Almost immediately following camp, I drove with my mom and aunt Kate to Bodie State Historic Park, a ghost town in the Eastern Sierras. It was pretty much love at first sight. Bodie has a desolate kind of beauty with wooden buildings in a state of “arrested decay” and expanse of sage and rabbit brush and dry rolling hills, trapping the town in a sort bowl.
The original town of Bodie was founding in 1859 when a man called W.S. Bodey (exact spelling is unknown) came to the area following a strike in Dogtown nearby. Just like much of Bodie’s history, Bodey’s exact is somewhat controversial. Not only are we unsure of the spelling of his last name, but we also do not know his first name. .If you look up in our cemetery, you will find two headstones for W.S. Bodey. One, put out by clampers, says William, which people in California seemed to think his name was. The other, says Watermann, which is the name that comes from the census in Poughkeepsie, New York, where Bodey came from. Incidentally, he is probably not buried in either of these graves, as the site of his body was lost when what was supposed to be his tombstone was used to bury James A. Garfield in effigy when he was assassinated. Unfortunately, Bodie died in a snow storm, just after discovering gold in the area and thus was unable to spend his fortune or ever see a town named for him.
When Bodie was founded it was just a small mining camp and it stayed this way for a number of years. It didn’t become a boom town until 1877. In 1875 there was a small mining operation called the Bunker Hill Mine, and just like any other operation in Bodie at the time, it was barely breaking even, when all of the sudden it collapsed. Now this may seem like a disaster, but it actually revealed a huge vein of gold oar in the rock. And that’s when people started coming to Bodie. People came from all over the world and the peak population here was probably somewhere between 8,000 to 10,000, making it one of the biggest towns in California. Main Street stretched a mile long with wall to wall wood buildings and had everything Bodieites could possibly want—grocery stores, butchers, dress shops, doctors, lawyers. And there were plenty of recreational activities as well—balls and masquerades in the Miner’s Union Hall, horse racing, and even our very own baseball team, the Bodie Mutts.
But there was another side of Bodie as well, and this side was the North end of town. The North end was where the sketchier of Bodie’s sixty saloons were, where the red light district was, and where an individual could indulge in Chinatown’s opium dens. Whisky could be purchase at 25 cents for two shots, and of course with all these gunslingers imbibing, there were many shots fired here in Bodie. The papers liked to report that there was a murder a day, and although an exaggeration, this was probably not far from the truth. This is where the idea of the “Bad Man from Bodie” came.
But of course, this excitement was during Bodie’s very short Boom Period and subsequently began to decline in 1881-2. There were many events had made this decline even quickly. The culminating event was a fire in 1932. It started indirectly due to a little girl’s birthday party. Due to the Depression, the girl’s mother was only able to afford lime green Jello and not cake and ice cream. I’m sure many were disappointed by this, but none so much as a little boy named Billy. He threw a tantrum and the adults turned the three year old loose on the now quiet streets of Bodie. Little Billy wound up behind a saloon and found a book of matches. Soon the saloon was on fire, and of course, being largely made of wood, Bodie was an incredibly flammable town. Many people lost there homes and businesses and left town. Those who remained strongly suggested that Billy and his mother leave as well. Today, only 5% of the building that once stood here still remains. Now Bodie is an important ghost town and historic site with the goal of authentic preservation. Of course, the town is also protected by the Bodie curse, which states that if anyone steals from Bodie they will find themselves with a run of bad luck. We receive frequent letters from people returning stolen items. The strangest was probably two wooden headstones that were stolen in the 1950s and just recently returned.
My first night here in Bodie was very exciting. My then roommate Jaclynn, my soon-to-be roommate Cecil, and I went and explored the old schoolhouse. It was pretty interesting, but I was also a little on edge from ghost stories. We then played a nice game of Scrabble, which is always a great way to end an evening.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Bodie State Historic Park
Almost immediately following camp, I drove with my mom and aunt Kate to Bodie State Historic Park, a ghost town in the Eastern Sierras. It was pretty much love at first sight. Bodie has a desolate kind of beauty with wooden buildings in a state of “arrested decay” and expanse of sage and rabbit brush and dry rolling hills, trapping the town in a sort bowl.
