In mid July I went camping with a dear, very pregnant friend of mine, her 4 year old daughter and her fiance. It was just a lovely mostly level 3 mile hike. We were able to make it out just in time for us to be getting dinner ready. My lil' camper was even able to make the trek all by herself.
Unfortunately, by the time we had arrived at the cabin, there was already a man all set up inside and he had 1 very large and ugly bulldog with him. Informing him that we had the cabin reserved he asked if he could sleep on the porch. I was SHOCKED! Here is a strange older man asking 3 complete strangers if he can sleep on the porch of a cabin as he had forgotten his tent. I, mouth wide open, turned back and looked at my friend who was wobbling down the steps toward the cabin. "He did not just say what I think he did! NO... NO NO NO! HAH! NO!"
Yeah, a pregnant friend getting up to puck all night long and a 4 year old. We would never get any sleep! Not to mention, we had 4 dogs with us who would be barking the entire time.
No, there is no exception. I was VERY lucky to get the cabin when I did. And hiking out to the most popular cabin, be PREPARED to stay in a tent. It is 90% booked year round.
The creepy older man slowly packed up his gear as we were waiting out on the deck of the lake trying to explain to my friend's daughter why it wasn't polite to point and that she didn't have to speak so loudly as she was pointing out the very upset and angry face of the stranger as he was shoving off and up the hill to find another campsite.
The weekend was great, I had forgotten my camera battery and had lugged my camera all the way to the cabin without it. Huge bummer. My phone lasted long enough for a few decent pictures and I took turns using my friend's camera to get in the shots we wanted.
We ate surprisingly well that weekend, no surprise, as we always eat well on camping trips.
Baked potatoes, muffins, s'mores, hot dogs, oatmeal, hash browns sausage and bacon. Yoga, canoe trips, water painting, dance sessions, blueberry picking, bird watching, and swimming were all apart of the agenda for this camping weekend.
Lots of visitors but luckily they were all very nice and respected the fact that we had use of the cabin. All very friendly.
***********************************************
The following month I went back out to Windfall Lake Cabin with my boyfriend for a romantic weekend.
We went out right after he woke. We arrived pretty early as the last couple campers were just heading out. We set up my hammock to relax and started the fire. Unpacking we realized that a few items were left unpacked and so instead of a huge fest we had to be a little cautious in rationing out our food.
We still ate well, cinnamon rolls, and muffins were made, hot dogs, s'mores, potatoes, hummus and carrots. We also packed hot cider and cocoa. I made a wonderful spiked cider and hot chocolate. Kept us quite warm. We kept the dogs in the cabin and took the opportunity to take a paddle out on the lake. We explored a little river and followed it all the way upstream to a beaver dam. It was all very peaceful.
The weather was not quite as warm as it was mid July so instead of swimming in the lake I just washed my hair off the end of the dock. We played with glow sticks and took lots of pictures swung in the hammock sipping our drinks. It was a fantastic weekend.
*** Pictures to be added at a later date***
Showing posts with label camping. Show all posts
Showing posts with label camping. Show all posts
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
John Muir Cabin 6/24-25/2011
It's been a little over a year since I was last up at John Muir cabin. They have done so much work to it. They put in an extension to the deck, and redid the entire inside of the cabin. Making the bottom have two double beds (bunks) on one side and the other, a spiral staircase up to the top, where they have created an separate room with a screen door. Perfect if you have children to keep them from running down the stairs when it's bed time, or for just making it a little more private.
The boy friend and I got up the cabin first and set up my hammock for relaxation. However, the bugs were insane and immune to any bug spray. So shortly after everyone else arrived, I took the hammock down and set it up inside.
We had a filling meal of shells and cheese for dinner followed by S'mores, in the morning, we made biscuits, eggs, bacon, and sausage. over the stove and on the electric heater. After we all had our fill, still in our PJs, we were cleaning up with a group of older campers came up to the cabin and sat on the deck. Knowing it is a public use cabin from 10a-5p, but not caring at all about the people who actually rented the cabin, they barged right in demanding that we know about the public use rule. Yes, we knew... no, they didn't have to be rude about it. We were just cleaning up and in our pajamas still... They came in and sat right down at the table. We were still having a quite morning wake up routine and the boy friend was trying to sleep because he works nights and wasn't able to sleep the night before. They all had HUGE packs, almost as if to claim the cabin if we had not been there. They sat right on down at the table before we could snag a few of my friend's daughter's toys to play with. And for an hour and a half, they sat and were loud completely not respecting us at all or the fact that all our little friend's toys were on the window sill or that one of our campers was trying to sleep.
My friend and I took the little one up to try and entertain her while they were there. They had a dog of their own as well, and our 4 dogs were not too happy about it considering they just barged right in. They tied him up and let him pee all over the deck.
Once they left, it was time for a little nap and time to play.
That evening right around 5p another group of hikers came up to the cabin to eat a late after sandwich. This group was a pleasant group who I had known from work. They had two little girls with them and 2 dogs that were sweet and so all our dogs played and their girls played with my friend's daughter. They stayed for about an hour as the boy friend slept. We all stayed outside with the bugs, that for some reason or another were not as bad as they were that morning. They offered us part of their sandwich and whiskey before they left.
