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| Friday, September 29, 2006 |
They say the people you meet can make or break your hostel and that it can also shape your opinion of a city itself. Well after my experience at the Clown and Bard hostel, I would have to agree. At first glance, the Clown and Bard doesn't seem great -it's a little run down, its not in a nice looking area, and the beds are shit. However, don't judge a book by its cover because at 7pm when they have happy hour, everything changes. The place becomes a buzz with activity as travelers pour to begin drinking, talking and just having a grand time. Last night we played a 16 person game of Kings. By the time the night is under way, we are all pissed (drunk) from the 50 cent beers. (Beers about 1 dollar when its not happy hour any where in Prague. Amazing huh? It is cheaper than bottled water here! BEER! CHEAPER THAN WATER! Only in Prague...) The hostel then gets real lively until all hours of the night. I won't go into too much detail because its a pretty X rated story but wends night ended with 3 extra girls in my 5 bed male dorm, 3 drunk aussies busting in at 6am turning on the lights, turning to my friend and asking if that girl in his bed was a dude (she left after that), a girl walking around naked, and two of those aussies sharing a bed because in the 5 bed dorm, the hostel booked 7 people. It was a fun night to say the least and pretty much on par with all the other shananigans that takes place at the Clown and Bard. If you go to Prague and want a party, stay at this hostel.
When I wasn't enjoying the nightlife, I was seeing Praha, which is one the most beautiful cities I have ever seen. I spent two days exploring the city and I wish I had an extra day here to take a day trip to the bone church but alas, I must head to Italy in about 3 hours. (Tough Life huh?) The old quarter of Prague is as pictueresque as any image of old europe can be. Small cobblestone streets, beautiful buildings, baroque churches, outdoor eateries- all of it magical. I spent a day exploring the old Jewish section and the old town. The Jewish section is really famous as Prague has a very old Jewish community (well, did before the Nazis). There are headstones dating back to the 12th century! That's some old bones! I was a little dissapointed that they turned all the synagogues into muesuems but they all were very decorative and nice to look at. The rest of my first day was spent getting aimlessly lost around the old city taking pictures of buildings, town squares, churches, and watching the famed clocktower chime as a grimreaper comes out to let you know the hour has changed. Cool sight but too many tourists standing around waiting. I also learned a valuable lesson that day: When the person you're with says" don't pay for the metro because they don't check." PAY anyway! They were checking that day and we both got hit with a 20 dollar fine! That's a lot of 50 cent beers!
So the second day around the city I made sure we paid. That day, Deb and I (my tour buddy from the hostel) went to go visit Prague castle, the famed Charles Bridge, and the otherside of the city. Prague castle is a bit of a let down. While having an amazing gothic church in the center, the castle is more of a palace than a typical medevil castle. It's pretty to see and cool to walk around but I went expecting an actual castle. What a misnomer! Charles bridge is a cool place to walk across as there are hundreds of vendors selling some amazing art. If it wasn't for that fine and the fact I would have to carried it all around the world, there were some photos and paintings I would have bought. The bridge also gives you amazing views of the Vtala River and the east side of the Prague- views that cannot be found anywhere in America. It's utterly amazing and romantic. You can stand on that bridge for hours looking at the view. Overall, Prague is an amazing city. It's pretty touristy but its lively. There is always a lot happening. Four nights is enough here and I would recommend if you come not to stay less than that! I also recommend you just come- Prague is a destination not to be missed.
I put pictures from the end of my US leg up at http://photos.yahoo.com/sanchitos123. It is hard finding time to put photos up. Its under "Colarado to Chicago" and so you are not confused it moves from Boulder to the Rockies to Deadwood to Iowa to Chicago. Now I'm pretty caught up with pictures- I just have to upload a my Prague photos and the Oslo pictures. Hopefully, I'll find time soon to upload the videos I took too!! But right now, I'm off to Italy. Cheers!