The original town of Bodie was founding in 1859 when a man called W.S. Bodey (exact spelling is unknown) came to the area following a strike in Dogtown nearby. Just like much of Bodie’s history, Bodey’s exact is somewhat controversial. Not only are we unsure of the spelling of his last name, but we also do not know his first name. .If you look up in our cemetery, you will find two headstones for W.S. Bodey. One, put out by clampers, says William, which people in California seemed to think his name was. The other, says Watermann, which is the name that comes from the census in Poughkeepsie, New York, where Bodey came from. Incidentally, he is probably not buried in either of these graves, as the site of his body was lost when what was supposed to be his tombstone was used to bury James A. Garfield in effigy when he was assassinated. Unfortunately, Bodie died in a snow storm, just after discovering gold in the area and thus was unable to spend his fortune or ever see a town named for him.
When Bodie was founded it was just a small mining camp and it stayed this way for a number of years. It didn’t become a boom town until 1877. In 1875 there was a small mining operation called the Bunker Hill Mine, and just like any other operation in Bodie at the time, it was barely breaking even, when all of the sudden it collapsed. Now this may seem like a disaster, but it actually revealed a huge vein of gold oar in the rock. And that’s when people started coming to Bodie. People came from all over the world and the peak population here was probably somewhere between 8,000 to 10,000, making it one of the biggest towns in California. Main Street stretched a mile long with wall to wall wood buildings and had everything Bodieites could possibly want—grocery stores, butchers, dress shops, doctors, lawyers. And there were plenty of recreational activities as well—balls and masquerades in the Miner’s Union Hall, horse racing, and even our very own baseball team, the Bodie Mutts.
But there was another side of Bodie as well, and this side was the North end of town. The North end was where the sketchier of Bodie’s sixty saloons were, where the red light district was, and where an individual could indulge in Chinatown’s opium dens. Whisky could be purchase at 25 cents for two shots, and of course with all these gunslingers imbibing, there were many shots fired here in Bodie. The papers liked to report that there was a murder a day, and although an exaggeration, this was probably not far from the truth. This is where the idea of the “Bad Man from Bodie” came.
But of course, this excitement was during Bodie’s very short Boom Period and subsequently began to decline in 1881-2. There were many events had made this decline even quickly. The culminating event was a fire in 1932. It started indirectly due to a little girl’s birthday party. Due to the Depression, the girl’s mother was only able to afford lime green Jello and not cake and ice cream. I’m sure many were disappointed by this, but none so much as a little boy named Billy. He threw a tantrum and the adults turned the three year old loose on the now quiet streets of Bodie. Little Billy wound up behind a saloon and found a book of matches. Soon the saloon was on fire, and of course, being largely made of wood, Bodie was an incredibly flammable town. Many people lost there homes and businesses and left town. Those who remained strongly suggested that Billy and his mother leave as well. Today, only 5% of the building that once stood here still remains. Now Bodie is an important ghost town and historic site with the goal of authentic preservation. Of course, the town is also protected by the Bodie curse, which states that if anyone steals from Bodie they will find themselves with a run of bad luck. We receive frequent letters from people returning stolen items. The strangest was probably two wooden headstones that were stolen in the 1950s and just recently returned.
My first night here in Bodie was very exciting. My then roommate Jaclynn, my soon-to-be roommate Cecil, and I went and explored the old schoolhouse. It was pretty interesting, but I was also a little on edge from ghost stories. We then played a nice game of Scrabble, which is always a great way to end an evening.
The original town of Bodie was founding in 1859 when a man called W.S. Bodey (exact spelling is unknown) came to the area following a strike in Dogtown nearby. Just like much of Bodie’s history, Bodey’s exact is somewhat controversial. Not only are we unsure of the spelling of his last name, but we also do not know his first name. .If you look up in our cemetery, you will find two headstones for W.S. Bodey. One, put out by clampers, says William, which people in California seemed to think his name was. The other, says Watermann, which is the name that comes from the census in Poughkeepsie, New York, where Bodey came from. Incidentally, he is probably not buried in either of these graves, as the site of his body was lost when what was supposed to be his tombstone was used to bury James A. Garfield in effigy when he was assassinated. Unfortunately, Bodie died in a snow storm, just after discovering gold in the area and thus was unable to spend his fortune or ever see a town named for him.