The next morning we had about 25 runners who came up to the cabin, but seeing that people were sleeping inside, they left and went behind the cabin to the field for a quick snack and water break before running off into the woods. It was almost insane how busy it was.
We made pizzas for dinner and the next morning, I made up orange muffins, more bacon, more eggs and fresh squeezed orange juice. You could say we ate like Kings. Not saying we didn't deserve it though. The hike up was murder on the legs and the back with a full pack on.
After washing and cleaning up the cabin, we packed up and headed down the mountain. Taking less then half the time it took to get up the mountain, the car was a welcome sight.
All in all a good camping trip. But I'm hoping that the next cabin I have is a little more peaceful.
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Spring/Summer Camping
Some time has passed sense I last wrote or posted any pictures.
In that time I have done some camping trips.
The first one I went on a small camping trip with my boyfriend and my dogs. Unsure if it was going to warm enough we went out to Sunshine Cove and found a nice stop. It was rainy and windy but the boyfriend managed to get the fire going and we had a nice dinner of hot dogs. Then we curled up in the tent for the night and kept warm. It turned out that it wasn't too cold, maybe it was all the extra sleeping bags I packed or the body heat from both of us and the dogs. The only one who got cold was Luna, who I ended up covering under one of the extra blankets where she slept soundly.
Both Luna and Eva managed to empty out their food all over the forest floor and managed to engorge themselves with pine needles; which later on the next evening, they threw up.
Our Post-Camping meal was so good, and so was the warm shower.
***
A friend of mine came into town and so a small group of us went out to Bridget Cove for a camp out. I left the dogs at the home with my parents for this outing. It was warm weather, and the sunset was amazing. Enjoyed some exploring of the area and wondering around on the beach at low tide. A Humpback whale even came by for a visit.
A few other friends came by to play some ball on the beach and hang out before they headed home for the night. We had hot dogs, Orange Muffins and bacon.
***
Went out to the Boy Scout Camp Beach for the Memorial Day weekend and the true start to summer. It was overcast but the weather cooperated with us. My friend ended up extending her stay so she came with us on our camping expedition. She had the dogs in her tent to keep her warm and the boy friend and I were in my tent. Hot dogs for dinner, wondering around on the beach where the boy friend ended up picking up just about every Pinky Shell he could find, my friend and I on the other hand gave ourselves natures pedicure by walking around barefoot in the sand. Later we lazed around in my hammock looking up at We roasted bananas by the fire, had beer and roasted bacon in the morning for breakfast.
So many people were out camping that weekend, however, no one was out where we were. We had the beach all to ourselves. We were however, able to hear everyone else partying away and got to enjoy some of the fireworks they shot off that night.
It was a pretty relaxing weekend. Always the showers were welcomed.
In that time I have done some camping trips.
The first one I went on a small camping trip with my boyfriend and my dogs. Unsure if it was going to warm enough we went out to Sunshine Cove and found a nice stop. It was rainy and windy but the boyfriend managed to get the fire going and we had a nice dinner of hot dogs. Then we curled up in the tent for the night and kept warm. It turned out that it wasn't too cold, maybe it was all the extra sleeping bags I packed or the body heat from both of us and the dogs. The only one who got cold was Luna, who I ended up covering under one of the extra blankets where she slept soundly.
Both Luna and Eva managed to empty out their food all over the forest floor and managed to engorge themselves with pine needles; which later on the next evening, they threw up.
Our Post-Camping meal was so good, and so was the warm shower.
***
A friend of mine came into town and so a small group of us went out to Bridget Cove for a camp out. I left the dogs at the home with my parents for this outing. It was warm weather, and the sunset was amazing. Enjoyed some exploring of the area and wondering around on the beach at low tide. A Humpback whale even came by for a visit.
A few other friends came by to play some ball on the beach and hang out before they headed home for the night. We had hot dogs, Orange Muffins and bacon.
Went out to the Boy Scout Camp Beach for the Memorial Day weekend and the true start to summer. It was overcast but the weather cooperated with us. My friend ended up extending her stay so she came with us on our camping expedition. She had the dogs in her tent to keep her warm and the boy friend and I were in my tent. Hot dogs for dinner, wondering around on the beach where the boy friend ended up picking up just about every Pinky Shell he could find, my friend and I on the other hand gave ourselves natures pedicure by walking around barefoot in the sand. Later we lazed around in my hammock looking up at We roasted bananas by the fire, had beer and roasted bacon in the morning for breakfast.
So many people were out camping that weekend, however, no one was out where we were. We had the beach all to ourselves. We were however, able to hear everyone else partying away and got to enjoy some of the fireworks they shot off that night.
It was a pretty relaxing weekend. Always the showers were welcomed.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Burning Man 2010- My Wonderful Awesome Enlightening Crazy Fun Adventure
After work, I raced over to my friend's mother's house to pick up the glacier ice and then raced out to the valley to snag some dry ice before my flight. She wished me well, I grabbed the ice and my friends contacts and was off. Who knew that taking glacier ice off the glacier was a federal offense? Haha! Good thing that once it's off the glacier and out of the lake, they can't do anything about it. I'm not sure why it's illegal. I just don't get it. It was falling off anyway. It's just like Eagle feathers, I mean... they molt every year. Interesting no?