Matt
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posted by Nomadic Matt @ 4:05 AM  |
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| Sunday, September 24, 2006 |
International flights are the bane of my existence. I hate them. The only part of them I really enjoy is the free alcohol and the movies. They give me jet leg and I can never sleep on these flights, so when you go in the opposite direction of the dayæs movement, it can really screw with you. Not only did tornados and lightning shut down Chicago O´hare but I had to sit on the tarmac for 3 hours while the storm passed making me miss my connecting flight from Stockholm to Oslo keeping me up even more. In the end, I made it to Oslo around 4pm, wasting my day, and having not slept for what worked out to be 28 hrs. By the time I got to my cousin´s house, I was ready for a long nap. The actual SAS flight was good but the flight attendants were rude, a common occurance from what many Norwegians have told me. I don´t know how I am going to deal when I have to go take another overnight flight to Bangkok.
My last days in America were spent in Chicago. Two of my friends from home came out to visit and take my car back to Boston. Chicago was a great city. The city was clean, the buildings really modern, and the parks beautiful. Whereas Boston has a historic city feel to it, Chicago has an ultra modern vibe. All the buildings are designed with a modernist or post-modernist feel. One thing that really struck me about it was its cleanliness. There was a hardly any trash anywhere! Good job Mayor Daley. I had a lot of fun in Chicago- won money at casinos, toured the city, got beat in chess by a street player, saw the sears tower, ate some great sushi, and partied really hard with my friends. Both nights I was with them I ended up staying up until like 4am. That was cool the first night but being really hungover (we partied hard my last night in the states) for the airport the next day made that three hour wait even worse. But it as good to see my friends- I hadn´t seen anyone from home in a long time and I was happy to finally see some familiar Boston faces.
Yet now I am across the pond in Oslo. I´m here for four days. Norway is a super expensive country so luckily I have family to stay with otherwise I don´t know if I could afford it. I mean I was really shocked. A bottle of Coke is like 3 dollars and a sandwhich at Subway is like 12 dollars. A hamburger? 25 dollars! I mean the subway was like 6 dollars! So crazy here. Apprently, everything under the sun is taxed and that is why prices are so high but I still find it rediculous a sandwich is that expensive. Quite the sticker shock. Luckily, I have family and we cook. Like after my nap, my cousin and his wife made dinner...a yummy Thai soup. Despite my jetlag, I went to this party one of their friends had. I couldn´t pass up an opportunity to meet and socialize with locals. As a backpacker you rarely meet many locals and even if you are in a city for awhile, it can still be a challange to get to know the locals so I wasn´t going to pass this up. The party was really fun and I got to meet some funny people. We ended up discussing politics for a while as the wives (it was an older crowd) chatty about girly things...some things are universal! It was interesting to have a conversation about American politics with my first Europeans.
I spent the next day exloring Oslo. The weather wasn´t really that nice but thankfully the rain held off. At first I wasn´t too impressed with the city- there was trash everywhere and the city had an ugly communist design feel to it. But the closer we got to the city the center the prettier it got. The city center was nice and the west side of the city was very impressive. My cousin and I walked around and got to see the King´s palace, the Oslo Fjord, and we went to the Norwegien resistence muesem which commerates the resistence to the Nazis. We also took the tram to the big park in the west side. It´s some long name I can´t pronounce but it was really beautiful. Fountains, great walkways, statues, ponds- the whole nine yards! Beautiful park. One of the things that distrubed me was that al the park statues were naked. Men, Woman, children- all naked! Sometimes they weren´t just statues of them alone but together doing what could be viewed as sexually explict things. I was a little distrubed by the whole the thing. I,m no prude but I don´t ned to see statues of naked men bearhugging other naked men and playing with naked children. Gross.