When Bodie was founded it was just a small mining camp and it stayed this way for a number of years. It didn’t become a boom town until 1877. In 1875 there was a small mining operation called the Bunker Hill Mine, and just like any other operation in Bodie at the time, it was barely breaking even, when all of the sudden it collapsed. Now this may seem like a disaster, but it actually revealed a huge vein of gold oar in the rock. And that’s when people started coming to Bodie. People came from all over the world and the peak population here was probably somewhere between 8,000 to 10,000, making it one of the biggest towns in California. Main Street stretched a mile long with wall to wall wood buildings and had everything Bodieites could possibly want—grocery stores, butchers, dress shops, doctors, lawyers. And there were plenty of recreational activities as well—balls and masquerades in the Miner’s Union Hall, horse racing, and even our very own baseball team, the Bodie Mutts.
But there was another side of Bodie as well, and this side was the North end of town. The North end was where the sketchier of Bodie’s sixty saloons were, where the red light district was, and where an individual could indulge in Chinatown’s opium dens. Whisky could be purchase at 25 cents for two shots, and of course with all these gunslingers imbibing, there were many shots fired here in Bodie. The papers liked to report that there was a murder a day, and although an exaggeration, this was probably not far from the truth. This is where the idea of the “Bad Man from Bodie” came.
But of course, this excitement was during Bodie’s very short Boom Period and subsequently began to decline in 1881-2. There were many events had made this decline even quickly. The culminating event was a fire in 1932. It started indirectly due to a little girl’s birthday party. Due to the Depression, the girl’s mother was only able to afford lime green Jello and not cake and ice cream. I’m sure many were disappointed by this, but none so much as a little boy named Billy. He threw a tantrum and the adults turned the three year old loose on the now quiet streets of Bodie. Little Billy wound up behind a saloon and found a book of matches. Soon the saloon was on fire, and of course, being largely made of wood, Bodie was an incredibly flammable town. Many people lost there homes and businesses and left town. Those who remained strongly suggested that Billy and his mother leave as well. Today, only 5% of the building that once stood here still remains. Now Bodie is an important ghost town and historic site with the goal of authentic preservation. Of course, the town is also protected by the Bodie curse, which states that if anyone steals from Bodie they will find themselves with a run of bad luck. We receive frequent letters from people returning stolen items. The strangest was probably two wooden headstones that were stolen in the 1950s and just recently returned.
My first night here in Bodie was very exciting. My then roommate Jaclynn, my soon-to-be roommate Cecil, and I went and explored the old schoolhouse. It was pretty interesting, but I was also a little on edge from ghost stories. We then played a nice game of Scrabble, which is always a great way to end an evening.
Bodie State Historic Park
Almost immediately following camp, I drove with my mom and aunt Kate to Bodie State Historic Park, a ghost town in the Eastern Sierras. It was pretty much love at first sight. Bodie has a desolate kind of beauty with wooden buildings in a state of “arrested decay” and expanse of sage and rabbit brush and dry rolling hills, trapping the town in a sort bowl.
The original town of Bodie was founding in 1859 when a man called W.S. Bodey (exact spelling is unknown) came to the area following a strike in Dogtown nearby. Just like much of Bodie’s history, Bodey’s exact is somewhat controversial. Not only are we unsure of the spelling of his last name, but we also do not know his first name. .If you look up in our cemetery, you will find two headstones for W.S. Bodey. One, put out by clampers, says William, which people in California seemed to think his name was. The other, says Watermann, which is the name that comes from the census in Poughkeepsie, New York, where Bodey came from. Incidentally, he is probably not buried in either of these graves, as the site of his body was lost when what was supposed to be his tombstone was used to bury James A. Garfield in effigy when he was assassinated. Unfortunately, Bodie died in a snow storm, just after discovering gold in the area and thus was unable to spend his fortune or ever see a town named for him.
When Bodie was founded it was just a small mining camp and it stayed this way for a number of years. It didn’t become a boom town until 1877. In 1875 there was a small mining operation called the Bunker Hill Mine, and just like any other operation in Bodie at the time, it was barely breaking even, when all of the sudden it collapsed. Now this may seem like a disaster, but it actually revealed a huge vein of gold oar in the rock. And that’s when people started coming to Bodie. People came from all over the world and the peak population here was probably somewhere between 8,000 to 10,000, making it one of the biggest towns in California. Main Street stretched a mile long with wall to wall wood buildings and had everything Bodieites could possibly want—grocery stores, butchers, dress shops, doctors, lawyers. And there were plenty of recreational activities as well—balls and masquerades in the Miner’s Union Hall, horse racing, and even our very own baseball team, the Bodie Mutts.