I arrived into Seattle at 11pm where one of my best friends, Nena picked me up and bless her heart drove me down to Portland. The next day, my friend & ride share Bret picked me up and we made our way out toward Black Rock City. A ten hour drive. As we made got closer, we got more and more excited. Like children in a candy store. Reality was starting to set in. We were going to Burning Man. I couldn't believe it!
The mountain side lit up.
This BRIGHT orange moon rose up above it. As we rounded a corner the lights from the city sunk in to our souls & we were both amazed. We arrived at 11:30pm and a short line time. A few minutes later in line we arrived at the gate. Dust angles and the 'virgin' bell ringing, we were no longer virgins. I was home.
I was.
It being as late as it was, there was absolutely no way I was going to be able to set up my tent. But Bret and I split up to find our Theme Camps.
I found it; Bob's Rainforest and my new home for the next glorious week. The only green on the Playa. That evening, I meet Ian or Bamboo Bob, Toi Box & Zak. Everyone else was either already asleep or partying. Bamboo Bob was camping somewhere else and offered up his couch for me to stay on that night. We rode off and Bamboo Bob took me to see The Man. A beautiful clear evening and everyone so nice and friendly. Everyone dishing out hugs. We rode over on our bikes to one of the big party sides of the city and watched one of the fire art installations shoot up to music.
Morning came fast and it was cold. I got up and left in search of my friend Evan. The sun was very warm and pleasant. Soon, it was hot again and once I'd tracked down my friend I made my way back to Bob's to see if I could bring my stuff over. I sat and chatted a bit until Jason, Uber Bob, was up. I had brought him a bottle of Jamesons as the day before was his birthday & I had missed out.
Jason showed me where to set up & about 10 minutes later Bret showed up with one of his camp mates to drop off the rest of my gear. I was to thankful for that being I had already moved my cooler and a few other things on my bike and it wasn't easy.
I was placed inside the dome for my tent and waited a little while before setting up so that I could hang out with the rest of camp and get to know everyone a little bit. I met Allen and Haley & Emma. Everyone was so nice and welcoming. At about 10:30 in the morning Tom awoke & met me with biggest hug & the hugest smile on his face. Through out the next day I met the other Bobs of camp.
Aimee, aka MonoBob, Kristine, Da Vor, Lillian, Tuffy, Kyle, Carolyn, Evan, BobLight, JT or BobScout, Whitney, Doug, DildoBob, Bonnie Rose, Makana, Jenna & BabyBob Jaxon, Pat and a few others. BabyBob was only month old & the cutest little burner. Might possibly have been the youngest. They even had him place his hands in the dust at The Gate when they arrived.
I set off by myself to explore a little bit and to grab a couple things from Bret. Then went off with Emma, Allen and BobLight to the top of MallMart, a HUGE 4 story tower that the week prior our camp had helped build. It was like an apartment building! Very awesome and from the top... you could look out and see everything. Absolutely amazing.
The afternoon was followed with Porn30, an awesome camp dinner of fajitas. Then a bunch of the Bobs hopping into Zak's truck to take a tour of the art installations and explore the Playa. We partied atop a stage during a Rave party that is held down at one end of the Playa every night. We watched fire dancers and light shows. We went out into Deep Playa and came upon a refrigerator bolted shut covered with TONS of magnets. On one side, someone had written a message that said "Thank you Bobs". So, naturally, we responded with "You are welcome." We drove off into the night and rode out to the perimeter where we found an art car bar. We all gathered around and had a shot of Whiskey.
Off went went again and saw a movie theater that was playing a different movie every night. Then, we ran into the Dust City Diner, complete with 50's waitress drag queens. Deloris and everyone in character. Serving up Coffee that they could spike for ya, Tea, and the BEST Grill Cheese sandwiches I've ever had!
Balls on your face Wednesday came around and BobScout and I rearranged the kitchen and the camp worked on putting up a few more tarps over the big dome. That afternoon Phife, Emma and I went out to the Golden Calf Cafe for some drinks. Did I mention, that everything at Burning Man is Free or available for trade minus Ice and Coffee at Center Camp? Yeah, I love it!
Later that evening I cooked up Halibut and boy did it go fast. Apparently those of my camp mates that were lucky enough to try some went ga-ga. ...Next year, I think I'm going to try for more Halibut, and some Salmon and Moose meat.
That evening I went out to explore with Evan who was gracious enough to show me all over the Playa. We chilled a top a bar on the Esplanade who's roof was one HUGE hammock. Watching sat there for awhile just watching all the art cars drive around and all the fire/light art installations light up the sky. We listened to all the music mixing in the sky and said hi to everyone who climbed up. One of which was a beautiful fallen angel with wonderful wings. After a little bit, we climbed down and checked out the Giant Rock Em Sock Em Robots. We even took turns fighting. So much fun.