I´ll end with an interesting fact I learned here. What´s the coolest, trendiest spot in Oslo? TGI Fridays! Yup! The American chain restuarant. For some reason, they love it! It might have something to do with their love of American culture but on the weekednds, TGI Fridays is the place to be. Hot date? TGI Fridays! (They are the place with the 25 dollar burger too!) Kind of wierd huh? An American chain as the hot night spot- I mean TGI Fridays is the low of the low! Applebee´s is way better! What is even funnier is that apprently people get really dressed up to go there..I mean we are talking dresses and suits. If TGI Fridays was like that at home, I might go there!
Next time I am going to try to post pictures. My cousin has a MAC and it won´t upload my video or pictures so I´ll try again next time!
Matt
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| posted by Nomadic Matt @ 2:19 PM |
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| Thursday, September 21, 2006 |
My time in the United States has come to a temporary end. After 25 years of living and two months of cross country travel, I am leaving the US for longer than 2 weeks for the first time ever. I am going to live and travel overseas for at least a year, maybe longer. Tomorrow I leave for Europe and I'm thrilled. I really feel like I am finally hitting the backpacker trail and leaving it all behind. Just me and my backpack.
Don't get me wrong though- the last two months in the US were an amazing experience. I never really felt like I was really backpacking though. With having a car, I was able to carry around a lot of stuff I won't be able to carry when I go abroad. It felt more like an extended holiday than a backpacking adventure. Yet what a holiday it was!!!!
As a kid, my family went on the obligatory roadtrips but we never went far off the east coast. Prior this roadtrip, I had only been west of Mississippi to go to LA so I could get to Thailand. This was my first real trip around my home. I didn't know what to really expect when I left. I was going to areas only had preconceived notions about- the redneck south, the boring Midwest, the beautiful West, and the barren, fire prone southwest. Yet driving around shattered many of my conceived notions and instead made new notions of each of these little areas nations. I learned a lot over these past two months on the road.
I learned that you never realize how big the country is until you plan a trip across it. You see its size on the map but you can't imagine it until you hop in your car and drive 700 miles to your next destination. The size of America itself is amazing!
I learned that the South isn't so bad. I learned that it has some good cities, good food, and good people. I blanketly called it the backwater of our nation and that was unfair. The place isn't that bad. Sure, there are still aspects of it I don't like but overall, I was surprised that by the time I left, I knew I'd like to go back.
I learned that Colorado is my favorite state. I loved that state- the nature, the cities (Denver is awesome!), the people. Out of all the places I've been too, this is the one place I'd consider moving to when I came back to the country.
I learned the southwest isn't so barren. I mean if you have never been to Arizona or New Mexico, I suggest you go there. It's beautiful. The Grand Canyon, Sedona, Santa Fe, Carlsbad, the landscape- all of it (except Phoenix) is quite amazing. While I wouldn't want to live there (maybe retire), going there turned this area into my favorite section of the country.
I learned that I can get over my fears, hike 50 miles, and travel alone. I learned that I could learn. I survived two months on the road by myself. I met people, I navigated cities, and I made friends all over the country. I learned that if I can do it here, I can do it while overseas.
I learned random things like New Orleans, Savannah, and Charleston are the best cities in the US. That Carl's Jr. has the best fast food. Waffle House hash browns is a gift from God. You can fake a Tazmanian accent because Americans never travel. Texas cops are assholes. Southern sweet tea isn't all its cracked up to be but southern cooking is. New Orleans has amazing music. International visitors think the US has some of the friendliest people in the world and I would have to agree. And always read your map- otherwise you could miss your exit and end up in the wrong state!
Most importantly though, I learned that, in the famous words of Le Monde, we are all Americans. America is a diverse nation yet the one thing I noticed about this country is that despite ourpoliticall and cultural differences, we are the same. Day to day, we live the same lives, share the same hopes, dreams, and stresses. All the debate about politics, religion, and the world are trivial when viewed from our common being. And yet at the same time, it is easy to notice all the differences when you travel. There are glaring cultural differences from area to area, state to state, and city to city- from the slowness of the south, to the fast pace of the east coast, to the cowboys of the west, and to the small towns of the cornbelt. This greatdichotomyy between likeness and diversity is really what makes this country great and what really made a lasting impression on me.