But there was another side of Bodie as well, and this side was the North end of town. The North end was where the sketchier of Bodie’s sixty saloons were, where the red light district was, and where an individual could indulge in Chinatown’s opium dens. Whisky could be purchase at 25 cents for two shots, and of course with all these gunslingers imbibing, there were many shots fired here in Bodie. The papers liked to report that there was a murder a day, and although an exaggeration, this was probably not far from the truth. This is where the idea of the “Bad Man from Bodie” came.
But of course, this excitement was during Bodie’s very short Boom Period and subsequently began to decline in 1881-2. There were many events had made this decline even quickly. The culminating event was a fire in 1932. It started indirectly due to a little girl’s birthday party. Due to the Depression, the girl’s mother was only able to afford lime green Jello and not cake and ice cream. I’m sure many were disappointed by this, but none so much as a little boy named Billy. He threw a tantrum and the adults turned the three year old loose on the now quiet streets of Bodie. Little Billy wound up behind a saloon and found a book of matches. Soon the saloon was on fire, and of course, being largely made of wood, Bodie was an incredibly flammable town. Many people lost there homes and businesses and left town. Those who remained strongly suggested that Billy and his mother leave as well. Today, only 5% of the building that once stood here still remains. Now Bodie is an important ghost town and historic site with the goal of authentic preservation. Of course, the town is also protected by the Bodie curse, which states that if anyone steals from Bodie they will find themselves with a run of bad luck. We receive frequent letters from people returning stolen items. The strangest was probably two wooden headstones that were stolen in the 1950s and just recently returned.
My first night here in Bodie was very exciting. My then roommate Jaclynn, my soon-to-be roommate Cecil, and I went and explored the old schoolhouse. It was pretty interesting, but I was also a little on edge from ghost stories. We then played a nice game of Scrabble, which is always a great way to end an evening.
The original town of Bodie was founding in 1859 when a man called W.S. Bodey (exact spelling is unknown) came to the area following a strike in Dogtown nearby. Just like much of Bodie’s history, Bodey’s exact is somewhat controversial. Not only are we unsure of the spelling of his last name, but we also do not know his first name. .If you look up in our cemetery, you will find two headstones for W.S. Bodey. One, put out by clampers, says William, which people in California seemed to think his name was. The other, says Watermann, which is the name that comes from the census in Poughkeepsie, New York, where Bodey came from. Incidentally, he is probably not buried in either of these graves, as the site of his body was lost when what was supposed to be his tombstone was used to bury James A. Garfield in effigy when he was assassinated. Unfortunately, Bodie died in a snow storm, just after discovering gold in the area and thus was unable to spend his fortune or ever see a town named for him.
When Bodie was founded it was just a small mining camp and it stayed this way for a number of years. It didn’t become a boom town until 1877. In 1875 there was a small mining operation called the Bunker Hill Mine, and just like any other operation in Bodie at the time, it was barely breaking even, when all of the sudden it collapsed. Now this may seem like a disaster, but it actually revealed a huge vein of gold oar in the rock. And that’s when people started coming to Bodie. People came from all over the world and the peak population here was probably somewhere between 8,000 to 10,000, making it one of the biggest towns in California. Main Street stretched a mile long with wall to wall wood buildings and had everything Bodieites could possibly want—grocery stores, butchers, dress shops, doctors, lawyers. And there were plenty of recreational activities as well—balls and masquerades in the Miner’s Union Hall, horse racing, and even our very own baseball team, the Bodie Mutts.
But there was another side of Bodie as well, and this side was the North end of town. The North end was where the sketchier of Bodie’s sixty saloons were, where the red light district was, and where an individual could indulge in Chinatown’s opium dens. Whisky could be purchase at 25 cents for two shots, and of course with all these gunslingers imbibing, there were many shots fired here in Bodie. The papers liked to report that there was a murder a day, and although an exaggeration, this was probably not far from the truth. This is where the idea of the “Bad Man from Bodie” came.