We wandered around until three in the morning to watch some of Evan's friends play at Center Camp. They were the best, such a mellow mix of Electronica and Folk. It was the perfect way to end the night, listening while lounging on a bunch of couches and pillows spread out in front of the stage.
On the third, I went to the Golden Calf Cafe again, this time with Evan and met up with Phife. I had an alcohol infused strawberry dipped in chocolate. It was decedent! We both agreed that Evan had to get one of those needle things they used to inject the fruit with alcohol so that his girl back home could try it. SO GOOD! After our drink at the cafe, we hopped aboard a small art car and drove around blasting Reggae and jammin with our fellow taxi friends. I was gifted a magnet from them. After a little while, we hopped off in hopes of being able to board another art car we saw driving around the night before. A beautiful magnificent Shroom car. Super colorful at night. We were out of luck, they weren't driving it until closer to night. But we chatted awhile with some Burners from the camp the car belonged to who were from San Francisco.
We went by some of Evan's friends who were camped out not to far from where we were. They told us of a camp a block away or so that was serving up soft serve ice cream. We jetted off to get some for ourselves.
Now, being from Alaska... I can say I LOVE ice cream. It's one of my favorite treats. But out on the Playa, it is one thousand times better. Fantastic. In fact, just about everything was a million times more amazing on the Playa then anywhere else. It was as if I was tasting everything for the first time. Ice cream, bacon, fish, alcohol, onions, coffee. You heard me... coffee. I know. I was surprised (iced coffee).
we hopped aboard the Dodo, a huge double decker bus, we road it around and got to see the Esplanade in the daylight until it drove right by home. That late afternoon, we played Fizzball in the middle of the street.
That evening, was the Portal Burn. I could feel so much energy at Burning Man. The Portal, for me, was a burning to welcome us home. My friend Evan and I got front row seats. With a nice clear sky we got an amazing view of the burn. Afterward, a whiteout hit us and we had to walk our bikes towards camp because we could not see more than a couple feel in front of us. Finding friends we snaked back and fount the Temple.
The temple was a very welcoming, spiritual place and I was able to find a marker and write a message to the skies and to Aspen who had passed just a month prior. I was unable to fully deal with her loss at home and so I made it clear how much she was missed and how much she meant to me as well as my first cat Thai. I know she knew how special she was to me. She got me through a very difficult time in my life, but I wrote to her anyway. Grateful to them both. I wanted them to know how much they meant to me, and to let them know they'd always be with me. I wrote a message to my brother, who, no matter what happens, I will always love and cherish and I wrote that because I wanted him to know that even though he wasn't at Burning Man, he was there with me in spirit. With a hug, Evan and I pressed on, back toward The Man and the lights.
We hit up the Thunderdome and the dust died down. We watched some amazing fights and my friend BambooBob was down inside the dome with a bunch of other people from Deathguild. My friend Ian was a medic for the Thunderdome and I stayed to watch some epic Mad Max style fights. Evan and I climbed onto the dome and watched for about an hour. At one point the whiteout kicked back on and you couldn't see inches in front of your face. After awhile, we climbed down and rode off to camp.
Saturday was Bobs Arctica shift- 9am to noon. Pirate themed and the MOST FUN I have EVER HAD working. I honestly did not feel like I was working emptying ice out of the huge trucks that they were delivered in. We were all dancing, laughing, drinking and moving so much ice. We entertained the crowd and raised more money than any other camp before us.
Afterward, Kristine, Evan and I walked down Bangdad (our street) to a nighbour camp that was having a little party and partake in some of the Pussy Extract. I was given an awesome temporary tattoo which read "Cock Candy". Completely amused, we wondered off, in search of what else the Playa had to offer in the late afternoon sun.
As we danced off down the street sipping our drinks we laughed. We wondered. Walked across a rope bridge & danced as the sun went down, played pool and sipped more alcoholic drinks.
Back at camp we prepared for The Man to burn. As most of camp went to MallMart to partake in the festivities from higher up, Evan and I went out closer so this virgin could get a first hand experience of the true spirit of Burning Man. That night, there was reported to be over 50,000 people watching The Man burn. The mood was wild and happy. People were happy and friendly, but definitely more people were 'tourists' (people who only come for the weekends and who know Burning Man as more of a party than anything else).
In a show of hundreds of fireworks The Man went up in flames. A signal that lit up the sky in a great show of what we had created. A wondrous place where there was magic and wonder all around. A greeting to the party that was known at Burning Man.
My friend and I walked around after The Man went down dancing away and enjoying all the art cars that were also out to enjoy and celebrate The Man. While dancing to some great music, a mini rave started around us and the camp the art car belonged to thanked us for starting the whole thing by gifting us with a CD.
Afterward, we make it over to the Irish Pub in one of the districts. There, we sat and sipped Irish Coffee and chatted up a storm, laughing at the hilarious zombie movie they were playing. Shortly there after, UberBob, Emma, T.J. and Phife. We all played Chess and darts. We listened to Jason read aloud his proverb. After the chess game ended and the darts were thrown we split up and slowly made out way drunkenly back home.