So as I head overseas, I am glad that I got to see this country first. It gave me a new understanding and appreciation for the country that is my home. It gave me the chance to see many friends one last time before I head out and one last time before we fully cross that bridge from post-college young adulthood into full grown settled adults. And to all those that I visited, let me say thank you for your generous hospitality. You gave me shelter, feed me, took me out drinking and put up with me. You should me more hospitality than I could ever have imagined. As if giving me a place to stay wasn't enough, you took me out to local bars, local eateries, and local events. I will always be thankful for the hospitality you showed me and one day promise to repay it. But though it's not easy to say goodbye, I must go off and travel. It's time to breakaway and see the world!
So thank you to all my friends and, if you haven't been to this country before or been out west, go. Go now. It's really incredible. There are so many different landscapes and cultures to see in this one place.
So until Europe,
Matt
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| posted by Nomadic Matt @ 12:14 PM |
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| Monday, September 18, 2006 |
Wow! It's been awhile since I posted. I haven't had any good internet access since I last posted. Right now I am in the Great Plains. The Midwest. Farm country. You know why they call it the great plains? Because it's pretty plain. Farmland as far as the eye can see. Seriously though, while the landscape can be pretty boring, this is a great place to really see small town America. I drove through Wyoming on my way to South Dakota and I came across a town with a population of 1! ONE!!!! Most of the average populations for the towns I have passed have been about 1500. I couldn't ever imagine living in a town that small.
I went to Deadwood, South Dakota to visit the old mining town and see the Black Hills. South Dakota is in the middle of the country, up north by Canada. There really isn't much there. Outside the tourist area of the Black hills, the state is pretty sparsely populated and it's economy relies mainly on ranching and mining for its income. I went to a casino there and when I showed my ID, they were surprised someone from Massachusetts even knew where South Dakota was! Deadwood was a lot of fun. The town is pretty campy and mainly exists as a tourist attraction. The historic main street is all saloons, shops, and casinos. However, the town does a good job at historic preservation and the local museum gives you a good sense of the history of this famed mining community. The Black Hills themselves are very beautiful. They are named that because of the dark green color of the pine trees. I didn't get to hike the area as much as I would have liked. I had to cut my time there short and it rained while I was there but driving around I got to see a good amount of the area, its beauty, and a few deer. I would like to go back there and really hike the area during the summer when it is nicer.
From South Dakota, I jumped into my car and began a 780 mile drive to my friend's house in Iowa. I was not looking forward to this. I was going to do it all in one go but decided to break it up. I got to drive through small town America in South Dakota. I passed towns with one street, towns with more churches than houses, and even go to pass an old couple sitting on their porch- it was like out of a movie!!! The city slicker lost. I loved it! You never get to see this back east and it gives a new perspective to the ruralness than can be America. The drive was long but interesting- especially when they were announcing tornados near where I was. It would have been just my luck to get sucked up by a tornado. It'd be like the movie Twister.
Luckily, I made it safely to Iowa. I crashed in Souix City, IA for the night before making the 6 hr drive to Cedar Rapids. Here I am now. My friend and I are going hiking and to visit some cave. Tomorrow, I head to Chicago for the final leg of my American journey because of Friday I go to Europe.
and of course, I saw Mt. Rushmore while in South Dakota. Though on a mountain, it's pretty small. I expected it to be a lot bigger than it was. It's a good place to visit and check out and it's wonderful to see but it's a little dissapointing. Here's a picture:
see! Kind of small?
Here is a close up so it looks more impressive:
Until later,
Matt
THIS IS OLD SITE!!! CLICK HERE TO GO TO MY NEW ONE!!!!