But of course, this excitement was during Bodie’s very short Boom Period and subsequently began to decline in 1881-2. There were many events had made this decline even quickly. The culminating event was a fire in 1932. It started indirectly due to a little girl’s birthday party. Due to the Depression, the girl’s mother was only able to afford lime green Jello and not cake and ice cream. I’m sure many were disappointed by this, but none so much as a little boy named Billy. He threw a tantrum and the adults turned the three year old loose on the now quiet streets of Bodie. Little Billy wound up behind a saloon and found a book of matches. Soon the saloon was on fire, and of course, being largely made of wood, Bodie was an incredibly flammable town. Many people lost there homes and businesses and left town. Those who remained strongly suggested that Billy and his mother leave as well. Today, only 5% of the building that once stood here still remains. Now Bodie is an important ghost town and historic site with the goal of authentic preservation. Of course, the town is also protected by the Bodie curse, which states that if anyone steals from Bodie they will find themselves with a run of bad luck. We receive frequent letters from people returning stolen items. The strangest was probably two wooden headstones that were stolen in the 1950s and just recently returned.
My first night here in Bodie was very exciting. My then roommate Jaclynn, my soon-to-be roommate Cecil, and I went and explored the old schoolhouse. It was pretty interesting, but I was also a little on edge from ghost stories. We then played a nice game of Scrabble, which is always a great way to end an evening.
Unicamp
In July, I worked as a volunteer counselor for UCLA’s official charity Unicamp. Altogether, it was an incredible experience. The campers were amazing, and all the counselors bonded tremendously over the course of the week. Unicamp works primarily with intercity Los Angeles kids. My position at Unicamp, along with my co-counselors Bliss and Barefoot, was the Alpine Tower specialist. This meant that we trained the campers to climb the tower as well as the rock wall. We also belayed them as they climbed the tower. It was a great work out. I had legs of steel after that week at camp!
It was also an incredibly rewarding experience. In general, through working with these kids and learning about their hopes and dreams, although the experience could sometimes be stressful and overwhelming, I feel that we all learned a lot about ourselves as well.
Being the Alpine specialist was also rewarding in and of itself. With every group of kids we worked with some were scared, some excited, and some had given up before they even started. But even some those that were completely doubtful that they could even make it part way, were actually able to make it to the top. Cheering them on and seeing how proud they were for challenging themselves basically stuck a smile on my face for the entire day. Even those that didn’t make it to the top still pushed themselves and tried extremely hard, and that is the entire point of the activity. It meant for a really scared kid to even attempt the tower than it did for a brave, strong kid to easily clamber up to the top, although both were impressive!
At camp we talk a lot about highs and lows, both to help our campers through any problems they may have, but also to check in with other counselors and ensure our emotional well-being. I didn’t have very lows this week, except for occasionally being tired or in a bad mood, but my high was definitely all of Friday. We were already coming off of the high of our super awesome talent show the night before, in which all of us specialists put painted handprints on our faces and did a very special Jai Ho dance that our very own Bandersnatch, the dance specialist.
Friday actually seemed at first like it was going to be a low. We were assigned two additional Alpine Tower rotations added to the four we already had. Now I wouldn’t complain, but belaying became pretty exhausting at times. But in fact, the day turned out to be amazing! After our fourth rotation, I decided to climb the tower. It was so cool! It’s totally psychological, because it was not so difficult this time around, even though I had struggled during training. I was so happy when I got to the top. The view was beautiful, and the breeze felt really nice.
After that, I was just really excited and happy for the rest of the day and had a big smile on my face . That night was the dance, and I think the counselors had more fun than the campers, who of course at that age are more likely than not shy and awkward about these things. Well, the counselors danced crazily at least and did our job shining our flashlights and making sure all the kids were making room for the Woodsey Spirit. After the dance, we had counselor/specialist campfire and stuffed our faces with junk food as usual. I will just always remember, at some point I had one hand filled with Cheetos and oreos and the other filled with Chips Ahoy and reaching into a bag for something else.
It was also an incredibly rewarding experience. In general, through working with these kids and learning about their hopes and dreams, although the experience could sometimes be stressful and overwhelming, I feel that we all learned a lot about ourselves as well.