Wrong Day Monday came around and we started breaking down camp. It was quite a site to see. The little rainforest we all knew as home was broken down and packed mostly away within two hours. The feeling on the Playa was no longer a party place... (well, it was...) but more a somber, melancholy and everyone knew that the end was drawing nearer. The whole day, we just hung out, drank whiskey and wine and told stories from the week with everyone and worked hard. We were a team, a family.
That evening, we piled back into Zak's truck and headed to temple. All bundled up. One of my camp mates had brought her favorite wine to share, a chocolate cherry wine. Marvelous. The only words there... "WOW"
We all slowly unfolded out of the truck at Temple and chatted until the show began. The Temple burn, was unlike any of the other burns. It was a somber evening. It was a slow and peaceful burn. Soon the flames shot up engulfing the temple and all our prayers and words,thoughts and letters. As the flames went up, the smell of sage filled my lungs and I immediately felt a sense of cleansing and protection. I felt as though I would always be at peace in this magical place and that my thoughts and messages had been heard. It was an emotional burn. And the simple burn silenced everyone and it brought on heavy sighs and teary eyes from everyone. Silence as our prayers and thoughts were sent up into the skies.
As the Temple fell down, it was an outstanding show where the structure fell down upon itself like domino's. Everyone hugged everyone, saying good bye, knowing we wouldn't see each other for another year. And until then, the sage that was burned in the fire would protect us back in the Default world.
There were no parties that evening. Instead, we all headed back and shared the rest of the evening as a family, sharing more adventures, sharing the sense of love and peace and connection and community.
Until next year my fellow burners.
I arrived into Seattle at 11pm where one of my best friends, Nena picked me up and bless her heart drove me down to Portland. The next day, my friend & ride share Bret picked me up and we made our way out toward Black Rock City. A ten hour drive. As we made got closer, we got more and more excited. Like children in a candy store. Reality was starting to set in. We were going to Burning Man. I couldn't believe it!
The mountain side lit up.
This BRIGHT orange moon rose up above it. As we rounded a corner the lights from the city sunk in to our souls & we were both amazed. We arrived at 11:30pm and a short line time. A few minutes later in line we arrived at the gate. Dust angles and the 'virgin' bell ringing, we were no longer virgins. I was home.
I was.
It being as late as it was, there was absolutely no way I was going to be able to set up my tent. But Bret and I split up to find our Theme Camps.
I found it; Bob's Rainforest and my new home for the next glorious week. The only green on the Playa. That evening, I meet Ian or Bamboo Bob, Toi Box & Zak. Everyone else was either already asleep or partying. Bamboo Bob was camping somewhere else and offered up his couch for me to stay on that night. We rode off and Bamboo Bob took me to see The Man. A beautiful clear evening and everyone so nice and friendly. Everyone dishing out hugs. We rode over on our bikes to one of the big party sides of the city and watched one of the fire art installations shoot up to music.
Morning came fast and it was cold. I got up and left in search of my friend Evan. The sun was very warm and pleasant. Soon, it was hot again and once I'd tracked down my friend I made my way back to Bob's to see if I could bring my stuff over. I sat and chatted a bit until Jason, Uber Bob, was up. I had brought him a bottle of Jamesons as the day before was his birthday & I had missed out.
Jason showed me where to set up & about 10 minutes later Bret showed up with one of his camp mates to drop off the rest of my gear. I was to thankful for that being I had already moved my cooler and a few other things on my bike and it wasn't easy.
I was placed inside the dome for my tent and waited a little while before setting up so that I could hang out with the rest of camp and get to know everyone a little bit. I met Allen and Haley & Emma. Everyone was so nice and welcoming. At about 10:30 in the morning Tom awoke & met me with biggest hug & the hugest smile on his face. Through out the next day I met the other Bobs of camp.
Aimee, aka MonoBob, Kristine, Da Vor, Lillian, Tuffy, Kyle, Carolyn, Evan, BobLight, JT or BobScout, Whitney, Doug, DildoBob, Bonnie Rose, Makana, Jenna & BabyBob Jaxon, Pat and a few others. BabyBob was only month old & the cutest little burner. Might possibly have been the youngest. They even had him place his hands in the dust at The Gate when they arrived.
I set off by myself to explore a little bit and to grab a couple things from Bret. Then went off with Emma, Allen and BobLight to the top of MallMart, a HUGE 4 story tower that the week prior our camp had helped build. It was like an apartment building! Very awesome and from the top... you could look out and see everything. Absolutely amazing.
The afternoon was followed with Porn30, an awesome camp dinner of fajitas. Then a bunch of the Bobs hopping into Zak's truck to take a tour of the art installations and explore the Playa. We partied atop a stage during a Rave party that is held down at one end of the Playa every night. We watched fire dancers and light shows. We went out into Deep Playa and came upon a refrigerator bolted shut covered with TONS of magnets. On one side, someone had written a message that said "Thank you Bobs". So, naturally, we responded with "You are welcome." We drove off into the night and rode out to the perimeter where we found an art car bar. We all gathered around and had a shot of Whiskey.