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| posted by Nomadic Matt @ 7:56 AM |
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| Thursday, September 14, 2006 |
Yes indeed I'm alone again. I don't remember how much detail I went into but since the Grand Canyon I've been traveling with a couple of Brits, and the occasional American and Austrian. It was down to just me and the Brits in Boulder but that was where we parted ways- them back to England and me to keep traveling. So I'm traveling alone again for a bit. Originally, I was going to go up to Yellowstone for a few days before I headed out to South Dakota. But I didn't- it proved to be really far away and for what it would cost me in gas, it was better to stay and hike the Rockies. So drove up to Estes Park to hike Rocky Mountian National park.
The Rockies are simply amazing. I spent two days hiking the national park and it was a real adjustment to the altitude that first day- hiking up 11.000 ft above sea level is tough on the lungs! I decided to take it easy the first day and only did about 9.5 miles. Immediatly getting into the park, I was awe struck by the snow capped mountains arising over creek filled meadows. I parked my car (in havard yard) and went off to start my hike. I started at Bear Lake and kept hiking up to 11,000 ft before I descended back down passing two lakes and a few huge waterfalls:
 
 
I also saw this chipmunk eating a nut on my ascent up. That was pretty cool sight to watch. What wasn't so cool was shooing away his brother (I'm not sure if it was Alvin, Simon, or Theodore) from trying to eat my lunch. I was sitting at this beautiful lake (Odessa) taking in the view when this guy wouldn't leave me alone. Damn Chipmunk! I was forced to stand and eat! September is also Elk mating season so at dusk they are all out feeding in the meadows. I got my second good look at some Elk! (The first being on the morning drive up to the Grand Canyon. I think I forgot to tell you all about that! ooops!) This time I saw at least 50 elk roaming around. They are quite a sight to be seen. I think even the little ones were big enough to take out my Corolla. I got up close and took some good pictures:
  
I planned on waking up bright and early on Wednesday to hike about 20 miles but then I realized that was overly ambitious for two reasons: 1. given the time it took to do 9.5 I would need to wake up real early or hike into dinner time and that wasn't happening. 2. Well, I feel asleep at 9pm on Tuesday and didn't get up until 8 on Wednesday so then it really wasn't happening! I set my sights on a more reasonable 15 miles hike. I started at a different area of the park and did some good hiking up all the way back over to Bear Lake. (The bus to the car park is right there!) This hike was a lot harder than a I thought it would be! The paths I took were a lot more rugged and steeper. (I lost some trails a few times but made my way back!) I ended up on one that went 3 miles up with no swtichbacks! Just a straight ascent! That was tough on the legs but at least it followed this amazing creek that had some pretty georgeous waterfalls:
 
After I hiked up, I was rewarded with two things: amazing views and more hornets than I ever wanted to see in my whole life. The bugs were really out today and it seemd as though every time I found a nice spot to rest or enjoy the view, after about two minutes, I had a squad of hornets buzzing over me. Now if you ever want to see me run like the wind, put me around bee type creatures. I must have bolted down the trails like ten times! But sometimes they left me alone and I could sit and enjoy views like this:
 
As it approached mile 12, I was feeling a little tired but ready to do my final 3 miles. Looking at the map I decided to the map I decided on this long strech that would take me past a lake (lots of little lakes here) and right to my car! So I set out only to take the wrong trail and then lose that trail to end up roaming around the woods. After about 10 minutes of trying to intersect another trail, I gave up and backtracked. Luckily, I found the orginal trail but by then it was too late in the day to continue the last 3 miles as I was hungry and wanted to eat and watch some more elk. I got back in the car, grabbed a quick snack, and sat around for a few hours watching the elk roam and the sunset over the rockies. So I ended up only doing 12 miles but they were a good 12.