Being the Alpine specialist was also rewarding in and of itself. With every group of kids we worked with some were scared, some excited, and some had given up before they even started. But even some those that were completely doubtful that they could even make it part way, were actually able to make it to the top. Cheering them on and seeing how proud they were for challenging themselves basically stuck a smile on my face for the entire day. Even those that didn’t make it to the top still pushed themselves and tried extremely hard, and that is the entire point of the activity. It meant for a really scared kid to even attempt the tower than it did for a brave, strong kid to easily clamber up to the top, although both were impressive!
At camp we talk a lot about highs and lows, both to help our campers through any problems they may have, but also to check in with other counselors and ensure our emotional well-being. I didn’t have very lows this week, except for occasionally being tired or in a bad mood, but my high was definitely all of Friday. We were already coming off of the high of our super awesome talent show the night before, in which all of us specialists put painted handprints on our faces and did a very special Jai Ho dance that our very own Bandersnatch, the dance specialist.
Friday actually seemed at first like it was going to be a low. We were assigned two additional Alpine Tower rotations added to the four we already had. Now I wouldn’t complain, but belaying became pretty exhausting at times. But in fact, the day turned out to be amazing! After our fourth rotation, I decided to climb the tower. It was so cool! It’s totally psychological, because it was not so difficult this time around, even though I had struggled during training. I was so happy when I got to the top. The view was beautiful, and the breeze felt really nice.
After that, I was just really excited and happy for the rest of the day and had a big smile on my face . That night was the dance, and I think the counselors had more fun than the campers, who of course at that age are more likely than not shy and awkward about these things. Well, the counselors danced crazily at least and did our job shining our flashlights and making sure all the kids were making room for the Woodsey Spirit. After the dance, we had counselor/specialist campfire and stuffed our faces with junk food as usual. I will just always remember, at some point I had one hand filled with Cheetos and oreos and the other filled with Chips Ahoy and reaching into a bag for something else.
Pine Grove
I’m close friends with a family that always has their reunion at a place called Pine Grove. In terms of nature, it is certainly a beautiful place. The cabins are in a redwood forest alongside Kelsey Creek, which has a lovely sound and lulls you to sleep at night. We always have an incredible time there, as for us, the place has become nothing short of magical. It really is a shame more people don’t know about it, as although it’s without a doubt a little dingy, isn’t that what you really want in an outdoor experience? We hope that at least a few regulars keep on coming every year, because they have been having a tough time staying in business and it really is an amazing place.
Although the whole week was really an adventure, I want to talk about our trip to the nearby waterfalls. It was a lovely and scenic walk. We go there every couple of years, and it’s worth a look. We drove out about 10 miles from Pine Grove. (We actually guessed the distance, but even though I somehow guessed closest, I can’t remember at all, and I’m typically pretty terrible with distances and spatial intelligence.) There were a couple carloads of us and as we drove up we could see the geothermal plant in the distance (Lovely, I know, but at the same time it’s interesting. There are a lot of earthquakes in the Grove. Actually we had quite a disastrous time with two earthquakes, a bench breaking with several people on it, and a tree falling right in between two cabins.) The hike down was a nice walk, although a bit steep. But when we got down there, it was so beautiful! Leading up to the waterfall there was a nice creek we walked up. This led to a pool of water around the waterfall that we could swim around in. We played around here for awhile, admiring the view and jumping into the water from the rocks.
Next we hiked up the creek to the even bigger waterfall. This one we could only view from the top. It made me really nervous when I saw people standing on the edge, but once I got up there it wasn’t so bad. Supposedly there’s an even bigger waterfall in the area, but that might just be a rumor. In any case, we didn’t even look for it.
Although the whole week was really an adventure, I want to talk about our trip to the nearby waterfalls. It was a lovely and scenic walk. We go there every couple of years, and it’s worth a look. We drove out about 10 miles from Pine Grove. (We actually guessed the distance, but even though I somehow guessed closest, I can’t remember at all, and I’m typically pretty terrible with distances and spatial intelligence.) There were a couple carloads of us and as we drove up we could see the geothermal plant in the distance (Lovely, I know, but at the same time it’s interesting. There are a lot of earthquakes in the Grove. Actually we had quite a disastrous time with two earthquakes, a bench breaking with several people on it, and a tree falling right in between two cabins.) The hike down was a nice walk, although a bit steep. But when we got down there, it was so beautiful! Leading up to the waterfall there was a nice creek we walked up. This led to a pool of water around the waterfall that we could swim around in. We played around here for awhile, admiring the view and jumping into the water from the rocks.