Off went went again and saw a movie theater that was playing a different movie every night. Then, we ran into the Dust City Diner, complete with 50's waitress drag queens. Deloris and everyone in character. Serving up Coffee that they could spike for ya, Tea, and the BEST Grill Cheese sandwiches I've ever had!
Balls on your face Wednesday came around and BobScout and I rearranged the kitchen and the camp worked on putting up a few more tarps over the big dome. That afternoon Phife, Emma and I went out to the Golden Calf Cafe for some drinks. Did I mention, that everything at Burning Man is Free or available for trade minus Ice and Coffee at Center Camp? Yeah, I love it!
Later that evening I cooked up Halibut and boy did it go fast. Apparently those of my camp mates that were lucky enough to try some went ga-ga. ...Next year, I think I'm going to try for more Halibut, and some Salmon and Moose meat.
That evening I went out to explore with Evan who was gracious enough to show me all over the Playa. We chilled a top a bar on the Esplanade who's roof was one HUGE hammock. Watching sat there for awhile just watching all the art cars drive around and all the fire/light art installations light up the sky. We listened to all the music mixing in the sky and said hi to everyone who climbed up. One of which was a beautiful fallen angel with wonderful wings. After a little bit, we climbed down and checked out the Giant Rock Em Sock Em Robots. We even took turns fighting. So much fun.
We wandered around until three in the morning to watch some of Evan's friends play at Center Camp. They were the best, such a mellow mix of Electronica and Folk. It was the perfect way to end the night, listening while lounging on a bunch of couches and pillows spread out in front of the stage.
On the third, I went to the Golden Calf Cafe again, this time with Evan and met up with Phife. I had an alcohol infused strawberry dipped in chocolate. It was decedent! We both agreed that Evan had to get one of those needle things they used to inject the fruit with alcohol so that his girl back home could try it. SO GOOD! After our drink at the cafe, we hopped aboard a small art car and drove around blasting Reggae and jammin with our fellow taxi friends. I was gifted a magnet from them. After a little while, we hopped off in hopes of being able to board another art car we saw driving around the night before. A beautiful magnificent Shroom car. Super colorful at night. We were out of luck, they weren't driving it until closer to night. But we chatted awhile with some Burners from the camp the car belonged to who were from San Francisco.
We went by some of Evan's friends who were camped out not to far from where we were. They told us of a camp a block away or so that was serving up soft serve ice cream. We jetted off to get some for ourselves.
Now, being from Alaska... I can say I LOVE ice cream. It's one of my favorite treats. But out on the Playa, it is one thousand times better. Fantastic. In fact, just about everything was a million times more amazing on the Playa then anywhere else. It was as if I was tasting everything for the first time. Ice cream, bacon, fish, alcohol, onions, coffee. You heard me... coffee. I know. I was surprised (iced coffee).
we hopped aboard the Dodo, a huge double decker bus, we road it around and got to see the Esplanade in the daylight until it drove right by home. That late afternoon, we played Fizzball in the middle of the street.
That evening, was the Portal Burn. I could feel so much energy at Burning Man. The Portal, for me, was a burning to welcome us home. My friend Evan and I got front row seats. With a nice clear sky we got an amazing view of the burn. Afterward, a whiteout hit us and we had to walk our bikes towards camp because we could not see more than a couple feel in front of us. Finding friends we snaked back and fount the Temple.
The temple was a very welcoming, spiritual place and I was able to find a marker and write a message to the skies and to Aspen who had passed just a month prior. I was unable to fully deal with her loss at home and so I made it clear how much she was missed and how much she meant to me as well as my first cat Thai. I know she knew how special she was to me. She got me through a very difficult time in my life, but I wrote to her anyway. Grateful to them both. I wanted them to know how much they meant to me, and to let them know they'd always be with me. I wrote a message to my brother, who, no matter what happens, I will always love and cherish and I wrote that because I wanted him to know that even though he wasn't at Burning Man, he was there with me in spirit. With a hug, Evan and I pressed on, back toward The Man and the lights.
We hit up the Thunderdome and the dust died down. We watched some amazing fights and my friend BambooBob was down inside the dome with a bunch of other people from Deathguild. My friend Ian was a medic for the Thunderdome and I stayed to watch some epic Mad Max style fights. Evan and I climbed onto the dome and watched for about an hour. At one point the whiteout kicked back on and you couldn't see inches in front of your face. After awhile, we climbed down and rode off to camp.
Saturday was Bobs Arctica shift- 9am to noon. Pirate themed and the MOST FUN I have EVER HAD working. I honestly did not feel like I was working emptying ice out of the huge trucks that they were delivered in. We were all dancing, laughing, drinking and moving so much ice. We entertained the crowd and raised more money than any other camp before us.
Afterward, Kristine, Evan and I walked down Bangdad (our street) to a nighbour camp that was having a little party and partake in some of the Pussy Extract. I was given an awesome temporary tattoo which read "Cock Candy". Completely amused, we wondered off, in search of what else the Playa had to offer in the late afternoon sun.
As we danced off down the street sipping our drinks we laughed. We wondered. Walked across a rope bridge & danced as the sun went down, played pool and sipped more alcoholic drinks.