The whole experience was quite amazing. My only issue was that the trails were not well signed and it was easy to get lost and confused as to what way each trail was. Other than that, I highly recommend coming here, especially in the fall when all the leaves are changing colors. What made this experience even better is that I also found the best radio station ever. It's called 101.5 "Martini on the Rockies." (Clever huh?) They play a mix of soul, jazz, blues, old rock, DMB, Jack Johnson, Eagles, Etta James, and Sinatra -style music. It's pretty damn awesome. Never a bad song. I wish I could find a station like this everywhere!
Ohh and as promised pictures of the pretzel man:
 
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| posted by Nomadic Matt @ 12:00 AM |
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| Monday, September 11, 2006 |
I love Colorado. It is a place I could move too. Though I only spent 4 days here, I got a great vibe that tickled my desire to come back here as soon as I can. Denver is a great city. While Denver may lack the culture of London, NYC, LA, Paris, or any of the other must see cities in the world, it has its own style. Denver's very clean and the city is easy to get around. The downtown area is pretty nice to stroll around and all the museums are conveniently all in the same area. I went to Denver to visit a few friends. It was a pretty wild weekend. The bar scene there is better than in Boston. While the variety of places isn't as wide, the people were a lot friendlier and more easy to talk to. My friend showed me around to the hotspots (5 degrees is good though Spill is too crowded). We went to a few of the local dinner places(Sushi Sa Sa is good and not too expensive!) and a late night burrito joint, which gives you huge burritos..too bad I can't remember the name. I only ended up seeing about 5% of Denver but what I did see was pretty awesome. I definitely would like to go back there and out of all the places I've seen so far, Denver is one of the few I would consider moving too.
After Denver it was off to Boulder. I heard a lot of things about Boulder. It's either the best city in the world or the worst. People seem to have a love or hate feeling toward the city that is affectionately called the "Republic of Boulder." Boulder is a pretty liberal, outdoor, hippy, college town. It's a mix of college students, liberals, outdoor lovers, health nuts, musicians, and backpackers. What is great about Boulder is that, like Vancouver or Flagstaff, it is right in the mountains. In fact, from my hostel, its about a 20 minute walk to the base of a few mountains.
I spent a few days here hanging out, partying, bouldering, and walking around. Pearl street is the big pedestrian mall in the city so I made sure to head there. I walked around it today and though its just a collection of shops and restaurants, it is pretty cool. There are lots of outdoor performers there, places to sit and eat, lots of trees, and just a relaxed vibe. There was even a pretzel man! He twisted himself in ways that I didn't think the laws of physics allowed. I wish I could post pictures but the library at UC-Boulder doesn't allow that. Hopefully, my next stop will let me post pictures. You need to see it to believe it! Overall, despite a few crazies in the hostel, I thought Boulder was great. Loved the bars, the locals, the vibe, and there is a lot to do here. I don't know why people talk bad about this place. Sure, it can be in its own world but it has a lot to offer. Don't miss Boulder!
I only saw a small, small part of the Colorado. I didn't ski. I didn't hike the Rockies. I didn't chill out in Aspen. But Boulder, Denver, and the landscape I saw whetted my appetite for a return trip that is sure to happen much sooner than later.
On a different note, I think I'm also going to change my trip around. I've been toying with the idea of getting a job in Australia for a few months to fund some extended time traveling New Zealand and possibly China. I'm not sure right now. I have the funds for Japan but Japan would only be for two weeks so I can do that on any holiday from work since it won't change much. I looked into teaching English there but everyone wants a year contract and that's too long for me to commit too. So I'm thinking that some of the money from Japan will be used to fund some other places (like China). Either way, if I can swing it, I might end up away a little longer. It all depends on how much fun I'm having and how much money I'll have left as I've hit a few big money bumps. But I'm excited by the possibility of working in Australia for awhile, spending more time in New Zealand, and possibly China. I'm going to try to see how I can make this happen- I wonder if OxFam is hiring!?
In other news, look to your right. No- your other right. Ok, the right side of this webpage. Under "Ways to support my trip," you will find a RSS subscriber button. I really have no idea what RSS is or how it works but I do know if you click on the button, follow the instructions, you get my updates sent to you. So subscribe!