Next we hiked up the creek to the even bigger waterfall. This one we could only view from the top. It made me really nervous when I saw people standing on the edge, but once I got up there it wasn’t so bad. Supposedly there’s an even bigger waterfall in the area, but that might just be a rumor. In any case, we didn’t even look for it.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Fourth of July in Monterey
Overall: ***
This adventure was particularly exciting because it was my father’s first trip in a year due to a series of surgeries that laid him up. We were actually told he would probably never leave the home again, so this was huge. The trip was very fun, but it turned out to be a little bit too much too soon, so next time we’ll start off with a day trip.
Most of the trip was spent listening to great music and eating non-stop. My uncle and his friend played a bunch of older songs like “Dead Flowers” and “Spider and the Fly”—so good! And my cousin sang his original called “Thick” about how he likes buxom women. Hahaha. We also biked to a music festival, which Monterey put on instead of having fireworks (Boo Hoo). Biking was great. Everyone kept making fun of me at first because I very speed-shy, but in the end, I got over it and kept up. Plus the crowds slowed us down :P.
Throughout the weekend we ate large quantities of food. The first night we had this amazing lamb and zucchini. We teased my boyfriend because we were always serving lamb, even after my dad’s gross lamburger travesty. At the festival my boyfriend and I split a slab of ribs and ate even more at dinner. On the way back, I ate an amazing (AMAZING) open-faced crab sandwich in Moss Landing. Good times.
Although my dad was extremely overworked and exhausted when we got back, I’m so proud of him for getting out of the house!
Fun: *****
Laughed more than I had in a long time. Awesome time!
Thrill: *
Pretty laid back.
Learning Experience: **
Since it was my dad’s first trip in a long time, it was somewhat experimental and we had to figure out all the details.
Is Fourth of July in Monterey recommended?
I had a great time, but I love firework shows, so I would say go somewhere we you can see those. In the Monterey area, there is a $1000 fine for using fireworks!
This adventure was particularly exciting because it was my father’s first trip in a year due to a series of surgeries that laid him up. We were actually told he would probably never leave the home again, so this was huge. The trip was very fun, but it turned out to be a little bit too much too soon, so next time we’ll start off with a day trip.
Most of the trip was spent listening to great music and eating non-stop. My uncle and his friend played a bunch of older songs like “Dead Flowers” and “Spider and the Fly”—so good! And my cousin sang his original called “Thick” about how he likes buxom women. Hahaha. We also biked to a music festival, which Monterey put on instead of having fireworks (Boo Hoo). Biking was great. Everyone kept making fun of me at first because I very speed-shy, but in the end, I got over it and kept up. Plus the crowds slowed us down :P.
Throughout the weekend we ate large quantities of food. The first night we had this amazing lamb and zucchini. We teased my boyfriend because we were always serving lamb, even after my dad’s gross lamburger travesty. At the festival my boyfriend and I split a slab of ribs and ate even more at dinner. On the way back, I ate an amazing (AMAZING) open-faced crab sandwich in Moss Landing. Good times.
Although my dad was extremely overworked and exhausted when we got back, I’m so proud of him for getting out of the house!
Fun: *****
Laughed more than I had in a long time. Awesome time!
Thrill: *
Pretty laid back.
Learning Experience: **
Since it was my dad’s first trip in a long time, it was somewhat experimental and we had to figure out all the details.
Is Fourth of July in Monterey recommended?
I had a great time, but I love firework shows, so I would say go somewhere we you can see those. In the Monterey area, there is a $1000 fine for using fireworks!
San Francisco Pride
Overall rating: **
I grew up in San Francisco, but in the twenty-two years I’ve lived here I’ve never been to the Pride Parade. Growing up in San Francisco is itself an adventure, so this weekend I just wasn’t sure what to expect.
On Saturday the sky was clear and sun’s rays pressed softly against the windowpanes. Looking out at the city that stretched off into the distance, I found it impossible not go out. My mom and I headed to the car and drove to Civic Center, where everything was taking place. From my mother, I inherited an incorrigible cheapness and a love of free stuff that no know bounds. If you can avoid the lines of merchants selling amazing smelling food, fairs and festivals are a great place for people with these qualities. We signed up for every “Win a free cruise” we could find. We spun every prize wheel possible. My mom won $15 in gas money and I won a DVD about Switzerland. I hula-hooped for five minutes to win an orange recyclable bag. Yes, a little ridiculous.