Back at camp we prepared for The Man to burn. As most of camp went to MallMart to partake in the festivities from higher up, Evan and I went out closer so this virgin could get a first hand experience of the true spirit of Burning Man. That night, there was reported to be over 50,000 people watching The Man burn. The mood was wild and happy. People were happy and friendly, but definitely more people were 'tourists' (people who only come for the weekends and who know Burning Man as more of a party than anything else).
In a show of hundreds of fireworks The Man went up in flames. A signal that lit up the sky in a great show of what we had created. A wondrous place where there was magic and wonder all around. A greeting to the party that was known at Burning Man.
My friend and I walked around after The Man went down dancing away and enjoying all the art cars that were also out to enjoy and celebrate The Man. While dancing to some great music, a mini rave started around us and the camp the art car belonged to thanked us for starting the whole thing by gifting us with a CD.
Afterward, we make it over to the Irish Pub in one of the districts. There, we sat and sipped Irish Coffee and chatted up a storm, laughing at the hilarious zombie movie they were playing. Shortly there after, UberBob, Emma, T.J. and Phife. We all played Chess and darts. We listened to Jason read aloud his proverb. After the chess game ended and the darts were thrown we split up and slowly made out way drunkenly back home.
Wrong Day Monday came around and we started breaking down camp. It was quite a site to see. The little rainforest we all knew as home was broken down and packed mostly away within two hours. The feeling on the Playa was no longer a party place... (well, it was...) but more a somber, melancholy and everyone knew that the end was drawing nearer. The whole day, we just hung out, drank whiskey and wine and told stories from the week with everyone and worked hard. We were a team, a family.
That evening, we piled back into Zak's truck and headed to temple. All bundled up. One of my camp mates had brought her favorite wine to share, a chocolate cherry wine. Marvelous. The only words there... "WOW"
We all slowly unfolded out of the truck at Temple and chatted until the show began. The Temple burn, was unlike any of the other burns. It was a somber evening. It was a slow and peaceful burn. Soon the flames shot up engulfing the temple and all our prayers and words,thoughts and letters. As the flames went up, the smell of sage filled my lungs and I immediately felt a sense of cleansing and protection. I felt as though I would always be at peace in this magical place and that my thoughts and messages had been heard. It was an emotional burn. And the simple burn silenced everyone and it brought on heavy sighs and teary eyes from everyone. Silence as our prayers and thoughts were sent up into the skies.
As the Temple fell down, it was an outstanding show where the structure fell down upon itself like domino's. Everyone hugged everyone, saying good bye, knowing we wouldn't see each other for another year. And until then, the sage that was burned in the fire would protect us back in the Default world.
There were no parties that evening. Instead, we all headed back and shared the rest of the evening as a family, sharing more adventures, sharing the sense of love and peace and connection and community.
Until next year my fellow burners.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Dan Moller Camping Trip- 5.22.2010
Well, I was able to coordinate a camping trip with some friends and their families up to Dan Moller. I have been told that I am booking the cabins from now on as I apparently have an in with Mother Nature (went up on a day that was supposed to be raining but instead was nothing but blue sky and heat waves and then returning the next day on a very warm overcast day).
We took with us 4 dogs and 4 kids all ranging in ages between 3 and 15. Let me tell you, with a huge pack on your back, post holing through snow and carrying a toddler on your shoulders the last mile and a half or so up to the cabin is SO exhausting. It was such a relief when we finally arrived. That is until we saw the mess that was left for us to deal with. There was trash everywhere, broken glass all over the deck, beer bottles all over the underside of the cabin, random sleeping bags, mats, clothes and lots and lots of food both inside and outside the cabin in the cabinets. Most, moldy. The Broom was even burned. So all I had to sweep with was a hand broom ment to use with the stove and cleaning underneath it. We made the best of it and 2+ hours later we had a nice to relax and a safe place for the kids to play.
with the kids playing some of us passed out. I, seeing as how I can't really nap that easily took the opportunity for some meditation. This proved to be quite relaxing and revitalizing.
Now, you might now have guessed it but even with two men joining us on this camping trip I was the only one who was able to keep the fire lit. And around 8p I had it hot enough in the stove that we were able to boil water for filtering as well as cooking and get the skillet hot for turkey burgers. We didn't have enough wood for an outdoor fire and were more concerned with keeping the cabin warm enough that we just stuck with the stove.
With Dusk at 11pm Dawn came soon enough to wake me up at 4am. I woke up with Aspen on my back fast asleep and a my friends laughing at really how much of a priss my dog is. But I didn't mind, I was fairly sore from the hike up that it felt wonderful to have that little extra pressure there.
I was quite impressed with myself by morning when people were getting slightly agitated from lack of coffee I had the fire going and the water boiling that I was dubbed the fire lady. Coffee, turkey bacon, hash browns, eggs and muffins were all on the menu that day. And to our surprise, we were quite resourceful seeing as how the only clean thing left behind in the cabin was a small piece of tin foil.
*How I forgot some is beyond me, but I did.