Cheers for now,
Matt
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| posted by Nomadic Matt @ 10:19 PM |
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| Tuesday, September 05, 2006 |
I'm a self-proclaimed beach bum. If there is a beach and a warm ocean near by, that is heaven to me. If I could, I'd live on the beach until I died. I've seen some great beaches before but, after seeing the American Southwest, I decided that this might be far better than any beach I've been on.
The Southwest is so visually amazing. Desert landscapes led into thick pine forests in the mountains while redrocks cut over the ages by the wind emerge suddenly over the landscape. Ever since I left Austin, my jaw has not stopped dropping as each destination somehow gets more beautiful than the last. I've taken huge amounts of photographs from this area already and I'm still here for a bit longer. If I could, I'd photograph every site, every mountain, every river, and every tree because all of it stunningly gorgeous. The sunsets are all better than the night before and to be able to look up at the sky and see the stars instead of city lights helps you remember just how many stars there are and how vast the universe really is.
This area of the country requires its own gap year since there is so much to do here, though a few of the cities in the southwest are avoidable. Phoenix, Tucson, Carlsbad, and even Albuquerque are just vast expanses of sprawl and cheesy tourism. They are worth a stopover but not an extended stay. Outside the historical areas, you encounter sprawling housing complexes and perfect manicured lawns that go on forever. There is little here that makes a long stay worth it. For more character, I preferred the cities of Sante Fe, Flagstaff, and Sedona. These mountain towns offered a bit of culture, good food, good adventure, and amazing people. Though Sedona is a new age, mystic, rich getaway town, it has a lot to offer with interesting western shops and restaurants. It's also very close to the Red Rock National Park and the Ponderosa Pine forest. I'd like to come back to Sedona when I am older and with a slightly thicker wallet. Flagstaff is a really cool city. I really like the vibe here and if it wasn't for the train that rolled through town every 5 minutes, I'd say it was a great place to live. The town is a mix of a college students, outdoors type, intellectuals, and food lovers. I hear that its very much like Boulder. If you are ever in Flagstaff, stay at the Grand Canyon Hostel. Its cheap, clean, and you meet loads of other travelers there. I would stay there again in a heartbeat. They also offer tours to Sedona and the Grand Canyon.
The landscape is the real draw of the area and the biggest draw is the Grand Canyon. This was the highlight of my time here. Seeing it in pictures is one thing but seeing it for your own eyes is something else and hiking down and back up was the greatest thing I've accomplished. I already can't wait until the next time I can get there! Next time though, I am going to camp out and spend 3 days exploring it! Besides the canyon, the red rocks around Sedona are amazing. Out of the flat desert arise these huge red rocks, each cut into different shapes by the wind. The rocks are such a dark red they look like clay. I felt like I could reach out and mold them into any shape I wanted. What's really remarkable is that less than a few miles north up the mountains streches the large pine forest in the country. I didn't get to hike this forest but I definitely plan on coming back to it to hike around for a few days. It's just beautiful- the creeks, the gorges, the endless pine- all of it. Speaking of forests, the Lincoln National Park in New Mexico reminded me of Wyoming or Colorado. Endless pine forests, meadows, ranches, and streams- it looked out of place in the middle of the desert, like God created an oasis. I spent a half day just looking around. That is another place I need to go back and spend some time at.
One of the coolest things happened to me on the way to New Mexico. There I was eating subway at this Shell/Subway travel center and I get thirsty. I get up to go get a drink and what do I see- Ben and Jerry's Milkshakes. That's right, you heard me- Ben and Jerry's makes milkshakes flavored like their ice cream. I almost brokedown right there! They had cherry garcia, peanut butter cup and chocolate chip brownie. I got all three and let me tell you- it is like drinking Ben and Jerry's ice cream! It was delicious. I am going to be on the look out for them all the time now!!! I still can't get over it!