That night I went out with a couple friends to the big party in the Castro. We spent most of the beginning of the night searching for my friend, but ended up getting caught in a super crowded dancing patch with plenty of creepers. It was fun though and the music was all right. Several of confusing text messages later and I found my friend’s location, except when we went to the restaurant, we couldn’t see them, even though they were literally sitting right in front of our eyes. Then when we finally found each other, my party had to pee. The line was extremely long, so when it was my turn I said I would have the fastest pee in history and I did. Everyone was very impressed.
After the Castro event ended we headed briefly to the Mission, screaming “buddy” at each other to keep our oversized group together. We finally went to a horrible bar with a creepy unattended package on the ground and a disgusting bathroom, and it was pretty much time to call it a night.
The next morning we went to the parade, which was cool in parts, but overall underwhelming. It’s super crowded and there are big gaps in the procession, which make it more waiting than watching.
Afterwards we went to the big civic center festival again. We were starving so we got some beer (from a liquor store, not at the overpriced fair) and Vietnamese sandwiches. Then we went to the concert area and after pushing through the crowd (and dealing with people trying to push through us!) we finally got a good view to see...the Backstreet Street Boys!!! (Minus Kevin…my favorite.) We also got to see the guy from Erasure—good stuff, although he seemed drunk out of his mind. All in all, a pretty good day.
Fun: ****
Very fun! There were so many different things to see and do. The people watching was great.
Thrill: ***
Started out laid back, but as the crowd grew it became more and more thrilling!
Learning Experience: No stars
Nothing I didn’t already know.
Recommended?
Yes! Everyone, gay or straight, should go to Pride at some point!
I grew up in San Francisco, but in the twenty-two years I’ve lived here I’ve never been to the Pride Parade. Growing up in San Francisco is itself an adventure, so this weekend I just wasn’t sure what to expect.
On Saturday the sky was clear and sun’s rays pressed softly against the windowpanes. Looking out at the city that stretched off into the distance, I found it impossible not go out. My mom and I headed to the car and drove to Civic Center, where everything was taking place. From my mother, I inherited an incorrigible cheapness and a love of free stuff that no know bounds. If you can avoid the lines of merchants selling amazing smelling food, fairs and festivals are a great place for people with these qualities. We signed up for every “Win a free cruise” we could find. We spun every prize wheel possible. My mom won $15 in gas money and I won a DVD about Switzerland. I hula-hooped for five minutes to win an orange recyclable bag. Yes, a little ridiculous.
That night I went out with a couple friends to the big party in the Castro. We spent most of the beginning of the night searching for my friend, but ended up getting caught in a super crowded dancing patch with plenty of creepers. It was fun though and the music was all right. Several of confusing text messages later and I found my friend’s location, except when we went to the restaurant, we couldn’t see them, even though they were literally sitting right in front of our eyes. Then when we finally found each other, my party had to pee. The line was extremely long, so when it was my turn I said I would have the fastest pee in history and I did. Everyone was very impressed.
After the Castro event ended we headed briefly to the Mission, screaming “buddy” at each other to keep our oversized group together. We finally went to a horrible bar with a creepy unattended package on the ground and a disgusting bathroom, and it was pretty much time to call it a night.
The next morning we went to the parade, which was cool in parts, but overall underwhelming. It’s super crowded and there are big gaps in the procession, which make it more waiting than watching.
Afterwards we went to the big civic center festival again. We were starving so we got some beer (from a liquor store, not at the overpriced fair) and Vietnamese sandwiches. Then we went to the concert area and after pushing through the crowd (and dealing with people trying to push through us!) we finally got a good view to see...the Backstreet Street Boys!!! (Minus Kevin…my favorite.) We also got to see the guy from Erasure—good stuff, although he seemed drunk out of his mind. All in all, a pretty good day.
Fun: ****
Very fun! There were so many different things to see and do. The people watching was great.
Thrill: ***
Started out laid back, but as the crowd grew it became more and more thrilling!
Learning Experience: No stars
Nothing I didn’t already know.
Recommended?
Yes! Everyone, gay or straight, should go to Pride at some point!
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