We were able to cook two bisects at a time inside the stove making little breakfast sandwiches and burritos for everyone. After breakfast we realized we all went
We packed up pretty quick though and headed down the mountain. Some of us on blown up pool floaty mats down the hill. Which was 1) fairly productive and 2) VERY entertaining to watch.
Just as we were about a quarter of the way through the 4-6 foot snow. One of my friends realized they had misplaced and left some of there stuff back up at the cabin. So I took her three year old on my shoulders and hiked it down the mountain.
*let me tell you something. If you ever think that hiking/back packing is great exercise, try doing with with a huge pack plus a toddler on your shoulders while post holing down the mountain.
Over all, if you take away how poor the cabin was and how crappy the snow was, it was a pretty decent camping trip. But I will say that one day really is too short for camping.
Also, a week later, the cabin was closed down so Trail Mix Co. could go in and rebuild it. I told them they had there work cut out for them.
***pictures to be posted soon- stop back by later.***
We took with us 4 dogs and 4 kids all ranging in ages between 3 and 15. Let me tell you, with a huge pack on your back, post holing through snow and carrying a toddler on your shoulders the last mile and a half or so up to the cabin is SO exhausting. It was such a relief when we finally arrived. That is until we saw the mess that was left for us to deal with. There was trash everywhere, broken glass all over the deck, beer bottles all over the underside of the cabin, random sleeping bags, mats, clothes and lots and lots of food both inside and outside the cabin in the cabinets. Most, moldy. The Broom was even burned. So all I had to sweep with was a hand broom ment to use with the stove and cleaning underneath it. We made the best of it and 2+ hours later we had a nice to relax and a safe place for the kids to play.
with the kids playing some of us passed out. I, seeing as how I can't really nap that easily took the opportunity for some meditation. This proved to be quite relaxing and revitalizing.
Now, you might now have guessed it but even with two men joining us on this camping trip I was the only one who was able to keep the fire lit. And around 8p I had it hot enough in the stove that we were able to boil water for filtering as well as cooking and get the skillet hot for turkey burgers. We didn't have enough wood for an outdoor fire and were more concerned with keeping the cabin warm enough that we just stuck with the stove.
With Dusk at 11pm Dawn came soon enough to wake me up at 4am. I woke up with Aspen on my back fast asleep and a my friends laughing at really how much of a priss my dog is. But I didn't mind, I was fairly sore from the hike up that it felt wonderful to have that little extra pressure there.
I was quite impressed with myself by morning when people were getting slightly agitated from lack of coffee I had the fire going and the water boiling that I was dubbed the fire lady. Coffee, turkey bacon, hash browns, eggs and muffins were all on the menu that day. And to our surprise, we were quite resourceful seeing as how the only clean thing left behind in the cabin was a small piece of tin foil.
*How I forgot some is beyond me, but I did.
We were able to cook two bisects at a time inside the stove making little breakfast sandwiches and burritos for everyone. After breakfast we realized we all went
We packed up pretty quick though and headed down the mountain. Some of us on blown up pool floaty mats down the hill. Which was 1) fairly productive and 2) VERY entertaining to watch.
Just as we were about a quarter of the way through the 4-6 foot snow. One of my friends realized they had misplaced and left some of there stuff back up at the cabin. So I took her three year old on my shoulders and hiked it down the mountain.
*let me tell you something. If you ever think that hiking/back packing is great exercise, try doing with with a huge pack plus a toddler on your shoulders while post holing down the mountain.
Over all, if you take away how poor the cabin was and how crappy the snow was, it was a pretty decent camping trip. But I will say that one day really is too short for camping.
Also, a week later, the cabin was closed down so Trail Mix Co. could go in and rebuild it. I told them they had there work cut out for them.
***pictures to be posted soon- stop back by later.***
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
First Camp out of the Year
Saturday May 2nd, 2009 I had planned to go up to Dan Moller Cabin with some friends however, the snow from this last winter is still melting in some areas and the trail was 5 feet deep in some areas. Not everyone in the camping party had snow shoes so we ended up having a few friends over at my house for some drinks Friday night and we went out Saturday morning in search of a camping spot.
Juneau had been hitting almost record temps and surprisingly warm. We hiked on beach at first and once settled we were able to really get things cleaned up and start having fun.
A friend of mine had been house sitting for a coworker and ended up taking her two dogs with us camping.
Not to mention their was just enough trees that if their was wind, we wouldn't have noticed. A cliff was right next to the site which made it easy to haul rocks up to fix the fire pit. We had hot dogs, spaghetti, potatoes and mushrooms, smores, pancakes.
Even though Aspen carries her own gear, she's such a pansy. She got cold and I ended up taking a sweatshirt on her. She looked so funny. Like Yoda. She didn't even try to get out of it. All the dogs got along pretty well for the most part. Minus a few grumpy moments when they were tired.
My coworker's dog Chief woke us up in the morning by barking at a crow. Which was funny because it made Aspen jump 5 feet up into the air.
Good times good times. I'm definitely going to have to get some more gear so that when my kayak arrives I can take it out and camp out on some islands and beaches.
I hope their are many more camp outs to post here.
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