All in all, there is simply too much to write about. One could go on forever about the beauty of the southwest as I am sure many before me have. Simply put- this place is simply undescribable. If you haven't visited, you should. There are cities worth exploring and nature worth seeing.
Until next time,
Matt
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| posted by Nomadic Matt @ 2:57 PM |
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| Saturday, September 02, 2006 |
Did you follow the old adage and go west? If you didn't, you should. The Southwest is one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen and it has most amazing thing I've seen (and I'm mean ever seen)- the Grand Canyon. Words can't describe just how great it is so I made this little video: (Warning! I make an obscene joke here so ear muff your little kids!)
Of the park's 5 million visitors, 99% only go to the Grand Canyon for less than 4 hrs and only spend 20 minutes at the actually Canyon, 1% actually walk down some distance and about half of that percent hike down to the bottom so I'm in a small small minority of adventurers. Hiking down the Grand Canyon (and back up) is a lot harder than it seems but more visually rewarding than just looking out over the rim. Arriving at the Canyon my first thought was "Holy Shit! Look at this!" I was in utter shock. I've seen pictures of it before but no picture can prepare you for just how big and grand it is. I took in the view for a bit but I needed to hike down before the mid-day sun hit and it became 100 in the shade!
When you hike to the bottom you see way more of the canyon than you could ever see from the top. You get to see all the desert animals, the intricacies of the ridges and mountains, the streams, the creeks, the cliffs, the Colorado river, and much more. You can see the color changes in the rocks up close and really sit and enjoy. Walking down, I immediately knew this was a place I wanted to see again and I already regretted only spending one night there. If you ever visit the Grand Canyon, go hike down- even if it is for just a few hours. You will get experience the Canyon up close and it gives the area more meaning and perspective- more so than just looking out over the rim and going "oooo. ahhhh." You miss out on a lot when you don't walk down even just a tiny bit.
So I hiked down to the bottom and saw up close the Colorado River. From down there, the Canyon takes on a totally new shape. The vast canyon disappears and all you can see is this little valley the river has cut. The river itself is cold and moves pretty quickly. If you get caught in the current, I think your pretty guaranteed to end up dead. I spent the night at the camp down there, talking to hikers, listening to a ranger talk, and trying to avoid scorpions.
Hiking back up was a lot tougher than hiking down, even when taking the flatter Bright Angel trail. After I hiked down the previous day (7 miles), I also ended up hiking some more deserted off the path trails for like another 3 miles so by the time I woke up Friday morning, my legs were already sore. Yet I was still in for another 9.6 mile hike back up the canyon through hot, steep terrain. My new British friend and I moved slowly as to take advantage of the shade, off-trail waterfalls others pointed us too, and to talk with other hikers. The hardest part for me was the steep ascent back up- the high altitude and steep rock faces made for an adjustment. However, after 6 hours of hiking, we made it out. A wave emotions set over me. Hiking the Grand Canyon was one of the major goals I wanted to do on this trip and I did it. I had such a sense of pride, accomplishment, and euphoria. Once I got to the top, all the pain in my legs, the tiredness, heat disappeared to give way to sheer joy.
I finished off such a wondrous act by watching the sunset over the canyon. It was an amazing sunset. There were tons of people taking pictures and I took plenty but mostly I just sat back and enjoyed the show of oranges and reds reflecting off the canyon walls. The sun set quickly but not before giving those watching a great show of purple and pink off the clouds. It was a wonderful end to a remarkable too days. I am already looking forward to going back except this time for much longer.
-Matt
Editor's note: I don't really like this video but YouTube was being difficult and it was the only one I could get going before my internet time ran out. I hate how I sound in these videos. I think in the future you will be hearing less of me and seeing more of the sights.
THIS IS OLD SITE!!! CLICK HERE TO GO TO MY NEW ONE!!!!
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| posted by Nomadic Matt @ 10:34 AM |
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