not clever. You're a pretentious ass and I hope you lose your footing on the way down the trail. Don't be a douche.

Speaking of losing your footing, through out the trail there are numerous shortcuts that skirt the main trail. These shortcuts are quite steep. While I only took one on the way up (to get around some folks and their dog), I took quite a few on the way down.

The experience of getting low and sliding down the side of a mountain is pretty cool, but I am definitely thankful for the large stones that DON'T move when you get to them. More than one of them saved me from tumbling down the face of the mountain (though they did NOT save me bumping my butt a few times). So did a large tree that had fallen. No harm done to me, but if you're going to do it, I suggest having someone else hold your camera and tripod (I almost lost them a few times).

That was it for the weekend. Maybe not quite as cool to some of you as the drive out here, but for me, it was like magic.

Anyway, I got job interviews coming up this week, but if I do get out again on Tuesday, I promise I'll make the next post more show and less tell. I know. I can ramble. :)

The End is the Beginning is...

Last night, I slept in my car again. No big deal, I've done it before. The day had been ridiculously hot, so I slept with a small blanket. I'd forgotten that, while a desert area is super hot during the day, it gets very cold at night. I woke up about 3 or 4, freezing my butt off. I grabbed my sleeping bag, curled up and shivered my way back to sleep.

I only mention this as sort of a warning, in case any of you make your way out to this neck of the woods. Do not be fooled by the harsh heat. Bring something warm for the night!

Anyway, I woke up about 8, and after getting cleaned up I hit the road again. My drive would take me through the rest of Utah. After a brief clip through Arizona, I finally hit Nevada and the last leg of my trip.

But as I mentioned yesterday, I still had one more stop I wanted to make. The Valley of Fire.

I'm not entirely certain why it's named this. However, after spending a good 4 or 5 hours there, I think it was for two reasons. The first being that it's hot. Very hot. The second being that it's surrounded by green and grey mountains, but the valley itself is filled with lots of reds. Either way, it's aptly named.

 

I parked my car at the little visitors area, grabbed my camera and filled my backpack with LOTS of water. I didn't want to mess around when it came to these temperatures. Still, as many of those who know me can attest, I sometimes don't think everything through. But we'll get to that later.

The Valley if full of strange, almost alien rock formations. Being there was almost like being in another world. I jaunted off briskly in search of adventure, when a noise and motion to my left caught my attention.

Look closely. This little guy is the one who first caught my attention.

A small lizard had brushed up against a plant as it made way for my bumbling feet. I'm glad he did, because it made me take stock of where I was and the potential situation I could be facing.

This is a desert. And while they look desolate, there is a lot of life in them. All manner of insects, mammals, birds and reptiles live there. But what occurred to me at that moment was that rattlesnakes live there.

I slowed my pace and started keeping an eye on where I was going. It's a good thing that I did, too. If I hadn't, I would have missed a lot of great photo opportunities.

Eh? I can kind of see the elephant.

I stalked around, looking for lizards to take pictures of (after getting one of the little guy that initially made me aware of where I was). I was not disappointed.

I then began looking for other wild things. Many of the various formations would make a great place for a snake to rest while the sun blazed down and I began to look for one. Not just a rattler, but any snake would do.

I climbed and crawled and scuttled, looking for one of our non-legged friends. I looked in dark holes and under rocks. But it wasn't meant to be. I did see a lot more lizards though. The biggest must have been about the size of my arm.

And while some of you would say that my arms aren't particularly huge, a lizard of that size still seem pretty darn big to me. They were mostly just sunning themselves on the rocks. Most paid me no mind and I was glad for that because it made for some great pictures.

After about an hour of exploring, I threw an extra t-shirt over my head to help protect me from the sun a bit more. This was helpful (goofy looking though), but not helpful enough. After a few more hours, while crouching down to take a picture of some very cool, crystalline rocks, I stood up and felt VERY dizzy. I'd love to show you a picture of the rocks, but the camera can't capture it - you'll have to come out and see for yourself.

I knew that it was a sign of heat stroke setting in and thought that it might be a good idea if I slowly made my way back to my car. After staggering around for about an hour, I decided that I didn't wanna fool with this. If I dropped, there was a good chance no one would find me until it was too late.

I kept my eyes open and found a good sized alcove of sorts that offered excellent shade next to a bush. I made my way to it, and after careful inspection for snakes of other critters, I plopped down.

This is where I chilled. Lots of shade and a comfy rock to sit on.

As I gulped on some water, the buzzing in my head seemed so loud. That was when I realized that it wasn't in my head. The bush I was sitting next to was filled with bees! They weren't a problem for me, and I wasn't about to give them any grief so I stayed put and rested. They never bothered me, which is great because I was close enough that I could have reached out and batted at them without leaving my seat.

Not the bees, obviously, but I liked this picture.

I rested for a good 20 minutes or so, and after going through two bottles of water, I eased myself back up and continued on to my car. I felt a lot better at this point but knew that I hadn't given mother nature the respect she deserved on this one. The sun was pounding down and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. It occurred to me that I had an umbrella in the car.

If you zoom in on this picture, you can actually see the moon. It was freakin' noon!

If you come out for some desert hiking, it might not be a bad idea to grab that umbrella. Sure, you might look like a tool carrying it around, but the shade it will give you could be a life saver (or at least save you a headache).

When I got back to the car I took off my backpack. The desert heat is dry, so while you're sweating, you don't really notice it. Well, when my pack came off, I noticed how much sweating I'd actually been doing. The entire back of my shirt was drenched!

I hopped into the car and headed off. I had been planning to just continue on, but with all of the various formations, I couldn't resist stopping for more pictures. No rush, and I'm happy that I took my time.

One of the sites I saw was called "Atlatl Rock". The rock (which is HUGE) actually has ancient petroglyphs on them and it was amazing how well preserved they were. And after climbing the long stairway to see them, it amazed me even more that ancient tribes actually got up there and drew the darn things!

Another spot I stopped was called "The Bee Hives". These rock formations were really unique and looked a lot like bee hives. Hence the name.

I spent quite a bit more time at The Valley of Fire. If you ever get a chance to head out there, you owe it to yourself to check it out. It's a beautiful place, filled with sites you won't see anywhere else. Just be sure to bring someone you love with you - or at least someone who knows the signs of heatstroke. Taking the risk that I did is NOT a great idea.

After I left the Valley of Fire, I continued to my destination. About an hour or so of driving, I was in Las Vegas. For the time being, this is home base. A big thank you to Liz and Andrew for putting up with me for a bit while I get back on my feet. As my road trip ends, my job hunt begins.

I have a few different places in mind, and if it comes down to it, I'm only about 10 minutes from the strip. A few of the casinos are hiring, but that isn't really my cup of tea. Still, I'll be keeping my options open.

So, this is the end. Not just of my road trip, but of the old me. I've taken a big step already, and while I was cold last night, I slept well. That's the first time I've done that on my own if months.

I'm looking forward to more restful nights and figuring out what really makes me tick. It may take me the rest of my life to figure out that last part, but I won't give up on me.

I'll keep you posted. Good night.